Senator Isah Jibrin Echocho, who represents Kogi East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has unveiled a comprehensive account of his stewardship from 2019 to 2026, highlighting a wide range of legislative interventions, constituency projects, empowerment programmes and infrastructure initiatives spread across the nine local government areas of the district. The report, released through his media team, presents what the senator described as a commitment to transparency, accountability and continuous engagement with constituents who entrusted him with the mandate to represent them at the Senate. According to the statement, the stewardship report was also intended to keep the people of…
Author: National Update
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has further consolidated its political dominance in Gombe State after winning every chairmanship and councillorship seat contested in Saturday’s local government elections. Results announced by the Gombe State Independent Electoral Commission (GOSIEC) showed that the ruling party secured all 24 chairmanship positions and all 240 councillorship seats across the state’s local government councils and newly created Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). The outcome leaves opposition parties without a single elected position at the grassroots level and underscores the widening political gap between the APC and its challengers in the state. Chairman of GOSIEC, Abdullahi Garba…
A Senior Magistrate Court in Minna, Niger State, has sentenced four men to a combined 95 years imprisonment after finding them guilty of sexual offences involving a minor. The judgment was delivered by Senior Magistrate Christy Umar Barau at Court No. 4, Old Secretariat, Minna, following the conclusion of a trial that began after the defendants were arrested by operatives of the Kontagora Divisional Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The convicts, identified as Salisu Shehu Baura, Lawali Shaibu, Haruna Musa Saidu and Bello, were prosecuted on charges bordering on joint criminal conduct and unlawful sexual…
The Bayelsa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested 620 suspected drug offenders and seized 477.668 kilograms of illicit drugs and psychotropic substances over the past year, underscoring the scale of the fight against drug trafficking and abuse in the state. State Commander and Controller of Narcotics, CN Kanu S. Chukwuemeka, disclosed the figures on Friday during a media briefing in Yenagoa to commemorate the 2026 World Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Speaking on this year’s theme, “World Drug Problems: Resisting Issues with New Challenges,” Chukwuemeka said the campaign reflects the evolving nature…
Presidential hopeful and leading figure in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has accused the Federal Government of attempting to block his participation in the 2027 presidential election, declaring that neither political pressure nor recent court setbacks would deter him from pursuing his ambition. Speaking on Friday at a leadership programme organised by the NextGen Mentorship and Leadership Initiative at Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State, Obi alleged that powerful interests were working behind the scenes to prevent him from appearing on the ballot. “Today, the Federal Government of Nigeria is doing everything possible to ensure that I am not…
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned that Nigeria risks drifting towards a one-party state following a series of legal and political developments affecting opposition parties, describing the recent court ruling against the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as part of a troubling pattern that could undermine democratic competition ahead of the 2027 elections. In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the Federal High Court judgment in Lokoja setting aside its earlier ruling recognising the NDC extends beyond a dispute involving a single political party and raises broader questions about the future…
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has undertaken a major reorganisation of the Nigerian Army’s senior leadership, redeploying top commanders across operational theatres, training institutions and strategic headquarters in a move aimed at strengthening the military’s response to evolving security threats. The shake-up, announced on Saturday, affects key command positions in some of the country’s most sensitive security formations, including operations in the North-Central and South-South regions, where troops continue to confront insurgency, banditry, oil theft and other security challenges. A statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, said the redeployments were…
Political analyst Mahmud Jega has warned that President Bola Tinubu’s silence over a wave of court actions involving opposition parties could deepen public distrust in Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the 2027 elections. Speaking on Arise Television, Jega said a growing perception that opposition parties are being weakened through judicial interventions is taking root across the country, urging the presidency to publicly reassure Nigerians that democratic competition remains protected. According to him, the issue is no longer limited to individual court cases but has evolved into a broader concern about the health of Nigeria’s multiparty system. “The perception is growing…
The Federal Government on Friday revealed that security agencies arrested seven suspected commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State as they returned from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed the arrests at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, shortly after President Bola Tinubu assented to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act 2026. The disclosure provides a rare glimpse into ongoing efforts by security agencies to track and apprehend high-profile terrorism suspects using Nigeria’s increasingly integrated identity and border management…
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International Nigeria has warned that the proposed State Police framework could become a vehicle for political intimidation and abuse of power unless stronger constitutional safeguards are built into the legislation before its final ratification. The anti-corruption and governance advocacy group expressed concern that state-controlled police formations may be vulnerable to manipulation by governors and other political actors, potentially threatening democratic freedoms, electoral integrity, and citizens’ rights. In a statement signed by its Executive Director and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, CISLAC said the success of state policing would depend…