Author: Lawrence Idoko

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, has pledged that the body will remain strictly neutral in the 2027 general elections, with no preference for any candidate or political party. Speaking during a visit to the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Bamalli, in Zaria, Kaduna State, Amupitan said INEC’s core responsibility was to uphold the will of Nigerian voters. He described traditional institutions as critical stakeholders in the electoral process, given their influence and reach across communities. The visit forms part of INEC’s ongoing stakeholder engagement and zonal readiness assessments as the commission intensifies nationwide…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Shettima arrived with members of his entourage and was received by government officials and Nigerian Army personnel, according to a video posted on X by Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President’s Senior Special Assistant on media and communications. Vice President Shettima left Abuja on September 20 at the President’s direction to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual UN gathering, where he delivered Nigeria’s national statement. In the address, Nigeria renewed its call for reform of…

Nigeria’s continued existence as one country is the result of sacrifices made by generations of ordinary citizens, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma said at a Thanksgiving Mass to mark the nation’s 66th Independence Anniversary. Speaking Sunday at Assumpta Cathedral in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Uzodimma said Nigeria had endured civil war, military rule, economic hardship and political crises that repeatedly raised questions about its future. “Yet Nigeria is here,” he said. “After 66 years, despite everything we have been through, we remain one country,” he added. “That survival”, he said, “did not happen by accident,” but reflected the sacrifices…

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified its preparations for the 2027 elections over the weekend, combining internal party meetings, grassroots mobilisation and a defence of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies ahead of the start of state-to-state presidential campaign tours. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) met in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and declared itself ready for the full rollout of the campaign. The meeting was chaired by National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda. The Presidential Campaign Council, led by Director-General Abdulaziz Yari, has already begun consultations with traditional rulers, including the Sultan of Sokoto, the Oba of Lagos, the…

Minister of Budget and Economic planning, Abubakar Bagudu has called on German companies to deepen investment in the country’s industrial sector as the government seeks to build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. The Minister made the appeal at the Germany–Nigeria Industrial Technology Conference, held in Abuja over the weekend under the theme “Business Meets Nigeria.” The event was organized by the German Engineering Federation, known as VDMA, in partnership with the German Embassy in Nigeria. The conference brought together Nigerian and German business executives, government officials, bankers and industry leaders to discuss investment, technology transfer and infrastructure development, according…

The South-South Zonal Coordinator of the P-BAT Door-to-Door Movement, Chief Reuben Wilson, has described the group as the most influential support group for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Nigeria, urging Bayelsans to deliver 100 per cent votes for the President in 2027. Wilson, who spoke in Yenagoa during the movement’s expanded stakeholders’ meeting, implored stakeholders to appreciate the founder and grand patron of the movement, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for creating the platform and for his commitment to the development of the Ijaw nation. “I want all of us to appreciate one man, a man…

Erstwhile Federal Character Commissioner for Anambra State, Rev. Uche Ibeabuchi, has said President Bola Tinubu should be re-elected in the 2027 general elections, citing what he described as the president’s courage, reform agenda and long-term vision. Speaking to journalists in Awka, Ibeabuchi said Nigeria’s development depended on leaders willing to confront entrenched structural problems and accept the political costs of difficult reforms. “Great nations are not built on convenient decisions,” he said, adding that countries that achieved industrial development typically passed through periods of economic transition and fiscal adjustment. His comments come as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections…

A political support group backed by Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has begun a ward-by-ward mobilization drive across Ondo State, aiming to lock in grassroots support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. The group, known as BTO4PBAT27 (BTO for PBAT ’27), says its “Unit-to-Unit Tour” will cover all 18 local government areas, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units in Ondo. The Director-General of the group, Gideon Adojutelegan, said the effort is designed to move beyond conventional rallies by embedding organizers at the polling-unit level and maintaining continuous contact with voters. The tour’s stated priorities include voter education and Permanent…

A political support group backed by Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has begun a ward-by-ward mobilization drive across Ondo State, aiming to lock in grassroots support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid. The group, known as BTO4PBAT27 (BTO for PBAT ’27), says its “Unit-to-Unit Tour” will cover all 18 local government areas, 203 wards and 3,933 polling units in Ondo. The Director-General of the group, Gideon Adojutelegan, said the effort is designed to move beyond conventional rallies by embedding organizers at the polling-unit level and maintaining continuous contact with voters. The tour’s stated priorities include voter education and Permanent…

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, called on Nigerians to give his administration additional time to complete what he described as essential reforms, arguing that his government is correcting decades of accumulated mistakes and missed opportunities. The President’s remarks came during a special Juma’at prayer service at the National Mosque in Abuja, part of the federal government’s low-key programme to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary. Abbas, representing President Tinubu, told worshippers that the milestone signifies a nation that has “come of age,” even as he acknowledged a “mixed journey” since independence in…