•Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo

Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, says that wearing branded outfits bearing President Bola Tinubu’s insignia is now a must for the members of his cabinet

Okpebholo assets that the directive is a way of showing their support for the president.

The directive was given on Tuesday during the swearing-in of newly appointed commissioners and inauguration of commissions and boards of agencies in Benin.

While attributing his emergence as governor to Tinubu, Okpebholo stated that loyalty to the president must be reflected even in appearance.

“This could not have happened if we did not have a responsible president. We have done many elections here, and the major problem we have had is that the president is not with us, but today we say thank you.

“I will not forgive any commissioner that is not wearing this cap. In our exco meetings, if you are not wearing a suit and you are coming to the meeting without this Asiwaju cap, you will go back,” Okpebholo said.

“The ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 will be concluded in or before December 2025.”

Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), gave the assurance, affirming that the amendment would be used for the 2027 general elections.

However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) kicked against the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly to bring forward the 2027 general elections to November 2026, saying it would hinder governance.

Bamidele explained that the only reason the Muhammadu Buhari administration was unable to sign the last aspect of the electoral amendment bill was that the National Assembly transmitted it late to the Presidency.

He disclosed this in a statement after the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, read President Bola Tinubu’s request to confirm Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Bamidele further explained: “Before then, we had made our first proposal. We sent the bill to the then-president, and it was signed.

When further observations were made, especially when certain individuals were disenfranchised as statutory delegates and the National Assembly sought to make corrections, the late Buhari stated that the bill was coming too close to the election.

“Buhari then observed that he did not want to be misunderstood by the public.

That is why the bill was not signed then. Between now and December 2025, we will ensure that the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022, is concluded so that it will not be too close to the 2027 Elections.”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has warned the National Assembly against shifting the 2027 general elections to November 2026

In a statement on Tuesday , signed by Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary, of the ADC, the party argued that amending the election date “would push Nigeria into a perpetual campaign cycle, shorten the effective period for governance, disrupt development planning, and further weaken institutional focus.”

The ADC urged lawmakers to abandon the idea and instead pursue genuine electoral and judicial reforms that ensure credible elections and the timely resolution of disputes without undermining governance stability.

The party noted that “the goal of the proposed 2022 electoral act amendment is to ensure that election petitions are concluded before inauguration, the answer is not to cut short tenures or rush the electoral process.

“The solution lies in strengthening our institutions by enforcing strict timelines for tribunals, reforming electoral laws, and improving the capacity of the judiciary and INEC.”