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Weeks back, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the final list of candidates qualified to contest Senate seats in the 2027 general elections as submitted by the 18 political parties participating in the electioneering, after vetting. What were some of the takeaways?

A total of 1,301 candidates across the political parties are vying to occupy the 109 available seats in the Red Chamber of the Nigerian National Assembly. Viewed closely, that comes to between 11 and 12 candidates vying for each of the 109 seats spread across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The INEC list, except for the one or two windows provided by the Electoral Act, 2026 for possible alterations, is a Fait accompli, a sealing that may not be reopened, going to the polls. It means even for sitting senators in the current 10th Senate, who wish to return in 2027, but whose names are not on the list, it’s farewell.

The elections (Presidential and National Assembly) are fixed for January 16, 2027, less than four months away. From the INEC list, at least 52 of the serving senators are not listed, for re-election an indication that they will not contest the elections, unless their parties explore the aforementioned windows.

Furthermore, not all the 57 of the serving senators who made the list have the guarantee of winning the polls in January, implying that the turnover in the 11th Assembly will increase after the number of the losers have been added to the 52, who will not contest the poll at all.

Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2026, dealing with withdrawal of candidates, states: ‘A candidate may withdraw his candidature by notice in writing signed by him together with a sworn affidavit delivered personally by the candidate to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal and the sworn affidavit to the Commission not later than 90 days to the election.’

The related provision on replacement is Section 33, which provides:

‘A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under Section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate…’

Thus, the 90-day rule in Section 31 concerns the deadline for transmitting a candidate’s withdrawal and sworn affidavit to INEC. Section 33 then permits substitution only where the candidate had died or withdrawn, subject to the conditions that follow in that section.

The Act separately requires INEC to publish the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated at least 60 days before election day under Section 32(1).

The Presidential and National Assembly polls will be held on January 16, 2027 and still give political parties the window to make amendments, replacement, withdrawal of candidates as the case may be. It’s about the only opportunity left for the 52 senators not listed by INEC to rekindle their hopes of participating in the elections and returning next year, else their fate has been sealed.

Let’s clarify here that some senators won’t be returning not necessarily because they failed to secure tickets but for the reason that they are aspiring for other offices, especially the governorship seat of their states.

However, the majority won’t be returning because having lost their primaries, their efforts to secure tickets on platforms other than their original political parties also fell flat, leaving them with no choices but to lick their wounds. In some cases too, senators simply stepped down to avoid a clash with their governors who had indicated interest to take over their seats and had gone ahead to pick the tickets. They know they will be fighting a losing battle by attempting to swim against the tide!

Cases that come to mind

In Ogun State for instance, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Ademola Solomon Olamilekan, will exit the Senate, having secured the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Whatever happens in January, Olamilekan can only go to the Ogun State Government House in May 2027, if he wins the governorship seat, not the Senate.

In the same Ogun State, former governor Gbenga Daniel won’t return for the Ogun-East seat because governor Dapo Abiodun will contest the poll in Daniel’s place, having picked the ticket of the APC for the seat.

In Nasarawa State, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC), Senator Aliyu Wadada, is gunning for the governorship in 2027, having won the APC’s ticket.

In Imo State, the chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, Senator Osita Izunaso’s Imo-West ticket was ceded to governor Hope Uzodinma, while a similar situation played out in Yobe and Gombe States, among others, where sitting governors took over the Senate tickets from the present occupants.

As for Sokoto state, former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is among the 52 outgoing senators won’t return because the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant stepped down for a young contestant in a power-sharing understanding of his current political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

However, the list also shows that in some states, all three current senators secured tickets and have hopes of returning in 2027 among the 57on the INEC list.

In Lagos State, Senator Adetokumbo Abiru (Lagos-East); Senator Adebule Idiat Oluranti (Lagos-West); and Senator Sanni Eshilokun (Lagos-Central) have return tickets and chances of being part of the 11th Assembly.

In Ekiti, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti-Central); the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (Ekiti-South); and Senator Fasuyi Cyril Oluwole (Ekiti-North)- all have return tickets.

The story is not different in the Senate President’s (Godswill Akpabio) home state, Akwa Ibom, where Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North-West); Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa-Ibom North-East); and Senator Ekong Sampson (Akwa Ibom-South) also have return tickets.

