Politics

Reported

Oyo Assembly suspends four council chairmen, a day after three defected to APC

11 Nov 2026, 20:42 GMT

The National Assembly complex in Abuja — Stock image: Kabusa16 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Oyo State House of Assembly has suspended four local government chairmen over alleged corruption and mismanagement of council funds.

What happened

The assembly announced the suspensions on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, citing corruption and financial misconduct, but did not immediately release details of the allegations against each chairman. The allegations have not been tested and the chairmen had not publicly responded at the time of writing.

The defections

The timing has drawn attention because three of the four chairmen reportedly defected from the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) the day before. The fourth, the chairman of Iwajowa Local Government Area, Muritala Abiodun Oyewumi, was said to have remained in the APM.

Background

Oyo State has 33 local government areas, and lawmakers have recently called for greater accountability in how council funds are managed.

Four council chairmen were suspended.
Three had just defected to the APC.
The assembly cited alleged corruption.

More gist

PoliticsReported

INEC asks court to cancel subpoena for Tinubu's 1999 and 2023 election records

11 Nov 2026, 06:42 GMT

INEC has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside a subpoena ordering its chairman to appear and produce President Tinubu's 1999 and 2023 nomination documents in the trial of activist Omoyele Sowore.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to set aside a subpoena requiring its chairman to produce President Bola Tinubu's election documents.

The application

INEC's lawyer, Alex Izinyon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed the motion on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, the day before INEC chairman Professor Joash Amupitan was due to appear as a defence witness in the criminal trial of activist Omoyele Sowore. The subpoena, issued by Justice Mohammed Umar, had directed the INEC chairman to produce Tinubu's nomination forms from the 1999 Lagos governorship election, including an affidavit relating to lost certificates, and from the 2023 presidential election.

The case

Sowore is being prosecuted by the State Security Service over social media posts in which he described the President as a criminal. His defence team asked the court to call the INEC chairman and Joe Igbokwe, a former APC publicity secretary in Lagos, as witnesses.

Background

Questions about the President's academic records have been raised by critics for years and were the subject of legal challenges after the 2023 election, which the Supreme Court dismissed. The President and his supporters have consistently rejected claims of wrongdoing.

2027 electionsReported

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

Former Obidient coordinator Yunusa Tanko joins SDP, to lead Adebayo's campaign

11 Nov 2026, 20:42 GMT

Yunusa Tanko, once Peter Obi's spokesman and national coordinator of the Obidient Movement, has been named national coordinator of the SDP presidential campaign council for candidate Adewole Adebayo. He says he informed Obi before accepting.

Yunusa Tanko, a former spokesman for Peter Obi and ex-national coordinator of the Obidient Movement, has joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) campaign for the 2027 presidential election.

The new role

At the inauguration of the SDP Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, Tanko was named its national coordinator. In his acceptance speech he thanked the party's leadership and pledged full commitment to its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo. He said he had reached out to both Obi and Senator Seriake Dickson, national leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), before taking up the post, and described his relationship with Adebayo as dating back to the 2023 election cycle.

How he left Obi's camp

Tanko was removed as national coordinator of the Obidient Movement in October 2026 and briefly served as Obi's political adviser for Northern Nigeria. He resigned from that role on 30 October, saying he was returning to the National Consultative Front, which he co-chairs with Professor Pat Utomi. He took on that position in October after the death of former House of Representatives Speaker Ghali Na'Abba, who had co-chaired the group.

Background

Obi, the 2023 Labour Party candidate, is now the NDC presidential candidate with Rabiu Kwankwaso as his running mate. Adebayo was also the SDP's presidential candidate in 2023. The presidential election is scheduled for 16 January 2027. Obi's campaign had not publicly reacted to Tanko's new role at the time of writing.

2027 electionsReported

ADC accuses Kaduna government of sealing Arewa House to block Atiku meeting

11 Nov 2026, 20:42 GMT

The ADC says the Kaduna State government sealed Arewa House to stop Atiku Abubakar from holding a consultation with Northern stakeholders there on Thursday. The party blamed President Tinubu and the APC.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Kaduna State government of sealing Arewa House to prevent its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, from meeting Northern stakeholders there.

What the ADC said

In a statement on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, issued by Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication for the ADC presidential campaign council, the party said Atiku's team had chosen Arewa House in Kaduna as the venue for a consultation on Thursday, 13 November, but that the state government sealed the building beforehand. Atiku himself said his campaign had proposed the venue and that the government sealed it the same day.

The party's complaint

The ADC described Arewa House as part of the shared heritage of Northern Nigeria and said using it to block a political gathering was an insult to the region. It held President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible, saying a ruling party must not use government power to block opposition activities. There was no immediate public response from the Kaduna State government, which is led by the APC, to the allegation.

Background

Arewa House, the former residence of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Premier of the Northern Region, is a historic institution in Kaduna. Atiku is contesting the 2027 presidential election despite a court ruling that voided his nomination, which the ADC has appealed.

Viral gistReported

Social media apps on a smartphone screen — Stock image: mikemacmarketing / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Video of APC campaign bus stuck on bad road at Alaba Market goes viral

11 Nov 2026, 20:42 GMT

A video showing an APC campaign bus trapped on a badly damaged, waterlogged road at Alaba Market in Lagos has gone viral, with onlookers mocking its occupants and criticising the state of the road.

A video of a campaign bus belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) stuck on a badly damaged road in Lagos has spread widely online.

What the video shows

The clip, shared on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, shows a minibus bearing APC logos and candidates' portraits trapped on a waterlogged, broken stretch of road at Alaba Market. People on board try to push the vehicle free, while bystanders jeer and refuse to help, using the moment to complain about the state of local infrastructure and criticise the ruling party.

Reactions

The video drew many comments online. Economist and politician Professor Pat Utomi joked that the bus driver needed only 'renewed hope' to endure the road, a reference to the slogan of President Bola Tinubu's government.

Background

A similar video of an APC campaign bus stuck on a bad road in Ebonyi State circulated about a month ago.