Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has debunked rumors of already having an anointed candidate for the 2027 governorship election. Addressing journalists on the development in Lafia, the state capital, on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, described the rumors as baseless, adding that it was aimed at tarnishing the image of his principal. At the press briefing, the SSA maintained that the governor remained focused and would not be bothered by the activities of detractors who do not mean well for the people of the state and his administration. He said, “We want to make it categorically clear that Governor Abdullahi Sule has no anointed candidate to succeed him in 2027. Any appointee supporting such a claim is a sign of insubordination. Governor Sule will not condone such acts henceforth. “The public should ignore politicians claiming to be government candidates for the governorship seat in 2027. At the appropriate time, the people of Nasarawa State will decide who they choose to be governor. Besides, Governor Sule still has more than two years to provide the dividends of democracy to his people. Why this distraction?” he queried. He, therefore, urged the entire citizens of the state to remain law-abiding in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy in the remaining two years of the Governor’s administration. Ahemba further reiterated that the ban on electioneering campaigns for the 2027 general election remains in place, warning civil servants and government appointees to refrain from partisan politics or resign to prevent interference with government functions. Speaking on the issue of security, he revealed that the state government has adopted a community-based strategy to enhance synergy with security agencies and grassroots leaders in order to foster sustainable peace across the 13 local government areas of the state. While laying emphasis on the state government’s resolve to build peace among diverse communities, he stressed the need to promote tolerance, forgiveness, and unity to ensure a stable environment for economic activities. Ahemba, therefore, called on all traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to work towards establishing result-oriented platforms for continuous engagements with the people of the state in order to assist the government in proffering solutions to their challenges.

Panic gripped residents of Oremeta Street in the Ojodu area of Lagos State on Saturday morning as a two-storey building housing the Equal Right Restaurant collapsed, trapping several people inside. The incident, which occurred around 9 am, reportedly trapped restaurant workers, customers, and a family who were at the scene at the time of the collapse. When our correspondent visited the site, emergency response teams, including the Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, were seen at the scene carrying out rescue operations. Several sympathisers were also at the site. Speaking to journalists at the scene, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that five persons had been rescued alive as of the time of this report. “We are approaching the situation systematically, using heavy-duty and light-duty equipment to get to ground zero. “We have credible information that more people are still under the rubble, so we are moving from one layer to the next, carefully checking for any survivors before proceeding,” he said. Rescue efforts are still ongoing. More details soon…