Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has urged the Lagos State Government to immediately suspend what he described as unlawful and unconstitutional demolitions of waterfront properties across the state, warning that the actions amount to executive overreach and contempt of court.

Falana made the call in a statement, referencing a series of existing court orders restraining the government from forcibly evicting residents or demolishing structures in waterfront communities such as Makoko, Oko-Agbon, Sogunro, and Iwaya.

He highlighted that on June 22, 2017, a Lagos High Court, presided over by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo (now retired), ruled that previous government-initiated evictions were illegal, rendering over 30,000 residents homeless.

The court found the actions violated the fundamental rights of the affected individuals and awarded N3.5 million in reparations.

Falana noted that the court also ordered a halt to future evictions, a ruling that could safeguard the homes of approximately 270,000 residents from being demolished under the pretext of urban renewal. Also, the court directed the state government to engage affected communities in consultations regarding resettlement, in line with its urban development policies.

In response, the Lagos State Government defended its actions, describing the demolitions in Makoko and other waterfront settlements as necessary measures to protect lives, ensure environmental safety, and promote sustainable urban development.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, following a government-resident engagement in Lagos, explained that the interventions aimed to prevent disasters, enhance safety, and position Lagos as a resilient and sustainable megacity.

Addressing criticisms that the exercise was anti-poor, Omotoso said the actions were primarily guided by safety, environmental protection, and security concerns, especially for structures built beneath high-tension power lines or obstructing critical waterways.

“No responsible government can permit habitation under power cables or blockages along waterways,” he added.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said that  Christians are being victimized in some states in the northern Nigeria.

Dogara made the remarks on Sunday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, where he responded to questions on whether Christians are being victimised in the region.

He explained that in several North-Central states, including Plateau, Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa, Christians are not silenced or marginalised, suggesting that people from those states cannot claim that their voices have been suppressed.

However, the former Speaker acknowledged that some areas in the North still experience religious-related challenges, describing the issue of victimisation as complex and dependent on individual states.

Dogara said that while some states allow Christians to practise their faith freely without discrimination, there are “pockets of problems” in certain parts of the region that require attention.

He stressed that addressing such challenges would require cooperation between Christians and Muslims who are committed to peaceful coexistence.

He said: “Think in some part of northern Nigeria, yes. But there are some parts of northern Nigeria where, as a matter of fact, for instance, if you come in from Plateau State, you come from Benue state, to some extent, Taraba, Nasarawa state, and all those, you can’t claim that your voice has been drawn. You understand.”

On whether there is a victimization of the Christian faith in Nigeria, Dogara added:

“That is perhaps a very difficult question to answer, and then it’s on state by state basis. There are absolute states like I’ve mentioned, where, as a Christian, you don’t have any problem. But certainly from what we know, on the feelers we get. There are areas, pockets of problems in certain part of the North that we need to work on, but I believe that it will demand Christians and Muslims who understand working together to be able to take care of these concerns.”

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has said the current federal government has performed worse than he and others expected, especially in the areas of security and governance.

Speaking on ARISE TV Prime Time, El-Rufai said the situation in the country has deteriorated beyond what he imagined during the election period.

“If you asked me in 2022 or 2023 when we were campaigning that things would ever be this bad, I would say that you are mentally ill,” he said.

El-Rufai questioned the handling of public funds, alleging that about $100 billion is deducted monthly from the Federation Account without proper appropriation by the National Assembly and state assemblies.

“Government data, I’m not quoting something out of the air. So for that $100 billion that goes out every month from the Federation account, without appropriation by the National Assembly, by the way, without appropriation by the state assemblies, because part of the money belongs to the states, so each state assembly is supposed to appropriate that part,” he said.

According to him, the deductions and spending are unconstitutional and amount to an impeachable offence.

“So the entire deduction and expenditure is unconstitutional. It’s an impeachable offense,” he said.

He said the practice has allegedly continued for over 15 months, raising concerns over accountability.

