₦airaland Forum

Four electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) are to be managed by new boards following their takeover by banks and the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

They are Kano, Benin, Kaduna and Ibadan DisCos.


Fidelity and AFREXIM banks, which collateralized the shares of Kano, Benin and Kaduna DisCos have appointed three-member boards, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) confirmed yesterday.

The Federal Government, which has 40 percent state in the DisCos, is represented in the new boards.

The regulators said AMCON, which has taken over the management of Ibadan DisCo, will be run by a placeholder board.

According to NERC and BPE, Fidelity and Afriexim banks shave notified the affected DisCos of collateralising their shares.

In a statement, NERC Chairman Sanusi Garba and BPE Director-General Alex Okoh, said the banks have commenced action to take over the boards of the energy distributing firms.


The joint statement reads: “Today we were informed by Fidelity Bank that they have activated the call on the collateralised shares of Kano, Benin and Kaduna (Fidelity and Afrexim) DisCos and that they have initiated action to take over the boards of these DisCos and exercise the rights on the shares.”

According to the statement, Fidelity Bank’s action is a contractual and commercial intervention and is between the Core Investors in the DisCos and the lender.

”BPE is involved because of the 40% shareholding of government in the DisCos,” the regulators explained that.”

Fidelity Bank has informed the banks that the new board members of the affected DISCOs will be as follows:

Kano DisCo: Hasan Tukur (Chairman), Nelson Ahaneku (member), Rabiu Suleiman (member)

Benin DisCo: KC Akuma (Chairman), Adeola Ijose (member), Charles Onwera (member)

Kaduna DisCo: Abbas Jega (Chairman), Ameenu Abubakar (member), Marlene Ngoyi (member)


The BPE nominated Bashir Gwandu (Kano), Yomi Adeyemi (Benin) and Umar Abdullahi (Kaduna) as independent directors to represent federal government’s 40 per cent interest in the three DisCos respectively, during this transition.

The statement by NERC and BPE further reads: “We are engaging with the Central Bank of Nigeria (as the banking sector regulator) to ensure an orderly transition and to ensure that Fidelity Bank does not hold the DISCOs’ shares in perpetuity.

“It is envisaged that the majority interest in the entities would be sold to capable private sector investors willing and able to re-capitalize and manage the entities efficiently.

“We have also received assurances that Fidelity Bank will participate fully in all the ongoing market initiatives aimed at improving the sector (e.g. National Mass Metering Programme).

“In the interim, NERC and BPE met on an Emergency Basis and activated the Business Continuity Process and have appointed interim Managing Directors in the affected DISCOs: Kano Disco – Ahmad Dangana; Benin Disco – Henry Ajagbawa and Kaduna Disco– Yusuf Usman Yahaya.”

The statement added that also, with the takeover of Ibadan DisCo by AMCON, the BPE has obtained approval from NERC to appoint Kingsley Achife as the interim Managing Director.

According to the regulators, “in a temporary capacity the leadership of AMCON will be a placeholder Board for the Ibadan franchise (Ahmed Kuru – Chair, Eberechukwu Uneze – Member, Aminu Ismail – Member). Oluwaseyi Akinwale will represent the interest of Government on the Board alongside the DG of BPE.

“Lastly, we are re-structuring the Management and Board of Port Harcourt DisCo to forestall the imminent insolvency of the entity. As a condition for support to the entity to meet its market obligations, Iboroma Akpana will take over as the Chairman of the Board. Emmanuel Okotete, Eyo Ekpo, Ismaila Shuaibu and the DG of BPE will form the interim Board. Mr. Benson Uwheru will take over as the Managing Director of PHEDC as part of the changes. Government will support the activation of Emergency funds through the Nigerian Electricity Market Stabilisation Facility to support the entity while it goes through restructuring and repositioning to serve the citizens of the franchise area better.

“We are working with the Honourable Minister of Power to ensure no service disruptions during these transitions. We remain committed to supporting the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry to serve Nigerians better.”

The Managing Director, Ruzu Herbal products, Dr Robert Onyemaechi Uzu, has lost huge sum of money to the tune of N54m to his company’s lady accountant, Ogochukwu Uzu, in Lagos State for allegedly engaging her in sex romp and she in turn swindled him as compensation over his amorous act.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at the company located at Abdul Rahamonu Street, off Era Junction, Agric, Egan area of Igando, Lagos, where Ogochukwu was employed as accountant managing the company’s finances.


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The CEO, Dr Robert, as popularly known, was said to have told Ogochukwu, who both of them hail from the same village in Ukwuani, Delta State, on condition that he will employ her but while she will be working as the company’s accountant, she will as well satisfy his sexual needs any time he needed it. She was eventually employed and given free hand on the finances of the company.

It was said that while Dr Robert Uzu was getting sex from Ogochukwu, she too was taking his money to the tune of the said amount before their relationship broke down and he then decided to probe the Finance Department headed by Ogochukwu.

Trouble was said to have started after Ogochukwu’s fiance, who had travelled abroad returned and they properly got married in Edo State, which Dr Robert was said to have also attended and contributed money towards the wedding.

However, it was said that when Ogochukwu resumed for work, Robert wanted their sexual relationship to continue despite the fact she was married. Ogochukwu was then said to have refused and got pregnant for her husband, which angered Robert.

He then invited an external auditor to look into the financial records of the company since Ogochukwu started working in the company. The auditor’s report reportedly stated that N150m was missing and she was invited to explain what happened to the money, which she was unable to do.

The matter was reported to the Police at Igando Division. Ogochukwu was then arrested and detained for interrogation over the missing money. The matter was later transferred to the Commissioner of Police Crack Team at the State Command Headquarters.

In the course of investigation, the Police discovered that she had bought two houses in Totowu area of Ogun State, bought a car and house for her boyfriend, built a house in her village in Ukwuani, Delta State and had some cash kept in the bank, which was recovered.

However, when she was unable to refund all the money the company claimed that she siphoned, she was charged before the Ogba Magistrates Court for stealing.

She pleaded not guilty before the Court when she was arraigned.

The prosecutor, Inspector Mathew Ikhaluode, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since she pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that she actually committed the alleged offence
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The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. Folashade Hughes, granted her bail with conditions and ordered her remand in the Correctional Centre pending when she will perfect her bail conditions while the matter was adjourned for mention.

A 46-year old man, Augustine Enyidedeye, received a dirty slap on his face from his angry neighbor’s wife, Mrs. Loveth Ekon, in Lagos State for publicly telling her in the presence of other co-tenants that he was tired of having sex with her.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Tiemo Street, Ile -Epo Alhaji, Idimu area of Lagos, where Mrs. Loveth Ekon, whose husband was said to have travelled abroad, resides with Augustine Enyidedeye.

The alleged assault on Enyidedeye was reported to the Police at Idimu Division and Loveth was arrested.

Having been found culpable, she was subsequently charged before the Court for the alleged offence.

According to Police sources, Mrs. Loveth is married but her husband later travelled abroad for greener pasture leaving her in Lagos.She was said to have had a cordial relationship with Enyidedeye, who claimed that it was an amorous relationship until on 18th June, 2022, when they had a disagreement over LAWMA bills and disposal of refuse with other tenants in the compound.

During the disagreement, Mrs. Loveth was said to have supported other tenants against Enyidedeye, who felt betrayed by Loveth and that led to the break up of their cordial relationship.

It was during one of the constant quarrels between the duo that Enyidedeye said it in public that he had been sleeping with her since her husband travelled and was tired of doing so.

Mrs. Loveth was said to have become angry, held him before she slapped him in the process asking him to bring evidence to show that he had been sleeping with her as he claimed.

The matter was reported to the Police and she was arrested. She was later charged before the Ejigbo Magistrates Court for the alleged offence.

When she was arraigned, she pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Inspector Simeon Njue, asked the Court to give a date for hearing since she pleaded not guilty to enable the Police to prove that she actually committed the alleged offence.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. A.K. Dosumu, granted her bail and she was remanded in custody pending when she will perfect her bail conditions.

The matter was adjourned till 4th August, 2022, for mention.

By Mumini AbdulKareem, Ilorin


A housewife, Delu Ali, has been dragged before an Ilorin magistrates’ court in Kwara State for orchestrating the kidnap of her husband over a disagreement on the sharing of cows between them.

According to the police, the victim, Alhaji Ali Shehu, was kidnapped by Fulani men at Share in Ifelodun LGA.

The prosecutor told the court that, “During investigation, it was revealed that Delu Ali and her elder brother, Sanni, now at large, conspired with bandits to kidnap the victim.

“Delu admitted organising the kidnapping due to a fight between her and her husband over the sharing of cows between them.”

In her ruling, Magistrate Folake Olokoyo ordered that the defendant be remanded in a correctional centre and adjourned to July 12.

A Deputy Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Edike Mboutidem Akpan, is currently enmeshed in alleged N26.7 million fraud scandal.

Akpan, who has already been charged to the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Kwali, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), used a private real estate company, Danemy Nig Ltd, to defraud land subscribers.

In a statement, spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, said the deputy NSCDC commandant was arraigned on a 17-count charge before Justice V. S. Gaba.

Ogugua said the charge sheet revealed that the deputy commandant convinced many subscribers with the claim of being in partnership with NSCDC, to pay various sums of money for plots of land both in Karshi, Nasarawa State and Sabon Lugbe Extension, Airport Road, Abuja, which were never allocated to them.

ICPC told the court that the offence, committed between 2010 and 2015, violated Sections 19 and 26 (1) (c) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and was punishable under Section 19 of the same Act.

The statement read, ”In one of the charges, Mr. Akpan was alleged to have conferred undue advantage on himself when he allegedly received N13,350,000 in 2011 from a subscriber, Mr. Igwe Onus Nwankwo, through his company Danemy Nig Ltd, as payments for 10 plots of land at Airport Road.

