Nigerians will remember 2025 as a memorable year within the political circle. The intrigues, drama, betrayals, accusations, and counteraccusations dominated headlines in the country.
From the Lagos Assembly crisis, to the Rivers Assembly saga, PDP mass defections to President Trump designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, Natasha/Akpabio rift to President Buhari’s death, among others, political observers admit that major events took the nation by surprise.
Channels Television highlights some key events that shook the nation:
Lagos Assembly Crisis/Obasa’s Impeachment.
The year began on an interesting note, with a crisis rocking the Lagos State House of Assembly between aggrieved lawmakers loyal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Governance Advisory Council (GAC).
On January 13, 36 assembly members voted to impeach Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, in what was perceived as a major blow to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State.
The 53-year-old Obasa, first elected in 2015, was sacked for alleged misconduct and corruption. The lawmakers thereafter installed his deputy, Mojisola Miranda, as the first female Speaker of the South-West state.
But Obasa rejected the impeachment, claiming it was illegal, and initiated court cases.
To further prevent a breakdown of law and order, the Department of State Services (DSS) was at the Assembly complex, allegedly on the invitation of the acting clerk, causing clashes and sealing offices, which lawmakers condemned as an attack on democracy.
Worried by the situation, President Tinubu summoned the lawmakers to the State House to resolve the impasse. Subjecting herself to the party’s decision, Meranda stepped down as speaker. On March 3, Obasa was reinstated to his position, 49 days after his removal from office.
Obasa’s return may go down in history as one of the most remarkable political comebacks in Lagos’ political landscape.
READ ALSO: US Congress To Probe Alleged Christian Genocide In Nigeria Thursday
Natasha/Akpabio Clash
In the Senate, drama unfolded on February 20 as the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) clashed over a seating arrangement dispute.
The altercation began when Senator Natasha discovered that her seat had been reassigned upon resumption of the session.
About two weeks later, the Senate adopted a report by its Ethics Committee and suspended her for six months, citing misconduct and violation of Standing Orders.
The suspension on March 6 led to the sealing of her office, among other privileges. Displeased with the development, the Kogi lawmaker took the case to the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU) at the United Nations in New York on March 11. Senator Natasha sought the intervention of global democratic institutions.
The lawmaker demanded justice over what she described as injustice meted out to her and described her suspension as illegal.
However, when the six-month suspension ended on September 4, Akpoti-Uduaghan notified the National Assembly of her intent to resume, but the management refused, citing the ongoing court process. The standoff lasted until September 23, when Senate officials unsealed her office, which had remained closed since March.
Trump Designates Nigeria Country Of Particular Concern
On the international scene, the United States President Donald Trump, on October 31, designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, a status reserved for nations engaged in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Christianity in Nigeria faces a serious existential threat because radical Islamists are killing thousands of the country’s Christian population.
But the Nigerian government, on November 1, denied allegations made by Trump that Christianity faces existential threats in the country.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Trump’s claim that extremist groups were killing thousands of Christians on a large scale as inaccurate and unreflective of the true security situation in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu also dispatched a high-powered delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to engage with the US authorities in Washington. Top US officials arrived in Nigeria on a fact-finding mission to Benue and other states affected by attacks and killings by non-state actors.
The US designation followed demands by some Republican lawmakers for the US to sanction Nigeria for allowing the “persecution of Christians.”
Buhari Dies At 82
The nation was thrown into mourning following the death of the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari on July 13.
Buhari, a former Military Head of State, died in a London clinic. He was 82. The ex-president had been receiving treatment at a London medical facility for weeks. Before then, he had been abroad since, initially, for what sources described as a routine medical check-up, before his condition reportedly worsened.
His death has cracked open the 2027 race, exposing a fierce contest over who now controls the massive bloc of northern voters that powered him to office and kept him relevant through two terms and three prior defeats.
As the first to defeat an incumbent President in the fourth republic, Buhari commanded a cult-like mass following of about 12 million loyal voters; Buharists who saw him as Mai Gaskiya (the honest one) or the incorruptible saviour of the poor.
Even after stepping down as president, his Daura and Kaduna homes became political pilgrimage sites. Knowing that his endorsement could influence votes in the North, coalition builder and former vice president Atiku Abubakar, ex-Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others sought his symbolic support.
In all the political parties he was associated — including the All People’s Party (APP), the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and the All Progressives Congress (APC) — Buhari consistently delivered bloc votes from the North.
Tinubu Suspends Gov Fubara, Others
In a bid to douse the political tension rocking Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu applied the doctrine of necessity by invoking his powers as enshrined by the 1999 Constitution.
In doing so, Tinubu on March 18 declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state. The declaration saw the suspension of the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, as well as members of the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months.
A former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ette Ibas, was appointed “to take charge of the affairs of the state in the interest of the good people of Rivers State.
Tinubu cited as the basis for his action “the disturbing” violence in the state in the last 24 hours, including explosions and vandalism of petroleum pipelines linked in the state.
While some welcomed the decision, others argued that the President lacked the powers to suspend an elected governor and othe officials.
Atiku, Govs, Others Dump PDP
Meanwhile, in what could be described as a political tsunami, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost key political figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other parties.
Those who resigned their membership included the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku, governors, senators, among others.
Atiku cited the crisis rocking the party as the reason for dumping the PDP, and later pitched his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a letter dated July 14 and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in his Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku cited a departure from the party’s founding principles.
“I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for,” he wrote. “It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognizing the irreconcilable differences that have emerged.”