“So where has that $1.5 trillion gone? What is it being used for?” he asked.

El-Rufai also linked the spending to the worsening security situation, questioning why insecurity continues to rise despite the huge sums being spent.

“Why is the security situation just getting worse? Why is the government asking communities to protect themselves?” he asked.

He concluded by stating clearly that, in his view, the President’s government has fared worse, compared to expectations.

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State, Abdullahi Abbas, has said the party is open to welcoming Governor Abba Yusuf if he defects from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Abbas said the APC would not reject any politician joining its ranks, stressing that politics is about strength in numbers.

“He is welcome to our party, because politically no right thinking politician will reject a political addition and as you know, politics is a game of numbers,” he said.

“Therefore, defection to your party means addition to your number and by extension an increase to our success during the polls.”

Abbas added that the party’s position has always been clear.

“We have made our point clear on several occasions that we will welcome anyone that has seen the beauty of our party and wants to join us,” he said in am interview with Daily trust.

On concerns about automatic tickets, Abbas said the issue is premature.

“That is not an issue for now, it is an issue of when all processes are completed and whoever is coming has finalized his or her defection processes,” he said.

He noted that Governor Yusuf would not be defecting alone.

“There are elected local government chairmen, councilors and other political office holders that will defect to our party with him,” Abbas said.

According to him, discussions on strategy would come later.

“Therefore, it is an issue of when all has been finalized, then we will sit down and map out a strategy that all will benefit from,” he said, adding that the party’s focus is winning the 2027 elections.

“We await his coming and believe me we will work out a modality that will ensure the success of the party in a unanimous manner without any form of crisis between old members and the new members,” Abbas said.

Sharing his personal view, he added, “I believe in Nigerian political contests, it is very hard for an incumbent governor to fail the primaries.”

Abbas also dismissed reports about delays in the governor’s defection. He described them as rumours, saying, “The governor didn’t openly declare that he was coming to APC on a particular date.”

He explained that defection by a sitting governor involves careful steps.

“A governor’s defection is not something that one can just work-up one day and say, I have decamped,” Abbas said.

“There are processes involved and until those processes are duly followed and completed, the defection continues to remain a plan yet to be executed.”

The Executive Chairperson of Tudun Wada Local Government Area, Hon. Sa’adatu Salisu Soja MaiJamaa, has resigned her membership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

She announced her resignation in a letter dated Friday, January 23, 2026, and addressed to the leadership of the party in Tudun Wada Local Government Area.

In the letter, which was made available to journalists, Sa’adatu said her decision was taken to align with the political direction of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

“My decision to resign was necessitated in order to follow the footsteps of my leader, His Excellency Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, Executive Governor of Kano State,” she said.

She explained that the decision was carefully taken to enable her support the development agenda of Kano State and its people through meaningful projects and initiatives.

“In view of the above, I hereby resign my membership of the party,” the letter stated.

Sa’adatu also expressed appreciation to the NNPP leadership and members for their support during her time in the party.

The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, on Saturday criticised the presidency over what he described as repeated administrative blunders and a lack of competence in governance.

Shaibu reacted to the brief announcement and subsequent withdrawal of Usman Dakingari’s appointment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Turkey.

Posting on X, Shaibu said Dakingari was announced as an ambassador, only for the presidency to retract the announcement minutes later without any official explanation.

He described the incident as the 11th public reversal by the current administration, arguing that such actions create confusion, uncertainty and show disrespect for public institutions.

Shaibu accused the presidency of being preoccupied with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, rather than focusing on effective governance.

“A government that cannot keep track of its own announcements cannot be trusted to run a country,” Shaibu said, adding that governance should not be treated like a social media message that can be deleted without accountability.

He further criticised what he called a pattern of carelessness in official appointments, recalling past incidents in which deceased individuals were reportedly announced for positions, while living appointees were embarrassed by sudden reversals.

