The Nigeria Police Force said it will be deploying about 15,000 personnel, including Commissioners of Police, Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs), Police Mobile Force (PMF) operatives and other specialised units, to guarantee adequate security before, during and after the Osun state gubernatorial election scheduled for the 15th of this month.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of election security in Osun State, CP Samuel Erale Etaifo, gave made the announcement on Wednesday while addressing journalists and Divisional Police Officers at the Police Officers’ Mess in Osogbo.

He also warned politicians, security personnel and electoral officials against attempts to manipulate the governorship election ,declaring that anyone arrested for serious electoral offences will be transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja for investigation and prosecution

Describing the poll as a federal electoral assignment, the election security commissioner announced that suspects arrested for electoral offences would be moved out of Osun State to prevent interference with investigations and prosecution.

“This governorship election is a federal election. Anyone arrested for electoral offences will be taken out of Osun State to the Force Headquarters for further investigation and prosecution. There will be no room for interference,” he declared.

He also issued a strong warning to politicians, electoral officials and security personnel against compromising the electoral process, stressing that the Nigeria Police Force would not tolerate vote buying, ballot snatching, violence, voter intimidation or any other form of electoral malpractice.

“I want to warn all political actors, security personnel and even INEC officials not to manipulate the election. Anyone found violating the Electoral Act or attempting to undermine the credibility of the process will be held accountable,” he said.

Etaifo disclosed that he was mandated by the Inspector-General of Police to restore peace and coordinate security operations across Osun State ahead of the election.

According to him, he had already met Governor Ademola Adeleke to brief him on the assignment and reassure the state government of the police’s commitment to a peaceful poll.

“The early deployment of security personnel was intended to boost public confidence and encourage voter turnout by eliminating fear and intimidation.

“We cannot have a hostile atmosphere and expect to conduct a free and fair election. The early arrival of police personnel is to boost the confidence of the people of Osun State and discourage voter apathy,” he stated.

He maintained that the police would remain neutral and professional, promising a level playing field for all political candidates.

“Our duty is to guarantee a level playing field for every political actor. Gone are the days when the police were alleged to be partisan. Every political party must have equal opportunity to campaign and participate in the election without intimidation or harassment,” Etaifo said.

The police chief equally warned officers deployed for election against compromise or collusion with politicians, saying erring personnel would face disciplinary action.

He urged residents to remain law-abiding, cooperate with security agencies and report suspicious activities, assuring that comprehensive security arrangements had been concluded to ensure a peaceful, free and credible governorship election.

Former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, has criticised the President Bola Tinubu administration’s Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing it as a misplaced priority that Nigeria cannot afford amid the country’s economic challenges, even as the Presidency has described Duke’s comment as politically motivated and at variance with the reality on the ground.

Duke argued that rather than embarking on the multi-billion-naira coastal road project, the Federal Government should channel resources into critical sectors such as electricity, healthcare and education.

Speaking during an interview by Sahara Reporters, the former governor questioned both the economic viability and engineering feasibility of constructing the 750-kilometre highway along Nigeria’s coastline.

“I’ll bring this up. Take the Lagos-Calabar highway. I know the country cannot afford it,” Duke said.

“You cannot build a road on the coast from Lagos to Calabar. I mean, you can’t even go through Bayelsa. Bayelsa is swamp. Even Yenagoa, the capital, is swamp. You’ll probably have to build about 100 or 200 bridges to go through those swamps.”

The former governor also dismissed the necessity of the project, insisting that an existing road already links Lagos and Calabar and should simply be rehabilitated.

“There is already a road to Calabar. I’ve driven from Lagos to Calabar several times. If the road is poor, fix it,” he said.

Duke further claimed that he doubted the highway would be completed beyond Epe in Lagos State, alleging that land reclamation appeared to be a more significant feature of the project than road construction.

“I don’t think that road is going to go beyond Epe, and I think the road serves other purposes because I drove once on the road and all I saw on the right flank going towards Epe was land reclamation and all that,” he said.

He maintained that the enormous financial commitment required for the coastal highway would be better invested in sectors that directly improve Nigerians’ standard of living.

“The amount going to be spent on that road could be better spent providing electricity or upgrading your healthcare system,” Duke said.

