News
Reps Order INEC to Settle Unpaid Insurance for Corps Members Hurt, Killed During Elections
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately settle outstanding insurance premiums for National Youth Service Corps members who were injured or lost their lives while serving as ad-hoc staff during elections.
The directive came after the National Youth Service Corps informed the committee that insurance benefits due to Corps members hurt during the 2023 general elections had still not been released.
Represented by the Director of Welfare, Omotade Ayodele Folorunsho, the NYSC leadership recounted cases of three Corps members shot during the 2023 polls, two in Delta State’s Ukwani area and one in Akwa Ibom, with some left permanently disabled.
He explained that although the NYSC has covered its own component of the insurance, the N1 million due under the agreement with INEC remains outstanding, despite the commission handling the victims’ medical care.
He also decried the long-standing inadequacies in election arrangements, which continue to expose Corps members to danger, leaving many unprotected in moments of crisis.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he recalled the tragic 2011 elections in which ten serving Corps members were killed, noting that he was then a young officer in the Service and personally bore the responsibility of organising their burials.
He also disclosed that Corp members are often poorly renumerated while participating in the elections.
“They are ₦4000 for three to five day training and ₦13, 500 for election day duty. In most cases, these corps members don’t even have a place to sleep. Some of them sleep on bare floor and the following day, they don’t even have water to bath”, he added.
He proposed that the deployment of Corps members during elections should be coordinated through the Office of the National Security Adviser, noting that the NSA already sits on the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and is better positioned to ensure their safety.
Chairman House Committee on Electoral Matters, Rep. Adebayo Balogun, emphasised that the NYSC is not simply another stakeholder in the electoral process but a vital partner in safeguarding the credibility and smooth conduct of elections.
He said “For decades, Corps mémbers have formed the backbone of election day operations, manning polling units across the federation as ad hoc staff of the Independent Nation Electoral Commission (INEC). They carry the burden of ensuring that the voting process is transparent, orderly, and credible.
“However, we cannot ignore the realities they face. Elections in Nigeria are won or lost at the polling units, and because of this, our Corps Members often find themselves exposed to dangers they should never have to confront.
“Reports abound of intimidation, harassment, threats, and attempts at financial inducement. In some tragic instances, these young citizens have been attacked, injured, or even killed in the line of duty, not because they did anything wrong, but because desperate political interests saw them as obstacles to manipulation.
“This is unacceptable. No election is worth the life of even one young Nigerian. The security, welfare, and dignity of Corps Members must not be negotiable.
“We must collectively interrogate the conditions under which Corps Members participate in elections. We must re-examine their security, their compensation, their training, their insurance coverage, their logistical support, and their overall well-being. We must ensure that every Corps Member deployed for election duty returns safely to their families and continue their service to the nation without fear.
“Let me emphasize that the political class and the Nigerian public must pay attention to the welfare of these Corps Members. Too often, national discourse is fixated on questions such as who appoints the INEC Chairman or how leadership positions are allocated.
“While these debates are legitimate, they miss the central point; elections are not decided in Abuja. They are not decided in political party headquarters. They are decided at the polling units, and the young men and women who stand at those polling units deserve our utmost protection and respect. We can strengthen our democracy by strengthening the people who administer it at the grassroots.”
He reaffirmed the readiness of the committee to champion any legislative or policy interventions that will guarantee their safety, improve their working conditions, and acknowledge the patriotic service they render to our democracy.
Rep. Balogun said “the strength of our democracy rests on the shoulders of young Nigerians who stand at the polling units with courage and integrity. We owe them more than appreciation; we owe them protection, dignity, and a system that values their sacrifice”.
In response to the presentation, committee member, Rep. Alex Egbona moved a motion which was unanimously endorsed, directing the electoral commission to ensure that the insurance firm responsible for covering Corps members and INEC staff pays the outstanding premiums to the affected individuals within four weeks.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which on October 31, 2025 restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognizing the outcome of the 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The National Convention was conducted between November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
Delivering judgment in an appeal against the Federal High Court decision, Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam held that PDP violated Constitutional provisions required before such convention can become valid.
Among others, Justice Onyemenam said no valid convention notice was served on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as required by law.
The appellate Court also held that valid congresses were not held in more than 14 states as provideded by law before 2025 convention was put in place.
Justice Onyemenam held that the case of the aggrieved PDP members who instituted the case against the party was not an internal affairs of the party as erroneously held but the desire to force INEC to comply with its statutory functions in relation to party conventions.
Having failed to comply with the relevant laws, the Court of Appeal held that the Federal High Court was right in assuming jurisdiction and granting restraining order against INEC from accepting or recognising the outcome of the PDP 2025 national convention.
