Blog

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 general elections appears to be yielding mixed fortunes, with only two securing party tickets so far.

Five former cabinet members stepped down from their positions after the Presidency directed political appointees seeking elective offices to resign before participating in party primaries.

Their resignation was in line with the Electoral Act 2026.

Among those affected were former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who resigned to contest for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Bauchi State; and former Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Yusuf Sununu, who resigned to pursue Kebbi senatorial ticket.

Others are former Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, who resigned to contest Gombe governorship ticket; former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, pursuing House of Representatives ticket in Abia State; and former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who resigned to contest the Oyo governorship primaries.

Of the five, only Onyejeocha and Sununu have secured their tickets.

Onyejeocha clinched the APC ticket for Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in Abia after emerging as an unopposed candidate

Sununu also secured the APC ticket for Yauri/Shanga/Ngaski Federal Constituency after withdrawing from the Kebbi South senatorial race.

Adelabu, Alkali lose out, Tuggar’s fate hangs

Adelabu, who resigned after the deadline set by the President, had hoped to secure the party’s governorship ticket in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections.

The former minister was, however, defeated in the contest by Senator Sarafadeen Alli.

Alli polled 578,143 votes to defeat Adelabu, who got 19,193 votes.

Following the outcome of the exercise, Adelabu alleged manipulation in the primary process, insisting that the election did not reflect the true wishes of party members.

He vowed to challenge the outcome of the election, adding that his team was preparing to petition the party leadership at the national level.

Speaking to journalists during the exercise, the ex-minister said, “In some wards, our people were prevented from voting; they were intimidated, they were chased away violently. And in some wards, voting did not take place at all, but they recorded numbers for them.

“All these kinds of misconduct are not good at this stage of our democracy in Nigeria and something has to be done about it. We are going to write serious petitions against all these things that took place.”

Similarly, former transport minister Alkali failed to secure the APC governorship ticket in Gombe State after boycotting the primary process over alleged irregularities.

Alkali lost to Jamilu Gwamna, who is backed by the incumbent, Governor Inuwa Yahaya.

Gwamna emerged winner of the primary after polling 247,161 votes to defeat Alkali, who polled 11, 612 votes and the former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Pantami, who scored 12,120 votes.

Alkali had earlier boycotted the primaries over alleged lack of fairness, inclusivity, and credibility.

He also alleged that the exercise lacked the basic hallmarks of a credible democratic process.

While Adelabu and Alkali have lost out in their political bids, the fate of Tuggar hangs in the balance.

His supporters threatened to leave the APC if the party imposed a governorship candidate.

The supporters made their position known on Friday amid speculations that former Bauchi State governor, Muhammad Abubakar, may emerge as the party’s consensus candidate.

Speaking on the development, the Director of Media, Tuggar Foundation, Ibrahim Malam, said members of the movement would not remain in a party where internal democracy was allegedly being undermined.

According to him, the position being canvassed was that of members of the movement and not that of Tuggar himself.

“Regarding this narration of somebody becoming the APC flag bearer who is not competent, somebody who lost an election, we can’t remain in the party where democracy is not practised.

“I’m saying this on behalf of my team, not on behalf of the former minister Yusuf Tuggar. But this is our collective mind with the people coordinating his social media. We cannot support a party where democracy is not being practised,” he said.

Also speaking, a pharmacist and social media influencer, Bello Adamu, popularly known as Elder Karofi, rejected what he described as an attempt to impose a candidate on party members.

Adamu alleged that the reported consensus arrangement in favour of Abubakar amounted to injustice and warned that many supporters of Tuggar might refuse to support the APC if the decision stood.

“We reject this imposition and I don’t think any one of us is going to support anybody if that happens,” he stated.

He further disclosed that consultations were ongoing among supporters on the next political step to take, including the possibility of defecting from the APC to another political party.

Adamu also criticised the former governor’s record in office, insisting that Tuggar remained a more competent option among the aspirants seeking the APC governorship ticket in the state.

