Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Segun Showunmi, has called for increased inclusion of women in governance and national development, warning that their exclusion continues to weaken Nigeria’s moral and economic foundations. Showunmi made the call while delivering a presentation at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the College of Health Sciences and technology and  the birthday celebration of Rev. Mrs Kemi Ishola, where he was also honoured with the National Health Builder Award. In his address, Showunmi argued that conversations around nation-building must go beyond traditional priorities such as security, infrastructure and fiscal policy…

The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, has formally declared his intention to contest the state’s top seat again in the 2027 general elections. Adebutu conveyed his decision in a letter dated April 30, 2026, addressed to the Ogun State leadership of the PDP and routed through the party chairman in Odogbolu Local Government. The letter, made available to PLATFORM TIMES on Friday by his media aide, Afolabi Orekoya, stated that the former candidate had informed party structures at both state and local levels of his renewed ambition. Adebutu, in the correspondence, thanked…

Nigeria will expend a staggering ₦15.81 trillion on servicing public debt in the 2026 fiscal year, underscoring mounting fiscal pressures in the country’s record ₦68.32 trillion budget. The spending plan, recently approved by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, allocates a significant portion of total expenditure to debt obligations, raising fresh concerns over the sustainability of the nation’s public finances. Analysis by civic tech organisation BudgIT revealed that debt servicing ranks among the largest expenditure components, nearly rivaling allocations for capital and recurrent spending. A breakdown of the budget shows that ₦32.29 trillion is…

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Thursday as the party’s Board of Trustees, led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, formally assumed control of its national leadership following a damning Supreme Court judgment that nullified its last national convention. The apex court, in a split 3-2 decision, invalidated the PDP convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November 2025, which produced the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee backed by Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. In a statement issued in Abuja, Wabara said the BoT’s takeover was in line with Section 32(5) of the party’s constitution, aimed at…

Abeokuta-based transport operator, Akmode Transport Limited, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by rival commercial motorcycle unions and suspected hoodlums to attack its personnel and disrupt its operations in Ogun State. In a statement issued on Thursday, the firm’s manager, Mustapha Tiamiyu, claimed that intelligence available to the company indicated that the planned attack would target its field staff across Abeokuta. Tiamiyu alleged that the attackers were planning to disguise themselves in uniforms resembling those of the company’s staff in a bid to implicate the firm in acts capable of breaching public peace. According to him, the alleged…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has officially recognised former Senate President, David Mark, as the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, following a decisive ruling by the Supreme Court that settled the party’s protracted leadership crisis. Checks on INEC’s official portal on Thursday confirmed that Mark has been reinstated as the party’s national chairman, alongside former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary. The development comes weeks after INEC, on April 1, 2026, removed the duo’s names from its website amid the lingering legal tussle over the party’s leadership. The Supreme Court, in a judgment delivered on Thursday…

…Up To Five Million Illegal Weapons Circulate in South-West — NCCSALW Daud Olatunji Security experts have raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, blaming it on porous borders and weak control of small arms and light weapons, even as they warned that millions of illegal firearms remain in circulation, particularly in the South-West. The experts spoke on Thursday at a one-day seminar on effective post-judgment management of small arms and light weapons held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Speaking with journalists, the South-West Zonal Director of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, retired Commissioner…

Junior golfer Malik Adams produced a sensational performance at the weekend to emerge champion of the inaugural GOLFSHOP NG Tournament, overpowering a field of more than 170 players at the Elephant Cement Golf Club in Sagamu, Ogun State. Adams, who played off a 25 handicap, delivered one of the most remarkable rounds of the competition, posting a Net 61 (10-under-par) and Gross 86 to finish six strokes clear of his closest rival in dominant fashion. His round was defined by remarkable consistency and composure, as he recorded 16 pars and two birdies on holes 4 and 8, effectively outclassing a…

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has ordered a total and comprehensive shutdown of universities and inter-university centres nationwide from midnight of Friday, May 1, 2026, following a breakdown of negotiations with the Federal Government over long-standing welfare demands. The directive, contained in a circular issued from the JAC national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, followed a high-level meeting between the unions and the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, alongside top officials of the education sector. Those present at…

The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that it is unconstitutional for Nigeria to continue to recognise political parties that have failed to win any elective positions, insisting that such parties should be deregistered in line with constitutional provisions. Fagbemi made the submission in an affidavit filed in response to a suit instituted by the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which is seeking the court’s interpretation of the law and the deregistration of several political parties, including the Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC),…