A coalition of demonstrators, operating under the banner of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption (CCAC), staged a protest on Tuesday at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, urging the Attorney General of the Federation to initiate an immediate investigation into the tenure of Mele Kyari, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The protesters, led by Comrade Kabir Matazu, voiced frustration over what they described as government inaction following Kyari’s removal along with the NNPCL board by President Bola Tinubu on April 2, 2025.

Despite the high-profile dismissals, Matazu noted, “no step has been taken to investigate alleged corrupt practices under Kyari’s leadership.”

The group raised serious concerns over alleged financial irregularities related to the rehabilitation of government-owned refineries, asserting that billions of dollars were spent with minimal transparency.

Also at the center of the protest was a purported $2 billion debt the NNPCL allegedly owes Matrix Energy, which, according to CCAC, is being repaid through daily crude oil allocations.

“It is on record that this sack of the erstwhile corrupt leadership of the NNPCL drew applause from Nigerians, especially groups like our, which had been at the forefront of demanding accountability and transparency in the running of institutions,” Matazu stated.

“It is also of note that in Mele Kyari, the leadership of the NNPCL was plagued with countless and endless allegations of corruption due to what was described as a lack of transparency,” he added.

According to the group, Nigerians remain dissatisfied with the current approach.

“Nigerians are disenchanted that the President has only stopped at removing the former leadership without taking steps to investigate how Kyari and his team ran the organisation.”

Referring to allegations surrounding the refineries, Matazu said “In this regard, a sore point is the alleged fraud surrounding the rehabilitation and the restreaming of the government-owned refineries. The figures and the facts simply do not add up.

“In addition to the billions of dollars that the Kyari-led administration claimed to have spent on fixing the refineries, it also claimed that an oil company, Matrix Energy Limited, invested $400 million in the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery. This is even as the Federal Executive Council had approved $1.5 billion for the repairs of the same facility.”

The group pointed out contradictions and raised several critical questions about the NNPCL’s financial dealings.

“But there are even more perplexing issues emerging. The NNPCL is now reportedly owing Matrix Energy more than $2 billion. This debt is being serviced through daily crude oil allocations to Matrix Energy that are not being paid for.

“There are consequently posers that require urgent clarifications. Why and how is the Federal Government, through the NNPCL, owing Matrix Oil $2 billion? Why is the debt being paid with a daily supply of crude oil? Who were the parties to the negotiations of this deal? Why are Nigerians being kept in the dark?”

According to the CCAC, resolving these questions is essential to ensuring accountability.

“The Concerned Citizens Against Corruption strongly believes that getting to the root of this matter will help the Federal Government to account for how public resources were spent on the controversial refineries’ repairs undertaken under the Kyari leadership.

“An investigation into the questionable transactions would also point the government in the direction of what funds to recover and from whom, which is sorely needed now considering Nigeria’s economic condition.”

The group emphasized that a full-scale probe would not only expose past misdeeds but also act as a preventive framework.

“Furthermore, investigating all that transpired will set the stage for holding even the current leadership accountable while equally identifying potential pitfalls for those who are now in charge so that Nigeria is not caught in a loop of repeating the same mistakes.”

In their formal petition to the Attorney General, the protesters demanded a review of all contracts and agreements entered into by the NNPCL under Kyari’s leadership.

“In view of the foregoing, the Concerned Citizens Against Corruption calls on the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation to immediately review all agreements entered by the NNPCL under the Mele Kyari administration.

“This investigation should find out how much the Federal Government has lost to such agreements and recommendations on to recover identified funds. We demand for an immediate judicial review,” they wrote.

In addition, the group called for a commission of inquiry to examine the awarding and execution of refinery rehabilitation contracts under the ousted board.

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has declared that the party will not allow itself to be hijacked by former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, or any other opposition leader for personal vendettas against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking during the 50th birthday celebration of his wife, Queen Lillian Adebayo, on Monday night in Abuja, Adebayo stated that the SDP is not a platform for political conspiracies or personal revenge.

“Of course, my party knows that I’m running for the 2027 election. As for the coalition, we are listening to them. We don’t want to be a getaway car for a conspiracy and robbery we did not plan. That’s not available.

“If the coalition is for the Nigerian people, the SDP is available. But if it is just a crime centre for disappointed Tinubu followers, they should go back to him and resolve their differences there. Don’t come to SDP to borrow us for a fight we are not involved in,” he said.

His remarks come amid growing speculation surrounding El-Rufai’s departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC), a party he helped establish.

Adebayo also used the opportunity to call on President Tinubu to overhaul the country’s security strategy in light of the ongoing killings in Benue, Plateau, and other regions.

On the sidelines of the event, former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, also weighed in, criticizing the emerging opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“I support coalitions and opposition. But not the kind that has people like El-Rufai. When the time comes, the moment they are offered what they want, they will go back to where they came from.

