Politics

Reported

Obasanjo and daughter Iyabo trade jokes on stage at Abeokuta symposium

31 Oct 2026, 20:42 GMT

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, former senator Iyabo Obasanjo, provided a light-hearted moment at a public event in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with a playful exchange that quickly spread online.

What happened

At the Ajibosin Platform symposium, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library on Friday, 30 October 2026, Iyabo reportedly greeted the dignitaries in her opening address and acknowledged her father last, joking that he was someone she did not know. When the former President took the microphone, he responded that the abuse of artificial intelligence had already started, since his own daughter now claimed not to know her father. The audience laughed at both remarks.

About the event

The symposium, part of the Odun Omo Olowu festival, focused on using artificial intelligence to solve grassroots problems and speed up national development. It was at the same event that Obasanjo criticised President Bola Tinubu's attitude to borrowing, saying debt destroys generations, and warned against relying too heavily on advice from foreign-trained economists.

Background

Iyabo Obasanjo is a public health specialist who served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health and later as a senator representing Ogun Central. She is currently the PDP candidate for Ogun Central in the 2027 elections. Father and daughter have had a well-publicised strained relationship in the past, which made their friendly exchange all the more talked about.

How people reacted

Many social media users enjoyed the moment, saying it showed a warmer side of the former President, while others joked about the role of AI in family relationships.

Iyabo joked she did not know her father.
Obasanjo replied that it was 'abuse of AI'.
The symposium focused on AI for development.

More gist

PoliticsReported

President Bola Tinubu — Photo: Nosa Asemota / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

US court rejects bid to seek evidence from Tinubu in FOIA case, Presidency says

31 Oct 2026, 17:44 GMT

A federal court in Washington has reportedly refused a request by US researcher Aaron Greenspan to seek evidence from President Bola Tinubu and a lobbying firm in his records lawsuit against the FBI and DEA. The Presidency welcomed the ruling, while the underlying case continues.

A United States federal court has turned down an attempt to obtain evidence from President Bola Tinubu as part of a long-running records lawsuit, according to a statement from the Presidency on Saturday, 31 October 2026.

What the court decided

The case, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, is a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by American researcher Aaron Greenspan against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). On 30 October, the court reportedly denied Greenspan's request for limited discovery from President Tinubu and the lobbying firm DCI Group, which he had linked to alleged cyberattacks on his website. The court found the request was not relevant enough to the main records dispute. It also rejected a request by a third party to file a friend-of-the-court brief, refused a related request for judicial notice, and denied Greenspan's motion for summary judgment, meaning the main case continues.

The Presidency's reaction

The President's adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced the development. Lawyers quoted in the statement said the ruling kept the case focused on the issues properly before the court and set clear limits on what it would consider.

Background

Greenspan has for several years sought the release of US government records he says relate to investigations involving the President in the 1990s. The President's lawyers have consistently opposed the release of the records, and the Presidency has dismissed the claims linked to them. The case has drawn wide attention in Nigeria, particularly from opposition supporters.

What happens next

The FOIA case itself will continue, and further rulings are expected. Greenspan had not publicly responded to the decision at the time of the report.

PoliticsReported

Nasir El-Rufai — Photo: VOA / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Detained El-Rufai tags Trump, Macron and UN in appeal for a fair trial

31 Oct 2026, 06:42 GMT

Former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, who has been in anti-graft custody since February, has posted an appeal for a fair trial and tagged world leaders including Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron, as well as the UN and rights groups. The ICPC denies his claim that his detention is political.

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has taken his legal battle to the international stage, appealing for a fair trial in a social media post that tagged several world leaders and international bodies.

What he posted

In a post on X on Friday, 30 October 2026, under the hashtag #FairTrial, El-Rufai reportedly said that access to justice and a fair hearing are basic human rights, not favours to be granted at will. He tagged US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, the United Nations and its Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, the European Union, the African Union, the UK government and major media organisations. He did not make a specific formal request, but observers said the post was aimed at drawing international attention to his case.

