Featured

Open Letter to Governor Godwin Obaseki

Published

7 years ago

July 24, 2018

Eric

By Sylvester Odion Akhaine

Your Excellency,

I chose this medium of an open letter to reach out to you because of the existential danger presently confronting the peoples of Edo State. It is no longer news that Nigeria has become an open killing field stalked by so-called Fulani ‘herdsmen’, a roving band of terrorists acknowledged by the Global Terrorism Index as the fourth most dangerous terrorist organisation in the world.

The crux of the matter is that while every community in Nigeria is alive to this danger posed by this band of terrorists and have openly rejected penetration projects variously referred to as ‘cattle colonies’ and ‘ranches’ advanced by their sponsors who currently control the levers of power at the centre, the governing elite in Edo state has maintained felonious silence over their forceful occupation of Edoland and murderous activities within. It is possible that the silence is induced by honest ignorance of the dynamics of the activities of these terrorists on your part and therefore requires some enlightenment by a recourse to some aspects of our history.

History is a resource central to the survival of peoples and organisations. As it is often said, it is the compass to navigate the past, appreciate the present and consider the future. The Edo people fenced off attempts by neighbours and aliens to dominate them. We did not impose our culture on them if they were sworn to oaths of peace and good neighbourliness. As indigenous people with a legend of the creation of the world, we never ceded an inch of our territory to any other people. We resisted the incursion of the British in 1897, despite their superior fire power and occupation of the capital, we waged enduring guerrilla battles against the British up to the time of so-called independence in 1960.

Importantly, before British invasion, the same alien forces who are ravaging all parts of the country in murderous adventures today invaded Hausaland in 1804 and seized the political superstructure of the Hausa who today are subsumed under their domination. They indeed invaded Edoland from the north of our space known today as Kukuruku areas, a name engendered by the heroic resistance to the invaders known to oral tradition as Azanamas.

To be sure, in about 1850 during the reign of Oba Adolo (1848-1888) the Edo people fought wars with the Nupes who formed the bulk of the invaders under the superintendence of the Fulanis. The Nupes who launched out on two fronts, westwards against the Yorubas and southwards against the Edos in their crusade against the peoples of the forest region met with resistance. The Yorubas inflicted a crushing defeat on them at the famous battles of Osogbo spearheaded by the Ibadan forces in 1840 and later the British at Erinmope in the late 19th century. They had a field-day in the Kukuruku country which they raided for slaves and altered the socio-political institutions of that part of Edoland a great deal. In the records of the British, the Kukuruku division was formed with headquarters in Fugar in 1919. Until this period much of Edo North, including Ososo, Okpella, Uzairue North and North Ibie were administered as part of Northern Nigeria under the British from Lokoja. Indeed, without the overwhelming resistance from our forebears, we would have been living in a world of aliens (for a comprehensive knowledge, read Akhaine, S. O., The Kukuruku Wars and the Secularity of the Nigerian State: Some Preliminary Reflections).

Unfortunately, the British decolonisation process placed the levers of power in the hands of the same feudal forces and the dynamics of the civil war were to ensure their total control of the material forces of the state—all the instruments of coercion to ensure perpetual domination of the rest of the country (See Kunle Lawal, The Role of the United States in the Decolonisation process in Nigeria). A recent writer and combatant in that war called the outcome of the civil war, ‘tragedy of victory’.

Your Excellency, the struggle for restructuring is to restore what Pa Enahoro called equitocracy to the federal arrangement of the country. It is the extant relation of domination that Majors S. D. Mukoro and Gideon Orkar sought to undo in their military revolt of April 22, 1990. It is exactly what the incumbent administration has been reinforcing by what is now famous as his nepotist appointments in the security forces. The partisan nature of the military in the genocidal war against peace-loving peoples of this country is legendary. For example, when the people of Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu in South-East converged to discuss their fate in the hands of the Fulani terrorists, security forces were deployed to halt the gathering while arrest were made. Bosso Community in Niger state were attacked by the ‘herdsmen’, and therefore primed themselves for self-defence. For that reason, men of the 31st Artillery Brigade invaded the community in a dawn raid. Nearer home, after the killings in Ewu, Edo State, the innocent protesters were shot at by the military from a unit in Auchi. There are more damning evidences across the country which lent credence to the accusation of complicity of the military/security forces by the former army chief, General T. Y Danjuma.

