Category Nigeria News

The member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom, Clement Jimbo, has defended the removal of indirect primaries in the 2026 Electoral Act, saying it would help in addressing money politics in Nigeria. 

Jimbo made this known during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, arguing that indirect primaries endangered Nigeria’s democracy.

“If you observe the indirect primaries, it was completely against Nigerians and electorates.

“If you define democracy as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people, if the majority of the people are not participants in electing who becomes their flag bearer, then it wasn’t democracy,” the lawmaker said on the show.

READ ALSO: Electoral Act 2026: Nigerians Identify Hopes, Gaps At Citizens’ Townhall

His comment follows the national debate over the 2026 Electoral Act recently signed into law.

While previous law allowed parties to pick from direct primaries, indirect primaries, and consensus candidacy, the amended Electoral Act removed the direct primaries option.

Despite arguments by critics, the lawmaker said the National Assembly’s decision reflected the desire of a vast majority of Nigerians.

“Many of the civil societies have equally come to agree that this obnoxious way of electing candidates from political parties through indirect ways is inducing. In the indirect way of electing candidates, that’s where monies are induced,” the Akwa Ibom lawmaker said.

According to him, those who have the most money usually win the indirect primaries because they can buy votes and delegates.

“We are saying that since you have as much money as you think you have, you should come and buy all your political party members,” Jimbo said. “Let all of them pay, then we will know that you are very rich.”

He claimed that indirect primaries contributed to the rise of godfatherism in Nigeria’s electioneering processes.

“Now that we have the opportunity to amend this, we said, ‘No, let the real merit and intent of how we defined democracy come to be. Let the people who elect the officials begin by electing them to become the candidates in the first place.’

“So we expunged the indirect way of electing a candidate, which is indirect primaries. Let it be either consensus or direct primaries, where all of the political party members will queue behind who they so choose to become their candidate in the next election,” he explained

“We have done that, and you have highlighted section 77,  Subsection 1 to 7, which is very critical that the preparation for the election must not start on election day. It begins the moment the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declares the timetable for the election,” the 43-year-old said.

The member of the House of Representatives asked Nigerians, if not all, to applaud the National Assembly for the amendment.

“The Parliament is there to take the interest of Nigerians to the fore; we are elected members of the parliament representing the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.

“We can not just allow an infinitesimal number of Nigerians to take a major decision that will affect the outcome of our collective patrimony. That’s why the National Assembly came in,” he said.

Electoral Act Controversy

The bill has generated heated debates in recent weeks, with lawmakers and prominent Nigerians disagreeing over the method for the transmission of results, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the law, there is an electronic transmission of results, but a manual backup is provided in case of technical failure.

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has shown support for rotational presidency ahead of the 2027 polls, saying that no northerner has any business joining the race.

The Governor, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the submission on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

He explained that although anybody can vie for any political office, the southern region should retain the presidency in the interest of fairness and unity of the country.

“There is no business of anybody in the north to do with the presidency at the moment. It is the turn of the south; they should complete their eight years, if we are really serious about this country. It should rotate so that we will all be brother’s keepers,” the governor said.

Among key contenders for the nation’s number 1 office is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the PDP flagbearer in the 2023 polls.

The 79-year-old Adamawa State-born politician has since dumped the PDP for the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) to achieve his long-time ambition.

READ ALSO: Adamawa Gov Fintiri Defects To APC

But the governor specifically canvassed support for the current President and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who has been endorsed by this party, APC.

“What else do we want as a state? We won’t force anybody to be a presidential candidate, which means we will continue to support our people to play local politics.

“Everybody knows we are organized, and if we push further, we can still win elections. But who is that person who has come out to say he wants to contest for the presidential election in the PDP? We have seen none for now.

Good Relationship With Atiku?

When asked if he has maintained a good relationship with the Waziri of Adamawa, Fintiri replied in the affirmative.

He explained that despite aligning with the ruling APC, there is no strained communication with the former VP as a result of political differences.

“I still have, there is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways. I am today in APC, they are in another party.”

According to the governor, the stability of this nation matters in the polity of Nigeria.

“It is still the turn of the south to complete. A northerner has no business at the moment to vie for the office of the President.

Drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh on Tuesday as Iran hit back at industrial and diplomatic targets across the Middle East and Washington warned its citizens to evacuate the entire region.

