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Electoral Act: Akpabio hits back at critics…Says Senate never reject electronic transmission of results
By Saint Mugaga
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed criticisms trailing the Senate’s amendment of the Electoral Act, saying commentators and civil society actors are misjudging the legislature based on an incomplete legislative process and misunderstanding of parliamentary procedures.
Akpabio spoke in Abuja as special guest of honour at the unveiling of a book, “The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria”, authored by Senator Effiong Bob, in Abuja.
Speaking on the controversy surrounding the removal of the phrase “real-time” electronic transmission of election results, Akpabio said the Senate had not concluded work on the bill and that public debate was premature.
“The Electoral Act amendment is incomplete. We have not completed it, but they are already on television. They don’t understand lawmaking.
“They don’t even know that what is in the Senate is not completed until we look at the Votes and Proceedings,” he said.
Akpabio explained that the Votes and Proceedings stage allows senators to correct, amend, or clarify decisions taken on the floor before final approval, stressing that only after that process could the Senate’s position be considered final.
“When we bring out the Votes and Proceedings, any senator has a right to rise and say, ‘On clause three, this was what we agreed upon.’ That is the only time you can talk about what the Senate has done or not done,” he said.
He criticised commentators for what he described as “abuse” of the legislature, accusing some civil society actors of attempting to impose their views on lawmakers.
“People have become mouth legislators. Go and contest election if you want to talk about lawmaking and go and join them and make the law. Retreats are not lawmaking; retreats are part of consultations. So why do you think that the paper you agreed in Lagos during a retreat must be what is agreed on the floor?” he asked.
Akpabio insisted that the Senate did not remove electronic transmission of election results, clarifying that lawmakers only questioned the requirement for real-time transmission.
“I must state clearly, without ambiguity, that the Senate has not removed any means of transmission. If you want to use a bicycle to carry your votes from one polling unit to the ward centre, do so. If you want to use your phone to transmit, do so. If you want to use your iPad, do so,” he said.
He said the concern was that mandating real-time transmission could lead to legal disputes if network failures occurred during elections.
“All we said was that we should remove the word ‘real time,’ because if you say real time and there is grid failure and the network is not working, when you go to court somebody will say it ought to have been real time,” he explained.
According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should determine the mode and timing of result transmission within the framework of the law.
The Senate President warned that insisting on real-time transmission could invalidate results in areas with poor connectivity or insecurity.
“Real time means that in over nine states where networks are not working because of insecurity, there will be no election results. Nationally, if the national grid collapses and no network is working, no election results will be valid,” he said.
He cited a Supreme Court ruling which, he said, acknowledged Nigeria’s inadequate infrastructure and emphasised that electronic transmission is only supplementary to the statutory collation process.
“The result is in Form EC8A. It will be carried from the polling unit to the ward centre, from there to the local government collation centre, to the senatorial collation centre, to the state collation centre, and finally the national collation centre,” he said.
Akpabio stressed that the amendment bill had not yet completed the bicameral legislative process and that a conference committee would reconcile differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions before final passage.
“It is only when we have finished that that you will now say the National Assembly has passed any amendment to the Electoral Act,” he said.
He urged critics to allow the process to run its course, warning against attempts to “rubbish the process” before its conclusion.
Akpabio said electoral reforms must be grounded in legal and institutional capacity, warning against imposing technology beyond the country’s infrastructure.
“We insist that electoral reforms must be anchored in law, guided by capacity, secured against abuse and applied uniformly across the nation. Technology must serve democracy; it must not endanger democracy,” he said.
He added: “You stay in a place that has no wire, no light, and you want to put in the law ‘real time.’ Progress must not bring about injustice.”
The Senate President warned that mistrust of institutions without understanding legislative processes could weaken democracy.
“When people do not understand their legislature, democracy is at risk. Democracy is measured not by passion alone, but by principles,” he said.
He also recalled that the current Electoral Act enabled competitive elections in 2023, including losses by the then ruling party in key states.
“This same Electoral Act made the incumbent party almost lose millions of votes. We lost in places like Lagos and Kano. New parties won whole regions with the same act, whether real-time electronic transfer or not,” he said.
Akpabio concluded that laws must be made for posterity rather than partisan advantage, adding: “You don’t make law for an individual or for opposition. You make law to outlast you, for generations unborn.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, who was the chairman of occasion, urged the National Assembly to pass the Bill and not to speak for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“What the ADC is saying is, pass the law. Let INEC decide whether they can do it (real-time electronic transmission) or not. Don’t speak for INEC.
“The stand of ADC is clear; pass the bill and let INEC decide on what it will do with it”, Mark said.