Shaibu urged the presidency to uphold higher standards, stressing that serious governments verify decisions before making them public and provide clear explanations when errors occur.

He said: “They’ve appointed the dead before. Now they appointed Dakingari an ambassador and withdrew it before lunch time at ‘Iya Oyo’ without explanation.

“Usman Dakingari was announced as Turkey ambassador. Minutes later: no appointment ever happened.

“This is the 11th public reversal by this administration. Eleven times of confusion, uncertainty, and institutional disrespect

“While Nigerians battle hardship, the presidency is obsessed with @atiku and @PeterObi instead of basic competence.

“A government that can’t track its own announcements can’t run a country.

“@aonanuga1956 governance is not a WhatsApp broadcast that can simply be deleted. Serious governments explain themselves.

“Serious governments double-check before announcing appointments. Serious governments do not wake up to appoint the dead, embarrass living appointees, and then pretend nothing happened.”

Nigerians have lashed out at the Federal Government over what they described as the embarrassing constant collapse of the national grid.

Nigeria’s national electricity grid suffered a total collapse on Friday, plunging parts of the country into blackout in the first such incident recorded in 2026.

According to the figures from the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, power generation fell to zero megawatts, while electricity supply to all 11 distribution companies dropped completely by about 1 p.m.

NISO disclosed that the affected distribution firms include Benin, Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja and Yola, all of which recorded zero load allocation at the time of the collapse.

A cross-section of Nigerians, who spoke to DAILY POST on the development, said the regular collapse of the national grid is a national embarrassment.

Speaking to DAILY POST, a Nigerian, Paul Igbashangev said it was quite disheartening that Nigeria had continued to experience this very often.

He said: “It’s quite unfortunate that our country at this level is always talking of national grid collapsing. The frequent grid collapse is a concern, and we are hoping the authorities will find a lasting solution soon. It is affecting businesses and households alike.”

Another Nigerian, Iwuchukwu Ike, said nothing is working under this administration, lamenting that since coming on board of the administration, it has been from one drama to another.

“The national grid has collapsed again? It’s quite painful that this thing is collapsing on every eke market day.

“I could remember how Peter Obi went to Egypt to see how they’re getting it right. APC supporters mocked him. Now see us see Disco,” he said.

On his part, Ngozi Ikechukwu, said it is too much to bear the current economic hardship.

“See what these people who promised us heaven on earth are doing to us. How can we be battling with national grid collapse when the year has just started?” She queried.

Also speaking, Mustapha Audu said that the Federal Government should adopt the Compress Natural Gas, CNG, to put an end to the constant collapse of the national grid.

“I think what the Federal Government should do is to get a CNG electricity conversion solution to this national grid collapse. A country of 200 million people having a nationwide blackout without a natural disaster like a hurricane? A shame of a nation,” he said.

According to another respondent, Adamu Yusuf, some people are playing politics with the national grid for their selfish purposes.

He said: “There is nothing serious about the frequent collapse of the national grid. Some group of persons are just playing politics with it to make money

“National grid is something that is supposed to take years before collapsing, but it has become business as usual and nobody is asking them.”

On his part, Adah Joseph said the regular collapse of the national grid affects the national economy, causing a decline in the country’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP.

“It’s rather unfortunate that the devastating effects of the constant collapse of the national grid has continued.

“This also affects individual businesses of different kinds, especially food related businesses that need constant power supply for the use of refrigerators.

“And as it also affects Nigerians in different aspects, including health facilities.

“It is high time, therefore, that the government included our power sector amongst topmost  priorities to end this embarrassment,” he posited.

In the same vein, Augustine Oyiwona urged the government to invest massively in new transmission lines and substations, stressing that most of them are more than 40 to 50 years

He said: “Manual systems should be replaced with a modern real time grid monitoring system. Transmission Company of Nigeria,TCN, should be run like a technical utility and not a ministry desk.

“As passed by the National Assembly and signed into law, the state governments should legally be made to generate, transmit and distribute power.”