”He was at various times alleged to have received N1,305,000 from Doctors Robert Okoro and Akuneme Marcel Ikwuoma, each, for the allocation of plots of land at the Defenders Family Estate Homes Scheme, Airport Road.

”The NSCDC officer was also accused of receiving N2,610,000 from Mrs. Chidinma Obasi for two plots of land and N1,205,000 from Mr. Etuechere Martins, for a plot.”

Ogugua explained that the accused pleaded “Not Guilty” when the charge was read to him as his counsel prayed the court to grant him bail on liberal terms.

Counsel to ICPC, John-Paul Okwor, who did not oppose the bail application, however, prayed the court to admit the accused to bail on reasonable terms that would ensure his attendance in court for trial.

Justice Gaba thereafter admitted him to bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum.

He said one of the sureties must show proof of residing in his or her personal house.

By Khadijat Lawal


Ace Nollywood actress Funke Akindele; and rapper turn filmmaker, Abdulrasheed Bello fondly known as JJC Skillz, walked down the aisle in 2016. The couple welcomed their set of twins in 2018.

However, having spent six years together, JJC Skillz on Thursday revealed via his verified Instagram account that he has been separated from the actress for three months.

While marriage is not a bed of roses as it has its ups and downs, here are some of the rocky moments the couple faced during the six years they spent together.

Child birth controversy/Prophecy

A year after their marriage, founder of Mountain of Blessing and Miracle Church of Christ, Dr. Olagorioye Faleyimu, revealed that Funke won’t have a child before she dies. But with deep prayers, this can be reversed.

“She is destined to be wealthy and famous but not destined to have a child and stable husband until she engages herself in the special prayer.

“Whosoever marries her must have another reason because the issue of not having a child will keep coming up and it will scatter the marriage.

Contrary to the pastor’s revelation, Funke and JJC Skillz welcomed their set of twins in 2018 in the UK.

Surrogacy/child birth saga

Barely two months after the couple’s twins arrived, speculations emerged on how the actress got pregnant and the eventual birth of the twins.

According to the news that made the wards it was reported that Akindele-Bello disclosed that her twins were born through a surrogate. The rumours further stated that Akindele-Bello decided to opt for surrogacy after a few failed attempts at getting pregnant after she allegedly lost a pregnancy with twins in 2017 among other claims of pregnancy and miscarriages.

Breaking COVID-19 protocols

During the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak which ravaged virtually all the sectors of the economy, Funke and JJC Skillz were arraigned before a Lagos court on Monday, April 6, 2020, for defying the orders of the Lagos state government which had banned social gatherings and ordered residents to stay at home.

The party was said to have been in celebration of her husband’s birthday, in which celebrities like Naira Marley among others were present. This was contrary to the social distancing measures which the NCDC advised Nigerians to maintain in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Akindele appeared in a Nigeria Centre for Disease Control video to raise awareness about coronavirus.

She defended Saturday’s party, saying that everyone who attended had been living in her house for several days.

The court later convicted and fined the couple N100,000 each for flaunting the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020.

The magistrate also held that the couple must serve 14-day community service and thereafter observe a period of isolation.

Physical assault to son

JJC Skillz was accused of physically assaulting one of his sons by his ex, Mella in a post via her Instagram handle.

“While you parade yourself on social media pretending with fake piety to be the main character in an aspirational story, the son that you assaulted and inflicted grievous bodily harm upon is still recovering from his physical injuries and mental trauma”

Mella claimed that JJC Skillz inflicted grievous bodily harm on their son. He later released a post where he downplayed the rumours about the crisis in their marriage.

Break up allegations

There have been numerous allegations that the duo have gone their separate ways in the past years. Moreso, the rumours speculated that Funke is not supporting her husband’s new TV project among others and that their marriage has indeed endured tough times.

Leave the house

JJC Skillz revealed that about three months ago, Funke asked her husband to leave her house and he complied. This reason for her action is however not known

Final straw

Amid all of the alleged breakups comes the straw that broke the cames back as JJC Skillz announced that they’ve walked their separate ways.

Bello via his verified Instagram account announced to his friends and fans that he and the multiple award-winning actress has called it quits with their marriage. He, however, locked the comment section of the post.

Revenues accruable to Nigeria from the sale of crude oil crashed by about N500.6bn between January and May this year, findings from various oil and gas, as well as statistical reports have indicated.

It was gathered on Wednesday that the crash in revenue was due to the slump in the country’s oil production, as it tumbled by 11.63 million barrels during the review period.

Data obtained from different reports of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries showed that the country produced 1.399 million barrels of crude oil daily in January, translating to 43.369 million barrels in the entire month.

This, however, nose-dived to 1.024 million barrels per day in May, according to crude oil production figures based on direct communication as contained in OPEC reports, indicating a total production of 31.744 million barrels in May 2022.

The difference between January and May figures implies that Nigeria’s oil production crashed by 11.63 million barrels within the five-month period.

On the monetary value of the lost oil volumes, data from Statistica, a globally renowned statistical firm, showed that Nigeria had been losing billions of naira monthly due to the persistent plunge in its oil production.

Industry figures obtained from Statistica on Wednesday showed that in January, February, March, April and May 2022, the average prices of Brent, the global benchmark for crude, were $86.51/barrel, $97.13/barrel, $117.25/barrel, $104.58/barrel and $113.34/barrel respectively.

This gives an overall average of $103.76/barrel for crude oil during the five-month period.

With an overall average of $103.76/barrel and 11.63 million barrels of crude lost between January and May, it implies that Nigeria’s oil revenue crashed by $1.21bn (N500.6bn at the official exchange rate of N415/$) during the period under review.

Meanwhile, additional findings by our correspondent indicated that the nation’s oil production kept moving southwards since January this year.

Figures from OPEC reports showed that while the country produced 1.399 million barrels per day in January, this crashed to 1.258 million barrels per day in February.

The oil production plunge continued in March, as it dropped 1.238 million barrels per day and further went down to 1.219 million barrels per day in April.

The worst plunge was recorded in May this year, as the country’s oil production slumped to 1.024 million barrels per day, based on crude oil production figures obtained through direct communication by OPEC.

Operators and government officials have repeatedly complained about the crash in Nigeria’s oil production and its impact on the country’s badly hit economy.

Vandalism, oil theft, sabotage, among others, have been thrown up occasionally as the causes of the crash in Nigeria’s crude oil production.

However, efforts are ongoing by the Federal Government to boost oil production in Nigeria, as on Tuesday it awarded Petroleum Prospecting Licenses to more than 150 indigenous companies to explore for crude from 57 marginal fields.

Reacting to the country’s oil production challenges while speaking to marginal field investors in Abuja, the Chief Executive, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, regretted that the rise in oil prices had not reflected in Nigeria.

He said, “It is worthy of note that the average price of crude oil in recent months has been above $100 per barrel. This upward swing in market fundamentals is largely associated with the Russian/Ukraine conflict.

“However, the impact of the upswing in the crude oil price is not reflecting in the nation’s revenue earnings due to disruptions in our national oil production owing to sabotage, theft, and other operational challenges.

“Therefore, potential licensees are urged to take advantage of the current market realities and quickly bring their fields to production.”

Also, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, urged investors to support the government in boosting the country’s crude oil production so that Nigeria would gain from the current price rise.

He said, “It is my strong belief that the awardees would take advantage of the current attractive oil prices to bring these fields into full production within a short period in line with Mr. President’s aspiration to increase production, grow reserves and reduce the cost of production.

“The onboarding of new oil and gas players in the petroleum sector is part of this government’s policy to encourage more indigenous participation in our petroleum operations.

“Indeed, this will boost activities in the oil and gas sector, add to our production output, and create additional employment opportunities for Nigerians.”

The Managing Director, Matrix Energy Group, Adisa Aliu, also called on operators in Nigeria’s upstream oil sector to take advantage of the continued upswing in global crude oil prices in the past few months.

He said this would help shore-up Nigeria’s crude oil production, increase its foreign exchange earnings and boost the country’s overall economy.

He said, “We are aware that the upstream industry is more challenging. But we are also aware that there are a lot of opportunities to contribute to the growth and development of the industry, in particular, and the country in general.

“As an oil-producing country, it is best for the operators to ensure they take advantage of the current rising price of crude oil at the International market by ensuring the country meets its production quota at all times.”

By Dayo Johnson

Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, yesterday, explained why it is keeping detailed information on the suspects arrested over the terrorists’ attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, in Owo.

No fewer than 50 worshippers were gruesomely murdered, while over 100 were seriously injured during the attack.

A reliable source told Vanguard, in Akure, that the security outfit was still profiling the arrested suspects.

A source, who spoke in confidence, noted that details on the arrests were kept top secret, following instructions from the government, and in order not to jeopardise investigation.

He, however, declined to be dragged into argument as regards the denial of any arrest by the police.

The source also declined to give the number of those arrested by the state Amotekun.

It will be recalled that the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, had debunked the news of the arrest of the attackers.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, while giving update on the arrest of the gunmen, said none of the perpetrators of the Owo massacre has been arrested.

But, a source in Amotekun said that the profiling of those arrested would soon be completed.

The source said: “I want to assure you that those arrested by the security outfit would be paraded after a thorough profiling by the leadership of the security outfit and our detectives.

“All the noise that nobody has been arrested is just funny. When we’re done with our investigation, we will make it public.

“The suspects can’t be paraded now when we are determined to get their sponsors and expose them to the world.”

The state commander of Amotekun,Chef Adeleye was still in a meeting as at the time of filling in this report.


We’re still in shock over attack —Police

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force, yesterday, said that it was still in shock over the terror attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, in Owo area, Ondo State.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone 17, comprising Ondo and Ekiti Commands, Yunus Akeera said this when he visited the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunye.

Speaking on the attack, Akeera declared that the killers of worshippers have no value for human lives.

While apologising to the people of the town over the June 5 terror attack, he said the police will engage the community to prevent a reoccurrence.

