General
Senate Amends Electoral Act to allow President, Others Vote at Primaries
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Electoral Act 2022 has been adjusted by the Senate to allow statutory delegates comprising the President, Vice President, members of the National Assembly, Governors and their deputies, members of the State Houses of Assembly, Chairmen of Councils, Councillors, National Working Committee of political parties, amongst others vote at party congresses and primaries.
At the plenary on Tuesday, the federal lawmakers at the upper chamber of the parliament noted that the law, which was passed this year, had a deficiency that was never intended and will deny all statutory delegates in all political parties from participation in congresses and conventions.
The Senate noted that “this is a fundamental effort to ensure that we address this within the week, so that by next week, the Electoral Act, 2022 (amended version), will be very salutary for us to start our party primaries.”
The action followed the expeditious consideration of a bill during plenary which scaled first, second and third readings, respectively, and was passed during plenary by the chamber after consideration by the Committee of the Whole.
The bill to amend the 2022 Electoral Act No. 13 was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Mr Ovie Omo-Agege, who in his presentation said the bill seeks to amend the provision of section 84 of the Electoral Act.
According to him, the provisions of the section “does not provide for the participation of what is generally known as ‘statutory delegates’ in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.”
“The extant section only clearly provides for the participation of elected delegates in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties held to nominate candidates of political parties.
“This is an unintended error, and we can only correct it with this amendment now before us”, the Deputy Senate President said.
Speaking after the bill to amend the 2022 Electoral Act was passed, the Senate President, Mr Ahmad Lawan, said that the amendment became imperative in view of the deficiency created by the provision of section 84 of the extant Act.
He said, “The amended Electoral Act of 2022 that we passed this year, has a deficiency that was never intended and that deficiency will deny all statutory delegates in all political parties from participation in congresses and conventions.
“And, therefore, such a major and unintended clause has to be amended before the party primaries start in the next eight days. This is an emergency legislation, so to speak.
“Our expectation is that the National Assembly – the two chambers – would finish with the processing of the amendment of this bill, between today (in the Senate) and tomorrow (in the House of Representatives), and then the Executive will do the assent.
“That is so important to enable every statutory delegate to participate in the party primaries right from the beginning that will start on May 18, 2022.
“So, this is an emergency effort to ensure that nobody is denied his or her rightful opportunity as a delegate, especially the statutory delegates, and these are those who are elected.
“These are the President, Vice President, Members of the National Assembly, Governors, Members of the State Houses of Assembly, Chairmen of Council and their Councillors, National Working Committee Members of all the political parties and so on.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, has affirmed the right of Nigerians to film personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on duty.
The judgment was given by Justice H. A. Nganjiwa on Tuesday in a case filed by Mr Maxwell Uwaifo in suit number FHC/WR/CS/87/2025.
The court held that Nigerians have the constitutional right to use any device to record police officers executing their official duties in public.
It was ruled that police officers must wear visible name tags, display their force numbers, and must not harass, intimidate, arrest, or seize devices from citizens documenting their activities.
The court awarded the applicant N5 million in damages for the violation of his fundamental rights and N2 million for the cost of litigation.
Business Post reports that the respondents in the case were the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NPF, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The lawyer filed the case in accordance with Sections 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution of Nigeria and others.
“This judgement has significant implications for policing standards, civil liberties, and public accountability across Nigeria,” Mr Uwaifo said after the judgement.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The General Manager in charge of Transmission for Lagos Region of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Adeshina Adeonipekun, has stressed the critical role of Lagos in the national grid.
While receiving the chief executive of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ms Wola Joseph Condotti, at his office on Monday, he said the Lagos region accounts for about 30 per cent of total power off-take in Nigeria.
He stated that TCN was implementing strategic expansion and project upgrades aimed at enhancing grid stability and operational efficiency in response to rising demand.
Mr Adeonipekun highlighted recent key milestones achieved in the region, including the commissioning of a 100MVA power transformer at the Ijora 132/33kV Transmission Substation, a 300MVA transformer at the Lekki 330/132kV Transmission Substation, and a 125MVA unit at the Agbara 132/33kV Substation, among others.
According to him, these additions have further increased the region’s installed capacity to 5,470MVA on the 132/33kV network and 4,110MVA on the 330/132kV network.
He further said that there were several ongoing rehabilitations at key substations within the region, including Amuwo GIS, Akoka 132/33kV, and Itire 132/33kV Transmission Substations, all geared towards further improving reliability, reducing system constraints, and enhancing the overall efficiency of power delivery.
In her remarks, Ms Condotti expressed appreciation for TCN’s continued partnership and support, underscoring the importance of sustained collaboration between transmission and distribution companies in building a more stable and efficient electricity transmission and supply network.
Both parties explored ways to strengthen collaboration and ensure a more stable and efficient power supply in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Anambra, Mr Chukwuma Soludo, says the years-long sit-at-home is now a thing of the past in the state as it will bring back lost economic viability to the South East state.
The governor spoke on Tuesday during his inauguration for a second term as the leader of the state, noting that security has improved in Anambra.
“The debilitating one-sit-at-home is over, and our schools, markets, businesses, and public servants are back to work. Reports say that ours is now the safest, or at least one of the safest states in Nigeria,” Mr Soludo said.
The second inauguration of the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) witnessed eminent Nigerians, including ex-presidents Mr Goodluck Jonathan and Mr Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as the Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, among others.
“I’m sure many of you flew into Anambra yesterday, being Monday. Previously, it was not possible,” he said at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, the state capital.
Primarily associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group advocating for an independent Biafran state, the sit-at-home saw millions of South-East residents remain indoors, shut their businesses, and stay off the roads on Mondays. Initially, it was declared as a weekly protest (especially on Mondays) to demand the release of IPOB leader, Mr Nnamdi Kanu, in 2021 by the Federal Government and draw attention to the separatist cause.
The cause had significant socio-economic consequences in the South-East states like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
However, Mr Soludo referenced several milestones, including the destruction of criminal camps and the “mass return” of Anambra indigenes during the Yuletide, as evidence of improving security in the state.
“Some 62 criminal camps have been dismantled, and 8 local governments previously under total siege have been liberated,” the governor said.
“Anambra had its best Christmas season in decades last December with a mass return and over 10,000 visitors per day to the Solution City every day until the 10th of January.”
Part of the measures to address insecurity in Anambra was the Homeland Security Law 2025, a measure the governor said contributed to the reduction in criminality.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Soludo as the winner of the November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State. The APGA candidate polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Mr Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
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