The above is to give you a sense of the continuity in the quest for domination by the Fulanis currently masquerading as herdsmen. One of the methods they have adopted in recent times is what the British have called swamping. They evacuate their people at nights into neighbourhoods and then form innocuous retail posts over which they make inroads into occupied communities. It is an old stratagem they employed in Hausaland before take-over in the 19th century. Having been profiled by their murderous activities, they have been unable to realise their occupation agenda so far. The current minders of the Nigerian state whose interest is coterminous with this murderous ethnic group seek the realisation of the agenda through ‘cattle colonies’ and ‘ranches’. Hence, the corresponding resistance across the North, Middle Belt and the South.

Assuming, it was a question of grazing only, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo who read between the lines, suggested a civilised approach to nomadic grazing long ago: a functional rail line between the North and South that could facilitate the transportation of beef through airconditioned compartments to the markets in the South. The Guardian Newspaper even suggested in one of its editorials, a dual economy, that is, the south selling hay to the herders in the north while purchasing beef from them. It will interest you to know that the then Midwest region had attempted a self-sufficiency approach by establishing ranches to feed its own people. They include Igarra and Ubiaja. The latter had a dairy. The last stocks at Igarra were slaughtered for pepper soup by the Igbinedion Administration while the Ubiaja ranche was sold to late Admiral Aikhomu for a pittance and ownership has since changed.

My fear is the influx of the ‘herders’ into all parts of Edoland: from Ovia North East, Orhionmwon, Ikopa-Okha, Ibillo, Igarra, Ekpoma, Irrua, Ugbegun, Igueben Agenegbode. Most alarming is large concentration of the ‘herders’ in a large swathe of land lying athwart Ewohimi and Uromi in Edo central (Esanland). The ‘herders’ script in Nigeria is land grab and control of the locals.

The quest for land acquisition is beyond doubt a well-thought out occupation script acted successfully in Darfur by the Sudanese government. Under the pretext of drought, Arabs from the north of Sudan and Chad moved into Darfur known for its lush vegetation and settled. Before long, the Arab government in Khartoum first and foremost armed the Janjaweed bands to undermine the local people. Subsequently, it re-engineered the administrative units of the areas and imposed the hegemony of the migrants over the indigenous groups such as Fur, Masalit and Daju. The consequence was the formation of two armed groups for self-determination, namely, Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Army/Movement (SLA/M) (for details, see the UN Report on Darfur). This is already being perfected in Southern Kaduna where Governor Nasir el-Rufai has just created new emirates to impose Fulani jurisdiction over the indigenous people of Southern Kaduna and render them second class citizens in their ancestral lands.

Indeed, the continuous influx of the terrorist herders into Edoland indicates that the State government under your leadership may have ceded our land to them for occupation, thereby fostering an existential crisis for Edo people. I am not unaware of a statement from your office to the effect that Edo State Government “has not ceded any land, in any part of the state, for ranching project to any one” and recognises animal husbandry as a form of business by private individuals, and that “the state government does not, as a matter of policy, directly engage in businesses” but act to provide enabling environment to attract private investors. I am also not unaware of the ban on night grazing by your government. In relation to the actions of Governors Ortom and Fayose, these are all kid gloves approaches. Human lives matter.

The reality on the ground belies your government’s position. It is that a large chunk of Edoland is being occupied by ‘herdsmen’ steadily and illegally. The lie of things in relation to the subject demands more than statements. It requires practical action.

So far, we have recorded uncountable casualty from their murderous activities. In the last three years, the following killings, by no means exhaustive, were recorded. In 2016, a 64-year old farmer was killed in Okada town in Ovia North East; a medical doctor identified as Ehidiamen Oakimena was killed by herdsmen along Okada-Benin road in Edo state, a teenager was killed in Ibore, Irrua; Two women, Mrs. Martina Emoyon and Mrs. Ariu were raped and killed in Ewu in 2017; also, in 2017, a pregnant woman was raped and killed in Ukpenu, Ekpoma. In the current year, a student of Ambrose Alli, Collins Ojierakhi, was killed in Ugboha; Mr. Pius Eromosele, a pastor was killed in Odighi Community in Ovia North East; the right hand of Arowolo Jerome, a farmer in Igodi quarters of Ojah in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State amputated by the herdsmen; A bus driver with Gloryland group of school was butchered along Auchi road, Igarra. The domino effect in terms of halting farming activities is immeasurable. Our people now stand the risk of famine.

