The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has slammed President Bola Tinubu over his decision to embark on a three-week vacation in Europe.

In a statement on Sunday, Atiku said Tinubu’s absence from the country at a time of widespread hardship reflected a ‘disturbing vacuum of political leadership’.

According to him, there was no constitutional vacuum, arguing that the circumstances surrounding Tinubu’s trip raised questions about his leadership priorities.

“Nigeria is burning. Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” Atiku said.

The former vice-president contrasted Tinubu’s trip with his own travels, noting that the responsibilities of a sitting president were different from those of a private citizen.

“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.

The presidential candidate listed the rising living costs, food insecurity, high transport fares and insecurity among the challenges confronting Nigerians.

He argued  that the situation required the President’s presence in the country.

“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” he said.

The political space of the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, took a dramatic turn on Saturday, August 22, when a former governorship aspirant, Abayomi Semako Hunye, unveiled his running mate for the 2027 governorship election.

Hunye, who is the immediate past Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, OGWAMA, announced Abayomi Odunowo as his deputy governorship candidate under the umbrella of the APC at a press conference, dismissing rumours that he had stepped down from the race.

Recall that the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, during a strategic caucus meeting attended by party leaders and stakeholders on April 13, announced Olamilekan Solomon Adeola as the consensus candidate of the party for the 2027 governorship election in the state.

The meeting was attended by all three former governors, Olusegun Osoba, Ibikunle Amosun and Gbenga Daniel, as well as APC governorship aspirants: Iyabo Obasanjo, Gboyega Isiaka, Tunde Lemo and Isiak Akinlade.

The African Action Congress, AAC, has rejected the reported suspension of the case against its 2027 presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, by the Department of State Services, DSS.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Rex Elanu, on Sunday, the AAC asked the DSS to immediately discontinue the prosecution of Sowore.

The party’s demand followed reports that the secret police had suspended its prosecution of Sowore until after the 2027 presidential election.

Recall that the DSS ordered its private counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, SAN, to take steps to suspend the alleged cyberbullying case instituted against Sowore until after the 2027 presidential election.

The development came against the backdrop of a meeting between the Director-General of the DSS, Tosin Ajayi, the senior lawyer and top officials of the agency’s legal directorate.

The AAC, however, said it did not consider the reported suspension of the case sufficient.

According to the opposition party, the Nigerian criminal procedure does not provide for the indefinite suspension of a criminal trial.

“The African Action Congress, AAC, has taken note of the reported decision by the Department of State Services, DSS, to suspend its prosecution of our Presidential Candidate, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 presidential election.

“We do not consider the purported suspension of this needless case to be good news. In fact, there is no provision known to us in Nigerian criminal procedure that empowers a prosecutor simply to ‘suspend’ a criminal trial and leave it hanging over an accused person indefinitely. The proper course is to discontinue the prosecution.

“The AAC understands this latest development as a belated acknowledgement that the prosecution has become an embarrassing political burden for the DSS and the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement said.

The Ogun State House of Assembly, through its Committee on Finance and Appropriation, will on Monday, August 31, 2026, commence the appraisal of the 2026 budget performance of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, of the state government.

According to a statement by the Clerk/Head of Legislative Service, Mr Sakiru Adebakin, the exercise is for the assessment of the second quarter, January to June, and will run from Monday, August 31, to Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

The exercise will commence at 10:00 am daily.

The statement said the exercise “is part of the constitutional responsibilities of the legislative arm, meant to assess the level of compliance of Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to the State 2026 Appropriation Law, with a view to ensuring value for government resources in policy and project implementation”.

It, therefore, enjoined all heads of MDAs to submit relevant documents and attend the exercise in line with the schedule earlier sent to them.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has questioned the benefits of fuel subsidy removal in Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu.

Featuring in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Falana raised concerns, calling on Nigerians to demand accountability from the national, state and local governments over how increased revenues were being utilised.

He questioned why such funds could not be used to address infrastructure challenges.

According to him, state governments previously repaired roads and would later seek refunds from the Federal Government.

The senior lawyer warned against returning to the “era of the fuel subsidy scam,” arguing that Nigerians deserved to know how the savings from the subsidy removal were being spent.

“Where are they? We must begin to ask questions of the local government, the state government and the Nigerian government.

“If you say we are making more money, we don’t want to go back to the era of the fuel subsidy scam. Where are the benefits? It’s a fallacy being told to wait and wait and wait. People are dying,” he said.

The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Housing, OPIC and Special Projects, Farooq Adenugba, has said the 2027 general election will not be won by political noise, slogans or last-minute mobilisation but through sustained grassroots engagement, unity and effective organisation.

