President Bola Tinubu will inaugurate the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, will lead the campaign as the Director-General, while Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; Dr. Betta Edu, and other party chieftains are expected to play key roles.

The inauguration is scheduled to take place at the Presidential Villa’s Banquet Hall in Abuja.

In a statement made available on Saturday, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Yari, disclosed this last Friday after meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, where he briefed State House correspondents on preparations for the forthcoming campaign.

Yari said: “The President had approved the proposed campaign timetable; activities would commence with a rally in Kaduna on October 24.”

According to the campaign schedule, the rally will be followed by engagements in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.?

Ahead of the formal inauguration, First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in collaboration with the Director of Women Mobilisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Betta Edu, and other members of the directorate, has commenced grassroots mobilisation of women across the country.

The initiative is aimed at building support for Tinubu’s re-election bid through nationwide engagement and community-level mobilisation.

Edu and her team have set a target of mobilising 40 million women voters for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket through a strategy covering 176,846 communities and polling-unit structures across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The campaign team is expected to use community outreach, grassroots networks and public engagement to communicate the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda 2.0 to women across the country.

Wednesday’s inauguration is expected to formalise the campaign council’s operations and bring together party leaders and stakeholders to coordinate activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The planned inauguration will precede the October 24 rally in Kaduna, which is expected to mark the beginning of the party’s nationwide campaign activities.

The APC’s preparations are part of its efforts to organise its political structures and coordinate mobilisation ahead of the next general elections.

The Rivers State Government has warned residents in the State against occupying old and distressed buildings that pose danger to lives and property.

The State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sir Amairigha Edward Hart, gave the warning while  inspecting the partially collapsed two-storey building at No. 18 Club Road, Port Harcourt, at the weekend.

The Tide learnt that a roof slab and the front balcony extension of the building, reportedly over 50 years old, collapsed last Friday at about 9pm, but no life was lost.

Following the incident, the affected area was cordoned off, while the building was marked VACATE – UNFIT FOR HUMAN HABITATION, to prevent danger to occupants and members of the public.

The commissioner expressed joy that no life was lost, noting that the building’s condition indicated that it had exceeded its safe service life and had become structurally weak.

He disclosed that the ministry had commenced a proactive audit of old buildings in Port Harcourt, beginning with Diobu and extending to other parts of the city, to identify structures that could endanger occupants.

According to him, the exercise was designed to advise occupants of unsafe buildings to vacate, while structures that have not completely failed may be recommended for major restoration following appropriate structural assessments.

Hart reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s administration to protecting lives and property and ensuring a safe and habitable environment for residents.

He urged residents to cooperate with the ministry by allowing integrity tests to be conducted on buildings suspected of being distressed, stressing that compliance with evacuation and demolition directives was necessary to prevent loss of lives.

The commissioner also advised residents to avoid renting old and distressed buildings, warning that neighbouring structures built around the same period could equally have deteriorated and might require professional assessment.

The ministry further cautioned members of the public against entering the cordoned-off area or scavenging around the collapsed section, as doing so could expose them to danger.

Hart said further structural investigations would be conducted within the week to determine whether the building should be demolished or subjected to major restoration.

Officials of the ministry, the National Emergency Management Agency, Federal Fire Service, Nigerian Society of Engineers and the RSUTH Emergency Service Unit were present during the inspection.

By: King Onunwor

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured the Nigerian Army of his administration’s continued support towards providing adequate security for oil and gas  facilities  as well as  other critical  national assets located in the state.

Fubara gave the assurance last Friday while receiving the new Commander, 6 Division Garrison and Sector 3, Joint Task Force (South-South), Operation Delta Safe, Brigadier General Ismaila Sule, at Government House, Port Harcourt.

The governor congratulated the senior  officer on his posting to Rivers State, saying the State has, across different administrations, maintained a wonderful and mutually beneficial relationship with the Nigerian Army.

He described the partnership as a win-win relationship, stressing that government’s support to security agencies is not  an extraordinary gesture,  but a normal responsibility, given the importance of security to the social and economic development of the country.

He expressed appreciation for the new military formation being created and sited in Ahoada, describing it as a strategic decision that will help reduce agitation, tension and security challenges prevalent in that part of the state.

Fubara thanked President Bola Tinubu, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.  General  Waidi Shaibu, for the favour done to the State.

He said his government would never ask the military to do anything that will undermine its professional and statutory responsibilities or oppress any citizen, adding that his only interest is peace, progress and  the development of the State.

He noted that Sector 3, which is responsible for protecting critical national assets including oil pipelines, has always enjoyed massive support from the State Government, and assured that the support will not only be sustained but improved in the current dispensation.

In his remarks, Brig. Gen. Sule thanked the governor for the warm reception and consistent support of the State Government to the Army, pledging to strengthen synergy during his tour of duty in the State.

Sule disclosed that he had been briefed by his predecessors on the consistent support the Army had enjoyed from the State Government, and conveyed the appreciation of the military high command to the state.

The Commander said his visit was to officially introduce himself to the governor as the Chief Security Officer of the State, and to inform him of his plans to tour all the 23 Local Government Areas in the State as well as nearby military formations.

Sule further disclosed that following the directive of President Bola Tinubu to expand the Nigerian Army from eight to twelve Divisions, Rivers State will benefit from the expansion with a new Brigade to be stationed in Ahoada along with its affiliate battalions.

He said the new formation would help tackle security challenges in that axis, assuring that under his command, the Army will do its best to ensure lasting peace and security across the State.