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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election, Adedamola Adebayo, popularly known as FRYO, has pulled out from the race and endorsed the re-election bid of Governor Ademola Adebayo

He announced his withdrawal on Wednesday during a press conference in Osogbo, just three days before the election.

The PDP’s candidate withdrawal comes three days before the poll and is expected to affect the political calculations ahead of the election.

According to Adebayo, the decision followed extensive consultations and a careful assessment of the political situation in Osun.

He said his withdrawal was motivated by what he described as the broader interest of the state rather than personal political ambition.

Adebayo stressed that political leadership sometimes required taking difficult decisions, even when such decisions might not be popular among supporters.

He said: “After extensive consultations and careful consideration, I have decided to endorse His Excellency, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in the August 15 gubernatorial election in Osun State.

The former PDP candidate said he was solely responsible for the decision and had communicated his position to party leaders, members and stakeholders.

He subsequently urged PDP members and his supporters to support Adeleke’s re-election bid.

Adebayo acknowledged that some of his supporters might disagree with his position but appealed to them to respect differing opinions, describing such disagreements as part of the democratic process.

He also called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to reject violence, intimidation, hate speech and other forms of electoral hostility before, during and after the election.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that political parties have utilised the three-day extension granted by the commission to upload names of their governorship and state assembly candidates.

An official of INEC who spoke revealed this said the parties had used the additional window since they were the ones who requested the extension.

It’s obvious. They asked for it and we gave it to them. So obviously, they must have used it,” he said.

Recall that parties contesting in the elections have uploaded the names of their candidates on the portal. They include the All Progressives Congress (APC) the African Democratic Congress (ADC) the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and others.

National Chairman of the APC, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, announced over the weekend that his party has complied fully with the upload while founder of the NNPP, Dr Boniface Aniebonam has also stated that the party was able to field candidates for over 90 per cent of all elective positions.

The latest extension represents the second time INEC has adjusted the deadline for political parties to submit candidates for the 2027 elections.

INEC on Tuesday night closed its dedicated portal for political parties to submit the names and particulars of their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

The portal closed at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, following a three-day extension granted by the commission to enable political parties complete the nomination process.

INEC had initially fixed Saturday, August 8, 2026, as the deadline for the submission of the candidates’ lists for the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

However, the commission, in a statement issued on Sunday, approved the extension to Tuesday, August 11, following appeals from political parties for additional time to complete the upload of their candidates’ details.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, said the extension followed “growing appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the process.”

The exercise covers candidates for governorship and State Houses of Assembly seats ahead of the elections scheduled for February 2027. Under INEC’s revised timetable, political parties were required to upload their nomination forms and candidates’ particulars through the commission’s dedicated Candidate Nomination Portal.

A senior INEC official, when contacted, said the commission would not release figures on the number of political parties that had successfully submitted their governorship and State House of Assembly candidates until after the portal closes and the data is fully reconciled.

The official, who spoke to Daily Trust on condition of anonymity, said releasing figures before the deadline could result in inaccurate statistics, as parties could still make submissions in the final minutes before the portal shuts.

“We’ll give you after tomorrow. We can’t give you figures just because we’re in a rush to inform the public. We’ll give you inaccurate figures,” the official said.

He explained that the commission would need to wait until the portal had completely closed before determining the exact number of submissions, noting that there could be activity on the system even in the final minutes.

According to him, the commission would release the figures after the process had been concluded and the data properly verified.

Earlier in July, the commission extended the deadline for the submission of Presidential and National Assembly candidates by three days, from July 11 to July 14, 2026.

INEC had initially scheduled the submission of the names and particulars of Presidential and National Assembly candidates to close on Saturday, July 11, but moved the deadline to 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14, following an appeal by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on behalf of political parties that encountered difficulties uploading candidates’ details.

The commission said the extension was intended to give all parties a fair opportunity to complete the nomination process, while urging them to take advantage of the additional window.

The completion of the candidate submission process is expected to pave the way for the next stages of the electoral timetable, including the publication of candidates’ particulars for public scrutiny.

INEC’s revised timetable provides for the publication of the personal particulars of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates later in August, ahead of the February 2027 elections.

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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has lamented that Nigerian democracy is in serious crisis.

He decried what he described as the erosion of democratic principles in Nigeria, saying the country is facing a crisis.

The ex- Anambra State governor spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital, where he reflected on the state of democracy and governance in the country.

Obi recalled spending three years in court challenging his election as Anambra State governor, noting that judges he had never met previously delivered judgments in his favour.

He said such an experience would be difficult to replicate in Nigeria today.

I was in court for three years challenging my election, five judges that I never met for one day gave judgement in my favour, it cannot happen in Nigeria of today. I went to Court of Appeal, five judges I never met gave judgement in my favour.

“So, if you look at that and look at what is happening today in Nigeria where professors are now aiding illiterates to rig elections, where our lawmakers have removed forgery as an offence in electoral matters, and Senior Advocates of Nigeria are defending forgery. Our religious leaders are now praying for criminal politicians for blessings. We have a crisis. And above all, our judges are now singing on your mandate,” Obi said.

He urged Nigerians to examine the direction of the country and question the state of its democratic institutions.

Obi said Nigerians must reject the normalisation of practices that undermine democracy, warning that their consequences could be inherited by future generations.

According to him, “We need to reverse this because the abuse we are allowing today will take its revenge on our children.”

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This year’s GJF Democracy Dialogue is anchored on the question: “Beyond elections, can political parties and the judiciary save African democracy?”

The event was chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and attended by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed hosted the event, which also brought together constitutional experts and civil society voices from across the continent.