The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has faulted ENI’s planned onshore asset divestment deal with Oando.

The National Oil Company said in a letter that its consent as a member of the joint venture member operating ENI’s onshore asset, was not obtained before the planned divestment to Oando.

This, the NNPCL stated, was against contract rules governing the joint venture operation, and could affect the deal.

In a letter to the Managing Director of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd, dated September 4, the NNPCL said if the deal goes through, it would have far-reaching contractual/legal implications in relation to the joint Operating Agreement dated July 1991 governing the operations of the NAOC/NEPL/OOL Joint venture.

The letter was signed by Ali Muhammed Zarah, Managing Director of NNPC E&P Limited.

Recall that Italian oil major Eni issued a press release saying that it had signed an agreement with Oando, an energy solutions provider listed on both the Nigerian and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, for the sale of all its stake in Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd (NAOC Ltd), a wholly-owned subsidiary focusing on onshore oil & gas exploration and production in Nigeria, as well as power generation.

But the NNPC Ltd argued that by virtue of the agreement, a party seeking to transfer part or the whole of its participating interest in the Joint Venture is obligated to seek the prior written consent of the other parties, especially since it controls 60 percent of the stake.

The letter reads, “Clause 19.11 of the JOA provides that “No party may assign or transfer its interest or any part thereof without the prior written consent of the other parties, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld,”

“We have highlighted the above provisions of the JOA to underscore the point that the purported assignment, even if valid, should by no means translate to transfer of operatorship to OOL. if NAOC’s divestment turns out to be valid, it will be incumbent on NEPL and OOL to decide on a successor operator,”

The NNPC Ltd in the letter, said the failure to obtain the written consent of its NEPL, its subsidiary that handles upstream operations constituted a “grave breach of the terms of the JOA, and NEPL reserves its rights in relation to the said breach.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his Victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).

Tinubu was on March 1, 2023, declared winner of the February 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But not satisfied with the outcome of the election, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) filed separate petitions at PEPC, challenging the declaration of Tinubu as the duly elected president of Nigeria.

However, in a consolidated judgment on Wednesday, Justice Haruna Tsammani who led a five-man panel of the tribunal, dismissed the petitions for lack of merit.

The tribunal said Obi, Atiku and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), failed to prove allegations in their respective petitions seeking to overturn the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate’s victory.

Reacting to the court verdict, Sanwo-Olu said now that the election and the results have been upheld by the court, he hopes that Atiku and Obi would do the needful.

According to him, Tinubu and members of the APC across the country worked very hard for their victory at the February poll, noting that today’s PEPC’s decision is an affirmation of the will of over eight million Nigerians who voted for Tinubu as their choice.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, which was made available to THE WHISTLER, Sanwo-Olu said Nigerians had spoken through the ballots and the court has also validated the citizens’ decision by today’s judicial pronouncements.

He said: “What we are witnessing today is the beauty of democracy and the rule of law. We had an election in February this year where over eight million Nigerians voted to elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We ordinarily thought that the losers should have displayed the good spirit of sportsmanship by congratulating the winner (President Tinubu) but they chose to contest the election results, which is within their rights. Now that election and the results have been upheld by the Court. I hope they will do the needful.

“I congratulate the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu on his well-deserved victory at the Presidential Election Tribunal Court.

“I also congratulate the leadership and members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, and all Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora on this very landmark judicial victory.”

Sanwo-Olu enjoined Nigerians across party divide to team up with the president to deliver the real dividends of democracy to Nigerians through the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the incumbent administration, adding that Wednesday’s judicial verdict is a victory for democracy and the rule of law.

The Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja has described the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as being “clever by half” in his petition seeking to upturn President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

Atiku and his party had urged the presidential tribunal to deduct “irregular votes” from the 2023 presidential election results declared in favour of President Tinubu by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Yakubu Mahmood, in the 2023 election.

The PDP candidate had presented a statistician and forensic examiner, Samuel Oduntan, as part of his witnesses.

Oduntan claimed that he studied the polling unit results from across the federation, alongside 6 team members and discovered irregular votes across the states, including those won by the PDP.

But under cross-examination by Tinubu and Shettima’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun SAN, the witness admitted that he did not attach pictorial samples of any of the INEC forms he referred to in his report.

