By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba (retd.), has withdrawn from the 2027 Yobe State governorship race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Baba announced his withdrawal in a statement made available to Newsmen on Wednesday, saying the decision followed extensive consultations with political stakeholders and associates across the state and beyond.

The former police chief said the move was taken in the interest of party unity, stability and progress ahead of the APC governorship primaries.

‎He stated, “After due consultations and exhaustive meetings with the Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria Senator Kashim Shettima, the Executive Governors of Yobe and Borno states, elders and political associates, as well as some very critical stakeholders across the seventeen Local Government Areas, I have decided to withdraw my aspiration for the governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 general elections.”

Baba described the decision as a difficult but necessary sacrifice for the unity of the ruling party in Yobe State.

‎“The decision was not arrived at easily; it is voluntary but an obvious sacrifice we must make in the interest of party unity, stability and progress of our dear state,” he said.

He urged his supporters to remain calm and continue supporting the APC and whoever emerges as the party’s governorship candidate.
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‎“Having made this decision, we urge our teeming supporters to remain calm, law-abiding and continue to support our great party, the APC, as well as the eventual gubernatorial candidate,” Baba added.
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‎The retired IGP also reaffirmed his commitment to the development of Yobe State despite stepping down from the race.
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His withdrawal comes less than 24 hours after another APC governorship aspirant, Alhaji Lawan Kolo Geidam, also exited the contest.

The remaining aspirants include Senator Ibrahim Muhammed Bomai, Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, Bashir Sheriff Machina and Kashim Musa Tumsah.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the alliance between Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde-backed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) as fraudulent.

“When I say people are fraudulent, they thought I was joking. And that’s the 419 we are talking about,” said Mr Wike during an inspection of ongoing road projects in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Makinde earlier declared his interest to contest the 2027 presidency after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM to be its standard bearer.

“I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, Excellency, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the governor stated.

According to the agreement, candidates of the Turaki-led PDP faction in Oyo State loyal to Mr Makinde who are contesting governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and state assembly seats are expected to run on the platform of the APM rather than the PDP in the 2027 elections.

However, Mr Wike said the alliance was unknown to the Independent National Electoral Commission and his faction of the PDP.

He added, “There’s no alliance between PDP and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) or any other political party, as the case may be. INEC also knows that there’s nothing called PDP-APM alliance.”

Noting that the ongoing political activities within the PDP, including the screening of aspirants, clearly showed that the party remained independent and had not entered into any coalition arrangement, the minister accused Mr Makinde of pursuing his personal presidential ambition through the APM platform.

“PDP has presented a presidential candidate and watch out who will be submitted to INEC and see whether there’s anything called PDP-APM.

“What you have is Seyi Makinde joining APM to be able to actualise his presidential ambition, which is already dead on arrival,” Mr Wike said.

The PDP has been embroiled in leadership crisis stirring yet to be resolved court cases.

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.”