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2027: NDC identity crisis deepens as Peter Obi’s aide fires jab at Dickson

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is facing fresh concerns over its identity and internal coordination ahead of the 2027 general election after a public exchange on X over the party’s logo and leadership description.

Esther Umoh, an aide to the NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi and his official photographer, on Wednesday urged the party’s communications representative, Theo AbuAgada, to ensure that the NDC resolves the ongoing confusion surrounding its logo.

Umoh, in a post on X, said that with barely five months to the elections, candidates and supporters were uncertain about which logo to use on campaign materials, warning that the situation could affect the party’s visibility, cohesion and preparedness.

She called on the NDC leadership to issue an official communiqué to all state chapters and relevant stakeholders, clearly stating the party’s approved logo recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

‘You have repeatedly stated that the party’s supreme leader is an experienced politician. I therefore believe he fully understands the electoral and political implications of allowing this uncertainty to persist,’ Umoh wrote.

Her reference to NDC leader, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, as the party’s ‘Supreme Leader’ triggered a response from AbuAgada, who said the description was inappropriate and did not reflect Dickson’s democratic credentials.

Responding on X, AbuAgada said the logo issue had already been brought before the national leadership of the party and that efforts were underway to resolve it.

‘Last week, I raised this issue with the National Leadership of the party and efforts are being made to address it,’ he wrote.

However, he criticised Umoh’s description of Dickson as ‘Supreme Leader’, saying the phrase suggested an authoritarian system.

‘As an employee of the presidential candidate of our great party, the NDC, I find it disrespectful and completely unacceptable to refer to our national leader, my boss as a ‘Supreme Leader’ – a nomenclature that denotes an authoritarian regime, which Distinguished Senator Henry Seriake Dickson is not known for,’ AbuAgada said.

He added that Dickson was ‘a Democrat to the core’ and urged Umoh to be guided in her choice of words.

The exchange has brought renewed attention to the NDC’s preparations ahead of the 2027 election, with the party yet to issue an official statement on the logo concerns raised by Umoh.

Manaoag traders surrender illegal tobacco in Pangasinan

Market vendors voluntarily surrendered about P200,000 worth of illegal cigarettes to market officials and the police following an inspection and public awareness campaign against the sale of illicit tobacco products on Tuesday.

The Anti-Illicit Cigarettes Campaign, which included the voluntary surrender and disposal of illegal tobacco products, informed vendors that cigarettes without Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) tax stamps and the required graphic health warnings on cigarette packs cannot be sold commercially.

During the operation, the joint inspection team issued formal warnings and reminded vendors of the legal consequences of selling illicit cigarettes under Republic Act No. 12022 (Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act) and existing tax laws.

No criminal charges against the vendors were filed, however, because they voluntarily surrendered their non-compliant stocks and signed surrender documents. The confiscated cigarettes bore the brand logos of RGD, Dani, MD, Modern, Carnival, Black Hawk, Cannon, and Power.

The surrendered cigarettes were subsequently destroyed.

In a statement posted on the Manaoag social media page, Philippine Tobacco Institute Area Manager Jen Garcia said the confiscated cigarettes were considered illegal because they have not been subjected to the required taxes and did not comply with government standards.

Garcia said legitimate cigarette packs carry the proper tax stamp, a unique serial number, and the required health warning printed on the front of the package-features that were absent from the confiscated products. INQ

Bribery Surge At Public Offices, Over GHS1k Payments Hit 9.1% – GSS

Government officials increasingly demanded unofficial payments from citizens seeking public services in the second half of 2025, with nearly seven out of every 10 people who encountered bribery reporting that public officials asked them for extra payments, according to the latest Governance Series released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The report also showed that the proportion of Ghanaians who paid bribes rose from 14.3 percent in the first half of 2025 to 18 percent in the second half, meaning about one in every six citizens paid a bribe to access public services during the period.

The survey found that although most bribe payments remained relatively small, larger payments became more common during the second half of 2025.

While 84.4 percent of all bribe payments were GHS500 or less, the share of bribe payments exceeding GHS1,000 increased from 6.6 percent in the first half of the year to 9.1 percent in the second half. This means that nearly one in every 11 bribe payments involved amounts above GHS1,000.

Presenting the findings at a Governance Series event organised by Three Reports and the GSS yesterday, Government Statistician, Dr. Alhassan Iddrisu, said corruption pressures intensified between July and December 2025 despite the country’s overall governance performance improving compared with 2024.

