Author: Platform Times Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu has appointed a 39-year-old professor of Computer Engineering, Segun Aina, as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. Aina will succeed the outgoing registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, whose tenure is scheduled to end on July 31, 2026. The appointment was disclosed on Thursday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the Presidency, Aina, a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, brings extensive expertise in digital infrastructure, examination systems, and institutional reforms—areas considered critical to the ongoing modernisation of Nigeria’s education sector. The statement described him as…

The Lagos Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities has decried what it described as the poor and inconsistent implementation of the 2025 agreement reached with the Federal Government, warning that the development is threatening industrial peace across Nigerian universities. Speaking at a press conference held at University of Lagos on Wednesday, the union’s Zonal Coordinator, Adesola Nassir, accused both federal and state governments of failing to demonstrate commitment to revitalising the nation’s university system. Nassir said although the agreement—finalised after nearly a decade of renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government pact—was accepted as a “launchpad” for reforms, its…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday heard fresh allegations of a plot to infiltrate the Presidential Villa and disrupt electricity supply as part of an attempt to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The revelations emerged during the ongoing trial of six defendants accused of conspiring to stage a coup, as the prosecution tendered a video recording of the interrogation of one of the suspects, Zekeri Umoru. In the footage, played in open court, Umoru told investigators that he was approached to participate in a plan allegedly spearheaded by a serving military officer, identified as Colonel Mohammed A. Ma’aji,…

The political crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has taken a dramatic turn as Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced his withdrawal from the party’s governorship primary ahead of the 2027 elections. Fubara, in a statement personally signed on Wednesday, said the decision followed “deep reflection and extensive consultations,” adding that he would support whoever emerges as the party’s candidate. The governor’s withdrawal comes amid intensifying internal wrangling within the APC in Rivers State, where rival factions have been locked in a prolonged struggle for control of the party structure. “I have taken the difficult but necessary…

Hon. Soneye Damilola Kayode (SDK) has emerged as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Obafemi Owode State Constituency following the party’s direct primary election conducted across all 12 wards in the local government area. The exercise, held on Wednesday,  produced SDK as the party’s flagbearer ahead of the forthcoming general election, in what party officials described as a peaceful and well-coordinated process. In a statement after his emergence, Soneye expressed appreciation to the Governor of Ogun State,  Prince Dapo Abiodun, for what he described as his leadership and commitment to a credible and orderly primary election.…

The political rift within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified as the party’s national secretariat disqualified more than 60 aspirants linked to Governor Siminalayi Fubara from contesting the 2027 House of Assembly primaries. A screening list released by the party showed that dozens of aspirants were not cleared across multiple constituencies in Rivers State, in what has been described as one of the most sweeping setbacks for the governor’s political camp within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. The disqualifications cut across several constituencies, including Okrika, Khana, Omuma, Ahoada East, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre,…

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has been cleared to contest the presidential primary of the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections. The clearance was announced on Wednesday by the Chairman of the party’s National Screening Committee, Sam Egwu, who said Obi satisfied all constitutional, electoral, and internal party requirements. Egwu disclosed that the screening exercise, which held in Abuja on Tuesday, involved a detailed review of the former Anambra State governor’s credentials, including his academic qualifications, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) records, and age declarations. According to him, the committee also subjected Obi to questions…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Nigeria’s democracy may face renewed strain ahead of the 2027 general elections if the current trend of post-election litigation continues to overshadow the ballot box in determining electoral winners. Jonathan raised the concern on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), themed “Safeguarding Nigeria’s Democratic Process,” where he called for urgent reforms to strengthen electoral credibility and reduce the growing reliance on courts to resolve electoral outcomes. The former president expressed worry that post-election disputes have become a permanent feature of Nigeria’s political landscape, effectively creating…

The 2026 Amirul Hajj for Ogun State, Shamsudeen Adebayo Apelogun, has assured Nigerian pilgrims and their families of their safety following a tragic accident that left some participants injured during the ongoing pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Apelogun, who spoke  in Mecca, said no pilgrim from Ogun State was affected by the incident, while expressing deep sympathy for those impacted. He, however, noted that any injured pilgrims connected to the Ogun contingent were receiving prompt medical attention and were responding well to treatment, adding that authorities had strengthened safety and transportation arrangements to avert a recurrence. “We want to assure families…

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has dismissed claims of terrorist presence in the South-West geopolitical zone, insisting that the recent abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State was an isolated criminal incident and not evidence of any entrenched insurgent network in the region. The clarification comes amid heightened public concern following remarks by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who had suggested that armed groups behind the attack on schools in the state were terrorists and warned of possible spillover of insurgency pressure from the North-West into the South-West. The governor had disclosed that the attack on Baptist Nursery and Primary…