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A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Edo State, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, has resigned his membership of the party.

He announced his resignation in a letter to the chairman of Ward 12, Ovia North-East Local Government of the state, Mr. Osaigbovo Godspower.

He said his decision to dump the PDP was not driven by animosity but by conviction and continued commitment to the service of his people.

According to him, ‘Politics, at its best, is a vehicle for service and representation, a means through which leaders express their commitment to the welfare of the people.

‘However, as the dynamics of the Nigerian political landscape continue to evolve. I find it

necessary to seek a new platform that aligns more closely with my vision and desire to continue serving my people effectively.

‘In doing so, I remain guided by my philosophy of ‘Aiguiyekampe’ – politics is without bitterness. My decision is driven by conviction, not animosity, and by a continued commitment to the service of our people,’ he said.

He therefore expressed appreciation to the party for the opportunities and experiences afforded him in the past.

The ally of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, did not state his next destination. Independent findings however indicated that he is on his way to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Uzamere who represented Edo South Senatorial District at the National Assembly between from 2007 to 2015, was first elected on the platform of the PDP in 2007.

He, however, decamped to the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), sometime in September 2010, when he was quoted to have said that the ticket of the then ruling PDP was as worthless as the Zimbabwe dollars.

His letter to the Senate, which was read by the then Senate President, David Mark, stated that the crisis in Edo PDP made him switch party to enable him successfully pursue his political ambition.

Uzamere who won the ticket of the ACN and second term in the Senate in 2011, later ditched his then APC for the PDP.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has warned that Nigeria’s greatest future wars may not be fought with bullets, but with lies, fake images, and AI-generated videos.

Oluyede sounded the alarm on Tuesday in Abuja during the Directorate of Army Public Relations’ quarterly seminar, saying fake news and deepfakes now pose a major threat to national security and the success of military operations.

Represented by Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Abdullahi, Commander of the Army Cyber Warfare Command, the COAS said misinformation has become a digital weapon capable of dividing the country faster than any insurgent attack.

‘With the rise of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, fake news, manipulated images, and deepfakes now pose real threats to national cohesion and operational integrity,’ he said.

He added that modern conflicts are now fought both on the ground and online, where false narratives can weaken public trust and morale.

‘Victory today is not won solely on the battlefield. Increasingly, it is fought in the information domain – where narratives, perceptions, and public confidence are decisive,’ he warned.

Oluyede called on journalists and military information officers to work together to combat misinformation, emphasizing that truth is now a critical tool for national defense.

‘While weapons win battles, truth and trust win wars,’ he added.

Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lt.-Col. Appolonia Anele, echoed the warning, saying fake news and deepfakes now carry as much danger as enemy propaganda in active war zones.

She stressed that only verified, fact-checked reporting can protect the country from manipulation and panic.

The Army’s warning comes as artificial intelligence continues to blur the line between reality and fiction – allowing fake videos and audio to mislead the public, distort facts, and endanger national stability.

Nigeria and Argentina will, once again, set the global football stage alight as the Round of 16 of this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals commence in Chile on Wednesday evening.

Both countries have fought memorable battles in the FIFA World Cup finals, FIFA U20 World Cup finals and at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament, but the most recent remains Nigeria’s spectacular 2-0 defeat of the Albiceleste in a Round of 16 encounter when Argentina hosted the FIFA U20 World Cup finals two years ago.

Ibrahim Muhammad and Haliru Sarki got the goals that stunned the hosts and upturned the prediction of most pundits, with the Flying Eagles marching ahead to the quarter-finals where they lost in extra time to the Republic of Korea.

Two decades ago, the Flying Eagles narrowly lost 1-2 to the Argies in the FIFA U20 World Cup Final in The Netherlands, both Argentine goals coming through penalty kicks converted by Lionel Messi, while Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi scored a brilliant goal for Nigeria.

Argentina have won the FIFA U20 World Cup six times, while Nigeria have finished with the silver medals twice (1989 and 2005) and the bronze once (1985), but there will be no inferiority complex on the part of the seven-time African champions when they take the pitch of the Estadio Nacional Julio Martinez Pradanos in Santiago from 8.30pm Nigeria time on Wednesday.

