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Pendulum: The Empty Promises Nigerians Must Reject Today

Published

7 years ago

February 23, 2019

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, finally, hopefully, the appointed time has come for the most anticipated Presidential election in Nigeria. It is not that the other elections are not important but the stakes are much higher because the President of Nigeria is probably the most powerful man on earth. He can do and virtually get away with any atrocity. A regular and normal human being instantly transfigures into a god or spirit on attainment of such monstrosity. And everyone including those you thought were already made in life and need no government patronage suddenly turn into jelly-fish genuflecting in the presence of the new deity. Such is the tragedy of our situation.

About this time in 2015, we were all excited about the new possibilities offered by our new President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Though I had many personal reservations about his inglorious and ignoble antecedents as a coup plotter and bloody dictator, many Nigerians like me were ready to give him another chance. Despite the regrets I harbour today, I’m glad I did with all my heart. Had we not, we would have been feeling extremely guilty that we wasted a good leader who could have turned our long-suffering country into Paradise on earth, like we wasted Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Moshood Abiola, both of blessed memory. Awolowo would have been the best Manager of people and resources while Abiola would have been the best unifier ever who would have spared us the total breakdown of law and order and the menace of nepotism and terrorism that we have all over the places today.

On a personal note, my expectation of Buhari was hinged on the possible fact that having spent three decades outside power, after being sacked ignominiously, he would have improved his human relations and public image as a caveman whose obstinacy is just irredeemable. I was doubly assured that whatever was still lacking in the man could still be polished and garnished by the brilliant minds around him and beyond. But we were very wrong. Today I’m one of the leading wailing wailers, as the Buharideens call us, but I have no apologies to offer. God knows that I love my country above any soul and will passionately defend its interest without any shade of doubt. There is no unprintable name in the lexicon that I have not been called since I committed the supposed heresy of jilting Buhari, the last saint standing in the world. But I’m also as stubborn as President Buhari, if not worse. The more they attack and insult me, the more hardened and resolute I become. In my growing up years, I paid my dues for democracy in my own little way and corner and no one can bully me today for exercising the rights we won on the platter of pain and anguish.

I’m happy for a day such as this. Those who designed democracy were cognisant of the fact that leaders must go through periodic examinations called elections. Examinations are meant to test abilities in varying and various subjects. These days, course works have become integral parts of the final examination. If you did well ahead of the final examination, you may not have to labour much eventually. This has been the case in the matter of President Buhari who wasted the better part of four years with no remarkable marks but suddenly woke up when the main examination was knocking. A man who did not do his homework well, who was absent from seminars and tutorials, and acted rudely to his examiners is now asking to be promoted to the next class by all means, fair or crooked. He is being goaded on by his co-travellers in indulgent rascality who fail to realise that the world has since moved beyond their celebration of mediocrity which they see as achievement. A lot of stupendous investments have gone into preparing the head boy for this epic journey. To whom much is given, much is usually expected. The most nauseating excuse for the failure is the endless blame game. All the promises of performance and good behaviour have since gone up in smoke and what is left are the ashes of disappointments and gnashing of teeth.

A powerful and resounding message must be established from now onwards. No man or woman shall be promoted to the next class if they perform below average. Buhari was expected to deliver spectacularly in three key areas. The first was general insecurity in the country. At the time he ascended the throne, Boko Haram had become a major menade marauding in some parts of Northern Nigeria. A lot of faith was placed in Buhari to win the war against the recalcitrant fellows being a retired Major General. He succeeded in containing their expansionist ambition to some extent but not to acceptable standards. The unfortunate side to it is the breakout of other types of menacing hoodlums like the rampaging herdsmen who audaciously forayed into several states southwards and wreaked despicable havoc on farmlands and their hapless owners. What was worse, our head boy carried on as if nothing happened. There is no country where hordes of people would be killed like cows in abattoirs and life would continue as normal, the way it has been under this government. Nothing seems to move Buhari to show the human side of him except when it touches those very close to him. The case of Benue State would remain indelible forever as the bereaved were left to bury their dead with little or no empathy from the leader who is seeking re-election today.

The last administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was accused of uncommon profligacy in the disbursement of security votes allocated to the fight against Boko Haram. The then National Security Adviser, Retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, a blue-blood from the Sokoto Sultanate, has remained in detention ever since Buhari arrived on the scene, on the allegations of gross malfeasance. He has neither been properly tried nor convicted by any law court. Bails have been generously offered by the Judiciary but not granted or obeyed by President Buhari. Strangely, President Buhari’s government has also bullied his way into getting approval for its own one billion dollar security votes despite large scale protest from the people of Nigeria. What is sad and saddening is the fact that not much has changed. Our usually gallant soldiers have become miserably exposed to danger at every turn. Many have lost their lives at such tender age leaving their loved ones to morn prematurely. Our fighters have been grumbling aloud about their poor welfare and wellbeing. How can a retired army General find himself in this embarrassing situation?

