Ibadan – President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to attend the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
The President’s aircraft touched down at Zayed International Airport at approximately 11:30 pm local time, where he was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Tinubu is visiting the UAE at the official invitation of the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The annual summit serves as a global forum for world leaders, industry experts, and civil society organisations to address critical issues regarding energy innovation and the financial infrastructure required for renewable energy transitions.
Defections, deaths, Court rulings wipe out Labour Party in Senate
From having eight senators at the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023, the Labour Party (LP) is now left with none, the Nigerian Tribune reports.
Findings on Sunday showed that three factors accounted for the zero number of senators the LP is left with.
The leading factor is the gale of defections that hit not just the LP but also other opposition parties like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lately, blamed largely on dwindling fortunes and festering leadership crises.
Investigations showed that three of the eight LP senators defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), beginning with Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (Imo-East) in July, 2024.
In October 2025, Senator Kelvin Chukwu (Enugu-East) also defected to APC, blaming his decision on state and national LP crises.
Senator Neda Imasuen (Edo-South), earlier in June 2025, dumped the party as he moved to the APC.
Three others led by Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT) left the LP and birthed in the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
NNPP bars Kwankwaso from seeking 2027 presidential ticket
The national secretariat of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has ruled out Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso from contesting the 2027 presidential election on its platform.
The NNPP National Secretary, Ogini Olaposi, announced the decision in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos.
Olaposi stated that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 polls will be open exclusively to bona fide members who meet all qualification requirements. He added that Kwankwaso, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, will not have access to the platform for the next general election.
Kano governor joins APC Monday
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State will dump the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, a member of the state executive council reaffirmed to The Nation on Sunday.
The party is already agog to welcome the governor, who is said to have concluded all forms of consultations with the electorate and stakeholders.
The defection date was initially fixed for January 5 but was shifted to allow room for further consultation, to commit more stakeholders, particularly the Kano National Assembly lawmakers, to the move.
Resident doctors suspend planned strike
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has suspended its plan to commence strike on January 12.
The suspension was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by Shuaibu Ibrahim, secretary-general of NARD.
The association had earlier announced the strike in an update issued after its emergency national executive council (E-NEC) meeting held on January 2.
NARD said it wanted to embark on the strike to press home their demands from the Federal Government.
Video confirms killing of terrorists in Sokoto US strikes
Many terrorists were killed, while their hideouts and vehicles were destroyed during United States airstrikes carried out in Sokoto State on December 25, footage sighted by Sunday PUNCH has revealed.
The footage of the operation, which is yet to be declassified by the military but was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday, showed three separate strikes conducted on terrorist hideouts between December 24 and 25, 2025.
A secondary explosion was observed shortly after the first strike, suggesting the presence of explosive materials at the location.
The video also captured movements of suspected terrorists fleeing the area following the initial bombardment.
The fleeing elements were subsequently engaged, while several vehicles were seen destroyed during the operation.
However, the exact number of terrorists killed or vehicles destroyed could not be independently ascertained from the footage alone.
Military sources said a comprehensive battle damage assessment was required to determine the full impact of the strikes.
Malami’s case not personal, I inherited his investigation file – EFCC chair
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, has said that the case if the former Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, is not personal.
Olukoyede made this clarification when he appeared as a guest in an interview on ‘Sunday Politics’, a programme on Channels Television.
He said that Malami’s investigation predated him in the office, adding that he inherited the AGF’s investigation file.
Why late Buhari appointed me as minister in 2015 — Lai Mohammed
Former Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has explained that his appointment by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was based on years of trust, loyalty, shared convictions, and service, not a single incident.
Mohammed, who served for almost eight years in Buhari’s administration, revealed this in his book, Headlines and Soundbites: Media Moments that Defined an Administration.
The book was launched in Abuja on December 17, 2025, to mark what would have been Buhari’s 83rd birthday, and documents Mohammed’s experiences while serving under the late president.
He recalled that after Buhari was inaugurated on May 29, 2015, the naming of ministers was delayed, as the former president took time to constitute his cabinet.
Despite this, Mohammed said Buhari personally appointed him to the Ahmed Joda-led Transition Committee in April 2015, even after other members had already been announced, due to the trust and confidence he had in him.
