In a flurry of political activity on Sunday, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) voiced confidence that its presidential candidate, former governor Peter Obi, will defeat incumbent President Bola Tinubu in Lagos State during the 2027 presidential election, promising a wider margin than the 2023 result. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said Obi’s 2023 win in Lagos reflected the state’s political mood and was not accidental. Meanwhile, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ado‑Ekiti Local Government Area clashed with the campaign team of governorship candidate Dr Wole Oluyede over the handling of campaign funds, demanding a public accounting of expenditures while defending his running mate, Deji Ogunsakin, against allegations of financial impropriety. Emerging reports also indicate that a growing number of aggrieved APC members and former party leaders are aligning with the Rainbow Coalition led by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, heightening internal tensions ahead of the 2027 polls. President Tinubu, in a statement signed on September 19, directed all 36 states to accelerate the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme so that commuters should see measurable reductions in transportation fares from October 1.
Security operations continued across several states. In Bauchi’s Shira Local Government Area, police arrested 47 suspects during the bye‑election for the Disina State Constituency; the men were allegedly armed with guns, cutlasses and sticks and were posing as operatives of a state‑owned security outfit. Rivers State police opened an investigation into the killing of Kamadioye Krama, a father of four, by gunmen in the Emulation community of Abua/Odual Local Government Area, with spokesperson Blessing Agabe confirming the probe. In Delta State, the Anti‑Cult Unit intercepted a green Toyota Sienna (registration KP 527 AAA) on the Onitsha‑Ondo route, seizing military camouflage uniforms, boots, hats and cartons of suspected tramadol and other illicit drugs.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) announced a leadership change in its Niger State Command after the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in custody in Minna. Abdulhamid Kabara was appointed the new commandant, replacing Suberu Aniviye, who was suspended following the incident. The Northern Senators Forum called on Saturday for an immediate, transparent and independent investigation into the deaths, describing the circumstances as “deeply disturbing and unacceptable.”
In electoral news, the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a decisive victory in the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa State Constituency bye‑election in Kano State. APC candidate Hussaini Yusuf Datti received 22,890 votes, far ahead of the PDP’s 180 votes and the Peoples Redemption Party’s 270 votes.
These developments come as Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, prepares for the 2027 general elections, a contest that will shape the country’s political landscape for the next four years. The interplay of party realignments, security challenges, and policy initiatives such as the affordable transit programme underscores the complex environment in which the upcoming election will be contested.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
