The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 24, 2026, to hear a suit seeking to compel the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress and other political parties over alleged constitutional breaches. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2637/25, was filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators against the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and five political parties — African Democratic Congress, Accord Party, Zenith Labour Party, and Action Alliance. Speaking with journalists after the stalled hearing, counsel for the plaintiff, Yakubu Ruba (SAN), said the action seeks a judicial interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions governing the registration and continued recognition of political parties in Nigeria. “We are before the court purely for constitutional interpretation. At the centre of the dispute is whether INEC is constitutionally bound to deregister political parties that failed to meet minimum electoral performance thresholds prescribed by law.

The Senate has urged the management of the North-Central Development Commission to prioritise investment in agriculture and security in its 2026 budget. The Chairman of the Senate Committee on NCDC, Sen. Titus Zam, made the call on Monday when the management of the commission appeared before the committee to defend its 2026 budget estimates. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that at the commencement of the budget defence, the committee went into a closed session to consider the commission’s budget. He listed the sectors to include agriculture, security, health, education, public infrastructure, as well as other social services needed by the people. “You know that North-Central is mostly agricultural and so agriculture must take pride of place, and it has been so embedded in their budget.

Scores of women on Monday staged a peaceful rally at the main entrance of the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to fast-track the passage of the Women Reserved Seats Bill ahead of the 2027 general election. If passed, the bill will alter the 1999 Constitution to create reserved seats for women in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly. We have been there on the campaign for special seats bill,” she said. Opponents, however, have questioned whether reserved seats could conflict with principles of equal competition. For the women gathered at the National Assembly gate on Monday, the demand was straightforward: passage of the bill in time for implementation in 2027.

There is no hope yet for farmers who had expected that the steady drop in food prices will reverse early in 2026, as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that food inflation continued its downward trend to 8.89 per cent in January 2026. The January 2026 food inflation report released yesterday by the NBS, shows that food inflation for the month dropped to 8.89 per cent on a year-on-year basis. On a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in January 2026 dropped heavily to –6.02 per cent, down by -5.66 per cent compared to December 2025 when it was -0.36 per cent. The report shows that headline inflation also maintained its downward slide, hitting 15.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis in January 2026. The result is that food prices have become cheap, but the agrochemicals and other inputs for farming remain alarmingly high, eroding the farmers’ income.

The NBS said the January headline inflation rate was 0.05 percentage points lower than the rate recorded in December. On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 15.10 per cent in January 2026, which is 12.51 percentage points lower than the 27.61 per cent recorded in January 2025. “In January 2026, the Headline inflation rate eased to 15.10 per cent, down from 15.15 per cent in December 2025. The twelve-month average core inflation rate was 22.84 per cent, lower than the 27.24 per cent recorded in January 2025. Ebonyi, Katsina and Imo recorded the lowest year-on-year headline inflation rates at 8.72 per cent, 8.94 per cent and 10.61 per cent, respectively.

Sussan Ley’s shadow immigration minister has “serious concerns” over a proposal to ban migrants from specific regions of 13 countries – including from Gaza, Afghanistan and Somalia – outlined in a leaked hardline Liberal immigration plan. Guardian Australia has been told the proposed ban was not taken to shadow cabinet before the leadership change. In response to the leaks, Scarr – who was shadow immigration minister until Friday – said he has serious concerns over any ban. Email If you don't need strong security you can write to a Guardian Australia journalist using the details here. | Back to Back BarriesThe senior Liberal told Guardian Australia that net overseas migration could be lowered to between 160,000 and 220,000.

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, has restored its services after a temporary disruption that affected users in Nigeria and several other countries on Monday. The platform, formerly known as Twitter, had earlier experienced technical issues that prevented many users from accessing the app and website. Try reloading.”Monitoring website Downdetector showed a spike in user complaints at the peak of the disruption, indicating that the outage was not limited to Nigeria. As of the time services began normalising, neither X nor its owner, Elon Musk, had provided an explanation for the disruption. In November 2025 and January 2026, X experienced a widespread outage linked to infrastructure issues that disrupted access for users across multiple regions.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are set to take on Jordan in an international friendly in Amman during the March 23–31 FIFA window. Nicknamed “The Chivalrous Ones,” Jordan has been drawn into a challenging World Cup group alongside defending champions Argentina, Algeria, and Austria. However, Nigeria’s participation in the game will depend on FIFA’s upcoming ruling on the country’s eligibility protest against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). Nigeria lost on penalties to DR Congo in Morocco, marking the second consecutive time the West African country will not qualify for the World Cup. The outcome of the FIFA meeting could potentially reinstate the Super Eagles into the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico later this month, where one of the last World Cup tickets will be decided.

