Across churches in Nigeria today, worshippers still sing songs written by gospel ministers whose voices are no longer heard in person, a reminder of the painful losses the gospel music community has suffered in recent years.

In recent years, several gospel ministers have died under different circumstances, each loss leaving its own mark on the Christian community. Their deaths have also sparked quiet conversations about the lives of gospel ministers, the pressure they face, their health, and the kind of support available to them.

Politicians within responsible for PDP crisis, Moro insists

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has raised concerns over an alleged plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to undermine Nigeria’s democratic system ahead of the 2027 general elections.

But the Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, blames political actors within parties, particularly the PDP, for the persistent internal crises, insisting that external institutions are not responsible for the instability

In a statement yesterday, George accused both institutions of actions and pronouncements suggesting an attempt to prevent the emergence of any presidential candidate other than President Bola Tinubu in the next election cycle.

He warned that such developments could erode democratic principles and threaten the nation’s political stability.

The Atona Oodua of Yorubaland likened the political situation to the biblical account of Abimelech in the Book of Judges, whom he described as a leader who destroyed others to secure power.

According to him, the analogy serves as a reminder that injustice and abuse of authority ultimately face divine and societal consequences.

Calling on leaders across party lines to speak out, the former PDP chieftain urged political stakeholders and elders in the country to resist actions that could weaken democratic institutions.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s political history, George said he had witnessed several phases of the nation’s evolution and warned against allowing the country to descend into crisis.

He argued that Nigeria’s size and diversity require a functional multi-party system to sustain participatory governance.

ALSO, speaking during an interview on Arise News yesterday, Moro said the challenges confronting the PDP and other political parties were largely self-inflicted by their members, including governors, lawmakers and party leaders.

“I want to say straight away that I think that the political actors are primarily responsible for what is going on,” he said. “If you look at the crisis, the apparent crisis in the political parties, it is generated and aggravated by the political actors.

Moro dismissed suggestions that the PDP is divided into multiple blocs.

“Well, there is only one PDP. There are no two,” he said.

The lawmaker also revisited past internal decisions, particularly the controversial Ibadan convention, which he said deepened the party’s crisis due to non-compliance with a subsisting court order.

According to him, disagreements among key stakeholders, including Nyesom Wike and Seyi Makinde, contributed to the tensions that made the choice of Ibadan as venue contentious.

Despite the internal wrangling, Moro maintained that the PDP remains operational, noting that a recent convention monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) produced a recognised leadership. (The Guardian News)