₦airaland Forum

Burob:
Whose fault say them born u for the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

Burob:
Even if his cupboard is empty because of drought, he will never enter Aso Rock as president.

Ezewuzie01:
Peter Obi is only bluffing. He knows that a lot of skeletons in his cupboard will be revealed if he goes to court with Deji.

A renowned journalist, author and columnist, Ike Abonyi, has denounced claims by Human Rights Activist and Lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, that the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi offered him money for support.
Abonyi, who said he was present during the meeting which he brokered between Adeyanju and Obi in the run up to the 2023 elections, explained that Obi never made any such offer.


In a statement released in Abuja, on Friday, Abonyi who was reacting to Adeyanju’s tweet on the issue said claims made by Adeyanju were far from the truth.



Abonyi wrote, “I am at pains joining issues with a friend in public but at this instance, I cannot keep mum and allow untruths to thrive. My friend Deji Adeyanju just tweeted that why he stopped supporting the Labour Party, Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, was when he told him that he invested Anambra state money in his family business.

“I was at the meeting Deji had with Obi and was there all through and left with him after about three hours of frank discussion of Obi telling his life story in and out of government, none of which is new as he had said similar things repeatedly in public. I was shocked to my marrow reading from Deji what I did not hear. In my shock today, July 26, 2022, after reading the post, I wrote this to him -“Deji, Did you and Obi meet again or the one I was present. Haba! Deji, I’m shocked, you are free to support whoever without all these funny blackmails. You didn’t even factor my friendship with you.”

Speaking further Abonyi said, “On July 9, 2022, after a similar negative post on Obi that he can accept an appointment from the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I had again written to Deji.

“My brother, good morning, when did it get to this point? Am still in shock. Obi is not looking for a job that Tinubu will be offering. As my friend even, if you no longer believe in the Obi project, I encourage you to stay on issues that will enhance your own reputation.

“Deji has not responded to any of my posts to him and has not picked up my calls. I had wanted us to resolve it as friends without my coming out publicly by urging him to withdraw his posts because they are not based on facts.


” As a journalist of long standing and as a Christian, I don’t need to be an Obi-centric person to resolve issues that border on facts and falsehood. No money was offered during or after the meeting, and there was no promise of any to the best of the knowledge.

“Deji is on record several times as having declared Obi to be the best candidate and had publicly encouraged Obi to leave PDP to seek his ambition on another platform. He is also free to do a U-turn in supporting him, depending on what appeals to him, but should not base that on what is not true.


https://www.vanguard

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has observed with keen interest the growing speculations surrounding the possible return of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who lost his reelection bid in 2025 to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, is being persuaded by supporters to seek reelection in 2027 general elections.

Speaking, the party’s spokesman, Mr Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Friday noted that the former president’s political relevance to unseat President Bola Tinubu, remained in doubt.

“While we acknowledge the former president’s role in the peaceful democratic transition of 2015 an act that rightly earned him praise at home and abroad we must state, in clear terms, that Nigeria has since moved beyond the politics of sentiment, nostalgia, and symbolism.

“The challenges of today and the future require bold, capable, and forward-thinking leadership not a return to the comfort of a past that was far from perfect.

“Let it be clear: good luck alone is not a governance strategy,” he said.

Oladejo alleged that the Jonathan administration, from 2010 to 2015, left behind a country grappling with severe structural weaknesses — from unchecked corruption to alarming insecurity and economic inertia.

“While some may look back on those years with rose-tinted glasses, we must remind ourselves that nostalgia is not a policy platform.

“Emotion cannot drive economic reform, and sentimentality will not fix power generation, insecurity, youth unemployment, or education sector decay,” the APC chieftain said.

Oladejo said that the party also noted the constitutional and political complications of a potential Jonathan candidacy.

According to him, having completed more than one term in office, any return bid will inevitably trigger legal contention and political instability distractions Nigeria cannot afford in a time when decisive action is needed across all sectors of national life.

