News
NASS Minority Leadership: Wike plots Upset, meets Akpabio
The immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has on Thursday held a meeting with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio for over six hours ahead of the Senate resumption on July 4, 2023.
It was gathered that the marathon meeting was Wike’s move to block the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, hierarchy from nominating the Senate Minority leaders at the upper and lower legislative chambers of the National Assembly.
The meeting, which held in the office of the Senate President, had the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau in attendance, the newly appointed Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel, Senator Jibrin Isah representing Kogi East Senatorial District, and Senator Salihu Mustapha representing Kwara Central Senatorial District.
It was learnt that Wike insisted on nominating the Minority leader of the 10th Senate from his faction rather than allowing the PDP national organ to handle the nomination.
Though he declined speaking with journalists after the meeting ended at about 6.30 pm, and drove away in the convoy of the Senate President, a source, who spoke under anonymity, revealed that the former governor explained reasons his faction should be allowed to produce the Senate and House of Representatives Minority leaders.
It could not be confirmed, if the Senate President agreed to Wike’s proposal.
Recall that the choice of Majority and Minority Leaders of the upper and lower legislative chambers have been traditionally handled by the political party organ.
He said, “Wike was only serious in his faction producing the principal officers, but never revealed names of those he was targeting.
“He is very serious about getting the required support from the leadership of the National Assembly, as well as membership of the other minority political parties in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.”
Meanwhile, the APC has 59 Senators, PDP 36, Labour Party 8, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) 2, Social Democratic Party (SDP) 2, APGA 1 and YPP 1.
News
US Declares 23 Nigerian States High-Risk for Citizens
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
Photo: President Donald Trump; President Bola Tinubu
The United States Department of State has classified 23 Nigerian states “High Insecurity Risks” for its citizens to go , work and live.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Wednesday, the Embassy in Nigeria urged Americans to reconsider travel to Nigeria, with certain states classified under “Level 4: Do Not Travel” due to heightened security risks.
Plateau, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, and Taraba were added to the list, bringing the total to 23 states where travel is strongly discouraged.
In Northern Nigeria, the advisory highlighted Borno, Jigawa, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Yobe, and northern Adamawa as particularly high-risk, citing terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime.Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara were also flagged due to civil unrest, widespread crime, and kidnappings.
“The security situation in these states is unstable and uncertain due to civil unrest. Widespread violence between communities and armed crime, including kidnapping and roadside banditry.
“Security operations to counter these threats may occur without warning,” the advisory warned.
Southern and Southeastern states were not spared. The Department urged caution in Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers (excluding Port Harcourt), citing crime, kidnapping, and violent protests.
“Crime is widespread in Southern Nigeria. There is a high risk of kidnapping, violent protests, and armed gangs,” the advisory stated.
News
INEC releases updated voters registration figure nationwide
Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has recorded over 3.4 million new voters in the ongoing second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide.
The figure is disclosed by the Commission in its week 13 update released on Wednesday in Abuja.
” A total of 3,441,121 registrations have been completed as of April 3, covering both online pre-registrations and physical walk-ins,” said INEC .
Given the breakdown, INEC explained that 2,068,384 citizens completed their registration online, while 1,372,737 others registered physically at designated centres across the country.
State-by-state data showed that Jigawa recorded the highest number of registrants with 201,047, representing 5.84 percent of the total.
Lagos followed with 181,095, while Kano ranked third with 177,681 registrations.Youth participation remained dominant, with citizens aged between 18 and 34 accounting for 2,354,768 registrants, representing 68.43 per cent of the total figure.
Gender distribution indicated a higher turnout among women, with females accounting for 1,922,143 registrations (55.86 percent), compared to 1,518,978 males (44.14 percent).
The Lagos State Government has unveiled a comprehensive traffic diversion plan for Wednesday, April 8, and Thursday, April 9, 2026, in preparation for the commissioning of several key infrastructure projects by President Bola Tinubu.
According to the state Ministry of Transportation, partial road closures and diversions will be implemented in affected areas to ensure smooth movement during the events, which include the inauguration of the Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge and other major projects such as the Lagos State Geographic Information Service building in Alausa and the Tolu Schools Complex.
On Wednesday, April 8, diversions will be enforced around venues for the commissioning ceremonies, while on Thursday, April 9, restrictions will apply between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. during the Tolu Schools Complex event and additional project unveilings.
Motorists have been advised to use alternative routes and plan their journeys accordingly to avoid delays. The government urged residents and commuters to cooperate with traffic management officials and security personnel deployed to the areas.
The projects form part of ongoing efforts to improve infrastructure and education facilities across the state. Further details on specific diversion routes are expected to be released by the Ministry of Transportation in the coming hours.
Commuters are encouraged to monitor official announcements via Lagos State traffic radio and social media handles for real-time updates.
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