I have in the above-offered insight into the threat the ‘herdsmen’ pose to our collective existence. I am inclined to suggest some solutions. The first solution is based on assumptions. If the present conflict is truly farmer-herder and driven by climate change as some have argued the Edo government should sponsor an executive bill to prohibit open grazing in Edoland as is done in all civilised countries. The states from which the herdsmen are coming have been the recipient of cash to push back desertification, and fortunately for them, the Chinese have evolved biotechnique for growing vegetation in the desert, they should buy into it and not export the consequence of their negligence to other states. Some Edo indigenes have cows that are also grazing in the open, they should be summoned and ask to put them into ranches and encouraged to make the state self-sufficient without relying on cows from the north. Also, there are already existing cattle markets in Aduwawa and Ivbiaro-Warake road at the bank of River Orle on the Auchi Side; they should be re-organised to be exclusively managed by Edo State indigenes. Northern cattle traders can bring in their cows, sell and go—no settlement and no occupation. Nigeria is not a frontier state but a country of Indigenous people.

The second solution flows from my conviction that the elements masquerading as ‘herdsmen’ are terrorists and are part of a heinous agenda of the current minders of the Nigerian state to occupy the rest of the country and subjugate them. The level of killings and its morbid nature which the terrorist herdsmen have perpetrated in the Middle Belt and our own casualty in their barbarism support my position. Our solution is a no, no, to the Federal Government herders project, namely, Cattle Colony, Ranches and Livestock Transformation Plan. Edo is listed among others state where the pilot project would be experimented and over which the Federal Government has voted N179 billion naira. While other states have said no vehemently, Edo state under your watch is still prevaricating. In practical terms, the state government must mobilise all available legal instruments to remove the terrorists presently occupying parts of the state. The open grazing law will deny them the cover for their sinister project.

Let me warn that if proactive steps are not taken now, we might soon find ourselves in ‘dishonourable graves’. It requires practical action and the time to act is now.

Thanks for your attention.

Sylvester Odion Akhaine, PhD (London), is an associate professor of political science and acting head, department of political science, Lagos State University.

Featured

Trump’s Envoy, Riley Moore: There’re over 600,000 Christians Languishing in Benue IDP Camps

Published

4 days ago

December 13, 2025

Eric

United States Congressman Riley Moore has alleged that more than 600,000 Christians are currently living in internally displaced persons’ camps across Benue State, following years of violent attacks that have forced communities from their homes.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Moore recounted testimonies he said were shared with him during a visit to several camps in the state.

The congressman said he met “dozens of Christians” who had survived deadly assaults and were now seeking refuge in makeshift shelters.

According to him, the displaced residents described “horrific violence” that wiped out families and emptied entire villages. Moore cited the account of a woman who, he said, “was forced to watch as they killed her husband and five children,” escaping with her unborn child.

Another woman, he added, told him her family “was murdered in front of her and her baby was ripped from her womb.”
He also referenced a survivor who claimed “his family was hacked to death in front of his eyes,” leaving him permanently injured.

Moore described the scale of displacement as alarming and accused “genocidal Fulani” of driving indigenous Christian communities from their ancestral lands. He said the situation demands heightened international attention.

“There are more than 600,000 Christians in IDP camps in Benue State alone.

“These Christians should be able to live in their ancestral homeland without fear of genocidal Fulani,” he said.

During his visit, Moore also met Tiv and Catholic leaders, including Bishop Wilfred Anagbe, Bishop Isaac Dugu, and Tiv traditional ruler, His Royal Highness James Ioruza. He said discussions centred on what he called an “ongoing genocidal campaign” in Benue.

The congressman noted that his trip to Nigeria included meetings with National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and other senior officials. He said the talks focused on terrorism in the North-East, the killings in the Middle Belt, and security priorities he shares with President Donald Trump.

Moore added that both sides reviewed possible steps to improve security cooperation, pointing to what he described as an already established joint Nigeria–US task force as a sign of progress. But he emphasised that “openness has to translate to concrete action,” insisting there is still significant work to be done.

Ribadu confirmed meeting the US delegation, noting that the discussions followed earlier engagements in Washington and covered counter-terrorism, regional stability, and efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between both countries.

President Donald Trump had on November 30 redesignated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations, while warning of possible US military intervention.

The Nigerian government has repeatedly rejected claims of systemic persecution of Christians, arguing that insecurity affects Nigerians of all faiths and ethnic groups.

