By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to uphold unity, fairness and sportsmanship as the party begins nationwide primaries for the 2027 general elections on Friday.

In a statement personally signed yesterday, Tinubu described the primaries, which commence with House of Representatives elections and end with presidential primaries on May 25, as a critical test of the ruling party’s cohesion and democratic values.

The President said the APC primaries were more than exercises to select candidates, stressing that they represented “a referendum on our unity, resilience and strength as a party.

Tinubu expressed pride that the APC was entering its fourth election cycle since its formation, noting that the party was built on “progressive politics, consensus democracy, personal devotion and sacrifice.”

He commended ongoing efforts by party leaders and stakeholders to adopt consensus arrangements in line with the Electoral Act 2026 and the APC constitution, saying such moves would help reduce bitterness and internal divisions.

“I note the impressive progress made in this regard and encourage fellow party members to make the most of this window to ensure a seamless process and a more unified party,” he said.

The President, however, maintained that where consensus fails, members should participate peacefully in the primaries and avoid conduct capable of undermining party unity and democracy.

“All participants in the primaries, whether contestants or voters, must keep the peace and act as sportsmen and women in the overall interest of the party and our country,” Tinubu stated.

Warning against “do-or-die politics,” Tinubu urged winners not to gloat and advised unsuccessful aspirants to accept outcomes in good faith and remain loyal to the party.

“Our opponents are waiting for us to be against each other; we should disappoint them,” he said, while urging victorious candidates and party leaders to extend olive branches to aggrieved members.

The President also charged governors and party leaders to remain fair and impartial during the exercise, insisting that all aspirants must be given a level playing field.

“To the party leadership, our governors and other leaders, I urge you to be fair and just. You must rise above sentiment to offer all aspirants participation without let or hindrance,” he added.

Tinubu further called for greater inclusion of women and youths in the party’s internal processes, describing them as critical stakeholders in the nation’s democracy.

He also cautioned security agencies to remain professional and restrict their roles to maintaining peace and order throughout the primaries.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has officially declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the Allied Peoples Movement.

The governor made this known on Thursday at the joint mega-rally of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Allied Peoples Movement held at Mapo Hall in Ibadan, the state capital.

“The time to reset Nigeria is now. Therefore, today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, announce my candidacy for the position of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

Makinde said the country’s situation has “continued to deteriorate, putting the majority of Nigerians on survival mode daily.

The governor added that government officials responsible for citizens’ welfare have abdicated their duties.

“This is why, for the past several months, one question has been at the top of my mind: where do we go from here? Is this how we should continue as a nation?

“We have been pushed to the wall with the belief that we will turn against ourselves or worse still, that we will become too weary to survive on a daily basis to fight back.

“They said the opposition cannot unite, but I am here today to say that it is a miscalculation. The opposition in Nigeria is not just a political party. The opposition is the everyday Nigerian for whom the country does not work,” Makinde said.

Makinde said the alliance between the PDP and APM would enable the former ruling party to field candidates for all positions in the 2027 general election.

“So today in Ibadan, the first grand alliance was formed. The alliance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).

“This handshake will allow us to field candidates at all levels. We will field candidates from top to bottom. We will field candidates from the presidency to state assemblies, and everything in between,” Makinde said.

Makinde had earlier led the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP in Oyo State to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the APM as part of a strategic alliance for the forthcoming elections.

The governor and the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.

Under the agreement, candidates of the PDP faction contesting for governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats are expected to run on the platform of the APM rather than the PDP in the 2027 elections.

Ghana says it will evacuate 300 citizens from South Africa following a recent wave of protests against foreign nationals.

Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a post on X on Tuesday that the Ghanaian president had granted approval for their “immediate evacuation”.

He said the “distressed” Ghanaians had registered at the country’s embassy in Pretoria to be rescued in response to an advisory by the foreign ministry “Following the latest wave of xenophobic attacks”.

Last week, South African authorities denied that anyone had been attacked, saying the widely circulated videos were fake.

On Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the recent “protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals” did not reflect government policy, describing them as “isolated acts of criminality”.

