General
Runners-Up Reject 2024 NBA Election Results
By Adedapo Adesanya
Following the declaration of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Afam Osigwe, as the president-elect of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), his opponents in the exercise have questioned the integrity of the process and called for an audit.
The first runner-up, Mr Tobenna Erojikwe, who reportedly polled 10,998 votes as against Mr Osigwe’s 20,435 votes, said he has “reasonable and well-informed basis to believe that the electoral process and the election were not credible or satisfactory”.
In a statement dated July 21, 2024, and personally signed by him, Mr Erojikwe noted that at three different times before the polls, he had cause to write to the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) to express concerns and highlight certain breaches and irregularities surrounding the election.
“My initial complaint centred on the opaqueness of the selection process for the election service providers and the lack of information to enable us to make a fully informed assessment of the shortlisted service providers. This call led to the ECNBA carrying out a fresh bidding exercise that resulted in the selection of Election Buddy”.
“By another letter dated 4 June 2024, I raised concerns about the provisions of the guidelines for the election set out in the NBA Constitution 2015 (as amended) which the ECNBA had obeyed in disobedience including the failure to provide voting guidelines and a voters’ list within the timeframe stipulated by the NBA Constitution.
“I repeated this call in my last letter of 19 July 2024, and it was not until 4 hours before the commencement of polls that the ECNBA published the full list of eligible voters in defiance of the provisions of Paragraph 9 of Part V of Second Schedule to the NBA Constitution which provides in mandatory terms that the ECNBA shall publish the full list of voters at least 45 (forty-five) clear days before the date of the election,” he noted.
Mr Erojikwe said if the breaches and irregularities were restricted to the process leading up to the elections, and the election was conducted in a credible manner, it might have been easier to overlook them.
He detailed about five areas where according to him the conduct of the election fell far short of expected technical standards and the spirit/intendment of the NBA Constitution including issues with live viewing of the election results, tallying errors, technicalities with a novel platform, data manipulation, and an extension in voting deadline.”
“The foregoing and more have demonstrated that the fears that I expressed in the build-up to the elections were not unfounded and the election process might have been manipulated to achieve a predetermined outcome,” he added.
Mr Erojikwe said for the above reasons, he is unable to accept the election result announced by the ECNBA and instead seeks an official audit of the election result in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph 8(c), Part 2, Second Schedule of the NBA Constitution.
He said this step has become necessary to ensure full faith and confidence in the electoral process within the NBA.
Similarly, Mr Chukwuka Ikwuazom (SAN), who was said to have polled 9,018 votes to emerge as the second runner-up, has requested access to critical information and documents related to the elections.
In a letter he signed and addressed to ECNBA chairman, Mr Oluseun Abimbola (SAN), Mr Ikwuazom said his request is “prompted by several concerning anomalies and irregularities observed during the electoral process”.
Mr Ikwuazom who had sensationally pulled out of the race during the elections, said he and his team observed four anomalies namely; identity theft of voters & potential double voting, Discrepancies in Vote Display and Update, Suspicious Vote Increase Patterns and Discrepancies in Vote Patterns.
He, therefore, made a formal request to be provided within 48 hours with full access to the server and application log files used during the election period, complete database records, including voter information and voting transactions among other information.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) recently hosted a high-level delegation from Newryton International Industrial Development Company Limited, a leading Chinese investment and industrial development consortium, to advance discussions on deepening bilateral trade, industrial cooperation, and development financing between both countries.
The Newryton delegation, led by Mr David Chen, Assistant Secretary-General of the China Hainan Investment Council, had earlier engaged with the Nigerian Association of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). They were accompanied to the NCSP by Mr Joe Onyuike, Vice-Chairman of NACCIMA’s Agriculture and Livestock Trade Group, who conveyed NACCIMA’s support for the delegation’s engagements.
Discussions centered on the establishment of a Nigeria–China Trade and Investment Platform, including a proposed Promotion Centre in China to support Nigerian products, investors, and state governments.
The consortium also presented opportunities within Hainan Province’s Free Trade Port (FTP), which offers preferential policies that Nigerian businesses can leverage to expand exports and attract new investments.
