Three members of the House of Representatives have defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Thaddeus Attah (Eti-Osa federal constituency, Lagos), Usman Zubairu (Birnin Gwari/Giwa federal constituency, Kaduna), and Sani Noma (Argungu/Augie federal constituency, Kebbi) left the Labour Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ADC,
respectively.

In Niger state, Abubakar Buba (Chanchaga federal constituency) and Ibrahim Mohammed (Bunza/Birnin Kebbi/Kalgo federal constituency, Kebbi) moved from the PDP to the APC.

Mudashiru Alani, representing Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa federal
constituency of Osun, and Adetunji Olusoji, who represent Odo-Otin/Ifelodun/Boripe federal constituency, both defected from the PDP to the Accord.

Meanwhile, in Taraba state, David Fuoh, who represents Sarduana/Kurmi/Gashaka federal constituency, switched from the APC to the PDP.

Benjamin Kalu, the deputy speaker of the house, read the defection notices during Tuesday’s plenary.

The lawmakers attributed their defections to the internal crisis in their former parties.

Subsequently, the house adjourned plenary to Wednesday over the death of Muhammad Hassan.

Hassan, who represented Dawakin Kudu/Warawa federal constituency of Kano state, died on April 10 after a period of illness.

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The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against alleged plotters of a coup against President Bola Tinubu.

Among the suspects are a retired Major-General, a retired naval captain, a serving police inspector and three others.

Recall that Nigerian security agencies concluded investigations into an alleged coup plot to violently overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

There were reportedly 40 suspects identified in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

Sixteen military officers were arrested for direct participation, two civilians for reconnaissance, two for being recruited to incite civil disobedience to justify the coup, and five others in connection
with funding channels.

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The All Progressive Congress (APC) has released its timetable and schedule of activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued on Monday night and signed by Sulaiman Argungun, APC’s national organising secretary, the ruling party pegged the cost of its nomination and expression presidential aspirants at N70 million and N30 million respectively.

For the governorship ticket, the party fixed the expression of interest form at N10 million and the nomination form at N40 million.

Senate aspirants are to pay N3 million for the expression of interest form and N17 million for the nomination form, while those seeking seats in the house of representatives will pay N1 million and N9 million, respectively.

For the state house of assembly, the expression of interest form is pegged at N1 million, while the nomination form costs N5 million.

The party said female aspirants, youths, and persons with disabilities would only be required to pay the full expression of interest fee and 50 percent of the nomination fee.

More to follow…

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The National Youth Service Corps has announced a change in the orientation schedule for prospective corps members deployed to Enugu and Osun states for the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Stream II exercise.

In a statement issued on Monday by the NYSC Director of Information and Public Relations, Caroline Embu, the scheme said the orientation course for the two states will now commence on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, and end on Monday, May 18, 2026.

NYSC said, “This slight adjustment is due to the on-going extensive renovation of the Camps by the State Governments which has necessitated the change in date.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Orientation Exercise for all other states and the FCT is scheduled to be held from Wednesday, April 22, 2026, to Tuesday, May 12, 2026.”

It urged affected prospective corps members to take note of the revised dates and comply accordingly.

The scheme also wished all prospective corps members a safe journey to their respective states of deployment.

It was earlier reported that the Corps has released call-up letters for prospective corps members in the 2026 Batch ‘A’ Stream II.

Checks on Monday, supported by screenshot evidence from candidates, showed that the call-up numbers and deployment details were uploaded on the NYSC portal early Monday morning.

Confirmations from prospective corps members also indicated that the portal became active in the early hours, though many users experienced difficulty accessing it due to heavy traffic.

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Former Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, has formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Shekarau announced his defection into the ruling party on Sunday.

Born on November 5, 1955, Shekarau, a veteran Nigerian educator and politician, served as the Governor of Kano State from 2003 to 2011.

The ex-Kano governor also served as Minister of Education from 2014–2015, and a Senator for Kano Central from 2019 to 2023.

