Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti on Tuesday received the certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, following his victory in last Saturday’s governorship election.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, who represented INEC Chairman Prof Joseph Amupitan, presented the certificate to Oyebanji at the commission’s state headquarters in Ado-Ekiti.
The REC congratulated the governor on his re-election and commended the people of the state for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the electoral process.
He said the successful conduct of the election reflected the commitment of INEC and other stakeholders to strengthening democratic governance in the state.
Omoseyindemi urged all political actors to continue to uphold democratic values.
The event was attended by party leaders, government officials, traditional rulers and supporters of the governor.
Arise Television’s Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has criticised presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr Peter Obi, over his alleged lack of visibility and policy inconsistencies ahead of the 2027 general election.
Oseni also raised concerns over reported disagreements between Obi’s political movement, the Obidient Movement, and the NDC, questioning whether the party was adequately addressing the expectations of its supporters.
He made the remarks on Friday while reacting to comments by a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Chief Don Ulasi, on the opposition’s preparedness for the 2027 presidential election.
Ulasi had described Obi as the only serious opposition figure capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu, citing the government’s shortcomings in areas such as inflation and rising food prices.
However, the PDP chieftain expressed doubts about the opposition’s ability to capitalise on public dissatisfaction, saying he had not seen sufficient grassroots mobilisation or town hall meetings by the NDC leadership.
Responding, Oseni questioned Obi’s political organisation and the reported disagreements between his camp and the NDC.
He said, “And that goes back to the problem that even this Peter Obi you are talking about. Are you really sure because he’s also having infighting with his NDC political party.
“As we speak today, there are loggerheads between OK movement and NDC, which there’s a lot of disagreement, which a lot of people even say they don’t even trust the high ups there in the NDC as regards if they are even truly after their hopes and aspiration.”
The broadcaster also faulted Obi over his position on petrol subsidy, arguing that the former Anambra State governor had failed to maintain a consistent stance on the policy.
“today, where is his manifesto? He was nowhere, he was found nowhere in the subsidy debate. He said something, then he flip flop on the subsidy.
“At first, he said, ‘Oh, I will keep subsidy. Now he’s saying he will remove subsidy again. But he said he will correct the corruption in there,” Oseni said.
He further argued that Obi had lost some of the supporters who backed him during the 2023 presidential election, attributing the development partly to what he described as inconsistency in his positions.
“So a lot of people have found him flip-flopping, and he has also lost a lot of people from the last election cycle that supported him,” he added.
DAILY POST reports that Obi’s political platform and the cohesion of opposition parties are likely to remain key issues as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 general election.
In an ambitious move designed to bypass domestic facility deficits, the Gymnastics Federation of Nigeria is launching a high-performance framework centered on extended overseas residency camps and the establishment of a regional center of excellence.
Rather than relying solely on short-term training workshops, national sports administrators are implementing a structural overhaul aimed at transforming Nigerian athletes into genuine medal contenders ahead of the 2027 African Games in Egypt and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Following recent bilateral agreements inked at the World Congress in Bangkok, top national team gymnasts will participate in intensive, six-month international immersion programs hosted in specialised facilities across Turkey, China, Japan, and Azerbaijan.
Under this comprehensive arrangement, host nations will provide elite coaching, specialised equipment, full accommodation, and nutritional support. This prolonged exposure to world-class sports science and high-altitude conditioning is specifically tailored to refine routine difficulty scores and execution precision, areas where African gymnasts have historically lagged behind international powerhouses.
Simultaneously, the federation is capitalizing on its newly expanded international partnerships to establish a modern regional hub in Nigeria.
Designed to serve West and Central Africa, the proposed center will feature state-of-the-art apparatuses provided through foreign equipment-sharing grants. The facility will host joint continental training camps and offer localized accreditation programs for coaches and judges across various disciplines, including artistic, rhythmic, aerobics, and parkour gymnastics.
By pairing multi-month elite training abroad with long-term infrastructure investment at home, Nigeria is positioning itself to shift from a continental participant into an influential gymnastics powerhouse over the next decade. If successfully sustained, this two-pronged blueprint could redefine how emerging nations nurture Olympic-caliber athletic talent outside traditional sports.