News
2027 Election: Consensus Will Produce Right Candidates, Says Iyabo Obasanjo
Senator Iyabo Obasanjo has expressed support for the use of consensus in the selection of candidates for political offices by parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday monitored by the column.ng, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is eyeing the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, said consensus brings out the right candidates.
She dismissed fears that consensus would produce unpopular candidates, noting that it does not mean party leaders will ignore the wishes of the people.
“I do believe that consensus can bring the right candidates because consensus does not mean that leadership ignores the will of the people; consensus means that they look at what the people are saying. No party wants to lose, so the party will not choose people that open them for a loss; does that make sense?” Obasanjo said.
“So, the consensus is going to come towards people that can actually win on the ground, if that makes sense, because at the end of the day, the party wants to win. So, they do not want to put the least popular person as the consensus candidate in a way that is going to aggravate the other participants and in a way that is going to discourage people that are popular from participating. So, I have full belief that consensus is the way to go.”
She expressed strong belief that the consensus system would be an advantage to her in the race for the Ogun APC governorship ticket, citing her popularity and past performances as a commissioner and senator.
According to the former Ogun Central senator, the good salaries she received as a senator were put into working for her people, which she believes is an edge in the governorship race.
In another appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief earlier this month, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo expressed confidence in her chances ahead of the 2027 governorship race in Ogun State, saying she is a candidate to beat.
The 59-year-old politician, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections, said she is confident of receiving the votes of her parents, including her father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“I am almost 60; I think that at this age, my friends who still have both parents alive are very few, so I consider myself lucky to have both my mother and my father alive.
“I don’t think at this age I should be consulting them for everything in my career move. What I have said is that my father, I know, and my mother will vote for me; that’s all that I can ask of them. Even if I don’t ask, they will vote for me; that I can guarantee,” she said.
The new Electoral Act made changes to the modes of candidate selection for political parties. With the new Act, only direct primary and consensus are the options for political parties to choose their candidates, while the indirect primary option has been removed.
Entertainment
Kate Henshaw Explains Fallout With Genevieve Nnaji
Seasoned actress Kate Henshaw has opened up about her fallout with colleague Genevieve Nnaji.
Appearing on the Tea with Tay podcast, Henshaw reflected on the end of their friendship, saying it faded quickly.
Henshaw who could not identify the exact cause of the breakdown, stated they may have grown apart or that some level of mistrust existed, but she remains unsure of what happened.
“We grew apart. Maybe she had some kind of mistrust about me… I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what came over her but I’ve moved on,” Henshaw said.
The actress did not give further details on when the fallout occurred.
Both actresses are icons of Nollywood and have featured in several notable films since the late 1990s.
News
Court Orders FG Take Over Of Ogun Illegal Mining Site
Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered the final forfeiture of properties recovered from Chinese and Nigerians involved in illegal mining activities in Ogun State to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The forfeited assets include a mining site located behind the Baale’s Palace on Ileposo Street, adjacent to 59 Street, Ode-Remo, Ogun State; a Toyota 4Runner SUV with registration number AWE 261 AE; two trucks laden with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones; and a 40-foot container containing substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones.
The judge made the order, following a motion filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ikoyi, through its counsel, Bilkisu Buhari, seeking an order for the custody and disposal of the properties pursuant to Section 330 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and other relevant laws.
The Commission also sought an order empowering the EFCC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and court officials, to dispose of the forfeited assets and deposit the proceeds into an interest-bearing account pending the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.
According to an affidavit deposed to by an EFCC operative, intelligence reports revealed that several individuals, including Chinese and Nigerians, were involved in the illegal mining and trade of mineral resources, particularly mica and lithium stones.
The affidavit further revealed that the syndicate mined and transported the mineral resources from various locations across Nigeria to a site in Ode-Remo Local Government Area of Ogun State, where the minerals were sorted, processed and prepared for export through Apapa Wharf and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
It was also revealed that operatives of the Commission carried out a sting operation in the early hours of Friday, May 9, 2025, leading to the arrest of two Chinese alleged to be kingpins and six Nigerians at the mining site.
Items recovered during the operation included the Toyota SUV, three trucks loaded with substantial quantities of mica and lithium stones, as well as a 40-foot container containing 3,210 bags of the mineral resources.
According to the affidavit, the properties listed in the schedule were at risk of rapid deterioration due to the rainy season and were already losing economic value.
It was also stated in the affidavit that the principal actors involved in the illegal activities had already been arraigned before the court on charges relating to the unauthorised dealing in mineral resources.
After reviewing the affidavit evidence and submissions by the Commission, Justice Osiagor granted the application and ordered the final forfeiture and disposal of the assets.
The judge also directed that the proceeds be paid into an interest-bearing account pending the criminal trial of the defendants.
Business
MTN Adamant As Airtime Lending Restored By Telecom Operators
Telecommunications subscribers across Nigeria have regained access to emergency airtime lending services as major operators, Airtel and Glo, quietly restored the platforms following the suspension of the controversial Digital, Electronic, Online or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending, DEON, Regulations 2025 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC.
The development comes amid mounting legal pressure on the Commission after a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered a halt to the enforcement of the regulations pending the determination of a suit challenging its powers over telecom-based airtime advances.
Confirming the restoration of the services, Chairman of the Wireless Application Service Providers Association of Nigeria, WASPAN, Ayo Stuffman, disclosed on Monday that the platforms had resumed operations on both networks.
“As we speak, the services in question are already active on Airtel and Glo,” he said.
The return of the services has brought relief to millions of subscribers who depend on emergency airtime credit for daily communication and small-scale business operations.
Industry estimates put the annual airtime lending market at over ₦400 billion.
The FCCPC had earlier moved to regulate airtime lending platforms under the DEON Regulations 2025, insisting that such services fall within the scope of digital consumer credit and therefore require oversight to protect users from alleged abuses, including data privacy violations and unfair lending practices.
The Commission claimed it had received more than 11,000 consumer complaints linked to digital lending operations.
However, the enforcement triggered resistance from stakeholders in the telecommunications ecosystem, particularly WASPAN and other operators, who argued that airtime advances are telecom value-added services and not conventional consumer loans.
The legal dispute escalated after Justice A. Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, issued an order restraining the FCCPC from enforcing the framework, while Form 49 contempt proceedings were reportedly initiated against the Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello.
As at the time of putting this story together at about noon on Tuesday, MTN was yet to comply with the court order.
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