Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded an explanation from President Bola Tinubu over his decision not to attend the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, for the third consecutive year. Atiku made the demand in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following the Presidency’s announcement that Vice President Kashim Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st session of the UNGA in New York. Tinubu was absent from the 79th UNGA in 2024 and the 80th session in 2025, with Shettima representing him on both occasions. The Vice President is again…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared Adamu Yakubu of the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, winner of the Sakwa State Constituency bye-election in Zaki Local Government Area of Bauchi State. Yakubu emerged victorious after polling 8,515 votes in the election conducted on Saturday. The All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate came second with 3,771 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, secured 2,076 votes. The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, polled 727 votes. The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Muhammad Sabo of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare, announced the result after the collation of votes from the constituency.…
More than 6,000 members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 general elections. The defectors, led by Mr Godwin Obasi, were received by the leadership of the PDP in Enugu, the state capital, on Saturday. Obasi said the group decided to leave the NDC following what he described as the party’s choice of unpopular candidates for various elective positions. He said the defectors were drawn from all 260 wards and 17 local government areas of the state. “We decided that we were going to join the…
Concern is mounting ahead of the 2027 general election over a series of statements and actions by some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which opposition groups and civil society organisations have described as threats and intimidation. The concerns have emerged from incidents reported in Borno State, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Osun and Ebonyi, where some APC-linked public officials have made statements warning opponents or voters against supporting opposition parties. The presidential and National Assembly campaigns commenced on August 19, 2026, while the governorship and State Assembly campaigns began on September 9, according to the Independent National Electoral…
The Convener of the Igbo Union, Elias Odoemena, has accused governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, of opposing the Rainbow Coalition because they are afraid of the political influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. Odoemena made the claim while reacting to the ongoing disagreement between Wike and members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum over the political coalition ahead of the 2027 general election. The APC governors, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, had rejected the Rainbow Coalition, saying they would not support any political arrangement capable of weakening…
The Allied Peoples Movement, APM, has condemned the reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Niger State. The party also demanded an immediate, open and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, as well as the reported use of ammunition and tear gas against protesters who took to the streets following the incident. In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Abubakar, the APM described the deaths as avoidable and expressed concern over reports that 66 detainees were held in a…
A teenage gold miner in Niger State has alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, opened fire on miners at a gold mining site in the state. The teenager, who spoke to News Central Television in a video that has circulated online, made the allegation following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in NSCDC custody. He also disputed the initial explanation by the NSCDC that the deaths were linked to a disease outbreak. “We are under 18, and we are not allowed to be taken inside a cell. Heat cannot kill a gold…
The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has dissociated itself from a 59-member Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, announced by the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, popularly known as the OK Movement, ahead of the 2027 general election. NDC National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the campaign council did not originate from the party and was not authorised by its leadership. In a statement issued on Saturday, Cleopas urged the public and media to disregard the announcement made by John Ughulu, Director-General of the OK Movement. He stressed that only the leadership of the NDC had the authority to constitute and announce a presidential campaign council…
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has described the bye-elections conducted in Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta States as important operational exercises that will provide lessons for the 2027 general election. INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, made this known on Saturday while monitoring the elections from the commission’s National Situation Room at its headquarters in Abuja. The commission conducted legislative bye-elections in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State, Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano, Sakwa and Disina State Constituencies in Bauchi, and Udu State Constituency in Delta. Amupitan said the elections should not be regarded as routine exercises, stressing…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deputy governorship candidate in Ogun State, Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo, has urged residents to collect any money offered to them by members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, but vote for the PDP in the 2027 general election. Sowunmi-Kolapo made the call on Friday at a community stakeholders’ meeting in Obantoko, Odeda Local Government Area of the state, where she criticised what she described as economic hardship affecting residents. She said residents should protect their votes and reject any attempt to influence their choices through financial inducements. “Let your votes be massive and protect your votes. Stand…
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, candidate for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, Ambassador Ephraim Iyke Nwonu, has dumped the party and defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Nwonu announced his defection on Saturday in Abuja, saying he had decided to withdraw from the 2027 House of Representatives race and support the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru. Although his name remains on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal as the ADC candidate for the constituency, Nwonu said he had chosen to abandon his ambition in support of Tinubu…
The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has overturned the judgment of the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, which had set aside the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party. In a split decision delivered on Friday, a three-member panel ruled by a majority of two to one in favour of the NDC, restoring the legal effect of the earlier judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to register the party. Justices Mohammed Danjuma and Muslim Sule Hassan, who formed the majority, held that the Federal High Court had acted improperly…
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has vowed to continue challenging President Bola Tinubu over what he described as the growing poverty and hardship faced by Nigerians under the current administration. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in the 2027 election, made the statement while criticising the economic policies of the Tinubu administration. He said he would continue to draw attention to the condition of Nigerians and question government policies that he believes have worsened the living conditions of citizens. Atiku argued that the government should prioritise policies capable of improving the purchasing power and welfare of…
The Kano State Police Command and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have reported a smooth and peaceful voting process in the ongoing Dawakin Kudu State Constituency bye-election. The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, alongside the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdu Zango, and members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, monitored the exercise across several polling units in Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area on Saturday. The monitoring team assessed the deployment of security personnel, the conduct of INEC officials and compliance by voters with electoral guidelines. The police command said voters were conducting themselves peacefully and orderly,…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate in Cross River State, Sandy Onor, has attributed the cohesion within the party in the state to the efforts of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. Onor said Wike’s intervention had helped to strengthen unity among members of the party in Cross River State and encouraged stakeholders to work together. He made the remarks while speaking about the political situation in the state and the role played by Wike in resolving disagreements among PDP stakeholders. According to him, the FCT minister’s involvement had contributed to reducing divisions within the…
National leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Seriake Dickson, has explained why he rejected the option of joining the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, amid the crisis in his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, said he was unwilling to support any political arrangement that could turn Nigeria into a one-party state. He spoke on Thursday when the management of Leadership Newspaper visited him in Abuja to present him with the notification of his selection as the newspaper’s Politician of the Year 2026. Reflecting on the circumstances that led to the…
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has declared that he does not believe in political godfatherism and will not become a godfather after leaving office. Otti made the statement while speaking about his administration’s approach to governance and political succession in the state. The governor said he had never operated under the influence of political godfathers and would not seek to control his successor or dictate political affairs in Abia after leaving office. According to him, political leaders should be allowed to emerge through the democratic process rather than being imposed by individuals who seek to retain control after leaving office.…
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed to scrap the Office of the First Lady if elected president in the 2027 general election. Sowore made the declaration during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, arguing that the Nigerian Constitution does not recognise the Office of the First Lady. He said his election as president would not affect his marriage, but his wife would not assume any official position or operate an Office of the First Lady. “The Nigerian Constitution does not include a position called First Lady. Becoming president won’t end…
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Farouk Aliyu, has rejected the description of some APC governors as “lazy” and “419” by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. Aliyu, a former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday while reacting to the ongoing disagreement between Wike and the APC Governors’ Forum ahead of the 2027 general election. The dispute followed the decision of APC governors, led by their chairman, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, to reject any political arrangement capable of undermining the party or President Bola…
Human rights activist Aisha Yesufu has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the ongoing disagreement between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, and governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Yesufu made the remarks in a post on her verified X handle while reacting to the public exchange between Wike and members of the Progressive Governors Forum. The dispute followed criticism by APC governors of the Rivers State Rainbow Coalition associated with Wike. The governors had warned that the political group could have implications for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. Wike subsequently criticised the governors,…