Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Former Local Government chairmen across party lines in Abia State have declared their support for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led federal government, pledging to work for his reelection in 2027. Operating under the aegis of South East Forum of Former Local Government Chairmen, the former helmsmen declared their support during a courtesy visit to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu on Tuesday at Umuahia, Abia State capital. Recall that that the Deputy Speaker who represents Bende Federal Constituency of the State also served as the local government chairman of his Bende local…

The Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Wednesday, disclosed that the change of leadership that occurred in the State House of Assembly has nothing to do with him. Recall that the Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abayomi Akinruntan, and the Majority Leader, Emmanuel Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, resigned from their positions on Tuesday. Akinruntan, son of the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom in Ilaje local government area, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, stepped down as Deputy Speaker and was consequently replaced by Hon. Ololade Gbegudu from Okitipupa local government area. In his resignation letter, Akinruntan did not disclose…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has released the final list of candidates for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election and announced the official commencement of election campaigns. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, the list followed the conclusion of candidate substitution processes and the verification of personal particulars submitted by political parties. INEC noted that 16 political parties met the submission deadline of May 12, 2025, and are set to participate in the November 8 election. Among them, the African Action Congress and the…

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has said that there will be no hiding place for those threatening the peace and stability of Nigeria. Abubakar gave the assurance during the Second Quarter Route March of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Wednesday in Abuja. He reiterated NAF’s unwavering commitment to defending the nation’s airspace and protecting lives and property across the country, emphasising that the protection of all Nigerian was its highest priority. The CAS assured all officers, airmen and airwomen to remember that protection is not just an obligation, but highest priority of the…

Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has dismissed a student, Oladipupo Siwajuola, over what it described as “gross violation of university rules,” including involvement in fetish practices, drug peddling, impersonation, and dishonesty. Siwajuola’s disappearance became a trending topic in early May 2025, after his mother took to social media alleging that the university failed in its duty of care. In an official statement released on Wednesday, and signed by the university’s Director of Marketing and Communication, Dr. Joshua Suleiman, the university revealed that Siwajuola had deliberately exited the Ilishan-Remo-based campus on April 28, 2025, without authorisation, disguising himself in a hoodie…

A former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has revealed that he does not go to the state anymore. Amaechi stated this during an interview on Arise News, adding that travelling to the state makes him have a mental disorder. According to the former Minister, seeing some projects he completed during his tenure as governor abandoned and vandalised makes him go crazy. Amaechi specifically noted that some of the primary and secondary schools he built with state resources were abandoned and allowed to be vandalised by his successor. “Now when I was sworn in as governor you’ll ask the…

The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Adm Ibok-Ete Ibas, has appointed 11 new permanent secretaries. The appointment was contained in a Special Government Announcement issued in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. The three-paragraph statement was signed by the Acting Head of Service, Rivers State, Dr Mrs Inyingi Brown and sent to newsmen. The statement said the newly appointed permanent secretaries would be sworn in by the sole administrator on a date to be made known. The statement reads, “His Excellency, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (retd), the Administrator of Rivers State has approved the appointment of the under-listed persons as Permanent…

More than 200 Pakistani inmates escaped from a jail in the mega coastal city of Karachi on Tuesday after several earthquake tremors, government officials said. Of the 216 inmates that fled, around 87 have been caught while the rest are still at large, Sindh province’s Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said. One inmate died and 12 others, including some security staff, were wounded during the jail break at around 01:30am (2030 GMT). “There was a panic among the prisoners because of the earthquake,” Memon said. The head of the provincial government’s prison service was removed from his role after the…

The Federal Government has dismissed speculations that the recent devastating flood in Mokwa, Niger State, was triggered by a failure or release of water from nearby dams, affirming that both the Kainji and Jebba dams remain structurally sound and operational. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, clarified that preliminary investigations indicate the disaster was primarily caused by torrential rainfall, the effects of climate change, and obstruction of natural waterways by unregulated development. “We want to categorically state that the flood was not caused by any release of water from…

Hundreds of women in the troubled Apa Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday took to the streets to protest the incessant killings in their communities. The women, who thronged the major road in Ugbokpo, the headquarters of Apa LGA, expressed anguish over the escalating attacks. Many lamented being rendered widows, with countless children left orphaned. In recent times, communities such as Ijaha Ikobi, Edikwu-Ankpali, and Odugbo have experienced multiple attacks, leading to the deaths of numerous residents. Just last Sunday, 25 people were reportedly killed in the area. Protesting under the banner of “Voice of the Hopeless Women,”…