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The National Examinations Council (NECO) has explained why it took 63 days to release the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal.

Registrar and Chief Executive of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, said the results were released 63 days after the examination ended because the council had to complete the processes of marking, verification and quality assurance.

Wushishi explained this on Thursday at a news conference held at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State, where he announced the release of the 2026 SSCE Internal results.

He said the 2026 examination cycle was one of the most challenging for the council, adding that it tested its systems, processes and readiness.

The examination was conducted from June 15 to September 4, 2026, across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as six foreign countries – Benin Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Saudi Arabia.

According to Wushishi, a total of 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, comprising 682,352 males and 695,696 females.

He said 1,371,992 candidates eventually sat for the examination, comprising 678,903 males and 693,089 females.

Wushishi disclosed that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent of those who sat for the examination, obtained five credits and above, irrespective of English Language and Mathematics.

He, however, said 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtained five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

The NECO boss also addressed examination malpractice, saying the council recorded 1,406 cases in 2026.

He said the figure represented a 64.74 per cent decrease from the 3,878 cases recorded in 2025.

Wushishi attributed the reduction to the council’s efforts to strengthen examination security and quality assurance.

He said the council remained committed to ensuring that certificates issued to candidates reflected their true academic performance and were not obtained through impersonation, manipulation or other forms of examination malpractice.

Wushishi also disclosed that 1,334 candidates with special needs participated in the examination.

He said the figure included 640 candidates with hearing impairment, 149 with visual impairment, 84 with albinism, 94 with autism, 136 with low vision and 231 candidates with adermatoglyphia.

The NECO registrar formally declared the 2026 SSCE Internal results released to the public and urged candidates to continue their academic pursuits with renewed hope and determination.

He expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, for their support for the council.

He also commended security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions for their support during the examination.

Wushishi said candidates could access their results through the NECO website using their examination registration numbers.

He assured stakeholders that the council would continue to uphold the integrity and credibility of its examinations.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will secure ‘maximum victory’ from the South-South region and other parts of the country in the 2027 presidential election, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said.

Akpabio, who described Tinubu as a friend of the South-South zone, made the statement on Wednesday during activities marking the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State in Uyo.

‘President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a friend of the South-South zone, and he will get maximum victory from the region and other parts of the country,’ the Senate President said.

The former Akwa Ibom governor also called on the people of the state to sustain their support for its development, saying the anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on the state’s progress and future.

Akpabio said Akwa Ibom had recorded significant growth since its creation in 1987, attributing the progress to the resilience and contributions of its people.

‘Our greatest resource has always been our people,’ he said.

He also reflected on his tenure as governor, saying the infrastructure, institutions and human-capital investments made during his administration provided a foundation for subsequent governments to build upon.

‘The years of Uncommon Transformation demonstrated what is possible when vision is matched by courage, when public resources are deployed for the public good, and when leadership refuses to accept yesterday’s limitations as the boundaries of tomorrow’s possibilities,’ he said.

Akpabio urged the people to look beyond the anniversary celebrations and focus on creating greater opportunities for young people, enterprise and innovation.

‘The task before us is not merely to celebrate how far we have travelled, but to imagine how much farther we can go,’ he said.

‘Akwa Ibom is rising. And together, we shall continue to build a future worthy of the dreams of our founding fathers.’

Akwa Ibom was created on September 23, 1987, by the military administration of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.

Commuters on the ever-busy Benin-Sapele Highway can now heave a sigh of relief as the management of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited has carried out further repair works on failed sections of the expressway.

The Benin-Sapele highway, it would be recalled, has become a nightmare in recent times for commuters, especially at the Iyanomo, Ekosa, Obayantor Ologbo, and Koko junction in Delta, which had almost totally collapsed, thus necessitating the intervention of the petrochemical company.

Commuters and other users of the highways spend days on the bad spots along the corridor due to the deplorable state of the highway, which links the rest of the country to the core Niger Delta States from Edo to Bayelsa and Rivers.

The palliative works by the management of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited are to prevent trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles plying the highway from falling on the road.

