THE crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, announced plans to conduct parallel state congresses and a national convention to elect officials across party structures. News Point Nigeria reporta that the development was confirmed on Sunday by the factional Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, during the opening session of the BoT meeting held at Wike’s official residence in Life Camp, Abuja. Ohuabunwa revealed that the Wike-aligned bloc had already begun reorganising PDP structures in states plagued by leadership…
Author: Farouk Abbas
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THE Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has visited the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet pilots who ejected from their aircraft after experiencing an in-flight emergency near NAF Base Kainji. News Point Nigeria reports that Aneke met with the aircrew to check on their wellbeing and to commend their professionalism and quick decision-making, which ensured they landed safely despite the aircraft’s failure. The jet crashed a few kilometres from the Karabonde town in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday. In a post on Facebook on Sunday, the Air Force said the Alpha Jet suffered…
THE Federal Government has quietly withdrawn one of its presidential aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ), from the international market after prospective buyers made offers far below the jet’s expected value, senior presidency and security officials have confirmed to this newspaper. News Point Nigeria reports that according to officials familiar with the matter, the marketing company handling the sale delisted the aircraft after it became clear that bids from interested buyers were “nowhere close” to what the government considered acceptable. Some offers reportedly came in as low as $10 million, a figure insiders say grossly undervalues the 20-year-old aircraft,…
FORMER National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has formally withdrawn his membership from the party. In a letter shared on his X page sighted by News Point Nigeria on Saturday, which was addressed to the PDP Chairman of Okekoko Ward (09), Kabba/Bunu Local Government, Kogi State, Ologbondiyan thanked the party leadership for the opportunities provided during his tenure and service. He said, “Let me start by thanking you as well as other levels of leadership in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the opportunities provided for me to serve the party as well as our…
THE Supreme Court on Friday struck out a suit filed by Osun State Government that sought to compel the Federal Government to release withheld allocations belonging to local government areas in the state. News Point Nigeria reports that a seven-member panel of the apex court, in a split decision of six to one, held that the legal action brought by the Attorney General of Osun State lacked competence. According to Vanguard on Friday, in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, the court held that the LGCs of Osun state lacked the locus standi to activate the Supreme Court’s…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a list of 68 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for approval, signalling a major reshuffle of Nigeria’s diplomatic corps. News Point Nigeria reports that the list, read during Thursday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, comprises 34 career diplomats, 31 non-career appointees, and three candidates previously cleared by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. The President is seeking swift confirmation to enable Nigeria to fill several key foreign missions. According to the letter, the appointments aim to strengthen Nigeria’s international representation and reposition its diplomatic engagements. The Senate has referred the list to the…
THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed a judgment of a Federal High Court Abuja, which barred the Directorate of Road Traffic Services, also called VIO, from further stopping, impounding, or confiscating vehicles on the road and imposing fines on motorists. News Point Nigeria reports that in a unanimous judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court resolved the three issues identified for determination against the appellant, the Directorate of Road Traffic Services. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, held that the appeal was without merit. Justice Oyewumi further awarded a cost of N1m against the appellant and…
THE US-based aviation marketing firm overseeing the sale of Nigeria’s presidential Boeing 737-700 Business Jet has quietly withdrawn the aircraft from its online listing, raising fresh questions about the status of the long-running disposal process. The jet, part of the Presidential Air Fleet (PAF) and purchased in 2005 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo for $43 million was listed by the Federal Government in July 2025 as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cost-cutting and fleet rationalisation plan. However, months after it was put up for sale, the jet has disappeared from the sales platform managed by JetHQ, the contracted broker.…
IMMEDIATE past Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, has debunked reports suggesting he resigned in protest of military operations authorised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that the President is fully aware of the genuine reasons behind his exit from office. News Point Nigeria reports that Badaru tendered his resignation on Monday night, citing health challenges. President Tinubu accepted the resignation and swiftly announced former Defence Chief, General Christopher Musa, as his successor. However, the development sparked a wave of online speculation, including a viral claim alleging that Badaru stepped down because he “could not stand and watch the U.S. and…
THE National Economic Council (NEC) has approved the sum of ₦100 billion, subject to a final ratification by President Bola Tinubu, for rehabilitation of training institutions for police and other security agencies in across Nigeria News Point Nigeria reports that this followed recommendations by the adhoc committee earlier constituted to assess the state of police and security agencies’ training institution nationwide. At its 154th meeting held virtually on Wednesday and chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, NEC also approved the sum of ₦2.6 billion for consultancy services for the project. President Tinubu had at the 152nd meeting of NEC in…
