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Senators Move to Sack GEJ over Corruption, Budget Implementation
At last count, 63 senators have signed up to the plan to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan in the Senate, upper legislative chamber over alleged high level of corruption and poor implementation of the national budget since 2011.
The senators are also peeved by “gross disregard” of the legislature at both the federal and state levels.
Punch Newspapers reported that one of the arrowheads of the move to remove Jonathan in the Senate showed her correspondent the list containing the signatures of the senators.
The source said eight Peoples Democratic Party senators were among the signatories to the planned impeachment notice.
There are 109 members in the Senate.
An All Progressives Congress senator from the North-West zone, who asked not to be named,told our correspondent that the lawmakers’ major grouse was the President’s handling of the economy and political affairs of the country.
The senator cited poor implementation of the national budget since 2011, alleged high level of corruption and “gross disregard” of the legislature at both the federal and state levels as topping the list of lawmakers’ anger against Jonathan.
Asked whether he realised that the process of impeachment could be tedious and cumbersome, the senator said, “ We know and we are prepared to show the President that we have responsibility to the people and the nation in general.
“We are prepared to lay the impeachment notice anytime from next week. Meetings are already being held.”
Senator Ibrahim Musa (APC Niger North) confirmed that there were moves by some members of the Senate to initiate impeachment proceedings against the President but failed to give details.
“I think there is something like that but I don’t have the details, it is still coming as a rumour,” Musa said.
But The PUNCH learnt that the impeachment move against the President had really gained momentum with the APC senators mobilising themselves to carry out the exercise anytime from next week.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that some PDP senators, who were initially at the forefront of the struggle, had retreated following the intervention of the senate leadership and the promise of automatic tickets by the party.
It was learnt that the PDP senators had been pleading with their APC colleagues to hold on till next week pending the outcome of the moves by the senate leadership to ensure the realisation of the automatic tickets agreement they had with the PDP and Jonathan.
An APC senator told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the impeachment letter contains the signature of both the APC and PDP senators.
He explained that the letter could not be laid on the floor of the senate because some PDP senators appealed to them to delay the action.
He said, “The truth of the matter is that the impeachment notice would have been laid if not for our colleagues in the PDP who pleaded with us to delay the process pending when the senate leadership would come up with the result of its efforts at securing automatic tickets for them.
“In any case the process had started but if we submit the letter now, the signatures of the PDP senators will be there and the party might want to use that as an excuse to deny them their automatic tickets.”
The PDP senators contacted by our correspondent on the issue declined to make comment.
However, one of them who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the process of impeachment had not been suspended.
A former Executive Director at Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Abbas Muhammed Jega, has shed light on the financial dealings between Arik Air and Union Bank, revealing that the airline’s debt to AMCON was over N100 billion as of 2015 and remained unpaid.
Testifying as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Ahmed Kuru, former AMCON MD/CEO, and four others, Jega disclosed that AMCON acquired Arik’s loans from Union Bank and Keystone Bank, but not Zenith Bank, which was purchased after his exit.
According to Jega, AMCON discovered in a London meeting that Union Bank had sold them a guarantee rather than a loan, which was meant to cover foreign lenders in case Arik defaulted.
“We invited Arik to resolve the issue with Union Bank, but the arrangement disclosed by me never existed,” Jega said.
Jega attributed Arik’s inability to repay to over-trading, which led to their inability to service existing debts. He revealed that AMCON attempted to restructure Arik’s debt and even offered additional loan facilities to help the airline with working capital problems.
However, Arik failed to meet repayment obligations, prompting AMCON to propose two solutions: a debt equity swap and management control. Both options were rejected or delayed by Arik.
Under cross-examination, Jega confirmed that Kamilu Omokide and Captain Roy Ilegbodu played no role in the loan purchase or London meeting.
The matter has been adjourned to June 30, July 1, and July 2, 2025, for further cross-examination.
The case involves alleged financial misappropriation amounting to N76 billion and $31.5 million, with Ahmed Kuru, Kamilu Omokide, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, Union Bank Ltd, and Super Bravo Ltd as defendants, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.