In his address on behalf of Newryton, Mr Pong outlined plans to collaborate with NCSP in accessing FOCAC-supported financing for strategic investments in agriculture, energy, mining, solid minerals processing, and related sectors. The delegation identified aquaculture as a key area of interest and referenced the forthcoming Global Aquaculture Conference in Hainan Province, encouraging Nigerian stakeholders to participate.
They also expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation in vocational training and employment under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Director-General, Martins Olajide, NCSP’s Head of Internal Operations, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships.
He highlighted NCSP’s strong interest in the proposed Nigeria–China Trade and Investment Platform and the development of the Nigerian Oil Palm Industrial Park as a flagship demonstration project.
Also speaking at the meeting, Ms Judy Melifonwu, NCSP’s Head of International Relations, underscored the opportunities presented by China’s zero-tariff policy and the forthcoming NAQS–GACC protocol on the export of Nigerian aquaculture products. She noted that these frameworks would significantly enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in emerging global markets.
Both parties expressed commitment to advancing discussions toward a structured cooperation framework covering all priority areas.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Kingdom–Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), established in 2019 as part of a 16-year legacy of UK-funded infrastructure support to Nigeria, convened over 100 senior stakeholders on Tuesday, December 2, to review its progress and formally close out its current phase of operations.
The event brought together representatives from federal and state governments, development partners, development finance institutions, and the private sector to reflect on UKNIAF’s work across the power, infrastructure finance, and roads sectors. Discussions focused on institutional reforms, capacity development, and the sustainability of tools and processes introduced over the past six years.
Since inception, UKNIAF has delivered targeted technical assistance designed to embed evidence-based reforms, data-driven decision-making, and improved institutional performance. Its interventions have mobilised significant financing, strengthened regulatory and planning systems, and enhanced investor readiness across multiple infrastructure markets.
In the power sector, participants highlighted landmark achievements including the development of Nigeria’s first Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines a least-cost and low-carbon pathway for expanding electricity supply. UKNIAF also supported the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in building advanced real-time data capabilities for tariff monitoring, grid management, and outage tracking. The programme enabled pioneering states to establish their own electricity markets following constitutional reforms.
In infrastructure finance, UKNIAF was recognised for strengthening project preparation systems and enabling access to capital. Notable accomplishments include supporting the mobilisation of $75 million from the African Development Bank to the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone (SAPZ) programme in two states, and accelerating mini-grid and solar deployment through improved technical standards at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
UKNIAF also designed a national project preparation facility, for which N21 billion was allocated in both the 2024 and 2025 budgets to build a pipeline of bankable projects.
Speaking on this, Mr Frank Edozie, UKNIAF Team Lead, described the programme’s close-out as a “handover for sustained delivery,” emphasising that strengthened institutions now hold tools that make Nigeria’s infrastructure landscape more transparent, climate-smart, and investor-ready.
On his part, the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, commended the programme, noting that its technical assistance and advisory services had helped lay the foundation for a sustainable and inclusive electricity supply industry.
Mrs Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Corporation at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Nigeria, praised the partnership, highlighting achievements ranging from state-level electricity market reforms to unlocking major financing and designing Nigeria’s Climate Change Fund.
Enugu State Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, underscored the lasting influence of the programme, stating that UKNIAF’s impact continues through the expertise and leadership transferred to national and sub-national institutions.
The close-out event reaffirmed stakeholders’ commitment to sustaining tools, reforms, and knowledge products developed under UKNIAF, while strengthening collaboration among public, private, and development actors in the infrastructure ecosystem.
Participants included federal and state agencies such as the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Federal Ministry of Power, Ministry of Finance, NERC, REA, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, alongside development partners including the African Development Bank, World Bank, and IFC, as well as private sector and civil society stakeholders.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The gantry price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, has been slashed by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The Lagos-based oil facility brought down the ex-depot price of the petroleum product by 15.58 per cent or N129 per litre to N828 per litre.
Though the company had yet to release an official statement on this development, real-time market data on Petroleumprice.ng on Friday showed the new price.
Punch reports that data from the platform also showed fresh reductions across several private depots following the refinery’s latest review.
Sigmund Depot cut its ex-depot price by N4 to N824 per litre, Bulk Strategic dropped its price by N3, and TechnoOil slashed its by N15.
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