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Ekiti Election Petition Tribunal: SDP Counsel, Akinbiyi Alleges Losing A Finger

By
Ayodele Oni
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Social Democratic Party - SDP

By Ayodele Oni

 

Counsel to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election petition tribunal, Ebenezer Akinbuyi, has alleged that he was attacked at the premises of the election petition tribunal currently sitting in Ado Ekiti during which one of his fingers was nearly removed.

 

He raised fresh concerns over his safety following the alleged attack on him within the premises of the tribunal in Ado-Ekiti.

 

Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti after Thursday’s proceedings, Akinbuyi said he no longer felt safe appearing before the tribunal, alleging that he was attacked by a crowd within the court premises, resulting in an injury to one of his fingers.

 

He said the development has prompted the petitioners to write to the President of the Court of Appeal, requesting that the proceedings be transferred from Ekiti State to Abuja, which he described as a safer venue.

 

Akinbuyi alleged that tension around the tribunal has escalated in recent days, recalling that his principal, Prince Adewole Adebayo, was allegedly molested within the court premises.

 

He further alleged that suspected agents of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) had barricaded the main entrance to the court premises on another occasion, preventing some witnesses from gaining access to the tribunal.

 

According to him, the alleged incident made it difficult for him to locate and bring his witnesses into the courtroom, prompting him to inform the tribunal about the situation.

 

His words, “I don’t feel safe. I do not feel safe, and we do not feel safe because we have written to the President of the Court of Appeal to transfer this case to Abuja, to a safer place.

 

“We are still awaiting the response. It is not as if our application has been dismissed. No application has been dismissed. We are still awaiting the outcome or the decision of the Appeal Court.

 

“When I came here, the second petitioner’s agents barricaded the main gate of the court premises and did not allow witnesses to come in. They were showing them weapons and guns, telling them to return to where they were coming from.

 

“I was in the courtroom, waiting for my witnesses and calling them, but I could not see them. I informed the court and the tribunal that this was what was happening and showed them the fliers I had received.

 

“This finger is broken. I went to the State Hospital and had an X-ray. I was placed on medication”.

 

Meanwhile, counsel to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adetunji Oso, gave a different account regarding the application to relocate the tribunal.

 

Oso also urged SDP counsel to shun giving the court false narration, adding that he was neither attacked within the court premises nor by members of the party.

 

He disagreed with Akinbuyi’s claim that the petitioners’ request to move the tribunal from Ekiti State was still awaiting a decision, saying the President of the Court of Appeal had already directed that the petitions should continue in Ado-Ekiti.

 

“That is not true. The President of the Court of Appeal has directed that the hearing of the petitions in both cases should continue in Ado-Ekiti. That is why we are sitting here. That is why there was a hearing today”.

 

Earlier during the proceedings, the SDP counsel called six witnesses while they were cross-examined by both Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and All Progressive Congress (APC).

 

The chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Abubakar Kutigi, however adjourned the case to 25th September, 2026 for continuation of the court hearing.

 

The SDP had challenged the victory of Governor Biodun Abayomi in the June 20 election.

Wike: All G-5 Governors Benefitted From President Tinubu’s Goodwill For Supporting Him in 2023 Election

By
Akinwale Kasali
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G5 Governors with Bola Tinubu

By Akinwale Kasali

 

Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, has categorically stated that he is not the only one, among the G5 Governors, who reaped benefits from their support for  President Bola Tinubu.

 

Recall that Wike and four other Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, played rogue in the 2023 election, and supported President Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the expense of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP Candidate.

 

Election win, Tinubu compensated Wike with the Federal Capital Territory Ministry. While Wike’s luck has always been cited, Wike has let it be known that the others were also compensated.

For instance, he said, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde was given a whopping sum of N50 billion in support of the expansion and upgrade of Ibadan Airport, a claim Makinde vehemently denies. But Wike insists:

 

“The President has also extended his hand of support to the governor of Oyo State by providing funds for him to expand Oyo airport with a whopping sum of 50 billion naira.”

 

He also gave an instance of former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who he said currently serve as Nigeria’s Ambassadors to Spain and Greece respectively.

 

Arguing, Wike said it was therefore incorrect to suggest that he alone among the G5 Governors had benefited from the Tinubu administration, saying the President had supported other members of the group in different ways.

