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The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission has declared the All Progressives Congress candidates winner of the just-concluded chairmanship elections in Badagry Local Government, Olorunda and Badagry-West LCDA.

 

LASIEC officials declared the results late Saturday at the Local Government secretariats in Ajara, Iworo and Kankon, respectively.

 

In Badagry Local Government, the Returning Officer, Mr Akinwunmi Lewis,

announcing the results at the collation centre, said the APC candidate, Mr Babatunde Hunpe, polled 27,442 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, who scored 1,814 votes, and the Zenith Labour Party candidate, who scored 308 votes.

 

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, I hereby declare Mr Babatunde Hunpe as the duly elected chairman of Badagry LGA,” Lewis declared.

 

Also, in Olorunda LCDA, the Returning Officer, Mr Adegboyega Oladiran, said the APC candidate, Mr Peter Kumayon, secured a total of 28,799 votes, while the ZLP candidate received 562 votes.

 

“The PDP, despite not fielding a chairmanship candidate, recorded 470 votes.

 

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, I hereby declare Mr Peter Kumayon as the duly elected chairman of Olorunda LCDA, ” Oladiran said.

In Badagry-West LCDA, the Returning Officer, Prof. Abiodun Okedeyi, from Lagos State University of Education, announcing the results at the collation centre in Kankon, declared that the APC candidate, Mr Rauf Ibrahim, polled a total of 11,538 votes, defeating his closest rival, the ZLP candidate, who scored 73 votes.

 

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law by securing the highest number of valid votes and scoring at least 5 per cent of the votes in all five polling units, Rauf Ibrahim Yemaren is hereby declared the duly elected Chairman of Badagry West LCDA,” Okedeyi said.

 

In his message to residents after the declaration, Hunpe promised to fulfil all his campaign promises and surpass the achievements of his predecessor.

 

Also thanking the people of Olorunda for electing him, Kumayon promised not to disappoint them, assuring their trust in him would not be in vain.

 

Also, Yemaren thanked Mr Joseph Bamgbose, the Badagry-West Apex leader of APC and Mr Joseph Gbenu, the outgoing Chairman for their support.

 

He assured the residents that he would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor.

 

Gombe State Government has commenced the distribution of subsidised fertiliser across all 114 wards in the state, as part of efforts to support farmers during the 2025 wet season farming.

 

This development is in line with the directive of Governor Muhammadu Yahaya to ensure that agricultural inputs reach genuine farmers directly at the grassroots, right down to the polling unit level, without weighing them down with transportation or logistical burden.

 

Trucks have already been transporting the inputs to various Local Government Areas for onward distribution, following the Governor’s recent flag-off of the 2025 wet season farming activities.

 

Recall that Yahaya recently launched the sale and distribution of 10,000 metric tons of high-quality fertiliser, equivalent to 200,000 bags, at a heavily subsidised rate, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to food security and rural development.

 

Speaking on the progress of the exercise, on Sunday, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, Dr Barnabas Malle, confirmed that the distribution is proceeding smoothly.

He noted, “LGAs have already begun receiving their allocated shares, which are to be delivered directly to farmers at the ward level.”

 

Malle praised the quality of the fertiliser, describing it as one of the best produced in the country.

 

He emphasised that the timely distribution “will significantly enhance farm yields and overall agricultural productivity across the state.”

 

The commissioner urged farmers to “use the inputs judiciously and to remain vigilant against environmental risks by closely following weather advisories.”

 

He also reaffirmed the state government’s “continued support for the agricultural sector, which remains a key driver of economic growth and rural empowerment in Gombe State.”

 

The African Democratic Congress has welcomed President Bola Tinubu back to Nigeria, while calling for clarity on his unexplained five-day absence following the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, the party stated that a president who vanishes without accountability cannot be relied upon to address the pressing challenges facing the nation.

 

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu left Abuja on June 28, 2025, starting his journey with a state visit to Saint Lucia to deepen relations with Caribbean countries and promote South-South cooperation. The visit also coincided with Saint Lucia’s 45th Independence Anniversary.

 

He then travelled to Brazil on July 4 to attend the 2025 BRICS Summit, which took place in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7. The President returned in the early hours of Sunday.

 

In response, the ADC questioned President Tinubu’s whereabouts during the five-day gap following the conclusion of the BRICS Summit.

 

The opposition leaders’ coalition platform stated, “The African Democratic Congress extends a weary welcome to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finally returning to the country five days after the end of the 2025 BRICS Summit, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

 

“Since the summit ended on Monday, July 7th, all the other world leaders who were in attendance returned home, briefed their citizens, and got back to work. But our President? He only reappeared in Abuja in the early hours of Sunday, July 13—without a word, without a briefing, or any explanation as to why his return to the country had been delayed.

“A whole five days is significant in the life of a country, especially a country like ours battling with several existential challenges of insecurity and a tottering economy that has made life increasingly difficult for the majority of Nigerians. The President was not on holiday; he was on official duty. We therefore cannot wish those five days away and we demand a clear explanation for them.

 

“The ADC also notes with concern that this disdain for accountability around the President’s overseas trip has become a distinct hallmark of this administration.”

