Category Nigeria News

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said that zoning the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party to the North will fail.

Wike stated this during a media chat on Monday.

He explained that it would not be smart for the opposition party to zone its presidential ticket to the North in 2027 if the ruling All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate would come from the South.

The minister said, “Why not, as a party, come out openly now (and say) our presidential candidate will also come from the South? You don’t want to do that; you want to play the same game you played in 2023. It will backfire, and when it backfires, you will say these people did this, these people did that.

“I have told people: this smartness will not help you. Come out now and let everybody know this is where we are heading. This is not the time to send the presidency to the North. No.”

He added, “The point is that selfishness can kill a system. If Mr President runs, for example, and wins in 2027, by 2031, the APC will zone their presidential ticket to the North. The PDP will do what then?

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“Then you’ll come back and say, since the APC has zoned it to the North, let’s keep it in the North. What kind of smartness is that?”

The former governor of Rivers State, while speaking about the outcome of the 2023 presidential election, said that the party’s system was manipulated for selfish interest.

“In 2023, we told the party, ‘Look, it is in our constitution, when a zone produces the chairman, another zone produces the presidential candidate’.

“Because of their selfish interest, they manipulated the system. They said we shouldn’t do zoning now. Before we knew (it), some people had gone to buy the form,” he added.

On the recent defection of some members of the party, including the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, to the APC, Wike said, “How many times have they (PDP leaders) made efforts? How many people have they wooed? Rather, every day, you’re after one man; every day, you’re after Wike.”

The PDP has been entangled in an internal crisis that began with the disagreement over the zoning of its presidential ticket in 2023 and worsened with the recent defection of the Delta governor, members of the state House of Assembly, and some federal lawmakers.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has elected Prof. Chris Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital in Plateau State as its president.

Piwuna, who is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, succeeds Victor Osodeke, a Professor of Soil Science from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.

The election was held at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the union in Benin on Sunday.

The election was contested between Piwuna and Prof. Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

Persecondnews reports that Piwuna’s election comes amid growing concerns of potential industrial action in the education sector.

The controversy surrounds the Federal Government’s recent announcement on the sharing formula for Earned Academic Allowances and the ongoing brain drain in universities.

Notably, on April 23, 2025, Minister of Education Dr. Mahfud Alausa revealed President Bola Tinubu’s approval of N50 billion to settle outstanding allowances owed to university workers.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following a wave of public complaints alleging technical glitches, incomplete questions, and unusually low scores.

The Board, in a statement issued by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, acknowledged what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the release of the UTME results last Friday.

It said the development had prompted it to fast-track its annual post-examination review process, which typically takes place months after the exercise.

“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.

The spokesperson explained that the annual review covers three stages of the UTME cycle—registration, examination, and result release.

He added that if any faults are found in the system, JAMB would not hesitate to implement “appropriate remedial measures.

“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions.”

The exam board noted that “If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves.”

Candidates Threaten Legal Action

JAMB’s intervention comes amid reports that thousands of candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the Board over the alleged irregularities.

Many claim they encountered technical malfunctions and inconsistent question displays during the examination.

The controversy reached a boiling point after JAMB revealed in its viral statistical data that over 1.5 million out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for this year’s UTME scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks.

This statistic triggered national concern and social media uproar.

The hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult has been trending across platforms, with candidates and parents expressing shock over the low scores.

Minister, Registrar Reacts

Meanwhile, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief last week, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.

He defended the results, stating that the Board’s computer-based testing system “had made cheating nearly impossible” and should be extended to other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.

JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, also dismissed claims that the 2025 results were unprecedented.

He pointed out that similar performance trends have been recorded in previous years.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it will take action against Chief Government Ekpemupolo, better known as Tompolo, over an allegation of naira abuse.

Tompolo was spotted in a viral video, reportedly during his 54th birthday celebration in April, dancing as a man sprayed ₦1,000 notes before him.

The footage drew widespread criticism and renewed calls for the EFCC to investigate the matter.

Responding to the public outcry, the anti-graft agency said the Niger Delta chieftain will have questions to answer over the viral video.

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Nobody is above the law. Tompolo will have questions to answer!#EFCCNigeria pic.twitter.com/xWkMrdoMck

“Nobody is above the law. Tompolo will have questions to answer!” the EFCC stated in a post shared via its official social media handles on Monday.

In the clip, Tompolo, dressed in white and red attire, is seen dancing while a man repeatedly throws ₦1,000 notes into the air — a practice outlawed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

According to Section 21(3) of the CBN Act, 2007 (as amended), “spraying of, dancing or matching on the naira or any note issued by the bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the naira… and shall be punishable under the law by fines, imprisonment, or both.”

The EFCC has increasingly relied on this provision to prosecute individuals who spray or mishandle the national currency at social events, and previously cautioned that enforcement of the law is non-discriminatory.

Tompolo’s video resurfaced just weeks after a series of crackdowns on celebrities and public figures accused of naira abuse.

In January, sons of billionaire businessman Chief Razaq Okoya — Wahab and Raheem Okoya — were reportedly invited by the EFCC for spraying money in a promotional video for a music project.

However, some Nigerians have accused the EFCC of selective prosecution. Critics argue that enforcement is more aggressive against individuals without political or financial influence.

In 2024, socialite Idris Okuneye, alias Bobrisky, was sentenced to six months in prison without the option of a fine for similar offences. Musician Terry Apala was also remanded by a Lagos court after being arraigned for allegedly spraying and mutilating naira notes.

Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo confirmed last week that she was contacted by the EFCC while abroad and honoured the invitation upon returning to Nigeria. She faced questioning over activities during her daughter’s high-profile wedding celebration, where currency spraying allegedly took place.

Comedian Ayo Makun (AY) was also questioned in connection with the same event. Both AY and Ojo have since pledged to support EFCC’s efforts in educating the public on the legal implications of naira abuse.

Other high-profile individuals recently targeted include TikTok influencer Murja Kunya and nightlife promoter Pascal Okechukwu, better known as Cubana Chief Priest, who reportedly settled with the EFCC for ₦10 million.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday invited Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine during their first phone call, in which he also thanked the newly installed pontiff for urging peace in Ukraine.

“I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers, to all our people,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.

The two leaders also discussed “the thousands of Ukrainian children deported by Russia”, Zelensky said, adding that Kyiv was counting on the Vatican’s help in returning them home.

“No more war!” Leo had urged from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica to thousands gathered to hear his first prayer on Sunday.

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He appealed for a “genuine, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, echoing his predecessor Francis.

Francis, who never visited Ukraine, had sparked frustration through his failure to clearly condemn Russia for the invasion and by calling for Ukraine to raise the “white flag”.

Kyiv however had recognised the Vatican’s efforts in mediating prisoner exchanges and the return of children taken to Russia from occupied parts of Ukraine.

Zelensky also said that he had told Leo about a joint ceasefire offer by Ukraine and its allies and that the two had agreed to “plan an in-person meeting in the near future”.