Author: News Room

The Commissioner of Police for the Ekiti State 2026 Governorship Election, Abayomi Shogunle, has acknowledged the early voter turnout on Saturday, describing it as unprecedented. Mr Shogunle’s remarks followed the commencement of voting across various local government areas in the South-western state during Saturday’s governorship election. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that both voters and election materials arrived early on Saturday at many polling units across the state to kickstart the gubernatorial election. In a post on X, Mr Shogunle said there was high voter turnout within the first hour of the election, noting that the development was unprecedented. READ ALSO: #EkitiDecides2026:…

Several elderly voters participating in Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election were unable to complete accreditation after the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System failed to recognise their facial features and fingerprints in parts of the state. The incidents were recorded at Ward 4, Unit 1 and 2, Ijigbo, Ado Ekiti; Ward 3, Unit 6, Osagburu, Ikere Ekiti; and Unit 3, Eyelori, Ward 2, Iyin Ekiti, among other polling units. Some of the affected voters, who spoke with The PUNCH, said they arrived early and were attended to by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, but were later unable to vote after…

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has rescheduled the start of the 2026 Commonwealth Games national trials by one day to enable athletes affected by severe weather disruptions in the United States to participate in the competition. The Head of the AFN Media Committee, Maxwell Kumoye, announced this on Saturday, just a few hours before the start of the event. The trials, originally scheduled to take place from Saturday, June 20 to June 22 at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex in Lagos, will now run from Sunday, June 21 to June 23 at the same venue. “The decision was…

Daryl Sabara is grieving the loss of his father, Roland Sabara. The Spy Kids actor, 34, shared the news via his Instagram on Friday, June 19, sharing a photo of himself with his dad just days before Father’s Day. “My Dad, Roland Sabara, passed away last night,” Daryl captioned the image. The actor, who has previously spoken candidly about growing up without a father, reflected on their complicated relationship in the emotional post. Related: Meghan Trainor’s Husband Shares Mother’s Day Tribute After Tour Canceled Meghan Trainor was showered with love on 2026 Mother’s Day by her husband, Daryl Sabara, and…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday opened its case against an Akwa Ibom man, Edidiong James, accused of defrauding a foreign national of $41,000 through a romance scam, with a prosecution witness telling the court that the defendant once boasted that the anti-graft agency could not arrest him. According to a press release by the EFCC, the witness, Unyime Moses, a deputy superintendent of the EFCC testified before Justice Maurine Oyetenu of the Federal High Court in Uyo that investigators recovered incriminating communications from the defendant’s mobile phone linking him to the alleged fraud. Ms Moses, the…

The United States government has announced plans to phase out funding for HIV/AIDS programmes in South Africa, citing policy disputes and worsening diplomatic relations between the two countries. The decision, reported by BBC News Worldwide, affects support provided through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), marking a major shift in one of the world’s largest HIV response partnerships. The move comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria over South Africa’s domestic and foreign policies, including US concerns over policies affecting the white Afrikaner minority. More details According to the report, a US State Department official said a…

The Ekiti State Deputy Governor and Deputy Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Monisade Afuye, on Saturday voted at her Atiba Aafin Ward 1, Polling Unit 003, in Ikere Ekiti at 8:50 a.m. Afuye commended voters for their sense of patriotism in turning out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility during the Ekiti governorship election. Deputy gov Afuye votes in her Ikere Ekiti ward The deputy governor also applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for their impartiality, which she said contributed to the peaceful conduct of the election across the state. She said, “You can…

High-scoring Germany face a powerful Ivory Coast side at the World Cup on Saturday, with the winner guaranteed a place in the last 32, while Sweden can also book their ticket. Those three nations can join co-hosts the United States and Mexico, who are already through. Germany thrashed debutants Curacao 7-1 in their opener and would be confirmed as Group E winners if they defeat Ivory Coast in Toronto and Ecuador fails to beat Curacao in Kansas City. Progressing to the knockout round would be a relief for the Germans who astonishingly have failed to reach that stage since they…

Love Island USA’s Jen Terry opened up about the challenges that come with being very attractive. After her match Gabriel Vasconcelos was dumped from the villa, Jen spoke about their connection, sharing on the F Friday, June 19, episode, “We have been having fun with each other. But I have also in those same moments of liking him, I have been feeling lusted over.” Jen found that to be a regular occurrence for her. “Every guy does that to me my whole entire life,” she added. “All men are always like, ‘You are so hot, let me touch you.’ Obviously…

There was a heavy presence of security personnel from the Nigerian Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) across Ikere-Ekiti on Saturday ahead of the commencement of the Ekiti governorship election. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ikere-Ekiti is the hometown of the All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy governorship candidate, Monisade Afuye, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Oluwole Oluyede. Mr Oluyede of the PDP is considered one of the main challengers to the ruling party’s candidate, Governor Abiodun Oyebanji, in the election. NAN also reports that both the entry and exit points to…