Several speakers at the event, including Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, and the book reviewer, Professor Maxwell Gidado SAN, praised Senator Bob’s courage in writing the book to bring to light the challenges the Nigerian legislator faces in the course of performing his duties.
The author Senator Bob enumerated some of the challenges, saying that they included electoral battles, conflict with governors/godfathers, the judiciary through cancellation of victory, addressing the private issues of the electorate and self-inflicted challenges.
“The courage to defend democracy is in the legislature and the legislators”, he said.
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NDLEA intercepts N3.4bn Loud, opioids, arrests fake police officer, mechanic-drug dealer
By Nick Ibe
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted over 1.3 million pills of tramadol and other opioids as well as 6,000 kilograms of potent strains of cannabis with a combined street value of more than N3.4 billion in a string of major operational breakthroughs across Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT.
According to Femi Babafemi, Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja on Sunday, 20th September 2026, one of the line up of successful operations was the interception of 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis with a gross weight of 603.75 kilograms, valued at One Billion Eight Hundred and Eleven Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N1,811,250,000).
Recorded success also, according to the NDLEA spokesman, was the arrest of a trafficker who impersonates as a senior police officer to evade checkpoints while ferrying drugs across state lines.
The 49-year-old fake police officer, Innocent Ekpe, was arrested on Wednesday 16th September 2026 by NDLEA operatives along the Benin-Onitsha expressway in Asaba, Delta state with 292.48 kilograms of skunk hidden in his silver Toyota Sienna bus. Investigation established that Ekpe had long paraded himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, using a forged ID card to escape scrutiny at checkpoints while transporting illicit consignments. An accomplice, 39-year-old Nduka Joseph, was arrested along with him.
In Edo State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence stormed a location on Agbor Road, Benin City, where they arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai, who used his auto-repair workshop as a front for storing illicit drugs. Officers recovered 48 kilograms of Canadian Loud and 152 grams of methamphetamine, along with a metal box used to store the illicit substances.
At the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, a 40-foot container shipped from Montreal, Canada, and arrived on 12th September was placed under intensive monitoring by NDLEA operatives based on processed intelligence. The shipment was eventually subjected to a full joint physical examination with Customs and other security agencies on Wednesday 16th September. The search uncovered 1,200 parcels of Canadian Loud weighing 603.75 kilograms, concealed inside 31 black jumbo bags loaded within two Toyota Sienna vehicles in the container.
In Niger State, NDLEA operatives on patrol along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway at Chachi, Tafa LGA, on Tuesday 15th September arrested three young suspects: Bashir Usman (20), Abubakar Nuhu (18) and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab (18) with two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol with magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.
Two suspects: Aminu Isyaku (23) and Jamilu Habibu (25) were on Friday 18th September arrested by NDLEA officers along Abaji-Abuja highway. Over 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets/capsules, codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets concealed in eight sacks en route from Onitsha, Anambra state to Mararaba, Nasarawa state, were recovered from them.
In Lagos, a suspect Onyeka Ofor was arrested on Friday 18th September at his residence in Aguda, Surulere with 48,900 pills of tramadol 225mg , while seven cartons of cannabis sativa weighing 59kg were intercepted at a logistics company with a suspect Luke Ugokwe taken into custody. In another operation in Lagos, Ibrahim Hudu (43) was arrested at Apongbo with 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas on Thursday 17th September.
A total of 154,480 capsules of tramadol were recovered from two suspects: Sabi’u Umar (27) and Hassana Muhammad (19) who were arrested at Barunde area and Gombe main market respectively in Gombe state on Friday 18th September.
A suspect Ifesinachi Godwin (25) was arrested along the Owerri-Onitsha road, Imo state with 43.85kg of skunk on Friday 18th September, while four suspects: Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday, were nabbed during raid and destruction of 5,000 kilograms of skunk on a two-hectare cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, Ondo state on Tuesday 15th September. No less than 48kg of dry and fresh cannabis was recovered from the location for the prosecution of the suspects.
With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of St. Ferdinand School, Ogbomoso, Oyo; Unizik Secondary School, Awka, Anambra; Scholars Nursery and Primary School, Epe, Lagos, and Government Technical Training School, Jalingo, Taraba state, while the Delta Ports Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni Mobene III, Pere Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Delta state, among others.
While commending the officers and men of Lagos, Tincan, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe, Imo and FCT Commands for their professionalism and intelligence-driven approach to the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the current balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
General News
Sharran Srivatsaa: Faced 39 Rejections, Dropped out of Stanford … led a company valued $1.2 billion
At 17, Sharran Srivatsaa arrived in the US from India on a tennis scholarship, alone and uncertain about what came next. The path that followed was anything but linear.