“Non compliance with the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act 2022 and party Constitution and Guidelines are at the hearts of democratic governance and compliance must be strictly enforced in the interest of democracy”
Justice James Omotosho had on October 31, 2025 issued the order that restrained INEC from recognizing the outcome of the Ibadan convention until all provisions of the laws are complied with.
The judge predicated the decision on the grounds that the PDP failed to comply with relevant conditions and laws for the conduct of such conventions.
The judge had held that evidence provided by the electoral umpire and some of the aggrieved PDP members showed that congresses were not held in some states of the federation in breach of the law.
In addition, the lower court had also held that the signing of notices and correspondence of the PDP by its National Chairman without the National Secretary violated the law and consequently made such notices and correspondences a nullity.
Besides, Justice Omotosho held that the PDP failed to issue the mandatory 21 days notice of meetings and congresses to enable INEC carry out its mandatory duty of monitoring such meetings and congresses.
Justice Omotosho held that the failure of the PDP to comply with the law has put the then planned convention in jeopardy, and subsequently advised the PDP to do the necessary before going ahead with the election.
He therefore restrained INEC from receiving, publishing or recognizing the outcome of the convention slated for Ibadan, until the law has been complied with.
Three aggrieved members of the party who instituted the case are Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South).
The suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025 was instituted on their behalf by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Joseph Daudu.
The plaintiffs had asked the court to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of PDP, scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State, where new national officers are expected to be elected.
The nine defendants are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Baturrle, National Organizing Secretary of the party, NWC and NEC of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The price of crude oil has risen above $110 (£82) a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed and Iranian fuel depots are battered
Iran launched a fresh wave of missile and drone strikes, targeting Israel and several Gulf states, overnight. The Israeli military says it has launched strikes on central Iran
An Iranian drone strike in Bahrain has injured 32 civilians including four children, a state news agency says, the highest number of casualties in a single strike on the Gulf states since the war began
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei has been named as Iran’s new supreme leader, state media report
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Ex-Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kingsley Moghalu, has criticised an interview involving President Bola Tinubu’s media aide, Daniel Bwala on Al Jazeera’s programme, Head to Head.
Moghalu described Bwala’s interview as damaging to Nigeria, Tinubu’s administration and a disaster to the country.
In a statement, Moghalu said the interview conducted by journalist Mehdi Hasan was “a disaster of gargantuan proportions for Nigeria as a country, for President Tinubu’s administration, and for Bwala himself.”
He added that among the three, Bwala’s personal reputation was the least significant, noting that “Bwala’s track record speaks for itself.”
According to Moghalu, the interview portrayed Nigeria poorly on the global stage, given the international reach of the programme and the presence of a live global audience.
The interview made a spectacle of Nigeria, not just because of the reach of the program globally, but also the format in which there was a global audience in the room itself,” he said.
He questioned the impression the audience might have formed about Nigeria after what he described as “such a fact-based shredding of the country’s leadership and its performance.”
Moghalu said the episode reflected deeper issues within Nigeria’s political culture, which he argued is driven largely by opportunism and power struggles rather than ideology or clear policy direction.
“It was a sad commentary on Nigeria’s political culture in which there are no beliefs, no policies, no ideology, just crass opportunism and the battle for political power. Turn-coatism is ‘it’,” he said.
The former CBN deputy governor also criticised the government’s choice of spokespersons, suggesting that competence often takes a back seat to loyalty in political appointments.
“Second, the fact that Bwala, given his record, is sent out to speak for the President of Nigeria on the international stage says much about the standards by which the government in Nigeria recruits people for specific roles,” he said, adding that in such circumstances “loyalty”,
however temporary, appears to matter more than competence.
He further questioned the practice of appointing former critics of the administration as government spokespersons or representatives after they defect politically.
“Thirdly, why appoint former attack dogs of the political opposition as spokespersons and Ambassadors for the administration simply because they have ‘defected?” He asked.
According to him, such individuals often carry political baggage that undermines their credibility in public-facing roles.
“Bwala was left trying to eat his words with bare-faced lies!” He said.
Moghalu argued that there are more credible individuals who could represent the Nigerian government, even amid criticisms of its performance.
“I think there are people who could be far more credible spokesmen and women for Nigeria’s government, even with all its underperformance in governance,” he said.
Reflecting on reactions from the international community, Moghalu said several friends from different countries had contacted him after watching the interview.
“It was a sad day for our country. I’ve received several calls from friends from various countries around the world. All were in shock and felt sorry for our country to be put in such a spot,” he said.
He added that despite Nigeria’s challenges, many people around the world still hope the country will eventually fulfil its potential.
“So many people are waiting and hoping for when Nigeria will ‘wake up’ and take its rightful place under the sun,” he said, adding that Nigerians remain “brilliant, hardworking and respected all over the world,” even as governance by political leaders continues to draw criticism.
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