In this Saturday morning recap, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, takes the centre stage after the monarch considered litigation to stop Governor Seyi Makinde’s rotational chairmanship for the state traditional rulers council among the trio of Alaafin himself, Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba Ghandi Olaoye and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasheed Ladoja, with each leader serving a term of two years.
Oba Owoade had previously challenged the emergence of Oba Ladoja as Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
The inauguration followed the passage of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendments) Bill, 2025, by the Oyo State House of Assembly.
Aside the Alaafin’s possible litigation, the Rivers political tension that recently resurfaced is yet to to be quelled as the members of the state assembly vowed to remove Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
This was after four lawmakers who had initially withdrawn from the impeachment decision said they now supported it.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the four lawmakers, Sylvanus Nwankwo (Omuma), Peter Abbey (Degema), Barile Nwakoh (Khana I) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II), while withdrawing from the process, cited a desire for dialogue and political reconciliation.
Another top story this morning is the report that several undocumented Nigerians residing in the United Kingdom have been sleeping in waste bins on the streets to avoid deportation.
In a video that went viral, an African man was seen sleeping in a bin on a snowy street in the UK.
Reacting to the video, Nigerians in the UK said the fear of being caught, detained and deported had forced many illegal migrants, Nigerians included, to leave their homes and sleep on the streets.
Read the detailed report of the top stories below:
Royal rumble: Alaafin weighs litigation over Oyo council leadership
There are strong indications that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, may head to court to challenge the emergence of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Ladoja, as Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday inaugurated Ladoja as the chairman of the council.
But Alaafin shunned the event held at the House of Chiefs Secretariat in Ibadan, the state capital.
The inauguration followed the passage of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendments) Bill, 2025, by the Oyo State House of Assembly.
Speaking during the event, Makinde said the chairmanship of the council will be rotational among the trio of Olubadan, Alaafin, and Soun of Ogbomosoland, with each leader serving a term of two years.
Meanwhile, credible sources close to the palace told Saturday on Friday that Alaafin deliberately stayed away from the inauguration out of what they described as “shame,” and may likely challenge the outcome in court.
“There is a tendency that the Alaafin will go to court. The late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, also went to court. The late Alaafin was the permanent chairman of the Oyo State traditional council, and he stated this clearly in all his letters. Nobody challenged him,” one of the insiders said.
(https://punchng.com/royal-rumblealaafin-weighs-litigation-over-oyo-council-leadership/)
Impeachment: Fubara, Rivers lawmakers in showdown
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have vowed to see through the ongoing move to remove the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
This was after four lawmakers who had initially withdrawn from the impeachment decision said they now supported it.
Between Monday and Wednesday, the four lawmakers, Sylvanus Nwankwo (Omuma), Peter Abbey (Degema), Barile Nwakoh (Khana I) and Emilia Amadi (Obio/Akpor II), while withdrawing from the process, cited a desire for dialogue and political reconciliation.
However, they reversed their decision during a live plenary session on Friday, citing continued hostility from the governor and his deputy and repeated disregard for calls for dialogue.
The Assembly thereafter voted unanimously to continue with the impeachment.
Speaker Martin Amaewhule said the resolution was in line with Section 188(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
(https://punchng.com/impeachment-fubara-rivers-lawmakers-in-showdown/)
Nigerians sleep in waste bins amid UK deportation threat
Several undocumented Nigerians and other Africans residing in the United Kingdom have been sleeping in waste bins on the streets to evade deportations.
In 2025, the UK government embarked on a major overhaul of immigration policy, tagged ‘Plan for Change.’
The policy sent a wave of fear among migrants as those without legal status were deported in mid-2025.
The Home Office announced that 43 asylum seekers and offenders were returned on a charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana.
“Those removed had no right to be in the UK, including 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had served their sentences,” the Home Office said.
Additionally, the British government stated that it would continue to tighten immigration rules to reduce net migration, strengthen border control, and reshape legal immigration around skills and contributions.
Subsequently, a viral video obtained by Diaspora Tales showed an African man sleeping in a bin on a snowy street in the UK.
(https://punchng.com/nigerians-sleep-in-waste-bins-amid-uk-deportation-threat/)
Nigerians react to Badenoch’s sacking of MP
Nigerians have reacted to Kemi Badenoch’s sacking of Robert Jenrick, a Conservative Party Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, on Thursday over secretly plotting to defect to Reform UK.
Badenoch, the Tory leader, claimed she had “clear, irrefutable evidence” that Jenrick would leave the Tories, hence stripping him of the Conservative whip and suspending his party membership.
“I have sacked Robert Jenrick from the Shadow Cabinet. The British publics are tired of political psychodrama, and so am I. They saw too much of it in the last government; they are seeing too much of it in this government.”
(https://punchng.com/nigerians-react-to-badenochs-sacking-of-mp/)
Senegal raise concerns over security, ticketing ahead of AFCON final
The Senegalese national team have raised concerns over security arrangements, accommodation, training facilities and ticketing ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
In a strongly worded communiqué issued on Saturday, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) said it was compelled to speak out “for the sake of transparency and defence of the interests of the Senegal national team,” following what it described as several malfunctions observed during preparations for the final.
The statement, released by the Secretariat of the Teranga Lions of Senegal to the Confederation of African Football and the public, drew attention to lapses in security during the team’s arrival in Morocco.
“The FSF deplores the clear absence of adequate safety device when the Senegalese delegation arrived at the Rabat railway station,” the communiqué read, warning that the situation exposed players and officials “to a promiscuity and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the standing of a continental final.”
(https://punchng.com/just-in-senegal-raise-concerns-over-security-ticketing-ahead-of-afcon-final/)