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“Why Our WASSCE Paper No Start?” WAEC Blames Logistics, Security as Students, Parents Drag Council Online

📅 June 9, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the annual examination chaos, the frustration of Nigerian students, and the institution that still cannot get papers to exam halls on time.
WASSCE students waiting for delayed exam papers

Thousands of WASSCE candidates were left waiting for hours on June 8, 2026, as question papers failed to reach examination centres across the country.

The examination hall was ready. The students were seated. Pencils sharpened. Hearts racing with the particular anxiety that only a WASSCE morning can produce. And then — nothing. For hours, across multiple states, the question papers did not arrive. It was June 8, 2026, and the West African Examinations Council had once again turned the most important morning of a student's academic life into a waiting game.

The Scene: Students Held Hostage by an Empty Desk

The reports flooded in from across the country. In Lagos, a student posted: "We dey hall since 8am, paper land 11:30am." In Kaduna, the rumour spread that bandits had intercepted the examination convoy. An Abuja parent wrote that her daughter had fainted at the centre from tension. In some locations, the morning paper was pushed to the afternoon. In others, students were simply told to go home. The hashtag #WAECExplain began to trend, and as always, it was part fury, part gallows humour — the coping mechanism of a generation that has learned to expect disappointment from the institutions meant to serve them.

WAEC's Response: Logistics, Security, and the Weather

WAEC issued a statement on the same day, confirming delays in "some locations." The reasons given were threefold. Logistics challenges: vehicle breakdowns, bad roads, late dispatch from custody centres. Security challenges: papers moving under armed escort in high‑risk areas, convoys delayed by threats, checkpoints, and security advisories. And then the weather: rain in some southern states had slowed movement. The council's spokesperson was careful to add that no leakage had occurred, that the integrity of the examination remained intact, and that the inconvenience was regretted.

The statement was technically competent. It was also, for anyone who has followed Nigerian education for more than a single cycle, a remix of the same song. In 2023, it was IPOB sit‑at‑home orders in Imo. In 2024, it was floods and fuel scarcity. In 2025, the national grid collapse delayed printing. Now, in 2026, it is logistics and security. The details change. The apology stays the same. And the question that parents and students are asking — the one WAEC never seems to answer — is why a 70‑year‑old institution still cannot solve a problem it has faced every single year.

Why Nigerians Are No Longer Accepting the "Annual Excuse"

The anger is sharper this year because the comparisons are now impossible to ignore. JAMB conducts the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination entirely on computers, with instant results, for millions of candidates. WAEC is still moving paper across a country where roads are unsafe and bandits operate with near impunity. Parents paying upwards of ₦27,000 per child are asking why the council cannot print papers by zone to reduce the risk of transit. Students who prepared their minds for a 9 a.m. examination and found themselves still waiting at midday are asking who will account for the performance gap that panic creates.

There is a deeper cost, too. University admission deadlines are tight. A delayed WAEC paper can cascade into a missed admission window. Some students risk losing an entire academic year — not because they failed, but because the examination body could not deliver. For families that have scraped together fees, transport money, and the emotional capital required to get a child through secondary school, the casualness of WAEC's "regret" feels like an insult.

The Reality Check

WAEC's security concerns are not imaginary. Examination custodians have been kidnapped before. Convoys have been attacked. In parts of the country, moving valuable documents is genuinely dangerous work. But that is not an excuse for a system that has refused to modernise. If banks can move cash with bullion vans and helicopters, WAEC can move papers — or better yet, stop moving papers altogether. A hybrid system, regional printing, or a phased transition to computer‑based testing are not radical ideas. They are survival strategies for an institution that is being left behind by the country it serves.

The students who sat in empty examination halls on June 8 will eventually write their papers. The results will be released. The ritual will repeat next year. But the patience of Nigerian families, stretched across years of avoidable crises, is not limitless. WAEC is not the only examination body in the world to face logistics and insecurity. It is, however, one of the few that continues to be defined by them.

Parents, teachers, students — was your centre affected on June 8? Should WAEC go fully computer‑based like JAMB, or is paper still the way? Drop your centre and your experience. Let us map the delays. And WAEC — if you are reading this, Nigerians want solutions, not statements.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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“Report Terrorists to Who?” Tinubu’s Call to Nigerians Backfires as Citizens Demand Action, Not Speeches

📅 June 9, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the widening gap between presidential rhetoric and the lived experience of Nigerians under siege.

President Bola Tinubu's June 8 call for Nigerians to report terrorists and kidnappers was met with instant and brutal backlash across social media.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sat behind his desk in Abuja on June 8, 2026, dressed in dark navy agbada, and delivered a message that was meant to reassure. "Report terrorists. Report kidnappers. We will not allow bandits to define the lives of Nigerians." What followed was not applause. It was a torrent of anger so swift and so precise that it revealed, in a single afternoon, the abyss that now separates the presidency from the people it governs.

The Statement That Lit the Fire

The president's call was simple on its surface: citizens should provide intelligence, and his administration would act. It was the kind of civic appeal that leaders everywhere make in times of insecurity. But in Nigeria, in June 2026, it landed like a match on petrol. The reply from the street was immediate, and it was devastating. "Report to who? The same police wey dey collect ₦100 for checkpoint?" "Zamfara villagers report bandits daily. Dem still come back next market day." "My uncle reported kidnappers. He was killed next week. Who protects whistleblowers?"

This was not a protest. It was an inventory of betrayal. Nigerians have been reporting. They have submitted tips, videos, locations, photographs. They have done it for years — since Chibok, since Benue, since the Kaduna‑Abuja highway became a theatre of abduction. And the result, as far as they can see, has been silence, retaliation, or the quiet death of a file in a police station that nobody ever opens again. To ask them to "report" now is to ask them to believe in a system they have long stopped trusting.

Why This Hit Harder Than a Normal Speech

Timing is everything, and the president's statement arrived in the worst possible week. On June 5, Edo residents blocked bypasses with burning tyres, chanting that "government no dey do anything" about kidnapping. On the same day Tinubu was speaking, Oyo State was demolishing a kidnapper's den — an act of physical, visible force that made the presidential appeal for citizens to "report" feel flimsy by comparison. And in Abuja, a woman and three girls held placards that read: "I AM SCARED OF TAKING MY CHILDREN TO SCHOOL."

