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  • Tinubu Asks Senate to Approve ₦9.3trn Hike, Raising 2026 Budget to ₦67.7trn

    President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the National Assembly to approve an upward revision of ₦9.3 trillion to Nigeria’s 2026 budget, a move that, if approved, would raise total federal spending from ₦58.47 trillion to ₦67.7 trillion, making it the largest proposed federal budget in Nigerian history.

    The request was conveyed in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, as lawmakers returned from the two-week Eid-el-Fitr recess. Akpabio subsequently referred the proposal to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for detailed legislative consideration.

    Why Tinubu says the increase is needed

    The president cited three reasons for the proposed increase in his letter to the Senate.

    First, he said the adjustment is designed to regularise and account for outstanding legal commitments carried over from previous appropriation cycles, preventing them from burdening the execution of the 2026 budget going forward.

    Second, the increase is intended to fund outstanding legacy capital projects inherited from previous budgets — with a specific focus on ensuring their completion rather than allowing them to continue rolling over indefinitely from one fiscal year to the next.

    Third, the president said the additional spending would support key transport infrastructure projects aligned with the administration’s development agenda, while also preserving macro-fiscal stability and easing pressure on the domestic financial market.

    The 2026 budget’s original framework

    Tinubu presented the original 2026 budget of ₦58.18 trillion to the National Assembly on December 19, 2025, themed “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.” The budget projected total revenue of ₦34.33 trillion, capital expenditure of ₦26.08 trillion, and recurrent non-debt expenditure of ₦15.25 trillion. It carried a deficit of ₦23.85 trillion, representing 4.28 per cent of GDP. Key projections included a crude oil benchmark price of $64.85 per barrel, oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of ₦1,400 to the dollar.

    Notably, the 2026 budget had not yet been passed by the National Assembly as of Tuesday’s request, meaning Tinubu is seeking a significant amendment to a budget that is still awaiting legislative approval.

    Legacy capital rollover problem

    Tuesday’s request is directly connected to a broader fiscal reset Tinubu has been attempting since taking office. In December 2025, the House of Representatives approved Tinubu’s request to extend the 2025 budget implementation to March 31, 2026, after the administration disclosed that approximately ₦16.76 trillion initially earmarked for capital projects could not be funded within the original 2025 timeline and was rolled over to the 2026 fiscal year.

    Tinubu has repeatedly stated his determination to end Nigeria’s long-standing practice of overlapping budgets, vowing that from April 2026, Nigeria will operate on a single budget backed by a single revenue cycle, with no rollovers, no overlaps, and no excuses. Tuesday’s request to increase the 2026 budget by ₦9.3 trillion is framed as the mechanism to clear the inherited backlog before that clean slate begins.

    What it means for Nigerians

    The proposed ₦67.7 trillion budget,  if approved, would mean Nigeria’s federal government would spend more than double what it did just three years ago, when the 2023 budget stood at approximately ₦21.8 trillion. The increase reflects the sharp devaluation of the naira since the subsidy removal in 2023, which has inflated the naira cost of virtually all government programmes denominated in dollars, including debt service, infrastructure contracts, and security spending.

    The development is expected to generate debate among lawmakers and economic stakeholders, particularly regarding funding sources, implementation capacity, and the broader implications for Nigeria’s fiscal outlook. Critics are likely to question how a government that has already warned of a ₦23.85 trillion deficit in the original budget plans to fund an additional ₦9.3 trillion in spending.

    The Senate Committee on Appropriations is expected to schedule public hearings on the request before reporting back to the full Senate for a vote.

  • Kwankwaso Receives ADC Membership Card in Kano as Obi, Amaechi, Tambuwal Attend

    Former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has formally joined the African Democratic Congress, receiving his membership card on Monday afternoon at Gidan Kwankwasiyya on Miller Road, Kano, completing a political journey that began with his resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party just 24 hours earlier.

    Confirming the move on his X handle moments after receiving the card, Kwankwaso wrote simply: “New Dawn. We are ADC.”

    Who came to Kano

    The event carried unmistakable weight, drawing a roll call of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition figures to Kano to witness the formal registration.

