Good evening from Lagos. As Nigerians look ahead to the 2027 general elections, the nation finds itself at a crossroads of political realignments, security challenges, and economic transformation. With just 237 days until the presidential election slated for January 16, 2027, political activities are rapidly taking shape, with early alignments and emerging contenders signaling what promises to be a highly competitive race. Here are the top stories making headlines across Nigerian newspapers today.
POLITICS
Court Nullification of INEC Timetable Opens Political Floodgates
Reactions have continued to trail Thursday’s landmark judgment of a Federal High Court, which nullified the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Election. Justice Mohammed Umar held that the timeframe “imposed” by INEC on political parties to conduct their primaries, submit, withdraw and replace names of candidates was “inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026” and subsequently set aside the guidelines.
Senior lawyers have warned that the judgment could trigger a fresh wave of political defections ahead of the 2027 elections by reopening opportunities for aspirants dissatisfied with their parties’ primary processes. Magaji Mato, SAN, clarified that “the judgment of the court is binding not only on INEC but on all political actors in the country” and stressed that “the law is the law, and it must be obeyed”.
INEC has since announced its intention to appeal the judgment, declaring that it may disrupt election planning and logistics. Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress stated that the judgment won’t affect the party’s planned presidential primary election, while factions of the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Action Congress welcomed the ruling.
APC Governorship Primaries Produce 25 Candidates Nationwide
Governorship candidates who will contest under the banner of the ruling All Progressives Congress have emerged in 25 states across the country after the conclusion of the party’s governorship primaries on Thursday. Prominent victories include Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who secured the party’s gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 election. According to the electoral officer, Hamzat polled 657,917 votes out of the 657,974 accredited votes cast, while his challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, garnered just one vote.
In Kwara State, Speaker Salihu Danladi was declared the winner of the APC governorship primary election. Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang secured the governorship ticket after defeating his challenger, retired Navy Commodore Yilchini Jan Bida, by a wide margin, polling 233,335 votes. In Oyo State, Senator Sharafedeen Alli emerged as the APC gubernatorial candidate.
However, the primaries have not been without controversy. The APC in Osun State came under fire following the outcome of the party’s primary election in the Osun Central Senatorial District, with critics raising concerns over the treatment of certain aspirants.
Atiku Confirmed as NDC Sole Presidential Aspirant
The Nigeria Democratic Congress has officially confirmed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its sole presidential aspirant for the upcoming general elections, a move that consolidates the party’s strategy ahead of a highly contested electoral calendar. The confirmation follows a period of intense negotiation and strategic alignment among key political stakeholders, allowing the party to bypass a potentially divisive primary election and present a united front.
Political analysts have noted that this move reflects a calculated risk. By consolidating early, the NDC aims to channel resources efficiently into grassroots mobilization and policy formulation rather than spending excessive capital on intra-party primaries.
ADC Leadership Drama: Hayatu-Deen Challenges Atiku, Amaechi
The African Democratic Congress presidential aspirant, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has challenged former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to publicly commit to the party’s governance principles and code of ethics, known as the Orange Book. The challenge comes amid growing tensions within the party as it prepares for its presidential primary.
PDP Endorses Senatorial Candidates in Jigawa
The Peoples Democratic Party in Jigawa State has officially endorsed its three senatorial candidates for the 2027 general elections. For Jigawa North-West Senatorial District, the party endorsed Dr. Aminu Abdullahi; for Jigawa North-East, Alhaji Salisu Mamuda; and for Jigawa South-West, Alhaji Aminu Wada Abubakar.
Presidency Dismisses Viral Claims on Nigeria’s Name Change, Sharia Law
The presidency has stated that there is no truth to a viral fake story claiming that President Bola Tinubu seeks to carry out constitutional amendments that will change Nigeria’s name to the “United States of Nigeria” and abolish Sharia Law in the Northern region, among other claims.
Former Ministers’ Resignation Gamble Yields Mixed Fortunes
The decision by some former ministers of President Bola Tinubu to resign from the Federal Executive Council in pursuit of elective offices ahead of the 2027 elections appears to be yielding mixed fortunes, with only two securing party tickets so far. Five former cabinet members stepped down after the Presidency directed political appointees seeking elective offices to resign before participating in party primaries.
SECURITY
Oyo School Abduction: Terrorists Open Talks with Government
Suspected terrorists who abducted schoolchildren and teachers from three schools in Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa towns in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State have opened communication channels with the state government, Saturday PUNCH can report. Two highly credible sources told correspondents that the hoodlums refused to speak directly with the families of the victims.
The attack, which occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, targeted Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School, and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, around 9:30 a.m.. The incident has thrown Nigerians into shock, particularly following the abduction of children and school teachers.
The Defence Headquarters has attributed the recent wave of violence and abductions in parts of Oyo State to fleeing members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad terrorist group who were forced out of their former strongholds by ongoing military offensives across the country.