All three senators in Borno State, including Mohammed Ali Ndume, are among the 57 serving lawmakers shortlisted by INEC for the 2027 elections.

How will the turnover in 2027 compare?

It’s still unclear how the final turnover figure will tally in 2027 after the polls. What has been established is that at least 57 serving senators will contest the polls but there is no guarantee that all of them will win.

In the 7th Assembly (2011-2015), about 76 senators failed to return to the 8th Assembly (2015-2019), representing the highest turnover in recent years. In the 8th Assembly, 41 senators did not return to the 9th Assembly (2019-2023), while in the current 10th Assembly, 55 senators couldn’t make it from the 9th Assembly.

With 57 senators qualified to contest the elections for the 11th Assembly, the scenario confirms the consistency of high turnover of senators over time, though there is uncertainty over whether the 10th Assembly will record the heaviest losses until after the electioneering.

Observers blame the unfolding on reported manipulation, scheming and greed orchestrated by powerful and influential forces across the country, added to the unimpressive performance of many senators, who may not return, especially in districts where the electorate actually wield the power to determine their fate.

According to a Political Analyst, Dr Samuel Magdugu, one major factor that worked against some senators this season was the reported ‘manipulation’ of the process leading to the primaries by state governors in particular.

‘I think the idea of consensus, which was adopted in most of the instances, was deliberately planned to scheme a lot of contestants out.

‘Where you had governors participating and breathing down on party faithful to decide on who should take the ticket, the fate of those not in their good books was long decided’, Magdugu remarked.

He holds the view that political parties must be built and strengthened as organisations on their own to be able to withstand pressure or ‘control by money-bag politicians as we see happening today.’

On his part, Alhaji Lawan Ibrahim, a grassroots politician, castigates the current crop of senators for being ‘yes men’ to the Executive amid the crippling hunger, insecurity and general hardship in the country.

‘Of course, there are constituencies and senatorial districts where the people decide the fate of the candidates. The performance, to tell the truth, has been low in many states’, he said.

He spoke more: ‘But, what do you hear daily? These same lawmakers keep praise-singing the excesses of the system that has unleashed this suffering on the people. It didn’t come as a surprise that they would be thrown out.’

In short, the INEC list and the new Electoral Act together signal a likely reshaping of the Red Chamber in 2027: with at least 52 incumbents excluded from the ballot and many more facing unpredictable contests, the 11th Senate looks set for significant turnover.

Whether driven by governors’ influence, poor performance, or ambitions for other offices, the huge turnover reflects deeper strains in party structures and voter impatience. This will leave the electorate and the political elite to reckon with a Senate whose composition and mandate may change markedly.

The Rivers State Government has cancelled the Independence Day parade scheduled to mark Nigeria’s 66th anniversary, in line with the approach adopted by the Federal Government for this year’s celebration.

The state government, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Dagogo Wokoma, said the anniversary would instead be observed in a modest and purposeful manner.

The government said the decision was to reflect the solemnity of the occasion and the shared responsibility of building a stronger Nigeria.

It congratulated the people of Rivers State and Nigerians at home and abroad on the 66th Independence anniversary, urging them to mark the occasion with patriotism, reflection and renewed commitment to peace, unity and progress.

The statement wished Nigerians a happy 66th Independence anniversary.

Law graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) have appealed to the House of Representatives to intervene in their inability to proceed to the Nigerian Law School despite completing their university law programme.

The graduates made the appeal before the House Committee on Public Petitions, where they expressed concern over the rejection of their names for mobilisation to the Nigerian Law School.

Presenting the petition, a representative of the affected graduates, Dr Adeniyi Oladele, said they approached the university after graduation to have their names submitted for mobilisation to the Nigerian Law School but were informed that the list containing their names had been rejected.

Oladele said repeated efforts by the affected graduates to obtain clarification and resolve the matter had yielded no result, leaving many of them uncertain about their professional future.

‘Upon graduation from National Open University as a backlog of law graduates of the same school, we approached the university for mobilisation to be given admission into the Nigerian Law School. We were informed that the list containing our names was rejected,’ he told the committee.

According to him, the graduates had spent several years pursuing their law education but were unable to proceed to the next stage of professional training because they had not been given a clear explanation for the rejection.

‘We spent a lot of years in pain and confusion, yet no answer to the reason of our rejection was given to us,’ he said.

