Politics

‘Playing with fire’: Orbán’s sanctions veto threat puts Brussels on edge

Published

12 months ago

January 24, 2025

Diplomats and officials in Brussels are holding their breath as they wait to find out if Viktor Orbán’s increasingly critical rhetoric against EU sanctions will translate into a veto that could upend the bloc’s Russia policy, as soon as next week.

Since February 2022, the bloc has brought in sweeping bans on trade with Russia in energy, technology, finance, luxury goods, transport and broadcasting, among others. It’s also frozen €210 billion assets held by the Russian central bank within the bloc, which have been used to back a multi-billion-euro loan for Kyiv.

Those could all soon be put into question. The restrictions, designed to cripple Moscow’s ability to finance its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, need to be prolonged every six months by unanimity, and the next deadline is 31 January.

In recent days, Orbán and his deputies have ratcheted up their harsh words against the sanctions regime, arguing the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who wants to negotiate with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, requires the bloc to rethink its longstanding stance.

“The question of extending the sanctions is now on the agenda, and I pulled the handbrake and asked European leaders to understand that this cannot be continued,” the Hungarian Prime Minister said in a radio interview on Friday morning.

One of his ministers, Gergely Gulyás, has openly questioned the six-monthly renewal. “So far, everyone has seen the extension of sanctions as automatic, but we do not think it is automatic now,” Gulyás said on Thursday.

Those comments have stoked fears that Hungary will use its veto to block the rollover, triggering the collapse of a sanctions regime painstakingly built across 15 packages, and depriving the EU of its most hard-hitting tool against the Kremlin.

“It’s clear that if Budapest were to block, we would have a great issue at hand,” said a senior diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. “Budapest is playing with fire.”

The diplomat described the political situation as “mind-blowing” given the dire battleground conditions faced by Ukrainian forces, and predicted the EU would plunge into “uncharted territory” were sectoral sanctions to collapse overnight.

“The shenanigans we get from Budapest are seemingly endless,” the diplomat said.

A closed-door discussion among ambassadors on Friday only increased the uncertainty, as the Hungarian representative maintained ambiguity over his position, several diplomats said.

Instead, Hungary asked to change the agenda of Monday’s meeting of foreign affairs ministers, to allow the item on sanctions renewal, which is generally approved without any fuss, to be openly debated after a separate discussion on Ukraine support.

The Hungarian envoy also made a number of requests concerning energy policy, and in particular Ukraine’s recent decision to terminate the transit of Russian gas through Hungary, another diplomat said.

The decision, taken by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop Moscow from earning “additional billions on our blood,” has met with a furious reaction from Hungary and Slovakia, two landlocked countries that still purchase Russian fossil fuels. Earlier this month, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico threatened to use his veto power in retaliation.

‘Transactional’ diplomacy

In his radio interview, Orbán made a direct link between sanctions renewal and the gas dispute, and asked the European Commission to intervene in his country’s favour.

The Commission has said it has “no interest” in extending the transit of Russian gas.

“What is closed now, has to be reopened again. This is not a matter for Ukraine, it is an issue for Europe, an issue for central Europe,” the prime minister said.

“If the Ukrainians want help, for example sanctioning the Russians, then let’s reopen the gas transit routes and allow the central European countries, including Hungary, to receive the gas we need through Ukraine.”

The connection between the two issues has left diplomats scratching their heads, trying to figure out how severe the latest threat actually is. Orbán has previously used his veto to extract concessions, but never to provoke such a disruptive effect on sanctions.

“The threats are taken seriously. But it’s not the first time,” a diplomat said, decrying Hungary’s “transactional” manner of making demands.

“The EU cannot enter into panic mode every time somebody says something in Budapest,” they added. “We have learned to make a clear distinction between what we hear in Budapest and what happens in Brussels.”

The suspense is likely to last, at least, until foreign affairs ministers meet on Monday and Hungary’s representative, Péter Szijjártó, announces his country’s position. Diplomats speculate that, despite the harsh talk, Szijjártó will back down if he can secure new EU assistance for Hungary’s energy needs.

This will pave the way for the renewal to be approved, if not on Monday, then at least before the end of the month.

“We expect a positive result from that discussion. [Sanctions] are a key part of our strategy,” said a high-ranking EU official. The issue of gas transit has “nothing to do with sanctions on Russia. Sanctions on Russia are because of the aggression.”

Asked if Brussels was already drafting a Plan B, the official said: “We don’t envisage any other possibility than that it will be approved in the coming days.”

One factor certain to influence the discussion are the latest comments made by Donald Trump, who took some observers by surprise with hawkish comments against Russia.

“If we don’t make a deal, and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump said.

“We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better.”

The EU is already preparing a 16th package of sanctions against Russia, with the view to approving them before the third anniversary of the invasion, in late February.

Politics

2027: CAD Drags INEC to Court, Seeks De-Registration APP From Database

Published

19 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Dan Opara

Civic Action for Democracy, CAD, a prominent political pressure group and civic rights organisation in Nigeria, has instituted a major legal action at the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to delist and deregister the Action Peoples Party, APP, from its register of political parties ahead of the 2027 General Elections, particularly the 2027 Imo governorship election.

The suit, filed as FHC/OW/CS/03/2026, was formally announced on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during a world press conference addressed by CAD’s Executive Director, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, with some members of CAD, alongside a team of senior legal practitioners.

ThePressman Newspaper and other media organisations were in attendance at the Federal High Court premises on Owerri and Port Harcourt Road.

Ngoforo disclosed that CAD’s legal action seeks twenty-one reliefs against INEC and APP, insisting that the party was legitimately deregistered by INEC on February 6, 2020, alongside seventy-three other (73) political parties.

He recalled that the Supreme Court in March 2022 upheld INEC’s constitutional powers to deregister parties that failed to meet stipulated electoral performance benchmarks.