He said: “We are wondering what would have led these evil people to perpetrate this kind of thing to disturb Owo kingdom.

“Up till now, we are yet to get out of the shock because what is pondering in my mind and my heart is that what must have pushed these people to come this far because Owo, as a kingdom, is noted for its education and peaceful coexistence.

“The Inspector-General of Police and his team are not happy about it.

“I’m reassuring you that as police officers, we will work ourselves tirelessly to ensure that we get to the bottom of this issue. We will be very proactive and pragmatic about it so that this thing will not happen again.”

In his response, Oba Ogunoye lamented that police in Owo lacked operational vehicles as well as adequate personnel.

The monarch said: “One could not fathom the reason those people could go to that extent. They are not Muslims and they are not Christians. As I often say, they are not human beings and they are not worth human existence.

“I know that very soon the full wrath of the law will catch up with them. I know that Nigeria Police is very professional and when they set out to do an assignment, the results will be so certain.

“The major challenges facing police operations in Owo are lack of vehicles and personnel.

“They don’t have vehicles to mobilise to the crime scene and for quick movement. Also, the number of personnel here is inadequate because Owo is a big city.”

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday waded into the All Progressives Congress (APC) post-primary crisis to avert further defections by its aggrieved senators.

The President met with 15 of 22 aggrieved senators protesting their loss of party tickets at the shadow polls, urging them to pull the brake on their defection plans.

No fewer than seven senators, including two top party leaders, Senate Majority Leader Yahaya Abdullahi and Senator Adamu Aliero, former governor of Kebbi State, have defected from the ruling party after losing re-election tickets.

The senators defected to the Peoples Democratic Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

They attributed their loss of tickets to the overbearing attitude of some governors.

Fears are rife that APC may lose its majority status in the Senate and House of Representatives if the aggrieved legislators are not pacified by the party leadership.

Although President Buhari promised to look into the grievances of the affected senators, they told reporters after the meeting that they can still jump ship, if the promises are not kept.

Senator Adamu Bulkachua, from Bauchi State, who attended the meeting, shed light on the president’s promises.

He said the President promised that where possible, the injustices could be redressed while those who may fail to recontest will be compensated.

Bulkachua said the President was, however, silent on the kind of compensation.

Before yesterday’s meeting, there were speculations that 18 more senators may dump the ruling party.

To avert the loss of control of the National Assembly, APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu last week rallied other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), including National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, to a meeting with the APC Senate Caucus.

However, at yesterday’s meeting with the senators, facilitated by Senate Chief Whip Orji Kalu, President Buhari said the party leadership would sustain the hearing and healing process to ensure fairness, justice and oneness before the 2023 general election.

A source said the senators opened up to President Buhari on how governors hijacked the primaries to deny them return tickets.

They demanded justice before the 2023 poll to avoid an electoral disaster for the party.

Buhari, who claimed that he was aware of the tension associated with the primaries, said some errors will be corrected by the party.

The source said: “The President was painstaking in listening to our grievances and we were surprised he took meticulous note of all what transpired at the meeting in the Presidential Villa.”

Senators who took turns to bare their minds included Yusuf Yusuf, Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, Smart Adeyemi, Tolu Odebiyi, Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Yakubu Oseni, Danladi Sankara and Sen Sabo Nakudu.

Also at the meeting were Senators Ibrahim Yahaya and Frank Ibezim.

The allegations raised by the senators were:

° Doctoring of party registers.
Manipulation of the list of delegates.
Use of political appointees to conduct primaries.

° Intimidation of APC members.
Monetisation of the primaries.
Announcement of results of primaries before voting, and

° Declaration of results without primaries.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President noted the complaints by the senators, adding that machinery had been put in place by the NWC to address the grievances.

He said: “In keeping with our ethos, therefore, I shall continue to address the ensuing challenges and grievances through the party machinery while paying keen attention to the outcomes.

“I must also remind you of the primacy of justice in all our actions. If justice is denied, the outcome is usually unpleasant.

“This is because you are the members who keep the party running. I should add that as part of the policy of using the party machinery for effective resolution of conflict, the Chairman and some members of the National Working Committee visited the National Assembly recently to dialogue with our legislators.

“The leadership of the party is currently addressing the outcomes as part of the way forward. I am encouraging all the party functionaries to adhere to the truth and to be fair to all parties in any dispute.”

President Buhari told the APC senators that the strength and victory of the party in the election will depend on unity, and the ability to prevent injustices and heal wounds.

He said: “As the leader of the party, one of my primary roles is to ensure that our culture of internal democracy and dispute resolution is strengthened by creating the opportunity for members to ventilate their opinions, views and grievances at different levels.”

The President urged party members to exercise restraint and continue to demonstrate commitment to party ideals.

He said: “I have noted your grievances particularly as it concerns the just concluded processes, the cost to the nation, the threat to the majority position held by our party in the legislative chambers and likely consequent cost to the electoral fortunes of our party as we approach the general elections. We must not allow these dire threats to come to pass.

“I must acknowledge that in every contest, there must be a level playing ground just as there would be grievances at the end.

“That is the test of our democratic credentials, systems and practices. I have since the conclusion of the processes been inundated with various reports and complaints,” he added.

The President assured that “justice shall prevail, aggrieved members shall be assuaged and the interest of the party and the nation shall be protected.’’

President Buhari thanked the senators for suggesting a meeting on the future of the party and solutions to the challenges triggered by the primaries.

Senator Kalu said at least 22 senators were unhappy with the outcome of the primaries in their states, noting that they felt disenfranchised by the process.

He said the legislators had made sacrifices for the growth of the party and democracy in the country, urging the President to intervene in this crisis.

“Mr President, in the Senate we have worked hard and consistently sold your programmes beyond party lines. Be assured always of our support,” he added.

One of the senators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the lawmakers have agreed to give the President the benefit of the doubt.

He said they would wait for the President to fulfil his promise before the September window announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the substitution of candidates.

He said the senators will carry out their threat of defection if the President fails to keep his promise to redress the alleged injustice by governors.

The senator said: “Our colleagues told the President about how delegates’ lists were changed overnight by the governors in connivance with the APC committees that handled the primaries.

“The National Chairman of the party was not at the meeting, but the Chief of Staff and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation were present.

“The President frowned at the complaints of my colleagues and expressed his sympathy about the situation.

“He then promised that he would hold a meeting with the leadership of the party to address our grievances.

“Specifically, the President assured us that he would ensure that we get justice before the INEC September deadline for the submission of candidates.

“We have respected the promise of the President and we believe in his ability to do the right thing.”

A Senator, who spoke in confidence, said: “We told the President that governors chose to install their stooges as Senators. They made us realise that hard work does not pay at all.

“The way they manipulated the primaries indicated that we are not in a democracy.

“But we are determined to prove a point that the governors cannot have their cake and eat it.”

Another Senator said: “We made the President realise that the brazen action of the governors will lead to the loss of experienced hands in the Senate.

“We said some of us decided to leave APC for parties that are ready to accommodate us.

“We warned the President of the possibility of APC losing the 2023 poll.”

The President said he was aware of some anomalies associated with the conduct of the primaries.

He said: “We will correct the injustice before the election. But make sure APC wins the poll.”

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who spoke on the senators’ defection plan, said there was no cause for alarm.

He said: “Did someone leave the party or is leaving the party? Until they leave…but for those few who left, of course, some others left other parties and joined the APC. So one cancels the other.”

The house of representatives has resolved to take measures to enable Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatrice, to get justice in the UK.

At Tuesday’s plenary session, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house, said he will “try” to meet his UK counterpart to ensure the Ekweremadus are given fair treatment.

Gbajabiamila made the remarks following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Abdullahi Abdulkadir, a legislator from Bauchi state.

The former deputy senate president and his wife were recently arrested for allegedly taking an individual to the UK for organ harvesting.

They were subsequently remanded in custody till July 7.

Gbajabiamila said the lower legislative chamber will use “diplomatic pressure” to ensure that “due process” is followed in the issue.

“I have spoken with the Nigerian high commissioner (to the UK, Sharafa Ishola) who has been extremely proactive in this matter and I expressed the need for him to continue to avail Senator Ekweremadu with all the necessary assistance that he will need to prove his case. I think this should be heightened as well to the UK parliament,” Gbajabiamila said.

“I would try and get in touch with the speaker of the parliament (UK) whom I was opportune to meet with and had fruitful discussions with just a couple of months ago. I believe honourable Buba Yusuf (chairman of the house committee on foreign affairs) should also get in touch with his foreign affairs counterpart in the UK parliament.

“We are not talking about anything but for the parliament in the UK to make sure that Senator Ekweremadu gets the proper due process, that the rule of law is applied and that he is treated fairly on this matter. I believe the UK parliament or the congress of the United States, if their own was involved or if they have one of theirs, even a citizen, in this country that was going through the same travails, I believe that those parliaments would responsibly get involved as well. So, we must apply diplomatic pressure.”

The speaker said Nigeria and the UK have “strong diplomatic ties”, adding that “we have to wait to gather all the facts” on the matter.


THE MOTION

While moving his motion, Abdulkadir said fresh information suggests a different narrative which might not be available to the UK police at the time of the arrest of Ekweremadu and his wife.

He said the UK should work with Nigeria to “conduct a holistic and thorough investigation to ascertain all the facts relating to the allegation in order to make a fair determination on the issues in the best interest of equity and justice for all concerned”.

Contribution to the motion, Toby Okechukwu, deputy minority leader, said the UK may have acted on inaccurate information.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to a voice vote by Gbajabiamila.

The house subsequently mandated the ministry of foreign affairs and the high commission of Nigeria to the UK to wade into the matter.

The lower chamber asked the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and banks to “swiftly respond to legitimate requests for information to facilitate the prompt resolution of the charges”.