The palliative work was done at various sections of the road, like Iyanomo, Ekosa, Obayantor Ologbo and Koko junction in Delta State.

The Head of Technical Operations of the refinery, Segun Okeini, said the intervention was to prevent the occurrence of the fire incident that happened five years ago, when a truck carrying PMS at one of the bad spots in Ologbo, with the ensuing conflagration killing over 20 people, with many others injured.

Okeini, who noted that the failed sections were almost like they were before the incident, added that the company decided to act promptly to repair the spot after the accident.

The failed portions, he disclosed, had been affecting the firm’s operations as tankers spent days on the highway before gaining access to the refinery to load products.

‘Our refinery is just about two kilometers ahead. And this area happens to be part of the area of coverage of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

‘They approached us to help them fix the failed section because most of their people cannot go out of the area. Our Chairman was around during that period, and he saw the level of damage to the road, and even on that same day, we have like five trucks that fell along the road. He authorised that we should just undertake this.’ He stated.

Okeini disclosed that while the failed portions had no direct impact on the refinery’s production, he added that since the blocked road could prevent trucks coming for loading product at the refinery, the company decided to carry out the palliative repairs for the benefit of all the users of the highway.

On his part, the Managing Director of SODEOSA Global Resources, Solomon Uyiekpen, said commuters experienced suffering on the road before the intervention.

Uyiekpen said he collaborated with the Edo Refinery to fix the road as a CSR to the communities around the area.

A member of the Obayantor community, Kennedy Nwazekwu, who expressed joy at the repair works, said the repair work would stop incessant accidents on the road.

Nwazekwu recalled with sadness that over 20 people had died at the bad spot when their vehicles fell into the ditch at different times.

The Action Peoples Party (APP), Imo State Chapter, on Thursday condemned in strong terms the reported attempt to relocate electoral collation centres in some parts of Imo State, particularly the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency, and expressed serious concern over any similar development affecting the Nkwerre/Isu/Njaba/Nwangele (NINN) Federal Constituency and other electoral units in Imo State.

The APP State Chairman, Hon. Ernest Njesi, expressed the concern in a statement made available to journalists, maintaining that ‘any unilateral or poorly explained alteration to established electoral arrangements is a matter requiring urgent public clarification, transparency and strict adherence to due process.

‘Decisions affecting the electoral process of an entire constituency cannot and must not become the private affair of a few individuals. Such decisions have consequences for political parties, candidates, voters, traditional institutions, forum of Presidents-General, community leaders and ordinary citizens. They must therefore be handled openly, lawfully and with adequate consultation.

‘Of particular concern is the reported justification of insecurity for the proposed movement of the Ideato collation centre. The people of Ideato North have lived and conducted their social, economic and civic activities in their communities for generations. If insecurity is being relied upon as the basis for such a significant administrative decision, then the relevant authorities owe the public a clear explanation and verifiable evidence supporting that position.

‘We cannot allow vague claims or unexplained administrative decisions to become instruments for creating unnecessary tension among our people. Ideato North and Ideato South are communities whose people have shared relationships, traditions, markets, families and institutions long before the emergence of the present political administration. Likewise, the people of NINN have their own longstanding bonds that must not be subjected to unnecessary political tension,’ he noted.

Hon. Njesi particularly expressed the party’s concern that an ill-considered approach to electoral administration could create suspicion, mistrust and divisions among people who have historically lived as brothers and sisters.

He maintained that: ‘Imo State does not need electoral arrangements that divide its people. Imo State needs electoral institutions that unite confidence around a transparent process.’

The party therefore called on INEC and security authorities to publicly clarify the circumstances surrounding any proposed relocation of collation centres; make clear the legal and administrative basis for such decisions; provide verifiable information concerning any security assessment being relied upon; and consult relevant stakeholders before implementing changes that substantially affect an electoral constituency.

He also harped on the need to ensure that ‘no political party, candidate or individual is given an undue advantage through administrative decisions; respect INEC and the integrity of the electoral process; and avoid actions capable of creating unnecessary tension or division among neighbouring communities.’

