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Former Governor of Benue State and ex-Senator representing the Benue North-East Senatorial District, Gabriel Suswam, has declared his intention to return to the upper legislative chamber via the 2027 general elections.

The two-term former governor made the declaration during a public event over the weekend.

Suswam, who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the state, since he “started politics in 1998, is a place where the people believe in one party.”

According to him, Benue State was “completely a PDP state for its first 16 years. And then subsequently after that, they moved to the APC.”

“As a Benue son, I won’t be an exception to what my people want and what my people believe. They now believe in the principles and philosophy of the APC.”

Suswam added that “as a politician, if you are still strong enough to contest an election, you always want to contest elections.

“The only election that I can contest now is the Senate. Of course, I can’t go back to run for governor even if I want to; the constitution forbids me from running for governor again. So, of course, I’ll be running for Senate.”

Benue North-East: I will be running for Senate in 2027 – Suswam

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and now risks hanging more in the the wake of the war against the US and Israel, two NGOs said Monday, urging the West to put capital punishment “at the heart” of any negotiations with Tehran.

The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.

If the Islamic republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression”, the report said.

IHR — which requires two sources to confirm an execution, the majority of which are not reported in Iranian official media — said the figure represented an “absolute minimum” for the number of hangings in 2025.

The report said the number of executions was by far the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008, and was the most reported since 1989, in the earlier years of the Islamic revolution.

Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, said the question of abolition of the death penalty needed to be “at the heart” of any talks between Iran and the West on ending the conflict that is currently on hold with a ceasefire.

“Be strong, put the death penalty in all the deals,” he told reporters at a news conference in Paris, adding that the “reality is the same” even after more than five weeks of war that saw the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam lamented that after US-Iran talks in Islamabad at the weekend that failed to agree a breakthrough there was “no mention of the Iranian people’s rights in any of those negotiations”.

A moratorium on use of the death penalty and the release of all political prisoners must be “demand number one” in talks, he said.

– World’s top executioner? –

The report also warned that “hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution” after being charged with capital crimes over January 2026 protests against the authorities — quashed by a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested.

Even during the war, Iran hanged seven people in connection with the January protests, another six men convicted of membership in the banned opposition group People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), and one dual Iranian-Swedish citizen charged with spying for Israel.

Amiry-Moghaddam said that death sentences have been issued against at least 26 other people arrested over the January protests, “but several hundred more” are facing charges that could see them executed.

“The message they send by executing people every day is to say ‘we have the power to kill’,” he added.

In 2025, at least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024 when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs.

Of these, 21 were executed for murdering their husbands or fiances, the report said.

Almost all hangings were carried out inside prisons, but public hangings more than tripled to 11 in 2025, the report said.

Almost half of those executed were convicted of drugs-related offences, the report said.

Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.

Amiry-Moghaddam said there were more than 500 other possible cases of executions in 2025 that were not included in the report as they could not be conclusively sourced. Compiling the figures has also been complicated by the internet blackout imposed by the authorities during the January protests and the war, he added.

Chenuil-Hazan added that this could mean Iran has “perhaps” now even overtaken China as the world’s top executioner.

The post Iran executed at least 1,639 in 2025, more hangings feared – NGOs appeared first on Vanguard News.

Political groups within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara South Senatorial District of Kwara State have endorsed the governorship aspiration of a former chairman of the party, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, ahead of the 2027 general elections. At separate events organised by the groups in Offa, Offa Local Government Area, and Iloffa in […]

Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say power supply has improved in their areas.

The residents spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Some other residents of the territory, however, said that they had yet to see any improvement.

They spoke against the backdrop of the assurance given by the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, on March 24, that power supply would improve within two weeks.

Adelabu had also apologised to Nigerians for the country’s current power situation.

“We have set up a committee, and there is positive feedback from gas suppliers on the timeline for repairing the gas pipelines. I can say that within two weeks, we should start seeing improvements in power,” he said.

The residents, especially in satellite towns of Bwari, Lugbe and parts of Kubwa, said that during the Easter period, electricity improved in their areas.

However, others complained of persistent power outages and a weak supply, with some reporting less than a few hours of electricity daily.

Mr Stephen Omede, a businessman resident in Kubwa, said that power supply improved in his area during the Easter break.

He said that this may be due to the N3.3tn approval to clear legacy debt in the sector.

Mrs Ndidi Obi, a fashion designer in Kubwa, also said that there had been an improvement in electricity supply in recent times.

“I was surprised when I slept with the light for the first time in six months during this festive period,” she said.

Mr Samuel Agim, a welder, lives in Lugbe and said that there was a slight improvement in electricity in his area.

According to him, in the past few days, electricity improved from about four hours to eight hours daily.

Mrs Akugbe Odigie, a businesswoman resident in Kuje, said that the erratic power supply had resulted in increased operational costs, with many businesses relying on expensive fuel for generators.

