By Uthman Baba-Naseer,Minna

The Federal High Court sitting in Minna, Niger State, has adjourned ruling till 16 July for Application filed by an APC aspirant Shehu Samaila Auna seeking for amendment of his name in the matter challenging the APC Primary election which declared Professor Yakubu Mohammed Auna as APC candidate for Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency in the forthcoming elections.

The case, filed by Alhaji Shehu Samaila Auna, is seeking for the cancellation of the APC primary election, alleging that no valid primary was conducted to produce the party’s candidate for the constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Joined as defendants in the suit which is marked FHC/MN/CS/54/2026, are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mohammed Auna, Shehu Saleh Slow, Safiyanu Yahaya, Emma Alamu, and Sani Doma.

The plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether the APC complied with the provisions of Sections 84, 86 and 87 of the Electoral Act, 2022, in nominating its candidate for the Magama/Rijau Federal Constituency.

He is also seeking a declaration that the party’s candidate was not validly nominated because, according to him, the APC did not conduct a primary election as required by law.

The plaintiff further prayed the court to declare the nomination null and void, arguing that it was carried out in violation of the Electoral Act.

However, at the resumed sitting on Thursday the plaintiff counsel Mohammed Danjuma Abubakar Esq ,had moved an Application to file a motion of amendment of name of the plaintiff as presented in the suit which was heavily objected by the defence counsels.

In his argument the defence counsel Philip Adah Esq vehemently objected to the application on the ground that the amendment of the name of plaintiff at this point is overreach “and I prayed the court to throw out the application as it has no any basis for now”

They argued that the motion is overreaching and did not specify reasons for changing the name of the plaintiff which he originally deposed to.

After listening to the arguments of both parties the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Aminu Dan-Ige, adjourned the matter to July 16, 2026 for ruling.

Fielding Questions from Journalists shortly after the Court seating, the counsel to the first defendants Philip Adah Esq, argued that the application for the amendment of the names as moved by the counsel to the plaintiff, has no any place inlaw.

Arguing further the counsel had earlier filed an application to amend a name of the plaintiff from the name earlier filed before the court,” then we are now saying that no. He cannot do that because the application is over reach and we are asking the court to as a matter of law,to throw out the application

“ We are hoping that the court under His Lordship will look into our own prayer as contained in our own application to do the needful in our favour or against us as he may deem it fit that is just our prayer before the court” he told Journalists.

However when contacted for his response,the counsel to the plaintiff Mohammed Danjuma Abubakar Esq, declined comment saying,” is not ripe for me to grant any press interview for now. I will speak to the press at the appropriate time. For now I don’t have anything to tell you guys because the hearing has not even commence” he stated.

By Our Edo Correspondent

In a bid to flushout crimes in fhe state,Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo is seeking stronger collaboration with traditional rulers across Edo State’s 18 local government areas to tackle insecurity and other criminal activities.

Addressing traditional rulers from Edo Central and Edo North Senatorial Districts on a courtesy visit to Government House in Benin City on Thursday, Governor Okpebholo said traditional rulers remain critical stakeholders in the fight against crime because of their close relationship with their communities.

“There are so many security challenges, and the best people to help me fight insecurity are the traditional rulers. You know your communities because you know those who live there and those coming into the area,” he said.

The governor noted that several recent kidnapping cases involved local collaborators who were familiar with the movement and financial status of residents.

“Our people know those who are wealthy and those who are not. They know the movement of people within the community. If we must stop insecurity in Edo State, we must work together to achieve this purpose,” he said.

He urged traditional rulers not to encourage or shield criminal elements, stressing that young people should be discouraged from engaging in crime.

“Let nobody encourage crime. Our children should not be involved. They should understand that crime is dangerous. The President is not happy about the security situation in the country, and I am not happy as well,” he added.

The governor also appealed to the royal fathers to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the next presidential election, expressing confidence that Edo State could deliver substantial votes for the President.

Responding on behalf of the visiting monarchs, the Ojuromi of Uromi, HRM Anslem Edenojie II, passed a vote of confidence in the governor, describing his development efforts across the state as commendable.

The monarch assured Governor Okpebholo of the continued support and cooperation of traditional rulers in promoting peace, security and development across Edo State.

By George Mgbeleķe

Disturbed by the long silence of National Assmbly over the huge allocation to an illegal Agency, Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu has urged the Senate to launch an independent investigation into how the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC, an entity publicly disowned by the Presidency as “fake” and “fictitious”, was allocated N1.3 billion in the 2026 Appropriation Act.

Moving a motion on the floor o Senate on Tuesday under Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders, Senator Kawu, representing Kano South, described the development as a “matter of grave institutional concern” that threatens the integrity of the National Assembly and the credibility of the budget process.

Sen. Kawu told the chamber that despite the Executive publicly disavowing PFIPC and directing law enforcement to arrest its “self-acclaimed officials” for alleged forgery and impersonation, the entity was still captured in the 2026 budget under Code 0111062001.

According to him, the allocation totals *N1,302,978,784*, broken down into *N802,978,784 for personnel costs, N200,000,000 for overhead, and N300,000,000 for capital expenditure*.

“Although sections of the media described the matter as a ‘N2 Billion scandal,’ the verifiable appropriation stands at over N1.3 Billion Naira for an entity now officially claimed by the Government to be non-existent,” Kawu said.

He expressed concern that the inclusion undermines public confidence, exposes weaknesses in budgetary scrutiny, and subjects the Federal Government to “avoidable domestic and international criticism” over transparency and fiscal governance.

In response to his motion Senate resloved as follows:
1. *Condemn* the administrative lapses or fraudulent schemes that allowed PFIPC into the budget.
2. *Direct* the Committees on Ethics, Code of Conduct & Public Petitions and Appropriations to investigate:
a. How the N1.3bn was proposed, scrutinized and approved;
b. The MDAs and officials responsible for facilitating PFIPC’s inclusion;
c. Whether any funds have been released or any bank account operated under the budget line.

Fielding questions from journalists Sen. Kawu clarified that his focus was not on whether the President can create an agency, but on “who legalized the inclusion or who facilitated the inclusion of that agency in the national budget,” which he said is the constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly.

“Any inclusion, any overhead, it is executive proposal. But the constitution too allowed us to compose a budget. We can add. We can subtract. Therefore, if that agency is new and did not emanate from the budget office of the President, then who is responsible in the National Assembly?” he queried.

He noted that while President Bola Tinubu has constituted a committee to investigate the PFIPC saga, the legislature must also “do its own” to safeguard the integrity of the appropriation process.

The motion sparked debate on procedure, with some lawmakers referencing Order 9(9c) on matters of privilege and national importance. Sen. Kawu insisted he invoked privilege because “it has power” and “nobody can stop you.”

He added that most senators are “in support of my position” that the National Assembly cannot “keep quiet” while its name is linked to the controversy.

On whether any money had been released to PFIPC. Sen. Kawu said that was part of what the proposed investigation must determine. “Budget is the most important aspect of this issue. If there is no budget, they can easily go with it. But there is budget. Therefore, they must tell us from where it comes.”