Politics
Rivers Emergency Rule: NBA took illegal gift from Fubara – Wike

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has said the Nigerian Bar Association collected a N300 million gift from the suspended Siminalayi Fubara government, which is the reason they did not support Rivers Emergency Rule.
The minister disclosed this in his media chat on Thursday in Abuja.
Wike’s comments is in the wake of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emergency rule declaration in Rivers State and the suspension of Fubara and others for six months.
Following Fubara’s suspension, the NBA shifted its Annual General Conference 2025, earlier billed for Port Harcourt to Enugu State, citing the emergency rule as the reason.
The NBA had repeatedly maintained its stance against the emergency, describing it as unconstitutional.
However, the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, recently asked the NBA to return the N300 million given to it by the government to host the conference.
Meanwhile, in response, the NBA described the N300 million fund from Rivers State as a gift.
Reacting, Wike said the N300 million gift was not appropriated, describing it as illegal.
“On the NBA matter, it is unfortunate. How will the NBA back Rivers emergency rule when they collected gifts? When the Body of Benchers came to see me, I told them. When the Justice gave judgement about local government, the NBA came out and condemned it without reading the judgement. The president declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. They say he is not correct until everybody now knows why they took that stance because the state gifted them a gift that was not appropriate.
“NBA took N300 million and said it was a gift.
”In my budget I put it as a grant. I am allowed by law because it is appropriated. In this case the gift was not appropriated. NBA took an illegal gift,” he maintainted.
Politics
Court orders IGP to arrest Mahmood Yakubu, ex-INEC chairman

Despite his exit as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, has again ordered the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest the former INEC chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, for an offence relating to contempt of court.
The Court order came a few hours after Yakubu left office as the INEC chairman.
The Action Alliance, AA, had instituted a case before the court challenging INEC and its former chairman, Prof Yakubu, over their non-compliance with the judgment of the Court delivered by Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi in suit number FHC/OS/CS/194/2024.
In the said judgment, the court ordered INEC to put the names of the National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, and other members of the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, on the INEC portal.
The Court also held that the names of all the state chairmen of the party be uploaded on the INEC portal.
The court held that the elective convention of the party held on the 7th of October, 2023 which produced Omoaje as the national chairman of the party and other NEC members of the party was authentic as it was properly monitored and supervised by officials of INEC in accordance with the party’s constitution and the electoral acts.
However, INEC claimed to have complied with the court judgment, but the party disagreed with the commission, as the name of Omoaje was yet to be uploaded on the commission’s website despite the orders of the Court.
Although the names of the state chairmen of the party under the leadership of Omoaje and those of the NEC members are already on the INEC portal, Omoaje’s name is yet to be uploaded as of press time, a development that the court frowned at.
The court order obtained by our correspondent dated 7th October, 2025, and signed by Mr O.M. Kilani on behalf of the Court Registrar reads in part, “it is hereby ordered that the Inspector General of Police shall cause the arrest and shall charge the defendant/judgment debtors for contempt and committal proceedings within seven days of this ruling.”
The court also awarded a cost of #100,000 against the judgment creditors.
Politics
Nigerian Senate swears in two new senators

The Senate has officially sworn in two newly elected senators, Joseph Ikpea and Emmanuel Nwachukwu, representing Edo Central and Anambra South senatorial districts, respectively.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio presided over the ceremony during plenary on Wednesday, with the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Ojo, administering the oaths of office and allegiance to the new lawmakers.
Ekwutosblog reports that she swearing in follows recent by-elections conducted to fill two vacant Senate seats, one previously held by Monday Okpebholo, now Governor of Edo State and the other by the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who passed away in July 2024.
Prior to the ceremony, the Senate temporarily relaxed its rules to allow family members and dignitaries into the chamber to witness the event.
Among the high profile guests were former Delta State Governor James Ibori, former Edo State Deputy Governor and Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Sports Philip Shuaibu and other prominent political figures.
Akpabio charged the new lawmakers to diligently study and abide by the senate standing rules.
Ekwutosblog reports that with the addition of Senators Ikpea and Nwachukwu, the Senate now retains its full complement of 109 members.
Politics
Zulum hails Obasanjo’s agricultural initiatives, tells Tinubu to develop Nigeria

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has urged President Bola Tinubu to develop Bauchi State and Northern Nigeria.
Zulum made the call at the Bauchi State economic and investment summit on Wednesday.
At the event, Tinubu was represented by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.
Zulum said: “I want to welcome His Excellency, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ably represented by the Vice President, the Ambassadors in particular, and all those investors that are here to take this opportunity, to use this opportunity of this summit, and to develop Bauchi State, not only Bauchi State, but Nigeria in general.”
He also commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his initiatives in the area of agriculture.
“I want to use this opportunity to commend, sorry, our own, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, for the great initiatives that he has been doing, or I can say he has done, during his tenure as a military administrator of Nigeria on agriculture.
“I can understand, I will recall with nostalgia, when I was in primary school, some of the programs that he has initiated, the real revolution among others.
“Again, the Ota Farm that he has invested hugely, has also brought enormous potentials to Nigeria,” he added.
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