Category: Nigerian Tribune

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned that the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence-driven disinformation poses one of the most serious threats to the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 General Election.

He also called for electoral technology and electoral communication to be treated as a single discipline ahead of the polls.

Prof. Amupitan made the call on Wednesday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria, ACSPN.

The address was delivered on his behalf by National Commissioner, Sani Adam, SAN, at the National Open University Conference Centre.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Media, Technology and Elections in Africa: Navigating Digital Disruption and the New Dynamics of Electoral Communication,’ the INEC Chairman said the Commission’s credibility now rests as much on how information about its processes is understood and trusted as it does on the integrity of the ballot, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result sheets.

He noted that the deployment of BVAS and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) was designed to close a longstanding credibility gap by allowing citizens to view polling unit results before they could be altered en route to collation.

However, he acknowledged that the 2023 general election showed that such technology could become a source of public doubt when it underperformed.

‘Legitimacy is earned only when systems perform reliably, are well understood, and are explained honestly when they fall short,’ he said.

Prof. Amupitan disclosed that INEC is undertaking a comprehensive audit of its electoral technology systems, covering system redundancy, penetration testing and disaster recovery planning.

He added that the Commission is also exploring the conduct of a mock presidential election ahead of 2027 to test accreditation, transmission and results viewing under conditions similar to election day.

He confirmed that INEC has proposed a substantial budget for 2027 with significant allocations for technology and election operations, including new accreditation devices to replace those lost or damaged in the last cycle.

While awaiting full release of the funds, he said the Commission’s ICT team has already engaged manufacturers on procurement.

On synthetic and fabricated content, the INEC Chairman said generative artificial intelligence has made it increasingly cheap and difficult to detect manipulated video, audio and imagery.

He cited documented cases of doctored political content during recent electoral cycles in West and East Africa, including footage that circulated during Nigeria’s 2023 presidential contest.

‘Such content could spread to millions of social media users before verification is possible,’ he warned.

‘The danger lies not only in outright fabrication but also in algorithmic microtargeting, which allows conflicting messages to reach narrow segments of the electorate without a shared factual foundation.’

Outlining INEC’s strategy, Prof. Amupitan proposed a five-point approach: integration of technology and communication planning; a dedicated rapid-response capability for countering falsehoods within the same news cycle; pre-emptive public communication about known vulnerabilities and safeguards; deeper partnership with media scholars, fact-checkers and technology platforms; and sustained investment in public media literacy.

He said Nigeria’s 2027 electorate will be younger and more mobile-first than any before it, with the smartphone serving as the primary window through which many voters will experience the election.

‘Solutions adopted elsewhere must be adapted to Nigeria’s own realities of internet access, language diversity and institutional trust. INEC’s response to disinformation would be to provide better and faster information rather than to restrict legitimate journalism or civic dissent,’ he said.

The Chairman commended INEC’s ongoing collaboration with international partners on cybersecurity and system resilience, and invited ACSPN to partner with the Commission on media literacy research, synthetic content detection, and training for journalists and civic educators.

He expressed optimism that the conference would produce a lasting channel of collaboration and reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to strengthening both its technology and transparency as Nigeria approaches 2027.

The Federal Government has been urged to strengthen community ownership and build sustainable systems to support effective Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) interventions across Nigeria.

The call was made in Abuja at a post-SBCC Summit engagement organized by the Centre for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI), where experts called for SBCC to move beyond fragmented, short-term projects towards coordinated, community-led, and sustainable interventions.

The engagement, themed ‘Collectively Inspiring SBCC in Nigeria,’ followed the recently concluded global SBCC Summit in Panama. It provided an opportunity for practitioners to examine lessons from the summit and consider their application to Nigeria’s health, social, and development needs.

Executive Director of CCSI, Babafunke Fagbemi, said stronger coordination among SBCC practitioners was needed to reduce fragmentation and improve the impact of interventions.

She urged stakeholders to move away from working as isolated organizations and recognize their roles within an interconnected system.

‘If you don’t want a fragmented system, you have to start from a plan, a plan that sees everybody as members playing part of a system,’ Fagbemi said.

Fagbemi also called for global SBCC lessons to be adapted to Nigeria’s local context, saying the country had the expertise and experience needed to develop solutions to its challenges.

‘We want to make sure that we are bringing this back home and we’re not just treating SBCC as a platform. It’s integral to who we are as Nigerians,’ she said.

She identified mindset change as an important part of behavioural transformation and urged Nigerians to take greater responsibility for addressing social challenges.

‘I think first it begins with how we think. So you want to change the way people think. You want to change their mindset,’ she said.

On misinformation and disinformation, Fagbemi advocated community-led approaches built around trusted local structures.

‘Don’t forget that local solutions solve local problems best. We can’t import solutions from outside the country to come and help us find our problems,’ Fagbemi said.

Also speaking, Temidayo Ibitoye of Dinovate said storytelling should be viewed as an intervention that can contribute directly to behavioural change rather than simply a means of packaging messages.

‘Story is not simply told. Story can be the intervention,’ Ibitoye said.

He identified trust as a key factor in behaviour change, noting that people were more likely to respond when communication reflected their realities and experiences.

‘Trust is a currency of behaviour change,’ he said.

Ibitoye urged stakeholders to shift SBCC from short-term projects to sustainable systems by sharing knowledge, tools and lessons.

‘SBCC in Nigeria needs to move from project to system,’ he said, adding, ‘We are not each other’s competition. We are each other’s foundation.’

Wame Jallow of Shuga Global said collaboration was one of the major lessons from the Panama summit, urging practitioners to work together to strengthen the sector.

