President Bola Tinubu is expected to arrive Abuja later tonight following a two-nation diplomatic tour that took him to Saint Lucia in the Caribbean and Brazil in South America.

His return was confirmed in a message posted on Saturday afternoon by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns to Abuja today after his two-nation visit to Saint Lucia and Brazil,” the presidential aide stated.

The President departed Nigeria on Saturday, June 28 for what was described as a strategic outreach aimed at strengthening ties with regions historically under-engaged in Nigeria’s diplomatic matrix.

His first stop was Saint Lucia, where he made a historic visit to build new ties and explore emerging partnerships with Caribbean states.

While in Saint Lucia, Tinubu interacted with regional leaders under the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), reinforcing Nigeria’s growing interest in Caribbean diplomacy and South-South cooperation.

The South West Caucus of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Friday, has declared that it would not be part of the coalition being put together by some politicians, including prominent members of the party such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The caucus, comprising Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Taofeek Arapaja, among others, reaffirmed its unwavering loyalty to the PDP and commitment to its unity, stability, progress and success at all levels.

Governor Makinde dismissed the coalition as incapable of constituting any threat to PDP.

Chairman of the party in Osun State Chairman, Hon. Sunday Bisi, warned PDP federal lawmakers from the state against dumping the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The PDP Caucus, in a communiqué at the end of a meeting in Ibadan, said the party remained intact in the Southwest.

It urged all its organs and relevant bodies to remain focused and continue to work assiduously toward the successful conduct of the scheduled National Convention to further strengthen and reposition the PDP for the task ahead.

“The Caucus states in that it is not part of the reported coalition and urges all members of the PDP to remain united, steadfast and continue to stand behind our leaders in the Zone in navigating through all issues at the zonal and national levels,” it said.

But it expressed support for the position of the National Working Committee (NWC) that “our Party remains open to working with other well-meaning like-minded citizens in the collective effort to rescue our nation from the stranglehold of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

It also resolved to intensify efforts to ensure “the victory of our great Party in the upcoming bye-elections in Oyo and Ogun States as well as Local Government Council election in Lagos State. The Caucus is confident that the PDP as a party of choice in the Southwest and Nigeria at large will record a sweeping victory in the coming elections.”

It demanded the immediate release, by the federal government, of “the withheld Osun State Local Government allocation. The withholding of the Osun State Local Government allocation by the Federal Government is unconstitutional, unwarranted and a violation of the rights and wellbeing of the people of Osun State.

Fielding questions from reporters at the end of the meeting, Makinde said the brains behind the coalition have always been known as people with antecedents of moving from one party to another.

He said any serious party leader should address whatever challenge is facing his party head on, instead of jumping ship at the slightest opportunity.

He said the question people should be asking is what such defectors have to offer.

On the caucus meeting, he said: “We want the whole world, the entire country to know that the PDP in the Southwest is united, we are together.

“Coalition is not a threat to PDP. Who are these people in this coalition? They have been in some parties before, whether PDP or APC. What are their antecedents? Does it mean that every time they move from one party to the other, they repented or changed or they have something new to offer the people?

Those are salient questions. If this building here, the roof is leaking, as leaders of PDP in the Southwest, are we going to abandon the building and go somewhere else to take refuge? We will stay inside here and fix it and let the people know that we are responsible leaders and we have the interest of the people at heart. That will be my own expectation for anybody that has anything against this party.”

On the threat by some members of the coalition that they will remain in the PDP but work for the coalition, the governor said people were entitled to their opinions but the party as an institution with laid down structure has its own way of dealing with such issues at the right time.

His words: “People can say whatever they like. But in a party like PDP, that is an institution, we have our own ways and means of dealing with such issues. And when we get to the point where we have to deal with such issues, I give you the assurance, we will.”

Addressing the delegates earlier, the governor recalled how the refusal of the party’s presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to allow the office of the party’s national chairman to go to the South resulted in the formation of the G5.

The meeting had in attendance leaders, delegates and stakeholders of the party from Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Lagos State.

Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleken, was represented at the meeting by his deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi.

No fewer than 139 candidates across 10 political parties are contesting to fill the 57 council chairmen seats in tomorrow’s Local Government Election in Lagos State.

Also, 842 councillorship candidates from 14 political parties will be battling for 376 legislative seats during the election.

In all, 15 out of 19 political parties that showed interest in the poll submitted names of their candidates for the election.

A document obtained from the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) showed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is the only party fielding candidates in all chairmanship and councillorship seats across the 57 councils and 376 wards.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) followed by having contestants in 45 local councils and 259 wards.

The Labour Party (LP) fielded 22 chairmanship and 130 councillorship candidates while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has six chairmanship candidates and 21 councillorship candidates.

Other parties that scaled through the registration of candidates’ deadline released in LASIEC guidelines for the election are Accord; African Action Congress (AAC); Action Allaiance (AA); Allied People’s Movement (APM); All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Social Democratic party (SDP); National Rescue Movement (NRM); Young Progressive party (YPP); Youth Party (YP); Action Peoples Party (APP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).