“Moreover, the former president’s political relevance has been complicated by his recent engagements across party lines.

“His flirtation with the APC and absence from PDP’s strategic rebuilding efforts raise questions about his loyalty, clarity of vision, and political intentions,” he said.

According to him, the APC remains focused on consolidating progress, implementing reforms, and engaging the Nigerian electorate with fresh ideas and credible candidates who reflect the aspirations of a dynamic, youthful population.

“We believe the future of Nigeria does not lie in recycled leadership but in visionary governance rooted in integrity, innovation, and resilience.

“Former President Jonathan remains a respected elder statesman. His legacy as a peaceful democrat is assured. But legacies are not manifestoes, and nostalgia is not governance.

“We urge Nigerians to reject emotional shortcuts and stay focused on the need for capable, accountable and transformative leadership.

“As 2027 approaches, let us not reach backwards in desperation, but move forward with courage and clarity,” Oladejo said

Zincfingers:
I thought I was going to see vote for President Bola Tinubu but alas I only saw a banner sensitizing voters probably put in place by patriotic Nigerians .

But wait, were you expecting to see Pandora Hoebituary there

slivertongue:
Atiku is only the formidable person who can defeat tinubu.

Okoroawusa:
Don't be mischievous. Are you sure you read what is written in the banner at all?

All these Obidients sef...

ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and opposition political parties, yesterday, disagreed over alleged irregularities in the ongoing voters pre-registration exercise and figures coming out.

According to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the new voters pre-registration figure showing massive listings in the South-West and specifically, Osun State, compared to other parts of the country, is worrisome and portends danger for the 2027 polls.

But INEC said it is normal, going by past records.

Meanwhile, forensic experts in the country have declared their readiness to help the commission address the disparities.

At press time, the ruling APC had yet to speak on the issue.

No irregularities in Osun Voter Pre-Registration Figures — INEC

“There is nothing extraordinary about the online pre-registration data released by the Commission. Nothing can be further from the truth,” Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said in a statement.

He explained that the commission launched the current Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise on August 18, 2025, with online pre-registration, followed by in-person registration on August 25.

According to him, INEC released figures for the first week, showing a total of 1,379,342 online pre-registrants nationwide.

“Osun State led with 393,269 registrants, followed by Lagos State with 222,205, while the Federal Capital Territory was third with 107,682.

“Within the first 24 hours of launching the portal on June 28, 2021, 59,331 accounts were created. By the second week on July 21, 2021, Osun led with 154,893 pre-registrations.

“By the eighth week on August 23, 2021, Osun still led with 365,412. At the conclusion of the exercise in April 2022, Osun was ahead of all states with 708,782 registrations.

“If the party were proactive enough, a simple search of past records already in the public domain would have revealed these facts.

“Throughout the last CVR exercise, the commission displayed the preliminary register for claims and objections, while applying due diligence to ensure only eligible voters were included. After these processes, over 9.4 million new voters were added to the register, bringing the total to 93,469,008 for the 2023 general election.”

INEC maintained that it is not its responsibility to speculate on why one state records more registrants than others, but assured Nigerians of its commitment to transparency.

“Our duty as a commission, which we take seriously, is to ensure that only real persons who meet the criteria stipulated in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022 are allowed to register,” Oyekanmi stressed.

“The commission will continue to provide timely updates on the progress of the current CVR. We appeal to all well-meaning citizens to be circumspect in going public with information when authentic and verifiable data is readily available,” Oyekanmi said.

Polls’re in danger —ADC

The ADC warned that the 2027 general elections could be compromised if the ‘statistically implausible’ voter registration figures released by the electoral umpire are not urgently addressed.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the figures from Osun State and the South-West zone defied historical patterns and demographic realities, raising doubts about the credibility of the electoral process.

According to the ADC, INEC’s report showed that Osun State recorded 393,269 pre-registrations in just one week.

