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Abuja Council Elections: FCT Police Restricts Movement

By
James Orji
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Kayode Egbetokun - IGP

The Nigerian Police, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Command has imposed a 12-hour restriction of movement across Abuja from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in view of the Area Council elections slated for February 21.

Josephine Adeh, a Superintendent of Police and the command’s Public Relations Officer, while announcing the restriction  on Wednesday said the measure applied to residents, except essential service providers, INEC officials as well as accredited persons in the electoral process.

Adeh said extensive security deployments have been made across the territory to maintain order and ensure a free poll.

The operation involves a joint effort by multiple security agencies, including the Nigerian military, the Department of State Services, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“Agencies involved in the deployment include the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Air Force, Nigeria Navy, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among others,” she said.

The PRO quoted the FCT Police Commissioner, Miller Dantawaye, a Commissioner of Police, CP as directing officers to demonstrate professionalism, and respect for citizens’ rights while on election duty.

“He also advised officers to remain vigilant, impartial, and courteous in the discharge of their duties, while respecting the rights of all citizens,” Adeh said.

Dantawaye also appealed to residents to cooperate with security personnel and observe operational guidelines during the elections.

The FCT police boss assured voters that adequate security arrangements are in place to support a free, fair, and peaceful exercise and encouraged them to participate without fear.

He further urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities through the police emergency lines: 08032003913 and 08061581938.

PDP: Tinubu Signed Electoral Act Because He’s Desperate To Return To Office

By
James Orji
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Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The signing of the Electoral Act 2026 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a desperate move, the  Tanimu Turaki faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, made the assertion on Wednesday, coming on the heels of President Tinubu’s assent to the Act passed by the National Assembly.

The magazine reports that the president signed the controversial Act during a brief ceremony in Aso Rock Villa, Nigeria’s Presidency, attended by Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, among other Presidency’s officials.

Not a few Nigerians insist that the Act fell short of their expectations after a clause, requiring real-time transmission of election results was removed by the lawmakers. The clause, they contend, would have guaranteed transparent, free and fair election.

Reacting, the PDP said the president should not have signed the Act because it did not meet the demand of Nigerians, describing Tinubu’s action as a desperation, saying the ruling APC fear that the clause, if included, could truncate its plan to return to power next year.

the PDP said it’s sad that the two chambers of the nation’s National Assembly still went ahead to pass the bill despite widespread opposition by not a few Nigerians.

The APC ‘fears inevitable defeat’ in the 2027 election, the opposition party said, describing President Tinubu decision to sign the Ac as a ‘sad day’ for the nation’s democracy.

Ememobong: “The party’s fear of inevitable defeat in a free and fair election is palpable, and they are unable to conceal it any longer.

“This is indeed a sad day for democracy. The Nigerian people have been dealt a bad card that existentially threatens democracy.

“The President has shown his inability to rise above partisanship in the art of governance.”

While signing the bill yesterday, President Tinubu justified his action, saying the nation’s telecom infrastructure lacks the capacity to handle real-time electronic transmission of election results.

“Maybe Nigeria should question our broadband capability. How technically are we today? How technically will we be tomorrow to answer the call of either real-time or not,” the President said.

My Plan For Ogun- Ex-CBN Deputy Governor Unveils Gov Ambition

By
James Orji
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Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Tunde Lemo, has swelled the ranks of aspirants seeking to become Ogun state next year.

Lemo, also a former Managing Director of Wema Bank, on Wednesday, declared to run for the state highest office, in a statement he made available to journalists.

The incumbent, Dapo Abiodun is set to vacate office next year, as his tenure as the state helmsman is expected to come to an end.

In anticipation of Governor Abiodun’s exit from office after the 2027 governorship election, some notable persons in the state have expressed their interest in his job, they include Senator Solomon Olamilekan, also known as Yayi, Ladi Adebutu, amongst other governorship aspirants.

There are also suggestions that Nigeria’s Finance Minister and Coordinating Minster of the Economy, Wale Edun is eyeing the Oke Mosan Government House job.

