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The Big Story
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INEC Leaves Pantami and Adebutu Off Final Governorship List
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“Affected candidates should not waste their money, time and energy fighting a lost battle.” Shehu Sani, former senator [Channels Television] |
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has left two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates off its final list for the 6 February 2027 governorship elections: Isa Pantami in Gombe and Ladi Adebutu in Ogun. INEC gave no reasons. The omissions follow a 24 September Supreme Court judgment that restored parts of the Electoral Act 2026. Under those sections, only people whose names are on a party’s membership register, filed with INEC on time, can take part in its primaries, and a party that misses the filing deadline cannot field candidates. Two groups in Ogun said Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP register, which the state party denies. Pantami won a fresh Gombe primary on 29 September after a court voided his first nomination. INEC did list Kingsley Chinda as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Rivers, though questions remain over whether he was a registered APC member when the party held its primary. The Rivers APC says his candidacy is valid. [Premium Times]
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What Else Is Happening
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Amnesty Says Police Blocked “Tinubu-Must-Go” Event in Kano
Amnesty International Nigeria said on Sunday that heavily armed police blocked both ends of the road leading to a “Tinubu-Must-Go” event in Kano, calling it an unlawful restriction on peaceful political activity. It said police must protect gatherings for supporters of every party and candidate, and described the incident as part of a pattern of repression against opposition members. Amnesty gave no further details about the event or the police operation. [Vanguard]
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Suspected Herders Kill at Least Nine in Benue’s Ukum Area
At least nine people were reportedly killed when suspected cattle herders attacked communities in Ukum Local Government Area from about 11 p.m. on Friday, according to a local source who spoke to Vanguard. Residents fled and some are missing. Premium Times could not verify the toll, and the Benue police spokesperson said he had not received a report. The attack came two days after three people, including a three-year-old child, were reportedly killed in Otukpo. [Premium Times]
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Marketers Raise Petrol Prices in Abuja Despite NNPC Discount
Some Abuja stations raised petrol to as much as NGN1,409 per litre on Sunday from NGN1,380 a week earlier, up 2.1%. The rise came even though the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) extended its NGN66 per litre discount at its own stations to 31 October. NNPC says the discount, which applies to customers paying through its app, is not a subsidy. Vanguard linked the rises to higher global crude prices. [Vanguard]
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OPay Files for New York Stock Exchange Listing
OPay Limited has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol OPAY, in a filing dated 9 October. The price and number of shares were not disclosed. Stanbic Africa Holdings Limited, part of South Africa’s Standard Bank Group, has agreed to buy shares once the offering closes, with its purchase capped at $200 million. [TheCable]
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UK Universities Withdraw Offers to Nigerian Students as Visa Refusals Rise
UK universities are withdrawing offers to Nigerian applicants because rising visa refusals could cost them the right to recruit overseas students. The Financial Times reported that 22.7% of UK study visa applications from Nigeria were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, up from 4.5% a year earlier. Universities now risk that right if more than 5% of the students they admit are refused visas, down from 10%. [Nairametrics]
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Market Watch
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| FX |
The naira strengthened slightly, with the official rate at NGN1,331.19 per dollar on 9 October, down 0.07% from NGN1,332.10 on 8 October. Since 31 December 2025 the rate has fallen 9.75% from NGN1,475.00, so a dollar now costs fewer naira. It has stayed between NGN1,329 and NGN1,332 since 28 September. [CBN]
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The NGX All-Share Index rose 0.13% to 248,363.55 on 9 October from 248,042.50 on 8 October, and is up 59.60% since 31 December 2025. [NGX Group] Investors gained NGN208.46 billion in value, led by MTN Nigeria, which rose 2.69% to NGN840.00, according to Nairametrics. [Nairametrics]
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Foreign investors made up just 4.89% of share trading on the NGX in August, down from 5.60% in July and the lowest share of 2026. They sold NGN9.09 billion more shares than they bought, their eighth straight month as net sellers. Local investors now account for nearly 90% of trading this year, so the market runs mostly on Nigerian money. [Nairametrics]
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Quick Hits
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| → Nigeria’s governors will set up a National Nutrition Intervention Fund to support the Nutrition 774 Initiative in all 774 local government areas, and plan a nationwide nutrition emergency. Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal announced it in Ethiopia after a visit led by Vice President Kashim Shettima. [Premium Times] |
| → Lagos plans to raise available electricity from below 1,000 megawatts to more than 3,000 megawatts by March 2027, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said at the Lagos Business School Africa Energy Conference. The extra power would come from grid supply, independent power projects and power barges. [Premium Times] |
| → Six All Progressives Congress governors from the North-central region endorsed President Bola Tinubu for re-election in Lafia on Saturday. Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume called him the region’s sole candidate and urged respect for the north-south power rotation. [Premium Times] |
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On a Lighter Note
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13-Year-Old Nigerian-American Nominated for International Children’s Peace Prize. Christiana Igbokwe, granddaughter of the late singer Christy Essien-Igbokwe, has been nominated for the 2026 International Children’s Peace Prize for her work on child participation, digital safety and education. She combines music with advocacy, and her Project Santa in a Box has helped orphaned children with school fees. [Vanguard]
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Why It Matters
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INEC’s final list shows how much a filing deadline can decide. Two PDP candidates are off the ballot over whether their names were on a membership register filed in time, and INEC has not said why each was dropped. The rule is now settled law, so the open question is how evenly it is applied, not whether it exists. Today’s other rules and reliefs work the same way, with a reasonable aim and an uneven effect. NNPC’s NGN66 per litre petrol discount covers only its own stations and app payments, while some Abuja stations raised prices to as much as NGN1,409 per litre. UK universities are withdrawing offers to Nigerian applicants because a stricter 5% visa refusal limit puts their right to recruit overseas students at risk. None of these rules is plainly wrong, and each has a cost for someone: the candidate, the driver, the student. The fair test is whether a rule is applied evenly and explained clearly, and that is worth watching as the election timetable moves on.
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Around the Community
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Happy birthday to reader Tracey Fredericks! Enjoy your day, and here’s to a great year ahead.
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Produced with AI assistance using open-source web content. Edited by Tomiwa Afolabi. Sources have not been independently verified by Frontier Brief Media. Readers are encouraged to consult original sources before acting on any information herein.
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