Senate President, Godswill Akpabio’s defence of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) is fueled by selfish and ulterior motives, including the employment of his daughter in the national oil major.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole levelled the allegations the weekend, while speaking on ‘Mic On Podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye.

The former Edo State Governor accused the Senate president of acting outside established parliamentary procedures in the handling of a recent Senate resolution distancing the Upper Chamber from comments made by the senator during an ongoing investigation into the affairs of NNPC Ltd.

The altercation comes amid growing political manoeuvring within the Senate ahead of the 2027 election cycle, with speculation mounting over the future leadership of the National Assembly.

Oshiomhole maintained that Akpabio acted improperly, stressing that the former Akwa Ibom governor had a personal interest in the matter and sought to single him out over comments he made during a Senate committee investigation into the oil company’s operations.

The senator recalled that his remarks arose after remarks by a former NNPC Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Umar Ajiya, who accused lawmakers of wanting to push their own children for employment in the organisation, and stressing that they wouldn’t do so if the national oil company was rotten.

“I think the Senate president has personal interest…Somebody told me that the Senate president’s daughter was taken without going through the regular interview process. That is his own problem,” Oshiomhole said, insisting that his comments were made in his personal capacity as a senator and not on behalf of the Senate.

ALSO READ: Dangote Foundation Distributes Rice to Cement Host Communities in Ogun

The former labour leader also defended the controversial recommendation by a Senate committee that a warrant be issued for the arrest of former NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, over his failure to honour invitations to appear before lawmakers investigating audit issues concerning the company.
According to Oshiomhole, Kyari failed to respond to at least nine invitations by the committee and did not provide formal explanations for his absence.

He further stood by his widely criticised statement that Kyari should be brought before the committee “dead or alive”, maintaining that the comment was made within the context of verifying claims that the former NNPC boss was receiving medical treatment abroad and was not intended as a threat.

The senator said the committee had exhausted all available options before recommending a bench warrant and insisted that the power was backed by constitutional provisions governing legislative oversight.

Beyond the immediate controversy, Oshiomhole alleged that powerful interests routinely frustrate legislative investigations involving NNPC.

He recalled a senate committee established to investigate disputes between NNPC and the Dangote Refinery over crude oil supply arrangements, claiming that despite being constituted and approved by the Senate, the panel was never allowed to commence work.

According to him, journalists had warned committee members at the time that no investigation involving NNPC had ever been allowed to reach a logical conclusion, a prediction he said eventually proved correct.

“As we speak, I have not been removed as a member of that committee. That committee has not been dissolved, but that committee was never allowed to sit after all the issues raised…they move around in the night, and then the following day, everywhere is quiet. I don’t want to be part of that tradition,” he emphasised.

The senator suggested that the latest disagreement between him and Akpabio stemmed from efforts to shield the oil company and certain individuals from scrutiny.

Oshiomhole also rejected suggestions that most senators opposed his position, claiming that more than 80 per cent of members supported him and disagreed with the Senate president’s handling of the matter.

The former APC national chairman further hinted at a personal dimension to the dispute, alleging that Akpabio deliberately sought to portray him as a controversial figure.

On whether tensions were linked to growing discussions about the 2027 senate presidency and speculation that he could emerge as a contender for the position, Oshiomhole did not answer directly, but implied that Akpabio already saw him as a threat.

He maintained that leadership positions ultimately depended on divine providence and not political calculations.

Oshiomhole said the senators are complaining about Akpabio’s style of leadership privately, explaining that if the senate president had the chance he would lock him out of the Upper Chamber. “If Akpabio has his way, he would lock me out of the Senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I’m probably the devil he knows,” Oshiomhole stated.

The raging US-Iran war which has continued to put pressure on the global oil markets has compelled refiners and traders to rethink traditional supply routes.

Consequently, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals (DPRP), has increased its sourcing of crude oil from Nigeria.

The development is providing support for Nigerian crude grades while reinforcing the country’s push to process more of its oil domestically. It comes amid shipping and cargo delivery records that revealed a total of 1.83 million metric tonnes of crude oil from Nigerian production streams in May 2026.

The deliveries, made through the refinery’s offshore Single Point Mooring terminals, SPM-C1 and SPM-C2, involved 15 crude cargoes sourced from some of Nigeria’s biggest oil-producing assets. The crude grades supplied to the facility included Qua Iboe, Bonny Light, Bonga, Forcados, Utapate, Okwori and Odudu.

The increased reliance on domestic feedstock underscores the growing role Nigerian crude is playing in sustaining operations at Africa’s largest refinery at a time of heightened uncertainty in the international oil market.

According to Bloomberg, the DPRP has stepped up purchases of Nigerian crude as overseas buyers scale back acquisitions of some West African grades amid concerns over Middle East oil supplies.

The shift has reportedly helped strengthen premiums for Nigerian crude relative to Angolan grades, highlighting how geopolitical tensions are beginning to reshape long-established trading patterns.

The report read, “Nigeria’s massive Dangote refinery is boosting purchases of the country’s crude, helping to stem waning demand for grades from West Africa in light of uncertainty over the resumption of oil shipments from the Middle East.

“Dangote’s ramp-up in buying has boosted the price of Nigerian crude grades compared with those from Angola. The two countries make up the backbone of West Africa’s oil market but have seen premiums for their physical crude grades take different directions as the Iran war drags on.”

Beyond the immediate effect on crude pricing, the trend reflects a deeper transformation within Nigeria’s oil industry.
For decades, Nigeria exported most of its crude oil while depending heavily on imported refined petroleum products to meet domestic demand. The establishment of the $20bn DPRP was intended to reverse that trend by creating sufficient local refining capacity to process a significant share of the country’s crude output.

Now, with global energy supply chains under pressure from the Iran conflict and concerns over the security of key shipping routes, the refinery is emerging as one of the largest domestic buyers of Nigerian crude.

The development could help retain more value within the Nigerian economy through increased local processing while reducing the country’s exposure to volatile international fuel markets.

The refinery’s growing appetite for Nigerian crude comes at a time when it is expanding its operational capacity. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had processed 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day during a performance test, surpassing its official nameplate capacity of 650,000 barrels per day.

The feat marked the first time the facility had exceeded its installed capacity and further cemented its status as the largest refinery on the African continent. The company is also seeking to raise approximately $1bn through a private placement ahead of a planned public listing, in a move expected to value the business at about $39.1bn.

ALSO READ: SERAP Sues NNPC Ltd over ₦5.9bn Incorporation, Rebranding Expense

In addition, the refinery’s influence is increasingly extending beyond Nigeria’s borders. Exports of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel from the facility have expanded across African markets and into other international destinations, helping to reduce the continent’s dependence on fuel imports from Europe and the Middle East.

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.”

ALSO READ: Osun Accuses MURIC of Misinformation Campaign

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.