Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) three days to address the alleged unlawful exclusion of his name from the final list of candidates for the 2027 Gombe State governorship election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

INEC reportedly omitted Pantami’s name from the final list of candidates for the governorship poll scheduled for February 6, 2027.

In a letter dated October 12, 2026, and addressed to the INEC chairman, Pantami’s legal representatives, Ahmed Raji & Co., demanded that the commission publish his name as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate within three days.

The letter, signed by lead counsel Ahmed Raji (SAN), maintained that Pantami was duly nominated by the PDP after winning a fresh primary election conducted on September 29, 2026.

According to the lawyers, Pantami is a registered PDP member from Pantami Ward in Gombe State. They stated that he purchased the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms, underwent screening and received clearance before winning the initial primary held on May 26, 2026.

The legal team further explained that the PDP submitted Pantami’s personal details and Form EC9 to INEC on August 8, 2026. The commission subsequently published his name on August 29, 2026, in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

However, the May 26 primary was later challenged in two separate cases before the Federal High Court in Gombe State. The plaintiffs questioned Pantami’s membership of the PDP.

Raji stated that the court resolved the issue of party membership in Pantami’s favour in judgments delivered on September 24, 2026.

In one of the cases, the court reportedly held that the absence of Pantami’s name from an exhibit presented before it was not sufficient evidence to establish that he was not a party member.

The letter stated: “In the second suit, the court also held that the non-appearance of Pantami’s name in an exhibit tendered was not conclusive proof of non-membership. Membership of a political party is ordinarily a matter within the domestic affairs of the party.”

The lawyers explained that although the court nullified the May 26 primary over issues relating to its conduct, it directed the PDP to organise a fresh exercise within 30 days.

The order, according to the letter, required the party to give all aspirants who had been cleared on May 14, 2026, the opportunity to participate in the fresh primary.

Pantami’s legal team said the PDP complied with the court’s directive, notified INEC and conducted the new primary on September 29, 2026. Officials of the electoral commission reportedly monitored the exercise, in which Pantami emerged as the winner.

The lawyers consequently questioned INEC’s decision to exclude his name from the final list of candidates published on October 10, 2026, without providing an explanation.

They insisted that the commission should take immediate steps to correct what they described as an unlawful omission.

In the letter, the firm said it had received clear instructions from Pantami to demand that INEC publish his name as the PDP’s governorship candidate no later than Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

“We have our Client’s firm and unequivocal instructions to demand that the Commission, on or before Wednesday, October 14, publish and circulate the name of Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim as the candidate of the PDP for the office of Governor of Gombe State,” the letter stated.

The lawyers also urged INEC to confirm in writing the corrective measures it had taken to resolve the matter.

American actor RJ Mitte, widely recognised for his portrayal of Walter White Jr. in the award-winning television series Breaking Bad, has reportedly died at the age of 34.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Mitte died on Monday, October 12, 2026, in Brownsville, Texas, according to local authorities and his representatives.

His representatives confirmed the news to CBS News but did not reveal the cause of death. Meanwhile, an official from Cameron County disclosed that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the actor’s death was ongoing.

Mitte rose to international fame through his role as the son of Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, in the hit television drama Breaking Bad.

His performance earned him recognition alongside his castmates, with the ensemble receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2014, following the show’s final season.

Beyond his acting career, Mitte was widely known for his advocacy for people living with disabilities. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at an early age, he used his public profile to promote awareness, inclusion and greater representation of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry.

In 2014, he received the SAG-AFTRA Howard Russell Award, an honour named after the first actor with a disability to win an Academy Award.

Mitte appeared in 56 episodes of Breaking Bad between 2008 and 2013. The Emmy-winning AMC series followed Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with a terminal illness who turned to manufacturing methamphetamine with his former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul.

In addition to his work on the acclaimed series, Mitte appeared in productions including The Recall and The Guardians of Justice (Will Save You!).

His commitment to disability advocacy extended beyond the screen. He served as an ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy and Shriners Children’s, supporting efforts to improve awareness and opportunities for people with disabilities.

His representative described him as a “beloved actor, philanthropist, and passionate disability rights advocate.”

Mitte also served as president of The Mitte Foundation, a family charity based in Austin, Texas, that provides funding and support to marginalised communities in South Texas. He was living in Brownsville at the time of his reported death.