    In attendance were ADC National Chairman and former Senate President David Mark; ADC National Secretary and former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola; former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi; former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal; former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; Senator Dino Melaye; former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun; and former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha.

    The high-powered delegation had arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport earlier in the day, where they were received by the immediate past Kano Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo, who himself resigned from office last week ahead of his own expected defection alongside Kwankwaso.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, already a member of the ADC, wasted no time in welcoming Kwankwaso. “When men of conviction come together, power trembles. Welcome aboard, @KwankwasoRM,” he wrote on X.

    What Kwankwaso said at the event

    Kwankwaso described his exit from the NNPP as a difficult but necessary decision, saying the current trajectory of Nigeria’s political landscape demanded strategic realignment. He expressed gratitude to the NNPP for the platform it had provided and paid tribute to the Kwankwasiyya Movement members whose loyalty had sustained his political career across multiple parties and decades.

    The defection is not a solo move. The Kwankwasiyya Movement has directed all its members across Nigeria to proceed immediately to register with the ADC at their respective wards, local government areas, and states. “This strategic decision, as always, has been taken in the best interest of the movement, our state, and the nation at large,” the movement’s statement said.

    Kwankwaso is also expected to be joined in the ADC by key political allies, including Senator Rufa’i Hanga and the Kano State NNPP Chairman, Hashim Dungurawa.

    What the ADC now represents

    With Kwankwaso‘s formal entry, the ADC has now consolidated Nigeria’s most formidable opposition coalition in a generation. The party’s membership now includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Abubakar Malami, Aminu Tambuwal, Emeka Ihedioha, and now Kwankwaso, uniting figures who collectively received over 12 million votes across different parties in the 2023 presidential election.

    Kwankwaso had polled 1,496,687 votes in the 2023 presidential race, finishing fourth behind Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi. His entry into the ADC brings with it the Kwankwasiyya Movement’s deep grassroots structure in Kano and across the North-West, a region where his influence was decisive in delivering the Kano State governorship to the NNPP’s Abba Yusuf in 2023.

    The ADC is yet to announce its 2027 presidential candidate or ticket composition. All indications point toward a joint Atiku-Obi or Obi-Kwankwaso arrangement, though no official announcement has been made. The party’s next major milestone will be a national convention expected later in the year, at which its 2027 strategy will be formally unveiled. The APC has not responded to Monday’s events. RNN.NG will continue to follow all 2027 opposition developments as they unfold.

  • Plateau Imposes 48-Hour Curfew in Jos North After Gunmen Kill Several in Angwan Rukuba

    The Plateau State Government has imposed a 48-hour curfew across the entire Jos North Local Government Area following a deadly attack by gunmen in the Gari Ya Waye community of Angwan Rukuba on Sunday evening, the latest in a string of violent incidents that have kept the state under sustained security pressure in 2026.

    Commissioner for Information and Communication Joyce Ramnap announced the curfew in a government statement on Sunday night, confirming that the decision followed a tragic security incident in the Gari Ya Waye community that resulted in loss of lives and injuries to several others. The curfew took effect from midnight on March 29 and will remain in force until April 1, 2026.

    How the attack unfolded

    Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on motorcycles at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, while residents were going about their normal evening activities. The gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, causing immediate panic and mass flight from the community.

    The violence erupted suddenly, with many residents forced to flee their homes in search of safety as gunshots rang out across the neighbourhood. The incident quickly sent shockwaves through nearby communities, raising fears of further unrest.

    The identity of the attackers and the motive for the assault had not been officially confirmed as of Monday morning. No group had claimed responsibility.

    Government response

    Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang strongly condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and unprovoked. The government assured residents that all necessary measures were being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    The government statement read: “The Plateau State Government, in conjunction with security agencies, wishes to inform the general public of the imposition of a 48-hour curfew within Jos North Local Government Area with immediate effect, commencing from 12 midnight of 29th March, to 1st April, 2026.”

    Security agencies have been deployed to key flashpoints across Jos North, with personnel operating around the clock to stabilise the situation and track those responsible. Governor Mutfwang urged residents to remain calm and cooperate fully with security agencies by providing any information useful to ongoing investigations.

