Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has emerged the governorship candidate of the Accord Party for next year’s governorship election. The election came as he is the sole candidate of the Accord Party in the governorship primary that was held on Wednesday in Osogbo. THENEWSCREDIT reports that no fewer than 150 delegates were accredited while five ballots were invalid making a total of 145 valid votes at the end of voting. The Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Hajia Mariam Saleh represented by the Secretary, Abulazeez Salaudeen, while announcing the result, said Governor Adeleke pulled 145 votes to win the Osun Accord Party governorship ticket at the end of ballot counting exercise. According to her, the electoral committee had delivered on its mandate to ensure a free and fair governorship primary.” Saleh further stated that this was done after voting and counting witnessed by the agents and INEC representatives. The Accord Party national chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem presented the party flag and certificate to Governor Ademola Adeleke and charged him to continue with his good works even as he seeks a second term in office as governor under the banner of the party. Adeleke, while accepting the election result, thanked the Accord Party, the members and the electoral committee for deeming him fit to be their candidate for the 2026 election, urging all party members and electorates to vote for the Accord Party in the election. “I accept my nomination as candidate of Accord Party for the Osun 2026 governorship election. The confidence you repose in me will not be regretted. “My candidacy signals the success of the journey of development as it continues to shine across our state in the service of our people,” Governor Adeleke said. The governor reiterated that Osun State would never go back to the dark days after witnessing failed promises for a long time, adding that with his endorsement by the Accord Party, the opposition against the will of the people has been rejected.

An 18-year-old boy in Adamawa State has confessed to stealing soft drinks to mark his birthday. The boy, Aminu Abdulazeez of Bazza community in Michika LGA, said he carted away half crates of nutri milk and Dudu mineral brand respectively to celebrate his birthday with his friends. He landed in jail after he was trailed and apprehended while he was making further preparation for the event. Aminu made his confession to the Adamawa State Jail Delivery Committee which was on a review visit to where he was being held at the Mubi Correctional Centre. The Area Court I Bazza had sent him to the centre after finding him guilty and sentencing him to three months with option of a N40,000 fine. He had gone to the centre last month after failing to pay the fine. Reviewing his case, the Jail Delivery Committee, headed by the state Chief Judge, Justice Hafsat Abdulrahman, reduced his three months of confinement to three months of community service. The committee ordered that he be taken back to Bazza to sweep public facility, a health centre or police station, for three months.

The Federal Government says no fewer than 10,326 Gender-Based Violence, GBV, cases were reported between January and September 2025, with 2,444 survivors receiving care in recovery centres. The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imam Suleiman-Ibrahim, made this known at the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, TF-GBV. It was organised by ActionAid and other development partners on Friday in Abuja. The dialogue was part of activities to mark the 2025 16 Days of Activism, with the theme: “UNiTE! End All Forms of Digital Violence against Women and Girls”. The minister was represented by Dr Adanna Steinacker, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health. She disclosed that 511 survivors were supported with livelihoods and empowerment interventions. “Though there was a decline in the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey in sexual violence, physical violence, and intimate partner violence, yet one in three women experienced GBV during the same period. “However, across the country, violence against women, children and vulnerable groups remains a painful reality. “Technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV) has remained largely unreported due to its complex nature”. The minister added that TF-GBV, which includes sex torture, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, online blackmail, and manipulation of digital platforms, has caused severe trauma and, in some cases, fatalities. She, however, said the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to relaunch the National Electronic Dashboard on Gender-Based Violence. According to her, the initiative is vital for tracking trends, identifying patterns, and improving case management and coordination nationwide. “The ministry will be prioritising the establishment of an Emergency GBV Response Fund, a ring-fenced mechanism to bridge funding gaps and guarantee operational stability for shelters, hotlines, emergency response and survivor rehabilitation.” Earlier, Mrs Cynthia Rowe, representative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, called for a national online gender safety policy to coordinate agencies and enforce content moderation standards. She further urged social media platforms to act swiftly by removing harmful content within 48 hours, deploying culturally aware moderation teams, and publishing transparency reports. Rowe also called for the establishment of digital abuse courts and digital protection orders, which would serve as one-stop reporting portals integrating police, legal aid, and psychosocial support. She stressed the need for mandatory gender-sensitive cybercrime training for law enforcement. Also, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, said the dialogue aimed to strengthen national coordination, deepen understanding of TF-GBV in Nigeria. “It is also to identify legal and institutional gaps, and co-create a National Roadmap for prevention and response”. Mamedu emphasised that, through high-level remarks, thematic presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, participants would develop actionable solutions and build stronger partnerships. According to him, the initiative would secure commitments from government and other stakeholders to enhance protection, reporting, accountability, and digital safety for women and girls across the country.