She said Shuga Global’s storytelling interventions with young people were designed to build agency and support informed decision-making.

‘We started in 2013 in Nigeria and we’ve had five series ever since then and a lot of our intentional work was around building agency for young people to make informed choice,’ Jallow said.

Emmanuel Nwala, Associate Director, Research at the Policy Innovation Center (PIC), called for a systems approach to SBCC, particularly amid changes in the global funding landscape.

‘People are already moving SBCC to systems. So they are applying systems approach other than delivering SBCC as a component, or to go to deliver SBCC to communities,’ Nwala said.

He urged practitioners to make greater use of existing evidence in policy and programme decisions instead of focusing predominantly on generating new research.

‘We need now to move away from producing evidence all the time, to using the available evidence to make informed decisions,’ he said.

Nwala also called for SBCC interventions to be assessed by behavioural outcomes rather than mainly by audience reach.

‘There’s a bridge between how they are reached and how the behaviour itself is being changed and is being measured,’ he said.

On technology, he said artificial intelligence and digital SBCC could support more effective interventions but should remain human-centred.

‘AI and digital SBCC can never replace human-centred design approaches,’ Nwala said, while stressing the need for data protection and culturally appropriate digital solutions.

Roselyn Odeh of the Society for Family Health (SFH) said understanding community beliefs and perceptions should come before the design of SBCC campaigns.

‘We have to find the beliefs before we build a campaign. Quantitative data helps us to test, but it does not give us insights. Real insights can only come when we actually speak to people,’ Odeh said.

She urged practitioners to consider household and community-level influences when designing interventions.

‘If the decision runs through a household, an intervention that is aimed at the girl alone is not adequate,’ she said.

Odeh also advocated Human-Centred Design and stronger community ownership, saying communities should be involved as active participants and co-owners of interventions.

‘We must engage communities as active participants and co-owners, because they do hold valuable knowledge,’ she said.

Halima Buba of SCIDaR similarly urged practitioners to involve communities as partners rather than treating them only as beneficiaries.

‘We need to actually see the beneficiaries as people to collaborate with for whatever intervention that we’re actually committing,’ Buba said.

She cautioned against relying solely on assumptions based on past experience, noting that community realities change over time.

‘To really change behavior, you need to understand where I’m coming from, what matters to me, what are my concerns, what are my issues, from my perspective, from my lens,’ she said.

Buba also called for unconventional voices, including young people, market women and transport workers, to be included in SBCC interventions.

Samson Odukogbe of ARFH said Nigeria’s diversity meant that a single SBCC message could not resonate across all communities.

‘The challenge for Nigeria’s diversity would be the fact that you cannot use one message to resonate across all,’ Odukogbe said.

He urged stakeholders to use existing structures, including religious and community leaders, health professionals, youth groups, social media personalities and content creators, to support behaviour change.

‘We need to leverage on this existing structure just so we can make that impact on the change we want to see in our communities,’ he said.

Foyeke Oyedokun-Adebago of the Population Council called for SBCC to be institutionalised as a core government function rather than remain dependent on individual programmes and donor funding.

‘We need to move beyond programs and start thinking in systems,’ she said.

She identified stronger government structures, sustainable financing, professional capacity, and the integration of behavioural and community-level evidence into government planning as key requirements for institutionalising SBCC.

Oyedokun-Adebago said government units responsible for health education and health promotion needed adequate authority, staffing and technical resources to perform their mandates effectively.

She also called for predictable SBCC financing, saying funding should continue beyond individual projects and donor cycles.

According to her, the success of institutionalisation should be measured by whether the people, knowledge and financial systems established through interventions remain functional after projects end.

‘Whether we truly institutionalize is whether the people, the learning systems, the financial systems are remaining and sustaining that change that the project has brought,’ she said.

The experts agreed that Nigeria already had the human resources, community networks, evidence and creative capacity needed to strengthen SBCC.

They urged the Federal Government to work more closely with communities, civil society organizations, development partners, researchers, media practitioners, educational institutions, and content creators to establish a coordinated and sustainable SBCC ecosystem.

They also stressed the need for Nigeria’s SBCC strategy to combine global knowledge with local realities, build trust, use technology responsibly, and integrate successful interventions into lasting government and community systems rather than allowing them to end with individual projects or funding cycles.

THE governorship election in Osun State which was held on August 15, 2026 was an election of many colours. There were party men who were out to defend their party. But beside the political structures lie the volunteers who contributed within and outside formal structures.

One of such is the effort led by Dr. Akindele Asekunle, which, many will now agree has set the stage for what has been described as the silent story of a critical player From llutitun, Okitipupa local government in Ondo State to the political landscape of Osun State, the story of Dr. Akindele Adekunle is one of political organization, public service, and strategic leadership.

Sometimes, the people who make history are not always the ones standing at the centre of the celebration. Some are the people who quietly build the foundation, organize the structure, mobilize the people, and create the conditions upon which victory becomes possible.

Dr. Akindele Adekunle, originally from llutitun, Okitipupa local government in Ondo State, is one name that has become associated with the political journey and development of a political administration of ‘IMOLE’ in Osun State.

About four years ago, he was appointed as the Caretaker Chairman, at a critical period in the political process that eventually produced the victory of Ademola Adeleke the Osun State Governor.

His role during that period, as the Caretaker Chairman was so significant as he was at the center of political organization and mobilisation that accompanied the electoral victory.

The result was significant, the political structure recorded victories across several legislative constituencies, including nine seats in the House of Representatives, three Senate seats, and seats in the State House of Assembly.

Those victories did not happen in isolation.

