The Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Zamfara State, Kabiru Garba Gusau, has said Ibrahim Salisu Mafara remains the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

Gusau made this known on Thursday at a press briefing at the ADC secretariat in Gusau, where he addressed issues surrounding the party’s structure and governorship candidacy in the state.

He said the party’s position was based on its constitution and the rule of law, adding that the state chapter would continue to pursue its affairs through lawful and constitutional means.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to make our position absolutely clear. Hon. Ibrahim Salisu Mafara is the ADC gubernatorial candidate for Zamfara State,” Gusau said.

Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, has resigned his membership of the opposition party amid its prolonged internal crisis.

Jegede communicated his decision in a resignation letter dated August 7, 2026, addressed to the chairman of the PDP in Ward 11, Owode/Imagun Ward, Akure South Local Government Area, Fabiyi Kole Adewale.

The former governorship candidate stated that his departure from the party took immediate effect.

“Kindly take this as a formal notice of my resignation as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, effective immediately,” Jegede wrote.

The Minister of Works, Engr Dave Umahi, has ordered the installation of closed-circuit television, CCTV, cameras on the First Niger Bridge as a way to stop the theft of bolts, iron joints and other components of the bridge.

The minister gave the order on Thursday while inspecting parts of the bridge where vandals removed bolts, expansion joints and iron bars holding together the bridge.

Umahi also inspected the Second Niger Bridge, whose base had been eaten into by erosion, endangering motorists who drive on the bridge, oblivious of the hollow underneath.

While inspecting the First Niger Bridge, Umahi said: “We saw this vandalisation on social media. We want to thank members of the public for bringing this to our attention.

The Niger State Government says it has not received any message or demand from the terrorists who abducted worshippers in Borgu Local Government Area last Friday.

The state Commissioner for Information, Obed Nuhu, disclosed this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

Nuhu said the attack occurred in three different locations and was suspected to have been carried out by the Lakurawa and Boko Haram groups.

“No such (contact with the kidnappers) has happened. We have not had any interactions with them but the suspicion is the Lakurawas as they call themselves and the Boko Haram. It happened in three different locations around that kingdom,” he said.

The commissioner also said the government was yet to establish the exact number of people abducted.

He explained that officials were still gathering information and would not provide figures until they had been properly verified.

Following the attack, Niger State Governor Umaru Bago directed security agencies to work towards rescuing the victims and restoring peace in the affected communities.

The state government said a joint security operation had been launched to assess the situation, track the attackers and rescue those taken away.

It said details of the security operation would not be disclosed because of the sensitive nature of the mission.

President Bola Tinubu has also ordered security and intelligence agencies to begin an immediate and coordinated operation to rescue the abducted worshippers.

The President gave the directive to the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services and other relevant agencies, according to a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.

Victims of election-related violence in Osun State have been urged to submit their claims for possible assistance from the state’s N500 million relief fund.

The appeal was made by the Chairman of the Osun State Election Violence Relief Committee and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, during the committee’s inaugural meeting on Thursday.

Egbedun said the committee had begun its assignment by reviewing complaints already received and collated, while creating an opportunity for other affected persons to present their cases for consideration.

He explained that the committee’s responsibilities included receiving complaints, verifying genuine claims and ensuring that approved assistance reached people who suffered losses during election-related incidents.

Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Theo Abu Agada, has said the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not give funds accrued from fuel subsidy to state governors, as President Bola Tinubu’s administration is doing.
Agada also said that, unlike the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who is proposing a return of fuel subsidy, Obi will not bring back oil cabals that benefited from the regime.

In 2023, Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy regime during his presidential inauguration in Abuja.

A few weeks ago, Atiku sparked a debate when he proposed a return of fuel subsidy if elected president in 2027.

However, Agada said Obi would give Nigerians the funds from the fuel subsidy if elected president.

Sixty-seven Nigerians have returned to the country from South Africa following a repatriation exercise facilitated by a group of private individuals.

The returnees arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a South African Airways flight on Wednesday night.

The latest development brings to 150 the number of Nigerians repatriated with the assistance of the philanthropic group, following the earlier return of 83 Nigerians.

Speaking to the returnees, representatives of the group, Ikem Ume-Ezeoke and Chief Charles Mba, welcomed them back to Nigeria and presented each person with N50,000 as immediate financial support.

The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan, to substantiate a claim he made during a speech at the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, conference in Port Harcourt.

VeryDarkMan on Tuesday served as a panelist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the NBA, where he made allegations against officers of the NPF.

He alleged that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways in the country relay information to kidnappers and bandits regarding the identities and movements of travellers.

According to the activist, the actions of the officers have been facilitating abductions for ransom across the nation.

Responding, a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, denied the allegation.

The police explained that personnel deployed to checkpoints and other locations nationwide were there to prevent crime, detect criminal activity and protect citizens, not to facilitate kidnapping.

“Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information.

“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr. Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction.

“Any such information will be treated with urgency and investigated thoroughly.

“We encourage any member of the public with credible evidence of officer misconduct to come forward through these channels rather than through public allegations alone, so that appropriate action can be taken,” he stated.