The petitioners also told the committee that graduates of NOUN had previously been mobilised to the Nigerian Law School, completed their professional training, passed the requisite examinations and were subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar.

They argued that the existence of NOUN law graduates who had successfully completed the Nigerian Law School process and were now practising as lawyers raised questions about the status of those affected by the current mobilisation impasse.

While acknowledging the regulatory powers of the Council for Legal Education (CLE) over professional legal education and admission to the Nigerian Law School, the petitioners urged the House to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rejection of their names and facilitate a resolution of the matter.

Responding on behalf of NOUN, Professor Shio Usman Ademo confirmed that the university had received the petition and submitted its response to the issues raised.

‘Yes, Mr Chairman, we received the petition and we have filed our response,’ Ademo told the committee.

He explained that on November 5, 2019, NOUN received a letter from the Council for Legal Education permitting 1,888 students of the university to proceed to the Nigerian Law School.

According to him, the Council subsequently directed the university to stop admitting new students into its law programme pending the resolution of certain regulatory issues.

‘The university agreed and stopped admitting new law students. However, even if we do not admit new ones, Mr Chairman, we still have students in the pipeline,’ he said.

The committee subsequently sought clarification on the number of law students who were already enrolled and active when the directive to stop fresh admissions was issued.

Ademo said NOUN had more than 500,000 students across its various programmes at the time, while more than 5,000 law students were active when the directive was issued.

The committee directed the university representative to provide the list of the affected students.

When asked whether he had the list available, Ademo replied: ‘Yes, I have the CD here, with the list.’

The committee thereafter directed him to submit the list in soft copy for further examination.

The lawmakers also questioned the university representative on the academic performance and progression of NOUN law students who had previously proceeded to the Nigerian Law School.

Responding to a question on whether NOUN students had sat for Nigerian Law School examinations, Ademo said they had participated in the examinations and recorded successful performances.

He explained that NOUN students who participated in the examinations were sampled and that a significant percentage performed successfully, with some subsequently called to the Nigerian Bar and now practising as lawyers.

The committee further sought clarification on the duration of NOUN’s law programme.

Ademo said the minimum duration was five years, explaining that the institution’s open and distance-learning structure allowed students to defer their studies and return later to complete their programmes.

He said the flexibility was designed to accommodate students who might have legitimate or urgent reasons to interrupt their studies before resuming.

The hearing also touched on the case of a NOUN law student who travelled to Canada and was admitted into a Canadian law school. The university representative indicated that the Council for Legal Education subsequently raised an objection concerning the student’s status.

To this end, the committee requested the list of affected students for further legislative action, as well as the number of graduates potentially caught up in the mobilisation impasse.

Sadiq Abubakar, the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Gombe State, has challenged his counterpart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), supported by Nyesom Wike, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, to participate in a public political debate ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

Abubakar issued this challenge in a statement made available to reporters in Bauchi on Wednesday.

He believes that the proposed debate would offer both politicians the chance to present their ideas, policies, and vision for the development of Gombe State to the public.

Abubakar emphasised that a public debate would enable citizens to evaluate the intellectual capacities, understanding of governance, and policy priorities of the candidates, rather than relying solely on campaign rhetoric.

Additionally, he stated that this event would provide an opportunity for the people of Gombe State to hear directly from the candidates about the issues affecting their communities and how they plan to address them if elected.

Abubakar argued that political debates are essential for democratic development as they allow candidates to engage directly on matters of public interest and give voters the opportunity to compare their ideas and proposed solutions.

The NDC governorship candidate therefore called on Isa Pantami to accept the challenge, adding that the debate should focus on issues affecting the state and the welfare of its people.

He further stated that he believed the engagement would go beyond personal or partisan interests, describing it as an opportunity to place the future of Gombe State at the centre of political discourse.

Sadiq Abubakar, a former National Youth Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), defected from the party in 2026 and subsequently emerged as the NDC’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Gombe State.

Pantami, a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, also emerged as a major figure in the 2027 Gombe governorship contest.

Recent reports, however, identify him as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate following his departure from the APC.

The proposed debate, if accepted, could provide a public platform for the two candidates to outline their respective programmes and positions on governance, economic development, education, healthcare, security, employment and other issues affecting the people of Gombe State.

The senatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the Ondo Central District, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, on Wednesday, dismissed speculation that his recent political moves were the product of an alliance with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

Akinyelure, who stated this in Akure during a media parley, explained that he had no political understanding with Governor Aiyedatiwa or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), maintaining that his decision to leave the party followed its refusal to give him the ticket to contest the 2027 senatorial election.

Akinyelure, who represented Ondo Central in the 7th and 8th National Assemblies, said his recent meeting with Aiyedatiwa was neither a political negotiation nor an attempt to secure the governor’s backing, stressing that the meeting was unrelated to any political alliance between them.

The Senator, who has since joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the clarification became necessary following speculations that his recent meeting with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa was an indication of a political alliance between them.

Akinyelure said Aiyedatiwa had been direct with him that the APC had already settled on its preferred candidate for the Ondo Central senatorial ticket and that he would not be given the opportunity to contest the primary.

He said rather than make false promises, the governor told him the situation as it was, a development he said he appreciated.

‘The only thing I needed was to know whether the party would give me the ticket back to the Senate because I believe I am the most qualified person to represent Ondo Central.

‘The governor told me they had already considered who they wanted to give the ticket to and that I could not get it.

‘I thanked him for telling me the truth. If he wanted to deceive me, he would have promised support during the primary. At least, he was honest with me, so no political pact.’

The former lawmaker said the development left him with the choice of either abandoning his political ambition or seeking another platform, adding that his decision to join the ADC was driven by his desire to remain politically relevant and continue representing the interests of his constituents.

According to him, political relevance was necessary for him to continue attracting opportunities and contributing to the development of Ondo Central.

‘It’s only when you stay there for long that you become very relevant to your constituents. I want to remain relevant and continue to serve my people.

‘If a political party refuses to give you a ticket, you look for where your interest and the interest of your people will be protected.’

Akinyelure also sought to draw a distinction between his present political movement and his previous experience in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressing that he remained with the party even after losing its primary election.

He said he rejected pressure from political associates to immediately defect after losing the primary, arguing that his decision was guided by what he described as political integrity.

‘In my training, integrity is the highest calling. PDP gave me a mandate, and I completed that mandate before leaving,’ he said.

Akinyelure said he resigned his PDP membership on May 30, 2023, with the resignation taking effect on June 12, after completing his four-year mandate.

He said the ADC subsequently approached him with an offer to join the party and contribute to its development, adding that his movement to the opposition platform became necessary after his exit from the APC.

‘Before then, ADC came to me and said there was a seat for me and that they needed my political value to help build the party. Since APC gave me a red card, I had to move to where my interest and the interest of my people would be protected,’ he said.

The former senator also rejected suggestions that his defection was necessarily tied to any emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said his immediate concern was securing a platform through which he could seek another mandate and provide what he described as effective representation to the people of Ondo Central.

According to him, voters should judge candidates based on their records and capacity to represent them rather than solely on party affiliation.

‘Anybody in Ondo Central who believes I represented them well can vote for me irrespective of their political party. Whether APC, ADC, Labour Party or SDP, what matters is good representation,’ he said.

Akinyelure also explained his meeting with Aiyedatiwa at the Government House Chapel, saying he used the occasion to urge the governor to protect the integrity of the electoral process in the state.

He said his message to the governor was that, as the state’s chief security officer, he should ensure that voters were allowed to freely determine who represented them at the federal and state levels.

‘I told the governor, as the chief security officer of the state, to ensure that the votes of the people count in the North, Central and South Senatorial Districts. That was my message. I was not invited for any political arrangement,’ he said.

The former senator further said he remained more interested in elective office than political appointments, arguing that elected officials were directly accountable to the electorate and enjoyed constitutionally defined tenure.

‘If you are given a federal appointment today, you can be removed tomorrow. But when you are democratically elected, it is only death or constitutional processes that can remove you before the end of your tenure. That is why I prefer elective office,’ he said.

Akinyelure said his ambition to return to the Senate was also motivated by what he described as unfinished legislative business from his previous tenure.

He said some bills and initiatives he started while in the National Assembly remained incomplete and that he hoped to revisit them if given another opportunity to serve.

‘There are bills that I am supposed to conclude. That will be one of my priorities when I return to the Senate. I have unfinished work in the National Assembly and many things on my mind for the development of Ondo Central,’ he said.

On the 2027 political contest, Akinyelure said his priority would remain the development of Ondo Central irrespective of the individual who eventually emerges as Nigeria’s president.

