AFCON Fallout: Gabon Bans Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Suspends National Team, Sacks Coaches After Shock Exit From Tournament

The Gabonese government has imposed sweeping sanctions on the country’s senior national football team following a disastrous outing at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The decision came after Gabon’s 3–2 defeat to defending champions Ivory Coast, sealed by a late injury-time goal, which confirmed the Panthers’ third consecutive loss and bottom-place finish in Group F.

Announcing the measures, Sports Minister Simplice-Desire Mamboula said the government had dissolved the entire technical crew, suspended the national team indefinitely, and banned veteran players Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bruno Ecuele Manga from the squad. The move followed earlier criticism after Gabon’s shocking loss to Mozambique, which eliminated the team from knockout-stage contention.

President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema described the team’s poor performance as a blow to national identity, citing lack of organisation and inefficient use of resources as key problems. He pledged major structural reforms to restore discipline and ambition in Gabonese sports governance.

However, the government’s direct intervention could expose Gabon to possible sanctions from FIFA, which prohibits political interference in the management of national football associations.

Sowore Slams Tinubu Police IG Over Silence as 25 Schoolgirls Are Abducted and Brigadier General kill.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore has sharply criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of Nigeria’s security agencies following the abduction of twenty-five schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the execution of a Brigadier General by Boko Haram/ISWAP. In a strongly worded message shared on his verified Facebook page, Sowore condemned what he described as the government’s disturbing silence in the face of national tragedy.

Sowore noted that despite the kidnapping of the schoolgirls, President Tinubu’s public statement of the day focused instead on offering a casual greeting to a “seasoned banker.” He also accused the Inspector General of Police of failing to make any comment, calling the IGP incompetent, illegally appointed, and long overdue for dismissal, especially after what he described as a disastrous handling of the Yelwata massacre in Benue.

The activist further expressed outrage that even after a senior military officer was executed, the President has still not addressed the nation. He argued that the absence of reassurance, outrage, or leadership reflects a government disconnected from its citizens.

According to Sowore, a country where schoolgirls are abducted and officers are murdered while leaders remain silent is a failed state.

Opposition Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has faulted the recognition of the State of Palestine by the UK government, describing as “absolutely disastrous”.

PDP Zones 2027 Presidential Ticket to South, Retains Chairmanship in North.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced that its 2027 presidential ticket will be zoned to the South, while the party’s chairmanship will remain in the North.

The decision was reached during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja, where Umar Damagum was also confirmed as National Chairman. Damagum, who had been acting chairman since the suspension of Senator Iyorchia Ayu in March 2023, previously served as PDP Deputy National Chairman (North). Zoning has long been a divisive issue in the PDP. In 2023, the party threw its presidential ticket open, a move that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as candidate but triggered internal cr+sis.

Nyesom Wike, then governor of Rivers State, opposed the decision and ultimately backed Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who went on to win the election. The ruling APC has since adopted Tinubu as its presidential candidate for 2027.

Against this backdrop, Wike—now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory—warned in May 2025 that fielding a northern candidate would be disastrous for the PDP.

“As a party, come out openly now (and say) our presidential candidate will also come from the South? You don’t want to do that; you want to play the same game you played in 2023. It will backfire, and when it backfires, you will say these people did this, these people did that. “I have told people: this smartness will not help you.

Come out now and let everybody know this is where we are heading. This is not the time to send the presidency to the North. No,” he said at a media parley in Abuja on May 12. He further cautioned, “The point is that selfishness can kill a system. If Mr President runs, for example, and wins in 2027, by 2031, the APC will zone their presidential ticket to the North.

The PDP will do what then? Then you’ll come back and say, since the APC has zoned it to the North, let’s keep it in the North. What kind of smartness is that?”

#EndBadGovernance Movement Sets June 12 Protest, Blasts Tinubu’s Two Years as ‘Disastrous’

The #EndBadGovernance movement has announced a major protest scheduled for June 12, condemning President Bola Tinubu’s first two years in office as catastrophic for Nigerians. Activists accuse the administration of worsening economic hardship, insecurity, and governance failures. They vow to mobilize citizens nationwide to demand accountability and change.

The protest aims to send a clear message to the government that Nigerians are fed up with mismanagement and demand better leadership.

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