A former presidential candidate, Martin Onovo, has stated that it would be nearly impossible for any single opposition party to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections without a strong coalition.

Onovo, who ran for president in 2015 under the defunct National Conscience Party, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.

“The only way to defeat the All Progressives Congress in 2027 is through a united front — a powerful coalition of opposition forces,” he declared.

Onovo threw his weight behind the ongoing coalition efforts spearheaded by former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, calling it a step in the right direction.

“I was the brain behind the largest coalition ever in the Fourth Republic, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP). Coalition is the only way. A united minority is stronger than a divided majority,” he said.

He expressed confidence that a well-structured alliance could hand the APC a massive defeat at the polls.

Onovo said, “The coalition will win the 2027 election with 99 per cent of the votes if it is not self-sabotaged. Take it to the bank — it will succeed and defeat the ruling party convincingly, if they do it well.”

On mid-term performance, Onovo scored the Tinubu-led administration low, particularly on security and basic welfare delivery.

“Not much has been achieved in terms of tackling insecurity or improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” he noted.

He advised the President to refocus on the core needs of Nigerians, urging him to use the remainder of his term to take concrete action.

Onovo emphasised the need for competent hands in governance, rather than political loyalists.

“We need competent people in positions, not loyalists. Let’s get the right people, right strategies, and an ethical environment, while the President provides leadership and takes responsibility.”

“We need the right commanders with effective strategies in both security and economy to end the suffering. We must not sacrifice performance for loyalty,” he added.

He further urged the President to intensify efforts in the fight against corruption and take meaningful steps to reduce income inequality, which he said were root causes of Nigeria’s insecurity and social unrest.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, of waging a campaign of bitterness against President Bola Tinubu.

The party said Lawal’s failure to secure the vice presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 general election was the reason for his disdain for the incumbent administration.

However, Lawal dismissed the claim, stating that he had no interest in becoming the vice president.

The APC National Vice Chairman (South-East), Ijeoma Arodiogbu, told Punch that Lawal’s repeated criticism of Tinubu under the guise of opposing the Muslim-Muslim ticket was nothing more than a mask for his personal disappointment.

He also alleged that his decision to join forces with the ongoing coalition championed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and erstwhile Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, was a carryover of his resentment for the President.

“Babachir was desperate to become Vice President. Nigerians know this. He campaigned vigorously for a Christian from the North to be chosen as his running mate. When that didn’t happen, he turned against the party and the President,” Arodiogbu alleged.

He noted that Tinubu’s decision to pick former Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima as his running mate was a strategic move aimed at consolidating northern votes, even though it triggered a wave of dissent within the party and among Christian leaders.

Arodiogbu stressed that former President Muhammadu Buhari remained supportive of Tinubu and had not been alienated by the President or the party.

“The President has never insulted or criticised Buhari. Even when people like Babachir tried to make him do so during the campaign, he refused. His loyalty has never been in doubt,” he said.

Reacting to the allegation while speaking to the publication mentioned above, Lawal said, “Who said I ever wanted to be Vice President? That’s a lie. I never begged anyone. My position on Tinubu is based on principle, not personal ambition.”

According to him, his opposition to the Tinubu administration was rooted in its policies, which he believed had inflicted hardship on ordinary Nigerians, particularly in the North.

“This is not about me. It’s about policies that are impoverishing Nigerians. The North today looks like a region of internally displaced people. People are suffering,” he lamented.

He accused the Tinubu government of stifling dissent and cracking down on critics, especially those from the North.

“Try offering advice, and they unleash attack dogs on you. This government is now criminalising dissent. People are being locked up for expressing concerns. That is unacceptable,” he said.

The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is being deceived by those surrounding him, and he is aware of the country’s dire situation.
Naija News reports that Ndume stated this on Sunday, June 8, 2025, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics Today.

The lawmaker said even though the President had acknowledged that things were challenging, not much was being done to help the people.

According to Ndume, many people are unhappy with the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, and those surrounding Tinubu are doing more harm than good to him.

