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From calls for his Republican party to “nationalize” voting to his repeated false claims of a stolen election, President Donald Trump is ramping up attacks on the electoral system ahead of this year’s US midterms.

The latest idea from Trump — who still refuses to acknowledge his 2020 election defeat by Democrat Joe Biden — is to take responsibility for organizing elections away from some US states and hand it to the federal government instead.

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least — many, 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump told podcaster and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino this week.

His extraordinary comments — which were condemned by Democrats — come as Republicans face losing control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections. Polls show low approval ratings for second-term president Trump while Republicans have suffered a string of losses in local elections.

Trump has, however, doubled down on his long-standing but debunked claims of widespread voter fraud — and his insistence that he needs to tackle it.

“I don’t know why the federal government doesn’t do them anyway,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday when asked about his comments about nationalizing elections.

Trump pressed the case in an interview with NBC News that aired Wednesday, alleging “there are some areas in our country that are extremely corrupt.”

He added that if elections “can’t be done properly and timely, then something else has to happen.”

READ ALSO: FIFA President Infantino Defends Giving Peace Prize To Trump

 ‘No debate’

Trump’s comments have sparked fears that he will — and not for the first time — go up against the US Constitution itself.

“The Constitution clearly says that states are the ones that do the running” of elections, Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School, told AFP. “There is no debate about this.”

Levitt, who worked in the administrations of presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, said this was partly because of the huge size of the United States but also a “separation of powers” and an “anti-corruption measure.”

But Trump, who has openly warned that he faces a third impeachment if Republicans lose in November, has been unrepentant in his quest to change the way America votes.

The 79-year-old remains convinced that the 2020 US presidential election was rigged against him, even though its legitimacy has been confirmed by the courts.

“It was a rigged election. Everybody now knows that,” Trump told world leaders at the Davos forum in January. “People will soon be prosecuted for what they did.”

Billionaire Trump, who has pushed presidential power to unprecedented limits since returning to office last year, is now using all the levers of power to right those perceived wrongs.

On January 28, the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and other materials in Georgia, as part of a controversial probe into his 2020 election loss in the southern state.

Unusually, the raid was carried out under the watchful eye of Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s director of National Intelligence, whose role is meant to be focused on foreign threats.

 ‘Cast doubt’

The US Justice Department has meanwhile filed lawsuits in some 20 states to try to recover voting records.

Trump’s administration has falsely claimed that undocumented migrants are illegally voting on a large scale.

Such actions were “part of a broader strategy to, at least, cast doubt on the validity of the upcoming elections,” Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA, told AFP.

“At worst, it suggests he may try to use the federal government to actually interfere in how states run elections in 2026,” he said, also calling for civil society groups to be on the lookout.

One of them, the NAACP, which has fought for years for the civil rights of Black people, accused Trump’s administration of “looking to exhaust our nation with these deplorable and unconstitutional antics in hopes that we will grow tired and concede.”

In a more extreme scenario, some of the US president’s critics fear he could use law enforcement or even the military to influence the upcoming election.

Some of Trump’s top supporters have suggested as much.

“We’re going to have ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) surround the polls come November,” Steve Bannon, a first-term Trump aide and leading ideologue in his “Make America Great Again” movement, said on Tuesday.

“And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”

President Bola Tinubu has deployed an army battalion to Kwara State following an attack by terrorists, which left scores of people dead and properties destroyed.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said in a statement late Wednesday that the deployment is to “checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities.”

The new military command will spearhead Operation Savannah Shield, Onanuga said.

While condemning the attack, Tinubu described the gunmen “as heartless for choosing soft targets in their doomed campaign of terror.”

He expressed rage that the attackers killed the community members who rejected their attempt at indoctrination.

“It’s commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue,” he said while condoling with the families of those who died during the attack.

The president also called for cooperation between federal and state agencies to give succour to members of the community and ensure those who committed the atrocities do not go scot-free.

READ ALSO: Security Operatives Rescued 309 Hostages, Killed 55 Terrorists In Kogi, Kwara — Police

Gunmen killed over 160 people, burned shops and a traditional ruler’s home, and wounded people fled into the bushes after the late Tuesday attack.