In that climate, "report them" did not sound like a strategy. It sounded like a president passing the burden back to the people his security apparatus has failed. As one X user posted, with the kind of brutal concision that defines Nigerian social media: "You have DSS, Army, Police, Air Force. But you want market woman to do your job?"

The Trust Gap That Speeches Cannot Bridge

This is not the first time President Tinubu has urged Nigerians to assist in the fight against insecurity. But three years into his presidency, the scorecard is being written in ransom payments, not press releases. Families are still crowdfunding millions on social media to free loved ones. The Benin‑Auchi and Abuja‑Kaduna roads remain routes that require prayer before departure. Parents are still protesting outside schools, holding placards that no parent should ever have to hold. When the president says "bandits will not define our lives," the honest reply from too many Nigerians is that they already do.

There are supporters who see the president's appeal differently. Intelligence is vital, they argue. Citizen tips have helped bust cells before. The president is engaging, not hiding. These are not unreasonable points. But they miss the central problem: reporting only works if response works. Until Nigerians trust that dialling 112 will not get them killed, ignored, or marked for reprisal, "report them" will continue to sound like "figure it out yourselves."

The president spoke from Abuja on June 8. The country replied in seconds. The question hanging in the air, as the dust settles on another week of abduction and anxiety, is whether the presidency is listening — not to the tips it asked for, but to the anger it received in return.

Have you ever reported a crime and seen action? Or is Tinubu asking too much from citizens with no protection? Share your experience — good or bad. The country is keeping its own records now.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Oyo Demolishes Kidnappers' Den: Adelabu Family Case Sparks Debate on Bulldozer Justice

📅 June 9, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the heavy‑handed justice dividing opinion in Oyo State and the growing use of demolition as an anti‑kidnapping tool.

Oyo State officials demolished a bungalow used by kidnappers in Ibadan on June 8, 2026, triggering nationwide debate on the use of bulldozers as a crime‑fighting tool.

The excavator arrived in Lako Community, Aiyegun‑Anaye Road, on June 8, 2026, and before the afternoon was over, a modest bungalow had been reduced to rubble. The Oyo State Government had not issued a fine. It had not pasted a demolition notice. It had simply brought down the walls — and in doing so, it ignited a debate that is as much about justice as it is about the desperation of a country that has run out of patience with kidnappers.

The house was no ordinary property. According to the police, it was the den where the sister and twin sons of former Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu were held captive before their rescue. Adelabu, a former APC governorship candidate and ally of President Tinubu, is not a man whose family crisis goes unnoticed. The government's response, when it came, was swift, visual, and irreversible. The 2016 Oyo State anti‑kidnapping law — which mandates the demolition of any property used for abduction — was invoked, and the bungalow was gone.

The Bulldozer as a Message

For many Nigerians, the footage of that excavator smashing through the perimeter wall was cathartic. Social media filled with applause. "Finally, a government with guts. Demolish all of them," one comment read. Another was sharper: "Adelabu is a big man. Imagine if it was a poor man's family — they would do nothing." The demolition became an instant symbol of state power, a declaration that there would be no safe haven for kidnappers in Oyo.

It was not a press conference. It was not a statement issued on a letterhead. It was concrete and dust and the unmistakable message that Governor Seyi Makinde's administration is willing to wield a hard hand. In a state battling a surge in abductions, the demolition was a performance of strength. It was the government saying, in the most visible language possible: we will not negotiate with terror. We will erase it.

The Questions That Followed the Rubble

But the dust had barely settled before the critics began to speak. Legal observers pointed out that demolishing a crime scene before a full forensic investigation could destroy vital evidence — fingerprints, DNA, phone records, the invisible trail that leads to other kidnappers. "Was the investigation complete before the excavator moved in?" one lawyer asked on social media. Another added: "This is punishment before conviction. Even the law must wait for a trial."

The timing, too, raised eyebrows. The victims had already been rescued. The suspects were reportedly in custody. The house, by then, was evidence — not an active threat. To reduce it to rubble so quickly felt to some like a government that was more interested in the optics of justice than in its substance. The 2016 law was designed to deter, but critics argued that deterrence works best when convictions precede demolition, not the other way around.

Why This Demolition Hit Differently

Oyo is not the first state to bulldoze a kidnapper's den. Lagos and Anambra have done it before. But this incident carried unique weight. First, the victim's profile — Adelabu is a political heavyweight, connected to the highest levels of power. When elites are targeted, the state's reflexes sharpen. Second, the national mood has shifted. The June 5 protests in Edo, where residents blocked bypasses over rampant kidnappings, showed that ordinary Nigerians are no longer waiting for permission to express their anger. Third, the 2027 election is already casting its shadow. Makinde's administration is signalling that it is tough on crime, drawing a contrast with federal security failures — and doing so with an excavator that no press release can match.

The house is gone. The suspects are in custody. The twins and their mother are safe. But the real question remains unanswered: does bulldozer justice stop kidnapping, or does it simply give a traumatised public a moment of televised satisfaction? Intelligence, investigation, and prosecution are slow, unglamorous work. Bulldozers are fast. In a country exhausted by fear, fast often wins the argument — but it does not always win the war.

Your take, Nigeria? Demolish first, investigate later? Or is this the only language kidnappers understand? Landlords, how are you screening your tenants? Sound off.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

2027: Gbenga Hashim's Accord Party Pulls "Mammoth Crowd" at Dawaki, Abaji Rallies

📅 June 5, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering third‑force presidential campaigns, grassroots mobilization, and the emerging challengers to Nigeria's dominant parties.

Accord Party presidential aspirant Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim addressing a sea of supporters at his rally in Dawaki, Abuja, on June 4, 2026.