Elections are won through people, structures, strategy, organization, communication and sustained grassroots engagement. Behind every major electoral victory are individuals whose contributions may not always receive the attention they deserve.

And that is where the story of Dr. Akindele Adekunle becomes particularly noteworthy.

On August 15, 2026, Osun State again witnessed another important electoral contest, with the incumbent Governor seeking another mandate.

According to the account provided, Dr. Adekunle once again played a significant role in the political process that contributed to the Governor’s victory.

Whether one looks at his earlier involvement or his participation in the latest electoral contest, one theme runs through the story: building and sustaining political structures.

The larger lesson is that political success is rarely created overnight. It is often the product of years of organization, relationships, experience and institutional understanding.

Perhaps the most interesting dimension of Dr. Adekunle’s story is his origin.

He is not originally from Osun State.

He is a son of Ondo State, from llutitun, Okitipupa Local Government. Yet, his political and public-service journey has taken him beyond the boundaries of his immediate community and into the political affairs of another state.

His experience in Osun therefore presents an interesting case study in how leadership experience, political organization and public-service exposure can travel beyond geographical boundaries.

For Ondo State, the story is worth examining-not as a promise of what one individual must do, but as an example of what experience gained elsewhere can potentially bring into conversations about the future of the state.

The story of Dr. Akindele Adekunle is ultimately bigger than one election.

It is a story about experience, political organization, public service and the importance of building foundations before expecting results.

The victories celebrated today are often connected to structures built yesterday.

And sometimes, when history records the people who stood at the front of a victory, it is equally important to remember the people who helped build the foundation upon which that victory stood.

Dr. Akindele Adekunle’s journey-from Ilutitun, Okitipupa local government in Ondo State to a significant role in Osun’s political story-is one that deserves attention, documentation and objective assessment.

The question for the future is not simply where an individual has served before, but what lessons, experience and capacity can be drawn from that journey and brought into the service of the people.

The foundation matters. The experience matters. And the record deserves to be examined

For Ondo State, this is where the story becomes even more important. Leadership is not only about occupying an office; it is about having the experience, capacity, discipline and understanding required to turn opportunities into results. A state like Ondo needs leaders who understand that development is built through people, institutions, planning, accountability and sustained engagement with communities.

Dr. Akindele Adekunle’s experience outside Ondo State should therefore be viewed as an asset worthy of public attention. His political journey in Osun has exposed him to political administration, grassroots mobilization, electoral organization, stakeholder management and the challenges of sustaining political structures. These experiences can provide useful lessons for the future of Ondo State.

Ondo State deserves leaders who can look beyond personal ambition and understand the wider responsibility of leadership. The people need leadership that can connect government with the grassroots, listen to communities, build trust, coordinate people and pursue results with consistency. They need individuals who understand that political structures are not merely instruments for winning elections, but platforms through which citizens can be represented.

This is why people with proven political and organizational experience should matter in the conversation about Ondo State’s future.

Dr. Akindele’s story provides an opportunity for Ondo people to ask important questions:

What has he learned? What capacity has he developed? What leadership lessons can he bring home? How can his experience be translated into better opportunities, stronger institutions and more responsive governance?

Dr. Akindele Adekunle should therefore not be judged merely by where he comes from or the positions he has occupied. His record, experience, relationships, organizational capacity and understanding of public service should be examined on their own merit.

If the experience gained in Osun can be brought back and deployed positively in Ondo State, then Ondo people have reason to pay attention to one of their own.

The time has come for Ondo State to look beyond names and examine competence, experience, character and ability. In that conversation, the story of Dr. Akindele Adekunle deserves a place.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has inaugurated a National Reconciliation and Peace Committee to heal divisions, rebuild trust and unify members ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Committee was inaugurated on Wednesday in Abuja by the National Chairman of the Party, Senator David Mark, who said the move was necessary to address grievances arising from the recently concluded primaries.

‘Today marks an important step in strengthening our Party, healing wounds, rebuilding trust and ensuring that every member of the ADC feels valued and carried along,’ he said.

Mark acknowledged that while the primaries produced winners, they also left behind disappointments.

‘Our recently concluded primaries produced winners, but they also produced disappointments and grievances. These are realities we must acknowledge and address. An election may determine who carries the flag, but it must never determine who belongs to the Party,’ he said.

He urged victorious candidates to avoid exclusion, and called on those who lost to remain committed to the party.

‘Those who did not emerge victorious remain valuable members of the ADC. Their experience, networks, structures and commitment remain important assets. Equally, those who emerged victorious must recognise that victory comes with responsibility. It is not a license to exclude, humiliate or marginalise others.’

‘Our real challenge is not the ADC member who contested against you. Our real challenge is to build a united political platform capable of winning the confidence of Nigerians in 2027.’

Committee’s mandate

The National Chairman said the Committee was established in line with Article 9.1 of the ADC Constitution and Article 6.3 on the party’s ‘Handshake Philosophy’ of building bridges across differences.

The terms of reference include engaging aspirants, candidates and stakeholders in dialogue, discouraging inflammatory statements and litigation, and recommending measures for integrating unsuccessful aspirants into party structures.

‘The Committee shall: Engage aspirants, candidates, party leaders and stakeholders in constructive dialogue to identify grievances, address legitimate concerns and rebuild trust,’ Mark stated.

‘Promote responsible communication and discourage inflammatory statements, unnecessary litigation and actions capable of deepening divisions… Recommend practical m

easures for the integration of unsuccessful aspirants and their supporters into the Party’s structures. No

structure, relationship, experience or commitment developed during the primaries should be wasted.’

