The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has demanded the immediate release of funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to enable it to prepare for the 2027 general elections.

The national chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, made the demand on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time.

2027 general elections are 100 days away, with various political parties intensifying their campaign efforts.

INEC, through its national chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, had said that it had started delivering non-sensitive materials to some states.

“Before now, I’ve always said this publicly that INEC is not funded appropriately. You don’t need to delay the release of funds to them. The executive needs to timely release election funds to enable INEC to prepare.

“Some of the things they require to conduct credible elections, they don’t get from here, so if they are made to rush into the production of this equipment, it might be disastrous for the smooth processing of our election.

“For the chairman of INEC to come out and tell Nigerians that INEC staff are least paid shows the depth of the issue,” he said.

Contrary to the resolution by All Progressives Congress, APC, governors to distance themselves from the Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party political group championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expressed support for the coalition.

Recall that the APC governors, led by Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, had resolved to reject the idea of a multi-party coalition, arguing that it could jeopardise the political ambitions of party members seeking various elective positions.

The position has, however, exposed a growing division among the governors, with some openly aligning with Wike and the coalition.

Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Aiyedatiwa said there was nothing wrong with the coalition, stressing that those involved were ultimately working towards the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.

He said, “The Rainbow Coalition led by Wike, there’s nothing wrong with having a coalition. If the Rainbow Coalition is supporting President Tinubu, what is wrong with that?

“I don’t have any problem with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, but in my state, it’s APC all the way. I have a relationship with Wike.

“He supported me when I ran for governor under the APC, despite being a PDP member. He didn’t support the PDP candidate at the time.”

All eyes will be on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, today, Tuesday, as the commission holds a national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja to mark 100 days to the 2027 general elections.

INEC said the meeting will provide updates on the voters’ register, candidate nominations, election logistics and measures being adopted to protect the integrity of the polls.

This is even as the political fate of several high-profile candidates who changed parties ahead of the 2027 general elections may come under renewed scrutiny.

DAILY POST reports that among those whose candidacies have attracted attention are Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Kingsley Chinda, Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, presidential candidate, Donald Duke and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei.

The issue stems from a recent Supreme Court judgment which restored key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 dealing with political party membership registers and the nomination of candidates.

Recall that the apex court, in a unanimous judgment delivered on September 25, upheld INEC’s appeal and restored Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) of the Electoral Act, provisions which had earlier been struck out by the Court of Appeal.

The development has triggered questions over the eligibility of politicians who moved to new political parties after their previous parties had concluded, or were in the process of concluding, their nomination exercises.

DAILY POST reported that the controversy followed a Federal High Court judgment delivered in May, which invalidated aspects of INEC’s timetable for the 2027 elections.

The court had ruled that INEC could not shorten statutory periods provided by the Electoral Act for political parties to conduct primaries and submit, withdraw or replace candidates.

It also faulted INEC’s deadline for political parties to submit their membership registers.

The judgment created a window of uncertainty in the political process, with politicians changing parties and seeking fresh opportunities to contest under different platforms.

However, the legal position subsequently changed.

On July 16, the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court’s decision and restored INEC’s timetable, holding that the commission acted within its powers in issuing the electoral guidelines.

The Supreme Court went further in September by restoring the disputed provisions of the Electoral Act concerning membership registers and candidate nominations.

Although INEC has not indicated that it intends to announce the disqualification of any particular candidate at the meeting, the commission’s position on nominations could provide important clues about what lies ahead for candidates whose emergence followed controversial defections, waivers and party primaries.

Chinda’s Rivers battle

In Rivers State, the case of Chinda, an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is one of the most closely watched.

Chinda emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate on May 21, 2026, shortly after the Federal High Court judgment that had invalidated parts of INEC’s electoral timetable.

The Supreme Court judgment did not expressly disqualify Chinda or any other candidate.

DAILY POST reports that supporters of the Rivers APC candidate have argued that the apex court ruling does not automatically invalidate his nomination.

Omo-Agege’s NDC ticket

In Delta State, Omo-Agege’s case presents another significant test.

The former Deputy Senate President contested the APC’s Delta Central senatorial primary in May but lost to Ede Dafinone.

He resigned from the APC on May 22 and subsequently joined the NDC, which granted him a waiver to contest its Delta Central senatorial primary.

He eventually secured the ticket through a consensus arrangement.

The question now is whether the restored provisions of the Electoral Act could affect such a nomination, particularly in relation to the party’s membership register and the statutory requirements governing participation in party primaries.

Omo-Agege is not alone.

Ochei, who also left the APC after its nomination process and joined the NDC, received a waiver and secured the party’s Delta North senatorial ticket.

Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, has described the loss of 32 Nigerian Air Force personnel in an aircraft crash in Ondo State as “a profound tragedy.”

The NAF ATR-42 aircraft, carrying 25 officers and seven crew members, crashed near a naval base in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on Monday, October 5, 2026, while on a routine operational mission from Benin to Lagos.

Matawalle expressed condolences to the families, colleagues and loved ones of the personnel involved in the crash.

“I received with profound sadness the news of the crash of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, which occurred today, Monday, October 5, 2026, with 25 officers and seven crew members on board,” Matawalle said.

He described the incident as “a profound tragedy and a painful reminder of the sacrifices routinely made by members of our Armed Forces in the service of the nation.”

Matawalle said the Ministry of Defence joined President Bola Tinubu in mourning the personnel and prayed for strength for their families and colleagues.

“We honour the courage, dedication and service of all the personnel involved in this unfortunate incident. Their commitment to duty and service to Nigeria will not be forgotten,” he said.

The Nigeria Customs Service has auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, seized along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor during operations to curb the smuggling of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders.

The auction was held on Monday at the Customs Training College in Ikeja and involved petroleum products intercepted by officers of Operation Whirlwind during recent anti-smuggling operations.

The seized products consisted of 887 jerry cans, each containing 25 litres of petrol, alongside five vehicles allegedly used to transport the products.

According to the Service, the interceptions were made at identified smuggling flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry. The Duty Paid Value of the seized petroleum products and vehicles was estimated at about N32 million.

Speaking during the auction, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Raphael Aliyu, said the exercise was carried out on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.

Aliyu said the auction reflected the Customs Service’s commitment to transparency and the lawful disposal of seized petroleum products. He described Operation Whirlwind as a targeted initiative focused on stopping the diversion and illegal movement of petroleum products across the country’s borders.

He said the operation was also aimed at protecting Nigeria’s economic interests and improving national energy security by preventing products intended for domestic consumption from being illegally exported.

According to Aliyu, the Service had stepped up surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement activities along routes identified as channels for petroleum diversion and cross-border smuggling.

He said the crackdown would continue, stressing that the operation would remain “resolute, relentless and intelligence-driven.”

Aliyu added that Customs would continue to track, intercept and dismantle smuggling networks, while suspects would be prosecuted in line with the law.

The coordinator commended officers of Operation Whirlwind Zone A for their efforts and acknowledged the support provided by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

He also called on residents of border communities to assist the authorities by providing intelligence on suspicious movements of petroleum products, noting that tackling smuggling required cooperation between government agencies and local communities.