Alhaji Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation is to chair the public presentation of the book Nigeria Media Renaissance: GOCOP Perspective on Online Publishing, a publication of Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP). The event is scheduled for 110am on Tuesday June 17, 2025 at the Continental Hotel, Abuja.
President of GOCOP, Maureen Chigbo, who confirmed this development said the book presentation will be graced by eminent personalities from all walks of life, including government officials, captains of industry, media practitioners and other professionals, representatives of international organisations, directors of non-governmental organisations.
Alhaji Idris was sworn in as Minister of Information and National Orientation on August 21, 2023, following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. With over three decades of experience in broadcasting, newspapering, public relations, and advertising, Idris has brought a wealth of expertise to the role.
His academic background includes degrees in English Studies from Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and Bayero University, Kano. As an entrepreneur, he established notable media outlets such as Blueprint, WE FM radio station, and Rapid Television in Abuja.
He is a prominent figure in professional associations such as National Institute of Public Relations, African Public Relations Association, Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, and Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria.
As the founder of Bifocal Communications, a leading public relations and communications consultancy, Idris has served both local and transnational corporations.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Idris is committed to social responsibility through the Mohammed Idris Malagi (MIM) Foundation, which has positively impacted many lives. As a reward for his contributions to the development of his immediate environment and beyond, The Etsu Nupe conferred “Kaakaki Nupe” on him.
A press statement by the GOCOP Publicity Secretary, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, quoted the GOCOP president as saying that the proceeds of the book will be used to fund the N2.3 billion GOCOP MEDIA CENTRE, a multi-purpose resource centre comprising a secretariat, a 21st Century library and event halls, among others.
Nweke further noted that the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) was established to promote professionalism in online publishing, ensuring its members uphold the fundamental principles of journalism.
Comprising seasoned editors and senior journalists with distinguished career in print and electronic media, GOCOP’s membership has traversed the online publishing, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping the future of journalism globally. With 120 corporate publishers as members, GOCOP continues to uphold the highest standards of online journalism.
Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has issued a stern warning to marketers, content creators, and social media influencers amid an alarming rise in fraudulent, AI-generated advertisements circulating across digital platforms.
Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, director-general, ARCON, during a press briefing at its Lagos headquarters, decried the “porous” state of Nigeria’s online ad ecosystem and pledged to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
Dr. Fadolapo opened the media parley by highlighting how easily unscrupulous operators deploy artificial intelligence tools to produce convincing—but entirely fabricated—advertisements.
“Our social media space has become so porous that people now freely post fake adverts, some of which claim outrageous and bogus benefits,” he remarked.
According to the Director-General, these deceptive campaigns often promise “miraculous cures” or “guaranteed returns” without any credible data or verifiable sources to back them.
Among the most alarming examples cited was an herbal remedy advertisement alleging to cure over 200 ailments—ranging from HIV to cancer—through a single “miracle” concoction.
“Imagine an advert claiming that a single herbal drug could cure HIV, cancer, and more than 200 other diseases,” Dr. Fadolapo said.
ARCON’s DG emphasized that such misleading advertisements not only jeopardize public health—by luring vulnerable individuals into purchasing untested or harmful products—but also undermine consumer confidence in legitimate businesses operating within advertising guidelines.
Dr. Fadolapo pointed to the regulatory vacuum that allows bad actors to exploit the anonymity of social media.
Unlike traditional broadcast or print media—where advertisements must pass through editorial or legal vetting—online platforms can be manipulated with minimal oversight.
Creating an ad using AI-powered design and voice generators, he warned, takes only minutes, making it difficult for regulators to identify the original perpetrators.
“The CBEX case is a painful reminder of what can happen when digital platforms are left unchecked,” Dr. Fadolapo said, explaining that the scheme purportedly defrauded unsuspecting Nigerians of nearly $2 trillion through slick, unregulated social media promotions.
He described how the CBEX promoters used AI-generated video testimonials, falsified financial statements, and cloned websites to entice victims with promises of triple-digit returns on cryptocurrency trades.
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