Five former members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have failed to clinch the All Progressives Congress (APC) local government chairmanship tickets ahead of the July 12, 2025, elections.

The lawmakers, including Rotimi Olowo (Somolu LGA), Yinka Ogundimu (Agege LGA), Hakeem Sokunle (Oshodi-Isolo LGA), Fatai Oluwa (Ajeromi/Ifelodun LGA), and Avoseh (Badagry LG), were unsuccessful in securing the party’s nomination.

The party held its primary elections last Saturday at its secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, where candidates for the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos were selected.

The local government elections will be held across the state on Saturday, July 12.

Kosofe LGA Chairman, Moyosore Ogunlewe, emerged victorious in the primary, securing a second term ticket after other candidates withdrew in his favour. Ogunlewe’s unopposed win signified a strong endorsement from party members in the area.

Among the other successful candidates, Lawal Jakande, son of the late former Lagos State Governor, Lateef Jakande, won the Odi-Olowo ticket.

Usman Hamzat, the current chairman of Ifako-Ijaiye LGA, also secured his nomination for re-election, paving the way for his participation in the upcoming local government elections.

Full List of Local Government Candidates

Olalekan Aroyewu (Igbogbo)

Rossini Oluyemisi (Ojokoro)

Akindipe Olamilekan (Ajeromi-Ifelodun)

Okeowo Oluremi (Ifelodun)

Yusuf Sule (Surulere)

Ogidan Azeez (Coker-Aguda)

Tola Oyedele (Agboyi-Ketu)

Taoheed Taiwo (Ejigbo)

Muibi Alade (Lagos Island-East)

Sanusi Ismail (Amuwo-Odofin)

Rufai Muibat (Ojo)

Taiwo Oyekan (Lagos Island)

Wale Ameen (Ikorodu-North)

Samsideen Agunbiade (Eti-Osa East)

Other notable winners include:

Hunkpe Babatunde (Badagry)

Sura Animashaun (Epe)

Olasoju Adebayo Babatunde (Isolo)

Sesan Olowa (Ibeju-Lekki)

Anomo Adewale (Ikosi-Ejirin)

Ibrahim Rauf (Badagry-West)

Ladega Adedayo (Ikorodu)

Rasak Oloyede (Oriade)

Abiodun Akinola (Orile-Agege)

Ashimi Lateef (Shomolu)

Bada Abolanle (Ikosi-Isheri)

Oloyede Kehinde (Oshodi-Isolo)

Sunday Benson (Imota)

Kazeem Sulaimon (Ikorodu-West)

Sebanjo Idowu (Apapa)

Ajose Peter (Olorunda LCDA)

Ismail Monsuru (Eredo)

Opeyemi Akindele (Mosan-Okunola)

Agbaje Abiodun (Ayobo-Ipaja)

Akinpelu Ibrahim (Alimosho)

Jimoh Olawale Saliu (Apapa-Iganmu)

Bukola Omofe (Bariga)

Aruwe Tubosun (Mushin)

Olusegun Odumbaku (Ojodu)

Balogun Idris (Egbe-Idimu)

Akinsanya (Igando-Ikotun)

Hakeem Dauda (Ikeja)

Moyo Adebanjo (Onigbongbo)

Tunde Azeez (Agege)

Akinpelu Ibrahim (Alimosho)

Omooba Adeola (Eti-Osa)

Amid the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has suggested that the party is in Intensive Care Unit, ICU.

Suswan claimed that many people are waiting to see the ultimate end of the party.

He stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions on Arise Television’s Morning Show programme. 

The statement comes a few days after the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike made a surprise appearance at the party’s high-stakes expanded Governors’ Forum meeting in Abuja.

Wike’s appearance marks his first attendance of a PDP function in months amid heightened tensions and defections rocking the opposition Party.

However, the Ex-governor said it was incumbent upon the governors elected on the platform of the PDP to ensure that the party is rescued.

He said: “It is incumbent upon the PDP governors to ensure that the party is rescued. Many people are waiting to see the ultimate end of the party. Whether there will be light at the end of the tunnel through the intervention of Sen. Saraki remains to be seen in the coming days. For now, the PDP is in the hospital, currently in the ICU, but it can be saved if the proper medicines are taken.”

Petroleum marketers and retailers said Dangote Refinery’s latest premium motor spirit ex-depot price reduction on Monday would lead to a retail price drop across filling stations nationwide.

DAILY POST reports that on Monday, the 650,000 barrels per day refinery based in Lekki, Lagos State, offered customers a N10 refund on PMS bought at N835 per litre.

The N10 refund was confirmed by the National Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria and the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, on Monday in separate interviews. 

