Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, has backtracked on his controversial “Kill Accord” remark, saying the expression was not a call for violence but a directive to All Progressives Congress supporters to defeat the Accord Party at the ballot box. Fadahunsi’s clarification came after a video of his remarks, made while addressing APC supporters in Ilesa ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, sparked controversy and drew calls for police intervention. In the viral footage, the senator was heard speaking in Yoruba and reportedly accusing Accord Party members of attacking APC supporters before urging those at the…
Author: National Update
The campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has raised the alarm over an alleged call for retaliation against Accord Party supporters by Senator Francis Fadahunsi, urging the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene before the August 15 governorship election. The campaign said the alleged remarks, contained in a viral video purportedly showing Fadahunsi addressing All Progressives Congress supporters in Ilesa, could inflame political tensions and threaten the safety of voters ahead of the poll. Fadahunsi, representing Osun East Senatorial District, was reportedly speaking to APC supporters when he allegedly accused members of the Accord Party of attacking…
The Senate on Tuesday drew a constitutional battle line with government agencies and oil companies accused of disregarding legislative summons, as Senator Abdul Ningi declared that the National Assembly was “not an appendage of the Executive” and warned that those summoned must respect its authority. Ningi, representing Bauchi Central and a member of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, issued the warning during a stormy session in which the committee gave Seplat Energy Plc, Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited and Aradel Energy Limited 48 hours to appear and answer queries arising from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 audit…
As Nigeria inches towards another fiercely contested presidential election, Labour Party National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, has challenged the political class to prove that the nation’s democracy is bigger than the ambition of any individual. Usman said the survival of Nigeria’s democracy after the turbulent 2015 general election was largely secured by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat rather than allow political power to become a trigger for violence. She made the submission on Tuesday in Bauchi at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, where political leaders and stakeholders gathered to examine the future of democracy in…
The European Union’s clarification that it will deploy a limited Electoral Expert Mission for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, rather than a full-scale election observation mission, has failed to end concerns over the credibility of the country’s electoral process. Instead, the controversy surrounding the EU’s role has triggered fresh scrutiny of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security environment and the government’s commitment to ensuring a transparent and credible election in 2027. The EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said reports that it had withdrawn from observing the elections because of worsening insecurity and alleged hostility towards its officials were…
Nigeria’s fragile university system is heading towards another major disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given 20 state-owned universities 14 days to resolve outstanding issues over the implementation of the 2025 renegotiated agreement or face an indefinite strike. The ultimatum threatens to reopen a familiar crisis in Nigeria’s public universities, barely months after the Federal Government and ASUU reached a new agreement aimed at ending years of disputes over lecturers’ welfare and working conditions. ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed the decision in a statement following the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the…
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed the growing political weight being mobilised behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, daring the ruling party to deploy every governor it can muster ahead of the election. Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, said he was not intimidated by alleged Federal Government backing for his opponent or the governors campaigning for the APC, insisting that political heavyweights would not cast a single ballot for the people of Osun. “If they like, they should bring all the governors,” Adeleke said on Tuesday during the Arise Townhall Meeting. The governor described himself as a…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to publicly reject a reported declaration by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Jingir, that a Muslim-Muslim presidency is ideal because Muslims constitute the majority of Nigerians. HURIWA described the reported statement as a dangerous appeal to religious majoritarianism capable of worsening Nigeria’s already fragile religious and political fault lines ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the rights group said the silence of the President and Vice President was…
Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, describing the measure as a major boost to military morale. Ndume, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, however, urged the President to go further by placing the Armed Forces’ annual budget on First-Line Charge to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure troops receive weapons, ammunition and other operational necessities promptly. President Tinubu had approved the salary review for about 250,000 military personnel, with the new rates expected to…
Nigeria’s tobacco-control regime is facing a fresh battle as more than 100 civil society organisations accuse the National Assembly of using a proposed amendment to create regulatory loopholes that could expand the tobacco and nicotine market, particularly among young Nigerians. The coalition, operating under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the consolidated National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, alleging that several provisions could weaken existing restrictions on advertising, promotion, online sales, product sampling, packaging and enforcement. The groups, led by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), warned that what is being presented…