1. Uncertainty may be mounting within the ruling All Progressives Congress over its preferred consensus strategy for the 2027 elections, with party sources indicating that direct primaries may be adopted in states where “agreements prove difficult.”
It was gathered that the party may abandon its consensus strategy in some states as deepening rivalries and stalled negotiations threaten party cohesion.
2. The founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has declared judgment upon bandits and their sponsors. Oyedepo said this during a church service on Sunday tagged: “Covenant Day of Vengeance”
3. No fewer than 20 passengers, including candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, were reportedly abducted by sea pirates along the Calabar waterways on Friday. A naval officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident on Sunday, saying gunmen ambushed a passenger ferry travelling from Calabar in Cross River State to Oron in Akwa Ibom State.
4. The traditional ruler of the Olayinka community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Salman Olátúnjí Aweda, was abducted by terrorists in the early hours of Saturday. The abductors have reportedly demanded a ransom of N400 million for his release.
5. Former Kano State governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has formally defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after weeks of political consultations. He dumped the party alongside Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
6. Former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has raised alarm over what he described as a fresh plot to implicate him in criminal activities, alleging a coordinated effort to damage his reputation and keep him in prolonged detention. In a statement on Sunday his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai warned of “malicious orchestrations” against him, pointing to recent developments which he said indicate a troubling pattern.
7. Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued 13 passengers abducted from a Benue Links commercial bus on the Makurdi–Otukpo road. A counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said the victims were among 17 passengers kidnapped last Wednesday while travelling from Makurdi to Otukpo in Benue State.
8. Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has urged the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to reschedule the examination for eight UTME candidates following their ordeal at the hands of kidnappers. Alia made the appeal on Sunday while hosting the victims at the Old Banquet Hall, Government House, Makurdi, describing them as victims of circumstance who should not be neglected.
9. Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted consignments of cocaine and cannabis concealed in food flasks. The agency said 12 large parcels of cocaine weighing 2.80 kilograms were discovered hidden in the false bottom of food flasks bound for the United Kingdom via a Virgin Atlantic flight from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
10. The decision by Iran to reclose the Strait of Hormuz has dampened hopes that fuel prices would crash in Nigeria.
The Strait of Hormuz was opened on Friday following a ceasefire deal between Iran and the United States. But barely 24 hours later, Iran reclosed the strait, calling the decision a response to a continued blockade of its ports by the United States.