Oyo Police Dismiss Curfew Rumours
The Oyo State Police Command on Saturday allayed residents’ fears over the rumour of a curfew in the state, saying, “There is currently no restriction placed on the movement of persons or vehicles within and outside Ibadan, the state capital”. Checks by PUNCH Online revealed that residents had hurriedly locked up their shops and other business outlets in reaction to the alleged curfew starting from 8 pm.
The command warned individuals and groups against the spread of false information capable of creating unnecessary panic, adding that anyone found engaging in such acts will be investigated and made to face the full wrath of the law.
Oyo Government Suspends All School Excursions
In response to the security crisis, the Oyo State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all school excursions, field trips, sports competitions and any student activities involving movement outside school premises.
Police Rescue 12 Abducted Passengers in Ondo
In a separate incident, the Ondo State Police Command said it has rescued 12 persons abducted by kidnappers in Isua Akoko, headquarters of Akoko South-East Local Government Area of the state.
ECONOMY
AI Adoption Could Add $22bn to Nigeria’s GDP by 2035
A new report has revealed that broader adoption of Artificial Intelligence could add about $22 billion to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product by 2035. The report, titled “Nigeria’s Digital Economy: Unlocking Growth and Opportunity,” was authored by independent economic research firm Public First and unveiled by Meta in collaboration with key government agencies and private sector stakeholders in Abuja.
The report projected that Nigeria’s digital economy, currently estimated at $52 billion, could more than double to $120 billion within the next decade if investments in connectivity, platforms and AI ecosystems are sustained. The findings also showed that Meta’s platforms generated about $820 million in economic value for Nigerian businesses in 2025 alone, while about 14 million SMEs leveraged WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram to drive operations.
Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, dismissed growing fears that AI could worsen unemployment, insisting that “for Africa, AI will actually enhance opportunities.” He disclosed that the government is currently investing nearly $2 billion in deploying 90,000 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure nationwide as well as about 4,000 telecom towers aimed at connecting underserved rural communities.
Naira Appreciates to N1,376 per Dollar
The Naira on Friday appreciated to N1,376 per dollar in the parallel market, the same threshold as the official market rate, from N1,387 per dollar on Thursday. However, the naira depreciated slightly to N1,375 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.
NGX: Investors Gain N344bn
Investors in the Nigerian equities market gained N344 billion by the close of trading on Friday, with RT Briscoe topping the gainers’ list.
Lagos Generates N2.6tn Revenue, Values Assets at N7.59tn
New Telegraph reports that Lagos State has generated N2.6 trillion in revenue and values its public assets at N7.59 trillion. Additionally, a court has granted the Central Bank of Nigeria sole ownership of the eNaira platform.
ENERGY
NNPC Accuses Dangote Refinery of Seeking Fuel Monopoly
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has accused Dangote Petroleum Refinery of attempting to monopolise Nigeria’s fuel market through a lawsuit challenging import licences granted to rival marketers. In court documents, the state oil company argued that granting Dangote’s request to void or restrict fuel import permits would undermine competition and expose Nigeria to supply disruptions, price instability and threats to national energy security.
MIGRATION & TRAFFICKING
NEMA Repatriates 497 Nigerian Migrants from Niger
The National Emergency Management Agency has repatriated 497 Nigerian migrants from Niamey to Kano. The agency received the returnees at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport on Friday at about 12:40 p.m.. Dr. Nura Abdullahi, Head of Operations, NEMA Kano Office, said the exercise was a voluntary repatriation through a tripartite arrangement involving the Nigerian Mission in Niger Republic, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organisation for Migration.
The returnees comprised 174 males, 97 females, 137 boys and 89 girls from Kano, Jigawa, Borno, Kaduna among others. Many had been heading to Libya but returned after realizing the journey was unsafe.
Three Plateau Women Detail Mali Trafficking Abuse
Three women from Plateau State have recounted how they were lured with fake job offers and trafficked to Mali for prostitution. The victims — Becky Ibrahim, Blessing Nanging and Miracle Yakubu — were recently rescued and returned to Nigeria through the intervention of the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Organisation.
Speaking at a programme in Lagos on Saturday, the women said they had initially accepted offers of jobs in Lagos because of poverty and unemployment, only to discover they had been trafficked across borders into Mali. “We were beaten whenever we refused,” one victim said.
HEALTH
MSF Treated Over 60,000 Zamfara Children for Malnutrition in 2025
Médecins Sans Frontières treated 60,566 children for malnutrition in Zamfara State in 2025, as hunger and disease combined into a dangerous cycle. Zamfara State remains the epicentre of a decade-long menace of banditry that has ravaged Nigeria‘s northwest.
EDUCATION
Daily Trust Scholar Graduates with First Class in Nursing
Miss Adeleke Shakirat Adenike, a beneficiary of the Daily Trust Foundation scholarships for female Medical and Nursing students, has been inducted as a qualified Nurse after graduating with a First-Class degree in Nursing from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. In an interview, she reflected on how the scholarship shaped her academic journey and contributed to her success.
Leave a Reply