President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has requested the National Assembly to repeal and re-enact the 2024 and 2025 Appropriation Acts, while also extending the implementation of the 2025 budget to March 31, 2026.

The request was contained in a letter dated December 18, 2025, addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, and read on the floor of the House on Friday.

In the letter, President Tinubu transmitted the Appropriation (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bills, 2024 and 2025, for legislative consideration in line with constitutional procedures.

According to the President, the 2024 Appropriation Act of N35.06 trillion is to be repealed and re-enacted at N43.56 trillion.

The revised figure includes N1.74 trillion for statutory transfers, N8.27 trillion for debt service, N11.27 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and N22.28 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions for the year ending December 31, 2025.

For the 2025 budget, Tinubu proposed repealing the existing N54.99 trillion Act and re-enacting it at N48.32 trillion.

The revised budget allocates N3.65 trillion for statutory transfers, N14.32 trillion for debt service, N13.59 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and N16.71 trillion for capital expenditure and development fund contributions.

The re-enacted 2025 budget is expected to run until March 31, 2026.

The President explained that the repeal and re-enactment are intended to account for previously unrecognised budget items and to reflect a revised capital implementation target of 30 per cent.

He said the adjustments align with current fiscal realities and execution capacity while ensuring credible and transparent budget performance.

Tinubu added that the extension would allow for full release of targeted capital funds across all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

He said the measures form part of broader fiscal reforms to eliminate overlaps in concurrent budgets, improve planning, strengthen execution, and enhance accountability in public expenditure.

Other provisions in the bills include stricter implementation discipline, limiting virement to cases approved by the National Assembly, separate recording of excess revenue, mandatory compliance with due process, and periodic reporting on fund releases and agency-generated revenues.

The President informed lawmakers that the submission supersedes an earlier letter sent to the House on December 16, 2025, and urged prompt consideration and passage of the bills.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has affirmed that it will continue to perform its responsibilities as the party’s authentic leadership while awaiting a court ruling on the ongoing leadership dispute.

The statement came after a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which also involved the factional caretaker committee loyal to Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The NWC said the matter is now before the Court of Appeal.

In the statement titled, “We Await Court Judgment on PDP Leadership,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, noted that several members of the Abdulrahman Muhammed faction had been expelled from the PDP at the Ibadan National Convention and had received official expulsion letters.

Ememobong said, “Earlier today, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, invited the Turaki-led NWC and some former party members claiming leadership positions to find a way to resolve the lingering crisis in the party.”

He explained that both factions presented their positions comprehensively, but the commission emphasized that it is aware of the pending Court of Appeal cases and will await the final judgment before taking any decision.

Concluding the meeting, National Chairman Tanimu Turaki stated, “As the authentic leadership elected at a valid convention, we will continue to execute our duties as an opposition party. While awaiting the court’s pronouncement, we remain committed to holding the government accountable on critical issues such as security, infrastructure, education, healthcare, and other matters of national importance.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review his recent directive to withdraw police personnel assigned to VIPs, cautioning that the move could expose lawmakers to security risks.

President Tinubu had instructed the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to pull officers from non-essential duties, including escorts for VIPs.

Speaking during the President’s visit to the National Assembly to present the 2026 budget on Friday, Akpabio raised concerns about the implications of the directive for legislators.

He noted that several lawmakers were worried about returning to their constituencies without adequate security protection.

“As we direct security agencies to withdraw policemen from critical areas, some members of the National Assembly asked me to let you know that they may not be able to go home today.”

“They could be exposed to danger. On that note, we plead with you, Mr. President, to kindly review the decision,” Akpabio said.

Earlier, the Senate President acknowledged that insecurity continues to challenge Nigeria, with many communities still grappling with violence and criminal activities.

He emphasized that national strength depends on unity and cooperation among government institutions.

Drawing lessons from history, Akpabio argued that nations advance when the executive and legislature work together in the national interest but stagnate when rivalry takes precedence.

He assured that the National Assembly remains committed to partnering with the executive to strengthen security frameworks and protect Nigerians.

His appeal comes amid ongoing debate over balancing the need to curb misuse of police personnel with ensuring adequate protection for public officials in a complex security environment.

The House of Representatives has approved a major revision of campaign finance limits, raising the maximum amount presidential candidates can spend from ₦5 billion to ₦10 billion, while increasing the ceiling for governorship candidates from ₦1 billion to ₦3 billion.

The decision followed the passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025 after clause-by-clause consideration of a report by the House Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Adebayo Balogun.

Lawmakers also approved provisions mandating the real-time electronic transmission of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Under the amended Clause 93(2), spending limits for National Assembly candidates were significantly increased.

Senators are now permitted to spend up to ₦500 million, up from ₦100 million, while candidates for the House of Representatives can spend up to ₦250 million, compared to the previous ₦70 million.

For state constituencies, the ceiling was raised from ₦30 million to ₦100 million.

Chairmanship candidates can now spend up to ₦60 million, up from ₦30 million, while councillorship candidates’ limits increased from ₦5 million to ₦10 million.

The House also approved a provision capping individual or corporate donations at ₦500 million per candidate.

