Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to a bill seeking to extend the tenure of service of legislative officers at the National Assembly, as well as the 36 state Houses of Assembly from 35 to 40 years and their retirement age from 60 to 65 years. The president’s declined assent was conveyed in a letter read on the floor of the Senate today by the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio. The harmonised controversial retirement age bill was first stepped down in February, 2024 for further research and consultation wirb stakeholders, after a significant number of senators voted against…

President Bola Tinubu has asked the senate to confirm Kudirat Kekere-Ekun as the substantive chief justice of Nigeria (CJN). The president’s request was contained in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday. Kekere-Ekun has been in the office in acting capacity since August following the retirement of Olukayode Ariwoola as CJN. The president had sworn her into the office in acting capacity. Tinubu premised his request on 231(1) of the constitution. “Pursuant to 231(1) of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria of 1999 as amended which gives…

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja has said she is going to “rescue” herself from Nnamdi Kanu’s case. She made the statement after Kanu asked her to rescue herself from his case since she had refused to obey the Supreme Court’s order, adding that he had lost confidence in the court. He spoke out at the open court during the resumption of his trial on Tuesday. Justice Binta Nyako then replied that she would be happy to recuse herself from the trial, and had no problem with his request. She said she would be sending the case file…

Oil marketers have assured Nigerians of a drop in prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol once they start direct lifting of products from the Dangote Refinery. The assurance came after a rise in prices of products following of commencement of product lifting by the state oil company, NNPCL from Dangote Refinery. Prices of petrol had shot up to ₦950 per litre in Lagos state and its environs, while consumers in the north pay as much as ₦1000 per litre for the product. However, the Spokesperson for the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Ukadike while appearing…

Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has expressed regret over his decision not to purchase Premier League club Arsenal for $2bn. In a recent interview on Bloomberg TV in New York, the billionaire acknowledged that the “time has passed” for him to buy Arsenal, saying that the club is now valued at approximately $4bn. In 2020, Dangote announced his intention to acquire the North London club after completing his refinery project. As of September 2024, Dangote is the second-richest person in Africa, with an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion. He, however, explained that he no longer has the liquidity…

The leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele has disclosed that investigation of alleged economic sabotage in the petroleum sector by Ad – hoc committees separately set up by both the Senate and the House of Representatives in July, will now be jointly handled by both chambers. Senator Bamidele who doubles as the Chairman of the investigative Adhoc committee stated this in a statement personally signed by him on Monday. He says: ‘As we return fully to the parliamentary sessions on Tuesday this week, the National Assembly will without ambiguity, revisit its decision to decisively address challenges in the petroleum…

Nigeria is demanding permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council. The country’s Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru made the demand at the Summit of the Future during the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA. “He said that Nigeria has contributed to International Peace and Security in terms of troops, finance, logistics, and civilian experts to various African countries, including Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. In addition, Nigeria has played a key role in regional security and stability in West Africa and the Sahel,” the ministry’s Director of Information Henshaw Ogubike…

Protesters have besieged the Independent National Electoral Commission office in Edo State. The protesters are alleging that the election results released so far by the electoral body have been tampered with and do not reflect the true wishes of the people. “We came out en masse to vote Asue Ighodalo but the Independent National Electoral Commission is trying to subvert the will of the people,” a protester said. “The INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal went down immediately they started announcing this result. Go and check the figures that are there and the figures that are being announced. INEC is pushing…

Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Edo State governorship election, has described the election as potentially the worst in Nigeria’s history, citing numerous alleged irregularities. Speaking during a live press conference on Sunday, organised by the Edo PDP National Campaign Council and led by Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Ighodalo expressed deep concerns over the election’s integrity. He detailed several instances of electoral infractions across various polling units, particularly focusing on manipulations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Ighodalo pointed out significant discrepancies, notably in polling units in Ikpoba/Okha Ologbo, where accredited voters…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken the lead in the Edo governorship election after the collation of results from 16 LGAs. Results from the remaining two LGAs are being expected at the collation centre of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin, the Edo capital. The exercise commenced on Sunday morning after it failed to kick off after the election on Saturday. So far, the APC has bagged 244,549 votes. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 195,954 while the Labour Party (LP) has polled 13,348 votes. The election featured 17 candidates — but Asue Ighodalo of the PDP,…