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The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf of plotting to disqualify the party’s governorship candidate, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, ahead of the 2027 election.

Daily Trust has reported how Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deleted Gwarzo’s name from its updated governorship candidate in the state and said it was due to a court order.

The commission however clarified that it has no problem with the candidate, adding that his omission was in compliance with the court.

But speaking at a press briefing in Kano on Sunday, Kwankwaso alleged that the governor initially sought to use INEC to remove the NDC candidate from the ballot but later resorted to the courts when that move failed.

According to him, Governor Yusuf had realised that he made a political mistake and had since been making frantic efforts to prevent the NDC from participating in the governorship contest.

‘What he wanted was for INEC to declare that there was no governorship candidate in Kano. When that did not happen, they went to court seeking the disqualification of our candidate,’ Kwankwaso said.

The former Kano governor alleged that associates of the governor secretly instituted legal action against the party and INEC in a bid to secure a court order without attracting public attention.

He claimed that the case was structured in a manner that would prevent the affected candidate from becoming aware of the proceedings until after judgment had been delivered.

Kwankwaso, however, insisted that the NDC candidate had no constitutional or legal impediment that could warrant disqualification.

‘Our candidates have no issues relating to age, educational qualification or any other constitutional requirement. There is nothing that should stop them from contesting the election,’ he said.

The NDC vice-presidential candidate further accused the governor and his allies of attempting to avoid electoral competition rather than face the party at the polls.

‘They do not want to contest against us. They believe that once they occupy government offices, they can do whatever they want. But Kano voters will decide,’ he said.

Speaking of previous political developments in the state, Kwankwaso recalled that a court ruling had once removed a candidate before he was subsequently reinstated ahead of an election that his party eventually won.

He expressed confidence that the electorate would reject what he described as attempts to undermine democratic choice in the state.

Kwankwaso also urged supporters, particularly young people, to verify their voter registration status and remain politically active.

He maintained that the NDC would participate in the election and defeat its opponents at the polls.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of Governor Yusuf on the allegations were unsuccessful as calls made to the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, were neither answered nor returned as at the time of filing this report.

The Kwara State Police Command says it is yet to secure the release of an elderly man and his son abducted by suspected kidnappers.

The incident allegedly occurred while travelling to their farm in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of the state.

The victims, identified as Elder Bamidele Matthew and his son, Bamidele Ibukun, were kidnapped on October 20, 2026, along the Idofin-Igbana axis of Iloffa, headquarters of Oke-Ero LGA.

The victims, residents of Oke Esi Compound, Kajola, were reportedly on their way to the farm when they were seized by the assailants.

Their incident threw the community into panic with many expressing concerns over their safety.

They also called for urgent intervention by security agencies to secure the victims’ release.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Chairman of Oke-Ero Local Government Area, Hon. James Fadipe, were unsuccessful, as he ended the phone call on Monday when contacted by Daily Trust for comments on the abduction.

However, Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Monday.

He said operatives had been on the trail of the kidnappers since the incident but were yet to make a breakthrough.

‘Yes, it’s true and we have been on the kidnappers trail since after the incident, but no breakthrough yet,’ he said.

The commissioner, however, assured residents that the command was not relenting in its efforts to rescue the victims.

‘We shall do everything to ensure they are rescued and reunited with their family,’ Ojo added.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the procurement of brand-new Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) for newly upgraded traditional rulers across the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, disclosed this on Saturday, in Abuja at the Rainbow Coalition Stakeholders Rally and unveiling of FCT National Assembly candidates, organised by the FCT Stakeholders Assembly at the Old Parade Ground.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press, Office of the FCT Minister, Rabi Musa Umar.

The rally brought together traditional rulers, the six area council chairmen, leaders of indigenous communities, youth and women groups, and party leaders across divides, including the APC and PDP chairmen in the FCT, who jointly endorsed President Tinubu for a second term in 2027, alongside Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda for FCT Senate, Hon. John Gabaya for Abuja North and Hon. Danladi Chiya for Abuja South Federal Constituencies.

According to the statement, the minister attributed the presidential gesture on SUVs to recognition of the vital roles traditional rulers play in preserving culture and maintaining peace, noting that the President’s approval of the upgrade of traditional stools, which was abandoned for 27 years, underscores his commitment to the FCT.

‘Mr President has said that you cannot just answer royal fathers by mouth. You cannot just answer royal fathers by entering Keke Napep. You cannot answer royal fathers by entering Okada. That all of you, by the grace of God, before December, you will go with your SUV cars.

‘If there is any traditional institution that needs to be treated well, that needs empowerment, it’s the traditional institution of the Federal Capital Territory’, the statement quoted Wike as saying.

Charging supporters to translate endorsement into votes, the FCT Minister declared a strict grassroots mandate ahead of the January 16, 2027 election.

‘Deliver your polling unit, deliver your ward, deliver your local government, deliver your state’, he said.

He warned against claiming victory without grassroots contribution.

