Author: Tahir Ahmed

The Kaduna State Pilgrims Welfare Agency (KSPWA) says it will complete the conveyance of all Kaduna pilgrims from Madina to Makkah on Friday. In statement issued on Friday in Madina, Ibraheem Musa, chief press secretary to Uba Sani, the Kaduna governor, said the smooth movement of pilgrims was made possible through early preparations and support for the 2026 hajj exercise. According to the statement, pilgrims spent the mandatory four days in Madina before being transported to Makkah in batches, with the last group scheduled to depart on Friday. Musa quoted Abubakar Yusuf, director of operations of KSPWA, as attributing the…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the state for the 2027 elections. A statement issued by Sulaiman Idris, media aide to the governor, said Lawal secured 301,893 votes in the affirmation exercise conducted across the 14 LGAs of the state. Babagana Uba, chairman of the APC governorship primaries in Zamfara state, announced the result and declared Lawal the winner of the exercise. The statement said the primary election was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Reacting to the outcome, Lawal thanked party members…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has decried restricted access to Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) detention facility in Abuja. El-Rufai has been in the custody of the ICPC since February 19 over alleged financial impropriety during his tenure as governor of Kaduna between 2015 and 2023. On March 28, the former governor was granted temporary leave to attend his mother’s funeral. In 2024, the Kaduna state house of assembly indicted el-Rufai over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and money laundering and…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar The Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to sign the endangered species conservation and protection bill 2025 into law. In a statement issued on Friday to mark this year’s World Biodiversity Day, celebrated annually on May 22, the NCF said the legislation, already passed by the national assembly, is urgently needed to strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework for wildlife protection, curb illegal trade in endangered species, and improve enforcement against environmental crimes. The foundation noted the growing pressure on Nigeria’s biodiversity, warning that the country’s forests, wetlands and coastal ecosystems are deteriorating rapidly due…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has opposed the lawsuit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery challenging fuel import licences issued to marketers, warning that restricting imports could expose Nigeria to supply disruptions and monopoly control. According to Reuters on Friday, NNPC argued before the federal high court in Lagos that granting Dangote refinery’s request to void or restrict import permits would threaten the country’s energy security and destabilise fuel supply. In the court documents, NNPC said the move could expose Nigeria to “supply disruptions, price instability and risks to national energy security”. The legal dispute centres on import licences…

The Aren Eggon, the paramount ruler of Eggon nation in Nasarawa State, His Royal Highness, Honourable Justice Ahmed Ubangari Alaku I (rtd), will be provided with staff of office on 13th June. The ceremony is coming about 40 years after the late Aren Eggon, Dr. Bala Abaine Angbazo was coronated by the then governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar. LEADERSHIP recalls that Justice Alaiku I, a former Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, emerged the Aren Eggon on Friday 5th May 2023, following a rigorous selection process by the Eggon Kingmakers. Prior to his selection, he served as the Wazirin…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar The results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Primaries for National Assembly Candidates in Benue State have shown that the rift between Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and Governor Hyacinth Alia, is far from over. While Mrs Regina Akume, who currently represents Gboko/Tarka federal constituency at the House of Representatives got a return ticket, five other loyalists of the SGF were not so lucky. They are Dickson Tarkghir of Makurdi/Guma; Sesoo Gboko of Vandeikya/Konshisha; Asema Achado of Gwer East/Gwer West; Ugbor Terseer of Kwande/Ushongo; Sekav Iortyom of Buruku; and David Ogewu…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the party’s ongoing nationwide primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections are the most competitive in Nigeria’s political history. Yilwatda said the sheer volume of aspirants jostling for a handful of elective positions across the country was proof of the ruling party’s deep penetration into every community in Nigeria. The national chairman made the declaration on Wednesday evening while speaking with journalists outside President Bola Tinubu’s Ikoyi, Lagos residence, where he had gone to brief the President on the state of the primaries…

By Ojima-ojo Abubakar 13 political parties contesting the June 20, 2026 governorship elections in Ekiti state have signed a peace agreement ahead of the elections with a commitment to ensuring lasting peace before, during and after the elections. Among those who signed the peace accord on Thursday at Ado Ekiti is the current governor of the state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Biodun Oyebanji who pledged the commitment of the people of the state to lasting peace. The governor spoke just as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan admonished the parties…

Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, has been declared winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in the state. He defeated 14 other aspirants, including an incumbent senator, in the party’s primary election. Danladi secured 94,990 votes to emerge winner of the exercise conducted across the 16 local government areas of the state. Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee and former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, announced the result at the Banquet Hall in Ilorin. Declaring the outcome of the exercise, Obanikoro said the primary…