We’re Not Withdrawing Ugochinyere’s Nomination As Minority Leader- Designate, Says G-60

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…As House Committee Hails Dangote Refinery’s 700,000bpd Feat

ABUJA – The G-60 Minority Caucus of the House of Repre­sentatives has not with­drawn the nomination of Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere for the position of Minority Leader.

Recall that out of 81 members that constitute the Minority Caucus, 61 lawmakers signed in support of his nomination to fill the vacancy created by the exit of Hon. Kingsley Chinda, who relinquished the position follow­ing his defection to the All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) and subsequent emergence as the party’s governorship candidate in Rivers State.

But following claims by Hon. Philip Agbese that he did not endorse Hon. Ugochinyere’s nomination, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, convened a meeting of members to discuss the possibility of con­ducting a fresh process to deter­mine the Minority leadership position.

In a statement, the duo of Hon. Mukthar Umar and Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, maintained that the group’s position remains un­changed. “We are not calling for a new election or fresh nomina­tion process,” they said.

“Rather, we are requesting a transparent verification of the signatures and nominations al­ready submitted by members of the Minority Caucus.

“The nomination of Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere was duly endorsed by an overwhelming majority of Minority members, and any concerns regarding in­dividual endorsements can be resolved through a straightfor­ward verification exercise.

“We therefore urge the leader­ship of the House to respect the democratic decision of the ma­jority of Minority members and proceed with the verification of the existing nominations instead of initiating a new process.”

Meanwhile, the House Com­mittee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has commended Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals for successfully increasing its crude oil process­ing capacity to 700,000 barrels per day (bpd), describing the achievement as a major mile­stone for Nigeria’s energy sector and a clear demonstration of the country’s industrial potential.

The Committee, in a state­ment signed by its chairman, Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere, not­ed that the refinery’s ability to exceed its nameplate capacity of 650,000 bpd during a perfor­mance test conducted by the Process Licensors is evidence of world-class engineering, opera­tional excellence, and strategic investment in Nigeria’s econom­ic future.

According to the Committee, the milestone further strength­ens the refinery’s position as the world’s largest single-train petro­leum refinery and underscores its growing role in enhancing domestic refining capacity, re­ducing dependence on import­ed petroleum products, and sup­porting national energy security.

The lawmakers stated that the achievement is a testament to the vision and commitment behind the project, adding that the refinery has emerged as a pil­lar of economic transformation through job creation, foreign exchange savings, industrial development, and value addi­tion across the oil and gas value chain.

The Committee further observed that increased refin­ing capacity would contribute significantly to stabilizing the supply of petroleum products, strengthening Nigeria’s compet­itiveness in regional and global energy markets, and boosting government revenues.

While congratulating the management and staff of the refinery on the accomplishment, the Committee urged continued efforts toward maintaining the highest operational standards, environmental sustainability, and collaboration with relevant stakeholders to maximize the benefits of the facility for the Nigerian economy.