‘I don’t want to hear: I lost my polling unit, but we won. If you lose your polling unit, don’t say we won because you never contributed to the victory. So, everybody go home, it’s an operation to deliver your polling unit’, Wike stated.

‘We shall never make the mistake we made in 2023. When you realise a mistake, you correct it. To God be the glory, come January 2027, Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda will be elected because he identifies with you and cares about you’, Wike said, questioning whether the incumbent Senator had ever called constituents for a meeting or moved a bill for FCT.

To empower youth mobilisation for the election, the minister announced President Tinubu’s approval of four buses for FCT youths and fixed November 10 for an interactive session with youths across the six area councils.

He also promised a separate engagement with persons with disabilities, stressing that ‘disability does not mean you do not have capacity’.

The public presentation of the book Tinubu: From Renewed Hope to Despair was a launch like no other – for two reasons. First, the launch came beset with all sorts of controversies. The book’s title alone was enough to draw the ire of those in government, particularly in an election period. It was supposed to have been launched at a ceremony billed to take place at Arewa House, Kaduna, on October 15. For some inexplicable reason, ABU Zaria, which owns Arewa House, scuttled the ceremony a few days before the event.

To compound matters, the launching committee could not lay their hands on any alternative venue in Kaduna. It looked as if unseen forces had directed all hoteliers and event-centre owners to stay clear of this book launch. That made the book singularly popular and aroused the interest of yours sincerely to look forward to where else the launch would take place. Fortunately, the editors chose to come to the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja. Somehow, the unseen forces did not interfere, and the launch went ahead on October 16.

Secondly, during the ceremony, the authors offered the book at the ridiculous fee of only N5000. Prof. Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, who made the announcement, explained that producing the book cost about N4000 per copy and that they added only N1000 to offset residual expenses, including transportation and venue hire. I was stunned by this candid revelation. I recall that in this year alone, I witnessed ceremonies in the same venue, where book prices at the launch ranged from the princely sum of N50,000 to the outrageous amount of N100,000 per copy.

But this is typical of the publishers, Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (Ceddert), whose primary aim was not profit but delivering an informed treatise to the public, at basic cost. The centre itself was established in the early 1990s by a group of high-minded professionals from ABU’s history department led by their mentor, the indomitable Dr Yusuf Bala Usman. Since his death in 2005, Professors Siddiq Mohammed, Alkassum Abba, Aliyu Sanusi, and a host of others, all in the mould of town-and-gown public intellectuals, have carried the banner of Ceddert even higher. Over the years, the centre has been quite prodigious in churning out well-researched papers on many social issues affecting the north of the country. I have particularly noted their contributions to the debate on the Almajiri and rural banditry issues.

The gathering that morning at the Yar’Adua Centre was like a festive affair, a meeting of old friends, many from the university days of the 1970s. I spotted Adamu Maina Waziri, the ABU SUG President during my time in the 1974/75 session and Dr Usman Bugaje, also an active student leader of the time. Also present were those known to be in the trenches as field politicians and civil rights activists. These included, among others, the SDP presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo; the ADC vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi; the PRP Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed; Dr Usman Yusuf; and Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, who gave a riveting keynote address.

As you would expect, many rousing speeches were made at the occasion. However, Prof. Mohammed put the contents of the book in perspective. Quoting from an earlier Ceddert press statement, he said: ‘There is nothing in this book that is not already in the public domain. The book examines the record of the Tinubu administration, interrogates its policies and assesses their implications for Nigeria’s economy, security, national unity and democratic development. Its purpose is to contribute to public understanding and stimulate informed debate. These are legitimate and necessary activities in any democracy.

‘If those in power disagree with our analysis or conclusions, they are free to challenge them with evidence, reasoned arguments and alternative explanations. They may publish their own assessments, organise public discussions or respond directly to the issues raised in the book. What they should not do is seek to prevent the public from hearing arguments they dislike. The proper response to criticism is engagement, not suppression.’

The book itself is divided into seven chapters, with each of the four editors taking one or two. As its compelling blurb explains, the book critically analyses President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies, ‘examines the first three years of the administration against the promises that preceded it and the realities Nigerians experienced. The book interrogates the widening gap between policy intentions and lived experience, focusing on the consequences of economic reforms for household incomes, food prices, purchasing power, public debt, agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

Beyond the economy, the book examines concerns over national unity, federal character, regional equity and the changing geography of federal power. It considers whether the distribution of political appointments, federal institutions, infrastructure and economic opportunities is strengthening or straining confidence in Nigeria’s federal system.’

On reading the book, one is immediately struck by the thorough preparations undertaken by the editors. Their data collection from verifiable sources was meticulous. Their analyses are very profound. Their conclusions and verdict may seem brutal, but this does not detract from the book’s overall quality. The book is good reading material for those of us trying to make sense of how we came to be where we are now. It might even be more of a recommended read for those at the top levels of government.