Opinion

Presidential Tribunal, the Ambush and Political Judgement

Published

2 years ago

September 10, 2023

Eric

By Law Mefor

The 2023 General Election will go down in history as the most significant opportunity lost in the country’s electoral history. Going by the presidential tribunal judgement, the general election is just another disturbing illustration of the tactics utilised by the cabal in Nigeria that has been in control of the country’s state power for decades.

The fact is: this general election has the best preparations. All of the money was generously and on time released. The Electoral Act 2022, which Muhammadu Buhari kindly signed into law as president, also provided the legal framework and essential missing piece, namely electronic components – electronic accreditation, voter identification, and real-time uploading of results from the polling units.

The leadership of INEC, especially its Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and Director of Information and Voter Education Festus Okoye, were assuring Nigerians every step of the way. The Electoral Act 2022 featured such measures that would ensure the best election in the country’s history. (By the way, Festus Okoye’s five-year term as INEC’s national commissioner for information and voter education, which began on July 25, 2018, as representative of the south-east geopolitical zone in the commission, came to an end with Sam Olumekun’s appointment as his replacement days ago).

The Electoral Act 2022 Sec 64( 4) unambiguously and copiously states “A collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election, subject to his or her verification and confirmation that the— (a) number of accredited voters stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under section 47 (2) of this Act; and (b) the votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under section 60 (4) of this Act.” The Supreme Court needs to review these specific clauses as mandatory and compulsory, which is both the intendment and spirit of the Electoral Act.

To ensure real-time uploading of results from the polling units, the country invested over N100 billion in digital infrastructures. However, INEC abandoned the electronic process when it came to collating the results of the presidential election for very strange reasons.

It became evident after listening to a 12-hour perplexing ruling by the Presidential Election tribunal that Nigerians who were encouraged by the leadership of INEC had been duped. The INEC gave up on real-time results posting and switched to the laborious, rigging-prone manual collation process.

This ruling completely violates section 64(4) and is superfluous. The Tribunal held that the IReV is a viewing portal, not a portal for collating results, and claimed that electronic results collation was not provided for in the Act. This may be the case, but the Tribunal spared no words for the Commission notwithstanding the criminal violation and cognizance of the INEC guarantees to the Nigerian electorates. Instead, they chastised the petitioners for failing to obtain their results from the polling units as a mark of their seriousness.

Even though the duplicate results provided to party polling agents are legitimate, tenable, and admissible in court and have been used to return candidates(e.g. Uzodinma vs. Ihedioha), the tribunal should have required INEC to make the copies from their Commission available. The Tribunal continued to defend INEC’s nebulous actions and the defendants in the most clumsy terms read out to Nigerians in total disdain, which led the citizens to wonder if the PEPT was not partisan and descending into the arena.

While many of the Tribunal’s opinions may be legally sound, one must also question why the Tribunal accepted the evidence and witnesses in the first place and then waited until the judgement to point out what it afterward deemed to be unsuitable and inadmissible. With this approach, the Tribunal became the petitioners’ main adversary rather than the umpire, and one that was less concerned with delivering justice and discovering the truth.

One can appreciate the dread they felt as they considered the possibility of impeaching a sitting president, which is not the aim but telling Nigerians who won. Yes, yet another gap in our legislation that permits a president-elect to take the oath of office while the Tribunal is still deliberating on the presidential election outcome. The Tribunal will be sympathetic to the President without the President having to say a word, and his appointees—ministers and others—including an attorney general could be working behind the scenes to keep their jobs. Nigeria has been the only nation in the world to permit such an unusual deviation and it has been the practice since 1999.

Even though the Tribunal is constrained, one still expects it to avoid ambushing the petitioners who are in court to vent and seek redress. The tribunal determined that the witnesses and evidence were out of order for the petitioners missing the deadlines for submission. Election petitions are time-barred. But how on earth are the aggrieved candidates going to frontload the witnesses’ written depositions in a presidential race if they have to file within 21 days after the declaration? This is virtually unattainable. Yet, during the judgement, depositions of witnesses that were filed later were rejected. Why were they allowed in the first place if they weren’t relevant at the time of filing or throughout the examination and cross-examination of the witnesses?

The Tribunal’s declaration that the judges did not even look through the boxes of documents submitted to it should be considered the most heartbreaking. The IReV downloads of INEC results were used by the petitioners and should be enough. The admission of these documents and the statistical analysis of the results of the 2023 presidential election should have taken place if the tribunal was indeed interested in justice and establishing who won the presidential election.

