By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Official records belonging to Mahmud Sadisu Buba, widely known as Abin Al’ajabi, an aspirant for the Sabon Gari Federal Constituency seat in Kaduna State, indicate that he was born in 2010—casting doubt on previous media reports that placed his age at 30.

The little-person politician first drew public attention when he appeared before the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee on Saturday. Prior to that, he had been photographed alongside several prominent political figures, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and a number of state governors.

In a recent BBC interview, Buba claimed to be above 25 years old—the minimum constitutional age required to contest for a seat in Nigeria’s House of Representatives.

However, a National Identification Number (NIN) slip and an international passport seen by this newspaper reportedly show that he was born on August 27, 2010, meaning he will turn 16 in August 2026. If accurate, this would place him well below the constitutionally mandated age for the lower legislative chamber and could render him ineligible for the race.

Section 65 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution stipulates that a candidate for the House of Representatives must be at least 25 years old, while aspirants for the Senate, governorship, and presidency must be at least 35.

A petition has been submitted to the APC House of Representatives Appeals Committee, challenging Buba’s eligibility over alleged discrepancies in his age, identity documents, and educational qualifications.

The petition, filed by the law firm Black Halsburys L.P. on behalf of the Samaru Layin Tsamiya Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Limited, accuses the aspirant of falsifying his age, NIN details, and academic credentials.

Addressed to the chairman of the APC House of Representatives Appeals Committee at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the petition warns that the allegations, if proven, could hurt the party’s chances in the 2027 general election.

“We are solicitors to Samaru Layin Tsamiya Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Limited, all members of the All Progressives Congress, Sabon Gari Federal Constituency, Kaduna State,” part of the petition read.

The petitioners allege that Buba was born on August 27, 2010, at Hajiya Gambo Sawaba Government General Hospital in Zaria, and was issued a birth certificate at birth. They further claim that his NIN records and educational documents reflect the same date of birth.

“The Respondent has prior to now been issued with a National Identification Number (NIN) bearing 27th August, 2010 as his date of birth,” the petition stated.

The petition also claims that the aspirant was admitted into Demonstration Secondary School, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 2023 and sat for the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams in 2025.

Despite these records, the petitioners say Buba declared himself as 30 years old in the expression of interest and nomination forms submitted to the APC screening committee.

The petitioners are urging the committee to compel Buba to produce original copies of his NIN slip, birth certificate, international passport, and educational certificates for verification. They also called for independent confirmation of his records with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), and NECO.

Among other demands, they ask the committee to disqualify him from the APC primary election if any material falsification or non-compliance is established.

“This petition is filed without malice, political vendetta, or personal hostility. It is submitted solely to protect the constitutional and procedural integrity of the party’s nomination process,” the petition added.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has revealed that the involvement of Honourable Desmond Elliot in the overturned impeachment of Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, almost cost him his job as as chief of staff to the president.

Speaking to members and supporters of the APC in Surulere on Thursday, Mr Gbajabiamila revealed that he almost got sacked by Mr Tinubu during Mr Obasa’s impeachment saga involving Mr Elliot and other members of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“I almost lost my job as Chief of Staff last year because of Desmond Elliot. Mr President called me to his study in his house in Abuja during the Obasa saga, and he said, ‘I heard this Desmond is your boy, the one we gave you, we heard he’s part of the people causing problems in the Lagos House of Assembly,’ and immediately I told Mr President that Desmond was not part of them. I haven’t even confirmed from Desmond, but I defended him.”

“But the president said, ‘well, I’m telling you from intelligence that he’s part of them. Go and tell him to retrace his steps,’ and I called Desmond and told him that if he was part of them, he should withdraw,” Mr Gbajabiamila added.

He, however, noted that during his phone call with Mr Elliot, the lawmaker dilly-dallied rather than being straightforward with him about his involvement in Mr Obasa’s impeachment saga.

Mr Gbajabiamila noted that three days after his meeting with the president, he received a phone call from the Director General of the State Security Service, who informed him that he was being accused of supporting Mr Elliot to ensure the impeachment of Mr Obasa.

He added, “Of course the president will not believe that Desmond would do such a thing, and I would not know about it. But I told the DG DSS that I had already spoken with Desmond, and he promised to withdraw his involvement in the matter. So, I called Desmond again and directed him to issue a public statement that he wasn’t part of them, but till tomorrow, he never did. If not for my kind of relationship with Mr President, I won’t be here today.”

On January 13, 2025, 32 of the 40 state legislators impeached Mr Obasa while he was out of the country. This triggered a leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly, prompting Mr Tinubu’s intervention and the subsequent reinstatement of Mr Obasa as Speaker after more than 40 days.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The ECOWAS Parliament has adopted a resolution directing member states to take immediate action toward protecting street children, ending child exploitation, and removing them from the streets in the sub-region.

The lawmakers adopted the landmark resolution during the parliament’s ongoing 2026 First Ordinary Session on Thursday in Abuja.

They also mandated the parliament’s speaker to transmit the resolution and the joint committee report to the ECOWAS Commission president for onward submission to the chairman of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

The MPs noted that “street children, who are usually exposed to the gravest human rights abuses, are among the most neglected groups in society.”

The parliament’s decision follows recommendations from a delocalised meeting of its Joint Committee, which was held earlier in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in April.

The committee comprises Social Affairs, Gender, Women Empowerment, People with Disabilities, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Trade, Customs and Free Movement.

“ECOWAS member states are to adopt and implement comprehensive domestic strategies for street children, with clear objectives, timelines, and dedicated budgetary allocations in line with international child rights standards.

“Member states are also urged to strengthen the enforcement of child protection laws and ensure that street children have access to free, inclusive education, healthcare, birth registration, identity documents, and child-friendly justice systems,” the resolution said.

The parliament also urged the ECOWAS Commission to develop a harmonised regional framework on street children to guide member states and ensure a coordinated response across the sub-region.

“The ECOWAS Commission should expand its Child Rights Information Management System to support data-driven policy-making and accountability, and strengthen regional coordination through collaboration with governments, civil society organisations and development partners,” it further said.

The lawmakers stressed the need to tackle the root causes of the street children crisis by expanding social protection programmes for vulnerable families, particularly single-parent households affected by poverty, displacement, and family breakdown.

“The parliament recommends preventive measures such as community child protection mechanisms, parental support services, psychosocial assistance, and public awareness campaigns to combat discrimination and social exclusion.

“Recognising the cross-border nature of child trafficking and exploitation, the parliament calls for referral systems, safe repatriation protocols, and information-sharing mechanisms among member states to better protect children on the move,” the resolution stated.

It also stressed the need to scale up capacity-building support for national institutions in child protection, child-friendly justice, and law enforcement.

Thursday’s sitting focused on the theme: “Parliamentary Approach to the Protection of Street Children and the Fight Against the Exploitation of Children in the ECOWAS Region.”