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2027: Kogi youths raise N100m for Tinubu’s nomination form
A group of youths from Kogi State has raised N100 million to purchase the presidential nomination form of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election, describing the move as a demonstration of their support for the President’s leadership and reforms.
The N100 million dummy cheque was presented to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, by the Governor of Kogi State, Ahmed Ododo, in Abuja on Monday.
Although Tinubu has yet to officially declare his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election, many party leaders and supporters believe he will seek re-election.
As a result, several APC organs, including the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee, zonal leadership and the Governors’ Forum, have declared their support for the President.
Speaking to journalists while displaying the N100 million cheque, the APC National Chairman described the occasion as one of the happiest moments for the party.
He stated, “We are seeing young people from Kogi State taking decisive action—not to ask what the government or the President will do for them, but to ask what they can do to support Mr President so that he will return in 2027 and do much more for their people.”
Yilwatda said the Kogi youths cited reasons such as economic improvement and efforts to address insecurity, among others, for raising funds to purchase the presidential form.
He said, “They listed their reasons, and they gave valid reasons why they want Mr President to come back. They said the economy has improved and that the indicators are looking green and positive. They also said Mr President is tackling security in their state, working together with the Governor to address pockets of insecurity within communities.
“Mr President has deployed the military, and the Governor has provided the enabling environment and supporting equipment for them to do their job. They also said Mr President has given Kogi indigenes several appointments, including the Chief of Army Staff, the INEC Chairman and other key positions.
“They further said that the Governor of Kogi State has performed excellently in infrastructure, road construction and agriculture. I have seen some of these projects on television, including the rice programme. He has empowered the youths and provided leadership for young people.
“We often say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but Mr Ododo and Mr President are saying the youths are the leaders of today. We can see this in the appointments made—many young people are now in governance. Even in the party, I had the opportunity to become the youngest National Chairman under Mr President’s leadership. You can also see many young people appointed as CEOs in different capacities.”
Yilwatda emphasised that all Nigerians, particularly youths and party members, should take pride in the support shown to Tinubu.
He continued, “That is why these youths have donated the sum of N100 million to Mr President for the purchase of his nomination form and expression of interest form. To me, this is something all Nigerians, especially the youths and party members, should be proud of. We are proud of the Kogi youths.
“This is the first time in Nigeria’s history that youths are not saying, ‘Take us to Mr President so he can give us something,’ but instead saying, ‘We don’t want to see him; we want to buy the form for him.’ That is unique. You are a torchlight. You are a pillar. You are an example to all the youths of Nigeria, and we are proud of you.
“The governor is here with them. They have presented both the dummy cheque and the actual payment. This is not a promise. This is not a voice note. This is not AI. This is real money. The cash has been paid into the party’s account.
“This is the second group to make such a commitment. The first group made a commitment but has not paid. These people came with both commitment and payment. With this payment, I want to announce that nobody should bother bringing money again to buy the form for Mr President, because the form has already been procured in advance by the Kogi youths.”
Also speaking, the Governor of Kogi State expressed gratitude to God for blessing Nigeria with a leader like Tinubu.
He said, “I thank God Almighty for making this moment possible. We thank God for giving us a father—Mr. President—at this time in our country, a sincere leader who is leading from the front.
“In the history of this country, no government has given youths the space that Mr President has provided. I am a beneficiary of that.”
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that there are two main reasons a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, is being detained by the commission.
It also revealed that legal action was taken against the Enugu-born politician after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, and dated 15 May 2026.
John Odey, the spokesman of the commission in a statement on Wednesday explained that the commission later approached Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) in order to effect Nnaji’s arrest after his failure to honour invitation.
Nnaji was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, when he boarded a private jet to Abuja.
Corroborating the development, the ICPC spokesman said Nnaji’s arrest was effected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival where he was led to the commission’s custody immediately.
According to him, Nnaji is being probed on forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
The statement read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji (M), following the execution of a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The arrest was effected on Wednesday, 1st July 2026 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon Mr. Nnaji’s arrival.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the Department of State Services (DSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.
“The Commission had earlier extended formal invitations to the former minister through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and “False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu via a chartered flight.
Authoritative sources at the airport confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES, saying Mr Nnaji would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation.
The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations.
The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The report alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service.
According to the publication, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.Newspapers
The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, dismissing the publication as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, restored the bail it had earlier granted to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post.
Trial Justice Muhammed Umar, who had earlier granted the defendant bail on self-recognisance, on June 16 revoked the bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The order came after Sowore failed to appear before the court for the continuation of his trial, even though he wrote a letter explaining his absence and requesting a new date.
When proceedings resumed in the case on June 22, Justice Umar ordered the remand of the defendant in Kuje prison.
Dissatisfied with the actions the court took against him, Sowore—whose legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge—secured a new lawyer, who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
When the case came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar held that he was minded to admit the defendant to bail.
However, the court listed some conditions that had to be met before he would be released from prison custody.
Aside from granting him bail to the tune of N200 million, the court held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport.
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Sowore, in the application he anchored on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisted that the orders the court made against him were unjust and unwarranted.
The defendant had, on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The charges allege offences under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The offending posts, made on August 25, 2025, were in response to President Tinubu’s claim, made in Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Angered by the posts, the DSS demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms.
Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
The prosecution claims the defamatory posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president’s reputation.
Exhibits include printouts of the posts and the DSS letters.
X Inc. and Meta were initially co-defendants but were delisted in the amended charge.
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