A collision near Karu Bridge on the Abuja–Keffi Expressway Monday has left an unknown number of victims, marking the third major accident on the corridor in two months.
Witnesses say the crash involved a trailer and a truck transporting sachet water.
Although the exact death toll is still unclear, emergency crews have arrived at the scene and begun rescue operations.
Detail shortly…
Sule Lamido, former Jigawa governor and one-time national secretary of the defunct Social Democratic Party, says the SDP threw its weight behind Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 because party leaders wanted “a Yoruba who could lead all Nigerians,” not a figure seen as championing strictly Yoruba interests.
In Chapter 9 of his new memoir Being True to Myself, launched May 13, Lamido recalls that some Yoruba leaders initially proposed Chiefs Olu Falae, Bola Ige, or Abraham Adesanya for the PDP ticket.
But, he writes, “none of these could make a fair and effective president in Nigeria.”
“The effort then was to support Obasanjo,” he says, explaining that retired generals inside the PDP argued the ex-head of state carried nationwide trust and already “had the profile of a prominent Nigerian.”
Obasanjo’s military résumé, chief of staff to Murtala Muhammed, then military head of state, reinforced that view.
Lamido also cites Obasanjo’s decision in 1979 to accept Shehu Shagari’s election victory, despite Yoruba pressure to back Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s court challenge.
That choice, he notes, “upheld the results of the elections” and burnished Obasanjo’s nationalist credentials.
Choosing the former general angered many Yoruba elites, Lamido concedes, in part because Obasanjo had not championed Chief MKO Abiola during the June 12 crisis.
Yet party strategists believed only Obasanjo could serve as “a Yoruba Nigerian President and not president of the Nigerian Yoruba.”
Suspended lawmaker, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has asked the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to investigate what she calls an attempt on her life by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
In a petition dated 15 May 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, alleges that Akpabio is behind “a malicious campaign of criminal defamation, cyber-stalking, conspiracy, and attempted assassination” against her.
Her counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Sen Ehiogie West-Idahosa, wrote that the complaint is backed by “incontrovertible evidence from public broadcasts, witness testimonies, media reports, and expert analyses.”
The senator says available facts show “a deliberate retaliatory campaign by Senator Akpabio, using proxies and resources at his disposal, to harm her.”
She also urges the Attorney-General to scrutinize “the statements and actions of third-party collaborators who publicly endorsed the defamatory broadcast” to establish their role in the alleged plot.
“We maintain that the actions against our client amount to a criminal enterprise violating multiple laws.”
“We respectfully urge your service to painstakingly investigate the contents of this petition and ensure that justice is expeditiously dispensed to all who may be found wanting regardless of their status in the Nigerian society,” the petition reads.
Gunmen believed to be armed robbers stormed Yenagoa-based Rhythm 94.7 FM on Saturday, making off with staff phones, audio recorders, and other broadcast equipment.
The attackers struck the Swali-community station at about 4:40 pm, then reportedly returned the following day.
While no injuries were reported, employees are badly shaken.
The Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) condemned what it called “a rape on the entire media family in Bayelsa State and an attack on press freedom.”
In a joint statement, Council Chairman Comrade Tonye Yemoleigha and Secretary Comrade Stanley Imgbi urged state security agencies “especially the Commissioner of Police, to fish out the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to book.”
They also appealed for stronger protection of the isolated station, asking the police chief to “station a patrol van around the media house, as is the case in several strategic points in Yenagoa.”
Governor Yusuf,
The Kano State Censorship Board has halted the broadcast and online streaming of 22 well-known Hausa drama series, citing breaches of its content rules.
Executive Secretary, Abba El-Mustapha issued the order after a management meeting Sunday night, the board’s information officer Abdullahi Sani Sulaiman said.
Among the titles placed on hold are Labarina, Dadin Kowa, Manyan Mata, Garwashi, Jamilun Jidda, and Gidan Sarauta.
Others include Dakin Amarya, Mashahuri, Wasiyya, Tawakkaltu, Mijina, Wani Zamani, Mallaka, Kudin Ruwa, Boka Ko Malam, Wayasan Gobe, Rana Dubu, Fatake, Gwarwashi, Shahadar Nabila, Tabarma, Kishiyata, and Rigar Aro.