According to another respondent, Paul Igbadi, “To me, it is like total negligence on the side of our government.”

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has raised concerns over what his office described as deliberate attempts by security agencies to frustrate his constitutional right to fair hearing and effective legal defence.

Malami’s office accused the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of engaging in actions that allegedly undermined a valid court order and obstructed his legal preparations in an ongoing interim forfeiture case.

In a statement issued by Mohammed Bello Doka, Special Assistant on Media to Malami, the office alleged that the EFCC delayed the submission of Malami’s international passports to the Federal High Court for about one week, despite the documents being a key condition for the perfection of his bail.

According to the statement, the delay prolonged Malami’s detention unnecessarily and hindered the execution of the court’s bail order.

The statement further claimed that shortly after Malami perfected his bail and was released from the Kuje Custodial Centre, he was rearrested by the DSS and detained for five days without access to his lawyers or family.

Doka alleged that Malami was only allowed to meet his legal team on Friday after what the office described as prolonged isolation and violations of his fundamental rights.

He explained that the detention occurred at a critical period when he was required to prepare his defence in an EFCC interim forfeiture proceeding before the Federal High Court, stressing that denying him access to counsel impaired his ability to consult and give instructions.

“The sequence of events suggests a pattern where arrest precedes investigation, with evidence sought after detention,” Doka alleged.

He warned that such practices undermine the authority of the judiciary and pose a serious threat to the rule of law.

“The Office stresses that bail granted by a court must have meaning.

No agency should be permitted to neutralise judicial orders through coordinated delays, rearrests, or denial of access to legal representation,” the statement read.

The office maintained that Malami remains ready to defend himself in court and called on state institutions to respect court orders, constitutional guarantees and the rule of law.

Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has reacted to the position of the presidency on the unending battle between the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The Presidency on Thursday, affirmed that Governor Fubara is the leader of the party in Rivers.

DAILY POST reported on Thursday that through his Special Adviser on Policy and Communication, Daniel Bwala, President Tinubu affirmed his support for Fubara, stressing that the governor must be allowed to carry out his duties without undue interference.

Bwala said this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.

Bwala also acknowledged the role of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, describing him as instrumental to the Tinubu administration.

However, he clarified that Wike is not a member of the APC, adding that Fubara should be given the space to govern the State.

Reacting to the development through a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, the Rivers APC said, “We are grateful to the President and Commander-in-Chief His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, leader of the APC party in Nigeria for sticking to our party constitution/convention by reaffirming the position of the Governor through his SA on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala Esq.

“This Presidential clarification has once again vindicated our uncompromising stand on this matter and aligns with the policy thrust of our national party leadership under Prof Nentawe Yilwatda and Senator (Dr) Ajibola Basiru.

“We therefore commend the sincerity of Mr President and Commander-in-Chief to stick to party management direction which allows APC Governors to lead the party at the state level to engineer mobilization, cohesion and efficiency.

“This timely reaffirmation justifies the position of Rivers State APC on the position of the state Governor, His Excellency Sir Siminalayi Fubara as leader of our party in Rivers State and should correct any false or misleading narrative being peddled by political jobbers.

“Flowing from the above, we once more condemn in totality, the opinion offered by Mr Felix Morka on the impeachment process against the Governor of Rivers State and his Deputy as his opinion and suggestion contradict the core essence of party membership.

“We hope that Mr Morka elects to display his democratic credentials by stepping down from his role as National Publicity Secretary of our great party for failing to protect organizational objectives as an image maker.

“We further remind the National Working Committee of our great party of subsisting court decisions over Rivers APC leadership (please see Suit No. PHC/3592/CS/2023 & Suit No. PHC/3859/CS/2024) and request that congresses to elect new sets of leadership for the party at the Ward, LGA and State levels be scheduled immediately in order to harmonize all contending interests.

“Finally, we request that the Governor and leader of our party to immediately convoke a stakeholders’ meeting to give our party a direction going forward.”