COVER
PDP Govs Tell Buhari to Sign New Electoral Bill

.Suspect the President Does not Desire a Credible Election
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.Knock FG’s Subsidy Regime
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told President Muhammmadu Buhari to stop further delay and grant his assent to the re-amended Electoral Amendment Bill that is currently before him.
This was part of the resolutions reached at the end of the meeting of the governors elected on the platform of the main opposition party, under the aegis of the PDP Governors Forum yesterday at Government House in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
The PDP Governors noted that the President can sign the Bill into law and then raise any issue, instead of the practice of allowing time to elapse before returning it to the National Assembly for any possible amendment.
The PDP governors reviewed the state of the nation and the party’s preparedness to rescue the country from the alleged bad leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governors in a communique issued at the end of the meeting, urged “President Buhari to immediately sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law. Waiting to run out the 30 days is yet another sign of unwillingness by Mr President to give Nigeria a reformed Electoral framework. If there are still misgivings on any aspect of the Bill Amendments may be introduced at a later stage.”
The Governors also congratulated their party on winning 43 out of 62 councillorship positions in the just conducted Abuja Area Council election results.
However, they regretted that in spite of improvements in the conduct of elections, the Gwagwalada and Abuja Area Council results show that manipulations are still possible, hence the charge on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tighten all observed loopholes and further improve on the functioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) Machine for future elections.
Furthermore, the opposition governors also urged the National Assembly to use its remaining time to ensure a proper devolution of more powers to the states and local government areas.
“As the National Assembly winds down this current phase of the Constitution Review exercise, the Forum urged that they revisit the issue of devolution of more powers to the States and Local Governments.
“This opportunity to rejig the framework for policing and securing Nigeria should not be missed. To this end, the Forum would set up a Panel of Consultants to have a thorough look at the security architecture of Nigeria and make recommendations.”
The Governors also expressed their displeasure on the issue of contaminated Fuel supplied to Nigerians and urged government to bring perpetrators to account.
“The Governors frowned at the duplicity, inconsistency, insincerity of the APC-led Federal Government on the fuel subsidy regime, which has been badly and corruptly administered. The figures of consumption and ascribed to Nigerians appear fictitious and bloated. They called for proper investigation to be conducted on this matter.”
However, the Forum welcomed the Court decision on Police Trust Fund deductions from the Federation Account, a suit at the instance of Rivers State and urged the Federal Government to stop similar unconstitutional deductions from the Federation Account.
“In the same vein, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) should expedite action on the new Revenue Allocation formula in such a way as to increase allocation to States and Local Government.”
The Forum equally took a swipe at the APC administration over the way the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is operating allegedly as a parallel government, saying it is time to streamline its functions and processes to be constitutionally compliant.
They also weighed in on the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC), describing it as opaque. Therefore, they called for accountability and reconciliation of NNPC remittances into the federation account.
At the meeting were 11 governors including the Vice Chairman, Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State who presided over the meeting.
COVER
NAICOM Hails Passage of Insurance Reform Bill by House of Reps

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commended the Federal House of Representatives for the speedy passage of the Insurance Reform Bill.
The Senate had in December 2024 passed the same bill.
NAICOM said in a statement yesterday that “This is a milestone achievement that marks yet another significant step towards transforming the insurance industry in Nigeria”.
“The Commission is enthusiastic about the prospects of the bill receiving assent from Mr.
President, which will pave the way for the implementation of its provisions.“As the apex regulator of the insurance industry, NAICOM is committed to ensuring that the sector contributes positively to Nigeria’s financial landscape.
We believe that by the time the Insurance Reform Bill is signed into Law, it will have a profound impact on the industry, leading to improved penetration, increased public confidence, and enhanced competitiveness”, the statement added..“We salute the leadership of the National Assembly for their efforts in passing the bill and look forward to its assent by Mr. President. We are confident that the Reform Bill will usher in a new era of growth and development for the insurance industry in Nigeria”, NAICOM said.
COVER
Underage Involvement in kidnapping, Banditry Worrisome, Says Niger CJ