The next subject Buhari flunked is the war against corruption. Despite the commendable efforts of the anti-corruption agencies, it seems not much has happened due to the subliminal body language of the Buhari government in the open protection of friendly criminals. Unashamedly, the only point Buhari and the Buharideens are using to campaign is their phantom war against corruption. The bold face with which they label and attack members of the opposition is so brazen and daring. Wale Olaleye of Thisday newspapers and I had to plead with a mutual friend recently to stop calling PDP a party of looters when he had been one of its most prominent members and beneficiaries ever. “We won’t be able to defend you if you continue to say this in public…” I told our controversial friend.

The brand of Saint Buhari has deteriorated to the extent that he no longer discriminates in who joins him in campaigning or funding his party. It is so bad that even the President has become the Defender-in-Chief for some of his supporters caught red-handed on hot tapes. He has been speaking in staccato fashion in defence of his inner circle of friends. As the National Chairman of APC recently boasted, “once you join APC, all yours sins are forgiven.” It is apparently true.

The Buharideens have since unleashed a blistering campaign of calumny against the PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He has been labelled as the worst demon and biggest looter in Nigeria. First, they conveniently forgot that he was a major benefactor of their idol of worship, Buhari, pre-2015 election, pumping billions of naira into his campaign and releasing his private jet. He was not a devil at that time. If you remind them that he was only the Vice President, they will tell you he used his position to sell government companies to himself and cronies. Ok, let’s agree that wasn’t good enough. What became of those companies that others did not sell to themselves? Failure, perhaps. Atiku has established himself as a consummate entrepreneur in a country in dire need of jobs and opportunities. And if you ask them to pinpoint what Atiku stole, you will draw a deafening blank from them.

Let’s move to what binds all humans together, the economy. Even if Buhari could not improve on what was bequeathed to him by President Jonathan, the least expected of him was to stabilise the economy. But Buhari came with his usual braggadocio of big talk and little action. If truth must be told, his traditional negativity led to the manner Nigeria went straight into coma and recession. It was the same ill-informed decisions that led him and his acolytes to Golgotha between 1983 to 1985, when Nigeria from hero to zero. A new President was expected to offer hopes and confidence to his citizens and foreign partners but Saint Buhari had to first of all flex some muscles and pontificate on why he is the Messiah. Nothing else is impotant to him than the deification of his person and persona by his brainwashed supporters.

For Buhari and his ardent followers, there is always a ready answer for every act of commission or omission on the part of his government: what did PDP do in 16 years? PDP did so much in those years but it is not my job to defend them. If nothing else, PDP produced more quality leaders, and formidable teams than what we have today. Yet we dismissed them for non-performance. The reason we sacked them was because we believed they did not meet current standards in the world. But Buhari and his goons have now limited our search to finding a Pope to lead us as if we live in the Vatican. No. Who Nigeria needs and desires urgently is a performer who has enough experience and exposure in the corporate world and not a man fixated in the Stone Age acting as an avuncular leader.

By far the biggest problem caused by the Buhari government is the gory manner he has divided Nigeria along ethnic and religious lines. If a man who would come to seek votes from every part of Nigeria could act as recklessly as he did in the first term when he reduced Nigeria to a miniature Fulani nation, what won’t Buhari attempt to do when he no longer needs the rest of Nigeria. This should be the serious food for thought. I have no doubts that Nigeria cannot afford to waste another four years in endless strife and senseless ethnic and religious cleansing. I need not say more. God save Nigeria.

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

8 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Eric

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly, which President Bola Tinubu swiftly signed into law.

The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated:

“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Some of the opposition leaders present in at the event include former Senate President David Mark; former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi; and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, all from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji, and other prominent members of the NNPP, notably Buba Galadima, were also in attendance.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure.

According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.

They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They characterised the polls as a “complete fraud” and said the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

They warned that increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed.

In their joint statement, the opposition parties pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic system.

On February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026 into law following its passage by the National Assembly. The Act introduced several reforms, including statutory recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and revised election timelines.

However, opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have also called for further amendments, particularly over the manual transmission fallback clause, which critics say leaves room for manipulation.

The president said the law will strengthen democracy and prevent voter disenfranchisement.