    The curfew brought commercial activity in several parts of Jos North to an immediate halt, with markets and shops closed and transportation severely restricted. Movement is limited to emergency and essential services for the duration of the order.

    The University of Jos announced the postponement of all examinations scheduled for Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, citing safety concerns. Deputy Registrar Emmanuel Madugu, speaking on behalf of the Registrar, advised members of the university community to exercise extreme caution, avoid unnecessary movement, particularly in the early morning hours, and to report any suspicious activity to the University Security Division.

    A pattern of escalating violence

    Sunday’s attack is part of a troubling pattern of violence in Plateau State in recent weeks. On March 14, gunmen suspected to be bandits killed 20 people and rustled cattle from a village in Jos in a separate attack. According to the Kanam Development Association, the gunmen ambushed soldiers on a routine patrol, triggering an exchange of gunfire in which 12 security personnel and eight civilians were killed.

    The March 29 attack also comes just two weeks after the deadly bombings in Maiduguri — another reminder that northern and north-central Nigeria remains acutely vulnerable to coordinated violence against civilian communities.

    Jos and Plateau State have been at the epicentre of communal and inter-ethnic violence for over two decades. The city has experienced recurring cycles of attacks that have claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents. Despite sustained military and police presence, armed groups continue to strike civilian communities, often on motorcycles and in the evening hours when security checks are reduced.

  • Kwankwaso Quits NNPP with Immediate Effect, Joins ADC on Monday

    Former Kano State Governor and 2023 presidential candidate Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has resigned from the New Nigeria Peoples Party with immediate effect, bringing to a close his leadership of the party he contested the presidency with less than three years ago and paving the way for a formal move to the African Democratic Congress on Monday.

    Kwankwaso announced the resignation in a personally signed statement on Sunday afternoon, describing it as a difficult but necessary decision driven by what he called the current trajectory of Nigeria’s political landscape. “I wish to formally announce my resignation from the New Nigeria Peoples Party with immediate effect. As a committed and bona fide member of the party, this was not an easy decision to make. However, considering the current trajectory of the nation’s political landscape, which calls for strategic realignment, I have found it necessary to identify with another political platform that offers the best opportunity to effectively change the nation,” he said.

    ADC registration on Monday

    While Kwankwaso did not name the ADC directly in his resignation statement, his next destination is not in doubt. The Kwankwasiyya Movement issued a separate statement on Saturday directing all its members across Nigeria to register with the ADC immediately. “The Kwankwasiyya Movement wishes to formally inform all its members across Nigeria and the general public that our Supreme Leader Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has concluded all necessary arrangements to join the African Democratic Congress. In furtherance of this decision, he will officially register with the party on Monday, 30th March 2026, at his residence, Gidan Kwankwasiyya, Miller Road, Kano, by 12 pm,” the statement said.

    ADC National Chairman David Mark and National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola are expected to be present in Kano to formally receive Kwankwaso into the party. Former Kano Deputy Governor Aminu Gwarzo, who also resigned from office this week, is expected to defect alongside him.

    Gratitude to NNPP

    In his statement, Kwankwaso thanked the NNPP’s National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed, the National Working Committee, the Board of Trustees, and party members at all levels for their support during his time. “I also thank the legacy members of the party and all followers of the Kwankwasiyya Movement for their dedication and commitment to our shared mission. We shall continue to collaborate and work together towards charting a better and more prosperous future for our dear nation,” he said.

    The road to Sunday’s resignation

    The decision did not come without warning. RNN.NG reported on Thursday that Kwankwaso had met ADC National Secretary Aregbesola at his Abuja residence, and separately held talks with Kano-based ADC leaders the same day. On Saturday, Atiku Abubakar — who is already in the ADC — hosted Kwankwaso in Abuja in what observers described as a final alignment meeting ahead of the formal announcement.

    Kwankwaso had polled 1,496,687 votes as the NNPP presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, finishing fourth behind Tinubu, Atiku, and Peter Obi. His exit leaves the NNPP — a party effectively built around his political movement — without its most prominent figure and primary source of electoral weight.

