FocalPoint Reports

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to resign over the recent amendment to the Senate Standing Orders guiding the election of leaders in the Red Chamber.  Oshiomhole made the call while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Thursday. The former Edo State governor said the new rules had created what he described as a moral problem within the Senate. According to him, the amendment has raised questions about fairness and the qualifications needed to occupy top positions in the chamber. The Edo North senator argued that Akpabio should not continue to preside over the Senate if the new requirements are applied strictly. He said the Senate President himself may not meet the condition being discussed under the amended rules. Oshiomhole explained that the new arrangement demanding longer years of service before anyone can contest for Senate President would also affect Akpabio. He noted that Akpabio had not spent up to eight years in the Sen...

The Nigerian Senate has approved fresh amendments to the Electoral Act 2026, repositioning the Court of Appeal as the highest judicial authority for resolving pre-election disputes across governorship, National Assembly, and state Houses of Assembly elections. The upper chamber of the National Assembly also granted the Court of Appeal original jurisdiction to hear pre-election cases tied to presidential elections, with any further appeals channelled straight to the Supreme Court, effectively cutting out intermediate courts from the process. The legislation, which cleared both second and third readings on the floor of the Senate, was sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong, who represents Plateau South. Tackling Conflicting Judgments The amendments push to end the damaging practice of forum shopping, which is described as a tactic where litigants deliberately file cases in courts perceived to be sympathetic to their cause. This has long produced conflicting rulings from court...

Troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have killed three terrorists during a fighting patrol operation in Zamfara State. The troops also recovered arms and ammunition from terrorists during the operation carried out in Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas of the state. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, May 7, by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force North-West Operation FANSAN YAMMA,  Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja. According to the statement, the operation was conducted on May 7 as part of ongoing efforts to deny terrorists freedom of movement in Zamfara and other parts of the North-West. Danja said the troops came in contact with armed terrorists at Doumbourum Village, where they engaged them in a gun battle. The statement said,  “A fierce firefight ensued,”  adding that the troops overpowered the attackers with superior firepower. According to the task force, three terrorists we...

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has entered the race for the Bauchi South Senatorial District seat under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) ahead of the 2027 general elections. It was reported that he picked up his nomination form in Abuja on Thursday after attending the party’s National Executive Committee meeting. The meeting had the National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, and other party leaders in attendance. During the meeting, the governor spoke about problems in the political system, saying that unfair practices and pressure in politics have made it difficult for some leaders to operate freely. He explained that his move to the APM was based on shared ideas about leadership, fairness in party affairs, justice, inclusion, and respect for the law. He also noted that his decision was not his alone. According to him, several politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) moved with him. These include lawmakers, members of the state assembly, local government leaders, commission...

The Kogi government has confirmed the safe rescue of all victims abducted from the Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage in Lokoja. The confirmation came in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lokoja by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that gunmen attacked the orphanage on April 26 and abducted 23 pupils, including the proprietor’s wife. The government had earlier confirmed the rescue of 15 victims on April 27 following intensified security operations across the state. Fanwo said the remaining nine victims regained freedom during a rescue operation conducted in the early hours of Wednesday. He described the development as a major breakthrough against criminal elements operating within the state and a relief to affected families. According to him, troops of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army led the coordinated search-and-rescue mission with support from other security agencies. “The operation, carried out in the A...

The Inspector-General of Police(IGP),  Olatunji Rilwan Disu,  on Wednesday, May 6, met with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, SAN, and other senior officials of the commission at the Force Headquarters in Abuja over security arrangements for upcoming elections. The meeting focused on plans to ensure peaceful, credible and secure elections, especially ahead of the Ekiti and Osun off-cycle governorship elections, forthcoming bye-elections and the 2027 General Elections. Also in attendance were members of the Force Management Team and senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force. The INEC delegation included the National Commissioner for the North-Central Region, Professor Sanni Muhammed; National Commissioners for the North-East Region, Mrs Jamila Abubakar Malafa and Dr Baba Bila; National Commissioner for the South-South Region, Rear Admiral Rhoda Gumus; and National Commissioner for the South-West Region, Professor Kunle Ajayi...