The recap of top 10 key latest stories that you might have missed this Tuesday evening, 10th February, 2026
Electoral Act: Senate approves e-transmission of results, allows manual backup
The Senate has approved the electronic transmission of election results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal, while permitting manual collation to serve as a backup where technology fails.
The decision followed a reconsideration of a disputed clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during an emergency plenary on Tuesday.
However, the upper chamber stopped short of making electronic transmission compulsory and also rejected the provision for real-time upload of results.
Under the reviewed section, presiding officers at polling units are to electronically transmit results to the IReV portal after voting and documentation are completed.
The amendment, however, provides that where electronic transmission cannot be carried out due to communication or network challenges, the manual result sheet, Form EC8A, will become the primary basis for collation and declaration.
Why I attended N’Assembly protest with my son — Amaechi
A former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has explained why he attended the “Occupy the National Assembly” protest alongside his son.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday in Abuja, Amaechi said he came with his son, who is a medical doctor, as a precaution in case the demonstration turned violent and participants sustained injuries.
The former Rivers State governor also said his decision reflected his belief that leaders should be physically present during major protests and stand with the people, rather than watch from a distance.
He called on Nigerians to rise up, urging opposition political parties to take to the streets to protest the Senate’s decision.
Amaechi further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of opposing the electronic transmission of election results out of fear of losing elections.
Shehu Sani backs Remi Tinubu over US air strikes in Sokoto
A former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has endorsed First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s recent support for the United States’ airstrikes against terrorist groups in Sokoto State, calling her stance justified.
Sani, who questioned ongoing public criticism against Mrs Tinubu, described the December 2025 US airstrikes in the northwestern state as a “welcome development.”
Speaking on Tuesday via his X handle, he called for more air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force.
“The December air strikes against bandits and terrorists in the North was a welcome development.
More strikes by our Air Force are needed against those mass murderers, rapists and kidnappers,” Sani, who served as a senator for Kaduna Central from 2015 to 2019, wrote.
“What Senator Remi said is right.
I don’t know why some people are attacking her in view of the heinous atrocities of those terrorists,” he added.
Electoral Act: Senate appoints 12 members to work with Reps
The Senate has appointed 12 members to work with the House of Representatives on the Electoral Amendment Act, which has stirred recent uproar.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, announced the committee members on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session.
The members are Senator Simon Lalong, who will serve as Chairman, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Tahir Mungono, Senator Adamu Aliero, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, Senator Aminu Iya Abbas, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN), Senator Jibrin Isah, Senator Ipalibo Banigo, and Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi.
Akpabio said,
“After consultation with the leadership, we have moved the number from nine to 12.
I will now read out the names of the conference committee members from the Senate.
Ekiti commissioner highlights gains under Oyebanji
The Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun, has said that the present administration’s achievements across key sectors of the economy in the state have led to significant improvements in residents’ living standards.
Olatunbosun on Tuesday said that the Governor Biodun Oyebanji government had set a new and unmatched benchmark for progressive, people-oriented governance and development, recording landmark achievements.
The commissioner, who spoke in a radio programme, according to a statement made available in Ado Ekiti, said that the Oyebanji administration “has consistently delivered on its promises and justified the overwhelming confidence reposed in it by Ekiti people.
The Governor Biodun Oyebanji administration has, within a short period, redefined governance in Ekiti through purposeful leadership, prudent management of resources and an unwavering commitment to the welfare of the people.
2027: Makarfi, Lamido meet in Kaduna, seek PDP unity
Former governors of Kaduna and Jigawa states, Ahmed Makarfi and Sule Lamido, have intensified moves to reconcile aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The two PDP chieftains met behind closed-doors on Tuesday at Makarfi’s residence in Kaduna, where they discussed strategies for restoring unity and strengthening the opposition party.
After the meeting, both leaders briefed journalists, describing their engagement as part of ongoing consultations to reposition the PDP for future electoral contests.
Makarfi, a former National Caretaker Chairman and Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees, said the meeting was consistent with years of behind-the-scenes consultations among senior party leaders.
Oil spills: Natasha demands action over Niger Delta cleanup
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Tuesday came under scrutiny at the National Assembly as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan pressed the Federal Government to clarify its response to decades of oil pollution threatening Nigeria’s marine environment and blue-economy ambitions.
The exchange occurred during a joint budget defence session of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport and relevant House of Representatives committees, where lawmakers interrogated the ministry’s preparedness to balance economic exploitation of marine resources with environmental sustainability.
Raising the issue, Akpoti-Uduaghan drew attention to the long history of oil spills in the Niger Delta and questioned the effectiveness of government policies aimed at remediation and environmental protection.
Nigeria’s GDP once surpassed China, Malaysia’s when we ignored IMF — Gbenga Hashim
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Dr. Gbenga Hashim, has criticised Nigeria’s continued reliance on the economic prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), arguing that the country’s economic decline stems from policy choices shaped by external institutions rather than domestic realities.
Hashim made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on ARISE TV’s 8pm programme, where he discussed the Nigerian economy, national development, and his proposed $4 trillion economic plan.
“When Nigeria wasn’t following the IMF hook, line, and sinker, our GDP per capita in 1976 was three times that of China, and our GDP in 1966 was double that of Malaysia,” he said, citing Nigeria’s strong performance under independent economic policies in the 1970s.
Insecurity: DHQ to deploy special forces to Kwara, Niger – CDS
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, says the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) is set to deploy the Joint Special Task Force, known as ‘Savanah Shield’, to clean up terrorists in Kwara and parts of Niger.
Oluyede made this known at the 2026 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Defence in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that the military had been doing everything with its best to ensure that Nigeria was safer for citizens and investors.
Taskforce nabs 2 suspected ‘omotaku’ members in Lagos
The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit has apprehended two suspected members of the notorious street syndicate, Omotaku, on the Oshodi–Agunlejika–Apapa Expressway.
The agency’s chairman, Mr Adetayo Akerele, confirmed this in a statement signed by the Taskforce spokesperson, Mr Raheem Gbadeyan, on Tuesday in Lagos.
Akerele said the suspects were apprehended while extorting money from an unsuspecting motorist whose vehicle developed a mechanical fault on the highway.
He explained that the arrest followed a tip-off from a concerned group, ICU – To Soul a Soul.
