Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Thursday, 3rd July, 2025
1. ADC Leadership Officially Steps Down For David Mark, Aregbesola, Others
The entire leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) across all states has officially stepped down to facilitate the transition of the party structure to the 2027 opposition coalition.
Naija News understands that the outgoing ADC National Chairman, Ralph O. Nwosu, announced this on Wednesday at an expanded meeting held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua centre, Abuja.
He disclosed that former Senate President, David Mark has been appointed as the interim National Chairman, while Rauf Aregbesola will serve as the party’s National Secretary.
Leaders of the opposition coalition present at the official declaration include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola.
2. “This Is Not Leadership” – Peter Obi Tackles Tinubu Over Closed Schools In Abuja
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of neglecting his role as a leader and betraying the children of Nigeria.
Peter Obi, in a statement on Wednesday, said it is unacceptable for Nigerian children attending public schools in Abuja to be locked at home while the President is offering scholarships to students from St. Lucia.
The former Anambra State Governor said the development is not only a failure of leadership, but a betrayal of Nigerian children.
Naija News reports that children attending public primary schools in Abuja have been at home for about three months over the face-off between the teachers in the schools and council chairmen over the non-implementation of the new ₦70,000 minimum wage and other outstanding demands.
Further reacting to the current situation, Obi, lamented that Nigeria currently has the highest number of out-of-school children, and the country is also low on the human development index.
He therefore criticized the decision of President Tinubu to offer students from St. Lucia a scholarship while children in Nigeria don’t have access to education and the teachers are not getting paid as due.
3. Supreme Court Adjourns Edo Guber Judgment Indefinitely
The Supreme Court has adjourned indefinitely the delivery of judgment in the legal tussle surrounding the Edo State governorship election, which produced Senator Monday Obekpolo as governor.
The apex court, after hearing arguments from all parties on Thursday, reserved its ruling sine die (without a fixed date), stating that a new judgment date would be communicated in due course.
Naija News reports that the appeal was filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Asue Ighodalo, who is asking the court to nullify Obekpolo’s victory and declare him the rightful winner of the election.
Represented by Ken Mozia (SAN), Ighodalo argued that he scored the majority of lawful votes and should have been returned elected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Naija News reports that the five-member panel was presided over by Justice Garba Lawal, who, after hearing the parties, announced that judgment had been reserved.
4. ‘Our Party Is Not For Sale’ – ADC Faction Rejects Opposition Coalition’s Adoption Of Party
A faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected the opposition coalition’s decision to adopt the party as a means to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Naija News reports that the national publicity secretary of the faction, Musa Isa Matara, in a statement on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, declared that the party is not for sale.
Matara said the party is not a private coalition platform that elite individuals should hijack, stressing that the party’s stakeholders, including state executives, youth and women leaders, and ward coordinators, were not consulted before making the decision.
Matara insisted that the party leadership had no prior knowledge of these developments and reaffirmed their rejection of an imposed arrangement.
He emphasised that while the ADC welcomes the idea of forming alliances, it would not accept what appears to be a hostile takeover.
Matara maintained that the appointments announced at the meeting carry no weight, as they were not ratified by the party’s National Executive Committee or a national convention.
5. 2027: ‘APC Harassing, Buying Our Members’ – PDP Acting Chair, Damagum
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has stated that disciplinary action will be taken at the appropriate time against members who are working to undermine the party.
Naija News recalls that the PDP has faced internal crises since the 2023 presidential election, which worsened in 2024 due to disputes over the position of National Secretary.
However, the matter was settled in Samuel Anyanwu’s favour during Monday’s 100th National Executive Committee meeting.
Speaking during a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday following a PDP National Working Committee meeting held to consolidate party unity after the reinstatement of Anyanwu as National Secretary, Damagum affirmed that the party remains united.
While accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of buying its members, Damagum expressed optimism that those defecting from the party would return.
6. 2027: Atiku Can Remain In PDP And Work For Coalition – Aide Speaks On Defection
The media adviser to former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, has disclosed that his principal does not necessarily have to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to work for the opposition coalition in the 2027 elections.
