The recap of top 10 key latest stories that you might have missed this Wednesday evening, 18th February, 2026
Tinubu signs amended Electoral Act 2026 into law
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law, just days after the Independent National Electoral Commission released the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The signing took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, around 5:00 pm on Wednesday, with principal officers of the National Assembly in attendance.
The National Assembly had passed the bill on Tuesday.
The amendment reignites debates over the electronic transmission of election results.Civil society groups and some opposition figures have long pushed for real-time transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s central server, arguing it would curb manipulation and strengthen credibility.
Protesters had last week disrupted the National Assembly complex to demand live transmission, citing failures during the 2023 elections when INEC’s Results Viewing Portal collapsed, triggering widespread allegations of rigging.
FCT poll: PDP candidate steps down for APC after Wike’s intervention
The Peoples Democratic Party chairmanship candidate for the Bwari Area Council election, Julius Adamu, has withdrawn from the race in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Joshua Musa, in a move that has raised eyebrows across the Federal Capital Territory political landscape.
The stand-down, marked by a show of supporters and political heavyweights, took place on Wednesday in Bwari, where FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was present.
A video of the event shared by Agbagyisha TV on Facebook captured the moment Adamu publicly declared he would no longer contest the chairmanship seat and urged his supporters to back the APC candidate.
Addressing the crowd, Wike said,
“We have agreed that he will stand down for Joshua.”
Adamu, in his remarks, described the decision as born out of “deep consultation” with Wike and stressed that he and Musa were “brothers”, adding that it would “not be nice for two brothers to kill themselves over one business.”
“As such, I have relinquished my support to Honourable Joshua. And I want to urge you all to support him to become chairman of Bwari Area Council,” he stated.
Naira could hit N1,100 to $1 in 2026, says Dangote
The Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Group, has predicted a significant strengthening of the naira, saying the currency could reach N1,100 to a dollar this year.
According to Channels TV, Dangote made the remarks on Tuesday during the launch of the Nigeria Industrial Policy in Abuja, an event attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and other dignitaries.
While the naira currently trades around ₦1,300 to a dollar, Dangote said government reforms signal better days ahead.
“I mean, today, if you look at it, Your Excellency, I believe with the policies that you have implemented in government, people now have started seeing the result, and manufacturers are very, very happy,” he said.
Two feared killed in Ondo APC congress violence, chairman’s brother in coma
At least two persons were reportedly killed on Wednesday during the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, as violence erupted in Idanre, Idanre Local Government Area.
Several others were said to have sustained injuries during the crisis, which also led to the burning of a vehicle.
The incident came barely 24 hours after suspected political thugs disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting at the party’s secretariat in Akure.
The meeting was presided over by the state chairman of the party, Ade Adetimehin.
Sources in Idanre said the congress could not hold in some wards as hoodlums allegedly attacked party members.
1,000 Osun students receive free UTME, WAEC forms
About 1,000 indigent senior secondary school students from communities in Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore, and Ejigbo Federal Constituency have been presented with free Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and West African Examination Council forms.
The beneficiaries received the forms from the sponsor of the initiative, Mr Ayodele Asalu, during the 10th anniversary of the programme held in Ejigbo, Osun State, on Wednesday.
The event was attended by the students, their parents, teachers, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the constituency.
Asalu, an APC chieftain, recalled that the initiative was launched in 2016 to empower less-privileged students in the constituency, ensuring that brilliant but indigent youths have access to higher education.
No ‘real-time’ transmission: INEC clarifies results protocol for FCT council poll
The Independent National Electoral Commission has clarified that results for the February 21, 2026, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections will not be transmitted in real time, describing reports suggesting otherwise as inaccurate.
In a statement on Wednesday, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, said the commission’s chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, was misquoted by some media outlets after he visited polling preparation centres in Kuje, Gwagwalada and Bwari Area Councils.
He said,
“We wish to clarify that at no point during his engagement with the press did the chairman use the phrase ‘real-time.’ Such a description is a misrepresentation of his technical explanation of the Commission’s processes.”
The commission explained that while its electronic system, BVAS, is capable of uploading and transmitting results, the process occurs after voting, counting, and signing of results by party agents at polling units, not simultaneously as votes are cast.
Bayelsa gov hails peaceful APC ward congresses
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has praised the peaceful conduct and outcome of the All Progressives Congress ward congresses held across the state on Wednesday.
Diri gave the commendation at his hometown, Sampou, headquarters of the Sampou/Kalama Ward 6 in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, after participating in the congress.
The governor congratulated party delegates for unanimously electing the new leadership in his ward and other wards in the state through a generally accepted consensus and affirmation.
He stressed that politics should not divide the people but rather bring them together as the goal is to bring development to communities, local government areas and the state in general.
IPAC faults police for firing tear gas at N’Assembly protesters
The Inter-Party Advisory Council on Wednesday condemned the use of tear gas by the Nigerian Police on protesters at the National Assembly in Abuja, describing the action as “patently anti-democratic.”
IPAC’s National Publicity Secretary, Egbeola Martins, disclosed in a statement issued in Abuja.
According to him, such attacks on citizens lawfully expressing their views violated democratic norms and constitutional principles.
“The right to peaceful protest is fundamental and inalienable in any democracy.
Any attempt to suppress or intimidate citizens for exercising this right is patently anti-democratic and must be condemned without reservation,” the statement read.
Why I signed amended Electoral Act — Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday defended his decision to sign the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law, saying the credibility of elections depends more on proper management and human oversight than on real-time electronic transmission of results.
Tinubu spoke shortly after signing the amendment at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid ongoing controversy over whether election results should be transmitted live from polling units.
“It’s not as important as the history aspects of this. What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent there will be no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians, and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” he said.
He stressed that regardless of technological systems adopted, elections are ultimately managed and concluded by people.
14 kidnapped Benue passengers regain freedom
Fourteen passengers of Igede extraction abducted along the Utonkon–Okpokwu Road in Benue State have regained their freedom after a ransom of N1 million was reportedly paid.
The victims were among 16 travellers from Obi and Oju Local Government Areas who were kidnapped around 7pm on February 9 while heading to the South-West.
Two of the passengers were earlier killed when kidnappers opened fire on their vehicle after the driver allegedly refused to stop.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Igede Youth Council, Jairus Awo Otakom, disclosed the release in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday.
