By George Mgbeleke
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the completion of nine out of the 14 key activities contained in its revised timetable for the 2027 general elections, as it seeks enhanced technical cooperation with the United Kingdom to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Peter Vowles, and his delegation to the commission on Wednesday.

Amupitan said the commission had moved beyond the planning stage and was now implementing critical operational activities to ensure adequate preparations for the 2027 polls.

He explained that INEC was intensifying efforts to strengthen the national register of voters through continuous voter registration, data verification, transfer of voters and the removal of ineligible entries.

The chairman also disclosed that the nationwide collection and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were ongoing as part of measures to ensure eligible Nigerians could exercise their franchise during the elections.

According to him, political parties had also completed the submission of their candidates for the 2027 general elections in compliance with the Electoral Act and relevant statutory deadlines.

He further noted that preparations were progressing across the six geopolitical zones, with the commission focused on ensuring effective coordination and operational readiness ahead of the polls.

On electoral technology, Amupitan said INEC was prioritising improvements to the reliability and efficiency of its existing technological infrastructure, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of election results.

He stressed that the commission was more interested in strengthening existing systems than introducing an entirely new technological framework ahead of the elections.

The INEC chairman identified cybersecurity, specialised training for electoral personnel, strategic communication, voter education and combating misinformation as critical areas where the commission would benefit from additional technical support from the United Kingdom.

He also emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with security agencies to guarantee the safety of electoral officials, facilities and sensitive election materials throughout the electoral process.

Addressing concerns over voter apathy, particularly among young people, women and persons with disabilities, Amupitan said the commission was pursuing initiatives aimed at promoting broader participation and strengthening public confidence in the democratic process.

He specifically highlighted a university debate initiative being implemented across the country’s six geopolitical zones as part of efforts to stimulate political awareness among young Nigerians and encourage their involvement in democratic governance.

Earlier, the British High Commissioner, Peter Vowles, said his visit was aimed at gaining a better understanding of INEC’s mandate, responsibilities and level of preparedness for the 2027 general elections.

Vowles, who disclosed that he had spent approximately eight weeks in Nigeria, described the country’s democratic development as significant not only to its estimated 240 million citizens but also to the wider West African region and the international community.

He noted that the 2027 general elections would offer Nigeria an important opportunity to demonstrate how democratic institutions could function effectively in a large and diverse society.

The British envoy reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic development, expressing interesthis response, Amupitan described the relationship between Nigeria and the United Kingdom as one founded on shared interests and a common commitment to democracy, electoral integrity and institutional development.

By Peter Okoro, Abuja

Unhappy with the arbitrary increase in rents in the Federal Capital Territary (FCT)the House of Representatives has moved to address the growing housing challenges being faced by FCT residents as a bill seeking to prohibit compulsory multiple-year rent and regulate housing agency practices as well as check arbitrary rent increases scaled through second reading in the House.

The Bill which is sponsored by Hon. Paul Nnamchi is also seeks to establish a formidable legal framework for a better and more transparent rental transactions in the federal capital territory Abuja.

Yhe tagged “A Bill for an Act to Regulate Rental Payments, Prohibit Compulsory Multiple-Year Rent Demands, Housing Agency Practices and Rent Increases in the Federal Capital Territory to Establish a Unified Digital Register for Housing Agents Prescribe Agency Fees, Protect Landlords and Tenants and for Related Matters” HB. 2839.

In his lead debate, the sponsor of the bill also explained that the proposed law is expected to ease the financial burden on tenants while promoting professionalism in the housing sector within the Territory.

Nnamchi equally noted that the expected legislation was designed to address all matter of significant public interest and most expecially the increasing difficulty ordinary man and women are going through inorder to secure a decent and affordable accommodation.

Earlier in his observations, the lawmaker informed that in the FCT, some tenants are routinely confronted with excessive demands for several years’ rent upfront and agency charges among others by the landlord.

According to him, several challenges have become a major source of serious concern requiring urgent legislative intervention to protect vulnerable Nigerians from exploitation.

The lawmaker further observed that the consequences of excessive rental demands has extended beyond individual tenants, with significant implications for household savings and small businesses as well as employment opportunities.

He, however lamented that the burden of paying multiple years’ rent upfront often forces families to exhaust their savings, while young professionals and workers seeking employment in Abuja also face additional difficulties relocating because of prohibitive accommodation costs.

Nnamchi equally used the opportunity to inform that a properly structured rental system would not only improve access to housing but will also contribute to economic stability and productivity of FCT people.

