1. The fate of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, and that of the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate in Kano State, Aminu Gwarzo, remains uncertain as their petitions were among the 64 rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday.

However, the candidacy of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and Gombe State PDP governorship candidate, Isa Ali Pantami, was cleared by the electoral commission for the 2027 election.

2. A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remove the name of Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, as the senatorial candidate for Imo West. The court specifically asked the electoral umpire to replace Uzodinma as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with the name of former governor Rochas Okorocha.

3. President Bola Tinubu has responded to criticism from opposition leaders over the Federal Government’s efforts to access fresh loans from international institutions and banks. Tinubu identified the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, Trans-Sahara Superhighway, electricity grid upgrades and the modernisation of key commercial ports in Lagos as major projects expected to strengthen Nigeria’s productive capacity.

4. One hundred and fifty-four students of Government Science Secondary School, Batagarawa, Katsina State, were hospitalised following a suspected adverse reaction to praziquantel tablets administered to treat bilharzia. The incident occurred on Monday, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the Katsina State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu.

5. The Federal Government has disbursed N5.15tn in special intervention funds to the Nigerian military and related security agencies between November 2023 and September 2026, amid persistent insecurity, including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the country. An analysis by The PUNCH of documents from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, obtained on Thursday, revealed that the government received N5.65tn into a dedicated special intervention account over the period, out of which N5.15tn had been disbursed, representing 91.15 per cent of the total funds

6. Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, have neutralised 44 suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in several offensive operations across Borno State. The operations also left scores of terrorists injured, while their vehicles, motorcycles and improvised explosive device materials were destroyed.

7. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has predicted dust haze and thunderstorms across the country from Friday to Sunday. NiMet’s weather outlook, released on Thursday in Abuja, anticipated slight dust haze over most northern areas, with moderate haze over parts of Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi and Kaduna States.

8. President Bola Tinubu on Thursday evening arrived in Saudi Arabia, landing at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. He was received by Nigeria’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Yakubu Gambo, and the Saudi head of royal protocol Ahmad bin Thafir.

9. The All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, on Thursday assured all categories of workers in the state of prompt payment of salaries, allowances and all other entitlements, if elected in the 2027 election. This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, Bisi Oladele, in Ibadan, the state capital.

10. The family of late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has demanded the disclosure of the identity of a United States laboratory expected to conduct a DNA test to determine the paternity of Liam, the singer’s son. The family also called for the postponement of the examination scheduled for Saturday, October 31, at the Mainland General Hospital/IDH, Yaba, Lagos, pending clarification of its concerns over transparency and compliance with a court order.

President Bola Tinubu is in Saudi Arabia ahead of his scheduled pilgrimage to Makkah to perform Umrah.

The president landed at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on Thursday evening and was received by Yakubu Gambo, Nigeria’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, and Ahmad bin Thafir, the Saudi head of royal protocol.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, the visit would give the president an opportunity for “spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continued progress”.

“While in Makkah, President Tinubu will perform the religious rites associated with Umrah, seeking Allah’s guidance and blessings for Nigeria and its people,” Onanuga said.

The president is expected to return to Nigeria next week after completing the pilgrimage.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-appointed director-general of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), on 22 counts of alleged forgery and impersonation before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court.

The fresh arraignment follows the striking out of an earlier eight-count charge against Adeyemi by a federal high court in Abuja on October 12.

The earlier charge was withdrawn after the Federal Government sought to terminate the proceedings, following a review by the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

The director of public prosecutions of the federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, had told the court that the review found that the alleged offences fell within the jurisdiction of the FCT high court, rather than the federal high court, where the police initially filed the charge.

The prosecution subsequently said a fresh charge had been filed before the FCT high court.

In the fresh charge, the ICPC accused Adeyemi of forging a letter dated March 8, 2024, purportedly signed by Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president, appointing him director-general of the PFIPC.

The commission alleged that Adeyemi used forged documents to present the non-existent agency as a legitimate government institution and gain access to government facilities and processes.

The charges also include allegations that he forged an executive order purportedly establishing the agency and a legislative instrument bearing the title of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and PFIPC.

The ICPC further accused him of forging a document addressed to the accountant-general of the federation seeking approval for the agency to operate within the government’s financial reporting structure.

Another allegation concerns documents purportedly sent to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to obtain a domain name for the agency.

The commission also alleged that Adeyemi obtained more than N27 billion to establish the purported agency and N3.8 billion for personnel costs by presenting forged documents to the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy.

It further accused him of giving N210,000 to Aminu Abdullahi, an assistant chief technical officer in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to facilitate the allocation of office space without official authorisation.

The charge also alleges that he gave N300,000 to Ogaba Harry, an officer in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, to facilitate the release of two official vehicles — a Prado sport utility vehicle and a Land Cruiser.

In another count, the commission accused Adeyemi of obtaining N20 million from Oyekunle Gbenga, managing director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, under the pretence of a project facilitation loan for a purported N2.8 billion contract to furnish and renovate the official residence of the PFIPC director-general.

The alleged offences, said to have occurred between 2024 and 2026, are punishable under provisions of the Penal Code, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.

Adeyemi has denied all allegations while claiming that Gbajabiamila collected N400 million through a proxy for his appointment letter to the fictitious agency.

Adeyemi pleaded not guilty to all the counts, after which Fatima Bardi, counsel for the ICPC, prayed the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.