While the APC and PDP tear themselves apart over zoning and tickets, one man in a bright yellow polo is quietly building a movement in the suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, the Accord Party's presidential flagbearer, took his campaign to Dawaki and Abaji on June 4, and what he found there — or rather, what turned up for him — has forced political watchers to recalibrate their assumptions about who is serious in the 2027 race.

The images that emerged from the rallies tell their own story. Hundreds of supporters, women and children among them, packed under white canopy tents, a sea of yellow "HASHIM FOR PRESIDENT" shirts and caps stretching into the afternoon sun. Banners read "KUJE" and "ABAJI AREA COUNCIL" — not the kind of glossy, national-convention branding that dominates the news cycle, but the specific, granular language of local government mobilisation. Hashim himself, visibly energised, told the crowd that the turnout proved Accord Party members across the FCT had delivered during the recent primaries. The message was simple: we are here, we are organised, and we are not waiting for anyone's permission.

Why a Rally in Dawaki Matters

The significance of Hashim's FCT showing lies less in the crowd size — though it was impressive — and more in the strategy it reveals. First, he is running an early grassroots campaign at a time when the larger parties are still trapped in internal negotiations. While the APC and PDP are holding meetings in air-conditioned rooms, Accord is holding rallies under the sun. Second, the deliberate targeting of area councils — Kuje, Abaji, Dawaki — rather than the elite districts of Maitama or Asokoro, signals a campaign that understands the mathematics of the FCT vote. Third, the visual politics are unmistakable. The yellow wave, the branded shirts, the canopy-tent aesthetic: it is all designed for the smartphone screen, for the WhatsApp group, for the viral share that bypasses traditional media gatekeepers entirely.

The Accord Party's Quiet Playbook

Hashim, a former PDP presidential aspirant who broke away to pitch his tent with Accord, is framing his candidacy as a clean break from "recycled politicians." His campaign leans heavily on direct youth engagement, suburban rather than city-centre organising, and the use of concluded party primaries as proof that Accord is ready while others are still squabbling. It is a pitch designed for voters who are exhausted by the two dominant parties but have been waiting for a credible third option to emerge.

The next test is whether the FCT template can be replicated in the states that ring the capital — Nasarawa, Niger, and Kogi. If Hashim can own the "Abuja corridor," a densely populated and symbolically significant swathe of the country, he becomes a figure that cannot be ignored in the coalition negotiations that will inevitably precede 2027. For now, the images from Dawaki and Abaji have done what they were meant to do: they have made people look. The rest of the campaign will determine whether they keep looking.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the 2027 presidential race and the third‑force movements reshaping the political landscape.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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2027: ADC Primaries Heat Up as Atiku Meets Isa Ashiru, Hayatu‑Deen Vows "No Step Down"

📅 June 5, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the battle for the ADC presidential ticket, alliance‑building, and the growing rebellion against consensus politics.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (right) during his closed‑door strategy meeting with Kaduna ADC governorship candidate Isa Ashiru on June 3, 2026.

The African Democratic Congress is transforming before the country's eyes from a quiet alternative into the most unpredictable force in the 2027 presidential race. Two major moves in the last 48 hours have confirmed it: Atiku Abubakar's quiet but unmistakable alliance‑building, and Mohammed Hayatu‑Deen's loud refusal to be swept aside by consensus.

Atiku Courts Kaduna's Ashiru — A Quiet Signal

On June 3, Atiku posted photographs of a closed‑door session with Isa Ashiru, the ADC's governorship candidate in Kaduna State. Both men appeared relaxed, smiling before the Nigerian flag. Atiku described the meeting as "productive." Ashiru called it strategic for "nation‑building." The optics were deliberate: a former Vice President and a northern governorship hopeful, aligning within a party that has suddenly become the gathering point for heavyweights who are either frozen out or frustrated by the PDP and APC.

The meeting is being read as Atiku testing the waters for a broad opposition coalition built around the ADC. With the PDP still mired in a zoning war and the APC consolidating around President Tinubu, the ADC offers a neutral platform. Atiku does not need to win a PDP primary that may never be truly free; he needs a ballot line and a structure. Ashiru provides the Kaduna anchor.

Hayatu‑Deen Draws a Line: "No Step Down"

But not everyone inside the ADC is making room. In an interview with Vanguard on June 3, presidential aspirant Mohammed Hayatu‑Deen declared flatly that he will not step down — not for Atiku, not for Rotimi Amaechi, not for anyone. The former banker, who cast himself as the technocrat alternative to career politicians, set out his conditions: no consensus deals, only a transparent primary. "If the process is credible, I will support whoever emerges," he said. "But I will not be forced out before the race even begins."

It is a direct challenge to the coronation culture that has produced crisis after crisis in the APC and PDP. Hayatu‑Deen is betting that a section of the party — and perhaps the wider electorate — is tired of backroom handshakes. His message is as much a warning to Atiku and Amaechi as it is a pitch to delegates.

Why the ADC Power Play Matters

The ADC's internal drama is not just about one party. It reveals three things about the 2027 landscape. First, major figures are actively shopping for a Plan B — a platform they can fall back on if their current parties implode over zoning and tickets. Second, there is genuine pushback against consensus. Aspirants like Hayatu‑Deen are refusing to be anointed out of the race. Third, the North‑South arithmetic is already being calculated. Atiku's northern base, Hayatu‑Deen's northern roots, and the fragmentation in the South all point to a contest where the ADC could play kingmaker — or produce the king.

What comes next will be instructive. More defectors are expected. The party's ability to hold a credible, rancour‑free primary will be tested. And the question hovering over every meeting and every interview is simple: can the ADC manage the very forces it is attracting, or will it become another arena for the same old battles?

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the ADC primaries, coalition talks, and the shifting ground of the 2027 presidential race.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Amaechi Files Suit at Federal High Court Seeking to Nullify ADC Presidential Primary, Alleges Massive Irregularities — Party Says Result Stands

📅 May 30, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the legal fireworks after the ADC primary and the fight for the soul of the opposition.

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi is challenging the outcome of the ADC presidential primary in court, alleging widespread irregularities.