The party pointed out that this figure was higher than the 275,815 new voters recorded in the state over the entire four-year period between 2019 and 2023.

“Even at its peak of political mobilisation in 2022, Osun has never produced more than 823,124 votes cast in a governorship election. Now, by some miracle, nearly 20 percent of all eligible adults in the state have rushed to register. This is not just unusual; it is statistically implausible,” the statement read.

The ADC also noted that the South-West zone alone accounted for 848,359 pre-registrations, representing 67 per cent of the national total. By comparison, the South-East recorded just 1,998 pre-registrations, while five states: Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Adamawa, recorded a combined total of 4,153.

“These fantastic figures suggest either another technical glitch in INEC’s digital registration system, or a more troubling possibility of deliberate manipulation of data to prepare the ground for a sinister agenda in the coming elections. In either case, INEC has explanations to give,” Abdullahi said.

Warning that the voters’ register forms the foundation of elections, the ADC stressed that anomalies in the data could undermine public trust in the democratic process.

“We must be clear, the voters’ register is the foundation of the entire electoral process. If the foundation is compromised, it raises questions about the integrity of the elections. Nigerians still remember the bitter consequences of flawed voter rolls and technical glitches in past elections. Our democracy cannot withstand another one,” the party cautioned.

Forensic audit

The ADC called on INEC to urgently conduct and publish a forensic audit of the first-week registration data, including a state-by-state breakdown of both physical and online registrations.

It also urged the commission to release server logs, bandwidth distribution records, and regional access reports for the registration portal.

The party further invited the international community to take an early interest in the developments and warned that ignoring such red flags could destabilise the country.

“Silence in the face of these anomalies will amount to complicity. History has shown that when questions about the voters’ register are left unanswered, the consequences go beyond politics; they touch on national stability itself. The time to act is now,” the party warned.

INEC’s body language frightening – LP

On its part, the LP expressed worry over yet-to-be-refuted claims that the INEC was already pandering to the whims of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to the LP, there are concerns that the electoral management body is giving preference to states in regions they believe are strongholds of the ruling party in the ongoing voters’ registration exercise.

Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Tony Akeni, in a telephone chat with Vanguard, said: “We call on all Nigerians of goodwill in the civil society, the media, and political space to be vigilant. Reports reaching us indicate frightening attempts to rig the 2027 elections before Election Day.

“There are already concerns over the ongoing voter registration exercise. We implore Nigerians to be vigilant so that we don’t have a repeat of having ‘the late Michael Jackson, American boxer, Mike Tyson’ and the like appearing on our voters register.

“We also are yet to understand the plot to register inmates in our correctional facilities when law abiding citizens are yet to be given their constitutionally guaranteed rights to register, vote and seek to be voted for.”

Voters’ figure in Osun ‘statistically implausible’ — PDP

In like manner, the PDP expressed concerns over suspicious figures emerging from the ongoing continuous voters’ registration exercise, warning that weak institutions and political manipulation can undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.

PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Mr. Okechukwu Osuoha, in a chat with Vanguard, described the sharp rise in new registrations in some states, particularly Osun, as an anomaly that reflects deep flaws in the country’s governance structures.

“In Nigeria, our institutions are not strong. That is why policies and programmes are often encumbered and manipulated. Those in power can influence electoral officers in their states to undermine the process. If our institutions were strong, like in the Western world, nobody within INEC would allow the system to be compromised,” he said.

Osuoha pointed out that while continuous voter registration is a normal exercise before elections, the numbers being reported in certain states defy logic.

“For instance, in one state, nearly 400,000 new registrations were recorded in a single week, while the combined total for several other states barely reached 4,500. This is a clear sign that something is wrong,” he said.

He added that these trends are not new, recalling past manipulations of both census figures and election results.

“When they do elections in Kano, you see them coming out with over two million votes, while in my state, we struggle to reach even 800,000. The same thing happens with population counts. This shows a lack of transparency and honesty in our system,” Osuoha told Vanguard.

