Author: David Akonuche

THE Nigeria Democratic Congress has released its timetable for the sale of nomination forms, screening of aspirants, and primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the party pegged its presidential nomination form at N60 million, comprising N20 million for the Expression of Interest form and N40 million for the nomination form. According to the timetable released by the party, governorship aspirants are expected to pay N30 million, which includes a N10 million Expression of Interest fee and N20 million nomination fee. In a statement jointly signed by the National Chairman of the party, Senator…

THE ruling All Progressives Congress appears to have opened the political space in Rivers State, with indications that the party is positioning a leader of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to play a decisive role in producing the party’s governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the development follows a closely watched screening exercise in which key ministerial allies, including former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and the Rivers State Commissioner for Works, Alabo Dakorinama George Kelly, were assessed by a screening committee chaired…

THE Kwara State Police Command said it recorded an operational breakthrough following the arrest of two suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and the recovery of firearms and ammunition within Ilorin metropolis. A Saturday statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, noted that the feat was achieved on 5th of May at about 1930hrs, when operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), trailed and apprehended the two suspects within Ilorin metropolis. Police preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects (names withheld), as part of efforts to evade security…

PETER Obi has confirmed that he is on his way out of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), citing deepening internal crises, political toxicity and what he described as the recurrence of the same challenges that plagued his experience in the Labour Party. In a personally signed statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, the former Anambra State governor said he arrived at the difficult decision after deep reflection, insisting that the move had become necessary despite what he called “every constraint.” “I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart… and felt compelled to…

THE Cross River State Government has confirmed a fresh COVID-19 case involving a Chinese national working with Lafarge in Akamkpa Local Government Area, while also identifying and isolating 10 persons who had direct contact with him as part of ongoing containment efforts. News Point Nigeria reports that according to the state epidemiologist, Dr. Inyang Ekpenyong, the 10 individuals were traced and placed under movement restriction after they were found to have interacted with the index case during health officials’ contact tracing exercise. She explained that the surveillance team had visited the workplace of the affected expatriate in Akamkpa as part…

THE Government of Cross River State has confirmed a fresh outbreak of COVID-19, with authorities linking the index case to a Chinese national working with Lafarge, raising renewed public health concerns in the state. News Point Nigeria reports that the state Commissioner for Health, Henry Ayuk, disclosed the development on Tuesday during a news conference in Calabar, the state capital. According to him, the first reported case involved a Chinese national employed by Lafarge, who arrived in Nigeria on March 17 before falling ill. The commissioner explained that the patient’s condition deteriorated while receiving care at a medical facility under…

A FORMER Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Uche Nnaji, alongside the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and other parties in a certificate forgery dispute, have commenced moves to resolve the matter out of court, effectively halting further proceedings in the case for now. News Point Nigeria reports that the latest development emerged on Monday during proceedings before Justice Hauwa Yilwa of the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the matter had been scheduled for the hearing of pending applications. Nnaji had initially approached the court in October 2025, following an investigation by Premium Times which alleged that he forged…

THE Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has approved the appointment of 16 directors to head various directorates of the organisation, in a move aimed at strengthening its operational efficiency and expanding its nationwide reach. News Point Nigeria reports that Uzodimma, who also serves as the Director General and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, announced the appointments on Friday, noting that the new leadership structure is designed to drive the organisation’s mandate of promoting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda across the country. The Renewed Hope Ambassadors initiative was conceptualised by President Tinubu in November 2025 as a…

THE Labour Party has officially zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the southern region of the country. News Point Nigeria reports that the party’s acting National Chairperson, Nenadi Usman, confirmed the decision during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday. “We have one certain decision that we have taken, and that is that we will certainly not field any aspirant from northern Nigeria. “We have zoned the position to Southern Nigeria. So if any northerner comes now to want to contest elections, we certainly will not accept that,” she said.

