G7 photo op: Neither I Nor Italy Ever Beg" — Prime Minister Meloni fires back at Trump

 

A G7 photo op has turned into a full-blown international spat as Italian Prime Minister Meloni fires back at Trump

US President Trump had slammed Italian PM Giorgia Meloni after she publicly sounded off, rejecting his claims that she repeatedly asked for a photo with him, calling his comments "completely made up."

 Meloni said: "There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg."

Donald Trump accused Meloni of wanting to be friends again after the U.S. military victory over Iran and suggesting she was trying to boost her political standing at home.

His response ended with a blunt message: "No thanks!"

“President Trump, these constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless. " As for my popularity, being your friend certainly has not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you. My popularity depends on my ability to defend Italy’s national interest, and that is exactly what I have always done.

"That is also what I did regarding the American military bases in Italy. Their use is governed by agreements that we have always respected, and that cannot be violated as long as I am Prime Minister. Italy remains a sovereign nation."

'In any case, my popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”

Meanwhile, Iranians are just coming out of American and Israeli war more stronger than ever. American allies refused to join the war against Tehran.

Iran's negotiating team led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has left Tehran for Switzerland ahead of technical talks with the United States, which Pakistan says will start on Sunday. US Vice-President JD Vance is also expected to join them in Switzerland, CNN reported citing a US official.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also part of the Iranian delegation, according to the reports by Tehran outlets.

The team also includes Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati and Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy for international affairs at the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.

Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei and Deputy Oil Minister Hamid Boord are also accompanying the delegation.

Following Israel's continuous bombing in Lebanon, Iran's Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.

Tehran said the move was taken in response to what it called a U.S. violation of the war-ending memorandum of understanding, ongoing Israeli ceasefire violations, continued killings in southern Lebanon, and Israel's failure to withdraw from the area.

Lebanon health ministry confirmed over 4000 killed by Israeli attacks.

Iran described the closure as only the "first step" and warned that further measures could follow if the situation continues.

The Rapture, the Capture and the Rupture of Today's Labour Party

Apagun 

On the beautiful morning of January 19th 2026, every member of the Labour Party was expecting a judgement that will make or mar the political party that has been entrenched in a long legal battle of ownership, but was greatly disappointed that the judgement had been adjourned. The atmosphere was tensed as everyone can sense prevailing danger, sniffing a tilt from the cliff of the mountain, whosoever side that received the shocks will definitely lose the locks to the national Secretariat. It was adjourned to 21st of January, as some believed it was not too bad but to some like me, I was jittery.

Then came the moment, I couldn't muster the courage to monitor it live, but moments after the historical judgement, news filtered out, it was a moment of intense pleasure, joy, or overwhelming ecstasy. A moment the supporters of the Nnenadi Usman's faction was raptured!

*The Rapture: When mandate vanishes into thin air*  

While we were enraptured and jubilant, some disappointed and dissatisfied political apologists quickly reconvened together watching closely as the events unfolded, switching allegiance and repositioning themselves at the highest level, mediating and negotiating positions down to the grassroots at the expense of those who sought, aligned, fought and were greatly persecuted for standing up for this today's leadership of Labour Party yesterday. I can vividly remember November 17th 2024, when we broke out of the Abure faction to declare our support for the Caretaker Committee and inaugurate the Interim Executive Committee (IEC) of the Ogun State Labour Party, under heavy security at the expense of our blood, televised and broadcasted through Arise TV, Channels TV, published by Tribune, Punch, Vanguard and several bloggers.

Hence, our invitation to the Labour House during a retreat organized by the NTC, the Labour Movement and the Caretaker Committee when the horizon was opaque and the hope was slim. We gave Obiora Ifoh, some hard nuts to crack as he was forced to be making several counter press conferences and releases against us in order to quel the political inferno that would have consumed Abure if not checkmated, while Com. Tokunbo Peters, my dear brother, the erstwhile Publicity Secretary in Ogun State was given a sleepless nights as he engaged us day after day while we continued to wax stronger. We became a nightmare to Mr.Kehinde Sogunle and Com.Lookman Abiodun Jagun who was the State Chairman.