Atiku demands probe into voters’ figures in Osun

Echoing similar views, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar demanded an urgent investigation into ‘contrived’ voter registration figures emerging from Osun State, warning that the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process risks being undermined if the anomaly is not addressed.

His Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, told Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday, that Atiku is deeply concerned about the sharp contrast between Osun’s new registration figures and those recorded in several other states.

“Yes, His Excellency is, of course, concerned about it,” Ibe said, “Any attempt, any plan, or any agenda to inflate figures in particular states, or across the country, should be investigated. There should be an investigation so that no one is left in doubt, and so that the figures published by INEC are seen as genuine, not contrived.”

He stressed that swift action is vital to safeguard public confidence in the process ahead of the 2027 elections.

“That is important. It needs to be investigated without delay. There is an urgency to this because what we are trying to do is remove every obstacle that could undermine the integrity of the democratic process ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he said.

Amend Electoral Act, stop manual collation in elections

Relatedly, Atiku has also called for urgent amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act to end manual accreditation, transmission, and collation of election results, warning that Nigeria’s democracy risks further decline unless far-reaching reforms are implemented.

In a statement he personally signed, Atiku urged that provisions of the law be strengthened to mandate the exclusive use of technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and electronic transmission of results, with no room for discretion by the INEC.

“The envisaged electoral and judicial reforms will return the power to the people to choose their leaders and not a conclave of interested parties,” Atiku said.

He noted that although the enthusiasm of Nigerians in the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise is commendable, voter registration alone is insufficient without robust reforms to safeguard electoral integrity, promote judicial independence, and strengthen public confidence in the process.

Over time, he argued, the quality of Nigeria’s elections has continued to deteriorate.

He cited the 2023 general elections, in which out of 93.47 million registered voters, only 24.9 million participated in the presidential and National Assembly polls, representing just 26.72 per cent turnout, the lowest since the return to democracy in 1999.

“Something needs to be done to check this slide if citizens are to continue to have an appetite for the democratic process and the prospects that it holds,” Atiku said.

The former Vice President stressed that issues surrounding BVAS, electronic transmission of results, and other related matters must be constitutionally and legally entrenched, rather than left to the interpretation of judges.

Quoting Prof. Chidi Odinkalu’s book, The Selectorate: When Judges Topple the People, Atiku warned: “Judges, once constrained arbiters of electoral disputes, have become increasingly unconstrained in determining who holds power, shifting legitimacy from voters to the courts.

“In some cases, this influence has extended beyond the courtroom, creating a system where a small, connected elite decides leadership under the cover of legal process.”

To this end, Atiku outlined nine key reforms he said must be included in the Electoral Act.

These include mandatory use of BVAS for accreditation and results upload, compulsory electronic transmission of results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (iREV), and collation of results at all levels strictly on the basis of electronically transmitted results.

“At no point shall manual accreditation of voters, transmission of results, and collation of results be allowed,” he declared.

He further proposed that the positions of INEC Chairman, Resident Electoral Commissioners, and National Commissioners be subjected to democratic voting by the people, rather than presidential appointment.

We’re ready to help INEC address disparities – Forensic experts

Meanwhile, the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria has pledged support to the INEC to tackle disparities in voter registration figures across the country, urging the deployment of technology and forensic tools to safeguard the credibility of the process.

Dr Iliyasu Gashinbaki, president of the Institute, said in an exclusive interview with Vanguard in Abuja that the body will not be drawn into partisan debates but is prepared to work with INEC to strengthen electoral integrity.

“Well, we do not want to dabble in political issues like that. Our role is to help INEC do the right thing, deploy technology, and apply forensic methods. That is our focus,” he explained.

The Federal Government, on Thursday, defended the upward review of Nigerian passport fees to N100,000 and N200,000, saying it was necessary to sustain quality, curb corruption, and ensure timely delivery of travel documents.

