Author: Vincent Osuwo

Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom revealed Friday why he and other members of the G5 Governors’ Forum oppose the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 elections. Ortom, a key member of the G5 group of PDP governors, stated that the party’s failure to uphold equality, fairness, and justice is why they opted to oppose it. Speaking on Arise TV yesterday, Ortom stated that the G5 had asked that the presidency shift to the South after eight years of Northern hegemony under President Muhammadu Buhari, but the PDP’s decision to field Atiku, who…

Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, a former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and members of the ADC coalition of fracturing the party. He also criticised the former vice president’s alleged ambition to run on the ADC platform, claiming Atiku does not believe in a southern president. Addressing journalists in Abuja, Kachikwu asked the ADC alliance not to grant Atiku the party’s platform in the 2027 presidential election. He stressed that the former VP and coalition members should not be allowed to take over the party. Kachukwu also alleged that some state chairmen of…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has identified fresh fraud involving some of its affiliate marketers and strategic partners who have been diverting subsidised refined petroleum products for profit, necessitating the suspension of the refinery’s reduced fuel delivery scheme. Investigations by the refinery revealed that certain marketers who were offered discounted items, designed to ensure affordability and constant supply across retail outlets, had been re-routing the loaded trucks to unregistered third-party marketers. The strategy was originally designed to help Dangote’s registered affiliate marketers maintain steady profit margins in the face of price competition from petroleum importers while also ensuring statewide…

Permanent residents in Canada will soon receive invitations to sponsor their parents and grandparents to the country. According to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the 2025 intake will begin on July 28 and last a few weeks, with 17,860 potential sponsors who completed an interest-to-sponsor form in 2020. IRCC said, “Our goal is to accept up to 10,000 complete applications under the federal Parents and Grandparents Programme.” Those chosen will be able to submit their applications online using either the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal. IRCC also advised those who submitted an interest-to-sponsor form in…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri in Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University. “May we now adopt the University of the Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday. Earlier, the president praised Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism, and moral uprightness would be passed down for decades. Tinubu stated that while the late ex-president was not without…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has classified 9,469 admissions to 20 educational institutions throughout the country as fake for the 2024 academic year. According to the board, admissions were made outside of the popular Central Admission Processing System, or CAPS. According to the JAMB list, Kano State University of Science and Technology had the most bogus admissions (2,215), followed by Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (1,215). Others include Gombe State University (1,164), Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (761), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (534), Ambrose Alli University (514), Igbinedion University (365), Akwa-Ibom Polytechnic (340), and College of Nursing,…

The British government announced Thursday that it intends to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in general elections, a historic development that will make the UK one of the world’s youngest voting countries. It follows the ruling Labour Party’s promise to make the change before taking office last year and is one of several planned improvements to the democratic system, which some claim is “in crisis” due to low turnout and other difficulties. The voting age shift is sure to be divisive, with some detractors claiming it is self-serving because newly enfranchised teens are more likely to vote for the…

The police in Ondo State have announced the arrest of a landlord and two others for the kidnapping and murder of two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, in the state. Mr Adebowale Lawal, the State Commissioner of Police, stated this on Wednesday in Akure while addressing reporters about the command’s recent achievements. Lawal identified the two victims as Abah Friday, a 25-year-old male, and his buddy, Okah Eloho, a 19-year-old female. He also claimed that the landlord, Oladele Femi, confessed to originating the scheme and assisting in the concealing of the murders. The CP explained that the arrest was…

The Kano State Police Command has detained 11 students from Government Boarding Secondary School in Bichi in connection with the deaths of two other students. Abdullahi Haruna, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed the arrests in an email to PUNCH Online on Thursday. Haruna stated that the pupils were being probed to ascertain their level of involvement in the incident. “Eleven students were arrested over the incident, and the investigation is ongoing to find out the level of their individual involvement,” he said. He assured that the police will do everything necessary to solve the students’ murders and arrest those responsible. On…

The Peoples Democratic Party has declared that ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s irresponsibility was a major role in the party’s loss in the 2023 presidential election and that his withdrawal from the party is not a problem. In an exclusive interview with THE PUNCH on Thursday, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi said Atiku’s exit was “good riddance to bad rubbish”. On Wednesday, Atiku formally resigned from the PDP, sparking widespread speculation that he may run for president as part of the African Democratic Congress-led alliance. In a letter dated July 14, 2025, issued to the Chairman of his Jada…