News & Announcements

Tayyip Erdoğan has won Turkey’s run-off presidential election to seal another five-year term, according to official preliminary results that marked an end to a determined opposition effort to unseat the longtime leader.

Erdoğan received 53.41% of the votes, electoral chief Ahmet Yener said on Sunday evening, after 99.43% of the ballots had been counted.

His rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu received 46.59% according to the preliminary figures, Yener said.

Erdoğan – who claimed victory hours before the official announcement – can now remain in his seat for another five years and for a third time.

The 69-year-old became prime minister in 2003.

The parliament voted him as president in 2014.

“You gave us this mission. We will continue to build a Turkish century all together,” he told a massive crowd from the balcony of the presidential palace in Ankara. “All of Turkey has won. Democracy has won,” he said, urging the country to unite.

The crowd cheered and taunted his rival, chanting: “Bye bye, Kemal.”

During the evening, Erdoğan supporters lined the streets of cities in Turkey and beyond, waving flags and celebrating.

Since the introduction of a presidential system in 2018, he has more power than ever before, prompting fears his rule could become even more authoritarian.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who stood against him at the head of a broad coalition of opposition parties, thanked his supporters before the results were announced, but did not formally concede.

“I am sad much bigger problems await our country,” he said.

He decried the problems in an election campaign that was criticized by observers as being unfair, given the government’s dominance of the media landscape.

Erdoğan controls almost the entire conventional media in Turkey. State broadcaster TRT did not broadcast a single interview with any opposition leader, for example.

Erdoğan refused to appear in any televised debate with Kılıçdaroğlu.

“The people’s will to replace an authoritarian regime has emerged despite all repressions in this election,” said Kılıçdaroğlu.

“Stand tall,” he added. “We will work for more democratic Turkey.”

His comments were echoed by Meral Akşener, the main opposition partner, who did concede.

Those who had hoped for change should not despair, she said. “We are here,” she said, adding she hoped Erdoğan would remember he is president of all of Turkey.

Sunday’s voting was marred by reports of attacks on election observers in Istanbul and the south-east of the country.

Istanbul lawmaker Ali Şeker, from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told broadcaster Halk TV that he and two others were attacked by a large group of locals after they complained about irregularities.

Earlier, CHP parliamentary group leader Özgür Özel tweeted that election observers were beaten and their phones were broken.

Özel complained that there were not enough security forces present at the time.

There were several incidents in Istanbul, according to media reports.

Halk TV reported that opposition election workers were attacked in the Gaziosmanpaşa and Ümraniye districts.

Not all incidents could be independently verified.

Even before the preliminary results were announced, congratulations flowed in from abroad.

The leaders of Russia, France, Pakistan, Libya, and Afghanistan all sent messages of support to Erdoğan.

Later, European and U.S. leaders added their congratulations.

“I look forward to working with you again to deepen EU-Türkiye relations in the years to come,” the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, wrote to Erdoğan in a tweet.

“It is of strategic importance for both the EU and Türkiye to work on advancing this relationship, for the benefit of our people,” echoed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“Germany and Turkey are close partners and allies,” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“Congratulations to President Erdoğan on his re-election. Now we want to push forward our common issues with fresh vigour.”

French President Emmanuel Macron listed the return of peace to Europe, the future of the Euro-Atlantic alliance and the Mediterranean as some of the “immense challenges” ahead.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky shared his congratulations to the Turkish president in both Ukrainian and Turkish on Twitter.

“I congratulate the President of Turkey @RTErdogan on the occasion of the victory in the presidential elections,” wrote Zelensky in a tweet.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also offered congratulations to Erdoğan. In a tweet, Stoltenberg wrote, “Congratulations President @RTErdogan on your re-election. I look forward to continuing our work together & preparing for the #NATOSummit in July.”

U.S. President Joe Biden offered congratulations and said, “I look forward to continuing to work together as NATO Allies on bilateral issues and shared global challenges” in a tweet.

Many in Turkey had hoped for change, but were in the end outnumbered, with Erdoğan particularly popular among rural and more religious voters.

Ergün Sabancılar, a 67-year-old artisan, said just after casting his ballot: “I have hope. If not with this election, democracy will definitely come with future elections.”

The run-off, the first in modern Turkish history, was a test of strength for Erdoğan after he failed to get the absolute majority needed in the first round of the vote two weeks ago.

During the campaign, Erdoğan had promised to increase religious conservative policies such as restricting LGBT rights.

He said he would quickly reconstruct the quake-hit provinces while boosting investments in defence and infrastructure.

