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Monday, 2 November 2026Lagos · LondonUpdated 06:42 GMT

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2027 elections
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Seun Okinbaloye says his 2027 rigging warning named no party or candidate

A glass ballot box
Stock image: National Museum of American History / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Popular Channels Television anchor Seun Okinbaloye has responded to the storm over his recent comments on election rigging ahead of 2027.

What he said

Speaking on the channel on Sunday, 1 November 2026, Okinbaloye said his earlier remarks had been widely misread. He said his warning had named no political party, accused no candidate and identified no sponsor. Critics had interpreted his original comments as a claim that rigging of the 2027 elections had already begun.

Background

Okinbaloye's original warning went viral last week, coming amid wider concerns about the integrity of the voter register after INEC admitted that some of its registration officers had entered AI-generated photos. Opposition candidates, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have called for audits and promised to prosecute anyone involved in rigging. INEC says the register is still being cleaned up and will be certified in December.

How people reacted

Opinion was divided. Some viewers praised the anchor for speaking out and for clarifying his position, saying he was simply doing his job as a journalist. Others accused him of damage control and asked why he had not named those he believed were planning to rig. Several users said INEC itself should identify and prosecute staff involved in irregularities in the register.

Why it matters

Okinbaloye presents one of Nigeria's most-watched political programmes, and his comments carry weight with voters and politicians alike. The debate shows how sensitive questions about election credibility have become as campaigning intensifies.

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2027 electionsReported
A glass ballot box
Stock image: National Museum of American History / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Yahaya Bello vows to spend two weeks in Kano campaigning for Tinubu

Former Kogi governor Yahaya Bello has reportedly pledged to move to Kano for two weeks to campaign for President Tinubu and Governor Abba Yusuf. He urged non-indigenous communities in the state to deliver more votes than in 2023.

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Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has promised to personally campaign in Kano for President Bola Tinubu's re-election.

What he said

Speaking at a political mobilisation and empowerment programme for Yoruba and other non-indigenous communities in Kano, organised by the foundation of Rep. Leke Abejide and reported on Sunday, 1 November 2026, Bello said he would move to Kano for two weeks to campaign for the President and for Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf. He urged non-indigenous communities in the state to beat the nearly 500,000 votes they reportedly gave Tinubu in 2023, and said Abejide's network could deliver at least two million votes. He also pointed to work on the Kano–Abuja highway as evidence of the President's commitment to the North.

Support for communities

Abejide, who represents Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi State and holds a Yoruba community title in Kano, announced ₦500 million in interest-free loans for women's cooperatives, along with support for widows. He said programmes for young people and men are being planned.

Background

Kano has the second-highest number of registered voters in Nigeria after Lagos, and the APC is investing heavily there after Governor Yusuf moved from the NNPP to the APC. The state is also the home of Rabiu Kwankwaso, Peter Obi's running mate on the NDC ticket. Bello, who governed Kogi from 2016 to 2024, is facing a money-laundering case brought by the EFCC, which he denies. Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also predicted a Tinubu victory at an APC event in Kano on Sunday.

What happens next

The campaign in Kano is expected to intensify as the APC and NDC compete for the state's large vote.

2027 electionsReported
Atiku Abubakar in a pinstripe suit
Photo: Etauso / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Atiku says Tinubu has broken his promise of constant electricity

Atiku Abubakar's campaign has accused President Tinubu of failing to keep his 2022 promise to provide constant electricity within four years. The ADC candidate says settling power-sector debts and passing laws is not the same as delivering power, and pledged to replace the band tariff system.

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The presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of breaking a key campaign promise on electricity.

What Atiku's campaign said

In a statement issued on Sunday, 1 November 2026, by Phrank Shaibu, communications director of the ADC presidential campaign, the campaign recalled that Tinubu promised during his 2022 campaign that Nigerians should not vote for him again if he failed to provide constant electricity in four years. The statement accused the ruling APC of hiding the failure behind announcements of new laws, bonds and committees, saying that settling old debts owed to power companies is not the same as building new generation capacity. It argued that signing a law or raising a bond does not produce electricity.

