Author: Festus Adeloye

The curtain comes down on the first edition of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup when reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain, face Chelsea in Sunday’s final at the MetLife Stadium, with Donald Trump among those set to be in attendance. It is the kind of glamour match-up that FIFA president Gianni Infantino would have been hoping for to wrap up the tournament, which on Saturday he labelled as marking the start of “the golden era of club football”. Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca acknowledged ahead of the game that PSG are “probably in this moment the best team in the world”, and…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Saturday said its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been vindicated by former presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu’s stunning admission that the viral story about rats invading President Muhammadu Buhari’s office in 2017 was intentionally fabricated to shift public attention from concerns over the president’s health. Shehu made the revelation in his recently-unveiled memoir, ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesperson’s Experience’. In a statement signed by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, IPOB urged the world to take note that Kanu’s assertion that Buhari was gravely ill and incapable of…

Crystal Palace have been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League next season, UEFA have ruled. The governing body’s decision stems from Palace breaching its multi-club ownership rules. “The present decision may be appealed against before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in accordance with Articles 62 and 63 of the UEFA Statutes,” said a statement from European football’s governing body. Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, are expected to replace FA Cup winners Palace in the Europa League. Eagle Football Holdings – owned by American businessman John Textor – holds stakes in…

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) yesterday said over six million Lagosians are to elect 57 council chairmen and 376 councillors in the Saturday Local Government Election. LASIEC Chairman, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (Rtd), said this while briefing reporters on the commission’s preparations for the poll. She cleared the air that the election will hold in the 20 Local Governments Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state. Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile said that out of the 19 registered political parties that expressed interest in the election, only 15 political parties would participate in the election. The…

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said claims by President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, that the opposition is plotting to topple the Federal Government before the 2027 polls is a ploy by the government to clamp down on opposition leaders. The ADC, in a statement by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, described  Onanuga’s tweet, in which he made the allegation, as reckless. The opposition party noted that such “unsubstantiated claim signals a broader campaign of intimidation and repression against political opposition leaders by the Tinubu administration.” It called on the international community, democratic governments across the world, as well…

The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has declared its readiness to conduct a free, fair, and credible poll across the state’s 57 local councils. Speaking on a television, the LASIEC Chairperson, Justice Bola Okikiolu-Ighile (Rtd) , affirmed the Commission’s preparedness despite taking office only a few months ago. “Though it is tough, considering the fact that we just came into office a few months back, we have, however, moved on very quickly with the job at hand,” she said. According to her, LASIEC has undertaken comprehensive stakeholder engagements across the state’s 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council…

The governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has dismissed the widely held belief that Fulani herdsmen were responsible for the wave of killings and kidnappings in the South-East region, stating instead that the majority of the crimes were perpetrated by Igbos. Soludo made this startling revelation during a town hall meeting with Anambra indigenes in the Diaspora, held at the Metro Points Hotel in New Carrollton, Maryland, United States. He said virtually all criminals arrested in the State since his assumption of office were Igbos. “99.99 per cent of kidnappers and other criminals arrested in the state since I…

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has organised a team of 97 lawyers to challenge what it calls the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) ‘false lawsuit’ against the interim leadership, which includes former Senate President David Mark and former Minister Rauf Aregbesola. The legal team, led by Barrister Mohammed Sheriff, made this known in Abuja on Tuesday, accusing the ruling APC of filing a suit using the names of individuals who are not members of the ADC. This comes after a stakeholders meeting in Abuja between Senator Mark, the ADC’s Interim National Chairman, and the party’s Kogi State branch. At the meeting,…

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, has joined his ancestors. The monarch, who ascended the throne in July 2024, died in the early hours of Monday, July 7, 2025, after spending a year on the throne. The demise of Oba Olakulehin, born July 5, 1935, is coming barely two days after celebrating his 90th birthday. Oba Olakulehin received the staff of office from Oyo State Governor Engr. Seyi Makinde, on July 12, 2024, as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland. He ascended the throne from the chieftancy rung of Balogun Olubadan, following the demise of Oba (Dr.) Moshood Lekan Balogun,…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, says he chose to join President Bola Tinubu’s administration because he is confident it will deliver true dividends of democracy to Nigerians. Speaking on Sunday during a Thanksgiving service held to mark the successful completion of various project commissioning in the FCT, Wike expressed optimism that the current challenges facing the nation would soon be a thing of the past. He called on Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu-led administration, noting that the president has made significant progress in just two years in office. “President Tinubu is truly committed to…