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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Labour Party (LP) has officially confirmed Dr. Barry Avotu Johnson as its governorship candidate for Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The announcement was made on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Abuja by the party’s National Vice Chairman, Dr. Ayodele Olurunfemi, following the presentation of reports from governorship primaries conducted across 30 states of the federation.

According to the reports submitted by returning officers, Dr. Avotu Johnson emerged through a broad-based consensus process, securing overwhelming support across Delta State’s 25 Local Government Areas.

Speaking during the announcement, Dr. Olurunfemi described the outcome as a reflection of party unity and growing confidence in the Labour Party’s vision for governance.

“This outcome demonstrates the strength, unity, and democratic spirit of our party. The Labour Party remains committed to providing credible leadership and a genuine alternative for Nigerians,” he stated.

In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Avotu Johnson expressed appreciation to party leaders, delegates, supporters, and stakeholders across the state for their confidence in his candidacy.

“I am deeply honored by this mandate and the trust reposed in me. This victory belongs to every Deltan who desires progress, accountability, and a new direction for our state. Together, we will build a Delta that works for all,” he said.

The Labour Party candidate pledged to run an issue-driven campaign focused on economic development, job creation, quality education, healthcare delivery, infrastructure renewal, and good governance.

With the governorship ticket now secured, attention is expected to shift to the selection of a running mate and the unveiling of the party’s policy agenda for the 2027 election campaign.

Political observers note that the emergence of Dr. Avotu Johnson further strengthens the Labour Party’s position in Delta State, setting the stage for a competitive contest in the forthcoming governorship election.

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The United States and Iran said Monday they had again traded strikes, straining an already fragile ceasefire as negotiations between the two sides have stalled.

Weeks of complicated talks marked by sharp rhetoric and occasional flare-ups of violence have not managed to reach a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is essential to oil supplies.

Washington and Tehran have sharp differences on questions like Iranian nuclear efforts and the fighting in Lebanon, which Iran has demanded must stop as part of a broader agreement.
The latest exchange of fire coincided with Israel expanding its offensive in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Netanyahu vowing to push deeper into the country.

The US military announced that it had carried out “self-defense strikes” on Iranian radar and drone control sites in the southern part of the country over the weekend — its third such wave in just over a week.

The strikes were in response to the downing of a US MQ-1 drone, it added.
Shortly after, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted an “air base from which the attack originated” used by the US military, state broadcaster IRIB reported Monday, without specifying the location of the base.
The Guards’ announcement came on the heels of the Kuwaiti military saying its air defences intercepted “hostile missile and drone attacks”, without mentioning where attack originated.

People wave Iran’s national flags during an anti-US and Israel protest in Tehran on May 29, 2026. Iran’s foreign ministry said on May 29 that there were “no negotiations” taking place on its nuclear programme, after US President Donald Trump suggested it would relinquish its enriched uranium under a deal to end the Middle East war.

Iran was already in talks with the United States about the fate of its nuclear programme in February when the US and Israel launched air and missile strikes that wiped out much of the Islamic Republic’s senior leadership.
While Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear programme is for purely civilian ends, the United States and its Western allies suspect it aims to develop a weapon.

The New York Times and Axios reported on Saturday that Trump had sent back a “tougher” new framework to be considered by Iran, though details remain unclear.

Trump has said his priorities include stopping Iran from developing any nuclear weapons and reopening the Hormuz shipping lane, which Iran has blockaded since the war began.

“The one guarantee that I have to have is that there will be no nuclear weapons. They’ve agreed to that, and it was very interesting,” he told his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in an interview on her Fox News show.

Late Sunday, Trump stressed on Truth Social that the proposed deal “states, very clearly, that Iran will not have a Nuclear Weapon”.
Tehran, however, has previously cast doubt on Trump’s assertions, and the sides remain far apart on key issues.
“We will not approve any agreement until we are certain that the rights of the Iranian people have been upheld,” Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a video broadcast on state television.
According to the Tasnim news agency, exchanges on the text “are ongoing, with both parties regularly proposing amendments”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, said that “until a clear conclusion is reached… everything that is being said now is speculation”, according to state TV.
Iran has said it needs the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear programme, dismissing earlier Trump comments that its enriched uranium stockpile would be destroyed as “baseless”, according to Iranian media.
Trump is under pressure to secure a deal that would lift competing US and Iranian blockades around the Strait of Hormuz that have strangled a vital route for global oil supplies.

After Trump said Iran would charge “no tolls” on ships passing through the strait under any deal, Iranian news agency Fars cited sources saying “no such clause” existed.

Iran’s ISNA news agency on Saturday quoted lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying a plan for Iranian “management and sovereignty” over the strait — including imposing “administrative fees” — would soon go before parliament.

A Pakistani official is pictured during the arrival of the US Vice President JD Vance for US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad on April 11, 2026.

Tehran has insisted that any peace deal include Lebanon, where fierce fighting continues, with Beirut accusing Israel of pursuing a “scorched-earth policy” as it expands operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
A truce between Israel and Hezbollah formally began on April 17, but it has never been observed, with both sides accusing each other of violating it.

An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed eight people on Sunday, including three women, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday on the widening Israeli offensive following its capture of the strategic medieval castle of Beaufort, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the retaking of Beaufort “a dramatic shift.”

AFP

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has criticised key opposition figures and political parties, arguing that recent disputes arising from their primary elections have undermined claims that they offer a credible alternative to the country’s established political parties.

Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike said controversies that trailed congresses and primary elections in some opposition parties exposed what he described as contradictions between their public rhetoric and internal practices.

The minister referenced complaints and protests that emerged during the conduct of party congresses and primaries, noting that even presidential aspirants openly questioned the credibility of the exercises.

According to him, parties that had presented themselves as champions of democratic reforms were now grappling with the same challenges they often accuse larger parties of perpetuating.

“They told Nigerians they were the new face of democracy and the alternative platform for change. But what we have seen is that even within their own structures, there are allegations of irregularities and protests over congresses and primaries,” he said.

Wike argued that the developments should encourage Nigerians to critically assess political actors based on their conduct rather than campaign rhetoric.

He maintained that managing political parties in Nigeria requires a practical understanding of the country’s political environment, adding that older parties have acquired experience in handling internal disagreements and organisational challenges.

“My assessment is that the parties that have been tested over time understand the complexities of Nigeria’s political culture and democratic process,” he said.

The former Rivers State governor also dismissed suggestions that some of the country’s major political parties had become irrelevant, insisting that political relevance is ultimately determined by performance, internal cohesion and public support.

Wike’s comments came amidst ongoing political realignments and heightened activities across party lines ahead of future electoral contests, with several opposition parties seeking to strengthen their structures and broaden their appeal to voters.

He urged political leaders to focus on strengthening democratic institutions and promoting internal party democracy rather than relying on rhetoric aimed at discrediting opponents.