Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, has directed police officers across the country to shoot on sight anyone found carrying illegal firearms. Disu gave the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital. The IGP said President Bola Tinubu had ordered security agencies to bring insecurity in Benue State to an end, stressing that only authorised security personnel are permitted to carry firearms. According to him, the era of passive policing is over, warning that the unlawful possession of weapons would no longer be tolerated. “You cannot move around freely carrying…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has said the commission cannot be truly independent without financial autonomy. Amupitan made the assertion on Thursday at the public presentation of Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999–2023), authored by THISDAY Managing Director, Eniola Bello. He warned that the commission’s continued reliance on the normal budgetary process weakens its operational independence and could undermine efforts to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2027. According to him, while INEC plays a central role in the electoral process, the responsibility for delivering credible elections also rests with…
About 55 aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State have accused the party leadership and the state government of neglecting and marginalising loyal members who voluntarily stepped down from various elective contests in the interest of party unity. The aggrieved aspirants, operating under the banner of the Kaduna State House of Assembly APC Aspirants Forum 2026, said they abandoned their political ambitions following appeals by party leaders, believing their loyalty, discipline and commitment would be rewarded with fairness, inclusion and recognition. In a statement issued on Friday and jointly signed by the forum’s Chairman, Godwin Luka (Maisolar),…
The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has expressed confidence that its 2027 presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, will defeat President Bola Tinubu in the next general election. The party made the assertion in a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, while reacting to remarks reportedly made by presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala, who described Makinde as inconsequential. According to the APM, the comments from the Presidency reflected growing concern over Makinde’s rising political profile ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Yusuf said the outcome of the 2027 poll would determine who was truly inconsequential.…
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Obidient Movement have dismissed claims by former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, that the Peter Obi-Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket cannot win the 2027 election. Both groups argued that Obi and Kwankwaso have strong governance records and extensive political support bases capable of delivering victory in the next general election. Ganduje had described the NDC presidential ticket as “dead on arrival,” contending that neither Obi nor Kwankwaso possessed the leadership credentials or political legacy required to win the presidency. He also questioned the duo’s popularity and achievements in their…
The National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has said Nigeria’s democracy must survive despite the challenges confronting the country’s political system. Dickson made the assertion in a statement posted on his verified X handle on Wednesday. According to the former Bayelsa State governor, the NDC is currently confronting what he described as legal and contrived actions by anti-democratic forces, but expressed confidence that the situation would eventually pass. “The NDC is dealing with the legal and contrived shenanigans of anti-democratic forces. The storm shall pass and become a story of the past,” he stated. Dickson said…
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has claimed that the Nigerian government owes its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, a total of N9.5 billion in damages arising from court judgments that it says were never appealed. The claim was made in a clarification issued on Thursday by the fourth administration of the IPOB Directorate of State (DOS) and signed by the group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful. According to IPOB, the statement was issued in response to what it described as sustained misinformation and a campaign to discredit Kanu and his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor. The group said Ejimakor had recorded several landmark…
A former Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Robinson Ewor, has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara of betraying the people of the state. Ewor made the allegation while speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, where he claimed that the governor has not been open, transparent or communicative with Rivers residents. According to him, Fubara had created the impression that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, was preventing him from carrying out his responsibilities as governor. “It’s Fubara himself who betrayed the people of Rivers. If Fubara had been open, transparent, and…
The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has expressed confidence that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election. Kwankwaso said the NDC enjoys growing support across different parts of the country and predicted that the election would produce surprises in the party’s favour. He made the remarks while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. According to him, public sentiment in major commercial centres reflects increasing support for the NDC beyond its traditional strongholds. “Go to Wuse Market and Sabon Gari in Kano, and even Ibadan.…
The Osun State chapter of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, has distanced itself from a group identified as the YPP Decampees Group, which recently declared support for the All Progressives Congress, APC. The party also rejected claims made during an APC campaign rally in Ede, insisting that the individuals involved do not represent the YPP ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election. The position was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Animasahun Saheed, following consultations with the State Working Committee, Local Government Executives and other stakeholders across the state. According to the…
