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Opinion: 2023:Politics Without Ideas- Reuben Abati

Published

4 years ago

July 26, 2022

Editor

By Reuben Abati

I am concerned, but not shocked in any way, that the most prominent reaction to the interview that Arise News conducted last week with the Presidential candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has been sheer tittle-tattle about location, and format and silly ego games. It is a measure of the confusion in the land, and the failure to focus on ideas and concrete issues. The big problem that we face in this country, six months to the 2023 general election is the obsession with minutiae and the irrelevant. This must be considered a national tragedy considering the challenges before us. Thousands, if not millions of young Nigerians burn hours on the social media/internet abusing persons engaged in productive work, while they idle away in their ignorance and obscurantism. Times like this call for a greater deployment of time and intelligence, because Nigeria indeed, now more than before in the last two decades, stands at the brink of a precipice. But alas, Nigeria is saddled with a growing generation of idlers who think that their lives are enriched by pulling down others. But while these ordinary, eponymously anonymous persons need not detain serious minded persons from forging ahead, it must be noted that the emergent political elite is not in any way better. Its members are worse in terms of intellect, capacity, and character. This forces us to ask that question again: what a country! Or as the sage, Chinua Achebe, put it: “There was a country!”. The race to 2023 is a painful reminder of how the biggest tragedy that has befallen Nigeria is the absence of ideas, the collapse of good reason, and the brazen triumph of mediocrity and selective amnesia.

My concern is this: what is the central election issue as Nigeria prepares for the 2023 general elections? Where is that consensus that propels a nation? It is six months to Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, can anyone put his or her finger on any big issues of direct relevance within the context of the Constitution and the people’s expectations? I will address these same questions anon. But to get an idea of my drift, I would like to draw attention to what is currently going on in Britain. There is a bitter, blue-on-blue acrimonious fight for the seat of the Prime Minister of the UK within the ruling Conservative Party. The battle began with Prime Minister Boris Johnson losing the support and confidence of members of his own party and even if he survived two confidence votes, it eventually became clear that with the party-gate scandal and the abandonment of his government on the grounds of principle by many of his key persons, he had lost the support of his own party. From party-gate to everything else, Boris Johnson was his own assassin. He committed political suicide, damaged his own legacy and lost the moral right to lead. The practicality of his rejection is one of the reasons why I argue that Nigeria, going forward, should consider the option of a return to a parliamentary system of government or a combination of the parliamentary and the presidential, as has been robustly canvassed in the extant literature on the subject. The Presidential system creates monarchs, and that is precisely what it does in developing economies. A parliamentary system places greater emphasis on accountability and responsibility at all levels, and the people’s voice. That is what we need. But what do we have?

Nigeria’s political process is inundated with nonsense for structural reasons and what we have is a mad-house. In the UK at the moment, there is a race to succeed Boris Johnson. There is a consensus that the Prime Minister has overstayed his welcome. His party needs to get rid of him, to protect the party ahead of the next general elections. Boris Johnson as Prime Minister has desecrated the seat long enough. He has resigned. He will quit on September 5. But as his party, the Tories seek to appoint a new leader and a new Prime Minister, what we see is a focus on the issues. About eleven candidates began the race for No. 10 but after five ballots within the party the choice has been narrowed down to former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. Before this Liz vs Rishi moment, it must be noted that the arguments have been about issues and the British people – what can be done to make their lot better, what can be done to reinvent the party and deliver better dividends to the people in the face of an excruciating cost of living crisis – the cost of gas is high, the NHS is in trouble, inflation is so high, the Bank of England has had to tighten rates five times, persons in England now skip meals, confronted as they are by foodflation- so, how to save the Tory party and move beyond Boris Johnson. We have seen in that example, even if the eventual choice would be determined by a minority of about 160, 00 Tory party members, a focus on the big issues that are relevant to the people’s interests. Human beings will ways be human, I know that, but even the personal attacks that we have seen in the Tory dog-fight: on Penny Mordaunt, on Sunak’s centrism, Liz Truss’s extreme right politics have all been within the context of ideas and ideologies. The top contestants are talking about China, immigration, national security, the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, cost of living crisis, climate change, tax cuts and investments. When the British eventually make their choice at the current intra-party level, it would be a choice between definite ideas, and when they do so in a future general election, it would also be about ideas and the people’s interest.

