1. Political parties and their candidates have begun moves to resolve discrepancies in the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, following the omission of several governorship and other candidates across the country.
The development has triggered protests and anxiety among affected parties, with the Peoples Democratic Party, Nigeria Democratic Congress, African Democratic Congress and other political platforms engaging the electoral commission over the missing names.
2. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded immediate and full transparency from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over reported redeployments in key departments and the production, printing and custody of sensitive materials for the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the reported changes in the Electoral Operations Department raised serious questions that INEC must answer without delay.
3. Dangote Refinery-backed MRS and other Nigerian filling stations have increased their retail prices of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol. A market survey conducted on Sunday showed that filling stations in Abuja and its environs had raised petrol prices to N1,409 per litre from N1,370.
4. The United States Department of Homeland Security has released the names and photographs of 24 Nigerian nationals arrested by immigration officers over alleged criminal offences. The development comes as the Donald Trump administration intensifies its immigration enforcement campaign.
5. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his administration’s investments in compressed natural gas and electric-powered transportation are beginning to deliver substantial savings for Nigerians, with some commuters reporting reductions of up to 67 per cent in transport fares. The President, who personally responded to testimonies from beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s transportation interventions on Sunday, said the emerging relief demonstrated his administration’s determination to cushion the hardship occasioned by the removal of the petrol subsidy.
6. The Rivers State Government has cordoned off a building estimated to be over 60 years old in the old Port Harcourt Township area after part of the structure collapsed, injuring four persons. The two-storey building, located at No. 18 Club Road, reportedly shed part of its parapet on Friday around 7pm, with debris falling onto the ground floor, where people were gathered at a bar. The incident left four persons injured, including a woman who reportedly sustained injuries to her head and ear. No death was recorded.
7. The Presidency on Sunday dismissed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposed production subsidy on petrol as “a dangerous mathematical fantasy wrapped in political deceit”, saying Nigeria does not have the crude oil volumes needed to fund it. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday titled ‘Atiku’s Demagoguery in the Face of Tinubu’s Logical Policies’.
8. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has begun engaging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to resolve the omission of some of its candidates from the commission’s final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 elections, released on Saturday. In a statement on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party was treating the development with the seriousness it deserved and seeking an amicable resolution in line with the law and established electoral guidelines.
9. Twenty one political parties are fielding 119 women for governorship elections in next year’s poll, it was learnt at the weekend. However, 936 governorship candidates and running mates are on the ballot for the February 6, 2027 poll across 28 states.
Also, out of 10,020 candidates for the House of Assembly, 1,016 are women.
10. As part of efforts to reduce the cost of living, the Federal Government has waived N3.3 trillion in fuel taxes and duties. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed this yesterday in a series of posts on his X handle. The President also defended the government’s response to rising petrol prices, saying the tax waiver would complement the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Retail’s decision to forgo its profit margin for 30 days to provide temporary relief.
