Oladipupo Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, has faulted the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to leave out his name from the list of governorship candidates.

Adebutu, in a statement addressing the development, said he remained a registered member of the PDP and had completed the necessary registration and documentation within the stipulated period.

“I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering,” he said.

According to him, the governorship primary that produced him as the party’s candidate was conducted with INEC officials present as observers, adding that relevant documents were submitted for verification, certification and confirmation.

The PDP candidate said the circumstances surrounding the exclusion raised concerns, particularly as other party candidates contesting for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate had appeared on INEC’s published lists.

Adebutu said the Ogun State PDP had expressed concern over what it described as undue pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on INEC, adding that the party would pursue the matter through appropriate channels.

“We will pursue this matter through the appropriate channels and insist that due process is respected,” he said.

He also alleged that the party had faced attempts to frustrate its campaign, including restrictions on its billboards, attacks at campaign grounds and harassment of members.

According to him, such challenges would not deter the party from participating in the democratic process or seeking the support of voters across the state.

“No amount of intimidation should prevent the people of Ogun State from having a fair opportunity to choose leaders of choice,” Adebutu said.

He urged PDP members, supporters and residents of Ogun State to remain calm while the party takes the necessary steps to address the omission.

“The party has spoken, and the necessary steps are being taken to address this matter. I remain confident that it will be resolved, and I assure you that I will not abandon the struggle to bring the leadership and relief our people deserve,” he said.

Adebutu described the party’s ambition as a broader effort to improve the welfare and development of Ogun State, rather than a struggle centred on an individual.

“Our cause is bigger than any individual. It is about the dignity of our people, the progress of our state and the right of Ogun people to determine our own future,” he said.

Reaffirming his commitment to the party’s campaign message, Adebutu said, “OGUN FOR OGUN is more than a slogan. It is a call for leadership rooted in our people, responsive to our needs and committed to our welfare.”

He concluded by urging supporters to remain focused and resolute, declaring: “The journey to a better Ogun continues.”

Twelve people were killed, while 309 others were injured following a deadly attack on the Riyadh’s international airport in Saudi Arabia by suspected Yemen’s Houthis.

The attack, reportedly the deadliest on Saudi soil in more than a decade, has prompted the Saudi-led coalition to vow on Sunday a decisive response against the group.

The coalition described the attack as a “full-fledged war crime” that a diplomatic source attributed to a missile.

The attack came during an unprecedented wave of Houthi strikes on the kingdom since a truce in the group’s long-running war with Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government unravelled in July.

The spiralling violence has raised the possibility of a wider escalation, with US President Donald Trump signalling Washington could join military action against the fighters.

A passenger told AFP they witnessed a strike in the airport’s domestic terminal.

“I was on gate 403,” the witness said. “I saw 401 hit, I saw injured in front of my eyes. Everyone was running.”

According to reports, four Saudi citizens were among those killed in the attack, as well as two Bangladeshis, one US citizen, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian and one Sudanese, the kingdom’s civil aviation authority said in a statement.

It said some of the 309 wounded were in serious condition.

Operations at the airport were suspended following the attack and authorities said damage assessments were ongoing.

The attack prompted health officials to activate a rare mass call-up of doctors to deal with the “serious emergency situation”, a medical source said.

Two doctors said that several pilgrims headed to Mecca were among the wounded.

Schools in Riyadh switched to remote learning for the second time in a month.

Parents in the capital received emails Sunday seen by AFP, citing an order from the education ministry, saying “all schools in Riyadh will switch to distance learning for the entire week”.

“The cowardly terrorist attack by the Terrorist Houthi Militia… which resulted in deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and airport staff, constitutes a full-fledged war crime,” coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki said in a statement on X.

Earlier, the coalition said it had intercepted missiles targeting Saudi Arabia and destroyed launch platforms.

The Houthis claimed a series of attacks targeting the airport on Thursday that killed three people and damaged a plane, though they did not immediately take responsibility for any new strikes on Saturday.

Saturday’s attack was the deadliest in the kingdom since May 2015, when a suicide bombing by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group killed 21 worshippers in a Shia mosque in the eastern Qatif governorate.