While the British are in that mode right now, Nigeria is also looking for new leadership, from a choice of 18 political parties and Presidential candidates. Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak had their first, major, one-on-one debate at 9 pm on Monday. The debate continues today, on Tuesday. Both debates matter because the candidates are spelling out their mission and vision. They will be watched closely and scrutinized by their publics, and whoever wins and emerges through the process would be convinced that the battle was truly won and lost as both candidates continue to slug it out on the battle-grounds. Here, in Nigeria, the candidates are not talking to the people. With the key exception of Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Omoyele Sowore of the Africa Acton Congress (AAC), who both run movements, not political parties, the other candidates are busy talking to their kind: godfathers, persons they think control Nigeria, and who can fix the election for them, and the party elite. When they remember the people, they throw money at them, and promise to give them more money if they are elected.

Nigeria, like many developing countries of the world that jumped on the democratization scheme in the early 90s, does not understand what it means nor have the people been able to domesticate the idea of democracy. The democratic project was imposed by the West as a one-size-fits all proposition, but the many contradictions that this has thrown up is beguiling. To use Nigeria as an example, it would be in order to say that Nigeria is not ready for democracy, certainly not in the present shape in which it is. Nigerian politicians are royalists with an undeserved sense of entitlement. They want power because power is sweet and grants a sense of control, relevance and importance. Our democracy is a democracy of terrorists, scavengers and opportunists. This is why there is a terrible gap between those at the apex and those at the base of society. Those who argue that the electorate should get their voters’ cards and make informed choices at the polls next year are all correct, and spot on, but what is anyone doing about the people’s cynicism, and the banditi-zation of Nigerian politics? In the absence of ideas and good conduct by the political elite, the people are in order to be cynical, as they have ever been, and what we see in the current lead up to Nigeria’s 2023 general election is chaotic cynicism.

Back to our original question: what are the big issues in Nigerian politics at this moment? The multiple reactions that have attended the Arise News interview with PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar simply show the lack of preparedness at the highest levels in this country. Nobody is talking about ideas. The reactions have been about peripheral issues, not ideas. Arise News sat with Atiku for a whole hour and raised issues ranging from politics to economy, relationships and other matters Nigeriana. The Nigerian social media mob took up editorial duties that is entirely not their business as they focused on sponsored and teleguided BS and in their sponsored frenzy, they failed to look at key issues. The only exception in this regard would be in my view, Farooq Kperogi, the scholar and columnist, who resisted and cleverly avoided a habitual tendency to be unkind to other people’s efforts. He focused on bigger issues. But what came from the other communities, that is, the opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Tinubu Campaign Organization, the Obidient movement supporting Peter Obi, and the Wike Camp, were the usual diatribe about ego: my candidate is better than yours, you lied against me. Within 48 hours, the whole thing degenerated into an ego game. Wike is threatening to talk later and reveal mountains of truth. He should stop threatening. If he has anything to say, let him go ahead and do so forthwith. Tinubu’s people have called Atiku a liar on the subject of Muslim-Muslim ticket. Atiku says he wants Tinubu in a one-on-one, one hour debate to settle the matter once and for all. Tinubu, we are told, has a memory loss issue.

I won’t be surprised if the two candidates start talking about whose wife is more beautiful and who can still crack the best fires in the other room, or who is richer, or more energetic. The Tinubu group picked on the smallest issues in the Atiku conversation, talking about Abraham Lincoln, the politics of running mates, whereas there are more important issues about the economy, privatization, national security, education and health. The way the Nigerian process is going, nobody will talk about what concerns the people. The politicians will share money on or before election day, and given the arrest of persons during the recent Ekiti and Osun Gubernatorial, off-cycle elections, the political bandits will find smarter ways of buying votes, and the ordinary people will find new ways of collecting electoral bribe. It is safe to say that there is no tested, effective law in place yet that addresses this challenge.

So, why are ideas no longer relevant in Nigerian politics? Most of the 18 Presidential candidates have no manifesto. For more than two weeks, the Tinubu Campaign Organization, after rejecting a document that was widely circulated threatened to release a manifesto. Nobody has seen that manifesto yet. What we see are reactions to rival political candidates on peripheral issues. More serious candidates who could have been on the ballot ironically have since been pushed out of the race. Where is Kingsley Moghalu for example? And why is Omoyele Sowore being treated like a student unionist? And why has Peter Obi been reduced to a social media sensation? Ideas, Ideas, ideas. We can’t get anything concrete. Nobody listens to ideas, because the ones that are ready to promote them are not given the opportunity to do so. Those who try to generate ideas, outside partisan boundaries, are treated badly. In 2015, it would be remembered that the APC in seeking to wrest power from the ruling PDP tried to construct its gambit around ideas: security, the economy and fight against corruption. In 2019, the ruling party sustained the same mantra and asked for an opportunity to complete what it started. In 2022/2023, the main gladiators are terribly distracted.

