₦airaland Forum

Senate makes U-turn on 8-year eligibility for presidency contest

ABUJA – The Senate has made a U-turn on its Tuesday’s decision as it has rescinded a controversial amendment that barred first-time senators from contesting presiding offices, reopening the 2027 race for Senate President and Deputy Senate President.

On Tuesday, the Senate amended its Standing Orders after a marathon executive session with the introduction of stricter eligibility criteria for the emergence of presiding officers in the 11th Senate, effectively limiting the contest for Senate President and other top leadership offices to returning ranking lawmakers of the current Assembly.

With the amendment on Tuesday, Senate leadership positions will follow a hierarchy beginning with former Senate Presidents, former Deputy Senate Presidents, former Principal Officers, senators who have completed at least one full term, lawmakers transitioning from the House of Representatives, and finally, first-time senators where no higher-ranking candidates emerge.

The amendment also stipulates that only Senators returning from the current 10th Assembly after re-election can contest for Senate President and other key leadership offices.
The reversal was adopted on Thursday through a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central and presided over by Deputy Senate President Jubril Barau.

On why the reversal matters, Bamidele said that with the rule gone, the leadership contest for the 11th National Assembly is now open to all elected senators regardless of tenure.

The backtrack also signals a shift within the ruling party towards a more competitive and inclusive process for selecting the next Senate leadership, rather than pre-determining it through tenure restrictions.

The motion is titled, Recession and Re-Committal of Order 2 (2) and Order 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2023, as amended.

Presenting the motion, Bamidele said, “the Senate recalls that the Senate Standing Orders were considered and amended on Tuesday, 5th May, 2026;

“Observes that upon further legislative and constitutional review, certain provisions introduced under Order 2(2) and Order 3(1) may give rise to constitutional inconsistencies and unintended tensions with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), particularly Section 52 thereof;

“Notes that it is necessary to ensure that the Standing Orders of the Senate remain fully consistent with constitutional provisions, established parliamentary conventions, and legislative practice;

“Further notes that the Senate possesses the inherent parliamentary authority to revisit, rescind, and recommit any matter previously decided upon in order to preserve the integrity of its proceedings and legislative framework;

“Accordingly resolves to: rescind its earlier decisions relating to the amendments made to Order 2(2) and Order 3(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, 2026.

” Rescission and Re-Committal of the National Identity Management Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2026 to the Committee of the Whole.

werisetogether:
Very true, as can be seen from his autobiography "Call Me Ted"

May GOD comfort the family & friends...

CodeTemplar:
...be greeting yourself.

Iran’s football chief, Mehdi Taj, has insisted that their World Cup host is FIFA, not the United States of America or President Trump, in a bid to ensure that the football governing body guarantees respect towards the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Tej, who is the head of the Iranian FA (FFIRI), was among a delegation that turned back from the Canadian border before last week’s FIFA Congress in Vancouver, because of what they felt was disrespectful treatment by immigration officials.

Taj said the decision to return home last week had been their own choice, but Canada’s immigration minister later confirmed to parliament that the Iranian FA president’s visa had been cancelled while he was in the air because of his links to the IRGC. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said last week that no one with ties to the IRGC would be admitted to the country.

“We are going to the World Cup, for which we qualified, and our host is Fifa – not Mr Trump or America,” Taj said.

“If they accept hosting us, then they must also accept that they must not insult our military institutions in any way.

He continued, “Because if they do, then naturally it could create the same kind of situation that happened in Canada, where there was a possibility we might have to return. So there must be this kind of guarantee so that we can go with peace of mind.”

The football chief further called on FIFA to guarantee maximum respect for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) if they travel to the United States to play at the World Cup in June.

“We need a guarantee there, for our trip, that they have no right to insult the symbols of our system – especially the IRGC,” Taj added.

“This is something they must pay serious attention to. If there is such a guarantee and the responsibility is clearly assumed, then an incident like what happened in Canada will not happen again.”

Ted Turner, the media entrepreneur who transformed global television journalism by launching the world’s first 24-hour news network, has died at the age of 87, according to a statement from Turner Enterprises on Wednesday.

Turner is widely known for founding CNN in 1980, a pioneering move that reshaped how the world consumes news by offering continuous, real-time coverage of global events. The network grew into one of the most influential media organisations in the world.

“Turner’s vision changed journalism forever by making news immediate, global, and constant,” the statement from Turner Enterprises said.

A colourful and often controversial figure, Turner built a sprawling media empire that extended beyond news into entertainment and sports, including channels such as Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. He also owned the Atlanta Braves, helping to raise the team’s national profile.

“He was a once-in-a-generation media pioneer whose influence touched every corner of modern broadcasting,” a former CNN executive said.

Beyond media, Turner was a major philanthropist and environmental advocate. He founded the United Nations Foundation after pledging $1 billion to support United Nations initiatives and became one of the largest private landowners in the United States.

His environmental work included wildlife restoration projects and awareness campaigns, including the creation of the animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers.

