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Take Bullion Van Petition Against Tinubu Seriously, Transparency International Tells EFCC
Anti-corruption group, Transparency International, has advised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to take the petition against All Progressives Congress leader, Bola Tinubu, seriously.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, the Head, Transparency International Nigeria and Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa, popularly known as Rafsanjani, said the EFCC must prove to Nigerians that it is not a partial organisation.
Rafsanjani told The PUNCH that the EFCC had arrested several persons for vote buying during the last elections.
He said the anti-graft agency must therefore not betray the confidence Nigerians have in it.
The TI boss said, “We think that the fight against corruption must be seen to be real and whoever is involved in any act, no matter how powerful, the law must take its course. That is the only way that citizens can continue to have confidence in the anti-graft agency.
“For me, this petition should be taken seriously and the EFCC should not waste time before working on it because similar things happened during the elections where some politicians were arrested with money.
“In this case, nothing has happened to the man (Tinubu) and citizens are calling for action so that there will be no impunity in the system. I think it will be in the interest of the anti-corruption agencies to be proactive and take action that will make citizens have confidence in the anti-corruption war.”
The Convener, Concerned Nigerians, Deji Adeyanju; and others including Ariyo-Dare Atoye of the Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution and Adebayo Raphael of the Free Nigeria Movement, had submitted a petition to the EFCC last month.
The activists had asked the EFCC to investigate Tinubu who admitted to having two cash-laden bullion vans on his premises on the eve of the Presidential election in February.
There have been reports, however, that the EFCC had abandoned the petition because of the personality involved.
The EFCC is currently prosecuting the son-in-law and lawyer to the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, for allegedly attempting to distribute $2m ahead of the same election.”
The Punch
The convention produced the Tanimu Turaki-led factional national executives of the party.
Attention has shifted to the Supreme Court, which has fixed April 30 (today) for judgment in the leadership tussle within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba will resolve the appeal filed by the David Mark-led faction concerning the authentic leadership of the party.
Also on Thursday, the court is expected to determine the leadership dispute rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Two PDP factions—one led by Kabir Turaki and the other by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike—are laying claim to the leadership of the party.
The Supreme Court had on April 22 reserved judgment in the ADC crisis to a date to be communicated to the parties involved in the tussle.
However, on Tuesday, the ADC formally wrote to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, pleading for the quick delivery of judgment in the leadership tussle at the national level.
The party claimed it would suffer irreparable harm if judgment in the protracted battle was not delivered within the period allowed by the Electoral Act for fielding candidates for the 2027 general elections.
It stated in part: “Without the delivery of judgment within the next three days from the date of this letter, the ADC stands the grave and irreversible risk of being excluded from participating in the 2027 general elections.
“This would disenfranchise millions of Nigerians who have subscribed to the ideals of the ADC and deny them their constitutional right to freely associate and contest elections through a political party of their choice.”
At the April 22 hearing, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, who represented David Mark, urged the Supreme Court to allow the appeal, arguing that the apex court had earlier, on March 21, 2025, held that “no court has jurisdiction to entertain matters bordering on the internal affairs of political parties.”
During the hearing, Okutepa urged the apex court to hold that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
However, Robert Emukperu, SAN, who represented the first respondent, Nafiu Gombe, urged the court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the judgment of the lower court, which held that the suit was premature.
It will be recalled that a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal dismissed Mark’s appeal, ruling that it was premature and filed without leave of the trial court.
In the PDP matter, the first appeal, marked SC/CV/164/2026, stems from a decision of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, who restrained the party from proceeding with its planned convention pending the determination of a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido.
On November 14, the court issued a final order restraining the PDP from conducting its national convention.
Justice Lifu held that Lamido was “unjustly denied” the opportunity to obtain a nomination form to contest for national chairman, in violation of the PDP constitution and internal regulations.
The Court of Appeal later upheld the decision on March 9, prompting the PDP to appeal.
The second appeal, SC/CV/166/2026, was filed by the PDP, its National Working Committee (NWC), and National Executive Committee (NEC).
It arose from a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, which stopped the party from holding its Ibadan national convention.
The Court of Appeal upheld that decision, agreeing that INEC should not validate the outcome of the convention.
After hearing all arguments, the Supreme Court reserved judgment, stating that the date would be communicated to the parties.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lambasted the administration of President Bola Tinubu over insecurity bedeviling the country.
In an interview with News Central, Obasanjo said any government that cannot protect lives and property of its citizens has no basis to exist.
The former leader was reacting to the recent wave of insecurity, which has confronted Nigeria, resulting in the killing of several citizens and abduction of others.
“Let me tell you, the government that cannot give security of life and property of its citizen has no right of existence.
“The elected members of our National Assembly have no right to fix their own salary and their own emolument.
“It’s not in our constitution for them to do that. It’s the revenue mobilization and allocation commission that should do it,” he said.
