Headline

How Far Will Tinubu Go Against Opposition?

Published

1 year ago

February 3, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The spate of crises in opposition party camps have become worrisome, even more worrisome than the unimpressive economic situation of the country. Consequently, a lot of accusing fingers have been pointed at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leader, President Bola Tinubu.

The Boss gathered that since the inception of the Tinubu-led administration, no political party in the country has known peace; they have all been immersed and enmeshed in one national, state or area council challenge or another, prompting mass defection to the ruling APC to solidify its political capacity.

From the supposed main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the surprised third force, Peter Obi’s Labour Party (LP), and down to Rabiu Kwankwaso’s New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), an unfettered shenanigan has been the order of the day. Even the Social Democratic Party (SDP), reputed as the oldest surviving political party in Nigeria, is not spared of the raving malady of crises.

All fingers are pointed at President Tinubu as the architect of the problems, with accusations of his intentions to establish a one party state, and secure his return to power in 2027 without stress. This has prompted unanswered questions as to how far Tinubu is willing to go against the opposition parties.

In the PDP, and to a large extent, the LP, moles are said to hold prominent positions, and takes decisions that seem to align with the policies of the ruling party. In the PDP, a long drawn battle has continued to be waged as feuding factions fight for the soul of the party.

On one hand is the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, though a card-carrying member of the PDP, but hobnobs in the most intimate fashion with the APC. The Minister is said to favour the stay in office of the PDP acting National Chairman, Aliyu Demagun and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu against the wishes of the party. The situation has created tension and faction in the party.

“If Wike is sponsoring the likes of Damagun and Anyanwu, and Tinubu is sponsoring Wike, then we don’t a soothsayer to tell us who is dealing with the PDP. It’s all about 2027, and somebody or some people do not want any opposition or challenge to their ambition,” an insider confided in The Boss.

Only recently, a former Vice President and presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, accused Tinubu of weaponizing state institutions to target political opponents rather than addressing corruption in his administration. He also alleged that the president was inducing opposition leaders with N50 million to constitute political nuisance to their parties, thereby destabilizing its smooth operations.

Atiku made the claim in a statement shared on social media over the weekend, citing the recent arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a prominent social critic, and Omoyele Sowore, as evidence of a politically motivated clampdown on people of diverse views.

“Two days ago, the nation was jolted by the arrest of Professor Usman Yusuf, a fierce and unyielding social critic,” Atiku wrote, suggesting that the charges against Yusuf, though originating from the previous administration, were being used selectively to suppress opposition voices.

The former vice president criticized the Tinubu administration for what he described as a double standard in its approach to fighting corruption. According to Atiku, while the government shields individuals within its fold who are under investigation for corruption, it exploits pending cases to intimidate and silence critics.

“It is absurd that while the administration shelters those under investigation, it continues to exploit state institutions to stifle dissent, all under the false pretence of combating corruption,” he stated.

Atiku further alleged that President Tinubu’s actions are aimed at consolidating political power rather than addressing the nation’s pressing issues, accusing him of manipulating the justice system to his advantage.

“Even to the most inattentive, it has become glaringly clear that Tinubu is not waging a war on corruption — he is waging a war on the opposition, manipulating the system for his own political advantage,” Atiku asserted.

The arrest of Professor Yusuf has sparked widespread reactions from his sympathizers, with many questioning the timing and motive behind the detention.

Yusuf, known for his outspoken criticism of the Tinubu administration, has become a prominent voice in Nigeria’s political discourse.

In another development, the former Vice President, who is also the Waziri Adamawa, decried what he describes as systematic dismantling of the opposition by Tinubu administration.

In a post on his X handle, Atiku said that the recent arrest and “baseless prosecution” of Omoyele Sowore and Usman Yusuf is the latest in the harassment of opposition figures.

“When I made the clarion call that Tinubu and the APC were devoting their energies to the systematic harassment, intimidation, and dismantling of the opposition, all in service of their grand design for a one-party autocracy, I became the target of vicious attacks.

