The Ondo State Football Agency has begun the renovation of abandoned facilities at its football village in Akure, as Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has promised the return of Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens to the top tier of Nigerian football, The PUNCH reports. ODSFA has begun the re-grassing of the football pitch on the premises of the agency as well as the renovation of the hostel facilities ahead of the 2025/26 season. Sunshine Stars were relegated to the Nigeria National League last season, while the female team, a one-time Federation Cup winner, Sunshine Queens, will seek promotion to the Nigeria Women’s Football League through the Championship playoffs, after spending a season in the lower division. According to the agency, the new pitch will offer a more sustainable choice, support cooler playing temperatures and lower the risk of serious injuries. Similarly, the reconstruction and facelift of facilities is aimed at improving the living conditions of players, better nutrition and recovery and increased team bonding. Meanwhile, the renovation of the Ondo State Sports Complex, which forced Sunshine Stars to play their home matches in Ikenne and Ijebu Ode last season, has also reached an advanced stage. Governor Aiyedatiwa has pledged his administration’s full support to ensure Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens football clubs return to Nigeria’s elite football leagues in the shortest possible time. Aiyedatiwa described the recent relegation of both teams as a big lesson for their managements, emphasising the need to learn, relearn, and rebuild stronger and more competitive squads. He also reaffirmed his commitment to completing the renovation of the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure to meet modern standards, thereby boosting sports development across the state.

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Kano State have unanimously endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term. Similarly, they reaffirmed their loyalty to a former National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, endorsing him as the leader of the APC in Kano State. The endorsement was made during a stakeholders’ meeting held at Ganduje’s residence on Tuesday. Speaking during the meeting, the State APC Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said the gathering was aimed at addressing internal party issues, promoting unity among members, and preparing the party to face the forthcoming general elections. “The high-level stakeholders meeting of the All Progressives Congress, Kano State Chapter, is convened to assess the current state of the party, review recent developments, and chart a cohesive path forward. “We are fully committed to the success of President Tinubu and our great party. This meeting is about consolidating our base, strengthening our unity, and positioning the APC to win convincingly in 2027,” he said. He expressed the readiness and willingness of the party to reconcile with all aggrieved members, stressing that the APC in Kano is open to reconciliation and expansion. He added that the party is ready to welcome members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement if they decide to join the APC. The meeting was attended by prominent party leaders, including Kabir Abubakar Bichi, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation; APC’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Nasiru Gawuna; and Murtala Garo. Also in attendance were Senator Abdurrahman Sumaila, Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream); members of the National and State Assemblies; as well as two ministers from Kano—the Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Bunkure, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Ata.

The Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State chapter, on Tuesday denied declaring its support for the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming August 16 House of Representatives bye-election for the Remo Federal Constituency. The federal constituency, consisting of the three local governments of Remo North, Ikenne Remo, and Sagamu, became vacant on January 15, 2025, following the death of the lawmaker representing the constituency, Mrs. Adewunmi Onanuga, the Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives. The opposition party stated that it is outright falsehood and a deliberate attempt to mislead the people of the state with the report circulating on social media, where APC members have been claiming that the PDP has thrown its support behind the ruling party for the forthcoming bye-election. The PDP explained that though it has declared its support for the 2027 re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu, who was elected on the platform of the APC, that does not mean it has declared its support for the ruling party and abandoned its teeming members and their ambition in the cold. The opposition party stated that its declaration for the 2027 second term ambition of Tinubu is premised on the exigency of supporting the power shift to the Southwest after it had been held by the northern part of the country for eight years — from 2015 to 2023. The party urged the residents of the state not to take its endorsement of Tinubu for a second term in 2027 to mean approving the lacklustre performance of the APC government in the state. The Publicity Secretary of the opposition party, Kayode Adebayo, disclosed this in a statement sent to journalists on Tuesday. Adebayo explained that: “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ogun State, has been drawn to another concoction of falsehood being shared on some social media platforms. “The unfounded story has it that the Ogun PDP has openly endorsed the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and effectively conceded defeat ahead of the August 16 bye-election. What a blatant lie. “However, in order to set the records straight and insulate innocent members of the public from the APC’s litany of misinformation and deliberate twists of facts, we make bold to remind them again that the electoral victory recorded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 was the imperative of power shift to the South. “Also, it is fundamentally germane to clarify that our endorsement of President Tinubu would not affect our party’s candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections and other state elections. “We were shocked that our comments about the poor contribution of Governor Dapo Abiodun to the landslide victory recorded by the President in Ogun State couldn’t catch the attention of the APC leadership to show remorse over. “We mentioned that the INEC records have it that Gov. Dapo Abiodun lost his polling unit 002 (Ita Osanyin, where APC polled 112 votes against 119 votes scored by the PDP) in the 2023 election, as well as his ward, Iperu III (where APC got a total of 731 votes against 794 votes scored by the PDP).” The party added that rather than having the supporters of the governor bury their heads in shame, they were busy twisting the story of what transpired during its campaign flag-off for the House of Representatives bye-election for Remo Federal Constituency held in Sagamu on Monday. The opposition party, led by its National Vice Chairman for the Southwest, Kamorudeen Ajisafe, the Ogun State Chairman, Abayomi Tella, and the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, announced the party’s support for Tinubu in 2027. Adebayo disclosed further that the noise of wanting to use the instrumentality of the Office of the President to sway victory in favour of the APC in the coming bye-election is a total mirage that the ruling party should erase from their minds, adding that the coming bye-election is not in any way connected to the re-election bid of President Tinubu come 2027.

The national leadership of the Labour Party has dissociated itself from a planned protest scheduled for Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja. A statement issued on Tuesday by Mr Ken Asogwa, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Interim National Chairman of the party, Senator Nenadi Usman, said the party has no connection with the proposed protest. The statement read in part, “The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to an invitation circulating in certain quarters regarding a purported protest scheduled to hold tomorrow, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission. “This protest is allegedly being organised by some unknown individuals purportedly operating under the banner of the Labour Party. “We wish to categorically state that the said protest is not sanctioned by the Labour Party. “The organisers are unknown to the party’s leadership, and the action lacks the approval and backing of the party. “The public is hereby put on notice that anyone participating in or promoting this protest is doing so without the consent of the Labour Party and should be regarded as an impostor.” The party referenced INEC’s recent rejection of a list of candidates for upcoming national bye-elections and local council elections submitted by former chairman Julius Abure, and his group, describing the decision as a welcome development. “The Labour Party received that decision with relief, knowing that INEC, as a responsible electoral umpire, would eventually proceed to accept and publish the authentic list submitted by the current, lawful leadership of the party,” the statement said. It further urged INEC to stand firm and continue to ignore what it described as the “desperate antics” of individuals whose tenure expired on June 8, 2023, and whose exit was confirmed by the Supreme Court in its judgment of April 4, 2025. “While we await INEC’s timely action in publishing the valid list of candidates submitted by the legitimate party leadership, we also call on the commission to give full effect to the said Supreme Court ruling by updating its official portal and other platforms to reflect the correct leadership of the Labour Party in line with the court’s judgment,” the party added. The party called on security agencies to take note of the situation and warned that those organising the protest should not be treated as representatives of the Labour Party. “These persons planning to stage a protest at INEC headquarters on August 6, 2025, are not representatives of the Labour Party. “They are political impersonators and mischief-makers, and should be treated as such. “We call for their immediate arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law,” the statement concluded.