He repeated some of these promises on Sunday, saying that he would bring inflation down to 10% in a new “economic leap forward.”

The vote came amid Turkey’s worst economic crisis in two decades and after February’s devastating earthquakes in the country’s east.

Analysts pointed to election gifts in the run-up to the vote, saying these too had an impact on Sunday’s result.

“The government spent money like there was no tomorrow.

“People are much better off as a result than they were last year,” analyst Salim Cevik told dpa.

Cevik also criticised the opposition, saying the broad coalition had not nominated its lead candidate soon enough in the process.

Founder of Daar Communications Plc, High Chief (Dr) Raymond Dokpsesi is dead.

He was aged 71.

His son, Raymond Dokpesi (Jnr), disclosed that the media mogul and politician passed on this morning in Abuja after a brief illness.

High Chief Dokpesi pioneered private broadcasting in Nigeria and was until his demise a stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

A young man identified as Christian Ugbede Abuka, has died in an auto crash two days after he completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program in Kwara State.

It was gathered that Christian collected his NYSC certificate on Thursday, May 25, 2025. 

The accident was said to have occurred in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State on Saturday, May 28. 

His ailing mother, who was eagerly expecting him, slumped and died after receiving news of his death.

His brother, Joseph Abuka, confirmed the sad news on Facebook.

“It was a dark day in my family today. My younger brother Christian Ugbede Abuka was involved in a fatal accident on his way back from Kwara state for his NYSC documentation and he died. This resulted in his mother’s death. Nothing to say but to thank God.” he wrote. 

FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU 29 MAY 2023

THE NIGERIAN IDEAL

My Fellow Citizens,
I stand before you honoured to assume the sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this nation is abiding. My confidence in its people is unwavering. And my faith in God Almighty is absolute. I know that His hand shall provide the needed moral strength and clarity of purpose in those instances when we seem to have reached the limits of our human capacity.

This day is bold and majestic yet bright and full of spirit, as is our precious nation.

As a nation, we have long ago decided to march beyond the dimness of night into the open day of renewed national hope.

The question we now ask ourselves is whether to remain faithful to the work inherent in building a better society or retreat into the shadows of our unmet potential. 

For me, there is but one answer. We are too great a nation and too grounded as a people to rob ourselves of our finest destiny.

This nation’s journey has been shaped by the prayers of millions, and the collective sacrifices of us all.

We have endured hardships that would have made other societies crumble.

Yet, we have shouldered the heavy burden to arrive at this SUBLIME moment where the prospect of a better future merges with our improved capacity to create that future.

To the surprise of many but not to ourselves, we have more firmly established this land as a democracy in both word and deed.

The peaceful transition from one government to another is now our political tradition. This handover symbolizes our trust in God, our enduring faith in representative governance, and our belief in our ability to reshape this nation into the society it was always meant to be.

Here, permit me to say a few words to my predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr. President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love. On a more personal note, you are a worthy partner and friend. May History be kind to you.

For many years, Nigeria’s critics have trafficked the rumour that our nation will break apart, even perish.

Yet here we are. We have stumbled at times, but our resilience and diversity have kept us going. 
Our burdens may make us bend at times, but they shall never break us.

Instead, we stand forth as Africa’s most populous nation and as the best hope and strongest champion of the Black Race.

As citizens, we declare as one unified people devoted to one unified national cause, that as long as this world exists, NIGERIA SHALL EXIST.

Today, Fate and Destiny join together to place the torch of human progress in our very hands. We dare not let it slip.

We lift high this torch so that it might shine on every household and in every heart that calls itself Nigerian. We hold this beam aloft because it lights our path with compassion, brotherhood, and peace. May this great light never.

EXTINGUISH   
Our administration shall govern on your behalf but never rule over you. We shall consult and dialogue but never dictate. We shall reach out to all but never put down a single person for holding views contrary to our own.

We are here to further mend and heal this nation, not tear and injure it.

In this vein, may I offer a few comments regarding the election that brought us to this juncture It was a hard-fought contest. And it was also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better quality.

The outcome reflected the will of the people. However, my victory does not render me any more Nigerian than my opponents. Nor does it render them any less patriotic.

They shall forever be my fellow compatriots. And I will treat them as such. They represent important constituencies and concerns that wisdom dare not ignore.

They have taken their concerns to court. Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the rule of law.

Over six decades ago, our founding fathers gave bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as an independent nation.

We must never allow the labor of those who came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and bring forth a better reality.

Let us take the next great step in the journey they began and believed in.

