General
Kogi PDP in Crisis as Aidoko Opens Parallel Atiku Campaign Office
All seems not to be too well with the Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) going by the feelers reaching us.
It was gathered that the main issue is an alleged move by Senator Attai Aidoko, the PDP Senator representing Kogi East District at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, to set up a parallel campaign body for the Atiku/Obi presidential campaigns towards 2019 elections.
Sources hinted that the PDP 2019 Presidential Campaign Council led by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had mandated Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, a former governor of Kogi State and also the leader of the party in the state to set up the presidential campaign body but this did not go down well with Senator Aidoko who felt the former governor is not in support of his return to the senate in 2019.
Alhaji Idris and the entire leadership of the PDP In Kogi East are said not to be pleased with the unusual manner through which Senator Aidoko emerged as the senatorial candidate of the PDP in Kogi East district and his lack of regard for genuine reconciliation.
“As it is, no one is pleased with the manner Senator Aidoko emerged as the senatorial candidate of the PDP in Kogi East. Even worse is his proud disposition that Party members must be loyal without question” a source noted.
Senator Aidoko, we learnt is said to have allegedly perfected plans make himself the Director-General and install his aides into the presidential campaign council in the state just so that he can ride the Atiku-wave considering his lack of acceptance by majority of Part faithfuls and the electorates.
As it stands, if the situation is not masterfully and properly managed, the PDP would be worse for it as Party members are poised to either defect or ply the fifth columnist if Aidoko gets his way. He is said to ride on the experience of his godfather, Dr. Amodu Ali, who is determined to politically obliterate Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.
Speaking in that light, a major stakeholder in Kogi East, stated expressly that, “Aidoko thinks all Igala people are either fools or PDP members. How many Igala people are members of political Parties? In the end it comes to the electorate who have severally rejected him and would reject his Party if need be. Let me tell you, we are not so interested in the Party this time after-all, most of them were at one point members of an opposition party and the heavens did not fall”.
Some respected stakeholders of the PDP in the state are already crying blue murder, stressing that the sinister arrangement by Senator Aidoko is without regard or respect for other party stakeholders and such, may sink the PDP in the state.
Senator Aidoko is said to have been enraged by an intelligence report that revealed that his Party members are not with him in this occasion and were just playing ball with him, leading him on t get their “own share” from him before ditching him at the polls. It will be recalled that a few weeks ago, Aidoko appreciated the Divisional Party Chairmen of the PDP in the nine local government areas of Kogi East. He also expressed gratitude to the Youth and women leaders with “keke Napep” and a few elders with cash gifts. The situation enraged those who didn’t benefit from the bazaar and such have constituted the real threat to his ambition from within.
There’s also the issue of the many others who have been at the receiving end of his multitude of court cases who are still in the PDP but determined to have the last laugh. In the end, it is left to see if Aidoko’s onslaught on the Ibro political family and the huge support he enjoys from the former National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Amodu Ali, will translate into electoral victory in a State where the PDP is not the ruling Party.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
