Politics
NASS Suspends Legislative Engagements With S’Africa Over Xenophobic Attacks
The decision followed consultations between the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives over reports of Nigerians being killed, injured, displaced and forced to abandon businesses, investments, homes and other properties amid recurring violence.
In a statement signed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Kamoru Ogunlana, the leadership said it was seriously concerned about the situation and noted that repeated appeals by the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders for South African authorities to protect Nigerians and other foreign nationals and bring perpetrators to justice had not stopped reports of further incidents.
Under the resolution, official visits to South Africa by the National Assembly, its committees, lawmakers, officials and staff are suspended.
The boycott also covers conferences, seminars, workshops, parliamentary meetings, legislative exchanges and other activities organised or hosted by South African legislative authorities.
Physical participation in South African-hosted legislative programmes, as well as participation through virtual or online platforms, is also covered.
The leadership has directed the Clerk to issue the necessary communication to senators, members of the House of Representatives, committees, departments, directorates, officials and staff to ensure strict compliance.
The suspension, it said, would remain in force until further notice and would be subject to review by the leadership as circumstances warrant.
The National Assembly’s action comes after months of renewed hostility towards African migrants in South Africa and a series of measures by the Nigerian government.
In June, Nigeria began evacuating citizens from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks.
The first batch of 258 Nigerians arrived in Lagos on June 11, while subsequent evacuation flights brought back several more.
In July, the Federal Government urged South African authorities to address recurring xenophobic attacks against Nigerians, while Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to South Africa said the government had begun documenting businesses and properties abandoned by returning Nigerians with a view to seeking possible compensation.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently raised the issue at the African Union, calling for collective action and urging the AU to place xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa on the agenda of its 40th Ordinary Session scheduled for January 2027.
Vice President Kashim Shettima also reiterated Nigeria’s opposition to the mistreatment of Nigerians and other African nationals, while stressing that Nigeria remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement with South Africa.
However, the National Assembly said its latest decision is not intended to undermine the longstanding historical, diplomatic and people-to-people relations between Nigeria and South Africa.
Rather, it described the suspension as a strong expression of concern over the safety, dignity and welfare of Nigerians living and conducting legitimate businesses there.
It called on the South African government to take urgent and concrete measures to protect Nigerians and other African nationals, prevent further xenophobic attacks, investigate reported incidents, arrest suspected perpetrators and prosecute those found culpable in accordance with the law.
The leadership also urged state Houses of Assembly to take note of the decision and said they may consider taking similar action, reaffirming its commitment to protecting Nigerian citizens abroad and saying it would continue to monitor developments concerning the safety and welfare of Nigerians in South Africa.
The list includes candidates from 18 political parties contesting the presidential election, along with their respective presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
According to the list, signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary of the Commission, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is fielding President Bola Tinubu, 74, as its presidential candidate, with Vice President Kashim Shettima, 59, as his running mate.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presents former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 79, as its presidential candidate, with former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, 61, as his running mate.
Below is full list of the presidential candidates and their running mates:
- APC: Bola Tinubu (74) / Kashim Shettima (59)
- ADC: Atiku Abubakar (79) / Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (61)
- NDC: Peter Gregory Obi (65) / Musa Mohammed Rabiu Kwankwaso (69)
- LP: Sunday Chibuzo Okereke (43) / Hajja Bintu Konto (54)
- PDP: Sandy Ojang Onor (60) / Umaru Babangida (61)
- AA: Rufai Adekunle Omo-Aje / Shehu Hussaini
- ADP: Aliyu Abbas-Bin / Chinazam Ike
- APP: Kabiru Yusuf / Peace Egobia Ofordile
- AAC: Omoyele Sowore / Haruna Garba Magashi
- APM: Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (58) / Musa Lawal Daura
- BP: Sunday Adenuga / Usman Turaki Mustapha
- DLA: Moses Olusoji Adebisi / Nafisat Usaku Abubakar
- NDP: Ada Elizabeth Fredrick Okwori / Uchenna Anthony Chukwuemeka
- NRM: Nkem Esther Okereke / Nasir Muhammed Sulaiman
- PRP: Donald Duke / Kabiru Rabiu
- SDP: Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo / Usman Muhammed Bugaje
- YPP: Peter Ada Agada / Patience Ndidi Key
- ZLP: Daniel Daberechukwu Nwanyanwu / Hassan Khalid
A Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Mr Ugochukwu Okparanta, has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Rivers State, seeking an urgent review of the number of constituencies represented in the state House of Assembly.
In the suit marked FHC/PH/CS/140/2026, Mr Okparanta alleged that the present constituency structure in Rivers State falls short of the constitutional requirements prescribed under Sections 91 and 112 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Section 91 of the Constitution provides that, subject to its provisions, a House of Assembly of a state shall consist of three or four times the number of seats the state has in the House of Representatives.
Section 112 further provides that INEC shall divide every state in the federation into such number of state constituencies as is equal to three or four times the number of federal constituencies within that state.
According to the suit, Rivers State has 13 federal constituencies.
The plaintiff argues that by the constitutional calculation, 13 federal constituencies multiplied by three should give Rivers State a minimum of 39 state constituencies.
But the state currently has only 32 state constituencies, leaving what the claimant describes as a deficit of seven constituencies.
Mr Okparanta said the issue was not merely a matter of arithmetic, but one of constitutional compliance, equitable representation and the political rights of the people of Rivers State.
“When seven constituencies are missing from the constitutional arrangement, it necessarily means that seven areas of the state are denied the level of representation contemplated by the Constitution.
“The people of Rivers State should not be made to bear the consequences of an arrangement that appears inconsistent with the clear provisions of Sections 91 and 112 of the Constitution”, he said.
Mr Okparanta said he had earlier served a pre-action notice on INEC in Abuja in June 2026, drawing the Commission’s attention to what he described as the constitutional shortfall.
According to him, the notice urged INEC to take the necessary steps to correct the anomaly without the need for litigation.
He said the decision to approach the court became necessary after INEC allegedly failed to act on the complaint.
“In June 2026, we served a pre-action notice on INEC in Abuja, drawing the Commission’s attention to this constitutional shortfall and urging it to take the necessary steps to correct the anomaly without recourse to litigation.
“Significantly, in that same month, INEC announced the restoration of 22 state constituencies across Benue, Delta, Jigawa and Kogi states, following judgments of courts”, he said.
Mr Okparanta said the affected states had challenged what they considered the suppression of constituencies and failure to comply with constitutional requirements governing the creation and delineation of state constituencies.
He maintained that Rivers State should not be treated differently if the constitutional provisions support its claim.
“Where a constituency arrangement does not comply with the Constitution, affected citizens have the right to demand its correction”, he maintained.
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