 

Recall that during the 2023 Presidential Election, Makinde, Wike, Ugwuanyi, Ikpeazu and Samuel Ortom consisted of the G-5 Governors from the former PDP who opposed the PDP’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, declaring their support for Tinubu.

 

This singular act, resulted to the victory of President Tinubu, as he coasted home to make his age long dream coming to fulfilment.

Breaking: Pantami Loses PDP Gov Ticket

By
James Orji
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0
Professor Isa Pantami

The Federal High Court sitting in Gombe has nullified the emergence of former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State and ordered the party to conduct a fresh primary.
Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed gave the order on Thursday in a suit filed by Usman Aliyu Garry, who challenged Pantami’s emergence as the party’s candidate.
Garry argued that the required governorship primary was not conducted before Pantami was declared the party’s candidate.
Pantami had emerged as the PDP governorship candidate in May after defecting from the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the emergence of Jamilu Gwamna as the APC’s consensus candidate.
His emergence came through voice affirmation at a PDP gathering in Gombe. Pantami was the governorship candidate backed by the faction of the PDP linked to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and former Gombe Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo.
The former minister was among the governorship candidates on whom the Wike faction was banking ahead of the 2027 election.
However, delivering judgment in the suit on Thursday, the court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in accordance with the party’s guidelines and relevant electoral laws.
The ruling comes amid the continuing leadership crisis within the PDP, with rival factions producing separate candidates for the 2027 elections.

Anambra State: Body Of UNIZIK School Pupil, Success Ezenwafor, Swept Away By Flood Found

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Success Ezenwafor

By Akinwale Kasali 

 

After an intensive search, the body of missing UNIZIK School pupil, Success Ezenwafor, has been recovered. 

 

Ezenwafor was swept away by floodwaters in Awka, Anambra State on Tuesday, September 22, after a vehicle carrying school children was trapped in floodwaters along the Nibo–Isiagu Road following heavy rainfall.

 

Following this unfortunate development, the flood swept Ezenwafor away, resulting in intensive search for his missing body.

 

This triggered a rescue operation involving security personnel, emergency officials and community members.

 

Seven schoolchildren and two adults were rescued and taken to the hospital for medical attention.

 

Prince Chinedu Okafor, Chairman, Awka South Local Government disclosed that the body of the missing Pupil had been recovered.

 

“The body of the missing child, Success Ezenwafor has been recovered. The other children are in stable condition and receiving medical treatment at the hospital. I am at Amaku Teaching Hospital at the moment,” he said.

 

A statement shared by Dr Uche Nworah, a member of the Ezenwafor family,  recalled that the boy had kissed his father on both cheeks and said goodbye before boarding the shuttle bus to school on Tuesday morning.

 

A family member also described Success as a brave boy, saying he reportedly broke one of the vehicle’s windows to create an escape route that helped others get out of the vehicle.

 

Sadly, Success did not make it to safety.

 

His death has left his family and community devastated, while condolences continue to pour in following the tragic flood incident.

 

Below are the condolence messages shared by netizens;

 

@Juddytime: “God have mercy”

 

@Tinaabold: “When will the governor resign? If he built good roads, this wouldn’t have happened. Has he released a statement to this effect because that’s the only thing the frog is good at”

 

@DavymartinCE0: “Peter Obi pls release a statement concerning this”

 

@IykeNwaObi: “That man is busy fighting Peter Obi instead of him to protect the people of Anambra. How did that driver even carry children and enter that water for God sake?”

 

@Godwin047147: “so sad”

 

@ObiIjei9000: “Soludo will rush to their house to sympathise with the parents and after he goes home to continue ranting over his ineptitude feat. Anambra is to be blame for supporting such a fellow.”

 

@Sir_DexLyon: “Meanwhile the Governor dey fight who commot for power 12 years ago …..this is sad”

Solid Mineral: FG Signs Investment Agreement With US

By
James Orji
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0
Dele Alake

The federal government and the United states government have signed an agreement which allows both countries to collaborate on geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure, and technical capacity.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly between the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, at the Nigerian Mission House in New York, United States, US.

Also present at the signing are the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Yusuf Yabo, Director-General, Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, Simon Nkom, among others.

US offcials present at the event include the Deputy Assistant Secretary for West African Affairs, Rich Michael, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southern Africa, Foreign Assistance and Critical Minerals, Chris Kulukund.