The entry of Lemo, a consummate banker, into the state governorship race, the analysts say did not come as surprise as his name has been mentioned among those seeking to contest the 2027 governorship election for some time now.

In a statement, he issued yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital during the All Progressives Congress, APC), ward congresses at Ward 12, Ita-Agemo, Isale-Igbein, the former CBN top shot said the development of the grassroots and unlocking the state’s agricultural potentials will be the hallmark of his government, saying his administration will change the face of governance in the state.

According to him, he will raise the bar of leadership if he was allowed to rule the state next year, promising to align himself with the ‘transformative agenda’ of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that his people love him, and have called on him to serve..

“It’s about raising the bar and ensuring the best for our people, and that’s what we’re doing, and by the special grace of God, we will get there,” he said.

“Yes, of course, I have my eyes on 2027 just like everyone else, but everything is in the hands of God.

“I don’t want to canvass personal position here, but my presence today is to underscore that APC is an organic party,” Lemo said.

“You can see the crowd, and we are members of one family. You have not seen anybody fighting. We are very strong and very vibrant, and people are happy because of the transformative agenda of President Bola Tinubu.”

Outrage As Dead Body Of Fmr. Kaduna Council Chair Is found After Attack On Burial Convoy

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Hon Ibrahim Gajere - Found Dead
Hon Ibrahim Gajere: Found dead.

By Adesina Soyooye

Outrage, anger, tears, sorrow and disbelief have greeted the discovery of the former Chairman of Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna, Honourable Ibrahim Gajere in the bush.

The former Chairman’s brutal murder by terrorists followed an attack on travellers who were returning from a burial ceremony in Dogon Noma community, Maro Ward, Kajuru Local Government.

The incident incident which took place on Monday, February 16, 2026, according to eyewitnesses accounts, was when  terrorists attacked a convoy of vehicles and set ablaze the official car of the Executive Chairman of the Council as well as three other cars.

After the attack Hon Gajere, among others, was declared missing. A search party was immediately organised by community members and residents.

But it ended in tragedy

as Gajere’s lifeless body was found in the afternoon of Wednesday by villagers who had embarked in search of him in the bush.

A source which pleaded anonymity disclosed: “It is painful to inform you that the body of the missing former Chairman of Kajuru Local Government has been found this afternoon.

“Some people have been combing the forest in search of him when they did not hear from the attackers.

“There were bullet wounds on his body.”

At the time of filing this report, neither the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, or the Kaduna State Police Command has released a statement on the incident.

Bauchi Governor Threatens War Over Arrest Of Opposition Leaders

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Bala Mohammed

By Adesina Soyooye

“They want a one-party State where nobody can question why a bag of rice is N100,000. The Presidency has unleashed the EFCC and other Security agencies on the opposition and is systematically decapitating it.”

Governor Bala Mohammed  of  Bauchi State, who is also the Chairman of the embattled PDP Governors’ Forum has threatened a full scale political war if the All Progressives Congress Government led by

President Bola Tinubu continues  what he described as “random and incessant” arrests of opposition figures.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The Governor spoke on the heels of the Arrest and detention of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on alleged misappropriation of N430billion while he was  in office. On release from the EFCC custody, El-Rufai was immediately picked up by the Independent  Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC in which  custody he is currently.

Before El-Rufai, the immediate past Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, was arrested by the EFCC which dragged him to Court. He is still in prison custody.

Before Malami there was former Governor of Sokoto State, who is also a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who was arrested by the EFCC over an alleged misappropriation of the sum of N189b while he was Governor.

Addressing a restive crowd of supporters and party stakeholders Wednesday  February 18, 2026, in Bauchi, the Governor who is also the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum,  accused the Federal Government of unleashing the EFCC and other security agencies as “political debt collectors” to force opposition leaders into joining the APC

But he roared: “No Amount of intimidation will force me to cave in.

“No clandestine overtures and threats of legal action can force me into intention abandoning the PDP.

“If they continue with this random and incessant arrest of our leaders, we will have no choice but to declare war,” the Governor thundered.