The Nigeria Immigration Service, in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, on Thursday, announced that from September 1, 2025, applications made within Nigeria will attract new fees of N100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity passport and N200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity passport.

“The review which only affect Passport Application fees made in Nigeria, now set a new fee thresholds for 32-page with five-year validity at N100,000 and 64-page with 10-year validity at N200,000,” the statement read.

The NIS, however, said Nigerians in the diaspora will continue to pay $150 for the 32-page, five-year passport and $230 for the 64-page, 10-year passport.


It explained that the adjustment was aimed at maintaining the integrity of the document while making issuance processes more efficient.

The increase comes barely a year after the Federal Government approved an earlier adjustment in August 2024, which raised the 32-page, five-year booklet from N35,000 to N50,000, and the 64-page, 10-year booklet from N70,000 to N100,000.

At the time, the NIS said the hike was necessary to sustain the quality of the passport and improve service delivery.

On Thursday, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, defended the new hike.

Speaking in Abuja during the ministry’s mid-tenure performance retreat, Tunji-Ojo said the hike would ensure timely delivery of passport and eliminate corruption,

He said, “Our target is very clear: within one week of enrolment, every Nigerian should have their passport in hand. Not just delivering quickly, but delivering quality passports that reflect our integrity as a nation,” he said.

He noted that the new system was designed to eliminate long delays and extortion that once forced citizens to wait up to seven months or pay as much as N200,000 to fast-track processing.

“The system that we inherited that had six months backlog which we were able to clear in two and a half weeks. Nigerians will apply for passports and wait endlessly, or be asked to pay hundreds of thousands of naira.


“My own daughter had that bad experience. Even when I was chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, my daughter wanted passport, it was a problem. I had to pay hundreds of thousands to be able to get a passport for my daughter, a 12-year-old girl. That era is over,” Tunji-Ojo said.

The minister disclosed that the centralised personalisation centre, the largest in Africa, would ensure faster processing and tighter security.


“With this facility, we can print five times more passports than we currently need. Once you enrol, it doesn’t take us more than 24 hours to vet. Printing capacity is no longer our problem,” he explained.

As part of the reforms, Tunji-Ojo announced that Passport Control Officers will no longer have the power to approve or delay applications.

“Some PCOs had so much power that they could decide not to approve or not to print a passport until they were settled. That abuse of power ends now,” he declared.

According to him, centralising the approval process would curb corruption and restore credibility to Nigeria’s travel documents.

“We realised that the best way to cut corruption is to remove human contact to the barest minimum. Passport approval will no longer rest with PCOs. My responsibility is not for them to like me — it is to deliver efficiency. Let Nigerians be happy,” he said.

He added that the reforms will also protect the integrity of Nigeria’s passport.

“My responsibility is not just to make passports available, but to ensure that anybody carrying it is a Nigerian. If you are not a Nigerian, you cannot carry it. It’s about our national integrity.”


Citing past abuses, he recalled how foreigners once procured Nigerian passports illegally.

“In one incident, a Ugandan woman carrying a Nigerian passport was arrested at Lagos Airport after paying $1,000 to procure it. That cannot continue. Our passport must remain a true symbol of Nigerian identity,” the minister stressed

Slytiger:
Lmao. APC are busy offline pushing for voters registration.

Continue winning online, why APC are winning offline.

Brendaniel:
They want to challenge the northern figures using the south west as a major voting block, they want to render the north powerless with voting numbers during election, the election itself is planned by them to be pure sham but they need registration (fake or real) to justify the huge amount of votes that will be pouring out of the south west in 2027 for Tinubu, they believe their people won't revolt against the false figures that will be coming out like other regions if the try the same, the rigging pattern from my observation will be to get block votes that has never been seen in the history of Nigeria from the south west while they scrape votes from other regions to make up the a winning margin and figure.

They know they've lost out in the north and if they rig in the north in favour of Tinubu it might turn out to full blown riot, so instead the want to use the south west as a voting block this time, you might be so shocked to see like over 1 million votes coming out from some south west states in favour of Tinubu in 2027.