Today, let us recommit our very selves to placing Nigeria in our hearts as the indispensable home for each and every one of us regardless of creed, ethnicity, or place of birth.

My supporters, I thank you. To those who voted otherwise, I extend my hand across the political divide. I ask you to grasp it in national affinity and brotherhood. For me, political coloration has faded away. All I see are Nigerians. 

May we uphold these fitting and excellent notions as the new Nigerian ideal. 

My fellow compatriots,
The Nigerian ideal which I speak of is more than just an improvement in economics and other statistics. These things are important, but they can never convey the fullness of our story.

Our mission is to improve our way of life in a manner that nurtures our humanity, encourages compassion toward one another, and duly rewards our collective effort to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us.

Our constitution and laws give us a nation on paper. We must work harder at bringing these noble documents to life by strengthening the bonds of economic collaboration, social cohesion, and cultural understanding. Let us develop a shared sense of fairness and equity.

The South must not only seek good for itself but must understand that its interests are served when good comes to the North. The North must see the South likewise.

Whether from the winding creeks of the Niger Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the boardrooms of Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja, or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are all my people. As your president, I shall serve with prejudice toward none but compassion and amity towards all.

 In the coming days and weeks, my team will publicly detail key aspects of our programme.

Today, permit me to outline in broad terms a few initiatives that define our concept of progressive good governance in furtherance of the Nigerian ideal

The principles that will guide our administration are simple: 

1. Nigeria will be impartially governed according to the constitution and the rule of law.

2. We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our subregion.

3. We shall remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.

4. In our administration, Women and youth will feature prominently.

5. Our government will continue to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.

SECURITY 
Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.
To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security DOCTRINE and its

ARCHITECTURE.

We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide, better training, equipment, pay, and firepower.

THE ECONOMY
On the economy, we target higher GDP growth and significantly reduce unemployment. 
We intend to accomplish this by taking the following steps:

First, budgetary reform stimulating the economy without engendering inflation will be instituted.

Second, industrial policy will utilize the full range of fiscal measures to promote domestic manufacturing and lessen import dependency.
Third, electricity will become more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike.

Power generation should nearly double and transmission and distribution networks improved. We will encourage states to develop local sources as well.

I have a message for our investors, local and foreign: our government shall review all their complaints about multiple taxations and various anti-investment inhibitions.

We shall ensure that investors and foreign businesses repatriate their hard-earned dividends and profits home.

JOBS

My administration must create meaningful opportunities for our youth. We shall honour our campaign commitment of one million new jobs in the digital economy. 

Our government also shall work with the National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and Prosperity bill. This bill will give our administration the policy space to embark on labor-intensive infrastructural improvements, encourage light industry, and provide improved social services for the poor, elderly, and vulnerable.

Agriculture
Rural incomes shall be secured by commodity exchange boards guaranteeing minimal prices for certain crops and animal products. A nationwide programme for storage and other facilities to reduce spoilage and waste will be undertaken.
Agricultural hubs will be created throughout the nation to increase production and engage in value-added processing. The livestock sector will be introduced to the best modern practices and steps taken to minimize the perennial conflict over land and water resources in this sector.
Through these actions, food shall be made more abundant yet less costly. Farmers shall earn more while the average Nigerian pays less.

INFRASTRUCTURE
We shall continue the efforts of the Buhari administration on infrastructure. Progress toward national networks of roads, rail and ports shall get priority attention.

FUEL SUBSIDY
We commend the decision of the outgoing administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy regime which has increasingly favoured the rich more than the poor. The subsidy can no longer justify its ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying resources. We shall instead re-channel the funds into better investment in public infrastructure, education, health care, and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions.

MONETARY POLICY
Monetary policy needs a thorough housecleaning. The Central Bank must work towards a unified exchange rate. This will direct funds away from arbitrage into meaningful investment in the plant, equipment, and jobs that power the real economy.

Interest rates need to be reduced to increase investment and consumer purchasing in ways that sustain the economy at a higher level.

Whatever merits it had in concept, the currency swap was too harshly applied by the CBN given the number of unbanked Nigerians. The policy shall be reviewed. In the meantime, my administration will treat both currencies as legal tender.

FOREIGN POLICY
Given the world in which we reside, please permit a few comments regarding foreign policy.

The crisis in Sudan and the turn from democracy by several nations in our immediate neighborhood are of pressing concern.

As such, my primary foreign policy objective must be the peace and stability of the West African sub-region and the African continent. We shall work with ECOWAS, the AU, and willing partners in the international community to end extant conflicts and to resolve new ones.

