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National Youth Wing of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has warned President Bola Tinubu against the alleged planned diversion of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying the decision could have political consequences for the ruling administration in the 2027 general election.

The group, which made its position known at a press briefing in Benin, Edo State, on Tuesday, demanded the immediate reversal of the alleged proposed realignment and restoration of the highway’s original coastal route to ensure that littoral communities across the Niger Delta benefit from the project.

PANDEF National Youth Leader, Hon. DonBen Donyegha, described the planned diversion through the existing East-West Road via Ondo and Edo states as a departure from the original vision of the 750-kilometre highway, which was conceived to connect coastal communities from Lagos to Calabar.

Donyegha faulted the Federal Government’s reported decision, announced by the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, citing difficult terrain, deep pits and high construction costs as reasons for reconsidering sections of the original alignment.

He argued that engineering challenges and financial considerations should not be used to exclude oil-bearing coastal communities that have endured decades of environmental pollution, gas flaring and underdevelopment despite their contributions to the nation’s economy.

The PANDEF youth leader maintained that routing the project inland through the existing East-West Road would undermine its original purpose, insisting that subsequent assurances that the highway had not been abandoned did not address concerns over communities that could be left out by the proposed changes.

The group, therefore, called for transparent consultations involving host communities, state governments and other regional stakeholders before any decision on the route is finalised, stressing that the affected communities deserved to be heard on a project with far-reaching economic and social implications.

Donyegha warned that failure to reconsider the decision could deepen feelings of marginalisation in the Niger Delta and affect the political fortunes of the Tinubu administration in 2027, urging the Federal Government to honour its original commitment to the coastal corridor.

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has dismissed as outlandish allegations of a plot to assassinate the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, had, in an open letter addressed to United States President Donald Trump and the international community, raised an alarm over an alleged plot to intimidate, arrest, detain, and ultimately undermine Atiku’s participation in the forthcoming general elections.

The spokesperson for the APC PCC, Dele Alake, however, challenged Frank to substantiate the allegation.

He also tasked security agencies to invite the erstwhile chieftain of the APC ‘to substantiate the allegation, given its gravity and the urgent need to preserve life.’

The statement assured Nigerians that the former Vice-President enjoys adequate security protection around him, revealing that ‘President Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship, and Deputy Governorship candidates across the country.’

The statement read: ‘ Our attention has been drawn to the statement by Timi Frank, a member of the African Democratic Congress, alleging that the Nigerian Government is plotting to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the ADC.

‘This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove. We thus urge security agencies to invite him to substantiate the allegation, given its gravity and the urgent need to preserve life. We also urge Mr Frank not to hesitate to provide any information in his possession that will enable prompt investigation. Any credible threat to life must be treated seriously, irrespective of political affiliation.

‘We categorically reject the claim that the presidency of Nigeria or the APC Campaign Council is involved in any plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any opposition figure.

‘The narrative that the security personnel attached to former Vice President Atiku have been withdrawn is totally false. The former Vice President is well protected by the police and the Department of State Security. Contrary to the falsehood promoted by Timi Frank, President Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship, and Deputy Governorship candidates across the country.

‘The security around the ADC Presidential candidate has never been compromised. As a former Vice President of Nigeria, he enjoys two levels of state-funded security protection. President Tinubu has increased security protection for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a Presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

‘President Bola Tinubu, as a statesman and an avowed democrat, recognises opposition politics as an essential part of our 27-year-old democracy. For 16 years in Nigeria, President Tinubu was the face of opposition, and he galvanised the opposition movement to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party as a governing party in Nigeria in 2015.

‘Mr Frank’s claim is typical opposition rabble-rousing meant to heat the polity. Many opposition figures, including Timi Frank, have made it a habit to write open letters and tag foreign leaders and international organisations in social media posts to draw undeserved attention to themselves.

‘As we go deeper into the campaign season, politicians and supporters will continue to make outlandish statements and frivolous allegations to gain political advantage.

‘However, we urge candidates, political parties, and supporters to be factual and responsible in public statements and avoid utterances that can trigger avoidable tension in the polity. Let our political competition be peaceful, lawful, and focused on the big issues that matter to Nigerians, not character assassination or wild, baseless allegations.’

The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to intensify its crackdown on the production and sale of fake, adulterated, and substandard food and beverages across the country.

The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement, Hon. Makki Yalleman, in response to growing concerns over the widespread circulation of counterfeit food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, bottled water, and other consumables capable of endangering public health.

‘The House is also concerned that some unscrupulous manufacturers and distributors engage in practices such as counterfeiting established brands, altering labels and expiry dates, using inferior or contaminated raw materials, illegally reusing or refilling containers, and producing food and beverages outside approved regulatory standards thereby posing severe life-threatening public health risks, including acute poisoning, cancer and damages to vital organs like kidney, lung, liver, heart, etc,’ he decried.