Alkali not leaving APC

Speaking on the matter, Umar Alkali, the media aide to ex-minister Alkali, clarified that his principal did not withdraw from the governorship race but merely boycotted the APC primary process.

He said, “He (Alkali) is still in the race; he only boycotted the primaries. Given what happened during the previous House of Representatives and Senatorial primaries, after consultations, he deemed it fit to boycott the exercise.”

Alkali explained that many people misunderstood the situation and wrongly concluded that the former minister had withdrawn from the contest.

“He is not withdrawing from the governorship race. This is what most people misunderstood. He is still in the race; he only boycotted the process,” he added.

He also dismissed speculation that the former minister was planning to leave the ruling party, saying “No, he (Alkali) is not quitting the party. He is still in the APC.”

The aide further stated that Alkali remained loyal to the leadership of the APC and the Tinubu-led administration.

Meanwhile, Adelabu has dismissed the outcome of the primary election.

Speaking through his media aide, Femi Awogboro, the former minister said he was unaware of any officially declared result.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. We don’t know of any result because we have not seen any result. The result has not been announced by anybody,” Awogboro said.

Asked whether Adelabu would challenge the outcome of the election or consider leaving the party, Awogboro said, “I won’t be able to say anything as regards that,” he added.

Foreigners in the U.S. who want a green card will need to leave and apply in their home country, the Trump administration announced Friday, in a surprise change to a longstanding policy that sowed confusion and concern among aid groups, immigration lawyers and immigrants.

For over half a century, foreign nationals with legal status have been able to apply for and complete the entire process for permanent residence in the United States — including individuals married to U.S. citizens, holders of work and student visas, and refugees and political asylum seekers, among others.

The announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the latest step by the Trump administration making legal immigration more difficult for foreigners already in the U.S. and for those hoping to come here.

The changes comes on top of steps the administration has already taken to restrict and limit entry for people from dozens of countries. In some cases, there are outright bans on travel from those countries, while people from others face pauses in visa processing. Experts and attorneys warned that forcing people from those countries to return home to apply for a green card would result in them being barred from coming back.

“If families are told that the non-citizen family member must return to his or her country of origin to process their immigrant visa, but immigrant visas are not being processed there, it’s a Catch-22. These policies will effectively create an indefinite separation of families,” wrote World Relief, a humanitarian and refugee resettlement organization.

In the announcement, USCIS said foreigners who are in the U.S. temporarily and who want to apply to become lawful permanent residents, or green card holders, have to return home and apply there, except in “extraordinary circumstances,” without elaborating. USCIS officers would decide whether applicants meet those.

“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process,” the agency said in a statement.

The USCIS announcement did not say whether individuals would be required to remain in another country throughout the entire process, or whether the policy impacts foreigners whose green card applications are already underway.

There is a peculiar moment that happens in Nigerian politics every election cycle. A candidate says something so ordinary, so fundamentally reasonable, that it feels almost radical. Not because the statement itself is revolutionary, but because of the political environment into which it is dropped.

I had that feeling reading Mohammed Hayatu-Deen’s recent challenge to fellow aspirants in the African Democratic Congress presidential race. His request was deceptively simple, if you seek to lead Nigeria under the ADC, publicly affirm your commitment to the party’s Governance Principles and Code of Ethics, the Orange Book.

That was it.

No grandstanding, no insults, no ethnic signaling, no manufactured outrage. Just a straightforward proposition, if leadership matters, ethics should not be private. They should be declared openly, before power is attained rather than after it is abused.

And yet, in Nigeria, that feels startlingly uncommon.

The Orange Book itself is fascinating, not because political parties do not already have constitutions or manifestos, but because this document attempts something Nigerian politics has spent decades avoiding, moral specificity.