The board reminded filmmakers that state law requires every film meant for production, marketing, streaming, or broadcast to be vetted in advance.
Producers have been given one week, from Monday 19 May to Sunday 25 May 2025, to stop airing the affected series and submit them for fresh approval, “to avoid legal consequences,” the statement said.
Many Kannywood producers have turned to serialized dramas on YouTube and local TV to counter falling box-office returns, but the board insisted it would continue to “ensure strict adherence to regulations and uphold professionalism within the Hausa film industry.”
Vatican security briefly steered Seyi Tinubu aside on Sunday while President Bola Tinubu greeted the newly installed Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City.
Seyi, the president’s eldest son and a visible figure in Nigerian business and politics, was part of the official delegation.
As he moved toward his father during the reception, a plain-clothes Vatican security officer gently redirected him, according to video clips circulating online.
The moment occurred while President Tinubu was exchanging pleasantries with the Pontiff.
The trip also drew attention for a cordial encounter between Tinubu and Peter Obi, his 2023 election rival who famously won Lagos State, the president’s long-time political base.
Mr. Oloyode,
The South-East caucus of the House of Representatives has asked Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede to step down so an independent probe can address what it calls “massive failure” in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
In a statement on Monday, caucus leader Rep. Igariwey Iduma Enwo said lawmakers from the region are alarmed because “the five South-Eastern states where we represent were directly impacted by JAMB’s ‘score distortions’.”
The statement notes that members appreciate the registrar’s decision to admit shortcomings instead of “concealing or obfuscating,” yet insists that the remedies offered so far fall “far short of the expectations of our impacted constituents.”
According to the caucus, JAMB’s “knee-jerk and fire-brigade approach” forced many affected candidates, already busy with WAEC exams, to retake UTME papers on less than 48 hours’ notice, leading to poor turnout and timetable clashes.
The result, they say, has been “heart-wrenching for students and parents, and agonizingly shambolic.”
Quoting Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, “Government shall direct its policy towards ensuring that there are equal and adequate educational opportunities at all levels”, the lawmakers argue that the flawed 2025 UTME has denied thousands of students that right.
They therefore demand a complete cancellation of the 2025 UTME nationwide and urge JAMB to reschedule it for July or August, after WAEC and NECO, “to ensure that no prospective candidate is disadvantaged.” They also call for “the immediate suspension of those at the commanding heights of JAMB’s digital operations and examination logistics.”
“The Registrar of JAMB is said to be a good man, but then, leadership must carry consequences,” the caucus states.
“We, therefore, call on the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, to do the needful, by resigning his appointment, to pave way for a thorough examination and remediation of the root causes of this national shame. That’s the way to go in any civilised democracy, and we expect no less.”
Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu had already pressed for a full investigation on Sunday, seeking answers to the technical glitches that, according to lawmakers, hit candidates hardest in Lagos and across the South-East.
The Deputy Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon. Maria Oligbi-Edeko, has officially resigned her position.
Her resignation was announced on Monday during plenary at the Assembly complex in Benin City, the state capital, according to a report by Daily Trust.
Oligbi-Edeko, who represents Esan North-East II Constituency, stepped down from her role following the defection of several members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the Speaker, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The mass defection effectively reduced the PDP to a minority in the Assembly.
She was first elected Deputy Speaker on June 16, 2023, during the inauguration of the 8th Assembly.
Following her resignation, the lawmakers unanimously elected Hon. Osamwonyi Atu, who represents Orhionmwon East under the APC, as the new Deputy Speaker.
In her resignation letter, Oligbi-Edeko stated that her decision was guided by the principles of “justice, fairness, and equity” to ensure all constituencies in the state are equally represented.
“I wish to express my gratitude to the leaders and members of the PDP for giving me the opportunity to serve,” she said.
Meanwhile, the House moved quickly to honor her service.
The Majority Leader, Hon. Jonathan Aigbokhan, proposed a motion that all entitlements due to the office of Deputy Speaker be accorded to Oligbi-Edeko.
The motion was seconded by Minority Leader, Hon. Charity Airobarueghian, and unanimously adopted by the Assembly members.
