Politics

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has administered the oath of office to five newly appointed Special Advisers in a bid to strengthen his executive team as his administration implements its policy agenda. The ceremony, held on Friday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, saw the appointees formally sworn in before beginning their official duties. At the event, Fubara said the appointments were intended to enhance governance and ensure efficient delivery of public se

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted N500 million bail to Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is facing trial over alleged money-laundering offences, but ordered that he remain in custody until he fulfils the conditions attached to his release. Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling delivered on Friday, January 2, 2026, admitted Adamu to bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties of equal value, each able to produce proof of ownership of lan

Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has fired back at Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo over claims that Peter Obi made a political mistake by defecting to the ADC, describing Keyamo’s argument as flawed and historically inconsistent. Keyamo had earlier argued via his X handle that Obi’s move to the ADC undermined zoning principles and questioned the party’s capacity to manage presidential ambitions. Reacting on Thursday,

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has directed his legal team to withdraw all pending defamation lawsuits against several individuals, including Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, following reflections prompted by a sermon delivered by a priest at a New Year service. Akpabio announced the decision during the service at Sacred Heart Parish in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, saying he had initially instructed lawyers to file nearly nine separate suits over alleged defamation and slander. H

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has completed its statutory transition into the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), unveiling a new institutional logo to mark the formal establishment of the restructured national revenue authority. The change took effect following the enactment of the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act, 2025 , which was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu in June 2025 and officially took effect at the start of the new fiscal year. The unveili

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed Peter Obi into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as a major boost to opposition coalition politics in Nigeria. Atiku, in a statement posted on his official X handle on Wednesday, reacted shortly after Obi’s formal defection to the ADC in Enugu, the Southeast capital, where the former Anambra State governor publicly announced his new political platform. Welcoming Obi, Atiku said the development marked “

The Rivers State Government has explained that its annual ₦100,000 Christmas bonus is disbursed to all civil and public servants on the state payroll, including pensioners and public office holders, as part of an established festive season payment practice. The clarification was issued by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr. Honour Sirawoo, in a statement on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, responding to public interest in the recently pro

Nigeria’s Federal Government has reassured citizens that the new tax reforms scheduled to begin on January 1, 2026 will not give authorities licence to automatically withdraw funds from individuals’ bank accounts, addressing widespread public concern ahead of the implementation of the consolidated tax regime. Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, made the assurance during a televised end-of-year programme, 2025 In Retrospect:

Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), marking a significant realignment in Nigeria’s opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections. Obi announced his decision on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, during an event held at the Nike Lake Resort in Enugu State, where political allies and supporters gathered for the occasion. Addr

Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have rejected and returned a N100,000 Christmas bonus that was credited to their personal bank accounts on the instructions of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, saying the payment lacked legislative backing and violated established financial procedures. In a statement on Tuesday signed by Hon. Enemi Alabo George, Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Petitions and Complaints, the lawmakers said they received alerts on December

The Peoples Democratic Party has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission over the exclusion of its governorship candidate from the list of contenders for the 2026 Ekiti State election, accusing the electoral body of bias and vowing to seek judicial intervention. In a statement released on Tuesday on X by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP described INEC’s action as “yet another confirmation of the biased disposition of the c

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that Nigeria’s new tax laws will take effect as scheduled, dismissing calls for any delay amid public debate over the recently enacted reforms. In a State House press statement released on Tuesday, the President said all tax laws already in force since June 26, 2025, as well as those billed to commence on January 1, 2026, “will continue as planned,” describing the reforms as a critical step in reshaping the country’s fiscal future. Tin

Nigeria’s Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, be held in custody at the Kuje Correctional Centre while his bail application is pending, in a development that marks a key moment in a high-profile money laundering case. Malami was arraigned on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, before Justice Emeka Nwite of t

Nigeria’s food and drug regulator has raised an alert about the circulation of counterfeit contraceptive products in several major markets across the country, warning that the fake items pose serious public health risks and urging consumers and stakeholders to be vigilant. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said in a public alert (No. 042/2025) issued on Monday that it received credible information from DKT International Nigeria, the aut

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the provisional list of candidates for the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, but the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was absent from the compilation released on Monday at the electoral body’s headquarters in Ado-Ekiti. Among the names displayed were contenders from 12 political parties, including the incumbent governor from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and nominees of sev

The Peoples Democratic Party has launched a scathing response to comments credited to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of openly aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress while still laying claim to PDP membership. In a statement issued on Monday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP said Wike’s recent end-of-year media chat, where he described himself as the “number one supporter” of the p

The Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, has pushed back against concerns that the newly signed tax laws will worsen conditions for Nigeria’s aviation industry, insisting that the reforms are designed to ease costs for airlines rather than deepen their challenges. In a statement issued on Monday via his verified X handle on behalf of the Committee, Oyedele acknowledged that airlines are under pressure from multiple taxes, levies

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised serious constitutional concerns over what he described as discrepancies in the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act, warning that any law published in a form different from what was passed by the National Assembly is legally invalid. In a statement issued on Sunday via his official X handle, Atiku reacted to the Senate’s confirmation that the version of the tax law gazetted by the executive did not reflect what lawmakers appro

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has departed Lagos for Europe as part of his end-of-year schedule, ahead of an official engagement in the United Arab Emirates. In a statement released on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, it was disclosed that the President left the country on December 28 and will proceed to Abu Dhabi in early January to attend the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit. According to the statement, Preside

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has dismissed claims that he received ₦50 billion from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the January 2024 Ibadan explosion, challenging his critic to substantiate the claims. Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose made the assertion during a television interview, prompting a sharp response from Makinde’s camp that disputes the narrative and questions the credibility of the accusation. Fayose, appearing on TVC’s Journalists Hangout on Friday, sa