His story challenges the idea that success follows a straight line or a fixed timetable.
Sharran Srivatsaa’s journey: from tennis courts to a $1.2 billion valuation
Srivatsaa’s early years in the US were shaped by discipline and rejection. Tennis helped fund his education and instilled resilience. Finance did not come easily.
He has spoken publicly about being turned down repeatedly before eventually securing roles at major investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Those early setbacks, he says, taught him persistence rather than entitlement.
Despite earning admission to Stanford, Srivatsaa decided to leave academia and build a company instead. The move was unconventional and carried significant risk. It also set the tone for a career defined by calculated leaps rather than safe progression. His early ventures provided hands-on operating experience, including a successful exit in his early twenties.
He later made his biggest impact in real estate. As CEO of Teles Properties, he helped grow the firm’s annual sales volume from roughly $300 million to about $3.4 billion over a five-year period. The brokerage was eventually acquired by Douglas Elliman, marking one of the most notable growth stories in the US residential real estate sector.
His next chapter came at The Real Brokerage, commonly known as Real. As President, Srivatsaa played a central role in the company’s rapid expansion. During his tenure, the agent network grew sharply and the publicly listed firm reached a market valuation of around $1.2 billion at its peak. The period cemented his reputation as a scale-focused operator rather than a one-time founder.
In 2025, Srivatsaa joined Acquisition.com, the firm founded by Alex Hormozi and Leila Hormozi. As President and Managing Partner, he now works closely with founders running eight- and nine-figure businesses. His focus is less on ideation and more on systems, leadership, and repeatable growth.
“I’m in my forties and still figuring things out,” he has said, adding, “That’s not failure. That’s progress.”
Why his story resonates now
Srivatsaa frequently speaks to younger professionals who feel behind by their mid-twenties. His message is direct. Careers are rarely linear. First paths are not final paths. Early failures do not define long-term outcomes.
“The only real mistake,” he often argues, “is settling too soon.”
In an era obsessed with early success, Sharran Srivatsaa’s journey offers a quieter truth: Reinvention is not a weakness. It is a skill.
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Alago Be Prepared: The Fulani You Use Against Tiv Today, Surely, Will Soon Be Your Albatross
By Engr Fabian Aboh Ortindi
I have come across certain comments in the ongoing discussion bothering on the tenacity and lordship over the entity called Kadarko. These comments are disturbing and seem to be a total deviation from the subject of discussion.
When you engage some of my Alago neighbors intellectually, you get nothing from them but hatred, revenge, and bitterness.
They hate the Tiv people of Nasarawa State because they are desperate for vengeance. Sometimes, out of bitterness, they speak as though they are speaking for the Idoma people of Benue State. You hear statements like:
“If you want to be treated fairly, ask your brothers in Benue State to make the Idoma people governor of the state.”
This does not sound logical. The Idoma people of Benue are there fighting their own cause. They are more than capable of doing so. Why would anyone want to take revenge on their behalf in another state?
You also hear statements like:
“Your people have driven all the Alago people out of Amele, in Benue state, so you cannot enjoy anything in Nasarawa State.”
If you are not cowards, and Amele truly belongs to you, as you claim, there would be no need to run away. You would stay and defend it. The way the Tiv are refusing to leave Nasarawa state.
The Tiv people of Nasarawa
state belong here and God has a reason for keeping them in a state different from where their kins dominate in Benue. There is nowhere they can run to. So you will be wasting your time expecting them to return to Benue simply because you ran away from your fight in Amele. They will stay and fight back.
The hatred and bitterness in them has pushed them into employing their last and only source of strength, which seems to be the employment of the services of Fulani bandits to terrorise the Tiv people and send them out of their homes and farms. But you know that the fulanis do not fight for free.
The question is: How many of the lands they have helped you grab have actually been given to you? They are also interested in the land. Very soon, they will be interested in the leadership position of the chiefdom. And you know what? The Tiv will not be there to fight on your side. War is expensive and expansive. You may not continue to have the finances and energy to prosecute this evil agenda.
Bitterness and jealousy only become a heavy burden to those who carry them. The truth is : Tiv will not leave Nasarawa state or Kadarko, and violence cannot solve this. So if you like, keep being bitter and jealous. Keep hating. It is your cross to carry.
There is no possibility of the Tiv leaving Nasarawa State for you. And it is impossible to kill all the Tiv people. So you can see that your dream will never come to fruition.
Let us choose a better path: peace, justice, and fairness for all. All these are priceless as compared to hatred, bitterness, violence and vengeance.
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