The minister of foreign affairs, acting comptroller of the NIS, director-general and chief executive officer of NIMC were also invited to “brief the house of representatives through the relevant committees on all necessary actions taken regarding this matter”.

By Terkula Igidi And Haruna Ibrahim


Ahead of the 2023 general elections, several former military officers have won nominations of their parties to contest elections. Daily Trust takes a look at some contesting for the governorship and Senate seats.

Nigeria has had a checkered history of military rule from the first military coup in 1966 – which precipitated the bloody Civil War of 1967-70 – and culminating in the return to democracy in 1999. Despite the country wriggling itself out of the firm grip of military despotism, there has been conspicuously substantial presence of ex-military men on the political stage, directing and conducting affairs at the helms, starting from the presidency down to governorship.

At the dawn of the current, uninterrupted political dispensation from 1999, a former military head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo, was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to lead the country. Since then, the military top brass have stayed close to the corridors of power with the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari being the second ex-military general to pilot the affairs of the country out of the four from 1999 to date. Cumulatively, Obasanjo and Buhari would have ruled Nigeria for 16 years out of the 23 since democracy returned in 1999.

Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd), Bauchi

A former Chief of Air Staff, Saddique Abubakar, has won the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State.

Abubakar served as Chief of Air Staff from 2015 to January 2021 when President Muhammadu Buhari relieved him of the position as well as other Service Chiefs.

The president later appointed him as Nigeria’s ambassador to Chad but he resigned from that appointment before contesting the primary in which he emerged victorious.

He polled 370 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Senator Haliru Jika, who scored 278 votes.

Abubakar will come up against the incumbent governor, Bala Mohammed of the PDP, who having lost his presidential bid, went and picked the governorship ticket.

The military top brass got married to the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, in 2020.

The couple had their wedding Fatiha on Friday, September 18, 2020, at the Maitama Juma’a Mosque in Abuja.

Retired Maj. Gen. Aminu Bande, Kebbi

Retired Maj. Gen. Aminu Bande has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Kebbi State in the 2023 general elections.

Bande, who retired as the General Officer Commanding 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, defeated a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Buhari Bala, with 471 votes while Bala polled 126 votes.

The retired general will slug it out with Dr. Nasir Idris of the APC in the 2023 governorship election.

Lt. Col. Kefas Agbu, Taraba

Lieutenant Colonel Kefas Agbu (rtd) clinched the governorship ticket of Taraba State for the 2023 general elections.

Agbu, who recently resigned as Taraba State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, pulled the surprise having repeatedly denied he was in the race for the ticket.

Col. Agbu won the primary after defeating three other contestants with 443 votes.

Hon. Joseph Albasu Kunini, the Speaker of the state House of Assembly got 31 votes, Prof. Jerome Nyame got 24 votes, Hon. Joel Ikenya got 11 votes while Buba Mafindi got 6 votes.

Hon. Victor Bala Kona, a former PDP chairman, had earlier in the day pulled out of the contest.

Agbu, also a former chairman of NIMASA, will slug it out with Senator Emmanuel Bwacha of the APC.

Major Samuel Abashe, Plateau

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Plateau State has adopted a retired military officer, Major Samuel Abashe, as its governorship candidate in the state.

Abashe, who is also a retired staff of the United Nations, was adopted by delegates from the 17 local government areas of the state.

The APGA Chairman in the state, Mr. Ibrahim Danjuma, who addressed journalists at a forum in Jos, said the adoption of Abashe was in line with the electoral guidelines provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But Abashe will be an underdog in the governorship contest involving APC’s Nentanwe Yilwatda and PDP’s Caleb Muftwang because of his party platform.

Brig. Gen. Austin Egwuagu (rtd), Imo

Brig. Gen. Austin Egwuagu has emerged the flag bearer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for Imo West senatorial district after the party’s primary election.

Egwuagu picked the senatorial ticket after defeating other contestants at the election held at the party office in Owerri.

The retired military officer was the Board Chairman of Adapalm Nigeria LTD,

https://leadership.ng/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IMG-20220624-WA0024.jpg

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, on Friday, received in audience the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, at his private residence in Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike was clad in white attire with a red cap to match, which is the symbolic colour of the Kwankwasiya Movement led by his guest, Kwankwaso.

LEADERSHIP gathered that Kwankwaso, who arrived the Port Harcourt International Airport on Friday evening, was received by the NNPP leadership in the state.

He met Wike in company of former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, and a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke.

Others were PDP leaders in the state, Chief Ferdinard Alabraba and Senator Olaka Worgu, among others.

However, both men did not speak to journalists at the end of their meeting, which came to a close at about 8:40pm.

No records of Lawan's participation in the APC senatorial primaries were made public by the APC.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed Bashir Sheriff Machina as the real candidate of Yobe Zone C Senatorial District for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to reports, INEC has disassociated itself from the emergence of Senate President, Ahmed Lawan.

Releasing a statement yesterday, INEC said, “The position of the Electoral Umpire was contained in a legally admissible Certified True Copy (CTC) of INEC report for the primary election dated yesterday,23rd June 2022.”


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INEC confirms Bashir Sheriff Machina

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INEC confirms Bashir Sheriff Machina


The Yobe North senatorial ticket sparked controversy after Machina, who won the primary, made it clear he would not step down for Senate President.

Lawan had contested for the APC presidential ticket in May, but lost to Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Also, no records of Lawan's participation in the APC senatorial primaries were presented by the APC, although the APC chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed that the aspirant took part in the elections.

However, Lawan, who currently represents Yobe north district, was eventually listed as the APC senatorial candidate for the 2023 general election, leaving Machina who actually won the elections out of the picture.

The APC chairman had urged Machina to step down for Lawan, but he refused.

With INEC now recognising Machina as the candidate, we await the APC's response to the situation.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recovered N170 million cash, $220,965, G-Wagon and other items from a military contractor in Abuja.

Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the commission, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Ogugua said acting on intelligence, the commission raided a residence in Wuse 2, Abuja, where the expensive items were found.

“The attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has been drawn to some inaccurate and concocted reports in the media about the seizure of multibillion-naira cash, dollars, Rolex watches stockpiled in an Abuja property.”

“The Commission wishes to state that ICPC operatives raided a property in Wuse 2 of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Thursday, 16th June, 2022 between 5:00pm and 12:00am in suspicion of money laundering . Facts available for the time being indicates that the property is owned by owner of K Salam Construction Company, a military contractor.

“The Commission recovered money and other items from the property viz. N175,706,500; $220,965; G-Wagon; 2022 editions of BMW and Mercedes Benz cars; customized mobile phones; several designer wrist watches, including three Rolexes, and some property documents.”

The Commission said it arrested the Managing Director of K Salam Construction Company Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kabiru Sallau, adding that investigation is ongoing.

The federal government says the present administration is working towards possible salary increase for civil servants.

President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Mohammed Bello, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), said this on Thursday at the inauguration of the cultural change video and federal civil service strategy and implementation plan (FCSSIP) in Abuja.

Buhari said a committee has been set up to harmonise salaries as part of measures at improving “the value proposition of the civil service”.

“In spite of the difficult economic situation the country is passing through at the moment, you have continued to support the government in our efforts to bring dividends of democracy to the populace,” he said.

“Accordingly, it is my hope that the outcome of the committee’s work will provide the impetus for an upward review of the salaries of deserving civil servants, having recently increased the duty tour allowance (DTA) of all civil servants as a starting point.

“As this process is still going on, I want to encourage you to be patient with us as you continue to give your best services to enable us to sustain the good working relationship between the political office holders and the civil servants.

“With sustained understanding and cooperation, we will together contribute our quota to the development of our country, and our efforts will not be in vain.”

Meanwhile, Folasade Yemi-Esan, head of the civil service, says 5,000 ghost workers have been uncovered in the ministry of information.

She added that the director of human resources at the ministry of labour has been handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) after “1,000 fake workers” were discovered at the ministry.

According to her, the exercise has brought down the payroll to 74,000 workers from over 100,000 workers that were earning salaries illegally.

Yemi-Esan also said many of the “fake workers” were detected through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform.

“You will be surprised at the number that did not have certificates and have been earning salaries for 10 to 20 years,” she said at a meeting with journalists.

By Muideen Olaniyi


President Muhammadu Buhari has defended his decision not to heed the calls by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and other leading economists to remove the fuel subsidy.

The President spoke on the matter in an interview he granted Bloomberg.

He said the western allies were now learning the hard way what looked good on paper but with human consequences if implemented.

When asked to explain the reasons for not heeding the advice to remove the fuel subsidy and unify the exchange rate after many years, Buhari said: “Most western countries are today implementing fuel subsidies. Why would we remove ours now? What is good for the goose is good for the gander!

“What our western allies are learning the hard way is what looks good on paper and the human consequences are two different things. My government set in motion plans to remove the subsidy late last year. After further consultation with stakeholders, and as events unfolded this year, such a move became increasingly untenable. Boosting internal production for refined products shall also help. Capacity is due to step up markedly later this year and next, as private players and modular refineries (Dangote Refinery, BUA Group Refinery, Waltersmith Refinery) come on board.

“The exchange rate is still susceptible to external shocks that can suddenly and severely affect Nigerian citizens. As we step up domestic production – both in fuel (enabled by PIA) and food (agricultural policies) – the inflationary threat shall diminish, and we can move toward unification.”

President Muhammadu Buhari says the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will determine Godwin Emefiele’s fate.

He stated this while responding to questions posed by Bloomberg regarding central bank’s independence.

Emefiele, the CBN governor sought to be the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and drew widespread criticisms on issues bordering around partisanship.

His actions were met with immediate backlash from activists, politicians and civil society groups, who questioned the Central Bank’s independence in light of his ambition.

In the Bloomberg interview, a question was asked on this issue, but Buhari said such decisions do not rest solely on him.

“The CBN governor is appointed by the President. But this appointment is subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. Ultimately, it will be for the CBN’s board of directors to determine whether a CBN governor’s actions have fallen foul of the laws in place to ensure he can most effectively carry out his duties,” Buhari said.