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the state, Kingsley Chinda. The governor also announced that he had joined the Rainbow Coalition, a political alliance spearheaded by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike. Fubara made the declaration on Wednesday during the groundbreaking and foundation-laying ceremony of the Rivien Medical Industry project in Rumuosi, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. Addressing his supporters, the governor urged them to align with him by joining the Rainbow Coalition. “I am supporting President…
The Osun State chapter of the Accord Party and the Osun State Police Command have exchanged conflicting claims over the security situation in the state amid heightened political activities ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Accord Party accused the police of failing to act impartially, alleging that some individuals linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had continued to engage in violent activities without being prosecuted. The statement, signed by the party’s state chairman, Pastor Victor Akande, also alleged that recent security operations reflected selective law enforcement. According to the party,…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ondo State has urged all eligible residents to register for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends on Sunday, July 26. The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, made the appeal on Wednesday while monitoring the ongoing Phase Three extension of the CVR exercise across the state. During the monitoring exercise, Agboke visited the INEC Registration Centre along Oda Road, Akure, St. Anthony RCM Primary School, Araromi Akure, and St. Stephen Anglican Primary School, Idanre, in Idanre Local Government Area, among other registration…
The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 40-year-old man, Clement Anthony, for allegedly murdering a 55-year-old man and unlawfully possessing a locally made firearm in Bauchi metropolis. The command’s spokesman, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday. According to him, the incident was reported to the ‘A’ Division Police Station on July 19, 2026, by a 47-year-old resident of Unguwar Ngas in Bauchi Local Government Area. “The complainant alleged that one Clement Anthony, a 40-year-old of Unguwar Ngas, Inkil, Bauchi, armed himself with a locally made single-barrel gun and intentionally shot Mr. Jacob Bature, a…
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kebbi Sector Command, has arrested 39 vehicles for various traffic offences during an ongoing special enforcement operation across the state. The Kebbi Sector Commander, Mrs. Rukayya Zakaria, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday. She said the operation, which commenced on July 20, was launched to curb dangerous traffic violations such as overloading, mixed loading, route violations and other offences that endanger the lives of road users. According to Zakaria, the command has so far arrested 39 vehicles for different traffic offences, adding that FRSC personnel remain fully deployed for the…
The National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Wolimoh Olajide Epe, has resigned from the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Wolimoh cited concerns over what he described as the party’s lack of national relevance and limited political direction. He stated that his resignation takes immediate effect and followed extensive consultations with political associates, supporters and other stakeholders who had monitored his activities within the party. According to him, the decision was not taken in haste, as several discussions about the future…
Political parties and other stakeholders in Ebonyi State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, warning that thousands of eligible voters could be disenfranchised if the exercise ends as scheduled. The appeal comes as INEC prepares to conclude the third and final phase of the nationwide voter registration exercise on July 26, 2026. Speaking in Abakaliki on Tuesday, the Ebonyi State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr. Jennifer Adibe-Nwafor, said an extension had become necessary to allow more eligible Nigerians to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs),…
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed August 27, 2026, for hearing in a suit filed by aggrieved members of the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging their alleged substitution as validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general election. Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter on Tuesday after counsel to the plaintiffs, Mohammed Ndarani-Mohammed, SAN, requested time to respond to a preliminary objection filed by the APC questioning the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit. The judge directed all parties to file and exchange their processes before the next adjourned date. Justice Ekwo…
The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to appeal the life imprisonment handed to two convicted Ansaru terrorist commanders, insisting that the punishment does not reflect the gravity of their crimes, security analyst Zagazola Makama has disclosed. Makama, in a post shared on X on Monday, said the DSS considers the sentence imposed by the Federal High Court in Abuja too lenient and intends to seek a stiffer punishment. Justice Emeka Nwite had on Monday sentenced Abubakar Abba, also known as Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud Usman, alias Isah Adam/Mahmud, to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count…
Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi do not have the political structure required in Northern Nigeria to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Ganduje made the remark while speaking at a public event in Kano over the weekend. According to him, Northern Nigeria remains the decisive region in presidential elections, and opposition candidates must have strong grassroots support across the region to stand a realistic chance of winning. “The North is strategic in every presidential election in…