Wike to critics: Only Tinubu has the right to sack me
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared that President Bola Tinubu has the right to sack him as minister if he so wishes.
This comes as Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has urged the people of Rivers to remain calm amid the looming threat of impeachment hanging over him and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
Wike made the declaration on Sunday during the grand finale of his ‘Thank You’ tour of local government areas in Rivers State, held at the Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola.
‘I’m a politician, no sentiment in politics’ – Wike
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has dismissed criticisms trailing his political choices, insisting that politics is driven by interests, power and the will of the people, not sentiment or emotions.
The minister stated this on Sunday during a ‘thank you’ visit to Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, his political base, where he addressed a supporters and political leaders.
Wike stressed that his decision to venture into politics was deliberate and not accidental.
To his distractors, the minister explained that he chose to be a politician and not a pastor, a trader, a public commentator or journalist, urging them to allow him to play his politics.
BEA: Atiku tasks FG to rescue stranded Nigerian students abroad
Former Vice president and African Democratic Congress presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the federal government to come to the aid of over 1,600 young Nigerians studying abroad under the Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) who are now stranded.
Atiku, in a post on his official X handle, expressed concern that a noble programme that allows Nigerian students to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in various countries through agreements between Nigeria and those nations now suffer from cold indifference and official laxity under the present administration.
Checks revealed that parents of Nigerian students studying abroad on government scholarships had last November blocked the entrance of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja in protest, demanding the payment of outstanding allowances owed to their children.
Jonathan arrives Uganda to lead AU election observers
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has arrived Kampala, Uganda, to lead a joint election observation mission by the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) ahead of the country’s general elections scheduled for January 15.
Jonathan arrived early Sunday as head of the combined AU–COMESA–IGAD Election Observation Mission (EOM), tasked with assessing the conduct of the polls in the Republic of Uganda.
A joint arrival statement issued by the three organisations in Kampala said Jonathan would be supported by Ambassador Shemsudin Ahmed Roble, a member of the COMESA Committee of Elders, and Commander Abebe Muluneh Beyene of IGAD.
Gov Makinde to unveil Oyo’s post-2027 development roadmap, condemns killing of forest guards
OYO State Governor Seyi Makinde, has announced that his administration will unveil a comprehensive development roadmap for 2027 and beyond before the end of the year, reaffirming his commitment to sustained growth and long-term planning for the state.
Makinde made this known, on Sunday, during a special service held at Victory International Church, Rehoboth Cathedral, Oluyole, Ibadan, where he led members of the state executive council and other top government functionaries to thank God and commit the affairs of the state into His hands.
Speaking at the service, the governor stressed the need for collective responsibility and discipline among citizens, noting that indiscipline remains a major cause of traffic congestion on key roads across the country.
Properties worth millions of naira destroyed as fire ravages lounge, residential building in Ibadan
Properties worth millions of naira have been destroyed by a fire that ravaged a lounge in one of the hotels in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The incident occurred at Ilaji Farm and Resort in the Akanran area of Ibadan.
The fire broke out on Sunday morning.
DAILY POST gathered that the fire affected a three-bedroom flat used as a lounge within the hotel premises.
The Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident.
Police probe viral video of Portable beaten in custody
The Ogun State Police Command has launched an investigation into a viral video showing Nigerian musician Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, allegedly being assaulted while in police custody.
The video, which has been circulating widely on social media, particularly X, shows the Zazu crooner in handcuffs, shirtless, and tearfully pleading while seated on a couch in what appears to be a police holding area.
Reports suggest he was being beaten by some police personnel at a detention facility in Ogun State, sparking public outrage and renewed concerns over police conduct and human rights practices.
Reacting to the video, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed to Vanguard that Portable remains in custody but condemned the alleged assault.
Trump’s threat: We will retaliate if you attack us, Iran warns US
Iran has warned the United States against any military action, saying it would retaliate if the U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on threats to intervene as Tehran continues its crackdown on nationwide protests.
The warning was issued by Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, during a parliamentary session broadcast live on Iranian state television.
Qalibaf praised the country’s military response to the protests and cautioned that both the U.S. military and Israel are considered “legitimate targets” in the event of an attack on Iran.
Referring to Israel as “the occupied territory,” Qalibaf said Iran would not rule out launching a preemptive strike against either country if it perceives a threat.