He added that South Africa would “regulate migration, secure our borders and enforce our laws”.

Thousands of South Africans joined protests against illegal immigration, demanding the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals. Protesters say illegal immigration has had an impact on jobs, housing and crime.

On Tuesday, the Ghanaian embassy in South Africa advised nationals to be highly cautious and prioritise their safety by avoiding public gatherings and shut their shops or businesses in the port city of Durban ahead of a protest planned on Wednesday.

Ghana and Nigeria have recently summoned the South African envoys to their respective countries over the mistreatment and harassment of their citizens.

Ghana has also written to the African Union (AU) asking it to discuss the issue, saying it posed a “serious risk to the safety and wellbeing” of Africans in South Africa.

South Africa responded by saying it had “nothing to hide”. The government has condemned the circulation of what it called “fake videos and images” described by some as recordings of attacks on foreign nationals.

Other countries that have warned their citizens in South Africa include Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

According to official figures, South Africa is home to more than three million foreigners, or about 5% of the population, but there are believed to be many more without papers.

Xenophobia has long been an issue in the country and has been accompanied by occasional outbursts of deadly attacks.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the Federal Government’s Digital Switchover (DSO) project is ready for commissioning on June 17.

Idris disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen after assessing DSO facilities put in place by the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd.

The DSO project, managed by the NBC, is Nigeria’s nationwide transition from analog to digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

The project aims to improve broadcast quality, boost the digital economy, and free up spectrum for broadband.

The minister described the completion of the DSO project as an indication that President Bola Tinubu had fulfilled his promise in carrying out reforms across the sectors, especially the broadcast industry.

“I think this is a new dawn for our country. The promise that President Bola Tinubu made that he is going to reform all sectors and we are seeing this reform in action in the broadcast industry.

“You recall that for many years, Nigerians have been grappling with this idea of the digital switchover. In other words, moving our transmissions from the analogue to the digital.

“Now this has happened and is ready to be inaugurated by June 17, this year,” he said.

According to him, while going around the facilities, many of the channels have already been unbundled here.

“This is going to bring a lot of advantages to all the broadcasters, the viewers, and everybody that advertises.

“Now science is at play. I mean, if you are now viewing any particular station, you know who is viewing what, how many people are viewing.”

The minister said that the standard measurement that was absent in the previous experiments was now being made available.

According to him, this will help advertisers to make informed decisions about what programming is it that people are watching, and what is it that Nigerians want to watch across all the demographics.

“So, it’s easy for you to now say, I want to put an advert on this channel or I want to put it on this channel. Who are you targeting?”

The minister lauded the collaboration between NIGCOMSAT, NBC and the Ministries of Communication and Information and National Orientation for making the initiative happen.

He also thanked President Tinubu for providing all the resources required to deliver the project to Nigerians.

“It’s been such a shame in the past that Nigeria has not been able to achieve this. But now the digital switchover is here.

“Everybody now can watch whatever he wants to watch in real time and painlessly. Free TV everywhere for everybody.

“This will enable viewers, advertisers, and everybody to now take informed decisions about what he views on any particular channel.

“I think this is a great thing that is happening. And we know that by the time that we return here on June 17, when this is going to be officially unveiled to Nigerians, Nigerians will really be very happy about it.”

The Managing Director/ CEO of NIGCOMSAT, Jane Egerton-Idehen, attributed the success of the DSO project to the strong collaboration among relevant agencies and support given to NIGCOMSAT by the President.

The Director-General of the NBC, Charles Ebuebu, said the commission had considered emerging technologies while designing digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

“The younger population like things on their mobile devices. That’s why we have put this there.

“We have also gone by way of satellites. So, rather than restricting content to just eight cities. We are all over Nigeria and beyond,” the NBC D-G said.

According to him, NBC is updating the list of channels. We are going to have 100 channels by the day of launch. And even more because more content producers are talking to us.

“We are also bringing up content. We have six regional studios around the country.

“You don’t have to travel to Lagos or Abuja or Kano to develop your content. You just go to the nearest regional studio and develop,” he said.