Rotimi Amaechi has taken his battle for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential ticket to the courtroom. On Friday, May 29, the former Rivers State Governor filed an originating summons at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to nullify the primary election that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party's flagbearer for the 2027 election. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/688/2026, alleges massive irregularities — including the exclusion of legitimate delegates, manipulation of result sheets, and the conduct of parallel primaries in Ebonyi and Imo states.

For Amaechi, the legal challenge is the culmination of a bitter primary season that saw him finish second with 912 delegate votes to Atiku's 1,847. From the moment the results were announced on Wednesday, Amaechi had refused to concede, calling the process a "daylight robbery." His suit now seeks to have the entire exercise set aside, with a fresh primary ordered. It also asks the court to restrain the ADC from presenting Atiku to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate until the matter is resolved.

The ADC has responded with defiance. National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi dismissed the suit as "a distraction," insisting that the party stands by the result and that internal dispute resolution mechanisms were exhausted before the declaration. Atiku's camp has declined to comment publicly, though a spokesperson said the former Vice President remains "focused on uniting the party and defeating the APC." With the electoral clock ticking and INEC's candidate submission window approaching, the courts are now the arena where the ADC's primary will be won or lost — and where Amaechi's political future will be decided.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the ADC legal battle and the 2027 presidential race.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Jonathan Finally Declares for 2027 Presidency, Picks PDP Nomination Form — Says “I Have Heard the People and I Will Not Disappoint”

📅 May 30, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the 2027 presidential declarations, party manoeuvres, and the unfolding political drama of a former president’s return.
Goodluck Jonathan picks PDP nomination form

Former President Goodluck Jonathan made his long-awaited declaration at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, picking up his nomination forms.

The wait is over. Goodluck Jonathan has formally entered the 2027 presidential race. On Friday, May 29, the former president arrived at the People's Democratic Party's Wadata Plaza secretariat in Abuja, surrounded by a crowd of supporters, former ministers, and the curious onlookers of a political moment years in the making. He picked up his expression of interest and nomination forms, then delivered the words his supporters had been waiting to hear. "I have heard the people. I have consulted widely. I will not disappoint. Nigeria needs healing, and I am ready to lead that mission."

The declaration was characteristically Jonathan — calm, measured, and heavy with the weight of a man who knows he has been asked to return to the office he once occupied. His entry brings clarity to a PDP that has been at war with itself for months. It also brings conflict. The faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike had, only days earlier, named Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate. That declaration was widely seen as an attempt to pre‑empt Jonathan's move. It failed. The former president's arrival at Wadata Plaza, the headquarters of the Umar Damagum‑led faction, signals that he has chosen his side in the PDP's internal struggle — and it is not Wike's.

Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, who leads the PDP faction that has positioned itself as the party's legitimate mainstream, welcomed Jonathan's declaration with open arms. He described it as "a victory for the soul of the party." That sentiment will resonate with many PDP loyalists who see Jonathan as the party's best chance to reclaim power from the APC. But the road to the ticket is littered with obstacles — not least the legal and procedural battles that will inevitably follow the nomination. For now, though, the former president is in the race. And the 2027 campaign season has just gained its most unpredictable contender.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on Jonathan's candidacy, the PDP primary battle, and the 2027 presidential election.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Supreme Court Fixes June 15 for Final Hearing on El‑Rufai's ₦423 Billion Fraud Case — Orders Accelerated Trial in Kaduna

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Following the judicial milestones that shape Nigeria's fight against corruption and the 2027 political calculus.

The Supreme Court has set a June 15 deadline for the final hearing in the ₦423 billion fraud case against former Kaduna Governor Nasir El‑Rufai.

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has dramatically accelerated the timeline for one of the country's most significant corruption cases, fixing June 15, 2026, for the final hearing of the appeal challenging the bail granted to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El‑Rufai. The decision, delivered by a five‑member panel led by Justice Kudirat Kekere‑Ekun on Wednesday, also orders the trial court in Kaduna to proceed on a day‑to‑day basis once the appeal is resolved. For El‑Rufai, still in ICPC custody, the ruling means his legal fate will be decided within three weeks — and with it, the political calculus of an opposition that has rallied around him.

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) had approached the apex court to overturn a Kaduna State High Court ruling that granted El‑Rufai bail in the ₦423 billion fraud and abuse of office case. The commission argued that the former governor, who faces an amended nine‑count charge, posed a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses. El‑Rufai's lawyers had argued that he voluntarily submitted himself to authorities and was not a fugitive, but the Supreme Court's order for an accelerated trial suggests it is treating the matter with uncommon urgency.

The political dimensions are impossible to ignore. El‑Rufai, a founding member of the APC turned opposition ally, has aligned himself with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 elections, and his continued detention has become a rallying cry for figures who accuse the Tinubu administration of using state institutions to neutralise dissent. With the ADC presidential primary now settled, the question of whether El‑Rufai walks free — and when — will shape the opposition's energy and its ability to frame the 2027 race as a contest between democracy and persecution.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for updates on the Supreme Court hearing and the political fallout ahead of 2027.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Tinubu Signs Executive Order Declaring National Food Security Emergency — Orders Immediate Release of 500,000 Metric Tonnes of Grains

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the Federal Government's emergency response to the food crisis and its impact on the 2027 political landscape.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday signed an executive order declaring a national food security emergency, triggering urgent interventions.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken the extraordinary step of declaring a national food security emergency, signing an executive order on Wednesday, May 28, that unlocks half a million metric tonnes of grains from the national strategic reserve. The move — announced just hours after the United Nations projected that 35 million Nigerians would face acute food shortages between June and August 2026 — marks the administration's most direct intervention yet in a crisis that has become the central political fault line ahead of the 2027 elections.

The order goes beyond the release of grains. It suspends all food export permits for 90 days and temporarily waives import duties on rice, wheat, and maize, effectively tearing down the tariff walls that have kept staple food prices stubbornly high. For a government that has spent the last three years defending the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira as necessary economic medicine, the emergency declaration is a recognition that the pain has outpaced the prescription. The President directed the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate distribution through state governments and registered NGOs, a logistical challenge that will test the very governance capacity the opposition says is broken.