It should be emphasised that the Tribunal purposefully withheld the results of the 2023 presidential election from Nigerians by stopping the IReV documentary evidence set before it. By putting the petitioners under legal pressure based solely on technicalities, the Tribunal opted for the political verdict rather than determining where the mandate of the Nigerian electorates lies.

Although the court is not Father Christmas, the tribunal should be aware that, if the results provided by the petitioners were not sufficiently presented, they have to request that INEC make available the results that they used to declare Tinubu president.

Therefore, the verdict was an ambush, nuanced for political correctness, and therefore a betrayal of the public’s legitimate expectations. By doing this, they shifted the responsibility for informing Nigerians of the outcome to the Supreme Court, just as INEC shifted the same to the Tribunal.

What is more, if the ruling of the apex court on the matter is also time-barred, the Supreme Court might not be able to order a retrial for the petitions, in which case the effects on the nation’s eroding democracy will be fatal by putting the majority of Nigerians who voted back into apathy mode.

The core issues were deliberately sidestepped by the Tribunal and buried in the hubris of banalities and technicalities. Even though one may agree that the concerns with the constitution and electoral act regarding the qualification of a presidential candidate may have flipsides – 25% in the FCT, double nomination, $460,000 forfeiture, etcetera – the core issues should not have been kicked aside as nonissues. No, it shouldn’t be like that. Let it be known that the judiciary abdicated responsibility as long as it does not reveal to Nigerians who won the 2023 presidential election.

The judiciary as an arm of government is muddling its role. Muddling through is a science that has its side effects, drawbacks, and repercussions. If the court is indeed the common man’s last resort, the country’s judicial system must live up to that fundamental expectation and this cannot be achieved by abdicating responsibility.

Dr. Law Mefor, an Abuja-based forensic and social psychologist

Opinion

How Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza (PT, mNSP) Became Kano’s Healthcare Star and a Model for African Women in Leadership

Published

3 days ago

December 6, 2025

Eric

By Dr. Sani Sa’idu Baba

My dear country men and women, over the years, I have been opportune to watch numerous speeches delivered by outstanding women shaping the global health sector especially those within Africa. Back home, I have also listened to towering figures like Dr. Hadiza Galadanci, the renowned O&G consultant whose passion for healthcare reform continues to inspire many. Even more closer home, there is Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza, my classmate and colleague. Anyone who knew her from the beginning would remember a hardworking young woman who left no stone unturned in her pursuit of excellence. Today, she stands tall as one of the most powerful illustrations of what African women in leadership can achieve when brilliance, discipline, and integrity are brought together.

Before I dwell into the main business for this week, let me make this serious confession. If you are a regular traveler within Nigeria like myself, especially in the last two years, you will agree that no state currently matches Kano in healthcare delivery and institutional sophistication. This transformation is not accidental. It is the result of a coordinated, disciplined, and visionary ecosystem of leadership enabled by Kano State Governor, Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf. From the strategic drive of the Hospitals Management Board under the meticulous leadership of Dr. Mansur Nagoda, to the policy direction and oversight provided by the Ministry of Health led by the ever committed Dr. Abubakar Labaran, and the groundbreaking reforms championed by the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board under the highly cerebral Professor Salisu Ahmed Ibrahim, the former Private Health Institution Management Agency (PHIMA) boss, a man who embodies competence, hard work, honesty, and principle, the progress of Kano’s health sector becomes easy to understand. With such a strong leadership backbone, it is no surprise that individuals like Dr. Fatima Ibrahim Hamza is thriving and redefining what effective healthcare leadership looks like in Nigeria.

Across the world, from top medical institutions to global leadership arenas, one truth echoes unmistakably: when women lead with vision, systems transform. Their leadership is rarely about theatrics or force; it is about empathy, innovation, discipline, and a capacity to drive change from the inside out. Kano State has, in recent years, witnessed this truth firsthand through the extraordinary work of Dr. Fatima at Sheikh Muhammad Jidda General Hospital.

In less than 2 years, Dr. Fatima has emerged as a phenomenon within Kano’s healthcare landscape. As the youngest hospital director in the state, she has demonstrated a style of leadership that mirrors the excellence seen in celebrated female leaders worldwide, women who inspire not by occupying space, but by redefining it. Her performance has earned her two high level commendations. First, a recognition by the Head of Service following a rigorous independent assessment of her achievements, and more recently, a formal commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board acknowledging her professionalism, discipline, and transformative impact.

