Headline

Opinion: SOLILOQUY: Which Way Nigeria?

Published

7 years ago

July 28, 2019

Editor

By Michael Effiong

It was the Oziddi King, late Sonny Okosun that sang a popular song with the title ” Which Way Nigeria”.

The lyrics talked about the strife in the country, the blame game culture, the suffering of the people and ended with he question: which way Nigeria?

That song is ringing in my ears this morning as I reflect on the state of our nation. Where is the country heading to really? Some events of the last few days have made the question relevant.

Take for instance, the drama over the ministerial list. The list has eventually been dropped on our laps but guess what?

Like it has been done since 1999, names were submitted to the Senate without portfolios.Is that not a which way Nigeria moment?

I am told the reason Presidents usually keep the portfolios close to their chest is to avoid protests especially when some are given ministries that are not ” juicy” or allocated junior ministerial positions aka Minister of State.

Well, if this is the real reason, it does not hold water because either it is mentioned now or later, what will be, will be.

Granted it has not been the norm, but attaching portfolios to the list would affirm the Next Level ambitions of the present government and give it the much-desired PR boost as an administration that is light years ahead of the PDP…But this resort to business as usual, get as e be.

The embarrassing incident of “Bow and Go” would have been reduced if we knew the assigned duties of the ladies and gentlemen.

We, as citizens, could scrutinise these nominees on our own even before they step into the red chamber and our nation will be the better for it. Indeed, we could have been saved from the drama that played out inside the hallowed chambers.

I watched a few of the screening sessions and was not too impressed. The case of the immediate past FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello really hit a raw nerve.

I don’t know if he answered any question before I witnessed him telling the Senators that he should enjoy the privilege to ” Bow and Go” because he occupied the position of FCT Minster which was the equivalent of State Governor!

I was appalled that no one raised the issue that he was an appointee and not an elected official etc. He got his way with cheers from the floor.

Well let us not dwell on the negatives, the screening also brought to fore the need for technocrats and professionals to become politicians.

No doubt if you know your onions, you can stand at anytime to prove your mettle. And that was what Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Ali Isa Pantami, Festus Egwarewa Adeniyi Keyamo and Sunday Akin Dare showed.

Not only were they cerebral, they were very composed, articulate and regaled us with impressive stories of their personal and professional accomplishments.

While, I say kudos, will the Nigerian system, which stifled brilliant minds like late Chief Bola Ige allow these ones to soar?

Will they be given assignments that will allow them exhibit their prowess and talents? Or Will we come back in a few years to lament in our usual manner: which way Nigeria?

Just when I was pondering over all these, the BBC jolted me from my reverie with a powerful documentary on kidnapping in Nigeria.

Titled “Inside Nigeria’s Kidnap Crisis” by Kunle Falayi, the documentary again brought out the Which Way Nigeria question.

It highlighted the gallantry of the Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari and his men of the Inspector-General Response Team which has led to the arrest of many daredevil armed robbers and kidnappers.

But the documentary also showed the extra judicial actions of some of the officers, especially the allegation of torture of suspects or relations of suspects.

The one that broke my heart was the story of the family of an IRT Inspector who was killed in the line of duty.

The family of this hero (a wife and four children) was living in penury because his entitlement has not been paid four months after his demise. His children have stopped school and his wife was begging for decent accommodation!

What made it painful for me was that the fine officer, Mr Kyari was right there as the broken, disappointed and despondent woman poured her heart, instead of tellling us how he will facilitate urgent succour for the family, he was lamenting about the poor welfare of his officers! Haba Abba! Which Way Nigeria?

Though he spoke about the need to boost the morale of officers with better welfare and care, the soothing balm for that woman was not to generalise her problem. Maybe he did that in private, but what was shown to us was not palatable at all.

Despite the good work of Mr Kyari and his men, the kidnapping palaver is hitting closer home with an incident reported at the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, as we are pondering over that, we now have the additional tension of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), the Shiite group led by El ZakZaky.

Though I am not a fan of the violent protest embarked upon by the group over the continued detention of its leader, the proscription order which was
nicodemously granted to the Federal Government may not be the right solution.

With all we have on our plate at the moment, was this action deeply thought out? Some say this is a knee jerk approach that will likely worsen the situation and lead to the usual question: which way Nigeria? God help us!

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

3 days ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during the week, released a fresh elections timetable, with major amendments to accommodate the just passed and signed Electoral Act 2026 by the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu respectively.

Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

Accordingly, the Commission has resolved as follows:

Presidential and National Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 16th January 2027 as against the earlier stated February 20, 2027
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027 as against the former date of March 6, 2027

Also in accordance with the approved Schedule of Activities, the electoral bidy noted in the revised timetable that:

Conduct of Party Primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will commence on 19th August 2026.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on 9th September 2026.

As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), rejected the revised 2026–2027 general election timetable, describing it as a politically biased schedule designed to favour the re-election agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and calling on all Nigerians to speak up enmasse to reject the revised timetable.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday argued that the new deadlines and compliance requirements under the Electoral Act 2026 create near-impossible hurdles for opposition parties seeking to field candidates.

