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Dr Mujidat Folasade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, has launched the Iyaloja General Movement for Renewed Hope Initiatives, targeting 10 million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The movement was formally inaugurated on Thursday at Eagle Square, Abuja, with its leaders saying structures had been established across the 36 states, local government areas and wards to mobilise market women, traders and other grassroots voters for the president’s re-election.

Speaking at the event, Tinubu-Ojo said the movement was established to sensitise market leaders and members of the informal sector on the forthcoming elections and encourage them to support candidates they believe could provide effective leadership.

She described market women and men as a powerful voting bloc whose influence politicians could not afford to ignore, noting that the informal sector played a critical role in driving the nation’s economy.

‘What we are putting together as market leaders is to encourage our people, to sensitise them on the next election, at which direction they should follow,’ she said.

Tinubu-Ojo added that the movement would operate through a structured political framework, comprising a director-general, secretary, state coordinators and local government coordinators, among other officials.

Defending the Tinubu administration’s policies, she said the president had introduced measures that would eventually improve the country’s economic fortunes, despite the difficulties Nigerians were experiencing.

According to her, the current economic challenges are part of a painful transition whose benefits would become more evident over time.

‘What he is doing right now is like a pregnant woman going through labour. We are labouring now. Almost all Nigerians are feeling what he is doing now. The policies are painful, but the end result will justify the means,’ she said.

She urged Nigerians not to support a change of government that could reverse the policies and gains of the current administration.

Tinubu-Ojo also defended the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that the resulting revenue had enabled the three tiers of government to undertake projects and meet their obligations, including the payment of workers’ salaries.

She said the movement wanted Tinubu to continue in office to ensure that the benefits of the administration’s policies were sustained.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the movement, Dr Nasiru Ladan, said it had already attracted about 2,500 support groups, with more organisations expressing interest in joining.

Ladan said the groups had been integrated into the movement’s structure, adding that the organisation was building a database of supporters across states and local government areas.

‘We have just started; it has been launched today, and we have machineries in motion in all the states, local governments up to wards level,’ he said.

He explained that the movement’s grassroots strategy was designed to translate its organisational structure into votes for the APC in 2027.

According to him, the movement plans to deploy 10 facilitators to each polling unit, with each facilitator expected to mobilise 100 voters.

He said the initiative was expected to help the movement achieve its target of 10 million votes, although he did not provide a breakdown of how the target would be measured or independently verified.

Ladan said market women and men were central to the mobilisation effort, expressing confidence that their knowledge of the administration’s policies and programmes would encourage them to support the president.

The Lagos State Director-General of the movement, Barrister Adejumbo Omofumilewa, said the inauguration also served as a mini-rally in support of Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

Omofumilewa expressed confidence that the APC would perform better in Lagos State in the next presidential election, saying the party had addressed the factors that contributed to its loss in the state during the 2023 presidential poll.

He attributed the outcome of the previous election partly to the party’s failure to adequately assess the political situation in Lagos, describing the experience as a betrayal.

According to him, subsequent electoral victories by the APC in the state had strengthened the party’s confidence ahead of the next general elections.

‘What happened in 2023 that made our candidate to lose the presidential election in Lagos State is already taken care of, because now, everybody is following him,’ he said.

Omofumilewa also dismissed the prospect of opposition parties posing a serious challenge to the APC in Lagos, insisting that the ruling party had a strong presence across the state.

‘Obi is not a threat, neither any party is a threat in Lagos State. We are in charge,’ she said, adding that the party was politically and organisationally positioned to secure victory in 2027.

The launch of the Iyaloja General Movement adds to the growing political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, as parties and affiliated support groups intensify efforts to build grassroots structures and secure voter support.

SITA has agreed to acquire Flightscape, CAE Inc.’s airline operations software business, whose solutions help airlines plan flights, manage crews, control operations, coordinate ground activities and deliver in-flight services.

According to experts, the acquisition will help airlines make better operational decisions and coordinate recovery more effectively across the aviation ecosystem.

Commenting, Chief Executive Officer, SITA, David Lavorel, said, ‘Airlines need to make the best possible use of their aircraft, crews and infrastructure while responding to increasingly complex operational challenges. With Flightscape, we will bring together our respective complementary capabilities to strengthen what we offer airlines and connect their operational decisions with insight from across the aviation ecosystem. That will help our customers anticipate disruption, recover more effectively and run more resilient operations.’

Flightscape’s software is used daily by more than 90 airlines, helping them plan, manage and operate flights across their networks.

Also commenting, CEO of SITA for Aircraft, Yann Cabaret said, ‘The hardest decisions in an operations control centre come when plans change and every minute counts. Technology and AI can now help airlines and their partners see more of what is happening and respond together. With Flightscape, our aim is to give an airline’s operations team and its partners across the industry the same information when plans change, so they can recover as one operation rather than as separate parts.’

