Nigeria News Digest: August 22, 2025

The Independent National Electoral Commission in Sokoto urged traditional, religious and opinion leaders to mobilise citizens for the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise, while a foundation donated laptops, fans, printers, generators and Wi‑Fi to Lagos Island East LCDA to support registration ahead of the 2027 elections.

PDP Vanguard, a socio‑political group, called on residents of Rivers State to vote in the local government elections now set for August 30, after the original August 9 schedule was postponed and critics questioned the constitutional authority of the state’s Sole Administrator to conduct the polls.

Officials in Niger warned that foreign financing is fueling terrorist activity, which could spill into violence surrounding Nigeria’s 2027 elections, and Nigeria’s defence chief highlighted escalating security threats from Sahel conflicts, urging faster trials, tougher laws and special courts for terrorism cases.

Ekiti’s council of traditional rulers approved a new chieftaincy decree allowing the installation of a female child of the immediate past ruler as regent for three to six months, a change requested by the community and announced by the deputy governor, who will soon reveal the nominee’s name.

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State re‑affirmed his administration's commitment to backing security forces in combating drug trafficking, cybercrime, cultism, kidnapping and related offenses, pledging a strengthened partnership with UNODC to bolster youth resilience and effective prosecution.