Hajiya Maryam Suleiman, the Kaduna State Woman Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has distanced herself from former Governor, Nasir El-Rufai following his defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), calling it a “wrong political calculation.”

In a dramatic turnaround, Maryam who was once a staunch El-Rufai ally declared her unwavering loyalty to APC, dismissing SDP as a political non-starter. She admitted to previously criticizing Governor Uba Sani out of ignorance, expressing regrets and offering a public apology.

“Governor Uba Sani is a compassionate leader who genuinely uplifts people, unlike El-Rufai, whose policies on market demolitions and teacher dismissals hurt many,” she said.

Rebranding herself from “Maryam Mai Rusau” (aligned with El-Rufai) to “Maryam Mai Ginau” (supporting Uba Sani’s developmental agenda), she pledged her commitment to APC and vowed to make amends for her past remarks.

This shift marks a significant realignment in Kaduna’s political landscape as APC seeks to consolidate its influence.

The Independent National Electoral Commission stated on Wednesday that it had alerted Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator for Kogi State Central, of a recall action against her.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, stated this in a statement on Wednesday. INEC stated that it has received more information, including phone numbers and emails from petitioners seeking the recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The commission further stated that the next step is to scrutinise the details provided by the petitioners of Senator Natasha’s recall.

“Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the Commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission dated today, Wednesday 26th March 2025.

“A letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address. The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the commission’s website.

“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50 percent) of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission,” the statement reads.

United States President Donald Trump emerged on Wednesday as one of the biggest threats looming over the British economy, according to the country’s fiscal watchdog, which warned that slow growth and a substantial debt burden rendered it particularly vulnerable to his proposed tariffs.

British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves implemented a politically unpopular reduction in the welfare budget and other spending cuts, all to maintain the economy’s trajectory towards a key fiscal target designed to reassure investors following former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s short-lived market turmoil in 2022.

However, the country’s independent fiscal watchdog cautioned that a global trade war could diminish economic output, while an increase in Bank of England interest rates and gilt yield expectations could eliminate her narrow margin against that fiscal target.

“If you are going to have ‘iron-clad’ fiscal rules, then leaving yourself next to no headroom against them leaves you at the mercy of events,” said Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank.

Trump has announced that new reciprocal tariff rates will take effect on 2 April to penalise countries his administration deems to be obstructing US exports.

According to Britain’s Office for Budget Responsibility watchdog, higher US import tariffs would dampen UK economic activity beyond any direct impact on the country’s exports.

The Office for Budget Responsibility stated that US tariffs on its trade partners in general could reduce the size of Britain’s economy, which is highly exposed to fluctuations in international trade, by as much as 1 per cent.

Reeves and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have already been derailed since their election last July, having pledged a period of national renewal.

Rising debt costs and stagnant economic growth have compelled them to make unpalatable cuts, and Reeves has faced significant pressure from businesses after she used her first budget in October to increase taxes on employers.

Nevertheless, she has adhered to her plan, asserting that she needed to rebuild public finances, and reduced payments to the elderly for heating costs before outlining welfare cuts on Wednesday, which are expected to affect 3.2 million families.