He maintained that his experience in government and political relationships at the national level would enable him to pursue federal projects and opportunities for the senatorial district.

‘Whoever becomes president, I know how to navigate and get what belongs to Ondo Central. My concern is the welfare and development of my people,’ Akinyelure said.

itel, the technology empowerment brand for masses, officially unveiled its new product A300+, brand’s first interactive dual-screen smartphone in its price range. itel A300+ comes with a comprehensive set of features – a 7000mAh marathon battery, IP65 military-grade durability, and satellite communication capability, demonstrating that innovation and complete product strength can coexist at an accessible price point.

A First-of-Its-Kind Rear Screen Experience: Interactive Innovation for a New Generation

itel A300+ coming with an interactive rear display is a rare feature in this price category, designed to deliver a smart entertainment experience for young generations. Far from being a cosmetic gimmick, the rear screen provides practical functions built around real everyday scenarios. Users can frame selfies using the higher-quality rear camera with a live preview on the back screen, glance at incoming messages and alerts without waking the main display, and play, pause, or skip tracks directly from the rear screen. The rear display also supports customizable clocks, photos, and designs, giving users a personal window to express their individual style. Complementing the rear screen, the A300+ features a 6.78-inch immersive punch-hole main display, offering a cleaner, more expansive viewing experience for streaming, gaming, browsing, and social media.

Performance and Value in Balance: Delivering Fresh Technology Despite Industry Pressure

Even amid rising industry costs, itel has chosen to bring fresh technology to its products while continuously improving performance and keeping pricing accessible. The A300+ is powered by a 7000mAh marathon battery engineered for long-term reliability, supporting up to 1,200 charging cycles – far exceeding the industry standard, and designed to retain healthy capacity. AI Charging Protection intelligently manages charging patterns to reduce battery degradation, while Smart Power Management optimizes power consumption across apps and hardware to extend usage time between charges.

The device also features 300% ultra-volume DTS stereo speakers, delivering rich, room-filling sound for music, videos, FM radio, and everyday entertainment. Built to withstand daily life and beyond, the A300+ carries IP65 water and dust resistance certification and meets military-grade durability standards, resisting splashes, dust, and accidental drops. Notably, the A300+ includes satellite communication capability, ensuring users can still send basic messages via satellite when cellular networks are unavailable – a safety net in remote areas, during natural disasters, or in other critical situations, setting it apart in its price segment.

The A300+ is built on a clear product philosophy, rather than relying on a single headline feature, it combines its key strengths into one complete product story. The rear screen captures attention first, while battery life, durability, and practical usability make the overall value proposition convincing. With the A300+, itel once again demonstrates its commitment to using innovation to meet the needs and desire for novelty among young users in emerging markets.

The Federal Government has secured about $2.5 billion in private-sector commitments for the development of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure as it expands the rollout of alternative-energy vehicles to drive down transport fares across the country.

Executive Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (PICNG-EV), Ismaeel Ahmed, disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Ahmed said the initiative was established to provide a more sustainable and affordable alternative to petrol and diesel, while leveraging Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources to reduce transportation costs.

He said the Federal Government had also committed between N300 billion and N400 billion to infrastructure, vehicle deployment and subsidised conversion kits to accelerate the transition to CNG and electric vehicles.

According to him, the government’s objective was not merely to make gas cheaper but to ensure that savings from lower fuel costs were passed on to commuters through reduced transport fares.

‘The President said we are not here to just sell cheaper gas. Cheaper gas would only make sense if the passenger is benefiting as a result of that through reduction of fares,’ Ahmed said.

He said the CNG rollout had expanded significantly since 2023, when the country had fewer than 10 CNG stations, noting that the number had risen to about 90 operational stations, with another 170 at various stages of development.

‘In three years, what the President has been able to do is move from less than 10 CNG stations to 90 CNG stations that are operational today, and about 170 in different stages of development,’ he said.

Ahmed said the Federal Government was targeting hundreds of additional CNG stations, adding that 500 filling stations had been ordered through federal infrastructure initiatives, while another 500 commitments had been made following the President’s engagement with state governors.

He said Abuja alone now had 26 operational CNG stations, while Kano, which had no operational CNG station about a year ago, now had 10.

The PICNG-EV chairman explained that the expansion of CNG infrastructure required investment across the gas supply chain, from production and compression to transmission and dispensing.