Moore, meanwhile, commended recent security operations, including the rescue of more than 100 abducted Catholic schoolchildren, and said US concerns had been “positively received” in Abuja.

He maintained that the experiences shared by displaced communities “will not be ignored,” and vowed to brief the White House as ordered by President Trump.

Featured

There’s No Govt in Nigeria, Tinubu is the Person in Power – Dele Momodu

Published

5 days ago

December 13, 2025

Eric

Media entrepreneur and former presidential aspirant, Chief Dele Momodu, in this interview by SAM NWAOKO, does a thorough examination of the Nigerian polity and comes to the conclusion that the country is on the cusp of a one-man rule.

Some people have said that the issue involving Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was a convivial episode between two former colleagues in the Senate. Do you agree with this contention by some observers of the matter?

You know that spin doctors will spin anything no matter how unreasonable it is. Everybody, including Mrs Tinubu, acknowledged that what happened was wrong. Whether she now apologised or not, I am not aware, but she herself said it was a minor misstep and that we should not escalate it. So let us not debate what is not debatable.

When my favourite writer, Uncle Dare Babarinsa, said that the video of the incident in Ile-Ife was AI-generated on Facebook, I replied to him and said it was not. I gave them the original video that was shot by Ovation TV and said: “This is an original video that was shot by Ovation TV and not AI-generated, Sir. The governor was clearly disrupted and momentarily lost composure.”

The whole saga looks like it is not going away. What would you advise the First Lady to do at a time like this?

It is not going away because we are all prone to mistakes – nobody is perfect, I am not perfect, the First Lady is not perfect and when we are wrong either knowingly or unknowingly, we should just apologise. That is all. The thing would have gone down immediately. However, the thing is that her spin doctors are busy trying to window-dress the incident which is ordinarily a scandal because you embarrassed Governor Adeleke in his own state because you momentarily got him confused. If you look at the video, you will see that she disrupted him and the governor was momentarily confused. The governor was flustered because he was not expecting such an intrusion during his speech. Even if you were in a hurry to leave the palace and all that, you could have sent someone or just asked someone to write something on a small paper that ‘We are running late, please hurry up’. It is not that you will now stand up on your own. The First Lady stood up, and we saw her conversing with the Ooni of Ife before then, reporting that ‘I want to go and tell this man to stop singing’.

However, I know the reason she is angry, because she used to enjoy his singing and music when they used to dance together in Osogbo and all that. I have video evidence of that. She is angry because the governor refused to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). You know, APC has this entitlement syndrome afflicting it. APC believes that every governor should be in APC. The only thing that will give them joy and comfort is for every governor in Nigeria whether from the North, or from the East or from the West – wherever – should join APC. Then Tinubu can become an emperor in word and indeed. That is what they seek to do. They succeeded in Lagos and they wish to succeed at the national level. That is what is going on. Anybody who does not join them is considered an enemy.

Don’t you think that he has succeeded in doing that in many other places too because we only have one governor of PDP left in the South, so to say?

To me, this does not matter. Some people will choose to be voluntary slaves while some people will choose to act like freeborn. Everybody has a choice, that is what democracy is all about. Some people are coerced; some people are cajoled. When they get there, I hope they get whatever they are looking for.

Could this thinking be the reason Governor Ademola Adeleke did not go to APC but chose to go to Accord instead?

They tried to woo him into APC but he decided that he would rather leave his fate in the hand of God instead the hand of man. He didn’t get to where he is today by himself, it is God that made it possible. In his first attempt, he claimed that they stole his votes. He went away quietly. He didn’t destroy Nigeria, he didn’t destroy anything. He didn’t even fight Tinubu. He went away and he came back stronger. In fact, this Mrs. Tinubu incident has played to his favour because he has been trending since Sunday. Governor Adeleke has been trending because of this “little mishap” according to Mrs. Tinubu. And, can you imagine that it coincided with the time he was joining his new political party, Accord. Everything in life works perfectly once God has a hand in it. I see Governor Adeleke as a very lucky man and that is why he is always singing. He said nobody can stop him from singing and praising his God.

Now that the PDP has all its flanks broken, what would you advise the party as an observer, when you remember what it used to be in the Peoples Democratic Party?