The agreement, according tothe details provided by the federal government,is expected to  boost the development of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector,  will also open opportuntities for the US and  Nigeria to collaborate in the areas infrastructure, geological data and exploration,mineraldevelopment in the mining sector.

Alake while speaking said the two countries shared the sameconcition that Nigeria’s mining suply chains requires investement,  resilience and secure, noting however,that Nigeria wil not persistently remain a source of raw materials for other countries, but is searching  for opportunities that will create jobs for in the country, through skill acquisition and local processing.

 

 

“But let me be clear about Nigeria’s ambition. We are not here to remain a source of raw material for the value that others create. Our goal is to turn potential into lasting value at home through stronger local processing, new skills, quality jobs, and new opportunities for Nigerian businesses,”Alake said.

He noted that the agreeent was part of  the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu economic diversification agenda.

The Minister also stated that the implementation will achieve the economic diversification goals of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and boost industrial growth.

On his part, the Deputy Secretary of State Landau stated that as Africa’s fastest econoomy,Nigeria needs economic partnershipwith the US, adding that the agreement will bring shared prosperity to both countries, noting that under President Donald Trump Nigeria and US have partnered in so many areas, hoping that that both countries will build  on the momentum.

“Under President Trump and President Tinubu’s leadership, the United States and Nigeria have done many things together in the last one and a half years that we’ve never done before. I think we would like to keep building on that momentum”, Landau said.

Odinkalu: Tinubu’s Absence Has Created A Constitutional Crisis

By
James Orji
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0
Chidi Anselm Odinkalu
Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

A former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has condemned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for staying out of the country for a long time, saying his action has created constitutional and political problems for the country.
Prof. Odinkalu, a constitutional lawyer and rights activist made the assertion on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amid worries over the President’s continued absence from the country.
President Tinubu has been away from the country for more than 25 days, a situation not a few Nigerians say has left a vacuum in government.
The situation, some even say, is worrisome, considering that Vice President Kashim Shettima is also currently out of the country to represent the President at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in the United States (US).
President Tinubu left the country on August 30 on a “working vacation,” according to a statement issued by Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, and has not returned, a situation that has sparked a constitutional crisis over whether the President is permitted to stay away from the country for that long, particularly when he did not properly hand over power to his Vice.
Speaking yesterday, Odinkalu contended that Tinubu should have transferred power to Shettima in line with Section 145 of the Constitution, saying the law does not recognise anything like “working vacation,” adding that the President has left a power vacuum with his prolonged absence from the country and his refusal to transmit power to Shettima.
According to him, the idea of a working vacation does not exist in Section 145, which deals with presidential absence from the country and provides a mechanism for the Vice President to act where the President is unable to discharge his functions.
He also rejected the argument that the President can run the country from anywhere, saying this is not sufficient to address the constitutional and governance issues arising from Tinubu’s prolonged absence, noting that the Constitution has provided for a situation where the President will be outside the country.
He noted that the argument that the President has stayed away from the country for 21 days based on Section 145 of the Constitution can still be subjected to legal interpretation, noting that the 21 days should ordinarily exclude public holidays and weekends.
“When you look at the Interpretation Act, the 21 days would mean 21 working days,” he said, adding that such an interpretation would exclude weekends and public holidays.
Odinkalu, however, stated that what is paramount is not how many days the President has stayed away from the country but, rather, whether Nigerian leaders are running the affairs of government with “common sense,” citing, for instance, why the President and his Vice chose to be outside the country at the same time.
He explained that constitutional conventions had historically discouraged the President and Vice President from being outside the country simultaneously, saying past Nigerian leaders such as Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari followed the convention strictly.
He called on the National Assembly to immediately invoke Section 145(2), which gives it the power to pass a resolution to empower the Vice President as Acting President since the President failed to transfer power as required of him by the Constitution.
“If the President fails to do that, and you have a clear onset of the 21-day trigger, depending on how 21 days is interpreted, the obligation shifts from the Presidency, the Executive, to the Legislature, who, by joint resolution adopted by a simple majority, should take responsibility to confer that authority to act on the Vice President,” Odinkalu stated.

Afenifere’s Factional Scribe, Ebiseni Joins APC, Campaigns For Tinubu’s Second Term

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Sola Ebiseni
Sola Ebiseni

By Ayodele Oni

 

Chief Sola Ebiseni, Secretary General of the factional Yoruba socio- cultural group led by late Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has promised to work and support the reelection of President Bola Tinubu.