ANAMBRA State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has approved the appointment of Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake as the new Secretary to the State Government. News Point Nigeria reports that Nnake most recently served as the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning and as Chairman of Solution Fun City Limited. As commissioner, the 39-year-old led the effective mobilisation, planning, and allocation of state resources to drive socio-economic development. She also held key leadership roles across several state boards and initiatives, including the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, the Internal Revenue Service Board, and the Small Business Agency. “As the state’s Reform Champion…

THE presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has formally registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking a significant development in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that Obi completed his membership registration on Saturday in his hometown of Agulu, located in Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, where he also announced plans to challenge the recently passed Electoral Act 2026 in court. The former governor of Anambra State alleged that certain provisions contained in the new electoral law were deliberately designed…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Monday presented the certificate of registration to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, one of the two political parties the Commission recently registered. Protem National National Legal Adviser of NDC,  Barrister Reuben Egwuaba, who received the certificate on behalf of the party, said with the presentation, NDC joins the registered political parties “in the contention for provision of democratic leadership and contest for power in ways that would make Nigerians at home and the diaspora proud”. Said Mr. Egwuaba, “Today’s event marks the culmination of NDC’s long and tortuous fight for registration, a journey…

A BOARD member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has submitted fresh contractual terms, including a proposed increase in his monthly salary from $50,000 to $130,000, a package that would also cover his backroom staff. News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the request, which is subject to review and approval by the NFF’s technical committee and executive board, comes despite Chelle still having one year left on his current contract. Chelle’s future has become a subject of intense discussion following Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)…

THE presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has assured his supporters of his readiness to contest in the 2027 elections. News Point Nigeria reports that he spoke in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, at the OBIDIENT Conference and official declaration for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with the theme, “Activating the PO Effect in ADC”. Obi urged Nigerians to join hands with him to rescue Nigeria for the future generations, who, according to him, will suffer the consequences of bad governance going on in the country for decades. He alleged that he had in…

FOLLOWING the attack on Okporojo in Oso-Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, a joint security team comprising the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Police, Department of State Security, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps has discovered shallow graves containing mutilated bodies in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area. News Point Nigeria reports that the troops were deployed in direct response to the gruesome killings and beheadings of four individuals in Okporojo village. In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan-Ayeni, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, said the atrocities demanded urgent intervention to restore peace, protect…

THE Ebonyi State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of three children by suspected kidnappers. News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred on Saturday, at Nkwegu, opposite the Nkwegu Military Cantonment gate, in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. Police authorities said the parents of the abducted children reported the incident to them. The spokesman of the Ebonyi Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, said the three children included: one boy (aged 2), and two girls (aged 4 and 2 years). “Yes, we are aware of the incident. It happened in the early hours of February 7, which was Saturday,”…

VICE President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday unveiled a 25-year development blueprint for Nigeria’s South-East region, describing the zone as a central pillar of the country’s long-term economic future and a critical driver of national growth. News Point Nigeria reports that Shettima unveiled the blueprint at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum held in Enugu, where he announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of the South East Investment Company Limited to mobilise funding for the region’s development. According to the Vice President, the new investment vehicle will pool resources from the diaspora, capital markets, and development…

MONTHS after operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) raided his Abuja residence in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu, former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has yet to return to Nigeria, raising fresh concerns within security and anti-graft circles. Findings by this newspaper indicate that Sylva, who was later declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged $14,859,257 fraud, is now being trailed by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in collaboration with Nigerian security agencies. Senior officers of the Department of State…

THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday constituted a ” 50-Member Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee” chaired by Odigie Oyegun. Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s national publicity secretary, in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria, said the constitution of the Policy and Manifesto Committee, followed the approval by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, led by David Mark. The party revealed that this is in line with the party’s commitment to building a credible, people-centred, and forward-looking policy framework for national governance. The party had earlier constituted the Committees to review membership register and draft…

ANAMBRA State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has described as “delusional” the claim by some traders in the Onitsha Main Market that they do not open their shops on Mondays due to insecurity. News Point Nigeria reports that in a state broadcast on Wednesday, Governor Soludo maintained that the sit-at-home order ended in Anambra State in 2023, calling the continued failure of most traders to open their shops on Mondays an act of economic sabotage. “It could be said that since 2023, anybody saying he didn’t open the shop because of insecurity is just delusional,” Governor Soludo said. “Go round some other…