Category: PM News

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected reports that it has withdrawn the list of members appointed to its 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, dismissing the claims as mere rumours.

The clarification came from the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, following reports suggesting that the APC had reversed the release of the campaign council’s composition.

Morka, speaking with TheCable on Tuesday, said the party had not made any such decision and would publicly communicate any changes if they became necessary.

He said, ‘It’s rumour. If there is any change to the list, it will be formally announced.’

The APC had recently unveiled its Presidential Campaign Council as part of its preparations for the 2027 presidential election, in which President Bola Tinubu is expected to seek a second term.

The composition of the council has, however, attracted debate within the party, with some members and stakeholders questioning the presence or absence of particular party leaders and other prominent figures.

The Lagos State Government has stepped up efforts to promote voluntary compliance with environmental sanitation laws through sustained engagement with traders, transport operators, market associations, community leaders and other stakeholders across the state.

The initiative, organised through the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), popularly known as Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), brought together representatives of market associations, Community Development Committees (CDCs), environmental health officials and other key stakeholders to strengthen collaboration in addressing environmental sanitation challenges.

Speaking at the stakeholder engagement meeting held on Tuesday, in Oshodi, the Chairman of LAGESC, Olaniyi Olatunbosun, said maintaining a clean, safe and healthy Lagos required more than enforcement, stressing that environmental order could only be sustained through the collective cooperation of residents, institutions and community leaders.

According to him, the engagement was designed to encourage stakeholders to take greater responsibility for reducing environmental infractions within their communities while promoting a culture of voluntary compliance with sanitation regulations.

Olatunbosun said market leaders have an important responsibility to maintain environmental order within marketplaces, while transport unions should encourage their members to comply with sanitation laws and responsible environmental practices.

He added that traditional institutions and community leaders also have significant roles to play by using their influence to promote environmental responsibility among residents.

He urged Lagos residents not only to report environmental violations but also to avoid committing such offences themselves.

‘Residents must report environmental infractions, and more importantly, must refrain from creating those infractions themselves.

‘The media also has an important role to play in educating the public, correcting misinformation and highlighting both the responsibility of citizens and the interventions of government,’ he said.

The LAGESC chairman emphasised that environmental sanitation should be viewed as a shared responsibility rather than an obligation belonging solely to government agencies.

He explained that the stakeholder meeting was not organised merely to communicate government policies or enforcement directives but to create an avenue for dialogue, consultation and the exchange of practical ideas capable of improving environmental sanitation across Lagos.

According to Olatunbosun, stronger cooperation between enforcement agencies and communities would help reduce sanitation violations and encourage residents to embrace voluntary compliance as a civic responsibility.

He also invited stakeholders to contribute constructive criticism and recommendations that could assist the government in improving its environmental sanitation strategies and strengthening relationships between communities and enforcement authorities.

Meanwhile, Olatunbosun disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had approved additional recruitment slots for LAGESC to improve the agency’s operational capacity across the state.

He said the planned recruitment would increase the number of personnel available for deployment at the grassroots and enable the corps to expand its presence in communities across Lagos.

‘The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved and given us some slots to recruit.

‘So very soon, the recruitment will be done, and we’ll be able to cover as much as we can,’ Olatunbosun said.

The stakeholder engagement forms part of the state’s continuing efforts to deepen public participation in environmental sanitation and build stronger partnerships with communities, markets and transport operators in maintaining a cleaner and more orderly Lagos.

Former North-West National Vice Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, Mallam Jafar Ibrahim Sani, has questioned the loyalty of some Northern political leaders over what he described as their limited support for former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, amid his current ordeal.

Sani said the situation had exposed what he described as an increasingly transactional political culture in which relationships thrive when benefits are available but weaken when adversity sets in.

He made the remarks in a statement titled, ‘El-Rufai, The North, Our Elders and the Test of Loyalty.’

According to the ADC chieftain, political differences should not prevent Northern elders and leaders from demanding fairness, justice and due process in matters involving the former governor.

While acknowledging that opinions about El-Rufai differ, Sani argued that his influence on Nigeria’s public and political life could not be ignored.

‘It is therefore concerning to see limited support from some who once stood closest to him. Adversity is precisely when loyalty matters most,’ he said.

Sani maintained that the controversy surrounding El-Rufai should force political leaders to reflect on the kind of relationships and political culture being passed to future generations.

