Category: PM News

MThe Allied People’s Movement (APM) has accused the Presidency of launching attacks against its presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, because of what it described as growing concern over his increasing popularity ahead of the 2027 general election.

The party said recent comments by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, reflected what it called the Tinubu administration’s unease over Makinde’s emergence as a major contender for the presidency.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the APM argued that the Federal Government had resorted to personal attacks because it lacked convincing achievements to present to Nigerians. The party maintained that Makinde would defeat President Bola Tinubu at the 2027 polls.

Bwala had, during an interview with journalists on Monday, dismissed both Makinde and the APM as insignificant players in the forthcoming presidential race.

Responding, the opposition party criticised the Presidency for what it described as a decline into political mudslinging rather than engaging issues affecting Nigerians.

‘It is rather pathetic that the Tinubu Presidency has fallen so low into ignominy that it now relies on internationally discredited and politically inconsistent characters like Daniel Bwala to speak for it on national TV; a situation that further confirms that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu no longer commands the support of credible Nigerians.

‘Since Daniel Bwala’s March 6, 2026, scandalous interview with Al Jazeera, Nigerians can always see through the antics of President Tinubu’s handlers. Daniel Bwala would soon eat his own words against Governor Makinde.

‘In any event, the 2027 presidential race would be between Governor Seyi Makinde, standing shoulder to shoulder with millions of Nigerians who are determined for a new beginning, and a failed President Tinubu, who only has the feeble support of a handful of sycophantic, corrupt, arrogant and morally depraved minions on his payroll.

‘The APM is, therefore, not surprised that the Tinubu Presidency is deflated and intimidated because it has no tangible scorecard of achievements to present to the public, given its abysmal failures, for which Nigerians across the board have reached a consensus to replace President Tinubu with Governor Makinde at the 2027 election, given Makinde’s outstanding performance as Governor of Oyo State.’

The party said it had no intention of engaging in an exchange of insults with the Presidency, insisting that its focus remained on presenting solutions to the country’s challenges.

It also argued that Makinde’s performance in Oyo State had strengthened his credentials for higher office.

‘Of course, President Tinubu should be jittery because Governor Makinde is coming into the contest with an intimidating record of performance, including transforming Oyo State into a foremost economically viable state, surpassing the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, according to data from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), a feat Nigerians want him to replicate at the national level.

‘The Tinubu Presidency is edgy because Nigerians are determined and eager to elect Governor Seyi Makinde as the next President of the country so that they can enjoy the benefits of his blueprint to revamp the economy, rejig our security architecture, rebuild collapsed infrastructure, revitalise the productive sectors, provide jobs, end corruption and bring a new lease of life to the people.

‘Of course, why won’t the Tinubu Presidency be jittery when Governor Makinde is coming with the full support of over 50 million young Nigerians whose destinies are being caged by the Tinubu administration and who are now rallying with our presidential candidate as the face of the new Nigeria they eagerly seek and for which they are ready to vote in 2027 and defend their votes to the very end?

‘To suggest that a presidential candidate with such an army of support is ‘inconsequential’ says more about the anxiety within the corridors of power than it does about the candidate.

‘In fact, before noon on election day, the Presidency will know who actually is inconsequential in this race.’

National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Rauf Aregbesola, has claimed that he governed Osun State for eight years without owning a personal house.

Aregbesola made the claim while addressing his supporters in a video that circulated online on Thursday.

The former governor said he lived in a friend’s house throughout his two terms in office.

‘I’m the first governor in Nigeria to govern a state for eight years without owning a house of my own,’ he said.

‘I stayed in my friend’s house for eight years as governor in my fatherland. Whoever says what I’m saying is not true should come out and show me the house I own.’

Aregbesola governed Osun State from 2010 to 2018 before serving as Minister of Interior under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Osun State Commissioner For Political Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, Dr Anthony Olabiyi Odunlade has narrated how he met former Governor Rauf Aregbesola and served as commissioner in his cabinet.

Odunlade, an academic, former councilor, former Secretary to Ife Central Local Government and two times commissioner in Osun, has traversed many political parties.

He was in the Alliance for Democracy (AD) before moving to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from where he went to join Engr. Rauf Aregbesola in the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and served in Rauf’s administration, first as Special Adviser on Youths and Sports and later became the Commissioner for Social Protection, Sports and Special Needs in 2017.

The Ile-Ife born politician went back to the PDP to join the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke as commissioner in 2022 before moving with the governor into Accord Party on November 6, 2025.

The Commissioner was a guest at the Osun NUJ Guest Platform, NUJ Press Centre, Osogbo on Wednesday to field questions on the performance of the Adeleke Administration in the last three and a half years.

The ebullient politician was asked by a member of the panel interviewing him on the platform the reason he has been taking flights from parties. He narrated his journey as follows:

‘I grew up as a Human Rights activist and as an academic. I belief in vision, in ideology. I started up as a member of the SDP during the Abiola days. We moved on in a lot of transitions and landed at UNCP, one of Abacha’s parties and left after Abacha’s death. We moved on to the Alliance for Democracy, AD which metamorphosed into AC, ACN. After the ACN experience, we had issues with the leadership of the state then where some anti-lablour policies came on board during campaign, embarking on undemocratic engagements, I had to leave for PDP.

‘Then, I went with Otunba Iyiola Omisore from ACN to PDP when there was misunderstanding. In PDP, I was very prominent. I became secretary to the Local Government for two years 2008 to 2010. Along the line, the PDP also derailed. It became anti-people in some ways. Then came in Ogbeni Aregbesola whom I met on the street. We were in the struggle for emancipation of Nigerians together, then he was a student at the Polytechnic Ibadan and I was a student at Obafemi Awolowo University. So, our paths crossed at the revolutionary level. We met and we discussed and he said ‘Comrade, you have to join us’, and I told him to convince me on why I should join him. He said, ‘I have a very bright vision for Osun State’ and I saw the green book, I went through it and I promised I would join him because I believe in providing and making available the dividend of democracy to the people which is the hallmark of politics and democracy.

‘In a democratic system that does not cater for the common people, I would not want to associate with it. And we went on like that. At the end of Aregbesola’s eight years, we all decided that we were going to continue along that line. All of a sudden, a governor came in and told us that anybody still having anything to do with Aregbesola should not get close to him. I challenged that. He said ‘this is your name on the list of cabinet, you have to sign a paper’. I am not lying about this. If you want me to cite witnesses, you will be surprised. I said how can I sign that I will not have anything to do with Aregbesola, a fellow comrade?

‘I was convinced that didn’t have anything against him (Aregbesola), I should not leave him. So, I told him I would not sign that document and precisely that document was presented by a member of the House of Representatives then from Ilesa who wanted to contest for Senate. So, the rest is history.

‘I moved on and went back to academics at the Obafemi Awolowo University. I told them that I’m back, I don’t think I can do politics again. It was along that line that I was convinced that I should not leave politics outright because they needed forthright people. Then, I moved back to the PDP with Adeleke and that’s how we got together.

‘You know the Adeleke’s story. How he transmitted from PDP to Accord when PDP became compromised at the federal level. So, that’s how I found my way to Adeleke. I never worked with him. They were just looking for brilliant people to support their government and they contacted my boss and I was asked to send my CV. I never met the governor, I never met any of his relations. They just asked me to send my CV and I became a member of the cabinet.’

He spoke of the Adeleke administration’s achievements, saying the administration has accomplished a lot in the areas of road infrastructure, health and human capital development. He took a swipe on the Federal Government over the pervasive insecurity in the country and asked President Bola Tinubu to rise to the occasion.

Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has ruled out contesting for the presidency of Nigeria, declaring that he is satisfied with his achievements in public service.

Fashola gave the blunt response during an interview with TVC News on Wednesday.

Asked whether he would contest for president, the former Minister of Works replied: ‘No.’

When pressed further about his possible interest in leading Nigeria, Fashola smiled and said: ‘President of what? I’m president at home.’

Reflecting on more than two decades in government, Fashola described his public service career as an extraordinary privilege.

‘My journey has been an unimaginable privilege, and I hope that it, in some way, inspires another generation about the possibilities of this country,’ he said.

He noted that Nigeria had produced numerous stories of people rising from humble backgrounds to positions of influence.

Fashola also said he would not attempt to influence how history remembers his tenure as Lagos governor or federal minister.

‘Let history write whatever history wants to write. It is not in my place,’ he said.