Yet, the major issue in Nigeria’s democracy – federal and state levels today, should be ideas and specific performance. Since the beginning of this campaign, the main candidates have discussed nothing but religion, ethnicity, personal health, clothing, and personality. The 2023 campaign has been dominated by personal ambition and expectations and trivia. Many of the presidential candidates that have emerged do not even have manifestoes. Nobody knows what they stand for or what they intend to do, not even what they understand about the task ahead. Titles are fashionable in Nigeria. Power is desirable. The allure of position and influence is magnetic. Nigerians would jump at anything along this spectrum. They want titles, not responsibility. This is why I think the reaction to the Arise News conversation with Atiku Abubakar veered off from the centre to the periphery. There are issues indicated in that conversation and alive in the public domain that have been conveniently ignored.

NNPC has just been unveiled as a new, commercial entity, in an industry that accounts for 80% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings. What do the Presidential candidates intend to do about that? Nigeria has a debt to revenue ratio crisis, with debt service cost exceeding revenue by about 119% per cent? The national grid continues to collapse and function epileptically. Inflation is as high as 18.6%. There is unemployment in the land. Food inflation as well. Life is so insecure, terrorists are threatening to abduct the President, Senators and Governors and either kill them or sell them into slavery, and they sound very serious about that objective. Yesterday, they even made an effort to engage the Presidential guards in Abuja. The country also faces a serious foreign exchange crisis – it is so bad that even bread makers are threatening to go on strike because they cannot access forex and raw materials. The aviation sector is down. The nation’s currency has lost everything including its integrity, the big question is how to save it. In real terms, this country is on the way to Venezuela if not Sri Lanka or Lebanon. These are important issues that should engage the attention of those who want to rule the country. But the space has been taken over by spokespersons writing platitudes and reticent candidates who piggy-back on the dominance of their parties and abdicate responsibility without negotiating the issues and a proper assessment of the chaos that is upon us. The country’s destiny seems postponed. This trend must change. Every Presidential candidate should be shown the video of yesterday’s UK Prime Ministerial debate between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.

Related Topics:2023 Abati Atiku Nigeria Peter Obi Tinubu

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Electocral Act: Knocks As NASS Prioritized Removal of Certificate Forgery As Ground for Election Petition

Published

6 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Eric

The removal of certificate forgery as a ground for filing election petitions in the newly amended Electoral Act 2026 has sparked widespread criticism from legal experts, political analysts and key stakeholders, who warn that the provision could weaken democracy.

BusinessDay reports that Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026 outlines the grounds upon which an election may be challenged, but no longer includes certificate forgery among them.

Section 138(1) of the Act states that an election may only be questioned on the grounds that the election was invalid due to corrupt practices or non-compliance with the provisions of the Act, or that the respondent was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast.

The law further stipulates that acts or omissions that merely contradict instructions or directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but do not violate the Act itself, cannot serve as grounds for questioning an election.

In addition, Section 138(3) imposes strict penalties where election petitions are filed on grounds outside those recognised by the Act. The court is required to impose fines of not less than N5 million on counsel and not less than N10 million on the petitioner.

Section 139 of the Act also provides that an election shall not be invalidated on the basis of non-compliance with the law if the tribunal or court determines that the election was conducted substantially in accordance with the principles of the Act and that the alleged non-compliance did not significantly affect the outcome of the election.

But the amendment has drawn sharp criticism from Jibrin Okutepa, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who questioned the legality and moral implications of removing certificate forgery as a basis for challenging election results.

In a statement posted on his official X account, Okutepa described the move as an “outrage” and a troubling attempt by the political class to weaken established standards of accountability.

“This is an outrage, a brazen attempt to redefine a society’s moral code by a morally compromised political class. When criminals rule, the society’s morals are turned upside down,” he said.

The senior lawyer noted that the presentation of forged certificates had historically formed part of the grounds for questioning a candidate’s qualification in election petitions under Nigeria’s electoral jurisprudence.

“Hitherto, the presentation of forged certificates, which forms part of the qualification requirements, had always been a ground for election petitions. But the new Electoral Act 2026 has removed that ground,” he said.

Okutepa argued that the National Assembly may have exceeded its powers because issues relating to qualification for public office are constitutional matters.

According to him, the Constitution clearly outlines the qualifications required for elective offices such as President, Governor and members of the National and State Assemblies, and such provisions cannot be overridden by ordinary legislation.

