Nigeria in September 2026: the most important developments in politics
In September 2026, Nigerian politics was dominated by President Bola Tinubu and the build-up to the 2027 elections. The most covered story was a US Freedom of Information Act case involving Tinubu. The Presidency said it is a civil matter, not a criminal proceeding, and that Tinubu is not on trial in the United States. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim said Tinubu faces no movement restrictions in the US ahead of the UN General Assembly, and a group called on former leaders Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar to speak about a reported US probe. On September 27 the Presidency said Tinubu is in good health and does not need to be in Abuja to carry out his duties, and that he would return to mark the Independence anniversary in Lagos. Tinubu, the FBI and the DEA opposed a discovery bid by Greenspan in the US proceeding.
Campaign activity filled the rest of the month. Lagos APC unveiled its 2027 campaign council on September 17, with Sanwo-Olu, Fashola and Ambode, and Sanwo-Olu said victories for Tinubu and Hamzat are vital to Lagos. In Kano, councils were presented for Barau and for Tinubu, and 136,000 people were reported to have joined the APC. Lagos APC expelled a former Agege chairman and an aspirant over defection to the APM, and Agege stakeholders urged Egunjobi and Yusuf to return. Oyo State Governor Makinde said the APM can reset Nigeria within four years. Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar were among the 2027 challengers, and Datti Baba-Ahmed said none of them could improve Nigeria. In Kaduna, northern elders endorsed Musa and said El-Rufai left the state divided. The APC won all 17 chairmanship seats in the Yobe local government election.
On foreign affairs, Nigeria denied on September 4 that it backed a failed coup in Niger. It took the chair of the UN Budget Committee, planned to push for a fairer global order at the General Assembly, and sought closer ties with BRICS partners at the group's September 11 summit. After attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, Nigeria barred its lawmakers from travelling there. The ICC rejected a request to investigate kidnappings in Nigeria, and the UN and the African Union asked Obasanjo to help preserve the Ethiopia peace deal.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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