Ndume added that Tinubu drives in cars with tinted windows that prevent him from seeing what is happening in the country.

He said, “The president also is not pretending. He acknowledges there is hardship. He acknowledges that things are very difficult. Even recently he appealed that people should be patient with him.

“But the question is, for how long will we continue to be patient. Things are very difficult and so many things have not been done the way the people are expecting.

“To be honest with you, if you go back to the electorates today, halfway, they’re not happy. I see people lying, telling the President what he wants to hear or maybe some of them, he doesn’t even want to hear them.

“My position on the people surrounding the President is that they are deceiving him, damaging his image and doing more harm than good because the President cannot go out on the streets like myself and know how the people feel.

“Even outside the Villa they’d drive him in a tinted glass that he does not even see what’s going on.

“It is people like us that represent the public that you’ll listen to and you also get your intelligence from the people on ground. Things are bad, very bad in the country.”

No fewer than 34 embassies in Abuja may be shut down by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over failure to pay ground rents for more than a decade.

A publication by the FCTA, obtained by Punch, listed diplomatic missions that have allegedly defaulted since 2014, collectively owing ₦3,662,196 in land use charges.

On May 26, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had directed the commencement of enforcement action against 4,794 properties revoked over non-payment of ground rents, with some debts stretching as far back as 43 years.

But following widespread concerns, President Bola Tinubu intervened, granting a 14-day grace period for affected property owners to settle their debts. That grace period expires today (Monday).

According to the FCTA Director of Land, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, defaulters who fail to meet the deadline will be subject to penalty fees ranging from ₦2 million to ₦3 million, depending on the location of their properties within the FCT.

The defaulting embassies include the Ghana High Commission Defence Section (₦5,950); Embassy of Thailand (₦5,350), Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire (₦5,500); Embassy of the Russian Federation (₦1,100); Embassy of the Philippines (₦5,950); Royal Netherlands Embassy (₦5,950); Embassy of Turkey (₦3,350), and the Embassy of the Republic of Guinea (₦5,950).

Also included are the embassies of Ireland (₦500), Uganda (₦5,950), Iraq (₦550), and the Zambia High Commission, which owes ₦1,189,990.

Other missions on the list include the Tanzania High Commission (₦6,000), German Embassy (₦1,000), Embassy of the Democratic Republic of Congo (₦5,950), Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (₦459,055), Embassy of the Republic of Korea (₦5,950), and the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (₦500).

The Embassy of Egypt (₦5,950), Embassy of Chad (₦5,950), Sierra Leone Commission (₦5,900), High Commission of India (₦150), Embassy of Sudan (₦5,950), Embassy of Niger Republic (₦500), and Kenya High Commission (₦5,950) are also listed among the defaulters.

Others are the embassies of Zimbabwe (₦500), Ethiopia (₦5,950), and Indonesia (Defence Attaché), which has an outstanding balance of (₦1,718,211).

The Delegation of the European Union (₦1,500), Embassy of Switzerland (₦5,950), Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia (₦5,950), China’s Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office (₦12,000), South African High Commission (₦4,950), and the Government of Equatorial Guinea (₦1,137,240) also featured on the list

According to Punch, the Embassy of the Russian Federation, in its reaction, firmly denied any outstanding debts.

“The Embassy pays all bills for the rent of the territory on which the Embassy complex is located in good faith and on time. The Embassy also has all necessary documents confirming payment,” it stated.

Similarly, the Embassy of Turkiye questioned its inclusion on the FCTA’s list, citing a possible administrative error.

A Turkish official told Punch, “We have not received a formal notification about the debt. We regularly make our payments on time, and we will check if we are on the list because of a bureaucratic mistake or a misunderstanding, and will fix the issue as soon as possible.”

The German Embassy clarified that no formal claim or demand regarding unpaid rent had been brought to its attention by the FCTA.

“We understand that you are referring to reports suggesting that the German Embassy in Abuja has outstanding rent obligations. We would like to clarify that no such claim or demand has been formally brought to our attention by the Federal Capital Territory Administration,” the embassy stated.

