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Go and Sin No More: Buhari Forgives Dariye, Nyame, 157 Others

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The Council of State led by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the pardon of 159 convicts including a former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye; and ex-Governor Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, who were both imprisoned for stealing N1.16bn and N1.6bn respectively.

Confirming Dariye’s pardon, the Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Dan Manjang, told The PUNCH that the ex-governor had been given a second chance.

He added “Every Plateau man is happy about it and we give kudos to the President for honouring us in this manner .We want to also thank whoever that has a hand in making it happen because everybody makes mistakes and you can make errors while in governance.

“As of today, he (Dariye ) has been given a reprieve as if nothing has happened and that is the spirit we have to imbibe as a people that when we make mistakes, we have to forgive because nobody is above error “

The Director of Press and Public Affairs, Government House, Dr Macham Makut, also confirmed that Governor Simon Lalong was at the council of State meeting where Dariye was granted state pardon.

The Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Prof. Joseph Kunini, also hailed Nyame’s pardon in a statement on Thursday while The PUNCH reported that there was jubilation in some parts of the state following the news.

The Spokesman for Dariye, Mr. Christopher John, confirmed the pardon of both Dariye and Nyame to one of our correspondents.

John said the pardon of the ex-governors had nothing to do with the fact that they were members of the All Progressives Congress.

He claimed that both men were unfairly convicted, adding that their pardon was a form of vindication.

Dariye’s aide added, “We are so excited about this. We’ve been expecting for a long time and fortunately, it has come at this time. We thank God and the government for granting him this pardon. The Nigerian system has made many court judgments unreliable. You can be roped into things you know nothing about.

“I believe that it is the will of God for him to be released. I don’t trust the Nigerian court system. Jolly Nyame was also released and we thank God. It has nothing to do with them being in the APC. It was even the PDP that charged them to court. The APC was not in power when this thing started. We know the genesis

Dariye and Nyame were convicted by Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in 2018. Dariye, who was governor from 1999 to 2007, was jailed for laundering public funds to the tune of N1.162bn and was sentenced to 14 years in prison by Justice Banjoko who has since been elevated to the Court of Appeal.

Dariye’s prison term was later reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja while his conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court.

For Rev Nyame, who was governor of Taraba State from 1999 to 2007, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for stealing N1.6bn from the state’s treasury, a judgment which was also upheld by the Supreme Court.

Addressing journalists after the Council of State meeting in Abuja on Thursday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said the council approved 159 out of 162 applications presented for consideration for the prerogative of mercy for convicts and inmates in correctional facilities nationwide.

According to Malami, the council rejected a proposal to grant pardon to one of the prisoners sentenced to 120 years for theft of over N25bn. The pardon, he said, was sought on health grounds.

Though the AGF kept mum over the identity of the prisoner in question, a top presidency source identified a former Managing Director of Platinum Habib Bank, Francis Atuche, as one of the people not fortunate to be pardoned.

The Council of State is an organ of the Federal Government responsible for advising the executive on policy matters.

Members include the President, past Presidents, the Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and both serving and past Chief Justices of Nigeria.

Others include the Attorney General of the Federation, all governors and the Minister of Federal Capital Territory.

In attendance were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.) and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibarahim Gambari and governors.

Former heads of state physically in attendance were Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan.

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Yusuf Tuggar Resigns As Foreign Affairs Minister

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has resigned.

Tuggar’s resignation was confirmed by the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, on Monday.

The minister’s action followed the directive of President Bola Tinubu to all political appointees in his administration who intend to contest elective positions in the 2027 elections to resign from their posts on or before March 31.

The president had hinged his decision on Section 88(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for party primaries ahead of the 2027 polls.

Tuggar’s resignation comes amid the speculation of his interest in contesting the 2027 Bauchi State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He is a seasoned diplomat, policymaker, and political figure who was appointed as minister by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in August 2023.

Born on March 12, 1967, he has built a distinguished career spanning diplomacy, politics, energy, and strategic consulting.

He is widely regarded for his role in shaping Nigeria’s global engagement and advancing its foreign policy priorities.

His political career includes serving as a member of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, representing the Gamawa Constituency in Bauchi State.

The diplomat later contested the governorship of the state in two election cycles.

From 2017 to 2023, Tuggar served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, where he played a key role in strengthening bilateral relations, enhancing trade cooperation, and promoting Nigeria’s interests in Europe.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tuggar led Nigeria’s diplomatic efforts under the Tinubu administration.

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WAEC Releases Results of CB-WASSCE 2026-First Series for Private Candidates

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By Eric Elezuo

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the release of the results of candidates, who participated in the 2026-First Series Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (CB-WASSCE) for private candidates.

The release notice is contained in a statement signed by the Ag. Head, Public Affairs, Moyosola F. Adesina, on behalf of the Head of National Office, and made available to The Boss.

The statement, containing the details of the number of candidates, passes and failures as well as those still undergoing processing, is produced below:

RELEASE OF RESULT OF THE COMPUTER-BASED WEST AFRICAN SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION (CB-WASSCE) FOR PRIVATE CANDIDATES, 2026-FIRST SERIES

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, wishes to announce to candidates, stakeholders and the general public that the result of the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2026–First Series, has been released.

The examination took place in Nigeria between Wednesday, January 28, and Saturday, February 14, 2026. The Coordination of Examiners and Marking of Candidates’ Scripts were carried out at THREE (3) Marking Venues in Lagos, Enugu, and Kaduna from Thursday, February 26, to Friday, March 13, 2026. A total of SIX HUNDRED AND EIGHT (608) Examiners participated in the Coordination and Marking Exercise.

TEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THREE (10,523) candidates, representing an 11.49% increase, when compared with the 2025 entry figure of NINE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT (9,438),enrolled for the examination, while TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates sat the examination at ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SIX (166) centres spread across the country.

Among the candidates that sat the examination, FORTY-THREE (43) candidates, with varying degrees of Special Needs, registered for the examination. Out of this number, ELEVEN (11) were visually impaired, FOUR (4) had impaired hearing and FOUR (4) were Albinos. All these candidates with special needs were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination.

Of the total number of TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates that sat the examination, FIVE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND SIX (5,106) were males while FIVE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FOUR (5,374) were females, representing 48.72% and 51.28% respectively.

Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, EIGHT THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN (8,418) candidates, representing 80.32% have their results fully processed and released while TWO THOUSAND AND SIXTY-TWO (2,062) candidates, representing 19.68 % have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors traceable to them.

However, efforts are being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates to get their results fully processed and released, subsequently.
The analysis of the statistics of the candidates’ performance shows that out of the TEN THOUSAND, FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY (10,480) candidates that sat the examination:
 FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT (4,598) candidates representing 43.87% obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics);
 THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE (3,429) candidates representing 32.72% obtained credit and above in a minimum of FIVE (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics

Of this number, ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN (1,847) i.e., 53.86% were male candidates, while ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNRED AND EIGHTY-TWO (1,582), i.e., 46.14% were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for Private Candidates, 2024 and 2025 – First Series, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, were 30.95% and 26.96% respectively. Thus, there is a marginal increase of 5.76% in performance in this regard.

Furthermore, SEVENTY-FIVE (75) Candidates’ results, representing 0.72% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for determination. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated directly to the affected candidates, thereafter.
Candidates may check their results by visiting www.waecdirect.org to ascertain their status before visiting the Digital Certificate platform (www.waec.org) to access the digital copies of their certificates, which have been released along with the results. Candidates will be required to apply for the printing of the hard copies of their certificates online, through the WAEC Certificate Request Portal (e-Certman). The portal address is https://certrequest.waec.ng/. All candidates who sat the diet are hereby advised to check their results carefully and take necessary actions as required.

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ADC Unveils Approved Timetable for Congresses, Convention

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The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approved the timetable for its nationwide congresses and National Convention.

The approved timetable is as follows: Polling Unit and Ward Congresses – Tuesday, 7 April 2026; Local Government Area Congresses – Thursday, 9 April 2026; State Congresses – Saturday, 11 April 2026; National Convention – Tuesday, 14 April 2026.

The meeting also approved the presentation of two separate reports submitted by the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee and the Constitution Review Committee for ratification at the forthcoming national convention.

On the outcomes of the meeting, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the meeting also accepted the two reports earlier submitted to the National Working Committee (NWC) by the committees headed by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Etigwe Uwa (SAN), respectively.

He said the NEC meeting, fully attended by members and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), approved all the memoranda presented by the ADC National Chairman, Senator David Mark.

Abdullahi said the guidelines for the congresses have already been published and the forms have been distributed across the country, adding that “All members will receive them. And those who are aspiring to contest for various positions of the party will have the opportunity to do so.”

He stressed that the congresses were fixed to elect new officers at the ward/polling unit level, the local government level, and at the state level, adding that “The nomination fees, the expression of interest fees have been duly stated.”

While announcing the dates, he said: “The polling unit and award congresses will come up on the 7th. The local government congresses will come up on the 9th. The state congresses will come up on the 11th. And the national convention here in Abuja on the 14th.”

The ADC spokesman said the forthcoming convention was not elective but to ratify all the decisions that had been taken by the previous NEC and the NWC.

“The National Convention is for the purpose of ratifying earlier decisions that have been taken. It is not an elective convention per se. It is not to elect new officers of the party, and it is not primaries. It is to ratify positions that have been taken by the NEC and the NWC. So, it is not to elect new officers of the party, and it is not to elect candidates for the party.

“Every decision that has been taken by the National Working Committee and the NEC of the party in between the last convention will be ratified at the next convention.”

He said the convention committee had been set up, but added that the National Organising Secretary, Prince Chinedu Idigo, would provide detailed information.

On the committees’ reports, Abdullahi added that “one of the key conclusions of the NEC meeting is to accept the report of the Committee on Policy and Manifesto. And that relates to the policy position of the party and the report of the Constitutional Review Committee.

“The reports submitted to the National Working Committee were formally presented to the National Executive Committee of the party. And the NEC received those reports which will now go to the National Convention on the 14th,” he added.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the ADC National Chairman, Senator Mark, said the second NEC meeting came at a critical moment when Nigerians across all walks of life are yearning for purposeful leadership, equity, justice, and a government that truly serves the people.

He stressed that unity within the party was non-negotiable, saying “Recent developments have shown that while challenges may arise, our collective will to remain focused and united is stronger than any divisive tendencies.

“We must therefore close ranks, deepen consultation, and reinforce confidence in our leadership and processes. Let me use this opportunity to thank our state chairmen who have chosen the path of dialogue and consultation in spite of all odds. Together, we can salvage Nigeria.”

Mark said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has shown incompetence.

He said, “Unfortunately, these ills are now the new normal. They (APC) have shown that they are incapable of arresting the situation.

“Our party, the ADC, must rise up to the occasion to address these ills. We are prepared to do things differently and make Nigeria a better and safer society.

“Distinguished members, the journey ahead may be demanding, but with unity, discipline, and commitment, victory is assured. Let us remain steadfast and resolute.”

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