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Why I ignored APC’s letter on House principal officers — Dogara
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has explained his reason for not not honouring a letter from the leadership of All Progressives Congress in respect of the principal offices of the House.
Mr. Dogara cited Federal Character and legal factors for his refusal.
In a statement by his media aide, Turaki Hassan, Mr. Dogara was said to have made offered the explanation last Thursday, while hosting the Forum of Former House of Representatives Members.
Mr. Dogara received the APC letter on Tuesday. His refusal to read or adhere to the directive led to the fracas that ensued in the House on Thursday.
“He said in as much as he had wanted to act on the party`s letter nominating some persons as principal officers of the House, as a law abiding citizen he was compelled to do otherwise as a result of a pending court case instituted by about 36 APC lawmakers from the North Central zone who alleged that the party had schemed them out in violation of constitutional provision on Federal character principle,” Mr. Hassan quoted Mr. Dogara as saying.
“He said the tradition has been that the six principal positions are shared evenly among the six geo-political zones of the country in accordance with the federal character principle.
“He said federal character “is so important to our dear country that we have to establish a commission to enforce that particular position of the federal character.
“Even before I saw the later, there was court process served to the leadership of the House. What they are alleging is very simple: whether it is in accordance with the constitution of Nigeria and the House rules that a political party has the right to chose the principal officers of the House.
“The second question is: assuming the political party has the right, whether it is in tandem with the constitution to exclude their zone,l (North Central) and whether that meet the requirement of the provision of the federal character.
“It is not that we don’t want to announce the position of the party. But there are issues of law, issues relating to court, issues relating to the provisions of the constitution.”
Mr. Dogara reportedly continued, “Let me just explain: assuming we go ahead to announce the party’s position, which did not recognise members of the north central as principal officers and most of the members from the southwest as principal officers and then the north central members made a very strong allegation against APC.
“Assuming they win the case and the court now rules that that the directive of the party breaches the provision of the constitution relating to the federal character, so do we now begin to see somebody vacating his office as principal so that we can accommodate the court’s ruling?
“When we got the letter, we raised this issue with the party. We said the best thing is in order to avoid this, let’s circulate the six positions among the six zones in the House.
“There has never been a time in the House where a zone got more than two leadership positions and we all know the provision of the constitution which did say that all positions must be guided by the standing orders
“But in a situation where the standing order is not explicit does not provide for, then we provide that the use of precedent, customs, the tradition. So that therefore means even though the law does not say distribute the position to six zones, but the tradition has been that it should go to six zones in line with the constitutional provision relating to the federal character.
“So this is the bone of contention. But as leaders, we are bound by the constitution and when we got that directive from the party, we said that we must defend the constitution, we must enforce our rules .
“That is where we are and that is what we are discussing. It was the ongoing discussion relating to this that certain section of our members felt ‘well whatever it is let the House know, that the party is supreme’ and so that was what led to the near fracas which we witnessed on the floor of the House,” he said.
The Speaker said he called for the House to go into close-door session on that day to enable him inform his colleagues about the pending court case against the party`s position and chart the way forward.
He said he requested the chairman of ad hoc committee on media to apologise to Nigerians, having accepted responsibility for all that transpired.
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Benue, Kwara Killings: Primate Ayodele Warned But They Never Listened
When Nigerians started celebrating after the United States launched an attack against terrorists in Nigeria on December 25, 2025, Primate Ayodele stood out when he said the nation shouldn’t celebrate yet because there would be reprisal attacks.
Many quickly lashed out at him, calling him all sort of names like prophet of doom, fake prophet, bet9ja prophet, to mention but a few. However, the prophet stood his ground and continued to warn President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team that terrorists are planning to attack some Nigerian states.
His words after the US-led attack were:
“Nigerians shouldn’t celebrate yet, and President Tinubu shouldn’t celebrate either, because the powerlessness of his government is getting exposed, and America can come up with anything against him. This won’t stop kidnapping or insecurity in Nigeria.
“The government of Nigeria must work on it because the US cannot do it without the Nigerian government.
“Another bombing is coming up, and these bandits are ready for the consequences. They are also ready to counter-attack heavily; the government must get prepared for the outcome.”
Many didn’t know that Primate Ayodele isn’t a prophet that just speaks for attention sake, he speaks as directed by the most high God and that’s why he is always fearless in his approaches. Despite the fact that even the presidency celebrated it, he called their attention to some plans of terrorists across the country.
