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A governorship aspirant of the Accord Party in Oyo State, Hon. Olakunle Busari, has approached the Federal High Court in Ibadan, seeking to nullify the emergence of Mr. Oriyomi Hamzat as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

Busari, through his counsel, Tunji Ogunrinde (SAN), filed the suit marked FHC/IB/CS/97/26, asking the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove Hamzat’s name from its records and replace it with his own as the authentic Accord governorship candidate.

According to the suit, Busari alleged that Hamzat did not participate in the party’s direct primary election held on May 26, 2026, insisting that his nomination was unlawfully secured through a section of the party’s leadership.

The plaintiff maintained that he emerged winner of the direct primary after polling the highest number of votes and argued that he is the rightful candidate of the Accord Party for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.

Busari is therefore asking the court to compel INEC to recognise and publish his name as the valid winner of the party’s primary election.

He is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining INEC from recognising or giving effect to Hamzat’s nomination as the Accord governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

In addition, Busari wants the court to restrain Hamzat from parading himself as the bona fide and authentic governorship candidate of the Accord Party pending the determination of the matter.

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The battle for the political soul of Rivers State gathered fresh momentum on Monday, August 3, 2026, as supporters of the former House of Representatives Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, activated what appears to be an early statewide mobilisation strategy, extending their campaign machinery to all 23 local government areas and ward structures ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

The development signals that while the official electioneering whistle is yet to be blown, political camps are already laying claim to the grassroots in what analysts describe as a familiar contest where influence, structure and strategic alliances often determine who eventually occupies Brick House.

The pro-Chinda support group, Our Will, announced the expansion of its political network across the state, directing its state executive members to immediately establish functional local government and ward executives capable of driving voter mobilisation before formal campaigns commence.

State Chairman of the group, King Okene, said the organisation was determined to transform Chinda’s existing political popularity into what he described as an “unstoppable electoral mandate,” insisting that every ward must become a political fortress for the lawmaker’s governorship aspiration.

According to him, the publication of the electoral timetable has effectively opened a new phase of political calculations, making early grassroots organisation a strategic necessity rather than a luxury.

“We should double our efforts to ensure we meet the targets before electioneering campaigns officially begin. Every local government and ward structure must be fully operational within the first week of August,” he charged members.

In what appeared to be a calculated attempt to frame Chinda as the political heir to a tested governance model, President-General of Our Will, Glory Wobo, declared that the federal lawmaker’s years of public service and close political association with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have adequately prepared him for the state’s highest office.

Wobo argued that leadership is cultivated through mentorship rather than chance, maintaining that Chinda’s political apprenticeship under Wike – combined with his experience as commissioner and long-serving legislator – has equipped him with the administrative depth required to govern Rivers State.

He cited ongoing infrastructure renewal in the Federal Capital Territory as evidence of the leadership tradition from which Chinda emerged, suggesting that effective governance leaves measurable footprints rather than campaign slogans.

According to Wobo, Chinda enjoys goodwill that cuts across political parties, ethnic groups and religious divides, describing the lawmaker as a consensus figure whose appeal extends beyond partisan politics into credibility, accessibility and public service.

The latest mobilisation drive underscores the intensifying political chess game ahead of the 2027 governorship election, where aspirants are increasingly investing in grassroots structures long before formal campaigns begin.

With support groups already deploying ward-by-ward political architecture and competing camps quietly consolidating influence, Rivers State is once again demonstrating that, in Nigerian politics, the contest for power often begins long before the first ballot is printed.

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The Federal Government has endorsed 33 new universities across Nigeria, increasing the total number of universities in the country to 309.

The approvals include seven federal universities, six state-owned universities and 20 private universities.

The seven new federal universities are the Federal University of Environment and Technology, Tai, Rivers State; Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Kaduna State; Tai Solarin Federal University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State; Federal University of Agriculture and Developmental Studies, Iragbiji, Osun State; Federal University of Technology and Environmental Studies, Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State; Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Okeho, Oyo State; and the Federal University of Health Science and Technology, Tsafe, Zamfara State.

The six new state universities are Abdulsalam Abubakar University of Agriculture and Climate Action, Mokwa, Niger State; Ebonyi State University of ICT, Science and Technology, Oferekpe, Ebonyi State; University of Aeronautics and Aerospace Engineering, Ezza, Ebonyi State; Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Ihugh; Cross River University of Education and Entrepreneurship, Akamkpa, Cross River State; and the University of Innovation, Science and Technology, Omuma, Imo State.

The approvals also include 20 private universities.

Among them are Omega University in Delta State, Regnum Medical University in Lagos State, Transatlantic University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Anambra State, City University in Ogun State, University of Fortune in Ondo State, Eranova University in the Federal Capital Territory, Minaret University in Osun State, Abdulrasaq Abubakar Toyin University in Kwara State, Southern Atlantic University in Akwa Ibom State, Lens University in Kwara State, Monarch University in Ogun State, Tonnie Iredia University of Communication in Edo State, Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management in Lagos State, Kevin Eze University in Enugu State, Bridget University in Imo State, Leadership University in Abuja, Jimoh Babalola University in Kwara State, Greenland University, JEFAP University in Niger State, Azione Verde University in Imo State and Unique Open University in Lagos State.