The timing carries unmistakable political weight. Only two days ago, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar — freshly declared winner of the ADC presidential primary — cited the same UN warning to accuse the administration of presiding over "a human tragedy of terrifying proportions." That accusation now meets a concrete policy response, one that will either blunt the opposition's economic attacks or be dismissed as too little, too late. The 2027 race is already being fought on the terrain of food prices. With this executive order, President Tinubu has placed himself squarely on that battlefield.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the food security emergency and the 2027 political campaign.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Atiku Abubakar Wins ADC Presidential Ticket as Opposition Realigns — PDP Calls It 'Political Betrayal'

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the former Vice President's defection to the ADC and what it means for the 2027 presidential race.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar acknowledges cheers after clinching the ADC presidential ticket in Abuja.

The political chessboard of 2027 shifted dramatically on Wednesday night as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard-bearer, who ran unsuccessfully against President Bola Tinubu in 2023, polled 1,247 votes to defeat his closest rival, former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke, who garnered 412 votes. The victory, announced in the early hours of Thursday after a two-day primary convention in Abuja, ends months of speculation about Atiku's political future.

But the win was not without controversy. The PDP immediately reacted with fury, describing the move as "political prostitution" in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary. Atiku has not formally resigned from the PDP, though party insiders confirm his membership has been suspended by his local ward in Adamawa State. The ADC, once considered a minor opposition party, now positions itself as the flagship of a burgeoning anti-Tinubu coalition, with whispers of merger talks involving the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and segments of the Labour Party.

Atiku, speaking after receiving the certificate of return, struck a reconciliatory tone but also fired a warning shot. "The APC has failed Nigerians on security, on the economy, and on every promise they made," he told a crowd of delegates. "We shall offer a new vision. Not with bitterness, but with the urgency that our suffering people demand." He did not mention the PDP by name, but the implication was clear: the old opposition is fractured, and the ADC is the new gathering ground.

The ADC's primary had been delayed by 24 hours due to the Eid-el-Kabir holiday, but the collation of results resumed at noon on Thursday. Party chairman Ralph Nwosu praised the exercise as "the most transparent in our history," even as some delegates alleged vote-buying. Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken note, with a spokesman reminding all parties that the deadline for submission of candidate lists is fast approaching.

Atiku's defection to the ADC reopens old wounds in the opposition. The PDP, now in disarray, may be forced to field a less formidable candidate — or worse, splinter further. The Labour Party, still licking its wounds from the Peter Obi era, has yet to announce its primaries. As the 2027 race takes shape, one thing is certain: the former Vice President is not done yet. And the ADC, once an afterthought, has suddenly become the stage for the biggest political drama of the season.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for continuous coverage of the 2027 election campaigns, party primaries, and the shifting alliances that will define Nigeria's political future.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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317 Terrorists Neutralized in May as Military Gains Momentum — But Eid Ceasefire Hangs in Balance, NLC Warns of Economic 'Reckoning'

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Reporting on the military's deadliest month against insurgents, and the shadow of economic protests over the Sallah holidays.

Troops on the frontlines have recorded their highest monthly tally of neutralized terrorists in 2026, as the nation enters a tense Eid-el-Kabir holiday.

The Defence Headquarters on Thursday, May 28, 2026, announced that troops have neutralized 317 terrorist elements and arrested 314 suspects across various theatres of operation in May alone — the highest monthly toll this year. Briefing journalists in Abuja, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, described the feat as a "renewed momentum" in the ongoing counter-insurgency campaigns, crediting improved intelligence sharing and the deployment of new air assets in the North East and North West zones.

Yet even as the military celebrates these gains, the Federal Government has declared a public holiday for Eid-el-Kabir, accompanied by heightened security alerts and the deployment of thousands of police and military personnel nationwide. The warning, issued by the Office of the National Security Adviser, cited intelligence reports of possible retaliatory attacks by fleeing terrorist cells during the festive period. Citizens have been urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements — a reminder that the battlefield is no longer remote, but extends to markets, mosques, and motor parks.

Meanwhile, a different kind of storm is gathering. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) used the Sallah eve to issue a blistering statement, insisting that the 2027 elections must become a "moment of reckoning" for leaders they accuse of implementing anti-people policies. NLC President Joe Ajaero, speaking at a press conference in Lagos, pointed to the latest inflation figures — which climbed to 15.69% in April 2026 — and the recent spike in cooking gas prices to ₦1,700 per kilogram. "Nigerians are celebrating with empty pockets and heavy hearts," Ajaero said. "Come 2027, every vote will be a verdict on this hardship."

The juxtaposition is stark. On one hand, the military reports tactical victories and rising body counts of insurgents. On the other, the civilian population faces soaring living costs and persistent security alerts that disrupt the very joy of the holiday. The Coalition for National Security and Democratic Stability (CNSDS) praised the military's "renewed momentum" in a statement, but also called on the government to address the root causes of insurgency — poverty, unemployment, and inequality — that the NLC has now tied directly to the 2027 ballot.

As the nation pauses to slaughter rams and share meat, the gunfire has not ceased. And neither have the whispers of a political explosion to come. Whether the military can sustain its momentum, or whether economic anger will outrun battlefield success, is the question that will define the remaining months of 2026.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for continuous coverage of Nigeria's security situation, economic trends, and the countdown to 2027.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Wike's PDP Faction Names Senator Sandy Onor as 2027 Presidential Candidate; Jonathan's Camp Watches Closely

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the fracturing PDP, the 2027 presidential field, and the power struggles reshaping the opposition.

Former Benue Governor Samuel Ortom announced Senator Sandy Onor as the consensus presidential candidate of the Wike-led PDP faction.

The Peoples Democratic Party's long-running internal war produced its most concrete outcome yet on Tuesday, when the faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike named Senator Sandy Onor as its consensus presidential candidate for the 2027 election. The announcement, made at the party's Wadata Plaza secretariat by former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, was designed to project order and momentum. It landed instead as a provocation — a gauntlet thrown at the feet of the rival PDP faction and, perhaps more significantly, at former President Goodluck Jonathan, whose own path to the ticket was cleared by a Federal High Court ruling only a day earlier.

Senator Onor, a former Cross River State gubernatorial candidate, emerged unopposed after what Ortom described as consultations and voice votes across all 36 states. There were no other aspirants. In a party as fractious as the PDP, a consensus candidate without a challenger is less a sign of unity than of a carefully managed process — and the management, everyone in that hall knew, traces back to Wike. The FCT Minister, who remains a PDP member while serving in an APC government, has insisted that the Wadata Plaza leadership is the legitimate National Working Committee. Tuesday's event was the institutional expression of that claim.

The timing is telling. Jonathan's eligibility ruling has scrambled the opposition calculus. His supporters have been urging him to run, and the PDP faction led by Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed has positioned itself as the more natural home for a Jonathan candidacy. By announcing Onor now, the Wike camp is signalling that it will not wait for the former president to make up his mind — and that its 2027 ticket will not be held in reserve for anyone.

For Jonathan, the question has always been whether he wants to return to the arena. The Wike faction's move changes that question subtly but importantly: it asks not just whether he wants to run, but whether he is willing to fight for the platform. The PDP is now a house with two kitchens, each preparing its own meal. Senator Onor has been served his. Whether Jonathan will step forward to order his own is the decision that will shape the next chapter of this crisis.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the PDP factional battles, the 2027 presidential contenders, and the political realignments defining Nigeria's opposition.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Court Affirms INEC's Power to Set Election Timelines as SDP Case Partially Succeeds — ADC Delays Presidential Primary Results Collation for Eid

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the judiciary's influence on the 2027 election timetable, and the opposition parties caught between court orders and primaries.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a nuanced ruling on INEC's powers, as the ADC puts its primary results on hold for Eid.

The Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a split decision on Tuesday, May 26, that both affirmed and clipped INEC's wings. Justice J.K. Omotosho, ruling on a suit brought by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), upheld the electoral commission's statutory power to set timelines for political party primaries — but struck down specific deadlines the court found incompatible with the Electoral Act 2026. The judgment, while not the sweeping victory the SDP sought, sends a clear signal that INEC's regulatory reach, though broad, must respect the boundaries of the law.

The SDP had challenged INEC's authority to dictate when parties must hold their primaries and submit candidate lists, arguing that the commission was exceeding its mandate. Justice Omotosho agreed in part, pruning back the timelines that contradicted the Electoral Act while leaving INEC's overarching framework intact. The ruling adds to the growing body of judicial decisions that are shaping the 2027 election calendar — and forcing parties to adapt in real time.

One of those parties is the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which on Tuesday announced it was postponing the collation of its presidential primary results from Tuesday evening to Wednesday. The reason was both practical and cultural: the Muslim Eid al-Kabir celebrations. ADC Primary Election Committee Chairman Ikechi Emenike explained that results from 24 states and the FCT had already been announced, with 12 states still outstanding. The delay, he said, was to allow members to observe the holiday before completing the exercise.

The convergence of a court ruling on election timelines and a party delaying its primary for religious observance captures the texture of this pre-election season — legal, political, and human all at once. With primaries still ongoing and the courts actively policing the process, the road to 2027 is being paved one judgment at a time.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the 2027 election calendar, party primaries, and the court rulings shaping Nigeria's democratic process.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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APC Primary Crisis Deepens as Lagos Market Leaders Threaten Street Protests — Iyaloja-General Says Grassroots Mandate "Must Not Be Stolen"

📅 May 28, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the fallout from the APC primaries, grassroots power struggles, and the market forces reshaping Lagos politics.

Iyaloja-General of Lagos State, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, addressing journalists at her Alausa residence, flanked by market leaders.

The political temperature in Lagos rose sharply this week as market leaders — the foot soldiers of the ruling party's grassroots machinery — threatened to take their grievances to the streets. The warning came not from an opposition figure, but from the heart of the APC establishment: Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja-General of Lagos State and daughter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. From her residence in Alausa, Ikeja, she delivered a message that was part ultimatum, part lament: the mandate of the markets must not be stolen.

At the centre of the storm is a specific case — Olaide Mutiu Oladeebo of Agege Constituency II, who market leaders say was the overwhelming choice of traders and grassroots party members before the primary process was, in their words, disrupted. The details are murky, but the emotion is not. For the women who run Lagos' sprawling markets, the primaries were not just about candidates; they were about recognition. They turned out in numbers, they mobilised, and now they believe the party has repaid their loyalty with betrayal.

"We are not begging. We are demanding," Tinubu-Ojo said, her words calibrated to remind the party that market women are not a passive voting bloc but an organising force. She reaffirmed loyalty to the APC — a necessary caveat for someone whose political identity is inseparable from the ruling party — but she also made clear that loyalty has limits. The threat of street protests, even if not yet acted upon, is a political landmine. A march led by the Iyaloja-General against her own party's primary results would be a spectacle the APC can ill afford as it tries to project unity ahead of 2027.

The deeper tension here is about inclusion. Market leaders are not just seeking to overturn specific results; they are demanding a seat at the table — in candidate selection, in government appointments, in the distribution of the political rewards they feel their mobilisation work has earned. Tinubu-Ojo's statement was a reminder that in Lagos, the gap between the party's leadership and its grassroots enforcers is widening, and that the consequences of ignoring that gap could soon spill out of the markets and into the streets.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the APC primary crisis, grassroots political movements, and the shifting allegiances shaping the 2027 elections.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Atiku Faults Tinubu Over Worsening Hunger, Says UN Warning That 35 Million Nigerians Face Acute Food Crisis Reflects "Failure of This Administration"

📅 May 26, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering Nigeria's food security crisis, the political blame game, and the humanitarian warning signs ahead of 2027.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has linked the UN's warning of acute hunger for 35 million Nigerians to the policies of the Tinubu administration.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Monday launched a blistering critique of President Bola Tinubu's economic management, pointing to a United Nations warning that about 35 million Nigerians could face acute food shortages between June and August 2026. In a statement that framed the crisis as a direct consequence of government policy, Atiku described the situation as "a human tragedy of terrifying proportions" and accused the administration of presiding over a catastrophic erosion of living standards.

