For Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, the Nigerian Air Force has been part of her family story for decades — but so has the pain of losing loved ones in military aircraft crashes. Twenty years after her father was reportedly killed in a Nigerian Air Force plane crash, Adekunle has lost her husband in another military aircraft disaster, barely two weeks after their wedding. On September 17, 2006, a Nigerian Air Force Dornier 228 aircraft crashed in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State while transporting senior military officers to Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River State for a retreat. The…
Author: National Update
The 2027 election battle has taken a dramatic turn, with Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) chieftain Buba Galadima alleging that opposition candidates are being offered millions of naira and luxury vehicles to abandon their tickets for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Galadima alleged that the inducement package ranges from N50 million for state Assembly candidates to N2 billion for governorship candidates, depending on the position being contested. Appearing on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, the NDC chieftain claimed that House of Representatives candidates willing to withdraw for APC candidates were being offered N200 million and a car. He alleged…
The Obidient Movement has opened a fresh battle with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the use of Artificial Intelligence in the collation of results for the 2027 elections, insisting that technology must not become a black box through which the votes of Nigerians can be altered or obscured. The movement’s objection came after INEC indicated that AI would form part of the technology to be deployed in the 2027 electoral process, despite the commission’s admission that its AI governance framework was still being developed. In a statement on Wednesday signed by its Media and Communications Directorate, Onyeka Dike,…
The political temperature in Niger State rose on Wednesday as youths in Gabas/Kudu Ward, Lapai Local Government Area, publicly set brooms ablaze and declared support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mohammed Nami, ahead of the 2027 election. Hundreds of brooms were reportedly gathered and set on fire as the youths danced, sang solidarity songs and pledged their support for Nami. The group, which identified itself as the Kananan Kwari Support Group for Nami, was said to be led by a prominent politician from the ward. The development has introduced a fresh political dimension to the contest in…
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has confirmed the release of prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted in the state, bringing an end to a tense security ordeal that raised fresh concerns over the safety of young Nigerians travelling for national service. Uzodinma confirmed their release during a telephone conversation with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, at about 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Olubadan subsequently announced the development in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Adeola Oloko. The statement, titled “NYSC: The prospective members of the youth service corps, who were…
As his tenure in the Senate approaches its end, Senator Neda Imasuen is stepping up constituency projects in Edo South, with a new police station and market taking shape in Amagba, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State. Imasuen, who is not returning to the Senate, laid the foundation stone for the police station and inspected the ongoing market project, assuring residents that both would be completed before the end of his tenure. The projects add to the infrastructure interventions being pursued by the lawmaker as he moves toward the end of his tenure, giving greater significance to what he…
Northern Muslim Clerics Warn Tinubu: Drop 2027 Bid or Face Rejection More than 1,000 Islamic clerics in Kano have delivered a blunt warning to President Bola Tinubu: drop his 2027 re-election bid if economic hardship and insecurity persist, or risk rejection at the polls. The clerics issued the warning at a national conference on the state of the nation under Tinubu and the 2027 general elections. The development puts criticism of Tinubu’s administration directly within a northern Muslim setting as political activity gathers pace ahead of the 2027 presidential election. In their communique, the clerics faulted the government’s handling of…
With 100 days to the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has entered the final stretch of preparations with a voter register of 103,428,715 Nigerians, even as funding gaps and security concerns threaten to complicate the massive electoral exercise. The commission said it needed the prompt release of its outstanding budgetary allocations to complete procurement, logistics and other critical preparations before the polls. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, raised the concerns on Tuesday in Abuja at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting marking 100 days to the elections. The countdown comes as the commission moves…
For Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, the joy of marriage had barely settled before tragedy struck. The Nigerian Air Force pilot reportedly died in the military aircraft crash near Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, just two weeks after his wedding. Man-Ugwueje was among the personnel on board the aircraft involved in the crash, which reportedly claimed 25 lives. Only days earlier, he had begun what should have been a new chapter of his life with his bride, surrounded by family, friends and loved ones who looked forward to many years ahead. Instead, his family is now…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced a review of the eligibility of some prominent 2027 candidates following the Supreme Court’s restoration of key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026. Those affected may include Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kingsley Chinda; Delta Central senatorial candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Ovie Omo-Agege; former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke; and former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei. The review follows complaints from political parties, aggrieved aspirants and members of the National Assembly over the…