The civil war in Yemen flared back to life in July after a four-year, UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle East war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets.

Saudi Arabia leads an international coalition that has supported Yemen’s government militarily since 2015 and is now being drawn deeper into its impoverished neighbour’s conflict.

Asked on Saturday whether he had changed his mind about joining Saudi strikes on the group, Trump said: “We may.”

He said he would be speaking with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling what happened in the kingdom “not acceptable”.

US media outlets have reported that previous Saudi requests for US military assistance in dealing with the Houthis have been rebuffed.

1. Opposition parties have raised concerns over campaign funding ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress enjoys a financial advantage while economic hardship and fear of political reprisals are discouraging potential donors from supporting rival parties.

In separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH, officials of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Tanimu Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Peoples Redemption Party, the Young Progressives Party and the Obidient Movement Worldwide said the funding gap could undermine their ability to compete effectively with the ruling party.

2. The release of the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission has sparked mixed reactions following the omission of prominent opposition figures, including a former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu; and the Nigeria Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo. While the Ogun PDP accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of mounting pressure on INEC to exclude its candidate, Pantami’s camp urged supporters to remain calm. Gwarzo, a former Deputy Governor of Kano, is yet to react.

3. Some United Kingdom universities have withdrawn the admissions of Nigerian students due to an ongoing visa crackdown by the British government impacting international applicants. The universities revoked admissions given mostly to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants in the first half of 2026, driven by tightening rules from the Home Office regarding visas for international students. According to a Financial Times report on Saturday, a study showed that 10.5 per cent of study visa applications to the UK ended up being withdrawn, up from 2.3 per cent in the same period last year and 0.4 per cent in 2023

4. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume yesterday went down the memory lane on the evolution of the rotation of the presidency between the North and the South  at the return of democracy in 1999. Akume, governor of Benue State between 1999 and 2007, said the two sides reached an agreement back then in Kaduna to share power at an interval of eight years. The SGF spoke in Lafia,the Nasarawa State capital  during the North Central All Progressives Congress (APC)  grand rally for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu next year.

5. The Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested 23 suspected cultists in connection with cult-related violence, attempted murder and breaches of public peace in Yenagoa and its environs. The Commissioner of Police, Ajao Saka Adewale, disclosed this during a press briefing in Yenagoa on Saturday, saying four people had been killed in recent cult-related attacks and reprisals involving rival groups.

6. The National Chairman of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, has dismissed claims that the party is unprepared for the 2027 general elections. He declared that it has begun mobilising structures and recruiting agents to protect its votes.
Zuwoghe said the party would take all lawful measures to ensure that votes cast for its candidates were accurately counted and reflected in the final results.

7. First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has assured Nigerians that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will consolidate his administration’s  economic reforms and deliver greater prosperity, stronger economic growth and improved security if re-elected for a second term in the 2027 general elections. The First Lady, who gave the assurance on Saturday at the North-Central Grassroots Mobilisation Network Grand Rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State, declared that the country was already witnessing the positive effects of the President’s difficult economic decisions, particularly in exchange rate stability, renewed investor confidence and infrastructure development.

8. Dangote Refinery has increased the price of its gantry Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel, a few days after reducing the cost of the commodity. A market survey on Saturday showed that the refinery had increased its diesel price to N1,800 per litre from N1,700. This represents an increase of N100 per litre.

9. The presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Seyi Makinde, has pledged to establish an all-inclusive transitional government of national unity that will not last beyond four years if elected president in 2027.
Makinde made the pledge on Saturday while addressing the party’s North-East Zonal Town Hall Meeting in Yola, Adamawa State, as part of his consultations with Nigerians ahead of the general elections. He said his proposed administration, which would begin on May 29, 2027, would prioritise national unity, inclusiveness, honesty and practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges, rather than concentrating political power in one part of the country

10. Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels has revealed that she has been battling severe pain and mobility challenges for months, disclosing that her condition forced her to rely on a wheelchair. Daniels shared the development in a video posted on her Instagram page on Saturday to mark her 25th birthday, while explaining her prolonged absence from social media.