Tariffs and taxes

The campaign also questioned what would happen to electricity bills when subsidies end in 2027, although officials have said there will be no immediate tariff rise. It criticised a planned 5 per cent surcharge on some fuels under the Nigeria Tax Act, which the government says is not yet active. Atiku pledged to work with states and regulators to replace the current band system with a framework based on how much electricity customers actually receive.

The government's position

The Federal Government says it is fixing the power sector step by step. This week the Federal Executive Council approved procurement for new East and West super grids to raise transmission capacity to 19,000MW within two years, and the Minister of Power set a long-term target of 70,000MW by 2060. The government has also paid part of the debts owed to gas suppliers and power companies. The APC had not responded to Atiku's latest statement at the time of the report.

Why it matters

Electricity supply is one of the issues that matter most to voters, and all the main candidates have made promises on power.

2027 electionsReported
President Bola Tinubu
Photo: Nosa Asemota / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Barau predicts Tinubu victory as APC inaugurates campaign committees in Kano

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has reportedly declared that President Tinubu will win the 2027 election, speaking at the inauguration of APC campaign committees in three Kano local government areas. He also welcomed Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's move to the APC.

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Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin has predicted victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

What he said

Speaking at the inauguration of APC campaign committees for Dawakin Tofa, Tofa and Rimin Gado local government areas in Kano State on Sunday, 1 November 2026, Barau reportedly said that, by God's grace, all indications showed Tinubu would win. He based his prediction on the assessment of political analysts and the direction of Nigerian politics. His media aide, Ismail Mudashir, confirmed the remarks in a statement.

Kano's importance

Barau urged the committees, which include party officials, lawmakers, council chairmen, new members and community elders, to campaign actively so that APC candidates win at every level. He described Kano as the state with the second-highest number of registered voters after Lagos, and said it deserves more federal attention and investment. He also welcomed Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf's move from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the APC.

Background

Kano is one of the biggest prizes in the election and the home state of Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is Peter Obi's running mate on the NDC ticket. Kwankwaso's Kwankwasiyya movement has dominated Kano politics in recent years, and the governor's defection to the APC is seen as a major boost for Tinubu in the state. The NDC's governorship candidate in Kano, Abdulsalam Gwarzo, is currently missing from INEC's list because of a court order.

What happens next

Both the APC and the NDC are expected to campaign heavily in Kano in the coming weeks.

2027 electionsReported
Peter Obi
Photo: VOA / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Fact check: Viral claim that Obi said he cannot beat Tinubu is false

A viral post claiming Peter Obi admitted he could not beat President Tinubu has been found to be false. A review of the full recording of his Manchester town hall shows he did not mention Tinubu or say he could not win.

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A widely shared social media post claiming that NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi admitted he could not defeat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 has been found to be false.

The claim

An X user posted a short video of Obi with a caption attributing words to him, suggesting he had said he knew he could not beat Tinubu at the polls and was only staying in the race because young supporters asked him not to quit. The post was viewed more than 170,000 times.

What he actually said

According to a fact check published on Sunday, 1 November 2026, the clip came from a diaspora town hall Obi held in Manchester, United Kingdom, on 18 October 2026. In the full recording, he asked supporters to back a candidate with a record of public service and told them he needed their support. A review of both the short clip and the full recording found that he did not mention Tinubu, did not say he could not win, and did not talk about quitting the race.

Verdict

The claim is false. There is no evidence that Obi made the statement attributed to him in the caption.

Why it matters

Misleading captions on genuine videos are one of the most common forms of false information during election campaigns. INEC and civil society groups have warned about deepfakes and fake news ahead of the 2027 elections, and voters are advised to check claims against full recordings or trusted sources before sharing them.