Author: Platform Times Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu has formally asked the National Assembly to approve the extension of the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act to March 31, 2026, in a move aimed at ending Nigeria’s long-standing problem of overlapping budget cycles and weak capital project execution. The request was conveyed in a letter dated December 18, 2025, which was read on Friday during a special plenary of the House of Representatives by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas. In the letter, the President explained that the new communication supersedes an earlier one sent on December 16, 2025, noting that the proposed extension forms part of…

The House of Representatives has approved sweeping increases in campaign spending limits for candidates seeking elective offices in Nigeria, raising the ceiling for presidential candidates from N5bn to N10bn as part of proposed amendments to the Electoral Act 2022. The decision was taken on Thursday during plenary, following a clause-by-clause consideration of a report on proposed reforms to the nation’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections. Under the amendments approved by lawmakers, the maximum amount a presidential candidate can spend on campaigns was doubled to N10bn, while the spending limit for governorship candidates was increased from N1bn to…

A lawyer and author, Charles Omole, has alleged that powerful figures within the administration of the late former President, Muhammadu Buhari, deliberately planted stories in newspapers to shape what the former leader read and possibly how he perceived issues of governance. Omole made the claim during an interview on Channels Television while speaking on his newly released biography, From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, which examines the former president’s leadership style and years in office between 2015 and 2023. According to Omole, Buhari’s well-known fondness for reading newspapers was exploited by influential actors within his government, whom…

… Say No To Jailing Aspirants For Buying Delegates’ Votes …Clause On Inducement Voted Down Unanimously Aishah Waliyullah The House of Representatives has rejected a proposal seeking to criminalise the inducement of delegates during party primaries, dealing a blow to efforts aimed at sanitising the internal democratic processes of political parties. The lawmakers voted down the proposal on Thursday during the clause-by-clause consideration of a report on the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022. The controversial provision, contained in Clause 89(4) of the amendment report, sought to impose a two-year jail term, without an option of fine, on any person…

…Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Safety …Security Fears Trail New Directive Daud Olatunji  The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently review the directive withdrawing police officers attached to Very Important Persons, warning that the policy has heightened security risks for federal lawmakers and other public office holders. Akpabio made the appeal on Friday during a joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja, shortly after President Tinubu presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill. The Senate President recalled that Tinubu, on November 23, ordered the immediate withdrawal of police personnel attached to VIPs nationwide, directing…

Aishah Waliyullah The Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye, has formally taken possession of the Professor Tamramat Iyabo Runsewe-Abiodun Social Pediatrics Complex, a state-of-the-art facility donated by the renowned pediatrician and her family to strengthen medical training, research and community health services in the institution. The complex was officially commissioned and handed over to the university at a well-attended ceremony on campus, drawing members of the university council, management, academics, medical professionals, students and other stakeholders. Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ayodeji Agboola, described the project as a major boost to OOU’s academic and healthcare infrastructure, noting that it…

The Labour Party (LP) in Ogun State has formally opened talks with a prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and convener of The Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, urging him to contest the 2027 governorship election on its platform. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the  move, seen as part of LP’s early realignment ahead of the next election cycle, was made public on Friday during a visit by the party’s state leadership to Showunmi’s residence in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta. Led by the Ogun State Chairman of the party, Hon. Oluwabukola Soyoye, the delegation said the state required a “new era of…

The Egba Economic Summit (EES) has elected Dr. Gbenga Adeoye, a lawyer and chartered accountant, as its new President, marking the beginning of a new era for the influential socio-economic think tank in Egbaland. Adeoye emerged President at the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Summit held on Friday, December 19, 2025, taking over from the immediate past President, Mr. Yinka Chris Coker, whose tenure formally ended at the meeting. In his acceptance speech, Adeoye described the occasion as historic, noting that it coincided with “196 years of the documented existence of Egbaland.” “Today is a day to thank…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), through its Kaduna Area Command, on Wednesday commissioned a fully renovated Senior Officers’ Mess at the Kabala Doki Customs Barracks, Kaduna, in a move aimed at strengthening officers’ welfare, operational efficiency and morale. The  Public Relations Officer of the command, Deputy Superintendent of Customs, Dauda Adamu, on behalf of the Customs Area Controller, Kaduna Area Command disclosed this on Friday. Adamu said the commissioning ceremony, held on December 17, 2025, and was led by the Customs Area Controller, Kaduna Area Command, Comptroller Sa’ad Hassan, adding that, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone B, Assistant Comptroller General of…

Daud Olatunji An Abeokuta-based philanthropist and businesswoman, Mrs Modupe Idowu, has brought relief and joy to over 200 vulnerable children and elderly residents as the TemmyMo Welfare Initiative hosted the fourth edition of its annual Christmas party in Ogun State. The outreach, held on Thursday, in Abeokuta, saw beneficiaries receive bags of rice, assorted food items, gifts and cash support, as part of efforts to cushion the impact of the prevailing economic hardship and make the Yuletide meaningful for the less privileged. Mrs Idowu, a retired journalist, said the initiative was founded in memory of her late husband, Mr Temitope…