1. No fewer than 146 candidates currently in the race for the 2027 presidential and governorship elections could collectively spend up to N571bn under the campaign expenditure limits prescribed by the Electoral Act 2026.
The figure comprises 19 presidential candidates, each with a campaign spending ceiling of N10bn, and 127 governorship candidates, each allowed to spend a maximum of N3bn under Section 92 of the new Electoral Act.
The 19 presidential candidates alone have a combined spending ceiling of N190bn, while the 127 governorship candidates could collectively spend up to N381bn.
2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HoCSF, with effect from August 27, 2026. Enitan, currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, will succeed Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is due to retire from the Federal Civil Service upon attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
3. The Federal Executive Council has approved an amendment to Nigeria’s mental health law to decriminalise attempted suicide, declaring that people who attempt to take their own lives require medical care and psychosocial support rather than prosecution. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the fourth FEC meeting of the year, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
4. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that all cleared and unencumbered looted funds recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, be channelled to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, to strengthen the financing of tertiary education. The President also directed that funds in the Unclaimed Dividends Trust Fund and the Dormant Accounts Trust Fund be mobilised for NELFUND, subject to compliance with the laws establishing the two funds.
5. Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday received his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission and announced plans to establish a N500 million election violence victims’ endowment fund. The certificate was presented to him by the Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner representing the South-West, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, at an event attended by political associates of the governor and members of his cabinet.
6. Retired military personnel on Wednesday suspended their planned protest after the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), assured them that the Federal Government would address their demands over pension adjustments and other welfare concerns. The decision followed a meeting between representatives of the protesting ex-servicemen and officials of the Ministry of Defence at Ship House, Abuja.
7. The Lagos, Ogun and Oyo State governments have declared Thursday, August 20, work-free to commemorate this year’s Isese Day, with the three states framing the annual celebration as an important expression of Yoruba culture, traditional religion and indigenous heritage, The PUNCH reports. The declarations mean public servants and other residents in the three South-West states will observe the day as a public or work-free holiday as traditional worshippers gather for prayers, rituals, processions, and other cultural activities.
8. The long-suppressed confrontation between the government and Nigerians as well as between the Federal Government and sub-nationals over fuel subsidy removal savings is gradually finding an expression as the 2027 campaign imposes a burden on those saddled with its management.
As promised, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, yesterday, gave a breakdown of how the proceeds were disbursed among the three tiers of government at a media conference on the scorecard of Nigerian reforms from 2023 when the current administration assumed office.
9. Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has denied any link to the attack that occurred outside the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, on Wednesday. The incident reportedly happened shortly after Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, Davido’s uncle, visited the monarch.
Suspected hoodlums were said to have attacked the governor’s convoy, triggering an exchange of gunfire with security personnel.
10. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested 40 suspects in separate operations for alleged traffic robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping and various traffic offences in the territory. The Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Abuja.