He also directed the Committee to establish Zonal Sub-Committees for continuous engagement and monitoring.

‘No internal sabotage, no politics of revenge’

Mark appealed to leaders, state chairmen, zonal coordinators and candidates to support the process and act as ‘ambassadors of reconciliation.’

‘There must be no internal sabotage. No politics of revenge. No permanent winners and no permanent losers. We are one political family,’ he said.

‘The 2027 General Elections will require a disciplined, coordinated and united ADC. We cannot afford to approach that election as a divided house.’

He urged aggrieved members to give reconciliation a chance, successful candidates to extend fellowship, and leaders to lead by example.

‘The ADC must demonstrate internally the kind of Nigeria we seek to build externally: a Nigeria where differences are managed with maturity, diversity is respected and disputes are resolved peacefully,’ Mark added.

‘Members of the Committee, I charge you to build bridges, heal wounds, restore confidence and bring our members together.’

In his acceptance speech, the newly inaugurated Chairman of the ADC National Reconciliation and Peace Committee, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, urged aggrieved members to make sacrifices for the unity of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ogbeha said the committee accepts the ‘enormous responsibility’ placed on it and will work to heal wounds caused by the party’s recent primaries.

‘It is with great honour and privilege that, on behalf of members of the committee, that we accept to serve as members of the reconciliation and peace committee of the African Democratic Congress,’ Ogbeha said.

‘We are aware of the enormous responsibility that has been placed on us, and we will do all that is humanly possible to achieve the objectives.’

The former senator said the committee’s mandate goes beyond resolving disputes to rebuilding trust within the party.

‘According to the chairman’s speech, we must listen to their grief, try to reconcile, try to heal the wounds and build trust amongst our members,’ he stated.

‘There is no doubt that injury have been caused in one way or the other through primaries and other working structures in our respective states, but it’s not impossible that these issues can be arrested and will work in the interest of the party.’

Ogbeha appealed to aggrieved members to prioritize the party and the country above personal ambition.

‘What we will require of our members is sacrifice… We will appeal to their grief, that they should consider the sacrifice of the party which is most supreme,’ he said.

‘Both on the members, the aggrieved and the non-aggrieved, we have a responsibility to put our party first, or let me say that we put Nigeria first, then the party and ourselves last.’

The Committee Chairman also called for tolerance, noting that political opportunities will come again.

‘We beg that our aggrieved members should please try to sacrifice to be tolerant, and note that this election is not going to be the last. It’s not going to be the first. If we don’t succeed in what we are looking for this time around, four years is not too long. There will be another opportunity to present yourself,’ Ogbeha said.

He added that the committee will be guided by honesty, transparency and justice in its work.

‘On behalf of members of this committee, I want to say that we uphold the tenets of the oath we have taken. We are going to be honest. We are going to be transparent and as much as possible, do the best we can to reconcile our party, and we ensure that this party is supreme to other individual interest,’ he said.

‘As the chairman has said, our responsibility is not just healing wounds, our responsibility is to ensure that we achieve our objective of changing the narrative in Nigeria by winning the next election.’

Ogbeha assured the party leadership that the committee will ‘do all that it takes to ensure that reconciliation and peace are achieved… with due diligence, with the fear of God, and the interest of the country and party.’

He thanked the National Chairman, and the National Working Committee (NWC) for the confidence reposed in the committee.

Also in the committee are Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor – (South-South, Deputy Chairman); Dr Ahmad Ajuji (North-East, Member); Barr Musa Elayo (North Central, Member); Senator Andrew Uchendu (South-South, Member); Dr Bon Unachukwu (South-Easth, Member); Mr. Kunle Ige (South-West, Member); Hon. Hajia Rabi Sule (North-East, Member); Hon. Abubakar Kanike; A. Peter Oyewale Esq. (Secretary); Isaac Dare Oketade (Deputy Secretary); and six Zonal Legal Advisers who will liaise in their respective zones.

NOTWITHSTANDING the upload of the particulars of the different political parties on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), internal squabbles have continued to fester in the state chapters of political parties.

Investigations by our correspondents confirmed that crises have continued to rock state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Social Democratic Party (SP), as rival claimants to the governorship seats have emerged in some states.

Aside from the crisis rocking the APC chapters in Oyo, Kwara and Ondo States over the determination of gubernatorial and National Assembly candidates, the SDP, ADC and NDC have also been experiencing crises in different state chapters.

On Sunday, the National Chairman of the NDC, Moses Zuwoghe, accused the INEC of instigating crises in some of its state chapters by replacing candidate names with ‘unknown persons.’

Though the electoral commission has since denied the allegation, further crisis on Tuesday erupted in Oyo State chapters of the SDP and the ADC.

A protest was undertaken by some members of the ADC who denied Chief Adegboyega Adegoke as the governorship candidate of the party. INEC has since uploaded Adegboyega as the authentic ADC candidate.

Also in the Oyo State chapter of the Social Democratic Party (SP), a battle for the governorship seat erupted after the name of the governorship candidate was uploaded by the electoral commission.

According to INEC, Chief Michael Okunlade was the authentic governorship candidate whose name had been uploaded on the portal, while another candidate, Saheed Oladele, had laid claim to the ticket.

Oyo ADC members storm INEC office, reject Adegoke as guber candidate

Some members of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Oyo State under the auspices of ADC-Nigeria Must Survive, ADC-NMS, on Tuesday stormed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Agodi, Ibadan, to protest the upload of the name of Chief Adegboyega Adegoke as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

The protesters during the protest said Adegoke was not accepted by members of the party.

