The House of Representatives has summoned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to provide details of the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections amid concerns over insecurity and the risk of eligible voters being disenfranchised.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Lawmakers directed Amupitan to appear before the House Committee on Electoral Matters within seven legislative days to give a comprehensive briefing on INEC’s readiness for the polls.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by the Minority Whip, Mansur Soro, and the Deputy Minority Leader, Abdussamad Dasuki, during Wednesday’s plenary.

INEC has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.

The House instructed its Committee on Electoral Matters to scrutinise the commission’s preparations in key areas, including Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), the production and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), election logistics, technological deployment and security arrangements.

Lawmakers also requested an assessment of INEC’s plans for deploying the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

The committee is expected to examine the recruitment and training of electoral personnel, voter education programmes and measures to address operational challenges across the country.

It will also review INEC’s budgetary allocations, funds already released, outstanding payments and the potential consequences of funding shortfalls for the implementation of the electoral timetable.

Additionally, the lawmakers want the committee to assess lessons from the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, particularly regarding election administration, logistics, technology deployment and voter participation.

The motion’s sponsors had initially proposed that the INEC chairman address the entire House on the commission’s preparations. However, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu opposed the suggestion, arguing that the responsibility should be handled by the standing committee overseeing electoral matters.

Kalu maintained that inviting Amupitan before the full House, shortly after he had briefed the nation, could undermine the oversight responsibilities of the relevant committee.

“While I agree such oversight should be carried out, I believe that the oversight should be by the committee of the House that has been given this responsibility to do so,” he said.

He added that lawmakers should have confidence in their committees, noting that their members were adequately equipped to carry out the necessary oversight functions.

Presenting the motion, Soro cited Sections 76, 116, 132 and 178 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, relevant provisions of the Constitution’s Third Schedule and the Electoral Act 2026, which establish INEC’s responsibility for organising, conducting and supervising elections.

He argued that the credibility, transparency and public acceptance of the 2027 elections would depend largely on the commission’s preparedness in voter registration, voter education, logistics, technology, personnel training, security coordination and funding.

Soro also pointed to the recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun, saying they offered important lessons in election management, logistics, technology deployment, stakeholder engagement, security and voter participation.

The lawmaker expressed concern over reported difficulties at Continuous Voter Registration centres across the country, including inadequate registration equipment, insufficient personnel, network failures, lengthy waiting times and increased demand from citizens seeking to register or update their voter details.

According to him, these challenges could prevent eligible citizens from participating in the electoral process, particularly first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers.

“These operational difficulties particularly affect first-time voters, rural citizens, individuals with disabilities, students, and workers, limiting their access to registration and threatening the participation of eligible voters in the electoral process without timely interventions,” Soro said.

Contributing to the debate, Dasuki said the motion was aimed at addressing concerns about the ability of eligible voters in areas affected by insecurity to participate in the forthcoming elections.

“This is the very first time we are going into an election with 11 months of security concerns,” he stated.

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has dismissed claims that the President’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia is for medical treatment, insisting that he is travelling to perform Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Olusegun made this clarification on Thursday in a post on his X account while responding to comments by human rights activist Omoyele Sowore, who had raised concerns about Tinubu’s health ahead of the trip.

The presidential aide rejected suggestions that the President was travelling abroad to seek medical attention, explaining that the visit was intended for religious purposes.

According to Olusegun, Tinubu plans to visit the holy land to pray for Nigeria and seek divine guidance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

In his post, he wrote that the President was travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, a religious exercise undertaken by Muslims around the world.

“President Tinubu is not heading to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. He is heading to the Holy Land for Lesser Hajj (Umrah), like other Muslims across the world, to offer supplications for the country and commit his re-election journey into the hands of God,” Olusegun stated.

He described the trip as a familiar practice, noting that Muslims often undertake religious journeys when preparing for important events or major milestones.

Olusegun also recalled that Tinubu travelled to Makkah twice in 2022 to perform Umrah, first in April ahead of the APC presidential primary and again in late December before the presidential election.

According to the aide, the President’s previous visits were followed by electoral success, adding that Tinubu had decided to undertake the pilgrimage again.

“It is only sensible to stick to a potent strategy, hence the President is going again,” he added.

The presidential aide also cited Tinubu’s recent official engagements as evidence against concerns about his health.

He noted that the President attended the APC re-election campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday, received former African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, and separately hosted the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Ola Awakan.

Olusegun further stated that Tinubu chaired the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, during which several key decisions were taken.

He argued that the President’s busy schedule contradicted claims that he was unwell.

“Mr Sowore, a ‘sick person’ would not have this many itineraries to accomplish. Mr President is fit as a fiddle, and no evil, as you are wishing for, will befall the People’s President,” he said.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, describing him as “shallow” and “unreliable” over what he considers inconsistencies in the former minister’s political positions.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North Senatorial District, made the remarks during an interview on TVC on Wednesday, according to reports.

The former Edo State governor accused Amaechi of criticising the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu despite previously supporting the party and serving in the administration.

He also questioned Amaechi’s credibility by recalling his past disagreements with Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate.

According to Oshiomhole, Amaechi had previously challenged Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate through the party’s primary election, alleging that the process was fraudulent.

He further claimed that Amaechi later changed his position after Atiku allegedly approached him to work together.

“Amaechi is contradicting his past positions. He has lost direction politically,” Oshiomhole said.

The senator also referred to previous media reports in which Amaechi allegedly questioned the legitimacy of Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate.

He said Amaechi had accused Atiku of taking a mandate he did not legitimately win and subsequently challenged his emergence in court.

“And that Atiku stole the mandate, he didn’t win the mandate. Amaechi didn’t stop there. He went to court to challenge Atiku that he stole the mandate.

“And Atiku went back to him and asked, let’s share the mandate together,” Oshiomhole claimed.

The former APC national chairman also recalled Amaechi’s alleged description of Atiku as an ethnic champion who would struggle to lead a country as diverse as Nigeria.

Oshiomhole argued that the former Rivers State governor’s previous comments about Atiku contradicted his current political alignment with the ADC presidential candidate.

“So, you don’t want to take Amaechi serious. So, if someone who dismissed his own Oga as an ethnic champion and incapable of running a diverse country such as Nigeria, then I won’t waste my precious time discussing Amaechi,” he said.

Oshiomhole subsequently described Amaechi as a politician whose statements should be treated with caution.

“Amaechi is flat. Amaechi is shallow. Amaechi is not reliable. Amaechi is a guy the Supreme Court manufactured because of the fact that they were Supreme and there is nothing we could do about it,” he added.

The senator also dismissed Amaechi’s recent criticism of Nigeria’s condition, describing his position as hypocritical and questioning whether his comments were genuinely motivated by concern for citizens.

He urged Nigerians to disregard the ADC vice-presidential candidate’s criticism of the current administration, arguing that Amaechi’s record as a former governor and minister should also be considered when assessing his remarks.