The lawmakers praised Oligbi-Edeko for her commitment, integrity, and passion for public service during her time in office.
The leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has tendered an unreserved apology to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what it described as “reckless” comments made by its former presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Secretary, Comrade Oginni Olaposi Sunday, the NNPP dissociated itself from Kwankwaso’s recent outbursts, stressing that his remarks do not represent the official stance of the party.
“Kwankwaso’s derogatory remarks against President Bola Tinubu did not in any way reflect the party’s position,” the statement read.
The party further stated that Kwankwaso should no longer be regarded as a member or the National Leader of the NNPP, warning him to stop using the party’s platform to launch personal political attacks.
“The recent outburst and attacks on the personality of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his expelled group are views and positions of his Kwankwasiyya group and not that of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP,” Oginni stated.
He extended a formal apology to President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) family led by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, describing Kwankwaso’s actions as a breach of NNPP’s core principles.
Oginni also reaffirmed that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Elder Buba Galadima, and former members of the party’s National Working Committee, led by Dr. Ahmed Ajuji, had been expelled from the NNPP.
He noted that this expulsion was validated by rulings from both the Abia State High Court and the FCT High Court in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Senator Kwankwaso has denied speculations suggesting he is planning a return to the APC.
In a direct rebuttal, he claimed President Tinubu had reached out to him with an invitation to rejoin the ruling party.
“Without a doubt, Tinubu pleaded with me to return and even promised that any condition I set would be met for my return to the APC.”
“But I refused his offer and made it clear that I would rather quit politics altogether than go back to the APC,” Kwankwaso said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, he added, “We will build a strong political movement that will end APC’s rule.”
Professor Victor Nnam, the former Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development in Enugu State, has taken a swipe on Hon. Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, former Leader of the Enugu State House of Assembly, following his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and criticism of the party’s leadership.
In his resignation letter addressed to the PDP Ward Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Hon. Ezeugwu cited internal discontent with the party’s operations as his reason for quitting.
He alleged that the party leadership had betrayed its values.
According to him, “merit was frequently sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity and deceit.”
“I thank God for giving me the wisdom to reject a gift of a Trojan Horse then. I was slated to have been economically grounded and politically ridiculed, but they forgot that my name is IKECHUKWU,” he wrote.
“For me, trust is a fundamental aspect of any relationship, and without it, relationships can become challenging to maintain.”
Reacting to the letter, Professor Nnam accused Ezeugwu of hypocrisy and questioned his decision to speak out only after leaving office.
“He is just a sycophant who shouldn’t be taken seriously. If not, why is he crying foul now? Why didn’t he tell the world since 2022?” Nnam asked.
“One wonders why Ikechukwu Ezeugwu suddenly found his voice and started attacking the man who made him. Why is he attacking an administration he was fully part of?”
“Without former governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who is Ikechukwu Ezeugwu? The former governor made him and even gave him a third-term ticket against the zoning arrangement in Udenu.”
Addressing reports that Ezeugwu accused the PDP of deceiving him into undertaking constituency projects in exchange for a return ticket, Professor Nnam responded “So a third-term House member needs to be deceived before he can empower his own people? That’s laughable.”
On Ezeugwu’s legislative record, the university don challenged his credibility.
“As a former leader of the state assembly, what was his track record?”
“During his 12-year tenure in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Ikechukwu Ezeugwu was widely perceived as arrogant, self-serving, and politically treacherous.”
“Ezeugwu benefited immensely from the administration of former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. He was reportedly allocated prime landed property in high-value areas during his time in office.”
“Notably, he once sponsored a controversial bill seeking to provide pension benefits for former governors and their deputies. However, the bill was eventually dropped following widespread public outrage.”
“His recent resignation from the PDP is driven by personal frustration after being denied a fourth term in the House, an ambition that would have extended his stay to 16 years. Now, he appears to be shifting blame onto Gburugburu for his political woes.”
“Even the Speaker of the House did not receive the kind of benefits Ikechukwu Ezeugwu enjoyed as a member. He was, in fact, the highest beneficiary of the past administration.” he concluded.
DAILY GAZETTE recall that Hon. Ezeugwu represented Udenu Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly from 2011 to 2023 and served as the Assembly Leader from 2015 to 2023.