“They are using the EFCC to harass anyone who refuses to join their party. Let me say it clearly: no amount of intimidation, no amount of blackmail, and no amount of ‘file-opening’ will make me join the APC. We will meet them on the field in 2027.”

Continuing, Mohammed said that the Presidency is gradually “decapitating the opposition to ensure an unchallenged run for a second term.

“They want a one-party state where nobody can question why a bag of rice is N100,000.

“But Bauchi is not for sale, and the PDP is not for surrender.”

ICPC Takes El-Rufai Into Custody After Bail From EFCC

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Mallam Nasir el-Rufai

By Adesina Soyooye

Free on bail from a two-day detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,  a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has been immediately arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

In an ambush, El-Rufai was arrested by operatives of the ICPC Wednesday night as soon as he stepped out from the EFCC after perfecting his bail terms. It was like a handover of baton in a relay race.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, ICPC Spokesperson, Mr. Okor Odey, confirmed that El-Rufai is in the Commission’s custody.

He was intercepted by the gate of the EFCC as he made to exit the premises.

It is not known for how long El-Rufai, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, will be in the custody of the ICPC, but Odey’s statement reads in part:

“The Commission wishes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in our custody as at the close of work today, Wednesday, the 18th day of February, 2026.

“He is in the custody of the Commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”

The ICPC did not specify what investigation it is carrying out after the EFCC had interrogated El-Rufai on the alleged N423billion misappropriated while he was Governor, speculation is that the focus will shift to  the huge foreign loans and urban development contracts El-Rufai awarded during his eight-year tenure as  Governor of Kaduna State.

For the former power-broker, it is a-three way battle.

*First is with the EFCC where he is facing

allegations of  misappropriation of hundreds of billions of Naira belonging to the Kaduna State Government.

*Second is with the ICPC where he is facing  investigations into alleged abuse of office and contract inflation while he was Kaduna State Governor.

*The third is with the Department of State Services, DSS, which has already filed charges of

cybercrime  against him over his claims of alleged interceptions of telephone calls made by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Opinion is that on release from ICPC custody, he is likely to be picked by the DSS as its high prized guest.

Amaechi: “I Worked Closely With Tinubu, He Has No Capacity To Run Nigeria”, Says He Will Get ADC’s  2027 Ticket

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Rotimi Amaechi and Bola Tinubu2
Rotimi Amaechi and President Bola Tinubu

By Adesina Soyooye

A boastful and confident immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says he will get the Presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Amaechi, projecting a sure-footed disposition says the reason is simple.

Flaunting his credentials, Amaechi said he is not only the most qualified and experienced of all those vying for  the Presidential ticket of the ADC, but he is, also, the youngest. “I am 60, I don’t know how old Obi is. I guess he should be between 64 and 66.”

An open competition, he emphasized, would strengthen internal democracy in the ADC.

Amaechi: “If I lose the primaries, I will be in the ADC. It is not about me; it is about installing a responsible government. But would I get the ticket? I think the answer is yes. I am the youngest of the three of us; I am 60. I don’t know how old Obi is, but I guess he should between 64 and 66. I am able to jump around. I am able to fly to wherever I need to fly to now.”

Then he flaunted his qualification:

Amaechi: “I am the most experienced of all the candidates in the ADC: I was Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Minister of Transportation. And I led a campaign for the first time in the history of Nigeria that took out the sitting president. Nobody wants to credit me with that.”

He emphasized why he quit the APC, a party which foundation member he was, and under which he was, for eight years, the Minister for Transportation under the Government of late President Muhammadu Buhari. His decision to abandon the APC, he said was rooted in principles not on personal grudges. Amaechi tagged President Bola Tinubu’s Government as a failure and said it has abandoned all democratic ideals, and is drifting towards authoritarianism, and deployment of  state institutions to suppress dissent.

Amaechi: “The truth is simple. I did not agree with the choice of the presidential candidate. I did not believe he had the capacity to govern Nigeria. And I still do not believe so. What is happening today has only confirmed my position. If I believe that someone lacks capacity, how then do I remain in the same party supporting that leadership?