The UN report, which has circulated among humanitarian agencies and government departments, paints a dire picture of a country where insecurity has driven farmers from their lands, inflation has pushed basic food items beyond the reach of millions, and the safety nets promised by the government have failed to catch those falling into hunger. Atiku seized on the findings, drawing a straight line between the fuel subsidy removal, the floating of the naira, and the collapse of household purchasing power. "How can a nation feed itself when farmers cannot safely access their farms?" he asked, referencing the violence that has emptied farming communities across Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger, Katsina, Sokoto, and Borno states.

The former Vice President called on the government to declare a national food security emergency, warning that "a hungry nation is an angry nation." The statement was not merely humanitarian; it was deeply political. As the ADC presidential primary unfolds and the 2027 election draws closer, Atiku is increasingly positioning himself as the candidate who understands the granular pain of ordinary Nigerians. Whether the government responds to his call for an emergency declaration, or dismisses it as opposition rhetoric, the warning from the UN stands on its own — 35 million people staring at the possibility of not having enough to eat is a number that no press release can make disappear.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on Nigeria's food security crisis, the 2027 race, and the policies that will define the nation's future.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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ADC Presidential Primary in Turmoil as Amaechi Rejects "Concocted" Results, Hayatu-Deen Alleges Vote Rigging — Atiku Holds Early Lead

📅 May 26, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the ADC presidential primary crisis, the factional clashes, and the allegations threatening the party's 2027 ticket.

The ADC presidential primary has been thrown into crisis after Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen rejected the early results.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primary is unravelling into chaos, with two of the three aspirants — Rotimi Amaechi and Mohammed Hayatu‑Deen — publicly rejecting the process as illegitimate, even as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar builds an early delegate lead. What was meant to be the party's moment of democratic maturity has instead become an explosive internal crisis that threatens to fracture the ADC before the general election campaign even begins.

Atiku carried six states in the early results: Sokoto, Abia, Gombe, Ebonyi, Zamfara, and Imo, placing him firmly ahead. But the legitimacy of those figures is precisely what is now in dispute. Amaechi did not mince words. He called the results "concocted" and alleged that about 80 percent of party members had been disenfranchised by a process designed to produce a pre‑determined outcome. Mohammed Hayatu‑Deen went further, announcing his withdrawal from the concluding stage of the primary, citing reports of "widespread vote rigging" and manipulation across the country.

Nowhere was the chaos more visible than in Ebonyi State, where parallel primaries produced two separate winners — Atiku from one faction, Amaechi from another. In Imo, Amaechi's camp dismissed the entire exercise as a "sham," claiming that no elections were held in most wards and that returning officers were compromised. The split‑screen of competing results from the same state has deepened the sense that the ADC's primary process has lost all credibility among the aspirants who are meant to abide by its outcome.

The ADC leadership has yet to issue a formal response to the allegations, but the silence is itself a statement. With one aspirant leading, another crying fraud, and a third walking away, the party now faces the very crisis of legitimacy it had hoped to avoid. The question is no longer just who will win the ADC ticket — it is whether the ticket, when it emerges, will be worth anything at all.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the ADC primary crisis, the fallout from the disputed results, and the 2027 presidential race.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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Federal High Court Affirms Goodluck Jonathan Eligible to Contest 2027 Presidential Election — Dismisses Suit Seeking to Bar Him as "Frivolous"

📅 May 26, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the 2027 presidential eligibility battles, landmark court rulings, and the legal path opening for a Jonathan comeback.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan's path to a 2027 return was cleared on Monday after the Federal High Court dismissed a suit seeking to bar him.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, May 25, swept aside the most serious legal challenge to Goodluck Jonathan's potential presidential comeback, ruling that the former president is fully eligible to contest the 2027 election. Justice Peter Lifu dismissed a suit that sought to perpetually bar Jonathan, describing it as "frivolous" and an abuse of court process.

The ruling was decisive. The plaintiff, Abuja‑based lawyer Jideobi Johnmary, had argued that Jonathan had already served two terms — first completing Umaru Yar'Adua's tenure after his death in 2010, and then winning a full term in 2011 — and was therefore constitutionally barred from seeking office again. Justice Lifu disagreed, holding that the matter had already been settled by the Court of Appeal and that Johnmary lacked the legal standing to bring the action in the first place.

The decision removes a significant legal cloud that had hung over the Jonathan camp since supporters began openly urging the former president to return to the race. For weeks, Jonathan had been deliberately non‑committal, promising to "consult widely." That consultation, his supporters now argue, can proceed without the distraction of a court battle. The ruling comes at a moment of intense political realignment, with the PDP having already cleared Jonathan to contest, and with opposition parties scrambling to present credible alternatives ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Whether Jonathan will actually run remains an open question — he has not made a formal declaration — but Monday's ruling ensures that if he does, the courts will not stand in his way.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the 2027 presidential race, the Jonathan eligibility decision, and the legal battles shaping Nigeria's political landscape.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

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ICPC Denies Top ADC Leaders Access to Detained El‑Rufai, Cites Court Order Limiting Visitation to Family, Doctors and Lawyers Only

📅 May 24, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the growing tension between the opposition ADC and federal anti‑corruption agencies, and the questions surrounding Nasir El‑Rufai's continued detention.

The ICPC has formally rejected a request by ADC leaders to visit detained former Kaduna Governor Nasir El‑Rufai, saying a court order permits only family, doctors and lawyers.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has formally declined a request from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to visit former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El‑Rufai, who has been in the commission's custody since February 19, 2026 over allegations of financial misconduct linked to his eight‑year tenure. The decision, conveyed in an official letter dated May 21 and signed by the commission's Director of Operations, S. Yahaya, has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition party, which has accused the ICPC of political persecution and heavy‑handed intimidation.

