Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has reignited political debate following a renewed vow to serve only one term if elected president in 2027 — a pledge that has been met with stiff resistance from the All Progressives Congress (APC), sceptics within his own party, and Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo. Obi, a former Anambra governor, restated his commitment in a statement posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, describing the promise as “sacrosanct.” He drew inspiration from global statesmen like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Nelson Mandela, arguing that impactful leadership should…

Nigerians may be set for another wave of economic hardship as the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly called petrol, is now edging dangerously close to N900 per litre, following a new surge in depot prices and a looming global oil production adjustment. Investigations by Platform Times over the weekend revealed that some retail outlets across Lagos and Ogun States have already adjusted their meters, with prices ranging between N865 and N910 per litre. For instance, Matrix filling station at Kara, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, displayed N910 per litre on Saturday, while Rainoil in Ibafo sold at N900…

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has revealed that Nigeria recorded 732 oil spill incidents in 2024, with sabotage responsible for nearly 60 per cent of the cases. According to the NUPRC’s 2024 Annual Report, 59.01 per cent of the spills were linked to deliberate tampering with oil infrastructure. The report, mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, highlights the persistent challenge of oil theft and pipeline vandalism facing Nigeria’s petroleum sector. The report, submitted to the Minister of Petroleum Resources in line with sections 24(9) and (10) of the PIA, also presented a snapshot of the country’s…

The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on governors in Nigeria’s South-West region to seize the momentum created by the United Nations’ recent recognition of the Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun, to fully equip the regional security outfit for optimal performance. In a statement issued on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, described the recognition as a historic milestone and a morale booster for community-based security initiatives across the country. Ajayi stated, “The United Nations’ endorsement of Amotekun is unprecedented in this part of the world. It affirms the credibility of the concept and the resilience of…

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over the disqualification of its candidates from participating in upcoming by-elections across 12 states, even as the party battles a worsening leadership crisis. In a statement issued on Sunday, the SDP National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, accused INEC of overstepping its constitutional boundaries by refusing to recognize candidates who emerged from what the party described as legitimate primary elections. “The SDP is already challenging INEC’s decision in court,” the statement read. “We are confident that the judiciary will compel INEC to accept our validly…

The Nigeria Correctional Service has dismissed a senior officer, Assistant Superintendent of Corrections (ASC I), Efe Onakpoya, for taking unauthorized photographs of an inmate and publishing them on the internet, in what the Service described as a gross violation of its code of conduct. The Service’s spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, debunking widespread claims that Onakpoya was punished for exposing alleged misconduct involving an inmate being released for conjugal purposes. According to the statement, Onakpoya, who was attached to the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, was found guilty of unethical conduct…

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has raised concerns over the unequal compensation given to coaches of the Super Falcons compared to players, following the team’s victory at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Speaking during the RCCG’s monthly Thanksgiving Service on Sunday at the church’s national headquarters in Ebute-Meta, Lagos, the respected cleric commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for honouring the Super Falcons for clinching their 10th WAFCON title in Morocco. President Tinubu had recently rewarded each of the 24 players with the naira equivalent of $100,000 and a…

In a sweeping operation across multiple states, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested several individuals, including three dispatch riders in Abuja, for distributing various forms of illicit drugs. The agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the arrests followed intelligence-led stop-and-search operations conducted by operatives in the Federal Capital Territory on July 30. The arrested dispatch riders — Sabo Sule, 24; Samuel Nnamdi, 28; and Idris Jibrin, 28 — were intercepted in the Gwarimpa, Jahi, and Galadimawa areas of Abuja. NDLEA operatives recovered a total of 149.8 grammes of Canadian Loud, a potent…

Former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the growing trend of naming public facilities after individuals, insisting that such actions are meaningless in a country plagued by hunger, poverty, and underdevelopment. Obi’s comment followed the controversial renaming of the iconic Charly Boy Bus Stop in Lagos State to “Olamide Baddo Bus Stop” by the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), a move that has drawn widespread criticism and debate across the country. In a viral video circulating on social media, Obi, during an interaction with activist and entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly…

In an unprecedented political development in Rivers State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have struck a rare alliance ahead of the August 30, 2025, local government elections by jointly adopting consensus candidates across the 23 local government areas. Most of the nominated candidates are either former council chairmen or loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is widely perceived as the architect of the new alliance despite his PDP affiliation. Wike’s influence in Rivers politics appears unshaken, as both parties now align with his political structure, creating ripples across…