To underscore the seriousness of the situation, the House cited recent enforcement operations, including the dismantling of an illegal counterfeit alcohol syndicate at Zamfara Plaza on Lagos Island by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on April 22, 2026.

The lawmakers also recalled the discovery of an illegal, unregistered fruit juice factory in Barakali, Lagos State, by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on September 22, 2026, describing such incidents as evidence of the need for more effective monitoring and enforcement.

The House expressed concern that some manufacturers and distributors allegedly falsify product labels and expiry dates, use contaminated raw materials, and refill containers, exposing unsuspecting consumers to food poisoning and other potentially life-threatening health conditions.

The lawmakers stressed the need for stronger collaboration among NAFDAC, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other relevant agencies to dismantle networks involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit products.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Hon. Ahmed Satome, called for stronger regulatory measures and coordinated national surveillance to check the circulation of counterfeit, adulterated, and contaminated food and beverages in Nigeria.

While lamenting that the sale of substandard products poses a serious threat to public health, consumer protection, and national security, he warned that unsafe food products could cause serious illnesses, long-term health complications, and death.

The lawmaker noted that counterfeit and contaminated products continue to find their way into markets, shops, supermarkets, restaurants, and other distribution channels, putting the lives of unsuspecting Nigerians at risk.

He therefore urged the House to move beyond routine regulation to preventive measures, coordinated national surveillance, and the adoption of technology to improve the detection of substandard food, beverages, and drugs entering the country.

He stressed that food safety should be treated as a matter of protecting human life, calling for stronger collaboration among relevant agencies to safeguard consumers.

Contributing to the motion, Hon. Ibe Osonwa urged regulatory authorities to strengthen enforcement and ensure that the digital product authentication system known as the Green Book is fully functional.

The lawmaker expressed concern that the system, designed to provide a digital database of manufacturers and producers and enable consumers to verify product authenticity, was reportedly not performing its intended role effectively.

Osonwa further cited reports of counterfeit and unsafe products ranging from infant formula and adulterated water to toothpaste, vegetable oil, and sanitary products, warning that the problem extends beyond food and beverages to other essential consumer goods.

Consequently, the House mandated the joint Committees on Health, Industry, Customs, Standards, and Consumer Protection to engage regulatory agencies, assess the scale of the problem, evaluate the effectiveness of existing enforcement measures, and submit their findings and recommendations to the House within four weeks to guide further legislative action.

Controversial Nigerian cleric Chukwuemeka Ohanemere, popularly known as Odumeje, has left social media buzzing after declaring that he will mysteriously vanish rather than experience a conventional death

The cleric, while speaking with his followers, boldly declared that he would not die but would disappear when he had completed his assignment on earth.

Odumeje questioned how people would celebrate him after his death, insisting that his body would not be available for a conventional burial.

‘You can never celebrate me when I am dead. Who would go and put their foot in my burial?. Don’t come and plan a burial for me. I can never die. The only thing I will do when I’m done with my job, I will disappear’, he declared.

Odumeje also described himself with grandiose expressions, referring to himself as a lion and someone destined to become a star.

The Oyo State Government has approved ?1.711 billion as its counterpart funding for the conduct of local government elections scheduled for 29 December 2026 across the state’s 33 local government areas.

The approval was given by the State Executive Council to enable the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) to commence preparations for the chairmanship and councillorship elections.

The Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, disclosed this in a statement following the council’s meeting, adding that the local government councils would provide the remaining 60 per cent of the election funding.

Under the approved arrangement, the 33 local government councils are expected to contribute ?2.566 billion, while the state government will provide ?1.711 billion, bringing the total projected funding to ?4.278 billion.

The December 29 poll is expected to determine the political leadership of the state’s local government areas, with residents set to elect chairmen and councillors.

In a separate decision, the council approved ?437.4 million for the accreditation requirements of the Nursing Programme at Abiola Ajimobi Technical University, as the institution moves towards expanding its academic offerings beyond science and technology.

Oyelade said the university was at the final stage of the accreditation process, warning that failure to meet the professional accreditation deadline could put the investment already made in the programme at risk.

He disclosed that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde had spent more than ?3 billion on acquiring equipment for the programme’s take-off.

The commissioner explained that the additional funding was intended to support the university’s diversification drive and strengthen its capacity to become financially self-sustaining.

The State Executive Council also approved ?6.744 billion as the state government’s 50 per cent counterpart contribution to the construction, renovation and equipping of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Oyo Annex.

Oyo East Local Government Area is expected to provide the other 50 per cent, bringing the total project funding to ?13.489 billion.

According to the statement, the decision was informed by the need to improve healthcare access in Oyo and neighbouring communities. It noted that about 70 per cent of patients receiving services at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, reportedly come from Oyo and its environs.

The council commended Makinde for his cooperation with the 33 local government councils and his development initiatives as his administration approaches the end of its tenure in May 2027.

The approval of the election funding comes as OYSIEC is expected to intensify preparations for the 29 December polls, which will determine the next set of elected officials at the grassroots level.