NEWS
Yakubu Inside Deepest Corner Of Tinubu’s Pocket – Atiku
Atiku Abubakar, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, has alleged that Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is working in tandem with the ruling party Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s APC to subvert Nigeria’s democracy.
A statement from Atiku’s media office on Sunday said Mr Yakubu’s compromise was the reason results were not uploaded to INEC server on the same day the presidential election was held on 25 February.
It was also the same reason that Mr Yakubu continued to announce the results despite protests from political parties, the statement, signed by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s special assistant on public communication read.
The former vice president was reacting to an allegation by the immediate-past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who said Mr Yakubu was recommended for re-appointment by a member of Bola Tinubu’s camp in 2020.
Speaking in Rivers State on Saturday, Mr Amaechi noted that not only did the re-appointment of the INEC chairman come from Tinubu’s camp, but the INEC boss also worked under Governor Nyesom Wike when the Rivers State governor was Minister of State for Education and interim Minister of Education in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“INEC is a complete failure,” Mr Amaechi said. “There are those of us who opposed the reappointment of Yakubu Mahmood. The person who nominated him is a member of Tinubu’s camp. So what are you expecting?
“Here in Rivers State, Mahmood worked under Wike as Executive Secretary of TETFund; so what you are having in Rivers is that APC and other parties are contesting, not against PDP, but against INEC, against police,” the former minister added.
Atiku said Mr Amaechi’s revelation was a confirmation of “our worst fears that Yakubu’s INEC was working for the APC.”
“Former Governor Amaechi’s revelation is only a confirmation of what everyone always knew. That INEC under the leadership of Prof Yakubu is inside the deepest corner of Bola Tinubu’s pocket.”
Earlier, the PDP had said Mr Tinubu had already embarked on a systematic state capture where the police, INEC, and the judiciary are in his pocket.
“Is it not surprising that the AIG who was deployed in Rivers State to supervise the governorship and Presidential elections is Kayode Egbetokun, a known ally of Tinubu who also served as Tinubu’s Chief Security Officer while he was governor of Lagos?” the PDP said.
“This unholy alliance between INEC and the police is the reason why the election in Rivers State remains one of the most rigged in the history of Nigeria. Indeed, the journey to state capture has begun.”
For this, Atiku said when the story of the Nigerian elections is told, the name of Mr Yakubu will be mentioned for the wrong reasons.
“After promising Nigerians that he would upload election results from polling units, he changed his mind at the last minute and then blamed it on glitches. Truth be told, Yakubu was the only glitch because of his incestuous affair with Tinubu’s APC.”
“His predecessor, Prof. Attahiru Jega conducted two credible presidential elections in 2011 and 2015. The 2015 election was so credible that it witnessed the lowest number of election petitions and court disputes.
“Rather than improve on this, Prof Yakubu put his personal interest far and above that of over 200 million Nigerians. He claimed before the election at Chatham House that the electoral system he put in place was so advanced that the human body odour could be used for voter accreditation if he wanted. But this was all part of his grand deception.”
“Despite receiving higher allocations than any other INEC chairman in history, Prof Yakubu could not conduct a credible election. This is indeed shameful for a man who over 200 million Nigerians saw as their last hope,” the statement said.
INEC’s spokesperson, Festus Okoye, did not answer our reporter’s phone calls put through to him for his comment on Sunday. He has also yet to respond to the reporter’s text message.
Atiku is the second-place candidate in the 25 February presidential elections. He secured 29 per cent of the votes to finish behind Mr Tinubu of the APC.
“It was also disheartening that the INEC chairman continued to award sensitive election contracts to APC candidates.”
“In the same election season, INEC awarded sensitive contracts to companies owned by Senator Sani Musa of APC and Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, the APC governorship candidate in Adamawa. It is indeed safe to say that Nigeria’s democracy has been sold to the APC by Prof. Yakubu.”
A company owned by Aishatu Dahiru, a sitting Senator and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa state, has been confirmed by INEC to have been awarded the contract to print certain sensitive materials for the 2023 elections.
The electoral commission, INEC, stated that the company obtained the contract through an open bidding process and that it had no knowledge of its connection to the senator.
However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that a certain individual named Aishatu Dahiru, who shares the same name as the said politician, is listed as one of the company’s two directors.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has invited global investors to participate in the bid for the 2026 Licensing Round, which has 40 oil and gas blocks on offer.
The Commission Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, informed investors at the 2026 ADIPEC Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday, November 2, 2026 that Nigeria offers a stable climate amid global energy tensions.
She urged investors to look to Nigeria and take advantage of the opportunities and revealed that the licensing round portal will officially open on November 20, 2026.
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The NUPRC boss said this during a roundtable discussion titled, ‘Energy Sovereignty in an Interconnected World: Aligning National Priorities, Markets and Global Security’.
She said, “We are expecting investors to turn to Nigeria. We are going into another licensing round, and we will launch our bid portal on November 20. We expect to see interested investors because the environment is a lot more competitive.
“We have set a very attractive fiscal framework for investors. The overall environment is much more secure. We have been able to manage costs with a lot of incentives for investors, and we expect to see investors take up the offer when we open the portal.”