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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has announced that American negotiators will travel to Pakistan on Monday to continue discussions aimed at ending the ongoing conflict with Iran.

In a post shared on social media on Sunday, Trump reiterated his administration’s readiness to reach a resolution, describing the offer on
the table as “a reasonable deal.”

However, he warned that failure to reach an agreement could trigger severe consequences, including potential strikes on key infrastructure in Iran.

The US leader also accused Tehran of breaching the existing two-week ceasefire, alleging that Iranian forces carried out attacks on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz.

“I am offering Iran a reasonable deal,” Trump said, adding that if the proposal is rejected, “the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran. NO MORE MR NICE
GUY!”

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A roadside hawker has been killed in a traffic accident at Okokomaiko, while seven other people were injured in another crash at Ogudu inward Toll Gate, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has confirmed.

In a statement, LASTMA said both incidents happened in different parts of the state and its officials responded quickly to manage the situations and assist those affected.

The fatal crash at Okokomaiko involved a Lexus Jeep with registration number SMK 674 HY, resulting in the death of an adult male hawker.

Officials of the agency who arrived at the scene promptly secured the area and removed the body from the road to restore order and prevent further danger to other road users.

Police officers from the Ketu Division later took over the scene and moved the remains to the Badagry Mortuary for necessary procedures.

At Ogudu inward Toll Gate, LASTMA officers also attended to another crash involving a Mazda commercial bus, marked MUS 231 YA, and a Lexus
Jeep with registration number FKJ 23 HL.

Seven passengers sustained injuries in the collision and were rescued at the scene.

Operatives from the Ogudu Police Division supported the emergency response, while officials of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) took the injured victims to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Authorities said all vehicles involved in both incidents have been handed over to the police for further investigation to determine what led to the crashes.

Reacting to the incidents, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, urged motorists to be more careful on the road.

He advised drivers to follow traffic rules, avoid speeding, and stay alert at all times, especially at night when visibility is often
reduced.

“LASTMA remains resolute in its commitment to safeguarding lives and ensuring seamless traffic management across the State,” the statement
said.

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Former Kogi lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, has declared that

he would defeat President Bola Tinubu in a credible election, while stressing
that his main focus is backing a united opposition candidate.

Melaye made the remarks during an interview on Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, where he criticised the current administration and expressed confidence in alternative candidates.

“My brother, anybody among those interested in presidency in ADC would do one million times better than Tinubu. They can never be a worse president than Tinubu,” he said.

Speaking on his own chances, the former senator insisted he could unseat the President under a transparent process.

“Me, Dino Melaye. Let’s go on a free and fair election,” he stated.

“I will beat him flat in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Despite his confidence, Melaye said his immediate priority is not necessarily personal ambition but ensuring a united front against the current government.

“My own for now is that we must send Tinubu away. Whoever emerges from consensus or from a primary, I will support,” he said.

He also alleged that the President may not be willing to allow a credible electoral process.

“Let him allow a free and fair contest. And if he doesn’t allow it, we will make him conduct our election. Because he doesn’t want election. He wants to be Kabiyesi. He wants to be Igwe,” he added.

On coalition talks, Melaye dismissed speculation about joint tickets, saying the priority is national interest.

“I am not interested in any joint ticket or non-joint ticket, we are only interested in rescuing this country,” he said.

The former lawmaker also raised concerns about governance, alleging undue influence by non-elected individuals, particularly the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu.

“My son will not interfere with governance. My son will not summon DGs of parastatals and agencies of government and ministers,” he said.

He further criticised what he described as the growing visibility of Seyi Tinubu in public affairs, referencing comments by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.

“Even our respected Wole Soyinka complained about him. You have seen the City Boy Movement and what they are doing,” he said.

Melaye maintained that opposition figures are already strategising ahead of future elections, stressing that unity will be key to achieving their goal.

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In 2018, two different legal advice from the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) said the office was unable to establish any evidence linking Bukola Saraki, a former senate president, to the tragic Offa robbery incident.

The legal advice, issued June 22, 2018 and August 23, 2018, was signed by Mohammed U.E., director of public prosecutions of the federation, on behalf of the AGF.

Abubakar Malami was the AGF and minister of justice at the time the legal advice was issued.

WHAT HAPPENED IN OFFA?

On April 5, 2018, multiple banks were raided, and a police station was attacked in Offa, a town in Kwara state, resulting in 33 fatalities, including a pregnant woman and 12 police officers.

After the incident, the police arrested six suspects in connection with the armed robbery.

Michael Adikwu, suspected mastermind of the robbery attack and dismissed police officer, died in custody.

Some days after the robbery incident, the police invited Saraki and alleged that Ayoade Akinnibosun, the gang leader, claimed that the gang members were political thugs to Saraki.

The police also alleged that Akinnibosun claimed that he got vehicles and monetary gifts from Saraki through Yusuf Abdulwahab, a former chief of staff to Abdulfatah Ahmed, ex-Kwara governor.

Speaking during the parade of suspects, Akinnibosun told journalists that his group had been working for Saraki since he was a governor.

The gang leader also told journalists that Saraki was not aware of their involvement in the armed robbery attack.

During a court hearing in March 2019, Akinnibosun alleged that Abba Kyari, then deputy commissioner of police, asked him and the other accused to implicate Saraki and that he was threatened to make confessional
statements.

In September 2024, a high court in Kwara found the five defendants guilty of illegal possession of firearms, armed robbery, and culpable homicide connected to the Offa incident. They were sentenced to death.

The defendants were Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham, Salahudeen Azeez and Niyi Ogundiran.

In January, the court of appeal upheld the conviction and sentence of the five convicts.

Recently, the Kwara government filed a 20-count charge against Saraki and Ahmed over allegations of arming the convicts.

Other defendants in the case are Abdulwahab and Alabi Olalekan, another aide.

Saraki has since denied any form of connection with the armed robbery suspects. He accused AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara,
of attempting to embarrass him.

THE LEGAL ADVICE

Making a reference to Saraki and Ahmed, the first legal advice dated June 22, 2018, and addressed to the inspector-general of police, the OAGF, said it is “unable to establish from the evidence in the interim report a nexus between the alleged offence and suspects”.

The OAGF advised that “further and more thorough investigation” should be carried out to establish whether Saraki and Ahmed approved or knew about the planning and execution of the Offa robbery attack.

“Whether the weapons used for the robbery attack aforementioned were supplied by either the Senate President, Bukola Saraki or the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatai Ahmed Maigida,” the OAGF had said.

“And any other area or areas that may assist in establishing a prima facie case of aiding and abetting crime, or accessory after the fact.”

The OAGF said Olalekan, a former personal assistant to Ahmed on political matters, should be charged for the “offence of illegal possession
of firearms”.

The OAGF also said there was “no evidence is credible enough to sustain any charge based on any offence known to law” against Abdulwahab.

In the second legal advice dated August 23, 2018, the OAGF said there was no departure from the June 2018 legal advice on the alleged involvement of Saraki in the Offa robbery attack.

The OAGF added that the “office is still unable to establish any prima facie case against him for any offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide punishable with death”.

The OAGF again advised that Olalekan should be charged for “illegal possession of firearms” separately from the main suspects involved in the Offa robbery attack.

The OAGF also said the investigation report did not disclose any “collaborative evidence linking” Abdulwahab to the Offa robbery attack.

The police were advised to transfer the case file to the Kwara attorney-general and commissioner of justice for prosecution.

Saraki governed Kwara between 2003 and 2011. He served as the senate president from 2015 to 2019.

Ahmed became Kwara governor after Saraki’s tenure in 2011 and served till 2019.

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