The refusal of the villagers to be indoctrinated by an extremist group, Mahmuda, was said to have led to indiscriminate shooting, as two vehicles belonging to the village head were used by the bandits to transport many villagers who were abducted.

The attack on Woro Village in Kwara State came after the military recently carried out operations in the area against what it called “terrorist elements”.

Last month, the military said it had launched “sustained coordinated offensive operations against terrorist elements” in Kwara State.

“Troops also stormed remote camps hitherto inaccessible to security forces where several abandoned camps and logistics enablers were destroyed, significantly degrading the terrorists,” the military said in a January 30 statement.

In response to the latest security woes, Kwara State imposed curfews in certain areas and closed schools for several weeks before ordering them to reopen on Monday.

Joseph Daudu (SAN), the counsel to the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has said that his client’s trial in the alleged N80.2bn local government funds transfers was political, and not money laundering charges.

Daudu stated this at the ongoing alleged money laundering case instituted against Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Daudu’s clarification followed the remarks in the open court by counsel to the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), that what happened in the mode of payments by local government areas in Kogi state was stealing in disguise.

He said this just as the seventh prosecution witness, Olomotane Egoro, a Compliance Officer with Access Bank, admitted in court that the former governor did not serve as local government chairman in any of the local governments in Kogi State.

The banker said this against the background that the contracts in question were awarded by local government chairmen for various purposes to contractors, as stated in the bank accounts of some companies tendered and admitted as exhibits by the court.

READ ALSO: [Emefiele] EFCC Witness Alleges $6.23m Withdrawn From CBN With Forged Papers

While being cross-examined by counsel to the defendant, the EFCC witness also reiterated that there was no mention of the name of the former governor in any of the local government transactions under investigation.

Daudu said the name, ‘Yahaya Bello’, did not appear, either as sender or recipient of local governments’ funds.

He also admitted that, on the face of Exhibit 33(11), the entries in the transactions between the local governments and Keyless Nature Limited were consistent with normal banking transactions.

The defendant’s counsel said, “You drew my lord’s attention to a litany of payments from the 21 local government areas, for example, 11th October 2022, into the Keyless account.

“Do you know the purpose of those entries or transactions?”

The witness responded in the negative.

He also admitted that he did not know from the record whether there was any business or contractual relationship between the local governments and Keyless Nature Limited.

The witness also stated that a customer had the right to spend his money any way he liked unless there was an issue of fraud.

“Confirm that in respect of transactions in Exhibit 33(11), your bank was not under court order and you have no report of fraud,” Daudu told the witness.

He responded in the affirmative.

On payment made into one Fayzade Business Enterprise, the defendant’s counsel told the witness to look at the transaction of 6th May 2022, the 6th column.

The witness said it was an inflow from the Okene Local Government Area.

He added that the purpose, as stated, was for the supply of reading materials.

He listed the purposes of payments from Ogori Mangogo, Okehi, Omala, and Yagba LGAs as education materials (N4.4 million); medical items (N7.5 million); Sporting equipment (N10.8 million); and medical consumables (N12.2 million), respectively, among others.

The purposes of other payments ranged from agrochemicals to farm inputs and also medical consumables, according to the witness.

Daudu then asked, “Do you know if this defendant (Yahaya Bello) is a local government chairman and which local government in Kogi state?”

“No, the defendant wasn’t a local government chairman,” he responded.

Manchester City will face Arsenal in the League Cup final after ending Newcastle’s reign as holders with a first-half blitz in their 3-1 victory on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side were already in pole position after winning the semi-final first leg on Tyneside in January and they finished the job in ruthless fashion at the Etihad Stadium.

Omar Marmoush struck twice in the first half of the second leg, either side of a goal from Tijjani Reijnders.

Anthony Elanga reduced the deficit after the interval, but City’s 5-1 aggregate win sent them back to the League Cup showpiece for the first time since 2021.