The former governor refused to revisit speculation surrounding his preferred successor ahead of the 2015 Lagos governorship election.

He declined to say whether he supported the current Lagos Deputy Governor and APC’s 2027 governorship candidate, Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, or former Lagos Attorney-General Olasupo Shasore.

Fashola confirmed that he remained a member of the Lagos State Governance Advisory Council but said former public officials must avoid interfering with the government.

‘There is a thin line between intervention and interference,’ he said.

Speaking on national issues, Fashola warned that persistent attacks on the judiciary could erode public confidence in the courts and weaken democratic institutions.

He also called for a vibrant opposition capable of challenging the government constructively and improving governance.

Fashola advocated greater national consensus on taxation, foreign policy and legislative oversight, urging professionals and young Nigerians to participate actively in shaping public policy.

On Lagos flooding, the former governor said the state’s coastal location made flooding inevitable but manageable.

He blamed indiscriminate waste disposal for worsening the problem and called for stronger cooperation between the government and residents.

Fashola also backed the creation of state police but cautioned that it would not provide an instant solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.

The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the activities of the Mining Marshals Corps, comprising more than 2,200 personnel drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Abdulmaleek Danga (APC-Kogi) during plenary on Wednesday.

Danga recalled that the Federal Ministries of Solid Minerals Development and Interior inaugurated the specialised security unit on March 21, 2024.

He said the unit was established under Section 3 of the NSCDC Act and the regulatory framework of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, 2007.

According to him, the Mining Marshals were established to secure mining sites, combat illegal mining and banditry in mineral-rich communities, and protect federal revenue from the solid minerals sector.

However, the lawmaker alleged that the unit had deviated from its mandate, resulting in the wrongful arrest and harassment of legitimate mineral title holders.

He also alleged financial impropriety within the unit, including the reported discovery of more than N2 billion in the bank account of a former state commander.

Danga said the commander was redeployed instead of facing judicial inquiry, prosecution or internal disciplinary action, fuelling allegations that the unit had been compromised by wealthy illegal mining syndicates.

He also expressed concern over the procurement and allocation of operational vehicles without clear evidence of legislative appropriation or budgetary provision.

The House mandated its Committee on Solid Minerals Development to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the activities and performance of the Mining Marshals nationwide.

The committee is to investigate the N2 billion bank account allegation, other cases of alleged compromise, the source of funding for the operational vehicles, and all external financial inflows to the unit.

It is also to examine the statutory compliance of the unit’s creation, structure and composition, and recommend an internationally accepted and legally compliant security model.

Ruling on the motion, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu mandated the committee to submit its report within four weeks for further legislative action.

In a major push to restore peace and end all forms of criminalities in Benue, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on Thursday announced a special 14-day security operation across the state.

The 14-day operation will involve flushing out criminal elements from identified flashpoints across Benue, Disu said during a town hall meeting on security in Makurdi, the state capital.

While addressing the meeting attended by Gov. Hyacinth Alia, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security chiefs and other stakeholders, the IGP described the security situation in Benue as a source of ‘sleepless nights’ for both residents and security agencies.

The Police Chief decried that Benue, once renowned for peace and hospitality, had become engulfed by violence.

According to him, the crisis has evolved beyond farmer-herder clashes, with kidnappers, armed gangs and political interests aggravating the insecurity.

Disu urged youths not to allow themselves to be recruited by influential individuals to perpetrate violence, particularly during elections.

‘The youth are usually not the ones who start wars, but they are the ones who fight them. Parents must caution their children against being used as cannon fodder,’ he said.

IGP condemned the cycle of attacks and reprisals across the state, saying it must come to an end.

He conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that insecurity in Benue would no longer be tolerated and warned that only authorised security personnel were permitted to bear arms.

The police chief vowed to intensify efforts to recover illegal firearms and said officers had been directed to act decisively in line with Force Order 237 whenever confronted by armed criminals.

He acknowledged concerns over police misconduct, admitting the force was not perfect but assuring residents that every complaint against officers would be investigated and appropriate action taken.

Disu directed the Benue Commissioner of Police to publicly display his contact details to encourage residents to report crimes and police misconduct, stressing that policing could only succeed through community partnership.

‘The Nigerian police belong to the people. We are here to serve you, not to be your masters,’ he said.

The Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of police in charge of mobile police, Francis Iduh, disclosed that the force had identified 14 major security flashpoints across Benue for targeted operations.

He listed the vulnerable areas to include Gbajimba, Agasha, Kwande, Agatu, Naka, Otukpo, Makurdi, Apa and other communities mapped for intensive surveillance.

Iduh said the planned 14-day operation would involve stability and clearance patrols aimed at reclaiming forests, farmlands and criminal hideouts.

He explained that the exercise would target armed herders, bandits and other criminal elements without victimising innocent residents.

‘If communities partner with us and provide credible intelligence, we will deal with criminals without criminalising law-abiding citizens,’ he said.

Gov. Hyacinth Alia welcomed the IGP’s visit, describing it as timely and a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing insecurity in Benue.

He noted that attacks on farming communities had claimed lives, displaced residents and threatened food security in Benue and across Nigeria.

The governor said his administration had continued to support security agencies with operational vehicles, motorcycles, communication equipment and other logistics, while pledging full backing for the proposed security operation.

Alia reiterated his support for state police, arguing that officers familiar with the local terrain and communities would be better equipped to tackle insecurity.

‘It is no longer a question of whether we need state police. The issue now is how it should operate because we urgently need it,’ he said.

The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, welcomed the IGP’s intervention, saying Benue’s security challenges had become more complex than in the past.

He identified armed criminal herders allegedly operating from neighbouring Nasarawa State, indigenous armed gangs involved in kidnappings and robberies, communal disputes and urban cult groups as the major threats confronting the state.

Ayatse said many communities had been displaced while numerous victims were living outside formal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

The Chairman of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in Benue, Alhaji Garba Baba, said Muslims in the state had no conflict with any group and pledged support for Gov. Alia’s peace initiatives.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benue, Rev. Jonathan Terwase Ugbede, commended President Tinubu, the First Lady and the IGP for responding to the state’s security concerns.

He urged the police to respond promptly to threats circulated on social media before attacks occur and recommended regular engagement with traditional rulers, youths, religious leaders and community groups to improve intelligence gathering.

Stakeholders at the meeting agreed that insecurity in Benue had become multifaceted, involving armed herders, kidnappers, cultists, criminal gangs and alleged political interests.

They stressed that security agencies alone could not resolve the crisis without sustained community cooperation and pledged to work collectively towards restoring lasting peace across the state.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has submitted the nomination details of 13 governorship candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the August 8 deadline.

A senior APC official disclosed that the documents of five additional candidates were being processed by the party’s ICT department.

The official expressed confidence that the party would submit the details of all its 28 governorship candidates and their running mates before the deadline.

The party has, however, been unable to begin uploading the details of its state House of Assembly candidates because of technical difficulties with INEC’s nomination portal.

‘Our ICT team has already scanned and prepared the documents for immediate upload once the issues are resolved,’ the official said.

Among the candidates whose details have reportedly been processed are Obafemi Hamzat of Lagos, Solomon Adeola of Ogun, Umar Bago of Niger, Ahmed Wadada of Nasarawa and Yakubu Danladi of Kwara.

Others are Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Ahmed Galadima of Adamawa and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau.

APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the party had begun moves to reconcile members aggrieved by the emergence of some candidates.

Ibrahim expressed confidence that the reconciliation committee would resolve the disagreements and unite the affected members ahead of the 2027 general elections.

‘As for the disaffection that the emergence of some of these candidates may have caused, the reconciliation committee is working,’ he said.

‘We are hoping that, at the end of the day, all grievances will be resolved. All the aggrieved parties will come together and forge ahead.’

He also urged the candidates to remain loyal to the APC’s policies and campaign on President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

INEC opened its portal for the submission of governorship and state House of Assembly nominations on July 18. The exercise will close at 6 p.m. on August 8.

The commission will publish the candidates’ personal details on August 29, while the deadline for withdrawal or substitution is September 19.

Three men accused of playing roles in the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have admitted guilt to terrorism-related offences before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The defendants, Abdulrazak Umar, also known as Abu Khalifa or Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa, also known as Yunusa bin Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, also known as Abu Itisar, entered their guilty pleas during proceedings before Justice Salim Ibrahim on Thursday.

The suspects, who are from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, were arrested by the Department of State Services and are being prosecuted on a 10-count charge.