Four days after US and Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader and triggered a regional war, AFP reporters in the Saudi capital saw smoke damage on the walls and roof of the embassy.

Saudi police were swarming over the diplomatic quarter and checking IDs of everyone who entered. Several roads were blocked, including approaches to the US embassy.

READ ALSO: Drones Hit Amazon Data Centers, Gulf Facility Amid US-Israel-Iran War

Powerful explosions also shook Tehran through the night, as fighter jets flew over the Iranian capital and US President Donald Trump threatened to escalate the conflict.

On Monday, the US State Department had urged “Americans to DEPART NOW” from all of the countries and territories of the Middle East “due to serious safety risks”.

Israel, meanwhile, said it was seizing new forward positions inside southern Lebanon, after Hezbollah fired missiles in support of its backer Iran and provoked a furious Israeli bombardment.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces had been authorised “to advance and take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities”.

Burn any ship

Following Israel’s “escalation”, according to a Lebanese military source, the Lebanese army redeployed troops in the south. Hezbollah claimed it had launched strikes targeting three Israeli bases.

In Gulf cities and the Omani port of Duqm, Iranian strikes continued to hit oil and gas infrastructure and as European markets opened the benchmark Brent crude price jumped again.

“We will burn any ship that tries to pass through the Strait of Hormuz,” Revolutionary Guards General Sardar Jabbari declared, underlining the threat the war poses to the global economy.

In Washington, Trump warned that the strikes could continue for weeks or months.

“From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,” Trump said at the White House.

In an earlier interview with the New York Post, Trump — who campaigned on promises to end US involvement in wars — refused to rule out deploying US ground troops to Iran “if they were necessary”.

And, speaking to NewsNation, Trump warned Iran would “find out soon” how he planned to retaliate for the Riyadh embassy attack.

The US president laid out for the first time the operation’s objectives — destroying Iran’s missiles, navy and nuclear programme and stopping its support for armed groups across the region.

Trump’s goals notably did not include toppling the Islamic republic, even though he and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have urged the people of Iran to rise up.

Saudi Arabia, home to one of the region’s largest oil refineries, some which have already been closed following attacks, said it intercepted eight more drones in two cities, including the capital, on Tuesday.

Two, however, got through air defences and struck the US embassy, causing a fire.

In Fujairah, one of the United Arab Emirates, debris from downed drones caused a fire at an oil facility, the state’s media office said. The blaze was brought under control and operations resumed.

‘Imminent threat?’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented a strikingly new narrative of how the conflict started.

Washington’s top diplomat said the United States, which had built up its forces in the Gulf to levels not seen since its 2003 Iraq invasion, attacked only after learning that ally Israel was to strike Iran.

Iran had been ready to strike US forces in the region in response to Israel, so Trump decided to intervene “pre-emptively” alongside Israel, Rubio said.

“The imminent threat was that we knew that if Iran was attacked — and we believed they would be attacked — that they would immediately come after us,” Rubio told reporters before briefing lawmakers.

Rival Democrats voiced disbelief, with Senator Mark Warner saying it was “uncharted territory” for the United States to be triggered into action by Israel’s perception of a threat.

Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi responded that “there was never any so-called Iranian ‘threat’.”

“Mr. Rubio admitted what we all knew: US has entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel’,” he posted on X.

In an earlier interview with the New York Post, Trump — who campaigned on promises to end US involvement in wars — refused to rule out deploying US ground troops to Iran “if they were necessary”.

Death toll rises

Throughout the region, the death toll has steadily increased with six US military personnel killed so far in the war, according to US Central Command.

Iranian media have reported hundreds of Iranian casualties, including scores at a girl’s school, although AFP reporters have not been able to verify tolls independently.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) on Tuesday said there were 101 casualties inside Iran on the third day of the war, including “85 civilian deaths and 11 military personnel killed”.

Many residents in Tehran were torn between fear of the bombings and hope that the government’s days might now be numbered.

AFP journalists witnessed some residents with suitcases in hand preparing to leave.

Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State says his relationship with ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar is still intact despite the former’s defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Despite leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC a few weeks ago, Fintiri says the duo enjoys a healthy relationship.

