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NASS Picks Principal Officers Today as APC Back Lawan, Wase and PDP Backs Ndume, Bago
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress on Monday ordered all the party’s members-elect in the National Assembly to vote Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively during the inauguration of the 9th federal legislature on Tuesday (today).
The NWC gave the directive after a meeting with the APC governors and its members-elect in the National Assembly in Abuja on Monday.
This is as the Peoples Democratic party directed its members-elect to vote the former Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, and Umar Bago both of the APC, as the 9th National Assembly’s Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives, respectively.
The APC NWC’s meeting also endorsed Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Idris Wase as Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker, respectively.
Ndume from Borno State, who had also declared for the Senate President, was absent from the APC meeting.
Among the contestants also absent from the APC meeting were Senator Francis Alimikhena, Kabiru Gaya and a former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu.
Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, said, “We have all agreed as a caucus to endorse senator Lawan for Senate President and Senator Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate President.
“We have also agreed to endorse Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Wase as deputy speaker. These four are the APC nominees for the respective positions. The governors and members-elect were unanimous in adopting this position.”
He thanked other aspirants for agreeing to step down despite being qualified to contest the positions in order to preserve the unity of the APC and the interest of the country at large.
Specifically, Oshiomhole thanked Senator Danjuma Goje from Gombe State for stepping down for Lawan and Senator Francis Alimikhena for assuring him to support Omo-Agege.
He also thanked Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo State), Olusegun Odebunmi and Nkiruika Onyejeocha among others for agreeing to step down for the party’s candidates.
Oshiomhole noted that those that stepped down were eminently qualified to contest the positions.
“They offered to step down as a mark of honour for the President and leadership of the party. They are all unanimous to back these candidates as the APC candidates for the good of the country,” he said.
Oshiomhole commended Lawan and Gbajabiamila for travelling the length and breadth of the country to woo members of the opposition in order to build bipartisan cooperation, which he noted, had been helpful to their course.
“I believe together we will work to take Nigeria to the next level,” he said.
Oshiomhole urged Ndume to respect the party’s position, which he said, was the position of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He added, “For now we are still trying to talk to Senator Ali Ndume but I believe he is a democrat; he understands that it is important to listen to the voice of the majority and accept the decision of the majority. It is all about sacrifice.
“For those who have agreed to step down, they did so because they realise at a point in time, only one person will lead.
“I believe that my friend, Ndume, will not be a lone ranger; he will respect the party and the President who is the leader of the party. I do not have any fear that he will respect the decision of the party.”
Earlier, the NWC had urged all aspirants for the presiding officers of the 9th National Assembly to step down and support the anointed candidates of the party.
The party made the declaration at the end of its NWC emergency meetings held over Saturday and Sunday.
The PUNCH had reported exclusively on May 10 that Omo-Agege and Wase had been picked as the party’s candidates for the two positions.
It was reported that the party had set machinery in motion to ensure the emergence of the two men.
A statement issued in the early hours of Monday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, restated that the duo of Lawan and Gbajabiamila were the party’s candidates for the positions of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
Ndume from Borno and Umar Bago representing Chanchanga constituency of Niger State in the House of Representatives on the APC platform among other aspirants had declared for the positions.
But the party said it arrived at the conclusion following wide consultations with President Buhari and party stakeholders, including the APC governors.
“All elected APC members of the Senate and House of Representatives are hereby directed to fully mobilise as a united force behind the party’s choices.
“Members who have earlier signified interests in these positions are urged to support the party’s decisions as loyal and committed members of the APC by working with other members to ensure the emergence of the adopted candidates,” the statement said.
But rising from a meeting the members of the National Working Committee of the PDP had with its lawmakers-elect in Abuja on Monday night, the party said it would support Ndume to become the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly.
In the same vein, the main opposition party is also giving tacit support to the ambition of Umar Bago to lead the House of Representatives as its speaker.
The meeting was presided over by the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus.
The Punch
United States Representative Riley Moors has said further military strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria could follow recent operations ordered by President Donald Trump, describing the actions as aimed at improving security and protecting Christian communities facing violence.
Moore made the remarks during a televised interview in which he addressed U.S. military strikes carried out on Christmas Day against militant targets in North-west Nigeria.
The strikes were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore said.
He said the Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State affiliates had provided hope to Christians in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by repeated attacks during past festive periods.
According to U.S. authorities, the strikes targeted camps used by Islamic State-linked groups operating in parts of north-west Nigeria.
Nigerian officials confirmed that the operation was carried out with intelligence support from Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries.
The United States Africa Command said the operation was intended to degrade the operational capacity of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces.
Nigerian authorities have described the targeted groups as a threat to national security, noting their involvement in killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.
Moore said the strikes marked a shift from previous years in which attacks were carried out against civilians during the Christmas period. He said the U.S. administration was focused on preventing further violence by targeting militant groups before they could launch attacks.
U.S. officials have said the military action was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government and formed part of broader security cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria has received intelligence, training and logistical support from international partners as it seeks to contain militant activity.
Moore had previously called for stronger international attention to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria and has urged continued U.S. engagement in addressing extremist violence. He said further action would depend on developments on the ground and continued coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigerian officials have maintained that counter-terrorism operations are directed at armed groups threatening civilians, regardless of religion, and have reiterated their commitment to restoring security across affected regions.
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that any attempt to hurriedly re‑gazette Nigeria’s new tax laws could undermine parliamentary oversight and set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Atiku’s warning follows public scrutiny over reports that the Tax Reform Acts signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the National Assembly. Lawmakers, including Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns that the alterations could pose serious legal and constitutional risks, noting that they were not backed by any constitutional framework.
In a statement on X, Atiku said the directive to re-gazette the Acts effectively confirms “that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly,” calling it “a grave constitutional issue.”
He emphasized that under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, a bill only becomes law after passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and gazetting.
“Gazetting is merely an administrative act of publication. It does not create, amend, or validate a law,” Atiku said, adding that any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification without legislative approval constitutes forgery rather than a clerical error.
Atiku further warned that rushing a re-gazetting while legislative investigations are ongoing “undermines parliamentary oversight and sets a dangerous precedent,” stressing that the only lawful approach is “fresh legislative consideration, re-passage by both chambers, fresh presidential assent, and proper gazetting.”
The former vice president clarified that his position is not opposition to tax reform but a defence of constitutional order.
“This is a defence of the integrity of the legislative process and a rejection of any attempt to normalise constitutional breaches through procedural shortcuts,” he said.
The Federal government has denied wrongdoing, insisting the laws will take effect as scheduled on January 1, 2026, while the National Assembly has directed the issuance of Certified True Copies of the Acts to ensure clarity and accuracy.