A three-member family, including a father, mother and their young child, died in a devastating multi-vehicle collision early Wednesday on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority said. Two other victims sustained critical injuries in the accident. According to a statement issued on Wednesday by LASTMA’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, the accident occurred in the early hours near Secretariat, inward Otedola Bridge. The statement read, “The tragic accident instantly claimed the lives of three members of the same family: father, mother and their young child, while two other victims sustained critical injuries, underscoring the devastating consequences of reckless vehicular conduct.” The crash involved three vehicles — an Audi, a Toyota Camry and a Toyota Corolla — after a heavily loaded truck, reportedly speeding, rammed into one of the cars from behind. “The impact caused the vehicle to lose control, colliding with two additional moving vehicles, thereby triggering the fatal chain-reaction accident. “In a disturbing development, the truck driver absconded immediately from the scene with his vehicle, leaving the victims in peril and evading accountability for the fatal incident,” the statement added. LASTMA said its operatives, working with the Lagos State Ambulance Service, rescued the two critically injured victims from the wreckage and transported them to the Lagos State Emergency and Trauma Centre, Toll-Gate, for urgent medical attention. The three deceased were recovered and handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit. Security personnel from the Isheri Olowora Police Division and other agencies, including the Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, and Lagos Fire & Rescue Service, supported the rescue operation. LASTMA General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, described the loss as “unbearable and irreplaceable” and urged motorists to avoid reckless driving, particularly speeding with heavily loaded trucks. He praised the coordinated response of all emergency agencies involved.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has dismissed public backlash over her interaction with Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, calling the reactions a “needless controversy.” In a statement posted on her Facebook page on Tuesday, Mrs Tinubu said critics often magnify minor issues and create distractions around leadership. She wrote: “Those entrusted with leadership understand their duties and how to steer the affairs of society. “More often, it is the followers and critics who scrutinise every step, amplify minor missteps, and turn them into needless controversy. Ọṣun lè tèǹtẹ̀ – Osun is ahead.” The comments followed a video clip from the 10th coronation anniversary of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, which showed Adeleke pausing after breaking into a short song during his speech. Mrs Tinubu walked to the podium, gestured to him, and whispered to him — a moment that quickly went viral and drew sharp reactions online. The First Lady’s statement marks her first public response since the video circulated. Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on the Bureau of Social Services, Akintunde Bello, said the First Lady should be cautioned, insisting that her gesture toward an elected governor was inappropriate. Similarly, African Democratic Congress chieftain Dele Momodu criticised the act, describing it as bullying and alleging that Mrs Tinubu had “openly disgraced and embarrassed Adeleke before a global audience.” Some, however, believe that Mrs Tinubu’s action was justified. Dayo Fashola, an aide to a former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, on her verified Facebook page, said the interaction between the duo was lighthearted. “What transpired between Oluremi Tinubu and Adeleke was light‑hearted and isn’t as serious as people are making it seem,” Fashola wrote. Similarly, Facebook user Oyetunji Ayoade defended the First Lady, writing, “The highest respect the First Lady can give to Osun people is to stand up and inform him by herself, and she did.” Neither Governor Adeleke nor the Presidency has issued further comments, even as the incident continues to dominate social media discussions.

At least seven Osun State governorship aspirants under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have stepped down after meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday. They have all agreed to support Bola Oyebamiji as the consensus governorship candidate in the forthcoming primary. The meeting, called by President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, was boycotted by one of the aspirants, Iyiola Omisore. Omisore had earlier described his disqualification from the primary as a joke. The aspirants who stepped down include former Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, and Mulikat Abiola Jimoh.

Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Iyiola Omisore, has described as a joke and embarrassment their disqualification from the Osun APC primary election. Omisore made this statement on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television monitored by ourcorrespondent. The former lawmaker said that there is a limit to what a party can do in candidate disqualification, adding that the Electoral Act says nomination of a candidate is not the prerogative of any party. THENEWSCREDIT reports that the APC Screening Committee had disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants from participating in the December 13 governorship primary over alleged irregularities in their nomination documents. Those barred from the race with him include Babatunde Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Senator Babajide Omoworare. Reacting, Omisore said, “In Osun State, we lost election in 2022. After the loss, we did a post mortem how we lost election led by the former Minister of Health, Isaac Adewale. “The report was submitted and pointed at the fact that the then governor Gboyega Oyetola made us to lose election. And the report said that there are three or four of his cabinet members who aided the loss. “So it became a problem for the state all over. So that is why we now believe that way further, we should do a thorough primaries. Unfortunately, former governor Oyetola is now sponsoring one of those aiders of the election losses. “So the entire state leadership is against his position, and he started to impose the candidate on the state. And I want to really explain that I don’t want you to drag President Bola Tinubu to this matter. “The President is a leader of the country. He has done well for everybody. He has fair to all concerned. “So in a bit of it as a mixture and confusion about it, we want to win election 2026 so we cannot go the same way, the same route we went to lose election in 2022.”

Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, insisting that Nigeria must negotiate with bandits to prevent greater bloodshed. Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is “evil,” it remains less grievous than murder — particularly in situations where kidnapped children are eventually released unharmed. “Saying that kidnapping children is a lesser evil than killing your soldiers, definitely is lesser. Killing is worse than, but they are all evil. It’s just a lesser evil. Not all evils are of the same power. He cited previous incidents, including the mass abduction in Kebbi State, arguing that the victims were freed without fatalities. “So it’s a lesser evil than, like, what happened in Kebbi. They abducted children, and they were released. They didn’t kill them.” The remarks come as more than 315 people — including 303 students and 12 teachers — were abducted in Niger State. On 7 December, the Federal Government announced the release of 100 students, while an earlier report confirmed the escape of 50 others just days after the kidnapping. “It’s an evil, and we pray that they escape”, Gumi responded briefly when asked what he would say to their parents. Gumi also defended his long-held stance that negotiating with bandits is unavoidable, describing engagement with bandits and other non-state actors as a practical strategy to secure peace and save lives, and noting that “everybody negotiates with bandits.” “That word [‘we don’t negotiate’], I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran. “In fact, it’s not even in practice. Everybody’s negotiating with outlaws, non-state actors, everybody. So who got it, and where did they get that knowledge from? We negotiate for peace and our strategic interests. If negotiation will bring stoppage to bloodshed, we will do it.” The cleric stressed that his past engagements with bandits were not carried out secretly or independently. “I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he said. Gumi revealed that his last direct meetings with bandit groups were in 2021, saying he made marathon efforts to bring various factions together, but the federal government at the time “was not keen” on the initiative. He said once the groups were officially designated as terrorists, he completely withdrew from any contact. Turning to the wider security situation, the former army captain argued that Nigeria’s military cannot shoulder the burden alone. “We need a robust army… but even the military is saying our role in this civil unrest, in this criminality, is 95% kinetic. The rest is the government, the politics, and the locals. The military cannot do everything.” Gumi also maintained that most bandits are Fulani herdsmen, not urban Fulani, urging a clear distinction between the two. He described their struggle as rooted in survival and cattle rearing: “They are fighting an existential war… Their life revolves around cattle. In fact, they inherit them. They’ll tell you, ‘This cow I inherited from my grandfather.’ They are mostly Fulani herdsmen, not the Fulani town, because you have to differentiate between the two.” Gumi’s remarks underscore the delicate balance between dialogue and enforcement in addressing Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, particularly in the northwest, where kidnappings, bandit raids, and violence continue to disrupt communities.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress from the Peoples Democratic Party. The governor announced his defection at a stakeholders meeting held at the government house in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. Fubara joined a host of his colleagues who have defected to the APC this year.

‎A yet-to-be-identified student of Ambrose Alli University, AAU, Ekpoma, has reportedly died in an auto crash while celebrating the completion of his final examinations. Our correspondent reports that the incident happened on Monday, December 8, 2025, around Ujoelen Junction along the Ekpoma-Auchi Expressway. It was also gathered that the deceased was part of the motorcade of the fresh graduates who took to the highway after their signing-out activities. ‎ When contacted, the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Cyril Mathew, confirmed the incident, adding that only one person died while five others who sustained various degrees of injuries were taken to the hospital for treatment. According to him, the students, after writing their last paper, entered the road in a convoy. In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck. ‎ Mathew advised students to celebrate within campus areas and to always prioritise safety, noting that “there is life after graduation”. ‎ ‎THENEWSCREDIT learnt that the group failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebration. ‎ It was also gathered that the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck when he reportedly collided with a stationary vehicle.