According to Ibe, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has set a precedent for such actions by working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Bola Tinubu while being a member of the opposition PDP.
Naija News reports that Atiku’s aide made the submission while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.
He also described the Tinubu government as a civilian dictatorship, which is worse than the military dictatorship Nigeria experienced in the past.
He argued that what Atiku and other major opposition leaders are trying to achieve is to save the country from civilian dictatorship.
Regarding whether Atiku could emerge as the sole candidate of the coalition amid the issue of zoning, Ibe said that, for now, the coalition members and leaders are not focused on choosing a candidate.
7. Mohbad: Naira Marley, Sam Larry Escape Prosecution As Court Rules On Late Singer’s Death
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has ruled that the state government cannot be compelled to prosecute music executive, Naira Marley, and show promoter, Sam Larry, in connection with the controversial death of late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.
Naija News reports that the court ruling follows an application filed by the late singer’s father, Joseph Aloba, challenging the legal advice previously issued by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which exonerated the duo from any criminal liability.
In his judgment on Wednesday (today), Justice Olatokun held that the powers of the Lagos State Attorney General to initiate or decline prosecution are “absolute” and cannot be overridden or questioned by the court.
Reacting to the verdict, the Aloba family’s counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), expressed disappointment, confirming that the family will be heading to the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision.
8. Diddy Found Guilty On Two Counts, Acquitted Of Sex Trafficking Charges
Ace music executive Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty on two federal counts of transporting individuals for prostitution.
But Naija News reports that the music mogul was on Wednesday acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, following an eight-week trial in Manhattan, New York Times reports.
The federal jury, made up of eight men and four women, delivered its partial verdict after more than 13 hours of deliberation.
The guilty verdicts were tied to incidents involving two women identified as “Jane” and Cassandra Ventura.
Combs, 55, would have faced up to life in prison had he been convicted on all counts.
Combs was convicted under the federal Mann Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years per count.
Naija News understands that despite convictions on two charges, the ruling is interpreted as a partial legal victory for Diddy.
9. Barcelona Can’t Register Nico Williams – LaLiga President Says
Nico Williams might have a rethink over his desire to join FC Barcelona as the Spanish LaLiga President, Javier Tebas, has made it clear that the Catalan giants are not in a position to register him.
Barcelona have shown a willingness to trigger the release clause in the contract of Nico Williams at Athletic Bilbao, which is worth €62 million. This is said to be the only route through which the Spanish winger can move to Barca.
There have been a series of back-and-forth concerning the deal because Williams was not sure about Barca having the financial muscle to register him.
Due to the setback the club suffered in terms of registering Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, Williams had earlier asked Barca to give him a written guarantee that he would be registered to play when the transfer deal is finalized.
At the time of writing, the tension surrounding this request has subsided as the player is making all efforts to join Barcelona this summer.
On the part of Barca, their aim is to complete Williams’ deal before July 16 when the player is expected to resume pre-season training at his current club.
Amid the transfer saga, La Liga president has stressed that Barcelona have not reached the 1:1 rule of the league, which prevents them from registering more players.
10. How Bright Osayi-Samuel’s Father Frustrated Move To Beşiktaş
Super Eagles of Nigeria defender, Bright Osayi-Samuel, said he wasn’t aware of the last-minute demand his father made that led to the collapse of his move to Turkish giants Beşiktaş.
Bright Osayi-Samuel was very close to completing the said three-year move, which would have earned him at least €1.9 million per season and a €1 million signing-on bonus. However, negotiations collapsed when his father, Nelson Osayi, who also serves as his agent, reportedly demanded an extra €300,000 per season bonus from the club.
A report by Turkish outlet Haberler.com revealed that Osayi-Samuel attempted to reopen the deal after Beşiktaş announced their disinterest.
Unfortunately for the 27-year-old Nigerian defender, Adalı told him that the club has moved on from the deal, leaving him with no choice but to consider his return to England, where he is most likely to join an EFL Championship club, Birmingham City.
That’s the top Nigerian newspaper headlines for today. Read more Nigerian news on Naija News. See you again tomorrow.
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