Category: Nigerian Tribune

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has said he is willing to support anyone capable of fixing Nigeria, insisting that his political ambition is not driven by a desperate desire to become president.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Obi said his ultimate goal was to see Nigeria function effectively, regardless of who emerges as president in 2027.

When asked whether his mission to ‘fix Nigeria’ would end if he failed to win the presidency, the former Labour Party presidential candidate said he had never been desperate to occupy the nation’s highest office.

‘I’ve always said that I am not desperate to become President of Nigeria. I am desperate to see Nigeria work. If it is working, I will support whatever makes it work,’ Obi said.

He added that he would back any leader capable of moving the country forward, noting that Nigeria’s progress was more important than his personal ambition.

‘So if Nigeria is working, I’ll support whatever makes it work. I want to see a country where a child of nobody can be somebody without knowing anybody, where we can put people out of poverty, where young people will have the opportunity to live, get jobs, be diplomats and participate in what young people do all over the world,’ he said.

Obi maintained that it would not matter whether or not he became president as long as the country was on the path of development.

‘It doesn’t matter if Peter Obi is the president or not. So far, Nigeria is good; I’m fine with it,’ he added.

When asked whether he would consider serving in another capacity, such as a minister, Obi said he did not need to hold public office to contribute to national development.

‘I don’t even need to hold any office,’ he said.

However, he reiterated his decision to contest the presidency, saying he believed he had the capacity to address Nigeria’s challenges and unite the country.

‘I’m contesting because I believe that I will fix it. I will unite the country and be able to show an example of what is possible,’ Obi said.

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Imo State, has commenced registration for the training of unemployed youths under the third phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI).

The State Coordinator of the NDE, Nonye Ohanu, disclosed this to the Nigerian Tribune in Owerri on Sunday, noting that 26,961 youths are expected to register for the training nationwide.

According to her, the registration, which commenced on July 23, will continue until July 29, 2026.

Ohanu disclosed that the programme would focus on training youths in agriculture, vocational skills, entrepreneurship, public works and renewable energy.

The coordinator therefore advised interested youths from Imo State between the ages of 18 and 45 to take advantage of the opportunity and register.

She also advised interested youths to register through the NDE portal, www.nderegistrationportal.ng, or visit the National Directorate of Employment office at the Federal Secretariat, Port Harcourt Road, Owerri.

Ohanu assured that successful applicants would commence training immediately after the flag-off in the first week of August 2026.

She stated that beneficiaries of the first and second phases of the programme were not eligible to apply.

The management of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, has debunked reports claiming that several of its students died in the collapse of a three-storey building near the institution on Sunday night.

The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Chioma Irene Awuzie, had earlier on Monday visited the scene of the building collapse alongside officials of the institution to assess the situation.

Officials of the state government, security agencies and firefighters also joined the rescue operations at the site of the collapse.

However, in a statement issued on Monday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Oguegbu Celestine Udoka, clarified what transpired in the area.

He said the building, located in Amaokpala community and not within the Polytechnic complex, was a privately owned lodge occupied by both students and non-students.

Dr Oguegbu explained that no student of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, had been confirmed dead, adding that the two persons believed to be trapped in the rubble were reportedly not students of the institution.

The institution stated that most students had already left the Polytechnic campus after completing their second-semester examinations before the incident occurred.

The management of the Polytechnic, however, appealed to members of the public to disregard unverified reports from any quarters.

It also assured the public that it would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as rescue operations continued.

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has declared Tuesday, July 28, 2026, a work-free day for all public servants in Osun State to enable them to collect their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of the August governorship election.

In a circular issued on Monday, the Head of Service, Elder Ayanleye Aina, said the approval covers workers at the state and local government levels, as well as staff of tertiary institutions across the state.

According to the circular, the work-free day was approved to enable public servants to perform their civic duty during the forthcoming gubernatorial and future elections in the state.

However, workers on essential services such as medical personnel and security operatives were urged to make necessary internal arrangements to ensure there is no disruption to critical services.

Governor Adeleke, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, urged both public and informal workers to collect their PVCs without delay.

‘I encourage all registered voters to go to all the collection points without delay. Your vote is your power. Your voter’s card is your licence to the ballot paper and by extension to the ballot box,’ the governor said.