He criticised INEC for what he described as “the fraudulent retention of a deregistered political party”, noting that the Commission had repeatedly claimed that a non-existent court injunction had prevented it from enforcing APP’s deregistration.

According to Ngoforo, CAD’s investigations revealed no evidence of such a court order, no case file, and no judicial process to support INEC’s assertions.

CAD is urging the court to order the immediate removal of APP from INEC’s database, as well as the issuance of a perpetual injunction restraining the party from participating in any electoral process.

The group is also seeking an order of mandamus compelling INEC to publish a notice confirming the party’s deregistration.

Furthermore, CAD is asking the court to compel INEC to produce the alleged interim injunction or openly admit that it never existed, and to ensure the identification and prosecution of officials involved in what CAD describes as “institutional fraud”.

The organisation has also filed a Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction, seeking to stop APP from participating in any political activity pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Ngoforo warned that permitting APP to participate in the 2027 general elections could trigger a constitutional crisis, particularly if candidates of a deregistered party find their names on the ballot.

He maintained that APP’s participation in the 2024 local government elections in Rivers and Jigawa states was “illegal and void”.

The Executive Director of CAD, called on the new INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, to restore credibility to the Commission and address what CAD terms “the fraudulent manipulation inherited from past INEC administrations”.

Ngoforo appealed to the judiciary, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to closely monitor the matter, stressing that the integrity of the 2027 electoral process depends on ensuring that deregistered political parties like APP are not allowed to participate.

He emphasised that CAD’s action is a constitutional intervention aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy, not a politically motivated effort.

“This is a constitutional fight, not a partisan one. We are unrepentantly committed to ending the fraudulent retention of APP in INEC’s register. Nigeria’s democracy must never be compromised,” he stated.

The suit is expected to be assigned to a judge in the coming days, after which hearing dates will be communicated.

Politics

GOV. UZODIMMA LIFTS BAN ON CONDUCT OF TOWN UNION ELECTIONS ACROSS IMO COMMUNITIES. NULLIFIES ALL TOWN UNION BODIES OPERATING UNDER APPOINTMENT STATUS, INSTRUCTS FOR IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT OF EXECUTIVES WITH ELAPSED TENURES….

Published

19 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke
17- JAN- 2026

Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, has approved the immediate resumption of Town Union Government elections in all autonomous communities across the state, effectively bringing to an end the embargo that had stalled the process for some time.

The policy shift signals a renewed commitment to strengthening grassroots democracy and repositioning community administration in line with constitutional and statutory provisions governing Town Unions in Imo State.

Under the directive of the Imo Shared Prosperity Administration, popularly known as the 3R’s Agenda, the Governor has instructed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, headed by Honourable Commissioner Mrs. Rubby Emele, to roll out comprehensive arrangements for the conduct of the elections without delay.

The Governor made this known during a high-level engagement with traditional rulers at the Imo Council of Traditional Rulers’ Palace (Obi Ndi-Eze Imo) on Mbari Street, Ikenegbu, Owerri, on Saturday, January 17, 2026. The announcement was witnessed and confirmed by correspondents who were present at the meeting.

Governor Uzodimma explained that although the activities of Town Union Governments had earlier been placed under restriction, the prevailing need to revive community development structures, promote accountability, and ensure lawful leadership transitions necessitated the lifting of the ban.

He directed that the forthcoming elections must replace all interim or appointed Town Union executives, as well as officials whose tenures have elapsed, stressing that leadership at the community level must emerge strictly through democratic means.

The Governor further emphasized that all autonomous communities are required to conduct their elections in full compliance with their respective Town Union Constitutions and the Imo State Town Union Law, warning against shortcuts or violations of due process.

To ensure credibility and orderliness, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs is to work closely with the Ministry of Rural Development and Economic Empowerment, alongside the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Imo State Chapter, in supervising the exercise.

Governor Uzodimma also frowned at the practice where some Local Government Chairmen reportedly appointed President-Generals for Town Unions, describing such actions as unconstitutional and unacceptable. He noted that concerns raised by traditional rulers at the meeting reinforced the need to restore proper democratic procedures at the community level.

Consequently, the Governor declared all Town Union leadership structures that emerged through appointments or elections conducted during the period of embargo as invalid, nullifying their legitimacy.

With the embargo lifted, communities across Imo State are now expected to commence preparations for transparent, credible, and constitutionally guided Town Union elections that will usher in authentic leadership and deepen participatory governance at the grassroots.

Politics

APC Says It Will Take a Position on Fubara Impeachment Crisis at the Appropriate Time

Published

20 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Our Correspondent

The All Progressives Congress (APC has said it will announce its official position on the ongoing impeachment crisis involving Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, when the time is right.

The party, through its spokesperson, stated that while it is closely monitoring political developments in Rivers State, it believes it is premature to take a definitive stance on the matter at this stage. According to the APC, the situation remains fluid and requires careful assessment before any public position is adopted.

The spokesperson emphasized that the party is committed to due process, constitutional order, and democratic principles, noting that impeachment is a serious legislative action that must be handled strictly within the confines of the law. The APC stressed that it would not be drawn into speculation or political sentiments surrounding the crisis.

He further explained that the party is consulting relevant stakeholders and reviewing events as they unfold to ensure that any eventual position reflects fairness, national interest, and respect for democratic institutions.

The APC also cautioned against actions that could heighten political tension or destabilize governance in the state.
The impeachment saga has continued to generate intense political debate, with opinions sharply divided across party lines and among political observers. As the situation evolves, many Nigerians are watching closely to see how major political parties, including the APC, will respond.

The APC reassured the public that it will speak clearly and responsibly on the matter when all necessary conditions have been considered and when its intervention would be most constructive.