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The Labour Party has dismissed reports alleging that it failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission’s nomination portal closed, insisting that it completed the process four days ahead of the deadline.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, described the reports as “patently false and misleading” and urged its members and supporters to disregard them.

Asogwa explained that it successfully uploaded the names of all its duly nominated presidential, vice-presidential and National Assembly candidates before the July 14 deadline set by INEC.

According to him, the names of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates were uploaded on July 10, in compliance with the electoral umpire’s timetable and guidelines.

He said, “The Labour Party wishes to categorically state that it successfully completed the upload of the names of all its duly nominated candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections ahead of the closure of the INEC nomination portal on 14th July, 2026.

“Our attention has been drawn to media reports in certain quarters alleging that the party failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice presidential candidates before the expiration of the INEC deadline.

“This claim is patently false, misleading, and exists only in the imagination of the purveyors of that fake news.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Labour Party successfully uploaded the names of its presidential and vice presidential candidates on 10th July, 2026, four clear days before the close of the INEC nomination window on 14th July, 2026.

“The process was completed seamlessly and in full compliance with the commission’s guidelines.”

The party also faulted the media report, accusing the unnamed organisation that published it of failing to verify the claim with the party’s leadership.

“It is, however, disturbing that a media organisation would publish such a weighty and misleading report without making the slightest effort to verify the information with the leadership of the Labour Party, particularly when the story was purportedly sourced from an anonymous INEC official.

“This raises legitimate questions about the professional responsibility of the media organisation concerned and whether the publication was intended to serve some ulterior political objective rather than the public interest,” he stated.

Asogwa, however, expressed confidence that INEC’s publication of the final list of validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections would settle the matter.

He urged Nigerians to ignore the report, insisting it was a deliberate attempt to discredit it ahead of the elections.

“In any event, INEC has already published its timetable for the release of the final list of validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections.

“Once the commission makes the publication, Nigerians will clearly see the names of all duly nominated candidates of the various political parties, including those of the Labour Party, thereby putting this baseless misinformation to rest.

“We, therefore, urge our teeming members, supporters and the general public to disregard the fake report in its entirety.

“Those who have become unsettled by the renewed strength, growing acceptance and increasing momentum of the Labour Party should channel their energies into preparing for the electoral contest ahead rather than resorting to crude propaganda and discredited tactics.

“This latest attempt has collapsed under the weight of the facts, like a pack of cards,” the statement added.

The clarification comes amid heightened political activities as parties conclude the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections in line with INEC’s timetable.

The electoral body earlier fixed 6 p.m. on July 11 as the deadline for the upload of names for presidential, vice presidential and National Assembly candidates by respective parties, before extending the deadline to Tuesday, July 14.

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The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has disclosed that the Federal Government will conduct a comprehensive nationwide household survey to establish a more accurate figure for Nigeria’s out-of-school children, acknowledging that existing estimates no longer reflect the current reality.

Speaking on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual Education Summit of the Education Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja, Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education was partnering with the National Bureau of Statistics to generate reliable data that would guide policy decisions and interventions in the sector.

The minister admitted that the widely cited estimates of out-of-school children required updating, stressing that the government was committed to replacing assumptions with credible, evidence-based statistics.

According to him, the nationwide household survey would provide a clearer picture of the magnitude and distribution of the challenge, enabling the government to design more targeted interventions to improve access to education.

Dr Alausa noted that although the government had succeeded in returning more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past two years, obtaining accurate data remained critical to measuring progress and addressing the problem effectively.

Estimates put the country’s out-of-school children at between 15 million and about 20 million.

Alausa said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was committed to evidence-based policymaking, stressing that access to accurate data should empower both the media and citizens to demand greater accountability from public officeholders.

The minister said journalists must move beyond routine event coverage to investigative reporting that highlights gaps in the education sector and tracks government performance using verifiable evidence.

According to him, quality journalism backed by credible data would not only strengthen accountability but also improve education outcomes across the country.