On February 13, INEC initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for March 6, 2027.

The timetable, however, faced objections from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates coincided with the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the National Assembly amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the required election notice period from 360 to 300 days, allowing INEC to adjust the election dates.

Subsequently, INEC released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Reacting, the ADC said the requirement that political parties submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026, effectively bars opposition parties from participating.

The party stated: “The African Democratic Congress rejects the updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. What has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections is, in fact, a political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“According to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today. However, more significant is that, pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

“That is only about 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate. These are not routine administrative rules but are deliberately constructed barriers designed to exclude the opposition from participating in the election.”

The party further noted that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the digital register of members to contain name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register that does not contain the specified information. It warned that failure to meet these requirements would lead to disqualification.

The ADC questioned the fairness of the digital membership requirement, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress began its registration process in February 2025, long before the requirement became mandatory.

“It is not a product of foresight but insider advantage. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one full year to carry out an exercise that other political parties are expected to complete in one month, during which they must collect, process, collate and transmit large volumes of digital data to INEC under the threat of exclusion. This is practically impossible.

“Democratic competition is based on a level playing field that does not give any contestant an undue advantage. A system where one party exploits incumbency to gain a one-year head start on a requirement that other parties only became aware of when it was nearly too late is a rigged system.”

The ADC said it has joined other opposition parties in rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the INEC timetable is equally rejected as it appears designed to serve what it described as a self-succession agenda.

“Let it be clear that ADC will not take any action that appears to confer legitimacy on a fraudulent system. We are reviewing our options and will make our position known in the coming days,” the party said.

The party also called on civil society organisations, democratic stakeholders and Nigerians to scrutinise the timetable and demand fairness, stressing that democracy cannot survive when electoral rules are structured to produce predetermined outcomes.

The party has consistently accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming to silence the opposition as the 2027 General Elections draw closer, citing his manipulation of state governors and Assembly members from jumping ship, and settling with the ruling party.

Presently, the president’s party has a total of 31 out of 36 states governors, more than majority of the national and states Houses of Assembly.

A frontline publisher and chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu, has warned that Tinubu is gradually transforming into full-blown dictatorship, stressing that his second term in office would turn state governors into ‘total slaves’.

Headline

Second Term for Tinubu Will Turn Governors into Total Slaves, Dele Momodu Warns

Published

3 days ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

Chairman, Ovation Media Group, and former presidential aspirant, Aare Dele Momodu, has expressed strong concern over what he described as growing political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among state governors across the country.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV, Momodu said he was shocked by the level of backing the president is reportedly receiving, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could face serious risks if the current political trend continues.

The media entrepreneur cautioned that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term in 2027 could, in his view, lead to excessive concentration of power. He particularly criticized what he described as a growing wave of opposition figures aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress> (APC).

Momodu referenced reports of opposition governors, including Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, allegedly moving closer to the ruling party, describing the development as politically troubling.

According to him, some governors are allegedly competing to demonstrate loyalty to the president ahead of future elections.

“The governors are fighting to ensure Tinubu wins a second term, fighting to be the biggest thug for him. If a man in his first term can capture the bodies and souls of Nigerians this way, imagine what he would do with a second term. It will be a full-blown dictatorship, and the governors will regret it as they become total slaves to him,” Momodu said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively protect democratic institutions, warning that unchecked consolidation of political power could threaten the nation’s democracy and future stability.

Gistmania

Headline

Court Validates PDP 2025 Convention in Ibadan, Affirms Turaki-led NWC

Published

4 days ago

February 27, 2026

Eric

The Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has affirmed the validity of the 2025 Elective Convention of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which produced Dr. Kabiru Turaki as the substantive National Chairman of the party.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Ladiran Akintola upheld the convention in its entirety, ruling that it was conducted in full compliance with the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions governing party elections in Nigeria.

The decision marked a significant legal victory for the party’s leadership and brought clarity to the dispute surrounding the convention’s legitimacy.

The ruling followed an amended originating summons filed by Misibau Adetunmbi (SAN) on behalf of the claimant, Folahan Malomo Adelabi, in Suit No. I/1336/2025.

In a comprehensive judgment, the court granted all 13 reliefs sought by the claimant, effectively endorsing the processes and outcomes of the Ibadan convention.

Justice Akintola held that the convention, organised by the recognised leadership of the party, satisfied all laid-down legal requirements as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), and the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The court found no breach of due process or statutory non-compliance in the conduct of the exercise.

In the same proceedings, the court dismissed the Motion on Notice seeking a stay of proceedings and suspension of the ruling, filed by Sunday Ibrahim (SAN) on behalf of Austin Nwachukwu and two others. The applications were described as lacking merit.

Earlier in the proceedings, the court had also rejected a bid by Ibrahim to have his clients joined in the suit.

Justice Akintola ruled at the time that the joinder application was unsubstantiated and consequently dismissed it.