Citing what he described as poor government spending on healthcare, he added, “Last year, the capital budget that was released for health was barely N36 million. This came from the minister himself. That’s pathetic for a country of 230 million people.”

He also lamented inadequate funding for education, urging the government to rethink its spending priorities.

“Not to talk about the schooling system that is hardly funded. So you prioritise, focus on your priorities, recalibrate your revenue system,” he said.

According to Duke, Nigeria possesses abundant energy resources capable of driving economic growth if properly harnessed.

“We are blessed with all the known forms of energy, from hydro to solar to gas to petroleum,” he said.

“I’m not saying give it free of charge, no, but make it available and very affordable because that is going to be a major stimulus for the productivity of your people.”

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway remains one of the flagship infrastructure projects of the Tinubu administration. While the Federal Government has defended the project as a transformative economic corridor that will enhance connectivity, tourism and regional development, it has continued to attract criticism from opposition figures, economists, civil society groups and environmental advocates over its cost, transparency, environmental impact and prioritisation amid Nigeria’s economic challenges.

Meanwhile, the Presidency has dismissed the claims by former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway would not extend beyond Lagos State, insisting that construction has already progressed into neighbouring states.

Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, described Duke’s remarks as politically motivated and at variance with the reality on the ground.

In a post on X, Ajayi said construction on the flagship highway has already reached Ogun State, while work is simultaneously ongoing on sections of the project in Ondo and Akwa Ibom states.

According to him, political considerations often compel public figures to make claims they neither believe nor can substantiate.

“Former Governor Donald Duke, who wants to become President on the banner of an unviable political platform, has also joined the chorus of those saying the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will not go beyond Lagos State.

“I think politics makes a lot of people say loads of what they don’t mean or believe in. They just talk for the sake of talking or because of bad politics. There is actually no sense in arguing against reality.

The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Friday said it had manually submitted former President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential nomination and the names of its other candidates for the 2027 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, despite the electoral body’s refusal to recognise the committee.

The move deepens the party’s leadership crisis, with the Turaki camp insisting it validly nominated its candidates in line with the Electoral Act and warning of fresh legal action if INEC publishes a different list.

Addressing journalists, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the party opted for manual submission after INEC declined to provide access codes for electronic submission, insisting the codes were only an administrative convenience.

“Notwithstanding INEC’s refusal to provide us with the necessary access codes… we have successfully submitted, manually and in full compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, the list of candidates sponsored by the authentic Peoples Democratic Party,” Ememobong said.

He added that the submission, which included Jonathan’s presidential nomination and all governorship, National Assembly and state assembly candidates, was acknowledged by INEC.

Ememobong warned the commission against publishing any list other than the one submitted by the committee.

“Should the Commission publish names other than those lawfully submitted by us… we are exhausting every constitutional, legal and democratic avenue to ensure that our party is not hijacked or annexed to the ruling party,” he said.

He traced the dispute to the Supreme Court judgment on the PDP’s leadership, saying the party’s Board of Trustees and a requisitioned National Executive Committee meeting constituted the Interim National Working Committee after the ruling left the party without a legally recognised national leadership.

According to him, INEC declined to recognise the interim leadership despite being formally notified, forcing the party to seek judicial intervention.

Faulting the Federal High Court judgment, Ememobong said, “The judgment… reads more like an appeal on the judgment of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. It is clearly inconsistent with the extant decisions of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal that form the foundation of our case.”

He said the party had appealed the judgment and would also challenge alleged discrepancies between the judgment delivered in court and the Certified True Copy.

The PDP also accused INEC of abandoning its neutrality.

“The Commission’s actions have regrettably reinforced the growing public perception that it is no longer acting with the impartiality expected of the nation’s electoral umpire,” Ememobong said.

He alleged that the commission withheld material facts in court proceedings involving the party and ignored congresses it monitored, warning that such actions were eroding public confidence in the electoral process.

Ememobong further alleged that the PDP was the first target of a broader campaign to weaken opposition parties and entrench one-party dominance.

“We were the pioneer target for opposition dismantling and capture… but it has now spread to almost all the opposition parties,” he said.

Calling on Nigerians to defend multi-party democracy, Ememobong warned that electoral authoritarianism undermines democratic consolidation before expressing confidence that the party would prevail.