The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, said it has uploaded the name of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, portal after filing an appeal and an application for a stay of execution against a court judgment ordering the party’s deregistration.

National Leader of the NDC, Senator Seriake Dickson, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the party had served the appeal and accompanying application on the INEC Chairman and urged the electoral body to act in accordance with the law.

Dickson maintained that the NDC remained a duly registered political party, noting that it had participated in all electoral processes and concluded its primary elections under INEC’s supervision.

According to him, the party had been granted access to the INEC portal to upload the names of its candidates for the 2027 general elections.

He said the names of both himself and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had been uploaded to the portal, while that of the vice-presidential candidate would be submitted upon completion of the necessary documentation.

The former Bayelsa State governor added that the party remains within the timetable released by INEC, stating that submissions for National Assembly candidates will close on July 11, while those for governorship and state assembly candidates will end on July 17.

Dickson also appealed to party members to remain calm, saying there was no cause for panic as the reconciliation process had begun following the conclusion of the party’s primaries.

He assured unsuccessful aspirants that they would be accommodated in the party’s campaign structures and committees.

According to him, with the appeal and stay of execution application now before the courts, the judiciary will determine the next course of action in accordance with the law.

“Today, the NDC has filed an appeal against the ruling as well as a stay of execution/injunction, which has been served with a covering letter to the INEC chairman and his team to do what is right according to law and what is legally sensible.

“The Nigeria Democratic Congress has come to stay and remains a duly registered party in Nigeria which has participated in all the political processes so far, and, as I said yesterday, nomination processes have already been concluded and, in the eyes of the law, candidates have already emerged from the party for all offices across the country in primaries observed, monitored and recorded by INEC.

“What is left is the administrative process of submitting the names to INEC, and we have been granted access to the portal to upload our qualified candidates,” part of the statement read.

Some soldiers from the Army Depot, Osogbo, have allegedly invaded the halls of residence of students of Osun State University, Osogbo and assaulted students.

During the incidents, soldiers also allegedly seized and took away over 60 mobile phones and other electronic gadgets belonging to the students.

Also during the invasion, which took place Monday evening, some female students were reportedly stripped naked and made to forcefully dance unclad by the rampaging soldiers, said to be part of the batch that had their passing-out parade last Saturday.

The perpetrators also allegedly raped a female student, but the allegation can not be immediately verified as no victim of rape could be identified among the students as of the time of filing this report.

In other incidents, soldiers were also accused of beating up male students and other residents they found adorning clothes or caps in Army colours.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Clement Adebooye, who visited some of the halls of residence that were attacked by the soldiers on Tuesday, said the incident had been reported to the Army Depot management.

“We have reported to the management of the depot. It is sad that the Army Depot, located close to the campus, which we felt would give us security cover, could eventually release men that will subject our students to this kind of harrowing experience,” the VC said while addressing some of the affected students.

The Public Relations Officer of the University, Ademola Adesoji, while giving further updates on the incidents during a chat with The PUNCH, said many students were affected, adding that “over 20 have already been identified as the victims.

“The soldiers came from Osogbo Army Depot. They assaulted the students. Some female students said they were stripped by the soldiers. They also said they touched them indecently.

“Some male students were also assaulted. Two students were hospitalised, but one was discharged this morning. Over 60 gadgets, including phones, were seized from the students.

“Three of the perpetrators were identified and brought to the campus this morning. The VC has taken the matter up with the Army authority. We can’t confirm the alleged rape yet,” Adesoji said. (PUNCH)

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved scholarships for over 760 beneficiaries under the 2025/2026 Local Scholarship Scheme, in a move that further underscores his administration’s commitment to expanding access to quality education and developing the state’s human capital.

The Executive Secretary of the Enugu State Scholarship and Education Loans Board, Chukwuemeka Mbah, disclosed this on Monday in Enugu.

According to him, the beneficiaries, drawn from the 17 Local Government Areas of the state and across various academic disciplines, comprise over 500 undergraduate students, 100 postgraduate students, and 160 public sector teachers.

He explained that successful candidates who passed the Computer-Based Test (CBT) are already being contacted via text messages and email on an LGA-by-LGA basis for verification and documentation.

Mbah said the scholarship scheme reflects Governor Mbah’s unwavering commitment to investing in education, empowering young people, and equipping the workforce with the knowledge and skills needed to drive the state’s transformation agenda.

He urged successful applicants to promptly respond to the messages sent to them to facilitate the verification process.

According to him, the scholarship award is one of the key education initiatives of the Mbah administration aimed at ensuring that financial constraints do not stand in the way of academic excellence and human capital development in Enugu State.

“More beneficiaries will be captured in the next phase of the scholarship programme. It’s open to the people of Enugu State, and I want to urge our people to continue to apply. This is not the time to say you’re unable to get quality education because of funding. The governor has made it easy for our people to access free, quality education,” he added.