    What the ADC now looks like

    Kwankwaso’s entry completes a remarkable assembly of Nigeria’s major opposition figures on a single platform. The ADC already counts former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Senate President David Mark, former Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola, former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Abubakar Malami, Aminu Tambuwal, and Emeka Ihedioha among its members. The addition of Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiyya movement — which commands significant voter loyalty in Kano and across the North-West — adds a critical regional dimension to the coalition’s 2027 presidential ambitions.

    A Kwankwaso Support Group has previously proposed a joint presidential ticket pairing Peter Obi with Kwankwaso as running mate, though no decision on the 2027 ticket composition has been publicly confirmed by the ADC leadership.

    Kwankwaso’s formal ADC registration is scheduled for Monday, March 30, at noon at Gidan Kwankwasiyya, Miller Road, Kano. RNN.NG will provide live updates from the event as the next major chapter in Nigeria’s 2027 political realignment unfolds.

  • APC Denies Fixing ₦200m Price for 2027 Presidential Nomination Forms

    The ruling All Progressives Congress has denied reports circulating widely on social media that it has fixed the price of nomination forms for the 2027 general elections, describing the claims as false, misleading, and not originating from the party.

    The clarification was issued on Saturday in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in response to online speculation that the APC had pegged its presidential nomination form at ₦200 million.

    What the APC said

    In the statement, Morka was unequivocal in denying the party. “The report is FAKE and did not emanate from the party. To be clear, no decision or announcement has been made on the sale or pricing of forms for the 2027 elections. The report is a mere figment of the writer’s mischievous imagination,” he said.

    The party urged its members, the media, and the general public to disregard the unverified report and to rely only on official communications from the APC for accurate information regarding its 2027 electoral preparations.

    What the viral report claimed

    The denial follows the spread of unconfirmed claims on social media that the APC had officially fixed ₦200 million as the cost of its presidential expression of interest and nomination forms — an amount that, if true, would represent one of the most expensive nomination form prices in Nigerian political history. The APC did not name the source of the report or the specific publication it was attributed to.

    The pricing of political party nomination forms has been a recurring source of controversy in Nigerian politics. At the 2022 APC presidential primary, the party fixed its presidential nomination form at ₦100 million — a sum widely criticised as prohibitive and a barrier to genuine democratic participation. The figure eventually attracted 28 presidential aspirants, including President Tinubu, who went on to win both the primary and the general election.

    With the 2027 campaign cycle not yet formally begun, the APC has said no internal decisions on form pricing have been reached. The party’s National Working Committee is expected to convene formal deliberations on 2027 electoral preparations later in the year.

    No APC official has confirmed the ₦200 million figure, and no credible media outlet has traced the claim to a verified party source.

  • Fayose Warns Fuel May Hit ₦5,000 Per Litre If Tinubu Wins 2027 Election

    Nigerian businessman and social commentator Isaac Fayose has warned that petrol prices could rise to ₦5,000 per litre if President Bola Tinubu wins re-election in 2027, accusing the federal government of failing to restore Nigeria’s refining capacity despite billions of dollars in public investment.

    Fayose made the remarks in a video posted to his Instagram page on Wednesday, amid a fresh wave of public anger over rising fuel prices across Nigeria, with petrol now selling at between ₦1,300 and ₦1,400 per litre in many parts of the country.

    What Fayose said

    Fayose dismissed claims by some Nigerians that the US-Iran war was responsible for the fuel price hike, insisting that the federal government bears full responsibility. “Many fools are saying we cannot blame President Tinubu for our fuel going up, that we should blame America, Israel and Iran. That is a fat lie,” he said.

    He accused successive APC administrations of spending massive sums on refinery projects that have yielded no results, alleging that ₦210 trillion in oil revenue remains unaccounted for. “They’ve spent our money on refineries. 210 trillion is still missing from our oil money,” he said, contrasting the government-owned refineries with the privately funded Dangote refinery, which he acknowledged as fully operational.

    Fayose warned that the economic trajectory is unsustainable, predicting that food prices will continue to rise alongside fuel costs due to rising transport expenses. “The way we are going, be ready for 5,000 a litre. And the ripple effect, the price of yams has gone up. Food prices are going up in the market because they need vehicles to bring them from the farm to the market,” he said.