I left the party much earlier because we already saw where it was headed. It is not the fault of the party, it is the fault of the fifth columnists within the party who sought to keep the party in ICU and hope to switch off the ICU machine and kill the party if it is no longer useful to them, or keep it alive in the ICU until the day they will need the party. So, what those people have been doing is to gradually kill the party on behalf of Tinubu, because it is Tinubu that has that kind of power. It is not people like Nyesome Wike that are wielding that kind of power.

From your thinking, you seem to agree with Nigerians who are of the opinion that the problem with PDP and the other opposition political parties is the handiwork of the government, Tinubu himself and his people?

There is no government in power. Tinubu is the person in power, no other person is in power. Tinubu does not share power with anybody. I had predicted in 2022 that if he gets power we have a potential dictator in our hands. This was in October 2022, I said it on a TV programme and it has come to pass. When I speak, people would react and abuse me but I don’t mind. My body is that of a porcupine, nothing worries me that much, I don’t even bother. I saw this because I was trained in Ife on how to conduct research and I am conversant with how to go about postulations, permutations and all that. I might not be able to use it effectively for myself to win elections because I don’t have the resources, but I can tell you what will happen in 2027 and give you different scenarios.

So that is what is going on right now. Tinubu is a one-man mafia and all the other people under him are afraid because of that. Paulo Freire, a Brazilian author, wrote “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” in which he contends that the oppressed man respects and loves only one man: his oppressor. So, it is a theory in political psychology. So, all the people you see rushing to Tinubu are doing so out of fear in advance. Tinubu does not even need to tell them that if you don’t join me something is going to happen to you because of the reputation of Tinubu as a one-man mafia. So nobody wants to cross the line and even dare to try. So, it is in the nature of the oppressed to be fearful in the presence or in front of the oppressor. The oppressor does not need to say anything, just his eye-look alone is enough to scare them, so they are all scared and you know that the average Nigerian does not joke with power, position and wealth.

So, this second term nonsense is as if, if you don’t have a second term, you will die. That is the attitude of an average politician. But Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden. He went away. Is he not back today? President John Mahama was defeated by Nana Akufo-Addo in Ghana. Is he not back today? So, I don’t know why people are so desperate. If Tinubu will not allow you to come back, for as long as you have life there is hope. You can go away and come back later.

So, the fear of a one-party Nigeria is real – the fear that Nigeria is drifting into a one-party state is not unfounded?

We are not drifting, we are there already. The situation in which the entire South-South has been captured by one man… and a lot of them who didn’t even need to go there are running into the APC. Look at Akwa Ibom State. Akwa Ibom has no business in APC, Akwa Ibom is a traditional PDP state. It can survive on its own, it does not even need the Federal Government. Akwa Ibom is so blessed with resources that every governor of the state has always been considered very important in Nigeria. But when you have a man who was brought in by PDP and he ran away from the PDP even by the second year… What is chasing him? And now he is saying that only APC people can get jobs in Akwa Ibom, it is unprecedented. History is awaiting all of us. Was it APC that worked for him to become governor? If he wanted to give everything to APC, then he should have waited for APC to vote him for a second term then he can transfer everything to APC. But for, what he is enjoying is from PDP, it is not from APC, so why are you now shutting out those who brought you to power? And he is a pastor, he knows that God will judge him. I know it is his democratic right to go wherever he chooses but he cannot use what you have gained from someone else to give to another person.

Look at my home state, Edo State. There, if you are not a member of APC, you are declared a persona non grata. That is not right. The governor is free to choose his friends and so on, at least there the APC brought him to power unlike Akwa Ibom, where PDP brought him to power and suddenly you want to kill PDP in your state. I think that is ungodly.

The contention out there is that you are for Atiku Abubakar and not for any political party, including the ADC. How true is this and can you throw light on this assumption sir?