His legal situation

El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 2026, after being transferred from the EFCC. He faces corruption and money-laundering charges in cases at the Federal High Court and the Kaduna State High Court. He was briefly released in March to attend his mother's burial. On 9 October, the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed his challenge to a refusal of bail, and on 26 October a Federal High Court in Abuja rejected his no-case submission in a separate case brought by the DSS, ordering him to open his defence on 25 November.

The other side

El-Rufai and his supporters say his detention is politically motivated. The ICPC rejects this, saying it has followed due process.

Background

El-Rufai governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023 and was once a close ally of President Bola Tinubu before falling out with the ruling party. He has since aligned with the opposition.

Politics

Obasanjo says debt is worse than leprosy, calls Tinubu's borrowing remark 'nonsense'

30 Oct 2026, 20:49 GMT

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reportedly hit back at President Tinubu's past remark that borrowing is not leprosy, saying debt destroys generations while leprosy destroys only one person. He spoke at a forum in Abeokuta, a day after Tinubu defended his government's new loans.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised President Bola Tinubu's attitude to government borrowing, reportedly describing the President's past comparison of debt to leprosy as nonsense.

What he said

Speaking at a public forum in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday, 30 October 2026, Obasanjo said debt was worse than leprosy because leprosy destroys only one person, while debt destroys generations. He was responding to a remark Tinubu made in April, when the President said borrowing was not leprosy and that the country simply had to work hard to repay its loans.

Other points

Obasanjo reportedly recalled that when he started his farm 47 years ago, one naira was worth more than a dollar, compared with about ₦1,500 to the dollar today, and asked what Nigeria had done with that time. He questioned whether the country's leaders understood its needs, criticised Nigeria's reliance on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and said Nigeria was advised not to subsidise its farmers while rich countries support theirs. He also warned against relying too heavily on foreign-trained economists whose advice may not suit Nigeria. The forum was focused on using artificial intelligence to solve grassroots problems.

Background

Obasanjo, who led Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, is credited by supporters with securing relief from much of the country's foreign debt in 2005. His comments came a day after Tinubu published an essay defending his government's new external loans, arguing that debt should be judged by what it builds and pointing to falling inflation and rising reserves. The President has asked the Senate to approve new borrowing of about $20.5 billion and €1 billion, which opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar have criticised.

What happens next

The Presidency had not responded to Obasanjo's remarks at the time of the report, and the debate over debt is likely to feature strongly in the 2027 campaign.

2027 electionsReported

Rochas Okorocha in a white kaftan and cap — Photo: Flowrymz / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Pro-Tinubu group warns APC that Imo West row could cost it South East support

31 Oct 2026, 20:42 GMT

The Renewed Hope Foot Soldiers for Tinubu has warned that the fight over the APC's Imo West Senate ticket could weaken the party in the South East. The group wants Governor Hope Uzodimma to be allowed to pursue his ambitions and called for dialogue, after a court recognised Rochas Okorocha as the candidate.

A pro-Tinubu support group has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the dispute over its candidate for the Imo West Senatorial District could hurt the party in the South East ahead of 2027.

What the group said

In a statement signed by its national president, Gbenga Owojori, and reported on Saturday, 31 October 2026, the Renewed Hope Foot Soldiers for Tinubu reacted to the Federal High Court ruling that recognised former governor Rochas Okorocha, rather than Governor Hope Uzodimma, as the APC candidate for Imo West. The group argued that shutting out candidates from the South East could weaken the coalition President Bola Tinubu needs for re-election.

Its demands

The group called on party leaders to resolve the matter through inclusive dialogue and transparent party processes, and said Uzodimma should be given a fair chance to pursue his ambitions, including a possible bid for the Senate presidency. It also made claims, which it did not support with evidence, that some senior political figures were working against Uzodimma. Those named have not responded to the claims.

Background

Okorocha went to court claiming he won the APC primary on 18 May, while the party's returning officer declared Uzodimma the winner. The court ordered INEC to publish Okorocha's name, and former APC national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje later visited Okorocha to congratulate him. The case also raises the question of whether a sitting governor can contest a Senate seat while still in office. Uzodimma has not said publicly whether he will appeal.

What happens next

The dispute is expected to continue in court and within the party, with both camps seeking the backing of the national leadership.