“The arrest and baseless prosecution of @YeleSowore is the latest chapter in this unrelenting campaign. Now, they have seen fit to add Professor Usman Yusuf — an outspoken critic of this administration — into their grim roster. At the pace they are going, it seems they may soon find themselves contending with the incarceration of every one of us.”

Sowore, who is the convener of the #Revolutionnow movement, had honoured the invitation of the police on Monday, January 27, 2025, when he was questioned at the Force Criminal Investigation Department.

He was subsequently granted administrative bail but rejected the conditions of bail and remained in custody.

The police later filed a 16-count charge of cybercrime against him.

On Thursday, the court granted Sowore bail to the tune of ₦10 million and one surety in like sum.

The surety must be a responsible individual with landed property valued in like sum.

The surety is expected to deposit the original documents of landed property and a passport photograph to the registrar of the court.

While ruling on the bail application, the trial judge, Justice Musa Liman, ordered Sowore to deposit his international passport with the registrar of the court.

The judge, however, gave him 24 hours to perfect the bail conditions or be remanded by the police until the bail is perfected.

He was to be arraigned on Friday, but the arraignment was, however, moved to Monday (today) to allow for amendment of the charges, according to a statement by the EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale.

Though defence counsel, Isah Dokto Haruna, who held brief for the lead defence counsel, O. I. Habeeb, SAN, made an application for bail, it was turned down by the court on account of the defendant’s deferred arraignment.

Justice Nwecheonwu adjourned the matter till February 3, 2025, for arraignment and ruled that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Commission.

On the political party front, all is well with all the opposition political parties.

Stakeholders, observers and a large section of the general public are toeing the Atiku line that Tinubu has a hand in the disunity that has continued to ravage the parties, especially the PDP, which is touted as the party with the capacity to give him a run for his money come 2027.

Far back in 2023, just six months into the Tinubu administration, it became obvious that there is an unholy trend geared towards instigating crisis in parties, and harvest its members. The trend was not taking place via ballot papers or boxes or electoral propriety, but inordinate manipulations, using the instrumentality of the courts, judiciary, coercion and outright intimidation.

Fast forward to the present, the political positions are making dramatic switches to the APC via court rulings inordinate defections and more, giving a cross sections of Nigerian the effontery to believe there is a hidden agenda to welcome a new Nigeria where political positions both elected and appointed are ‘allocated’ to Tinubu’s APC. Only a few days ago, the senator representing Delta South, Ned Nwoko, joined a long list of decampees, who had found solace in the APC amid administrative deficiency, which reduced Nigerians to advocates of hardship, hunger and depravity.

A few instances were visible in 2023 to raise eyebrows as regards the direction and shape Nigeria political landscape was taking. They included the sack of all elected Plateau State PDP elected lawmakers, and replaced with defeated APC candidates, failed attempt to sack Zamfara and Kano states givernors, the victory of Imo and Kogi APC governorship candidates, and followed in 2024 by the victory of Edo APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo. In all instances, public opinion had feared obvious manipulations of the electoral and judicial processes.

Presently, almost all the elected federal lawmakers under the banner of the Labour Party have defected to the APC. The party shame-facely boasts of two national leaders; Julius Abure and Nenadi Esther Usman, creating dissension that that have continually polarized the party.

Everyone, with the interest of the political future of Nigeria, has continued to ask when Tinubu will let go of his grip on the fragile throats of opposition parties.

Meanwhile, the Tinubu camp has denied ever interfering in the politics of the opposition, carpeting yhe former vice president, Obi and host of other accusers.

Tinubu’s administration will be two years in four months, and with his grip on political decisions across board, it is believed that by the time the next electioneering kicks off, a whole lot of political figurehead would have decamped to join the APC.

Time is no longer telling; the reality on ground foretells doom for the political future ofbthe country.

But all in all, time will still tell; 2027 is just around the corner, and Nigerians are watching and waiting to see how the opposition parties will make recovery to free themselves from the Tinubu-grip.

Headline

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

Published

1 day 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

4 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

4 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.