Comply with court judgment, Natasha’s counsel tells Senate (DailyTrust)
Legal counsel to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has faulted the National Assembly’s interpretation of a Federal High Court judgment which ordered her reinstatement to the Senate, insisting that the judgment is binding and must be complied with in full.
In a rejoinder dated July 14, 2025, and addressed to the Director of Litigation and Counselling, Legal Services Directorate of the National Assembly, Mr. Charles Yoila, Esq., the legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Michael Jonathan Numa, accused the Senate of misinterpreting the decision of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025 — Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan v. Clerk of National Assembly & 3 Ors.
The lawyers responded to an earlier correspondence from the National Assembly dated the same day, in which the Senate purportedly treated the court’s judgment as advisory. Read more
Tinubu is the best president Nigeria has ever had – Portable (Guardian)
Street-pop artiste, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has once again showered praises on President Bola Tinubu, describing him as the best leader Nigeria has ever produced.
He made the statement in a viral Instagram video posted on Monday, amid rising online criticisms from other celebrities who backed Tinubu during the 2023 general elections but have since expressed regret over their decision due to worsening economic conditions.
According to Portable, Nigeria has only started witnessing true progress under Tinubu’s government, despite complaints from citizens and social media users. Read more
NASS delegation visits Gov Dikko Radda over Buhari’s demise (Channels)
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday led a National Assembly delegation to Daura, Katsina State, for a condolence visit to Governor Dikko Radda following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking during the visit, Senator Akpabio described the late president as “a patriot, a man of integrity, and a shining light who served Nigeria both as a military leader and democratically elected president”.
He revealed that the delegation faced travel challenges the previous day when their flight couldn’t land due to airport closure, forcing them to circle for over two hours before diverting to Abuja. Read more
2027: Atiku’s exit won’t affect our fortunes —PDP, Makinde, Bode George (Vanguard)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, announced his resignation from the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, citing irreconcilable differences and a shift in the party’s direction from its founding principles.
But the PDP, Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, and former Deputy National Chairman of the party, in a swift reaction, said Atiku’s exit would not affect PDP’s fortunes in the 2027 elections.
However, the former Vice President, in a letter dated July 14, 2025, and addressed to the Chairman of PDP Jada 1 Ward in Adamawa State, formally terminated his membership of the party with immediate effect. Read more
2027 tensions: Buhari’s CPC bloc may dump APC (Punch)
The death of former President Muhammadu Buhari has reignited speculations about the political future of his loyalists, particularly those from the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change, the party he founded in 2009.
Since the emergence of President Bola Tinubu in 2023, the influence of CPC loyalists has waned, with some key figures such as ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, openly opposing Tinubu’s potential second-term bid.
With Buhari’s passing, analysts believe the All Progressives Congress may face renewed challenges from the late leader’s formidable cult-like followership, long estimated at over 12 million. Read more
Buhari: FEC holds special session today (Sun)
Federal Executive Council (FEC) will hold a special session today to pay tribute to former president Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu is set to lead the session in honour of the late leader.
The session was initially scheduled for an earlier date Tuesday, July 15, but was postponed to due to the state funeral that took place in his hometown of Daura on the same day. Also the Federal Government had declared Tuesday a public holiday in honour of the late president. Read more
Obasanjo, Anyaoku differ on need for new constitution (Nation)
Former Commonwealth Secretary General Chief Emeka Anyaoku and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday disagreed on the need for a new constitution.
While Anyaoku believes Nigeria needs a new, pluralistic Constitution, Obasanjo said no such document is perfect and that it is the operators that matter.
They spoke in Abuja during the opening of a three-day emergency national constitutional summit organised by a group of eminent Nigerians operating under the umbrella of the Patriots. Read more
Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, who helped prosecute Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein (CBS)
The Justice Department has fired Maurene Comey, a federal prosecutor and the daughter of ex-FBI director James Comey, according to three sources, including one former Justice Department prosecutor.
She was given a memo informing her of the firing, two sources said. According to one source, the memo stated in part that she was being dismissed pursuant to Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which is the portion of the Constitution that lays out the president’s powers.
Maurene Comey served as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan, where she was the lead prosecutor on the criminal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs — a case that ended in acquittal on the most serious charges but convictions for interstate prostitution. Read more
A look at Eritrea’s role as new Tigray war looms in Ethiopia (DW)
Reports of troop movements and sporadic clashes in northern Ethiopia have emerged in recent months, feeding concern that a fragile calm could soon collapse. The region is still reeling from the brutal two-year civil war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and federal government forces — a conflict that claimed an estimated 600,000 lives before it ended with the Pretoria peace agreement in November 2022.
“We can’t plan anything at the moment,” a woman in Mekele, the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, told DW. “We’re just trying to survive. A new war could break out tomorrow.” She described a climate of fear that has gripped many residents. “Life has become incredibly expensive. We need a peaceful solution so we can return to work and rebuild our lives.”
During that war, Eritrean troops supported Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s campaign against the TPLF. But critics warned at the time that peace would remain fragile without Eritrea at the negotiating table. President Isaias Afwerki, who has ruled Eritrea for decades, was notably absent from the talks in the South African’s administrative capital, Pretoria. Read more
20 killed in stampede at Gaza aid site, GHF says (ABC)
At least 20 people were killed in an incident at one of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites in the southern Gaza Strip, the U.S.-backed group said in a statement on Wednesday.
