Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that his academic certificates were stolen by unknown persons while he was on self exile. Tinubu, a former Lagos State Governor, was one of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) Chieftains who fled the country during the regime of the late Sani Abacha. Abacha had clamped down on academics, activists and other technocrats opposed to his regime. In his sworn affidavit in support of his nomination form for the office of the president, Tinubu said he “went on self exile from October 1994…

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday said one of his mistakes in life was picking former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as his running mate during the 1999 Presidential election. He made the disclosure at an event, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State, which featured presentations and exhibitions of some products, made by students of the participating schools. Obasanjo was responding to questions, posed by students from selected secondary schools that, participated in the final of the National Exhibition and Awards, organised by Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE). Obasanjo and his former number…

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed Bashir Machina as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Yobe north senatorial district. Machina, at a primary organised by the party in May, had won unopposed. However, there were speculations that he was being asked to step down for Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who currently represents the district. But Machina had insisted that he would not withdraw for Lawan — the senate president had contested the APC presidential ticket but lost. Amid the controversy, the APC submitted Lawan’s name to INEC as its senatorial candidate for Yobe north, and Abdullahi…

The fight against corruption has been a top campaign issue in Nigeria’s last two presidential elections, but the history of graft allegations surrounding the two main candidates means neither is likely to raise it in the run-up to February’s vote. Front-runner Bola Tinubu, who secured the ruling party’s nomination earlier this month, was being investigated by the country’s anti-corruption agency as recently as last June. Three decades ago he fought a lawsuit in which the US government accused him of laundering the proceeds of heroin trafficking and eventually reached a settlement. Atiku Abubakar, his chief rival, brought tens of millions…