“The APC was a coalition. Did you forget? The people who are asking to form another coalition were former APC members. In fact, most of them were Buhari cabinet members who are supposed to be in prison forming a union of prisoners, not coalitions,” Sowore said.

Also speaking, Hon. Femi Olaniyi Ferrari, Chairman of the Forum of SDP State Chairmen and SDP Lagos Chairman, highlighted the SDP’s role in offering solutions to Nigeria’s pressing issues.

“We can all understand what Nigerians are going through. We asked for change, but the change has shortchanged us,” he said.

The National Assembly has extended its recess, pushing the resumption of plenary sessions from April 29 to May 6, 2025.

The delay comes amid increasing concerns over insecurity across several parts of Nigeria.

In a statement released yesterday by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, the extension was attributed to the need for lawmakers to observe the upcoming Workers’ Day activities in their respective constituencies.

“I am directed to inform distinguished senators, honourable members and the general public that the two Houses of the National Assembly have extended the date for the resumption of plenary sessions from Tuesday, April 29, 2025, to Tuesday, May 6, 2025,” Ogunlana announced.

While the reason given is ceremonial, the extension coincides with intensifying security challenges affecting various states, including Benue, Borno, and Plateau, prompting concerns about the government’s priorities.

Reacting to the development, the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) issued a strong statement urging Nigeria’s political class to shift their attention from the 2027 general elections to addressing the rising tide of insecurity threatening the country’s stability.

NPSA President, Prof. Hassan Saliu, speaking on behalf of the association in a statement titled ‘The Alarming State of Insecurity in Nigeria’, lamented the deteriorating safety conditions and growing fear among citizens.

According to Saliu, “Nigerians living in Benue, Borno, Plateau and other states in recent weeks were living in fear.”

He further noted, “Before now, the general feeling, especially among government officials, was that the country was on the path to subduing insecurity,” but expressed regret that “things were getting worse.”

Prof. Saliu attributed the rising insecurity to various complex factors such as poverty, religious extremism, lack of governance in some areas, and inter-group tensions.

However, he identified the primary driver as the prevailing exclusionary political system.

He stated, “The main cause of insecurity was the exclusionary politics that ignored the masses.”

Saliu criticized the political elite for focusing on the 2027 elections while failing to address the immediate danger posed by insecurity.

“Rather than concentrate energy and attention on tackling the increasing wave of insecurity, the political class is fixated on the politics of 2027,” he observed.

Emphasizing the broader consequences of inaction, he warned that the persistent insecurity could deter foreign investment.

“No foreign investor would put their money where insecurity is becoming a way of life,” Saliu said.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria and prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has responded to recent criticisms from Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, describing him as “the only Life Bencher in Nigeria who has never handled a case in any trial or appellate court.”

Falana’s remarks were in reaction to Wike’s media tirade, in which the minister accused him of misrepresenting a Supreme Court ruling on the defection of 27 lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Wike further derided Falana as “a television lawyer” and suggested he had lost the case in question.

In a statement titled “I Did Not Lie Against the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” Falana dismissed Wike’s claims, saying “It is no crime for a lawyer to lose a case in court. Only a corrupt lawyer wins all cases in all courts.”

The senior advocate explained that although he frequently appears before courts across Africa, he had previously refrained from engaging Wike out of respect for public discourse.

However, following Wike’s latest comments at an FCT press briefing, Falana said he felt obliged to reply.

According to him, Wike had misrepresented his comments on the Supreme Court’s stance.

Falana clarified that he merely noted the apex court had addressed the defection issue suo motu—on its own accord—while a related case was still pending before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

He also emphasized that contrary to Wike’s assertions, “there is video and affidavit evidence confirming the lawmakers’ defection to the APC.”

“It is public knowledge that Mr. Wike celebrated the Supreme Court judgment with a thanksgiving service. Yet, he attacks me for commenting on the same ruling,” he added.

Falana invoked his right to critique judicial decisions, citing both Section 39 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

He accused Wike of trying to “incite the judiciary against him with baseless allegations,” and challenged the minister to file a complaint with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee if he believed there was professional misconduct.

“Unlike Mr. Wike who insults judges when rulings don’t align with his politics, I’ve always critiqued court decisions with respect and good faith,” he said.

He drew attention to the views of respected jurists like the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa and former Chief Justice Tanko Muhammad, who, according to him, supported critical engagement from legal practitioners.

Falana also raised concerns over the Supreme Court’s current position on defection, which now requires producing a political party’s register.

He warned this could encourage “unpatriotic politicians” and institutionalize “political prostitution.”

“In the interest of political stability and national morality, I urge the Supreme Court to continue to uphold its earlier positions in cases like Attorney-General of the Federation v. Abubakar and Dapialong v. Dariye,” he said.

He concluded by stating that Wike’s attacks had failed in their “desperate bid to incite the Justices of the Supreme Court” and called for an end to the minister’s attempts to position himself as the judiciary’s unsolicited spokesperson.