Headline
Electoral Bill: 23 CSOs Threaten Drastic Measures, Mass Protest

Hopes that the President Muhammadu Buhari would assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill continued to diminish as 23 civil rights organizations on Friday, expressed fear that the same fate that befell previous attempts to amend Nigeria’s election law awaits this latest version.
Their fears came about three days to the deadline for the Independent National Electoral Commission to release the Notice of Election for the 2023 general elections.
The CSOs recalled that since 2018 President Buhari had refused to sign the proposed amendments to the nation’s electoral laws on five occasions; and till now, has not hinted at any possibility of giving his assent to the electoral bill since he received the newest form of the document transmitted to him by the National Assembly on January 31, 2022.
During a press conference in Abuja on the imperative of a timely assent to the Electoral Bill 2022, the civil society groups warned that any further delay on the part of the President to give assent to the Bill would certainly occasion logistical, financial, and programmatic difficulties that could threaten the integrity of the off-cycle elections in Ekiti, Osun and the 2023 general election.
The CSOs included Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Partners for Electoral Reform, International Press Centre, Institute for Media and Society, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, The Albino Foundation, Centre for Citizens with Disability, Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, Transition Monitoring Group, CLEEN Foundation, and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre.
Others were the Labour Civil Society Coalition, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, Nigeria Network of Non-Governmental Organizations, Inclusive Friends Association, Enough is Enough, The Electoral Hub, Centre for Liberty, Take Back Nigeria Movement, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, 100 Women Lobby Group, and Women in Politics Forum.
The 23 CSOs in their recommendations said, “We call on President Buhari to, upon return from Brussels, sign the Electoral Bill into law on or before 22nd February 2022 to enable INEC to issue Notice of Election and release the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election.
“Further amendments to the Electoral Bill 2022 can be proposed after assent has been granted. It is within the President’s prerogative to propose amendments after signing the bill as he did in the case of the Petroleum Industry Bill and 2022 Appropriation bill, an act that attracted commendation.
READ ALSO: ‘Indaboski: Why Nigerians Will Never Forget Buhari’ – Femi Adesina
“The National Assembly should ensure gazetted copies of the Electoral Act 2022 are available to citizens as soon as the bill is signed into law.”
As of the time of this report, the CSOs have commenced an emergency meeting which, according to a source, would lead to mass protest.
“We can’t rule out mass protest because we have exhausted every mechanism, including lobbying. We’re frustrated, we’ll communicate the media the next line of action”, a member of the CSOs said.
PUNCH.
Headline
US Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Mocked Kirk’s Assassination

The United States has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly mocked or celebrated the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The State Department said the decision followed an internal review of social media posts deemed “offensive and contrary to U.S. values,” adding that the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”
Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and a strong ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead during a political rally on 10 September.
His killing drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, with many describing the act as a targeted attack on free speech.
READ ALSO:Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies
According to U.S. authorities, at least six individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, and Germany had their visas revoked after making comments online that celebrated Kirk’s murder or insulted his supporters.
Examples cited by officials included posts calling Kirk a racist who deserved it, and messages mocking grieving Americans.
“We will not tolerate foreigners who promote or celebrate acts of violence against U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The move underscores Washington’s growing use of immigration powers to respond to online behaviour perceived as threatening or disrespectful towards the country.
READ ALSO:How A Nigerian Student’s Bold Hustle Landed Him In Silicon Valley
The Department said it continues to monitor social media content for evidence of incitement or endorsement of violence.
Civil liberties advocates, however, have questioned the decision, arguing that revoking visas for social media comments could set a worrying precedent.
Officials maintained that the visa cancellations were lawful, limited in scope, and aimed at protecting national integrity.
“Freedom of speech does not extend to foreigners seeking the privilege of entry while glorifying violence,” the spokesperson added.
The United States has increased visa scrutiny in recent years, requiring applicants to disclose social media handles and online activity.
The policy, officials say, is designed to prevent extremist sympathisers or those expressing hostility towards the country from entering its borders
Headline
Israeli PM Netanyahu Back In Court For Graft Trial

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020.
The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal.
It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases.
His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump’s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
READ ALSO:Why I Won’t Attend Gaza Summit In Egypt — Netanyahu
In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot.
During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.
Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
READ ALSO:Friends Host Varsity Don, Afejuku To A Retirement Party In Sapele
In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases.
“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”
The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.
Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel’s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.
AFP
Headline
FULL LIST: US Set To Carry Out Four Executions This Week

A Florida man convicted of murdering two women he hired for sex was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday, one of four executions to be carried out in the United States this week.
Samuel Smithers, 72, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1996 killings of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach in Tampa. They had been beaten and strangled and their bodies were found in a pond.
Smithers was executed at a Florida state prison at 6:15 pm (2215 GMT), the 14th execution in the southern state this year.
Another convicted murderer was also put to death by lethal injection in the midwestern state of Missouri on Tuesday.
READ ALSO:Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies
The execution of Lance Shockley, 48, was carried out at 6:13 pm (2313 GMT) for the 2005 murder of a police sergeant, Carl Graham.
Graham was gunned down in an ambush at his home. The officer had been investigating a fatal car accident involving Shockley at the time.
Shockley maintained his innocence but his appeals were rejected by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe rejected his clemency request on Monday.
Two other executions are scheduled this week.
Charles Crawford, 59, is to be put to death by lethal injection in Mississippi on Wednesday for the 1994 rape and murder of Kristy Ray, a 20-year-old college student.
READ ALSO:China’s Trade Surges Despite US Tariff Threats
Richard Djerf, 55, is to be executed by lethal injection in Arizona on Friday for the brutal 1993 murders of four members of a Phoenix family.
In a letter last month apologizing for the crime, Djerf said he was ready to die and would not seek clemency.
“If I can’t find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have?” he wrote.
There have been 37 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2013, when 39 inmates were put to death.
Florida has carried out the most executions with 14, followed by Texas with five and South Carolina and Alabama with four.
READ ALSO:Tinubu Appoints New Heads For Key Agencies
Thirty-one of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and four by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.
The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.
President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and, on his first day in office, called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”
- News3 days ago
BREAKING: Rev Uma Ukpai Is Dead
- News3 days ago
JUST IN: FG Enforces No-work-no-pay On Striking ASUU Members
- Politics3 days ago
Tinubu Under Fire Over Presidential Pardon For Drug Offenders
- Metro3 days ago
BREAKING: Lagos Re-arraigns Kidnapper Evans Over Police Officers’ Killing
- News5 days ago
Edo: Council Boss Attacked During Traffic Intervention At MUYI Line
- News4 days ago
ASUU Declares Two-week Strike, Orders Members To Down Tools On Monday
- News3 days ago
UPDATED: Renowned Evangelist, Uma Ukpai, Is Dead
- Metro3 days ago
Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies
- News3 days ago
Edo Gov Sacks Education Board Chair, Names Replacement
- Business3 days ago
NNPCL Raises Fuel Price