Odigie said that fuel now costs between N1,300 and N1,400 per litre, which makes the businesses less profitable.

According to her, the situation is crippling small and medium-scale enterprises.

She appealed to the Federal Government to urgently look into the matter.

Mr Benson Edet, a Fashion designer based in Bwari, said that he was happy when the minister announced that electricity would improve in two weeks.

Edet said that the government should do everything possible to improve the power supply to allow citizens to live well.

Mr Thompson Gbeja, a barber in Lugbe, said that there was a need for improved infrastructure to ensure a steady power supply.

Gbeja said that the power situation was so bad that for days, he would not be able to do his job.

“I am appealing to the government to do everything possible to improve electricity, as most businesses and households are affected by the situation,” he said.
Mrs Happiness Onoja, who operates a restaurant in Kubwa, said that the situation had prompted her to close her business as the cost of running a generator was a burden to her.

Onoja said, “I was happy when the minister made the promise to improve the electricity supply in two weeks.

“But up till now, nothing has been done. My appeal is that the government should do everything possible to ensure steady electricity,” she said.

Mixed Reactions Trail Power Supply Gains In Abuja is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The management of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, has clarified the recent retirement of four of its directors, stating that the action complied with a Federal Government directive and in line with the Public Service Rules. Reacting to the ongoing industrial action and planned picketing by the Academic Staff Union of Research […]

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja), now known as Yakubu Gowon University, is set to graduate a total of 12,624 students, including 77 First Class graduates, at its 29th and 30th combined convocation ceremonies. Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, disclosed this on Monday during a pre-convocation news conference held at the institution’s main campus in Abuja. […]

Tumininu, the partner of reality TV star Angel Smith, has alleged infidelity against her, triggering widespread reactions online.

The couple, who reportedly tied the knot in an intimate white wedding ceremony in the United States in March, had recently been the subject of breakup rumours.

Speculation intensified after Tumininu shared a photo of Angel’s engagement ring with the caption “if you need a ring, holla”, alongside another image showing her cuddling a different woman.

In a series of posts shared via Snapchat, Tumininu alleged that she made significant sacrifices in the relationship that were not known to the public. She claimed to have spent over $100,000 on Angel, including approximately $50,000 on her birthday.

Tumininu further accused the reality star of being involved with another woman she allegedly met on a dating app, while also cautioning critics against commenting on issues they do not fully understand.

“You guys are mad, after everything I did for Angel, when you don’t know most of the shit that has happened. Make everybody better calm down and not speak on things they don’t know,” she wrote.
“Since you got here I have spent over 100k dollars on Angel. Her birthday I spent about 50k dols… and yet you still went and slept with a girl that you met on Hinge (currently at the girl’s house)… LMAO after everything. Make una no make my blood hot, or else I go scatter everywhere. I dey my own.”

As of the time of filing this report, Angel Smith has not publicly responded to the allegations.

Newlywed BBN Star Angel Faces Infidelity Allegation From Partner is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

By Juliet Umeh

The New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has again written to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, demanding immediate compliance with a subsisting court judgment and requesting a meeting to address what it described as the Commission’s continued non-compliance.

In a letter dated April 13, 2026, addressed to the INEC Chairman and copied to the Director of Legal, the party, through its solicitors, Lex Firma LP, expressed concern that more than three weeks after a Federal Capital Territory High Court judgment, the Commission had yet to act.

The party recalled that it had earlier written to INEC on March 24, 2026, conveying the judgment delivered on March 17, 2026, and demanding compliance within 72 hours as ordered by the court.

The letter stated: “Regrettably, despite the clear and unambiguous orders of the Court mandating compliance within 72 hours, more than three weeks have elapsed without any response whatsoever from the Commission.”

It added, “No steps have been taken to comply with the subsisting judgment, nor has any formal communication been issued to our client explaining the Commission’s position.”

The NNPP described the situation as worrisome, particularly against the backdrop of the “very public decampment” of Dr. Ajuji Ahmed and his associates to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, alongside Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

“It is therefore surprising that the Commission continues to withhold recognition from the authentic leadership of the NNPP, while appearing to recognise individuals who have openly decamped from the Party and who have repeatedly failed in their claims before courts of competent jurisdiction,” it said.

The party further criticised what it termed a disregard for judicial authority, warning of the implications for the rule of law.

“Indeed, the notion that any person or authority can elect to ignore a valid and subsisting judgment of a court, or proceed to interpret such judgment from the comfort of its offices without recourse to due process, is most distressing and does not augur well for the rule of law in this country,” the letter read.

It also faulted INEC for allegedly failing to engage the party despite several correspondences.
“It is equally troubling that the Commission… has consistently refused to engage with our client despite the service of several letters. To date, no response has been received, nor has any formal invitation been extended,” the party stated.

