Nigeria Senate limits warrant power and Akpabio urges APC to reconsider primary losers

The Nigerian Senate voted to reserve the authority to issue arrest warrants exclusively for the Senate President, rejecting a committee's attempt to obtain a warrant against former NNPC Group Managing Director Mele Kyari. The motion emphasized compliance with constitutional provisions and due‑process safeguards, and the Senate distanced itself from Senator Adams Oshiomhole’s comment that NNPC is “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”

Separately, Senate President Godswill Akpabio appealed to the ruling APC to review the situation of roughly 50 National Assembly members who failed to secure party nominations in recent primaries. He highlighted concerns from lawmakers such as House Leader Julius Ihonvbere and Senator Ned Nwoko, noting that some members have developed “hypertension” over the outcome. Akpabio urged the party to keep the legislators involved before the final candidate list is submitted to INEC, which opens its portal on June 26.