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Change of govt: Senate throws out Water Resources Bill
Barely one week and two days after former Lagos state governors, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, took over as President of Nigeria, the Senate Tuesday, threw away the controversial Water Resources Bill.
The bill was lined up for concurrence in the order paper but was rejected by the majority of the senators.
There had been confrontation on the Bill between leaders from the South and others from the North over the Bill which some say was designed to annex water ways by the federal government and deny local communities the right to their natural endowments.
When the bill was read for concurrence on the floor of the Senate, Senator Gabriel Suswan from Benue North West, raised Order 85 of the Senate Rules which provides that Senators must have full details of the provisions of any bill coming for concurrence.
Senator James Manager from Delta South, who seconded Senator Suswan’s point of order, also stressed the need to have details of the bill since provision was made for only the title of bill.
The Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who later ruled in favour of the rule cited, adjourned the plenary for the day.
On its part, the House of Representatives had passed the bill in 2020 amidst suspicion by members and the general public that the proposal had sinister motives.
Before the passage, the chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli, said the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as commissioners for justice and attorneys-general of the 36 states of the federation had been consulted and the opinions received would be attached to the bill and distributed to all members.
Also some groups, mainly from the South subsequently raised the alarm when the bill was to be taken for the first reading.
Former President, Muhammadu Buhari, had in 2017 presented the controversial bill to both chambers of the National Assembly, which seeks to transfer the control of water resources from the states to the federal government.
The legislation was titled, “A Bill for An Act to Establish a Regulatory Framework for the Water Resources Sector in Nigeria, Provide for the Equitable and Sustainable Redevelopment, Management, Use and Conservation of Nigeria’s Surface Water and Groundwater Resources and for Related Matters.”
The summary of the bill reads, “This Act repeals the Water Resources Act, Cap W2 LFN 2004; River Basin Development Act Cap R9 LFN 2004; Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (Establishment) Act, Cap N110A, LFN,2004; National Water Resources Institute Act Cap N83 LFN 2004; and establishes the National Council on Water Resources, Nigeria Water Resources Regulatory Commission, River Basin Development Authorities, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the National Water Resources Institute.”
The proposed bodies, if established, will “provide for the regulation, equitable and sustainable development, management, use and conservation of Nigeria’s surface water and groundwater resources.”
The 8th House passed the bill but the controversy had frustrated passage of the bill by the Senate, as the Red Chamber on May 24, 2018, considered the executive bill for second reading, during which senators were divided across regional lines.
While Northern Senators had supported the proposal and its objectives, their Southern counterparts had opposed it.
Those opposed to the bill had pointed out that if passed into law, it would further centralise power and resources of the country. This, they pointed out, would counter the move towards devolution of power domiciled with the federal government.
The David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the Federal High Court judgement that removed its leadership.
The opposition party also disclosed that it had filed an application seeking a stay of execution of the judgement pending the hearing and determination of its appeal.
The party made this known in a statement on Friday, November 6, adding that it had formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the legal steps taken,
The appeal is against the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 5, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1619/2025, involving Hon. Nafiu Bala Gombe and the ADC.
The party urged INEC to refrain from taking any further action on the matter until the Court of Appeal has considered the case.
It argued that the application for a stay of execution was yet to be decided and that the electoral commission should not take any step that could affect the outcome of the appeal.
According to the ADC, it expects INEC to respect the ongoing legal process and allow the appellate court to hear the matter before making any decision connected to the judgement.
The statement partly read, “The ADC is exercising its lawful right to appeal. The judgement is now being challenged before a higher court, and the legal process must be allowed to run its course.
“We expect INEC to uphold the law and take full account of the pending proceedings before making any consequential decisions.”
The party also urged its members and supporters to remain calm, insisting that the court judgement would not stop its political activities.
It said its campaigns would continue while it explored all available legal options to defend its position.
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The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by Senator David Mark, declaring the caretaker committee that oversaw the party’s affairs illegal and invalidating all decisions taken by the committee.
The judgment, delivered on Thursday by Justice Peter Lifu, also affects the presidential primary that produced former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the ADC’s flag bearer for the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, whose name had earlier been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s presidential candidate, had already selected former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
The ruling followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC, who challenged the process through which the David Mark-led leadership assumed control of the party.
Gombe argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to take over the leadership.
He consequently asked the court to invalidate all actions undertaken by the Mark-led leadership and restrain Senator Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from presenting themselves as the party’s National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
The plaintiff maintained that their emergence violated the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
In suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, the ADC, INEC, Senator David Mark, Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu were listed as defendants.
Justice Lifu upheld Gombe’s claims and granted the reliefs sought, effectively invalidating the authority of the caretaker committee and decisions taken under its leadership.
The verdict is expected to trigger fresh political uncertainty within the ADC, particularly over Atiku’s presidential ambition and the party’s preparations for the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
However, the party has vowed to challenge the judgment at the appellate court.
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