Reacting to the development, political scientist Prof. Gbade Ojo said the rising cost of politics has fundamentally altered Nigeria’s democratic space, warning that it increasingly excludes ordinary citizens.

According to him, the new limits reinforce a system dominated by wealth, shutting out competent and experienced professionals who lack the financial capacity to compete.

He questioned INEC’s ability to effectively monitor campaign spending, arguing that the absence of reliable tracking mechanisms makes enforcement difficult.

Ojo also warned that widening gaps between registered voters and actual voter turnout point to growing public disengagement, adding that higher campaign spending could further entrench vote buying and undermine electoral credibility.

Similarly, Dr Edun Abdulkareem, Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Ilorin, described the trend as dangerous, saying it promotes a culture where public office is treated as an investment to be recouped once power is attained.

He cautioned that this could deepen corruption, marginalise communities, and turn democracy into the preserve of a few.

Beyond campaign finance, the House approved amendments mandating INEC to transmit election results electronically and in real time to the IReV portal.

The new Clause 60(3) requires presiding officers to upload results after the prescribed EC8A forms are signed and stamped at polling units.

Lawmakers also strengthened the legal backing for the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, making it the primary accreditation tool.

Where BVAS fails and no replacement is deployed, the election in the affected polling unit will be cancelled and rescheduled within 24 hours if the outcome substantially affects the final result.

The House further approved tougher sanctions for vote buying and selling, introducing a minimum of two years’ imprisonment or a ₦5 million fine, or both, alongside a 10-year ban from contesting elections.

Penalties for multiple voter registration were increased, while presiding officers who deliberately breach procedures on counting, announcement, or transmission of results now face heavier fines or jail terms.

Lawmakers also approved early release of election funds to INEC at least one year before general elections, extended deadlines for submission of candidates’ lists from 180 to 210 days, and permitted the use of electronically generated voter identification, including downloadable voter cards with QR codes.

However, the House rejected a proposal seeking to criminalise inducement of delegates during party primaries, congresses, and conventions.

Lawmakers expressed concerns that the provision could be misused and opted to delete it entirely from the bill.

Civil society groups, including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, welcomed the amendments, particularly the mandatory electronic transmission of results.

CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, described the move as a major step toward restoring transparency and public confidence in elections, though analysts cautioned that challenges such as poor network infrastructure could affect implementation.

The House Committee on Electoral Matters explained that proposals on early voting, inmate voting, changes to election timelines, and replacement of Permanent Voter Cards were dropped due to lack of broad consensus among lawmakers and stakeholders.

The committee said the amendments were designed to strengthen the existing Electoral Act 2022 without destabilising the legal framework.

According to the committee, the approved changes reflect a balance between reform ambitions and legislative consensus, with the aim of improving transparency, accountability, and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Friday dismissed speculation about potential challengers to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election, saying the president has no credible rival and that elections are not won on social media platforms.

Shettima made the remarks during the 15th meeting of the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

According to the vice president, only individuals acting without a clear understanding of Nigeria’s political realities would contemplate running against Tinubu in 2027, though he acknowledged that democracy allows anyone to contest.

He stressed that electoral victories are secured through broad coalitions, credibility, and conviction, rather than online popularity or digital noise.

“Elections are not won by noise or nostalgia,” Shettima said, noting that platforms such as Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, do not determine electoral outcomes.

He added that the experience of President Tinubu and the lessons drawn from past elections provide the ruling party with a strong advantage heading into the next poll.

Describing 2027 as a responsibility rather than a gamble, Shettima expressed confidence that the APC would secure another mandate, saying the party was on course for what he called a renewed blessing at the polls.

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed an appeal filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, challenging the leadership of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and ordered the electoral body to pay a cost of ₦2 million.

In its decision, the apex court held that the appeal lacked merit and declined to interfere with the concurrent judgments of the lower courts.

The court noted that the matter had become academic, as the disputed by-elections had already been conducted and the winners sworn in.

The dispute arose from INEC’s refusal to recognise candidates fielded by the SDP in by-elections held across 12 states of the federation.

The party had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, arguing that its candidates emerged from valid primaries monitored by INEC, and that the commission had no basis for excluding them.

On October 17, the Federal High Court ruled in favour of the SDP and ordered INEC to recognise and include the party’s candidates in the elections.

INEC complied with the order but proceeded to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

In a unanimous decision delivered by a panel led by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, the Court of Appeal dismissed INEC’s appeal and affirmed the judgment of the high court.

Dissatisfied, INEC further appealed to the Supreme Court, seeking to set aside the appellate court’s ruling.

INEC argued that the letters and notices submitted to it by the SDP were invalid because they were signed by the party’s Acting National Chairman, Dr Sadiq Umar Abubakar, and National Secretary, Dr Olu Agunloye, who the commission said had been suspended by the party.

However, in the lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, the Supreme Court held that there was no live issue left for determination.

The court observed that since the elections had already taken place and all elected officials had been sworn in, there was nothing upon which it could exercise its adjudicatory powers.

The five-member panel stressed that courts do not engage in academic or hypothetical questions and declined to delve into issues relating to the interpretation of the Electoral Act in the absence of a live dispute.

Consequently, the apex court dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of ₦2 million against INEC’s counsel.