He noted that the August 16 governorship election is critical to the future of Osun State and called on residents to participate actively.

The Presidency has criticised the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, over his claim that politicians, including President Bola Tinubu, are not driven by ideological considerations in choosing political platforms for elections.

Obi had made the comment during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Sunday, where he defended his movement across political parties, including the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the NDC.

The former Anambra State governor had compared his political journey with that of President Tinubu, who moved from the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reacting through his official X handle, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, argued that Tinubu had maintained a consistent progressive political ideology since joining partisan politics in the early 1990s.

Onanuga accused Obi of repeatedly changing political platforms in pursuit of personal political ambitions.

‘Having watched Peter Obi’s interview on Channels TV on Sunday for about 30 minutes, I wasted no time tuning off. If the political nomad thought the interview would re-energise his ebbing 2027 presidential ambition, it turned out to be a PR disaster, judging from the spate of reactions to the many lies he referenced,’ he said.

According to Onanuga, Tinubu’s political career has remained within the progressive political tradition, beginning with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he was elected senator in 1992.

He said Tinubu later joined the struggle against the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, resisted military rule, went into exile, and returned to Nigeria after the transition to democratic governance in 1998.

Onanuga noted that Tinubu contested and won the Lagos State governorship election in 1999 under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy and later formed the Action Congress after the crisis within the AD.

He added that the AC later became the Action Congress of Nigeria before merging with other political parties in 2013 to form the APC.

‘Tinubu remained true to his ideological persuasion: he stayed in the same lane. He didn’t jump to the PDP in 2003, after he remained the last man standing, with fellow AD governors swept out of office by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s machine. Instead, he built a new party from the bottom up,’ Onanuga said.

Comparing Tinubu’s political trajectory with Obi’s, the presidential aide accused Obi of abandoning political platforms whenever they no longer served his ambitions.

He recalled that Obi was elected governor of Anambra State under APGA in 2007 before moving to the PDP after his second term.

Onanuga said Obi later contested the 2019 presidential election as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate on the PDP platform before joining the Labour Party to contest the 2023 presidential election.

He also criticised Obi’s decision to leave the Labour Party and align with the ADC and later the NDC ahead of the 2027 election.

‘It is not in doubt that if the NDC fails to deliver what you want, you are not far away from the exit door. You would shamelessly migrate to yet another party. You do not build; you always want to reap where you did not sow,’ he said.

Onanuga also faulted Obi for refusing to accept the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, where President Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He argued that Obi came third in the election and should accept the judgment of the Supreme Court, which dismissed his petition challenging the result.

‘You lost, Peter. You didn’t win that election. You came third,’ Onanuga said, adding that Obi should ‘accept the stark reality of the loss’ and stop claiming victory.

The Presidency’s response comes amid renewed political activities ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition parties and political figures intensifying efforts to build alliances and challenge the ruling APC.

A former Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, Letam Kinee, has been shot dead by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in Bori, the headquarters of the council.

Tribune gathered that the assailants ambushed Kinee, intercepted him and shot him several times before fleeing the scene under circumstances that remain unclear.

The killing has heightened security concerns in the area, with residents calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Although detectives attached to the Bori Area Command and the Bori Police Division have reportedly been notified of the incident, the Rivers State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement as of the time of filing this report.

All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo for the 2027 election, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has dismissed speculations over his candidacy, insisting that his nomination has been duly recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists in Ibadan on Monday, Alli said there was no truth in reports suggesting that the APC was yet to produce a governorship candidate for the state.

‘There is no iota of truth in the rumour making the rounds that the APC is yet to have a governorship candidate in Oyo.

‘My name has been uploaded on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It can be verified,’ he said.

The APC standard-bearer also assured party members that efforts were underway to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders and restore unity ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

According to him, rebuilding cohesion within the party has become one of his immediate priorities following his emergence as the APC candidate.

He disclosed that consultations were ongoing with aspirants, members of the G-6 bloc and other party leaders across the state.

Alli added that President Bola Tinubu had intervened in the reconciliation process by engaging the party’s former governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, to facilitate peace among aggrieved members.

‘We have been making conscious efforts to unite the APC. I have met with aspirants and spoken with members of the G-6. President Bola Tinubu has also engaged Senator Teslim Folarin and tasked him with reconciling all aggrieved members. We are already resolving the crisis, and I believe the party will emerge stronger and more united,’ he said.