In 1991, Time named him Man of the Year, recognising his global impact on media and public awareness.

“He turned viewers into instant witnesses to history,” the magazine wrote at the time.

Turner stepped back from active business leadership after selling much of his media empire to Time Warner, but he remained closely associated with CNN and often referred to it as his proudest achievement.

In 2018, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. He had faced declining health in recent years.

“Ted was fearless in his ideas and relentless in pursuing them,” a longtime associate said. “He believed in his instincts when few others did.”

Turner’s death marks the passing of one of the most influential figures in modern media history, whose bold vision permanently changed television news and global communication.

A new Democracy Performance Index (DPI) has raised concerns over the state of governance in Nigeria, warning that while elections are being held across the country, democratic institutions remain structurally weak, uneven and often fail to translate civic participation into accountable governance.

The report, titled State of Democratic Performance in Nigeria, 2025 and developed by Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), assessed all 36 states and found that Nigeria’s democracy is “active, visible, and procedurally intact, yet structurally constrained in depth, coherence, and inclusiveness.”

The report, unveiled on Tuesday in Abuja, said what exists in many states is not democratic absence but “uneven functionality,” where institutions, elections and participation are present but do not consistently produce transparency, inclusion or protected civic freedoms.

A major finding showed that local government democracy remains particularly fragile. Although all 36 states have legal frameworks for local government elections, 10 states — including Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa and Yobe — do not make those laws publicly accessible, limiting citizen participation and weakening trust.

The report further revealed that nearly one-third of political parties are effectively excluded, inactive or unwilling to participate in grassroots elections despite Nigeria’s formal multiparty structure.

Across states, average party presence stands at 18, but operational participation is significantly lower, reinforcing one-party dominance at local levels.

On inclusion, the findings paint a troubling picture for women, youth and persons with disabilities. Women’s representation in commissioner-level appointments averages only 15.67 per cent nationwide — far below the 35 per cent affirmative benchmark — while 20 states have women’s representation below 15 per cent.

Although women fare better in the judiciary with 37.6 per cent average representation, persons with disabilities account for just 0.34 per cent of judicial appointments nationwide, while youth participation remains nnegligible

Budget transparency also showed mixed progress. While 32 states publish citizen-friendly budgets, 20 states — representing 55.6 per cent — have no publicly available local government budget data, creating what the report described as a breakdown in the social contract between governments and citizens.


Electoral participation trends also reveal declining voter enthusiasm. Across multiple states, governorship turnout dropped significantly between 2019 and 2023 despite high PVC collection rates, suggesting that logistical barriers are not the primary problem; rather, trust, institutional credibility and civic confidence are eroding.

The report added that Nigeria’s democratic challenge is no longer simply about conducting elections but about ensuring that institutions are transparent, inclusive and responsive.

“Getting citizens to vote is no longer enough. Without strong institutions, public trust, inclusion and civic freedoms, democracy risks becoming procedural rather than meaningful,” the findings said.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Chinese companies, Sanjiang Chemical Company Limited and Xingcheng (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd, for potential Technical Equity Partnership (TEP) in support of the completion and operation of the Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries.

A statement by NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the MoU was signed by the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari; Chairman, Sanjiang Chemical Company, Guan Jianzhong and Chairman of Xinganchen (Fuzhou) Industrial Park Operation and Management Co. Ltd, Bill Bi, in Jiaxing City, China, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.

Daily Trust reports that the federal government had spent $2.39bn under the Buhari administration to repair the two refineries.

The Port Harcourt Refinery was said to have been completed, with production starting in November, 2024 but it was shut down after six months.

Previously in March 2021, FEC had approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt refinery.

FEC had also approved $1.48bn for the rehabilitation of Warri and Kaduna refineries in August 2021.

The then Minister of state for petroleum resources, Timpere Sylva, had announced that the rehabilitation of Warri and Kaduna refineries would be awarded to Messers Saipem SPA and Saipem Contracting Limited at the combined total sum of $1.484 billion and would be rehabilitated in three phases of 21, 23 and 33 months.

Sylva had said $897,678,800 would be spent to repair Warri refinery while Kaduna refinery would gulp $586,902,256, noting that the completion of the rehabilitation exercise would be in three phases spread over 77 months period.

But Odeh in the statement released on Monday quoted the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari, as saying that the MoU execution served as a significant milestone, following more than six months of concerted engagement between the technical and management teams of NNPC and the two Chinese partners, Sanjiang and Xinganchen.

He did not say how much Nigeria would pay for the new rehabilitation.

“All parties recognise mutually beneficial opportunities for the development and long-term sustainable profitability of NNPC’s refining assets in Nigeria, and the collective weight required for success,” Ojulari noted.

The GCEO further stated that the MoU is an important step in the journey towards identifying potential technical equity partner(s) to restart and expand NNPC’s refineries, and to explore opportunities in co-located petrochemicals and gas-based industries.