NEWS
Amaechi Traces Electoral Flaws to Political Opposition
Nigeria’s former minister of transportation and a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, is of the opinion that opposition politicians should be held accountable for weak electoral processes.
He bared his mind at a public lecture in a video clip that trended on Friday, in which Amaechi said Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu “is not invincible.”
In his view, the opposition parties remained Nigeria’s main problem.
His remarks came amid the lingering internal crises rocking opposition political parties, which have splintered into factions and weakened their ability to mount a formidable challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
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As the infighting deepens, several opposition figures have accused President Tinubu and the APC of fuelling the crisis by sponsoring defections from their parties.
Amaechi, however, dismissed such claims, blaming the opposition for the country’s political woes.
“Tinubu isn’t invincible; the opposition is the problem. I don’t see him as invincible, The problem is the opposition,” the former Rivers State governor said.
He argued that opposition parties were consumed by ethnic and regional power calculations rather than conversations about governance and national renewal.
“I tell the opposition party that you’re the problem. Nobody’s saying, ‘Oh, things are bad. How do we change the candidate? Do you want to do one term or not one term?’ That’s all. Nothing else is discussed.
“So, while the elites are busy discussing how to get to power, the voters, the citizens, are helping the elites to achieve that objective,” he said.
Recall that in July 2025, the ADC emerged as the coalition platform adopted by opposition leaders seeking to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
Amaechi joined the party in July, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in November, while former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, joined on December 31.
The trio all made public their intentions of contesting the ADC’s presidential ticket.
In the trending footage, Amaechi also revealed that he has been holding meetings with political actors ahead of the 2027 polls.
“If you ask those who meet with me, they will tell you that I have been having meetings and talking to them about the possibility of winning the 2027 election,” he said.
Amaechi criticised the inability of past administrations to deliver meaningful electoral reform, citing the experience under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The problem with elections in Nigeria is that there is no incumbent government that can achieve electoral reform. None! Buhari tried it and failed. In fact, the National Assembly passed the law and dropped it on his table, and the man held his pen to sign,” he said.
He claimed that fears of foreign interference, including claims that “Russia will rig the election,” stalled the reform process.
“I wish I were there. I would have told him that everything has an antidote. So, if there’s a Russia, there’s an America,” Amaechi said.
He explained that efforts to amend the electoral law in 2019 were frustrated, but that Buhari became determined by 2023, viewing electoral reform as the legacy he wanted to leave behind.
However, Amaechi said entrenched interests ultimately blocked the reforms.
“When they got to the National Assembly, they did not come back. By the time they realised that they had omitted people like us who were automatic delegates by being former speakers, Buhari refused to sign.
“People around him made sure he did not sign it into law and got what they wanted. Now, those same people are back here, shouting electoral reform,” he said.
Drawing from his experience managing Buhari’s campaigns, Amaechi stressed the power of citizen mobilisation in safeguarding elections.
“We made it difficult for any Nigerian governor to go to his state and come out freely. Any day Buhari was coming to any state, the governor was on the run because the madness of the citizens chased them away,” he said.
Recalling incidents in Bauchi and Jos during the 2015 campaign, Amaechi said his team mobilised Nigerians to resist electoral manipulation, warning that any attempt to rig elections would provoke resistance.
“If you rig us out, you rig problem. As far as we were concerned, they were going to rig the election, so show them that there will be what? Fire. And the whole world knew there would be fire,” he said.
Amaechi also criticised voter apathy, stressing that citizens, not the government, hold the key to electoral reform.
“Government won’t give you electoral reform. The first solution to electoral reform is the people. Don’t be shouting electoral reform, electoral reform. You are the problem.
“The more you say they have written the result, the more you have voter apathy. Voter apathy will make Tinubu return to Aso Villa with 30-something per cent,” he warned.
He urged Nigerians to prioritise competence over regional or ethnic considerations in choosing leaders.
“Get the best material that can govern the country. If you say you want a president, make sure the president is qualified. The first qualification is that he must change the country when he becomes president.
“The second is that he must have the capacity to say, ‘I will be mad with you. You see, this election, all of us will die,’” Amaechi said.
He also cited opposition missteps in previous elections, including their inability to campaign in parts of the North due to extensive mobilisation by his team.
“Ask the PDP, could they campaign in Kano? They couldn’t. When they went there, what did they hear? ‘Bamaso, bamaso.’ Because we had mobilised Nigerians,” he said.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) to court over the oil major’s failure to account for approximately ₦5.9 billion expended its incorporation, transition and rebranding from the NNPC into NNPC Ltd.
According to the SERAP, the NNPC Ltd paid over ₦2.9 billion for incorporation expenses from petroleum product proceeds, while the National Petroleum Investment Management Services also charged a similar amount against the crude oil revenue for the same purpose, bringing the total to ₦5.9 billion.
