By David Torough, AbujaThe National Council of State has unanimously approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s 10-year tenure in October 2025.President Bola Tinubu presented Amupitan’s name at the Council meeting in Abuja on Thursday, describing him as apolitical and a man of integrity.

The appointment marks the first time a nominee from Kogi State and the North-Central geopolitical zone will occupy the top electoral position. Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, alongside other Council members, lauded the choice, describing Amupitan as a scholar of integrity and distinction.In line with constitutional requirements, Tinubu will forward the nominee’s name to the Senate for confirmation.Amupitan, 58, a Professor of Law at the University of Jos and Senior Advocate of Nigeria since 2014, is currently the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) and Pro-Chancellor of Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Osun State.He is an expert in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance, and Privatisation Law, and has authored several books in these fields.Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while acknowledging the appointment, urged Amupitan to demonstrate loyalty to Nigerians rather than to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party would give him the benefit of the doubt but charged him to restore public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.“He must understand that his loyalty is with the Nigerian people, not the government. This is his opportunity to make a name for himself or to soil his record with ignominy,” Abdullahi said.Similarly, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said Amupitan’s foremost challenge would be rebuilding confidence in INEC after recent controversies. The coalition urged him to prioritise transparency and impartiality ahead of the 2027 general elections.The Obidient Movement, in its congratulatory message jointly signed by its leaders Dr. Yunusa Tanko and Nana Kazaure, expressed optimism that Amupitan’s tenure would herald a new era of credible, free, and fair elections.“We look forward to a new electoral act that will enhance credibility and fairness in our polls,” the statement read.Relatedly, Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, also hailed the appointment, describing Amupitan as “a towering intellectual, patriotic Nigerian, and detribalised leader.”In a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, Mutfwang said Tinubu’s choice reflected merit and national balance, adding that the appointment recognised the North-Central zone’s contribution to national development.“With divine guidance and his wealth of experience, I am confident Professor Amupitan will serve with integrity and excellence,” the governor stated.Amupitan, who hails from Ayetoro Gbede in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is married with four children.If confirmed by the Senate, he will steer Nigeria’s electoral body through the next critical phase leading up to the 2027 general elections.Tinubu Grants Presidential Pardon to Herbert Macaulay, 174 OthersThe Council of State on Thursday approved the exercise of the presidential prerogative of mercy for 175 persons across various categories.The decision followed a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s recommendations based on the report of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, at Thursday’s Council of State meeting held at the State House, Abuja.Although the full names of the beneficiaries are yet to be published, our correspondent gathered that pardons were granted to one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay and former FCT minister in the Babangida regime, Maj-Gen. Mamman Vatsa (retd).Members of the Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four are also beneficiaries.“Herbert Macaulay and Vatsa are among the two major ones on that list,” a source who attended the meeting told our correspondent.Macaulay, often called the “father of Nigerian nationalism,” was twice convicted by the colonial authorities in Lagos.In 1913, while in private practice as a surveyor, he was tried for misappropriating funds from an estate he administered and sentenced to prison; historians have long debated the fairness of that prosecution.In 1928, after his Lagos Daily News published incendiary claims during the Eleko (Oba of Lagos) agitation, he was convicted of sedition in the so-called “Gunpowder Plot” case and jailed for six months with hard labour.Vatsa, a poet, former FCT minister and member of the Supreme Military Council, was executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, after a secret military tribunal convicted him of treason over an alleged coup against then military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, his childhood friend.The case has remained controversial for decades, with periodic calls for a posthumous pardon.Out of the 175 beneficiaries, 82 inmates were granted a full presidential pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state explained, “82 of the inmates were granted full pardon, 65 had their sentences reduced, while seven death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.“The decision underscores the President’s commitment to justice and correctional reform.”The meeting, chaired by President Tinubu, also ratified key appointments, including Dr. Aminu Yusuf from Niger State as Chairman of the National Population Commission and Tonge Bularafa as Federal Commissioner representing Yobe State in the Commission. Both appointments received unanimous approval.

The Federal Government has declared that the commissioning of the $400 million Otakikpo Oil Export Terminal in Rivers State will ease crude evacuation challenges and boost Nigeria’s oil export capacity.Located in Ikuru Town, Andoni Local Government Area, the facility has a capacity of 365,000 barrels per day and is the first onshore oil terminal built in Nigeria in 50 years.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, described the project as a major milestone in the nation’s effort to improve crude oil production and export infrastructure. He said the terminal would also serve as an evacuation route for crude from Ogoniland and nearby fields.“This project aligns with our administration’s core priorities to ramp up oil production, expand export infrastructure, and promote indigenous investment under the PIA and Presidential Directives 40 and 41,” Tinubu said. “The terminal will unlock billions of barrels of reserves and create value for the economy.”Chairman and CEO of Green Energy International Limited (GEIL), Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, said the project was conceived, designed, and delivered entirely by Nigerians within two years and ahead of schedule.He explained that the terminal has a storage capacity of 750,000 barrels, expandable to three million barrels, and a pumping capacity of 360,000 barrels per day. Since operations began in June 2025, over one million barrels of crude have been exported through the facility.Adegbulugbe added that the terminal could unlock more than 40 stranded oil fields in the region, holding about three billion barrels of reserves, potentially adding 200,000 barrels per day to national output.Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Chief Executive, Gbenga Komolafe, described the project as a breakthrough for indigenous players. He noted that the terminal provides an alternative export hub, reduces dependence on aging terminals, lowers costs for local producers, and enhances Nigeria’s overall crude evacuation efficiency.

By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday launched twin investigations into two major public finance controversies — the alleged mismanagement of over $18 billion spent on the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries and the suspected financial irregularities within the National Examination Council (NECO).

The decision followed the adoption of separate motions during plenary, reflecting the lawmakers’ growing concern over persistent corruption, opacity, and fiscal indiscipline across key government institutions. In one motion sponsored by Hon. Sesi Oluwaseun Whingan, the House resolved to probe why the nation’s three refineries — Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have remained comatose despite massive government investments and repeated promises of revival spanning more than two decades.Whingan described the situation as a “monumental waste of public funds” and a “betrayal of public trust,” noting that despite claims of turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation projects, none of the refineries currently produce a single drop of refined petroleum.He recalled that in 2007, private investors, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, had acquired the refineries under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration — a deal later reversed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in favour of government-led repairs that have produced no tangible results.The lawmaker cited statements by both Obasanjo and Dangote, who recently declared the refineries unviable, as well as remarks by NNPC Limited’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, who hinted at the possible sale of the assets.Consequently, the House directed its Committees on Gas Resources, Public Assets, and Petroleum (Upstream, Midstream, and Downstream) to investigate all funds appropriated and disbursed for refinery rehabilitation between 2010 and 2024 and identify individuals or agencies responsible for mismanagement. The committees are to report back within four weeks.In a separate motion moved by Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, the House also resolved to investigate NECO over alleged unauthorised virements, questionable budget implementation, and misuse of internally generated revenue between 2023 and 2025.Ogah warned that such actions, if proven, constitute a breach of Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and an affront to the oversight authority of the National Assembly. He stressed that as a revenue-generating agency, NECO must maintain transparency and accountability in all financial dealings and remittances to the Federation Account.The House subsequently mandated its Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies to scrutinise NECO’s financial records, including its IGR performance, budget implementation reports, and bank statements for the specified period. The committee is to report back within three weeks.With both investigations underway, the House reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing fiscal discipline, restoring public confidence, and ensuring that all agencies of government remain fully accountable for the funds entrusted to them.