Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Biodun Oyebanji, has been declared winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election after securing a commanding lead over his closest challengers. Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress trailed with 12,872 votes. The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Oyebanji winner in the early hours of Sunday following the conclusion of collation of results from the 16 local government areas of the state. Announcing the result, the Chief Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, said…

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on Saturday charged newly trained soldiers to confront terrorists, bandits and other criminal groups with courage and professionalism, while strictly adhering to human rights standards and the Rules of Engagement. Shaibu gave the charge during the Passing Out Parade of the 90 Regular Recruit Intake held at the Depot of the Nigerian Army in Zaria, Kaduna State, where hundreds of recruits formally completed their basic military training and were inducted into active service. The Army Chief said the new soldiers were entering service at a critical moment in Nigeria’s ongoing security…

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has declared that he has begun counting down to the end of his second and final tenure, saying he has 343 days left in office and is determined to spend them “with passion and commitment” to the people of the state. Sanwo-Olu made the remark on Saturday while delivering the keynote address at the Geo-Economic Optimization Summit 2026, organised by the Citadel School of Government founded by the Presiding Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare. The governor, who assumed office on May 29, 2019 and was re-elected in 2023, is expected to…

Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has issued a stern warning to members of the Fulani community in Igboho, Oyo State, over alleged cases of kidnapping and rising insecurity in the area, demanding immediate action and the release of abducted victims. In a video circulating on social media on Saturday, Igboho was seen addressing Fulani community leaders and elders at a meeting reportedly convened alongside traditional rulers in the area. He expressed outrage over recent violent incidents allegedly linked to kidnappers in the community, including the killing of a pregnant woman and a ransom bearer, accusing…

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Gombe State have recovered a Toyota Highlander stolen in Port Harcourt nearly five years ago, following a routine vehicle verification exercise. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the breakthrough occurred on June 8, 2026, when officers of the State Intelligence Department, working alongside officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, detected irregularities during a vehicle data verification and upload exercise at the state’s licence office. The Police Public Relations Officer, Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed in a statement on Saturday that the suspicious vehicle—a Toyota Highlander with registration number FH823PHC—was flagged during the process. According to him,…

The Organisation for Harmony and Peace has expressed concern over emerging political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections in Ogun State, warning that issues of equity and inclusiveness must not be overlooked. The group, through its Directorate of Political Affairs, noted that recent developments within major political parties indicate the possible emergence of two prominent Muslim women as deputy governorship candidates, a trend it said has sparked renewed debate over fairness in the state’s political structure. In a statement issued on Saturday by its President-General, Ustaadh Tajudeen Jimoh Alao, and made available to journalists by its Director of Media,…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, Alhaji Fasiu Ajadi, has dismissed claims that the party is unsettled by recent defections, insisting that the ruling party remains firmly on course ahead of the 2027 governorship election Ajadi, who is a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly Service Commission, said the APC was not in any panic mode despite the movement of some of its members to opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party. Speaking on a radio programme, Political Forum, on Splash FM in Abeokuta, Ajadi described the defections as a normal occurrence in the…

…Party Agents, Security Operatives Implicated In Cash-For-Votes Scheme … Low Turnout, BVAS Glitches Disenfranchise Voters Across LGAs Daud Olatunji Widespread vote buying, bribery of electoral officials and low voter turnout characterised Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, despite largely peaceful voting across many polling units. Findings by observers across several local government areas, with data provided by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development to PLATFORM TIMES, revealed that while the election was generally calm, incidents of voter inducement, procedural violations and technical failures raised concerns about the integrity of the exercise. In Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, vote buying was…

Fawaz Adebisi Eyewitnesses, deployed by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, CJID for the Ekiti State governorship election say they saw party agents hand cash directly to voters on Saturday, as fresh field reports add weight to earlier suspicions of an organised vote-buying scheme. In Emure LGA, a monitor at St Andrew’s Primary School reported around 9:50 a.m. that groups of ten voters at a time were being directed to a nearby venue and promised ₦10,000 each after casting their ballots. Some voters were heard saying, in Yoruba, that they had already secretly collected the money before voting. At…

…Missing Officials, Faulty Generators, Protest By NYSC Members Recorded …INEC Insists Setbacks Resolved Before Nightfall Daud Olatunji All is set for the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, with 15 political parties fielding candidates amid assurances of adequate security by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force, even as last-minute logistical gaps and uneven deployment were recorded across several local government areas. The election, which is expected to be keenly contested, has four major contenders dominating the race: the All Progressives Congress (APC), with Governor Biodun Oyebanji seeking re-election; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented…