Headline

Why Tinubu Must Release Nnamdi Kanu

Published

3 years ago

July 15, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

A lot has been said in the media space concerning the relationship between the incarceration of the acclaimed leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the loss of economic peace in the South East region of the country occasioned by the sit-at-home order constantly issued by protesting ‘members’ of IPOB, and violently enforced, on one hand, and the complicit nature of the Federal government in the brouhaha that continues to ravage the South East, on the other hand. This raises the question of why is Nnamdi Kanu still incarcerated? Who is responsible for his incarceration and release?

A cross section of respondents has said that the continuous detention of Kanu is at the beehive of the President, who represents the Federal Government, arguing that the government has no right to continue to flout court orders. It is therefore, on the table of President Bola Tinubu to as a matter of urgency, as Kanu’s counsel, Mike Ozekhome, had intoned, to release him. Every court where the IPOB leader has been taken so far has not found him culpable to any crime as charged.

Kanu has insisted just like many like minds and stakeholders that the request for self determination is not an offence in law, and as such no crime has been committed in his actions. He has told as many that cares to listen that the demand for self determination is as a result of the marginalisation of the South Easterners in the scheme of things, and that what he was doing with the South East struggle will never had happened if attention is and had been given the the region in consonance to its peculiarity. He toed the line of a former Presidential Aspirant, Chief Dele Momodu, who canvassed that the region should be developed into the Silicon Valley of Africa and a Technology Hub.

“I read something that my good friend and dear brother, Dele Momodu wrote. He said the Igbo are as brilliant as the Chinese, Koreans, Indians put together. Why are Igbo denied key positions in Nigeria? If you don’t trust them, and they said they want to go, why are then stopping them. I don’t believe in Nigeria, but if I had any belief or the viability of the zoo, these are the kind of people that should be the president of Nigeria because of their policies. It’s not where somebody comes from, but their policies. Even the so called minions, the wretched Fulani slaves in government houses in the East, running for presidency or vice as you say have ever said this before. RThat they are going to turn the East into a hub of technological advancement, the Silicon Valley of Africa; no they can’t say it, because if they say it, the Fulani will bring their cow. Do you understand it now? I don’t believe in the zoo; had I had any belief in the zoo, this is the type of man I would have voted for to become the president of the zoo. It is your policies that matter. It is better for me. Or do you think that had previous administrations turned the East into the technological hub it is by nature, do you think we will be doing what we are doing? Instead they are tell us you are traders. ‘Igbo are good, good traders…Ibibio people are good at being houseboys…those from the coastal region are good at looking for and drying fish (Laughs). We were never given our dues at home. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from; your policies are the things that matter, and so far the only person who has ever made any kind of sense to me is Dele Momodu. This is how you discuss people,” Kanu had said in one of his broadcasts, reiterating that the South East has not been fully utilized.

The agitation for Biafra is just an aftermath of intimidation, failed promises and relegation of the people of South East, according to Kanu, and there would never have been an agitation if the right status have been accorded the region by successive governments. The bulk therefore, rest on Tinubu to call the shots and let Kanu off the DSS grip.

An observer had noted that refusal to let Kanu off the hook is a clear indication that the Nigerian government, first Buhari, and now, Tinubu, is in love with the loss of economic glory in the region as well as the spate of insecurity ongoing. The region has not voted for the last two administrations of Buhari and Tinubu, and the outcome has visibly reflected in the shoddy treatment suffered so far, and that is what Kanu is fighting against.

In October, 2022, the Appeal Court in Abuja discharged and acquired Nnamdi Kanu of terrorism charges for which he has been held in Department of State Service (DSS) custody close to two years since he was renditioned by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration in June 2021. Kanu had approached the Appeal Court seeking to quash terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

In his petition, Kanu had faulted the order of Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which ordered him to answer seven out of the 15-count terrorism charge against him. He had prayed the appellate court to quash the entire charges and set him free on various grounds, arguing that the purported offences were not committed in Nigeria.

In a tweet celebrating the court victory, Kanu’s lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, praised the Justice Hanatu Sankey-led 3-man panel of Justices. Ejiofor wrote: “Appeal allowed, MNk discharged and acquitted.

