The Nigeria Coalition for Justice and Peace has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately relieve Mr. Pius Akutah of his position as Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council for ignoring a presidential directive related to the 2027 general elections.
In a press statement signed by its National Secretary, Mr. John Duke, Esq., the advocacy group stated that Akutah secretly obtained governorship nomination forms from the All Progressives Congress without resigning from his federal appointment. The group described this as a sign of insubordination to the President. It further noted that Akutah had committed an offence against Independent National Electoral Commission regulations, which require all state and federal appointees seeking elective positions to resign from their offices by a stipulated deadline, as well as against President Tinubu’s directive that all his appointees must resign by March 31, 2026.
The group recalled that Akutah has recently been in the news over efforts to influence the APC National Working Committee to upload his name as the party’s governorship candidate for Benue State in the next election. It insisted that Akutah should be sacked immediately over what it termed an act of disrespect to the person and office of the President. According to the coalition, any decision by President Tinubu to retain Akutah in the position would suggest that lawlessness and disregard for the law of the land exist within the administration.
The group questioned how the President would explain to Nigerians the decision not to sack Akutah, who failed to resign by the March 31 deadline, obtained a nomination form in secret against the directive, and continues to push for his name to be uploaded as the APC candidate despite not taking part in the party’s screening exercise and primaries.
The coalition also cautioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, against bringing conflict into Benue State through continued efforts to remove Governor Hyacinth Alia’s name and replace it with that of Pius Akutah as the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