“But there is a subtext to the accusations. Because the governor follows a model outside of the economic orthodoxy, he is labelled political. But the orthodoxy has proved wrong time and again.

“Instead, the governor is following an alternative economic model that puts people at the heart of policy. Nigeria should be free to choose its development model and how to construct our economy, so it functions for Nigerians.”

Buhari, who was asked about what his government was doing to ensure food security at the face of spiralling inflation, accused the European Union (EU) of encouraging the export of their subsidized food into Africa and therefore undermining the continent’s food sustainability efforts.

He said: “The EU’s policies in particular are all rhetoric of open trade – yet their Common Agricultural Policy subsidy programmes and export of those subsidised goods create dependence, undermine Africa’s self-sufficiency, and cause food poverty and starvation.”

The President, while rating his performance in the last seven years on the fight against corruption, said he had been able to secure the repatriation of looted funds because the nation’s international partners could trust his leadership.

He said: “Working with our international partners, hundreds of millions of various currencies have been returned from abroad – primarily from the UK, US, and Switzerland – and used as social and welfare funds distributed directly to the poorest during the Covid pandemic and the provision of long-delayed infrastructure-roads, bridges, rail, and power.

“As an illustration, Monetary recoveries (January-December) 2021 show that more N152 billion has been recovered. Dollar recoveries for the year amount to over USD 386 million; GBP, more than 1.1 million; Euro, about 157,000; Saudi Riyals about 1.7 million some more in Digital and other currencies.

“Those partners refused to return these monies held for decades to previous Nigerian administrations in the certainty they would simply be re-stolen. They changed their approach with us because they knew my administration could be trusted.”

On his performance of the fight against insecurity, Buhari said he had been able to recover territories hitherto held by the Boko Haram insurgents and depleted their ranks, stating that “Today they are close to extinct as a military force.”

Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Abiodun Oyebanji, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the Ekiti governorship election held on Saturday, the contest has also thrown up a number of winners besides the governor-elect, as well as a number of losers.

According to INEC’s Chief Returning Officer in the election, Kayode Adebowale, Mr Oyebanji polled the highest valid votes cast – 187,057 – in the election to defeat his closest rival, Segun Oni, of the Social Democratic Party, who bagged 82, 211 votes.

Bisi Kolawole, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, came third, though he won in Efon Alaaye LGA, while Mr Oyebanji won in the rest of the 15 local government areas of the state.

With his election, Mr Oyebanji, the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, is the fifth democratically elected governor of the state. Ekiti State was created in 1996 by the military administration of the late head of state, Sani Abacha, an army general.


The winners

Niyi Adebayo: He is considered a major winner in the election because he is the first political godfather to the governor-elect, Mr Oyebanji.

Mr Adebayo, governor of Ekiti State between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the defunct AD, was the first person to appoint Mr Oyebanji into a political position.

He appointed Mr Oyebanji first as his Special Assistant on Parliamentary Affairs before elevating his status to that of a Special Adviser. Mr Oyebanji later served out the administration as the Chief of Staff to Mr Adebayo who failed to win his reelection in 2003.

Mr Adebayo is believed to have recommended Mr Oyebanji to Kayode Fayemi when the latter retrieved his mandate as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State in 2010 on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Now that his political godson is the governor-elect of the state, Mr Adebayo, the current minister of trade and investment, could be said to be back in power.


APC

The APC, the ruling party in Ekiti State, has, by the new victory, extended its tenancy in the Ekiti State Government House, Oke Ayoba, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, beyond 2022.

Despite the schisms in the party as a result of the primaries that produced Mr Oyebanji as the party’s gubernatorial candidate and the fallout of the recent primaries held for various elective seats, the party still went to the poll as a formidable unit.

The visit of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the party, to the state to canvass support for the party’s candidate, according to local observers, also boosted the chances of the party in the election.

According to INEC, the APC won in 15 of the 16 local government areas in the state thereby making the victory a massive one.

The party had also become the first political party to win back-to-back gubernatorial elections in the state in – 2018 and now 2022.


Kayode Fayemi

The outgoing governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi, would have received the biggest blame had the APC lost the 2022 gubernatorial election.

The governor-elect, Mr Oyebanji, is believed to have been unilaterally imposed on the party as its gubernatorial candidate to the chagrin of some stakeholders who felt the governor as the leader of the party should have provided a level-playing field for all the aspirants.

Mr Oyebanji has been with Mr Fayemi since 2010 serving as a commissioner in some ministries before being appointed as SSG in 2018, a position he held until December 2021 when he resigned to vie for the governorship ticket of the APC.

By the latest development, Mr Fayemi, whose tenure is about to end, is the first governor to have successfully installed a successor in the history of the state.

Although he might have stepped down for Mr Tinubu in the APC’s presidential primary election, the latest victory of the APC is an indication that Mr Fayemi remains firmly rooted in the politics of the state.


Bisi Fayemi

The First Lady of the state, Bisi Fayemi, is also a major winner of the election as the governor-elect is believed to be very close to her.

She canvassed support for the election of Mr Oyebanji, rallying the women folk in the state and the elderly to see the election of the APC candidate as her own personal project.

Some political analysts in the state say Mrs Fayemi prevailed on her husband to make Mr Oyebanji the governorship candidate of the APC.


Abiodun Oyebanji

The governor-elect is described as a proper ‘home boy’ having lived virtually all his life in the state as a lecturer, banker, farmer and politician serving in various ministries up till when he was appointed the SSG in 2018.

He is believed to have a grounded understanding of the issues and challenges of governance and government in the state.

It is, however, too early in the day to predict how his administration will pan out eventually.

The losers

Ayo Fayose

A two-term governor of the state, Ayo Fayose is believed in some quarters to be the biggest loser of the Ekiti governorship election.

He failed to install a successor in 2018 at the conclusion of his own second term tenure in office even as an incumbent governor and has also failed to make Bisi Kolawole governor, the man he single-handedly imposed as the governorship candidate of the PDP, despite protests within the party in the 2022 elections.

Although Mr Fayose still retains his firm grip on the leadership of the party in the state, with the fallout of the just-concluded election and the way the recent primaries of the party were conducted, there may be a serious challenge to his leadership from within and without.

Already, the senator representing Ekiti South, Biodun Olujimi, is squaring up to Mr Fayose by leading a faction of the party in the state.

Also, a former deputy governor of the state, Kolapo Eleka, whom Mr Fayose tried to make his successor in 2018, has begun to challenge Mr Fayose’s leadership of the party in the state.


The PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has now lost back-to-back governorship election in the state; thus leaving the party in the lurch gasping for breath.

Since the winner of the election was declared in the early hours of Sunday by the electoral umpire, many supporters of the party have continued to bemoan their fate and the fate of the party in the state.

A handful of the supporters on their social media handles, especially Facebook, have blamed Mr Fayose as the cause of the party’s heavy loss, saying he should not have imposed Mr Kolawole on the party as its governorship candidate.

It is yet to be seen how the party will recover from its recent loss and brace ahead for the 2023 general elections.

A former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Bisi Kolawole.


Bisi Kolawole

Mr Kolawole, the candidate of the PDP in the just-concluded election, came third in the election.

He is believed to have been imposed on the party by Mr Fayose who preferred him to other aspirants who vied for the governorship ticket of the party.

Mr Kolawole, a former state chairman of the party and strong supporter of Mr Fayose, is perceived to be an unpopular candidate, which observers believe contributed significantly to the relatively poor performance of the party in the elections.

He has reacted to his loss by thanking his supporters and essentially accepting defeat.


Segun Oni

A veteran gubernatorial candidate, Mr Oni may have had his last attempt at being the governor of the state having been judicially removed from power in 2010.

Mr Oni, in the events leading to the 2022 governorship election, left the PDP for the SDP where he emerged as the governorship candidate of the party which made the election a three-horse race.

Before his second missionary journey to the PDP, he had pitched his tent with the APC in 2014 and even served as the party’s chairman for the south before he dumped the party in 2018 to rejoin the PDP. He claimed he and his supporters were maltreated by the party hence his reason for dumping the party.

While he has a lot of local supporters, some also blame him for moving from one political party to the other once he fails to secure the governorship ticket of the party.

Of the three dominant contestants in the just concluded election, Mr Oni was the oldest at 67. He will be 68 by September. It is unclear at the moment whether he will vie for the governorship seat in 2026.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has published a pdf data summary of the number of foreign mercenaries fighting on behalf of Ukraine, Friday.

According to the data 85 Nigerians arrived after heeding the call from Kiev to join a “foreign legion” to defeat Russia. 38 have been killed fighting, while 35 returned to Nigeria with 12 still fighting.

“Against the backdrop of the Kiev regime’s mounting military failures and massive daily losses in manpower and equipment, the flow of foreign mercenaries to Ukraine has not only decreased, but is actually turning in the opposite direction,” the RuMOD statement read noting the increase of foreign mercenaries operating in Ukraine.

Despite increased payments to fight for Kiev, more foreign mercenaries were returning home.

“Despite the Kiev regime’s efforts and increased payments, the process of mercenaries leaving to the ‘other world’ or back to their countries of residence has not been stopped by the Kiev leadership,” the statement added.

The statement said that the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) were monitoring and recording the presence in Ukraine of every representative of this international gathering of “headless horsemen”. The GRU was also monitoring the trainers coming to train, prepare and repair western supplied weapons.

From the breakdown of the figures it shows that there were mercenaries from every continent.

“Among European countries, Poland is the undisputed leader in terms of the number of mercenaries both arriving and dying. Since the beginning of the special military operation, 1,831 people have arrived in Ukraine, of whom 378 have already been killed and 272 mercenaries have departed for their homeland.

