Category Nigeria News

President Bola Tinubu is set to embark on a historic State Visit to the United Kingdom later this month, following an invitation from King Charles III.

Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, will be received at Windsor Castle, west of London, on March 18-19 by Charles and Queen Camilla, the palace said.

The British Royal Family confirmed this in a statement posted on its official X account on Sunday.

“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Wednesday, 18th March to Thursday, 19th March 2026.

“The King and Queen will host the State Visit at Windsor Castle,” the Royal family stated.

Presidential aide, Bayo Onanuga, also confirmed the development, describing it as a landmark moment in Nigeria–UK relations.

“First state visit of a Nigerian leader to the UK in 37 years confirmed. President Tinubu and First Lady Remi Tinubu to be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla from 18th March to 19th March 2026,” he wrote on X.

London and Abuja concluded a strategic partnership in November 2024 to strengthen their cooperation on economic, immigration, and security matters.

The visit is significant as it marks the first time a Nigerian leader will be received in the United Kingdom with full state honours since 1989, when then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Arrives In Türkiye For State Visit

Babangida’s four-day visit included a stay at a royal residence and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.

Only two other Nigerian leaders had undertaken formal State Visits to the UK: General Yakubu Gowon in June 1973 and President Shehu Shagari in 1981.

Although several Nigerian presidents have travelled to the UK since 1989, those visits were categorised as private, working, or official engagements, which do not carry the ceremonial weight and pageantry of a State Visit.

Leaders such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Muhammadu Buhari, who attended King Charles III’s coronation in 2023, all visited under non-state designations.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has met King Charles III twice since assuming office.

Their first meeting took place in December 2023 on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, while a second, private meeting was held in September 2024 at Buckingham Palace, where discussions focused on climate change and global security.

Since his inauguration in May 2023, President Tinubu has undertaken more than 10 foreign trips to several countries.

While many were working visits, summit attendances, or private stays, several have been officially classified as state or official visits involving formal invitations and ceremonial protocols.

Notable among them are his recent state visit to Türkiye, where he met President Recep Erdoğan and signed nine strategic agreements covering defence, energy, and trade; a state visit to Brazil in August 2025 following an invitation from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and an official state visit to China in September 2024 during the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation.

Other official engagements include visits to Equatorial Guinea in August 2024 for talks on maritime security and gas cooperation, the Netherlands in April 2024 for the Nigerian-Dutch Business and Investment Forum, Qatar in March 2024 at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Benin Republic in August 2023 as a special guest at its 63rd Independence Anniversary.

The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that the Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results but merely retained the provision as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.

Akpabio made the clarification on Saturday in Abuja while speaking at a book launch on the burden of legislators in Nigeria.

He explained that electronic transmission of results remains permissible, but the phrase “real time” was removed from the provision.

Akpabio said, “All we said during discussion was that we should remove the word ‘real-time’ because if you say real-time, then there is a network or grid failure and the network is not working. 
When you go to court, somebody will say it ought to have been real-time. That was all we said.



He emphasised that the decision was taken to grant the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the flexibility to determine the appropriate mode of result transmission, taking into account technological and security challenges.

The Senate President stressed that the upper chamber would continue to enact legislation that reflects the wishes of the Nigerian people.

Reacting to Akpabio’s position, former Senate President David Mark said the National Assembly should allow INEC to decide whether or not to transmit election results electronically.

He added that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) fully supports the electronic transmission of election results.

READ ALSO: Electoral Act Amendment Bill Passes Third Reading, Senate Retains Existing Provision On Result Transmission

There has been an outrage after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through the third reading.

In passing the bill, the upper chamber, however, did not approve the proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

The rejected provision would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the IREV portal in real time, after the prescribed Form EC&A had been signed and stamped by the presiding officer and countersigned by candidates.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that supporters of President Bola Tinubu in Rivers State do not need the backing of a sitting governor to mobilise support for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.

Wike made the remark on Saturday in Port Harcourt during the inauguration of the headquarters of the ‘Renewed Hope Ambassadors.’

He commended Desmond Akawor, the coordinator of Rivers’ Renewed Hope Ambassadors, for his mobilisation efforts, noting that the state would work actively to support the President’s re-election.