He urged party members to close ranks in the interest of victory, describing his emergence as the party’s flag bearer as the beginning of a renewed effort to reposition the APC ahead of the 2027 polls.

On education, Alli pledged to improve the quality of public education by reducing class sizes to a maximum of 30 pupils in public primary and secondary schools.

He also promised to rehabilitate school infrastructure and ensure free, functional and quality education from primary to secondary school level.

‘We will return to 30 pupils per classroom because quality education begins with a conducive learning environment. We will upgrade facilities in all public primary and secondary schools and ensure that every child enjoys free, functional and quality education from primary to secondary level,’ he said.

The senator further pledged to strengthen technical and vocational education through the establishment and revitalisation of technical colleges, while integrating practical skills training into tertiary institutions.

According to him, the initiative would equip young people with employable skills, promote entrepreneurship and reduce unemployment.

‘We must produce graduates with practical skills. Technical education will receive priority because it is critical to industrial growth and youth employment,’ he added.

Alli also said his administration would discontinue the reliance on consultancy services in public schools, stressing that teachers and educational institutions should be adequately equipped to perform their responsibilities effectively.

On grassroots development, he emphasised the need for functional local government administration, saying effective councils would enhance governance and improve service delivery.

‘Our local governments must function effectively because development starts from the grassroots. Once local governments work efficiently, governance becomes more impactful,’ he said.

Addressing security, Alli advocated strengthening neighbourhood watch structures and proposed the biometric registration of all residents in Oyo State to improve intelligence gathering and support security agencies.

‘We need a comprehensive database of everyone living in Oyo. Every resident should be registered with biometric details, including fingerprints. This will significantly improve intelligence gathering and strengthen our security architecture,’ he said.

He maintained that education, security, youth empowerment and effective local government administration would form the cornerstone of his administration’s first 100 days in office if elected, expressing confidence that the proposed reforms would reposition Oyo State for sustainable growth and development.

The Election Observation Hub under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase II (EU-SDGN II) has raised concerns over security threats, misinformation and the exclusion of vulnerable groups ahead of the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.

Presenting the Hub’s Pre-Election Assessment Report during a media briefing in Osogbo on Monday, the coalition described the poll as a critical test of Nigeria’s electoral institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Election Observation Hub comprises seven civil society organisations participating in the EU-SDGN II programme, namely Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, the International Press Centre (IPC), CEMESO, ElectHER, the Nigeria Women Trust Fund (NWTF) and TAF Africa.

The report identified 13 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas as high-risk flashpoints due to politically motivated killings, violent attacks and heightened political tension. The affected areas include Osogbo, Irewole, Boripe, Obokun, Ife North, Ife Central and parts of Ijesaland.

According to the Hub, the findings were based on field engagements across the state, desk research and integrated assessments conducted by the EU-SDGN II implementing partners.

The coalition noted that the governorship race involving the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has made the contest more competitive and polarised than the recent Ekiti State off-cycle election.

The report also identified the lingering dispute over local government administration as a major source of political tension, warning that uncertainty surrounding council leadership could trigger conflict if not managed transparently and in accordance with the law.

On the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Hub said the commission had concluded the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, with about 2.33 million registered voters, and was preparing to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

However, it stressed that the success of the exercise would depend on the timely release of funds, efficient logistics and the recruitment, training and deployment of about 17,500 ad hoc personnel.

The coalition also urged INEC to provide assistive voting devices and other accessibility measures to enable Persons with Disabilities to participate fully in the election.

The report expressed concern over the state’s information environment, describing Osun’s media landscape as vibrant but deeply polarised.

It warned that the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media could undermine informed voter participation, while noting that the physical safety and economic security of journalists covering the election remain significant concerns.

The Hub also decried the limited participation of women, youths and Persons with Disabilities in the electoral process, noting that only one female candidate is contesting the governorship despite the groups constituting a substantial proportion of registered voters.

On security, the coalition questioned public confidence in the neutrality of security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, following allegations of partisanship during the local government crisis.

It recommended intelligence-led deployment of security personnel to identified flashpoints and urged security agencies to demonstrate professionalism, political neutrality and strict adherence to the rule of law.