Now, think of the state Congress as an altar after surviving threats, persecution, unlawful arrests, defamation of characters, contempts as the Patriots are being sidelines while the traitors were being rewarded as we were being misrepresented, misconceived by reason of the calculated propaganda. During the Congresses, Delegates voted, winners are called, hands are raised. That moment should be a rapture: a lifting of the people's choice into public record. Instead, the national leadership performed a surgical mutilation. Results were edited mid-air. Names of actual winners were replaced by those who did not even participate before the communique cooled. While the report by the INEC clearly shows Apagun Olaolu Samuel emerged winner as the Chairman and published by the INEC through their notice board, the falsified memo to the INEC by the national leadership of the party states otherwise, causing confusion and frictions within the state structures.

It’s like a referee blowing the final whistle, the stadium erupts, then someone in the VIP box rewinds the tape and declares a different team scored. The crowd still heard the cheer, but the scoreboard was rewritten. That’s not correction. That’s erasure. If internal democratic processes are not allowed to thrive and prevail in democratic institutions, definitely like Fela said, "Democracy can then be best defined as demonstration of crazy people".

*The Capture: Institutional hijack in slow motion* 

 

Undemocratic handling of Congress disputes is not chaos. It’s capture. When the party’s national organs treat every case emanating from the state as a threat to be managed, not a voice to be heard, in an institutional party that believes in Equal Opportunities and Social Justice, the institution stops being a platform and becomes a vault. Only those with the combination get to decide who walks in.  

 A bank built with depositors’ money, but only the manager’s cousins can make withdrawals. The structure stands, the sign remains, but the purpose has been kidnapped. The Labour Party was built as an alternative to godfather politics, and as it appears to be now, it's been captured, though not been kept under lock and keys but soonest might be turned into what it once fought.

The Rupture: What breaks when trust is replaced

Mutilating Congress results and swapping winners does three things at once:  

1. Ruptures legitimacy: If members can’t trust the process, they can’t defend the product.  

2. Ruptures morale: Volunteers who campaigned, mobilized, and voted learn that fidelity has no reward.  

3. Ruptures identity: A party called “Labour” loses its moral wage. Workers respect rules. When rules are bent, the name becomes irony.  

Just like a rope bridge. Each Congress is a plank. Replace the plank with paper board, and the bridge still looks crossable from a distance. The rupture happens only when weight is applied. Elections are weight. Democracy inside a party is not decoration. It’s diagnostics. When internal elections are mutilated, the party loses the ability to detect its own weakness. You can’t strategize if you don’t know who actually won. You can’t mobilize if members believe the game is fixed. And you can’t claim to fight external impunity while practicing internal impunity.

The Labour Party’s current crisis isn’t just about names on a list. It’s about whether the party will be a movement or a monument. Movements correct themselves. Monuments are corrected by history.

Rapture lifts. Capture holds. Rupture breaks. Today’s Labour Party is suspended between all three. What happens next depends on whether leadership restores the mandate or keeps rewriting it.

©Apagun Olaolu Samuel

Chairman, 

Ogun State Labour Party

Why A Federal High Court Ordered Deregistration of ADC, Accord Party, APP, AA, ZLP

A Federal High Court Monday ordered the electoral umpire to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Accord Party and three other political parties.

Justice Peter Lifu issued the directive to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while delivering judgement in a suit instituted by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators.

Justice Lifu predicated his decision on the grounds that the affected political parties did not meet Section 225 of the Constitution.

The other political parties the court directed the electoral body to deregister are the Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The National Forum of Former Legislators had, in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/2026, prayed the court to determine whether INEC has a constitutional obligation to remove political parties that fail to meet the electoral performance thresholds set out in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as reinforced by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations.

It was the position of the plaintiff that the five political parties listed as defendants in the matter had persistently failed to meet the constitutional benchmarks required to retain their registration.

The former legislators stressed that the requirements include winning at least 25 per cent of votes in a state during a presidential election or securing at least one elective seat at the national, state, or local government level.


They told the court that the ADC and the four other parties performed poorly in both the 2023 general elections and by-elections conducted by INEC, thereby failing to win seats across key tiers of government.

The litigants insisted that the continued existence of these five political parties as recognised political parties is unlawful and undermines the integrity of the country’s electoral system.

Among other reliefs, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that INEC is duty-bound to deregister such parties.

It further urged the court to compel the commission to deregister the five political parties before preparations for the 2027 elections advance further.

