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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will hold a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, to mark 100 days to the 2027 general election.
The Commission will provide updates on preparations for the elections, including the voters’ register, candidate nominations, logistics and critical measures to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.

The event will be addressed by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, alongside other key stakeholders involved in the electoral process.

The national stakeholders’ meeting underlines the Commission’s commitment to absolute transparency, proactive public communication, and collaborative engagement with key actors in the electoral ecosystem.

The meeting will bring together political party leaders, security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), members of the diplomatic corps, development partners, civil society organisations, observer groups, disability rights advocates, religious and traditional leaders, youth organisations and media executives.

Meanwhile, the event will be held at Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre (BAT-ICC), Abuja and attendance is strictly by invitation

The event will be broadcast live on major national television networks and streamed on INEC’s official social media platforms.

Accredited media representatives and invited guests are required to present their invitation cards or accreditation badges at security checkpoints.

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After one week in captivity, bandits have established contact with the families of the abducted farmers from Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, demanding ₦94 million for their release.

The Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, who disclosed the latest development, said the kidnappers had contacted relatives of some of the victims, and they are demanding ₦2 million for each of the victims.

The victims, who were mostly women, were reportedly abducted from farms around Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward of the council area on 26th September while harvesting groundnut.

They were engaged by a farmer under “harvest and get your share” arrangements when the incident occurred.

The chairman also disclosed that information reaching the council indicates that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.

He said security personnel, supported by local vigilantes, had been mobilised to rescue the victims.

However, the Niger State Police Command gave a lower preliminary figure, saying only 20 people were abducted at Mukura village, Kasuwan-Garba district, on September 26, 2026, and that joint security rescue efforts were ongoing.

However, no member of the victims’ families could be reached for their reaction at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, since the incident occurred a week ago, there has not been any official statement from the state government.

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Chuks Nwanne, general manager of The Guardian’s Abuja operations and former Saturday editor, has died.

Eniola Daniel, senior multimedia reporter at The Guardian, announced Nwanne’s death in an X post on Saturday.

TheCable understands that Nwanne died on Saturday after a protracted illness.

Daniel described Nwanne as a “prolific entertainment writer” and his teacher, saying he would be deeply missed.

Finally, Daniel expressed condolences to Nwanne’s family, describing his death as a loss to Ogbunike, Anambra, the music and entertainment industry, and journalism.

Below are a few things about the late journalist;

Nwanne, a native of Ogbunike in Oyi LGA of Anambra State, joined The Guardian in 2008 as an entertainment reporter.

He later became editorial assistant at The Guardian Life Magazine, the newspaper’s weekly lifestyle publication.

He also served as assistant editor, entertainment and lifestyle, while overseeing The Guardian’s youth, travel, and tourism sections on Saturdays.

Nwanne had a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, and a master’s degree in communication studies from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos.

He attended several training programmes and conferences in Nigeria and abroad.

Beyond journalism, Nwanne was the founder and creative director of the Ogbunike Cave Carnival, an annual three-day cultural festival established to promote the Ogbunike Cave, a major tourist attraction in Nigeria.

He was married and had three children.