“Appeal allowed , Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi KANU, discharged and acquitted. We have won! Victory victory victory victory.”

But the Federal Government refused to obey order, and instead rushed to file an amended seven-count terrorism charge against him. The IPOB leader was re-arraigned on an amended 15-count charge. But on April 8, the trial court struck out eight of the 15 counts in the charge. The remaining seven counts were later quashed by the Court of Appeal on October 13.

Delivering judgment in the appeal, the three-member panel of the appellate court led by Hanatu Sankey held that the federal government flouted the Terrorism Act in violation of international conventions and treaties, hence, breaching the rights of the respondent. The court further held that having illegally and forcefully renditioned the appellant, the trial court is stripped of jurisdiction to continue to try Kanu.

But many months after, the Federal Government is yet to release the IPOB leader. Instead, it filed an appeal before the Supreme Court to challenge the appeal court judgment. It also filed an application seeking to stay the execution of the appellate court’s judgment.

While Buhari dilly dallied over the release, the new administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has remained mum on the matter even as entreaties are being made suggesting that his release will quell the uneasiness in the South East region.

While the Federal Government’s appeal and a cross-appeal by Kanu is pending before the Supreme Court, the Federal Government has gone back to the trial court to file an amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.

The allegations contained in the amended charge are the remaining seven counts earlier sustained by the trial court.

According to the charge, Kanu made a broadcast that was heard across Nigeria, in which he issued a threat that anyone who flouted a sit-at-home order in the south-east, should write his or her will.

The Federal Government submitted that as a result of the threat, banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, and petrol stations in the south-east have continued to shut down their businesses, with citizens and vehicular movements grounded.

The Federal Government further alleged that Kanu’s broadcasts made on different dates between 2018 and 2021, incited members of the public to attack Nigerian security personnel and their family members, thereby committing an offence punishable under section 1(2)(h) of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.

It also alleged that Kanu directed members of IPOB “to manufacture bombs”, adding that the defendant had between March and April 2015, “imported into Nigeria and kept in Ubulisiuzor in Ihiala LGA of Anambra state within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, a radio transmitter known as Tram 50L concealed in a container of used household items which you declared as used household items, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 47(2)(a) of Criminal Code Act Cap, C45 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004”.

In the light of the what Kanu means for and to the Region, human rights and constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome SAN, once called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency release him.

Ozekhome made the call in a 43-page letter, addressed to Buhari, citing reasons, and accusing the Federal government of culpability in the trials of the IPOB leader

It is also on record that an Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia awarded N1 billion damage in favour of the detained IPOB leader against the Federal Government through an order given by the presiding Judge, Justice Benson Anya.

Kanu, through his lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor had approached the court seeking N5 billion damage against the Federal Government over the alleged invasion of his father’s house on September 10, 2017 by the military.

Justice Anya described the invasion of Kanu’s Afaraukwu residence as notorious and brazen.

The presiding judge also granted the relief sought by Kanu’s legal team, ordering the Federal Government to issue a public apology in three national dailies over the illegal invasion of Kanu’s Afaraukwu residence. He also advised the Federal government to adopt a political resolution in dealing with issues involving Kanu.

Across many reports, it has been established that “Kanu, who had been on the run before his arrest, has been sort of an enigma since he jumped bail, creating a personality cult so strong that his tweets elicited mass sit-outs in the southeast.”

It must be noted that every Monday, in addition to everyday Kanu appears in court has been designated as compulsory public holidays in the Southeast, and no pronouncement of the five sitting governors of the region has made any significant effect to the contrary. That is how feared the IPOB has come to be.

But recently, the sit-at-home order has become more criminal than a protest now as the exercise goes for as an upward of one week and counting. Kanu and his IPOB group has denied being behind the new trend which a renegade group led by one Simon Ikpa controls from his base in Finland.

Many respondents believe that the IPOB cause has been hijacked, and no longer serving the purpose other than a guerilla and killing machine against those who runs foul of their draconian directives.

However, after a lengthy live Instagram interview with Dele Momodu in 2020, the veteran journalist concluded of Kanu as follows: “A democratic government must always promote the culture of dialogue. You can’t fix what or who you don’t understand. Kanu is a remarkably brilliant man. Hate him or love him, he knows what he wants and will do or die for it.”

