News
Senate Begins Nationwide Constitution Review Hearings
The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced plans to organise a comprehensive two-day zonal public hearing in the country’s six geo-political zones.
The hearings, slated for July 4 and 5, are part of an extensive national consultation process aimed at capturing citizens’ voices on critical issues shaping the future of governance in Nigeria.
The committee, chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, said the public hearing which will be held simultaneously in Lagos (South West), Enugu (South East), Ikot Ekpene (South South), Jos (North Central) Maiduguri, (North East) and Kano (North West).
According to a statement issued by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy Senate President and Committee Chairman, Senator Barau I Jibrin, on Sunday, the hearings will be held simultaneously in Lagos (South West), Enugu (South East), Ikot Ekpene (South South), Jos (North Central), Maiduguri (North East), and Kano (North West).
Barau revealed that the committee will entertain over 50 proposals addressing a wide range of national concerns — from local government autonomy to gender representation, state police, judicial timelines, and even the creation of new states.
“This is a critical moment for our democracy. We are calling on all Nigerians to be part of this national dialogue,” Barau said. “The aim is to ensure that the voices of citizens are reflected in the constitution that governs them.”
At the heart of the conversation are two bills seeking to grant full autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
One proposes constitutional recognition of local councils as a distinct tier of government, while the other recommends setting up an independent electoral body to oversee local elections — a move that could potentially free local politics from the grip of state governments.
Security, State Creation, and Fiscal Overhaul:
The hearings will also spotlight hot-button issues like the creation of state police forces and state security councils to tackle insecurity with tailored local approaches.
In the area of fiscal governance, six bills have been proposed, including one mandating a timeline for governors and the president to submit annual budgets, and another strengthening the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to ensure accountability in public finance.
Additionally, 31 separate requests for new states — from all six zones — are on the table. These include seven from the North East alone, as well as multiple proposals from the South West, South South, and North Central.
The committee is also seeking to advance gender equity with a proposed bill to reserve additional legislative seats for women in both the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly.
In a nod to Nigeria’s traditional institutions, another bill proposes the formal recognition and establishment of National, State, and Local Government Councils of Traditional Rulers.
Further reflecting the scope of the review, bills enabling Nigerians in the diaspora to vote and allowing independent candidates to contest elections at all levels are scheduled for debate.
Over 20 judicial reform bills have also been submitted, aiming to accelerate the delivery of justice and broaden the jurisdiction of election tribunals.
Barau emphasised the significance of public engagement in this constitutional moment. “This is more than a legal exercise — it is a democratic process. Every citizen has a stake in the Constitution. This is your opportunity to be heard.”
Punchng.com
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election in Kano state
The returning officer, Professor Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared Garba Ya’u Gwarmai of the APC winner with 31,472 votes
Waziri defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Ali Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election held in Kano state.
Announcing the results on Sunday morning, August 17, the returning officer (RO), Professor Muhammad Waziri from Bayero University, declared APC candidate Garba Gwarmai the winner with a total of 31,472 votes.
He defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes, according to The Punch.
The supplementary poll was conducted after the initial election in the constituency was declared inconclusive. With a margin of 3,541 votes, Gwarmai’s victory marks a key win for the APC as the party continues to reinforce its influence across the state.
Meanwhile, the NNPP won the Bagwai/Shanono state assembly by-election in Kano state.
Daily Trust and Vanguard noted this update.
Announcing the result at 12:36 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, the RO for the election, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, declared the NNPP candidate, Ali Hassan Kiyawa, winner with 16,198 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu, who polled 5,347 votes.
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is performing well but lacks an effective communication strategy to relay its achievements to Nigerians.
Aliyu made the statement on the Thursday edition of Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, while reacting to the outcome of a recent public accountability session held in Kaduna.
Aliyu, reflecting on the discussions at the Kaduna Forum, said the government is facing public dissatisfaction not because it hasn’t delivered, but because it is failing to tell its own story effectively.
The ex-governor said it is proper for political leaders in the North to make demands from Tinubu’s administration since the bulk of the votes that took power came from the region.
“Let the people understand what is happening on the ground. If by what we say that 63/64 percent of the vote came from the north, it is only logical that the north will be expecting so much from the government.
“But from what we have seen so far is that the government is doing well but they do not know how to communicate very well,” he said.
News
New Twist As El-Rufai Snubs ADC, Announces Another Party To Vote In Kaduna Bye-Election [ Video Trends]
Former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared to have taken a reverse from the coalition’s adopted political platform, ADC
This is as the former governor took to social media and asked the people of Zaria, Chikun to vote for another party in the Saturday, August 16 (today), bye-elections in the constituencies in Kaduna
Recall that the former governor recently visited Sokoto to canvass support for the ADC, while criticising President Bola Tinubu and the APC government.
Click to watch El-Rufai’s video here
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) August 14, 2025
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has fueled speculations that he dumped the recently adopted coalition political platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), as he called on the people of Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency and Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituency to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, in a dramatic turn, the former governor urged the people of Zaria and Chikun to vote for the SDP in the Saturday, August 16, by-election, a poll which was meant to test the opposition’s strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that El-Rufai defected to the SDP after dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but soon after joining the party, the SDP fell into a leadership crisis, and the former governor has been silent on his membership and allegations against him.
El-Rufai recently visited Sokoto on a mission to gather support for the ADC. He described his action as a patriotic one to rescue Nigeria from the grip of ‘nepotism’ and ‘incompetence’.
During his visit to Sokoto, the former governor attended two important events meant to sensitise the people and political stakeholders working to achieve the agenda of sacking President Tinubu and the APC in the next general election.
During his address at the event, the former governor lambasted the ruling party and called them ‘a failed, clannish, and visionless administration that has plunged Nigeria into deeper socio-economic misery’.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of ‘broken promises and elite conspiracy’. He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.
“I Don’t Pray My Prophecies Come To Pass” – Primate Ayodele Drops Shocking Message [VIDEO]
BREAKING: Winner Emerges In Kano Bye-Election As APC, NNPP Lock Horns
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