He further warned that limiting the grounds for election petitions could discourage legitimate legal challenges and shield unqualified candidates from scrutiny.

In a telephone interview with BusinessDay, Yakudima said the situation reflects a troubling trend that could undermine the country’s progress, particularly in the areas of education, governance and human development.

“This is a very serious retrogressive development. It is not good for a country like Nigeria that is still struggling to develop.

“We are already behind in development, education and human capacity development. If we truly want to grow as a nation, we must place strong emphasis on education, knowledge and experience,” he daid.

Yakudima, who is also a political analyst, stressed that formal education remains essential for building competent leadership and effective democratic institutions.

“Our emphasis should be on formal education, where people are required to go through proper academic processes and obtain certificates that attest to their qualifications,” he added.

Yakudima, a chieftain of the PDP warned that any attempt to downplay the importance of education or tolerate actions that undermine academic standards could harm both the country’s educational system and its democratic foundations.

“Governance is a serious business. Democracy cannot function effectively without capable, knowledgeable and well-educated individuals in leadership positions,” Yakudima said.

“When we uphold laws and standards that emphasise proper education and certification, we are strengthening the country. But if we undermine them, we risk doing serious damage to our institutions and to democracy itself,” he said.

Similarly, Peter Ameh, a politician and former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has also criticised the development, describing it as a troubling moment for Nigeria’s democracy.

Speaking with BusinessDay in a telephone interview, Ameh, who is also a former national chairman of the defunct Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA), said the move raises serious concerns about the country’s commitment to education, merit and democratic integrity.

“Why are we sending our children to school? Why are families spending huge amounts of money on education if we are beginning to suggest that academic qualifications no longer matter in public leadership?

“This is a very unfortunate development. The amendment looks like a legislative overreach aimed at favouring the interest of one individual while undermining the integrity and credibility of our electoral process,” he said.

He argued that democratic leadership should be built on competence, knowledge and proven capacity, which are often demonstrated through education and experience.

“In every professional field today, people are required to present certificates and evidence of competence before they are employed. Yet we are lowering the bar for those who want to govern millions of people and make laws for the country,” Ameh said.

The former IPAC chairman warned that weakening standards for public office could erode accountability and reduce the quality of governance.

“Instead of strengthening our laws to promote discipline, transparency and credible participation in governance, we appear to be weakening them. That is not how to deepen democracy,” he added.

Ameh described the development as a setback for Nigeria’s democratic evolution and urged lawmakers to prioritise reforms that strengthen institutions rather than those that create doubts about the country’s commitment to merit and accountability.

However, Bernard Mikko, a political scientist and former member of the House of Representatives from Rivers State, offered a different perspective on the development.

Speaking with BusinessDay in a telephone interview, Mikko said the issue of certificate forgery is already adequately addressed in the Nigerian Constitution, and therefore removing related provisions from the Electoral Act may not significantly change the legal position.

“The Constitution is very clear on the issue of qualifications for elective office, including the presentation of certificates. If you check the relevant sections, the requirements are already stated there,” he said.

According to him, unless the Constitution itself is amended, the fundamental provisions governing eligibility for public office remain intact.

“If such a clause is removed from the Electoral Act, it does not automatically override what is already provided in the Constitution. Any major change would still require a constitutional amendment,” he explained.

Mikko added that if the provision is no longer emphasised in the Electoral Act, the responsibility may increasingly fall on voters to scrutinise the backgrounds and credibility of candidates seeking public office.

“In that situation, the burden shifts more to the integrity of the candidates and the vigilance of the electorate. Voters know the people from their communities, they know their background, their age, the schools they attended and their general history,” he said.

He concluded that while the debate may generate political controversy, the constitutional framework governing eligibility for public office still provides mechanisms for addressing disputes over candidates’ qualifications.

Culled from businessday.ng

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Nova Bank Appoints Jude Anele As MD/CEO, Meets CBN Capital Requirements

Published

9 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Eric

NOVA Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Jude Anele as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment in the Bank’s evolution, following its transition from merchant banking to commercial banking and the successful completion of its recapitalisation programme ahead of the March 31, 2026, regulatory deadline.

Anele brings more than 33 years of banking experience across West and Central Africa, with deep expertise in retail / commercial banking, corporate banking, risk management, institutional transformation and executive leadership. Over the course of his career, he has led complex banking operations, strengthened governance frameworks, delivered sustainable revenue growth and built high-performance teams.

The appointment reflects the Board’s strategic commitment to consolidating NOVA Bank’s commercial banking platform while accelerating growth across its Corporate, Commercial and Retail segments, as well as priority markets.

