Headline

Saraki, Wike, Dele Momodu Omitted in Buhari’s National Honours List

Published

3 years ago

October 3, 2022

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Reactions have continued to trail the list of 437 Nigerians earmarked for possible national honours by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led national government.

Among many of the minuses associated with the list is the omission of of the names of immediate past Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike and Publisher par excellence, Aare Dele Momodu.

Many Nigerians have wondered why these names were conspicuously missing considering the political offices they have occupied or occupying, their manifold contributions to humanity and not forgetting grassroots philanthropic activities.

It is even more disheartening that the Buhari nominees list identified and recognized past and present Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), in the persons of Justice Ariwoola and Justice Tanko Mohammed with the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON); past and serving Speakers of the House of Representatives in the person’s of Mr. Yakubu Dogara and Hon Femi Gbajabiamila respectively with Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) honours, which omitting Dr. Bukola Saraki, who is the immediate past Senate President when his successor, Dr. Ahmed Lawan has been penciled down for the GCON honours.

A cross section of Nigerians, who voiced their opinions to the hearing of The Boss opined that it is still obvious that the Buhari administration is still harbouring misgivings concerning the roles Saraki played as Senate President in checkmating the supposed excesses of the present administration, leading to consistent loggerheads bordering on constitutional interpretation. While Saraki and Dogara decamped from the ruling party then, Dogara has since returned to the APC while Saraki has remained in the opposition.

An Executive Director of Adopt A Goal Initiative, Ariyo-Dare Atoye, urged the federal government to jettison the plan to exclude deserving citizens from the awards as reported in the media.

Atoye, in a statement, argued that the exclusion of Saraki from the awards could ridicule the Buhari administration as “petty, low and vindictive.”

In the same vein, stakeholders have wondered how the very visible projects of the Nyesom Wike administration has gone unnoticed before the Federal government to warrant a shun in the national honours list.

Wike, though a vociferous opponent of the Buhari administration, has been applauded across party divide as one of the performers in their various states. Wike has been known to churn out classic projects after another in matter of days, earning him the sobriquet, Mr Projects. In the last couple of months, Rivers State, especially the capital city, Port Harcourt has worn a new look as a result of the facelift occasioned by veritable infrastructural development. He is known to have fought the federal government on many occasions, including suing the central government over the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT). His victory at the court prompted other states, including Lagos State to join in the suit.

A source however, told the Boss that Wike, who is already a CON honours holder may be riped to the CFR honour when he completes office as a serving governor, and gets higher office.

Also omitted on the list is Nigeria’s distinguished publisher and celebrated journalist, Chief Dele Momodu. The journalist, who publishes Ovation International magazine, The Boss Newspaper and Ovation Television, is not a new name in the field of philanthropic acts. He singlehandedly supervised the sourcing and distribution of palliatives to thousands of Nigerians during the dreaded COVID-19 era.

Momodu, on two separate occasions, has presented himself for election into the highest office, first as a presidential candidate in 2011 under the umbrella of the National Conscience Party (NCP) and in 2022 as a presidential aspirant with the PDP. He writes a weekly column called Pendulum published on the Backpage of Saturday ThisDay, where he proffers solutions to the myriads of challenges bedeviling the nation’s political and economic fabrics.

His youth oriented dispositions and programmmes have also not gone unnoticed as he has used his annual Ovation Carol to unite the youths and create participation for talented Nigerians. His omission in Buhari’s list of national awardees calls to question if there’s not more than meets the eye. It must be added that his contribution to national development over the years notwithstanding, no government has deemed it fit confer with even the least of national honours

The 2022 national honours list is being handed by the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Agencies led by Senator George Akume, a former governor of Benue State.

The 437 selected awardees will be conferred during an elaborate ceremony on October 11, 2022 in Abuja.

Headline

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

Published

22 minutes 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.

Headline

Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh Amendment

Published

21 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.

Headline

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