The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State recorded a significant political boost in Ogbomoso on Monday as Segun Ogunwuyi, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Seyi Makinde, and 32 other leaders of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) defected to the ruling party.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that the defection rally, held at Oja’Gbo near Soun Ogunlola Hall, attracted a massive crowd, causing traffic gridlock in the city centre for more than three hours.

Some of the prominent defectors include Rasak Gbadegesin, popularly known as Agbeti; Timothy Oyeniyi; Alabi Olateju; Dr Banji Folaranmi; Isaiah Adegbite; Peter Oyetunji; and Jimoh Sikiru, the APM chairman in Ogbomoso North.

Also among those who moved to the APC were council secretaries, chiefs of staff, supervisory councillors and aides to the chairmen of Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso South, Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa local governments.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Ogunwuyi said their decision was aimed at strengthening the APC, expressing confidence that the party would secure a convincing victory across the Ogbomoso zone.

In his remarks, the Oyo State APC chairman, Moses Adeyemo, welcomed the new members and assured them of equal treatment alongside existing party members.

Folaranmi, while explaining his decision to leave the APM, accused Governor Makinde of running the party as a personal affair.

Similarly, the APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, described the mass defection as evidence that the ruling party in Oyo State was losing its political grip.

Alli urged other APM members who had yet to defect to follow the example of the former party leaders.

He said, “For the likes of Segun Ogunwuyi, Alh. Rasak Agbeti and other politicians of substance to abandon Governor Makinde, it means a lot.”

Dignitaries who attended the rally included Senators Ayoade Adeseun and Brimoh Yusuf, Kemi Alao-Akala, the Director-General of the Alli Campaign Council, Yemi Aderibigbe, as well as several APC candidates.

An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Alwan Hassan, has dismissed claims that Nigerians are battling widespread hunger, accusing opposition parties of exaggerating the country’s economic challenges for political reasons.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

His remarks come amid growing concerns over the rising cost of living and the financial difficulties facing many Nigerians.

Hassan made the comments on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he responded to the opposition’s description of the 2027 political contest as a battle between President Bola Tinubu and hungry Nigerians.

Describing the opposition’s position as political rhetoric, the APC chieftain insisted that the level of hunger being portrayed does not reflect the reality in the country.

“That is opposition rhetoric. People are not that hungry. They should stop lying.

“People are not that hungry the way the opposition is portraying it. And I’ll say it anywhere. People are not that hungry,” he stated.

Hassan accused opposition parties of using hunger as a campaign strategy to gain public sympathy rather than addressing the country’s actual economic situation.

He further argued that Nigerians were continuing with their daily activities, including going to markets and workplaces, insisting that the opposition’s portrayal of widespread hunger was exaggerated.

His comments came days after the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, also dismissed claims of widespread hunger in the country.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has vowed to personally supervise the execution of anyone convicted of kidnapping, declaring that he would not hesitate to sign a death warrant even if the individual involved were his father or a close family member.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Okpebholo made the declaration in a video shared by TheCable on Tuesday while discussing his administration’s efforts to tackle kidnapping and other security challenges in the state.

The governor said his government was determined to rid society of criminals, arguing that kidnappers had caused the deaths of many innocent people.

He said: “I pray our brothers are not involved because I will sign it. Even if it is my father, I will sign it. The truth is this: we just have to get some bad elements out of the system for the system to stand.

“Because somebody will die. But these people are the ones killing people. How many people have we killed?”

Defending his position, Okpebholo pointed to the suffering, injuries and psychological trauma experienced by victims of kidnapping.

He recalled an incident involving a woman who was allegedly pushed during an abduction attempt, saying the fear and trauma alone could have cost her life.

The governor also spoke about an attack on the state’s Chief Judge, claiming that the judge sustained serious injuries during an encounter with kidnappers and lost the use of one hand.

He said: “Just look at the way they were pushing that woman down there. Supposing she died at that, because of fear, only fear. It’s enough for her to die. People have gone through trauma.

“Even our Chief Judge, if you see our Chief Judge, one of his hands was cut off by kidnappers.”

Okpebholo further disclosed that he had contacted the state Attorney-General to enquire about the status of the necessary documents for executing convicted kidnappers.

He said he was awaiting further action but maintained that his administration would continue pursuing the cases through the appeal process.

The governor insisted that nobody convicted of kidnapping would be allowed to escape punishment.

He added: “But we still follow them up on the appeal. We won’t just let them go like that. So we will get to wherever they stop, we will take them from there. We will not spare anybody.

“I stand, if I see this paper today, now, I will sign it and I will even supervise the killing.”

Okpebholo’s comments come amid the implementation of the Edo State Kidnapping Prohibition (Amendment) Law, 2025, which introduced the death penalty for kidnapping offences resulting in the death of victims.

The Edo State House of Assembly passed the amendment in February 2025, and the governor signed it into law later that month.

Under the law, kidnappers whose victims survive the incident face life imprisonment, while those involved in abductions that result in the death of victims face the death penalty.

The legislation also prescribes punishment for individuals who assist, support or encourage kidnapping activities.

In September 2026, four men were sentenced to death by a special criminal court in Edo State over the abduction of a woman at the Vegetable Market along Airport Road in Benin City.

The convicts were identified as Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael. They were found guilty of the abduction, which occurred on June 14, 2026, alongside other related offences.

Okpebholo had earlier vowed to sign the death warrants of convicted kidnappers who failed to appeal their sentences within the stipulated 30-day period.

As part of his administration’s efforts to address insecurity, the governor also established a special criminal court to fast-track the trial of kidnapping and cultism cases in the state.