Justice Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo declared that Atiku’s assertions are “vague” as the reports by his witness did not state the actual votes he scored and the affected polling units in dispute.

The judge ruled that the petitioners were “clever by half” because they never gave any credible details on Tinubu’s alleged non-qualification.

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has reacted to the outcome of petitions challenging President Bola Tinubu’s victory at the presidential election petitions tribunal.

The tribunal affirmed President Tinubu as the winner of Nigeria’s February 25 presidential poll.

Ganduje in a statement he personally signed hours after the tribunal’s verdict urged the Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Peter Obi, to accept the verdict

He described the judgement as thorough, having addressed all the issues raised by the petitioners.

The APC National Chairman described the verdict as an accurate representation of the presidential election, expressing confidence that President Tinubu’s administration will fulfil its electoral promises to revitalise the country and achieve desired growth and progress.

Ganduje further noted that the decision by the PDP and LP presidential candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, to contest President Tinubu’s victory in the tribunal demonstrated their trust in the nation’s judicial system.

“I had no doubt whatsoever in my mind that the President would come out victorious, considering the massive support Nigerians gave him and our party the APC before and during the Presidential Election.

“May I also congratulate the Nigerian Judiciary for adjudicating on the issues arising from the presidential election without fear and favour by doing the right thing. With this judgment, a precedent has been set for electoral matters in the country.

“The judgement attests to the fact that the rule of law would always reign supreme and our hard-earned democracy would further continue to blossom beyond limits.

“For the opposition, I urge you to accept the verdict of the tribunal. There would always be another round of elections whereby you can test your popularity and acceptability from the electorates. Once more, I congratulate President Tinubu, our teeming supporters who stood by the party through thick and thin,” said Ganduje.

ONE of the founding members of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has stated that as a Buharist that had experienced the pain of losing post-election litigations, he fully understood the grief of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) members at the outcome of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC)’s judgment.

Okechukwu, who spoke to journalists in Abuja shortly after the PEPT delivered its judgment, noted that although the main opposition PDP had bright chances of bouncing back through the 2023 presidential election, the political greed of the party’s candidate, His Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, denied the party victory.

  He noted that while he sympathises with PDP, LP and APM, the petitioners, particularly supporters of PDP and LP should not blame the PEPC but His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubukar, whose hubris and greed combined to deny them victory. 

  Okechukwu also noted that Atiku’s failure to rise to the golden opportunity and play as a statesman by throwing support for his erstwhile running mate Peter Obi or any other Southern presidential candidate divided the opposition party, adding, “Atiku dealt PDP a huge blow from which it might be difficult to recover.”

He dismissed claims that the petitioners had maintained that President Bola Tinubu was not qualified to run and allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the election as well as the failure to electronically transmit results in real time were fatal to the respondents’ case. 
“Those intricate webs could have been resolved if Atiku had obeyed the zoning convention, supported Peter Obi or any other Southern presidential candidate it could been simply an all southern bout. The Wike Masquerade couldn’t have emerged. That would have meant that the bulk of votes he garnered could have been credited to PDP. 
   “Atiku divided PDP’s votes irreparably, all the votes Labour Party garnered were from the party’s stronghold, minus voted warehoused by the former Vice President who naively forgot that northern voters are one of the most sophisticated in the country, but believed that northern electorate would behave like children in a dormitory waiting for directives on how to vote,” he declared.

Okechukwu, who is also the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (DG, VON), remarked that President Tinubu deserves accolades for rescuing the zoning convention which guarantees equity, and natural justice between the north and south.
   He stated: “First and foremost, let me congratulate President Tinubu, for rescuing the zoning convention, a ligament binding north and south from unprecedented assault.
   “To be honest, my take is that the opposition lost the election that day in 2022, when His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar trampled on the presidential zoning convention, which governed the 4th Republic Nigeria and was also embedded in his party’s Constitution.

“Recall that Atiku earned accolades when he stormed out of PDP Convention in 2014 in protest that President Goodluck Jonathan was breaching the zoning convention. And, in 2018, Governor Nyesom Wike hosted PDP Convention in Port Harcourt and ensured that only northern presidential aspirants contested for the presidential ticket as a way of honouring the zoning convention.
   “So, it is obvious that when Atiku sacrificed statesmanship on the altar of narrow political ambition, one concluded that he had wittingly or unwittingly fatally wounded the fabric of PDP. And, going by the time worn cliché, a divided house cannot stand, Nigerians should recognise that Atiku by his greed denied PDP a possible victory.” 

