Politics

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has announced it will not be participating in the forthcoming local government election in the state. The party disclosed this in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, on Thursday in Ibadan. The local government election in the state has been fixed for December 2026, but the APC, in its argument, described the decision to conduct the election as illegal, ill-conceived and self-serving. Sadare said the decision will further worsen the current situation of things at the grassroots level in the state, alleging that Governor Seyi Makinde does not believe in local government autonomy. He alleged that such action means that Makinde is now trying to impose another set of lackeys who would be loyal to him even after lea...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the distribution of sensitive electoral materials ahead of Saturday’s Rivers South-East senatorial bye-election. The distribution exercise took place at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, under the supervision of INEC officials, security agencies, political party representatives and election observers. The materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, were sorted for onward movement to the seven local government areas where the bye-election will take place. Speaking with journalists during the exercise, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Rivers State, Dr Johnson Alalibo, said the sensitive materials were properly secured and had not been tampered with. A...

The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, has said she never saw the committee report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Kingibe made this known on Wednesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time. According to the FCT Senator, she was attending a retreat on tax reforms when the report was being considered and therefore did not have the opportunity to review it. “I never saw the report that led to Natasha’s suspension. I was at a retreat. I had earlier stated that I was there with three or four other senators who are members of the committee,” she said. Kingibe explained that she attended a session of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, signed the attendance reg...

\ With just two days to the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, security agencies, electoral officials and civil society groups have intensified preparations for what is expected to be one of Nigeria’s most closely watched off-cycle elections. The Independent National Electoral Commission will on Thursday (today) begin the movement of sensitive election materials to the 16 local government areas of the state, while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed 10,000 personnel and the Nigeria Police Force activated a comprehensive election security framework to safeguard the poll. The heightened preparations came as the Court of Appeal constituted the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, while the Nigerian Air Force confirmed the successful a...

The Nigerian Senate has dismissed allegations by Senator Adams Oshiomhole that signatures were forged during the process that led to the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Speaking on the matter, Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu described the accusation as false, maintaining that no senator’s signature was forged in connection with the proceedings that resulted in Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension. Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, had earlier alleged during an interview on AIT that the names of at least three senators were included in the committee report recommending Natasha’s suspension without their approval. He claimed some lawmakers privately informed him that they neither signed the report nor supported its recommendati...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked the Court of Appeal in Abuja to stay the execution of a Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and four other political parties. The commission also backed a notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties. Addressing a three-member panel of the appellate court on Tuesday, INEC said it was shocked that Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered the judgment despite an order restraining him from doing so. INEC, through its legal team led by Haliru Mohammed, said it was not notified that the judgment would be delivered. The commission said it only heard about the decision through media reports. INEC stated, “My Lords, w...

The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, has claimed that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is the only major candidate who provided a full account of funds spent during his campaign. Tanko made the statement on Tuesday during an interview on Arise TV's Day Break, where he praised Obi’s commitment to transparency and accountability. He said Obi and activist Aisha Yesufu engaged an independent auditor to examine their campaign finances, adding that detailed records of spending were made available to the public. According to Tanko, other major political parties, including the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, should adopt similar levels of financial transparency. He stated that Obi’s d...

According to the ADC, the decision runs contrary to established legal precedents and even conflicts with positions previously advanced by INEC on the issue of political party deregistration. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly opposed a Federal High Court ruling directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the party and four others, describing the judgment as an attempt to use the judiciary to undermine Nigeria’s democratic process. Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance and Zenith Labour Party for allegedly failing to satisfy constitutional and electoral requirements outlined in Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as a...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has officially presented Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo as its deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Sowunmi-Kolapo, a former Group Business Editor at The PUNCH, was unveiled on Monday in Abeokuta as the running mate to the party’s governorship flagbearer, Oladipupo Adebutu. The event, held at the party’s state secretariat, attracted key stakeholders, party leaders, youth and women groups, as well as supporters from across Ogun State. Among those in attendance was former senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose presence further sparked speculation about her political future following her recent resignation from the APC. Speaking after her presentation, Sowunmi-Kolapo expressed gr...

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, has raised concerns over the authenticity of signatures attached to the Senate committee report that led to the suspension of Kogi Central lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. In a recent interview with AIT, Oshiomhole alleged that the names of at least three senators were included in the report despite their claims that they neither signed nor endorsed the document. Oshiomole said this while reacting to recent comments by Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who described Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension as one of the most regrettable episodes of the current Senate. According to Oshiomhole, some lawmakers whose names appeared on the committee report later informed him that they did not append their ...