‘It is a chicken and egg. So which one comes first? Am I going to convert my car when there is no gas station? Am I going to invest in a gas station when there are no converted vehicles for them to do the activity?’ he asked.

‘What PICNG-EV did was to say that we are going to convert cars, pull out the demand, create the demand market, make sure that the supply is there, and then create an enabling environment so that capital will follow where the market is.’

On the expected reduction in transport fares, Ahmed said CNG-powered buses operating on designated routes should offer a minimum of 40 per cent reduction, with some routes recording higher savings.

He cited CNG routes within the Federal Capital Territory, including Abuja-Gwagwalada, where fares had already fallen following the deployment of CNG buses.

Ahmed said operators had also been directed to display fares inside the buses to enable passengers to know the cost of their journeys before boarding.

‘We told the operators to put the fares on the bus, so that before you get on the bus, you know exactly how much you are paying,’ he said.

He said the government was not seeking to impose blanket price controls on transport operators but expected them to pass on part of the savings from cheaper CNG to commuters.

Ahmed said the Federal Government had already deployed 655 CNG buses and would deploy more, while state governments were being encouraged to procure CNG buses and electric vehicles for public transportation.

He stressed that the programme was no longer solely a Federal Government initiative, saying state governments had a role to play in expanding alternative-fuel transportation infrastructure.

‘The CNG revolution or the alternative energy for vehicles is not a Federal Government project only. It is supposed to be a national project where all the states key in as well,’ he said.

On vehicle conversion, Ahmed said more than 120,000 vehicles had already been converted to CNG, while more than 60 per cent of another 100,000 conversion kits announced earlier in the year had been deployed.

He said the conversions covered cars, tricycles and buses, adding that demand was increasing as more CNG stations became operational across the country.

Ahmed said the government was also working with financial institutions to provide financing options for Nigerians seeking to convert their petrol-powered vehicles to CNG.

On electric vehicles, he said the government was promoting EVs as another alternative to petrol and diesel, noting that the initiative was intended to ensure that Nigeria did not depend on a single energy source for transportation.

‘The President just didn’t want us to rely on a single model of energy for transportation system. It’s simply too volatile, unpredictable, and he wanted something sustainable,’ Ahmed said.

He said CNG and electric vehicles could provide significant savings in transportation operating costs while reducing dependence on conventional fossil fuels.

Ahmed added that state governors had committed to attracting private investors to establish CNG stations along major transport corridors and to procuring CNG buses and electric vehicles for public transportation in their states.

He said the Federal Government would continue to expand infrastructure and vehicle deployment to ensure that savings from alternative fuels ultimately translated into lower transportation costs for Nigerians.

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin Branch, has called for a faster and more efficient criminal justice system, urging the judiciary to replicate the speedy trial model adopted by the Edo State Special Criminal Court in other serious criminal cases.

The branch chairman, Mr Omorodion Omoigui, made the call in Benin while reacting to the judgment delivered by the Special Court in the kidnapping case arising from the abduction of a woman at the Benin Vegetable Market on June 14, 2026.

Omoigui said the relatively swift determination of the case had demonstrated that criminal trials could be concluded within a reasonable time without compromising due process, fair hearing or the fundamental rights of accused persons.

The Edo State Government established the Special Criminal Court to prosecute kidnapping and cult-related offences, with the court commencing operations on July 1, 2026.

Speaking alongside other executives and members of the Benin NBA, Omoigui stressed that the association was not advocating rushed justice, but a system in which criminal cases were handled efficiently and without avoidable delays.

According to him, the case provided an important lesson that when the judiciary, security agencies, executive authorities and legal practitioners effectively discharge their constitutional and professional responsibilities, the justice system can respond decisively to serious security challenges.

He commended the coordinated efforts of the stakeholders, particularly the security agencies, for their prompt response and investigative work, and urged them to sustain the collaboration to ensure that justice was delivered promptly, fairly and lawfully.

Omoigui reaffirmed the Benin NBA’s commitment to the rule of law, judicial independence and protection of fundamental rights, saying an efficient justice system remained critical to strengthening public confidence and addressing the country’s growing security challenges.

From Katsina in the North-West to Lafia in the North-Central, the presidential campaign of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and his running mate, Lawal Musa Daura, is taking shape around a simple strategy: listen before prescribing.

