Dr Daniel Kim has been named as the running mate to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Chief Kefas Ropshik Kefiano, for the 2027 governorship election.

The State Executive Committee (SEC) of the party in Plateau State unveiled the running mate following the party’s nomination of Chief John Arkson as Chairman of the party’s Elders Council. Chris Hassan is the Director-General of the party’s Campaign Organisation.

Chief Kefiano explained that despite the litigations the party had faced in recent times, the PDP remained a force to be reckoned with in Plateau State politics and Nigeria as a whole.

To ensure that the state’s zoning arrangement was preserved, Chief Kefiano explained that he was running for the governorship with the intention of serving for one term, stressing that the zoning of the governorship among the state’s three senatorial districts was sacrosanct and would be strictly adhered to.

He noted, “Previous attempts to sidestep the arrangement had been rejected by the people of the state, resulting in the loss of the governorship by the party in power.”

He stated that Plateau people are some of the most conscientious people in the country and that they always adhere to zoning regulations, assuring that he would serve for four years in one term to complete the two terms of his senatorial district.

He said that their campaign would be issue-based, lamenting that the government in the state had failed the people.

A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Hon. Johnbull Shekarau, praised the patience and resilience members of the party had displayed in the course of the struggle for recognition, saying that these had helped the party get to where it is at the moment.

The State Chairman of the party, Hon. Peter Tongshien, explained that the names of all the party’s candidates had been submitted to the National Secretariat of the party and successfully uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, assuring that the PDP was fully ready in the state to commence its campaign in line with INEC guidelines.

The General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has charged troops deployed to support security operations during the Osun State off-cycle governorship election to remain professional and strictly adhere to the Code of Conduct for Election Duty.

General Mahmuda according to a statement issued by the acting Deputy Director, 2 Division Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, gave the directive while addressing troops preparing to support the Nigeria Police Force during the election at the Engineer Construction Command in Ede, Osun State on Friday.

The GOC said the troops had a critical responsibility as part of the Nigerian Army’s constitutional mandate to provide aid to civil authorities.

He said the military operation, code-named “Operation SAFE CONDUCT, is designed to support the Nigeria Police Force, which remains the lead agency responsible for election security and the conduct of elections in Nigeria.”

According to Mahmuda, the troops are expected to provide outer-cordon security and respond to security situations only when called upon to do so.

He directed the soldiers to stay away from polling units, while responding appropriately to security threats that could undermine the peaceful conduct of the election.

“The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, expects nothing short of professional conduct by the troops in support of the NPF,” Mahmuda said.

He urged the troops to shun sentiments, bias and actions that could compromise their duties, stressing that their conduct must be guided by Nigeria’s national interest.

Mahmuda also charged them to remain disciplined and maintain a robust security posture without harassing members of the public. 

He assured the troops that the necessary resources had been provided for the seamless execution of Operation SAFE CONDUCT.

The GOC appealed to residents of Osun State to have confidence in the security arrangements put in place for the election, assuring them that the deployment was aimed at maintaining law and order and enabling citizens to freely exercise their constitutional rights.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State has intensified its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections with the inauguration of 13-man booth executives across the 23 polling units in Ezeama/Okpala Ward 4.

The exercise, led by the Ngor Okpala local government area chairman, Sir Emeka Amajirionwu, attracted party leaders, members and supporters from across the ward.

Speaking during the inauguration, Amajirionwu expressed satisfaction with the turnout and the level of grassroots organisation in the ward.

He commended the ward leadership and other stakeholders for their commitment to strengthening the party’s structures and urged the newly inaugurated booth executives to intensify mobilisation and outreach within their respective communities.

According to him, an effective grassroots structure remained critical to the strength and success of any political party.

Amajirionwu also appreciated the ward chairman and other party leaders for their efforts toward building and expanding the ADC in the local government area.

In his remarks, a party chieftain, Mr John Eke charged the newly inaugurated booth executives to take full ownership of their respective polling units and mobilise at least 10 committed voters who would actively participate in the electoral process.

The State Deputy Woman Leader, Lady Leticia Okere, commended the inclusion of women in the booth executive structures, urging them to leverage their networks and organisational capacity to mobilise support for the party.

Also speaking, the Apex Leader of Ezeama/Okpala Ward 4, Dr. Chigozie Okereke, thanked the party leadership and the inauguration team for visiting the ward.

Okereke urged party members to remain committed to the ADC, noting the hardship and economic challenges confronting the people.

He called on members to take the message of the party to their various communities and spread what he described as the “good news” of the ADC.

The inauguration is part of the ADC’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its booth-level structures, expand its grassroots presence and deepen voter mobilisation across Ngor Okpala ahead of the 2027 elections.