Beyond declaratory reliefs, the plaintiff prayed the court to restrain the five affected parties from participating in general elections or engaging in political activities such as campaigns, rallies, and primaries.

It also sought a court injunction restraining INEC from recognising or dealing with the parties in any official capacity unless and until they strictly comply with constitutional provisions.

The judgment may affect the chances of candidates of the affected political parties, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to contest the 2027 presidential poll.

Incumbent Governor of Osun State Ademola Adeleke if the Accord Party may be facing major political setback.

It's hopeful that such judgement will be challenged at the Appeal Court.

Opposition political parties have been facing disorganization, sponsored disorderliness and brutal infiltrations and attacks including using the judiciary like never before in the political history of this country under the Bola Tinubu led pro terrorists government.  The security, Sociopolitical and economy of the country remains unsafe and uncertain as more than majority of the citizens are wallowing in abject poverty in the face of insecurity already destined the incumbent ruling party to lose the 2027 general elections.

#Posterspeaks: Arc Dr Peter Agada on Labour Direct Initiatives

 

JUNE 12 RALLY: TMN , CSOs call for Nationwide improve security, justice and accountability (PHOTOS)

The Movement Nigeria (TMN) SECURITY FRAMEWORK: SIX PILLARS FOR A SAFER NIGERIA

 Secure Every School Initiative

Every public and private school in Nigeria should be protected through a coordinated national school security program.

This program should include:

* Dedicated School Protection Units.

* Security technology and emergency alert systems.

* Perimeter protection infrastructure.

* Regular security audits.

* Community-based school safety partnerships.

Schools must remain places of learning, not targets of fear.

2. Intelligence-Led Security Architecture

Modern security challenges require modern solutions.

Nigeria must strengthen:

* Intelligence gathering.

* Inter-agency collaboration.

* Real-time information sharing.

* Digital surveillance capabilities.

* Data-driven crime prevention systems.

Successful nations defeat criminal networks not merely with force, but with superior intelligence.

3. Community Security Partnership

Security cannot be achieved by government alone.

Every community must become an active partner in safeguarding lives and property.

This requires:

* Community policing structures.

* Local security volunteer networks.

* Traditional institution participation.

* Youth engagement programs.

* Early-warning reporting systems.

Citizens are often the first to notice emerging threats.

4. Economic Empowerment as a Security Strategy

Lasting peace requires economic opportunity.

Millions of young Nigerians possess enormous potential but lack access to productive opportunities.

TMN advocates:

* Large-scale agricultural empowerment programs.

* Agro-processing hubs.

* Skills acquisition initiatives.

* Entrepreneurship financing.

* Rural economic development projects.

Every young person productively employed is one less person vulnerable to recruitment into criminal activities.

5. Border Security and National Sovereignty*

Nigeria must strengthen the protection of its borders through:

* Advanced surveillance technology.

* Border monitoring systems.

* Improved immigration controls.

* Regional security cooperation.

* Enhanced maritime and land border security.

National security begins with effective control of national territory.

6. Justice, Accountability and Victim Support

Criminality thrives where accountability is weak.

Nigeria must ensure:

* Swift prosecution of terrorism financiers.

* Stronger anti-money laundering enforcement.

* Protection of witnesses.

* Compensation for victims and affected families.

* Rehabilitation support for rescued victims.

Justice must be visible, fair and effective.

PRESS STATEMENT: NIGERIA MUST PROTECT HER PEOPLE: A CALL FOR NATIONAL ACTION, COMPASSION AND SECURITY REFORM

By The Movement Nigeria (TMN)

Fellow Nigerians,

Today, we gather not as representatives of any political interest, ethnic group, religion or region, but as concerned citizens united by a shared sense of humanity and patriotism.

Our hearts are with every family currently experiencing the pain of insecurity, particularly the parents, teachers and loved ones of the school children and citizens who remain in captivity across different parts of our country.

No nation can truly prosper when its people live in fear.

No parent should send a child to school uncertain of their safety.

No teacher should be forced to choose between educating children and preserving their own life.

No community should live under the constant threat of violence, kidnapping or displacement.

The Movement Nigeria (TMN) is organizing this candlelight gathering in Oyo State as a solemn moment of reflection, solidarity and national responsibility.

We remember every victim.

We stand with every affected family.

We pray for the safe return of every person currently in captivity.

We honor the sacrifices of our security personnel who continue to put their lives on the line daily in defense of our nation.

