The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says nine registered political parties have collected access codes required to upload the particulars of their candidates for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.   According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed the development on Tuesday in Abuja. Haruna said the parties that have obtained the codes are Accord (A), Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), National Democratic Party (NDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP). He explained that political parties are responsible for approaching the commission to collect the access codes, stressing that INEC does not deliver them to party secretariats. Haruna added that anyone collecting the code on behalf of a political party must present an authorisation letter from the party leadership. He urged all participating parties to comply with the commission’s candidate nomination guidelines, noting that party officials had already received training from INEC on the nomination process. The national commissioner also warned political parties against delaying the online submission of nomination forms until the final day. He said although INEC had extended the submission deadline from the close of business to midnight on the closing date, parties that wait until the last minute would bear responsibility for any challenges encountered. Under the commission’s timetable, political parties are expected to submit nomination forms for presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11 through the designated online nomination portal. The timetable also provides that nomination forms for governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will be submitted from July 18 to August 8.

Hours of heavy rainfall on Tuesday caused widespread flooding across several parts of Lagos State, leaving homes and roads submerged, disrupting traffic and cutting electricity supply in some communities after key power infrastructure was affected.   According to Punch, floodwaters inundated areas including FESTAC, Gbagada, Ikeja, Ajah, Evans, Olushi, Anikantamo and Adeniji Adele, with residents forced to wade through flooded streets while motorists struggled to navigate waterlogged roads. In Ikeja, floodwaters entered homes and shops, prompting some residents to temporarily relocate over fears that conditions could worsen. Many blamed the recurring flooding on blocked drainage systems, poor road construction and inadequate drainage infrastructure. Resident Abidemi Raji alleged that a drainage channel linking his area to another street had been blocked following the construction of a hotel, worsening the flooding whenever heavy rain falls. In FESTAC, residents described the flooding as a recurring problem that disrupts daily activities. Motorists avoided submerged roads to prevent vehicle damage, while many commuters stayed away from flooded routes. The downpour also disrupted electricity supply after floodwaters damaged facilities at the Oworo 132/33kV Transmission Station. Ikeja Electric said severe flooding affected two power transformers and several 33kV feeders supplying communities including Ladilak, Bariga, Oworo, Pedro, Alapere, Agboyi, Araba, Hospital and Gbagada. The electricity distribution company said it is working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria to restore power once the affected facilities are repaired. The flooding extended into neighbouring Ogun State, where residents of Gloryland Estate in Ibafo appealed for urgent government intervention. Community leaders said blocked drainage channels connected to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, indiscriminate construction and refuse dumping have worsened annual flooding, damaging homes, disrupting movement and exposing residents to health risks. Meanwhile, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the dredging of 28 additional primary drainage channels to strengthen flood control across the state. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources Tokunbo Wahab described Tuesday’s rainfall as an extreme weather event that overwhelmed drainage infrastructure, leading to temporary flooding in Victoria Island, Lekki, Ikeja, Gbagada, Mushin, Mafoluku and other communities. He explained that Lagos‘ coastal geography and high tides naturally slow the discharge of stormwater into the sea during intense rainfall, making temporary flooding difficult to avoid. Wahab urged residents to stop dumping refuse into drainage channels, avoid illegal reclamation of wetlands and refrain from building on drainage alignments. He also advised motorists to stay off flooded roads during heavy rainfall and encouraged residents in flood-prone areas to follow official weather advisories and safety guidelines.