READ ALSO: Rivers Govt Denies Blocking Pro-Tinubu Group From Using Stadium

Wike said, “Let me sincerely thank the coordinator Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Rivers State, Desmond Akawor, who has shown enough capacity to mobilise our people who have moved to all the nooks and crannies of Rivers to talk about Tinubu for president in 2027.”

“I have said before that Rivers state is a no-go area, and I want to repeat that this place is totally for Tinubu.

“Mr coordinator, you have mobilised and made sure that the 23 local governments and zonal coordinators were inaugurated; that day Nigerians all over the world watched that Rivers state is a no-go area.

“Today, you have also invited us to commission some vehicles that the headquarters of the Secretariat will use and to commission the secretariat itself; this is the first of its kind in any part of the country.

“I challenge anybody; let them come to Rivers state and learn. Our commitment is not by mouth, our commitment is not by newspaper; our commitment is by showing that, yes indeed, we are working for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We don’t need to have a governor to mobilise for Mr President; we don’t need it. We have all it takes to be on our own. There is no governor amongst us here, We have senators, assembly people, council chairmen, national assembly members, and party chairmen of APC and PDP.

“We have mobilised ourselves to make a commitment. If you say you are supporting somebody, there is no need for the person to bring his resources; you have to make a commitment, and this is what our leaders have done.”



The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the National Assembly to reconsider and approve a proposed amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill that would mandate the electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

The call followed the adoption of a report by NBA President Afam Osigwe, SAN, at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Maiduguri, Borno State, on February 5, 2026.

The report expressed concern over the Senate’s recent rejection of an amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have required presiding officers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit results in real time to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal immediately after Form EC8A was duly signed, stamped, and countersigned by party agents.

READ ALSO: Electoral Act Amendment Bill Passes Third Reading, Senate Retains Existing Provision On Result Transmission

The NEC noted that the current discretionary language in the Electoral Act—allowing presiding officers to “transfer the results … in a manner as prescribed by the Commission”—weakens the legal foundation for transparent, real-time reporting.

According to the council, the ambiguity leaves room for manipulation, misinterpretation, and post-election disputes.

In adopting Osigwe’s report, the NEC resolved that the National Assembly should urgently pass the proposed amendment to Clause 60(3) to clearly compel electronic transmission of results.

It emphasised that explicit statutory requirements, rather than discretionary wording, are essential to safeguard electoral transparency, protect the integrity of votes, and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.

The NEC further highlighted that credible elections are central to a functioning democracy. Continued resistance to enforceable electronic transmission measures, the council said, undermines democratic accountability.

“Technology-backed transparency is no longer optional in a modern democracy,” the NEC stressed, calling on Nigeria to align its electoral framework with global best practices.

The council concluded by urging lawmakers to demonstrate legislative responsibility and statesmanship by supporting the amendment.

A United States congressman, Riley Moore, has warned that efforts to strengthen separatist groups in the country would further endanger Christian communities rather than protect them.

Moore made the remarks following his visit to Nigeria in December, where he embarked on what he described as a fact-finding mission to assess claims of widespread violence against Christians.

The visit came amid heightened international attention after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested a possible military intervention in Nigeria to confront those responsible for the attacks.

While in the country, the American lawmaker held discussions with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, on the security challenges facing affected regions. He also visited Benue State, where he met with Governor Hyacinth Alia, as well as religious and traditional leaders.

READ ALSO: [Insecurity] US Congressman Riley Moore To Brief Trump On Nigeria Visit

Moore further engaged humanitarian organisations and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been forced to flee their homes due to persistent insecurity, gaining first-hand insight into the humanitarian impact of the violence on local communities.

In a post on his X handle on Saturday, Moore said the issue of dividing Nigeria did not feature prominently in his discussions.

“In my discussions, the idea of dividing the country has not come up in any serious way. Efforts to embolden separatists hurt Christians in Nigeria—especially in the North and Middle Belt,” he wrote.

He added that a destabilised Nigeria would worsen the security situation.

“A destabilised Nigeria would embolden terrorists and make Christians less safe in Nigeria and across the continent.”

The U.S. congressman reiterated his commitment to working towards protecting the lives of Christians and all Nigerians affected by terrorist activities.

“I remain committed to working to save the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ—and, for that matter, all Nigerians—suffering from the instability wrought by terrorists throughout Nigeria,” he said.