Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has revealed that all necessary amendments to the Electoral Act will be completed before the 2027 elections. Prof. Yakubu, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, also debunked the insinuation in some quarters that he has been sacked, insisting that he still remains the Chief Electoral Officer for the country. The INEC Chairman spoke while answering questions from newsmen after he joined other guests to witness the inauguration of two National Commissioners by President Bola Tinubu at Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to the umpire, the commission, alongside relevant stakeholders,…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has elected a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Prof. Chris Piwuna, as its next president. Piwuna, who is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, takes over from Victor Osodeke, a Professor of Soil Science from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State. The decision was taken at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the Union, which took place in Benin on Sunday. The election was contested between Piwuna and Prof. Adamu Babayo from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, according to verified sources…

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, has strongly dismissed claims that he intends to join the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. Ganduje stated that the PDP was dead while the APC is gearing up for a decisive victory in the 2027 elections. This was in response to a claim by the former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, that the APC would collapse and former PDP members like himself would return. Lamido on Sunday said, “I’m confident that all those who left the PDP will return, including Ganduje, because very soon, the APC will burst and split into…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a committee headed by a former Senate president, Bukola Saraki, to reconcile aggrieved members ahead of its National Executive Committee meeting. This was disclosed at the end of a meeting held at the Abuja lodge of the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, on Sunday night. The meeting also had the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in attendance. He, however, did not speak to journalists. Some of the governors present at the meeting included Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Ahmadu Fintiri…

The Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has said he is not desperate to return to office. Fubara stated this at the service of songs held in honour of the late elder statesman, Edwin Clark, in Port Harcourt, the state capital, organised by the Rivers Elders Forum on Sunday. “Do you even know if I want to go back there? My spirit has already left there,” he said. The embattled governor responded to several speakers at the event who referred to him as “Governor” and strongly criticised his suspension, calling for immediate reversal. He distanced himself from their remarks, describing…

The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) candidate in the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, Hon. Olugbenga Edema, has formally resigned from the party, citing treachery and deep-seated internal crises. In a resignation letter addressed to the NNPP Chairman in Ward 11, Ilaje Local Government Area, Edema expressed disappointment with the party’s leadership, which he said had been riddled with rancour and disunity since he joined in June 2024. According to him, the internal wranglings within the NNPP have stifled the party’s growth and rendered it unfit for any serious contender seeking electoral victory. “The party is not healthy for any…

Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are scheduled to meet in Abuja today amidst the gale of defections that has hit the party. The governors’ rank decreased by one two weeks ago when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori led his predecessor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to switch allegiance to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The governors met three weeks ago in Ibadan where they declared that the party would not join in the coalition talks being spearheaded by the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji…

The All Progressives Congress has criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, claiming he has failed in all aspects of governance. “It has been a failure in every aspect. The government lacks focus, and the leadership structure is unclear,” said the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru. However, a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party and a leader of the party in Osun State, Diran Odeyemi, disputed Basiru’s remarks, stating that Adeleke’s accomplishments in the state were evident even to the blind. Odeyemi also stated that Adeleke had no interest in joining the APC…

Northern governors and traditional rulers have endorsed the establishment of state police to address Nigeria’s escalating security challenges, urging the National Assembly to expedite the necessary legal framework. The resolution emerged from a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the 19 Northern States Traditional Rulers’ Councils in Kaduna on Saturday, May 10, 2025, focusing on insecurity and regional development. The communiqué, signed by NSGF Chairman and Gombe Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, stated, “The Forum reiterated its support for the creation of the State Police and called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the enactment…

The Anambra Government has imposed a one-month sanction on Blossom Fount School, Awka, for allegedly selling the position of head prefect during a student election. This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh. According to the commissioner, the school reportedly demanded N5,000 from each pupil aspiring to become head prefect in the primary section. Chuma-Udeh condemned the act, describing it as an attempt to “sell the psyche of the children to the highest bidder from the cradle.” According to her, such practices are unacceptable under the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo. She…