‘The most recent six months, which is July to December 2025, got harder compared to the previous six months, which is January to June 2025,’ he said.

The Governance Series (Wave 3), which measures citizens’ experiences with corruption and their participation in public decision-making under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 indicators, was conducted between February 26 and March 24, 2026.

It covered experiences between July and December 2025 using the same nationally representative panel of household heads drawn from the 2021 Population and Housing Census.

According to the report, the increase in bribery was driven largely by demands from public officials rather than voluntary offers by citizens. Requests by officials for extra payments or gifts jumped from 50.9 per cent in the first half of 2025 to 69.4 per cent in the second half.

‘The pressure sits at the counter. The problem now is less what citizens offer and more of what officials would ask,’ Dr. Iddrisu stated.

The report said that while bribery became more widespread, its pattern changed significantly. Repeat bribery declined sharply, with the proportion of respondents who paid bribes five or more times dropping from 24 percent to 3.7 percent.

In contrast, one-time payments rose from 38.8 percent to 70.8 percent, suggesting that bribery is increasingly experienced as isolated incidents rather than repeated demands.

The report identified the Ghana Police Service as the institution most frequently associated with demands for unofficial payments.

Among respondents who refused to pay when asked for a bribe, 53.2 percent cited the Police Service. Within the service, the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) continued to record the highest incidence of gift-giving, rising slightly from 51.9 per cent to 54.6 percent.

The report also noted growing public resistance to corruption. The proportion of citizens who refused to pay when asked for unofficial payments increased from 3 per cent to 4.9 percent between the first and second halves of 2025.

Beyond corruption, the survey examined citizens’ perceptions of participation in governance. It found that 64.4 percent of respondents believed the political system allowed ordinary citizens to have a say in decision-making, down from 68.4 percent in the previous survey.

Meanwhile, the proportion of people who felt they had no say at all increased slightly from 29.2 percent to 30.5 percent.

Feelings of exclusion were highest among young people aged 18 to 24, persons aged 65 years and above, and the unemployed.

Similarly, the proportion of respondents who believed they had no influence over government decisions rose marginally from 32.5 percent to 33.9 percent, although regions such as Ahafo and the Central Region recorded improvements.

When asked about their priorities, respondents consistently identified better roads, reliable water supply, healthcare, schools and employment opportunities, while expressing a desire to have a greater voice in how these services are delivered.

Despite the deterioration recorded during the second half of 2025, Dr. Iddrisu stressed that the country’s overall governance performance improved compared with 2024.

‘The full year, which is 2025, got better compared to 2024. Both of these stories are true, and that’s the beauty of the six-monthly survey that we do, to be able to look at trends within waves and even compare between years,’ he explained.

Magnitude 7.0 quake strikes off Davao Occidental

A relatively shallow but powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Davao Occidental on Wednesday afternoon, but state seismologists said it posed no tsunami threat to the Philippines and was not expected to cause damage.

The tectonic earthquake struck at 12:13 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5 at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Its epicenter was located 258 kilometers nearly due south of Sarangani, Davao Occidental.

PHIVOLCS recorded Instrumental Intensity 5 in Sarangani. The intensity level is characterized by “strong” shaking, swinging of hanging objecs and possible light damage in poorly built structures, under the agency’s quake intensity scale.

The agency said no damage or aftershocks were expected based on its initial automatic assessment.

DOJ probes 20 DPWH execs over Cebu Infra projects

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday said it is investigating 20 individuals, including a district engineer and other officials and employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Cebu province, for alleged graft and malversation in connection with two flood control projects in Balamban town that are suspected of being tainted by irregularities.

At a press conference, DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez said the National Bureau of Investigation district office in Cebu filed two separate complaints last week against Suzette Nwanaka, district engineer of Cebu’s Third District Engineering Office, and 19 others over their alleged involvement in the bidding and implementation of the projects.

The projects flagged by the NBI are located in Barangay Singsing, Balamban town, Martinez said.

Both complaints alleged violations of Sections 3(e) and 3(g) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act; malversation of public funds; illegal use of public funds or property; perjury; falsification by private individuals and use of falsified documents; falsification of documents by public officers; and violation of Section 65(b) of Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.

‘These two complaints form part of the broader inquiry into flood control-related anomalies in the country,’ Martinez said.

Aside from Nwanaka, the respondents include DPWH Third District officials Reynaldo Navales and Dhalie Almirol, both assistant district engineers; Jose Clemente Jr., project engineer; Eva Acosta, materials engineer; Alex Manayon, accountant; Fritzie Ortega, chief of planning and design; and Romeo Golle, chair of the bids and awards committee.