Recall that the name of Adegoke was uploaded on the INEC portal amid an ongoing court case instituted by Dr. Gbemileke Alagbe, popularly known as Eleniyan.

The protesters, drawn from across the 33 local government areas of the state, marched with placards bearing inscriptions such as ‘Say No To Imposition In ADC Oyo, INEC, Obey 2026 Electoral Act’, ‘Our Mandate Is Not For Sale’ and ‘We Stand With Eleniyan and Aborisade.’

The party members during the protest submitted a petition to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Oyo State.

In the petition, the protesters demanded the immediate withdrawal of Adegoke’s name from the INEC portal pending the court’s decision in three weeks.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Oyo State Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bimpe Adelowo, said the party was protesting against what she described as ‘shenanigans in the handling of Form EC9 of the candidate.’

The ADC member said that on May 23, 2026, the party conducted primary elections across the state. According to him, the National Organising Secretary, who is constitutionally empowered to conduct the primaries, performed the duty and duly notified INEC. A copy was also sent to the REC in Oyo State.

Adelowo alleged that the list later displayed by INEC was submitted through a hard-copy letter by national officials of the party, which she said was contrary to the Electoral Act.

He noted that the protest was meant to alert the commission and the public that the uploaded name did not reflect the choice of party members.

‘Since we are the legitimate structure recognised by INEC, we interfaced with them. INEC mobilised its officials to monitor both the National Assembly and governorship primaries and turned in their reports.

‘In the course of this, Dr. Gbemileke Alagbe emerged as the winner of that primary election. Other candidates also emerged, including Festus Adewale Adegoke for Oyo Central Senatorial District, Lukman Adetunji for Oyo South and Ahmed Solomon for Oyo North. All their names were filed with INEC, and the EOs of various local governments also filed their reports.

‘We don’t have factions. We are the legitimate structure recognised by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. It is just for everybody to comply with what the court says.

‘What INEC has on its portal is not the name of the authentic candidate of the party. It is a name forced on us. The members have rejected him. You cannot give us a candidate we did not choose,’ Adelowo said.

Receiving the petition, the Head of Department, Legal Services, Oyo INEC, Adeniyi Lawal, assured the protesters that their grievances would be communicated to the INEC headquarters in Abuja for necessary action.

Lawal added that primary elections are party affairs that must be resolved internally.

He, however, urged the aggrieved members to be patient and await the court judgment in three weeks, when the court will have the final say on who will be the candidate of the party.

Oyo SDP disowns ‘guber candidate’

The controversy over the governorship ticket of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State deepened on Tuesday as the state chairman of the party disowned a member of the party, Saheed Oladele, declaring that he is not the governorship candidate of the party for the 2027 election.

The state chairman, Hon. Michael Okunlade, who issued the disclaimer, said that Oladele was not recognised as the party’s candidate.

Okunlade, in a brief telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, described Oladele’s continued claim to the ticket as unacceptable, warning that the party could take legal action against him if he persisted.

He said: ‘Saheed Oladele is not the candidate of the SDP. If he continues to parade himself as the governorship candidate of the party, we will have no choice but to make him face the law.’

The chairman urged members of the public and political observers seeking clarification on the matter to verify the candidate recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

‘Let the public go to the INEC portal and verify who the candidate of the SDP is. That is the best way to establish the truth,’ Okunlade said.

Candidates’ lists: LP blames intra-party disputes on illegal substitution of names of winners

The Labour Party (LP) has, however, blamed some political parties for the internal disputes arising from the publication of the names of governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 polls by INEC.

The party said on Tuesday that the crisis was caused by ‘illegal substitution of names.’

The National Publicity Secretary, Mr Ken Asogwa, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune in an interview, said that the development seemed to stem from the illegal acts of party leaders who allegedly subverted the interest of the original winners.

He, however, said that the LP was free of such squabbles, as, according to him, the party did not engage in such practices.

He said: ‘The Labour Party has no internal dispute regarding the publication by the INEC of the lists of gubernatorial and State House of Assembly candidates.

‘Political parties that are currently embroiled in such disputes are those that engaged in the illegal substitution of candidates who emerged victorious from their respective party primaries.’

He added: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, the Labour Party has only a few issues concerning the non-publication of the names of candidates who were duly uploaded on the INEC portal.

‘The party is currently engaging the Commission with a view to resolving these issues.

‘We remain hopeful that the electoral body will give due consideration to our appeal and do justice to the affected candidates.’

SDP expresses satisfaction with INEC over list of governorship, state assembly candidates

The national secretariat of the SDP, however, said that it was satisfied with the upload of candidates for the governorship and House of Assembly on the INEC portal.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Rufus Ayenigba, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, declared that the Party was satisfied with the list across the States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja.

According to him, our great Party, ‘the SDP has no issues with the list of our 2027 Governorship and State Assembly candidates as released by INEC.

He said: ‘The names of all our nominated candidates in the states were correctly listed as submitted by the Party.

‘There are no rumblings or crises in the state chapters of the SDP as a result of the list of candidates released by INEC’

NDC accuses INEC of complicity

The National Chairman of the NDC, Moses Zuwoghe, has, however, accused INEC of complicity in the substitution of names of its candidates.

He said: ‘The NDC, totally condemns the action of the INEC and its officials over the uploading and publication of unauthorised names in various constituencies, principally in the Anambra State House of Assembly, home state of our presidential candidate, Peter Obi, where 10 names unknown to the party; names not authorised by the party; names not sent by the party to INEC, in accordance with the law, have now been uploaded and published as candidates of the party.’