    Fayose on 2027

    The fuel crisis commentary forms part of Fayose’s broader campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid. The businessman has separately predicted that President Tinubu will fail to secure even 20 per cent of votes in the South-East region in 2027, backing that claim with a ₦10 million wager directed at the City Boys Movement — a pro-Tinubu campaign group widely associated with the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu.

    Fayose has openly declared support for Labour Party’s Peter Obi, predicting that the former Anambra State governor will dominate the South-East and South-South zones in the next presidential election.

    Opposing views

    Not all Nigerians agree with Fayose’s framing. One social media user, identified as @prinxe_B, argued that blaming the fuel crisis solely on Tinubu was intellectually dishonest, describing the refinery problem as a legacy of collective failure spanning the administrations of Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonathan, and Buhari.

    Nigeria’s four government-owned refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have remained largely non-operational for decades despite repeated rounds of rehabilitation spending. The Dangote refinery began distributing fuel locally in late 2024, but prices have remained high, with the refinery citing the naira’s weakness against the dollar as a key factor. Petrol prices have risen from under ₦200 per litre at the time of the subsidy removal in May 2023 to current levels above ₦1,300 in many states.

  • Wike’s PDP Bloc Backs Anyanwu, Mohammed, Asks Ortom to Step Aside

    The internal crisis inside the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Tuesday as a faction loyal to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike settled on Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Abdulrahman Mohammed as consensus candidates for National Secretary and National Chairman ahead of the party’s national convention on March 29–30.

    Governors distance themselves from the process

    Governors elected on the PDP platform swiftly distanced themselves from the consensus arrangement.

    They insisted the process was not binding on them and vowed to challenge it legally before the convention holds in Abuja.

    How the consensus was reached

    Highly placed members of the Wike-backed National Caretaker Committee, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak publicly, told journalists that all six geopolitical zones had agreed on candidates for National Working Committee positions.

    The National Chairman slot was zoned to the North-Central, while the National Secretary went to the South-East, specifically Imo State, where Anyanwu emerged as the consensus pick.

    According to a source who attended the North-Central caucus meeting, Wike personally appealed to former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and former Kogi State Deputy Governor Philip Salawu to step aside for Abdulrahman Mohammed.

    “The meeting concluded with the North-Central zone agreeing that it should produce the National Chairman,” the source said.

    Religious balance was also cited as a factor.

    “They wanted the National Chairman to be a Muslim, anticipating that the person emerging would otherwise be a Christian,” the source added, noting that Anyanwu’s emergence as National Secretary from the South-East influenced the calculation.

    Zonal distributions across the country

    Other positions were distributed across zones as follows:

    In the North-West, Sokoto retains the National Organising Secretary position, Katsina takes the National Youth Leader, and Kano takes the Deputy Treasurer. Jigawa was allocated the Zonal Vice Chairman slot.

    In the South-West, the Woman Leader went to Oyo, the Treasurer to Osun, the Deputy Secretary to Ekiti, and the Zonal Vice Chairman to Lagos.

    In the North-East, Taraba received the Deputy National Chairman (North) slot, Bauchi the Publicity Secretary, Gombe the Deputy Woman Leader, Borno the Deputy Financial Secretary, and Adamawa the Zonal Vice Chairman.

    In the South-South, Rivers takes the National Vice Chairman, Cross River the Financial Secretary, Delta the Deputy National Organising Secretary, Akwa Ibom the Deputy Youth Leader, and Edo the Zonal Vice Chairman.

    Wike faction defends consensus method

    The Wike-backed PDP Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, declined to confirm or deny specific details but defended the approach.

    “As far as we are concerned, we believe consensus is the best way to go,” he said. “Once you have consensus, it means there’s consent of all stakeholders, the aspirants and the stakeholders, as opposed to imposition.”

    He added that it saves time and resources.

    “When you take away the election process, it saves a lot of time, resources, and animosity,” Mohammed said.

    The PDP national convention is scheduled for March 29–30, 2026 in Abuja. Governors aligned with the rival Tanimu Turaki-led NWC have vowed to pursue legal action if the convention proceeds on the Wike faction’s terms. With both sides claiming legitimacy, the convention could further fracture a party already battling internal division ahead of the 2027 general elections.