Atiku, who served as Nigeria’s vice president between 1999 and 2007, expressed gratitude to the PDP for the platform it provided him to serve and twice contest the presidency—in 2019 and 2023.
Governors who have left the party include Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers). More top guns in the PDP are expected to leave the party in the coming months.
Mahmood Replaced As INEC Chairman
After completing his ten-year double tenure, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has been replaced as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, Yakubu oversaw the conduct of two general elections—in 2019 and 2023—and several off-cycle governorship and legislative polls.
Under his leadership, INEC introduced several reforms, including the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and the INEC result viewing (iReV) portal, aimed at enhancing transparency and credibility in the electoral process.
On October 7, Yakubu handed over the leadership of the commission to May Agbamuche-Mbu, who briefly served as Acting National Chairman.
Thereafter, President Bola Tinubu appointed a Professor of Law, Joash Amupitan, as the new INEC boss. Amupitan’s appointment was ratified by the National Council of States on October 9.
Amupitan was sworn in as the substantive INEC Chairman on October 23, marking an official shift in the leadership of the nation’s electoral body.
Science and Technology Minister Resigns
The issue of certificate scandal hit a member of President Tinubu’s government as Uche Nnaji, resigned on October 7 from his position as the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Nnaji’s decision to quit the Federal Executive Council followed allegations of certificate forgery against him.
He had been under fire over allegations that he forged the credentials he submitted to President Bola Tinubu and the Senate during his ministerial confirmation.
President Tinubu appointed Nnaji on August 16, 2023, the embattled minister resigned on October 7, 2025, marking an end of his two-year reign as Technology Minister.
An investigation revealed Nnaji did not complete his university education and that both the bachelor’s degree and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates he presented to Tinubu, as well as to the offices of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the senate, were forged.
Defence Minister Resigns
Like Nnaji, Mohammed Badaru bowed out as Minister of Defence, citing health reasons.
Badaru’s departure coincides with a period of heightened security challenges across Nigeria, with the government under pressure to deal with a spate of mass kidnappings.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, announced in a statement on December 1 that President Tinubu, upon receiving Badaru’s letter, “accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation.”
Tinubu later appointed the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa (retired), as Badaru’s replacement.
63-year-old Badaru was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed as a minister on 21 August 2023 by President Tinubu.
Tinubu Adopted As APC 2027 Candidate
The race to the 2027 general elections is gradually shaping up with the adoption of President Tinubu as the sole candidate for the party.
On May 22, the ruling party held its national summit at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja. At the function, APC governors unanimously endorsed Tinubu as the party’s sole candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Imo State Governor Uzodimma moved the motion for Tinubu’s adoption and was seconded by the Progressives Governors’ Forum Vice Chairman, Uba Sani of Kaduna State.
Nnamdi Kanu’s Conviction
After a decade-long trial, the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20 sentenced the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to life imprisonment after being convicted of terrorism.
The presiding judge, James Omotosho, stated that the prosecution proved its case in the seven counts against Kanu beyond a reasonable doubt, saying evidence shown by the prosecution revealed that the defendant ordered the sit-at-home order in the South-East region.
He said Kanu committed an act of terrorism against Nigeria by making a broadcast threatening that people would die and the world would be at a standstill.
Omotosho held that Kanu must be kept in a facility that will be suitable for his custody and should not be allowed close to any digital device, or must be monitored by the office of the National Security Adviser.
Political, Humanitarian Pardon
A day after the judgement, the South-East leaders said they would explore a political solution for Kanu’s release, calling for calm.
The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, intensified calls for a political resolution to secure Kanu’s freedom.
The regional leaders said they would immediately pursue dialogue with the Presidency, insisting that a political solution was both viable and necessary to prevent rising tensions.
“Now that the court has concluded its work, it is time to intensify the request for the President’s intervention,” Kalu said in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu. “All hope is not lost. Our people should remain calm.”
Kalu expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu would “listen to well-meaning Igbo leaders” and would not be opposed to a political settlement. His appeal for restraint was directed not only at residents of the South-East, but also at Nigerians concerned about renewed unrest.
APC Wins Landslide In Rivers LG Polls
History was made in Rivers State as the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a landslide victory in the August 30 local government elections in the oil-rich state.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) said the APC won 20 out of the 23 chairmanship positions contested in the exercise.
It marked a major departure in the state’s political space as the PDP has been maintaining a tight grip on Rivers since the return to democracy in 1999.
RSIEC Chairman, Michael Odey, who described the elections as free and fair, said that 18 political parties participated in the elections, adding that voters turned out in large numbers to cast their votes.
According to him, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won three LGAs, including Obio/Akpor LGA, where the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, hails from.
He commended the political parties and residents for their commitment to ensuring a smooth election process.
EX-INEC Chair, Others Bag Ambassadorial Appointments
Meanwhile, President Tinubu nominated 32 persons, including a former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu; ex-minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, and ex-presidential aide, Reno Omokri as ambassadors.
Others in the list include a former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, and a former deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro.
Ondo Senator and businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim; a former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo and former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, also made the list of nominees.
Tinubu has already forwarded their names to the Senate for the confirmation of their appointment, with the upper chamber screening all the nominees.
Their postings are expected to end more than two years of Tinubu’s administration operating without appointed envoys to head Nigeria’s missions, embassies, and consulates in various countries.
The post Top Moments That Dominated Nigeria’s Political Space In 2025 appeared first on Channels Television.
