Politics
Seven In Battle For Senate President

Seven senators-elect from five geo-political zones have thrown their hats into the ring for the 10th Senate President.
All the aspirants are of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Three of them – Barau Jibrin (Kano North, Northwest); Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North, Southeast) and David Umahi (Ebonyi South, Southeast), have made their interest public to chair the next National Assembly.
The 10th Senate is billed for inauguration on June 13 after the Proclamation of the 10th National Assembly by the President.
Senate Chief Whip; Jibrin is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation and Umahi doubles as Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum.
Other senators-elect eying the position are incumbent Senate President Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North, Northeast); Senate Services Committee Chairman, Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East, Northcentral); Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South, Northeast) and former Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom, Southsouth).
Last week, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, told aspirants seeking presiding offices to await the party’s zoning arrangement.
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It was at a parley with National Assembly members-elect with the president-elect, vice president-elect and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC).
Jibrin promised to officially declare his intention to lead the Red Chamber in a matter of days.
The second-ranking senator-elect to make to publicly show interest, Jibrin described himself as the most experienced among senators-elect seeking to lead the 10th Senate.
Declaring his intention on Tuesday, Kalu said he will contest the position because ‘it is his turn to be Senate President’.
Governor Umahi, who dropped the hint to run for the position during yesterday’s State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, urged President-elect Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to zone the office to the Southeast.
But the Kano North senator dismissed recourse to religious sentiments by some aspirants instead of competence and record of performance as criteria for electing the next Senate President.
Jibrin, who has been in the National Assembly since 1999 and in the Senate since 2015, insisted that the Senate Standing Rule prioritises seniority (ranking) and legislative experience above other considerations.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: It’s My Turn To Be Senate President, Kalu Declares
The senator said: “I intend to seek to be the President of the 10th Senate. In the next few days, I will start my campaign and make a formal declaration.
“The legislature is a distinct arm of government that doesn’t work based on sentiments, it works on your ability to get the job done.
“It is the tradition all over the world and it is also stated there in our rule book and the rules are drafted from our Constitution.
“It is stated there in our Standing Rules that aspirations of elections for the seat of the Senate Presidency shall be in accordance with ranking.
“Among those who are running for the seat of the Senate Presidency, I am the most ranked senator.
“So, it is constitutional and among those who are showing their intentions to run for the Senate Presidency, I am the most experienced.
“The issue is that of competence. You need to be grounded in the residue of the legislature before you become the Senate President. Do you now play against competence based on sentiments?”
Disagreeing with claims that it would not augur well for the next APC’s administration to have a Muslim Senate President, Jibrin said: “Remember that David Mark was a Christian, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, was a Christian and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, was a Christian because they were the most experienced and ranking and that is the tradition, so do we now relegate competence for other sentiments?
“Bringing religious sentiment won’t fly. It’s about competence, not sentiment. When we talk about experience, I’m the most experienced.”
Jibrin added: “There is a need to reward performance. The Northwest deserves to produce the Senate President because we gave the President-elect the highest votes.
“We want our President to go for a second term. We saw what he did in Lagos and want him to replicate that across the country.”
On Tuesday, Kalu urged APC national leadership to zone the Senate presidency to his Igbere country home in Abia North Senatorial District, Abia State.
Kalu said: “The question is whether I will run for the position of Senate President. Yes, I am ready to run for Senate President if the party zones it to my region because the party is supreme.
“If they want to zone, they should zone it to my village so nobody would contest it against me. I don’t even want them to zone it to the South…I am hoping that Nigerian people will pray for me to be the Senate President because it is my turn.”
Umahi urged the party to zone the Speakership of the House of Representatives to the Northwest.
The governor noted that zoning the two top positions to the Southeast and Northwest will be in the interest of equity, justice and fairness.
He said it was time to break protocol and bend the rules adding that the focus should be how to redeem the country.
Umahi said: “I plead and request the leadership of APC and the president-elect to please for the sake of equity, Justice and fairness zone the Senate President to Southeast and the Speaker of House of Representatives to Northwest.
“This is for inclusiveness, this will assure Nigerians of a total reunion and it will also calm frayed nerves.
“Miracle is when God set aside rules and breaks protocols. I am asking the APC leadership and the National Assembly leadership to set aside the rules so that we can get the best for the leadership of the national assembly.
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“If the APC family zones the Senate presidency to the Southeast, I am indicating interest on the platform that I have been in public service for the past 16 years so you can rightly say that I understand administration,” he said.
The governor insisted that zoning the speakership position to the Northwest will calm frayed nerves in the country.
He declared Ebonyi a complete APC state having given almost all the National Assembly seats to the party, adding that the governor-elect and majority of the state lawmakers are also APC members.
Umahi said: “When you have administered a state, which is more complex than any other position other than that of the presidency, I want to put myself forward and I plead with the National Assembly to amend the rules.
“We should be looking for the best. Anyone elected into the National Assembly is the best but let God be allowed to choose.
“We need to elect a leadership that will rebuild the nation. I put myself forward without prejudice to whatever is the will of God and the wish of our party leadership, the president-elect and vice president-elect.”
NATION
Politics
PDP Unveils 13-member Screening Panel For National Convention

According to a statement issued on October 25, 2025, by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) and signed by its Chairman, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who is also the Governor of Adamawa State, the screening exercise will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
The committee will be chaired by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), a former Ondo State governorship candidate and respected legal luminary.
He will be assisted by Hon. Mohammed L.S. Diri (SAN) as Deputy Chairman, while Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Esq., will serve as Secretary. Jacob Otorkpa was named Deputy Secretary.
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Other members of the committee include: Emmanuel Enoidem (SAN), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Mrs. Aduke Maina, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Achike Udenwa, Haj. Maryam Inna Ciroma, HM. Felix Hassan Hyat, HM. Zainab Maina, and Chinedu Nwachukwu, who will also serve as Administrative Secretary.
The statement noted that the selection reflected the PDP’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and internal democracy in the build-up to its national convention.
“The NCOC notes and expects that the exemplary conduct and strict adherence to rules and regulations during this very crucial assignment will justify the confidence reposed by the Party in members of the Committee,” the statement read.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: PDP Dismisses Anyanwu’s Forgery Claim, Says He Signed Convention Letters
Fintiri assured party members that the screening process will be conducted with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality, underscoring the PDP’s resolve to strengthen its democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“This exercise is crucial in ensuring that only credible, competent, and loyal members emerge to steer the affairs of our great party,” Fintiri stated.
Politics
Why I Refused To Endorse El-Rufai As My Successor — Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor.
Speaking on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual Ajibosin Platform symposium themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, Obasanjo disclosed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai for the presidency, but he rejected the idea.
Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, had earlier narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at the age of 34, an encounter that led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Addressing the audience, Obasanjo took a playful jab at Chidoka for leaving out the El-Rufai story.
“Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,” Obasanjo said.
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Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, he asked, “No be so (Is that not true)?” The former minister nodded in agreement.
Obasanjo explained that he dismissed the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai still needed time to grow politically.
“I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?
“When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.’”
The former president, however, commended Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other former aides for their “special attributes,” which he said contributed to the success of his administration.
READ ALSO:Nigeria Not Difficult To Govern If… – Obasanjo
Speaking further on leadership, Obasanjo emphasised character, exposure, experience, and training as essential qualities of effective governance.
Obasanjo said, “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship.
“But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”
El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) before becoming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007. When Obasanjo was leaving office in 2007, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his preferred successor.
In his address, Chidoka blamed Nigeria’s development setbacks on excuses and what he described as the politics of alibi.
READ ALSO:Provide Evidence Of My Third Term Ambition’, Obasanjo Challenges Nigerians
“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind.
“Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance—rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.
“Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” he said.
He urged leaders to prioritise accountability and measurable results.
“We must therefore make leadership accountable not to rhetoric but to results: measure by building national dashboards and accountability systems that track every promise, every budget, every outcome. Monitor by strengthening the institutions that evaluate government performance and expose complacency,” he said.
Politics
FULL LIST: Borno Tops In Voter Online Pre-registrations

Borno State has recorded the highest number of voter online pre-registrations nationwide as of Week Nine, according to newly released data from the Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday.
Out of a total of 8,003,196 Nigerians who completed the pre-registration process, Borno accounted for 826,130 entries, the highest figure recorded across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Osun State follows with 646,580 pre-registrations, while Lagos is next with 604,819. Kebbi registered 581,135, slightly ahead of Kaduna, which recorded 510,490. Ogun is close behind with 510,062, and Kano comes next with 421,941. Kogi also posted high numbers, registering 361,233, while Zamfara and Yobe followed with 304,065 and 292,714, respectively.
Jigawa added 284,384 pre-registrations, with the FCT recording 228,264. Oyo followed closely with 224,713. Katsina registered 205,933, while Sokoto and Nasarawa posted 209,392 and 183,519, respectively.
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Bauchi recorded 181,671, ahead of Delta, which registered 160,188. Kwara contributed 142,084, followed by Cross River with 119,773 and Ekiti with 114,244.
Imo State recorded 109,245 pre-registrations, with Niger adding 107,153 and Gombe logging 103,150. Plateau followed with 93,963, while Rivers and Adamawa registered 82,840 and 80,556, respectively. Taraba posted 65,684, Akwa Ibom 60,638, Benue 53,747, and Bayelsa 52,957.
At the lower end of the table, Enugu registered 25,541 voters, followed by Ondo with 17,618, Ebonyi with 13,979, Edo with 11,570, and Abia with 11,221, the lowest figure in the country.
Also, INEC announced that a total of 1,710,450 voters have completed their CVR nationwide as of week eight, combining both online pre-registration (956,566) and physical registration (753,884).
READ ALSO:Acting INEC Chair Outlines Preparations or Anambra Poll
In accordance with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC confirmed that registration activities in Anambra State remain suspended until after the governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.
Until recently, states in the South-West, particularly Osun, Lagos, and Ogun, had consistently led the CVR process since the exercise commenced on August 18, 2025.
However, recent data indicated an uptick in participation from northern states, especially Borno and Kebbi, amid renewed mobilisation campaigns.
It was reported that community-based organisations, religious leaders, and local officials in several northern states intensified sensitisation efforts to boost awareness and encourage eligible residents to register.
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