Top 5 Stories Of The Day | ADC Opens 2027 Presidential Race to All Members

• ADC opens 2027 presidential race to all members
• Oven fire forces Delta flight from Lagos to divert to Accra
• Nigeria spends ₦804bn on arms imports despite push for local production
• Fresh outcry as parents and students slam Post-UTME in Nigerian universities
• Trump moves forward with TikTok sale as White House extends deadline

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the top five Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss. 

ADC opens 2027 presidential race to all members

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced that its presidential ticket for the 2027 elections will be open to every qualified member, ruling out any form of automatic candidacy. The party said the decision is intended to deepen internal democracy and prevent divisions as preparations for the poll gather pace.

According to a statement issued after a caucus meeting in Abuja, the ADC leadership also confirmed it had dropped plans to register a new platform, the African Democratic Alliance (ADA). This comes amid speculation that former PDP members who recently joined the party, including allies of Atiku Abubakar, wanted to restrict the ticket to northern aspirants or present Atiku as a consensus candidate.

Party leaders present at the meeting, including National Chairman David Mark, Atiku Abubakar, National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola, and former governors Nasir el-Rufai, Aminu Tambuwal, and Chibuike Amaechi, unanimously resolved that no member would be excluded from contesting at the primaries.

Oven fire forces Delta flight from Lagos to divert to Accra

A Delta Airlines flight from Lagos to Atlanta was diverted to Accra, Ghana, after smoke from an oven fire was detected onboard, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed.

The incident happened on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, aboard Flight DL055. NCAA spokesperson Michael Achinugu said the fire was contained quickly and posed no danger to passengers or crew. However, the diversion disrupted travel plans, as the crew had already exceeded their allowed duty hours and could not continue the flight.

Delta Airlines activated its contingency plan to manage the disruption. Some passengers were rebooked on the carrier’s Accra–New York service that same evening, while others continued their journey the following day. Achinugu confirmed that Flight DL055 eventually departed Accra on September 25 around 12:00 hours.

In the meantime, Delta cancelled its inbound Atlanta–Lagos flight scheduled for Thursday, September 25. The airline provided hotels and ground transport for affected travellers and rebooked some on Air France, British Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa, while others were placed on Delta’s next available service on Friday, September 26.

Nigeria spends ₦804bn on arms imports despite push for local production

Nigeria has spent a staggering ₦804.10bn on arms and ammunition imports between 2020 and the second quarter of 2025, according to new figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Despite government reforms and policies aimed at boosting domestic defence production, the bill for foreign arms continues to rise, fuelling concerns over heavy dependence on external suppliers and the pressure it places on foreign exchange. Stakeholders argue that stronger collaboration with local manufacturers could ease costs and strengthen national security.

The NBS data show fluctuating but broadly rising import bills: ₦29.24 billion in 2020, ₦72.50 billion in 2021, ₦28.24 billion in 2022, ₦127.16 billion in 2023, and a record-breaking ₦520.02 billion in 2024. Although President Bola Tinubu signed the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act in November 2023 to foster a robust military-industrial complex, two years into its implementation, progress remains slow, and foreign arms still dominate Nigeria’s defence supplies.

Fresh outcry as parents and students slam Post-UTME in Nigerian universities

Parents and students in parts of the South-East have renewed criticism of the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, describing it as nothing more than a “legalised means of extorting admission seekers.”

In interviews across Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu, stakeholders argued that the additional test imposed by universities places an avoidable financial and emotional burden on families. They stressed that the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which is already organised each year by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, is sufficient to assess candidates’ readiness for higher education.

Chukwu Ogamdi, a parent from Ebonyi, labelled the Post-UTME “a revenue-generating scheme rather than an academic necessity,” urging the federal government to scrap it. Echoing his view, student Lizzy Nwafor said the extra hurdle discourages many young Nigerians from chasing their dreams of higher education.

Trump moves forward with TikTok sale as White House extends deadline

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order paving the way for TikTok’s U.S. operations to be sold to a mix of American and international investors.

The order, revealed on Thursday and reported by Reuters the following day, requires bidders to meet strict national security rules under a 2024 law that could otherwise result in the app being banned unless its Chinese owners relinquish control. Vice President James Vance told reporters at the Oval Office that the new U.S.-based company could be worth about $14 billion, adding that the final value would depend on investor decisions.

To allow time for negotiations, investor commitments, and talks with Chinese authorities, the White House has delayed enforcement of the law until January 20. A key sticking point remains TikTok’s prized recommendation algorithm, which Trump’s order says will be retrained, monitored by U.S. security partners, and controlled by the new joint venture. Trump also disclosed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had signalled his approval during recent discussions.

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