Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A former Ogun State governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Iyabo Obasanjo, has alleged that her supporters were assaulted and denied access during the process that produced the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 election. Obasanjo, daughter of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, raised the concerns in a statement on Thursday, days after the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, announced Senator Solomon Adeola as the APC’s preferred governorship candidate. The governor had unveiled Adeola at a caucus meeting in Abeokuta on April 13, saying the decision followed wide consultations aimed at ensuring party unity and continuity ahead of…

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mainasara Umar Kogo, has dismissed allegations of corruption, nepotism and abuse of office levelled against him, describing them as “blatant lies” and “misconceptions” allegedly fuelled by aggrieved staff members. Kogo, who spoke in an audio response to recent reports alleging irregularities in the tribunal, including nepotistic recruitment, manipulation of judicial decisions and administrative misconduct, insisted that due process is strictly followed in all tribunal operations. He specifically denied claims that he altered rulings of a three-member panel after court proceedings, stressing that decisions are collectively reached and signed by all panel…

Youth members of the African Democratic Congress on Thursday staged a protest in Benue State, calling for the resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over the commission’s refusal to recognise the party’s leadership. The demonstrators, led by the party’s National Youth Leader, Balarabe Rufai, marched to the INEC office in Makurdi, where they submitted a formal complaint, warning that the commission’s stance could undermine democratic participation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Addressing protesters, Rufai faulted INEC’s position, describing it as unacceptable and detrimental to the party’s structure. He said, “As it stands,…

Gunmen have abducted a Lagos-based woman, Olanike Ogundare, from her residence in the Ijedodo area of the state, with her captors demanding a ransom of N60 million in United States dollars for her release. It was  gathered that the victim was whisked away in the early hours of Thursday at about 1:00 a.m. from her home located at No. 1 Olufemi Ogundare Street, Oke Agaye, Ijedodo. Residents of the area said the armed assailants stormed the premises in a coordinated operation, overpowering the security guard on duty at gunpoint before taking the woman to an unknown destination. Family sources disclosed…

The simmering political contest ahead of the 2027 general elections in Ogun State intensified on Thursday as leaders of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun East Senatorial District, under the aegis of the BAT/OGD Movement, accused rival forces within the party of intimidation, manipulation of consensus 2027 Battle Brews In Ogun As BAT/OGD Faults Abiodun Consensus, Police Deployment, and misuse of security agencies. At a press conference in Ijebu Ode, the Director-General of the movement, Gen. Olumuyiwa Okunowo (retd.), flanked by Deputy DG, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, Otunba Fatai Sowemimo, and Akogun Kola Onanidipe, alleged a “coordinated attempt to subvert internal…

The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, has said it is “legally impossible” for the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to return and secure its ticket for the 2027 general election Usman stated this on Thursday, during an interview on Arise Television, explaining that the party had already complied with electoral regulations by closing its membership register ahead of its primaries. According to her, once the register is closed and submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, no new aspirant can be admitted into the process. “At some point, we close the register. Once we close…

A Kano State High Court has sentenced a 21-year-old man, Umar Idris, to death by hanging for the murder of a shop owner, Sabiu Umar, in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state. The trial judge, Justice Sunusi Ado-Ma’aji, delivered the verdict after finding Idris guilty of culpable homicide, ruling that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. According to the prosecution, led by Lamido Abba-Sorondinki, the incident occurred on September 2, 2021, at about 10:30 p.m. in Tsamiya Mariri Quarters, Kano. The court heard that Idris allegedly broke into the victim’s shop, where he also resided, and…

The Kano State Government has concluded plans to organise a mass wedding for about 1,500 couples as part of its ongoing social welfare intervention aimed at supporting vulnerable residents. The initiative, popularly known as Auren Gata, is being implemented under the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. The Deputy Commander-General of the Kano State Hisbah Board, Dr. Mujahideen Aminudeen, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Kano. Aminudeen said the programme was designed to ease the financial burden of marriage and promote social stability by helping willing couples formalise their unions. He noted…

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have repelled a coordinated attack by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province in Kukareta community, Borno State, killing a top commander and 24 other insurgents. The Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, disclosed this on Thursday in Maiduguri while giving an update on the operation. Abubakar said the insurgents launched the assault shortly after midnight in a bid to overrun the community but were met with fierce resistance from troops of Sector 2, who engaged them in a gun battle that lasted for about three hours.…

A Nigerian political communicator, Segun Sowunmi, is set to play a pivotal role as global policymakers and security experts converge in Washington, D.C., United States, on Thursday for a high-level Capitol Forum on terrorism and religious violence in Nigeria. The forum is expected to draw a broad spectrum of participants, including lawmakers, legal experts, faith leaders, and security analysts, to examine the escalating threat of insurgency and sectarian violence in Nigeria and its broader international implications. Sowunmi, listed among the lead speakers, is billed to shape the direction of discussions with a focus on the structural roots of insecurity. He…