The NUPRC boss noted that since the passing of the Petroleum Industry Act in 2021, as well as the executive orders signed by President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria has seen an improved investment climate.
Eyesan said that between 2021 and 2026, the NUPRC held at least four successful licensing rounds, which brought more investment into the country.
This marks a departure from the pre-PIA era, when licensing rounds were less frequent.
The CCE said Nigeria has huge energy potential, as it sits on 215 TCF of gas, but daily production is barely 7 bcf.
This presents an opportunity to investors, especially as key gas infrastructure, such as pipelines, is being built, she said. The stars are already aligned. For gas infrastructure, we just completed very major infrastructure projects that will unlock gas supply in the country and the sub-region.”
We have two major projects on the drawing board to move gas through the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic Gas Pipeline and the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline.
Again, this gas will go to Europe and will also meet regional demand. So, Nigeria is positioned to meet not just domestic supply,” the CCE stated.
Eyesan maintained that as many countries discover petroleum resources, the race for investment has become more competitive.
She said Nigeria was already ahead of the game, as it had made certain modifications to attract the right capital.
“We understand that investors will prize execution risk, cost, delays and also uncertainty, and so what we have done in Nigeria is to ensure that we guard against these risks and then attract the investment required to enable us to unlock the huge resources we sit on,” the NUPRC boss said.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described his emergence as Nigeria’s President as a special favour from Almighty Allah, saying his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is a privilege that must be matched with dedicated service to the country.
Tinubu made the remarks while reflecting on his spiritual journey to Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj (Umrah), during which he was granted access to pray inside the Holy Ka’abah in Makkah.
The President expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting him and members of his Nigerian delegation the rare privilege.
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Speaking after the spiritual exercise, Tinubu said his emergence as Nigeria’s leader was an extraordinary blessing, considering the millions of people in the country.
“I have faith in that, and I believe extremely well that He has done me and my country a great favour. Out of many millions of people, to be the President and Commander-in-Chief is a favour that only Almighty God can do to a human being,” he said.
The President also disclosed that he used the opportunity to pray for wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, expressing confidence that his prayers had been answered.
“Well, I asked for wisdom and resilience to continue to serve the people. I know that prayer has been granted,” Tinubu said.
Recalling his previous Umrah pilgrimage before the 2023 presidential election, he said he had asked Allah to bless the journey and promised to return to express gratitude.
Tinubu also reflected on the message in Surah Aal-Imran, Verse 26 of the Holy Qur’an, which establishes Allah as the ultimate owner of sovereignty and authority, with the power to give and take leadership.
He said the message reinforces the need for those entrusted with positions of authority to exercise power responsibly, with humility and in the interest of the people.
“There is no other God but Almighty Allah. He is the giver and the taker. He owns power and authority,” the President said.
He reaffirmed his commitment to building a prosperous Nigeria, investing in the future of young Nigerians and pursuing development in line with the aspirations of the people.
Tinubu described the opportunity to enter the Holy Ka’abah as a historic and deeply cherished spiritual experience, adding that it reflected the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
The Ogun State Police Command has received three major honours at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun State Council’s Golden Jubilee Press Week, with Commissioner of Police Bode Ojajuni named a Golden Jubilee Ambassador.
The Command received the Shield of Public Safety Award, while its Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, was presented with the Vanguard of Public Safety Award.
The recognition formed part of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the NUJ in Ogun State, which coincides with the state’s 50th anniversary.
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According to a statement released on Monday, November 2, 2026, by the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Babaseyi, the awards recognised the Command’s commitment to public safety, proactive policing and effective engagement with the media.
The Golden Jubilee Press Week, held from October 26 to November 1, 2026, was themed, “Truth, Trust and the Press: Protecting Democratic Choice and Rebuilding Public Confidence in Journalism.”
Ojajuni also participated in a panel session during the celebration, where he urged journalists to uphold truth, professional ethics and patriotism, stressing the importance of responsible journalism to national development and public confidence in public institutions.
While receiving the Shield of Public Safety Award, the police commissioner attributed the Command’s achievements, particularly the impact of Operation KOSAYE, to the strategic direction of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, under the Handshake Patrol initiative.
He explained that the operation was carried out on the directive of the IGP through collaboration between the Ogun and Lagos State Police Commands, with support from the governors of both states.
According to him, the initiative strengthened security cooperation between the two states and improved coordinated efforts to prevent and combat criminal activities.
Ojajuni was also named among 50 distinguished personalities recognised as Golden Jubilee Ambassadors.
The honour reflects his leadership and previous contributions to policing in Ogun State, where he served as Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department and Squadron Commander of the 16 Police Mobile Force, Abeokuta, before becoming commissioner.
Similarly, Babaseyi received the Vanguard of Public Safety Award in recognition of his contributions to police-public communication, media engagement and public safety advocacy.
The commissioner dedicated the honours to the Inspector-General of Police and officers of the Nigeria Police Force, acknowledging their commitment and sacrifices in protecting lives and property.
The Command also commended the NUJ Ogun State Council, led by its chairman, Comrade Wale Olanrewaju, for the recognition and its role in promoting constructive engagement between journalists and security institutions.
It reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening its relationship with the media, noting that effective policing depends not only on operational deployment but also on public trust, timely information and stakeholder engagement.
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