Self-belief, sense of purpose and pride, and resilience got the wards of Aliyu Zubair through the group stage, with four points off Saudi Arabia and Colombia, and the Colombians are unlikely to forget how the West Africans dominated a game they (Colombia) were tipped to easily win.

Thrice, the Flying Eagles struck the bar in the encounter at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca, and earned a deserved point at the end when captain Daniel Bameyi cooly converted a penalty kick conceded in desperation by the South Americans as the tireless Nigerian attack went on the rampage once more.

Coach Zubair must pick a new man to team up with Tahir Maigana and Kparobo Arierhi in the fore, with Suleman Sani suspended after accumulating two yellow cards in the group stage.

The Flying Eagles arrived in Santiago from Talca on Monday evening, and will conduct a training session on Tuesday evening ahead of the clash with the Argies.

President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology Establishment Bill 2025, and the National Library Trust Fund Establishment Amendment Bill 2025 recently passed by the National Assembly.

The President declined assent to the two bills in two separate in two sperate letters addressed to President of Senate, Mr Godswill Akpabio and read at plenary on Tuesday.

Tinubu in the letter on the bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, said it was tainted with fundamental defects.

He said:

‘I convey to the senate, my decision to decline assent to the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology Bill 2025.

‘The rationale for my decision is that the bill is tainted with fundamental defects.

‘Section 18 of the bill expands the source of funding the National Transport Logistics Research to include one per cent of freight on every import and every export from Nigeria without their approval.

‘In addition, the bill is tainted by the Federal Executive Council, and more so, when the Institute is to be funded by the Federal Government itself.

‘Section 21, 2 empowers the institute to borrow by way of loan or overdraft without the consent of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, except where the amount to be borrowed is above N50 million.

‘In the extant act, borrowing can be made with the approval of the President, the removal of the approval of the President has not been explained or justified.

‘The provision could be abused as the incident could have been a major one, or a financial violation of its responsibility, this will amount to serious financial abuse,’ he said.

On section 23, 4, on power to invest surplus funds, the President stated that since the institute is to be funded by the Federal Government and money appropriated by the government for any agency usually projected and accounted for, it is unlikely to have surpluses.

‘The issue of investing surplus funds is usually applicable to agencies that have a surplus fund that is not funded by the federal government of Nigeria but generates revenue to spend.

‘In addition, section 21 states that it is the surplus fund of the Institute that should be invested, while section 23 states that any of the institute’s funds could be invested.

‘This can allow funds other than surpluses to be diverted for investment purposes, from original purposes.

‘Section 18 requires money in the form to be applied toward promotion of the objectives and functions of the act,it does not include or recognise the investment of the funds of the institute.

‘This seems contradictory to section 23, which proposes to allow the institute to put surplus funds.’

On the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Amendment Bill 2025, the President cited ambiguity in the bill with existing laws and policies.

According to the President ,the bill contradicts core government policies on funding of public agencies, taxation, public service remuneration, and age and tenure limits for public servants.

He said that enacting the bill in its current form would create an unsustainable precedent against public interest.

Akpabio thanked President Tinubu for taking time to go through each and every bill passed by the national assembly, sent to the executive for assent.

‘This is very very impressive because it means that the executive took time to go through the bills.

‘We will do justice to all the observations in the bill,’ he said.

UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has dismissed a stinging comparison made by LBC host Nick Ferrari, who likened her leadership struggles to those of Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim.

Ferrari made the remark during a live interview on Tuesday, suggesting that Badenoch, like Amorim keeps ‘asking for more time’ while presiding over losses.

‘If this was football, Mrs Badenoch, you need to look across to Old Trafford. The manager of Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, keeps saying, ‘Give me time,’ and keeps losing matches. You’re losing councillors, you’re losing support, you’re losing members. You are the Ruben Amorim of politics,’ Ferrari said.

The comment came a day after Badenoch addressed the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, where she urged members to stay united despite mounting internal pressure and defections to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party.

Rejecting the comparison, Badenoch said her leadership was focused on rebuilding the party after years of setbacks.

‘Well, that is certainly not the case,’ she replied. ‘What we are doing is shedding a lot of the baggage of the last 14 years. We need people in the party who are here for the right reasons.’

The Conservatives are currently polling at around 17 percent according to YouGov, one of their lowest ratings in decades, as frustration grows within party ranks.

Meanwhile, Amorim himself has been under intense scrutiny from Manchester United fans after 17 defeats in just 36 games. Football legends Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney have both questioned his tactics, with Scholes saying the manager is ‘getting too much time.’

Ferrari’s quip has since sparked debate online, with observers joking that both Badenoch and Amorim may be ‘leading struggling teams in need of a reset.’

Nigerian medical doctor and media personality Egemba Chinonso Fidelis, popularly known as Aproko Doctor, has spoken about a a common practice of referring to kids as ‘My wife’ or ‘My husband.

The doctor on his X handle spoke against the practice, stating that adults should stop such acts.

‘Adults should stop referring to kids as ‘my husband’ or ‘my wife’. Stop it,’ he wrote.

Aproko Doctor’s opinion stirred reactions from users with some supporting the statement. While some users argued that the term is only used as an harmless form of endearment for kids, other stated that the term indirectly supports pedophilia and molestation.

Nigerian singer and songwriter Adekunle Gold has expressed excitement as a street was named in his honour in Lagos State.

A video shared on social media showed the ‘Party No Dey Stop’ crooner, his wife Simi, and their daughter unveiling the new street sign labeled ‘Adekunle Kosoko Street.’

In the video, the music star could be seen all smiles as he posed with his family during the unveiling ceremony.

Sharing the clip on his official Instagram page, Adekunle Gold wrote:

‘The city that raised me now carries my name. Thank you Lord for my many blessings.’

Adekunle Gold, whose real name is Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko, has continued to make waves in the Afrobeats industry.

U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that embattled rapper and music mogul, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, reached out to him with a special request following his recent sentencing.

Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump disclosed that Diddy had personally sought his intervention. But the president hinted he might not be so quick to act.

‘A lot of people have asked me for pardons,’ Trump said. ‘I call him Puff Daddy; he has asked me for a pardon. But you know, it’s hard to do.’

The revelation comes just days after a U.S. District Court judge sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison in his federal sex-crimes case. The hip-hop mogul has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.

Trump, however, suggested that past tensions between both men could complicate things.

‘I was friendly with him. He seemed like a nice guy. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile,’ Trump said. ‘It makes it more difficult to do.’

The president’s comments have since stirred debate on whether Diddy could receive clemency despite his legal troubles and whether personal history will stand in the way of forgiveness.

Prof. Mahmmood Yakubu has explained why he decided to bow out as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while enumerating his achievements in the nearly 10 years he has been in office.

Yakubu said his decision to bow out of INEC was to pave way for the appointment of a new chairman.

Yakubu had, on Tuesday, stepped down and handed over to a national commissioner, Ms May Agbamuche-Mbu, as acting Chairman of the commission.

The brief hand over ceremony took place during the commission’s regular consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Yakubu said that his bowing out would also enable the person taking over to quickly settle down to the task of conducting elections and electoral activities.

He said that he knew the enormity of the challenges ahead, having been privileged to serve the commission for 10 years, with only a few more weeks remaining for him to serve.

‘I have taken a decision and conveyed the same as provided by Section 36, Subsections 1 and 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.

‘In the interim, I am handing over to one of the most senior national commissioners by date of appointment.

‘Following consultation with other national commissioners, Ms May Agbamuchembu will serve in acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chairman of the commission.

‘I hope that this will afford the appointing authorities adequate time to appoint a new chairman.

‘It will also enable the new chairman to quickly settle down to the task of conducting elections and electoral activities in Africa’s most demographically and logistically complex environment,” he said.

Yakubu expressed appreciation to members of the commission and RECs for the excellent working relations they shared.

He noted that since 2015, he had worked with 24 national commissioners and 67 RECs.

He said that he would forever cherish the support of successive secretaries and staff of INEC nationwide.

‘Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s enormous responsibilities, sometimes on the verge of breaking down,” he recalled.

Yakubu also appreciated the support of the National Assembly, political parties, the National Peace Committee, civil society, the media, the labour unions, security agencies, National Youth Service Corps and other stakeholders.