Tinubu defended manual collation of results, questioned Nigeria’s readiness for full real-time electronic transmission, and warned against technical glitches and hacking.

The Electoral Act sparked intense debate in the National Assembly over how election results should be transmitted ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society groups under the “Occupy NASS” campaign demanded real-time transmission to curb manipulation.

In the Senate, lawmakers clashed during consideration of Clause 60, which allows manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a formal vote to remove the proviso permitting manual transmission, arguing against weakening real-time electronic reporting.

The move led to a heated exchange on the floor, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially suggesting the demand had been withdrawn.

After procedural disputes and a brief confrontation among senators, a division was conducted. Fifteen opposition senators voted against retaining the manual transmission proviso, while 55 supported it, allowing the clause to stand.

Earlier proceedings had briefly stalled during clause-by-clause review, prompting consultations and a closed-door session.

In the House of Representatives, a similar disagreement came up over a motion to rescind an earlier decision that mandated compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to IReV.

Although the “nays” were louder during a voice vote, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas ruled in favour of rescinding the decision, triggering protests and an executive session.

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AFP: How Tinubu’s Govt Paid Boko Haram ‘Huge’ Ransom, Released Two Terrorists for Kidnapped Saint Mary’s Pupils

Published

3 days ago

February 24, 2026

Eric

The Nigerian government paid Boko Haram militants a “huge” ransom of millions of dollars to free up to 230 children and staff the jihadists abducted from a Catholic school in November, an AFP investigation revealed Monday.

Two Boko Haram commanders were also freed as part of the deal, which goes against the country’s own law banning payments to kidnappers. The money was delivered by helicopter to Boko Haram’s Gwoza stronghold in northeastern Borno state on the border with Cameroon, intelligence sources told AFP.

The decision to pay the militants is likely to irritate US President Donald Trump, who ordered air strikes on jihadists in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day and has been sent military trainers to help support Nigerian forces.

Nigerian government officials deny any ransom was paid to the armed gang that snatched close to 300 schoolchildren and staff from St. Mary’s boarding school in Papiri in central Niger state on November 21. At least 50 later managed to escape their captors.

Boko Haram has not been previously linked to the kidnapping, but sources told AFP one of its most feared commanders was behind the mass abduction: the notorious jihadist known as Sadiku.

He infamously held up a train from the capital in 2022 and netted hefty ransoms for the release of government officials and other well-off passengers.

Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency since 2009, is strongest in northeast Nigeria.

But a cell in central Niger state operates under Sadiku’s leadership. The St. Mary’s pupils and staff were freed after two weeks of negotiations led by Nuhu Ribadu, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, with the government insisting no ransom was paid. Nigeria’s State Security Service flatly denied paying any money, saying “government agents don’t pay ransoms”.

However, four intelligence sources familiar with the talks told AFP the government paid a “huge” ransom to get the pupils back. One source put it at 40 million naira per head – around $7 million in total.

Another put the figure lower at two billion naira overall. The money was delivered by chopper to Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in the northeast, three sources told AFP.

Due to the lack of communications cover in the remote area, Ngulde had to cross into Cameroon to confirm delivery of the ransom before the first group of 100 children were released.

Nigeria has long been plagued by mass abductions, with criminals and jihadist groups sometimes working together to extort millions from hostages’ families, and authorities seemingly powerless to stop them.

Source: Africanews

Headline

Unlawful Invasion: El-Rufai Drags ICPC, IGP, Others to Court, Demands N1bn Damages

Published

3 days ago

February 23, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has slammed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for what he claimed was an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

El-Rufai, in a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, also listed the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.

According to the suit filed through his lawyers, led by Oluwole Iyamu, El-Rufai prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence as invalid, null and void.

Security operatives had stormed and searched the former Governor’s residence in the ongoing investigations against him.

However, he argued in the case marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, that the search was in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution, and urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search.”

In the suit dated and filed February 20 by Iyamu, ex-governor, who is currently under detention, sought seven reliefs.

He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”

He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”

El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.

“An order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.

“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”

The breakdown of the ₦1 billion in damages includes “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;

“A ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights.

“A ₦300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”

He equally sought ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.

Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.

He added that the warrant violated Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions and several other constitutional provisions.

“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;

“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.

“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.

Iyamu stated that the execution of the invalid warrant on Feb. 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.

He further argued that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress.

“Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.

In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on Feb. 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about Feb. 4.

According to him, the said warrant is invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.

He said the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for.”

Shaba stated that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.

“That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.

“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.

“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.

“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.

Source: Naijanews.com