It is followed by Romania with 504 arrivals, 102 deaths and 98 departures. The UK is in third place: 422 arrivals, 101 deaths, 95 departures. Among the Americas, Canada leads the way: 601 arrivals, 162 deaths, 169 departures.

The USA comes second: 530 arrivals, 214 deaths, 227 departures. From the Middle East, Transcaucasus and Asia the largest number, 355 mercenaries, came from Georgia, of whom 120 died and 90 left Ukraine.

Then there are 200 terrorist fighters redeployed from the US-controlled areas of Jazira region in Syria. To date, 80 have been eliminated and 66 have left Ukraine,” Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov the RuMOD spokesman stated.

The Russian general then added that as at June 17, 1, 956 foreign fighters have been eliminated from the battlefield while 1,779 returned to their countries.

“3,321 mercenaries are alive, not yet captured, or have not yet escaped to the Ukrainian border,” he explained.

Politicians are trying to outspend one another in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti as voters and security operatives are being induced.

Our observers have witnessed different instances of vote buying and inducement of security operatives and some INEC officials across the state.

The election started on a peaceful note across many polling units and voters trooped out en masse.

However, no sooner than accreditation commence did politicians start reaching out to voters through party agents.

At Polling Unit 002, St Mary Catholic Nur/Pry School, Oye Local Government Area, people commented openly on how political parties were doling out cash to voters.

The three leading parties in the election are said to be involved in the act.

While one is said to be giving out N10,000 to a voter, the remaining two are allegedly bribing voters with N5,000 each.

Some security operatives were caught on camera running after a politician who gave them money that they shared outside the polling units they were deployed to.

In one of the polling units at Ward 10 Afao/Kajola, Ikere LGA, security personnel, and INEC ad hoc staff threatened to stop work, claiming that the money given to them was small compared to what they got from other parties.

At Polling Unit 003, Ward 1, Asin in Ikole LGA, voters marched to a spot behind a GSM mast where money was shared by an agent of one of the three leading parties.

The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), on Friday, ordered a total closure of all fuel stations across Oyo state until further notice over alleged harassment and intimidation by officers of the IGP Monitoring Squad.

Speaking with journalists at the IPMAN Headquarters in Ibadan the Oyo state capital, the chairman of the association, Alhaji Bukola Mutiu, linked the ongoing fuel scarcity across the state to the high cost of diesel as well as the inability of Oyo State-based petroleum marketers to load fuel directly from Ibadan depot.

Mutiu noted that the leadership of the association has been managing the crisis for a very long time before the matter goes beyond control due to an increment in the price of the diesel, as well as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.

He said: “It is so unfortunate that all the depots in South West are not working. We can’t load from Ibadan depot here. We need to travel to Lagos or far East to buy from some local marketers that bought the fuel from NNPC.

“Sometimes we buy at the rate of N158-N159 per litre and lately it has increased.  By the time we add transport cost which is N18 per litre then you will see that there is no how we will sell at the government pump price of N165 and that is the reason why you see some of us selling at N180 per litre. Government should find a way to deregulate the oil sector.

“Government should give us a level play ground. We have ordered for a total shut down of all filling stations across the state because some officers that claimed to be IGP monitoring squad have been intimidating and harassing our members for non-compliance with government regulation pump price. As I’m talking to you now, five of our filling stations have been sealed, while some of our members have been arrested.

“We are calling on government to clear the air on who has the  mandate is to seal the filling station over any suspected irregularities. We are only aware of the Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) which has the mandate to seal any filling station that violates government regulations. But nowadays we have no fewer than six uniform agencies under Nigeria Police Force coming to claim the mandate of DPR which is now known as Nigeria Mainstream and Downstream Authority.

“Two of our fuel stations have been shut in Iseyin, while three were shut in Akinyele local government area of Ibadan metropolis, and some of our members were molested, harassed and arrested.

“When has it become the mandate of the IGP Squad to be enforcing the law at filling stations. We believe they were carved out to monitor the activities of illegal bunkering and the likes. So we are calling on the government to come to our rescue by telling the masses who has the mandate to zeal the fuel stations.

“They are all aware of the situation we are passing through, how can we been using huge sum of money for transportation of fuel commodity from Lagos to our various destinations and still expect us to sell at normal price, they need to show us an alternative way of getting the fuel without paying for transportation.

“Only NNPC is importing fuel into this country, and they are the ones selling to those local marketers that we buy from. Those people sell at an increasing price on a daily basis. It is time for government to intervene. They should allow the NNPC to sell directly to us via our various depots in the Southwest. If we can load fuel from Ibadan depot here, the transportation burden will no longer be there again.

“I’m the Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Oyo State, Osun and some parts of Kwara and Ondo, so if this situation is not addressed, then it is likely that we will extend the shut down to those states.”

As of the time of filing this report, most of the filling stations visited were under lock and keys, while motorists were sighted waiting with their vehicles on queue with the hope of getting petrol.

By Abbas Dalibi

The recent terrorists attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, in which many lives were lost, left horror and anguish in its wake. In this interview, Alhaji Nuruddeen Abubakar, the Sarkin Hausawa of Owo, the traditional ruler of the Arewa Community in the town, tells Daily Trust Saturday disturbing tales of the community’s share of the catastrophe.

Who is Alhaji Nuruddeen Abubakar?

I am the Sarkin Hausawa of Owo in Ondo State. I followed my father to this town many years ago. In those days, our parents used to travel from the North to Owo Town for businesses, especially trading. My father was travelling to the town for over 80 years and I later joined him. I have been living in the town in the last 40 years. In fact, I am married to a Yoruba woman from Owo and we had 10 children though two of them are late. The rest are in school. Some of them are in the universities, some in secondary schools, while others are in primary schools.

Before the terrorists’ attack, did the Arewa Community ever have any insecurity threat or attack?

Before the recent terrorists’ attack, hoodlums used to attack the Arewa Community in Owo, robbing them of their property. As a result of the attacks which have become regular, more than 70 per cent of Arewa people living in the area have relocated to the North. But for me, I can’t go anywhere because I have settled down here.

What’s the atmosphere like in the community since the recent terrorists’ attack?

We have been living in fear since then. On that very fateful Sunday, some hoodlums invaded our community, chasing our people with dangerous weapons. Majority of us are traders, while some of our youths are commercial bike riders known as okada riders. The Fulani that live among us are nomadic herders. When the hoodlums struck, they dispersed traders and robbed them of their commodities. They invaded our shops at Oja Oba and stole our commodities such as rice, beans and other food items which we sell in the markets. They also destroyed the water melons that were brought from the North in three trucks. They vandalized tomatoes and other perishable goods. They also attacked several individuals and collected money and other valuables from them. Afterwards, they moved to Towashi where they collected over N600,000 from our traders as well as two bikes when they attacked some bike riders. But we later recovered the bikes from the police. The hoodlums also invaded the Scraps Market where our people deal in scraps. They vandalized their property and made away with some of them.

The attackers also invaded the Fulani settlement at Ishuwada Junction where they also collected over N600,000 from their victims. As if all these were not enough, they also descended on the Sarkin Fulani house where they attacked the herders and their women and collected some money from them. Hoodlums have been posing big threats to us.

The traditional rulers have been trying their best to address the insecurity situation. They are calming us down to avoid reprisal. They also conduct several meetings with us. But the hoodlums are a serious threat to us.

What is the current situation in Owo Town?

More than 70 per cent of our people have fled the community. The Fulani herdsmen have left with their cattle, while the Hausa have gone back to the North. But I am going no where; I’ve spent more than 40 years here and raised a big family. So, where am I running to again? Who am I going to leave my family with? We have been living peacefully with our hosts and we don’t know anything about the church attack. We don’t have hands in it.

Some security personnel from the Nigeria Army and Amotekun came to our community in Sabo last Friday and made some investigations from house to house and shop to shop. They searched everywhere but could not find any harmful thing in the community. They asked every one of us living in Sabo, including the Yoruba to come out and sit on the bare ground where they conducted the search. They checked every shop and house but could not trace any weapon to us, except some cutlasses used by herders for grazing. After their investigations, they told us that they couldn’t find anything harmful even though they were told that there had been weapons in our possession. It is only one Fulani man that refused to come out when people were asked do so. He decided to lock himself in his shop. When they broke in, they found him making calls. He and one other man who refused to comply were arrested and taken away by soldiers.

What do you want the government to do?

I want government to do a through investigation and get to the root of the matter, especially the church attack and arrest those behind it. Government should also provide adequate security for us because we are innocent. We have been living here for decades, doing our legitimate businesses. We are now living in fear and need adequate security and relative peace.

Ibrahim, in an interview with SaharaReporters, said she was taken aback when over 20 security operatives stormed her house at Zone 7, Abuja without any means of identification.


Aishatu Madina Ibrahim, a former women leader of the Peoples Democratic Party for the North West Zone, says she was arrested on Wednesday by officials of the Department of State Services from her residence in Abuja and held in their custody for about 10 hours.

Ibrahim, in an interview with SaharaReporters, said she was taken aback when over 20 security operatives stormed her house at Zone 7, Abuja without any means of identification.

She said the operatives were masked up and heavily armed.

She said she tried to stop them from gaining access to her apartment but one of them shoved her aside and went in.

According to her, the officials said they were arresting her due to a social media post where she allegedly made derogatory remarks about President Muhammadu Buhari; National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu and the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

The posts were particularly linked to the APC presidential primary elections held in Abuja in which Tinubu emerged as the winner.

Ibrahim said she could not remember making some of the posts but insisted she was not going to be handcuffed particularly as it was not a criminal offence.


According to her, it was while there were in transit that she observed the attire of the officials and queried if they were taking her to the DSS office in Abuja but one of them claimed they were going to the office of the National Security Adviser, while another officer said it was the DSS office.

She said the officials even informed her that they were aware she had not committed a crime but her arrest had a political undertone.

