As political realignments intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido has advised former President Goodluck Jonathan to stay away from partisan political contests. Political stakeholders have recently intensified calls for Jonathan to return to active politics, but Lamido described the appeals as misplaced and driven by desperation. File Photo: Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido. The former governor and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain made the remarks in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday. Lamido warned that attempts to draw Jonathan back into active politics could undermine the former president’s reputation as a respected elder statesman. He said Jonathan now occupies a distinguished position in Nigeria and globally as a former president whose status should not be diminished by involvement in current political disputes. “It is unfair and ill-opportune to drag his person into the current murky political arena populated by...

The Kaduna State chapter of the National Democratic Congress on Wednesday declared support for a proposed presidential ticket involving Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general elections, vowing to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress at both state and national levels. The party made the declaration during its first expanded joint executive committee meeting with local government and ward chairmen, as well as aspirants, held in Kaduna, the state capital. The meeting had in attendance the party’s governorship, National Assembly and House of Assembly aspirants, zonal executives, and local government and ward chairmen drawn from the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State. Speaking at the gathering, the Kaduna State Chairman of the party, Mordecai Ibrahim, said the NDC had come to provide Nigerians with what he described as “genuine hope” after years of hardship under the APC-led administration. He accused successive APC administrations since 2015 of...

Bukayo Saka said that Arsenal’s critics were “not laughing at us anymore” as the club celebrated their first Premier League title in more than two decades. Gunners players and staff gathered at the club’s London Colney training ground on Tuesday to watch closest challengers Manchester City draw 1-1 away to Bournemouth—a result which gave Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead at the top of the table with just Sunday’s final round of matches remaining. As the Arsenal squad relished the club’s first Premier League title since 2004, there were also joyous scenes at the north London side’s Emirates Stadium, where thousands of supporters gathered to mark the occasion by lighting fireworks and flares. Arsenal, runners-up in the league for the previous three seasons, had faced accusations of “bottling” their title bid, with several observers questioning their temperament and ability to handle pressure following a 2-1 defeat at City on April 19....

The Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, in partnership with Afe Babalola University, has flagged off the 2026 Annual International Conference on Finance, Securities and Investment as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen collaboration between capital market stakeholders and academia. The international conference, scheduled to be held physically at ABUAD in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, supports the institute’s Federal Government mandate to promote financial literacy and expand public awareness of investment opportunities within Nigeria’s capital market. The hybrid event, which begins with a virtual pre-conference workshop today, Wednesday, 20 May 2026, is expected to attract regulators, market operators, policymakers, academics and investors from across Africa and beyond to examine practical solutions for strengthening African capital markets amid evolving global financial realities. Speaking on the rationale behind the conference, the Chairman of the Institute’s Research Committee, Dr Ayodeji Ebo, said the gathering was designed to provide a strategic platform for stakeholders to address...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Cross River State branch, has commenced an indefinite strike over alleged unpaid allowances, salary arrears and the non-implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government. The union disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Branch Chairperson, Patrick Ushie, and the Branch Secretary, Edang Bassey. According to the statement, the strike took effect from May 19, 2026, following what it described as the failure of the university management, governing council and government to address its demands despite the commencement of implementation of the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU renegotiated agreement in January 2026. The statement read, “The failure of Management, the Governing Council and Government to immediately attend to this agreement and other charters of demands has caused the ASUU-UNICROSS branch to embark on a total and indefinite strike action, beginning today, May 19, 2026.” The union listed its demands...

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Cross River State branch, has commenced an indefinite strike over alleged unpaid allowances, salary arrears and the non-implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government. The union disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Branch Chairperson, Patrick Ushie, and the Branch Secretary, Edang Bassey. According to the statement, the strike took effect from May 19, 2026, following what it described as the failure of the university management, governing council and government to address its demands despite the commencement of implementation of the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU renegotiated agreement in January 2026. The statement read, “The failure of Management, the Governing Council and Government to immediately attend to this agreement and other charters of demands has caused the ASUU-UNICROSS branch to embark on a total and indefinite strike action, beginning today, May 19, 2026.” The union listed its demands...

The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged treason and breach of national security resumed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with a prosecution witness telling the court that the National Security Adviser and the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission confirmed the authenticity of a conversation allegedly referenced by the defendant during a television interview. The prosecution played before the court a 43-minute interview granted by El-Rufai on Arise Television, during which he allegedly claimed that a private conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had been intercepted and forwarded to him. The former Kaduna State Governor is facing an amended five-count charge over alleged unlawful interception of communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and alleged threats to national security. The Federal Government, through the DSS, accused the former governor of unlawfully intercepting communications contrary...

The United States Department of Justice has filed a civil complaint seeking to revoke the US citizenship of a Nigerian-born man, Emmanuel Oluwatosin Kazeem, convicted of masterminding a large-scale identity theft and tax fraud scheme that allegedly defrauded US authorities of millions of dollars. In a statement published on its website on Monday, the department said the complaint was filed before the US District Court in Baltimore, Maryland, accusing Kazeem of unlawfully obtaining American citizenship through fraud and concealment of criminal conduct. Kazeem was convicted in 2017 on 19 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit fraud, and was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment. His sentence was later commuted in 2024 by former US President Joe Biden after he had spent about six years in prison. Announcing the action, Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate said the administration would continue targeting individuals who fraudulently...

What began as a routine APC House of Representatives primary in Gombe State has spiralled into a major political controversy, with allegations of manipulated results, imposed candidates, and deepening internal divisions threatening the party’s unity ahead of the 2027 elections, writes CHIMA AZUBUIKE What was expected to showcase the strength and unity of the All Progressives Congress in Gombe State ahead of the 2027 general elections has instead exposed simmering tensions, growing distrust among party stakeholders, and renewed concerns over the credibility of internal democracy within Nigeria’s ruling party. The fallout from the APC House of Representatives direct primaries has sparked a fierce battle of narratives between the party leadership and aggrieved aspirants, particularly in the Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency, where allegations that “results were announced for an election that never held” now threaten to overshadow the party’s claims of conducting a transparent and peaceful exercise. While Governor Muhammadu Yahaya and...

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has ordered a full investigation into a building collapse in Abuja that claimed five lives and left several others injured over the weekend. Wike also directed that the affected site be immediately sealed off. The incident involved a three-storey building under construction that collapsed on Saturday morning in the Durumi 3 area, near Gudu Market, within the Abuja Municipal Area Council. Wike, who visited the scene on Monday, described the incident as deeply unfortunate and confirmed that enforcement actions had already begun, including arrests linked to the project. He said preliminary reports indicated multiple fatalities, while several occupants were rescued from the rubble. Authorities, he added, would move swiftly to establish how the structure failed and whether regulatory procedures were ignored. “From the report I got, we lost five people and some lives were saved. It’s very pathetic. Nobody is happy...