Evening recap: Court didn’t nullify Atiku’s candidacy, Maina’s son to begin jail term, other top stories

Detailed summary

Read the evening roundup of top stories, including a lawyer’s defence of Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy, Faisal Maina’s jail term, and UNN student deaths. Read More:…

From an ADC lawyer’s defence of Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential candidacy to a court order directing Faisal Maina’s son to begin his prison term, political and legal developments feature prominently in this evening’s roundup.

Also making the headlines are the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s confirmation that four students died after an off-campus gathering, details of the incident that claimed their lives, and a separate court judgment that has intensified the ADC’s leadership crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections.

An ADC lawyer, Kalu Kalu, has insisted that the Federal High Court judgment nullifying the Mark-led leadership did not invalidate Atiku Abubakar’s candidacy for the 2027 presidential election.

Speaking on Channels Television, Kalu said, “There is no portion of that judgment that voids the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar and the other candidates of the party.”

He argued that the court did not expressly cancel Atiku’s nomination, despite declaring the actions of the Mark-led National Working Committee null and void.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, to begin serving his prison sentence for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.

Justice James Omotosho issued a committal warrant after granting an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Faisal is to serve three years on counts one and three and seven years on count two, with the sentences running concurrently from October 14, 2026, when he was rearrested.

Four people died following a gathering at an off-campus lodge in the Hilltop area of Nsukka, near the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Punch. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.