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Dino Melaye: NGO Drags FG To Hague …Call Buhari To Order -Frank
Justice Helpine Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has threatened to drag the Federal Government and the Nigeria Police to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the continued molestation, harassment and occupation of the residence of Dino Melaye, the Senator representing Kogi East, by the police and the personnel of Department of State Service (DSS).
Ayo Desmond Jonathan , Director of Litigation with the NGO, in a statement issued in Lokoja and made available to our correspondent said the organisation would have no other choice than to drag the Federal Government and the police to the Hague if within seven days, they did not vacate the lawmaker’s residence in Abuja.
The Justice Help line foundation berated President Mohammadu Buhari for turning a deaf ear, and chooses to look the other way regarding the inhuman atrocities of the police while pretending not to be aware of the harassment and intimidation of innocent citizens.
The foundation lamented several cases involving the police in which citizens’ rights were infringed upon, with the president turning deaf ears.
According to Ayo, “in a country where several members of the ruling APC, who were alleged to have been involved in corrupt practice, were shielded by the president,” saying that his anti-corruption fight is only potent with the opposition.
He gave example of the Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and Governor Ganduje’s saga, amongst several other cases of corruption, in which the president allegedly provided cover for such persons, amidst the much talked about integrity and fight against corruption.
Meanwhile, a former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Timi Frank, yesterday gave the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee, a 72-hour ultimatum to call President Muhammadu Buhari to order.
Frank made the call over Buhari’s alleged “gross violation of the recently signed peace accord by presidential candidates towards the forthcoming 2019 general elections.”
He said the failure to make Buhari to respect the peace accord within the stipulated period would force the “opposition political parties to pull out of the peace accord and subsequently direct their supporters to massively resist the ongoing aggression against them.”
In a statement signed and sent to media houses, Frank said the call became imperative due to the “ongoing campaign of terror against leaders of opposition political parties aimed at actualizing a wicked conspiracy already hatched between the agents of the Buhari administration, security forces and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to brazenly rig the 2019 general elections.”
He stated that the alleged “ongoing crackdown against top members of the main opposition political party – the Peoples Democratic Party – grossly negates the spirit and letters of the accord – “as there can be no peace without justice, equity and fairness.”
Frank described the “ongoing use of the police and anti-graft agencies to hound prominent members of the PDP as an act of aggression that cannot be further tolerated as the elections draw near.”
He stated that the “intimidation and hounding of key opposition figures across the country and the attempts to deny opposition parties access to legitimate finances by anti-graft and security agencies show that the APC and Buhari have begun to violate the tenets of the peace accord few weeks after it was signed.”
The former APC spokesperson insisted that “it is now clear that the President and his party are out to rig the 2019 polls, or in the alternative, refuse to respect the will of Nigerians which is to hand over the reins of power to the eventual winner of the poll, should he be defeated as he is sure to be.”
He said that “top presidential aides are currently boasting that they already have results of elections that has not been conducted in their kitty with which they will declare the President and all APC’s candidates vying for various offices across the country winners irrespective of the actual results of the next polls.”
He lamented that the Nigeria Police was leading Buhari’s onslaught against the opposition ahead of the polls while the entire security apparatus of the country has shamefully bought into the plot to upturn the will of the people and rob the opposition candidates of victory.
Frank further added that the “illegal extension of the tenure of the current Service Chiefs and the planed elongation of the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, speaks volume about the intention of the present administration to use the nation’s security forces to rig the February elections and illegally perpetuate itself in power.”
He said that the “siege on Senator Dino Melaye’s house by the police, the unlawful detention of activist, Deji Adeyanju, and the harassment and intimidation of businessmen believed to be sympathetic to the cause of the opposition is a clear violation of the peace accord at this pre-election stage.” He noted that failure by the Abdulsalami’s peace committee and members of the international community to prevail on Buhari to allow for free, fair and credible elections in the country will lead to a catastrophic upheaval never witnessed in any of the African continent.
He described the much trumpeted “integrity” of Buhari as phony because events have since shown him to have encouraged, condoned and perpetuated corrupt activities while deceiving gullible Nigerians that he is an anti-corruption czar.
He wondered how a President that has corrupted the nation’s governance system and security forces – preparatory to use them to rig the forthcoming elections – continue to lay claim to integrity.
