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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to overturn a Federal High Court judgment that nullified its timetable for party primaries and candidate nominations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC filed a notice of appeal and a motion to stay execution of the ruling on Monday, May 25, insisting the lower court erred in law and jurisdiction.

Last week, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck down INEC’s deadlines — including timelines for political parties to conduct primaries and submit candidate names — saying the commission lacked statutory authority under sections 29, 82 and 84 of the Electoral Act to prescribe such dates.

INEC, through its counsel Alex Izinyon, SAN, argued the judgment was based on hypothetical and academic grounds, and failed to properly consider jurisdictional objections.

The appeal will test whether the electoral umpire can retain control over election scheduling or if the court’s ruling stands, a development likely to affect the pace and organisation of party primaries nationwide.

Ahmad Gumi, the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, has advised the federal government to consider granting amnesty to armed bandits.

Speaking during a press conference at his residence in Kaduna on Monday, Gumi said the country should adopt the same rehabilitation approach used for repentant Boko Haram members who surrendered to the military.

“These people (bandits) told us they are ready to lay down their arms, but what are their conditions? Has anybody listened to them?” Gumi asked.

“They said they fear when they lay down arms, they will then be pursued and arrested.

“So give them the amnesty so that they don’t need to fear putting down their arms and see. Let’s change the approach. Let’s change the methodology.”

“If the kinetic approach is not working for 17 years, why don’t you change the approach? Let’s change the method,” Gumi said.

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has told the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos that petroleum products from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE are sold at “significantly high and fluctuating market prices”, warning that granting the refinery’s requests could hand it monopoly control of Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector.

The national oil company stated this in a counter-affidavit in opposition to Dangote refinery’s originating summons in Suit No: FHC/L/CS/857/2026 before the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division.

Similarly, marketers under the aegis of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria supported the NNPC, saying competition must be allowed in the petroleum sector to prevent what it called price exploitation, saying multiple sources privy would bring about a reduction in fuel prices.

Dangote refinery had challenged the issuance of petrol import licences to marketers and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

NMDPRA recently approved licences for the importation of over 700,000 metric tonnes of petrol despite claims that the Dangote refinery now supplies more than 90 per cent of the nation’s daily PMS consumption.

The Dangote refinery had dragged the Attorney-General and the NNPC before the court, asking it to void import permits granted by the NMDPRA to fuel importers, arguing that the licences violated existing regulations and an earlier court order to maintain the status quo.

Dangote had accused the NNPC and others of sabotaging the $20bn investment, especially by denying it crude supplies and resorting to fuel importation when it has the capacity to produce what the country needs in terms of petrol, diesel, and others.

Responding, the NNPC said it would raise a preliminary objection challenging the competence of the suit and the refinery’s locus standi. “The plaintiff’s suit is premature; the plaintiff lacks locus standi,” the affidavit said.

The state oil company declared that Dangote refinery’s petroleum products were already expensive and subject to price swings dictated by commercial interests. “The plaintiff’s petroleum products are already sold at significantly high and fluctuating market prices, dictated by its commercial interests,” the company said.

NNPC accused the refinery of forum shopping, saying, ”The institution of multiple actions by the plaintiff in respect of substantially the same subject matter and reliefs constitutes an abuse of court process and amounts to forum shopping.”

The company argued that the Dangote refinery had earlier filed a similar action before the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024 against the NMDPRA and six others over import licences and levies before later withdrawing the case and instituting another action in Lagos.

NNPC maintained that there was no evidence showing the refinery could independently satisfy Nigeria’s petroleum product demand. “There is no credible, independent, or verifiable evidence before this honourable court establishing that the plaintiff presently satisfies the petroleum product demands of Nigeria,” NNPC argued.

The national oil company added that the refinery failed to provide independently verified evidence establishing the country’s actual daily consumption needs or proof of its ability to guarantee an uninterrupted nationwide supply.

The company stressed that fuel supply obligations go beyond refining capacity alone, as they necessarily involve logistics, strategic storage, product evacuation, distribution, haulage, transportation, and strategic reserve management.

NNPC warned that depending on a single operator for national fuel supply would endanger Nigeria’s energy security. “Reliance on a single supplier within the petroleum industry poses grave risks to national energy security,” it was stated.

The company added that restricting imports in the manner sought by the refinery could trigger severe supply crises nationwide. “Restricting importation channels in the manner sought by the plaintiff would expose Nigeria to severe risks of petroleum shortages, supply disruptions, price instability, distribution failures, and national energy crises.”

The company accused Dangote refinery of attempting to edge out other participants in the downstream supply chain. It warned that granting the refinery’s requests could create monopoly control in the petroleum sector.

 

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has deepened its longstanding relationship with the academic community and reaffirmed its commitment to innovation, youth empowerment, and nation-building by commissioning the UBA Innovation Hub and Business Office at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

The landmark facility was commissioned by the Group Chairman, UBA, Tony Elumelu, represented by Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, supported by other senior executives of the bank and members of the university leadership, led by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos.