Adenugba stated this on Friday in Ago-Iwoye, Ijebu North Local Government Area, where he combined a youth mentorship programme with the inauguration of his political team ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The political mobilisation came shortly after Adenugba addressed secondary school students at a special counselling and mentorship session organised by the Prince Segun Kaka Foundation, PSK, in collaboration with the Academic Excellence Initiative, AEI, Ijebu Zone.

The programme, held at the Imososi Primary School Hall, Ago-Iwoye, was hosted by Segun Kaka, Member of the Ogun State House of Assembly representing Ijebu North State Constituency II, and themed, ‘Failing Forward’.

Speaking to the students, Adenugba urged them not to allow failure, setbacks or difficult circumstances to define their future, stressing that resilience, discipline, education and the courage to pursue opportunities were essential ingredients for success.

“A setback should never become a full stop in your life,” he told the students. “Failure can become a teacher if you are determined to learn from it and move forward.”

He encouraged the students to take their education seriously, discover and develop their talents, acquire useful skills and remain focused despite the challenges they might encounter.

According to him, young people require deliberate platforms through which they can interact with experienced leaders, acquire knowledge and develop the confidence needed to compete in an increasingly demanding society.

Adenugba also spoke about leadership, career development, perseverance, character and purposeful living.

He charged them to establish an effective grassroots network that can coordinate political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

Adenugba said his structure was not intended to operate separately from the All Progressives Congress, APC, but to complement the party’s existing grassroots machinery through organised mobilisation, communication and sustained engagement.

“2027 will not be won by noise or slogans alone. It will be won through organisation, constant engagement, unity, and the ability to reach the people at the grassroots,” he said.

Members were consequently urged to avoid unnecessary divisions and personal interests, while working collectively towards the broader political objectives of the party.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has stated that he will implement the Oronsaye Committee Report if elected president in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.

Atiku, in a statement posted on Friday by his spokesman, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, said the Oronsaye Report gave Nigeria a clear roadmap to reduce waste, duplication and the cost of governance.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu failed to implement the report even though he had promised to do so, noting that the president instead multiplied the agencies to include even fake ones.

He assured Nigerians that the Oronsaye Report would not remain on the shelf but would be implemented fully and transparently.

The family of The Eagle Online publisher, Dotun Oladipo, has announced September 10 and 11, 2026 as the dates for the funeral programmes of the journalist and media entrepreneur.

Oladipo died on Tuesday, August 25, at the age of 56.

According to the family, a service of songs will hold at DayStar Church, Oregun, Ikeja, on Thursday, September 10.

The burial service will take place at the same venue on Friday, September 11, followed by his interment.

Oladipo was president of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) from 2017 to 2021 and was among the foundational members who helped shape the association during its formative years.

GOCOP President, Danlami Nmodu, described his death as a painful loss to the Guild and recalled his contribution to the development of online publishing in Nigeria.

“Dotun played an important role in the development of GOCOP. He led the Guild for four years at a time when there was still a lot of work to be done to establish online publishers as an important part of the media. His contribution will always be remembered,” Nmodu said.

Nmodu said Oladipo brought his experience as a journalist and publisher to the leadership of the Guild.

“Dotun understood journalism and he understood the business of publishing. He was passionate about the place of online media in Nigeria and he gave his time to the growth of the Guild. We are saddened by his passing,” Nmodu said.

Oladipo was also a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria), and was active in the development of Nigeria’s online publishing industry.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its collaboration with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the interest of the public.

The NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, stated this when he received the JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Professor Segun Aina in his office in Abuja.

General Nafiu congratulated Professor Aina on his appointment, noting that his experience as a former Corps Member who served with JAMB, coupled with his wealth of professional experience, would contribute significantly to his success in the new assignment.

He described JAMB as a foremost partner in the NYSC mobilisation process, which provides the Scheme primary data required for the online registration of prospective Corps Members.

“We thank the Management of JAMB for their support over the years. We believe so much in the credibility of JAMB, and we have enjoyed seamless API data sharing with JAMB,” the DG stated.

The JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, called for deeper collaboration with NYSC to optimise the services of Corps Members and add greater value to their service experience.

Professor Aina said his experience as a Corps Member had significantly influenced his career choices and prepared him for his current responsibility.

He explained that JAMB would continue to maintain strict standards on requests for changes to candidates’ data, while allowing flexibility in genuinely peculiar cases arising from the mobilisation process, without compromising the integrity of its records.

The Registrar disclosed that a new framework involving NYSC, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and JAMB, aimed at making data changes more seamless, would soon be unveiled.

He also requested the deployment of Corps Members to JAMB offices to serve as customer service representatives.

“We want to speak directly to the young people, we want to speak the language of young people, and we need other young people to help us do it”.

“We want to build an army of customer service representatives by using Corps Members,” he added.