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Motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for several hours on Tuesday as repair works on the damaged expansion joints of the Kara Bridge triggered a massive gridlock along the busy corridor.

PUNCH Metro correspondents, who monitored the situation, observed that the traffic, which began building up in the afternoon, stretched from the Kara Bridge in Ogun State to the 7Up Junction in Lagos State.

As of 3:30pm, the gridlock had extended beyond the Secretariat Bus Stop, while motorists coming from Ikeja and Agege and attempting to access the Otedola underpass were also caught in the congestion, which stretched to Otunba Jobi Fele Way.

Our correspondents also observed a heavy presence of joint security and traffic management personnel, comprising the police and military, alongside officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Federal Road Safety Corps and Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps.

The officials were seen alternating vehicles heading towards Kara from Isheri and Ojodu with those coming from the expressway in an attempt to prevent a total lockdown.

The traffic was further compounded by repair works at the entry and exit points of the bridge inward OPIC, which briefly worsened congestion around the Kara Bridge.

Speaking with our correspondent, a motorist, Tunji Kazeem, described the situation as unbearable, saying motorists heading towards Mowe had no viable alternative route.

He said, “The situation is unbearable, but there’s nothing I can do. There’s no alternative route for those of us going to Mowe. We just have to face it.

“The problem is that our government doesn’t know how to plan repair works like this in a way that we won’t have to bear the brunt of the gridlock.

“This is 3pm. I left Oshodi around 1pm, and we have been at a standstill since I got to 7Up.”

Another motorist, who identified himself as Jelili, lamented the recurring traffic congestion on the expressway and called for a permanent solution.

He said, “If road repairs or ram sellers do not cause gridlock, it will be accidents that will cause the gridlock. It is tiring. The government needs to find a permanent solution to the gridlock.”

Kunle Bankole, another motorist, also appealed to the authorities to find a lasting solution to the recurring traffic situation on the expressway.

He said, “It is because the majority of our leaders don’t ply this road. It’s only the common man. Please, help us beg them to find a lasting solution to gridlock on this road.

“It’s not a difficult thing to do if the government truly wants to help us; they just prefer to subject us to unnecessary hardship.”

However, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, urged motorists to exercise patience and cooperate with traffic officials during the repair period.

Akinbiyi said the agency had anticipated the possibility of gridlock and had consequently issued a traffic advisory ahead of the commencement of the repairs.

He said, “We anticipated that there would be traffic, and that was why we issued a traffic advisory earlier.

“We can only appeal to motorists to bear with us for the time being because the repair works are necessary to ensure smooth movement and the safety of road users along the corridor.

“Anyone who does not have an important business along the axis should stay away, and those who cannot avoid using that route should cooperate with traffic officials.”

PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that the Federal Government had announced a two-week replacement of expansion joints on the Kara-Berger Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, beginning on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.

Akinbiyi had said the repair, being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and other relevant stakeholders, would run until September 22, 2026.

He added that the intervention followed a directive by the Minister of Works and was aimed at addressing the deteriorating expansion joints, improving road safety, preserving the structural integrity of the bridge and ensuring smoother movement along the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway corridor.

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Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has presented a proposed N828.64 billion 2027 budget to the State House of Assembly, representing a N69.23 billion, or 7.71 per cent, reduction from the approved 2026 budget.

Tagged “Building Your Future IV,” the proposal allocates N637.91 billion, representing 76.98 per cent, to capital expenditure, while N190.73 billion, or 23.02 per cent, is earmarked for recurrent expenditure.

Presenting the budget, Governor Radda said the reduction followed a realistic assessment of expected revenue and expenditure.

He said the government had reviewed available funding sources to ensure fiscal balance and reduce the risk of revenue shortfalls.

Radda added that the 2027 budget was shaped by the Citizens’ Budget Exercise conducted across all 361 wards on July 18, 2026, with each ward expected to receive a special project selected by its residents.

The governor said the exercise would also guide interventions in agriculture, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), women’s empowerment, environment, climate change and security.

According to the proposed budget, the social sector will receive N317.73 billion, representing 38.34 per cent; the economic sector, N303.17 billion, or 36.59 per cent; the administrative sector, N198.55 billion; while N9.19 billion is allocated to law and justice.

Speaking on the 2026 budget performance as of August 28, Radda said total recurrent and capital expenditure stood at N295.19 billion, representing 32.88 per cent overall performance.

He said recurrent revenue, including opening balance, stood at N267.47 billion, representing 44.16 per cent, while capital receipts reached N116.41 billion, representing 39.84 per cent.

The governor also revealed that recurrent expenditure stood at N102.17 billion, representing 59.64 per cent, while capital expenditure was N193.02 billion, representing 26.57 per cent.

Radda expressed confidence that budget implementation would improve significantly in the remaining months of 2026, adding that major infrastructure projects include the Katsina and Funtua urban renewal projects, Musawa-Gingin-Tabanni Road, Kunduru-Kadanya Road, Daura Western Bypass, housing projects and the supply of 30 hybrid buses.

The governor acknowledged continuing challenges in security, education, healthcare, water, sanitation and infrastructure, saying the government would continue to address them through community-driven interventions.

He commended the Katsina State House of Assembly for its partnership with the executive and expressed confidence that the lawmakers would consider and pass the 2027 Appropriation Bill in good time.

In his address the speaker Katsina state house of Assembly Hon. Nasir Yahaya Daura, promised to ensure speedy deliberations as well as a speedy passage of the budget.

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has filed a notice of withdrawal before the Election Petition Tribunal against its controversial petition against Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election.

The tribunal had on Monday pasted a notice displaying two petitions purportedly filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, challenging the re-election of Governor Adeleke.

The petitions, which were dated September 5, 2026, were pasted on the notice board of the tribunal secretariat in Osogbo, formally commencing the process of hearing disputes arising from the August 15 governorship election in the state.

However, the APC disowned the said petition as members of its legal team disclosed that neither the candidate nor the party leadership sanctioned the filed petition.

A senior member of the team, Dr Abiodun Layonu, SAN, in a statement said the petition did not emanate from the team and was not authorised by the party leadership and the APC campaign spokesperson, Remi Omowaye, also urged the public to disregard the document before the tribunal.

However, a legal practitioner, Mr Seyi Oyagbile, admitted to filing the said petition on the instruction of the deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Benjamin Adereti, who, he said, signed the document before the tribunal.

Following the outrage that trailed the petition, Oyagbile on Tuesday filed a notice of motion to withdraw the petition.

The application’s copy, which Vanguard obtained, is dated September 8 and also stamped and received by the tribunal secretariat on the same date.

The document, which listed Governor Ademola Adeleke, Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC as respondents, has Mr Bola Oyebamiji and the All Progressives Congress APC as petitioners.

The notice reads partly, “NOTICE OF MOTION TO WITHDRAW PETITION
“TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Tribunal/Court will be moved on……….the…………… day of…..20… at the hour of 9 o’clock in the forenoon or as soon thereafter as the Petitioner or Counsel on his behalf can be heard praying the Tribunal/Court for an order enabling the Petitioner to withdraw the above petition on the following ground (s):

“DECISION OF PETITIONER
“Dated….this 8th day of September 2026.”