Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has vowed that no aspirant in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential race will step down ahead of the 2027 general elections, dismissing reports that he might withdraw to favour a southern candidate. In a statement released on Tuesday through his media aide, Paul Ibe, Abubakar accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to intimidate opposition parties and undermine the democratic process. He stressed that all qualified aspirants would have the opportunity to participate freely in the ADC’s selection exercise. “The ADC is on a national rescue mission. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside…

No fewer than 133 of the 137 local government areas in the South-West shared at least ₦965.29bn between January and November 2025, PLATFORM TIMES can report, even as millions of residents battle worsening insecurity, unemployment, inflation, poor infrastructure and climate-related disasters. The figures, obtained from the BudgIT portal, which tracks federal allocations to all 774 local governments in Nigeria, cover councils in Ekiti, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Lagos and Ogun states. However, allocation data for four councils were not captured during the period under review — Gbonyin in Ekiti; Sagamu and Odeda in Ogun; and two local governments in Oyo State.…

Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in Nigeria collected N570.25 billion in the third quarter of 2025, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed, signaling an improvement in revenue performance across the nation’s power sector. According to NERC’s third-quarter report released in Abuja on Tuesday, the amount was recovered from N706.61 billion billed to customers, representing a collection efficiency of 80.7 per cent—up from 76.07 per cent in the second quarter, when DisCos collected N564.71 billion from N742.34 billion billed. The report highlighted variations in performance among the distribution companies. Ikeja DisCo recorded the highest efficiency at 100 per cent, followed…

Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has said Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf should not be branded a betrayer if he defects from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, insisting that such a move would merely mirror a precedent earlier set by the party’s national leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Shekarau made the assertion amid rising tension within the NNPP and the Kwankwasiyya political movement over reports that Yusuf may be considering a switch to the ruling All Progressives Congress. Speaking in an interview with DCL Hausa, the former governor took a swipe at Kwankwaso’s recent comment that Yusuf must surrender his mandate…

A Federal High Court sitting in Sokoto has convicted and sentenced three men for spraying naira notes at social events, in a renewed crackdown on currency mutilation. The defendants — Ahmad Abdullahi Buhari, Jamilu Bello and Yasir Muhammad Bala — were found guilty of offences bordering on naira mutilation, contrary to Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007. They were convicted on December 10, 2025, after pleading guilty to a five-count charge filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Delivering judgment, Justice Ahmad Mahmud sentenced Bello to one year imprisonment on each of the…

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by its Chairman, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), on Tuesday held a closed-door meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, PLATFORM TIMES has learnt. Turaki, alongside other members of the NWC and a few selected state chairmen, arrived at Jonathan’s office in Maitama at about 5:45pm in a convoy of about six sport utility vehicles. Although details of the meeting were not disclosed as of press time, reliable party sources said the discussions centred on the deepening internal crisis rocking the PDP and efforts by the current leadership to stabilise and…

The family of twin siblings abducted by gunmen in Edo State has dismissed claims by the police that the teenagers were rescued unhurt, insisting that their freedom was secured only after a substantial ransom was paid to their captors. The twins, Emmanuel and Emmanuella Ilabeshi, both 16, were abducted on December 11, 2025, after their father, Andrew Ilabeshi, was brutally attacked and later killed by suspected kidnappers at Kalabar Quarters, Afokpella, in Etsako East Local Government Area of the state. Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed the family residence late at night, forcefully gaining entry before switching off the generator. When…

Suspected bandits have abducted a nursing mother and her baby along the dilapidated Supare–Ayegunle Road in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, throwing the community into fear and renewed outrage over insecurity and poor infrastructure. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the woman was travelling to a nearby market when the gunmen struck at a bad stretch of the road, forcing her and her child into a nearby forest. Residents said the Supare–Ayegunle axis, which has remained in a deplorable state for years, has become a haven for criminal elements who take advantage of slow-moving vehicles and the absence…

Prominent socio-political activist and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Aisha Yesufu, has vowed to oppose any presidential ticket in the 2027 general election that features former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, as a running mate. Yesufu issued the warning in a video that went viral on social media on Monday, where she cautioned Obi against accepting a vice-presidential slot ahead of the next polls. According to her, Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, remains one of the strongest contenders among opposition figures and should not settle for a subordinate position. “I’m giving you people…

The Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has predicted a major political realignment ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, claiming that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar may be pressured by international and local forces to step down for ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. Ayodele said the alleged move would be championed by the international community, including the African Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, working in concert with influential Nigerian power brokers. In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric claimed that the plan is to draft Jonathan into a…