“How can a President that has sanctioned the diversion of state funds to finance his election say he has integrity? How can a President that is using state-funded security forces to intimidate, harass, detain and incarcerate members of the opposition say he has integrity? How can a President who continuously disdains and disregards lawful judicial pronouncements lay claims to integrity?
“How can a President who has ordered his men to monitor banks and block the source of funds for opposition political parties say he has integrity?
“Let the Presidency be warned. Nigerians are ready to take their destiny in their hands should the government not conduct itself properly to free the country from his clueless and inept administration.
“Any attempt to rig, truncate, or declare the next presidential election inconclusive – like the case of Osun State – or refuse to relinquish power after defeat would be tantamount to reversing the massive democratic gains the country has recorded since 1999.
“However, Nigerians are well prepared to resist any such draconian actions with the last drop of their blood,” he said.
The Senate has announced that it will hold an emergency plenary sitting tomorrow (Tuesday).
The announcement was made yesterday in a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, who said all senators have been requested to attend.
“The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has directed the reconvening of plenary for an emergency sitting on Tuesday, February 10th, 2026,” the statement read.
The session is scheduled to commence at 12 noon.
This comes just days after the Senate passed the amendment bill on February 4, but voted down Clause 60(3), which would have required presiding officers to electronically transmit results from polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing portal in real time.
The rejected clause aimed to make the process mandatory.
The lawmaker replaced it with the current discretionary “transfer” of results, which allows electronic transmission only after votes are counted and publicly announced at polling units.
Civil society groups and opposition figures in the country have condemned the Senate’s decision, labelling it a setback for Nigeria’s democratic progress.
Senate President Akpabio has, however, defended the Senate’s actions, insisting during a public event that the Senate did not reject electronic transmission and vowing not to be intimidated.
Tomorrow’s emergency sitting could see the Senate reconsider the rejected amendment amid public outcry and potential legal challenges from figures such as lawyer Femi Falana, with possible implications for Nigeria’s democratic processes and the balance between incumbency protections and verifiable voting technology.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to investigate members of the Senate and other public officers over alleged irregularities in the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws.
According to a statement issued yesterday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation is seeking a prompt, thorough, and effective probe into claims that some senators removed provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary, despite a majority having voted for their inclusion and without any debate on the proposed removal.
“According to our information, certain members of the Senate allegedly removed the provisions on electronic transmission of election results from the Electoral Act Amendment Bill during plenary after the majority of the senators had voted for the inclusion of the provisions and without any debate on the proposed removal of the said provisions,” SERAP said.
The organisation also requested the CCB to investigate alterations in the Tax Reform Bills, which reportedly led to discrepancies between the harmonised versions passed by the National Assembly and the copies signed into law and gazetted by the Federal Government.
“Similarly, the National Assembly recently alleged that there are unlawful alterations and some material differences between the tax reform bills passed by the legislative body and the tax reform laws gazetted by the Federal Government.
“A Sokoto lawmaker, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised the issue under a matter of privilege, drawing the attention of the House to the alleged discrepancies between the harmonised versions of the tax reform bills passed by both chambers of the National Assembly and the copies gazetted by the Federal Government.
“The lawmakers said the alterations contained in the gazetted copies did not receive legislative approval. These alleged unlawful alterations raise questions over the legality and legitimacy of both the law-making processes and the versions of the tax laws circulated by the Federal Ministry of Information,” the petition added.
The Senate had denied removing the provisions on electronic transmission of election results, saying it only removed the term “real time” from the sentence, citing judicial concerns.
Similarly, the National Assembly had initiated investigations into the alleged discrepancies in the tax bill and released a “certified” version of the Acts to address the contradictions. The law took effect on January 1, 2026.
SERAP said the petition is submitted under paragraphs 1 and 9 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers contained in the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and sections 5 and 13 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
It alleged that the processes leading to the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the signing of the Tax Reform Laws were marked by alterations to bill provisions without debate and due process of law, as well as alterations to the Tax Reform Bill without the approval of the National Assembly.
“The petition raises issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, non-disclosure of interests, lack of due process, and erosion of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers in the exercise of legislative power.