The GHF said in a post to X that 19 of the dead were “trampled” and another was stabbed, in what it described as a “chaotic and dangerous surge.” The GHF blamed “agitators in the crowd” for the stampede.
The Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 15 of those killed “died of suffocation as a result of tear gas fired at the starving people and the subsequent stampede.” The ministry said at least 21 people were killed in the incident. The GHF denied using tear gas, saying instead that there was a “limited use” of pepper spray. Read more
US says ‘specific steps’ agreed to end Syria violence after Israeli strikes hit Damascus (BBC)
Israel’s military struck the Syrian defence ministry in Damascus and government forces in southern Syria on Wednesday, as deadly sectarian fighting in the mostly Druze province of Suweida continued for a fourth day.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its forces were “working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s gangs”. The Syrian foreign ministry accused Israel of “treacherous aggression”.
More than 300 people are reported to have been killed in Suweida since Sunday, when clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes erupted. Read more
Man charged with hijacking one day after flights grounded at Vancouver Airport (CBC)
A man has been charged with hijacking, one day after an incident that saw flights grounded at Vancouver’s airport for a little under an hour.
Shaheer Cassim, who was born in 1986, has been charged with one count of hijacking, according to court records online. RCMP said that his next court appearance will be on July 22.
On Tuesday afternoon, police arrested a man after a small Cessna 172 plane landed at the airport around 1:45 p.m. PT on Tuesday. Read more
Kasabian’s Serge Pizzorno honoured with doctorate by University of Leicester (MusicNews)
In a true homecoming moment, Sergio ‘Serge’ Pizzorno, co-founder and driving force behind the world-renowned indie rock band Kasabian, was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music by the University of Leicester yesterday, July 16, at a summer graduation ceremony held at De Montfort Hall.
The 45-year-old singer, songwriter, and record producer has been instrumental in Kasabian’s incredible success, which includes seven UK number one albums – placing them in an elite group alongside acts like Blur, Muse, and The Prodigy.
Upon receiving his honorary degree, Pizzorno delivered an inspiring address to the graduating class. “I’d like to give a huge thank you to the university for this incredible honour, and all of you graduating today, nice one, let’s have a round of applause for you all,” he began. He went on to offer profound advice, encouraging the new graduates to “Embrace the scary stuff, because that’s where the magic lives,” and to “Play with ideas, play with failure, play like it matters and sometimes play like it doesn’t.” He underscored the importance of dedication, stating, “When you find something you love, pursue it with everything you’ve got.” Read more
WAFCON: Coaches back Falcons despite poor display (Punch)
Despite the worrying performance of the Super Falcons at the 2024 WAFCON, some Nigerian coaches believe the Justine Madugu-led team are playing in the best way they can to win a 10th continental title for the country, The PUNCH reports.
The Super Falcons booked their place in the last eight of the tournament with a game to spare, but their performance in those games has triggered fans’ scepticism about their chances of winning a 10th WAFCON title.
After a 3-0 win over Tunisia in their first game, the team became less convincing in their second game – a scrappy 1-0 win over Botswana, thanks to a late goal by Chiwendu Ihezuo – before playing out a frustrating goalless draw against Algeria in the last game. Read more
AFN names 92 athletes for 3rd CAA U-18/U-20 championships (DailyTrust)
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has named its official team of 92 athletes to represent Nigeria at the 3rd CAA U-18/U-20 Championships which commences today at the Moshood Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, Ogun.
In a statement jointly signed by the AFN’s President Chief Tonobok Okowa and the Technical Director Gabriel Okon, said the team was named on Tuesday.
According to the statement, 51 members of the team are male while 41 are female who moved into the championship village on Monday after two weeks of camping shortly after the national trials in Sagamu. Read more
The convicted ex-bike gang member playing at The Open (BBC)
Media opportunities with golfers do not generally cover gangs and prisons, but Ryan Peake’s path to his major championship debut has been anything but normal.
In fact, when Royal Portrush last staged The Open in 2019, Peake had just completed a five-year sentence for serious assault at Hakea Prison in Western Australia.
A talented junior golfer who turned professional aged 19, a “burnt out” Peake drifted away from the game and joined the Rebels, an outlawed motorcycle gang, when he was 21. Read more
Joel Embiid vows not to be part of another 76ers closed-door meeting after unflattering details leaked (CBS)
After the Philadelphia 76ers got off to a 2-11 start to the 2024-25 season, the team held a closed-doors meeting to clear the air and set the tone for what they hoped would be a turnaround.
Details of what was said in that meeting were leaked the next day, as we learned Tyrese Maxey challenged Joel Embiid over being constantly late and not setting the standard as the team’s star. Embiid was upset that became public knowledge, saying whoever leaked the info was a “real piece of shit” and vowed to figure out who did it.
In a profile by ESPN’s Dotun Akintoye on Wednesday, we learned Embiid knows who the leak is, and while he’s not willing to divulge that information, he made it clear that the trust has been broken and he won’t be participating in any future team meetings. Read more
Open water program at swimming world championships gets started after delays (CBC)
Open water competition at the World Aquatics Championships went off Wednesday after two postponements because of water-quality problems at Sentosa, the island area on the coast.
Florian Wellbrock of Germany won the men’s 10km race in one hour, 59 minutes and 55.50 seconds. Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy was almost four seconds behind in second place and Kyle Lee of Australia was third in 2:00.10.30.The women’s race was set for later in the afternoon after being postponed twice. Read more