As we contain threats to peace, we shall also retool our foreign policy to more actively lead the regional and continental quest for collective prosperity.

Conclusion

This is the proudest day of my life. But this day does not belong to me. It belongs to you, the people of Nigeria.

On this day, Nigeria affirms its rightful place among the world’s great democracies. There, Nigeria shall reside forever. 

The course of our past and the promise of the future have brought us to this exceptional moment.

In this spirit, I ask you to join me in making Nigeria a more perfect nation and democracy such that the Nigerian ideal becomes and forever remains the Nigerian reality.  

With full confidence in our ability, I declare that these things are within our proximate reach because my name is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I am the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

May God bless you and May He bless our beloved land.

                 

In the early hours of Monday, irate youths broke into a police station on Olayiwola Close in the Oregun neighborhood of Ikeja, Lagos State, set it on fire, and injured a police officer who was on duty.

The reason for the attack was unknown at the time this story was filed, however our correspondent learned that the policeman who suffered a head injury was taken right away for treatment to the emergency room at the toll gate on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

It was discovered that while the station was engulfed in flames, members of the Lagos State Fire Service were phoned and dispatched to the spot to help.

Although the fire was put out, a portion of the police station’s building was damaged. But no weapons were taken.

When called and asked to confirm the attack, state police public relations officer SP Benjamin Hundeyin indicated an investigation had begun but “no suspect had been arrested.”

In the meantime, two alleged Yoruba Nation members were detained on Sunday during an attempt to seize control of the Alausa Police Station in Ikeja.

About 15 protesters, who were on the premises during the invasion, pulled out their phones and began filming the station and themselves while yelling, “No more Nigeria police again,” and “Yoruba Nation has taken over in Yoruba land.”

Some police officers stationed there were attacked in an effort to scatter the demonstrators.

In response, Hundeyin claimed that police reinforcement was quickly dispatched to the area, two of the agitators were detained, and others managed to flee.

He added that the suspects had been found with the cutlasses, charms, and emblems of the gang.

On Monday in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu declared that his administration would end the subsidy on petroleum products.

Soon after being sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria, Tinubu declared “Subsidy is gone” in his inaugural speech at Eagle Square, Abuja.

According to the president, subsidies were not included in the national budget as of June 2023, so they were eliminated.

During his speech at his inauguration on Monday in Abuja, Tinubu said that his administration’s minimum GDP growth target is 6% each year.

He also promised to will lead the country with “compassion and amity towards all.”

“In economy, we’ll target not less than 6 per cent growth in GDP growth. We’ll do this through budgetary reforms. We’ll use a full range of domestic manufacturing and lessen importation,” Tinubu said in his inaugural address at Eagle Square, Abuja.

He committed to evaluate any concerns about numerous taxes in order to increase foreign direct investment.

“To our foreign investors, our government will review all complaints about multiple taxations. All businesses will be allowed to repatriate hard-earned profits back home,” Tinubu added.

The former Lagos governor and vice president Kashim Shettima had taken the oath of office as Nigeria’s 16th president almost an hour earlier.

Oluremi Tinubu, the president-elect’s wife, has assured Nigerians that her family is blessed by God and does not require the nation’s money to thrive.

She announced this at the Sunday interdenominational church service held at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.

The wife of the incoming president-elect stated that everyone shares in the nation’s prosperity and that they would utilize it for good.

She begged Nigerians to pray for them, saying that they would require God’s help in order to live up to their countrymen’s expectations.

Tinubu, who is also the outgoing senator representing Lagos Central at the National Assembly said, “Nigeria’s wealth is the commonwealth of all. It belongs to everyone. God has blessed my family. We don’t need the wealth of Nigeria to survive but to do the right thing. And I promise you on this altar, that with your help, with the help of God, who will set this nation on the right path.”

Speaking on, she observed also that she will be one of Nigeria’s oldest first ladies at 63 saying, “Asiwaju is 71 and I will be 63. I bet I will be one of the oldest first ladies Nigeria would have. We need the grace of God and we need everyone to do what Nigerians are expecting.

“Today, God has really proved himself as he did on the night of the primaries and put his seal on it. Because, when I saw the votes count to be 1,271, I said God it means you are here.

“I was humbled to my rock bottom. And to believe that this is the seventh consecutive democratic transition Nigeria will be experiencing shows that this is a time of perfection for Nigeria.”

Yemi Osinbajo, the outgoing vice president, former head of state General Yakubu Gowon, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Mr. Boss Mustapha, and senator-elect Godswill Akpabio were among the dignitaries that attended the church service.

