ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the Minister of Power.

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, saying the nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
“The nomination has been transmitted to the Senate for screening and confirmation in accordance with the Constitution,” the statement read in part.
Tegbe’s nomination comes after the resignation of Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped aside to pursue his governorship bid in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 election.
Like his predecessor, Tegbe is also from Oyo State. He is a fiscal and economic reform expert with over 35 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors.

A former Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, he led wide-ranging initiatives in fiscal policy reform, institutional transformation, and governance in that firm.

Tegbe has also advised key government institutions and private sector organisations on strategic reforms, regulatory frameworks, and investment structuring.
Until his nomination, he served as the Director General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), and was responsible for strengthening bilateral development cooperation between Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China.

His experience includes significant engagements within the power sector, particularly in regulatory and institutional reform involving agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET).
“His nomination is expected to strengthen further ongoing efforts to reform the power sector, enhance grid stability, and attract sustainable investment in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The President expects the Minister-Designate, upon confirmation, to bring his extensive expertise to bear to advance critical reforms and deliver improved outcomes for Nigerians in the power sector,” Onanuga said.
Tegbe’s nomination comes at a time of increased interest in the country’s power sector amid calls for improvement in power supply across Nigeria.

In recent years, the country has experienced incessant grid collapses, raising concerns over the availability of power supply.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside a controversial “status quo ante bellum” order made in the protracted leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, holding that the preservative directive could not validly subsist after proceedings had been concluded.

In a lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court held that although courts possess inherent powers to make preservative orders to protect the subject matter of litigation, such orders cannot survive once proceedings have been “fully, conclusively and finally concluded.”

The court subsequently allowed the appeal and nullified the order sustaining the status quo ante bellum in the dispute involving rival factions of the ADC leadership.

The judgment arose from the legal battle over the party’s leadership structure, including the legitimacy of appointments and congresses conducted by opposing factions within the party.

Justice Garba, in the judgment, explained that the trial court’s directive maintaining the status quo ante bellum was essentially a preservative order intended to prevent parties from taking steps capable of foisting a fait accompli on the court while proceedings were ongoing.

The justice, however, held that such powers must be exercised only in relation to live proceedings.

According to him, once proceedings have been “fully, faithfully, conclusively and finally concluded,” there would be “nothing left for that court to preserve.”

The apex court also addressed the competence of the appeal filed in the matter and the constitutional basis relied upon by the appellants

Justice Garba held that Section 241(1)(f)(ii) of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for appeals as of right in certain interlocutory decisions relating to injunctions, did not apply in the circumstances of the case.

He held that the trial judge neither granted nor refused an application for injunction but merely issued procedural directives aimed at preserving the subject matter of the dispute pending hearing.

The court further held that because the grounds of appeal were not purely on points of law, leave of court was required before the appeal could validly be filed.

The justice stressed that obtaining leave in such circumstances was a “condition precedent” to the validity and competence of the appeal.

He added that the competence of a notice of appeal goes to the jurisdiction of the court and once defective, the entire appeal becomes incompetent.

Despite those findings, the apex court proceeded to examine the propriety of the preservative orders made by the lower courts and eventually held that sustaining the status quo ante bellum after the relevant proceedings had ended was unnecessary and legally unsustainable.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Thursday declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has emerged united and free of internal factions following a decisive ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Guzape, Abuja, Wike said the apex court judgment has finally laid to rest all disputes over parallel leadership structures within the party.

He dismissed insinuation that the Supreme Court affirmed the suspension of the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, saying there was no such issue for determination before the court.

“Today, the Supreme Court has brought to an end the so-called factions of the PDP. There is no more faction in the party. There is only one PDP,” he said.

The minister explained that the court dismissed appeals challenging earlier judgments from lower courts, thereby upholding the legitimacy of the party’s convention and its current leadership.

According to him, attempts by aggrieved groups to overturn the outcome of the convention failed at all judicial levels.

“The Supreme Court has validated our convention and set aside all claims to any parallel structure. What this means is that the PDP has come to stay as one united party,” Wike stated.

He stressed the need for political actors to operate strictly within the framework of the law, warning against actions capable of undermining party constitutions and electoral regulations.

“The fact that you are in a position does not mean you can act outside the law. There are rules guiding party activities, and those rules must be followed,” he added.

Wike also dismissed the relevance of some defectors who exited the party during the crisis, describing them as politically insignificant, while leaving the door open for others to return.

“Those who left are not electoral assets; they are liabilities. However, those who left out of uncertainty may reconsider and return now that the situation is clear,” he said.

On ongoing coalition talks among opposition figures, the minister ruled out participation in alliances that lack clear national interest or constructive engagement.

“We do not believe in opposition for opposition’s sake. Our approach is constructive, not destructive,” he said.

He further noted that recent judicial pronouncements in political matters reinforce the need for due process, urging aggrieved parties to always seek redress through the courts.

Wike maintained that the PDP remains Nigeria’s foremost opposition platform, expressing confidence in its readiness to provide credible alternatives in the country’s democratic process.

“The PDP is stable, united and ready to play its role effectively. What has happened today is a victory for the rule of law and internal democracy,” he added.