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The Social Democratic Party (SDP) will participate in the by-elections on Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said.

This followed the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, which ordered the electoral commission to include the party and its candidates in the by-elections in 12 states of the federation.

The commission said on Friday that it had been served with the judgment and, as a result, the party and its candidates would take part in the elections.

READ ALSO: IGP Deploys AIGs, CPs To 13 States For By-Elections

“The commission has been served with the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025. In the judgment, the commission was ordered to include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidates in the bye-elections in 12 states of the Federation.

“The party did not earlier submit a valid notice for the conduct of primaries for the bye-elections. For this reason, they were not monitored by the commission. However, in compliance with the judgment, the names of the candidates submitted manually have been accepted and published on our website.

“The party will participate in the by-elections,” INEC said in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun.

The commission assured the public, especially voters in the 12 states, that the 11th-hour judgment would not affect the elections, which would proceed tomorrow, Saturday, August 16, 2025 as scheduled.

Meanwhile, the commission said it would exercise its legitimate right of appeal under the law.

The by-elections are expected to be conducted in 16 constituencies across 13 states in the country.

They included two senatorial elections in Edo and Anambra state, five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo states, and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara states.

INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

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INCLUSION OF SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SDP) CANDIDATES FOR BYE-ELECTIONS

The Commission has been served with the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025. In the judgement,… pic.twitter.com/krXa3mDfDD

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has appointed a Chinese national, Li Zhensheng, as Economic Adviser to the state government.

Mohammed announced this on Thursday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre in Bauchi.

The move, according to the governor, is aimed at positioning Bauchi as a rising hub of international cooperation, with the long-term partnership expected to accelerate investment, infrastructure development, and bilateral collaboration across sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and trade facilitation.

“As part of the deal, a Bauchi State Representative Office will be established in China to oversee project implementation and ensure timely delivery,” he said.

READ ALSO: Parents Defending Pastor Arrested For Child Abuse Need Counselling – NAPTIP

The MoU outlines a framework for cooperation, with specific project agreements to be developed on a case-by-case basis.

The governor noted that the partnership aligns with the diplomatic framework between President Xi Jinping of China and President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, designed to strengthen relations at both national and subnational levels.

“This agreement is not just about infrastructure—it’s about transforming lives. We are opening Bauchi to the world,” he said, adding that the collaboration would boost foreign direct investment, create jobs, enhance skills, modernise key sectors, and improve Bauchi’s global visibility.

In his remarks, Zhensheng, who is the Chairman of the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre, pledged the Centre’s commitment to mobilising global resources to support Bauchi’s economic transformation.

“We are committed to helping Bauchi achieve sustainable growth, modern infrastructure, and improved livelihoods,” he said.

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The Catholic Bishop of Auchi Diocese, Gabriel Dunia, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, and security agencies to urgently rescue two abducted seminarians whose ordeal in the den of their captors was recently captured in a viral video.

In a statement signed by the Diocese’s Director of Communications, Revd Peter Egielewa, on Thursday, Bishop Dunia said he was deeply hurt that his seminarians had been with armed strangers for 35 days and urged people to pray for their release.

The bishop urged the president, the governor and all security agencies in the country to “do the needful and help rescue our children from the hands of the kidnappers”.

The viral video showed two young children clutching what appears to be a human skull, crying, and pleading for their release while surrounded by gun-wielding men.

The church confirmed in its statement that the children in the footage are two of the three seminarians kidnapped when gunmen attacked the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi-Agenebode, in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, on July 10, 2025.

“As the chief shepherd of the Diocese, I feel personally hurt and disturbed that my seminarians, our children, are living with armed strangers for 35 days now. I find it difficult to sleep these days because of this. We have been praying since their kidnap, and again I call on people everywhere to please pray with us,” Dania said.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Church Leaders Over ‘Child Flogging Video’ In Rivers

The church said one of the boys, who sustained injuries, was released on July 18, 2025, leaving the remaining two in captivity.

Since the incident, the Diocese said it has maintained contact with the kidnappers in efforts to secure the boys’ release. However, Bishop Dunia lamented that insecurity in the Edo North zone and state is worsening.

“It appears kidnappers in Nigeria have suddenly found a convenient place of operation in Edo North and Edo State. Our people feel frustrated and helpless.

