The Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has defended the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, amid recent criticisms over his alleged role in the cancellation of a planned protest, warning Nigerians against narratives capable of deepening ethnic and religious divisions.

In a statement posted on his verified X account on Thursday, Obi urged Nigerians to draw lessons from the 2023 general elections, particularly in Lagos, where he said political discussions shifted from issues of governance and competence to ethnic and tribal sentiments.

He said debates that should have focused on development and national progress were instead diverted into divisive conversations that weakened unity.

“Throughout history, whenever politicians find it difficult to compete on ideas, performance, character, or vision, some resort to exploiting the fault lines of ethnicity, religion, and identity,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State governor warned that similar tactics were resurfacing ahead of future political contests, cautioning that some narratives were being deliberately amplified to sow distrust among citizens.

Reacting to criticisms against Adeboye, Obi described the cleric as one of Nigeria’s foremost religious leaders, noting that his teachings have consistently centred on peace, reconciliation, prayer and national unity.

He also said Adeboye had continued to respond to public criticism with “humility, restraint, wisdom, and grace.”

Obi further cautioned that responsibility for national transformation should not be unfairly shifted onto elderly leaders, stressing that younger Nigerians must take greater ownership of reforms and development.

He urged youths to reject attempts to recruit them into hatred or division, adding that Nigeria’s progress depends on unity and collective responsibility over narrow interests.

Rpivers state chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has played down the overbearing influence of the ‘Rainbow Coalition’, a political movement associated with the minister of the federal capital territory, FCT, Barr Nyesom Wike.

The party said that democracy thrives only on competition, and every political party has the constitutional right to seek the mandate of the people.

Making the view of the party known on Thursday, the state chairman of the ADC, Dr. Chukwudi Dimkpa said “while we welcome the emergence of new political movements, the ADC remains focused on building a strong grassroots structure, presenting credible candidates, and offering practical solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians”.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration, describing ransom payments to kidnappers as a routine household expense for many Nigerians, comparable to school fees and rent.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku responded to recent claims by the Presidency that Nigeria’s borrowing levels compare favourably with other African countries.

The former vice president said such comparisons reveal a dangerous disconnect between the government and the harsh realities faced by ordinary citizens.

“It is both astonishing and insulting that at a time when millions of Nigerians can barely afford one meal a day, when parents are withdrawing children from school because of crushing hardship, when businesses are collapsing under unbearable electricity tariffs and inflation, and when entire communities are being overrun by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, the Presidency is celebrating debt figures as though indebtedness itself were an economic achievement,” Atiku stated.

He painted a grim picture of the security situation, noting that road travel has become “a gamble with death,” while families live in fear of midnight calls announcing abductions. Villages, he said, are routinely sacked by criminals, even as those in power appear more focused on image management than solving the crisis.

“What exactly are Nigerians benefiting from all these loans if insecurity continues to spread and the economy continues to suffocate?” he asked.

Atiku linked the worsening insecurity directly to the collapse of food production, as farmers are driven from their lands by armed groups and terrorists across large parts of the country. This, he argued, has triggered soaring food prices, hunger, and malnutrition.

“Across the country, farmers can no longer safely access their farmlands because vast territories have effectively fallen under the control of armed gangs and terrorists,” he said. “The inevitable result is what Nigerians are currently witnessing — astronomical food prices, widespread hunger, malnutrition, and rising anger among citizens abandoned by their own government.”

While acknowledging that borrowing is not inherently bad when used for productive investments, Atiku insisted that under the current administration, massive borrowing has only deepened poverty, insecurity, and despair.

“No nation becomes prosperous by borrowing to finance consumption, sustain wasteful government lifestyles, and paper over policy failures,” he said. “In Nigeria today, however, citizens see no correlation between the mounting debt profile and improvement in their daily lives.”

The Waziri Adamawa contrasted the current situation with the economic reforms implemented during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in which he served, which successfully reduced Nigeria’s Paris Club debt and restored international confidence.

He accused the Tinubu administration of using propaganda to distract from its policy failures and urged it to confront the nation’s challenges with sincerity, competence, urgency, and compassion.

“Nigerians do not care about statistical gymnastics from government spokespersons. They care about whether food is affordable, whether their children are safe, whether businesses can survive, whether farmers can return to their lands, and whether the future still holds any promise,” Atiku concluded. “Sadly, under this administration, the answer to those questions is becoming increasingly bleak.”