The complaints also named private contractors Wilhelm Tiu Go and Winiza Zhiene Baguio.

The DOJ declined to disclose further details.

2026 flood response: NEMA activates National Emergency Operations Centre

Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubaida Umar, has activated the Agency’s National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) to enhance the coordination, collation and processing of reliable data and information on the 2026 flood situation across the country, with a view to strengthening preparedness, planning and response efforts.

Speaking during the activation and inauguration of the NEOC in Abuja, Mrs Umar charged the team to be diligent, professional and proactive in the discharge of their responsibilities.

She emphasised the importance of ensuring that information generated and disseminated from the Centre is factual, timely and reliable to support effective decision-making and efficient management of flooding and other climate-induced disasters in the country.

The Director-General stated that the activation of the NEOC is part of NEMA’s proactive measures to strengthen national preparedness and ensure effective coordination of stakeholders during the 2026 rainy season.

She noted that timely access to credible information is critical to early action, deployment of resources and protection of lives and livelihoods in communities at risk.

In his remarks, Deputy Director, Planning, Research and Forecasting of NEMA, Mr Tony Ephraim, assured that NEOC members would work diligently to ensure effective monitoring, data collection, analysis and information management to support timely decision-making and coordinated response to flood emergencies and other climate-related hazards.

The National Emergency Operations Centre will serve as a central hub for monitoring the 2026 flood situation, harmonising information from relevant sources and supporting coordination among stakeholders for effective preparedness and response throughout the rainy season.

’Philippines most vulnerable in ASEAN to El Niño’

The Philippines is likely to be the Southeast Asian economy hardest hit by an emerging strong El Niño, with Bank of America (BofA) expecting inflation to average 6.7 percent this year, the highest among major economies in the region.

In its latest ASEAN 360 report, BofA said worsening weather conditions could intensify price pressures in the second half, on top of the delayed pass-through of higher costs from the conflict in West Asia and unfavorable base effects.

‘The Philippines is likely to be the most impacted in the region,’ BofA said.

The research firm’s 6.7-percent inflation forecast for the Philippines was more than double its three-percent estimate six months ago. This is higher than the projected inflation of 3.3 percent for Indonesia, two percent for Malaysia and Singapore, 2.4 percent for Thailand and 4.8 percent for Vietnam.

BofA also said the Philippines recorded the highest buildup in food prices in the region over the past six months, reinforcing concerns that weather disruptions could keep inflation elevated even as oil prices ease.

While inflation expectations have moderated from earlier worst-case scenarios, rice prices and wage pressures remain key risks.

On the growth front, BofA expects the Philippine economy to expand by only 2.5 percent this year before improving to 3.5 percent in 2027, still below its estimated potential growth rate of 4.5 to 5.5 percent.

BofA said the Philippines has a negative output gap, which could persist through 2027, but further monetary tightening may still be necessary because inflation remains above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)’s two to four percent target.

BofA expects the BSP to raise its policy rate by another 25 basis points at its August meeting. The central bank has already delivered two consecutive 25-basis-point hikes since April, bringing the benchmark rate to 4.75 percent.

‘We think a moderate July inflation print, i.e. less than seven percent year on year, may be enough for the BSP to proceed with one more rate hike in August but signal that they may have already reached their target,’ it said.

Rein in school attempts to balance their ledgers

Schools across the country are entering the final bend of the penultimate term of the 2026 academic year.

As learners prepare to write their second term papers, the report card that has been stitched together thus far makes for grim reading. It has been an eventful, if not challenging, year for learners as much as those who put them through school.

This is no small part thanks to the litany of trips and other such events stacked across a term that, perhaps unsurprisingly, come at a fee widely described by different schools-private or public-as modest. The consequences are anything but.

The unfortunate episode that played out when a contingent from King David Junior School made what turned out to be an ill-fated trip to the sleepy eastern district of Kapchorwa has placed a welcome spotlight on a pain point. To be clear, this is one of many pain points known to have subsisted for a protracted spell amidst the commercialisation of education in the country.

After scores of pupils from King David Junior School perished in the ghastly accident on Chekwatit Hill last month, the Government of Uganda (GoU) announced a temporary ban on school trips.

This, it added, is until an investigation into the matter reaches a logical conclusion. While the intervention is welcome, it pretty much underscores the GoU’s long-standing tradition of playing the proverbial ostrich: the head is always buried in the sand.