‘Above all, I thank Nigerians for their comments as well as criticisms which encouraged rather than discouraged us to persevere,” he said.

He noted that over the years, INEC, under his watch, achieved a lot in responding to challenges and introducing many innovations.

Yakubu added that the commission also consolidated the biometric register of voters and replaced many of INEC’s manual processes with digital platforms and applications.

These, according to him, include the nomination of candidates, submission of polling and collation agents by political parties, accreditation of national and international observers, and the media for elections, voter accreditation and result management.

He added that with the support of development partners, INEC had introduced various technologies to improve diverse aspects of election management, such as the easy location of election facilities.

Others were management of collation and returning officers, virtual training of electoral staff, management of political parties’ finances and audits as well as the overall monitoring of elections using our Election Monitoring and Support Center, (EMSC).

Yakubu said while tremendous progress was made under him, a lot more still needed to be done.

He stated that the commission was already preparing for Anambra governorship election holding in November and the FCT Area Council election as well as Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in 2026.

He said that in addition to those off-cycle elections, INEC already commenced preparations for some of the major activities for the 2027 general elections, while awaiting the enactment of a new Electoral Act.

‘The bill is currently before the National Assembly. It is expected that electoral reforms contained in the new act will necessitate further review of our regulations and guidelines, as well as the manuals for elections.

‘Beyond these reviews, the commission needs to further clean up the voters’ register, review the locations of some of the polling units, and allotment of voters to them.

‘The management of party primaries is another major area of activity. You may recall that for the last general election in 2023, the Commission processed the nomination of over 20,000 candidates.

‘Furthermore, election logistics involving the procurement, production and transportation of huge quantities of materials by road, by air and by sea are monumental undertakings,” he said.

In her brief response, the acting INEC chairman, Agbamuche-Mbu, commended Yakubu for setting high record during his tenure as the commission’s chairman.

‘We acknowledge the significant contributions and achievements made by Yakubu during his tenure, in particular his hard work and dedication in serving our country meritoriously.

‘We wish you God’s guidance in your future endeavours. As you step down, we pray for greater success in whatever you set out to do.

‘We are confident that history will judge you very well,” she said.

Agbamuche-Mbu assured Yakubu that the commission would do its best to maintain and uphold the standards he had set.

‘I pledge to uphold the integrity of the commission and work with utmost professionalism, dedication and in unity with the honourable commissioners, the RECs, the directors, all the staff of INEC nationwide,’ she said.

The acting chairman also pledged to work with the stakeholders to ensure the success and growth of the commission.

Highlights of the occasion included presentation of presented two books entitled: ‘Election Management in Nigeria 2015-2025”, a compendium of all activities carried out in the last 10 years under his watch and’Electoral Technology 2015-2025”.

Yakubu, thereafter, signed his official handing over notes and presented them to Agbamuche-Mbu.

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has assured Nigerians that Calabar is fully prepared and safe to host the 2026 Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA) competition.

He gave this assurance on Tuesday while leading a NUGA delegation and the management team of the University of Calabar on an inspection tour of facilities at the UJ Esuene Stadium.

Otu described Calabar as a peaceful, youth-friendly, and welcoming city with a beautiful environment suitable for hosting major sporting events.

‘The field we are standing on today has produced some of Nigeria’s greatest football legends like Uwenm Ekarika, Etim Essien, and John Okon,’ he said. ‘The first captain of the national football team was also from Calabar.’

The governor expressed joy that NUGA is returning to Calabar after 35 years, adding that he is confident the event will be successful.

He praised the Executive Secretary of the NUGA 2026 Local Organising Committee (LOC), Dorncklaimz Enamhe, for his dedication and commitment, saying he trusts him to deliver a memorable event.

Otu also highlighted Calabar’s strong sports history, noting that it was the first city in Nigeria where football was played.

He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to promoting sports and restoring its pride of place in the state.

Enamhe said that Calabar has some of the best sports facilities in Nigeria, including the greenest stadium, a top basketball court, and an Olympic-size swimming pool.

He added that the city is home to top table tennis players and Africa’s biggest carnival, which creates opportunities for youth engagement.

He described the return of NUGA to Calabar as a major milestone for the state and its people.