By Abbas Yushau Yusuf

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has emerged victorious in the presidential primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) held in Kano State, securing an overwhelming majority of votes cast across the state’s 484 wards.

Announcing the results in Kano on Tuesday, Dr. John Ayuba, a representative of the ADC national headquarters, declared that Atiku polled 155,995 votes to defeat his closest rivals in the keenly contested exercise.

According to the official figures released at the end of the collation process:

Atiku Abubakar — 155,995 votes

Rotimi Amaechi — 15,914 votes

Mohammed Hayatu-Deen — 9,994 votes

Dr. Ayuba stated that the primary election was conducted peacefully across all the 484 wards in Kano State, with party officials and delegates participating in the democratic process.

Speaking shortly after the announcement, he said the outcome of the Kano exercise would now be transmitted to the ADC national leadership for final collation and ratification.

“The election was conducted in the 484 wards of Kano State. We are going to forward the results to the national headquarters, and from there we will know who becomes the presidential flagbearer of the party,” he said.

The outcome further strengthens Atiku’s influence within the party structure in Kano, one of Nigeria’s most politically significant states with a large voting population.

Political observers say the margin of victory recorded by the former vice president reflects his strong grassroots support and established political network in northern Nigeria ahead of the next general election.

Supporters of Atiku who gathered at the venue of the announcement celebrated the victory, describing it as a sign of confidence in his leadership experience and national appeal.

Meanwhile, party officials urged members to remain united after the exercise and work towards strengthening the ADC ahead of the presidential election.

The ADC national headquarters is expected to compile results from other states before making an official declaration on the party’s presidential candidate.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to contest in the 2027 presidential election, dismissing a suit seeking to disqualify him.

The case was brought by a lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, who asked the court to restrain Jonathan from presenting himself as a candidate to any political party for the 2027 poll. He also sought an order preventing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate.

Jideobi had asked the court to determine whether, based on Sections 1(1), (2), (3) and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution, Jonathan remained eligible to seek the office of president again.

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu held that Jonathan could lawfully participate in the election. The judge noted that both a Federal High Court in Yenagoa and the Court of Appeal had previously ruled that Jonathan was eligible to run, and that he was bound by the appellate court’s decision.

Justice Lifu also ruled that Jideobi lacked the legal standing to bring the suit, as he had not suffered any direct loss from Jonathan’s alleged intention to run. The judge described the lawsuit as “an abuse of court process” and dismissed a motion by Jideobi seeking the judge’s recusal, calling the motion frivolous.

The court awarded a N20 million fine against Jideobi in favour of the former president, and an additional N1 million fine in favour of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

The ruling comes after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki last week offered Jonathan a waiver as the party’s sole presidential candidate for 2027.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Muslims in their numbers prayed on Mount Arafat on Tuesday at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage, as a punishing desert sun sent temperatures soaring towards 40C.

From daybreak, thousands of white-robed worshippers recited Quranic verses on the 70-metre (230 feet) rocky hill near Mecca, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his last sermon.

More than 1.5 million people have joined the hajj this year despite the shadow of war across the Middle East created by the US and Israeli war with Iran.

During the fighting, Tehran retaliated with waves of drone and ballistic missile strikes, hitting major infrastructure and energy installations across the Gulf, including in Saudi Arabia.

More than 30,000 Iranians have made the journey, about a third of the 86,000 originally expected. Iran’s IRNA state news agency said the “wartime situation” explained the drop.

Despite the war, Saudi officials said over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad this year than in 2025.

The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means to do so.

With temperatures hitting 44 degrees in Mecca in recent days, Saudi authorities have urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water and protect themselves from the sun during the mostly outdoor rituals, which can take five days or more to complete.

Since men are prohibited from wearing hats, many carry umbrellas to try to keep the blistering sun at bay.

After Mount Arafat, pilgrims will spend the night in Muzdalifah, where they will collect pebbles for the symbolic “stoning of the devil” ritual in Mina, starting on Wednesday.

The hajj is said to follow the path of the Prophet Mohammed’s final pilgrimage, about 1,400 years ago.

It has long been an important source of legitimacy for the Al Saud dynasty, whose monarch has the title “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”, in Mecca and Medina.