FORMER Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mike Ejiofor, has raised concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s directive to transfer VIP protection duties from the police to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Ejiofor, in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria, insisted the corps neither has the manpower nor the training to take on such a sensitive role. The security expert said the directive, although well-intentioned, poses operational challenges for the NSCDC. “The NSCDC does not have the capacity; they are not trained for it. They don’t have the numbers to…
THE National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) has adjourned the arraignment of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, and the Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), Maj-Gen Abdulmalik Jibrin (rtd), to March 31, 2026, pending the outcome of a police investigation ordered by the court. News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Sinmisola Adeniyi, presiding over Court 5 of the NICN in Abuja, issued the adjournment on Monday after ruling that the proper procedure required a police investigation report before the defendants could take their pleas. Both officials are facing a…
SENIOR Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Oshodi, has described the ambassadorial nominees as the best for Tinubu’s administration. News Point Nigeria reports that Oshodi faulted the criticism against names on the list, maintaining that the President had the right to appoint whoever he felt could work with him to move the country forward. “This is the best the President has seen for the interests of his administration and for Nigeria. I can tell you that whether you accept it or anybody else accepts it, it is his discretion. “And we’ll see at the…
THE Presidency has called on Nigerians to actively help monitor compliance with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to withdraw police escorts for VIPs. The appeal was made by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Daniel Bwala, during an interview on TVC monitored by News Point Nigeria on Sunday, where he highlighted the administration’s commitment to enforcing the order and urged citizens to document any violations. “If you identify a celebrity, a private sector person, or any individual who has police against the executive order of the president, as much as you can, capture evidence, whether a photograph or…
A FRESH round of political back-and-forth has erupted after Umar D. Duhu, a former member of the APC National Working Committee, issued a rejoinder countering comments made by Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, ex-Political Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. News Poiint Nigeria reports that Baba-Ahmed had publicly suggested that President Tinubu should not seek re-election in 2027, arguing that the President has not demonstrated the urgency or “hunger” expected of a leader determined to fix Nigeria. The controversy began on Sunday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where Baba-Ahmed said President Tinubu appeared to have “achieved his life ambition”…
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the Bola Tinubu administration following reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) spent ₦17.5 trillion in just one year on securing fuel pipelines. He described the spending as “unprecedented and alarming.” In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Atiku Media Office on Sunday, Atiku called the revelation “one of the most brazen financial scandals in our nation’s history.” The statement drew a comparison between the alleged pipeline security expenditure and Nigeria’s fuel subsidy, which cost the country approximately ₦18 trillion over a 12-year period. Atiku pointed out that…
THE operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have dismantled a social media drug network responsible for the distribution of illicit substances packaged as imported christmas cookies and snack in Lekki area of Lagos state. Disclosing this in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said two individuals suspected to be the masterminds behind the operation were arrested in Lagos. “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have uncovered and dismantled a social media network used to distribute illicit substances packaged as imported Christmas cookies and snacks with two masterminds…
NIGERIA’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is unhappy with President Bola Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees’ list, specifically questioning his inclusion of the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu. PDP’s concerns were contained in a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the party’s spokesman, Ini Ememobong, who described the list of 32 ambassadorial nominees as scandalous. “Specifically, we convey the disappointment of many right-thinking Nigerians on the nomination of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate-past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose administration of our electoral umpire was characterised by countless…
FORMER Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has confirmed his release from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after honouring an invitation by the anti-graft agency for questioning. Malami disclosed this in a statement personally signed and posted on his official X handle on Saturday seen by News Point Nigeria, noting that the engagement with investigators was “successful” and that a fresh appointment had been scheduled for continuation of the inquiry. The former AGF, who has faced multiple allegations relating to his time in office, said he remained calm and confident…
THE Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has said that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is the only political party that can salvage Nigeria from its current economic and security woes. News Point Nigeria reports that Atiku was speaking during the inauguration of the Taraba State office of the ADC in Jalingo, the state capital. According to the former vice president, he and other politicians have tasted membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and other political parties and realised that they do not have what it takes to take Nigeria out of its current quagmire.…