Former Vice President and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has expressed concern over the low voter turnout recorded in Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections. In a statement shared by his media aide, Paul Ibe, on X, Atiku described the turnout — reportedly averaging below 20 per cent, with the Abuja Municipal Area Council posting 7.8 per cent — as a troubling indicator of the state of Nigeria’s democracy under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. According to him, the poor civic participation in the nation’s capital reflects what he termed a shrinking democratic space.…
Author: Abdoulaye Kay
Fresh violence erupted in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday night as armed bandits launched coordinated attacks on Jol community and Dorowa Babuje in the Rob District, killing at least 10 persons between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., local leaders have confirmed. The National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYMA), Barrister Solomon Dalyop, disclosed this in a phone interview with a correspondent of Channels Television in Jos. He said nine people were killed in Dorowa Babuje, while one person lost his life in Jol during the separate but near-simultaneous assaults. According to Dalyop, the assailants…
Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have agreed to deepen collaboration in a renewed push to strengthen Nigeria’s energy security and industrial self-sufficiency. The commitment followed a high-level visit by NNPC Ltd.’s leadership to the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals complex in Ibeju-Lekki, where both sides pledged to move beyond past challenges and focus on operational efficiency and long-term value creation. President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, described the partnership as central to the refinery’s founding vision and key to driving Africa’s industrial transformation. He commended NNPC’s new leadership for its proactive stance, expressing optimism that the collaboration…
A former member of the House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, has accused President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of undermining the will of Nigerians by swiftly assenting to the amended Electoral Act. Bugaje, who chairs the Movement for Credible Elections, alleged that the executive and lawmakers acted in concert to design an electoral framework that could facilitate manipulation of the voting process. Speaking on Sunday Politics, he described the speed of the President’s assent as evidence of complicity in what he termed a subversion of the electoral system. “The executive arm, including the President himself, from…
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has lashed out at opposition figures challenging the outcome of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) elections, describing their allegations of widespread irregularities as baseless and misleading. In a statement posted on his X handle @fkeyamo, Keyamo accused opposition leaders of making “futile excuses” to justify their electoral defeat, insisting that Nigerians had clearly expressed their will at the polls. He argued that claims of systemic irregularities were exaggerated and driven by disappointment rather than evidence. Citing official figures, the minister noted that out of a total of 2,822 polling units in…
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) have raised fresh concerns over voter apathy, logistical lapses and alleged political interference in elections conducted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rivers and Kano states. In a statement signed by Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of CISLAC and Chairman of TMG, the groups described the polls as largely peaceful across most units but marred by significant operational and credibility challenges. They warned that declining voter turnout signals a growing erosion of public trust in the electoral process, stressing that when citizens disengage, “it is no longer…
The Senate of the University of Abuja has expelled 28 students and revoked the academic certificates of 15 former students following findings of serious misconduct. The disciplinary actions were approved at the institution’s 191st Regular Senate Meeting, according to a statement signed by the Acting Director of Information and University Relations, Dr. Habib Yakoob. The offences cited include cult-related activities, examination malpractice, possession of and involvement with hard drugs, assault, burglary, theft, and falsification of ‘O’ Level results used for university admission. These breaches were detailed in a report submitted by the Student Disciplinary Committee for consideration by the Senate.…
The Media Office of the De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has called for inclusive urban planning in Lagos State, cautioning that ongoing market redevelopment projects could displace traditional traders and erode the city’s historic mercantile identity. In a press statement titled “Lagos Markets: Between Heritage and Modernity,” issued on Sunday, February 22, 2026, the group traced Lagos’ commercial evolution to its early barter system, long before the introduction of structured currency. It noted that commerce in the city grew organically from open squares where fishermen, farmers and merchants exchanged goods, laying the groundwork for what later became a vibrant trading hub.“Lagos…
President Donald Trump has increased the United States’ global import tariff to 15 percent, escalating his trade offensive just a day after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a major pillar of his tariff regime. The move follows Friday’s court ruling, which invalidated Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping country-specific duties. In immediate response to the 6–3 decision, Trump had announced a new 10 percent global levy under a different legal pathway. On Saturday, he went further — raising the rate to what he described on Truth Social as…
A group, Concerned Indigenous Yoruba Muslims, has dismissed a viral report claiming that the Chief Imam of Ibadanland and the League of Imams in Yorubaland rejected the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto in determining the commencement of Ramadan fast in the South-West. The report, which circulated on social media ahead of Ramadan 1447AH, alleged that the Chief Imam of Ibadan declared that Yoruba Muslims were not bound by the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto regarding the announcement of the fasting period. It further claimed that religious leaders in the region had aligned with indigenous structures, distancing themselves from…