While assuring that the APP would continue to stand for transparency, fairness, accountability and peaceful democratic participation, he called on the people of Ideato North, Ideato South, Nkwerre, Isu, Nwangele and Njaba to remain calm, vigilant and law-abiding, adding that differences concerning electoral administration should be resolved through lawful institutions and established democratic processes, not through confrontation or division.

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday joined world leaders at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for the opening of the General Debate of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

VP Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the global gathering, earlier attended a welcome breakfast hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for Heads of Delegation and their spouses.

The Vice President arrived at the General Assembly Hall in the company of Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers.

Also in the Nigerian delegation were the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (rtd); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, and other senior government officials.

The General Debate, holding from September 22 to 28 under the theme, ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all,’ opened with remarks by UN Secretary-General Guterres and addresses by world leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and United States President Donald Trump.

VP Shettima is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement before the General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, setting out the country’s position on major global issues and President Tinubu’s priorities for reforming international institutions, sustainable development, peace and security, climate action, and a more equitable global economic order.

On his way from the United Nations Headquarters, Senator Shettima, accompanied by governors, ministers, presidential aides and other members of the Nigerian delegation, made a brief stop at Nigeria House in New York.

Earlier in his New York engagements, VP Shettima represented President Tinubu at the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, AMSG, where he called for a new continental push to end Africa’s dependence on the export of raw minerals and build processing, manufacturing and value-addition industries around the continent’s critical resources.

Senator Shettima said Africa’s mineral wealth must translate into jobs, industrial growth and improved living standards for Africans, urging countries on the continent to strengthen cooperation rather than compete through concessions that diminish the value of their resources.

The Vice President will also participate in other high-level and bilateral engagements during the UNGA week as Nigeria advances its national interests and strengthens cooperation with international partners.

Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) in Ogun State, under the aegis of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD) and the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria (SCIAN), have appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to ensure the full implementation of the Ogun State Disability Law before the expiration of his administration.

The bodies made the plea on Wednesday at a joint press briefing held at the NUJ Hall, Iwe Iroyin House, Abeokuta, describing the situation as a case of moving the law ‘from paper to action.’

Tribune Online recalled that the Ogun State Disability Law was assented to by former governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in 2017.

The groups lamented that almost nine years after its enactment, the law had yet to reach the stage of full operational implementation.

The National President of the Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, Abdulwahab Matepo, said the delay had left persons with disabilities waiting for the legal framework to translate into functioning institutions, enforceable protections, accessible systems and practical opportunities.

Matepo explained that JONAPWD’s estimated data put the number of persons living with disabilities in Ogun State at 1,032,221, based on a 15 per cent benchmark applied to the National Population Commission’s 2025 population projection.

He stressed that behind the figures were people seeking access to education, healthcare, employment, transportation, infrastructure, economic opportunities and political participation without discrimination.

Similarly, the state chairman of JONAPWD, Ayo Awobona, said the groups had previously engaged with the Ogun State House of Assembly, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, traditional rulers and other stakeholders since 2025, including proposals for amendments to address identified gaps in the existing law.

Awobona also disclosed that a delegation of the disability community met with the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Olanrewaju Ogungbade, SAN, a few months ago, during which he assured them that he would work on the law and provide an update within two weeks.

The JONAPWD chairman acknowledged that the existing law might require amendments and urged the government to operationalise the law in accordance with due process while pursuing any necessary amendments simultaneously.

He further explained that the non-implementation of the law had practical consequences for PLWDs, including inaccessible public institutions, inadequate inclusive education and transportation, discrimination, harmful practices and limited participation in governance and decision-making.

JONAPWD and SCIAN emphasised that persons with disabilities were not seeking charity, but ‘rights, dignity, equality, accessibility, participation and inclusion,’ calling on Governor Abiodun to provide the necessary political direction to ensure that the process of implementing the law was concluded before the expiration of his tenure.

The groups also charged political parties and governorship candidates to make disability inclusion part of their policy agenda, while calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure accessible polling units, voting materials and appropriate assistance for persons with disabilities.

Former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he bears no resentment towards former colleagues, friends and associates following their silence over his current travails.