Tinubu has to prove that keeping Kanu incarcerated is not a vendetta mission as Buhari was seen to have done by both his body language, words and actions, and release the IPOB leader immediately.

Even if hate is a factor in the detention of Kanu, Tinubu, as a democrat must respect the rule of law, and free Nnamdi Kanu! It’s a duty he owes Nigerians and himself.

Headline

Parties’ Deregistration: ADC, Not NDC, is the Target

Published

21 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, intrigues, manipulations and maneuvers have continued to be the order of the day as political parties engage in one gimmick or another to outdo and undo one another.

While some are playing politics of numbers and conviction, others are engaging tendencies that tend to question the status quo and established principles under which genuine democracy is formed. As a matter of fact, fingers have been pointed at the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal government as the brain behind all machinations that have attempted to derail multi-party democracy, and institute a one-party state, which is alien to the Nigerian democratic roots. This is as a result of the constant imbroglio that has consistently engulf almost all the major political parties in the country.

Fresh facts have however, emerged to prove that every act of frustration thrown at the opposition has been indirectly aimed at the main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

According to reliable sources, the recent deregistration of parties, especially the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), was actually targeted at the ADC.

Recall that the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on June, 26, set aside its earlier judgement directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. A ruling that put a question mark on the eligibility of the party presenting candidates in the forthcoming 2027 elections

The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by a certain organization, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the suit.

According to the judge, the earlier judgement was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Mr Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 10, 2025 judgement, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the court ordered that the substantive suit should begin afresh, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PMP and the NDC as parties to the case.

According to NAN’s reports, the applicant’s lawyer, Chikezie Ekeocha, told journalists that the PMP approached the court after discovering that NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Mr Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the earlier judgement.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of 10 December 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgement must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Mr Ekeocha stated.

He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”

Mr Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a restoration of the position that existed before the 10 December 2025 judgement.

The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the NDC to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made.

It would also be recalled that a few weeks earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, had ordered the deregistration of five political parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The others are Action People’s Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Accord Party.

However, on June 16, the Court of Appeal in Abuja halted the enforcement of the judgement, ruling that it violated its earlier ruling staying proceedings before the Federal High Court.

While INEC awaits the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to deregister the NDC, the NDC has reacted, rejecting the judgment as travesty of justice.

Lending credence to the notion that the President Tinubu-led administration is basically targeting the establishment of the ADC as a party, and the candidature of its presidential flagbearer, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is also the presidential candidate of the ADC, has stated categorically that there are plots to prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general election.

Atiku’s position is stated in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Monday, notifying the public that he had received credible information suggesting that political and legal manoeuvres were being deployed against the ADC, stressing that the persecution that has been thrown towards the NDC was a clear distraction as the main target is the ADC.

Atiku alleged that anti-democratic elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were working to ensure that the ADC is excluded from the ballot.

“We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” he said.

Atiku called on Nigerians to reject any attempt to determine which opposition parties participate in the election.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians — not just ADC members and supporters — to rise in defense of democracy and reject any attempt by the ruling party to cherry-pick which opposition parties are permitted to participate in the next general election,” he said.

“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed.

“If the APC is truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?”

He said he hoped the information available to him would not materialise but argued that recent political developments made such concerns difficult to dismiss.

“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests,” he said.

“Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed.

“Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty.”

Atiku alleged that the ruling party has focused more on weakening the opposition than addressing the country’s economic and security challenges.

“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat,” he said.

“At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival.”

Nigerians recall that ever since the official rejuvenation of the ADC in June/July of 2025, where the duo of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola emerged as the party’s chairman and secretary respectively, the party has not known moments of peaceful coexistence as litigations from corners unknown have sprang up in a bid to destabilize the party and deprive it of the opportunity of featuring on the ballot paper come 2027.