 

The ADC stated that a president who disappears without offering any accountability lacks the moral ground to ask citizens to make sacrifices.

 

The statement added, “In January 2024, a so-called ‘private visit’ to France turned into a two-week disappearance. No photos, and no statements from our President.

 

“In April 2024, President Tinubu travelled to the Netherlands, and then to Riyadh, for the World Economic Forum. The summit ended on April 29th, 2024, but there was not a word from him until May 8th, 2024. Those were nine days of unexplained vacuum.

 

“In August 2024, President Tinubu flew to China via Dubai. After his engagements in Beijing, he vanished from public view on September 5th and mysteriously surfaced in London on September 11th. He was missing for six days—no explanations, no letter transmitted to the National Assembly, just silence.

 

“And in the same August 2024, the President also embarked on yet another “brief work stay” in Paris. He remained incommunicado for three days, then quietly returned, as if the nation did not deserve to know. Each episode of Mr. President’s mysterious disappearances has sparked all manner of speculations and rumours that are not only unhealthy to the polity, but also endanger Nigeria’s perception in the eyes of the world.”

 

The Kaduna State chapter of the Social Democratic Party has declared that it will not allow its platform to be hijacked by individuals allegedly seeking political rehabilitation, warning that only the duly recognised State Working Committee is authorised to conduct party affairs.

 

This was disclosed by the court-reinstated chairman of the party in the state, Adamu Idris, while addressing journalists at a press conference held at the NUT ENDWEL Secretariat in Kaduna on Saturday.

 

According to Idris, the SDP in Kaduna remains a principled and people-focused political platform and will not serve as a “sanctuary for those seeking to launder political legacies or stage comebacks.”

 

“Our duly elected State Working Committee, inaugurated after the 2022 State Congress and with a tenure valid until April 2026, was unconstitutionally dissolved earlier this year.

 

“This action was not only unjust but also a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the rule of law,” Idris said.

 

He, however, said the State High Court had since rectified the anomaly.

 

“Thankfully, the Kaduna State High Court, in Suit No. KDH/Z/280/2025, ruled in favour of justice and democratic order by restraining the so-called Caretaker Committee and affirming the legitimacy of the elected SWC under my leadership.

 

“This legal victory is a triumph not just for our members, but for democracy itself,” he declared.

 

Idris further lamented what he described as a growing trend of infiltration by political actors with no previous ties to the party, alleging that such individuals, some of whom only recently left public office, are attempting to hijack the party structure for “self-serving purposes.”

 

He said, “We wish to state, respectfully but firmly, that the SDP in Kaduna State is not available for such experiments.

“We are building a credible, principled, and people-oriented platform—not a vehicle for those seeking to reinvent themselves at the expense of the hard work of our loyal members.”

 

He emphasised that while the party remained open to new members, such individuals must align with the SDP’s ideology and respect the constitutional structure of the party.

 

“Engagement must be rooted in shared ideology, respect for the constitution of the party, and recognition of the existing, legally recognised leadership structures,” he stated.

 

As the party gears up for a by-election in the state, Idris cautioned potential aspirants and party faithful to avoid dealing with any unauthorised or parallel groups.

“Nomination forms and all electoral processes will be coordinated solely by the legitimate State Working Committee.

 

‘Any candidate engaging with unauthorised individuals or parallel structures does so at their own risk,” he warned.

 

The chairman also pledged the state chapter’s loyalty to the current national leadership under Acting National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar, and National Secretary, Dr. Olu Ogunloye.

 

“We deeply appreciate their principled stance in defending justice, constitutional order, and internal democracy,” he added.

 

Reiterating the party’s vision, Idris said the SDP would continue to champion justice, equity, accountability, and genuine progress, not just in Kaduna State, but across Nigeria.

 

“We remain focused on offering a credible political alternative to the people of Kaduna State and Nigeria at large,” he said.

 

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission has declared the All Progressives Congress candidates as winners of the just-concluded chairmanship elections in Epe, Eredo, and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Areas.

 

LASIEC officials made the announcement late Saturday night at about 11:55 p.m. at the local government secretariats in Epe, Eredo, and Ibeju-Lekki, respectively.

 

In Epe LG, the Returning Officer, Prof. Habeeb Sanni, announced at the collation centre that the APC candidate polled 34,819 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which scored 1,535 votes, and the Labour Party, which garnered 675 votes.

 

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, I hereby declare Ms Surah Animashaun as the duly elected chairman of Epe LG,” Sanni declared.

 

Similarly, in Eredo Local Council Development Area, the returning officer, Dr Afolabi Onasanya, announced that the APC polled 25,017 votes, defeating its closest rival, the PDP, which secured 424 votes.

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, I hereby declare Mr Monsuru Akinloye as the duly elected chairman of Eredo LCDA,” Onasanya said.

 

Also, Mr Bankole Oduntan, the returning officer at the collation centre in Ibeju-lekki LG, announced that APC polled 59,342 votes, Labour Party polled 45 votes, while the PDP scored 740 votes.

 

“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, I hereby declare Mr Sesan Olowa as the duly elected chairman of Ibeju-lekki LG, ” Onasanya said.

 

NAN