“There are also allegations that certain amendments may have been removed or introduced to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Tax Reform Laws to serve private or political interests rather than the public interest,” the petition reads.
Citing the Constitution, SERAP noted that public officers must not place themselves in situations where personal interests conflict with official duties.
Specifically, the organisation asked the Bureau to formally register the petition and “promptly, thoroughly, transparently, and effectively investigate the conduct of the lawmakers and officers of the executive branch allegedly involved;
“Examine whether inducements, benefits, or promises were offered or received in connection with those acts;
“Examine whether the alleged cumulative conduct of lawmakers and officers of the executive branch amounted to abuse of legislative power, conflict of interest, and breach of due process, contrary to the Code of Conduct for Public Officers;
“Refer any substantiated violations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal; and
“Take all necessary steps to uphold the principle that public office is a public trust.”
The petition requested that the Bureau consider the complaint within seven days, warning that legal action could follow if there is no response.
Dated February 7, 2026, the petition was signed by Oluwadare and sent to the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr Abdullahi Bello.
The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Rivers State Branch, has expanded its humanitarian footprint in Rivers State with the formal inauguration of student volunteers at Command Children School (CCS), Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, marking a significant step in promoting humanitarian values among young Nigerians.
The ceremony, which took place at the school premises, officially admitted CCS students into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
The Rivers State Branch Representative of the Red Cross Society, Mr Noah Idegbesor, disclosed this in his opening remarks at the occasion.
In a symbolic display, the students marched to the flag stand alongside members of the high table and the Branch Representative, where the Red Cross flag was hoisted, signifying the school’s full induction into the Nigerian Red Cross Society.
With the flag raised, CCS was formally declared a member institution of the NRCS.
As part of the inauguration, a certificate of affiliation was presented to the school by the Nigerian Red Cross Society and received on behalf of the school by the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo.
Speaking as Chairman of the occasion, the Acting Director, Nigerian Army 6 Division Education Services, Port Harcourt, Lt. Col. A. Sadiq, described the event as very unique and significant.
Represented by Staff Sergeant Arisa Eberechi, the Director assured of the support of his team in ensuring success of the endeavour.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Mr Zuru Daniel, said the establishment of the Red Cross unit in the school was a welcome development and assured of the support of the body to ensure its sustainability.
The event also featured a parade by the volunteers, freewill donations from dignitaries and parents in attendance, underscoring community support for the humanitarian initiative.
Speaking earlier, the Head Teacher, Mrs Onwuzuruigbo Taiwo, described the inauguration as an emotional and fulfilling moment.
“It was awesome. We thought it would not be possible, but today it was glorious,” she said.
Taiwo explained that the school’s participation in the Red Cross Society began when management decided to introduce clubs and societies.
“I told my assistant that I wanted the Red Cross to be one of them. The Red Cross signifies many things; it is service to humanity,” she added.
Also, the Assistant Head Teacher, Mrs Bawo Agbana, expressed appreciation to dignitaries, officials of the Nigerian Red Cross Society and parents for their support and presence.
The Assistant Head Teacher (Administration) described the programme as overwhelming and exciting, expressing gratitude to God for its success.
She said the school’s decision to embrace the Red Cross Society was driven by the need to instill values of love, kindness and service in children from an early age.
“Our impression of the Red Cross is being good to people, showing love and kindness. As the children grow, we want to build the spirit of humanity in them so they can show love and care in school, their communities and Nigeria at large,” she said, adding that early training was crucial given current challenges in the country.
She also delivered the closing remark, after which a photo session was held with the newly inaugurated student volunteers.
Other dignitaries at the occasion include Chairman, Python Officers’ Mess, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Chief Dan Harrison, and the Sualla 1 of Adagbabiri Kingdom, Chief Col. K. Agbana (Rtd.),
Speaking in an interview at the event, 10-year-old primary five pupil, Precious Ote, said she volunteered to join the Red Cross Society because of her desire to help and care for people.
Similarly, 11-year-old Eno Marvellous of Primary Four expressed excitement at becoming a member of the Red Cross Society, noting that her hope is “to save” lives.
The inauguration highlights ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Red Cross Society to nurture a culture of volunteerism, compassion and humanitarian service among schoolchildren in Port Harcourt and beyond.
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