I have always chosen candidates that I admire and believe can deliver. I am not one of those who would do otherwise because of some parochial considerations. I have been very fortunate because God brought me from different backgrounds, my father came from Edo State while my mother came from Osun State. So I am very detribalised and I am a full Nigerian. I fought the military alongside other people for Nigeria to remain one. So, I would not allow any politician to brainwash me into seeing any Nigerian as my enemy. This is a ploy by some politicians to use us, and use divide and rule to continue to dominate the country and dominate our life, I am not involved in it. If I like you, I like you. I see Atiku as a shining star and I saw it from 1993 when he stepped down for Chief Abiola at the SDP convention, I have always admired him since then in 1993, it is not because of today. To me, whether he becomes president or not is not the issue, if I wanted a president as my friend then I would have chosen Bola Tinubu because I am one million times closer to him than to Atiku. But I am a principled man, I have chosen to support Atiku. If you don’t like him, support your own candidate. I cannot force anybody to support Atiku. There are democratic traits which I see in him, he is a thorough democrat, a man who will never promote thuggery, a man who had been Vice President and delivered outstandingly and spectacularly. When he was the Vice President, he was able to assemble some of the brightest stars in Nigeria wherever they came from. He did not populate his office with Fulani or Hausa or any tribe in particular. A man who left governance in 2007 and till today he is successful as a businessman investing in education, in agriculture, in health and so on and so forth. If every politician has a job or a business like Atiku, we will not be where we are as a country today. An average Nigerian politician has no job, has no business, and has nothing doing other than to feed on the government. That is part of my admiration for Atiku. Atiku has been able to elevate and upgrade himself intellectually by going back to school as a student. He has been able to maintain and carry himself gracefully at his age. So, Atiku’s experience is not something that we can throw away and he is one of those people who have contributed to the growth and development of Nigeria. So, why should I not express my support for him if he chooses to run?

Is he going to run in 2027 or is he going to back a candidate?

Definitely, he will run if he gets the ticket of the party. If he doesn’t get the ticket of the party then he will have to join someone else and support the person. He has always been a very forthright person and he was the first person to bring Peter Obi on the national platform, but people forget that.

But the ADC seems to have been largely quiet. It might be strategic, but the party is seeing the onslaught on the PDP and has been quiet. What would you say has been happening in the ADC and what should Nigerians expect in the near future?

ADC has not been quiet. They are working from state to state. Even in Edo State where the governor did not expect any opposition, we have worked hard in Edo State and we are gaining ground. In Adamawa, and I saw how people from different walks of life are joining ADC. Recently, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar went to Jalingo to launch ADC with them there. So, we are working and I am sure a lot of people who are leaving PDP now to join APC, when they finally get frustrated by especially Tinubu, they will come over to ADC. ADC is the only national platform that is available and it offers Nigerians better and credible options.

So what would be your advice to Nigerians considering the changing political landscape of the country?

They must resist a one-party dictatorship in the country and they must resist Tinubu. Tinubu’s ambition to have Nigeria entirely to himself the same way he has Lagos should not be allowed. I assure Nigerians that if he is allowed to get away with it then we shall all end up in servitude.

But he is said to be managing the economy better, and that the security situation is improving under his administration. Don’t you see these?

When people love you they will love you blindly; that is what is happening with those saying that Tinubu is performing and that the economy has improved. The situation in Nigeria now is far worse. What we have seen are statistics; statistics that do not have effect on the people or reflect in their standard of living. We have removed the petroleum subsidy which has thrown most homes in Nigeria into the worst poverty, yet we are not seeing what they have done with the money and they said the economy is improving. They should come out and tell us what they are doing with the money. Now, we have incurred unprecedented debts globally and we are still acquiring more almost on a daily basis. What exactly are we doing with the money? So, those who are talking about the economy improving don’t know what they are saying, they are just talking for the sake of talking or because, maybe they hope they will also benefit from the largesse of the government.

Culled from The Trubune

Featured

2027: Nigeria Sliding into ‘Fanatical Governance’, Momodu Blasts APC, Submissive Legislature and Weak Opposition

Published

5 days ago

December 12, 2025

Eric

By Eagle Radio

Journalist and politician Aare Dele Momodu has raised alarm over what he calls Nigeria’s drift into “a fanatical, unrestrained form of governance” where oversight institutions have become subordinate to the executive.

Momodu made the remarks during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current afairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM Ilese, Ijebu, on Wednesday, where he discussed national security, the wave of defections to the APC, internal party crises and the build-up to the 2027 elections.

Momodu reviewed recent political events including the Senate’s swift approval of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to Benin Republic, the removal of police escorts from some VIPs, the widespread collapse of opposition structures and the ongoing tug-of-war within the PDP and Labour Party.
Momodu said the chamber’s unanimous and speedy approval of the president’s request did not surprise him, arguing that the National Assembly now operates as an extension of the presidency.

“There is no request President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sends to the National Assembly that they will not promptly approve. Even if it goes against national interest, they will approve it. Nigeria is virtually running a fanatical government the way we operate today. Checks and balances are gone. “I wasn’t expecting anything new from the Senate. They are not confrontational to a ruler. Some people are coerced, some cajoled, and some just cannot place the interests of the country above their own personal interests.”

