The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has challenged the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, to provide evidence to support his allegation that he introduced a 50 per cent deduction from payments made to contractors handling projects for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

reports that Amaechi made the allegation during a political rally in Bauchi State on Saturday, November 14, 2026.

However, in a statement released on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio challenged the former Rivers State governor to provide details of the contracts, contractors and payment arrangements allegedly affected by the deductions.

Eyiboh said Amaechi had failed to present documents or verifiable information to support his claim.

“The former governor offered no contract documents, payment records, identifiable transactions or other verifiable particulars to substantiate his accusation,” the statement read.

He stressed that allegations made during political campaigns should not be accepted as established facts without supporting evidence, particularly when they involve public institutions and the management of public funds.

The Senate President’s spokesman also raised several questions for Amaechi, including the identities of the affected contractors, the contracts involved, when the alleged deductions took place and the evidence linking Akpabio to the practice.

He further urged Amaechi to submit any evidence in his possession to the relevant investigative authorities instead of making allegations at political gatherings.

The statement also questioned Amaechi’s record as governor of Rivers State between 2007 and 2015, arguing that projects undertaken during his administration should also be subjected to public scrutiny.

Among the projects mentioned were the Port Harcourt monorail and the Malaria-free Rivers State initiative.

Eyiboh raised concerns about public spending, project execution and value for money, particularly regarding the monorail project, which he said attracted controversy over its reported cost, incomplete implementation and failure to provide the expected transportation services.

He maintained that such concerns should be addressed through proper scrutiny of public expenditure, contractual decisions and project outcomes rather than political exchanges.

“Public accountability does not begin and end with one’s political opponents. It extends to every public official entrusted with resources, authority and responsibility,” he stated.

The National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has called on party supporters to ensure that election results are accompanied from polling units to ward collation centres, while other representatives should monitor their movement to local government and state collation centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that Aregbesola made the call on Saturday during the ADC campaign rally at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi State, where he represented the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark.

The former Minister of Interior urged Nigerians not to leave their polling units immediately after casting their votes, stressing that they must remain until the ballots are counted and the results officially announced and recorded.

Aregbesola also appealed to Nigerians to endure their frustrations over the country’s challenges until January 16, 2027, and channel their grievances into mobilising support for the 2027 general elections to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

He, however, cautioned party supporters against allowing their dissatisfaction with the government to lead to violence or actions capable of disrupting public peace.

Speaking at the rally, Aregbesola said, “I bring greetings from the National Chairman. The National Chairman must tell you that you must not be provoked, fight or engage in any violence, or any act that will destroy the peace of our environment.

“However, preserve all your pains, preserve and endure all your frustrations until the 16th of January, 2027.

“On the 16th of January, 2027, the National Chairman said I should tell you that you must massively mobilise for the polling units in your precincts and use your frustrations to vote out APC and vote in ADC.

“When you vote, the National Chairman said I should tell you, you must not leave the polling unit. You must stay at the polling unit until the election is concluded, votes are separated and counted, and the results are announced and recorded.

“After the conclusion of the process, that is, the recording of the results and the announcement of the results, a crew must accompany the results to the ward collation centre. It is only after then that you can go home.”

The ADC national secretary further declared that Nigeria needed a new political direction, describing the country’s situation as requiring deliverance, a fresh start and national rebirth.

He expressed confidence that the party would work towards bringing transformation and meaningful change to the country.

Aregbesola added, “Indeed, Nigeria needs deliverance, Nigeria needs resetting, Nigeria needs a rebirth. And together, we are going to bring back transformation and change to Nigeria, Insha Allah.”

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has commenced an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving nine federal universities and other tertiary institutions, demanding explanations from their managements over the utilisation of public funds.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The committee also ordered the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade Ogunsola, to submit the institution’s budget records for 2024, 2025 and 2026 and appear before lawmakers next week over an alleged ₦7.1 billion discrepancy in its financial records.

The committee chairman, Abubakar Fulata, disclosed this on Saturday in a statement issued after an oversight visit to universities and inter-university centres across the South-West.

According to him, the exercise revealed inconsistencies in financial reports, inadequate transparency and possible violations of budgetary regulations in some of the institutions.

Fulata questioned how certain universities arrived at their reported revenue and expenditure figures, particularly where the amounts declared did not tally.

He said, “In some cases, the documents submitted contradict each other. You claimed to have generated N9bn and spent N10bn—where did you get the N1bn from?

“In another instance, you will see N12bn generated as income and only N8bn spent, without any information regarding the whereabouts of the balance of N4bn.”

The lawmaker urged vice-chancellors and their management teams to uphold transparency and accountability, stressing that public universities must properly account for both government allocations and internally generated revenue.

He noted that effective financial management was crucial to improving the quality of university education and ensuring that public funds were spent on approved projects and programmes.

The committee chairman also insisted that preparations for the 2027 general elections would not distract lawmakers from carrying out their constitutional oversight responsibilities.

He said the committee would continue monitoring public institutions to ensure that no sector was neglected because of election-related activities.

The lawmakers also urged university authorities to comply with the federal character principle in staff recruitment and student admissions to promote fairness and equitable representation.

As part of its directives, the committee instructed the University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Federal University of Technology, Akure, and Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, to update their financial records and submit comprehensive reports on the implementation of their 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets.

Ogunsola was reportedly unavailable during the committee’s visit to UNILAG. Officials who represented her were also unable to provide satisfactory explanations for the alleged ₦7.1 billion excess recorded in the institution’s 2024 and 2025 financial records or supply additional details requested by the lawmakers.

Other institutions visited by the committee included the University of Ibadan, Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, Federal University of Agriculture and Development Studies, Iragbiji, Federal University of Technology and Environmental Studies, Iyin-Ekiti, and the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry.

The committee explained that the exercise was part of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibility to scrutinise public expenditure, assess budget implementation and ensure that government institutions properly utilise funds allocated to them.

It added that the investigation was aimed at strengthening financial accountability and addressing administrative shortcomings that could undermine the delivery of quality university education.