General News
INEC Twisting Court Order, Courting Anarchy IN ADC Leadership Crisis —Ex Attorney General, Adum
From Felix Umande, Makurdi
A Chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Attorney General of Benue State, Barr. Alex Ter Adum PhD, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of mischievously misinterpreting the Court of Appeal’s order on status quo ante bellum in the party’s leadership dispute, warning that the commission’s stance “threatens to legitimise disorder while undermining judicial authority.”
In an interview with Press Icon Newspaper on Wednesday, Adum said INEC’s position amounted to an “administrative fiction” that departs from settled legal doctrine and risks conferring legitimacy on actions already voided by resignation and party resolutions.
“The Court of Appeal’s directive that parties maintain the status quo ante bellum_ was neither ambiguous nor novel. In law, the phrase has a settled and precise meaning: it requires a reversion to the last uncontested and lawful state of affairs before the dispute arose in court. It is restorative, not preservative,” Adum stated.
Citing a string of Supreme Court and appellate decisions, including Akapo v. Hakeem-Habeeb (1992), Oronti v. Onigbanjo (2012) and Adewale v. Governor of Ekiti State (2006) the former Attorney General said Nigerian courts have consistently held that status quo ante bellum restores parties to their pre-dispute legal position, not the contested situation after litigation begins.
Adum argued that INEC appeared to be applying what he described as “status quo actum” freezing the current contested situation rather than restoring the lawful order that preceded the dispute.
“The absurdity of this position becomes evident when applied to the facts,” he said.
“Nafiu Bala Gombe resigned as Deputy National Chairman of the ADC on 18th May 2025. That resignation is a legally operative act that terminated whatever authority he possessed within the party. See Yesufu v. Governor of Edo State (2001).”
According to Adum, by 2nd September 2025 when hostilities were initiated through litigation, the operative status quo ante bellum was one in which the David Mark-led National Working Committee (NWC) was in place, following the resignation of former Chairman Ralph Nwosu on 29th July 2025 and the NEC’s appointment of Senator David Mark as his replacement.
“To now suggest, as INEC’s position implies, that a former office holder who had resigned months earlier can invoke a court order to destabilise an existing leadership structure is to invert both logic and law,” Adum said, relying on Governor of Ekiti State v. Ojo (2006)and Military Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986) to stress that courts will not preserve an illegality under the guise of maintaining the status quo.
He warned that if administrative bodies such as INEC are allowed to reinterpret clear judicial directives “to suit evolving circumstances, the authority of the courts is diminished, and the rule of law reduced to administrative discretion.”
“In the final analysis, the legal position admits of no ambiguity: the relevant status quo is that which existed before the dispute crystallised in court, not one manufactured in its aftermath. Any interpretation to the contrary is not merely erroneous — it is dangerous,” Adum declared.
He concluded that INEC, as a constitutional body, “cannot substitute established legal doctrine with administrative convenience,” adding: “Where a court has ordered the maintenance of status quo ante bellum, compliance must be exact, not inventive. To depart from it is to invite chaos. To uphold it is to preserve order.”
General News
Tinubu Announces 26 New Appointments, Gisaor Replaces Byuan at Federal Housing Authority
By Felix Umande, Makurdi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved 26 new appointments into 10 Federal Government agencies and commissions, in a major shake-up aimed at strengthening governance and service delivery.
The appointments were announced on Sunday, 20 July, 2026 and take immediate effect.
Among the key appointments, Gisaor Vincent Iorja, an economist, legal scholar and academic, has been named Executive Director, Finance of the Federal Housing Authority. He replaces Mathias Terwase Byuan, who resigned to contest the governorship election in Benue State. Gisaor currently serves as Secretary of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, BSIEC.
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of the Rural Electrification Agency, REA.
He will head the board alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar and Engineer Ilyasu Ibrahim Makinta as members and non-executive directors. The incumbent Director-General of REA, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, and three previously appointed executive directors complete the board.
Major General Junaid Bindawa has been named Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. President Tinubu also made eight other appointments to the Commission.