The commissioning marks another defining chapter in the enduring relationship between UBA and one of Nigeria’s foremost institutions of higher learning. The project also reflects UBA’s historic connection with the University of Lagos and Nigeria’s education ecosystem. 

UBA was the first bank to establish a campus branch in Nigeria in the 1960s, pioneering financial inclusion and institutional banking support within the nation’s higher education environment.

Adding a personal dimension to the occasion, UBA Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, himself an alumnus of the University of Lagos, described the commissioning as both symbolic and strategic.

“Returning to my alma mater for this commissioning makes this moment particularly meaningful. Universities remain the birthplace of ideas, innovation, and future leadership. Through this investment, UBA is reaffirming its belief in young people and in the role institutions like the University of Lagos will continue to play in shaping Africa’s future.”

He added that UBA’s philosophy of empowering people and building institutions remains central to its growth agenda across Africa.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, who emphasised that Elumelu remains “a son of the university”, commended UBA for sustaining a relationship built on impact, innovation, and institutional support.

“The Group Chairman of UBA, Mr Tony Onyemaechi Elumelu, CFR, one of Africa’s most celebrated entrepreneurs and philanthropists, is, in the truest and most meaningful sense, a son of this University,” Ogunsola said.

Ogunsola continued, “The intellectual rigour, the ambition, and the broadness of vision that he would go on to demonstrate as he transformed a struggling bank into a pan-African institution of global stature, that fire was sharpened here.”

The newly commissioned four-floor complex has been designed as a shared platform that promotes collaboration between academia and industry. Under the arrangement, UBA will operate its dedicated Business Office within the facility, providing direct access to innovative banking services, financial advisory services, enterprise support, and engagement opportunities for students, faculty, and the wider university community. The remaining floors of the complex will serve broader institutional and developmental purposes for the University’s use.

Also speaking, UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, noted that the Innovation Hub and Business Office represent an intentional investment in talent, enterprise, and future economic transformation.

“UBA continues to create platforms that connect knowledge with opportunity. This facility will provide students and the university community access to ideas, networks, innovation support, and financial services that help unlock potential and prepare future leaders for a rapidly changing world,” he said.

In another major highlight of the event, the University of Lagos announced the renewal of UBA’s sponsorship and support for the Professorial Chair in Finance, further strengthening collaboration between academia and industry and advancing thought leadership, research, and professional excellence in financial studies.

Alawuba stressed that the UBA Professorial Chair remains the bank’s most enduring academic contribution.

“Our most enduring academic contribution remains the UBA Professorial Chair of Finance, established in January 1972 as the first-ever Finance Professorial Chair in a Nigerian university. It was designed to strengthen finance education, deepen banking research, and support thought leadership in Nigeria’s financial sector. I am pleased that the Executive Management of UBA has approved an additional ₦61.67 million to further strengthen the Endowment Fund for the Chair and sustain its work through the current professorship tenure.”

The commissioning of the UBA Innovation Hub and Business Office reinforces the bank’s broader mission of enabling sustainable development through strategic investments in education, entrepreneurship, technology, and human capital across Africa.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.

As Nigeria grapples with rising food inflation, malnutrition, and mounting pressure on household incomes, Nestlé Nigeria PLC has called for collaboration between government, industry, healthcare institutions, and development partners to drive sustainable nutrition and food system reforms. The company made the call at the 2026 Nestlé for Good Summit held in Lagos, where policymakers, healthcare […]

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The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has urged media and creative professionals to reject fake news and divisive narratives that could harm the unity of the country. Idris made this statement on Tuesday during the unveiling of the roadmap for the 50th anniversary celebration of the Radio, Television, Theatre, and Arts […]

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Civil society organisations and digital rights advocates have urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reconsider its restrictions on changing phone numbers linked to Bank Verification Numbers (BVN). They warn that this policy could hinder financial inclusion and violate data protection rights. During a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Mojirayo Ogunlana, the Executive […]

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have called for enhanced participation of workers in climate governance. They warn that the global transition to a green economy may exacerbate inequality and jeopardise livelihoods unless workers are actively involved in the development of climate policies and decisions.  This call was made during […]

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The Lagos State government has reaffirmed its commitment to the transition process towards a zero-waste economy through strategic partnerships, improved landfill operations, recycling initiatives, and waste-to-energy projects. The affirmation was made by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, during the 2026 ministerial press briefing of the seventh year in office of […]

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In a bid to halt milk importation, the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology (FCAH&PT), Moor Plantation, Ibadan and Friesland Campina Wamco Nigeria Plc, have empowered community livestock workers with skills in dairy production. The capacity-building training was held on the premises of FCAH&PT between May 11 and 22. Speaking with the Nigerian […]

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