Author name: clickreportteam

Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has unveiled a plan to reduce the pump price of petrol to ₦200 per litre through increased domestic refining and greater government control over crude oil supply. Adebayo says Nigeria’s current petrol pricing system is unsustainable and could worsen poverty, inflation and the country’s economic challenges if it remains unchanged. Speaking on Arise News, he says the major weakness in the current system is the government’s limited control over petrol supply. He proposes that the government revive its publicly owned refineries and ensure that their output is mainly dedicated to the Nigerian market. Adebayo notes that Nigeria has four major government-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, but says they are not contributing adequately to domestic fuel supply. He says reducing petrol to ₦200 per litre would only be sustainable if Nigeria produces a significant portion of the fuel it consumes instead of depending heavily on imports. The SDP candidate also criticises the former subsidy system, arguing that subsidising imported petrol places a heavy burden on government finances. He proposes reserving part of Nigeria’s crude oil production for domestic refining to reduce exposure to international price fluctuations and pressure on consumers. Adebayo says government-owned refineries should be rehabilitated rather than sold, adding that he would seek agreements with competent operators to ensure they run efficiently. He also says private refineries would continue to play a role in the petroleum sector, particularly by producing for export, while government-owned facilities would focus on meeting domestic demand. According to Adebayo, restoring domestic refining capacity would help reduce dependence on imported fuel, lower petrol prices and ease the financial pressure on Nigerian households and businesses.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is facing growing internal crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections, as aggrieved members and defeated aspirants are defecting to opposition parties and seeking legal redress over primary election outcomes. The development comes nearly four months after the party’s 2026 primaries, with reconciliation efforts by the National Working Committee (NWC) failing to resolve disputes in several states. The party has set up reconciliation panels and sent peace missions to affected states, but some aggrieved members say the interventions have failed to provide a clear path back to political relevance. The crisis is worsened by changes to the Electoral Act, which have reduced the options previously available to politicians after losing party primaries. In past election cycles, defeated aspirants could sometimes be accommodated through consensus arrangements, deputy positions and other political compromises. Several of those leaving the APC have strong grassroots structures and loyal supporters, raising concerns that their defections could affect the party’s chances in governorship and National Assembly elections, as well as its wider electoral calculations. In Nasarawa, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, has defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party after losing the governorship primary. Kwara Senator Saliu Mustapha has also moved to the Peoples Democratic Party after being excluded from both the governorship and senatorial contests, taking his political structure with him. In Bauchi, Senator Shehu Umar Buba has left the APC following his defeat in the governorship primary. The APC Deputy State Chairman, Ibrahim Misau, alongside some ward and local government officials, has also joined the exodus. Cross River lawmaker Alex Egbona has defected to the PDP as he seeks a third term in the House of Representatives. The situation in Osun remains unsettled, with Senator Iyiola Omisore rejecting reconciliation efforts after he was screened out of the governorship primary. About 20 of his loyalists have already defected to Accord. In Ondo, some aggrieved aspirants have taken the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission to court over the outcomes of party primaries. One of them, Pastor Akingboye Akinleke David, is challenging the emergence of Donald Ojogo as the APC candidate for the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency. Political observers warn that the continued disputes could weaken the APC in affected constituencies and give opposition parties an advantage in the 2027 elections. With several lawsuits still pending and defections continuing, the party’s reconciliation efforts face a major test as preparations for the 2027 campaigns intensify.

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, warns politicians and political parties against using abusive, inflammatory or threatening language during campaigns. INEC Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, says campaign rhetoric becomes electoral intimidation when it involves threats of violence, hate speech, coercion or language capable of provoking hostility among ethnic, religious or regional groups. He says Section 96 of the Electoral Act 2026 prohibits abusive, slanderous or inflammatory language during political campaigns. Under Section 96(7), a candidate convicted of such offences faces a fine of up to ₦5 million or 12 months imprisonment, while a political party faces a ₦10 million fine for a first offence and ₦2 million for subsequent offences. Oketola says INEC can monitor campaigns, issue queries and sanction parties within its legal powers, while security agencies are responsible for maintaining law and order during rallies. He also urges the media, traditional rulers and religious leaders to speak out against inflammatory political statements. The warning comes amid recent threats by political figures in states including Osun, the FCT, Borno, Yobe, Kebbi and Ebonyi. INEC says political campaigns should focus on competing ideas rather than creating fear, violence or intimidation among voters.

The 21-day deadline for challenging the August 15 Osun State governorship election has expired without any petition filed at the election tribunal. Incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, was declared winner after securing 511,067 votes, defeating his closest rival, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Fifteen political parties contested the election, but none of the 14 defeated candidates filed a petition before the deadline. An APC legal team member says the party decided not to challenge the result in the interest of peace, despite believing there were grounds to contest the outcome. The Accord chairman, Victor Akande, describes the decision by opposition candidates as a sign of political maturity, while SDP candidate Olugbenga Ajala says the election process was fair enough and that the best candidate won.

The Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will defeat former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano State in the 2027 presidential election. Bichi, who served as the Kano State Campaign Director of the Tinubu-Shettima campaign in 2023, said the APC had gained more political strength in the state following the defection of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and several political leaders from the NNPP. He claimed that many former members of the Kwankwasiyya political movement had also joined the APC, leaving Kwankwaso with less political influence in the state. Bichi attributed the APC’s growing support to what he described as major infrastructure projects carried out by the Tinubu administration, including road projects linking Kano with other parts of the country. He predicted that the APC would secure more than 70 per cent of the votes cast in Kano in 2027, saying the party had become stronger across the state. On claims of divisions within the Kano APC, Bichi said disagreements were normal in democratic politics but insisted that party members would unite after the primaries to ensure victory for the APC. He also defended the Tinubu administration against criticism over economic hardship, saying the difficulties caused by subsidy removal and exchange-rate reforms were temporary and that increased government revenue was being used for infrastructure and other development projects. Bichi further argued that the government had made progress in tackling insecurity, claiming that increased spending on security had produced improvements compared with previous years.

Opposition political parties seeking to present a common presidential candidate for the 2027 election have proposed that the candidate would serve only a single four-year term if elected. The proposal, discussed at a recent opposition summit in Abuja under the G-100 platform, was aimed at managing competing ambitions and creating a stronger challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. It also included plans for a four-year National Reset Programme. However, political analysts, lawyers and civil society groups expressed doubts about whether such a promise could be enforced. They noted that Nigeria’s Constitution currently allows a president to serve two four-year terms, meaning a private political agreement cannot override that constitutional right. Some stakeholders argued that a single term could allow a president to focus fully on reforms without worrying about re-election. Others warned that a president who could not seek re-election might become less accountable if strong institutions were not in place. Several commentators also questioned the timing of the proposal and the ability of opposition parties to agree on a single candidate, given the electoral timetable and the competing ambitions of major political figures. Civil society groups therefore urged the opposition to go beyond promises by presenting a clear manifesto, measurable targets and a transparent agreement signed by all participating parties. They maintained that Nigerians should judge the proposed coalition based on the candidates’ records, competence, integrity and plans for tackling insecurity, poverty, unemployment and economic hardship, rather than simply on a promise to serve for one term.