General
Don’t Conduct New Elections for Vacant Rivers Assembly Seats—Court Tells INEC
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal High Court in Abuja has barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from organising by-elections to replace 25 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, whose seats were declared vacant last week.
Justice Donatus Okorowo also barred the defendants in the case from interfering with the 25-member camp of the Rivers State House of Assembly from conducting their legislative duties as speaker, deputy speaker, and members of the parliament.
Last Wednesday, one of the factional Speakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Edison Ehie, declared vacant the seats of 25 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The affected factional lawmakers also have their Speaker in Mr Martin Amaewhule.
Mr Ehie is being backed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and the 25-member group led by Mr Amaewhule is loyal to Mr Nyesom Wike, a former governor and current minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The judge also restrained the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the State Security Service (SSS) “from denying or refusing to provide security to the 27 Lawmakers or withdrawing their security details”.
He subsequently adjourned the suit to December 28 for a hearing.
Mr Ehie had secured an interim order through an ex-parte application from the Rivers State High Court in Port-Harcourt, enabling him and three of his colleagues who are loyal to Governor Fubara to do legislative businesses without interference from the Amaewhule-led faction.
However, in a bid to forestall any by-elections from being held to fill their seats, the group of 25 lawmakers through their lawyer, Mr Peter Onuh, had on December 13 filed an ex-parte request, urging the Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain, the Rivers State House of Assembly, INEC, and the PDP from taking actions that could undermine their rights.
Also, Mr Amaewhule and his group who are the applicants in the suit, prayed the court to restrain the SSS, the Inspector General of Police, and the Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly from depriving them of their rights as lawmakers, including withdrawal of police security.
In a related development, the state chapter of the APC has received the 25 state lawmakers who recently joined the party from the PDP at a ceremony chaired by the Rivers APC Caretaker Chairman, Mr Tony Okocha at the Port Harcourt Polo Club on Monday.
At the event, Mr Okocha accused the Rivers State Government of masterminding the arson of the Rivers State Assembly.
“I challenge the Governor (Sim Fubara and the PDP) to prove to Rivers people that they are not the ones responsible for the burning of the Rivers Assembly,” he said.
“How did the fire catch the place?” he asked with cheers coming from the gathering.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The United States government gave some terrorists in Nigeria a Christmas gift that sent many of them to the great beyond.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the United States President, Mr Donald Trump, directed his country’s military to launch air strikes on camps of members of the dreaded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Sokoto State.
According to Mr Trump, the military action, which he threatened to carry out a few weeks ago if the Nigerian government does not stop the killing of Christians in the country, occurred on Thursday night.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!
“I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.
“The Department of War executed numerous perfect strikes, as only the United States is capable of doing.
“Under my leadership, our country will not allow radical islamic terrorism to prosper. May God bless our military, and Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Department of War of the United States posted the below video of the air strikes;
https://twitter.com/DeptofWar/status/2004351717131903272
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The presidency has reacted to speculations that Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has been removed as the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
It was alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila has been replaced with the President’s Principal Private Secretary, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola.
Mr Muri-Okunola went to Abuja to take up this role after leaving as the Head of Service of the Lagos State Civil Service.
Reacting to the reports on social media on the purported removal of Mr Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, the presidency said no such change has been made.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, members of the public were advised to disregard the report as “there is absolutely no truth to this story.”
“The Chief of Staff remains in his position. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Hakeem Muri-Okunola has not replaced Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff.
“The viral claim is a fabrication by mischievous purveyors of fake news whose sole aim is to create disharmony within the government.
“We reiterate that news media should always verify their information before publishing or sharing on social media,” the statement said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The new chief executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, has assumed office with a clear message to advance the country’s upstream oil and gas sector in line with the mandate of the commission as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
According to a statement signed by Mr Eniola Akinkuotu, the Head of Media & Strategic Communications at the upstream regulator, the NUPRC boss made this assertation during her first town hall meeting with management and staff on Tuesday December 23, 2025.
She further disclosed plans to make the commission a business enabler and re-ignite investments in the upstream sector.
Recall that President Tinubu nominated Mrs Eyesan to take over the NUPRC after the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Mr Gbenga Komolafe as well as his counterpart in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Farouk Ahmed.
In her new capacity, Mrs Eyesan also set a firm production ambition of growing Nigeria’s output and increasing gas production.
“The goal is that we must enable the industry, we are regulators. We must enable the industry from our interactions with the stakeholders, from our interactions with everybody.
“My main objective is to ensure that we make a difference. I believe the NUPRC is at the Center of the industry,” she said.
The commission boss who has served for over three decades in the oil and gas sector, promised to entrench digitisation, transparency and efficiency in operations.
The NUPRC head said with the support of staff and management, the NUPRC will become the gold-standard regulator in Africa. She also promised capacity development, stronger technical depth and sustained engagement with stakeholders, unions and professional teams.
On leadership style, Mrs Eyesan promised an open-door policy and frequent staff engagement, while also soliciting for support and cooperation as the industry embarks on the next phase of transformation.
“If we work together we can unleash opportunities, I don’t see impediments only opportunities,” she added.
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