Politics

Nigerian Governor Hands Over Power to Deputy, Gives Reason

Published

6 hours ago

July 23, 2026

Ajadi's Demise: Makinde Expresses Grief

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has been granted permission by the Oyo State House of Assembly to take an annual leave, during which power will be temporarily transferred to his deputy, Bayo Lawal.

The Assembly approved this request during a plenary session held on Thursday, following Governor Makinde’s formal letter that complied with constitutional requirements for notifying the legislature before any official absence.

According to the letter, the governor’s leave is set to commence on Monday, August 10, and will conclude on September 11, 2026. He is scheduled to return to office on September 14, 2026.

Deputy Speaker Muhammed Fadeyi, who presided over the sitting in place of Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin, read the governor’s letter to members of the House. Lawmakers approved the request without opposition, expressing confidence that the affairs of the state would continue smoothly under the leadership of the deputy governor.

Following the approval, Lawal will serve as Acting Governor throughout the period of Makinde’s leave, taking charge of the day-to-day administration of the state to ensure that government activities continue without interruption until the governor returns.

Speaking after the approval, Fadeyi wished Governor Makinde a restful annual leave and reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to sustaining a healthy working relationship with the executive arm of government. He also expressed confidence in the deputy governor’s ability to provide effective leadership while acting as governor, noting that Oyo State’s stable governance structure would ensure that policies and government programmes continue without disruption.

Other lawmakers also commended Governor Makinde for complying with constitutional requirements by formally notifying the House before proceeding on leave. They described the move as another demonstration of his respect for democratic principles, constitutional governance and the rule of law.

At the end of the plenary, the House directed that its approval of the governor’s leave request be formally communicated to the executive arm for the necessary action.

Recall that a Federal High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Oyo State Government in a case involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court set aside the EFCC’s request seeking extensive financial records from the state government and held that the anti-graft agency could not carry out a blanket investigation without specific allegations.

The case stems from a June 2, 2025 letter in which the EFCC requested copies of all contracts involving the state government as well as details of payments made to contractors from 2021 onward. The Oyo State Government challenged the request, arguing through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Abiodun Aikomo, that the demand was oppressive, unreasonable and too broad because of the large volume of contracts and transactions involved.

Although the EFCC argued that Section 38 of the EFCC Act, 2004 empowered it to demand information from any person, authority, corporation or company for investigative purposes, Justice Maha ruled that such requests must be reasonable and linked to specific allegations rather than amounting to a blanket demand for financial records.

The ruling came months after Governor Makinde declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). Announcing his ambition at a joint rally of his PDP faction and the APM in Ibadan in May, Makinde said, “The time to reset Nigeria is now. Therefore, today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, announce my candidacy for the position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”Nigeria news updates

He also announced a political alliance between his PDP faction in Oyo State and the APM, saying the partnership would enable the opposition to field candidates for all elective positions in the 2027 general election.

Politics

BREAKING: Popular ADC Governorship Aspirant Resigns from Party, Give Reasons

Published

9 hours ago

July 23, 2026

The Daily Voice

A major political development has hit the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State as governorship aspirant and prominent politician, Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello, popularly known as Mainan Zazzau, has formally withdrawn his membership from the party with immediate effect.

Prof. Bello announced his resignation in a letter dated July 21, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the ADC in Dogarawa Ward, Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

In the letter, the former governorship hopeful stated that he had decided to terminate his membership of the party, expressing appreciation for the relationship he shared with the ADC during his time as a member.

“This is to let you know of my decision to withdraw my membership of the ADC with immediate effect,” the letter reads.

He also thanked party members for what he described as a mutually beneficial relationship throughout his membership and wished the party well.

Copies of the resignation letter were forwarded to the ADC National Chairman and members of the party’s National Working Committee, the Kaduna State Executive Committee, and the Sabon Gari LGA executives.

As of the time of filing this report, Prof. Bello has not publicly disclosed the reasons behind his decision to leave the ADC, nor has he announced his next political destination.