On the way forward, the APC chieftain suggested the promulgation of a revised Electoral Act that will resolve all evident ambiguities, by enthroning mandatorily only electronic accreditation and transmission of results. 
“I subscribe to the idea that we should totally abolish manual collation of results and make electronic transmission of results mandatory. We also need to return to the popular Justice Uwais Handbook on Electoral Reform, which among other fine democratic tenets recommended how best to transparently recruit the INEC Chairman, Commissioners and sundry officials.

“With these altercations, Election Petitions will definitely be concluded before swearing-in of winners. Let us not forget that our democracy has witnessed tremendous advancement and keep in mind the fact that democracy is not a revolution, but a work in progress,” Okechukwu submitted.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, has assured Nigerians of his renewed and energized focus on delivering his vision of a unified, peaceful and prosperous nation, following the judgment by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.

President Tinubu welcomes the judgment of the Tribubal with an intense sense of solemn responsibility and preparedness to serve all Nigerians, irrespective of all diverse political persuasions, faiths, and tribal identities.

The President recognizes the diligence, undaunted thoroughness, and professionalism of the five-member bench, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani in interpreting the law.

The President affirms that his commitment to the rule of law, and the unhindered discharge of duties by the Tribunal, as witnessed in the panel's exclusive respect for the merits of the petitions brought forward, further reflects the continuing maturation of Nigeria’s legal system, and the advancement of Africa's largest democracy at a time when our democratic system of government is under test in other parts of the continent.

The President believes the Presidential Candidates and Political Parties that have lawfully exercised their rights by participating in the 2023 general elections and the judicial process, which followed, have affirmed Nigeria’s democratic credentials.

The President urges his valiant challengers to inspire their supporters in the trust that the spirit of patriotism will now and forever be elevated above partisan considerations, manifesting into support for our Government to improve the livelihood of all Nigerians.

Once more, President Tinubu thanks Nigerians for the mandate given to him to serve our country while promising to meet and exceed their expectations, by the grace of God Almighty, and through very diligent hard work with the team that has been put in place for that sole purpose.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 6, 2023

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Adewole Adebayo has urged the Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates, Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar respectively to concede defeat at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

He called on both Atiku and Obi to congratulate President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on Wednesday regarding the ongoing judgement of the presidential tribunal in the suits challenging Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 elections as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Adebayo submitted that both Obi and Atiku presented weak petitions.

The SDP candidate hinted that he is not surprised about the turn of events unfolding at the tribunal.

Taking to the X platform, formely known as Twitter, Adebayo wrote: “I am not supposed to gloat that I told you so. Today’s judgments dismissing weak petitions are sound in fact and law, in substance, procedures, and conform to the Constitution, Electoral Act and established precedents.
@PeterObi, @atiku should congratulate @officialABAT.”

Super Falcons star striker, Asisat Oshoala has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or women’s player of the year award following her impressive season with FC Barcelona Femini in the Spanish League and the Super Falcons of Nigeria.

Oshoala, who is the reigning Africa women’s player of the year, scored 21 goals in just 28 games to lead FC Barcelona to the 2022/23 Spanish league title and was the Spanish club’s top-scorer with 27 goals in all competitions.

The 28-year-old was instrumental as Barcelona retained their domestic title and won the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

The two-time Champions league winner was also nominated for the award in 2022 as she became the first female African player to get the Ballon Dór nomination, finishing in the 16th position among the shortlisted 30 players.

At the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Oshoala made history as the first Nigerian and first female African player to score at three different editions of the FIFA World Cup.

The Super Falcons star scored in her debut World Cup in 2015 against Sweden; in 2019 against South Korea; and now in 2023 against Australia.

She scored the winning goal in the 3-2 win over co-hosts Australia in the group stage and led the Super Falcons of Nigeria to an impressive round of 16 finish.

Nigeria crashed out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing 4-2 on penalties to eventual finalists—the Lionesses of England in the Round of 16.

The nine-time African champions were unbeaten in the group stage finishing second behind co-hosts Australia, and qualified ahead of Olympic champions, Canada and debutants Republic of Ireland.