 

This is coming as Ebiseni, led members of his group to decamp to the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Ondo state.

 

Ebiseni, a former local government chairman and commissioner in Ondo state, was also a governorship candidate of Labour Party, ( LP) and Coordinator of the Presidential Campaign Council of Peter Obi in the 2023 general.

 

Late Adesanya faction of Afenifere has been in the forefront of criticisms against President Tinubu and his administration.

 

Speaking when he met with Ondo state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in Akure, Ebiseni declared his support for Tinubu’s second term, saying he and his supporters are prepared to join the overwhelming majority of Nigerians to ensure the President’s re-election in the overall interest of the stability, development and progress of the nation.

 

Ebiseni pointed out that the declaration was in tandem with the views of most Nigerians and political gladiators that the presidency should remain in southern Nigeria in the interest of the political stability of the federation.

 

“First and foremost and for the avoidance of any doubt, our declaration today for the President’s second term is in tandem with the views of most Nigerians and political gladiators that the office of the President should still be in southern Nigeria in the interest of the political stability of the federation.”

 

He said although Tinubu is not the only candidate from the South, his policies and programmes are already known and articulated and would be improved upon in a second term, rather than starting with a new President and new policies which would not mature in the next four years.

 

According to him, one disastrous consequence would be the revisionist economic policy of returning to the fuel subsidy regime.

 

“Whatever anyone may say about the removal of subsidy which all frontline Presidential candidates promised in 2023, its retention would have spelt doom particularly the states, which were already lying prostate in the discharge of their responsibilities to the citizens.”

 

He stated that Tinubu needs a second term to enable the full benefits of some of his audacious socio-economic policies to materialise, including the introduction of State Police and the increase in the divisions of the Nigerian Army from eight to 12.

 

He added that the measures are in the best interest of the welfare and security of the people and require time to germinate and bear fruits.

 

On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Ebiseni described the project as the most significant life-changing project for the Ilaje coastal people of Ondo State.

 

“Politics is local and as a leader of my Ilaje coastal people of Ondo State, this road is the most significant life-changing project for us and I am here to join President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for its full implementation particularly its proper coastal alignment in the state.

 

“To us therefore whom much is given by the President, much more is expected in terms of support for his re-election,” he said.

 

Governor Lucky  Aiyedatiwa, assured the Secretary-General the pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere, and his supporters of full integration into the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure for the forthcoming general elections.

 

Gov Aiyedatiwa who received Ebiseni, alongside with the APC State Chairman, Hon. Kolawole Babatunde, noted that his political activities across Ondo State, his experience as a former Chairman of the old Ilaje-Ese-Odo Local Government and his service as Commissioner several times in the state, would add value to the campaign for the re-election of President  Tinubu.

 

He also identified Ebiseni’s position as Secretary-General of Afenifere and his activities in other sociocultural organisations as an added advantage to the tasks ahead.

 

The Governor expressed the hope that Ebiseni and his supporters would no doubt add value to the President’s re-election campaign, to which the APC and the people of Ondo State are absolutely committed.

 

“We know you as one of our leaders in the state and your political activities across the state and your roles in the Afenifere and other sociocultural Organisations in the county will be an added advantage and value to tasks ahead of us.”

 

The governor said the presence of the APC State Chairman at the meeting was to assure Ebiseni and his supporters of appropriate integration into the party’s campaign structure in all the elections.

I Seek No Revenge

By
James Orji
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0
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai

By Nasir A El-Rufai
Some have expressed concern at the apparent silence, in my present circumstances, of some of my colleagues, friends and family members whom I have publicly stood by or associated closely with in the past. My own view of this is quite simple, and is presented now.
Throughout my life, I have tried to do what I could for my colleagues and friends, my family and humanity at large, guided by my Islamic faith, my Arewa upbringing, my personal values and, above all, my conscience.
Over the years, I have stood by people and for causes I believed in, sometimes in difficult circumstances and at considerable personal cost. I did so not in expectation of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but because I believed it was right. Those were choices I made freely, and I remain answerable for them.
By the same token, those I have supported are free to make their own choices now that circumstances are reversed. Some may speak; others may remain silent. Others may even deny our relationship or try rewriting history. Their reasons are their own, and I do not wish to judge them merely because their response differs from what others—or even I—might have expected.
Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships. What I learn in difficult times like the past few months may lead me, quietly and without regret, to reconsider the nature of certain relationships and what those that look up to me expect of them. That is neither reproach nor condemnation; it is simply part of seeing people, and life, more clearly.
I have no regrets, about standing by people or for causes when I believed it was right to do so, and I bear no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do the same for me. I would rather remain true to the principles that have guided my own conduct than allow the conduct of others to redefine them.
As for any injustice, ingratitude or injury done to me, I seek neither revenge nor retribution. Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter.
In the end, each of us must live with the choices we make, and posterity will render whatever verdict it sees fit. My only concern is to remain at peace with my conscience and, above all, with Almighty Allah.