It further insisted that all official financial obligations relating to the embassy’s premises had been settled as of the end of 2024, adding that there are no known outstanding payments.

The embassy emphasised its commitment to maintaining a respectful and cooperative relationship with the Nigerian government and the FCTA, reaffirming its dedication to transparency and mutual trust.

“Moreover, we can confirm that all official financial obligations relating to the Embassy’s premises have been fully settled as of the end of 2024. There are no known outstanding payments.

“The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany highly values its respectful and cooperative relationship with the government of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory Administration and remains fully committed to transparency and mutual trust,” the statement added.

The Embassy of Ghana also told Punch that, although it had not been officially notified of the development, it would reach out to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to explore ways to resolve the issue.

The embassy stated, “The High Commission has noted the publication but has not been officially communicated to. We will liaise with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter.”

An official at the Sierra Leone Embassy said they were unaware of the issue and would verify the claim.

He noted, “I am not aware and I am not in the office now. On my return, I will inform my authorities to cross-check.”

Concerning the claims by some embassies that they were not indebted to the FCTA, spokesman for the FCT minister, Lere Olayinka, stated, “This claim will be promptly investigated and appropriate action will be taken.”

Commenting on the development, a former Nigerian ambassador to Mexico, Ogbole Amedu-Ode, referenced the 1961 Vienna Convention and urged caution.

“For the diplomatic premises, if we are to go by the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations, the premises of a diplomatic mission are inviolable,” he submitted.

“But that is not to say that they are not supposed to obey local municipal rules and regulations or the rules and regulations governing such things as relate to property ownership. However, there may be a caveat,” Amedu-Ode said.

He suggested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle the matter diplomatically.

“It is a question of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looking at each one on a bilateral basis and implementing it on a reciprocal basis,” the ex-envoy stated

A senior Naval officer (name withheld) undergoing a course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna State, was gruesomely murdered on Saturday, June 7, 2025, near the Kawo Flyover Bridge in Kaduna while attempting to fix a flat tyre on his vehicle.

Military sources said the officer, a senior course student at AFCSC Jaji, had stopped at a bus stop close to the bridge on his way back to Jaji, to change a deflated tyre when the tragic incident occurred.

According to eyewitness accounts, the officer was accosted by an unidentified assailant who demanded his mobile phone. When the officer resisted, he was stabbed in the chest with a locally made knife.

“The attacker appeared suddenly and asked for his phone. When the officer refused, he was stabbed in the chest,” a source said.

The wounded officer was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His body has since been deposited at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital mortuary in Kaduna.

In a further twist, a local vigilante, Suleiman Dahiru, who attempted to intervene during the altercation, was also stabbed in the hand by the attacker. The assailant, however, was overpowered by a crowd that gathered at the scene.

The assailant was mobbed to death by the crowd who gathered at the scene.

“A local vigilante who witnessed the scene tried to help but was also stabbed. The assailant was eventually overpowered and killed on the spot by passersby,” another source confirmed.

Spokesman of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Lt. Col. Umar Adamu, confirmed the incident, noting that investigations were ongoing to determine the full details surrounding the officer’s death

Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has offered US president Donald Trump the chance to live in his house for a week to experience the reality of the war in Ukraine.

After Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Trump vowed to end the conflict “within 24 hours” of his presidency if he was elected for a second time.

However, the 78-year-old has been unable to do so and has blamed Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky for “starting the war”.

Usyk, who dedicated his victory against Anthony Joshua in 2022 to the people of Ukraine, says Trump can live in his house for a week to better understand the situation in his country.

“I advise American President Donald Trump to come to Ukraine and live in my house for one week,” Usyk told BBC Sport.

“Only one week. I will give him my house

The family of the late highlife icon, Mike Ejeagha, has disclosed that they buried the 95-year-old musician barely a day after his death in order to honour his uncompromising final wish.

Ejeagha, popular for his hit classic “Gwo Gwo Ngwo,” died after a prolonged illness on Friday night, June 6, 2025.

By Saturday morning, he was laid to rest in his country home at Umuagba, Imezi-Owa, in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State — in line with his personal instructions.

Speaking on Sunday, the musician’s eldest son, Emmanuel, disclosed that his father had made a wish and warned them not to embalm him after his death.

He added that his father sternly instructed him, as the first son, that when he passed on, nobody should embalm him. 

“I contacted members of my family and informed them that my father made a wish that he should be laid to rest 24 hours after his death.

“I also summoned a meeting of my kindred and we discussed extensively. Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah was informed about it and they all consented that whatever was his wish should be kept.

“There are a lot of consequential results if an elder said something and otherwise was done,” Emmanuel said.

He also disclosed that the veteran musician’s funeral ceremony would be announced soon.

Born Michael Ifeanyichukwu Ejeagha in Enugu in 1930, the self-styled folklore custodian spent more than six decades collecting proverbs and idioms, weaving them into guitar-driven narratives that preserved Igbo oral tradition

Historic Italian football club Brescia will cease to exist after 114 years following its owner’s decision not to honour a debt of three million euros.

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Italian businessman Massimo Cellino has owned the Lombardy club since 2017.

Cellino was previously the owner of English side Leeds, where he was principally known for his swing door policy of managerial ins-and-outs and his problems with the courts.

The 68-year-old had until Friday to pay part of Brescia’s eight million euros in tax arrears and other overdue tax.

Brescia’s failure to pay the sum has resulted in the club losing the right to take part in the Italian league system. 

The club were deducted four points by the tribunal of the Italian football federation (FIGC) for their financial woes.

As a result of this sanction, Brescia, who finished the Serie B season in 15th place with 43 points, dropped to 18th place on 39 points – resulting in relegation to the third-tier Serie C.

Brescia spent 23 seasons in the top flight, most recently in 2019-20, with their best performance being an eighth-place finish in 2000-2001.

Famous past servants of the club include Italian internationals Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Altobelli, Andrea Pirlo and Luca Toni, as well as current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola who played there in 2001-02 and 2003

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed a new law that would require immigrants to wait ten years before becoming eligible for government benefits or obtaining a British passport.

In a new article for Daily Mail, the UK politician born to  Nigerian parents, urged the government to only issue social benefits to immigrants after ten years.

Read excerpts of the article below: "The issue of immigration is a clear one for the Conservative Party: it must be tackled in all forms, legal and illegal.

"This is a matter of fairness. Britain increasingly appears to favour those who break the rules, arriving illegally and then disregarding the customs and values of the country. Meanwhile, those who work hard and follow the law are left to cover the cost.

"Public awareness is high regarding the billions spent on housing asylum seekers in hotels. Less widely known is that low-paid immigrants and refugees can qualify for ‘indefinite leave to remain’ after just five years. This status allows them access to benefits such as social housing and Universal Credit—regardless of whether they’ve contributed through taxes or lived off the state.

"Such a policy undermines the contributions of British citizens who have paid into the system and played by the rules. It is fundamentally unfair, and reform is essential.

"The Labour Government recently voted against a proposed Deportation Bill that would have taken steps to address these issues. The bill aimed to implement a strict cap on immigration and extend the waiting period to claim benefits or apply for citizenship from five to ten years. It also sought to prevent anyone who had claimed benefits from receiving indefinite leave to remain and would have enabled the government to revoke settled status from those convicted of crimes.

"The bill was designed to protect the integrity of the benefits system and ensure a fairer immigration process. Yet it was blocked, much like previous attempts to address illegal immigration—such as the plan to deport offenders to Rwanda, which became tied up in lengthy legal challenges.

"Legal obstacles have consistently derailed other initiatives. Reforms to the welfare system proposed by former Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride, which could have saved £5 billion, were similarly stalled in court, giving the current government the justification to abandon them.

"This growing trend—where legal action is used to obstruct democratic policymaking—is known as lawfare. Even when unsuccessful, it creates delays and costs that stifle government action and erode public confidence. The country risks becoming paralyzed by its own legal framework.