These acknowledgements are far more than administrative gestures, they place her in the company of women leaders whose influence reshaped nations: New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern with her empathy driven governance, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with her courageous reforms, and Germany’s Angela Merkel with her disciplined, steady leadership. Dr. Fatima belongs to this esteemed lineage of women who do not wait for change, they create it.

What sets her apart is her ability to merge vision with structure, compassion with competence, and humility with bold ambition. Staff members describe her as firm yet accessible, warm yet uncompromising on standards, traits that embody the modern leadership model the world is steadily embracing. Under her stewardship, Sheikh Jidda General Hospital has transformed from a routine public facility into an institution of possibility, demonstrating what happens when a capable woman is given the opportunity to lead without constraint.

The recent commendation letter from the Hospitals Management Board captures this evolution clearly: “Dr. Fatima has strengthened administrative coordination, improved patient care, elevated professional standards, and fostered a hospital environment where excellence has become the norm rather than the exception”. These outcomes are remarkable in a system that often battles bureaucratic bottlenecks and infrastructural limitations. Her work is proof that effective leadership especially in health must be visionary, intentional, and rooted in integrity.

In a period when global discourse places increasing emphasis on the importance of women in leadership particularly in healthcare, Dr. Fatima stands as a living testament to what is possible. She has demonstrated that leadership is never about gender, but capacity, clarity of purpose, and the willingness to serve with unwavering commitment.

Her rise sends a powerful message to young girls across Nigeria and Africa: that excellence has no gender boundaries. It is a call to institutions to trust and empower competent women. And it is a reminder to society that progress accelerates when leadership is guided by competence rather than stereotypes.

As Kano continues its journey toward comprehensive healthcare reform, Dr. Fatima represents a new chapter, one where leadership is defined not by age or gender, but by impact, innovation, and measurable progress. She is, without question, one of the most compelling examples of modern African women in leadership today.

May her story continue to enlighten, inspire, and redefine what African women can, and will achieve when given the opportunity to lead.

Dr. Baba writes from Kano, and can be reached via drssbaba@yahoo.com

Opinion

Book Review: Against the Odds by Dozy Mmobuosi

Published

5 days ago

December 4, 2025

Eric

By Sola Ojewusi

Against the Odds is an ambitious, deeply personal, and unflinchingly honest memoir that traces the remarkable rise of Dozy Mmobuosi, one of Nigeria’s most dynamic and controversial entrepreneurs. In this sweeping narrative, Mmobuosi reveals not just the public milestones of his career, but the intimate struggles, internal battles, and defining moments that shaped his identity and worldview.

The book is both a personal testimony and a broader commentary on leadership, innovation, and Africa’s future—and it succeeds in balancing these worlds with surprising emotional clarity.

A Candid Portrait of Beginnings

Mmobuosi’s story begins in the bustling, unpredictable ecosystem of Lagos, where early challenges served as the furnace that forged his ambitions. The memoir details the circumstances of his upbringing, the value systems passed down from family, and the early encounters that sparked his desire to build solutions at scale.

These foundational chapters do important work: they humanize the protagonist. Readers meet a young Dozy not as a business figurehead, but as a Nigerian navigating complex social, financial, and personal realities—realities that millions of Africans will find familiar.

The Making of an Entrepreneur

As the narrative progresses, the memoir transitions into the defining phase of Mmobuosi’s business evolution. Here, he walks readers through the origins of his earliest ventures and the relentless curiosity that led him to operate across multiple industries—fintech, agri-tech, telecoms, AI, healthcare, consumer goods, and beyond.

What is striking is the pattern of calculated risk-taking. Mmobuosi positions himself as someone unafraid to venture into uncharted territory, even when the cost of failure is steep. His explanations offer readers valuable insights into:
• market intuition
• the psychology of entrepreneurship
• the sacrifices required to build at scale
• the emotional and operational toll of high-growth ventures

These passages make the book not only readable but instructive—especially for emerging

African entrepreneurs.

Triumphs, Crises, and Public Scrutiny
One of the book’s most compelling strengths is its willingness to confront controversy head-on.

Mmobuosi addresses periods of intense scrutiny, institutional pressure, and personal trials.

Instead of glossing over these chapters, he uses them to illustrate the complexities of building businesses in emerging markets and navigating public perception.

The tone is reflective rather than defensive, inviting readers to consider the thin line between innovation and misunderstanding in environments where the rules are still being written.

This vulnerability is where the memoir finds its emotional resonance.