Wike’s Rainbow Coalition: Uzodimma Has Seen This Movie Before

By
The Source
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0
Nyesom Wike and Hope Uzodimma

By Terence Onyejiaka

 

There is something almost eerily familiar about Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition.

 

Hope Uzodimma and the Progressive Governors’ Forum have warned about the contradiction inherent in an arrangement that promises to return President Bola Tinubu while reserving the freedom to defeat APC governors, senators, House of Representatives members and other APC candidates.

 

Wike’s response has increasingly supplied ammunition to that concern.

 

His proposition is essentially that support for Tinubu need not translate into support for APC candidates down the ballot. Politicians denied APC tickets may seek alternative platforms, contest against APC candidates and still belong to the broader political arrangement supporting the President.

 

Then came the extraordinary declaration that, “life or death,” Wike would never support Hope Uzodimma to become Senate President.

 

At that point, the debate ceased to be merely theoretical.

 

But there is a fascinating piece of political history that makes Uzodimma’s objection to this arrangement particularly noteworthy.

 

Hope Uzodimma has seen this movie before.

 

In 2003, the Alliance for Democracy controlled all six South-West states. The party did not field a presidential candidate and supported PDP President Olusegun Obasanjo for re-election.

 

The idea appeared politically sophisticated: cooperate at the presidential level while preserving AD’s interests beneath it.

 

Then the votes were counted.

 

The PDP took five of the six AD-controlled South-West governorships.

 

Ogun fell.

 

Oyo fell.

 

Osun fell.

 

Ondo fell.

 

Ekiti fell.

 

Only Lagos survived.

 

And the governor who survived was Bola Ahmed Tinubu — today’s President of Nigeria.

 

There remains historical disagreement over precisely what assurances were exchanged between Obasanjo and AD/Afenifere leaders, so it would be wrong to present every popular account of a “deal” as established fact.

 

But there is no ambiguity about what happened electorally.

 

AD went into that election controlling six South-West states and emerged controlling one.

 

And here is the detail that makes today’s controversy almost poetic:

 

Hope Uzodimma himself was an Alliance for Democracy governorship candidate in that very 2003 election.

 

He had left the PDP in late 2002 and contested the Imo governorship on the AD ticket against PDP Governor Achike Udenwa. The historical record is particularly solid because Uzodimma subsequently challenged the result, producing the Court of Appeal case Uzodinma v. Udenwa. The court record expressly identifies him as the AD candidate in the April 2003 Imo governorship election.

 

So when Uzodimma warns against a political arrangement under which APC delivers presidential support while opposition platforms are simultaneously available to fight APC candidates down the ballot, he is not approaching the concept as a political novice encountering cross-party electoral arrangements for the first time.

 

He was there in 2003.

 

Tinubu was there too.

 

One was an AD governor fighting for survival in Lagos.

 

The other was an AD governorship candidate fighting the PDP in Imo.

 

Both witnessed what happened to the party whose presidential strategy had become detached from the electoral fortunes of its candidates underneath.

 

That makes Wike’s Rainbow Coalition an extraordinary proposition to place before these particular political actors.

 

Two veterans of 2003 are being asked to revisit the logic of 2003.

 

And this time one of them is President of Nigeria while the other chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum.

 

The institutional question therefore becomes difficult to wave away as mere personal hostility toward Wike.

 

What exactly should an APC governor do when confronted with a coalition saying:

 

We will support your President, but we reserve the right to defeat your senators.

 

We will support your President, but we may support opposition candidates against your governors.

 

We will support your President, but APC aspirants who lose primaries may find alternative platforms and return to fight APC nominees.

 

And now, following Wike’s latest intervention:

 

We will support your President, but one potential future configuration of the Senate is important enough for me to declare that I will never support Hope Uzodimma as Senate President.