He noted that while some Nigerians worry that the military is overstretched due to internal security operations, he disagrees.

“Our military is not overstretched. I’ve seen them in action in different countries from Liberia to Zimbabwe. We have some of the best officers on the continent. What is troubling is the politicisation of their work at home. That is the real danger.”

Gale of Defections: ‘Opposition is in the ICU’

Speaking on the wave of defections that has hit opposition parties, including the high-profile defection of Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the APC, Momodu said the ruling party has strategically crippled rival platforms.

“I cannot blame all the people defecting. Some of them did not leave voluntarily. They were coerced. The ruling party made sure the PDP was crippled, tied down and kept in the ICU. The Labour Party is battling factions everywhere. The opposition has never been this weak.”

According to him, this systematic collapse is part of a grand strategy for the 2027 elections.

“The plan is simple: keep the opposition in a permanent coma. If the PDP or Labour tries to rise, another crisis will erupt. You can see the pattern.”

“I Am ADC Not Official Yet”

Momodu confirmed that although he has not completed his formal registration, he now aligns politically with the ADC.

“Yes, I am ADC. Not officially yet, but I am with the party. I still need to go to my village to register formally. But politically, that is where I am standing now.”

He explained that the current political reality makes the APC the most dominant platform heading into 2027.

ADC’s Internal Strength and Why He Believes APC Will Lose Members Soon

Responding to a caller who asked whether the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is facing internal crises similar to the PDP and Labour Party, Momodu disagreed.

ADC is growing stronger every day. Some of the most seasoned politicians in Nigeria are part of it. Once it becomes obvious that there are no more appointments in government, you will see politicians leaving the ruling party in droves.”

“The interest of the president now is all about him. We are frustrated because this is not the democracy we envisaged. Leaders are too focused on their image and position rather than serving the nation.”

He suggested that the defections into APC are largely transactional and may reverse as soon as people realise appointments are limited.

Insecurity: ‘Our Military Can End Banditry If Allowed to Work’

On Nigeria’s worsening security situation, Momodu insisted that political interests, not military weakness, hinder progress.

“The Nigerian military can end this insecurity in months if allowed. They know where the bandits are. We have videos of bandits riding on motorcycles in convoys. Why can’t they be stopped?”

He referenced Nigeria’s successful peacekeeping records abroad.

“In Liberia, our soldiers controlled 10 of the 15 regions under ECOMOG. They were called the backbone of the mission. How can the same military now be helpless at home? Something is wrong.”

“Everything is politically motivated. Our army can enter forests, flush out bandits, and achieve results in days or weeks. I’ve seen them operate in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The challenge at home is politics, not military weakness.”

He accused government officials of playing politics with national security.

Ambassadorial List, Global Perception and the President’s Legacy

On questions about President Tinubu’s international reputation, especially following debates over the ambassadorial list and restructuring of foreign missions, Momodu said he is not convinced the president prioritises global perception.

“I don’t know if the president cares about perception or legacy right now. The focus seems to be proving political strength, not building institutions. But the world is watching.”

He expressed concern that Nigeria’s diplomatic system is losing credibility due to political interference.

‘Politicians Have Abandoned Service for Personal Luxury’
Momodu criticised political elites for living extravagantly while ordinary citizens struggle.

“Politicians behave as if they are in a permanent entertainment state. Someone who had nothing yesterday suddenly flies jets and lives in luxury. People will naturally ask questions.”

He said Nigerians feel deeply betrayed by leaders who appear disconnected from the reality of poverty.

“People are bitter because leaders are not serving them. They lord over them. When citizens are hungry and insecure, leaders shouldn’t be gallivanting everywhere.”

‘Silence from Leaders Is Killing Democracy’
Momodu noted that prominent elders who once spoke boldly now remain silent due to fear or personal interest.

“During Obasanjo’s time, Yoruba leaders criticised him. They were not afraid to speak truth to power. Today, many people are too scared or too benefitted to say anything. That silence is dangerous.”

He warned that history will judge those who fail to speak up.

“Tomorrow will come. What will we say we stood for? This is not the democracy we fought for.”

A Call for Courage and National Renewal
Momodu urged citizens, elites and opposition politicians to find the courage to rebuild democratic values.

“Nigeria needs courage right now. Courage to criticise. Courage to correct. Courage to rebuild institutions. If we lose that courage, we will lose our democracy.”