Fresh legal trouble has hit the ruling APC in Niger State as the Federal High Court sitting in Minna has fixed July 9, 2026, to commence hearing in a suit challenging the nomination of Prof. Yakubu Mohammed Auna as the party’s candidate for the Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election. The suit, marked FHC/MN/CS/54/2026, was instituted by Alhaji Shehu Samaila Auna, who is asking the court to nullify the outcome of the APC primary on the grounds that no valid primary election was conducted in the constituency as required by law. Named as defendants in the suit…
Author: National Update
Fresh concerns are being raised about the strength of Nigeria’s electoral legal framework ahead of the 2027 general elections, following warnings that recent amendments to the Electoral Act may have weakened safeguards intended to protect the integrity of election results. The concerns were raised by retired High Court judge and electronic evidence expert, Justice Ajileye, who said the amended law expands the use of technology for voter accreditation but still leaves significant gaps in the transmission and collation of results. Speaking in Abuja at the public presentation of his books, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition) and Compendium of Cases on Electronic…
The controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), an agency the Presidency has repeatedly said does not exist, took a fresh turn on Saturday as lawyer and public affairs analyst Frank Tietie called for a full-scale legislative inquiry, alleging that the development points to a disturbing failure of governance and public institutions. Speaking on Newsnight on ARISE Television, Tietie argued that the issues raised by the controversy transcend the actions of any individual and instead expose what he described as serious institutional lapses that require independent scrutiny. According to him, if the allegations surrounding the PFIPC are…
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dealt a major blow to transnational drug trafficking networks with the seizure of 6,778.5 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a high-grade strain of cannabis, intercepted in two containers at the Apapa Port in Lagos. The agency formally took custody of the illicit consignment on Wednesday, saying the operation was the outcome of months of intelligence gathering and international collaboration aimed at dismantling organised drug syndicates operating across continents. Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa, said the seizure reflected the agency’s resolve to go beyond drug interceptions by…
Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Sunday renewed his call for President Bola Tinubu to resign, alleging that revelations of N8.83 trillion in off-budget expenditure expose what he described as a pattern of “grand corruption” that threatens Nigeria’s economy and democratic institutions. Obi, in a statement titled “Grand Corruption: Nigeria’s Greatest Threat,” cited the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest Article IV consultation report, claiming it showed that about N8.83 trillion spent by the Federal Government in 2025 was not captured in the national budget and therefore escaped legislative oversight and administrative scrutiny. He argued that the alleged expenditure…
Former Jigawa State Governor and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sule Lamido, has condemned the controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying the saga underscores the collapse of public institutions and accountability in Nigeria. Lamido spoke at his Bamaina country home while receiving the PDP governorship candidates for Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Bauchi and Yobe states, as well as former Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba (retd.), who formally defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP. The controversy over the PFIPC followed allegations reportedly made by Prince Mathew Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims…
The Federal Government has dismissed claims that it operates a “shadow budget” or spent about ₦8.8 trillion outside the country’s fiscal plan, insisting that all public expenditure is undertaken within the constitutional and statutory framework governing public finance. The government said assertions that approximately two per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was expended outside approved budgets misrepresented the findings of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) 2026 Article IV Consultation and risked misleading the public. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said every expenditure of the Federal…
President Bola Tinubu on Saturday flagged off the construction of the 98.7-kilometre Maiduguri–Gamboru/Ngala–Banki road project in Borno State, describing the highways as critical to economic growth, regional integration and security in Nigeria’s North-East. The twin border roads linking Nigeria to Cameroon will be constructed by businessman Aliko Dangote under the Federal Government’s tax credit scheme at an estimated cost of N70 billion. Represented at the groundbreaking ceremony in Maiduguri by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu said the project comprises the 49.55-kilometre Dikwa–Gamboru/Ngala road and the 49.15-kilometre Bama–Banki road. He said the highways would reconnect communities, improve access to neighbouring countries,…
President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with religious leaders to promote peace, tolerance and national unity, describing interfaith dialogue as an essential tool in addressing Nigeria’s security challenges. The President stated this on Saturday in Abuja while receiving Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations of the Holy See, during a courtesy visit marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the Holy See. According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu said his administration would continue to prioritise…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has called for an independent judicial probe into allegations of ₦8.8 trillion in public expenditure allegedly incurred outside Nigeria’s official budget framework, describing the matter as a grave test of fiscal transparency and constitutional accountability. In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nadozie Onwubiko, the rights group urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry made up of jurists, forensic auditors, chartered accountants, civil society representatives and financial crime experts to investigate the allegations. HURIWA said the concerns stem from revelations linked to the International…