The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the Edo South Senatorial District, Frank Idehen Osifo, has appealed to party members to put aside their differences and unite to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming election.

Osifo said only a united PDP could free the people from what he described as the shackles of bad governance.

While noting that insecurity had spread across the nooks and crannies of the country under the APC-led federal and state governments, he expressed confidence that effective legislation would help address the challenges.

According to him, “I was born and raised in Benin like many of you, and I’m here today running for the Edo South Senatorial District seat in the National Assembly. I want to say that this election is not about me. It’s about that graduate on the streets of Benin aspiring for better opportunities.

“It’s for that trader struggling every day to feed their family. It’s for that farmer investing time and resources to ensure the communities of Edo South Senatorial District are fed. It’s about people who believe that it is time for us to take a transformative step to ensure the emancipation of our people.

“I’m a candidate who intends to bring all the forces together. I’m a bridge builder, not a wall builder. I’m not going to build walls against anybody. What happened during the primaries is behind us. We all have to come together now, unite, and ensure that, as one force, we perform well in the forthcoming election,” he said.

Osifo said previous lawmakers who represented the district had become disconnected from the people but pledged to be different by maintaining close contact with his constituents.

He promised to be an accessible senator who would listen to the demands of the electorate and attract meaningful development to communities across the district.

“Across the board, infrastructural deficits and security challenges have been preventing our farmers from going to their farms.

“Even though legislative business is about making laws that will improve the lives of our people, we can sponsor bills that will guarantee the security and safety of our people so they can go about their businesses and return to their farms without fear,” he added.

Osifo also commended PDP members for electing him as the party’s flag bearer and expressed confidence that, with their continued support and unity, the party would emerge victorious in the election.

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by all candidates seeking elective offices, saying such a move would strengthen transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

Obi made the call in a post on his Facebook page on Tuesday while reflecting on questions contained in the INEC nomination form he completed.

According to him, one of the questions in Section E of the form asks whether a candidate has ever been adjudged a lunatic or declared a person of unsound mind, prompting him to question whether Nigeria’s political leaders are demonstrating the qualities of sound-minded leadership.

He argued that the country’s pressing security and economic challenges should take priority over political activities.

“When Nigerians, including children and security personnel, are being abducted into the bushes, citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from, and several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects, should politics really be our primary preoccupation?” he asked.

Obi maintained that a responsible leadership would declare the nation’s security and humanitarian crises a national emergency and mobilise all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders and stakeholders to tackle them urgently.

He said the country’s survival, security and stability should take precedence over partisan politics and political calculations.

The former Anambra State governor also drew attention to another question in the nomination form asking whether a candidate had ever presented a forged certificate to INEC.

He questioned why the electoral commission should not, in the interest of transparency and accountability, make public the academic certificates and credentials submitted by all candidates contesting elections.

“Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service,” Obi stated.

He concluded his message with his familiar campaign slogan: “A New Nigeria is POssible.”

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Plateau State chapter, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is undermining Nigeria’s democracy through what it described as politically motivated court actions aimed at weakening opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Plateau State Chairman of the NDC, Solomon Ndam, made this allegation on Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the party’s state headquarters in Jos, the state capital.

Ndam insisted that the party remains legally registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, despite a recent Federal High Court judgment delivered in Lokoja, Kogi State.

According to him, the June 26, 2026 judgment was “illegal and organised,” alleging that it was procured by a group known as the Peace Movement Party, which he claimed is neither a registered political party nor a legally recognised organisation.

“Our party filed an appeal against the ruling on June 29, along with a stay of execution and injunction, which have been served on the INEC Chairman. The good news is that there is no court order directing the deregistration of the NDC,” he said.

He disclosed that INEC had already granted the party access to its candidate nomination portal, enabling it to begin uploading candidates in line with the commission’s timetable.

“Our presidential candidate was uploaded yesterday, June 29. We have until July 11 to upload National Assembly candidates and July 17 for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates,” Ndam stated.