Most political language in the country is intentionally vague. Candidates promise “development,” “security,” “prosperity,” and “change,” words so elastic they can survive any contradiction. What Hayatu-Deen highlighted, however, was different. The Orange Book names things directly, rejection of corruption, opposition to vote-buying, resistance to godfatherism, commitment to merit, accountability, discipline, and service over entitlement.

That level of clarity matters.

Because one of Nigeria’s enduring tragedies is not merely that leaders fail to perform. It is that the standards by which they should be judged are often left undefined until after disappointment arrives. We debate personalities instead of principles. We obsess over political arithmetic instead of political character.

Hayatu-Deen’s intervention quietly shifts the focus.

His challenge to figures like Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi is significant not because it creates confrontation, but because it introduces accountability before candidacy matures into inevitability. It asks an uncomfortable question Nigerian politics rarely asks early enough, what exactly are you committing yourself to?

There is a sentence in his statement that lingers long after reading it, “I am a public servant, not a ruler of Nigerians.”

That line matters because it collides directly with the unwritten culture of power in Nigeria. Too often, public office in the country operates less like stewardship and more like inheritance. The language of democracy exists, but the psychology of feudalism remains. Leaders arrive in office surrounded by ceremony, insulation, and entitlement. Institutions become extensions of personalities. Public service mutates into personal privilege.

So when a presidential aspirant insists that leadership should be measured by “completed, purposeful, and people-centred action,” he is not merely reciting ethics. He is challenging the operating assumptions of Nigerian power.

And perhaps that is why voters should pay closer attention to Hayatu-Deen.

Not because he is the loudest figure in the race. He is not. Not because he commands the biggest political machinery. He likely does not. But because integrity in politics often reveals itself first in what a person chooses to normalize.

Most politicians normalize excuses. Hayatu-Deen is attempting to normalize standards.

That distinction is important.

Nigeria’s crisis today is frequently described in economic terms, inflation, unemployment, currency instability, debt, insecurity. But beneath all these sits a deeper issue, the collapse of public trust. Citizens no longer merely doubt whether leaders can solve problems, many doubt whether leaders genuinely see public office as an obligation to serve at all.

Once trust erodes at that level, institutions weaken. Cynicism becomes rational. Corruption becomes expected. Elections become transactions instead of civic decisions.

What Hayatu-Deen appears to understand is that rebuilding a country requires rebuilding moral expectations first.

And this is where his background becomes relevant. Economists tend to think in systems. They understand that outcomes are often products of incentives, rules, and institutional culture. Nigeria has spent years trying to solve structural problems while leaving political culture untouched. But culture shapes conduct. Conduct shapes institutions. Institutions shape nations.

You cannot sustainably reform governance while treating ethics as optional decoration.

This is why the Orange Book matters beyond the ADC itself. Whether or not the party ultimately wins power is almost secondary to the precedent being proposed, that aspirants should publicly bind themselves to measurable ethical commitments before Nigerians entrust them with authority.

Imagine if this became normal political practice across parties.

Imagine if Nigerians demanded ethical declarations with the same intensity they demand campaign promises. Imagine if refusal to commit to anti-corruption standards became politically costly. Imagine if voters evaluated not merely charisma or patronage networks, but demonstrated willingness to submit oneself to moral accountability.

That would represent a genuine political evolution.

Of course, cynics will say codes of ethics are meaningless because politicians routinely break promises. They are not entirely wrong. Documents alone do not transform nations. But cultures do not change without symbols, expectations, and public rituals that reinforce new norms.

And that is precisely what Hayatu-Deen is attempting to create.

A political culture where integrity is not assumed quietly in private conversations, but affirmed publicly and tested collectively.

In a country exhausted by leadership failures, that is not a small thing.

It is the kind of signal voters should notice early, before the noise of campaigns drowns out the quieter indicators of character.

—Adeyeye writes from Osun State.

Elijah Adeyeye: Hayatu-Deen and radical power of a simple question

Omoyele Sowore has announced that he will contest Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, positioning himself once again as an alternative to the country’s dominant political establishment. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sowore confirmed that he plans to run under the platform of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2027, revealing that the party’s presidential primaries […]

The post Omoyele Sowore to run for president again in 2027 appeared first on Tribune Online.

