Good morning Nigeria. Welcome to the TheTimes Nigeria roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 29th April, 2026.
The lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, has picked up the All Progressives Congress (APC) Expression of Interest and Nomination forms on behalf of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that Faleke’s collection and payment for the forms, worth ₦100 million on behalf of Tinubu, formally signal the commencement of his 2027 re-election bid.
Similarly, Faleke also picked up the APC governorship nomination forms valued at ₦50 million for the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, who is seeking to succeed his principal, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The process was declared open on Tuesday in Abuja by the APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, who presented the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to Faleke, who also serves as the founder of the Tinubu Support Groups.
The Labour Party (LP) has elected former Minister of Finance and senator, Nenadi Usman, as its National Chairman, at the party’s national convention held on Tuesday in Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Eluma Asogwa, disclosed the latest development in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The decision reached at the party’s national convention marks a historic milestone as Usman becomes the first woman to lead a political party at the national level in Nigeria.
In her acceptance speech, Usman thanked party members for their confidence and pledged to reposition the party for greater success.
She also assured members of her commitment to unity and internal reconciliation.
Nenadi Usman commended the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, for his leadership, promising not to disappoint the party in her new role while working to strengthen its structures nationwide.
The Nigerian Senate will suspend its plenary sessions later this week to allow lawmakers take part in political party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that the decision was made known during Tuesday’s sitting by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who said many lawmakers would not be available as they return to their constituencies for the nomination process.
He explained that the temporary break is necessary since attendance in the chamber would drop during the period. Despite the pause in plenary, he said Senate committees will continue carrying out their duties while the main session is on hold.
The Senate plans to complete ongoing legislative work before Thursday so members can leave Abuja and participate in their parties’ activities. Lawmakers were also urged to use the remaining days of the week to conclude important matters before the break begins.
Akpabio also called on political parties to adjust their schedules in a way that allows lawmakers fully engage in both legislative duties and primaries. He noted that if both activities run at the same time, it could affect representation, as lawmakers would be absent from plenary.
The House of Representatives has approved a request by President Bola Tinubu to take a foreign loan of $516,333,007 for the construction of parts of the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway.
The approval was given during Tuesday’s plenary session in Abuja.
The decision followed the presentation of a report by Abdullahi Rasheed, who is the deputy chairman of the committee on aids, loans, and debt management. The committee reviewed the request before it was brought before lawmakers for consideration.
The loan is meant to support the development of key sections of the Sokoto-Badagry road project, which is one of the major highway plans of the federal government. Lawmakers backed the request after deliberation during the sitting.
The Governance Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, has endorsed the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, as its consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on New Media, Jubril Gawat, via a post on 𝕏.
According to Gawat, the endorsement was made during a meeting of the council held at Lagos House, Marina.
“FLASH: The Governance Advisory Council (GAC) today unanimously endorsed and adopted the Deputy Governor of Lagos State Dr Obafemi Hamzat to be consensus candidate for the 2027 elections in Lagos State,” he wrote.
He added that the announcement was made by the leader of the GAC, Alhaji Tajudeen Olusi.
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has said a monthly salary of ₦1 million will not be meaningful to Nigerian workers if the country does not have a stable currency and stronger economy.
TheTimes Nigeria reports that Ajaero in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja, said workers are more concerned about the value of the naira than just increases in salary.
According to Ajaero, inflation has continued to reduce what people can actually buy with their income, stressing that what workers need is a currency that can sustain them and their families throughout the month.
He explained that the rising cost of living has made life difficult for workers, especially in areas such as food, transport, and housing.
Former Senate leader, Ali Ndume, has applauded President Bola Tinubu for approving ₦68 billion operational support to the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP).
He stated that this would help reduce insecurity in the state.
The lawmaker representing Borno South, in a statement on Tuesday, hailed the federal government for responding to the long agitation of the people who have been at the receiving end of prolonged power outages.
He asserted that the federal government has successfully cut off the supply chain for the recruitment of able-bodied men by terrorists.
Senator Ndume noted that the restoration of electricity would add value to the economic life of the people, particularly in the informal sector of the economy.
He stressed that stable power will also complement the resilient efforts of the military in routing insurgents, who he noted are agents of darkness and thrive better in environments where there is no visibility, particularly at night.
Nigerian activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has claimed that most Nigerians are not ready for 24-hour uninterrupted power supply.
Speaking during an episode on The Honest Bunch podcast, Adeyanju asserted that most Nigerians want reliable power at critical times of the day.
He stressed that Nigerians’ demands from their government are not unrealistic.
Adeyanju explained that their expectations should not be considered difficult to satisfy, stating that Nigerians are the easiest people to please.
Premier League chiefs have confirmed new dates for two key fixtures involving Manchester City, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side staring at four matches in 11 days during the title run-in.
Manchester City will host Crystal Palace on Wednesday 13 May before travelling to AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday 19 May. Sandwiched between those games is the FA Cup final against Chelsea on 16 May at Wembley Stadium.
The Palace clash had originally been scheduled for March but was postponed due to City’s Carabao Cup final involvement. The Bournemouth fixture was also moved because of the FA Cup final.
The reshuffle leaves Guardiola’s men with a congested finish to the campaign as they chase domestic silverware. City’s final league run now reads: away to Everton on 4 May, home to Brentford on 9 May, Palace at home on 13 May, Bournemouth away on 19 May and a final-day clash with Aston Villa on 24 May.
Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone has admitted that Julian Alvarez is attracting interest from several of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Arsenal at the Metropolitano Stadium, Simeone was asked about speculation surrounding the Argentine forward.
“I’m not inside Julian Alvarez’s head,” the Argentine said when asked about reports linking his country man with Arsenal.
“I understand it’s normal that an extraordinary player like Julian Alvarez is wanted by Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona.
“It’s normal because he is very good.”
Alvarez only joined Atlético Madrid in 2024 from Premier League side Manchester City but has already become a key figure in Simeone’s squad.
Meanwhile, Simeone also provided an update on Ademola Lookman’s fitness, with the forward still not fully cleared to return ahead of the Arsenal tie