Following the arrest of 93 suspected internet fraudsters at a hotel within the precincts of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) will tomorrow, Friday, August 15, 2025, arraign 23 of the suspects before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

According to a statement by the EFCC’s head of media and publicity, Dele Oyewale, in their profiling, almost all the suspects arrested have been indicted for alleged offences bordering on impersonation, identity, and internet fraud.

The arraignment of the suspects, scheduled in batches, is coming on the heels of their arrest at a pool party where they were celebrating.

The EFCC said its intelligence report gathered that the party was initially planned to hold in two locations, but was shifted to the hotel in OOPL to escape possible arrest by operatives of the commission.

The agency said the planners got wind of the commission’s intelligence and scampered to the OOPL, expecting a sort of covering from arrest.

“The former president’s facility was not a target of EFCC’s operations. The suspects were the targets and have confessed to their involvement in internet crimes.

The Federal Government has said that at least 12 of the 246 custodial centres in Nigeria are undergoing rehabilitation.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this on Thursday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said many of the custodial centres were built 100 years ago and were old.

“Mr President did not become President 100 years ago. We have 246 correctional centres, and none were established under this administration.

“The one in Ikoyi was established, I think, in 1956. The one where we had the jail break in Suleja, I think, was established in 1914, and there are so many correctional centres that are 100 years old.

“I can tell you that about 12 correctional centres are undergoing rehabilitation,” the minister said.

READ ALSO: Jailbreak: Gov Sule Visits Keffi Custodial Centre

He explained that some of the centres did not have medical doctors until President Bola Tinubu approved the employment of doctors for the facilities.

“What you look at what this government has been able to do in the last two years with regards to even Port Harcourt prison, which was in a bad state, what the President has been able to do in Kuje, where some weeks ago, major surgeries were held.

“That is beyond the infrastructure. When this government came on board, we had a scenario whereby in some state commands, we didn’t have a single doctor for the correctional centre.

“But the President came, approved the employment of 50 doctors, 100 nurses, and also approved that NYSC doctors should also be posted to correctional centres,” Tunji-Ojo explained.

On what the government was doing to fortify the custodial centres, the minister said, “A lot is going on. There is a lot I wouldn’t want to talk about. As I said, we have 246 correctional centres.

“You cannot expect Mr. President to fix 246 locations — in each location, you can have about 10 structures — within two years. So, what we are doing is we are collaborating.

“Yes, we are not where we want to be, but we are not where we were. And how have we been able to do this? Of course, I have to say a big thank you to the other security agencies.

The Global Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Biodun Fatoyinbo, has apologised over his comment about the revered preacher and first general evangelist of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Joseph Ayo Babalola. 

Fatoyinbo had in a viral clip labelled the late Babalola as “anointed” but claimed that “all the grace just went like that” because the preacher “had no money” and asked, “Where are his children?”

That comment triggered a backlash with the CAC calling it “both insensitive and ill-informed”.

However, in a statement on his Facebook account late Thursday, the COZA pastor expressed regret over the remark, even though he said the comment had “been misconstrued”.

He wrote, “..I apologise if any other statement made by me has caused any form of distress, hurt, or discontentment to the CAC, the family of the late Apostle Babalola, or his associates. I will never disrespect or speak of them in that manner, either publicly or privately.”

Describing Babalola as a “most distinguished father of faith in Nigeria and indeed all over the world,” the clergyman said “many of the churches in this part of the world take their DNA either directly or indirectly from the ministry and grace over the life of Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola of which I cannot but also state categorically that I am a beneficiary”.

“Our church is known worldwide as a place of honour, and I would never in any way or manner take lightly the grace over Apostle Babalola, his children, or his ministry for granted or speak lightly of the same,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

His comment came hours after CAC’s Director of Publicity, Ade Alawode, said the Abuja-based cleric’s claim was “Biblically flawed”.

Alawole, in the CAC statement, stated, “To equate anointing or ministerial success with material wealth is biblically flawed. The words of Jesus are clear: Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses — Luke 12:15.”

“Ethically speaking, Apostle Babalola had children. Simple arithmetic should help you understand that they would be advanced in age by now — possibly your grandparents’ age. What did you hope to achieve with the mocking question, ‘Where are the children of Babalola?’

“Your statement reflects more on the kind of company you keep, but as a preacher of the Word, shouldn’t your conduct and utterances be guided by Scripture?

“Where in the Bible does your brand of prosperity theology originate — one that demeans people for not being wealthy?