Paul Ibe, the Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of deploying the disclosure of alleged terrorism sponsors as a political smokescreen to protect the leadership of the electoral commission.
In a statement issued on his X handle on Sunday, April 12, 2026, Ibe asserted that while identifying the financiers of insecurity is a desirable goal, the timing of the release is a calculated attempt to divert public attention from the growing calls for the resignation or removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.
He noted that the administration’s modus operandi often involves using high-profile security announcements to neutralize partisan heat, particularly as Amupitan faces intense scrutiny over his impartiality and recent administrative conduct.
This criticism follows an announcement on Saturday, April 11, 2026, where the federal government officially unveiled a list of 15 individuals and nine corporate entities suspected of involvement in terrorism financing.
The list, generated by the Nigerian Sanctions Committee, reportedly includes prominent regional figures, specific bureau de change operators, and several international business entities accused of laundering funds for insurgent groups.
Ibe emphasized that Nigerians and the international community remain skeptical, waiting to see if the government will move beyond mere identification to actual prosecution.
He suggested that without legal consequences for those named, the gesture remains a diversionary tactic aimed at preserving the status quo within INEC.
Ibe wrote, “Knowing the modus operandi of the Tinubu-led APC administration, I believe that as desirable as it is for them to release the list of the names of individuals and organisations allegedly sponsoring terrörîsm in Nigeria, it was done to distract attention from the heat on the partisan INEC Chairman Prof Joash Amupitan to resign or be sacked.
It is one thing to release names, it is another thing to have them prosecuted. Nigerians and even the international community are waiting.
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