Headlines
Wike Responsible for Killing of Soldiers in Rivers, Says Army
The Nigerian Army has blamed Governor Nyesom Wike for causing the killing of three soldiers in River State during the 2019 general elections.
Security men attached to the governor were accused of shooting at soldiers stationed at the collation centre in the Obio Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State during the 2019 elections, leaving three of them dead and one injured.
The General Officer Commanding, 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, made the allegation when he appeared before the House of Representatives’ ad hoc committee investigating the alleged killing of employees of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr Ferry Gberegbe and Mrs Ibisaki Amachree, during the elections.
The House had on April 11, 2019, resolved to carry out the probe following the adoption of a motion by Mr Kingsley Chinda, blaming the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army for the killing of Gberegbe and Amachree.
At the hearing, Sarham said soldiers deployed for electoral exercise in Rivers particularly those deployed in the collation centre, acted professionally in the face of provocation by those allegedly sponsored by the state.
The GOC said soldiers were also killed during the elections, including one Lieutenant Kurumi who was killed on February 23 and three other soldiers who were killed on March 2.
He said, “The soldiers who were at the outer cordon are supposed to stop anybody coming to either harm the voters or disrupt the polling (exercise). So, when Kurumi tried to enforce that, unknown to him, there were other people with different agenda and they snuffed life out of him.
“At the outer cordon three soldiers lost their lives. May be since you didn’t refer to it, Lieutenant Salami currently is on life support at Cedar Crest. No less person than the Executive Governor of Rivers State led a convoy of more than 40 vehicles to attack a collation centre and shot at Salami, manhandled Corporal Abiodun; these you can verify. That was at the Obio Akpor Local Government Area, at the collation centre there. We have laid this complaint to the police and it is well-documented. The Commissioner of Police is here and, he can testify to it.”
Earlier, Chairman of the committee, Rimande Shawulu, said the lawmakers had visited Rivers where they met with Wike, chairmen of the LGAs and other stakeholders.
He said, “We spent two days taking testimonies. We have the presentation of the two of them; the governor and the (INEC) Commissioner whose house was invaded. What really happened in the case of Dr. Ferry Gberegbe?”
Responding, Sarham said, “Operation Save Conduct is designed to assist the Nigeria Police and INEC to conduct 2019 election.
“So, arrest or whatsoever, anytime it was made, the suspects were usually transferred to the civil police.”
The hearing, however, took a dramatic turn when a member of the committee from Rivers, Boma Goodhead, accused the army of telling lies about military operations during the polls.
Wiping off the tears on her face, she said, “What took place in Rivers State during the elections and other places were done by the Nigerian Army and SARS, and nobody should deny this because we saw them.”
But the GOC said, “Nobody was arrested apart from the people who were directly responsible for the killing of Lieutenant Kurumi. There were actually people in Rivers State who were responsible for the killing of an officer and three soldiers during that election.”
The Punch
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
ThisDay
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) “over its failure to account for approximately ₦5.9 billion reportedly spent on the incorporation, transition, and rebranding of NNPC into NNPCL.”
The NNPC reportedly paid N2.9 billion for incorporation expenses from petroleum product proceeds, while the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) also charged N2.9 billion to crude oil revenue for the same purpose, bringing the total amount spent on the rebranding of NNPC to NNPCL to ₦5.9 billion.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1248/2026, filed last week at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking “an order of mandamus to direct and compel the NNPCL to account for about ₦5.9 billion allegedly spent on the rebranding of the NNPC to the NNPCL.”
SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the NNPCL to provide a comprehensive reconciliation statement detailing the specific financial transactions relating to the ₦5.9 billion expenditure, including the identities of the contractors involved, and how the funds were utilized for the rebranding of NNPC to NNPCL.”
SERAP is also asking the court to “direct and compel the NNPCL to disclose the names and official positions of the government officials who authorized and approved the release and expenditure of the ₦5.9 billion reportedly spent on the rebranding of NNPC to NNPCL, and to clarify whether the expenditure complied with applicable procurement laws and due-process requirements.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “There is a legitimate public interest in the disclosure of the details sought. The NNPCL has a legal responsibility to explain whether the ₦5.9 billion expenditure represents value for money, constitutes lawful spending of public funds, and complies with applicable due process requirements.”
SERAP is also arguing that, “There ought to be full transparency and accountability regarding the reported ₦5.9 billion spent on rebranding NNPC to NNPCL. Nigerians have the right to know who approved the expenditure, who received the funds, the nature of the services rendered, and whether due process and procurement requirements were strictly followed.”
According to SERAP, “the disclosure of the identities of the officials involved and the processes followed in approving the expenditure would enable the public to assess whether the expenditure was properly authorized, represented value for money, and was undertaken in accordance with due process and procurement requirements.”
“Given the size of the reported expenditure and the importance of transparency in the management of public resources within the petroleum sector, there is an urgent need for a prompt, thorough, and transparent disclosure of the details surrounding the spending of the funds.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo, read in part: “The alleged spending of the ₦5.9 billion suggests a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], national anticorruption laws, and the country’s international anticorruption obligations.”
“The failure to account for the spending of the ₦5.9 billion on rebranding from NNPC to NNPCL reflects a failure of NNPCL accountability more generally and is directly linked to the institution’s continuing failure to uphold transparency and accountability principles.”
“The refusal or failure of the NNPCL to provide a detailed account of the expenditure undermines the right of access to information concerning the management of public resources.”
“Senate Committee on Public Accounts reportedly raised serious concerns regarding the expenditure of the ₦5.9 billion described as incorporation and transition expenses allegedly incurred during the process of transforming the NNPC into the NNPCL.”
“The Committee described the spending of the ₦5.9 billion as excessive, unjustifiable, and deserving of further explanation, investigation, and legislative scrutiny in the public interest.”
“The transformation of the national oil company from the NNPC into the NNPCL occurred following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which required the corporation to become a commercially oriented limited liability company fully owned by the federal government.”
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] requires all public institutions including the NNPCL to conform to and apply the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution, while Section 15(5) mandates the public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
“Similarly, Section 16 of the Constitution requires the public institutions to ensure that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.”
“Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption require Nigeria to ensure transparency and proper management of public funds.”
“Article 21 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights recognizes the right of peoples to freely dispose of their natural resources and provides that the misappropriation of such resources shall give rise to the right of the people to recovery and compensation.”