Consequently, the organisation 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.”
It is also 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 utilised for the rebranding of NNPC to NNPCL.”
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The SERAP further asked 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.”
The order of mandamus is contained in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1248/2026 filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the NGO’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
Filed on behalf of the SERAP by its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo, the suit also noted that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts reportedly raised concerns over the expenditure described as incorporation and transition costs during the transformation process.
“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 SERAP noted.
The SERAP argued 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.
“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,
“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,” it said.
It added that, given the size of the expenditure, there is “an urgent need for a prompt, thorough, and transparent disclosure of the details surrounding the spending of the funds.”
It further stated that “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 SERAP added that the transformation of the national oil company from the NNPC to the NNPC Ltd followed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which required it to become a commercially oriented limited liability company fully owned by the federal government.
It also cited constitutional and international provisions, including Section 13 and Section 15(5) of the Constitution, as well as Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption and Article 21 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to support its arguments.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
The attention of the Osun State Government has been drawn to a statement by the Executive Director of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Professor Ishaq Akintola, accusing Governor Ademola Adeleke of marginalising Muslims in his administration.
The State Government in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi charged Professor Akintola to be guided by the Quran and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad in his engagement with the Osun State Government.
“We believe Professor Akintola acted on misinformation or he is actively an agent of misinformation. Governor Adeleke is a strong believer who relates well with people of all faiths, in line with the inclusive leadership example of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). His administration has appointed qualified Muslims to key positions.
For the record, Governor Adeleke appointed Alhaji Teslim Igbalaye as Secretary to the State Government and Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye, a student of Sheikh Kamaludeen Al-Adabiyy in Ilorin, as Chief of Staff. His Spokesperson is a known Mallam of Tijaniya extraction. The Commissioner for Information is alone a deep muslim of Al-Adabiyy extraction. Several other Muslims are also serving as commissioners and heads of agencies, alongside qualified appointees of other faiths.
This administration commenced construction of the Osun Hajj Camp, ending Osun’s status as the only Southwest state without one. The governor also approved a mosque in the Government House for Muslim staff.
We urge Professor Akintola to verify facts before going public, as admonished in Qur’an 49:6.
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He should also assess government performance using verifiable data on budget execution, debt management by the DMO, and healthcare, where Osun was rated best in the Southwest for primary healthcare in 2024 and 2025.
Elections should be about jobs, security, infrastructure, healthcare, and education, not identity politics.
“We expect MURIC to judge this administration by its record of service to all citizens, Muslim and non-Muslim alike”.
Rather than feign his political attack with religious coloration, Professor Akintola should be courageous to declare his partisan interest in the opposition APC and stop using religion to do hatchet job politics.
We challenge MURIC to openly condemn the shooting of law-abiding residents (Muslims and non Muslims) of the state by APC thugs in branded APC campaign vehicles in Ile-Ife, Akoda, Owode-Ede and Osogbo, to disprove the allegation that he’s been paid by the opposition to attack Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Rather than spreading baseless misinformation, we are also of the opinion that MURIC should be more interested in cases like the sudden addition of ‘Munirudeen’ to the names of the Osun APC Governorship candidate, a name which was missing from his primary, secondary and university certificates.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has explained the reason behind the suspension of the 2026 Batch B Stream I Orientation Course for prospective corps members deployed to Niger State.
In a notice shared on its official X account on Sunday, the scheme said the orientation exercise was put on hold due to ongoing renovation work at the state’s orientation camp.
According to the NYSC, the temporary suspension affects all prospective corps members (PCMs) posted to Niger State for the current orientation programme.
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“This is to notify the General Public and Prospective Corps Members (PCMs) deployed to Niger State for the 2026 Batch B Stream I Orientation Course that their Orientation Course Exercise is suspended for now due to ongoing renovation work at the Orientation Camp,” the statement read.
The scheme assured affected corps members that alternative arrangements would be communicated soon, noting that they would be informed of a new reporting date and venue once preparations are completed.
“PCMs affected should note that they will be contacted at a short notice on where and when to report for their Orientation Course,” the NYSC added.
The management also apologised for the inconvenience caused to both the prospective corps members and their parents.
“The Management regrets all inconveniences to the affected PCMs and their parents,” the statement said.
The suspension comes months after a devastating windstorm damaged critical facilities at the NYSC orientation camp in Paiko, located in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The storm reportedly affected several structures, including male hostels, the multipurpose hall, kitchen and staff quarters.
Following the incident, the Niger State Government commenced rehabilitation and renovation works aimed at restoring the camp’s infrastructure to a suitable condition for hosting corps members.
While the 2026 Batch B Stream I Orientation Course began nationwide on June 10 and is expected to conclude on June 30, corps members posted to Niger State will now have to await further directives from the NYSC regarding their orientation exercise.
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