At this difficult moment, Nigeria does not need more division. Nigeria needs leadership, compassion, courage and practical solutions.

The security challenges confronting our nation were not created overnight, and they will not disappear overnight. However, history shows that countries facing similar threats have successfully restored peace through determined leadership, institutional reforms, community participation and sustained economic development.

Countries such as Colombia significantly reduced insurgency and kidnapping through intelligence-driven operations and coordinated security reforms.

Rwanda rebuilt national security through strong institutions, local vigilance structures and national unity programs.

Indonesia weakened extremist networks through effective intelligence gathering, community engagement and targeted security operations.

Singapore continues to maintain one of the safest societies in the world through efficient policing, technology, strong institutions and strict accountability.

Nigeria can learn from these experiences while developing solutions tailored to our own realities.

*THE AGADA SECURITY FRAMEWORK: SIX PILLARS FOR A SAFER NIGERIA*

*1. Secure Every School Initiative*

Every public and private school in Nigeria should be protected through a coordinated national school security program.

This program should include:

* Dedicated School Protection Units.

* Security technology and emergency alert systems.

* Perimeter protection infrastructure.

* Regular security audits.

* Community-based school safety partnerships.

Schools must remain places of learning, not targets of fear.

*2. Intelligence-Led Security Architecture*

Modern security challenges require modern solutions.

Nigeria must strengthen:

* Intelligence gathering.

* Inter-agency collaboration.

* Real-time information sharing.

* Digital surveillance capabilities.

* Data-driven crime prevention systems.

Successful nations defeat criminal networks not merely with force, but with superior intelligence.

*3. Community Security Partnership*

Security cannot be achieved by government alone.

Every community must become an active partner in safeguarding lives and property.

This requires:

* Community policing structures.

* Local security volunteer networks.

* Traditional institution participation.

* Youth engagement programs.

* Early-warning reporting systems.

Citizens are often the first to notice emerging threats.

*4. Economic Empowerment as a Security Strategy*

Lasting peace requires economic opportunity.

Millions of young Nigerians possess enormous potential but lack access to productive opportunities.

TMN advocates:

* Large-scale agricultural empowerment programs.

* Agro-processing hubs.

* Skills acquisition initiatives.

* Entrepreneurship financing.

* Rural economic development projects.

Every young person productively employed is one less person vulnerable to recruitment into criminal activities.

*5. Border Security and National Sovereignty*

Nigeria must strengthen the protection of its borders through:

* Advanced surveillance technology.

* Border monitoring systems.

* Improved immigration controls.

* Regional security cooperation.

* Enhanced maritime and land border security.

National security begins with effective control of national territory.

*6. Justice, Accountability and Victim Support*

Criminality thrives where accountability is weak.

Nigeria must ensure:

* Swift prosecution of terrorism financiers.

* Stronger anti-money laundering enforcement.

* Protection of witnesses.

* Compensation for victims and affected families.

* Rehabilitation support for rescued victims.

Justice must be visible, fair and effective.

*A NATIONAL CALL*

We call upon all levels of government, security institutions, civil society organizations, traditional rulers, faith leaders, labour unions, professional groups and citizens to work together in confronting insecurity.

The safety of Nigerians must remain above politics.

The protection of lives must remain our highest priority.

The future of our children must remain our greatest responsibility.

We therefore demand every lawful and necessary effort toward securing the immediate and safe release of all persons currently held captive by criminal elements anywhere in Nigeria.

We also call for sustained reforms that address not only the symptoms of insecurity, but its root causes.

Nigeria possesses the resources, the institutions, the talent and the people required to overcome these challenges.

What is required is collective resolve, strategic leadership and national unity.

The Movement Nigeria remains committed to working with labour organizations, professional bodies, educational institutions, community leaders and patriotic Nigerians to develop practical policy solutions capable of restoring security, prosperity and hope to our nation.

Through initiatives such as the Labour Institute, LabourDirect.com and other national development platforms, we will continue to contribute ideas, policies and partnerships aimed at building a safer and more productive Nigeria.

Let this candlelight gathering not only honor the victims of insecurity but also renew our collective determination to build a nation where every citizen can live, learn, work and prosper in peace.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sir Dele Abiola

South-West Coordinator

*For: The Movement Nigeria (TMN)*