Alausa also highlighted reforms being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, digital transformation, quality assurance, improved education governance and expanding access to education.

He noted that Nigeria had recorded three consecutive years without disruption of academic activities in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, attributing the achievement to sustained engagement with tertiary institution unions.

The minister also disclosed that Nigeria now has 24 universities ranked among the world’s top 1,000 institutions, compared with 21 previously, with public universities occupying the country’s top four positions.

The summit, themed “Three Years of the Tinubu Administration: Assessing Reforms, Progress and Challenges in Nigeria’s Education Sector,” brought together policymakers, education stakeholders and journalists to evaluate reforms and challenges in the education sector.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad, urged journalists to support education reforms through balanced and responsible reporting.

“Education is the foundation upon which we build a productive economy, strengthen democratic institutions, reduce poverty and promote social cohesion,” she said.

The Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Dr Aisha Garba, reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian child has access to quality basic education regardless of background or location.

“The most important objective is that no child should be left behind. Regardless of background, location or income level, every child must have access to quality education,” she said.

Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council, Grace Ike, called on the media to intensify efforts towards promoting accountability and public awareness in the education sector.

She stressed that government, parents, school administrators, policymakers and journalists must work together to address challenges affecting the sector.

The Special Adviser to the Minister of Education on Media and Communication, Ikharo Attah, also advocated evidence-based journalism, saying credible reporting must be guided by facts rather than assumptions.

Earlier, ECAN Chairman, Chuks Ukwauta, said the summit was organised to examine the achievements, reforms and challenges recorded in Nigeria’s education sector under the Tinubu administration.

Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in the world, making the issue a major national development challenge.

Despite years of government interventions, millions of children remain outside the formal education system due to poverty, insecurity, cultural barriers, inadequate school infrastructure, child labour, early marriage, displacement caused by conflict, and weak access to quality education, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

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In a renewed effort to combat crime and enhance public safety in Delta State, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Yemi Oyeniyi, has directed all patrol and guard officers, vigilante groups, forest guards and other recognised civil security outfits in the state to intensify intelligence gathering and sustain security patrols across forests, rural communities and critical access routes.

The directive was issued on Wednesday during a strategic security meeting held at the Delta State Police Command headquarters, Asaba, attended by patrol and guard officers from all police divisions across the state.

The State Police Command directive comes amid sustained efforts by security agencies to curb kidnapping, cultism and other violent crimes in the state through enhanced community policing and intelligence-driven operations.

Addressing participants at the meeting, CP Oyeniyi emphasised the need for heightened surveillance of roads, waterways, railway corridors and bush paths, noting that criminal elements often exploit such locations to perpetrate kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of criminality.

The Police Commissioner commended vigilante groups and other community-based security outfits for their contributions to maintaining peace and security across Delta State.

However, he stressed that their operations must be conducted strictly within the confines of the law and in close coordination with the Nigeria Police Force.

According to him, all activities of local security outfits should be streamlined under the supervision of the respective Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) to ensure accountability and effective implementation of community policing strategies.

CP Oyeniyi noted that sustainable security can only be achieved through strong collaboration between the police and community security stakeholders, backed by continuous intelligence sharing and coordinated patrol operations.

He also issued a stern warning against acts of unlawful detention, torture, dehumanising treatment of suspects and the use of vigilante groups to settle personal grievances or political scores.

The Commissioner directed that all persons apprehended by local security outfits must be immediately handed over to the nearest police station for proper investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law.

Furthermore, he charged leaders of vigilante and forest guard groups to instil discipline among their members, identify and remove criminal elements within their ranks, and desist from shielding individuals involved in illegal activities.

Reaffirming the command’s commitment to strengthening grassroots security architecture, CP Oyeniyi assured stakeholders that the police would continue to collaborate with genuine security partners within the framework of the law.

He added that similar strategic engagements would be replicated across the various local government areas of Delta State to improve coordination, intelligence gathering and collective efforts aimed at tackling insecurity and safeguarding lives and property.