Oshoala was a key part of the impressive Falcons side as they avoided defeat in all three group-stage matches for the first time in history, with a win and two draws.

The Ikorodu born superstar and former Arsenal striker has also won the African Player of the Year award for a record five times—2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, and in 2022.

With two-time defending champion Alexia Putellas out of the running after a season hampered by injuries, a new winner will be crowned on October 30th.

Barcelona and Spain superstar Bonmati, who was instrumental to the Spanish women’s national team glory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup is the favourite to win the prize her teammate, Alexia Putellas won last year.

With a stellar performance at the tournament, playing in every game and winning the best player award, Bonmati is a strong contender to succeed Putellas.

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr is yet another likely winner having racked up 29 goals for Chelsea last season as they won a domestic double before featuring for the Matildas of Australia at the World Cup.

Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg won the maiden women’s Ballon d’Or back in 2018 while United States Women’s national team star Megan Rapinoe won the honours in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 ceremony to be cancelled. Oshoala’s teammate, Alexia Putellas emerged as the winner following its resumption in 2021 and retained her title in 2022.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on October 30.

The winners of the Ballon d’Or 2023 will be announced on this day.

The Ballon d’Or women’s award nominees are:

Khadija Shaw (Man City)
Mapi Leon (Barcelona)
Mary Earps (Man United)
Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona)
Wendie Renard (Lyon)
Katie Mccabe (Arsenal)
Jill Roord (Wolfsburg and Man City)
Yui Hasegawa (Man City)
Alexandra Popp (Wolfsburg)
Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona)
Debinha (Kansas City)
Sam Kerr (Chelsea)
Guro Reiten (Chelsea)
Ewa Pajor (Wolfsburg)
Patricia Guijarro (Barcelona)
Daphne Van Domselaar (Twente and Aston Villa)
Lena Oberdorf (Wolfsburg)
Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai and Man United)
Millie Bright(Chelsea)
Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona)
Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns)
Hayley Raso (Man City and Real Madrid)
Amanda Ilestedt (PSG and Arsenal)
Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich)
Olga Ramona (Real Madrid)
Fridolina Rolfo (Barcelona)
Rachel Daly (Aston Villa)
Alba Redondo (Levante)
Linda Caicedo (Real Madrid)
Kadidiatou Diani (Lyon)

The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, Abia capital, has removed Labour Party candidate, Amobi Ogah as the lawmaker representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi House of Representatives seat of Abia State.

The tribunal on Wednesday in its judgement rule that Nkiru Onyejeocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the rightful winner of the seat.

The February 25 House of Representatives election had initially seen Ogah declared the winner with 11,822 votes, while Onyejeocha secured 8,752 votes.

However, the tribunal’s ruling invalidated the results earlier declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The tribunal in its decision directed INEC to withdraw the certificate of return previously issued to Ogah and issue a new one to Nkiru Onyejeocha, the APC candidate.

Onyejeocha, a veteran politician, had previously served as the deputy whip in the 9th House of Representatives and had occupied the seat for 16 years, since 2007.

After Onyejeocha surprisingly lost the election to the Labour Party candidate, President Bola Tinubu subsequently appointed her into his cabinet as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment.

The tribunal’s decision has raised questions about whether she would return to the House of Representatives if Ogah should fail to appeal the decision or continue to hold her ministerial position.

…begins consultations with lawyers on next step

The Labour Party has rejected the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court upholding the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the February 25, 2023 election.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, made the party’s position known in Abuja, shortly after the court announced its decision.

Ifoh said, “The Labour Party watched with dismay and trepidation the dismissal of petitions by the five-man panel of the Presidential Election Petition Court led by Justice Haruna Tsammani today and we reject the outcome of the judgment in its entirety because justice was not served and it did not reflect the law and the desire of the people.

“Nigerians were witnesses to the electoral robbery that took place on February 25, 2023, which was globally condemned but the Tribunal in its wisdom refused to accept the obvious.

“What is at stake is democracy and we will not relent until the people will prevail.

We salute the doggedness of our team of lawyers who fearlessly exposed the wrath in our system.

“We can only weep for democracy in Nigeria but we refuse to give up on Nigeria.

“Details of the party’s position will be presented after consultation with our lawyers after the Certified True Copy of the

“We urge all lovers of democracy to remain focused and hopeful because a new Nigeria is possible.”