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The lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said it would be impossible for President Bola Tinubu to win re-election in the 2027 presidential election.

Abaribe, who claimed that the President never won the 2023 election, said the level of hardship Nigerians are currently facing has made them more determined to ensure that Tinubu does not return as president after 2027.

Reacting to suggestions that Tinubu has never lost an election, Abaribe, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said, “I do not think so. Everybody loses elections, and you will see when the time comes. He will lose in 2027 because I know what Nigerians are feeling outside.”

He added, “Tinubu never won the 2023 election, and everybody knows it. But we said fine, he has been declared the winner, no problem. We acknowledge him as president, but we are going to meet him in the field, and I will see how he is going to cobble together what will make him win again.

“It won’t work because this time everybody will be ready. It will no longer be an announcement at 3 a.m. before people wake up in the morning. This time, people are ready, we are ready, and the masses are even more ready.”

The senator, who said the economy has collapsed under Tinubu and that the president has yet to solve the problem of insecurity, wondered where he would get the votes to win in 2027.

‘I’ll never defect to APC’

On the defection of some opposition leaders to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abaribe vowed never to join the wave, saying he would be the last person to do so.

He said that rather than strengthening the APC as a party, the defections would deepen internal divisions and fuel leadership tussles.

“If there is anybody who is going to defect to the APC, I think I should be the very, very last one. By the time I defect, it would mean there are no parties left in Nigeria, including the APC,” he said.

“I have a very simple theory about defections. I think it is very good for us in the opposition that these defections are happening. All the APC is doing is absorbing all the problems it is going to face; they are right inside the party now. Ask yourself, in all the states where there are defections, what is going on there now?”

The lawmaker described the APC as a giant with feet of clay, saying the opposition would target its weak points during the election, leading to its collapse.

‘ADC not working for Atiku’

Abaribe, who reaffirmed his membership of the opposition coalition, said there is a consensus among opposition leaders to unite in order to dislodge the APC from power.

The coalition has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the platform for the 2027 elections, but many have claimed the move is a strategy to enthrone Atiku Abubakar and compel all opposition members to support him.

However, Abaribe disagreed, saying the party has yet to release its guidelines and other arrangements ahead of the 2027 elections.

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Monday said enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy will resume on January 2, 2026.

Force spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, announced this in a statement, citing a surge in vehicle-related crimes.

Hundeyin said the decision “follows a careful review of emerging security concerns and the need to ensure the safety of all citizens”.

While clarifying that no court order has restrained the police from enforcing the law on tinted glasses, the Force spokesman said police authorities had voluntarily suspended enforcement after a court matter in October to give motorists time to regularise their documents.

“Recent trends, however, reveal a disturbing rise in criminal activities perpetrated with the aid of vehicles fitted with unauthorised tinted glass,” the statement reads.

“Some individuals and organised criminal groups have exploited this gap to conceal their identities and facilitate crimes ranging from armed robbery to kidnapping and other violent crimes.”

He quoted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, as assuring that the enforcement will be conducted professionally, with respect for citizens’ rights and in line with the law.

Hundeyin called on motorists needing permits to apply through approved channels to ensure compliance.

In October, the police temporarily suspended the enforcement of the tinted glass permit policy.

The police spokesperson added that part of the reason the police suspended enforcement of the policy was out of consideration for Nigerians and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Hundeyin reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to enforcing all existing laws with fairness, transparency, and respect for citizens’ rights, while maintaining effective collaboration with key stakeholders in the justice system.

The NBA had in September sued IGP Egbetokun, over the tinted glass permit policy, labelling the move as illegal.

In April 2025, the IGP introduced a policy, instructing the public to apply for and get annual motor tinted glass permits from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for a stipulated amount.

A platform was launched for the application to be processed.

However, during the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association at its pre-conference NEC meeting held on August 23, 2025, the association said it would challenge the legality of the Nigeria Police Force tinted permit policy in court.

It described the move as a violation of the rights of the citizens and has “raised several other genuine concerns including the validity of the Motor Tinted Glass (Prohibition) Act (Decree 1991), a military-era law under which the Police has sought refuge”.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has given a 72-hour ultimatum to the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to appear before it over outstanding debts estimated at more than N100 billion owed to the Federation Account or face sanctions for legislative contempt.

Chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Rep. Bamidele Salam, issued the directive during a public hearing on Monday in Abuja, after noting that the affected Discos had failed to honour several previous invitations.

The resolution followed consideration of an interim report presented by the chairman of the subcommittee, Rep. Mark Chidi Obetta.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that on August 20, 2025, the PAC summoned 11 electricity distribution companies over a cumulative debt of N2.6 trillion owed to the Federation Account.

But the management of IBEDC, BEDC, and PHEDC have consistently failed to appear before the committee to account for their outstanding liabilities, as detailed in the Auditor-General’s reports for the 2021 and 2022 financial years.

The committee expressed displeasure over what it described as deliberate acts of legislative contempt by the three Discos and warned that stiff sanctions would be imposed should they fail to appear before the committee on Thursday, December 18, 2025.

Speaking at the hearing, the Committee Chairman expressed deep concern over the long-standing nature of the debts, noting that some of the liabilities have remained unpaid for over a decade.

He emphasised the need for urgent and decisive action to recover the funds and ensure they are properly accounted for in the interest of the Nigerian government and the public.

The committee subsequently reiterated its directive, giving the management of the affected Discos until Thursday 18th December, 2025 to appear and provide explanations for the outstanding payments.