The latest drop in gantry price of Dangote petrol implies that the refinery’s partnering filling stations, such as MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Hyde, and Techno Oil filling stations, would adjust their petrol pumps in the coming days.

DAILY POST gathered that MRS and other partnering filling stations with Dangote Refinery currently sell their petrol at N910 per litre as of Monday evening.

A staff member of MRS fillings along Kubwa Expressway, Abuja, told DAILY POST correspondent that the petrol outlet would review downward its fuel pump at N900 per litre between Wednesday and Thursday this week.

“We would start selling our petrol at a new price of N900 per litre between Wednesday and Thursday,” he told DAILY POST anonymously.

An impeccable source at NNPCL, who preferred anonymity said the state-owned firm may further relax its petrol price to around N880 or N900 per litre in the coming days.

Efforts to contact Dangote Group’s spokesperson, Anthony Chiejiena to speak on the fresh petrol price review were unsuccessful as of the time of filing the report.

Meanwhile, DAILY POST reports Dangote Refinery has reduced its petrol price at least three times since the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, renewed its naira-for-crude deal with the $20 billion refinery on April 9.

On April 10, the refinery dropped the ex-depot petrol price to N865 per litre from N880.

Days after, Dangote Refinery announced a second petrol price reduction to N835 per litre from N865.

Thereafter, the refinery’s latest price dropped to N825.

Reacting, IPMAN National Secretary, James Tor said the petrol price reviews have become common following the deregulation of the country’s downstream petroleum sector.

According to him, a reduction in Dangote refinery petrol prices is most likely to have a ripple effect across the market.

“Our members are used to price reduction; this is because the prices of premium motor spirits are determined by market forces since we have accepted deregulation of the sector.

“We buy from MRS, NIPCO, NNPC, and others, so if there is a decrease in PMS price at their end, it will cut across,” he told DAILY POST.

Speaking on the partnership between NNPCL’s new management, led by Bayo Ojulari, and the Dangote Group, he said it would stabilise the country’s petrol market.

“It will stabilise the downstream petroleum market. It means that the industry will have a sense of direction,” he added.

Also, PETROAN’s president, Gillis-Harry, lamented the continued petrol price instability as a result of Dangote Refinery’s incessant price cuts.

Meanwhile, he said the petrol price would be reviewed downwards across the board in response to Dangote Refinery’s latest price cut.

“The thing is that the constant up-and-down movement of petrol prices really needs to be paid attention to.

“The stability of the industry is based on consistent prices. I don’t think the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is saying we just wake up and see the new price.

“Probably, it is a strategy to have the biggest market share. Even at that, there must be capital to be able to buy products.

“Certainly, there will be a change in the prices of PMS across the board. But this is artificial. That is the challenge.

“We should allow the market forces to determine prices. There is a style of business that is aimed at capturing the market with heavy investment.

“PETROAN welcomes the relationship and applauds it, provided it will make Nigeria better and boost the access to energy,” he told DAILY POST.

The development comes as the price of Brent and WTI crude blends fell to $64.72 and $61.72 as of 3:47 am on Tuesday morning, according to oilprice.com.

Recall that last week, Dangote Group president, Aliko Dangote and his team visited the new management of NNPCL.

The Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, says it has commenced admission process for all applicants of the 77 Regular Course

In a statement posted on X, the Academy urged candidates who applied and participated in the 2025 Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, and selected NDA as their first choice to take note of the following information:

It said, ”candidates must have scored a minimum of 180 in the UTME for all courses, except engineering courses, which requires a minimum score of 210.

”Only candidates that meet these minimum scores will be eligible to select a centre and participate in the NDA Screening Test

”NDA Screening Test is scheduled to take place nationwide on 24 May 2025, successful candidates from the screening test will later be invited for the Armed Forces Selection Board at the NDA, where they will undergo comprehensive medical, physical, mental evaluations and other tests.

”The final list of admitted candidates will be published in national dailies or on NDA website.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been told to dump Kashim Shettima for a Christian vice presidential candidate with national spread in the coming 2027 general election.

A Nigerian activist and president of the North Central Youth Council, Sunday Asuku, made this known in a statement on Monday.

He explained that Tinubu’s choice of a VP may make or break his re-election bid in 2027.

 

Asuku claimed that Shettima’s replacement with a Christian candidate would serve not just as a matter of symbolism but as a deeply strategic, ethical, and stabilising move for the future of Nigeria’s democracy.

The activist further explained that Tinubu needs to consider a Christian VP in 2027 on the grounds of religious balancing, the fallout of the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023, and national unity, inclusivity, and diversity.

“The 2027 elections will not only be a referendum on Tinubu’s performance; they will be a test of Nigeria’s commitment to unity, equity, and national cohesion. The choice of a Christian vice president should not be seen as a concession but as a strategic, ethical, and unifying decision.