Fuel marketers have warned they will shut filling stations across Nigeria if the Federal Government attempts to impose petrol price controls in the country’s deregulated downstream sector.   The warning followed comments by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who said the government would not tolerate profiteering or practices that exploit consumers, despite the removal of fixed petrol prices. Speaking at the opening of the 2026 General Counsel and Legal Advisers Forum organised by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in Abuja, Lokpobiri said deregulation does not prevent regulators from protecting consumers against excessive pricing. The minister stated that while market forces should determine petrol prices, the government, through agencies established under the Petroleum Industry Act, has a duty to prevent unnecessary profiteering. Reacting to the minister’s remarks, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, rejected any attempt to regulate pump prices. He argued that imposing price controls in a deregulated market would be unfair, insisting marketers cannot be instructed on selling prices without considering their purchase costs. Ukadike warned that independent marketers would close filling stations nationwide if the government enforced price controls. He maintained that many marketers are already operating at a loss due to repeated reductions in petrol prices by the Dangote refinery, with some forced to sell below their purchase prices to remain competitive. According to him, many independent marketers rely on bank loans, making sudden price reductions even more difficult because repayment obligations remain unchanged despite fluctuations in fuel prices. Ukadike urged the Federal Government to address the underlying causes of high petrol prices by encouraging competition through increased fuel imports and ensuring local refineries operate efficiently. He said greater competition would naturally drive down prices without government intervention. The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria also weighed in on the issue. Its National President, Billy Gillis-Harry, acknowledged that the minister has the authority to intervene to protect consumers but stressed that any decision should follow consultations with stakeholders across the petroleum industry. He called on the minister to convene a meeting involving regulators, refiners and marketers to review the situation and agree on measures that would benefit Nigerians. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, George Ene-Ita, said he had not been briefed on any planned regulatory action regarding fuel pricing. Petrol currently sells for between ₦1,140 and ₦1,210 per litre, depending on location.

A fresh wave of anti-immigrant protests in South Africa has prompted the return of 269 Nigerians under a Federal Government evacuation programme, as Abuja reassured citizens remaining in the country that efforts were ongoing to guarantee their safety.   According to Punch, the latest group arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard an Air Peace flight from Johannesburg on Tuesday. The evacuation followed an earlier flight that brought home 66 Nigerians on June 24, bringing the total number of returnees to 335. The evacuations coincided with demonstrations across several South African cities, where thousands of protesters demanded the removal of undocumented migrants. Police maintained a heavy security presence as anti-migrant groups marked a self-imposed June 30 deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country. Although authorities described the protests as largely peaceful, isolated incidents of looting, vandalism and assaults were reported in Johannesburg, Soweto, Germiston and KwaZulu-Natal. South African police said about 25,000 migrants had already been repatriated this year, while around 50,000 undocumented migrants had been arrested since January. In a statement, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said more evacuation flights would be deployed to return Nigerians who had completed screening and voluntarily requested repatriation. The ministry added that Nigeria would continue engaging South African authorities at the highest diplomatic level to safeguard its citizens. Director of the African Affairs Department, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who received the returnees in Lagos, conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that the government remained committed to protecting Nigerians abroad. Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa, Temitope Ajayi, said confusion arose after some community members encouraged people to gather at the Nigerian mission before they had been officially invited for evacuation. He explained that the embassy was conducting the exercise in batches and urged those awaiting evacuation to follow official communication rather than unofficial announcements. Ajayi also confirmed that the Nigerian mission was working with South African police to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported killing of a Nigerian businessman, popularly known as “Big Joe”, in Mpumalanga Province. He added that investigations into previous deaths involving Nigerians remained ongoing. The President General of the Nigerian Union South Africa, Smart Nwobi, said Nigerians had been advised to remain indoors during the protests while the union, the Nigerian High Commission and other organisations continued providing shelter, food and relief materials for displaced citizens. According to him, more than 600 Nigerians have already been screened for evacuation, while additional flights are expected in the coming days. The Deputy Chairman of the Nigerian Citizens Association South Africa in the Western Cape, Leo Azebeokhai, called on the Federal Government to intensify diplomatic engagement with Pretoria. He argued that delays in passport renewals and immigration permits had left many Nigerians undocumented through no fault of their own. Retired Nigerian diplomats also urged stronger diplomatic action, including sustained engagement with South African authorities, improved coordination of evacuation efforts and long-term measures through the African Union to address recurring xenophobic violence. Meanwhile, the National Association of University Students warned that it would organise nationwide protests in Nigeria if South African authorities failed to provide stronger protection for Nigerians within one week.