All three admitted guilt to counts four and six of the charge.

Umar also pleaded guilty to four additional counts, namely counts seven, eight, nine and 10, which relate exclusively to him.

According to count four, the defendants were accused of withholding information between January and May about the activities of Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab, whom prosecutors described as terrorists responsible for the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The charge alleged that despite having knowledge of the suspects and their involvement in the attack, the defendants failed to report the information to the appropriate security agencies.

The Lagos State Government will convene a high-level stakeholders’ parley on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, as part of renewed efforts to strengthen the implementation of the Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) 2052 and accelerate sustainable socio-economic development across the state.

Organised by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, the engagement will bring together key officials from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to assess progress on the state’s long-term development blueprint, address implementation challenges, and deepen inter-agency collaboration.

The forum is expected to reinforce the government’s commitment to achieving the strategic vision of transforming Lagos into Africa’s model megacity through coordinated planning and effective policy execution.

Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ope George, said the parley reflects the state’s resolve to institutionalise performance-driven governance, strengthen accountability, and promote evidence-based planning.

According to him, the engagement will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to evaluate implementation efforts, improve institutional coordination, and reaffirm their collective commitment to delivering the goals and priorities outlined in the Lagos State Development Plan 2052.

The ministry noted that the initiative aligns with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s vision of fostering sustainable economic growth, enhancing good governance, and improving the quality of life for Lagos residents through effective planning and seamless implementation of development programmes.

In a major push to tackle insecurity in the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday approved the expansion of the Nigerian Army’s structure from eight to 12 divisions and recruitment of additional 28,000 personnel.

Under the restructuring, new Divisions of Nigerian Army will be established with Headquarters in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City.

The presidency said establishment of the new divisions will significantly improve command and control, decentralise operational decision-making, strengthen border security, enhance the protection of critical national infrastructure, improve counterinsurgency and internal security operations, and ensure faster military response to emerging threats nationwide.

The landmark move to enhance the country’s security architecture and improve the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army was announced in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga on Thursday.

According to the statement, the approval underscores the President’s unwavering commitment to equipping the Armed Forces to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges effectively and to strengthen national defence capabilities further.

‘The expansion builds on the Administration’s sustained investments in the Armed Forces, including approval for the recruitment of 28,000 additional personnel, acquisition of critical military platforms and equipment, improvements in troop welfare, and ongoing support for operational readiness and force modernisation,’ Onanuga said in the statement.

Giving further in information of the major push against insecurity by the President, Onanuga said under the new structure, the Nigerian Army will operate twelve divisions, strategically positioned across the country

Division one of the Nigerian Army with headquarters in Kaduna will cover Kaduna Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States, while division two with headquarters in Ibadan will cover Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States.

Also, division three with its headquarters in Jos will cover Plateau, Bauchi and Gombe States while Division four with headquarters in Makurdi will cover Benue, Nasarawa and Kogi States. T

The headquarters 6 Division will be in Port Harcourt with Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States as its coverage areas, while the 7 Division with Headquarters in Maiduguri covers Borno and Yobe States.

The 8 Division will have its Headquarters in Sokoto with Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States as its coverage areas while the 9 Division with Headquarters in Ilorin would have responsibilities for Kwara and Niger States.

The Headquarters of the 10 Division will be Jalingo with its areas of responsibility as Taraba and Adamawa States just as the 81 Division Headquarters is in Lagos with Lagos and Ogun States as its coverage areas.

Also, the 82 Division Headquarters with Headquarters in Enugu will cover Enugu, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Imo States while the 83 Division with Headquarters Benin City will cover Edo, Delta and Bayelsa States.

The presidency said in the statement that implementation of the new structure of the Nigerian Army will be done in two phases.

‘The first phase, covering the establishment of the 5, 9, and 10 Divisions and the reorganisation of existing formations, will be completed by September 2026. The second phase, involving the establishment of the 83 Division and further reorganisation, is expected to be completed by December 2026’

The statement also quoted President Tinubu as commending the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Ibrahim Shuaibu, and all officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for their dedication, professionalism, and steadfast commitment to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

‘The President reaffirmed his Administration’s determination to continue investing in the Armed Forces, ensuring they remain adequately equipped, highly motivated, and fully capable of protecting the nation and guaranteeing the safety and security of all Nigerians,’ the statement said.