President Bola Tinubu has handpicked Dr. Mulisiu Oseni as the new Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), abruptly ending Abdullahi Ramat’s short-lived bid for the top job. The move, rubber-stamped by the Senate, signals a dramatic shake-up in the country’s electricity regulation.

The saga began with President Tinubu’s initial nomination of Abdullahi Ramat, a relatively unknown former local government chairman from Kano State. Ramat’s bold attempt to seize the NERC chairmanship before Senate confirmation set off a firestorm. He stormed the NERC headquarters in Abuja, flanked by political allies and even a man in military uniform, in a spectacle that was caught on video and quickly went viral. The footage showed Ramat being welcomed by Dr. Oseni in what was supposed to be a handover ceremony, but the public and industry insiders were quick to slam the move as a blatant disregard for due process.

As outrage mounted, Ramat was forced to retreat, but not before his supporters lobbed explosive allegations at the Senate, accusing lawmakers of pocketing a $10 million bribe to block his appointment. The Senate, for its part, flatly denied the claims, with Senator Yemi Adaramodu dismissing the accusations as “baseless” and insisting that the decision was driven by a flood of petitions and complaints against Ramat.

With Ramat’s ambitions in tatters, President Tinubu wasted no time in installing Dr. Oseni, the commission’s vice chairman and acting chairman since August, as the new NERC boss. The presidency touted Oseni’s experience and institutional knowledge, framing the appointment as a move to restore “stability and credibility” to the embattled regulator. Oseni is now set to serve out a 10-year term, as mandated by the Electricity Act, 2023.

But the drama didn’t end there. Tinubu also shuffled the rest of the NERC board, naming Dr. Yusuf Ali as vice chairman and bringing in new and returning faces, including Mr. Nathan Shatti, Mr. Dafe Akpeneye, Aisha Mahmud, Dr. Chidi Ike, and Dr. Fouad Animashaun. The president’s message to the new board was clear: get in line with the Electricity Act and push forward with the so-called “transformation” of Nigeria’s power sector.

Observers are left wondering whether this high-profile shake-up will actually deliver results for Nigeria’s long-suffering electricity consumers, or if it’s just another round of political theater. For now, all eyes are on Dr. Oseni and his team as they take the reins of a sector plagued by controversy, inefficiency, and endless promises of reform.