Speaking on his appointment, Anele said he was honoured to assume leadership of the Bank at a defining stage of its growth.
“Nova Bank has built a strong institutional foundation defined by regulatory compliance, capital strength, disciplined governance and a clear commercial mandate. Our focus now is execution — deepening customer relationships, expanding responsibly across priority markets, strengthening risk discipline and delivering sustainable value to our shareholders,” he said.

The Bank’s Chairman, Phillips Oduoza, also expressed confidence in the new leadership.

“The Board is pleased to welcome Mr. Jude Anele as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. His depth of experience, strategic clarity and proven leadership record align strongly with NOVA Bank’s growth ambitions,” Oduoza said. He added that with recapitalization completed ahead of the regulatory timeline, the Bank is entering a new phase defined by scale, stability and structured expansion.

NOVA Bank also confirmed that it has met the recapitalization requirements set by the Central Bank of Nigeria ahead of the regulatory deadline, reinforcing its capital adequacy and long-term financial stability. The capital raise, supported by new and existing shareholders, further strengthens the Bank’s balance sheet and positions it for disciplined growth.

In 2025, Global Credit Rating reaffirmed NOVA Commercial Bank’s national scale long- and short-term issuer ratings of BBB(NG) and A3(NG) respectively, while Agusto & Co. reaffirmed the Bank’s “Bbb” rating with a stable outlook, reflecting its strong capital base, sound liquidity position and resilient asset quality relative to its risk profile.

NOVA Bank currently maintains operations in Lagos, Abuja, Owerri and Port Harcourt, with plans to open eight additional branches across key commercial hubs in 2026 as part of its expansion strategy.

The commissioning of the Bank’s regional office in Owerri marked a significant milestone in its South-East and South-South growth strategy. The event attracted government officials’ business leaders and Nigerians in diaspora and underscored NOVA Bank’s commitment to supporting enterprise development and economic growth.

NOVA Bank Limited is a commercial bank licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Commencing operations in 2018 as a merchant bank, the institution transitioned to a commercial bank in 2024 and provides retail, SME, corporate and commercial banking services through its Phygital model—an integrated approach combining physical branch presence with digital banking infrastructure.

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Peter Obi Would Rather Buy Desks for Children Than Pay for Lies, Group Replies Bwala

Published

2 days ago

March 14, 2026

Eric

The Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR) has dismissed claims made by presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, alleging that the former Labour Party presidential candidate attempted to contact him.

The group described the allegation as false and politically motivated.

POMR said the statement became necessary to prevent the public from being misled by what it called unfounded claims circulating in the political space.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Ibrahim Umar, the group strongly rejected the allegation and accused Bwala of spreading misleading narratives about the former Anambra State governor.

The statement said, “Normally, we would not dignify Barr Bwala’s baseless accusations with a reply, given his well-documented history of dishonesty. However, we feel it is necessary to address this matter for the benefit of the public, who may be misled.”

According to the group, Obi has consistently maintained a clear distance from individuals and practices associated with what it described as transactional politics.

POMR said the former governor has built his political reputation around accountability, transparency and public service, adding that he does not engage in political dealings driven by personal gains or financial inducements.

The statement further said, “Our principal, Peter Obi, has made it clear that he excludes individuals like Bwala from his political activities and any form of transactional politics that sustain people like him in political circles.

“The Peter Obi that Nigerians know and appreciate will never engage in such practices. He would rather allocate resources to provide desks for children in Bwala’s village than pay him to concoct falsehoods for public consumption.”

The group also stressed that Obi’s political philosophy revolves around encouraging citizens to believe in a shared vision of national development rather than paying individuals to defend his political ambitions.

POMR said the former presidential candidate prefers persuasion and engagement with citizens who share the belief that Nigeria requires urgent reforms in governance.

It added, “Obi’s approach is rooted in the pursuit of good governance and the creation of a better society for all. He does not pay people to promote a cause; instead, he invites them to join him in believing in a shared vision.

“His ‘engagement’ focuses on persuasion, emphasizing the urgent need for a collective effort to rescue our nation. He welcomes those who choose to join him voluntarily, driven by the same deep-seated convictions.”

The group also called on politicians it accused of promoting transactional politics to rethink their approach and focus on national development rather than personal interests.

It concluded by urging critics to keep Obi out of what it described as politically motivated narratives.

“For the umpteenth time, we call on Bwala and others like him to count Peter Obi out of their greed, repent, and join us in the quest for a new Nigeria that is indeed POssible.”