Ibrahim said she was taken from her house by 11 am on Wednesday and allowed to return to her house by 9 pm. She said her phones were seized and when she requested to contact her lawyer and family, the officials didn't grant the request.

She said, “They said I posted something, making comments about Tinubu and Buhari with the caption ‘Frying pan to fire', that I posted on WhatsApp, Facebook and TikTok.

“Some of the posts, I can't even remember them, I don't think I posted on TikTok and Facebook but probably WhatsApp. I am a politician, a PDP member, and the immediate past North-West PDP women leader. Even the one they said I posted on my WhatsApp status, I can't remember posting some because I do post a lot of things.

“During the APC Primaries, there was a time they called on Aisha Buhari to come on stage and she refused. They said I posted that ‘Aisha no wan climb stage with some people o'. I can't remember posting this.

“The picture of Buhari and Tinubu, I might have posted it but the Aisha Buhari own, I can't remember. I belong to over 50 WhatsApp groups and there are lots of things that are shared there that we reshare. In some of these groups, there are people that are not members of your party.

“On Wednesday, over 20 DSS officials stormed my estate at Zone 7 Abuja. Everybody in the estate came out to ask what happened, and why I was being taken away. It was when I returned that my neighbours told me that the officers they saw were more than 30. They came in their vehicles.

“The officers were not with an arrest warrant neither were they in uniform so there was no way I could identify them. In fact, when they arrived, they jammed the network of the area.

“They wore masks and black attire and they were fully armed. When they first arrived and they said they wanted to search my apartment, I refused because I didn't know who they were. One of them pushed me aside and went inside the house.

“Then they asked me to go with them to their office, they wanted to handcuff me and I refused. I told them no, I am not a criminal.

“While we were going, I observed that a part of their attire looked like DSS uniform and I asked them if they were from there, one of them said no, that they were taking me to National Security Adviser's office. The other person said we were going to the DSS office.


“When I got there, they interrogated me at three different points. They wanted to see if there would be discrepancies in my statements. They said I made derogatory remarks about the First Family. And about Tinubu during the APC Primaries.

“I was not assaulted there but I was not allowed access to my phone. I told them I wanted to call my lawyer and my family so they would know my whereabouts, but they didn't allow me to do this.

“After hours of interrogation, they warned me never to post anything that is against the First Family and Tinubu and I was asked to write a statement. I wrote there that I would not post anything I cannot prove before the law and that as a member of the major opposition party, it is my duty to point out the flaws of the opposition and seek how the country can get better.

“Also, I said I never insulted Aisha Buhari and I have no reason to do that because she is someone I respect a lot. She even speaks up against the wrongdoings in the APC."

Nigeria’s secret police, DSS are in the habit of harassing people for criticising public office holders.

For instance, in February 2022, the Executive Director of the International Press Institute and former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Mr Lanre Arogundade, was arrested and detained by the DSS allegedly over his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

The activist had just returned to Nigeria from Banjul, The Gambia where he had attended a training programme on ‘Conflict Reporting for Journalists’.

It was a miracle APC survived the apocalyptic prediction of its imminent fragmentation under the weight of intrigue and contradiction which were in full display during its last week convention. Tinubu while savoring his well-earned victory after brutal two-nights of many knives convention in which all his opponents, treacherous protégées and a cabal hiding under Buhari’s presidency to serve other tendencies were roundly defeated, assured all those who did not vote for him have nothing to fear. Those who know the Jagaban as a politician with malice towards none know he meant every word of his solemn undertaking. Some of those who served as his foot-soldiers in the exercise were in no distant past his political foes and one should not be surprised if those who betrayed him last Tuesday are found brainstorming with him in his sitting room in no distant future. Tinubu is therefore a political analyst’s nightmare because he alone knows how best to fight his own battles.

All a keen observer of the Nigerian political process and its self-serving, political governing class can do therefore, is to put all the macabre dance and chilling scheming by aspirants and party leaders in those two nights of many knives in perspective.

First the APC convention confirmed that our political governing class have faith neither in democracy which they see just as a method to buy their way to power nor in the party system which they see as nothing other than a vehicle to power. It also exposed the southern political ruling class as a groveling self-serving gamblers and traders with no abiding faith in anything while their northern counterparts demonstrated that politics is not a dirty game but that what we have are dirty politicians for whom in the words of Kashim Shettima, ‘anything goes’.

First the public disrobing of the cabal at war against Nigeria. Before last Tuesday when it climbed the tree beyond its leaves by underestimating Tinubu’s resolve to fight rough and an unexpected patriotic stand of northern governors, many of whom may not necessarily like Tinubu’s guts, against Mai Buni and Abdullahi Adamu’s attempt to foist Ahmed Lawan as APC consensus candidate fraudulently using Buhari’s name, the identities of the cabal that have held Buhari and Nigeria hostage for the greater part of seven years remained in the realm of conjecture. But last week’s APC vicious intra-party battle changed the narrative.

But for the northern governors, with Buhari’s ‘government of delegation by abdication’, Adamu and Mai Buni would have by their pursuit of selfish and parochial agenda created more social dislocations for a deeply divided society where an irresolute president has mismanaged crisis of nation building. Sadly a trip through memory confirms this has been the pattern of the cabal’s operation in the past years.

We all remember how Bukola Saraki by his own admission in 2015, literarily stole the senate presidency, with Shehu Garba speaking for a vacillating president saying ‘the cure for headache was not cutting off the head’. The country was made ungovernable for four years after that. It was the same when church massacre (similar to recent Owo tragedy) was first carried out in Benue, followed by sacking, confiscation of community land and condemning of survivors of mindless killings to IDP camps. An unrestrained response of Buhari’s minister of defence was to blame everything on encroachment of pre-colonial and pre-36 states creation grazing routes. Governor Ortom’s anti-open grazing laws was similarly criticized by the minister while ex-emir, Sanusi Lamido from his far away Kano fiefdom encouraged Fulani immigrants in Benue to resist their host state’s anti-open grazing laws.

It was not different when Governor Akeredolu of Ondo ejected AK-47 wielding criminal Fulani herdsmen illegally operating in his state’s reserved forest. Garba Shehu, Abubakar Malami and Bauchi’s Bala Mohammed viciously attacked Governor Akeredolu quoting the fraudulent 1999 constitution. Similar strategy was also adopted when Shehu Garba purportedly speaking for Buhari, rejected the 36 states’ demand for state and community policing citing problem of funding and equipment.

Now let us turn to the groveling consensus-seeking presidential aspirants. If Rotimi Amaechi, who long ago destroyed his political base had any preparation for his presidential ambition, it was humouring President Buhari. How about his claim the president is infallible, locating University of Transportation in Katsina and buying into the president vision of extending rail line to Niger Republic? For his pains, the cabal assured the Daura-turbaned Amaechi of becoming Buhari’s APC consensus presidential candidate.

The ambition of Kayode Fayemi, the adopted son of the caliphate was also probably predicated on the promise of Mai Buni, his friend that he could emerge Buhari’s consensus candidate. Although eminently qualified, it was doubtful he would have contested against a benefactor that helped him to retrieve his stolen mandate after three years and rehabilitated him when condemned to political wilderness by PDP and Fayose. Ibikunle Amosun who lost his political base to Osoba and Tinubu was probably also thinking of becoming Buhari’s consensus candidate on account of his closeness to the president. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi was also probably bitten by the cabal’s “consensus” bug.

They discovered too late on the nights of many knives that they have all been outwitted by Adamu and Buni who named Ahmed Lawan as President Buhari’s consensus candidate and outsmarted by Tinubu who did not just work hard to earn the trust of some northern governors but also took sacrifice to ‘esu’, the Yoruba god of confusion with the centre unable to hold between the cabal and their northern governors.

Of course the cabal are the masters of the game. They planned for the future by honouring past promises. They proved as Nasir El Rufai has argued, ‘you can go to the bank with their words’. They also know southern politicians have prices. In the first republic, with promises of positions and contract, the Yoruba politicians turned truth on its head to nail their leader. In the words of Hubert Ogunde, they ‘invited the thief and also invited the owner of the farm’ to catch him. This time around with the promise of consensus candidacy, they suddenly realised Tinubu, their leader was dictatorial and ambitious and they prayed hard that God may bring him down. But swindled by Buni and Adamu, they sang a new song about Tinubu being their brother.

Of course the cabal knows the Igbo political elite more than they know themselves. If a group that created a permanent enmity between those who look up to them for direction and Yoruba, their chief hosts because Zik was prevented from becoming the premier of the West in 1952 when a Yoruba man cannot contest for local council councillor in Igbo land in 2022, why will they not swallow the bait they could reap where they did not sow in 2023? Kalu Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha and other Igbo contestants believe the cabal would persuade Buhari to declare one of them a consensus APC candidate as if Igbo votes alone could secure for them the presidency. But the cabal knows that for the Igbo, politics is the art of the possible. They didn’t waste time licking their wounds before falling over each other to join Atiku or Lawan. The cabal knows, in Igbo, the north has an ever ready and willing beautiful bride.

By Abdullateef Aliyu


A major air accident was averted when an Overland Airways aircraft made an emergency landing at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, from Ilorin International Airport in Kwara State.

The incident happened on Wednesday night when one of the engines caught fire mid-air as the plane was approaching the airport.

33 passengers onboard the flight were safely disembarked at the international Wing.

It was learnt that the Pilot-in-Command of the ATR-42 Aircraft had declared a May Day which in aviation parlance implies an emergency situation while authorities at the airport had activated all emergency procedures as the crew tried to manoeuvre the plane.

The airline in a statement this confirmed the incident, saying the passengers remained calm all through the process.

The airline said, “Overland Airways wishes to inform the general public that its flight OF1188 from Ilorin to Lagos experienced an unusual high turbine temperature on one of its engines today, Wednesday June 15, 2022 around 7:50pm.

“This occurred in the approach phase of flight and the aircraft landed very safely as the Crew skillfuly implemented their standard procedures for such abnormal situations.

