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Saina Buba, the Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, has threatened political opponents with physical harm if they fail to support the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buba made the remark during a campaign inauguration event organised by the Tinubu City Boy Movement, a political support organisation campaigning for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and his anticipated 2027 re-election bid.

Addressing the crowd, the commissioner warned that anyone who opposed the APC by raising a finger against the party would have the same finger cut off.

He said those who challenged the party would have their fingers broken, stressing that the warning was part of the political contest.

Buba also warned that government benefits would be used to favour supporters of the administration while those who refused to support it could face punitive treatment.

The commissioner said those who supported the government would enjoy its benefits, while those who rejected it would face the consequences.

Buba’s comments have sparked outrage.

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The Grassroots Mobilisation Network (GMN), a support group of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Sunday called on President Bola Tinubu to break his silence over alleged references to him in narcotics-related documents reportedly submitted by the United States FBI before the District Court for the District of Columbia, or resign from office.

The group, in a statement by its spokesperson, Mr Peter Emeka, expressed concern over what it described as the continued silence of the Presidency, arguing that Nigerians deserve clarity on an issue that, in its view, has implications for the country’s international reputation.

Pressing for a US response, the APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar, said the sustained efforts by the Tinubu Presidency to block the release of the report to the public heightened suspicion of guilt and desperation for a cover-up.

“The APM urges the United States authorities to note that withholding such information is of enormous harm to Nigeria’s security, national integrity and democratic growth.

“The United States, being a leading democracy in the world, should at all times be seen to facilitate the consolidation of democracy and transparency in the international fight against drug trafficking and corruption.

“The drug and other ancillary allegations against President Tinubu, who is a major contender in the 2027 presidential election, constitute a global issue which continues to harm Nigeria’s reputation among the comity of nations.

“This is especially as the public is already aware of the 1993 $460,000 forfeiture judgment against accounts traced to Tinubu by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois following an investigation into drug-related transactions.

“The effect of the $460,000 forfeiture judgment is that, by virtue of Section 137 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), President Tinubu remains ineligible for election in Nigeria. Moreover, Nigeria is a signatory to international conventions on drugs and money laundering.”

The APM urged the “United States authorities to assist Nigerians in their decision to elect a leader with clean records and not an individual encumbered by drug-related allegations and corruption cases.”

On its part, the spokesman for the Grassroots Mobilisation Network (GMN), Mr Peter Emeka, said, “We call on President Tinubu to come out clean and speak to the nation over the ongoing litigation in America.”

He also criticised Nigeria’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies, accusing them of failing to adequately investigate or respond to the allegations and documents circulating in the public domain.

“Our system has failed for the fact that they were unable to detect all these embarrassing documents being paraded against the President, which are now the subject of litigation in a far-away country,” Emeka stated.

“Our intelligence agencies saddled with the responsibility of investigation and various checks have all failed,” he added.

According to the group, the continued silence from the Presidency is becoming increasingly disturbing and has the potential to deepen public suspicion.

“If the President continues to remain mute, he should quietly resign to save the nation from the ongoing global embarrassment,” Emeka said.

In a related development, the GMN has demanded greater transparency regarding President Tinubu’s reported three-week vacation in Europe.

The group said that, given the prevailing mood in the country and the controversy surrounding the narcotics-related allegations, the Presidency should provide Nigerians with adequate information about the President’s itinerary and engagements while away.

“The prevailing mood of the country requires the Presidency to make a full disclosure of President Tinubu’s movements,” the group said.

The GMN maintained that greater transparency would help dispel speculation, reassure Nigerians and protect the country’s image and standing in the international community.

The group urged the Presidency to address the issues directly rather than allow speculation and unanswered questions to dominate public discourse.

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The Federal Government will begin blacklisting schools, authors, and publishing houses that use or distribute unapproved instructional materials starting this September.

This harsh sanction coincides with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session in two weeks, marking the official enforcement of an aggressive new national textbook ranking policy.

Under the new directive, standard licensing from the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) no longer guarantees a textbook’s entry into classrooms.

Every instructional resource from primary to senior secondary school must now pass a rigorous national evaluation, securing a minimum score of 70% to qualify for the official national ranking.

Speaking recently with education stakeholders—including state commissioners, private school owners, and administrators—the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, emphasized that the policy is central to making Nigeria’s education sector globally competitive.

According to the policy statement obtained by Nigerian Tribune, the government is capping the final approved list to a maximum of six to 10 titles per subject to prevent an overcrowded market.

Once a textbook makes this elite list, it will remain standard for a minimum lifespan of three years to ensure educational stability.

While unranked textbooks are strictly banned in all public primary and secondary schools nationwide, the Federal Government strongly recommends that private institutions adopt these exact standards to maintain uniform educational quality.