The candidates of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) have begun a series of town hall meetings designed to introduce their ‘Reset Nigeria’ agenda, collect citizens’ views and incorporate the concerns of the six geopolitical zones into their manifesto ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Unlike the conventional campaign rally, where politicians speak from elevated platforms and supporters respond with rehearsed chants, the Makinde-Daura campaign says its town halls are intended to be issue-based and citizen-driven. The emphasis is on direct engagement with groups whose daily experiences reflect the country’s economic and security crises.

When the programme was announced, Anthony Ehilebo, Makinde’s Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication, said the meetings would focus on national stability, citizens’ welfare, accountable leadership and the transparent use of public resources. The original schedule placed the North-West meeting in Katsina on September 22, the South-South session in Uyo on September 25, the North-Central meeting in Lafia on September 28 and the South-East engagement in Enugu on September 30. Dates for the North-East and South-West were to be announced subsequently.

The South-South meeting was later postponed, but the campaign proceeded to Lafia after opening its zonal engagements in Katsina.

In Katsina, Makinde and Daura confronted two issues that have become defining concerns in northern Nigeria: insecurity and poverty. Daura described the two problems as intertwined. In communities where insecurity has driven farmers from their land, disrupted markets and destroyed livelihoods, poverty is not merely an economic statistic. It is a consequence of fear.

Makinde told the gathering that the campaign had listened to the concerns of the people and understood the urgency of their situation.

‘We are grateful to the people of Katsina State for the warm welcome today as we held our North-West Town Hall meeting,’ he later said.

‘We have listened and we want to assure them that their concerns about rising poverty and insecurity are part of the reason why we are calling for a reset of our dear country.’

The governor framed the approaching presidential contest as something larger than a competition among candidates and political parties. According to him, it would be ‘between Nigerians and the APC,’ requiring a united effort to change a system that, in his view, works for a privileged few rather than the general population.

It was also in Katsina that Makinde addressed a controversy surrounding the reconstruction and upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had claimed that President Bola Tinubu gave Oyo State N50 billion for the project.

Makinde rejected the claim, insisting that the airport upgrade was being financed entirely by the Oyo State Government.

‘The president did not give N50 billion to me or N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan airport,’ he said at the North-West town hall.

The intervention showed how the town halls may serve two purposes: offering the candidates a platform to unveil their policy direction and allowing them to respond to controversies likely to shape the political contest.

Days after the North West meeting, the campaign moved to Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, for its North-Central engagement. Its arrival was preceded by a closed-door meeting with APM candidates from across the zone.

The meeting brought together the party’s national leadership, zonal officials, state chairmen and candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly. It offered Makinde and Daura an opportunity to strengthen the party structure while hearing directly from candidates expected to carry the APM message into their constituencies.

The following day, attention shifted from party organisation to public engagement.

Participants at the Lafia town hall included women in agriculture, traders, widows and women living with disabilities. Makinde promised that an administration led by him would design special programmes for vulnerable groups while pursuing broader reforms intended to improve the economy for all Nigerians.

He identified four pillars of his proposed national reset: security, education, the economy and the socio-political environment.

‘The reset agenda can be concluded in four years,’ he told the gathering.

‘We can reset Nigeria. Reset and give Nigeria a new security architecture. Reset and give Nigeria a new path for education. Reset our economy, utilising data science and logic, and reset our socio-political environment in four years. That is our agenda.’

Makinde added that, if inaugurated on May 29, 2027, he would establish what he called a transitional government of national unity, designed to bring new actors and ideas into the process of building sustainable development.

Security occupied a prominent place in his presentation. The North-Central zone has endured years of killings, kidnappings, communal conflicts and attacks on farming settlements. Makinde questioned the Federal Government’s response, arguing that insecurity remained severe midway into 2026.

He also queried the financing of newly announced army divisions, saying he could not find provisions for them in the 2026 federal budget. His criticism was intended to illustrate what he described as a wider gap between government announcements and the resources required to translate them into results.

The candidate extended that argument to the economy. Although state governments have received increased allocations from the Federation Account since the removal of petrol subsidy, he asked whether the additional revenue had reduced hunger or improved living conditions.

Drawing on his experience in Oyo State, Makinde said dependence on federal allocation stood at more than 80 per cent when he assumed office in 2019. His administration reduced it to about 65 per cent by 2022, he said, before the economic consequences of subsidy removal pushed the figure back towards 80 per cent.