Just get prepared, these are a people whose political ideology is dirtiness...

Obiedun:
You had better go and register. Complaining every day will not help you. We move on

yarimo:
Go and register and stop fooling yourself on social media, no INEC polling unit on social media

Sibrah:
they giving us mega roads, flyovers, and more. Calm down lol.

The Federal Government has denied claims that it signed agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting that the documents being referenced were merely proposals.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this clarification on Thursday while addressing journalists in Abuja.

According to him, both the 2009 and 2011 documents often cited by ASUU as binding agreements were never signed, but only proposals presented during negotiations.

He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was, however, committed to resolving lingering issues with the university lecturers’ union.

“The documents ASUU has been referring to as agreements were just proposals that were never signed,” Alausa stated.

The minister also dismissed reports that he scheduled a meeting with ASUU and the Minister of Labour and Employment, describing them as inaccurate

Mynd44:
Where the bias?

Mynd44:
There is no forcehood there.

The said young man has not come out to say he is not gay, he has appeared in serveral pictures that puts his sexuality to be gay.

You are the one trying to push falsehood.

In the sattement reported released by him, not once did he say "I am not gay" or deny the said partner.

helinues:
Ohaneze should stop sounding like unstable weather

Retired police officers accuse IGP Egbetokun of protecting criminals while suing Sowore
Mr Oregbo insisted that the police are not backing down on their demands from the government.

Retired police officers have lashed out at Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, berating him for filing a lawsuit against Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore, while ignoring criminals and armed robbers in government.

A retired police officer who identified himself as SP Rukeze Oregbo spoke on behalf of police officers who came to court on Wednesday in solidarity with Mr Sowore, who was sued by the IGP.

“We came here to support a real Nigerian, Sowore is the real Nigerian. Let the message go to the Inspector General of Police that we will not leave him alone. We are strongly behind him,” Mr Oregbo said. “We are here to die with Sowore.”

Berating Mr Egbetokun for filing a lawsuit against Mr Sowore, Mr Oregbo accused the IGP of “Filing a suit against this man when there are a lot of armed robbers and criminals amongst them and none of them is charged to court. Rather they send them on vacation abroad.”

Mr Oregbo insisted that the police are not backing down on their demands from the government.

Mr Sowore, who championed a protest for pension payment of retired police officers and better welfare for serving officers, has been at loggerheads with the inspector general of police since he led the protests.

Amnesty International has condemned the lawsuit filed against Mr Sowore by the inspector general of police, dismissing the charges as trumped-up.

“Sowore is currently facing multiple trumped-up charges and investigation for alleged terrorism financing, money laundering, and fraudulent activities instituted by Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police,” said the rights group.

Describing the charges against Mr Sowore as politically motivated, Amnesty International described the attempt to subject bank accounts connected to Mr Sowore and Sahara Reporters, an independent media outlet, to an investigation as indicative of clear targeting and infringement on freedom of expression.

ENUGU- THE umbrella body of the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has declared that every Igbo who is ready is free to contest the 2027 presidency or any other political position in the general election.

President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator Azuta Mbata, made the declaration in a statement he issued on Wednesday.

Mbata’s declaration came on the heels of a publication by a group of purported impostors who claimed that no Igbo would contest the 2027 presidential election.

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mbata, however, described the piece of news as fake and did not emanate from the Igbo umbrella body.

Mbata said: “Any Igbo person who belongs to a political party and wants to contest any elections whatsoever in 2027 is free to do so.

“Any publications to the contrary is fake news, did not originate from Ohanaeze Ndigbo and should be discounted.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is a socio-cultural organisation of Ndigbo and not a political party, and is not in a position to say, dictate, or even advise on who should and shouldn’t contest elections in Nigeria in 2027 or at any time for that matter.

“Ndigbo are advised to continue their lawful political activities in the various political parties of their choice and membership.”