"To address this, a commission has been established under the leadership of Lord Wolfson KC and the shadow solicitor general Helen Grant. Their task is to determine whether essential reforms—like controlling borders, protecting public resources, and restoring fairness—can be enacted while remaining a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

"If the commission concludes that meaningful reform is not possible within the ECHR, then a withdrawal may be necessary. This would be done with careful consideration to safeguard basic human rights.The greater danger lies in allowing lawfare to weaken the nation—making it less fair, less safe, and less democratic. There is a clear commitment to uphold British values, protect democracy, and ensure the interests of citizens come first."

As the 2027 elections approach, Dr. Umar Tanko Yakasai, Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group (TSG), has dismissed concerns over a proposed opposition coalition aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu, asserting that the alliance is unlikely to succeed.

Dr. Yakasai also said Nigerians will not trust the coalition because of their antecedents.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja at the weekend, Yakasai dismissed talks of Nigeria becoming a one-party state because of the gale of defections to Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, noting that some of the party’s members have also defected to the opposition as allowed by democracy and constitutional freedom of association.

Dr. Yakasai said the politicians forming a coalition against the President are distrusted by Nigerians because they failed in the past when given the opportunity to govern the country as they instead created a mess that Tinubu is now trying to clear and put Nigeria on a path of development.

According to him: “In Nigeria, we have seen that after every election, the losers tend to cry the loudest even when they performed abysmally when given the opportunity to serve the people. What the APC has come to do is clear the mess of past misgovernance by the Peoples Democratic Party for 16 years.

“You can remember that it was in this country that $16 billion meant for power infrastructure went missing; it was in this country that we had the Halliburton scandal for which an American senator was jailed, but collaborators in Nigeria have not faced the law.

“So APC has come to correct these things done by PDP. Most of them who held sway since 1999 — and I know them well, performed badly and now that President Tinubu has come to rectify their misgovernance, instead of supporting him, they are the ones forming a coalition to try and take power again after Nigerians have driven them out.

“We know their antecedents, and they are just a coalition with an interest in becoming President. It is easy for coalitions to meet because of their interests, but when it comes time to agree, they will naturally disagree because that is in their character. In any case, when the coalition meets, many of its members have been moving into APC in droves.

“So, seeing the coalition of opposition being gradually depleted, you wonder if you should have sleepless nights. And I believe Nigerians will not believe what these leaders are saying because they know their true colours as they do not intend to govern for the interests of the masses. I do not think whatever they are doing should worry us”, Yakasai said.

Highlighting Tinubu’s achievements since he assumed office in 2023, Yakasai, who supervises scores of other support groups with millions of members across the country, declared that “the first major achievement of this administration is to do away with the unsustainable fuel subsidy that became a monster consuming resources, billions of Naira, that would have been used for national development but ended up in the pockets of a few individuals.

“The second thing is that streamlining of the parallel foreign exchange market, which hitherto saw a few connected persons doing round-tripping — getting foreign currency from the Central Bank and instead of using it for manufacturing or industry, they go and sell to forex dealers in the black market.

“So, these two major measures which President Tinubu took in May 2023 when he assumed office, put a brake to the destruction of Nigeria’s economic system.”

On what Nigerians should expect from the Tiinubu administration in the remaining first term, he said: “They should exercise patience and continue to support President Tinubu. I can guarantee them that by the time the various policies take full effect, Nigerians will have a lot of benefits in terms of road network, health infrastructure, education, security, and significant improvement in the economy.

“Also, you can’t start reforms and stop them midway, some of them require continuity for them to fully mature. Nigerians should remember that even other presidential candidates had equally promised to remove the petrol subsidy, but the problem is that they would not have managed the consequences as professionally as President Tinubu is doing.

“So, Nigerians should be patient and In sha Allah, there will be more progress and it is only when you guarantee continuity that you will see full results and manifest success in next two years; moreso when President Bola Tinubu comes back for a second term.”