By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Director-General, Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, has denied being arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as reported in the media.

He said this in a statement sent to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja, while acknowledging that he only honoured an invitation by the commission.

The statement signed by Alhaji Abdulrasaq Danjuma, his Media Aide, however, said this was in line with due process and respect for the constituted authorities.

He appealed to the public to avoid speculation, misinformation, sensational commentary, and the circulation of unverified claims that may distort facts, prejudice ongoing processes, or create unnecessary tension.

He said the public should allow the relevant agencies to carry out their responsibilities so that the facts would emerge through lawful, transparent, and due process.

“It is important to clarify that he was not arrested, but attended the engagement voluntarily as a responsible public servant committed to transparency and accountability.

“At this time, we respectfully urge supporters, associates, stakeholders, and members of the public to remain calm, peaceful, and law-abiding while the appropriate authorities carry out their constitutional responsibilities.

“It is also important to emphasise that the matters currently in the public domain remain allegations subject to investigation and due legal process.

“In line with established principles of justice and fairness, every individual is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

Earlier reports from The Punch late Wednesday night quoted a source who claimed that the ECN DG was in EFCC custody.

All efforts by the Punch Newspaper to get the agency’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, to comment on the facts surrounding the incident as of press time proved futile.

A source within the anti-graft agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, disclosed that the alleged fraud involves funds estimated at N500bn.

A coalition of twenty-five concerned citizens’ organisations and patriotic groups in Kano State has formally petitioned the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Labaran Yusuf, and the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board, for engaging Maryam Garba Usman, of the Centre for Gender and Social Inclusion, CAGSI, under the Solina GAVI Grant Polio Programme currently being implemented in the state, an organization the petitioners described as Anti Government and a leading critic of the Government programmes and activities in Kano State.

The petition, dated May 12, 2026, and addressed to the Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Health with copies transmitted to the Executive Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya and the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission. The petotion raises concerns about the integrity, transparency, and non-partisan character of the organization engaged in the donor-supported health intervention programmes in the State.

The petition, signed on behalf of the coalition of concerned organisations, states that the engagement of the named individual has generated questions among stakeholders about the impartiality and professional neutrality required of all organizations and individuals involved in government-supported and donor-funded health programmes. The petitioners maintain that the GAVI-funded polio programme, like all internationally supported public health interventions, must be implemented strictly in accordance with the professional, ethical, and governance standards that donor organisations and the Nigerian public expect, and that the selection of programme personnel must be guided exclusively by professional neutrality and independent of partisan politics, sabotage against Government, competence, institutional credibility, and a demonstrable commitment to the public interest rather than any consideration that could compromise the programme’s neutrality or public trust.

The concerns raised in the petition go to the heart of a governance challenge that is not unique to Kano State but that carries particular significance in the context of northern Nigeria’s polio eradication history. The success of polio vaccination and health intervention programmes in communities across the north has always depended, to a substantial degree, on the public confidence that those programmes command, and that confidence is inseparable from the perceived integrity and impartiality of the organisations and individuals responsible for implementing them.

When questions arise about whether programme personnel are truly neutral, truly professional, and truly committed to the public health objectives of the intervention rather than to any other agenda, those questions have the potential to erode the community’s trust upon which effective health programme delivery depends. It is precisely to prevent that erosion that the petitioning organisations have brought their concerns to the attention of the appropriate authorities.

The coalition specifically called on the Ministry of Health and the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board to conduct a thorough review of the engagement process for all personnel involved in the Solina GAVI Grant Programme, to ensure that all procedures, standards, and guidelines governing the programme are strictly followed, and to ensure that only organisations and individuals that are genuinely neutral and demonstrably committed to the programme’s public health objectives are engaged in its implementation. The petitioners further urged the relevant authorities to take all necessary steps to uphold transparency, accountability, and fairness in the administration of the programme, noting that the integrity of donor-funded health interventions is a matter of public interest that extends well beyond the boundaries of any single engagement decision

The timing and the target of this petition carry a significance that deserves to be understood in its proper governance context. The Solina GAVI Grant Polio Programme represents a significant international investment in Kano State’s public health infrastructure, and the organisations and individuals who implement it carry the responsibility not merely of delivering a health programme but of maintaining the trust, the cooperation, and the confidence of the communities they serve.

The Kano State Government, under the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has consistently demonstrated its commitment to transparency, accountability, and professional standards in the management of public programmes and donor-funded interventions. The administration’s broader governance record, reflected in the historic N1.477 trillion budget for 2026, its first-place ranking in the 2025 NECO results, and its extensive investments in healthcare infrastructure, community health services, and grassroots empowerment across all 44 local government areas of the state, speaks to a government that takes its responsibilities to the people of Kano seriously and that expects the same seriousness of purpose from all those who operate under its umbrella or within its programmes. The petition submitted by the coalition of twenty-five organisations is consistent with the governance philosophy, reflecting the conviction that public programmes, particularly those funded by international donors and designed to protect the health of the most vulnerable members of the community, must be insulated from every form of compromise, however it presents itself and whoever it involves.

The petitioners expressed confidence that the Commissioner for Health and the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board will give the matter the urgent and serious attention it deserves, noting that the integrity of the GAVI-funded polio programme and the public trust it depends upon are too important to be compromised by questions that proper and timely institutional action can resolve. They further expressed their confidence in the Kano State Government’s commitment to due process, fairness, and good governance, and their expectation that the relevant authorities will act with the transparency and the decisiveness that the situation demands and that the people of Kano State deserve.

As of the time of going to press, neither the Ministry of Health nor the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board had issued a public response to the petition.

The petitioners while contacted, asserted that, the Centre for Gender and Social Inclusion, CAGSI, had been involved in many activities that, publicly condemned and criticized Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf administration programmes, activities and initiative alongside other anti Government organizations operating in Kano

Hundreds of women supporters of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulsalam Abdulkarim Zaura, popularly known as AA Zaura, on Wednesday staged a solidarity march in Kano, insisting that the party must give him a fair political opportunity ahead of the 2027 elections.

The women, under the banner of AA Zaura Women Mobilisation Forum led by Binta Rabiu Zaura, marched through major streets in Kano metropolis chanting “No Zaura, no vote,” while carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Justice for AA Zaura,” “Reward loyalty,” and “Kano women stand with Zaura.”

The rally comes amid growing political tension within the Kano APC over the Kano Central Senatorial ticket following the emergence of former governor Ibrahim Shekarau as consensus candidate after a reconciliation meeting involving party stakeholders.

Addressing journalists during the procession, the coordinator of the group, Binta Rabiu Zaura, said the women were demanding fairness and recognition for Zaura’s contributions to the party and the people of Kano.

“We are here to tell the leadership of the APC that AA Zaura has sacrificed so much for this party and for the people. He deserves justice and fair treatment,” she said.

According to her, Zaura has empowered thousands of youths and women across the state through humanitarian and business support initiatives.

“He has touched many lives, especially among women and young people. We cannot sit quietly and watch him being sidelined,” she added.

The protesters also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC national leaders to intervene in the political situation in Kano and ensure what they described as a transparent and inclusive process.

One of the protesters, Amina Musa, said many grassroots supporters were unhappy with recent developments surrounding the Kano Central senatorial ticket.

“We are loyal party members, but loyalty should be rewarded. If there is no justice for AA Zaura, many people may lose interest in participating,” she said.

Daily Trust reports that AA Zaura recently claimed that his ambition to contest for the Kano Central Senatorial seat was “taken away” from him against his wish.

The businessman and politician also said he was not invited to the reconciliation meeting where several aspirants stepped down for Shekarau.