Politics
“Great Minds Think Alike” — Former Kano Governor Shekarau Hails Adewole Adebayo’s Vision as a Bond That Transcends Party Lines
It began with a television interview — and it has grown into something far more significant than either man may have initially anticipated.
Former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has spoken warmly and publicly about Social Democratic Party chieftain and 2023 presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, describing the lawyer and political thinker as a man of rare vision and declaring that the two of them share a deep alignment on what Nigeria must become — regardless of the different party platforms they currently occupy.
Shekarau made the remarks while receiving Adebayo at his residence during a condolence visit following the death of his elder brother. The occasion was solemn, but the exchange between the two men clearly went well beyond the formalities of mourning.
Recounting how their relationship began, Shekarau said his first encounter with Adebayo was through a televised interview during the 2023 presidential race. He noted that he was struck by the quality of Adebayo’s thinking and his articulation of national issues — so much so that he sought out the SDP candidate’s number through associates and reached out directly. What followed was a visit that Shekarau insisted on making himself. “He wanted to come, but I insisted that I must be the one to visit him,” he said, describing how the meeting went and what it revealed.
The former governor left no ambiguity about what he found. “We exchanged ideas and discovered we share the same vision for this dear country called Nigeria. I want to assure you that great minds think alike,” he said, in words that carry particular weight coming from a man who has spent decades navigating the complex terrain of northern Nigerian politics.
On the question of party affiliation, Shekarau was philosophical and direct in equal measure. “As long as political parties are our constraint, we must work within them and identify people of like minds,” he said — a statement that reads less like an endorsement of the current party system and more like a quiet challenge to those who allow its boundaries to limit their thinking about governance and national purpose.
He went further still, offering a framing of political support that cuts entirely across party identity. “I pray Nigeria continues to grow and have peace. May Allah grant us credible leadership to move the country forward. Anybody who wants to serve humanity — even if it is under the Shetland Party — once we are convinced he means well, we will support him,” he said, invoking a fictional political platform to make the point that conviction, not affiliation, should be the measure of a leader.
The moment matters for reasons that go beyond one cordial visit. Adewole Adebayo remains one of the most intellectually distinct voices in Nigerian opposition politics — a man who built his 2023 presidential campaign almost entirely on the strength of his ideas rather than on political machinery or financial muscle. His ability to attract the genuine admiration of a figure of Shekarau’s stature — a former governor, former minister, and former Senate President who has seen almost every dimension of Nigerian political life — says something about the kind of cross-partisan respect his work has quietly earned.
For a political culture that often reduces every interaction between leaders of different parties to a transaction or a defection signal, Saturday’s exchange in Shekarau’s home was a reminder that something less transactional occasionally still exists in Nigerian politics — two men from different parties and different parts of the country, sitting together in grief and discovering that what they want for Nigeria is, at its core, the same thing.
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has appointed Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his new Chief of Staff following the resignation of his predecessor, Segun Ogunwuyi.
The appointment was announced on Monday, October 12, 2026, in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde. The new appointment takes immediate effect.
Akinwole previously served as chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission. He is a grassroots politician from Ogbomoso, the same hometown as Ogunwuyi.
Alongside the appointment, Makinde named Mrs Aderonke Adedayo as Director-General of the state’s Due Process Office. Adedayo, who currently serves as Special Adviser on General Intervention and Donor Agencies, will retain her existing position while taking on the additional responsibility.
The appointments followed Ogunwuyi’s resignation earlier on Monday. In his resignation letter, dated October 12, he said his decision took immediate effect and expressed gratitude to Makinde for the opportunity to serve the government and people of Oyo State.
Ogunwuyi, a former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and the House of Representatives, did not publicly state any political disagreement as the reason for his resignation.
The departure comes amid the recent exits of several political appointees from the Makinde administration. However, no official reason linking Ogunwuyi’s resignation to the wider political developments has been established.
Governor Makinde congratulated the new appointees and urged them to discharge their responsibilities with loyalty, commitment and dedication to public service.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is scheduled to inaugurate the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The inauguration will take place at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, bringing together party leaders and other stakeholders to coordinate the ruling party’s campaign activities.
Former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who serves as Director-General of the campaign council, disclosed the development on Friday after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa. He said the President had approved the proposed campaign timetable.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma is the council’s secretary, while former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr Betta Edu, is expected to play a key role in its women mobilisation directorate.
The campaign council is expected to coordinate the APC’s preparations for Tinubu’s re-election bid, including grassroots mobilisation, communication and engagement with voters across the country.
According to Yari, the campaign is scheduled to begin with a rally in Kaduna on October 24, before moving to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Maiduguri, Borno State.
Ahead of the formal inauguration, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu and members of the women mobilisation team have reportedly begun grassroots engagement across the country.
The team has set a target of mobilising 40 million women’s votes for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket through outreach across communities and polling-unit structures in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The October 14 event is expected to formally activate the campaign council’s operations as the APC begins preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
Nigeria’s National Register of Voters has surpassed 103 million ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed the latest figure on Monday in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission.
According to Amupitan, the increase followed the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the final clean-up of the register using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
The three phases of the CVR exercise produced a combined 10,772,421 new registrations.
The first phase, conducted between August 25 and December 10, 2025, recorded 2,611,266 registrations. The second phase, held from January 5 to April 17, 2026, produced 4,121,835 registrations, while the third phase, conducted from May 11 to July 26, recorded 3,867,997 registrations.
Amupitan said the newly registered voters were subjected to biometric verification, while the commission also completed the public display of the Preliminary Register to allow citizens to raise claims and objections.
Following the final ABIS clean-up, INEC said the national voter register had moved beyond the 103 million mark.
PVC Collection to Begin October 9
The INEC chairman also announced that nationwide collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will commence on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Newly produced PVCs are expected to be distributed to Local Government Area collection centres for eligible voters to collect.
The commission has also introduced printable PVC technology, which it says is designed to reduce the waiting period for voters who need new or replacement cards.
INEC said the technology was introduced in accordance with Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The commission has completed eight of the 14 major statutory activities on its timetable for the 2027 elections, according to Amupitan.
The latest voter register figure marks a significant increase from the 93,469,008 registered voters recorded for the 2023 general elections.
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