It’s been barely two months after the attack of the United States, and the country is back to more folds of insecurity across the country. Bandits have launched full-fledged attacks on the nation, killing several innocent souls without getting checked or arrested.
If only security operatives listens to Primate Ayodele’s warning, he vividly mentioned some of the states that bandits or terrorist would be visiting. He shared them in a prophet at least twice, including in video recordings but we wonder what these security operatives do with sensitive messages like this.
In one of the prophetic moment, he mentioned about eight states that will be attacked by terrorists if care isn’t taken.
“These states, Nasarawa, Abuja, Ondo, Kaduna, Sokoto, Benue, Katsina, Yobe, should be paid close attention to. They should deploy more soldiers to these states.”
Just yesterday in Benue, In Benue State, 17 people, including a Mobile Police officer, were killed when gunmen attacked the Abande market in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan district of Kwande Local Government Area. Gunmen opened fire on traders and residents, killing many on the spot. Police spokesperson in Benue State, Udeme Edet confirmed the attack.
In Katsina, In Katsina State, at least 20 residents were killed when bandits stormed Doma community in Tafoki Ward, Faskari Local Government Area.
Witnesses said the attackers moved unhindered, shooting villagers and setting houses and vehicles ablaze before fleeing. Faskari Local Government Chairman Surajo Aliyu confirmed the incident, describing it as a deadly reprisal and the worst in recent months.
In Kwara too, Primate Ayodele had said earlier before now, just after the Eruku incident, that he still sees attacks in the state.
In fulfilment of this, bandits killed at least 10 villagers in Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area. The attackers, reportedly operating from the Borgu National Park forest in neighboring Niger State, invaded the communities around 6.00 pm, firing sporadically and setting houses ablaze.
Sincerely, all of these could have been avoided by they failed to listen.
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Former Pension Reform Task Team Chairman, Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina, Hospitalised After Sudden Collapse in Abuja
Former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina, on Tuesday evening slumped while attempting to access his office premises in Abuja and was immediately rushed to a private hospital for urgent medical care.
The incident occurred after complications arising from an untreated knee injury reportedly caused him to lose balance and fall on a staircase, resulting in a head impact that required immediate medical attention from personnel at the scene.
Confirming the development in an official statement, Emmanuel Umahi Ekwe, Esq., Media Assistant to Dr. Abdulrasheed Maina, speaking on behalf of his family, said the former pension reform chief was promptly stabilised and transferred to a private medical facility in the Federal Capital Territory, where he is currently under close supervision by a team of doctors.
According to the statement, preliminary medical evaluations indicate that Dr. Maina remains under observation, while specialists have advised that arrangements for a possible air ambulance evacuation may be considered should his condition require advanced or specialised treatment.
The situation has drawn concern from associates, professional colleagues, and well-wishers across the country, given Dr. Maina’s prominent role in Nigeria’s public sector and pension reform initiatives.
His family has appealed to the public for prayers, understanding, and respect for privacy during this critical period, assuring that further updates will be communicated as developments unfold.
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President Tinubu in Turkey: Guard of Honor and Strategic Agreements Signal New Era in Bilateral Relations
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, was accorded a full guard of honor during his official state visit to Turkey, a ceremonial reception reserved for world leaders and a strong signal of the respect Nigeria commands on the global stage.
The ceremony, held at the Turkish Presidential Complex in Ankara, featured military pageantry, national anthems, and formal protocol before high-level bilateral talks commenced.
The Presidency confirmed that President Tinubu briefly stumbled due to a camera cable while proceeding to the presidential lodge but stood up immediately and continued his engagements without interruption, stressing that the incident had no impact on the visit or his health.
More importantly, the visit delivered substantive diplomatic and economic outcomes. During talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 27, 2026, Nigeria and Turkey signed nine cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding, covering military cooperation, higher education, diaspora policy, media and communication, halal accreditation, diplomatic training, and the establishment of a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO).
At a joint press conference, President Tinubu emphasized the need to deepen cooperation in security, trade, and economic development, while President Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey’s support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and commitment to strengthening strategic ties.
With Turkey’s strengths in defense technology, intelligence, education, and industrial capacity, the agreements open new opportunities for technology transfer, security collaboration, trade expansion, and human capital development.
In essence, the Turkey visit stands as a diplomatic success, defined not by a fleeting moment, but by honor, respect, and concrete agreements that advance Nigeria’s security, economy, and international standing.
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