A magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt was thrown into confusion today Thursday, the 12th of March, 2026 when it noticed that a lawyer who had died since last year, 2025 December appeared before it on Tuesday the 10th of February, 2026 to conduct his matter. When the matter was called for hearing, and the lawyer was not present, the court on inquiry was informed by the litigant that his lawyer died since last year December 2025. The court, presided over by Senior Magistrate Kingsley Briggs became confused and had to search through his record book, where he confirmed the lawyer’s presence during proceeding on Tuesday the 10th day of February, 2026. The Senior Magistrate informed the litigant on how the court had wanted to issue a bench warrant against him if not for the intervention of his lawyer who pleaded that he the litigant was sick and needed medical attention. Senior Magistrate Briggs also narrated how based on the plea of ill health by the lawyer, the court did not is...
APGA Challenges New Nigeria Primary-Election Rules, Citing Risks To Smaller Parties' Survival As Viewed By APGA National Chairman
Written By Nduka Anyanwu In a spirited defense of Nigeria’s evolving electoral landscape, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has publicly pushed back against the recently enacted changes to primary-election procedures, warning that the new mandates threaten the very fabric of internal party democracy—particularly for smaller political groups like APGA. During a live interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today Tuesday night, APGA National Chairman Sylvester Ezeokenwa voiced concerns over the recent amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act (2026), which now stipulate that political parties must conduct either direct primaries or reach consensus candidacies, effectively phasing out the previous indirect primary system. The Challenge of Logistics and Resource Constraints Ezeokenwa emphasized that the logistics involved in organizing nationwide direct primaries across approximately 8,000 wards are insurmountable for a party like APGA, which lacks the exten...