Author: Damilola

The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal has ruled that the senate acted within its constitutional authority when it suspended the senator representing Kogi central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, over allegations of misconduct. Delivering a unanimous judgment on Monday, a three-member panel held that the suspension did not violate Akpoti-Uduaghan’s parliamentary privilege or her constitutional rights. How the dispute began The legal battle stemmed from a suit filed by Natasha seeking to stop the senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions from commencing disciplinary action against her. On March 4, the federal high court granted an interim order restraining the…

The Government of Ghana has withdrawn its High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mohammed Ahmed, amid allegations linking him to electoral misconduct during a party primary election. The recall, ordered by President John Mahama, was announced in a presidential statement released on Saturday. It stated that the directive took immediate effect, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mandated to complete all diplomatic and administrative procedures. According to the Presidency, the decision followed accusations of voter inducement and vote-buying during the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primary in the Ayawaso East Constituency. Ahmed, who was Ghana’s envoy to Nigeria at the time, also…

Peter Obi leads protest to national assembly over electronic transmission clause Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, on Monday joined protesters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja to challenge the Senate’s decision to reject mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results. The demonstration drew participation from student groups, civil society organisations, members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and supporters of Obi under the Obidient Movement platform. Addressing the crowd as chants and solidarity songs rang out, Obi urged lawmakers to allow elections to follow transparent and predictable rules. “Allow the elections to go through…

The Senate has fixed an emergency plenary session for Tuesday as pressure mounts over its recent passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, especially the rejection of a provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results. The decision was announced on Sunday in a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, directing all senators to reconvene. “The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026,” the statement said, adding that the session would begin at 12 noon. The announcement comes against the backdrop of…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) acknowledgement that the $1.5bn rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery delivered no value supports his long-standing argument for privatising Nigeria’s state-owned refineries. Atiku made the remark in a statement posted on his X account on Sunday, reacting to recent comments credited to the state oil firm that the refinery remains unprofitable despite heavy public investment. Earlier in the week, NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, revealed that the country’s refineries were operating at what he described as a “monumental loss,” a situation that forced management to…

President Bola Tinubu has received a United States delegation led by the Commander of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin R. Anderson, at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. Tinubu welcomed the delegation alongside the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the service chiefs. Members of the delegation included General Anderson and his team, as well as the Charge d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Keith Heffern. According to the statement, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside his…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended the National Assembly’s decision to remove the provision for mandatory electronic transmission of election results from the amended Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections. The New Daily Prime reported the Senate last week expunged the clause requiring compulsory e-transmission of results, a move that triggered widespread backlash. Several Nigerians, opposition political parties, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have since called on lawmakers to reverse the decision. Akpabio addressed the controversy while speaking at the launch of a book by former senator Effiong Bob, titled The Burdens of Legislators in Nigeria. He…

The interim National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, has cautioned Senate President Godswill Akpabio against speaking on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the issue of electronic transmission of election results. Mark’s reaction follows Akpabio’s defence of the Senate’s decision to drop mandatory electronic transmission, with the Senate president arguing that poor network coverage in at least nine states makes the policy impracticable. Addressing the matter in Abuja, the former Senate president said the responsibility of lawmakers is to enact the law and leave its implementation to INEC. “What the ADC is saying…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has announced that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has directed the complete and permanent suspension of the Monday sit-at-home across the South-East, beginning from February 9, 2026. The development was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, who said the instruction came directly from Kanu. The sit-at-home, first declared in August 2021, was introduced to protest Kanu’s extradition to Nigeria and his continued detention, with commercial and social activities routinely shut down on Mondays across the region. According to Powerful, the new directive removes every justification for observing sit-at-home, stressing…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a strong warning to the Senate, threatening nationwide protests and a possible boycott of elections over what it described as conflicting and unclear positions on amendments to the Electoral Act, especially on electronic transmission of election results. The labour union accused lawmakers of eroding public trust in the electoral process by failing to clearly state whether electronic transmission of results would be compulsory. In a statement released on Sunday, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the Congress was troubled by what he called “confusion and contradictory narratives” coming from the Senate on the Electoral…