There is no great secret to, or difficulty in, understanding why a growing number of schools in the country are opting to turn trips into an out-and-out cash cow. It is precisely the reason why learners will, in the coming days, break off from school a couple of weeks before the second term officially ends.

This modus operandi has been normalised so much so that parents/guardians of learners have stopped complaining.

Such overt actions help the sheer number of schools that dot the country to balance their ledgers. It should not be hard to figure out that a school can save an astronomical amount of money when learners take their second term break earlier than usual. Money that would have been spent on energy, water and food bills, to mention but three, ends up going to the school’s piggy bank.

This is no small beer, especially if it is taken together with what is typically saved after keeping operating costs during school trips dangerously low. This tacit knowledge has been accessible to the GoU for as long as one can remember.

The non-response has always been blamed on the fact that since the early 1990s the GoU liberalised the economy. This, the excuse further proffers, makes any intervention from the GoU that much difficult. It has taken the editable deaths of pupils whilst on a school trip for the GoU to have a change of tack.

Even then, no one is holding their breath. Many, in fact, are convinced that responsible authorities will do no more than paper over cracks since they have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. We can only hope that the doubting Thomases will be left eating humble pie.

If this turns out to be the case, it will no doubt be a win-win. For now, it remains on a slippery slope. Much like the one at Chekwatit Hill.

DILG: Bato Dela Rosa not arrested nor being whisked away to ICC

Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa was not arrested nor whisked away to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the Netherlands, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday.

‘There has been a lot of speculation that he’s been arrested and he’s being whisked away to The Hague. That’s not true,’ Remulla told reporters in Quezon City.

‘We’ve coordinated with the DOJ. We’ve coordinated with the DILG, all law enforcement units, but Bato is still being hunted down,’ he noted.

Remulla made the statement following rumors circulating online that dela Rosa had been arrested and was already en route to the ICC.

The DILG chief previously said the Philippine National Police (PNP) had no information on claims that dela Rosa was already in the government’s custody.

However, Remulla emphatically said, ‘Categorically, as of 6 p.m. last night (Tuesday), there has been no arrest for Senator Bato.’

Dela Rosa is wanted by the ICC over his alleged participation as former PNP chief in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on illegal drugs, which reportedly killed thousands of Filipinos.

Kano Assembly suspends 3 LGA chairs over alleged corruption

The chairmen of Bagwai, Bebeji, and Rogo Local Government Areas of Kano have been suspended by the State House of Assembly over allegations bordering on corruption and financial misappropriation.

The suspended council chairmen were also accused of abuse of office and misconduct.

The adoption of a report from the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, presented during plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, triggered the political trauma of the trio.

Presenting the findings, Lawan Dala, said the investigation was prompted by separate petitions submitted against the three council chairmen.

The petitions, filed by the Legislative Councils of Bebeji and Rogo Local Government Areas, as well as concerned citizens of Bagwai Local Government Area, alleged financial misappropriation, abuse of office, breach of public trust and other administrative irregularities.

According to the Committee, it reviewed relevant documents, examined records obtained from the affected Local Government councils and held interactive sessions with members of the respective legislative councils, before arriving at its findings.

For Bagwai Local Government, the Committee said it observed evidence suggesting the misappropriation of public funds meant for developmental projects.

In Bebeji Local Government Area, the Committee reported credible allegations of abuse of office, persistent violations of due process in the award and execution of contracts, improper sale of local government land, diversion of public funds, unlawful deductions from contract payments and other procurement irregularities.

The Committee also alleged that some contractors were compelled to transfer contract payments into accounts allegedly nominated by the Executive Chairman, contrary to established financial and procurement regulations.

For Rogo Local Government Area, the Committee said the Executive Chairman was accused of undermining government policies and programmes, failing to comply with established laws and administrative procedures governing Local Government administration, and misappropriating funds earmarked for feeder road construction and rural electrification projects.

Following the findings, the Committee recommended the immediate suspension of the three Executive Chairmen for a period of three months to allow for a comprehensive investigation.

The recommendation was made pursuant to Sections 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which empower the State House of Assembly to conduct investigations and exercise oversight over public institutions.

The House adopted the committee’s report and directed the Clerk of the House to communicate its resolution to the Kano State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for immediate implementation.

The Assembly said the suspension is intended to facilitate a thorough investigation into the allegations while safeguarding public resources and promoting accountability in local government administration.