The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Yobe State has removed its Chairman, Umaru Jajere, and Secretary, Mustapha Gado, over allegations of mismanagement, lack of transparency and unilateral decision-making.

The council announced their removal in a statement signed by its Acting Secretary, Habiba Umaru, following an emergency meeting held on Thursday at its secretariat along Potiskum Road, Damaturu.

According to the statement, the decision followed a vote of no confidence in the two officials, who were accused of failing to consult member political parties on key decisions and neglecting regular meetings of the council’s executive committee and general assembly.

IPAC also accused the former leadership of allegedly using the council’s name to receive quarterly palliatives from the North-East Development Commission (NEDC), as well as other government and non-governmental organisations, without the knowledge or involvement of member parties.

Similarly, Umaru assured members that the council would work closely with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yobe State Government, security agencies and the media to promote peaceful political activities and credible elections.

IPAC also called on its national secretariat, INEC, the state government, security agencies and the NEDC to recognise the newly appointed acting leadership.

The council further urged stakeholders to disregard anyone claiming to occupy the positions of chairman and secretary of the Yobe State chapter outside the newly constituted leadership.

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has ordered security agencies to investigate the disruption of activities at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Lafia, insisting that all those responsible, including alleged sponsors and masterminds, must be identified and brought to justice.

The governor gave the directive on Thursday during an expanded security meeting at the Government House, Lafia, following Wednesday’s disruption of the rally and the reported obstruction of the convoy of Vice President Kashim Shettima during his visit to the Emir of Lafia.

Sule described the incidents as a serious embarrassment, noting that the Vice President attended the rally on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

According to him, the disruption was not merely an embarrassment to the state government or the Presidential Campaign Council but also to the country’s highest political leadership.

“The embarrassment was not to the state or the Presidential Campaign Council alone. It was an embarrassment to the Vice President on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That is the reason why we cannot take it lightly,” he said.

The governor directed security agencies to invite and question everyone suspected of involvement, regardless of their former positions or social status.

He particularly warned against limiting the investigation to the arrest of a few youths, stressing that those who allegedly organised, planned and sponsored the disruption must also be exposed.

“We cannot, at the end of the day, after having such an embarrassment, just go and arrest five or six Almajiris and say that is the end of it. It will not work. The people responsible for this must be called to order,” Sule stated.

The governor also expressed concern over reports that some individuals had planned to disrupt the rally before it took place.

He further raised questions about the attack on the Vice President’s convoy and the throwing of an object suspected to be a shoe towards the podium where Shettima and other governors were standing.

Sule also demanded an explanation over the reported use of tear gas at the rally venue, particularly around the podium, and called for an investigation into the conduct of security personnel deployed for the event.

While commending the military, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for their intervention, he said the expanded security meeting was necessary to ensure that all concerns surrounding the incident were properly examined.

The governor cautioned political actors against allowing disagreements to escalate into violence, warning that such developments could undermine peace and security in the state.

“I don’t want us to behave like them. If we behave like them, believe me, the state will become ungovernable. That is how Boko Haram started,” he warned.

Earlier, the Secretary to the Government of Nasarawa State, Labaran Shuaibu Magaji (SAN), said the meeting was convened to review the security lapses and incidents surrounding the APC presidential campaign rally.

Magaji recalled that Sule had convened an expanded meeting of the local organising committee on Monday, November 2, where security chiefs briefed the government on preparations for the event.

He said the security agencies had assured the government that adequate arrangements were in place to guarantee safety before, during and after the rally.

According to him, the governor also maintained regular communication with security chiefs and monitored preparations to ensure that the event proceeded peacefully.

The SGN explained that the Vice President’s visit to the palace of the Emir of Lafia was not initially included in the Presidential Campaign Council’s programme but was undertaken at Shettima’s request in recognition of the traditional institution.

Magaji alleged that some suspected opposition supporters disguised themselves in APC-branded T-shirts to gain access to the rally venue, where they reportedly chanted opposition slogans and threw an object towards the podium occupied by the governor and other dignitaries.

He also questioned the police response to the disturbance, alleging that officers deployed tear gas at the venue instead of removing those responsible for the disruption, affecting the podium where governors were addressing the gathering.

He said the intervention of the military, DSS and NSCDC was instrumental in restoring order.

The Secretary to the State Government further drew attention to reports of an alleged meeting held before the rally to plan its disruption, alongside videos circulating on social media which he said raised questions about the involvement of certain individuals.

He called for a comprehensive investigation to establish who planned the disruption, whether security agencies ignored prior intelligence, who attacked the Vice President’s convoy and who threw the object towards the dignitaries.

Magaji said the state government had already requested security agencies to activate their investigative machinery to establish the circumstances surrounding the incidents and ensure that anyone found culpable is held accountable.

A coalition of Ogoni youth groups has called on President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, insisting that the creation of Bori State must be given priority in the process.

The Coalition of Ogoni Youth Groups (COYOG) made the demand in a statement jointly signed by 17 youth leaders, including Chief Kpakol Kpakol of the Ogoni National Youth Congress and Gen. Ikeh Albert Jnr of the Khana Youth Assembly, on Saturday.

The coalition warned against attempts by politicians and other vested interests to hijack the dialogue process for personal or political gains, stressing that its outcomes must reflect the collective aspirations of the Ogoni people.

It described the dialogue as a collective struggle for justice, environmental restoration, political inclusion, resource control and sustainable development.

On the leadership of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee, COYOG clarified that Professor Don Baridam remains its substantive leader, warning against attempts by individuals to assume authority outside the established structure.

Reaffirming its commitment to peaceful advocacy, the coalition insisted that the dialogue process must remain inclusive and accountable, adding that its recommendations should translate into measurable benefits for the Ogoni people.

“The Ogoni dialogue belongs to the Ogoni people. Its outcomes must serve the Ogoni people. Its implementation must be transparent, inclusive and measurable,” the statement added.