By Kelvin Obambon
The National Patriotic Front for Tinubu (NPFFT) has raised concerns over the reported exclusion of Cross River State indigenes from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2026 promotion exercise.
Addressing a world press conference in Calabar on Tuesday, the pro-Tinubu political group revealed that despite promoting 106 staff members across four management levels, not a single indigene of Cross River State was among the successful officers.
According to the group, the 2026 promotion exercise elevated personnel across four consecutive management cadres: Manager to Senior Manager, Senior Manager to Assistant Director, Assistant Director to Deputy Director, and Deputy Director to Director. NPFFT noted that Cross River State indigenes were present in all four tiers, with at least seven staff members eligible for promotion, yet none was elevated.
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Presenting a regional breakdown, NPFFT Director General, Castro Ezama highlighted a stark disparity between Cross River and other states in the South-South geopolitical zone. The group’s figures showed that Rivers State secured at least 8 promotions, Edo and Delta received no less than 6 each, while Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa recorded 3 promotions each.
Ezama questioned how a broad promotion exercise could yield such a lopsided regional outcome.
“How did an exercise involving 106 promotions across four consecutive management cadres produce no successful Cross River State indigene, despite the presence of Cross River indigenes within all four cadres, while the other South-South states reportedly recorded promotions?” he asked.
While clarifying that the organization is not seeking preferential treatment or compromising standards, the DG emphasized that the outcome violates the principle of equal opportunity and raises constitutional questions under Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which mandates federal character compliance across government agencies.
“NPFFT is not asking NUPRC to promote any officer merely because of state of origin. Promotion must remain based on eligibility, competence, performance, experience, and the Commission’s approved criteria,” Ezama stated. “Our concern is that an outcome of this scale and pattern raises a serious prima facie question about equal opportunity, consistency of assessment, and compliance with the federal character principle.”
NPFFT laid out several demands directed at the NUPRC leadership and Governing Board, including an immediate, transparent, and impartial independent review of the 2026 promotion exercise; cadre-by-cadre breakdown of eligible, assessed, and successful officers; disclosure of the score weightings, pass marks, and moderation procedures applied, among others.
The group also called on the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to investigate the state-of-origin distribution of the exercise, while also calling on the Chairmen of the Senate Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Gas, both of whom are indigenes of Cross River State, to exercise their legislative oversight duties. He urged them to request official promotion records and conduct a formal hearing into the matter, noting that continued silence risks weakening public trust.
NPFFT concluded by urging affected officers to remain calm and law-abiding while appealing to the Federal Government and the Presidency to ensure institutions uphold transparency and merit alongside federal character guidelines.
As of the time of filing this reporting, the NUPRC management has yet to issue an official response to the claims.
