Headlines
Lagos Directs Only Final Year Students of Higher Institutions to Resume on Sept 14
As tertiary institutions reopen next Monday in Lagos State, the state government says final-year students will go back to the classrooms before students on other levels.
Tokunbo Wahab, Special Adviser on Education to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made this known on Thursday while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
But the Federal Government announced the resumption of graduating pupils last month to write this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination from August 17, 2020, through September 12, 2020.
Sanwo-Olu had subsequently announced the reopening of schools in the state starting with tertiary institutions on September 14, 2020.
“I am pleased to announce that our tertiary institutions will be allowed to reopen from September 14, 2020, all our tertiary institutions,” the governor had said, adding that secondary and primary schools would reopen a week after.
Speaking on Thursday, Wahab explained that the government had put in place necessary facilities and processes to ensure a safe reopening of classrooms in the state.
He also emphasised that the students in the state would resume in phases.
The governor’s aide said, “Basically, we are at a point where scientifically we’ve been proven to have flattened the curve. And it invariably means that we are not as exposed as we used to be some five, four, three months back. So, consequently, we have to find a way to bring our lives back to normal. And in doing that, education is very critical to whatever we are going to do.
“In the past few weeks, we’ve been putting in place measures and facilities that will enable our children come back to school.
“Even at that, what we seek to do from next week is to start a phased reopening of our tertiary institutions.
“On the 14th we have announced that our tertiary institutions are going to open to our students for the first time after six months.”
Wahab said the students have been having their lectures online all along and “they are going to come on campus to have their revision one-on-one and then they can now have their exams and their projects.”
Continuing, he said, “For our tertiary (institutions) from on the 14th, we are going to start with the final-year students across our tertiary institutions. With those final-year students, we are sure that they are older, they are more mature, and they are going to meet up with the protocol as put in place by the institutions based on the regulations of the NCDC (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control).
“After we have phased them out, maybe after their exams, then, those in the penultimate year will come on campus. So, we are not going to put all our students on campus at the same time.
“For our secondary, from on the 21st, they are also going to have a phased resumption.”
The Punch
Attention has shifted to the Supreme Court, which has fixed April 30 (today) for judgment in the leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba will resolve the appeal filed by the David Mark-led faction concerning the authentic leadership of the party.
Also on Thursday, the court is expected to determine the leadership dispute rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Two PDP factions—one led by Kabir Turaki and the other by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike—are laying claim to the leadership of the party.
The Supreme Court had on April 22 reserved judgment in the ADC crisis to a date to be communicated to the parties involved in the tussle.
However, on Tuesday, the ADC formally wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, pleading for the quick delivery of judgment in the leadership tussle at the national level.
The party claimed it would suffer irreparable harm if judgment in the protracted battle was not delivered within the period allowed by the Electoral Act for fielding candidates for the 2027 general elections.
It stated in part: “Without the delivery of judgment within the next three days from the date of this letter, the ADC stands the grave and irreversible risk of being excluded from participating in the 2027 general elections.
“This would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who have subscribed to the ideals of the ADC and deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice.”
At the April 22 hearing, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, who represented David Mark, urged the Supreme Court to allow the appeal, arguing that the apex court had earlier, on March 21, 2025, held that “no court has jurisdiction to entertain matters bordering on the internal affairs of political parties.”
During the hearing, Okutepa urged the apex court to hold that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
However, Robert Emukperu, SAN, who represented the first respondent, Nafiu Gombe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the suit was premature.
It will be recalled that a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal dismissed Mark’s appeal, ruling that it was premature and filed without leave of the trial court.
In the PDP matter, the first appeal, marked SC/CV/164/2026, stems from a decision of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who restrained the party from proceeding with its planned convention pending the determination of a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido.
On November 14, the court issued a final order restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention.
Justice Lifu held that Lamido was “unjustly denied” the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest for national chairman, in violation of the PDP constitution and internal regulations.
The Court of Appeal later upheld the decision on March 9, prompting the PDP to appeal.
The second appeal, SC/CV/166/2026, was filed by the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC), and National Executive Committee (NEC).
It arose from a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, which stopped the party from holding its Ibadan national convention.
The Court of Appeal upheld that decision, agreeing that INEC should not validate the outcome of the convention.
After hearing all arguments, the Supreme Court reserved judgment, stating that the date would be communicated to the parties.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lambasted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over insecurity bedeviling the country.
In an interview with News Central, Obasanjo said any government that cannot protect lives and property of its citizens has no basis to exist.
The former leader was reacting to the recent wave of insecurity, which has confronted Nigeria, resulting in the killing of several citizens and abduction of others.
“Let me tell you, the government that cannot give security of life and property of its citizen has no right of existence.
“The elected members of our National Assembly have no right to fix their own salary and their own emolument.
“It’s not in our constitution for them to do that. It’s the revenue mobilization and allocation commission that should do it,” he said.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has offered its presidential ticket to Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 elections, signaling intensifying efforts to forge a united opposition as key political deadlines approach.
In a post on X on Sunday, the party indicated a two-week window for both politicians, currently linked to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to defect and secure its platform’s presidential ticket.
“All we need right now. Just all we need. Two weeks to deadline,” the NDC said, accompanying the message with an image of Obi and Kwankwaso and the caption: “Nigeria will be OK.”
The development comes amid renewed calls for opposition consolidation ahead of the next general elections. Supporters of both men recently launched the “OK Movement”, aimed at mobilising support for a possible joint ticket.
Organisers of the movement have begun setting up national, zonal and State structures, suggesting early groundwork for a broader political alliance.
However, the ADC is currently grappling with internal divisions that could affect its participation in the elections. The party is facing a leadership crisis, with competing factions contesting control of its structure.
The dispute is now before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which has reserved judgment in an appeal arising from the leadership tussle.
The uncertainty comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintains its timetable for the 2027 polls, setting May 30, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to submit membership registers and nominate candidates.
Opposition parties, including factions of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have called for an extension of the timeline, arguing that the schedule is too tight given ongoing internal restructuring and legal disputes.
The NDC’s offer highlights the shifting dynamics within Nigeria’s opposition landscape, where alliances remain fluid and negotiations are ongoing.
Both Obi and Kwankwaso are influential political figures with significant regional support bases, and any alignment between them could reshape the balance of power ahead of the elections.
INEC has yet to indicate whether it will adjust its timetable, as preparations for the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum.