 

Whether Uzodimma actually intends to seek the Senate Presidency remains a separate question. Wike’s assertion does not establish Uzodimma’s motive.

 

But Wike has made something else clear: the composition of the next National Assembly matters to his political calculations.

 

And that is precisely where the governors’ concerns become more consequential.

 

A President does not govern with presidential votes alone.

 

He needs senators to confirm appointments and consider legislation. He needs the House of Representatives to pass budgets and enact laws. His party’s governors provide political organisation across the federation. State legislators and grassroots party structures complete that ecosystem.

 

You cannot systematically remove the bricks downstairs and insist that you are strengthening the building because you have promised to protect the penthouse.

 

That is the contradiction at the heart of the Rainbow proposition.

 

And 2003 supplies the cautionary tale.

 

History does not necessarily repeat itself. The political circumstances of 2027 are different from those of 2003, and the controversial conduct of the 2003 elections itself means the analogy should not be stretched beyond what the evidence supports.

 

But political history exists partly so that actors can recognise familiar risks.

 

The irony here is difficult to miss.

 

The APC President whom Wike proposes to support is the sole AD governor who survived the South-West political earthquake of 2003.

 

And the APC Governors’ Forum chairman challenging Wike’s strategy actually contested that same election as an AD governorship candidate.

 

Tinubu knows what happened.

 

Uzodimma knows what happened.

 

They did not read about it in a political-science textbook.

 

They participated in it.

 

So perhaps the most compelling response to the Rainbow Coalition is not complicated at all:

 

Mr President, we have seen this movie before.

 

The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum was in the cast.

 

And you, Mr President, were the only AD governor left standing when the credits rolled.

Onyejiaka is a Knight of St John International

Your Titles Will Not Shield You From Prosecution, EFCC Chairman, Olukoyede Warns Religious Leaders

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Ola Olukoyede - EFCC Chairman
Ola Olukoyede, EFCC Chairman

By Ayodele Oni

 

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Olanipekun Olukoyede, has revealed that there are several Pastors and Imams currently being prosecuted by the anti graft agency for corruption

 

According to him, EFCC case files contain instances of “pastor so-so-so” and “imam so-so-so” being indicted for financial crimes, adding that some had subsequently been convicted and imprisoned.

 

“And some of them have been convicted and they are in jail. And while in jail, they still refer to them as pastor and imam. So it is something for us to really think about.”

 

The EFCC chairman spoke at the 2026 Second Council Meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), held in Abuja with the theme, “Shared Sacred Flourishing in Nigeria”.

 

He expressed concern over the high number of individuals bearing religious titles who are being investigated and prosecuted for financial crimes.

 

Olukoyede revealed that the commission’s case files contained numerous cases involving persons described as pastors, imams and other religious leaders, with some already convicted and serving jail terms.

 

He said the situation has prompted him to question the continued use of religious titles as a shield or source of identity when individuals are accused of criminal conduct.

 

“I advocated for a review of the titles we give to men of God. Maybe, if it is possible for us to remove those titles, pastor and Imam. You know why? I have my case files full of these titles,” Olukoyede said.

 

Olukoyede suggested that religious leaders should be judged by their conduct rather than the titles they carry, adding that genuine men of God should be identified by their actions and commitment to doing what is right.

 

“People who carry the spirit of God, who do the right thing. Because the spirit of God is by their fruits, not their appearance. Not what we call ourselves. It’s by the fruit.”

 

The EFCC chairman illustrated his point with an encounter involving a suspect who was brought to the commission for investigation.

 

He said the suspect, upon being allowed to meet him, introduced himself using several religious titles.

 

“‘I am Reverend Dr Bishop…’ the suspect reportedly told him. I said, ‘Wait there, don’t bring that one here. Did you misappropriate money or not?’” he recounted.

 

According to the EFCC chairman, the suspect had allegedly misappropriated funds and was subsequently facing five charges.

 

He warned religious leaders that their positions would not protect them from investigation or prosecution if they get involved in financial crimes.

 

“So if you think you’re a Christian or you’re a pastor here, and you commit financial crime, I will be your enemy. I won’t be your friend,” Olukoyede said.

 

He called on religious leaders to demonstrate the values they preach by maintaining integrity and accountability, stressing that religious status should not be used to evade the law

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