The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by APC aspirant Mrs. Abimbola Olawumi, thereby affirming Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji as the party’s validly nominated candidate for the June 20 governorship election. In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Idris struck out the appellant’s applications, citing multiple procedural failings, including an unsigned written address, excessive pagination, and incompetent grounds of appeal that did not stem from the lower court’s judgment.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The apex court’s ruling effectively brings a final end to the long-standing legal dispute over Governor Oyebanji’s nomination, which began when Olawumi alleged unlawful exclusion from the primary and sought to nullify his candidacy. The Supreme Court upheld the previous decision of the Court of Appeal, agreeing that the suit was statute-barred and that the constitutional time limit for hearing pre-election matters had lapsed. With this final legal hurdle cleared, Governor Oyebanji’s position is secure, following his subsequent victory in the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, where he polled 319,224 votes.

• Warning to the Opposition: Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle warned opposition figures against making statements that could incite the public against the government, stressing that national interest should come before partisan politics.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• • Criticism of Atiku Abubakar: Matawalle slammed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for hiring a foreign lobbying firm to circulate decades-old documents about President Tinubu in the United States.

  • Call for Patriotism and Unity: The minister urged opposition leaders to redirect their energy toward supporting national security, unity, and citizen welfare rather than running campaigns that discredit Nigeria abroad.

  • Defense of National Sovereignty: Emphasizing that the presidency is a sacred symbol of sovereignty, Matawalle stated that no foreign government or lobbying firm can overturn the mandate freely given to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  • International Confidence and Call for Alternatives: Highlighting recent commendations from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding security cooperation, Matawalle urged politicians to engage constructively by offering credible policy alternatives instead of spreading divisive narratives.

The Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Tanimu Yakubu, has informed a House of Representatives ad hoc committee that not a single kobo of the ₦1.3 billion appropriated for the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) was ever spent. Testifying alongside officials from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Head of Service, Yakubu clarified that while the National Assembly approved the funds in the 2026 budget, the necessary statutory and administrative conditions for their release were never met. Consequently, the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General were directed to withhold all payment instruments, meaning no recruitment was approved and no funds were ever moved.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Corroborating Testimony from CBN and Head of Service Officials from the CBN confirmed that while two accounts were opened for the council based on instructions from the Accountant-General’s office, they were never operational, and no money was ever deposited into them. Similarly, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, stated that her office did not deploy any civil servants to the disputed agency, nor did it allocate official office space to the PFIPC at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

Background of the Controversy and Ongoing Investigations The investigation follows a major controversy sparked by one Adeniyi Adeyemi, who allegedly posed as the Director-General of the non-existent council for months, operating from an office in the Federal Secretariat. The Presidency has since denied the council’s existence and accused Adeyemi of forging his appointment letter, leading to criminal charges and his subsequent arrest. Adeyemi, however, maintains his appointment is valid and has accused Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila of collecting money regarding his appointment, an allegation Gbajabiamila has vehemently denied and instituted legal action over. The House committee, alongside the ICPC, is continuing its investigation into the entire affair.