A Catholic priest in Imo State has apologised after a video of him singing a campaign song associated with Peter Obi during a church service went viral.

The apology

Rev. Fr. Finbarr Chukwu, who is attached to St. Dominic's Secondary School, Ugiri, in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area, explained himself in a letter dated 4 November 2026, addressed to the Catholic Bishop of Okigwe Diocese, Most Rev. Solomon Amatu, fellow priests, the faithful and the public. He said the incident happened during a thanksgiving service attended by a family and some people linked to a political campaign. When some of them began singing campaign songs, he said, he joined in spontaneously without considering how it would be seen.

Regret

He said he later recognised the implications of his action and had advised those present to respect the sanctity of church functions by keeping politics out of religious events.

Background

Obi, now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), is a Catholic and has a strong following in the South-East. The video spread widely amid heated campaigning ahead of the 16 January 2027 election.

Abia State governor Alex Otti has warned against political violence and intimidation ahead of the 2027 elections.

What he said

Speaking to supporters on Monday, 9 November 2026, Otti said no person or group had his mandate to attack opposition parties or stop their members from campaigning. He directed security agencies to arrest and deal decisively with anyone who tries to disrupt lawful political activities in the state, regardless of party, including members of his own Labour Party.

Background

Concerns about political violence have grown as campaigns intensify. In the past week, one person died and five were injured in a clash at an NDC rally in Asaba, Delta State, and supporters of different parties have been attacked in other states. INEC has also condemned inflammatory slogans and warned of plots against election workers. Otti, a former banker, won the Abia governorship on the Labour Party platform in 2023, when Peter Obi was the party's presidential candidate. Obi has since moved to the NDC.

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has defended President Bola Tinubu's physical fitness for a second term.

What he said

Speaking on a television politics programme on Monday, 9 November 2026, Yilwatda pointed to the President's busy weekend in Akwa Ibom and Rivers states as evidence of his health. He said he was there in person when Tinubu danced to local music in Akwa Ibom, and that the President attended a dinner and town hall meeting late on Friday before travelling to Rivers the next morning. He argued that someone who was not fit could not manage 48 hours of non-stop engagements and travel.

Background

Critics have raised questions about the President's health since before the 2023 election, and Obi has previously criticised the time Tinubu spends abroad. His supporters say he is fully fit and point to his campaign tour, which this week also includes Ebonyi and Jigawa states.

What happens next

The presidential election is scheduled for 16 January 2027.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released President Bola Tinubu's manifesto for the 2027 presidential election, setting out his plans for a second term.

The document

The 109-page manifesto, titled 'From Reform to Prosperity Agenda 2027–2031', was due to be formally unveiled at the Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre in Abuja on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. It covers security, the economy, housing, health and education, and says a second term would focus on turning the economic foundations of the first term into concrete gains for Nigerians.

Security

The manifesto pledges to train and deploy 50,000 new police officers and work towards one officer for every 400 citizens, recruit 28,000 more military personnel, and complete four new Army divisions in Makurdi, Ilorin, Jalingo and Benin City. It proposes that the civil defence corps take over static guard duties from the police, the rollout of body cameras and forensic facilities, wider electronic surveillance of borders, and the deployment of forest guards, agro-rangers and mining marshals.

Economy, housing and power

It targets annual economic growth of 6 per cent by 2031, halving youth unemployment, and extending credit to half of economically active Nigerians. It promises 200,000 affordable homes under a mass housing scheme and aims to raise available power generation towards 10,000 megawatts.

Health and education

The plan aims to raise the share of functional primary health centres from 53 to 90 per cent, extend health insurance to 40 per cent of Nigerians, cut out-of-pocket health spending from 71 per cent to below 50 per cent, recruit 20,000 more teachers, halve the number of out-of-school children and expand the student loan scheme.

Background

Tinubu faces 17 other presidential candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, Peter Obi of the NDC and Seyi Makinde of the APM, in the election on 16 January 2027. Makinde launched his 'Reset Agenda' last week. Opposition candidates have criticised the government's record on the economy and insecurity, while the President says his reforms saved the economy from collapse.