He urged Northern elders, political stakeholders and other influential figures to rise above personal and partisan disagreements and insist that the law be allowed to take its course.

‘If justice is done, it should lead to whatever outcome the law and courts determine, including the lawful release of Mallam El-Rufai where appropriate,’ he said.

The former ADC official stressed that his appeal was not for preferential treatment for the former Kaduna governor, but for adherence to due process irrespective of political affiliations or personal relationships.

Sani also addressed remarks previously attributed to El-Rufai concerning Northern elders, saying the former governor was not suggesting that the region lacked respected elders, scholars, traditional rulers or experienced leaders.

He argued instead that the North must confront deeper questions about development, leadership and the quality of life available to its people.

According to him, the region deserves greater prosperity for its children and a stronger place in the world, but achieving that would require honest reflection, fairness and collective action from its leaders.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to investigate and prosecute Mr Abayomi Hunye for parading himself as its governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun election.

Mr Ayoola Olajolo, APC Director of Administration, signed the petition made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

In the petition, APC urged the police to investigate Hunye and prosecute him for alleged impersonation and other offences arising from his activities.

Olajolo described Hunye as an imposter, saying his actions infringed the law and posed a threat to public peace and electoral integrity.

‘I write to bring to your urgent attention a grave threat to public peace and electoral integrity involving one Mr Abayomi Hunye,’ he said.

According to Olajolo, Hunye had allegedly used print and social media platforms to present himself as the party’s 2027 governorship candidate.

‘The subject has notoriously and unlawfully taken to the public domain, including print and social media, parading himself as the governorship candidate,’ he said.

He described the claim as ‘false, fraudulent, and a deliberate act of impersonation’ capable of misleading the public and destabilising Ogun.

Olajolo said Hunye was suspended from the APC on April 7, 2026, following a written petition from his ward in Ipokia Local Government Area.

He said the suspension was ratified by the party’s Ogun Working Committee and subsequently communicated to the national headquarters.

According to him, the suspension followed allegations of anti-party activities and deliberate actions allegedly aimed at causing disaffection among party members.

‘Our party conducted a valid primary election, and the only recognised governorship candidates for the APC in Ogun are Sen. Adeola Olamilekan and Balogun Kudirat Abiodun,’ he said.

Olajolo identified Olamilekan as the governorship candidate and Kudirat as the deputy governorship candidate recognized by the party.

He urged the I-G to direct the Nigeria Police Force to invite Hunye for questioning over the allegations.

‘He should be prosecuted after investigation for impersonation, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, and violation of the Electoral Act, 2026,’ he said.

Olajolo also urged the police to restrain Hunye from further presenting himself as the party’s candidate.

He said such action would help prevent what he described as a potential breakdown of law and order in Ogun.

The APC Director of Administration pledged the cooperation of the party’s national headquarters and Ogun chapter with the police.

He said the party was prepared to provide additional witness statements and other information required to facilitate the investigation.

Former Kogi West Senator Dino Melaye has threatened legal action over the appointment of Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, to President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 campaign team.

Melaye is challenging Adedeji’s reported appointment as Deputy Director of Fundraising for the presidential campaign, arguing that the role could conflict with his responsibilities as head of the federal revenue agency.

Speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday, the former senator said he intends to test the legality of the appointment in court.

‘Zacch Adedeji cannot be the chairman of the NRS and, at the same time, be a fundraiser for the presidential campaign of a sitting President,’ Melaye said.

He argued that Adedeji, whose appointment as NRS chairman was confirmed by the Senate, remained bound by existing laws and public service regulations.

‘There is a conflict of interest, and we want to test it in a court of law,’ he added.

Melaye went further to accuse the All Progressives Congress and Tinubu of desperation ahead of the 2027 election, allegations that remain his claims and have not been established by any court.

He also questioned the reported inclusion of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in the campaign structure.

‘These people are not serious. These people are corrupt. These people are desperate,’ Melaye alleged.

The former senator also claimed that criticism surrounding the composition of the campaign team prompted a rethink of the list.

According to him, reports that the list had been suspended over omitted names were merely a response to the controversy generated by the appointments.

‘We know it is because of our outcry,’ he said.