El-Rufai, in a statement titled ‘My Relationships and the Aftermath,’ said the silence of some people he had supported or maintained close relationships with over the years had generated concerns among those around him.

He, however, said he would not judge anyone for choosing to distance themselves or remain silent in the face of his present circumstances.

According to him, his decision to stand by people and causes he believed in had always been guided by his Islamic faith, Arewa upbringing, personal values and conscience.

‘Over the years, I have stood by people and for causes I believed in, sometimes in difficult circumstances and at considerable personal cost,’ he said.

The former governor said his actions were never driven by expectations of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but by his conviction that he was doing what was right.

He added that those he had supported in the past were also entitled to make their own choices when circumstances changed.

El-Rufai said while some of them might choose to speak in his support, others could remain silent or distance themselves from relationships they previously shared.

‘Their reasons are their own, and I do not wish to judge them merely because their response differs from what others or even I might have expected,’ he said.

Reflecting on the experience, the former governor said difficult circumstances often revealed the nature of relationships, noting that the events of the past few months might lead him to reconsider some of his associations.

‘Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships,’ he said.

He added that the experience could make him ‘quietly and without regret’ reassess certain relationships and consider the expectations placed on people who look up to him.

El-Rufai, however, stressed that such reassessment should not be construed as condemnation or reproach.

He maintained that he had no regrets about standing by people or causes whenever he believed it was the right thing to do.

‘I bear no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do the same for me,’ he said.

The former governor said he would rather remain faithful to the principles that had guided his conduct than allow the actions of others to alter those principles.

On what he described as perceived injustice, ingratitude or injury against him, El-Rufai said he was not seeking revenge or retribution.

‘Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter,’ he said.

He added that everyone would eventually have to live with the choices they made, while posterity would form its own judgment.

‘My only concern is to remain at peace with my conscience and, above all, with Almighty Allah,’ he said.

El-Rufai has reportedly spent 220 days in detention.

Group Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, CFR, has called for a fundamental shift in Africa’s development model-from dependence on foreign aid to trade, investment, entrepreneurship and private sector-led growth.

Elumelu, who made the call during a fireside chat on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), argued that Africans must increasingly drive Africa’s economic transformation.

The session, titled the ‘Darryl G. Behrman Lecture on Africa Policy’, was moderated by Michael Froman, President of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). It examined Africa’s changing role in the global economy, entrepreneurship, energy security, private sector development and the future of US-Africa relations.

He stated that global institutional investors and international policy partners must move beyond outdated perceptions of Africa as an aid-dependent continent and instead engage with it as a lucrative, high-return destination for commercial investment and private-sector partnerships.

Elumelu also challenged international investors to close the stark gap between perceived risk and operational reality when assessing African markets.

He stressed that treating Africa as a monolithic, high-risk entity overlooks the immense economic dynamism across its 54 distinct nations.

The businessman also maintained that industrialists and global capital seeking growth can find some of the world’s highest investment returns on the continent, provided foreign investors form strategic co-investment partnerships with credible local business leaders who understand the terrain.

Elumelu reaffirmed his core economic philosophy of Africapitalism, arguing that Africa’s long-term economic transformation must be driven primarily by its own private sector.

He noted that while aid programs can provide short-term relief, they cannot build sustainable industries or replace the structural impact of deploying domestic capital.

He called on foreign venture capital firms, pension funds, and development finance institutions to work directly with local financial institutions to fund critical infrastructure and power key trade corridors.

Turning to youth demographic trends, Elumelu described young African entrepreneurs not merely as economic actors, but as a crucial pillar of continental security and global stability.

He argued that addressing youth unemployment is an urgent priority to stem irregular migration and prevent social instability.

Drawing on the work of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which committed $100 million to empower young African entrepreneurs, Elumelu showed how providing $5,000 in non-refundable seed capital alongside business training can catalyse organic job creation across rural and urban communities.

He urged international philanthropies, multilateral agencies, and corporations to help scale these youth-led micro, small, and medium enterprises.

Addressing energy security and climate policy, Elumelu advocated a pragmatic and equitable approach to the global green transition.

He pointed out that with more than 600 million Africans still lacking basic access to electricity, discussions of industrial growth or digital transformation remain difficult without reliable baseline power.