‘I believe SITA is a natural home for Flightscape and an excellent strategic fit for the business. This transaction positions Flightscape within an organisation deeply connected to the global air transport industry. I am excited about what this combination will mean for Flightscape, its customers and its future, said Carter Copeland, President, Flightscape.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, and Commander, Sector 1 Joint Task Force Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General Abubakar Sadique Muhammad Wase, has conducted an operational assessment visit to the newly established 24 Battalion in Tudun Wada and 311 Artillery Regiment in Dambatta, Kano State, from 28 to 29 October 2026.

Addressing the troops during the visit, Major General Wase noted that, as fledgling formations, the units require collective resilience and dedication to achieve the desired objectives behind their establishment.

In a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, he reassured the troops that the Division is working in close liaison with the Kano State Government to accelerate full operational capability, adding that troop welfare and logistical support remain his priorities.

The GOC, who was accompanied by the Commander, 3 Brigade, Brigadier General Saka Jimoh, held some engagements with local government leadership in both Dambatta and Tudun Wada. He urged the host communities to extend maximum cooperation and support to the newly deployed units to strengthen security across the state.

It will be recalled that the establishment of these units is part of the broader expansion and restructuring drive by the Nigerian Army, an initiative aimed at strengthening the nation’s security architecture and enhancing operational responsiveness.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has intensified efforts to strengthen its political presence in Lagos State, as candidates, aspirants and party leaders converged at a meeting organised by the sociopolitical movement, THE REFORMERS, to develop a common strategy ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

The Deputy Director-General (Operations) of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign, Ralph Okey Nwosu, while speaking at the parley, held at Diamond International Centre, Lagos, challenged party members to close ranks and work together to wrest political power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Nwosu, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event, in a statement issued by the movement’s spokesperson, Alhaji Muhammed Emiabata, described the meeting as an opportunity for the ADC to build unity and take advantage of what he characterised as the APC’s growing unpopularity.

The Deputy Director-General urged party leaders and candidates to put aside their differences, insisting that a united front would be critical to the party’s chances of success at the polls.

‘I have come to light the fire of Operation BRING DOWN THE LAGOS STRONGHOLD. Power must change hands in Lagos,’ he declared, drawing applause from participants.

Nwosu added that the ADC could replicate previous political successes, citing the political legacy of the late Shehu Yar’Adua, while urging party members to work towards victory for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.in the 2027 Presidential Election.

Nwosu also criticised the Federal Government’s policies, arguing that economic hardship had forced many Nigerians into difficult living conditions and desperate survival strategies, noting that people sleep in offices and only sleep in their homes for less than two days a week.

He expressed concern over alleged food adulteration and the use of dangerous chemicals to preserve agricultural produce, linking such practices to public health risks.

‘People sleep in offices and only sleep in their homes for less than two days a week. They are compelled to engage in all sorts of illicit and demeaning survival acts.

‘Perhaps this is why people also engage more in all sorts of product faking and dangerous chemical preservation of farm products that is sending many to their early graves. Even more deaths are being recorded during this period. I am ashamed of this government,’ he said.

The campaign official further expressed optimism that Nigerians would experience relief within the first few months of an ADC-led administration under Atiku Abubakar.

Also speaking, the guest speaker and veteran journalist, Chief Onita Coker, urged ADC candidates to adopt innovative and cost-effective publicity strategies rather than depend on conventional campaign methods associated with the ruling party.

Coker, a former editor at Daily Times and Publisher of Today’s Choice Magazine, warned candidates against building their campaigns around publicity approaches that might not suit their circumstances.

He presented strategies for generating widespread public awareness and attracting voters despite limited campaign funds.

Earlier, the coordinator of THE REFORMERS, Pastor (Dr.) Kayode Jacobs, pledged the movement’s support for ADC candidates through research, strategic planning and data-driven campaign interventions.

Jacobs said the movement’s research and strategy team would provide candidates with polling data, winning statistics and roadmaps designed to improve their electoral prospects.

‘We are not just a support group, we are a consciousness. We will give you the path to victory and the strategies to demystify and demobilize their rigging machine’ he said.

The gathering attracted the ADC National Chief Whip, Elder Festus Igbinoba; the Lagos State chairman of the party, Hon. George Ashiru; and other party leaders and stakeholders from the state’s 20 local government areas.

A major highlight of the convergence was the offering of Christian and Islamic prayers for the candidates, the party and Nigeria.

According to the organisers, the meeting marked the first major public initiative by THE REFORMERS to bring ADC candidates and party stakeholders together around a shared political strategy in Lagos.