By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential campaign council has alleged a plot to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the January 16, 2027 presidential election over the Ebola outbreak.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Phrank Shaibu, director of strategic communication of the campaign council, said the opposition party had received information that Joash Amupitan, INEC chairman, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa and instructed to change the election date.

Shaibu, however, did not provide details or evidence to substantiate the allegation.

The ADC campaign council spokesperson urged President Bola Tinubu to abandon any alleged attempt to alter the election timetable, saying he should seek re-election through the ballot box rather than postpone the poll.

“Professor Joash Amupitan must refuse any instruction to change the timetable and immediately make any such approach public,” the statement reads.

“The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors at the Villa.

“Nigerians have endured three and a half years of soaring prices, shrinking incomes and relentless hardship. They have the right to judge this government at the ballot box on 16 January.

“A government that has made life this difficult for Nigerians must not be allowed to postpone its day of judgment.”

While acknowledging that Ebola was a serious public health concern, Shaibu cautioned against using the outbreak as a justification for delaying the election.

He called on health professionals to sustain containment efforts and urged INEC to take necessary measures to protect voters and election workers.

The council spokesperson also cited comments by Jide Idris, director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), who said there was no current reason to postpone the 2027 general election over the outbreak.

“As of now, there is no need for that. We in the health sector will not use disease issues as a political weapon,” Idris said on Monday.

Shaibu called on INEC, domestic observers and international election monitors to scrutinise any proposal to change the election timetable.

He said any such proposal should be made openly, backed by published health evidence and subjected to public scrutiny.

On Sunday, Adewole Adebayo, presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), cautioned against postponing the election or cancelling political campaigns over the outbreak.

Speaking at a dinner organised by the SDP presidential campaign council in Abuja, Adebayo said a single confirmed case was insufficient to justify shutting down public activities.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of using his announced Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia to conceal an alleged trip to France, demanding that the Presidency disclose the President’s full itinerary.

‎Atiku also questioned whether the trip was connected to Tinubu’s health and a reported $20bn loan request involving a French business partner, calling on the Presidency to address the issues and provide Nigerians with clear explanations.

‎‎The former vice-president made the allegations in a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.

‎‎According to Atiku, intelligence available to him suggested that Tinubu might make a brief appearance in Makkah before proceeding to France. He, however, did not provide details of the intelligence to support the claim.

‎‎Atiku challenged the Presidency to release current, date-stamped photographs and videos showing Tinubu at the Kaaba and participating in the rites of Umrah daily if the pilgrimage was genuinely intended to seek divine intervention for Nigeria.

‎‎He said he and other Nigerians would join the President in prayers for the country’s peace and progress, but warned against invoking the name of Allah in vain.

‎‎Atiku maintained that the President’s itinerary and the funding of the trip were matters of public interest, arguing that Nigerians deserved transparency regarding official engagements undertaken in the country’s name.

‎‎He urged the Presidency to respond to the questions and provide verifiable evidence of the President’s activities during the pilgrimage.

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Federal Government has approved a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion the impact of rising living costs.

The approval was one of the resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja on Tuesday, following renewed pressure from organised labour over the cost of living, workers’ welfare and outstanding agreements.

The government also approved the payment of peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.

However, the parties failed to agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage, although they agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately.

The resolutions were contained in a memorandum of understanding signed at the end of the meeting by the Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.

The document, titled ‘Resolutions Reached at a Conciliation Meeting Held at Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Between the Federal Government and the Leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday, 27th October, 2026’, outlined agreements on minimum wage negotiations, transport support, outstanding allowances, health workers’ remuneration, tax relief and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.

The meeting followed an earlier conciliation session held on October 22, 2026, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address disagreements between the government and organised labour.

On the transport intervention, the document stated, “That transport intervention of Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000) commencing from November 2026 would be paid across all levels for a period of six months.”

The document did not specify the payment date within each month or provide details of the administrative arrangements for disbursement.

The agreement comes amid continuing concerns over transportation costs and the prices of other essential goods following the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023, which contributed to rising living costs across the country.

Organised labour has repeatedly demanded measures to ease the economic pressure on workers, including reductions in petrol prices, improved wages and the implementation of outstanding welfare agreements.

The memorandum also noted the NLC leadership’s concerns about the government’s handling of its demands.

Addressing the disagreement, it stated that the NLC leadership “expressed concern over the Federal Government’s attitude towards the above issues.”

It added that the Federal Government, in response, “stated that it fully respect the right of the Congress to advocate for improved working conditions for Nigerian workers, and is genuinely trying to address every aspect of it through a structured intervention.”

On the national minimum wage, the parties agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately.

However, the effective date of implementation remained unresolved.

The document stated, “It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. It should however be noted that there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.”

The disagreement leaves a key issue outstanding despite the commitment to begin negotiations without delay.

The national minimum wage became a major issue in 2024 when the Federal Government and organised labour negotiated an increase in the statutory minimum monthly wage from N30,000 to N70,000. The new rate was subsequently enacted into law through the National Minimum Wage Act.