Elumelu asserted that Africa must be allowed to use its abundant natural gas reserves as a critical transition fuel to power local industries and stabilise electricity grids today, while simultaneously developing long-term renewable power infrastructure for tomorrow.

Regarding trade partnerships, particularly between the United States and African economies, Elumelu insisted that future engagement must move beyond traditional concessionary frameworks. He encouraged the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) while emphasising the need to directly address the cost of getting African products produced and delivered to U.S. markets.

He said that as the African Continental Free Trade Area continues to gain momentum, bilateral trade arrangements should prioritise supply-chain integration, domestic manufacturing capacity, and the removal of regulatory bottlenecks that hinder intra-African commerce.

Concluding the session, Elumelu reminded the audience that fostering economic prosperity across Africa is ultimately a shared global interest, stating that poverty anywhere remains a direct threat to economic peace and security everywhere.

Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), has called for increased investment in research, innovation, and cross-sector collaboration to address growing health and environmental challenges across Africa.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bashiru Garba, made the call on Thursday at the opening of the CAMRET-OHI Joint International Conference held at the New Auditorium of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), Sokoto.

The conference, organized by the Centre for Advanced Medical Research and Training (CAMRET) and the One Health Institute (OHI), is themed ‘Harnessing Research, Innovation, and Partnership for One Health Solutions to Emerging Health and Environmental Challenges in Africa.’

Garba said the increasing burden of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental degradation, food and water insecurity, and biodiversity loss required an integrated approach.

He said the challenges were interconnected and could not be effectively addressed by treating human, animal, and environmental health separately.

‘For Africa, therefore, One Health provides an important framework for developing solutions that are scientifically sound, locally relevant, affordable, and sustainable,’ he said.

The vice-chancellor said universities had a responsibility to ensure that research findings moved beyond academic publications to become policies, innovations, and interventions that directly improved people’s lives.

He said, ‘Our responsibility is not only to generate knowledge but also to translate research findings into policies, innovations, and interventions capable of improving lives.’

Garba highlighted CAMRET’s research into vaccine candidates for Lassa fever and COVID-19, the establishment of a COVID-19 screening center during the 2020 pandemic, and the center’s postgraduate programs in cancer biology.

He added that CAMRET had secured competitive research grants worth millions of naira.

At the One Health Institute, the VC said it had introduced a Master of One Health program, describing it as the first dedicated professional master’s program of its kind in Africa.

According to him, the program had completed its first cohort, while the institute had also established the African Journal of One Health.

Garba urged participants to use the conference to strengthen research partnerships and develop practical solutions to Africa’s health and environmental challenges.

He particularly challenged researchers to examine how findings generated in laboratories and universities could be translated into community-level interventions and public policies.

In a keynote presentation, a scholar from Gazipur Agricultural University, Bangladesh, said developing countries could achieve greater impact by combining indigenous knowledge with biotechnology and digital technologies.

The scholar cited Bangladesh’s use of farmer-conserved rice varieties alongside modern breeding techniques to develop crops capable of withstanding flooding and salinity.

Digital disease surveillance initiatives in Malawi and Rwanda were also cited as examples of how technology could strengthen responses to public health threats.

The keynote speaker urged researchers and governments to involve affected communities in designing interventions, stressing that local knowledge could complement scientific innovation.

Also speaking, Prof. Musa Kana, Professor of Perinatal and Paediatric Epidemiology at Kaduna State University, identified inadequate funding and fragmented governance as major barriers to effective One Health implementation in Africa.

Kana also identified professional rivalry among medical doctors, veterinarians, and environmental scientists as a challenge to effective collaboration.

He called for dedicated and sustainable One Health budget lines at both federal and state levels, as well as legislation to clearly define and institutionalize One Health responsibilities.

‘We need dedicated and sustainable One Health budget lines at the federal and state levels, as well as laws that will institutionalize One Health responsibilities,’ Kana said.

He further advocated the development of shared digital platforms for monitoring zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

The Director of OHI, Prof. Bello Arkilla Magaji, and the Director of CAMRET, Dr Ibrahim Malami, said UDUS was expanding its One Health capacity-building initiatives.