India’s sub-compact SUV segment (3.8–4 metre) continued to witness healthy demand in January 2026, with total sales reaching 1,21,150 units. Sub 4m SUV Sales Jan 2026Tata Motors retained a strong grip on the segment with Nexon / EV leading the charts at 23,365 units in January 2026. This represents a robust 51.75% YoY growth and a 20.59% MoM rise. Skoda Kylaq saw significant YoY growth of 159.26% at 3,220 units, though it dipped 12.21% compared to December. While overall volumes remained steady month-on-month, the sub-compact SUV segment continues to expand year-on-year.

Demonstrators calling for speedy probe of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja on Monday. He said, “We reiterate its firm position that the ongoing prosecution of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, remains a lawful and constitutional matter strictly between him and the Government of Kaduna State. The Kaduna State House of Assembly Ad-Hoc Committee Report (2024) raised serious concerns regarding financial management, public debt profile, and contract procedures under the previous administration. All your grievances will be communicated to the appropriate quarters.”The protest comes amid heightened political tension surrounding the alleged financial improprieties during El-Rufai’s eight-year tenure as governor of Kaduna State. “Two, to divert attention from his domestic problems in Kaduna State, where he is facing massive corruption allegations,” he said.

The Oyo State Police command on Monday foiled a deadly bandit attack at Elebe Village, Aleniboro, via Irawo Mine in Atisbo Local Government Area of the state and neutralised two members of the group. PUNCH Online reports that a 12-year-old student of a private secondary school was kidnapped last Thursday in Ibadan, the state capital. One of the eyewitnesses, who preferred not to be named, said,“The incident happened around 7:20 am. In the course of the exchange, two of the bandits were neutralised, while others escaped with suspected bullet wounds,” the PPRO explained. The PPRO further urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest security formation.

The Federal Government has filed charges against the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, were filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, by the Federal Republic of Nigeria as complainant and El-Rufai as defendant. Count two alleges that El-Rufai stated during the same interview that he knew and related with individuals who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications but failed to report them to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024. The offence in count three was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. As of the time of filing this report, no date had been fixed for El-Rufai’s arraignment.

The Lagos State Police Command has directed officers to intensify security operations along the Mile 12–Ketu axis following a social media report alleging robbery attacks on motorists in the area. PUNCH Online reports that an X (formerly Twitter) user, @lollypeezle, raised the alarm in a post on Monday, claiming that armed youths were attacking vehicles around Mile 12. The user wrote, “At Mile 12 this morning, boys were robbing cars with cutlasses. Between Mile 12 and Ketu, there are two police stations, yet we have the most notorious boys in that axis. She also advised members of the public to make use of the following numbers below (07061019374, 08065154338, 08063299264, 08039344870, and 09168630929) whenever such incidents occur to enable a swift response by security personnel.

The Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as the Amotekun Corps, has arrested no fewer than 95 suspected criminals across the 18 local government areas of the state for various offences. The state Amotekun Commander, Akogun Adeleye, disclosed this on Sunday while speaking with journalists in Akure, the state capital. The commander said the suspects were allegedly involved in crimes such as kidnapping, stealing, burglary, and illegal mining. “Ondo State is not a safe haven for criminals. We will continue to collaborate with sister agencies to ensure the safety of lives and property,” the Amotekun Commander stated.

The United Kingdom emerged as the largest source of capital inflows into Nigeria during the third quarter of 2025, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Data from the NBS’s capital importation reports for Q2 and Q3 2025, posted on its X handle on Monday, show that inflows from the UK totaled $2.94 billion, representing 48.80 per cent of total capital imported during the period. The United States followed with $950.47 million (15.80 per cent), while the Republic of South Africa accounted for $773.95 million (12.87 per cent). The strong rebound in capital importation during Q3 signals renewed foreign investor appetite, largely driven by short-term portfolio flows into money market instruments and government bonds. Analysts, however, warn that the relatively low share of foreign direct investment suggests that long-term, productive capital remains modest compared to more liquid, short-term investments.