Politics
How BVAS machines failed during presidential poll – INEC officials
Three Presiding Officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines suddenly stopped working on February 25 when it was time to transmit results of the presidential election.
They spoke on Monday as witnesses at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
They were testifying in the case a former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, filed to nullify President Bola Tinubu’s election.
The witnesses however said they were able to transmit the results of the National Assembly election held on the same day, using the BVAS machines.
They said their repeated efforts to electronically transmit results of the presidential Poll to INEC’s IReV portal, failed.
The three witnesses; Janet Nuhu Turaki, Christopher Bulus Ardo and Victoria Sani, told the court that they conducted the presidential election as Presiding Officers, at Yobe, Bauchi and Katsina states, respectively.
Led in evidence-in-chief by a member of Atiku’s legal team, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, the witnesses, told the court that “technical glitches” they experienced with the BVAS machines, frustrated their jobs on election day.
They insisted that the problem of technical hitch arose at the point of transmitting only the presidential poll results.
The first witness, Turaki, told the court that the accreditation of voters with the BVAS machine went successfully, stressing that the electoral process became frustrating for her, at the point she wanted to upload the election results.
However, she told the court that she carefully collated the result of the presidential election in the polling unit she served and recorded the same in INEC’s form EC8A, after which she signed the document alongside agents of all the political parties.
In his own evidence, Ardo told the Court that he felt unfulfilled in his assignment with INEC on the election because he could not transmit the presidential election results as required by law.
The witnesses said they at the end of the presidential poll submitted a report to INEC enumerating the challenge they faced with the BVAS machines.
While Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, appeared for INEC, President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, was represented by Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, and Mr Charles Edosomwan, SAN, respectively.
The Justice Tsammani-led five-member panel of the court adjourned further hearing in the matter till Tuesday
Politics
El-Rufai Says Son Bello Remains Loyal to APC Despite Criticism of Party
El-Rufai Says Son Bello Remains Loyal to APC Despite Criticism of Party
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has clarified that his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by personal conviction, even as he continues to critique the ruling party. Bello currently represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, where he serves his constituents independently of his father’s political stance.
El-Rufai made the disclosure during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Thursday evening, shortly after reportedly resisting an attempted detainment by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Egypt. The former governor, now a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), emphasised that Bello is mature enough to chart his own political path.
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“My son Bello was elected under the platform of the APC and his electorate seem to be happy with the work he is doing, so since he is an adult of over 30 years, he can make his own choices. Politics is about personal preference,” El-Rufai said, explaining that his son’s continued stay in APC does not contradict his own opposition to the party.
He added that if Bello chooses to remain within the APC without engaging in any of the party’s perceived wrongdoing, guided by the values and home training he received, “then Alhamdulillah.”
Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, born in 1988, has represented Kaduna North since 2023 and currently chairs the House Committee on Banking Regulations. His work in the National Assembly has earned commendations from constituents, reinforcing his independent political credibility within the APC framework.
El-Rufai’s clarification comes amid ongoing political realignments in Nigeria, where personal choices sometimes diverge from family or party affiliations. The statement highlights the balance between individual political conviction and broader party loyalty, particularly in high-profile political families.
El-Rufai Says Son Bello Remains Loyal to APC Despite Criticism of Party
Politics
Atiku Denies Fayose’s Claims About 2027 Vice-Presidential Talks With Makinde
Atiku Denies Fayose’s Claims About 2027 Vice-Presidential Talks With Makinde
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly refuted claims by former Ekiti State governor Peter Ayodele Fayose alleging that Governor Seyi Makinde had agreed to run as his vice-presidential candidate in the 2027 elections.
In a statement issued Thursday in Abuja through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Fayose as a “serial political gossip” and dismissed the report as a “reckless and malicious fabrication” consisting of “beer parlour tales of infamy.”
Fayose had alleged that Makinde agreed to the vice-presidential slot and pledged ₦10 billion in contributions, a claim Atiku denied entirely. Shaibu said the account was not insider information but “insider fiction, manufactured to mislead, distract and provoke.”
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“There were no negotiations over vice-presidential tickets. There were no discussions about ₦10 billion contributions. There were no zoning manipulations. There were no delegate-delivery guarantees. And there is certainly no clandestine ‘Dubai meeting’ on any such agenda,” the statement read.
Atiku’s office emphasized that his political engagements are broad-based, principled, and national in scope, and not transactional or clandestine, as alleged. The statement further warned the public against giving credibility to reports from individuals who “attempt to manufacture relevance by inventing tales around serious national figures.”
The former vice president also clarified that during his recent visit to the residence of former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida, no discussions about vice-presidential arrangements took place.
Shaibu urged Nigerians to treat the publication with contempt, stressing that “falsehood may trend for a moment, but it collapses under the weight of truth.”
Atiku remains focused on principled engagement and building coalitions ahead of the 2027 elections, rejecting backroom political theatrics as “mischievously and irresponsibly portrayed.”
Atiku Denies Fayose’s Claims About 2027 Vice-Presidential Talks With Makinde
Politics
City Boy Movement Receives Bus Donations from Zenco, Obi Cubana for Tinubu’s Campaign
City Boy Movement Receives Bus Donations from Zenco, Obi Cubana for Tinubu’s Campaign
Prominent business leaders and influencers have donated buses worth millions of naira in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, signalling a growing grassroots mobilisation effort by his backers across Nigeria.
The donations were led by Cletus Uzoezie Oragwa, founder of Zenco Oil, alongside Chief Christian Okonkwo of C-Energy Oil and popular nightlife entrepreneur Obi Cubana. The buses were handed over to CityBoyMedia, an affiliate of the City Boy Movement, a youth-driven grassroots support platform actively engaging communities in the Southeast and beyond to strengthen Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
During the presentation ceremony, the donors emphasised that the buses would enhance the movement’s logistics, voter mobilisation, and outreach efforts in key regions, particularly rural communities. The initiative underscores the role of private sector support in bolstering campaign infrastructure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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Obi Cubana, who has previously been prominent in civic engagement and social advocacy, signalled stronger political alignment with the Tinubu-led administration. In recent events, including hosting Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, in Abuja, Cubana reaffirmed his commitment to youth mobilisation and inclusive political participation through the City Boy Movement.
Also present at the event was social media personality Cubana Chief Priest, who expressed support for the administration and reiterated his opposition to former presidential candidate Peter Obi in the upcoming 2027 elections.
The donations coincide with a wider surge in pro-Tinubu mobilisation activities nationwide, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and allied groups intensify efforts to consolidate support and ensure a strong grassroots presence. Political observers note that contributions from private citizens and business figures play a key role in sustaining momentum for the campaign.
This initiative highlights the intersection of political support, business influence, and grassroots mobilisation, reflecting strategic efforts to galvanise youth engagement and strengthen the administration’s electoral prospects.
City Boy Movement Receives Bus Donations from Zenco, Obi Cubana for Tinubu’s Campaign
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