The Hub called on INEC to ensure timely deployment of election materials and transparent collation of results, while urging security agencies to protect voters, journalists and election officials.

It also appealed to political parties to sign and adhere to the Osun State Peace Accord, reject vote-buying, political violence and hate speech, and called on the media and civil society organisations to promote conflict-sensitive reporting, strengthen fact-checking efforts and sustain election observation.

The coalition pledged to deploy both long-term and short-term observers across the state, adding that its full Pre-Election Assessment Report would be published on the EU-SDGN II website and partner platforms.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kano State Command, has arrested two suspected vandals for allegedly vandalising railway and electrical infrastructure in different parts of Kano State.

The State Commandant, Mohammed Hassan-Agalama, disclosed this on Monday in Kano, saying the suspects were apprehended during separate intelligence-led operations conducted at Panshekara in Kumbotso Local Government Area and Yankaba in Nassarawa Local Government Area.

He identified the suspects as 22-year-old Gath Gamaliel from Zango in Kaduna State and Salisu Jibrin, 31, a resident of Kurna in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

According to the commandant, Gamaliel was arrested at Panshekara in possession of 17 vandalised railway clips, while Jibrin, who is suspected to be a receiver of stolen property, was apprehended at Yankaba when he allegedly arrived to collect 60 kilograms of vandalised copper wire.

Hassan-Agalama said the recovered items were believed to have been illegally removed from critical public infrastructure.

He noted that the arrests reflected the command’s determination to combat vandalism and other economic crimes that threaten national development and public assets.

The commandant said investigations were ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the suspected criminal syndicate, adding that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

He warned individuals engaged in the vandalism of public infrastructure to desist from such acts, stressing that the NSCDC would continue to pursue and prosecute offenders.

Hassan-Agalama also appealed to residents to remain vigilant and provide timely and credible information to security agencies to support efforts to safeguard critical national assets and infrastructure.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has withdrawn its controversial sexual harassment advisory for female students following widespread public criticism, saying the publication does not represent the institution’s values and reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on sexual harassment and victim-blaming.

The university announced the withdrawal in an Information Flash signed on Monday by the Head of the Communication Unit, Adejoke R. Alaga-Ibraheem, on behalf of the university management.

According to the statement, the publication, which was produced by the Student Affairs Division and circulated on social media, has been withdrawn after attracting public concern and backlash.

‘We acknowledge that the publication was originally produced by the University’s Student Affairs Division. However, it has been withdrawn, as its content does not reflect the values, position, or standards of the University of Lagos.

‘The University of Lagos wishes to state unequivocally, and for the record that we do not tolerate rape or sexual harassment in any form, nor do we validate, engage in, or support victim-blaming or shaming. Placing the responsibility on victims or suggesting that individuals are to blame for being subjected to harassment is entirely unacceptable and contrary to the core values of our institution.’

The institution stressed that sexual harassment remains a serious offence that has no place within its community and should never be trivialised, adding that anyone can become a victim regardless of gender.

‘Sexual harassment is a serious misconduct that has no place in our community and must never be trivialised. We also recognise that sexual harassment is not gender-specific and can affect anyone. We, therefore, encourage any student who has experienced or witnessed sexual harassment to utilize the University’s official, confidential reporting structures to ensure immediate investigation and support.

‘The University of Lagos remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful, equitable, and inclusive environment in which all members of its community can learn, work, and thrive.’

The reversal comes hours after the university’s Student Affairs Division issued counselling tips for female students on preventing sexual harassment and rape on campus.

Displayed on a roll-up banner within the institution, the advisory encouraged female students to adopt precautionary measures, with one of its most criticised messages stating, ‘Do not shake hands anyhow with any man.’

Other messages on the banner read: ‘Do not dress to kill. Do not shake hands anyhow with any man. Do not mingle carelessly with men. Do not stay alone with a man in a hidden place. Do not seek unnecessary favour from men. Do not join to watch pornographic film/pictures. Do not accept intoxicants and be vigilant when you are served with drinks. Do not give in to pressure – be assertive.

‘Learn to say no. One-time sex can cause you pregnancy; if you don’t want it, don’t try it.’

The Student Affairs Division had said the advisory formed part of its counselling efforts to educate female students on personal safety and ways to reduce the risk of sexual harassment and rape on campus.