•Senator Barinada Mpigi

Senator Barinada Mpigi, the Chairman Senate Committee on Works who held the mandate of Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the 10th Assembly, is dead, aged 64.

His death makes it the fourth of serving senators to have passed on in the current Assembly senate since their inauguration in June 2023.

While he served, the late federal lawmaker made active contributions at plenary on issues of national development, especially in environmental governance in the Niger-Delta region.

Senator Mpigi, who was a close political ally to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High court today adjourned for judgment indefinitely in respect of the defamation suit instituted against Socio-economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) by two operatives of the Department of State Services(DSS).

Justice Yusuf Halilu adjourned for judgment after the adoption of addresses by counsel to the claimants and defendants.

The two operatives, Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele had sued SERAP for N5 billion for alleged defamation following SERAP’s accusation that the DSS invaded its Abuja office in 2024.

At the adoption of written addresses today, counsel to SERAP, Victoria Bassey, from Tayo Oyetibo, SAN Chambers, urged the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety.

Ms Bassey, asserted that the suit was misconceived because the claimants did not establish that the words complained of were published of and concerned them personally.

In the written address, the defendant’s counsel posited:

”The law is firmly settled that in an action for defamation, the burden lies squarely on the claimant to prove, as a threshold and indispensable requirement that the words complained of were published of were published of and concerning him personally.

This requirement is not cosmetic as it goes to the very root of the cause of action and failure to establish it is fatal.It is common ground that none of the publications complained of mentioned the claimants by name, rank, photograph or office.

The referred generically to ‘officers from Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS)’ and complained of the conduct of the DSS as an institution”.

According to the counsel, the claimants have not established that the complaints of SERAP referred to them, adding that “there is no evidence whatsoever that a right-thinking individual reasonably understood the words complained of to refer to either claimants personally”.

In his adoption of address, counsel to the claimants, Oluwagbemileke Kehinde, urged the court to grant all the reliefs of the claimants, and discountenance the defendants’ defence, describing them as incompetent.

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00 p.m., finalizing sweeping changes to Nigeria’s electoral framework just days after the National Assembly passed the harmonized version and following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the 2027 election timetable.

The ceremony was attended by principal officers of the National Assembly, marking a swift assent to the legislation that repeals the 2022 Act and enacts fresh provisions to govern federal, state, and FCT elections.

Key highlights of the new law include a hybrid approach to result transmission: mandatory electronic upload of polling unit results to INEC’s IReV portal where feasible, with manual collation retained as a fallback option in cases of network failures, technical glitches, or other disruptions a provision that sparked intense debate and opposition protests during legislative proceedings.

The Senate’s passage on Tuesday featured a dramatic division vote on Clause 60(3), with 55 lawmakers supporting the retention of the manual proviso against 15 opponents, largely from opposition parties.

The House of Representatives saw rowdy sessions, opposition walkouts, and chants of “APC, ole” (thief) in protest over what critics called a dilution of full electronic transmission.

Other notable amendments include adjustments to election timelines (reducing the mandatory notice period to align with the 2027 calendar, avoiding overlaps with Ramadan), provisions on party primaries (emphasizing direct primaries while allowing consensus in some cases), and clarifications aimed at enhancing procedural efficiency for the February 20, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, and March 6 gubernatorial and state assembly polls.

The signing has reignited nationwide controversy. Opposition figures and civil society organizations have condemned the hybrid transmission clause as a step backward from transparency gains in the 2022 Act, warning it could enable manipulation and erode public trust. Former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Mike Igini had urged Tinubu not to assent, describing the bill as a “recipe for chaos” that favors elites over voters.

Supporters, including ruling APC lawmakers, argue the changes provide necessary flexibility for Nigeria’s diverse terrain and infrastructure challenges, ensuring elections proceed smoothly even in remote or poorly connected areas.

INEC is expected to issue guidance on implementing the new provisions soon, as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

The development follows months of legislative back-and-forth, public hearings, and heated plenary sessions, underscoring deep divisions over electoral integrity in Africa’s most populous democracy.

President Tinubu’s swift assent has drawn mixed reactions on social media and among stakeholders, with calls for judicial challenges already emerging from critics who view the law as undermining the push for fully digital, tamper-proof elections.