“Religious balance in leadership is not an outdated relic — it is a living necessity in Nigeria’s plural society. Tinubu’s opportunity to correct the 2023 imbalance and make a bold statement of inclusion must not be missed,” he stated.

An ex-chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, has lamented what he described as the growing pattern of unwarranted attacks on former Labour Party LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, by senior government officials.

This was as he noted that while Nigerian politicians talk about him, Obi talks only about Nigeria’s undeserving condition.

Amadi, in a commentary he shared on his official X account, observed that it has become a troubling trend for members of the present administration to frequently target Obi, despite his consistent focus on Nigeria’s dire socio-economic realities, rather than on personalities. 

The former NERC chairman cited the recent criticisms from the Presidency, the Governor of Lagos State, and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio as examples of this misplaced focus.

DAILY POST reports that Obi had recently stated that the “labour of our heroes past has gone in vain”-a sobering reflection on the country’s current state of affairs.

The observation was met with a sharp rebuke from Senator Akpabio, who accused the former governor of Anambra State of being disrespectful and dishonouring the legacy of Nigeria’s founding fathers.

Lagos State Governor had also lashed out at Obi, reacting to comments he made during a recent foreign engagement, where he critiqued the country’s economic trajectory.

In the same vein, the Presidency had earlier dismissed Obi’s ideas and proposals on governance and economic reform. Amadi, however, offered a counter-narrative, arguing that while the political elite expend significant energy attacking Obi, the man himself remains resolutely focused on Nigeria’s structural challenges and the urgent need for reform.

“If elections were a purely rational exercise, Peter Obi is so far the only candidate who ought to be elected”, Amadi stated.

He bemoaned what he called the disproportionate attention paid to Obi by high-ranking government figures, asserting that Obi has steered clear of personal attacks and has, instead, consistently advanced a vision for national renewal rooted in prudence, accountability, and economic revitalisation.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the implementation of a Group Life Assurance Scheme for government workers, paramilitary personnel, and other uniformed services.

This move, according to the Head of Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, underscores the administration’s commitment to the welfare of federal employees.

While briefing State House correspondents on Monday after the sixth FEC meeting of the year, Walson-Jack explained that the insurance scheme aims to provide a life policy for every public servant.

In the unfortunate event of a worker’s death, the next-of-kin would receive benefits to help cushion the financial impact on the family.

“This scheme underscores the importance that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has placed on the welfare of federal workers.

“This year, the group life assurance scheme covers key government officials, including the President, the Vice-President, the Chief of Staff, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,” Walson-Jack stated.

The scheme will also extend to other senior government officials, such as ministers, permanent secretaries, and staff of federal government ministries and treasury-funded agencies.

Additionally, personnel in paramilitary agencies such as the Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Correctional Service, Federal Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Office of the National Security Adviser will benefit from the coverage.

Walson-Jack further revealed that the Group Life Assurance Scheme would be an annual policy, with the 2025/2026 policy year being the first to be implemented.

The policy will take effect from the date of premium payment to the underwriters in line with the “no premium, no cover” policy. The approval by the FEC was granted for the appointment of 17 insurance underwriters for the scheme.

“The premium will be paid to the insurance companies for 12 months. Therefore, this policy will expire in 2026,” she said.

Nigeria’s former Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, has stated that Africa is currently experiencing its most severe debt crisis in 80 years, highlighting that this economic turmoil is coupled with a concerning rise in insecurity.
Osinbajo made this remark on Monday, May 12, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he noted that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 55 million additional Africans have fallen into poverty, with 39 million experiencing extreme poverty.

Osinbajo pointed out that youth unemployment is alarmingly high, with nearly a quarter of young Africans not engaged in education, employment, or training.

He emphasised that 20 out of the 39 African nations eligible for concessional borrowing are either at high risk of or already facing debt distress.

Furthermore, Osinbajo remarked that elections alone do not equate to democracy, asserting that ‘True democracy provides dignity – ensuring food security, access to education for children, safety in our communities, and a hopeful future.’

The former Nigerian Vice President delivered these remarks as the keynote speaker at a colloquium celebrating the 61st birthday of President Julius Maada Bio, addressing the theme: ‘From Vision to Impact: The People-Centred Leadership Model.’

Osinbajo urged African leaders to embrace a governance approach that prioritises the needs and voices of the majority, especially those at the lowest socio-economic levels, in the policymaking process.

This, he said, “is a call to reimagine leadership – not as the power to rule, but as the duty to serve.”

Across Africa, Osinbajo said, countries were striving for structural transformation while grappling with growing poverty, unemployment, and debt.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 55 million more Africans have slipped into poverty, with 39 million falling into extreme poverty. Youth unemployment is staggering, with up to a quarter of young Africans neither in education, employment, nor training.