“I still have. There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways, and I am today in APC, they are in another party,” the Adamawa State governor said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

Atiku, who is from Adamawa State, is eyeing the country’s presidential seat in the 2027 election and has teamed up with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The country practices a power-sharing deal between the northern and southern regions. President Bola Tinubu, who is from the southern part of the country, is still in his first term.

READ ALSO: Adamawa Gov Fintiri Defects To APC

Chamberlain Usoh: Do you have a good relationship with Atiku Abubakar?

Gov Fintiri of Adamawa State: I still have. There is nothing that has gone bad. It is just that everybody has taken their political ways, and I am today in APC, they are in another party….

A northerner has… pic.twitter.com/8BCjBMnfW5

While not recognised by law, Fintiri believes the power-sharing deal should continue, arguing that southern Nigeria should complete eight years in the presidency before power returns to the north.

According to him, the power-sharing deal is a unifying factor in the country.

“A northerner has no business at the moment to vie for the office of the president,” the governor, 58, said on the show.

“It is the South’s turn; they should complete their eight years if we are really serious about this country and leadership,” Fintiri said.

The Adamawa governor became the latest high-profile politician to defect to the APC, a move which increased the number of governors in the ruling party to 31.

Critics have questioned the mass defection into the APC, saying the country is sliding into a one-party state.

But Finitri has defended his decision to join the APC, citing the need to align his people with the ruling party.

Adamu Abubakar, son of Nigeria’s former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as the Adamawa State commissioner for Works and Energy Development.

In a letter dated March 2nd, 2026, Adamu Abubakar said that the decision “follows deep personal reflection and careful consideration.”

“The Honourable Commissioner for Works and Energy Development, Adamawa State, Alhaji Adamu Atiku Abubakar, has formally resigned from his position after serving two successful terms in office.

He also thanked the Adamawa State governor, Umaru Fintiri, for the opportunity to serve and for his support during his tenure.

“I remain profoundly grateful for the confidence and trust Your Excellency reposed in me throughout my tenure. Your support provided the enabling environment to carry out the responsibilities of the office with dedication and commitment,” he said.

READ ALSO: Adamawa Gov Fintiri Defects To APC

Mr. Abubakar expressed his appreciation to the people of Adamawa State.

“I also extend my sincere appreciation to the good people of Adamawa State for their understanding, prayers, and support during my time in service. Their encouragement has been a constant source of strength,” the letter read in part.

His resignation comes a few days after Governor Fintiri, 59, officially announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Abubakar, however, did not mention whether his resignation was politically motivated. He was nominated as commissioner in October 2019 during Fintiri’s first term.

The governor was elected under the PDP and is in his second term as the leader of the North-East State.

Finitri’s resignation from the PDP adds to the growing list of governors and other bigwigs who have joined the APC just about one year before the 2027 general elections.

Several commissioners and members of the Adamawa State House of Assembly also joined the governor in the APC.

The political realignment adds another layer of intrigue, shaping next year’s general election.

The Nigeria Police Force has unveiled the official portrait of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu.

Force spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, released the top police cop’s image via a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

The development comes a day after the Nigeria Police Council (NPC) confirmed Disu’s appointment as the substantive Inspector General of Police (IGP).

The Council, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, confirmed the appointment at its Monday meeting.

According to a statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the endorsement has paved the way for his swearing-in by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.

The ceremony will take place during the Federal Executive Council meeting, scheduled for the same day.

The Council’s meeting, which took place at the State House, was presided over by President Tinubu and was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, state governors, and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, retired DIG Hashimu Argungu, in accordance with the Constitution.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Police Council Backs Disu’s Appointment, Tinubu To Swear In New IGP Wednesday

Others in attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam; the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike; and the head of service, Esther Didi Walson-Jack.

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who spoke glowingly about Disu, commended the Acting Inspector-General of Police for his exemplary services as a policeman, especially when he served as the commander of the Rapid Response Squad in Lagos State between 2015 and 2021, where his tenure earned him and the RRS recognition for excellence in crime control.

Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, commended the President’s appointment of Disu, noting that it was based on his excellent career record.

Wike, who is a former governor of Rivers State, also lauded Disu for his efficiency as a crime fighter and for ensuring the command’s strategic impact in addressing security concerns within the territory.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State seconded the motion endorsing the appointment.

President Tinubu appointed Disu as the acting IGP on February 25, 2026, following the resignation of former IGP Kayode Egbetokun.