Author: Citynews

President Bassirou Faye of Senegal has emerged as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson, of Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria. CityNews reports that Faye replaces Sierra Leone’s Julius Bio as the regional group leader. Meanwhile, the position of the Commission President will now be held by Biram Diop, who replaces Dr. Omar Toure. Tinubu handed over the mantle of leadership to President Bio at the 67th Ordinary Session of the Authority held in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. He succeeds Bio at…

The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, has boasted that the presidential candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, respectively, do not have the grassroots structure and regional appeal required to “penetrate the North” and unseat incumbent President Bola Tinubu. “The North is strategic in every presidential election in Nigeria. With due respect to our friends in the opposition, neither Peter Obi nor Atiku Abubakar can mobilise enough support in this region to defeat President Tinubu in 2027,” he said. The…

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has asked President Bola Tinubu to either abandon what it described as his “neoliberal economic policies” or resign. The opposition party said Nigerians can no longer continue under the current economic situation. The ADC made its position known in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi. The opposition party said it was worried by recent reports showing that more Nigerians are falling into poverty and hunger, adding that the country’s economic policies had failed to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. The ADC said it was deeply concerned by a recent World Bank…

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Kebbi State, Abubakar Malami, has named Musa Zagi as the party’s deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 governorship election. The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Engr. Abubakar Atiku Musa. According to the statement, Zagi’s nomination received the approval of the ADC governorship candidate. The party congratulated Zagi on his emergence, expressing confidence in his ability to discharge the responsibilities of the office if elected. It also congratulated other ADC candidates contesting various elective positions in the 2027 general elections and urged party members…

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, voters’ register has come under scrutiny. CityNews reports that this is following the recent revelation by the INEC chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan that names of the many dead persons were still in the register. Amupitan had revealed that names of voters who had died as far back as 15 years ago were still in the country’s voter register, a development many argue would not only question the credibility of the 2027 election outcomes but also cause unnecessary financial waste in terms of printing ballot papers…

Christian organisations have opposed the proposed amendment to the Federal Road Safety Corps Bill, which seeks to criminalise preaching in commercial vehicles. The Christian bodies, including the Christian Council of Nigeria and the Organisation of African Instituted Churches, warned that the proposed legislation could infringe on Nigerians’ constitutional rights and worsen the plight of vulnerable citizens. On Thursday, the Senate passed the Federal Road Safety Corps (Amendment) Bill, 2026, proposing a N50,000 fine for anyone convicted of hawking, trading or preaching inside commercial vehicles. The bill, which seeks to strengthen road safety enforcement and curb practices considered capable of distracting…

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has hinted there may be agents of terrorists in the Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police Force, NPF. Bwala stated this while speaking on The Link Up Podcast, a panel discussion hosted by EchoRoom and published on Friday. He was responding to a question on if the military has been infiltrated by agents of terrorism. Noting that such can’t be ruled out, the presidential aide recalled how some army officers and policemen have been arrested over their links to terrorism in Nigeria. Bwala said, “You cannot rule out the…

A teacher abducted during the attack on schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State has narrated how he spent 56 days in captivity before he and other victims regained their freedom. CityNews reports that the school counsellor, Olatunde Olutuye Zaccheaus, said he was the last victim seized by the gunmen and also the last person to be released from their custody. Zaccheaus spoke during an emotional telephone interview on Nigeria Info’s Morning Crossfire programme on Friday, alongside his wife. His account, particularly the circumstances in which the victims left the kidnappers’ camp, has generated questions over whether they were released…

Asia Ahmad El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has appealed to the international community to intervene over what she described as her husband’s prolonged detention and alleged denial of due process. CityNews reports that Asia, a lawyer, argued that the former governor’s continued incarceration amounted to “punishment before trial” and posed a threat to Nigeria’s democratic institutions. In a public statement issued to mark what she described as the 150th day of El-Rufai’s detention, Asia called on foreign governments, multilateral organisations and international human rights groups to closely monitor the legal proceedings involving her husband. She said she…

The Federal Government on Friday filed charges against three men over their complicity in the recent kidnapping of children and teachers of a school in Orire Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State. The men, Abdulrazak Umar, a.k.a. Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid, Yunusa Musa, a.k.a. Yunusa bin Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani, a.k.a. Abu Itisar are facing 10-count charges filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment, incitement and illegal mining. The defendants, all of Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, are alleged to have conspired with one Muhammad Sani, Jibril Mohammed and Ibrahim Khabab between…