City’s final date with Arsenal is set for March 22 at Wembley after the Premier League leaders knocked out Chelsea on Tuesday.

Reaching the final was a welcome tonic for Guardiola following the frustration of blowing a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham on Sunday that delivered a major blow to their title challenge.

With a crucial trip to Liverpool looming this weekend, City trail Arsenal by six points in the Premier League title race.

READ ALSO: Arsenal Beat Chelsea To Reach League Cup Final

The League Cup was the first silverware of Guardiola’s City reign when they beat Arsenal in the 2018 final, with current Gunners boss Mikel Arteta then working as the Spaniard’s assistant.

City went on to win the competition for the following three years, but haven’t lifted the League Cup since 2021.

Guardiola used sarcasm and statistics this week to defend City against claims the club’s success has been due to the financial muscle of their Abu Dhabi-based owners.

The City manager pointed out six English clubs have spent more than his side over the past five years, but he knows he will never win over the critics.

Guardiola’s only way to silence the outside noise — and mounting suggestions that City are a team in decline — is with silverware.

And after finishing last season without a trophy for the first time in eight years, Guardiola would love to end City’s barren spell at Arsenal’s expense.

 Slick City

With Sunday’s Liverpool showdown in mind, Guardiola made six changes as Erling Haaland, Rodri and Rayan Cherki were left on the bench.

Haaland had just two goals in his previous 11 games in all competitions and his replacement made an immediate impact as Marmoush put City ahead with a stroke of luck in the seventh minute.

Marmoush raced into the Newcastle penalty area and when Dan Burn made a last-ditch tackle, the ball bounced off the Egypt forward and looped into the net.

James Trafford preserved City’s lead, saving at Joe Willock’s feet after the Newcastle midfielder broke through.

Anthony Gordon bore down on goal with just Trafford to beat moments later, but the City keeper spread himself to make a vital save.

Those misses were Newcastle’s last chance to make a game of it as City killed them off before half-time.

Marmoush struck for the second time in the 29th minute, heading home from virtually on the goal-line after Kieran Trippier made a hash of clearing Antoine Semenyo’s cross.

That was the culmination of an incisive City counter-attack and they pulled Newcastle apart again with another rapid raid in the 32nd minute.

Reijnders led the break, picking out Semenyo and racing into the area to finish the Ghanaian’s return pass with a clinical low drive from 12 yards.

The convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, challenging his conviction and multiple sentences imposed by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kanu is insisting that his trial was riddled with fundamental legal errors and amounted to a miscarriage of justice.

In the notice of appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu said he was appealing against his conviction and sentences on seven counts, including terrorism-related offences, for which he received five life sentences and additional prison terms after being found guilty on November 20, 2025.

In his grounds of appeal, the IPOB leader accused the trial court of failing to resolve what he described as a “foundational disruption of the original trial process” following the 2017 military operation at his Afara-Ukwu residence.

READ ALSO: Court Strikes Out Nnamdi Kanu’s Motion Seeking Transfer From Sokoto Prison

He also contended that the court proceeded with the trial and delivered judgment while his preliminary objection challenging the competence of the proceedings remained unresolved.

Kanu further faulted the court for delivering judgment while his bail application was still pending, arguing that this affected the fairness of the trial process.

He claimed that the trial court convicted him under a law that had already been repealed, stating that “the learned trial judge erred in law by convicting and sentencing the appellant under the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Act, 2013, notwithstanding its repeal by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, prior to judgment.”

Kanu also argued that he was subjected to double jeopardy, contrary to Section 36(9) of the 1999 Constitution, after being retried on facts he said had earlier been nullified by the Court of Appeal.

He further complained that he was denied fair hearing, claiming that he was not allowed to file or present a final written address before judgment was delivered.

Among the reliefs sought, Kanu urged the Court of Appeal to allow the appeal, quash his conviction and sentences, and “discharge and acquit the appellant in respect of all the counts.”

He also informed the appellate court of his desire to be present at the hearing of the appeal, stating: “I want to be present at the hearing of the appeal because I may be conducting the appeal in person.”

On November 20, 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment.