Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Students of the University of Benin on Saturday grounded activities at the institution’s Ekehuan Campus, blocking the main gate in protest against a three-day power outage and acute water shortage. The demonstration left lecturers, non-academic staff, visitors and business operators stranded, as aggrieved students insisted they would not reopen the gate until water supply was fully restored. The protesters lamented that despite paying tuition and other institutional charges, basic amenities had remained unavailable, plunging hostels into what they described as unsanitary and unsafe conditions. “One of the major issues is that there has been no electricity for three days, and…

Former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has warned that electoral officials who fail to count votes in the 2027 general elections would be held accountable, stressing that Nigerians must defend the sanctity of their ballots. Obi issued the warning while addressing supporters during a political engagement in Akwa Ibom State, where he emphasised voter participation and the need for transparency in the electoral process. “In the upcoming election in 2027, anybody who refuses to count our vote, we will count the person join. Anybody who refuses to count our votes in 2027, we will count him,”…

A yet-to-be-identified driver of a Mercedes-Benz C-300 has fled after allegedly crushing a woman to death along the NYSC Bus Stop inward Igando area of Lagos State. The tragic incident occurred on Saturday morning as the victim was reportedly on her way to a service at the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Igando. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said the driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped immediately after the accident. The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, who confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday, described the driver’s action as a grave violation of both legal…

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday attended the 61st edition of the annual Argungu International Fishing Festival in Kebbi State, pledging support for the promotion of the centuries-old cultural event to global prominence. The President arrived in Argungu amid colourful displays of culture and tradition, with hundreds of local and international tourists thronging the historic town for the globally recognised fishing competition. In a post on X, presidential spokesman Sunday Dare described the festival as a cultural asset that deserves global ranking. “Argungu is ready for Mr President! A festival such as the Argungu Festival, with international colour and originality, must…

Zainab Abioye Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has declared his readiness to collaborate with the Federal Government to flush out bandits and other criminal elements from forests in the South-West. Igboho, who has been vocal in his opposition to banditry and violent crimes in parts of the region, said he and his supporters were prepared to confront terrorists operating in rural communities if granted official approval and backing by the Federal Government. Speaking during an interview, the activist stressed that any operation to rid the forests of criminal gangs must have the endorsement and support…

The South-West Regional Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries has raised the alarm over what it described as increasing terrorist incursions into the region through the North-Western corridor linking Kwara and Kogi states. The association said the development poses a grave threat to farming activities, food supply chains and rural livelihoods across the South-West. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 10th Quarterly General Meeting held on February 5, 2026, in Osogbo, Osun State. The meeting, attended by eminent personalities, was declared open by the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, who was…

The First Lady, Remi Tinubu, has dismissed growing international claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria as “propaganda” designed to undermine the administration of her husband, Bola Tinubu. Speaking during separate engagements in the United States, Mrs Tinubu said the narrative of systematic killing of Christians was exaggerated and politically motivated, insisting that it resurfaced after the Federal Government stabilised the nation’s troubled economy. In an interview with The Free Press on Thursday, the First Lady said her trip to the U.S. was partly to “clarify recent hype on social media that there is Christian genocide in Nigeria.” She said,…

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, on Friday declared that it would amount to a disservice for the North not to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027. Yilwatda said the region had benefitted significantly from the policies and projects of the Tinubu administration, insisting that northern Nigeria must reciprocate by backing the President’s re-election bid. He spoke in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, during a solidarity rally organised in appreciation of President Tinubu and Governor Abdullahi Sule for what organisers described as impactful governance. According to him, the President’s infrastructural drive…

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to reconsider its decision to hold the 2027 presidential election on February 20, citing a clash with the Ramadan fasting period. INEC had on Friday fixed February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, with governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls scheduled to hold later. But reacting in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page late Friday, Atiku said the proposed date falls within Ramadan, expected to run from February 7 to March 8, 2027, describing the development as insensitive in a multi-religious country…

…INEC Fixes Feb 20, March 6, 2027 for General Elections …Presidential, N’Assembly Polls To Hold First Governorship, Assembly Elections Slated Two Weeks After Daud Olatunji The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday announced that the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 20, 2027, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls have been scheduled for Saturday, March 6, 2027. The Chairman of the commission, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, stating that the release of the timetable and schedule of activities was in strict compliance with constitutional and statutory provisions. Amupitan…