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Plateau: Killings: Tinubu Shelves Ogun Trip, Heads to Jos
President Bola Tinubuhas postponed his scheduled trip to Iperu, Ogun State, to enable him travel to Plateau State, to commiserate with victims of the recent deadly attacks in the capital Jos.
The decision followed a fresh violence in Angwan Rukuba area of Jos North Local Government Area, where nearly 30 persons were killed and several others injured.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had earlier on Wednesday disclosed after a meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, that Tinubu was deeply moved by the incident and considered a personal visit to the State.
Confirming the development on Wednesday in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said the visit to Plateau would kick off a four-State itinerary by the President.
According to the statement, Tinubu will first travel to Jos to commiserate with the government and people of Plateau State over the “recent gun attacks which claimed the lives of innocent citizens.”
The President had initially been scheduled to flag off operations at the Gateway International Cargo Airport in Iperu, Ogun State, but the programme has now been rescheduled.
Providing updates on the security situation in Jos, Mutfwang described the attack as “quite unfortunate” but said calm has since been restored.
“We’ve been able to evacuate corpses to the mortuary. Some families have already buried their dead. We imposed a curfew, which we relaxed this morning from 8 m to 3pm,” the governor said.
He noted that although there were attempts by looters to exploit the situation earlier on Wednesday, security agencies acted swiftly to contain the threat.
“Security forces working together were able to calm the situation as at 12 noon. Presently, the situation is well under control,” he added.
Mutfwang, who briefed the President on the incident, said both the State and Federal authorities have agreed on additional measures to strengthen security and prevent further violence.
He described the killings as “barbaric” and an act of terrorism, stressing that investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“We are seeing this as an act of criminality. It’s barbaric. We condemn it. It’s an act of terrorism,” he said.
Following his visit to Plateau, President Tinubu is expected to proceed to Lagos to observe the Good Friday holiday.
On Saturday, April 4, he will travel to Ogun State for the rescheduled commissioning of the Gateway International Cargo Airport and the inauguration of two commercial aircraft to boost import and export activities.
The President will also inaugurate the new Federal Operations Unit of the Nigerian Customs Service and its operational vehicles.
He is expected to return to Lagos for the Easter holiday, during which he will commission key infrastructure projects executed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, including the Ojota/Opebi Link Bridge, the Lagos State Geographic Information System Building, a multi-agency complex named after him, and a school complex.
Tinubu will conclude the tour with a visit to Bayelsa State on April 10, where he is scheduled to commission projects completed by Governor Duoye Diri, before returning to Abuja.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