ADC, as a child of circumstance emerged from the rumbles of the litigation-ridden former main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where two factions have consistently remelained at loggerheads over leadership. While the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is working assiduously to ensure the reelection of Bola Tinubu, leads one faction, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who became a defacto head, leads the other faction. In all, PDP appeared to have no direction, forcing many of its members to jump ship, thereby birthing the ADC, and to a large extent, the NDC, which is presenting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, with former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

Sources also informed The Boss that the hasty reading and passage of the Electoral Act 2026 by the Godswill Akpabio-led National Assembly, with many great areas left unattended to, were also part of the grand design to deprive the ADC the constitutional rights of presenting candidates for the 2027 elections.

But both the ADC and the NDC has vowed that they would follow every process to ensure that the crackdown on opposition parties by the Tinubu administration comes to an abrupt end.

But beyond the intrigues, Nigerians are gearing up to participate fully in the forthcoming election with cross sections of the population either hailing Tinubu for his policies or knocking him for the untold hardship in the land.

Headline

South Africa Nothing Without Africa – MTN Boss, Mcebisi Jonas

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, has condemned the ongoing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, describing it as a symptom of State failure being cynically exploited by politicians with no interest in genuine solutions.

The speech is seen as one of the most substantive interventions by a senior business figure into xenophobic crisis currently plaguing South Africa.

Delivered during the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant, Thokozani Damasane, Jonas’ words have sparked a wave of discussion across South African civil society.

“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he said. “Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”

Thokozani Damasane was born and educated in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa during the post-apartheid transition period. Jonas described him as arriving “as an outcast” into a country still finding its post-liberation footing – and choosing, nonetheless, to commit himself entirely to its struggles and its people.

“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said.

“In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans is reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”

Speaking further, Jonas blamed the state for the failure being witnessed, emphasising that if foreigners leave South Africa today, the country’s problems will still persist.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” he told the congregation.

“Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.

“The problem is the failure of the state. The State doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce
law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?”

Jonas argued that this failure created fertile ground for political manipulation. “When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected. Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us – it is foreigners.”

Jonas recounted a conversation he had witnessed between Damasane and a young man who had challenged the right of foreigners to be in South Africa. Damasane’s response, Jonas said, had stayed with him ever since.

“Damasane said to this guy: Just wait fifteen or twenty years. You will also want to leave your country.”

Jonas told mourners those words now carry a weight Damasane may not have anticipated. “As I stand up today, I look at South Africa. The level of oppression and inequality, the level of exclusion of our people, the level of corruption, the betrayal of the dream of liberation – those words of Damasane ring very loud in my ears.”

South Africa is nothing without Africa

Jonas closed with a call for what he described as a return to “national consciousness” – one rooted in continental solidarity and economic interdependence rather than ethnic exclusion.

“We are a nation embedded in Africa,” he said. “And without Africa, our growth as a country – economically – our fortune is intertwined with the growth of Africa. South Africa is nothing without Africa. And Africa is nothing without South Africa.”

He also reframed the question of legacy and identity for Damasane’s children, who were present. “Sometimes this thing called meritocracy is measured in wealth. No. It is values, it is principles, it is integrity. And your father had all of that.”

“We cannot judge people by their origin,” he told mourners. “We cannot determine the legal status of people by their origin.”

Headline

NDC Rejects Court Ruling on Party’s Registration, Heads to Appeal Court

Published

3 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, vowed to challenge the judgment nullifying its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it would exercise its constitutional right of appeal.

Reacting to the ruling on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC was still awaiting the certified copy of the judgment before making a comprehensive statement on the court’s decision.

He, however, confirmed that the party had resolved to head to the appellate court.

“We are still waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment. After reading the comprehensive judgment, we will make a detailed statement,” he said.

The spokesman added: “For now, what is certain is that we will exercise our right of appeal.”

Insisting that the party would challenge the ruling, he said: “It is our constitutional right to appeal, and we intend to exercise that right.”

When asked specifically whether the NDC would appeal the judgment voiding its registration, the spokesman replied: “Yes, the party will appeal the case.”

The party’s reaction came shortly after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in a judgement that nullified its registration by INEC, a development that could have significant implications for the NDC’s participation in the country’s political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NDC, however, maintained that it would refrain from making further comments on the substance of the judgment until it had studied the full text of the court’s decision.

The party’s planned appeal is expected to set the stage for a fresh legal battle over its status and continued existence as a registered political party.