1. The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that it will determine the fate of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Ladi Adebutu and other politicians omitted from its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship elections at its next meeting on Thursday.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this in an exclusive chat with The PUNCH on Wednesday.

Pantami is contesting the Gombe governorship election, while Adebutu is contesting the Ogun governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

2. THE Presidency has described as fake news allegations that the Federal Government was planning to shift the January 16 elections. African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, ADC-PCC, had earlier raised an alarm over alleged plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, into shifting the January 16 presidential election, warning President Bola Tinubu against seeking to evade an electoral verdict.

3. State governments across Nigeria have left N264.12bn in Universal Basic Education Commission matching grants unspent, even as public schools grapple with dilapidated classrooms, overcrowding and shortages of learning materials, raising concerns about the utilisation of funds meant to improve basic education.

4. The General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj Gen Auwalu Mahmuda, on Wednesday visited troops deployed around Old Oyo National Park and urged them to sustain their operational tempo against criminal elements.
Mahmuda, who gave the advice at the Forward Operating Base in Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government Area of Oyo State, further urged the troops to effectively dominate the area by denying criminal elements freedom of action.

5. ‎Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has vowed to take on those who manipulate elections, declaring that his camp will “rig those who rig” the 2027 polls. ‎Obi made the declaration on Wednesday at an NDC town hall meeting in Nasarawa State, where he outlined his plans to tackle electoral malpractice and ensure accountability if elected president.

6. An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced Idris Ashimiyu to life imprisonment for defiling an 11-year-old girl. Justice Abiola Soladoye handed down the sentence on Wednesday after finding Ashimiyu guilty of a one-count charge of defilement. During arraignment, the convict had pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him by the Lagos State Government

7. Transport and defence projects will take $13 billion of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s proposed $21.7 billion supplementary external borrowing for 2026-2027, the Federal Government said yesterday. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, added that the proposed borrowing plan was designed to finance infrastructure and other investments that would create assets and wealth exceeding the cost of the loans

8. The leadership of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, on Wednesday rejected the proposed N70,000 transportation allowance for workers by the Federal Government. The Congress, which described the government’s plan as “haphazard measures” of cushioning the effects of fuel subsidy removal, demanded immediate salary increment for workers.

9. The African Democratic Congress has postponed its presidential campaign flag-off in Sokoto State, earlier scheduled for Saturday, October 31 to Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The postponement was announced in a statement issued by the ADC Presidential Campaign Council in Sokoto State, which attributed the decision to planning and coordination considerations.

10. The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a Deputy Superintendent of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Onoja Samuel, for allegedly firing shots into the air during a confrontation with traders at a market in the Kubwa area of Abuja. In a statement on Wednesday, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said operatives attached to the Kubwa Police Division were promptly deployed to the scene and arrested the suspect after disarming him.

President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today for Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah and offer prayers for peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.

A statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the visit will provide the President the opportunity for spiritual reflection and devotion.

During the pilgrimage, Tinubu is expected to perform the prescribed Islamic rites and seek Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people.

The President will, however, commission equipment acquired by the Nigerian Air Force at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja before departing for Saudi Arabia.

He is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing the spiritual exercise.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has rejected the ₦70,000proposed by the Federal Government as  wage award, and demanded an immediate salary increase for workers and suggesting that the lowest-paid federal worker’s salary could be raised to ₦300,000.

The congress described the proposed transport allowance as temporary and inadequate, arguing that it would not provide sustainable relief amid the rising cost of living.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the TUC maintained that the government could increase workers’ salaries without negotiating another national minimum wage, noting that there is no law prescribing a maximum wage.

It also pointed out that some state governments had already raised their minimum wages above ₦100,000, arguing that the Federal Government could adopt a more substantial pay increase, with corresponding adjustments across salary grades.

The congress insisted that workers needed a lasting improvement in their earnings rather than temporary interventions that might fail to address their financial difficulties.

The labour body said its rejection of the proposed ₦70,000 allowance was informed partly by the government’s record in implementing previous agreements.

It recalled that a wage award agreed upon on October 2, 2023, had not been implemented comprehensively, leaving some workers unpaid or without the full benefit of the arrangement.

According to the TUC, the failure to honour previous commitments undermines workers’ confidence in the collective bargaining process and raises concerns about the government’s willingness to fulfil new agreements.

The congress called for tangible action, a clear implementation timetable and adequate budgetary provisions for any proposed salary adjustments.

The TUC also demanded the immediate implementation of the agreed adjustment to the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) for members of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

It said seven months had passed since the agreement was reached, yet the adjustment remained unimplemented.

The congress called on the government to honour the terms of settlement that led to JOHESU suspending its industrial action, warning that outstanding commitments must be resolved to sustain confidence in agreements reached with organised labour.

The TUC said it was awaiting the final outcome of a scheduled meeting with the Federal Government before deciding on its next line of action.

It demanded concrete commitments on salary increases, the implementation of the JOHESU agreement and the settlement of outstanding wage-related issues.

The congress maintained that workers required meaningful and sustainable improvements in their earnings, rather than temporary wage awards that might not provide lasting relief.

The TUC’s proposed ₦300,000 pay level is a demand for the government to consider, not an approved salary increase.