Melaye had earlier indicated that he would approach the court over Adedeji’s campaign role, setting the stage for a possible legal test of whether the head of the nation’s revenue agency can simultaneously participate in fundraising for a presidential campaign.

More than 150 terrorists, including commanders, fighters and affiliates, have surrendered to troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai, within the past week, according to the military.

The latest figure marks a sharp rise from the more than 50 terrorists who surrendered during the preceding week, highlighting increased pressure on terrorist networks operating in the North-East.

Acting Military Information Officer, Capt. Mohammed Goni, said the development followed sustained intelligence-driven operations, intensified military action and a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic measures designed to weaken terrorist groups and persuade their members to abandon the insurgency.

‘The significant increase reflects the cumulative impact of sustained intelligence-led operations, intensified military pressure and coordinated kinetic and non-kinetic efforts aimed at degrading terrorist capabilities and encouraging voluntary disengagement from terrorism,’ he said.

Goni said the pressure was increasingly affecting terrorist formations, restricting their movement and disrupting their logistics, supply routes and ability to retain fighters within their enclaves.

He added that some of those who surrendered handed over weapons and ammunition, which he said provided further evidence of the impact of military operations on the groups.

According to him, Operation Hadin Kai’s strategy combines intelligence-led action with strategic communication, civil-military engagement and other non-kinetic measures to disrupt terrorist activities and weaken their support structures.

Goni said the approach was also helping to counter terrorist narratives and persuade more members to abandon the groups.

He described strategic communication as a key component of the military’s campaign, particularly in reaching individuals prepared to renounce terrorism and informing them of the consequences of remaining with terrorist organisations.

He said all those who surrendered had been profiled and documented and were being handled in line with established procedures and applicable laws.

The theatre command, he added, would build on the current momentum to encourage further defections while undermining terrorist recruitment and sustainment networks.

The Military High Command commended the troops for their resilience, discipline and operational effectiveness, urging them to maintain pressure on terrorist elements and restrict their freedom of action across the theatre.

‘Operation Hadin Kai remains resolute in its mission to sustain pressure on terrorist networks, disrupt their capabilities and support structures, protect civilians and create the conditions necessary for the restoration of lasting peace, security and normalcy across the North-East region,’ he said.

President Bola Tinubu poured encomiums on Governor Babagana Zulum describing his as one of the exceptional governors of this dispensation who brought ‘rigour and discipline of academia into governance, introduced landmark reforms, and fostered development in Borno.’

President Bola Tinubu said this in a congratulatory message to Zulum on his birthday on August 25.

The President, in the birthday message signed by Bayo Onanuga, his spokesperson also described the Governor as an ‘academic, visionary, and reformist who has brought stability to Borno and deepened the state’s development.’

President Tinubu also applauded Governor Zulum’s people-centred leadership, particularly his investment in projects with far-reaching impact on human capital development, such as rural clinics, schools, and skill acquisition centres.

He also acknowledged Zulum’s pragmatism and ability to rally minds around a cause and commends his efforts to promote national unity.

‘Governor Zulum is one of the exceptional governors of this dispensation. He brought the rigour and discipline of academia into governance, introduced landmark reforms, and fostered development in Borno. I thank him for his support and encourage him to keep providing exemplary leadership to the people.

‘As he celebrates this birthday, I wish him more years of good health and renewed strength as he continues to serve Borno and the nation,’ the President says.

Nigerian referee Joseph Odey Ogabor has been appointed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to officiate the CAF Champions League preliminary round first-leg match between Medeama SC of Ghana and TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The match will be played on September 6, 2026, at the TNA Stadium in Tarkwa, Ghana. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00pm GMT.

Ogabor will be assisted by fellow Nigerians Tejiri Besmart Digbori and Ahmad Tijjani Mustapha.

Salisu Basheer has been appointed as the fourth official for the encounter.

Gambian Bakary K. Jammeh will serve as the Match Commissioner, while Ivorian Sinko Zeli will work as the Referee Assessor.

The game will be Medeama’s first competitive match of the new season. The Ghana Premier League champions will be hoping to start their continental campaign with a positive result against the experienced TP Mazembe side.

The second leg is scheduled to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo on September 12, 2026.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that President Bola Tinubu has surpassed the performance of every democratically elected Nigerian president during their first terms in office.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, made the assertion on Monday during an interview with Channels Television, where he defended the administration’s economic reforms and overall record.