INEC to NDC: Your candidates’ substitution allegations are untrue

In a quick response to the NDC on Tuesday, the electoral commission, INEC, dismissed allegations by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), insisting that it never smuggled’ nor substituted the party’s validly nominated candidates for State House of Assembly seats in Anambra and Benue States.

In a statement signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), the Commission described the claims as ‘un-founded.’

‘The Commission has noted a statement by the leadership of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) removed the party’s validly nominated candidates for certain State House of Assembly constituencies in Anambra and Benue States and replaced them with unauthorised names. The Commission states that these allegations are unfounded,’ the statement said.

INEC said it has no legal power to select, insert or substitute candidates for any political party.

‘Candidate nomination is, by law, the exclusive responsibility of political parties. INEC has no legal authority to select, insert, or substitute a candidate for any party. Monitoring a party’s primary is a statutory oversight function only and confers no power on INEC to choose or impose a candidate,’ Haruna stated.

The Commission explained the process used for candidate nomination ahead of the 2027 elections.

‘Ahead of the 2027 election, all 22 registered parties designated two technically trained officers to handle their nomination process, following training organised by the Commission. Thereafter, the portal access codes were issued directly and in person to each party’s National Chairman, and not by proxy,’ it said

‘Lists of candidates were generated for each party as submitted by the party, jointly signed by the National Chairmen and National Secretaries of the party, submitting Form EC9 series (A-G). Therefore, any claim that the Commission independently uploaded or altered candidate information is unfounded and untrue.’

According to INEC, it has the NDCs duly signed nomination forms.

‘As a matter of fact, the Commission has in its possession Form EC9E where these candidates were listed and submitted to the Commission duly signed by the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party,’ the statement added.

INEC reiterated its commitment to transparency and fairness ahead of the 2027 general election.

The crisis in the Allied People’s Movement (APM) has deepened as the zonal vice-chairman of the party, Musibau Olayiwola, instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, challenging the national convention of the party held in Bauchi.

Apart from this, 33 candidates who emerged from the primary election conducted for the local government elections scheduled to take place in Oyo State in December have also approached the same court over an alleged attempt to conduct a fresh primary in the state.

In the suit, Hon. Bisi Akande and 32 others are seeking a court order to stop the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from monitoring any other primary by the APM for the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State, having been duly elected as candidates in a primary election conducted by their party.

However, the suit filed by the zonal vice-chairman of the party is seeking the nullification of the APM’s national convention recently held in Bauchi and calling for a fresh convention that will give him the opportunity to participate.

The two suits, which came before Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court 1, Ibadan, on Wednesday, were adjourned for hearing on Monday, September 21, 2026.

Olayiwola, in the originating summons marked FHC/IB/CS/101/26, sued the APM, Yusuff Mamman Dantalle, the national chairman; Oyadeyi Ayodele Adebayo, the national secretary; the chairman of the planning committee for the national convention; and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Represented by Monday Mawah and Joseph Simon, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether ‘upon a proper and dispassionate construction of the provision of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Article 8 and 11 of the Allied People’s Movement party Constitution, and every other relevant laws, the plaintiff who was elected as the zonal chairman from the zonal congress held on the 23 May, 2026, is not entitled to be given nomination forms in order for him to be ratified at the General/National Convention of the party slated for 12 and 13 August, 2026 in Bauchi state.

‘Whether the refusal or failure to give the plaintiff nomination forms in order for him to be ratified at the convention, does not violate his right to hold office within the party’.

Olayiwola’s grounds of application included the fact that he and other persons ’emerged from the duly conducted zonal congress of the party in accordance with the party’s constitution; that the said congresses were conducted in strict compliance with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the APM Constitution, and guidelines of the party.

‘That the lists of everyone that emerged from the said congresses including the name of the plaintiff were submitted to the national body of the party and the INEC as 5th defendant; that everyone that emerged was given nomination forms in order for their position to be ratified at the General/National Convention; and that despite all efforts to obtain his nomination form, the party has denied me the right to obtain the form; that without the form, his position as Zonal Chairman will not be ratified, and it will clearly violate his right under the party and under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian 1999 (As Amended)’, claimed the plaintiff.

In the suit filed by the applicants in respect of the local government election, dated August 10, 2026, the 33 applicants informed the court that a primary election was held on August 3, 2026, where candidates for the local government election emerged.

‘After the first primary of 3rd August, 2026, in which the emerged, the stakeholders felt uncomfortable and approached the OYSIEC to hold another primary against the party guidelines which says that two candidates cannot be sponsored for the same position when one had already emerged as the candidate and OYSIEC actually monitored it.

‘Thus, the APM 33 local government candidates are asking the court to stop OYSIEC from monitoring fresh primary as their names have emerged from the first primary and submitted to the OYSIEC by appropriate quarter’.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Zamfara State has mourned the death of the Emir of Zurmi, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Suleiman, in the state.

The Emir, who was the district head of Mayasa and Bunun Kanwa respectively from the 1950s, rose to become the Emir of Zurmi before his death, which occurred on Monday, August 31, 2026, in the state.

In a statement issued on Tuesday night, APC Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Mohammad Birnin Magaji said the state lost an astute traditional ruler who served with dignity and decorum.

The statement reads in parts: ‘The All Progressives Congress (APC) Zamfara State said the death of the Emir of Zurmi, Sarkin Zamfaran Zurmi Alhaji Muhammad Bello Sulaiman, has robbed the State of an honest, patient, sincere, trustworthy and astute traditional ruler who served with dignity and decorum.

‘Chairman of the Party, Honourable Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji, made the disclosure while reacting to the death of the Emir which occurred on Monday, August 31, 2026.

