Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the Nigerian Presidency over alleged alterations to laws passed by the National Assembly, describing the government’s silence as a threat to transparency and constitutional governance.

In a statement on Saturday, Obi highlighted discrepancies between what the legislature approved and what was ultimately published as law, calling it a “serious breakdown in proper legislative procedure.

”He warned that these changes could negatively impact taxpayers’ rights and citizens’ access to justice.

Obi pointed out that new enforcement and coercive powers were introduced without approval from the House of Representatives.

These include a mandatory 20% deposit before appeals can be heard in court, the ability to sell assets without judicial oversight, and granting arrest powers to tax authorities.

He said, “Migrating from padded budgets to forged laws, our national shame continues to unfold. This is not merely an administrative oversight; it strikes at the core of constitutional governance and highlights the depth of institutional decay.”

“We have moved from a system of inflated budgets to one where laws themselves are manipulated, directly affecting taxpayers and their access to justice.”

Obi stressed that the public has the right to know who made the alterations and called on the Presidency to provide clarity.

“All of this must be made public. Nigerians need to understand what was signed, what was passed, and what was formally recorded. Trust in governance is collapsing, and we cannot continue asking citizens to pay more taxes under these conditions,” he said.

He urged leaders to respect due process, uphold transparency and accountability, and ensure that laws serve citizens rather than undermine them.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caretaker committee backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has dissolved the executive committees of 14 state chapters of the party and announced plans to conduct fresh congresses in January 2026.

The committee insisted that the leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammed as Acting National Chairman and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Acting National Secretary remains the only legitimate national structure of the party.

This position was contained in a communiqué issued after the committee’s meeting held on Thursday evening in Abuja and read by the Acting National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Jungun.

The development comes amid deepening internal divisions within the PDP following the Ibadan convention held on November 16, where governors elected Tanimu Turaki (SAN) and other members of the National Working Committee for four-year terms.

Despite the governors’ endorsement of the Ibadan convention and the handover from former chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki ahead of the expiration of Damagum’s tenure on December 9, the Wike-backed faction proceeded on December 8 to constitute a 60-day caretaker committee headed by Mohammed and Anyanwu.

According to the committee, the caretaker arrangement is mandated to conclude all outstanding congresses and organise a national convention within the stipulated period.

While Turaki has continued to engage party leaders nationwide, the Mohammed-led caretaker committee has also remained active, holding meetings and issuing directives.

Jungun listed the affected states as Borno, Bauchi, Oyo, Zamfara, Yobe, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Delta, Taraba, Kano and Lagos.

The communiqué dismissed reports that the Turaki-led executives had been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, describing such claims as false.

The committee challenged Turaki to publicly produce evidence of uploading his executives’ details on the INEC portal.

It also ratified the dissolution of several state working committees, confirmed caretaker committees in affected states and assigned portfolios to members of the national caretaker body.

State congresses are scheduled to commence on January 9, 2026, after which a national convention will be convened.

Earlier, Mohammed maintained that his faction was operating strictly within the PDP constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, insisting that there is only one legitimate PDP leadership under his stewardship.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that only four out of 14 associations earlier cleared to seek registration as political parties met the requirements to advance to the next stage of the process.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, made this known in a statement issued after the commission’s regular meeting held on Friday in Abuja.

According to Olumekun, the commission reviewed the report of its Committee on the Review of Letters of Intent submitted by associations seeking registration and found that 10 of the 14 groups failed to satisfy the prescribed criteria.

The associations initially cleared include the African Transformation Party, All Democratic Alliance, Advance Nigeria Congress, Abundance Social Party, African Alliance Party, Citizens Democratic Alliance and Democratic Leadership Alliance. Others are the Grassroots Initiative Party, Green Future Party, Liberation People’s Party, National Democratic Party, National Reform Party, Patriotic Peoples Alliance and Peoples Freedom Party.

Olumekun explained that each association was assessed on the basis of prima facie compliance with Section 222 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 79(1), (2) and (4) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Clause 2 (i and ii) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.

“Out of the 14 initially cleared associations, only four met the requirements to proceed to the next stage, while 10 did not,” he said.

The senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the proposed ₦58.18 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill delivers tangible benefits that directly improve the lives of Nigerians.

Reacting to the President’s presentation of the budget to a joint sitting of the National Assembly on Friday, Akpoti-Uduaghan described the session as important but warned against focusing on headline figures at the expense of real outcomes.

She said the sheer size of the budget alone would not resolve Nigeria’s long-standing development challenges if it fails to translate into meaningful improvements for citizens.

“Of all the lengthy speeches, one line by Mr President struck me deeply. It is not the size of the budget but the quantum of impact felt by Nigerians,” the senator said.

According to her, while the ₦58.18 trillion spending plan reflects the scale of Nigeria’s economic ambitions and structural deficits, Nigerians are more concerned about how public funds will improve their daily lives.