A customer shares the story of how her business flourished after joining PalmPay, a leading digital bank and fintech platform:

Running a shop in the heart of Sabon Gari Market in Kano is a beautiful but real hustle. Every single sale counts because that money directly feeds my family’s daily needs.

I started my business some years ago with the determination to make it a success, but I had a major problem: I couldn’t properly account for my purchases or track where my profits were going.

Some customers will prefer to make a transfer to pay for purchases, but I did not believe in all these fintechs. Hard work wasn’t enough; I did not realise this until I got on PalmPay.

Everything changed last year when PalmPay brought its Women Empowerment Program to the Sabon Gari Market in Kano. There were over a thousand women under the canopy that day.

It wasn’t just an event; it was the exact moment I discovered the smarter way to bank and make a good profit. The team taught us practical ways to improve our business; I learned how to manage cash flow and separate personal cash from shop revenue.

Then I opened a PalmPay account and set up a reliable POS terminal right at my shop. They gave us a free ATM card for smooth inventory purchases, and a large umbrella that still keeps my customers sheltered from the hot Kano sun.

Almost a year later, my business finances have improved because I receive real-time alerts and reconciliation of all business transactions. When customers make a transfer, I am sure that the money will enter my account fast because I get transfers in less than one minute.

This way, I can analyse all my purchases and profits to know where I’m making profits or losses, as the case may be. This makes me happy because there is peace of mind. In the busy Sabon Gari Market, having a reliable app with instant payment notifications is an absolute lifesaver.

I monitor every cash-in and cash-out in real-time. PalmPay didn’t just give me a bank account; they gave me tools to be empowered as a true, profitable businesswoman.

If you’re like me and looking for a way to take better control of your finances in this digital age, I can’t recommend PalmPay enough. It’s not just an app- it’s the smarter way to bank.

Ultimately, the true impact of financial inclusion is not just about a functional dashboard; it is about identity and empowerment.

How PalmPay transformed my business from survival to success in Sabon Gari market – Trader

Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in a major shakeup of the administration.

The dissolution affects several other senior officials, according to a statement read by Oumar Samba Ba, Secretary General of the Presidency.

Ba said the President “ended the duties of Ousmane Sonko and those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government.”

No reason was given for the development but Faye and Sonko have been at loggerheads in recent months over governance, economic policy, and party control, among other issues.

The former political allies joined forces under the PASTEF (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity), a party which rose to power two years ago following a massive youth support.

Faye appointed Sonko as Prime Minister on April 2, 2024, the same day he was inaugurated as President. Both men were seen together this week when they hosted some students at Presidential Palace.

Faye affirmed his authority in a recent televised interview. “I am the President and Sonko is Prime Minister. If he no longer satisfies me, I will appoint another PM,” he declared.

Senegal President Faye sacks Prime Minister Sonko, ministers

Activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has said Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State’s withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election is not a positive development for Nigeria’s democracy.

Idam said Fubara’s withdrawal shows that tyranny and dictatorship  has enveloped democracy in Rivers State.

Following Fubara’s withdrawal from the primaries, Kingsley Chinda had emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate.

However, in a statement he signed, Idam said: “Fubara’s frustrated withdrawal from the APC primaries is not a positive democratic development; rather, it suggests that tyranny and dictatorship may be increasingly enveloping democracy in Rivers State.

“However, I am least concerned about Fubara and his fragile political ambition, as he must not assume entitlement to a second term as Governor of Rivers State, since public office is not a hereditary stool.

“At the same time, while no leader should cling to power indefinitely, no individual should be coerced or bullied into abandoning their constitutional right to contest elections for any position.

“Society must be cautious not to elevate individuals through uncritical or excessive loyalty, as such individuals often turn around to undermine the constitutionally guaranteed freedoms that enabled their rise.