Reiterating its legal position, the NNPP stressed that court judgments remain binding until set aside by a superior court.
“We must respectfully reiterate… that a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction remains binding on all parties until it is set aside by a superior court,” it said, adding that “no order of stay of execution has been granted” in the matter.
The party warned that continued delay could have electoral consequences.

“Continued delay in compliance may result in the disenfranchisement of thousands of supporters of the Party, an outcome which would be both unjust and avoidable.

“Without prejudice to the above, and in the spirit of amicable engagement, we hereby formally request a meeting between representatives of the Commission and officials of the National Working Committee of the NNPP to discuss and resolve the issues,” the letter stated.

The party expressed hope that the proposed engagement would lead to “constructive dialogue and an amicable resolution of the present impasse,” urging the Commission to indicate a convenient date for the meeting.

The post NNPP raises alarm over INEC’s refusal to recognise leadership appeared first on Vanguard News.

The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Fatai Tijani, has visited the scene of the road accident that claimed the life of a student of Lagos State University, assuring that justice will be pursued in the case.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday night by the command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi.

According to the statement, the police commissioner, accompanied by senior officers, conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the accident scene as part of ongoing investigations.

During the visit, the police team also interacted with representatives of the university’s Students’ Union, addressing their concerns over the incident.

Adebisi noted that Tijani commended the students for maintaining calm and demonstrating restraint despite the emotional impact of losing one of their colleagues.

She added that the commissioner assured the students that the driver involved in the incident would be arraigned in court on Monday to face prosecution.

The spokesperson reiterated the command’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of lives across the state.

She also extended condolences to the family of the deceased and prayed for the repose of her soul.

The visit follows the death of a 300-level student, Azeezat Abdul-Rasheed, who was fatally struck by a vehicle at about 7:00 p.m. on Saturday in the Igando area of Lagos.

In reaction to the incident, a video shared on X by a student identified as @Khennybass showed a group of students protesting at the Area M Police Division in Idimu.

The students alleged that officers were attempting to shield the driver involved in the crash and called for justice for their late colleague.

Lagos CP visits crash scene, assures justice over LASU student’s death

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) to install smart meters at all boundary regional interconnection points by December 2026.

This, according to NERC, is to ensure transparency in curbing losses across the nation’s transmission network.

The directive, which is contained in Order No. NERC/2026/026, also mandates NISO to measure and document all energy flows through power transformers at transmission substations.

The Order is backed by provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, which empower NERC to regulate and enforce standards across the electricity market.

The Order, which takes effect from April 13, 2026, establishes a structured framework for tracking Regional Transmission Loss Factors (TLF) and strengthening accountability in grid operations.

Under the new regime, NISO is required to file quarterly reports on transmission losses to NERC on a regional basis, providing regulators with granular data to monitor performance and enforce compliance.

Also, the Commission has directed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to submit, by July 2026, a comprehensive action plan detailing measures to reduce transmission losses to within the seven per cent benchmark approved under the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).

According to the order, TCN is also required to ensure that TLF across all transmission regions does not exceed 6.5 per cent by December 2026.

Industry data from NISO shows that while the national average TLF declined from 8.71 per cent in 2024 to 7.24 per cent in 2025, it remains above the regulatory threshold of 7 per cent.

“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued Order No. NERC/2026/026 to improve transparency and efficiency in Nigeria’s power grid through enhanced reporting of Regional Transmission Loss Factors (TLF).

“Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) indicate that the national average TLF was 8.71% in 2024 but was reduced to 7.24% in 2025.

However, this still exceeds the 7% benchmark approved by NERC in the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO).

“The Order dated 8 April 2026 establishes a formal framework for reporting transmission losses across regions operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

“Taking effect from 13 April 2026, the Order is backed by provisions of the Electricity Act 2023, which empower NERC to regulate, monitor, and ensure efficiency in the electricity market.

“Highlights and timelines in the Order include:
NISO to install smart meters at all boundary regional interconnection points by December 2026 to accurately measure energy flows for each region of the transmission network.

“NISO to measure and document all energy flow of power transformers at transmission substations. NISO to file quarterly reports on TLF to NERC on a regional basis.

“TCN to file an action plan by July 2026 on the reduction of TLF to a value within the 7% approved benchmarks in the regions. TCN to ensure that TLF across transmission regions shall not exceed 6.5% by December 2026”, the Order reads in part.

THE WHISTLER can confirm that the national grid has experienced two disturbances this year and both occurred in January.

The first one occurred on January 23, 2026, when generation dropped to zero megawatts, affecting all distribution companies

Also, the second incident occurred on January 27, following a voltage disturbance and line tripping.

NERC Sets December Deadline For NISO Smart Meter Rollout is first published on The Whistler Newspaper