She noted that citizens expect budgets to produce visible results such as sustainable job creation, functional infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education and accessible social services.

Akpoti-Uduaghan also stressed the importance of accountability, saying it must be upheld not only by leaders but also demanded by the governed.

“Leaders must do better, and citizens must demand accountability,” she said.

A member of the Senate Committee on Finance, the lawmaker has consistently advocated fiscal transparency, prudent management of public resources and people-centred budgeting, positions she said align with growing public demand for governance outcomes that are measurable and felt at the grassroots.

Her comments echo wider concerns within and outside the National Assembly that Nigeria’s expanding annual budgets have yet to deliver proportional improvements in welfare, productivity and social stability.

President Tinubu on Friday presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, projecting a cautiously improving economy and pledging stricter budget discipline and stronger revenue enforcement across government agencies.

He also vowed a firm security approach, declaring that all armed non-state actors would be treated as terrorists under his administration’s security doctrine.

Presenting the proposal, titled Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity, the President said the fiscal framework was designed to consolidate recent macroeconomic gains, restore investor confidence and translate stability into broad-based prosperity.

He defended the administration’s economic reforms, citing 3.98 per cent economic growth in the third quarter of 2025, eight consecutive months of easing inflation, improved oil output, stronger non-oil revenues and renewed investor confidence as indicators of progress.

However, as deliberations begin in the National Assembly, lawmakers such as Akpoti-Uduaghan insist that the true test of the 2026 budget will lie not in macroeconomic statistics alone, but in its real-world impact on Nigerian households and communities.

Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has reiterated that he will retire from active politics after completing his tenure as governor, insisting that he harbours no ambition to contest the presidency, vice presidency, or a senatorial seat thereafter.

Otti spoke on Friday at the Government House in Umuahia while reacting to a viral video in which a commentator criticised his recent visit to Nnamdi Kanu at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, alleging that the governor was positioning himself for higher national office.

The governor said differing opinions are part of democratic practice but noted that such opinions are not always correct.

“That is the beauty of democracy. People are entitled to their opinions, and we respect them. But the fact that you hold an opinion does not mean you are right,” he said.

Otti restated that he had consistently made his position clear on his political future.

“I have said it before, and I want to say it again: when I am done with the governorship, I will retire. I do not have presidential ambition, I do not have vice-presidential ambition, and I do not have senatorial ambition,” he said.

According to him, his entry into politics was mission-driven, adding that leadership should have a clear exit point.

“I came on a mission, and when I deliver that mission, I will give way for younger people. I don’t even understand what is meant by Igbo presidency in this context. If the argument is based on that assumption, then it has collapsed, because I will not be on the ballot,” Otti stated.

He stressed that public office holders must know when to exit after fulfilling their mandate.

“When you have done what you were asked to do, you should take the exit door and allow others to step in. We have seen people who were governors and later became local government chairmen. That is not what we are here for,” he added.

The governor also explained his visit to Nnamdi Kanu, saying the decision was informed by a desire for peace and dialogue rather than political ambition.

“I opened discussions at the highest level on Nnamdi Kanu about 24 months ago. Visiting him was the right thing to do because he is from my state, and indeed from Umuahia North,” he said.

Otti said problems should not be ignored, noting that dialogue and administrative intervention remain valid pathways alongside legal processes.

“I am not a supporter of the disintegration of Nigeria. Even where the law has taken its course, there is still room for appeal, discussion, and reconciliation. Two wrongs do not make a right,” he said.

He concluded that his intervention had nothing to do with personal ambition, stressing that not every action taken by a political leader should be reduced to politics.

“Everything is not politics. Sometimes, it is simply about doing what is right,” the governor said.

Awaji Inombek-Abiante, the lawmaker representing Andoni/Opobo Federal Constituency, has said voter inducement will be ineffective in elections if citizens are determined to vote for the candidates of their choice.

Speaking on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Inombek-Abiante emphasized that citizens’ commitment to their choices can neutralize the impact of vote buying.

“How do you stop vote buying? If the citizens decide to elect who they believe in, inducement or no inducement won’t matter much,” he said.

The Rivers State lawmaker drew from his observations of elections in other ECOWAS countries, noting that Nigeria faces a trust deficit that contributes to electoral challenges.

“If somebody gives you money or material inducements, and you vote without believing in the ideology of that person, it’s just for the moment and you may suffer the consequences for a long time,” he explained.

Inombek-Abiante urged Nigerians to build integrity and reject inducements voluntarily, not merely because of laws or regulations.

“We should reach a point where no offer can influence our decisions about who we entrust with public service,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of creating safeguards to ensure that candidates genuinely supported by their communities have the required credentials and can deliver services without relying on wealthy backers.

“If Nigerians appreciate this fact, they don’t need to accept any inducement on their own,” he added.

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.