“All 33 passengers remained calm through the process and safely disembarked row by row in accordance with post COVID-19 procedures after the Aircraft came to a halt on the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos runway 18 Right. No passenger was hurt in any way.

“Overland Airways salutes the professional interventions of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) which were very prompt and reassuring.

“Overland Airways regrets any inconvenience to its passengers and assures the travelling public of its full commitment to safety of its services and passengers.”

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says Nigerians will experience improved electricity supply from July 1.

Sanusi Garba, chairman, NERC, gave the assurance on Wednesday at an interactive session with journalists after the second Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) meeting which was held in Lagos.

Present at the meeting were top officials of NERC, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), generation companies as well electricity distribution companies.

Garba said NERC had facilitated a contractual agreement between the GenCos, TCN, and the 11 DisCos that would guarantee the generation, transmission and distribution of an average of 5,000MW of electricity daily to customers, effective July 1.

“Yes, we have had discussions with the gas suppliers within our regulatory space. We have them on board to ensure that once we made the commercial requirements, gas was going to flow,” Garba said.

“Now, for transmission we have heard of figures well in excess of 5,000MW and clearly TCN will be able to deliver that.

“I recall clearly that in March last year we had 5,400MW. So, it means it is quite possible based on signed commitments.”

Garba said all the stakeholders across the value chain had obligations and there would be penalties if they failed to deliver.

He explained that in a situation where GenCos are able to deliver 5,000MW but TCN is unable to do so, they would pay the penalty to the generation company.

“And whenever the power is available and DisCos do not take the power; then they will pay liquidated damages that will compensate other market participants.

“We might not have 24/7 power supply from July 1 but Nigerians will see the trajectory because the target is to have an average of 5,000MW daily for transmission and distribution.”

Speaking on blackouts in the country, Garba blamed the recent collapse of the national grid on inadequate gas supply as well as vandalism.

He said the challenges in the sector have gone beyond weak infrastructure to include external factors like vandalism.

“The challenges of today are very clear. In the past, it used to be weak infrastructure and so on and so forth. Now we have certain external factors contributing to these events,” Garba said.

“Obviously, it’s not common around the world to see people coming down, pulling down transmission towers for no reason; or blowing up crude oil lines.

“In a number of instances, most of the gas we have today is associated gas and because of that when crude lines are disrupted it also affects the supply of gas to the thermal stations.”

Garba lauded the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the interventions in the power sector, adding that the country would soon begin seeing the positive impact of the investments.

Also speaking, Nathan Shatti, commissioner, finance and management service, NERC, said the commission will begin the second phase (Phase One) of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) in August 2022.

The regulator also said it received bids from 45 local meter manufacturers to participate in the programme and was currently reviewing them.

Shatti said the procurement process for the second phase started in early 2022, adding that NERC was currently reviewing the capacity of the manufacturers.

“Our target is to install four million meters for customers. From our experience in phase zero, we want to make sure that the manufacturers can deliver before allocation is made,” he said.

“I am sure that we will be able to finish the assessment by the end of this month and it will be finalised by the Procurement Implementation Unit.

“We are hoping that before the end of August, we will begin to see meters from our local manufacturers going to the electricity distribution companies and then to end-user customers.”

The Senate chief whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, says he’s not a house boy to northern Nigeria.

Daily Trust reports that Kalu who advocated South East presidency, had also in January announced his personal interest in the highest office in the land.

However, the former governor of Abia said he decided to withdraw from the race since there was “no zoning in APC’’.

He had since been campaigning for a northern President which has made some describe him as a house boy to northerners.

But addressing journalists at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Kalu said, “I’m not a house boy to anybody. I don’t fear anybody. If the president is a northerner or a westerner I will tell him the truth because I have been to a stage in life where nobody feeds me. I don’t need to talk to anybody to be comfortable. I’m not even afraid of death. So, when I speak I speak the truth and that is the truth.”

He also asked Nigerians not to bother about Muslim-Muslim ticket reportedly being plotted by the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that is the only way the ruling party can win in 2023.

“If we don’t play the Muslim Muslim ticket, we are in trouble, and it will be difficult to win the election because the only thing left for Ahmed Tinubu today is to play a Muslim-Muslim ticket. If I am in Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s position, the wife is a Pastor in a Pentecostal Church. I will go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The most important thing is for the party to win. We should stop this rubbish about religion.

“Whether you put a Christian there, after all, if we win, already the wife is a Pastor and they have been living together for over 40 years. These are facts. So, don’t blame anyone, Tinubu’s wife is already like a deputy president. I am saying my opinion. I am a Catholic. This is Orji Kalu’s opinion. You cannot deny me my opinion.”

by Bode Gbadebo


There was a mild drama on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday as the Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), was unable to formally defect to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for a technical reason.

The development was occasioned by the inability of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to come with his defection and resignation letter to plenary.

Although an announcement to that effect was made by the Senate President, it was, however, agreed that Abaribe’s letter be formally read on the floor before his exit as Minority Leader, after a point of order was raised by Senator Gabriel Suswam.

In the same vein, two prominent members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senate Majority Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, and Adamu Aliero, have officially defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

On the other hand, the formal defection of Senators Yahaya Abdullahi and Adamu Aliero from Kebbi State, were conveyed in two separate letters addressed to the Senate President and read on the floor during plenary on Tuesday.

Both lawmakers represent Kebbi North and Kebbi Central Senatorial Districts, respectively.

The defection of the APC Senators brings the total number of PDP Senators to 39 from the previous 38, with the exclusion of Abaribe who is set to formally defect from the opposition party to APGA on Wednesday.

It also cuts down on the number of APC Senators from 71 to 69 in the upper chamber.

The Senate Leader, in his letter titled, “Defection From APC to PDP And Resignation As The Majority Leader Of The 9th Senate”, said his decision was informed by the democratic challenges and deficits faced by the APC in Kebbi State.

He explained that all attempts to remedy the situation through the intervention of North-West Zone Governors’ and the defunct Abdullahi Adamu-led National Reconciliation Committee failed.

The letter reads, “I write to inform you of the withdrawal of my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and consequently resign from my position as the Majority Leader of the 9th Senate.

“I came to this decision after a very hard struggle with my conscience and emotions. It is either to remain on the side of my people, or to selfishly look the other way. All politics is local. I cannot therefore in good Conscience, continue to work for the success of this administration at the centre while the people of my state, my primary constituency, continue wallow in abject poverty and destitution under the misrule and manipulation of a despot.

“I have therefore decided to pitch my tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to join forces with my compatriots at home who are struggling against incompetence, imposition and violation of democratic norms, principles and practices.

“The democratic challenges and deficits in my state, Kebbi State, did not just start from the last congresses, but right from July last year when the governor illegally decapitated the State Leadership of the Party, imposed unelected ward, Local government and State executives of the Party.

“This matter was brought to the attention of the caretaker Committee of the Party who failed to bring the Governor to order.

“Efforts by all well meaning individuals including Your Excellency, Mr. President, were equally spurned. The North-West Zone Governors’ entreaties were ignored. The defunct Abdullahi Adamu-led National Reconciliation Committee’s intervention to find amicable resolutions failed. All primarily due to the manipulative intransigence of the Governor.

“At a point I thought of resort to the courts, but decided against that course of action after realizing that political challenges require political solutions in the democratic arena where it is the people and not the judges who are the final arbiters.

“So, after having failed to get justice in my former Party, the APC, I have jumped ship to the PDP together with our teeming supporters in a struggle to democratically bring to an end the misrule and tyranny currently gripping Kebbi State.

“Mr. President, I appreciate and will continue to support your leadership. I cherish and remain eternally grateful to you and all my colleagues for the unconditional support and cooperation rendered to me in the last three golden years of our tenure.

“A tenure that witnessed unprecedented unity, productivity, sense of purpose and patriotism in the conduct of our legislative responsibilities. l also plead with any of my colleagues whom I have offended in the course of our interactions to please forgive me.

“While praying for Allah’s guidance and peaceful journey to the forthcoming elections, please accept the assurances of my highest respect and esteem.”

By Stephen Angbulu


The Presidency, on Tuesday, has said that the political decisions of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), are not in any way influenced by a so-called “cabal” and backroom boys.

In a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the presidency faulted the local media for peddling “made up stories–speculating about the role of the President in the flagbearer contest.”

The statement is titled ‘President’s laudatory role in the APC primary’.

It said, “Those still assailing the APC and the President expounding conspiracy theories and making all manner of speculations about who did what or did not need to understand the important point about the country’s leader: President Buhari takes his own decisions and carries them out without the backup of a so-called ‘cabal’ or backroom boys.”


Its response is coming on the backdrop of the just-concluded presidential primary elections which saw the emergence of Bola Tinubu as flagbearer.

The Presidency said, “There’s no greater intrigue for this kind of speculation-journalism than a party flag bearer primary. But it only comes around once every four years–or every eight following President Buhari’s second term. Therefore, the media must make the most of it.

“So, what a disappointment the All Progressives Congress party flag bearer primary must have been for those who assembled to witness a catastrophe? No intrigue, no division, no disagreement, no defeated candidates rejecting the result, no splits, no third-party runs. Only determination to rally around the chosen flagbearer to deliver victory and an APC third term in February 2023.”

The presidency maintained that despite speculations that the president would impose a candidate upon the party, Buhari’s decision to allow for an open contest at the primaries indicates that he is far from being an autocratic leader.

It further accused the general opposition of “a conspiracy to destabilise the governing party and defame the President.”

“The media are being inundated with made up stories–speculating about the role of the President in the flagbearer contest: whether he had a favoured candidate, and whether manoeuvres were made to install them; whether the chosen flagbearer was the President’s choice, or another. And on and on.

“Speculation is easy. But facts are simple. The President always said he had a favoured candidate. He said that candidate was whoever was chosen by the APC in a democratic primary to lead the party at the election,” the statement read.