The recap of top 10 key latest happenings that you might have missed this Sunday evening, 22nd February, 2026
APC wins five FCT councils, PDP one
The All Progressives Congress has secured victory in five of the six chairmanship seats contested in the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, while the Peoples Democratic Party won the remaining seat.
Results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday showed that the APC won the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Abaji, Bwari, Kwali, and Kuje Area Councils, while the PDP emerged victorious in Gwagwalada Area Council.
In Gwagwalada Area Council, the PDP candidate, Mohammed Kasim, was declared winner after polling 22,165 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Yahaya Shehu, who secured 17,788 votes.
Announcing the result, the Returning Officer, Philip Akpen, said,
“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship election held on February 21, 2026. That Mohammed Kasim of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”
Tinubu congratulates winners of FCT, Kano, Rivers elections, hails Wike’s leadership
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the winners of Saturday’s elections in the Federal Capital Territory and the states of Kano and Rivers.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted elections in the six FCT area councils, as well as by-elections in the Ahoada East II and Khana II state constituencies of Rivers State, and the Kano Municipal and Ungogo constituencies in Kano State.
The polls involved chairmanship and councillorship positions across the FCT’s six area councils, including Abuja Municipal (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, Kwali, and Abaji.
State constituency by-elections were also held in Kano Municipal and Ungogo of Kano State, and Ahoada East II and Khana II in Rivers State.
EFCC arrests 20 over electoral fraud in FCT council polls, recovers over N17m
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 20 suspects for alleged electoral offences during the just-concluded Federal Capital Territory local government elections.
The commission also recovered over N17 million allegedly intended for vote buying.
A statement posted on the commission’s official X handle on Sunday noted that the arrests were made on Saturday, February 21, 2026, across the FCT.
According to the EFCC, the suspects were apprehended in Abaji (2), Gwagwalada (9), Kuje (4) and Kwali (4).
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday, February 21, 2026, arrested 20 suspects for sundry electoral offences in the just-concluded Federal Capital Territory, FCT, local government elections.
Catholic Bishops to FG: End Nigeria’s bloodshed, guarantee credible 2027 polls
Amid fresh concerns over killings and collapsing voter turnout, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has urged the Federal Government to urgently halt the nation’s worsening insecurity and guarantee credible elections in 2027, warning that the twin crises threaten Nigeria’s democracy.
The position was presented at the opening of the CBCN’s 2026 First Plenary Meeting in Abuja by its president, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji.
The session also featured a keynote address by Dr. Mike Omeri and a homily at the opening Mass delivered by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama.
Ugorji described the country’s security situation as deeply troubling, citing repeated kidnappings and mass killings across several states.
Obasanjo targets 10,000 beneficiaries in Lagos to mark 89th birthday
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is targeting no fewer than 10,000 beneficiaries in Lagos residents as part of activities marking his 89th birthday.
A statement in Abeokuta on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said the medical outreach is under the auspices of the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation.
According to the Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Olalekan Makinde, the Lagos Medical Mission will be held in the suburbs of Ikorodu and Alimosho Local Government areas of the state from Feb. 27 to March 4.
Police bust illegal beverage bottle-crushing factories in Anambra
The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with the Beer Sectoral Group, has raided illegal factories in parts of Anambra State accused of destroying returnable beverage bottles and plastic crates belonging to major manufacturers.
The operation, which took place last Thursday, followed intelligence reports that some operators were involved in crushing returnable glass bottles and shredding plastic crates for resale as raw materials.
The Beer Sectoral Group, a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, said several suspects were apprehended during the raid.Uzodimma’s performance warrants opposition support, says IPM
The Imo Progressives Movement (IPM) has declared that Governor Hope Uzodimma’s performance over the past six years is sufficient to merit support from any opposition party genuinely interested in the state’s development.
Speaking at the end of its fourth National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Owerri on Sunday, the group vowed not to allow distractions or “selfish opposition” to derail the governor’s programmes.
Enugu family raises alarm over alleged plot to release suspected killers of two brothers
The family of Arum Nwagbo in Umuchigbo, Iji-Nike Community, Enugu East Local Government Area, has raised concerns over what it described as attempts to secure the release of two suspects arrested for the killing of brothers Onyeka and Chukwudi Alum.
The suspects, who were taken into custody by the Enugu State Anti-Cult Squad on 11 February 2026, are linked to the October 29, 2025, killing of the brothers during violence that erupted amid a prolonged community leadership crisis.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, the father of the deceased, Elder John Anike Alum, said the family had credible information that certain individuals were pressuring the Enugu State Police Command to release the suspects.
Abia 2027: APC declared most formidable party — Deputy Speaker Kalu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is the most formidable political party in Abia State ahead of the 2027 general elections, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Ben Kalu, has said.
Speaking after a strategic stakeholders’ meeting of the Abia APC, which was chaired by National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Kalu said the party has been repositioned and stakeholders united for greater electoral success.
“I sincerely appreciate our National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, for his leadership and commitment to strengthening the unity, growth, and stability of the APC, not just in Abia State but across the nation,” Kalu said.
“Over the past few days, leaders and stakeholders of our great party in Abia State have engaged in strategic deliberations, examining our structures and charting a clear, coordinated path forward.
These discussions have strengthened our collective resolve to reposition the party for cohesion and electoral success.”
Nigerian man shot dead in US nightclub after tussle with gunman
A Nigerian aspiring fashion designer based in the US, Sheriff Shittu was fatally shot at a Brooklyn nightclub following a dispute with a drunk patron who allegedly groped his girlfriend, according to his brother.
Shittu was killed when a gunman opened fire inside Quilox Restaurant and Lounge in East Flatbush on Church Avenue near 95th Street at about 4:25 a.m. Saturday, police said.
Shittu had gone to the club with his younger brother, Fawaz Shittu, to celebrate a friend’s birthday, just a day before their mother was scheduled to arrive from Nigeria for a visit.