According to him, the late monarch, who was the village head of Mayasa(Sardaunan Mayasa) and Kanwa (Bunun Kanwa) in Zurmi Emirate respectively, from 1950s to 2022 when he became the Emir had led his people by example.

‘Honourable Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji stated that during his reign, the late Emir was able to unite his people, adding that it was that unity of purpose which brought about meaningful development in the Emirate.

‘The Chairman maintained that during his brief stint as Emir, the politics of bitterness and rancour gave way to a more brotherly relationship amongst politicians in Zurmi Emirate despite their party differences.

‘On behalf of the Party’s State Executive Council and entire APC family in the State, Honorable Kabiru Moyi Birnin Magaji extended his heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased , Zurmi Emirate Council, State Council of Chiefs, Government and People of Zamfara State over this monumental loss.

The statement concluded that APC prayed to Allah SWT to grant the gentle soul of the Emir final abode in His Jannatil Firdausi and all the concerned the fortitude to bear his demise.

Living in a busy Nigerian neighbourhood often means dealing with loud generator noise, traffic, street hawkers, or loud neighbours. When you live in a rented apartment, carrying out permanent structural changes or buying costly acoustic panels is rarely an option.

In this article, Tribune Online examines five practical ways you can block unwanted sound and restore quiet to your living space using everyday household items.

Cover bare floors with thick rugs and blankets

Hard tile or terrazzo floors cause sound waves to bounce around the room, making outside noise louder through echo. A soft and porous surface traps sound vibrations rather than reflecting them.

Laying a thick rug, a wool carpet, or folded heavy blankets over bare floor spaces instantly softens incoming footstep vibrations and reduces room reverberation.

Seal the gaps wnder your doors with rolled towels

Sound behaves like water and slips through any small crack or air gap it finds. The empty space beneath your room door is often the primary entryway for hallway discussions and living room noise.

You can solve this by rolling up a thick bath towel or an old bedsheet tightly and placing it directly against the bottom edge of the closed door to stop air and sound leakage.

Hang heavy fabrics and double curtains on windows

Thin window glass offers little resistance against street traffic, blaring music, or humming generator sets. You can create an effective sound barrier by hanging heavy fabric materials such as velvet curtains, thick Ankara drapes, or doubled bedsheets over your curtain rods.

Make sure the fabric extends well past the window frame to trap sound waves before they enter the room.

Reposition heavy wooden furniture against shared walls

Adding physical mass to thin walls makes it difficult for noise vibrations to pass through from the next compound or adjoining flat.

Move solid wooden wardrobes, large bookshelves, or display units flush against the specific wall where the disturbance originates.

A bookshelf packed tightly with textbooks, files, or magazines acts as a dense physical shield that absorbs mid-to-high frequency noises.

Dampen echoes with soft wall hangings and cushions

Empty walls amplify noise by reflecting sound back and forth across the room.

You can break up these reflections by decorating empty wall spaces with fabric tapestries, large framed canvas paintings, or hanging rugs.

Placing extra throw pillows and plush cushions on your sofa and bed further breaks up sound paths, leaving your room noticeably quieter.

THE political battle ahead of the 2027 presidential election intensified on Tuesday as former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar accused President Bola Tinubu of responding to the opposition’s growing criticism of his administration’s economic policies.

In a statement titled, ‘Tinubu, the Issue Is Not Atiku – It Is Why Nigerians Can No Longer Afford to Live’, Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, said the said the former vice-president would continue to challenge the Federal Government on policies affecting the welfare of Nigerians.

According to him, the emerging political debate is no longer merely about economic statistics but about whether Nigerians can afford food, transportation, education, healthcare and other necessities.

‘Bola, Nigerians know exactly whose policy you were attacking,’ Shaibu said, accusing the President of responding to Atiku’s economic proposals without mentioning his name.

He argued that the opposition leader had positioned himself on the side of Nigerians affected by rising fuel prices, transport fares and food costs, adding that the cost-of-living crisis was becoming a major issue in the build-up to 2027.

Shaibu questioned the timing of the Federal Government’s promise to introduce cheaper transportation and other relief measures, arguing that Nigerians had endured economic hardship for more than three years under the Tinubu administration.

He said it was politically inconsistent for the government to criticise Atiku’s proposal to reduce energy costs while promising interventions aimed at reducing the burden on Nigerians.

‘You cannot condemn cheaper living when Atiku proposes it and rename the same objective Renewed Hope when you promise it,’ he said.

The Atiku aide also attacked the petrol pricing regime under the current administration, comparing Nigeria with other oil-producing countries and arguing that Nigerians were paying heavily for fuel despite the country’s status as a major oil producer.

He said the high cost of petrol had affected virtually every sector of the economy, including transportation, agriculture, food distribution and manufacturing.

Shaibu said Atiku’s proposed Atiku Economic Recovery Plan (AERP) would focus on reducing costs at source by providing targeted support for Nigerian crude supplied to domestic refineries under a transparent and independently audited framework.

He said the proposal was designed to lower fuel costs, reduce transportation expenses and ultimately increase the purchasing power of Nigerian workers and families.

Shaibu also took a swipe at the Federal Government’s education policies, particularly its reliance on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), arguing that student loans could not replace policies aimed at making education affordable.

He said Atiku’s approach would focus on reducing the cost of education and reviewing the existing student loan framework.

The presidential candidate’s aide further challenged the Federal Government to account for funds it said had been mobilised following the removal of petrol subsidy.