They disclosed that the institute, established in June 2024, had graduated its first MSc cohort of 40 students, while a second cohort of 46 students was currently in its second semester.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has challenged the governorship ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), comprising Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and Gbadamosi, to demonstrate the governing experience and political structure required to administer Lagos State.

The APC spokesman in Lagos State, Mogaji Seye Oladejo, on Thursday said, ‘Lagos Is Not an Internship Centre: Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi Face a Reality Check.’

Oladejo said although the emergence of the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket might have generated excitement among opposition politicians, the unveiling of a ticket did not automatically translate into a viable route to Lagos House.

He argued that a political ticket was different from a political structure, while a coalition was not the same as a governing record.

According to him, the opposition ticket should be judged beyond social media visibility and campaign activities, particularly given the complexity of Lagos and the demands of running the state.

Oladejo also questioned the political trajectories of the two candidates, noting that Rhodes-Vivour contested the 2019 Lagos West Senatorial election on the KOWA platform before moving to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), later emerging as the Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate and subsequently joining the ADC.

Gbadamosi, he said, contested the 2019 Lagos governorship election on the Action Democratic Party (ADP) platform, where he polled 4,780 votes, before contesting the 2020 Lagos East Senatorial bye-election on the PDP platform.

He, however, acknowledged that there was nothing wrong with political evolution but argued that movement between political platforms did not amount to building a political institution.

Oladejo asked the opposition to explain what, beyond its latest political arrangement, qualified the two candidates to administer Lagos.

The APC spokesman said Lagos required leaders with the capacity to manage its complex economy, infrastructure, population and administrative machinery.

He asked:

‘Where is the governing experience?

‘Where is the record of managing a state bureaucracy?

‘Where is the experience of supervising a state budget?

‘Where is the evidence of successfully running a complex public institution?

‘Where is the tested record of converting campaign promises into government programmes and measurable outcomes?’

Oladejo said the opposition could not answer those questions with hashtags, rallies and campaign activities.

He also acknowledged Rhodes-Vivour’s performance in the 2023 governorship election, when he polled 312,329 votes to finish second behind the incumbent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who secured 762,134 votes.

According to Oladejo, the 2023 result remained part of the state’s democratic record and should be acknowledged, but finishing second in a governorship election was not the same as having a record of governance.

He said the central question ahead of 2027 was whether the ADC candidates could demonstrate the institutional depth, political organisation and governing capacity required to manage Lagos.

Oladejo also challenged Rhodes-Vivour’s claim that he had spent the period since the 2023 election building grassroots structures.

He said the opposition candidate should demonstrate the strength of those structures across the state.

‘Let us see the wards.

‘Let us see the local-government organisation.

‘Let us see the polling-unit machinery.

‘Let us see the depth beyond social media,’ he said.

He added that a statewide political network must not only be capable of sustaining an election campaign but also provide the foundation for governance after election day.

On the opposition’s policy proposals, Oladejo said Lagosians deserved more than a list of aspirations on issues including housing, transportation, healthcare, education, flooding and economic development.

He said the candidates should explain how much their proposed programmes would cost, when they would be implemented, who would implement them, where the funding would come from and what would happen to ongoing projects.

‘Governance is not a PowerPoint presentation.

‘It is the difficult business of financing, implementing, supervising and delivering,’ he said.

Oladejo said the Lagos APC welcomed the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket and urged the opposition to bring its candidates, political structure, record and manifesto before the electorate.

He said the APC would similarly present its own candidates, record and programmes to Lagos voters.

The APC spokesman cautioned the opposition against assuming that political visibility or the formation of a new alliance automatically translated into electoral strength.

‘The Lagos House is not won by assembling two names on a ticket.

‘It is won through years of organisation, service, political relationships, institutional knowledge and demonstrated capacity to deliver,’ he said.

‘Until the Rhodes-Vivour/Gbadamosi ticket provides convincing answers to that question – with evidence rather than rhetoric – their much-publicised combination remains exactly that: a combination, not yet a pathway to Lagos House,’ he said.