“If society is to serve the interests of all, political hegemony must be resisted at all costs. Otherwise, we may soon find ourselves needing permission from certain personalities to live as free individuals.”

Rivers APC primaries: Fubara’s withdrawal shows tyranny, dictatorship in democracy – Idam

Former Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the 2027 general elections after winning the party’s primary election held in the state.
The results were announced on Saturday by the chairman of the APC Governorship and House of Assembly Primaries Committee for Bauchi State, retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, John Bassey Abang.

Abang disclosed that the governorship primary was conducted on May 22 and featured seven aspirants.

According to the results announced, Abubakar polled 57,517 votes to defeat other contenders in the race.

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, came second with 26,001 votes, while Bala Maijama’a Wunti secured 13,648 votes.

Nura Manu Soro garnered 13,638 votes, Kabir Baba Maaji polled 8,157 votes, Baba Abubakar Suleiman got 7,688 votes, while Yakubu Yakubu Abdullahi scored 7,181 votes.

Declaring the outcome of the exercise, Abang said Abubakar, having secured the highest number of valid votes cast, was duly returned as the winner of the APC governorship primary in Bauchi State.

He also announced the results of the party’s State House of Assembly primary elections conducted on May 21.

Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress has affirmed former senator, Halliru Dauda Jika, as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Bauchi State.

The exercise took place during the party’s primary exercise held yesterday in Bauchi and monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Chairman of the ADC Electoral Committee, retired General Ishaya Bauka, said the committee was constituted to ensure a transparent and credible process for the emergence of candidates.

According to him, Jika emerged as the party’s sole governorship aspirant and was subsequently affirmed by delegates.
Bauka added that the party’s three senatorial candidates also emerged unopposed and were equally affirmed during the exercise.

In his acceptance speech, Jika thanked party leaders and supporters for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to lead the ADC to victory in the 2027 polls.

“By the grace of God, Bauchi State will become an ADC state in 2027,” he said.

The former lawmaker, who represented Bauchi Central Senatorial District from 2019 to 2023, said the ADC was entering the race with a united structure and committed supporters across the state.

The Bauchi State Chairman of the ADC, Shu’aibu Abdullahi Dankama, expressed confidence in the party’s chances in the forthcoming election, describing the party’s candidates as experienced and capable of challenging the ruling parties in the state.

He said stakeholders unanimously endorsed Jika’s candidacy to strengthen the party’s chances of winning the governorship election.

Among those affirmed by the ADC were Garba Dahiru Salanke for Bauchi South Senatorial District, Abdul Ahmed Ningi for Bauchi Central Senatorial District, and Nazif Gamawa for Bauchi North Senatorial District.

DAILY POST reports that Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar served as governor of Bauchi State between 2015 and 2019 on the APC platform before losing his re-election bid to Governor Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019.

Jika, on the other hand, contested the 2023 governorship election on the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party before joining the ADC ahead of the 2027 polls.

Ex-Gov Abubakar, Halliru Jika emerge APC, ADC guber candidates in Bauchi

Argentinian midfielder, Valentin Barco, will join Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea has agreed on a deal to sign  Barco.

There is an agreement in place with Barco, as RC Strasbourg will let him go after an impressive improvement this year.

Barco had already said yes to the Chelsea move, and personal terms between both parties have been agreed ahead of a potential summer transfer.

The 21-year-old star joined BlueCo-owned Strasbourg on a permanent deal for a fee of £8.7 million last summer

However, it’s yet to be seen if Barco will get playing game-time under Chelsea’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, next season.

Valentin Barco to join Chelsea

THE Diocesan Bishop of Remo, The Most Reverend Dr. Michael Olusina Fape, has urged Nigerian politicians not to see politics as a tool for personal gain, but as a means of service to the people. Fape, who is also the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, made the call in his presidential address to […]

The post 2027: See politics as a means of service, not personal gains, Bishop Fape tells politicians appeared first on Tribune Online.