IN the popular knowledge and imagination, a museum is often seen as a quiet building filled with old objects, sculptures, paintings, photographs, archaeological materials, traditional costumes, historical documents and other artefacts preserved from the past. For many, museums are places to visit, observe history and perhaps learn a few things about where a society has come from. But museums are far more than houses for old objects.

Yet, beneath this familiar image lies a much greater possibility. A museum is not merely a shelter for objects that have survived the passage of time. It can be a place where a nation remembers, reflects, confronts its wounds and begins the difficult process of healing.

For nations that have experienced war, political violence, colonialism, ethnic conflict, displacement, religious tensions or deep social divisions, the question of how to remember the past is particularly important. What a society chooses to preserve, what it chooses to display and, perhaps most importantly, what it chooses to discuss can influence how generations understand one another. Museums therefore have a responsibility that extends far beyond the preservation of artefacts. They can become spaces for reconciliation and national renewal.

Every nation has a story, but not every citizen experiences that story in the same way. History is often written from the perspective of those who possessed power, while the experiences of ordinary people, minorities, women, displaced communities and victims of violence may receive little attention. A museum that simply presents a single, unquestioned version of history risks reinforcing old divisions.

This is particularly important in countries where historical grievances continue to influence contemporary relationships. A young person may never have witnessed a conflict but may still carry an understanding of another community shaped by stories passed down through generations. Museums can provide a safe environment in which these memories are brought into conversation rather than allowed to remain sources of suspicion and resentment.

The power of museums lies partly in their ability to make history tangible. A textbook can describe a war, a political crisis or a period of oppression, but seeing an object connected to that experience can produce a different emotional response.

The history of colonial exploitation, slavery, civil wars, political repression, communal violence and other injustices cannot be erased simply because they are painful to discuss. Suppressing difficult memories does not necessarily heal wounds; in many cases, it allows them to remain unresolved.

An honest museum does not have to become a place of accusation. Instead, it can become a place of responsible remembrance. By presenting evidence, personal testimonies and multiple perspectives, museums can encourage citizens to ask difficult questions.

Therefore, museums must move beyond being places where nations simply preserve artefacts and begin to function more deliberately as spaces of memory, dialogue, truth and reconciliation. Their greatest contribution to society may not be the objects they protect, but the understanding they help create around those objects.

Ajekigbe is Assistant Chief Curator, National Museum, Oyo.

ltural property is therefore not simply about where an object should be physically located. It is also about memory, identity, ownership and justice. Returning an artefact can sometimes become part of a larger process of repairing relationships between institutions, communities and nations.

For countries such as Nigeria, the potential of museums is enormous. Nigeria possesses a remarkably rich cultural heritage, encompassing ancient civilisations, royal traditions, artistic traditions, religious histories, indigenous technologies and the diverse experiences of its many peoples. Yet museums can do more than display these treasures. They can become spaces where Nigerians encounter the breadth of their shared history and appreciate the connections between communities that are too often discussed only through the lens of difference.

The museum of the future should therefore not be defined only by its collection. It should also be defined by the conversations it creates. It should invite visitors to ask questions, listen to unfamiliar perspectives and engage with the complicated realities of the past. Museums can host conversations between generations, exhibitions developed with local communities, oral-history projects and programmes that allow citizens to contribute their own memories. In doing so, the institution becomes a living part of society rather than a silent monument to history.

Technology can strengthen this role. Digital archives, virtual exhibitions and interactive storytelling can make collections accessible to people who may never have the opportunity to visit a museum physically. Young people can encounter historical materials through platforms and formats that are familiar to them. Digitisation can also preserve fragile records and broaden access to national heritage. But technology should remain a tool, not the purpose. The ultimate objective must still be human understanding.

There is, however, a danger in expecting museums to heal a nation by themselves. Museums cannot substitute for justice, good governance, education, economic opportunity or responsible political leadership. A museum cannot repair every wound caused by violence or inequality. Nor should museums be used as instruments of propaganda by governments seeking to control how citizens remember the past. Their credibility depends upon intellectual honesty, professional independence and the willingness to acknowledge complexity.

Healing is not the same as forgetting. A nation does not become united by pretending that painful events never happened. True healing requires remembrance, truth and the courage to understand how the past continues to shape the present. Museums can contribute to this process by providing spaces where painful memories can be acknowledged without allowing those memories to dictate the future.

The most powerful museum may therefore be one that leaves a visitor with questions rather than simply answers. It may be the place where a young Nigerian discovers a part of the country’s history that had never been taught in school. It may be where two people from different communities recognise that their families experienced the same historical event in profoundly different ways. It may be where a visitor encounters an artefact and begins to wonder not only who created it, but who owned it, who lost it, who preserved it and what its journey says about the society from which it came.

Museums can also remind citizens that nations are not permanent, finished creations. They are constantly being rebuilt through memory, dialogue and collective choices. The objects preserved behind glass may belong to yesterday, but the meaning attached to them belongs partly to today and tomorrow. Every generation has the opportunity to reinterpret the past responsibly and decide what lessons should guide the future.

Conclusion

A nation cannot heal by forgetting its wounds, nor can it build unity by denying the experiences of its different communities. It heals when its people are given the opportunity to remember honestly, listen to one another and recognise their shared humanity. Museums can provide precisely such spaces. They can preserve the evidence of the past while creating conversations about the future.

Beyond artefacts, therefore, museums can become instruments of national healing. They can help a society remember without remaining trapped in memory, confront painful truths without surrendering to them, and celebrate diversity without allowing difference to become division. When museums become places where every citizen can see a part of their story, hear another person’s experience and leave with a deeper understanding of the nation they share, they cease to be merely guardians of the past. They become builders of the future.