Author: Vincent Osuwo

The Osun State Police Command reported on Saturday the arrest of an Islamic cleric known only as Kadiri for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a minor in Ede, Osun State. The incident at Babasanya-Araka Ede sparked a protest by an irate mob, who attacked the suspect after he was arrested. Abiodun Ojelabi, the command spokeswoman, told reporters that police officers were dispatched to the scene after the incident was reported. “The matter was reported, and we deployed operatives to the scene. When our men got to the scene, the Amotekun men who arrested him handed him over to us. “So,…

A former National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Tsauri, has thrown his weight behind the call for the PDP members to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC-led coalition against President Bola Tinubu in 2027. Speaking in an interview with PUNCH, Tsauri, who served in the Uche Secondus-led national executive, said the party’s leaders who today constitute the soul of the ADC must have seen good reason to abandon the once dominant political party. At a meeting in Abuja last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate president David Mark, and former governors of Jigawa and Sokoto…

Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, has accused former Senate President David Mark, who is now Interim National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, of contributing to the PDP’s present internal conflict. In an interview with PUNCH, George claimed that Mark was in charge of planning the contentious national convention, which he believes laid the groundwork for the party’s crisis. At a meeting in Abuja last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mark, and former governors of Jigawa and Sokoto states, Sule Lamido and Aminu Tambuwal, among others, asked PDP members to join the…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vigorously opposed any legislative action by the National Assembly to move labour issues, including the national minimum wage, from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list of the Nigerian Constitution. If enacted, the amendment would allow individual states to set their own minimum wages and other labor-related legislation. NLC President Joe Ajaero reiterated the congress’ view on the topic on Friday while addressing members of the Central Working Committee at a National Administrative Council meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Ajaero described the move as “an exercise in futility,” arguing that the national minimum…

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) says its 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, does not have its platform to contest against President Bola Tinubu and/or any other presidential candidate at the moment in 2027. Dr Agbo Major, the NNPP’s National Chairman, confirmed this in a statement issued on Saturday. According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Major was commenting in response to Buba Galadima’s allegations that Kwankwaso will remain with the NNPP and run for president on their platform. Galadima, who maintained that there is no proof that Kwankwaso is joining the All Progressives Congress as speculated, stated that they…

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva have been honoured by their family, friends and teammates at a joint funeral in Portugal. Jota, 28, was laid to rest alongside his brother, Silva, 25, who died in a car accident on Thursday. On Saturday, hundreds of neighbours and sympathisers gathered at the Igreja Matriz in Gondomar, the brothers’ hometown. The burial also drew big personalities from the football world, including Jota’s teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, who were spotted carrying flower tributes into the church before the service. The service was held in Gondomar, a small Portuguese…

Rauf Aregbesola, a former interior minister and interim national secretary of the party, returned to Lagos on Friday with an important message for his party’s followers following the African Democratic Congress’s formal inauguration in Abuja. Aregbesola warned ADC members not to criticise or attack supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress as the newly formed coalition seeks to unseat the Tinubu administration, during which he served as Lagos State’s commissioner for works and infrastructure. In a statement posted on Friday via his social media accounts, the former minister thanked those who came to greet him at the Lagos airport. He…

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has reorganised Kano Pillars Football Club’s management board and named Ahmed Musa, a former Super Eagles captain, as the club’s new general manager. The restructuring is part of a larger plan to reposition the legendary club for the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season. This was reported in a statement released Friday by the governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, who stated that the decision was made after thorough consultations with key stakeholders in the football community following the end of the outgoing board’s one-year term. Under the previous board’s leadership, Kano Pillars finished tenth…

Solomon Dalung, a former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, stated that he has promised President Bola Tinubu that his government will be destroyed in 2027, even if his son, Seyi Tinubu, is chosen Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Dalung stated during an interview with New Central on Friday that President Tinubu’s administration has declared war on Nigerians and weaponised poverty. According to him, the only option to save Nigeria is for opposition party leaders to join a newly formed coalition on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform and challenge the APC government in the 2027 elections. He…

Close family, friends, and football players gathered on Saturday for the funeral of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, 48 hours after their car crash. Jota, 28, and Andre Silva, 25, were killed on Thursday after their vehicle went off a road in northeastern Spain and caught fire, only a week after the Portugal forward married. The funeral, which begins at 0900 GMT, will be conducted at his hometown of Gondomar, near Porto. The Bishop of Porto will lead the liturgy, according to local media. On Friday, hundreds held a wake for the brothers. Among…