Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo swiftly ended Boko Haram’s activities when the group first emerged during their administration.

He gave the insight during a visit by stakeholders from Kogi East Senatorial District, led by former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba,

Atiku attributed the early success against the insurgents to strong political will.

Atiku, in a video shared on his Facebook page from the meeting, said that Boko Haram first appeared in Yobe State in 2002, prompting Obasanjo to consult him on how to respond.

Atiku recalled that Boko Haram first appeared in Yobe State in 2002, prompting Obasanjo to consult him on how to respond.

Atiku said, “You remember when the Boko Haram started in Yobe? It was actually in 2002. We were in the office. The president sent for me. ‘VP, what do we do about this?’

Then I said, ‘Mr President, let’s call the Service Chiefs and give them a deadline. If they can’t put it down, then they should put down their uniform and go away. We will get some other people.

And he called the Service Chiefs; I was there, and gave them marching orders, and within a few weeks, they put down the insurgency in Yobe. It never came up again until we left office.”

A bill seeking to amend the 1999 Constitution to strip the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of its powers to register and regulate political parties, was rejected yesterday by the House of Representatives.

The bill is co-sponsored by Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, and Francis Waive.

The proposal is aimed at transferring the powers to the Office of the Registrar-General of Political Parties.

The bill was presented for second reading but was voted down after a voice vote conducted by the deputy speaker, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the plenary.

The House also rejected another constitution amendment bill, sponsored by Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, seeking to establish the principle of rotation for the offices of the president and vice president among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones— North-Central, North-East, North-West, South-East, South-South, and South-West.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has assured Nigerians that all necessary amendments on the Electoral Act will be completed before the 2027 polls.

Yakubu also debunked insinuation in some quarters that he has been sacked, saying he still remains the country’s chief electoral officer.

The INEC Chairman spoke while fielding questions from newsmen on Monday shortly after the inauguration of two INEC Commissioners by President Bola Tinubu at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja.

According to him, the commission alongside relevant stakeholders have reviewed the 2023 general election and came up with 142 recommendations, stressing that out of the number, eight required electoral amendment.

The INEC boss said the commission has been interfacing with the National Assembly and that two weeks ago, it had a retreat in Lagos with the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on electoral reform.

“Thereafter, the National Assembly is going to organize a public hearing, and it’s after the public hearing that now a new bill will, at the end of the day, be submitted to the president for assent,” he said.

Yakubu further stated: “So, we’re working with the National Assembly on electoral reform, but at this point, I’m not going to give you any more details.

You will hear from the National Assembly whose responsibility it is, but we reviewed the 2023 general election on our own.

“We engaged with the stakeholders. We came up with 142 recommendations out of this 142 recommendations, eight require constitutional or Electoral Act amendment, and we discussed this with members of the National Assembly.