Former House of Representatives member from Lagos, Olajumoke Okoya-Thomas, was appointed Secretary of the Commission. Commissioners appointed to represent states include Dr. Ogbole Ene Lilian, Benue; Oladele Olatubosun, Oyo; and Yakubu Umar Barde, Kaduna.
Other members of the Commission are Dr. Mai Adamu Yau, Borno; Ginika Florence Tor, Enugu; Engineer Lawrence Okoh, Edo; and Bello Morenike Iyabode, Kogi.
President Tinubu also appointed Dr. Abuh Mohammed as Director-General of the National Population Commission.
Dr. Akinola Odeyemi as Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, NBET.
Dr. Anthony Inalegwu Godwin as Chairman/CEO of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission.
Engineer Julius Oloro, a former council chairman, as CEO of the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, NCAM, Kwara, replacing
Dr. A.R. Kamal who died in January.
Tosin Johnson Adeyanju, previously Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund, NLTF, has been redeployed as Secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission.
The President also constituted the board of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission with Dr. Abdullahi Maikano Saidu as Chairman. Members include Mohammed Asmau, Mohammed Aliyu Makama, Dr. Suleiman Gidado, Louis O. Ndukwe, Amaechi Ugwele and Olaniyi Idowu Onikola.
Shuni Muhammad Dahiru was named Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education. He replaces Professor Shu’aibu Shehu Aliyu, who was reassigned to the Petroleum Trust Development Fund, PTDF, in April.
According to the Presidency, the appointments are part of ongoing efforts to reposition institutions to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda.
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
DSS is prepared to appeal to achieve death penalty for the two Ansaru terrorist group commanders given life sentences in Abuja were given by Emeka Nwite. The were sentenced on Monday after they pleaded guilty to a 32-count terrorism charge.
The convicts: Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, described as the self-styled Emir of Ansaru, and Mahmud al-Nigeri (a.k.a Malam Mamuda), his deputy and chief of staff.
The judge handed down the sentence after the convicts changed their plea from not guilty to guilty and, through their lawyer, appealed for leniency.
A senior DSS official, speaking after the judgement, said the agency considers the punishment inadequate given the gravity of the offences.
According to the official, the two men had initially indicated they would plead guilty but later changed their position around the period pupils and teachers were abducted in Oriire LGA of Oyo state by suspected members of the same group.
“For the nearly 60 days the kidnappers held on to the pupils and teachers of Oriire, the Ansaru commanders in our custody changed,” the official said.
“One of the top conditions the abductors gave was the unconditional release of these same Ansaru commanders in exchange for the Oriire kidnap victims.”
The DSS official said the defendants, who had earlier pleaded not guilty, later told the court they were undecided on the plea they intended to enter.
“Justice Nwite even had to hand them an ultimatum to make up their minds on or before Monday’s sitting.
“After the Oriire rescue, they came to court to plead guilty to all the charges.
“Allowing the two terror commanders walk away with life sentences will not serve the cause of justice for the two Oriire teachers beheaded by their abductors.
“The reason the terrorists beheaded the two Oriire teacher’s was to put pressure on government to release these two Ansaru commanders.
“It, therefore, wouldn’t be fair to see two men beheaded and their families are made to live with the losses without adequately bringing the culprits to book.”
By Nick Ibe, Abuja
The Honourable Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, (Retd) has denied as malicious and an entirely fabricated rumour circulating across various online and social media platforms alleging that he has expressed an intention to step down from his position.
Debunking this as fake news, a statement signed by Leah Katung-Babatunde
SA (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Defence stated unequivocally, and in the strongest possible terms that:
“These rumours are absolute falsehood borne out of complete mischief.
General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd) remains fully focused on his national security mandate, deeply committed to his duties, and completely dedicated to piloting the nation’s defence strategy with results already being seen.
The release further called the public to disregard the fake news. It also strongly called on the media to desist from spreading unverified information falsehood from the internet and social media platforms but to verify from it before going public.
“The general public is hereby urged to completely disregard this fake news. We strongly advise media outlets and internet users to desist from spreading unverified information and seek clarifications from the office.”
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