The actor’s death comes about a year after he became engaged to his girlfriend, Kennedy Suarez, on her 30th birthday. Mitte proposed during the 56th annual Dia del Sol benefit in Carlsbad, California, in 2025. The fundraising event supports United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego.

The United States has placed Nigeria on its blacklist under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA), warning that the designation could trigger restrictions on military training, weapons sales, foreign military financing and defence cooperation from October 1, 2026, unless President Donald Trump grants a waiver.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The development follows the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, which identified the continued recruitment and use of children by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) as a major concern in Nigeria.

Published on October 11, the report covers the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, and represents the latest available US assessment of Nigeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking.

Nigeria was listed among 14 countries accused of recruiting or using child soldiers. Other countries on the list include Russia, Iran, South Sudan and Somalia.

The report also stated that Nigeria had failed to meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking for the 15th consecutive year.

According to the State Department, governments included on the CSPA list face restrictions in the following fiscal year on certain forms of security assistance and licences for the commercial sale of military equipment.

The affected programmes include International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, Excess Defence Articles and some Peacekeeping Operations assistance. The law also prohibits licences for direct commercial sales of military equipment to listed governments, subject to applicable exceptions and waivers.

The report stated that the restrictions would take effect from October 1, 2026, and remain in force throughout the relevant fiscal year unless a presidential waiver, an applicable exception or reinstatement of assistance is granted under the law.

The State Department explained that its decision to include countries on the list was based on information from multiple sources, including observations by US government personnel, United Nations bodies, international organisations, local and international non-governmental organisations, and domestic and international media reports.

Nigeria’s designation comes amid continuing security cooperation between Abuja and Washington. The two countries have maintained a defence partnership, including joint counterterrorism efforts and a bilateral 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap.

US Report Raises Concerns Over Official Complicity

Beyond the child soldier allegations, the report criticised Nigeria’s efforts to prosecute public officials suspected of involvement in human trafficking.

It said the government had not reported any prosecutions of officials for complicity in trafficking crimes, despite concerns about corruption and alleged involvement by some public servants.

The report also highlighted a decline in the number of trafficking victims who received government assistance, from 2,058 in the previous reporting period to 675.

According to the document, the government did not provide details of investigations, prosecutions or convictions involving public officials allegedly implicated in trafficking offences. It also did not report further action against officials linked to cases from previous years.

The report added that corruption and official complicity remained significant concerns, citing accounts that some law enforcement officers, military personnel and other government officials allegedly committed trafficking-related offences, accepted bribes to facilitate trafficking or interfered with investigations.

NAPTIP Shelter Conditions Criticised

The State Department also raised concerns about conditions in shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

It criticised the agency’s closed-shelter policy, stating that residents were restricted from moving freely and that children’s access to school could be affected.

The report further observed that access to certain protection services was linked to victims’ willingness to cooperate with law enforcement proceedings.

It noted that adult victims who declined shelter accommodation were not offered alternative services, while only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter was available for adult male trafficking survivors.

Boko Haram, ISWAP Accused Of Recruiting Children

In explaining Nigeria’s inclusion on the Child Soldiers Prevention Act list, the report identified Boko Haram and ISWAP as armed groups responsible for recruiting, abducting and using children in conflict-related activities.

The groups were accused of recruiting children as young as 12 and forcing them to serve in roles including cooks, domestic workers, spies, porters, messengers, bodyguards, checkpoint guards, armed combatants and suicide bombers.

The report said children were subjected to physical and sexual abuse, as well as forced drug use. It also alleged that the groups continued to abduct women and girls in northern Nigeria and exploit them through forced labour, domestic servitude and sexual slavery.

According to the document, Boko Haram had abducted thousands of women and girls and subjected some to forced marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour. It further alleged that the group had forced some girls to carry out suicide attacks as punishment for refusing marriage.

The report also raised concerns about the treatment of victims of forced marriage, alleging that Nigerian authorities had, in some cases, coerced victims of forced marriage and trafficking to return to their Boko Haram husbands at demobilisation centres in Borno State.

Outside the northeast, the report said criminal gangs in southern Nigeria recruited children for forced criminal activities, including kidnapping and robbery, while also exploiting some victims in sex trafficking.

It added that criminal groups in the northwest exploited victims through forced labour in agriculture and mining.

The US designation places Nigeria’s military assistance and commercial defence transactions at potential risk, although the extent of any restrictions will depend on whether a presidential waiver or another applicable exception is granted.