All lawmakers who spoke during the debate said the proposed legislation will help to introduce a comprehensive regulatory framework that includes restrictions on compulsory advance rental payments as well as the establishment of a unified digital register for housing agents and reasonable limits on agency fees among others.

Sypnosis of the Bill also proposed appropriate penalties for violations to ensure compliance and accountability among operators in the rental market.

Lawmakers however, emphasised that the Bill was not intended to undermine property rights or discourage investment but rather to ensure that legitimate commercial interests are balanced with the need to protect citizens.

Also speaking in support of the proposed legislation, was the Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Fredrick Agbedi who expressed optimism that its eventual passage and assent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would address all existing loopholes in landlord-tenant relationships within the FCT.

The opposition leader also observed that the absence of a comprehensive regulatory framework had created room for dubious and misunderstandings between landlord tenants adding that the proposed law would establish clearer rules and mechanisms for resolving such , issues.

He finaly maintained that effective regulation would provide greater protection for both parties while fostering mutual trust and accountability in rental transactions.

By George Mgbeleke

The National Assembly has received approvals from 30 State Houses of Assembly for the proposed constitutional amendment seeking the establishment of State Police Services, with the remaining six states expected to communicate their positions before Monday, the deadline given for the exercise.

The development means that the proposed amendment has already exceeded the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, representing 24 states, although the National Assembly is still awaiting the outstanding approvals before proceeding with the final stage of the constitutional amendment process.

The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this on Wednesday during plenary, where he read out the names of the 30 states that had so far approved the bill, to provide clarity on the progress of the exercise.

Bamidele explained that the remaining six states had until next Monday to complete the process and communicate their resolutions to the National Assembly before the bill could proceed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.

He said the National Assembly had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility by passing the bill and transmitting it to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval.

The 30 states that have approved the proposed amendment are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Explaining the constitutional procedure for amending the 1999 Constitution, Bamidele identified three critical stages: passage by the National Assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly and presidential assent.

“Let me explain again, for the avoidance of doubt, three keywords are used in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended. The first word is passage, the second word is approval and the third word is assent,” he said.

According to him, while passage of the bill is the responsibility of the National Assembly, approval must be secured from at least 24 of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, after which the President is required to give assent to complete the constitutional amendment process.

He noted that the constitutional requirements were deliberately designed to ensure that amendments to the nation’s supreme law enjoyed broad support across the different levels of government.

“The reason the writers of our Constitution, our forefathers, put all these specific words is to ensure that no part of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can be easily amended without the buying in of all the critical stakeholders at all levels of governance,” Bamidele stated.

The Senate Leader expressed satisfaction that 30 states had already approved the proposed amendment, describing the development as an indication of the level of support the initiative had received from elected representatives across the country.

“Two things that need to be emphasised here is that we needed two-thirds of the states at the very least for this to pass, and already two-thirds will be 24. So, as of yet, we already got 30 states, showing the popularity of this bill among Nigerians through the elected representatives in the State Houses of Assembly,” he said.

He, however, stressed that the National Assembly was still expecting the remaining six states to communicate their approvals before the Monday deadline.

“We believe that the remaining six states will still get back to the National Assembly before next week Monday, which is the deadline,” he added.

Bamidele described the development as an important moment for Nigeria’s constitutional and democratic process, expressing optimism that the outstanding states would complete the exercise within the stipulated period.

“But so far, I want to say that this is a very happy development for our democracy and for the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

Earlier, a notice from the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, had been read on the floor of the Senate by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, indicating that the National Assembly had received approvals from 29 State Houses of Assembly as of the close of business on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

The notice stated that the leadership of the National Assembly was monitoring the submissions from the state legislatures as part of the constitutional amendment process.

The subsequent announcement by Bamidele brought the number of approving states to 30.

The proposed State Police amendment is aimed at decentralising Nigeria’s policing architecture by creating room for the establishment of police services at the state level, complementing the existing federal policing structure.

The proposed reform is expected to provide a constitutional framework for state governments to establish and manage their respective police services, subject to the safeguards and regulatory provisions to be contained in the amended Constitution.

The initiative has remained a major subject of national debate, particularly against the backdrop of persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms of criminality across different parts of the country.

With 30 states having already approved the amendment, the National Assembly is now awaiting the remaining six states to complete the required constitutional process before the bill is formally transmitted to President Tinubu for assent.

The President’s assent will constitute the final stage of the amendment process, after which the necessary legal and institutional arrangements for the establishment of State Police Services can proceed.