Politics

FULL LIST: PDP, APC Upload 2027 Governorship Candidate Names on INEC Portal

Published

2 days ago

July 21, 2026

The Daily Voice

The Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress have commenced the upload of names of their governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, disclosed that the party commenced the upload process on Saturday.

Also, a senior APC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, told our correspondent that the party would upload only the governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates whose nominations had been cleared by the primary election appeal panel and the National Working Committee.

Earlier, in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable, political parties submitted the nomination lists of their presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026.

The process also included the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E, as required under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

INEC also fixed the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to run from 9:00 a.m. on July 18 to 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.

The timetable further indicates that the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 8, while those of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29.

It also sets August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal or substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state House of Assembly candidates have until September 19 to withdraw or be substituted.

When contacted, Bature disclosed that the PDP began uploading its candidates’ details on Saturday, adding that the exercise is ongoing and will be concluded before August 8.

He stated, “The Peoples Democratic Party commenced the upload of its governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates’ details to INEC’s nomination portal on Saturday.

“The exercise has been progressing smoothly without any technical issues, and we are confident that the upload process will be completed well ahead of the deadline.”

Also, the APC source said the party has commenced the upload of its candidates on the INEC portal, with priority given to the 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election.

He stated, “I can confirm that the party commenced the upload process yesterday (Saturday), with priority given to the 16 governors seeking re-election.

“The party has also established a committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, the Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman, to coordinate the smooth transmission of documents and materials required for upload to the INEC portal.

“The committee is responsible for receiving documents from state chairmen, verifying the details, ensuring all requirements are met, and forwarding them to the ICT department for upload.

“The arrangement is aimed at making the process seamless, efficient and timely.

“There could be slight changes to the initial list of candidates, as the primary election appeal committee had reviewed some petitions and submitted its recommendations to the National Working Committee.

“So, only candidates who passed the appeal committee’s review and received the approval of the NWC were uploaded to the INEC portal.

“We are confident that the exercise will be completed before the deadline.”

The PDP, APC and other political parties are expected to upload a total of 28 governorship candidates and 993 state Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.

Governorship elections will not take place in the eight states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun due to off-cycle election schedules.

Earlier, political parties participating in the presidential and National Assembly elections had submitted and uploaded their candidates’ lists on the INEC portal.

Source: Punch

Politics

7 APC States Excluded from 2027 Governorship Elections as INEC Upload Begins

Published

2 days ago

July 21, 2026

The Daily Voice

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will not conduct governorship elections in eight states during the forthcoming general elections due to their off-cycle election calendar.

The affected APC states are Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi and Ondo where governorship elections are held outside the regular election timetable following various court rulings and electoral adjustments over the years.

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is the only APC governor who will not be seeking a return ticket after withdrawing from the governorship race in May. Announcing his decision at the time, Fubara said he stepped aside in the interest of the state.

He said, “Rivers State is bigger than any individual, and at this critical moment, the peace, stability, and unity of our dear state must take precedence over every personal interest.”

As a result, governorship contests will only be conducted in the remaining states of the federation where the tenure of incumbent governors aligns with the national election cycle.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun uploading the names of its governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) ahead of the 2027 general elections, as the party moves to beat the August 8 submission deadline.

Findings at the APC National Headquarters in Abuja showed that the party’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department started processing the nomination documents on Saturday.

The exercise covers 28 governorship candidates and 993 State Houses of Assembly candidates across the country.

The party is expected to give priority to 16 serving governors seeking second-term re-election. They include Governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Umaru Bago of Niger, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, among others.

APC is also expected to upload the names of 12 first-time governorship candidates, including Obafemi Hamzat in Lagos, Solomon Adeola in Ogun, Ogundu Kingsley Chinda in Rivers, Eric Opah in Abia, Mohammed Abubakar in Bauchi, Mustapha Gubio in Borno, Jamilu Gwamna in Gombe, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada in Nasarawa and Baba Malam Wali in Yobe.