From Dan Amasingha, Minna
The Niger State Chief Judge, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik has raised the alarm over the involvement of teenagers in the heinous crime of kidnapping and banditry activities in the state.
Speaking at the end of her working visit to the Minna old Correctional Custody centre, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik described the increasing proportion of the teenagers’ involvement in banditry activities as worrisome.
The State Chief Judge described the trends as disturbing and worrisome calling on the security agencies to step up in curtailing the ugly trend.
“You people are making travelers on the highways to be afraid, you keep on terrorising innocent travelers and residents to be in perpetual fear,” she told the teenagers at the Minna old Correctional Custody during her working visit to the centre.
According to the CJ, the under-aged involvement in armed banditry and kidnapping activities is posing a serious fear and threat to travelers and residents across the State.
“What do you use the ransome you collect from your victims for? How much do you collect so far from your victims? Why can’t you engage in meaningful ventures than kidnapping innocent victims for ransome,” she questioned.
Most of the kidnapping suspects awaiting trial at the Minna old Correctional Custody are all teenagers between the ages of eighteen and nineteen.
The activities of these teenagers, according to the Chief Judge, are a serious security threat to the country particularly in the North.
However, the CJ could not attend to their cases as their trial is still ongoing in court while those that admitted to their involvement in kidnappings were summarily convicted during the exercise.
It was observed that most of the kidnapping suspects awaiting trial are all Fulanis, mostly teenagers.
COVER
Bala, Obi Hint at Opposition Alliance Ahead of 2027

By Joel Oladele, Abuja
With the 2027 presidential race already casting shadows over Nigeria’s politics, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has signaled a potential alliance with Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to strengthen opposition unity and push for good governance.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting that lasted over three hours yesterday at the Bauchi Presidential Lodge, both leaders emphasized the need to transcend party, regional and religious divisions to address critical national challenges such as poverty, insecurity and economic recovery.
This is coming a few days after former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), citing “irreconcilable differences” with the party’s current leadership.
DAILY ASSET reported that the move, announced in a resignation letter submitted to his local ward in Kaduna State on Tuesday, signals turbulence within the APC, where el-Rufai’s past critiques of President Bola Tinubu’s administration have stoked tensions.
Amid the ongoing political realignment, Mohammed, a key figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), described Obi as the leader of the opposition and affirmed his readiness to work with him to present a credible alternative to Nigerians ahead of the next election cycle.
“We discussed state by state challenges and I feel highly appreciative of what he is doing as the leader of the opposition because whether we like it or not, he is the leader of the opposition now in Nigeria.
“I want to say at this level, not to make some of those doubting Thomases and mischievous minds to pre-empt what we are doing, that I’m ready to work with Peter Obi.
“We will make sure we come together, close ranks, bring good governance to the country, give vibrant opposition with knowledge, timelines, visions in such a manner that we will rescue and recover our country.
“Our coming together is a message and the message is going to resonate because all our colleagues, the PDP governors, are behind this kind of journey because it is a transcendental one.
“We are coming together to work together irrespective of party, region, religion or any other thing,” said Mohammed.
In his remarks, Obi said he decided to visit Mohammed to discuss Nigeria’s issues and consult him, being the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ forum and a critical stakeholder in Nigeria’s politics today.
“It’s just a consultation and discussion meeting that will continue to go on as we talk about the future of this country.
“We have to discuss issues happening in the North. I have told the governor today that the North is a critical component if we are going to get it right in this country.
“There is poverty in Nigeria. We have to deal with the issue of poverty and until you solve poverty, then you can talk about criminality,” he said.
He added that the country needed to invest hugely in critical areas to put people out of poverty so as to reduce criminality in the society.
Obi and Mohammed reportedly held a closed-door meeting that lasted over three hours before briefing the press, signaling what could be a new phase in Nigeria’s opposition politics.