By Our Correspondent

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has struck down four key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, ruling that they are inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.

The affected provisions are Sections 77(5), 77(6), 77(7) and 84(2) provisions dealing with party membership registers and how political parties select their candidates.

In a unanimous judgment in the case involving Zenith Party and INEC, the three-member panel led by Justice Balkisu Bello Aliyu overturned the earlier decision of the Federal High Court.

The lead judgment was delivered by Justice Eberechi Nyesom-Wike.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

The court ruled that political parties cannot be subjected to statutory restrictions that interfere with powers guaranteed to them under the Constitution.

Section 77(5) restricting participation in primaries to members whose names appear on the register submitted to INEC was struck down.

Section 77(6) preventing parties from using a different membership register during primaries, congresses and conventions was nullified.

Section 77(7) which could prevent a party from fielding candidates if it failed to submit its membership register within the stipulated period was also declared unconstitutional.

Section 84(2) which limited candidate nomination to direct primaries or consensus was equally struck down.

The Court of Appeal held that political parties should retain greater discretion over their internal affairs, including the process through which they select candidates.

The court did NOT cancel the entire Electoral Act.

It also did NOT abolish the requirement for political parties to maintain membership registers and submit them to INEC.

Only the specific provisions found to be unconstitutional were struck down. (Punch Newspapers)

With the 2027 elections approaching, this judgment could have major implications for how political parties conduct their primaries and choose candidates.

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses outrage over the continued silence and apparent lack of concrete public information concerning the fate of hundreds of citizens abducted during the August 22 attack on communities in Niger State.

HURIWA in a statement signed by it national coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko said the reported abduction of about 600 residents of Dekera, Gidan-Zana and Sabon Gida, alongside the reported killing of at least 40 people, represents a grave national security and humanitarian emergency that the Federal Government must not treat as another routine security incident.

The rights group said it is particularly disturbed by reports that families of the victims have received no communication from the kidnappers for two weeks, while government authorities have also failed to provide them with clear information on rescue operations.

HURIWA says Nigerians deserve to know what concrete measures the security agencies are taking to locate the victims and bring them home safely.

The association notes that President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to rescue the hostages but stresses that presidential directives must translate into visible and measurable action.

“A presidential order to rescue abducted citizens cannot end as a statement in the media. Nigerians need results. Families need information. The abducted citizens need to come home alive,” HURIWA says.

The association describes as deeply disturbing the account of a family whose relative is reportedly abducted barely one week after giving birth.

According to reports, the woman is taken alongside her husband and three children, including the newborn baby. HURIWA says such circumstances expose the brutal human cost of Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

“What kind of country allows a mother and her newborn baby to disappear into the hands of armed criminals while government agencies remain unable to tell the family what they are doing to rescue them?” the group asks.

HURIWA also condemns the reported destruction of homes and displacement of residents following the attack.

The association says government responsibility does not end with the deployment of soldiers after an attack, insisting that displaced victims require food, shelter, medical assistance and protection from further attacks.

“Citizens whose homes are reduced to ashes cannot be abandoned to the mercy of the rains and hunger. The government has a constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property,” HURIWA says.

The rights group urges the Federal Government, Niger State Government and security agencies to immediately provide families with credible and regular updates on the rescue operation.

HURIWA also demands an urgent investigation into how the attackers are able to carry out what residents describe as a large-scale and coordinated assault resulting in mass abductions and killings.

“The government must explain how hundreds of Nigerians can be taken hostage in a single operation without an effective intervention. Nigerians cannot continue to live in communities where terrorists and kidnappers determine who lives, who dies and who disappears,” HURIWA says.

The association calls on the security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated operations aimed at locating the abducted citizens while ensuring that any rescue mission prioritises the safety of the victims.

HURIWA further urges the government to establish a dedicated communication channel through which affected families can receive verified information about rescue efforts.

The association warns that prolonged silence could deepen public distrust and leave victims’ families feeling abandoned by the state.

“Every abducted Nigerian is a citizen whose life is protected by the Constitution. Their families are not asking for charity. They are demanding the most basic duty of government — protection of life and the safe return of their loved ones,” HURIWA says.

HURIWA therefore demands urgent action, transparent communication and accountability over the mass abduction, stressing that the government must demonstrate that the lives of ordinary Nigerians are not expendable.

By David Owei,Bayelsa

A civil society organisation in Rivers State on the aegis of LightHope Succor Worldwide Initiative has challenged reports alleging that 37 persons died after inhaling suspected toxic fumes at Okari Jetty in Okrika Mainland, Rivers State, describing the claim as unverified and urging media organisations to disregard it until credible evidence emerged.

The organisation, in a statement issued on Friday, said its preliminary enquiries failed to establish the occurrence of the alleged mass-casualty incident, which reportedly happened at the jetty on September 3, 2026.

According to LightHope, it sought clarification from senior authorities of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army responsible for the area, and was informed that no such incident was recorded at Okari Jetty on the date in question.

The statement was apparently in response to a report making the rounds in some print and electronic media, claiming that not fewer than 37 suspected oil thieves had died after inhaling toxic substance in the course of stealing petroleum products from a pipeline taping point at the jetty.

One of the reports had alleged that the incident occurred at about midnight on Thursday, September 3, during an illegal operation to load petroleum products from a pipeline tapping point into waiting boats.

The organisation claimed that the youths inhaled the product while it was being pumped at high pressure, resulting in the deaths of at least 37 persons, while several others were allegedly still missing.

It also claimed that some corpses had been seen floating on the river but had yet to be recovered and called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit to the alleged site.

It urged companies whose facilities were allegedly vandalised to strengthen security around their pipelines.
But LightHope said its preliminary investigation had been unable to independently establish the veracity of the reported fatalities.

It therefore called on the originators of the report to produce verifiable evidence capable of substantiating the claim, while urging media organisations to apply appropriate editorial checks before reproducing allegations involving the loss of human lives.

The group, however, cautioned that its position should not be interpreted as a denial of the serious environmental and security challenges associated with oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.

Rather, it said, the issue was about accuracy, responsible advocacy and evidence-based reporting.

LightHope maintained that unverified reports of mass deaths could create unnecessary public anxiety and undermine credible efforts to address the region’s longstanding environmental and security challenges.

“The conflicting accounts have raised questions that could only be conclusively resolved through an independent investigation by relevant authorities”, it stated, insisting that the reported 37 deaths should not be presented as established fact without credible evidence.

The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to community welfare, environmental responsibility, public safety and credible advocacy in the Niger Delta.

However, security agencies in the state including the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC have in separate reactions confirmed that some oil thieves actually lost their lives at a pipeline taping point at the Okrika Jetty where they had gone to “steal crude oil”.

According to Agabe Blessing, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Rivers Police command, though the command was yet to receive any official complaint on the incident as at Friday afternoon, investigation was on to ascertain the number of suspects who died in the incident.