Author: Vardiafrica

The Court of Appeal Abuja has held that the Senate acted within its powers when it suspended the lawmaker representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for misconduct. In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, the appellate court said it was satisfied that neither the Appellant’s parliamentary privilege nor her constitutional rights were breached as a result of her suspension from the Senate. The court, however, vacated the contempt proceeding and ₦5 million fine that were awarded against Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan over the satirical apology she made to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. In its lead verdict that was delivered…

Former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has joined other protesters as demonstrations against the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results continued in Abuja on Tuesday. The protest, which began on Monday, is opposed to the Senate’s decision to reject real-time electronic transmission of election results. Amaechi, who attended the protest with his son—a medical doctor—said he brought him along in case the demonstration turns violent and injuries are sustained. The former Minister of Transportation explained that he came with his son to demonstrate his belief that during major protests, leaders should be at the forefront with their…

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Monday joined the Occupy National Assembly protest in Abuja. The protest follows the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through the third reading, in which the lawmakers removed the phrase “real-time” transmission of election results. Although the Senate has issued several clarifications regarding reports that it rejected electronic transmission of results, the protesters insist that lawmakers must explicitly include “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed legislation. Obi, who is now a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is among the protesters…

Protesters on Monday converged on the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja for the “Occupy National Assembly” protest. The protest is against the backdrop of the Senate’s position on the electronic transmission of election results. There was a heavy security presence at the scene, with personnel drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Although the Senate has issued several clarifications over reports that it rejected electronic transmission of results, the protesters insist that lawmakers must be explicit by including the phrase “real-time electronic transmission” in the proposed legislation. Members…

In a bid to strengthen Nigeria and United States Security cooperation , President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday, met with the Commander of the United States, US Africa Command, AFRICOM), General Dagvin Anderson, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the nation’s capital, The Special Assistant on Social Media to the President, Dada Olusegun, disclosed this in a post on his X handle, saying some officials of the Nigerian government, including the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu were at the meeting. The magazine however believe that the meeting may not be unconnected with the military cooperation between the two countries which…

The Senate will hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. In a notice sent by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, the lawmakers were directed to convene at the National Assembly complex on the instruction of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. “I am directed by His Excellency, the President of the Senate, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON, to inform all Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that an Emergency Sitting of the Senate has been scheduled to hold as follows: Date: Tuesday, 10th February, 2026. Time:12:00 Noon. Venue: Senate Chamber,” the notice read. Odo…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened a mass action and boycott of elections if the real-time transmission of election results is not included in the Electoral Act 2022 amendment. In a statement issued on Sunday, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the Electoral Act must provide “an unambiguous mandate” for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit and collate results from polling units in real-time. BACKGROUND On February 4, the senate rejected the proposal for mandatory real-time transmission of election results during the consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026. However, the senate retained the existing provision for electronic transfer of…

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host Nigeria’s president in the country’s first state visit to the UK in 37 years, Buckingham Palace has announced. Bola Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu have accepted an invitation to be guests of the King at Windsor Castle from 18 to 19 March. State visits are considered a form of soft-power diplomacy, using the pomp of royal hospitality to strengthen relations with important international partners. The last Nigerian state visit to the UK took place in 1989, when military ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida travelled to meet the late Queen Elizabeth II for…

Determined to speed up the oil and gas industry contracting processes, weed out firms lacking technical capacity to perform and reduce Nigeria’s cost of production, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has issued the “NCEC Application Guidance Notes”, with effect from December 2025.The document which is available on the Board’s website – ncdmb.gov.ng, and on the NCEC application portal, forms part of concerted efforts to operationalize the Presidential Directives (PDs) on Local Content Requirements, which mandates NCDMB to take further steps to eliminate intermediaries in the contracting process lacking demonstrable capacity. Emphasising that one of the key requirements for…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has outlined a practical framework for positioning Nigeria’s energy sector to access the African Continental Free Trade Area, following a strategic webinar focused on meeting rules-of-origin requirements for continental trade. The Board held a pre-conference webinar on Wednesday ahead of the Nigeria Local Content AfCFTA Energy Summit scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2026. The engagement was attended by stakeholders from the oil and gas, power and renewable energy sectors, and they addressed how Nigerian products and services can qualify for preferential market access across 54 African countries with a combined gross domestic product of $3.4tn and a population of about 1.4 billion people. Entitled…