“That would make me dishonest. I had worked closely with him, so I knew exactly what I was talking about. Nigerians may not have had the opportunity to work with him closely, but I did. That experience shaped my judgment.

“Tinubu preached democracy, but today, what we are seeing is autocracy. Security agencies are being used to intimidate critics and opposition figures.”

He advised that his new Party must be “strategic in picking its flagbearer because zoning sentiments and the current power rotation arrangement could significantly shape voter behaviour, especially in the South.”

Amaechi was defeated by then aspirant, Senator Bola Tinubu in the APC Presidential Primary. In the main election, Candidate Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

FCT Poll: Shock As PDP Chairmanship Candidate Steps Down For APC Candidate In Bwari

By
Adesina Soyooye
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FCT poll

By Adesina Soyooye

A few days to Council Election in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Julius Adamu, the Chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bwari Area Council, has stepped down for his All Progressives Congress, APC, counterpart, Joshua Ishaku Musa.

The election is scheduled to hold on February 21. Speculation is that this was the handiwork of the

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike who a couple of days ago, swore he would support only the Candidates who are in support of President Bola Tinubu. He, also, said he would see to it that those not in support of the President, would fail at the polls.

Not a few people protested what they saw as Wike’s intimidation and threat. The African Democratic Congress, ADC, protested and urged Mr President to calk Wike to order.

.

For the records, Wike still claims to not only be a member of the PDP but its most important member. In this election, therefore, with  Wike, a PDP member as the Minister, the expectation was that it is the APC Candidate that should, on the Minister’s lobbying, stand down for the PDP Candidate.

Enugu: Giant Community Tree Falls On Two Commuter Buses, Kills 11

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
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Scene of the Giant tree that fell on two vehicles in Enugu

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Enugu State Command of the  Federal Road Safety Corps FRSC, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, said that a total of 11 persons lost their lives when a giant tree fell on two vehicles along.the 9th Mile/ Old Nssuka Road in Enugu State.

According to the Sector Commander, Franklin Agbakoba, the incident, which involved a Toyota Hiace Commuter bus and a commercial Toyota Sienna car, occurred at about 9:20 pm on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Awhum Market in Awhum community.

He explained that the giant community tree may have fallen down due to heavy down pour and ferocious wind.

The tree, according to locals, was said to have fallen on the vehicles when they  stopped for passengers to disembark.

“The road mishap involved 13 persons in total, which included 11 females and two males.

“Unfortunately, 11 lives were lost on the spot, including 10 females and one male, even before the arrival of the  FRSC rescue team within 17 minutes of the incident”, Agbakoba stated.

The FRSC Commander further informed that the dead victims have been deposited at the Ekochin Hospital Mortuary at 9th Mile Corner close to Enugu metropolis.

He noted that the road which blocked owing to the incident, was later freed up following the intervention of personnel from the Enugu State Traffic Management Agency ESTMA.

Suspected Toxic Gas Emission Kills Over 35 At Plateau State Mining Site

By
Suleiman Anyalewechi
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Mining site in Zurak Wase in Plateau State

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

No fewer than 35 miners are feared dead following suspected leakage of a highly poisonous gas at a mining site in Zurak Wase Local Council of Plateau State .

According to locals, the victims along side others working at the site were  believed to have been exposed to the toxic emissions from the leaked gas cylinders, resulting in the instant death of about 35 persons, with several others at some risks.

The unfortunate incident has sent huge shock wave across the host community of the mining site, as well as neighbours who decried the growing hazards associated with most of the illegal mining activities in some parts of the State.

According to Shafi Sambo, one of  the Youth Leaders of Wase, the community was alerted to the disturbing incident early morning on Wednesday.

Although no official report has been issued regarding the actual cause(s) of the incident, Sambo, however, informed that reports indicate that the victims may have died from tl inhalating leaked toxic gas at the site.

He called on the State Government and other relevant authorities to, as a matter of urgency consider  the enactment of extant laws to  regulate  mining activities in the state.

As at the time of reporting, there were no official statements from the state authorities.

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