Women in the historic city of Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, are reportedly protesting the state’s purported firing of Mrs. Favour Nworah, the community’s women president general.

Since April 2019, Nworah has served as the Women’s Wing President General of Ebenebe Town Union. In April 2023, following the general elections, the state governor Chukwuma Soludo allegedly fired her.

She was removed from her position as the Women President General of the town due to allegations that she frequently attended Labour Party rallies, backed their candidates, and wore their vests.

Nworah said during a press conference that she had backed Labour Party candidates for seats in the House of Assembly.

Explaining her reason for supporting the party, she said, “I supported LP, and the House of Assembly candidate because he is my husband and always by my side. The All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate during the election, never called me even once, talk less of consulting me as his woman PG, even though I am from the same ward as him.

“I remain an APGA member, and I worked for APGA and Soludo during the 2021 governorship elections. I couldn’t sleep because I know what I did for APGA and Soludo. I used my money, my products, my strength and my time for my party, APGA, to make sure Soludo won. I visited all the wards in Awka North to make sure women’s votes count.”

Women in the neighborhood flocked to the streets to protest the sack and demand her reinstatement.

Mrs. Florence Nnatu, a community member who led the protests, accused some community leaders of being complicit in the problem that has split the women.

Nnatu said, “We are calling on our community leaders, our husbands, who have a hand in this crisis that is dividing their wives to remove their hands from it.”

According to information obtained, Mrs. Josephine Okafor, a new women’s leader, has been chosen by Mrs. Ify Obinabo, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs, to take Nworah’s place.

Obinabo, when asked for a response over the phone, chose not to address the issue.

Additionally, when reached, Soludo’s press secretary, Christian Aburime, stated he would not comment further on the topic.

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP, has been charged by the Supreme Court of cyberbullying.

This was declared by the Supreme Court on Friday when it handed down its ruling in a PDP appeal that sought to invalidate Bola Tinubu’s election as president-elect on the grounds that his running mate, Kashim Shettima, had engaged in double nominating himself.

Inyang Okoro, a justice of the supreme court, pointed out that the PDP was misleading the public through social media while delivering the ruling.

The five-member panel of the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and determined that the appellant lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.

According to Okoro, the appellant attempted to deceive the supreme court by asserting that the lower court had determined that there had been a duplicate nomination.

Delivering judgement, the judge said, “The appellant stated to this court that the court below found that there was indeed double nomination and that the 4th respondent knowingly allowed himself to be nominated in two constituencies,” Okoro said.

“I have searched the entirety of the record and indeed the judgement of the court below and there is no such finding. To think that learned senior counsel will mislead the court is sad.

“For public policy sake, I must state that indeed the 4th (Shettima) respondent withdrew from the nomination for Borno central district on the 6th of July 2022 exhibited as exhibit APC 1 on page 58 of the record of appeal.

“The political party sent to the INEC same 6th of July, 2022 the notice of withdrawal. The political party further sent on the 10th of July 2022, a notification of dates for the conduct of fresh primaries for the senatorial district and the latter letter exhibit APC2 on page 59 of the record carried the reference of Exhibit APC1.

“That is as at the 6th of July, 2022 there was no longer nomination of the 4th respondent for Borno central senatorial district and there could not have been double nomination on the 14th of July 2022.

Speaking further, Inyang condemned the opposition party for exploiting social media to bully justices of the apex court.

“Using the social media to terrorise and bully the justices of the supreme court by the appellant is appalling and unprofessional.

“The appeal is without merit and is dismissed. I abide by the award of cost in the lead judgement.”

A two-year-old boy has been reportedly sentenced to life in a North Korean prison camp after a Bible was found in the home of his parents.

This was revealed by the US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report.
It was said that the toddler, including his entire family, was locked up due to the discovery and their religious beliefs.

The report also highlighted similar cases of North Korean citizens being killed for practising their Christian faith.

It also included the case of a woman and her grandchild who were executed by firing squad in 2011.

Another pattern of punishments meted out to believers in the country, as indicated in the report, includes “pigeon torture”, where they were suspended with their hands tied behind their backs, unable to sit or stand for days on end.

A victim was quoted as saying, “It was the most painful of all tortures. It was so painful, I felt it was better to die.”

Some were also said to have been tortured with sleep deprivation, including one woman in solitary confinement who was driven to suicide in 2020 after prison guards refused to let her sleep.

No fewer than 70,000 Christians have been allegedly imprisoned for their faith under the Kim Jong-un regime, out of a possible population of 400,000.

The new publication said several North Korean Christians hid their faith from their children.