As Nigeria inches towards another fiercely contested presidential election, Labour Party National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, has challenged the political class to prove that the nation’s democracy is bigger than the ambition of any individual. Usman said the survival of Nigeria’s democracy after the turbulent 2015 general election was largely secured by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to concede defeat rather than allow political power to become a trigger for violence. She made the submission on Tuesday in Bauchi at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, where political leaders and stakeholders gathered to examine the future of democracy in…
Author: National Update
The European Union’s clarification that it will deploy a limited Electoral Expert Mission for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, rather than a full-scale election observation mission, has failed to end concerns over the credibility of the country’s electoral process. Instead, the controversy surrounding the EU’s role has triggered fresh scrutiny of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the security environment and the government’s commitment to ensuring a transparent and credible election in 2027. The EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS said reports that it had withdrawn from observing the elections because of worsening insecurity and alleged hostility towards its officials were…
Nigeria’s fragile university system is heading towards another major disruption as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has given 20 state-owned universities 14 days to resolve outstanding issues over the implementation of the 2025 renegotiated agreement or face an indefinite strike. The ultimatum threatens to reopen a familiar crisis in Nigeria’s public universities, barely months after the Federal Government and ASUU reached a new agreement aimed at ending years of disputes over lecturers’ welfare and working conditions. ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, disclosed the decision in a statement following the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the…
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has dismissed the growing political weight being mobilised behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, daring the ruling party to deploy every governor it can muster ahead of the election. Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, said he was not intimidated by alleged Federal Government backing for his opponent or the governors campaigning for the APC, insisting that political heavyweights would not cast a single ballot for the people of Osun. “If they like, they should bring all the governors,” Adeleke said on Tuesday during the Arise Townhall Meeting. The governor described himself as a…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima to publicly reject a reported declaration by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Jingir, that a Muslim-Muslim presidency is ideal because Muslims constitute the majority of Nigerians. HURIWA described the reported statement as a dangerous appeal to religious majoritarianism capable of worsening Nigeria’s already fragile religious and political fault lines ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, the rights group said the silence of the President and Vice President was…
Former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approving salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces, describing the measure as a major boost to military morale. Ndume, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, however, urged the President to go further by placing the Armed Forces’ annual budget on First-Line Charge to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure troops receive weapons, ammunition and other operational necessities promptly. President Tinubu had approved the salary review for about 250,000 military personnel, with the new rates expected to…
Nigeria’s tobacco-control regime is facing a fresh battle as more than 100 civil society organisations accuse the National Assembly of using a proposed amendment to create regulatory loopholes that could expand the tobacco and nicotine market, particularly among young Nigerians. The coalition, operating under the Nigeria Tobacco Control Community, is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the consolidated National Tobacco Control Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, alleging that several provisions could weaken existing restrictions on advertising, promotion, online sales, product sampling, packaging and enforcement. The groups, led by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), warned that what is being presented…
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), has condemned controversial remarks attributed to Islamic cleric **Sheikh Yahaya Jingir, warning that the preacher’s rhetoric could inflame religious tensions and damage the electoral prospects of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima ahead of the 2027 elections. Fani-Kayode, a prominent supporter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said he was particularly disturbed by Jingir’s reported call on Muslims to “show the infidels their limit” and his assertion that Nigeria is a Muslim country. He also expressed disappointment that the **Kano State governor was present and cheering during the event**,…
Demands EFCC Probe The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Transparency International Nigeria have raised fresh concerns over the management of security funds in Kogi State, alleging that transfers exceeding ₦12.53 billion were made to individuals and private entities during the period under review. The organisation said the transactions raise serious questions about the management and accountability of funds meant to strengthen security interventions in the state, particularly at a time when residents continue to grapple with significant security challenges. CISLAC/TI Nigeria listed Enehezeyi Ozavize, Dange Security Patrol and G and T Motors Nigeria Limited, among others, as beneficiaries…
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised the alarm over what it described as a dangerous convergence of ethnic security formations, political intimidation and traditional authority ahead of the 2027 general elections. The rights group warned that Nigeria could be heading towards an electoral crisis if private and ethnic security structures are allowed to operate without clearly defined legal boundaries, while political actors or traditional institutions attempt to restrict opposition campaigns. HURIWA’s warning followed the reported declaration by the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, that presidential candidates other than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not campaign…