He described aspects of the Federal Government’s management of the economy as ‘voodoo economics,’ arguing that larger allocations mean little if they do not produce measurable improvements in people’s lives.

For Makinde, the ability to lead Nigeria would also require stamina and accessibility. He recounted travelling from Ibadan to Abuja, holding meetings in the capital and undertaking a three-and-a-half-hour road journey to Lafia, where he met North-Central candidates until about 2:00 a.m.

The point was political but unmistakable: the presidency, he argued, demands more than ceremonial appearances. It requires the physical and intellectual energy to engage Nigerians and respond to competing national pressures.

Before the town hall, Makinde and the campaign team visited the Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I, a retired Supreme Court justice. Makinde thanked the traditional ruler for his welcome, hospitality and willingness to hear the campaign’s proposals for the North-Central zone and the country.

At the political gathering, APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle declared that the party could no longer be dismissed as a minor participant in the 2027 contest. He cited the number of governorship hopefuls and other candidates associated with the party as evidence of its expansion and renewed national ambition.

Dantalle said the presidential election should not be reduced to party labels but regarded as a choice between continued hunger and a new approach to governance. He warned voters against surrendering their future for N5,000, cartons of noodles or seasoning cubes, describing vote-buying inducements as an invitation to another four years of suffering.

For the Makinde-Daura campaign, the road ahead remains long. A national campaign must convert warm receptions into an effective organisation, a coherent manifesto and, ultimately, votes. It must also reconcile the diverse demands gathered from different regions into policies capable of commanding broad national confidence.

But the town halls have established the framework of the campaign’s message: Nigeria is not working for enough Nigerians, the present order must be reset, and the people affected by its failures should participate in designing what comes next.

‘Our campaign belongs to the people,’ the organisation says.

In Katsina, the candidates heard the cries of communities burdened by insecurity and poverty. In Lafia, they listened to farmers, traders, widows, people living with disabilities and party candidates seeking a different political future.

As the meetings move to other zones, the test will be whether all that listening produces more than a campaign slogan-whether ‘Reset Nigeria’ becomes a detailed and credible national programme capable of turning citizens’ frustrations into a new architecture of government.

The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has called on the government to take decisive steps to end insecurity and ensure that Nigerians displaced by banditry return to their communities.

Obi spoke on Tuesday during a visit to an Internally Displaced Persons’ camp in the Ramin Kura area of Sokoto State, where he interacted with displaced residents and assessed their living conditions.

The former Anambra State governor said it was unacceptable for Nigerians to remain in IDP camps in a country that was not formally at war.

He said, ‘As long as Nigerians live in IDP camps, the entire country is living in an IDP camp. This is unacceptable. That’s why we say we’ll deal decisively with these situations in security so our people can go back.

‘No Nigerian should live in an IDP camp. We’re not at war. Even if we’re at war, we should know and take care of them. Look at the living condition in which they live. These are fellow Nigerians.’

Obi said his interaction with the displaced persons showed that many of them wanted to return to their communities, but were concerned about whether the government could guarantee their safety.

He said, ‘From the interaction we have with the people, they want to return to their place. My concern is their concern. Most of them are talking with us here; they want to go back to their place. What is the assurance?’

The NDC candidate also expressed concern over the lack of basic amenities at the camp, particularly healthcare and education for children.

According to him, ‘There’s no hospital here. I asked them. I saw a child with a broken hand. There’s no primary healthcare to take care of their health. There’s no school for the children. It’s unacceptable in our country today.’

Obi said his visit was primarily aimed at monitoring the situation and listening directly to the concerns of displaced Nigerians rather than making a major intervention.

He, however, disclosed that he had made a personal contribution to the camp, while stressing that such assistance could not replace the responsibility of government.

‘I have given them my contribution. I’m going to send a message through him to come and give just a small gift. But that’s not what it should be.

‘The government should take care of the situation by assuring that this situation should not be there,’ he said.

Obi said he had been visiting different parts of Sokoto State to interact with residents and understand their concerns firsthand, adding that he intended to continue visiting IDP camps across the country.

‘I will be visiting IDP camps across this country every time I move out. I’ve been in Sokoto since yesterday, moving from one area, meeting one group or the other, because we want to listen to the people. We want to see for ourselves,’ he said.