Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has promised to deliver Adamawa, his father’s state, for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

He spoke on Friday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja during the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation (HBTO) unveiling and the launch of its subsidised public transportation support scheme.

Abubakar, HBTO founder, said his decision to back Tinubu is not an attempt to antagonise his father, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate.

“I recognise that political decisions, particularly those that differ from the positions of individuals with whom one shares personal and family relationships, often attract considerable public attention,” he said.

“However, political conviction is a matter of personal judgment, conscience, and the freedom of every individual to make independent choices.

“My decision to establish and lead the HBTO is a deliberate political choice made with a firm belief in the direction we have chosen.”

He said democracy is strengthened when individuals can make independent political choices, engage in constructive dialogue, and support the leadership and political platforms they believe best represent their aspirations.

“It is within this spirit that HBTO was established,” he said.

He commended the economic reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, citing the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), national infrastructure investments, increased statutory allocations to state governments, and transport support schemes as some of the key social intervention programmes.

Asked whether he would ensure the president gets maximum votes in Adamawa, Abubakar said: “Yes, yes, yes. We are going to deliver Adamawa state.”

He, however, said his decision should not be seen as a betrayal of his family ties or his father’s political aspiration.

“I’ve always supported my father since I started acting in politics, and I supported him because of what he has done for the country,” he said.

“But I believe that whenever a government comes out with policies that will help the people, I will join them.

“It’s not just because it’s my father. I don’t think I am antagonising him; I simply believe in the current government’s policies and the reforms taking place.”

Abubakar joined the APC in January 2026, vowing to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.

1. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday  blamed some of its registration officers across the country  for the appearance of suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-generated photographs and other irregularities in its preliminary voters’ register.

The commission alleged  that some officials  exploited their authorised access to its registration system to introduce questionable records into the database.

2. Rising temperatures, compounded by erratic electricity supply, are forcing residents in many states to sleep outdoors, take repeated night-time baths and spend more on alternative power sources as households struggle to cope with the heat. While many Nigerians who spoke with Saturday PUNCH reported prolonged blackouts and inadequate water supply, others said the conditions had made nights uncomfortable.

3. Troops conducting internal security operations across the country killed more than 217 terrorists and other armed criminals in October, the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has said. The operations, conducted between September 30 and October 30, also led to the rescue of hundreds of kidnapped victims, the arrest of suspected terrorists and their collaborators, and the surrender of more than 50 terrorist fighters and their family members.

4. A businessman, Akinbolusere Kayode, popularly known as Tolufe, has allegedly committed suicide at Igba town in Ondo State, after lamenting his personal and business challenges in a video that has gone viral on social media. Akinbolusere, 46, reportedly died in his office beside BOVAS Petrol Station, Igba Town, at about 3 pm on Thursday. The State Police Command confirmed his death in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Jimoh Abayomi, in Akure on Friday evening.

5. Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, and the Ekiti State Police Command have given conflicting accounts of an incident at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday. While Sowore insisted that he and members of his team were violently attacked, the police described the incident as an altercation with some individuals, saying the activist sustained a minor injury.

6. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a pastor, Edwin Nwabueze, and another suspect, Sadiq Jamiu, over the alleged theft of a Toyota Camry in Abuja. The vehicle was reportedly stolen at UTC Plaza in the Garki area of the Federal Capital Territory. The police said Nwabueze, who identified himself as a pastor with Salvation Power Bible Ministry in the North Bank area of Benue State, was arrested, following investigations into the theft.

7. Kemi Badenoch, leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, says “racist attacks” against her are “not going to work”, after Raheem Kassam, a former aide to Nigel Farage, called her a “Nigerian scammer”. Badenoch spoke during an interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Thursday, following a series of posts by Kassam criticising her.

8. Senator Adams Oshiomhole has defended President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend every campaign rally ahead of the 2027 general elections. He insisted that there is no contradiction between the President’s religious activities and his responsibility to govern the country. Oshiomhole said Tinubu’s decision to limit his participation in campaign activities was a matter of choice and the prerogative of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

9. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Kano State Command, has busted an illegal diesel refining site at Panisau, Ungoggo Local Government Area of Kano State, leading to the arrest of five suspects. This was disclosed on Friday in a statement signed by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Ibrahim Abdullahi.

10. A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot and killed in the Bronx, New York, while on his way to school, with his father alleging that bullying at school may have contributed to the incident. Frimpong was shot in the stomach near East 171st Street and Third Avenue shortly after 9 a.m. on Thursday, according to law enforcement officials. The shooting happened just steps from his home. 

The Nigerian military says its troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, have killed 48 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters during operations in Borno and Yobe States.

According to the military, the operations took place in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, on the night of October 29 and into the early hours of October 30, 2026.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters of the North East Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, said troops repelled an attempted terrorist assault in Bitta through a combined response involving ground forces and air support.

He said the operation overwhelmed the attackers, disrupted their plans and inflicted heavy casualties.

“In a related development, troops launched a successful counter-attack against a large concentration of ISWAP fighters who attacked NETTS Buni Yadi on same 29th October to the early hours on 30th October 2026,” Goni said.

Goni explained that the approximately five-hour engagement was coordinated by the Theatre Command, with the use of Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities, alongside air and ground assets.

According to him, the counter-offensive resulted in the death of 48 terrorists, while troops recovered a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition.

The recovered items include 42 AK-47 rifles, five PKT machine guns, four General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMG), one 60mm mortar, 105 AK-47 magazines and two video cameras.

Other recovered ammunition comprised 30 rounds of 12.7mm armour-piercing incendiary ammunition, 2,738 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 223 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition and 2,054 rounds of PKT ammunition.

The military disclosed that one soldier was killed during the engagements, while two others sustained minor injuries and were receiving treatment.

It added that troops remained in high spirits as they continued operations against terrorist groups across the North-East.