A Vision for Africa

Beyond personal history, Against the Odds expands into a passionate manifesto for African transformation. Mmobuosi articulates a vision of a continent whose young population, natural resources, and intellectual capital position it not as a follower, but a potential leader in global innovation.

He challenges outdated narratives about Africa’s dependency, instead advocating for
homegrown technology, supply chain sovereignty, inclusive economic systems, and investment in human capital.

For development strategists, policymakers, and visionaries, these sections elevate the work from memoir to thought leadership.

The Writing: Accessible, Engaging, and Purposeful

Stylistically, the memoir is direct and approachable. Mmobuosi writes with clarity and intention, blending storytelling with reflection in a way that keeps the momentum steady. The pacing is effective: the book moves seamlessly from personal anecdotes to business lessons, from introspection to bold declarations.

Despite its business-heavy subject matter, the prose remains accessible to everyday readers.

The emotional honesty, in particular, will appeal to those who appreciate memoirs that feel lived rather than curated.

Why This Book Matters

Against the Odds arrives at a critical moment for Africa’s socioeconomic trajectory. As global attention shifts toward African innovation, the need for authentic narratives from those building within the system becomes essential.

Mmobuosi’s memoir offers:
• a case study in resilience
• an insider’s perspective on entrepreneurship in frontier markets
• a meditation on reputation, legacy, and leadership
• a rallying cry for African ambition

For readers like Sola Ojewusi, whose work intersects with media, policy, leadership, and social development, this book offers profound insight into the human stories driving Africa’s new generation of builders.

Final Verdict

Against the Odds is more than a success story—it is a layered, introspective, and timely work that captures the pressures and possibilities of modern African enterprise. It challenges stereotypes, raises important questions about leadership and impact, and ultimately delivers a narrative of persistence that audiences across the world will find relatable.

It is an essential read for anyone interested in the future of African innovation, the personal realities behind public leadership, and the enduring power of vision and resilience

Opinion

Redefining Self-leadership: Henry Ukazu As a Model

Published

5 days ago

December 3, 2025

Eric

By Abdulakeem Sodeeq SULYMAN

In a world filled with talents and unique gifts, nurturing oneself for an impact-filled living becomes one of the potent metrics for assuming how one’s life would unfold – either in the nearest or far future. I am sure the question you may be curious to ask is ‘what is the important quality that has shaped the life of every individual who has unleashed their ingenuity?’ Apparently, our society is filled with numerous people, who missed the track of their life. Their iniquity is boiled down to one thing – failure to lead oneself.

Realising how important it is to be your own leader has been the springboard for every transformative life. Notably, this also becomes the premise for appreciating and celebrating Henry Ukazu for setting the pace and modeling self-leadership in this era, where self-leadership is under-appreciated by our people. Self-leadership itself engineers purposeful and impactful living, turning individuals to sources of hope to others.

This is exactly what Henry Ukazu symbolises. The name Henry Ukazu is akin to many great things such as ‘Unleashing One’s Destiny,’ ‘Finding One’s Purpose’ and ‘Triumphant Living.’ Regardless of the impression one have formed about Henry Ukazu, one thing you cannot deny is his ability to be pure to nature and committed to his cause. Henry Ukazu is one of the rare people who still believed in the values of the human worth and has committed every penny of his to ensure that every human deserves to live the best life.

The trajectory of Henry Ukazu’s life is convincing enough to be choosing as an icon by anyone who chooses to climb the ladder of self-leadership. Oftentimes, Henry Ukazu always narrate how he faced the storms of life when birthing his purpose. He takes honour in his struggles, knowing full well that every stumbling blocks life throws at him helped in building himself. If not for self-leadership, he will not found honours in his struggles, let alone challenging himself to be an example of purposeful living to others.

Without mincing words, Henry Ukazu’s life has been blessed with the presence of many people, with some filling his life with disappointments, while some blessing him with immeasurable transformations. Surprisingly, Henry Ukazu has never chosen to be treating people negatively; rather he would only choose the path of honour by avoiding drama and let common sense prevail. That’s one of the height of simplicity!

Dear readers, do you know why today is important for celebrating Henry Ukazu? Today, 3rd December, is his birthday and with all sincerity, Henry Ukazu deserves to be celebrated because he has chosen the noble path, one filled with honours and recognitions for being an icon of inspiration and transformation to the mankind. As Henry Ukazu marks another year today, may the good Lord continue shielding him from all evils and guiding him in right directions, where posterity will feel his role and impacts!

Many happy returns, Sir!