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The Road to 2027: Analyzing Makinde’s Political Strategy and the PDP’s Prospects

Editor

In private discussions, the path to Nigeria’s upcoming presidential election is already being charted, and one name—Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde—continues to be mentioned with curiosity and skepticism. At the state level, he is regarded as a good leader, but it is yet unclear if his influence will be felt nationally. Can the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which is still attempting to mend the divides that followed its 2023 performance and is still reeling from three consecutive losses at the presidential polls, truly put its hopes in him? The focus…

Rivers LG election in photos

Editor

Elections for local governments are taking place in all 23 of Rivers State’s local government districts following months of anticipation.       The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), which is in charge of planning council elections throughout the state’s 23 LGAs, 319 wards, and 4,442 voting places, is conducting today’s exercise.     This comes six months after the state’s October 2024 council election was declared invalid by the Supreme Court due to Electoral Act violations.

‘Online pre-registration data not extraordinary’ – INEC replies ADC

Editor

There is nothing “extraordinary” about the numbers, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which has rejected claims of anomalies in its online pre-registration data for the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). The clarification was provided in an Abuja statement by Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, the INEC Chairman’s chief press secretary. This came after the African Democratic Congress (ADC) expressed concern about the figures in a statement. Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, called the Osun figures “suspicious” and a challenge to “historical patterns and demographic realities.”…

FG eyes 21% GDP boost with e-governance bill

Editor

According to the Federal Government, if the proposed National Digital and E-Government Bill is signed into law, the digital economy could significantly increase Nigeria’s GDP, with contributions expected to reach 21% by 2030. This was said by Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, during a stakeholder validation workshop on the bill on Thursday in Abuja. Mr. Rafiu Adeladan, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, represented him. According to Tijani, the bill is a landmark step in creating a digital economy that is inclusive and resilient. In…

Customs intercept N48.5m cannabis, seize N220m contraband in Kaduna

Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service’s Federal Operations Unit Zone “B” in Kaduna reported that it had seized 185 blocks of cannabis sativa worth N48.5 million. On behalf of the Comptroller, Chief Superintendent of Customs Saidu Nuruddeen, the unit’s public relations officer, made this announcement in a statement released in Kaduna on Thursday. According to Nuruddeen, the seizure occurred on August 21 at around 3:30 a.m. and included additional contraband valued at N220.4 million that was found in several operations. “Operators stopped a vehicle along the Zaria flyover on the Kaduna–Zaria Expressway…

2027: I’ve no plan to contest any elective seat – El-rufai

Editor

Nasir El-rufai, a former Kaduna State governor, has said that he will not run for any political office in the general elections of 2027. While welcoming Peoples Democratic Party defectors to the African Democratic Congress in Kaduna on Wednesday, El-rufai made this point clear. He claimed that his willingness to support credible leadership at all levels was what motivated his resumed political activity rather than personal ambition. The former Federal Capital Territory Minister clarified that his original intention upon leaving office in 2023 was to distance himself from party politics.…

Nigeria TikToker Peller safe after viral Kidnap scare, Police clarify

Editor

Fears of a kidnapping involving well-known TikTok content creator Habeeb Hamzat, also known as Peller, have been dispelled by the Lagos State Police Command, which maintains that the performer is “safe and not abducted.” Early on Thursday morning, social media was engulfed in panic following a widely shared video that purported to show the comedian being violently pulled from a car by armed men who were thought to be kidnappers. The video, which went viral on X, Instagram, and TikTok, showed Peller fighting angrily with men beside a white minivan.…

Imo will start paying N104,000 minimum wage with August salaries – Gov’s aide

Editor

Through Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku, the governor’s media adviser and chief press secretary, the Imo State government has defended its recent decision to raise the minimum wages for civil servants to N104,000. Nwachuku reassured the public and workers during his appearance on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief on Thursday that the increased salary is a sustainable policy supported by notable advancements in the state’s financial situation rather than a populist one. There was a mixture of excitement and skepticism following Governor Hope Uzodimma’s statement on Tuesday, with many people doubting the…

Immigration hikes passport fees to N100,000, N200,000

Editor

With effect from September 1, 2025, the Nigeria Immigration Service has announced an increase in the cost of getting the Nigerian Standard Passport. The increased fees would only be applied to applications submitted within Nigeria, per a statement signed on Thursday by ACI AS Akinlabi, the Service Public Relations Officer. According to the announcement, “the review, which only affects passport application fees made in Nigeria, has set new fee thresholds for 32-page applications with a 5-year validity of N100,000 and 64-page applications with a 10-year validity of N200,000.” The statement…

2027: Amaechi rules out stepping down, declares interest in ADC presidential ticket

Editor

Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State and an ADC leader, has stated that he has “no retreat, no surrender” in his intention to run for president in 2027 on the ADC’s platform. This was said by Amaechi, who was also Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation from 2015 to 2022, in an interview with reporters in Kano following a meeting with a group of the state’s traders. He emphasized that he would not step down for any candidate and stressed that the ADC primary race be open. Amaechi stated, “I…