Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, has announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He announced this in a state broadcast on Friday.
The Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Wesley Bathiya, had on Wednesday resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside 14 other lawmakers.
The Speaker made the announcement during plenary, presenting letters of resignation from the affected members.
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After concluding legislative business, he called for order and read the letters of withdrawal one after another, confirming their exit from the ruling party.
One of the defecting lawmakers, Mahmud Kallamu, chairman of the House Committee on Information, described the move as strategic. An APC lawmaker, speaking on the sidelines, said the party would welcome the defectors if they chose to join.
Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has been conferred with the traditional title of Utukpa-Oritse of the Warri Kingdom in recognition of her public service and humanitarian contributions.
The conferment took place on Thursday during a ceremony in Warri, Delta State, where she was received by the monarch, Ogiame Atuwatse. III.
According to a statement issued by her Senior Special Assistant on Media, Busola Kukoyi, the First Lady used the occasion to emphasise the importance of national unity and social cohesion.
The title Utukpa-Oritse, also known as Ugbone, meaning “Light of God,” reflects the kingdom’s recognition of Senator Tinubu’s contributions to women’s empowerment and social welfare.
The First Lady, whose maternal roots trace to Warri, described the honour as deeply symbolic and a reaffirmation of her commitment to service.
Speaking during the event, she urged Nigerians to embrace unity irrespective of ethnic, religious, or political differences.
“The Bible tells us in Psalm 133, verses 1 to 3, that it is pleasant to dwell together in unity, for there is where God commanded blessings,” she said.
READ ALSO: My Successor Will Emerge Based On Loyalty To Oyo, Not Me — Makinde
She assured residents of continued government support and commended the efforts of the state administration, noting that the governor had been doing “a good job so far in the state”.
As part of her outreach, the First Lady, through the Renewed Hope Initiative, donated ₦50 million to support 1,000 women petty traders in the kingdom.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, who was among the dignitaries that attended the event, described the First Lady as compassionate and consistent in her engagement with the state.
Oborevwori said that she had visited Delta on three occasions.
“She has a large heart, and those visits where she flagged off the women’s petty traders’ empowerment and the launch of the Free to Shine campaign encouraged me to make up my mind,” he said.
“May God continue to empower you to continue to put smiles on the faces of more Nigerians.”
In his remarks, the Olu of Warri urged citizens to let go of past grievances to foster peace and development, stating that the kingdom was proud of the First Lady.
“We are proud of who you are and who you have become. Our women know how to take very good care of their husbands. Thank you for being a very good example to our girls and women,” he noted.
Dignitaries present at the ceremony included former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, members of the state government, traditional rulers, and community leaders.
Senator Tinubu has received honours and traditional titles from different parts of Nigeria.
In December 2025, the Ooni of Ife gave her the title Yeye Asiwaju Gbogbo Ile Oodua, a title once held by the late HID Awolowo.
She was also named Iya Oba of Ikorodu in August 2025, Sarauniyar Yaki (Warrior Queen) by the Akko Emirate in October 2025, and Ugosimba 1 of Enugu in June 2025.
She has also received national honours. She is a Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), one of Nigeria’s top awards.
Internationally, she was recently praised by United States President Donald Trump at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2026
Trump called her a “very respected woman” and highlighted that she is both Nigeria’s First Lady and an ordained pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu also received a traditional title in May 2025.
A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has warned that Nigerians could react strongly at the ballot box if current economic and security challenges continue, drawing parallels with the 2015 electoral defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Galadima spoke on Thursday while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today, where he criticised the policies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and dismissed claims that living conditions have improved.
Weighing in on political dissent and governance, Galadima said authorities should not underestimate public sentiment, citing incidents of arrests over public commentary.
“Look at young men in Kano who go to the radio to make an opinion. They have been arrested and sent to jail. Sometimes tried in the night by judges who are forced to jail them.
“This, now things start small, small. You don’t know how they can blossom and become something else. They shouldn’t play. They shouldn’t presume that Nigerians are gullible and that they cannot react,” he said.
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The NNPP chieftain argued that the 2015 election demonstrated Nigerians’ willingness to vote out an incumbent government over insecurity.
“They should remember, and they know better, that when things got to less than 10 per cent of the situation we find ourselves in in 2015, Nigerians rose to the occasion and removed that government.
“If you can remove Jonathan’s government for a simple insecurity in the Northeast, what would you be doing to the APC government? I think we have to cut them into pieces,” he said.
Economic Policies
Galadima also accused the government of undermining agriculture through import policies and rising production costs, particularly fertiliser prices.
“This government has killed agriculture deliberately, disenfranchising farmers who are 75% of the Nigerian population… You have to buy a bag of fertiliser for 60,000 naira to 70,000 naira.”
He rejected the administration’s position that hardship is easing, insisting that rural farming activity is declining.
“How can you disenfranchise 75% of your population for the interest of one contractor or one supporter? The massive importation of grains… Now this year I travelled to Maiduguri… there is nobody [who] is doing any dry farming.
“Let the government send researchers to find out now… If there is no famine… all the rice mills, over 1000 of them established during Buhari’s time, will be killed,” he said.
Political Backdrop
The transition from the Jonathan administration to the APC-led government was marked by what critics said was persistent insecurity and economic challenges.
In 2015, the APC campaigned to remove President Goodluck Jonathan, citing failures to contain Boko Haram and the Chibok girls’ abduction, which sparked the global “Bring Back Our Girls” movement.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Chibok Girls.
APC leaders, including now President Bola Tinubu, argued that Jonathan lacked the capacity to secure the nation.
Since taking power, the APC, under Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, has faced criticism over the economic differences, reforms, GDP, and insecurity.
Meanwhile, since Tinubu got into power in 2023, his administration has pursued some ‘hand-biting reforms’, including fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, triggering record-high inflation and rising living costs.
President Bola Tinubu speaks at the State House in Abuja on February 23, 2026. Credit: State House
Protests and opposition calls for accountability have intensified, with recent arrests of military officers allegedly plotting a coup.
Ahead of the 2027 elections, Nigerians and opposition parties are mobilising for change, while the government pushes for constitutional reforms to strengthen security.
Galadima’s remarks also come amid intensifying political debates ahead of the 2027 general election cycle, with opposition figures increasingly criticising the economic reforms and security record of the APC administrations.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections, shifting dates for the presidential and governorship polls in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026.
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In a statement issued on Thursday, and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Commission said the adjustment followed the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the introduction of new statutory timelines.
“The Commission had earlier fixed Saturday, 20th February 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections and Saturday, March 6, 2027, for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections.
“Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026… the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework,” Haruna noted.
Gov Polls Now Feb 6
According to the revised timetable, the presidential and National Assembly elections will now be held on Saturday, January 16, 2027, while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2027.
Party Primaries
The Commission also outlined key milestones leading up to the polls.
Party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from them, will run from April 23 to May 30, 2026.
Campaigns for presidential and National Assembly candidates will begin on August 19, 2026, while governorship and state assembly campaigns will commence on September 9, 2026.
“As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law,” Haruna stated.
INEC added that the revised timetable was consistent with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2026, and had been published on its official platforms.
Osun Poll
The Commission also announced a minor adjustment to the Osun State governorship election, moving it from August 8 to August 15, 2026.
It noted that while some activities for the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections had already been conducted, all remaining processes would strictly follow the new Electoral Act.
Haruna emphasised that the success of the elections would depend on collective effort.
“The successful conduct of the forthcoming elections remains a collective responsibility. The Commission calls on all stakeholders to cooperate in ensuring peaceful, credible, and inclusive elections that reflect the sovereign will of the Nigerian people,” he stated.
Amupitan (centre) chaired a meeting with resident electoral commissioners in Abuja on February 25, 2025, days after the FCT polls and by-elections in Rivers and Kano states.
The change came 13 days after the electoral umpire first announced dates for the general elections on February 13, 2026.
But the decision was faulted by many Nigerians, including politicians, who pointed out that the dates coincided with Ramadan, a period of fast for Muslim faithful.
The new dates also came eight days after President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law, following the passage of the bill by the National Assembly after months of deliberations.
Tinubu (seated) urged Nigerians have confidence in their system.
The shift in dates marks one of the earliest major administrative consequences of the new electoral framework ahead of 2027.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has said competence and loyalty to the people of the state will be the determining factors in choosing his successor ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Makinde made the declaration at the 12th ‘Omituntun’ Annual Ramadan Public Lecture held at the Ibadan North Local Government Motor Park, Agodi Gate, Ibadan.
“I have been talking to quite a number of my colleagues, and they said the person they handed over power to got to office and started misbehaving. I asked them how they chose the person, supported him, but he changed when he got to the office.
“The common thread has been that they installed someone whom they felt would be loyal to them. Today, I have made up my mind that whoever would emerge as my successor would be based on competence and loyalty to Oyo State, not to Seyi Makinde,” he said.
“But moving forward, we don’t want to return to the period of political violence, irrespective of party affiliations. So, please keep praying that whoever would become the next governor should be loyal to the state,” the governor added.
He noted that his administration’s achievements were driven by loyalty to the state, adding that the government had paid over ₦25 billion to clear outstanding gratuities inherited from previous administrations.
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Makinde added that the monthly gratuity payment had been increased from ₦1 billion to ₦3 billion to ensure no retiree is owed by May 2027.
The governor also listed the upgrade of the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport to international status as a key milestone, expressing optimism that Hajj pilgrims would be airlifted from the facility by May 2026.
Makinde thanked the Muslim community for its support since he assumed office in 2019, urging continued prayers for the administration.
To mark the lecture, he donated seven buses to mosques across the state and presented a brand-new SUV to the guest lecturer, Sheikh Jamiu Ajadi Sanusi (Ami Olohun).
Sheikh Sanusi, delivering a lecture on contentment, praised the government’s developmental efforts, advised caution against “mischievous people,” and encouraged residents to embrace contentment and peaceful coexistence.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the death of Senator Barinada Mpigi as a profound loss to Rivers State and Nigeria, paying tribute to him as “a dependable ally who stood by his friends, even during trying times.”
Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District, died aged 64 on February 19, 2026, after a brief illness.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said he led a delegation of Rivers leaders to condole with the late senator’s family, including his wife, Patricia Mpigi, in London, assuring them of continued support and a befitting burial.
The minister was accompanied by his sons, Jordan and Joaquin, alongside the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, senators Magnus Abe, Allwell Onyesoh, and Olaka Nwogu, as well as the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Aaron Chukwuemeka, among other leaders.
READ ALSO: Rivers Senator Mpigi Dies At 64
Wike, during the visit, told the family that while the loss was painful, the delegation would remain supportive.
“We are here as a delegation sent by the leader of Rivers State… We were asked to come and see you before you return home,” he was quoted as saying.
“Your husband was a strong pillar in the politics of Rivers State… When he says he is your friend, he is your friend. He stands with his friends through thick and thin.
“We will play our own part. We will not forget Bari… we will be there with you and ensure that he is accorded a befitting burial,” Wike added, reflecting on Mpigi’s life.
Responding, Mrs. Mpigi expressed appreciation for the visit and support.
“Thank you for your presence and support. All I can say is thank you for all you have done,” she was quoted as saying.
Mpigi’s Political Career
Mpigi served in the 10th National Assembly and previously spent two terms in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2019.
He was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, where he played a significant role in federal infrastructure oversight.
A long-standing member of the PDP, he was widely regarded for his influence in Rivers politics, particularly in infrastructure development and educational empowerment initiatives.
The politician hailed from the Tai Local Government Area in the Ogoni region of Rivers State.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara earlier described the late lawmaker as “a brother, a consummate politician, and one of the leading lights in Rivers State,” while extending condolences to his family, constituents, and colleagues.