“Simultaneously, 20 of the 39 African countries eligible for concessional borrowing are at high risk of, or already in debt distress. Africa is in the throes of the worst debt crisis in 80 years. This economic distress is accompanied by an alarming surge in insecurity,” Osinbajo said.

The Sahel, Osinbajo lamented, “has become home to the world’s fastest growing and deadliest terrorist groups, accounting for nearly half of deaths from global terrorism. West Africa alone is reeling from waves of insurgencies, armed banditry, and kidnappings. Add to this the democratic backsliding we are witnessing—coup d’états in Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Niger.”

These reversals, Osinbajo argued, “threaten the democratic progress we made in the early 2000s. And disturbingly, segments of society are becoming more accepting of unconstitutional changes because they feel democracy has failed to improve their lives.

“The reality is stark: a growing number of Africans, especially young people, feel alienated, angry, and unseen. From the #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernance protests in Nigeria to the 15 Gen Z uprising in Kenya, there is a mounting frustration with governance.

“Voter turnout is declining. Extremist groups exploit the despair of the jobless. And across the continent, people question whether government exists for them at all.”

But it is not all gloom and doom, according to Osinbajo.

Majority Of Africans Do Not Like Military Rule – Osinbajo Claims

Speaking further, Osinbajo asserted that the majority of Africans do not cherish military rule.

“The good news is that the vast majority of our people do not want military rule. In 2023, the UNDP conducted a Perception Survey of 8,000 African citizens in order to better understand how citizens felt about military coups. A key question they asked was what their preferred option for governance was.

“Most citizens said that democracy remained their preferred style of government. In fact, only 11% of the citizens in countries that had experienced unconstitutional changes of government preferred non-democratic forms of government.

“So, the issue is not democracy, it is how the political practitioners of democracy can ensure that the government of the people by the people for the people does not forget the aches and pains of the people.

“To make people-centred governance work we must move decisively from top-down elite focused strategies to bottom-up, inclusive development. But the first requirement is political will. Is government at the highest level committed to governance that ensures that the bottom of the pyramid will be the first consideration in policy and planning?

“Indeed, the distinguishing feature of states that have grown successfully and nurtured democracy is leadership that has a vision for society and that can effectively demonstrate its commitment to growth, social development and the provision of public services. So, the leadership class must reframe the national discourse and come up with a mobilising idea for society such as an ideology of democratic development,” Osinbajo reiterated.

During his address at the event attended by government officials, diplomats, civil society leaders, and politicians, President Bio emphasised his key leadership objectives, which include enhancing human capital development, advancing gender equality, and fortifying democratic institutions.

He assured that the colloquium would become an annual event aimed at stimulating discussions on leadership rooted in good governance and the rule of law, not only in Sierra Leone but throughout the African continent.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has given the green light for the creation of MediPool, a national group purchasing organisation aimed at reducing the cost of critical medicines and healthcare supplies across Nigeria.

According to Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, this move is designed to make quality medicines more accessible to Nigerians while also supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Speaking after the FEC meeting, Pate explained that the initiative will function as a public-private partnership, using the federal government’s purchasing strength to negotiate lower prices from suppliers.

“So it’s using the monopsony power of government as a large buyer of those commodities to negotiate lower prices and then channel those commodities,” he said.

The scope of the initiative, according to Pate, includes procurement planning, supply chain logistics, distribution oversight, regulatory compliance, and quality control. In addition, the program will support domestic pharmaceutical production by promoting import substitution and encouraging investment in local manufacturing.

“It also covers import substitution, financial management and payment systems, capacity building and training, and contingency planning to ensure steady availability of essential drugs through public-private partnership,” thd Minister stated.

He noted that MediPool has already undergone scrutiny from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and has been benchmarked against similar purchasing models in countries like Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.

“We believe that this is a major intervention that will shape the domestic market, so that the demand for quality pharmaceuticals can be channelled in a way that lowers cost and also improves quality and stimulates local manufacturing,” he added.

According to Pate, the administration has been working for more than a year to find strategies to ease the burden of rising drug prices on Nigerians.

“It’s not limited to Nigeria. As you may be aware, even countries as far as the United States are placing executive orders to reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals,” he said.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order aimed at slashing the cost of prescription drugs by as much as 30 to 80 percent.

Health experts warn that if pharmaceutical companies react to such price controls by adjusting supply chains or increasing prices elsewhere, countries like Nigeria may face challenges in accessing certain branded or specialised medicines.

In a separate development, the FEC also approved a ₦2.3 billion contract for the procurement and installation of a cardiac catheterisation lab at the Usman Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto.

Pate said the new equipment would strengthen the facility’s ability to detect and treat complex cardiovascular issues, including heart attacks and arrhythmias.