Morka said the evidence of Tinubu’s achievements could be seen in the country’s economic indicators, despite the difficult conditions he claimed the president inherited.

‘President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has outperformed any president in his first term. He has outperformed any democratically elected president in this country in their terms,’ he said.

Asked to identify the specific indicators behind the claim, Morka pointed to the broader state of the economy.

‘The indicators are res ipsa loquitur as we say in law; they speak for themselves. This president inherited an economy that was completely in a mess,’ he said.

The APC spokesman attributed Nigeria’s economic difficulties to what he described as years of poor governance under previous administrations, particularly the 16-year rule of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the APC took power in 2015.

He described former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as a transition that prevented the country from sliding further into crisis and prepared the ground for Tinubu’s presidency.

‘Buhari was a stopgap president that really came to keep the country from tipping over the precipice from 16 years of horrific maladministration of the PDP government,’ Morka said.

‘President Buhari served his term, did his job to hold the country still for President Tinubu to enter.’

Morka also defended Tinubu’s economic policies, arguing that the reforms had begun to stabilise the economy and produce improvements at the macroeconomic level.

He maintained that the results of the administration’s policies were becoming increasingly noticeable, including among some Nigerians who had initially criticised the government’s approach.

‘The Federal Government says it plans to complete the reconstruction of Lagos’ Carter Bridge within 24 months, bringing forward the original 36-month completion schedule.

Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, disclosed this on Monday during an inspection of the Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge projects in Lagos. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Works, Sen. Mohammed Goronyo, and members of the National Assembly, including the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, Mr Akin Alabi.

Umahi said the decision to accelerate the Carter Bridge project was driven by its importance to Lagos’ transport network.

The 1.58km bridge has been in service for more than six decades, with years of inadequate maintenance contributing to serious structural deterioration.

‘Carter Bridge has stayed for over 60 to 70 years with no maintenance.

‘The lifespan of every bridge is about 50 years, and what we found out from the underwater survey is that a lot of the piles had detached from the pile caps.

‘It is like having the leg removed from the hip. There was also a lot of rust within the piles, while scouring and illegal sand mining contributed to the failure of the bridge,’ he said.

Umahi said a new design had been completed, incorporating features aimed at improving traffic movement and protecting the structure against future deterioration.

He said the redesigned bridge would have additional ramps to ease congestion, while one carriageway would be elevated over the other. A cable-stayed section would also be introduced to provide sufficient clearance for navigation.

‘Carter Bridge is 1.58km but you are going to see aesthetics, engineering and innovation.

‘We are going to be flying one carriageway over the other, increasing the number of ramps to decongest traffic towards the ramp sections.

‘We are also having a cable bridge to contain the 105 spans for navigational activities. It is going to be beautiful,’ Umahi said.

The minister said the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), had completed about 15 per cent of preliminary activities. These include establishing the project yard and constructing access roads.

He added that piling was expected to begin before the end of the week.

Additional measures, including the installation of gabions, will also be used to protect the bridge foundations from erosion and scouring.

According to Umahi, the bridge cannot be shut completely during construction because of its strategic importance to Lagos.

‘If we close Carter Bridge, Lagos will go into katakata (chaos). That is why we are maintaining it while the reconstruction is going on,’ he said.

He said the government was adopting a similar approach on the Third Mainland Bridge, where ongoing intervention was aimed at extending the structure’s lifespan by another 50 years.

Umahi expressed confidence that the reconstructed Carter Bridge would remain functional for more than 100 years because of the additional engineering measures incorporated into its design.

He also commended the contractor for its progress and thanked members of the National Assembly for supporting the project.

Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Olufemi Dare, told the minister that CCECC had mobilised to the site and commenced access road construction. He added that the contractor’s yard had been established and preparations were underway for piling.

Dare also updated the minister on the Iddo Bridge project, saying three spans, numbered 13, 14 and 15, had completely failed and were subsequently replaced.

‘Three days ago, we completed the casting, and the bridge has also been elevated, giving us very good headroom underneath.

‘In another 10 days, after the concrete has cured, we will open this section to traffic and close the other section, after which demolition will start immediately,’ he said.

Dare said drainage and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) works on the Iddo Bridge project were about 90 per cent complete.

He expressed confidence that the intervention would be completed within two months.