The standoff came to a head on Friday, May 22, when a senior ADC delegation — comprising National Secretary and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, and Policy and Manifesto Committee Secretary Salihu Lukman — arrived at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja to visit El‑Rufai. Despite prior written communication with the commission, the party leaders were turned away.

In a statement issued shortly after the failed visit, Abdullahi described the scene that unfolded. "While we were at the premises awaiting a response to our request, the atmosphere suddenly became noticeably tense after no fewer than three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility," he said. The ADC described the deployment as "entirely unnecessary and disproportionate to the peaceful presence of unarmed political leaders," and argued that it reinforced the impression that state institutions were being used "as instruments of political pressure and psychological intimidation against dissenting voices."

The ICPC has rejected the ADC's characterisation of events. Spokesman Okor Odey told journalists that the commission had formally replied to the ADC before the visit. "They wrote to us saying that they wanted to come and visit El‑Rufai… We got their letter on the 20th or thereabouts and replied to them on the 21st that they should not come because the court order was specific," Odey said. He stressed that access to the former governor is strictly limited by judicial directive. "The access is limited to the category of his immediate family members, his legal counsel and his medical doctors. Based on the court order… we are not able to grant them their request to visit."

Odey also dismissed claims that the police presence at the commission's gate was anything out of the ordinary. "Usually, you know that we have a detachment of mobile policemen at the gate all the time. Sometimes you see their trucks parked there. Those are the things they saw that they said we brought three trailers of police," he explained.

The legal basis for the ICPC's position is set out in the May 21 letter. El‑Rufai is currently standing trial before two courts — the Kaduna State High Court and the Federal High Court, both sitting in Kaduna — on an amended nine‑count charge of fraud and abuse of office. The former governor was arraigned on April 13, 2026, following an indictment by the Kaduna State House of Assembly in 2024 over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds.

"Mallam Nasir El‑Rufai is standing trial before two courts… Though the defendant is in the commission's custody by order of both courts, the court is fully seized of the matter. The court has granted access to the defendant to his family, doctors and counsels. These are the only category of persons granted access," the ICPC letter stated.

The ADC, however, has refused to accept the commission's reasoning. In its statement, the party insisted that El‑Rufai "voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities" and "is not a fugitive." The party warned that the restrictions surrounding his detention were fuelling public suspicion and demanded the ICPC "immediately grant unrestricted access to Mallam El‑Rufai by his family, doctors, lawyers, and leaders of his political party."

The party's frustration has been compounded by allegations from El‑Rufai's family. His son, Bello, recently accused the ICPC of preventing his father's personal doctor from visiting him, despite a court order granting unrestricted medical access. The commission has dismissed those claims as "false and misleading."

The clash occurs at a politically sensitive moment. El‑Rufai, a founding member of the APC and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has become one of the most vocal critics of President Bola Tinubu's administration and has aligned himself with the opposition ADC ahead of the 2027 elections. His continued detention, now entering its fourth month, has become a rallying point for opposition figures who see it as part of a broader pattern of using state institutions against political opponents.

For now, the court order stands. And as long as it does, the doors of the ICPC detention facility will remain closed to the ADC — no matter how many truckloads of police are stationed at the gate.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on El‑Rufai's trial, the ADC's response, and the legal and political battles shaping the pre‑election landscape.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
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ADC Clears Atiku, Amaechi, Hayatu-Deen for Monday Direct Primaries as Amaechi Attacks APC's Economic Record — Says Tinubu Using Hunger to Manipulate Voters

📅 May 24, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read
✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the ADC presidential primaries, the three‑way contest for the party's ticket, and the escalating war of words with the ruling APC.

Atiku Abubakar (left) and Rotimi Amaechi (right) are two of the three aspirants cleared by the ADC for Monday's direct presidential primaries.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has cleared all three of its presidential aspirants — former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and renowned economist Mohammed Hayatu‑Deen — for Monday's direct primary elections, setting the stage for a three‑way contest that will determine who flies the party's flag against President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The screening, conducted by a high‑level panel chaired by former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, found all three aspirants qualified to contest. The direct primary will take place across 8,809 wards nationwide on Monday, May 25. According to party sources, none of the three aspirants agreed to step down for each other, forcing the ADC to proceed with a full primary rather than a consensus arrangement. The ADC has also cleared 513 House of Representatives aspirants, 109 senatorial aspirants, and 80 governorship aspirants, signalling the party's intention to field a complete slate of candidates for 2027.

While the ADC puts its house in order, Amaechi used a late‑Friday interview to deliver a blistering critique of the APC's economic record. The former Transportation Minister accused President Tinubu of "inciting hunger to manipulate voters," arguing that the administration's reliance on palliative handouts is a cynical political strategy rather than a genuine solution. "A bag of rice does not solve hunger for the rest of the year," Amaechi said. He promised that his first act as president would be to enforce the rule of law — a commitment that positions him as a governance‑focused alternative within the ADC field.

Atiku, for his part, appeared before the Imoke‑led screening panel on Wednesday and told the committee that "Nigeria does not need experiments; it needs tested leadership, clarity of vision, and the courage to make difficult but necessary decisions in the national interest." The former Vice President's pitch rests on his decades of experience in public office — and his argument that the country cannot afford to gamble on an untested leader. Amaechi's camp has pushed back, with his media adviser telling the Nigerian Tribune that Amaechi's "target is to defeat Tinubu" and questioning whether Atiku can translate primary victories into general election success.

The third aspirant, Hayatu‑Deen, has cast himself as "a fresh candidate with no baggage," a direct pitch to voters weary of the familiar faces that have dominated Nigerian politics for decades. He has not ruled out stepping down for a consensus candidate, telling THISDAY that he would "do the party's bidding."

In a related development, NDC co‑founder Peter Obi spent the weekend in South Africa meeting with leaders to address the recent wave of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians — a reminder that the 2027 race is not being fought solely on domestic terrain, and that the treatment of Nigerians abroad has become an emotional election issue the opposition intends to use.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the ADC primaries, the 2027 presidential race, and the political battles that will define Nigeria's future.

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📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.