Northern leaders have been divided over the possible re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that the once monolithic North is now split, with core northerners determined to oust Tinubu in 2027, while northern minorities support his re-election.

Our correspondents noted that although core northerners complain about the President’s unfavourable disposition towards the region, minority groups argue that they have fared well under his administration.

The Middle Belt, southern Kaduna residents, Hausa Christians of Northern Nigeria, and many natives of Plateau State have distanced themselves from the plot to unseat Tinubu.

However, core northerners, represented by various political, socio-cultural, and indigenous groups, insist that Tinubu does not deserve a second term.

The division among northern stakeholders is evident in social media exchanges between former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and a human rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani, who frequently express differing views on Tinubu’s approach to northern issues, particularly security.

The Arewa Consultative Forum, a key political and cultural association in Northern Nigeria, alongside several prominent northern figures, said the region could not be coerced into re-electing Tinubu.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the Secretary General of the group, Murtala Aliyu, stated that the forum remained nonpartisan and would not support or oppose any candidate.

The ACF was responding to a recent statement by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, who urged northern politicians with presidential ambitions to abandon their aspirations because Tinubu would serve for two terms.

“What we normally do at ACF is to highlight critical issues that the people should consider when choosing a candidate, irrespective of their political party. We do not involve ourselves in promoting or antagonising any candidate,” Aliyu said.

The League of Northern Democrats, a northern group comprising members of the APC, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, vowed to support an alternative candidate in 2027.

The spokesperson for the group, Ladan Salihu, said, “We don’t have a personal agenda against Tinubu, but we believe his government has not delivered. The performance indicators do not add up to justify northern support.

“The government has not met expectations, and we in the North are not convinced he deserves another opportunity. Even those who voted for him are now filled with regret. His administration has brought hardship, poverty and agony to the people.

“No northerner with a conscience can claim to be impressed with Tinubu’s performance. He may have the best intentions, but the system he is working with is flawed and unsustainable. It cannot deliver on the promises he made to the North.”

Salihu also hinted at the possibility of a new political movement to field a northern candidate against Tinubu in 2027.

“Yes, there is a possibility, because we are not convinced that this government can lift Nigeria out of its current predicament,” he said.

Similarly, the National Coalition of Northern Groups warned that the North would not vote for Tinubu if economic conditions did not improve.

In an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the coalition president, Jamilu Charanchi, stated that the North, which holds the majority of votes, would not re-elect Tinubu if economic hardship persisted.

“It is the people who will decide who leads the country—there is no doubt about that. The North has a majority. It is up to President Tinubu to make the right decisions so that people will re-elect him. If he continues on this path, I can tell you clearly that people will not vote for him,” he said.

Urging Nigerians to vote wisely, Charanchi advised the electorate to choose leaders based on competence, capacity, integrity and adherence to the rule of law.

He said, “Nigerians should not allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians. They should vote based on merit and mobilise others to elect leaders who will lift the country out of its current crisis.”

Charanchi described Ganduje’s comment as troubling and disheartening, stating that it indicated the APC chairman was out of touch with reality.

“Is he satisfied with Nigeria’s failing economy? Does he believe these failures are acceptable or justified?” he asked.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, had previously hinted at northern efforts to remove Tinubu in 2027.

Lawal recently declared his intention to work with El-Rufai to prevent Tinubu’s re-election.

In an interview, Lawal blamed Tinubu’s economic policies for worsening poverty and hardship in Northern Nigeria.

“The North is seriously mobilising with a consensus that Bola Tinubu must step down in the 2027 election. There is no doubt about this consensus.

“I may not have always agreed with El-Rufai, but on this issue, I will join him to stop Tinubu from winning the 2027 election. If Tinubu wins, northern Nigeria will turn into one large refugee camp,” he said.

El-Rufai, on Monday, shared on his X handle an opinion by a chieftain of the party, Uche Diala, who warned that if Tinubu was not careful, he might face the same fate as former President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2027 election.

The article stated, “I have read and heard the arrogant posturing and braggadocio by some people who I refer to as political rabble-rousers, but I get more worried each day as it keeps looking more and more like a movie we had seen before.

“May I remind some persons that, more than the performance or lack thereof of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, it was his attitude, and that of people around him, towards the North that ultimately brought him down and by extension the PDP that had boasted that it would rule Nigeria for 60 years.”

El-Rufai himself had on his X handle criticised the APC, lamenting the lack of internal democracy and active party structures within the party.

He wrote “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

However, the northern minorities distanced themselves from the plot to oust Tinubu.

One of the notable northern minority groups, the Middle Belt Forum, stated that the region had decided to support a southern presidency in 2027.

The MBF argued that the region had received a better deal under the current administration than under former President Muhammadu Buhari, despite prevailing economic hardships.

According to the MBF’s spokesman, Luka Binniyat, the Middle Belt has secured more political appointments at the national level and more infrastructural projects than under the previous government.

Sunday PUNCH noted that Middle Belt indigenes in Tinubu’s administration include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume (Benue State), and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (Plateau State).

“We are having a better deal under Bola Tinubu than under Buhari, even though we are all experiencing economic hardship like everyone else.

“The Middle Belt Forum, for sure, still stands for a southern presidency in 2027. So, it is up to President Tinubu to up his game to attract the Middle Belt when an alternative candidate emerges in 2027,” Binniyat said.

Similarly, indigenous Hausa Christians of Northern Nigeria dissociated themselves from the plot to remove Tinubu in 2027, stating that they would not be pressured into making a decision that could negatively impact the social well-being of their people.

According to the Christian group, Tinubu’s administration had demonstrated a commitment to addressing the insecurity that has plagued many northern states.

“All we want at the moment is inclusivity, as we have many qualified individuals and seasoned politicians capable of holding political office.

“Instead of calling for the President’s removal in 2027, we are urging him to consider some of our people for appointments, as we refuse to inherit anyone’s enemies,” said the National Chairman of the group, Daniel Musa.

Some indigenes of Plateau State also declared support for Tinubu’s second term.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH under the auspices of the Plateau Initiative for the Development and Advancement of the Natives in Jos, the indigenes acknowledged the President’s contributions to the development of their region.

The association’s Secretary General, Dickson Auta, said, “He (Tinubu) has indeed shown that he is a detribalised leader because he has been striving to spread developmental projects across every part of the country.

“Our people are only concerned about good governance, and if Mr President continues on this developmental path, I am sure our people will have no choice but to support his ambition in 2027 should he decide to run for a second term. In fact, we are already supporting him.”

Also, the Southern Kaduna People’s Union commended Tinubu for appointing individuals from Southern Kaduna to key positions.

A spokesperson for SOKAPU, Josiah Abraks, cited the appointment of Gen. Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Science, Kachia, as examples of the President’s inclusivity, which has benefited the people of Southern Kaduna.

“The southern part of Kaduna is willing to partner with whoever is ready to work with us to ensure our growth and development,” he added.

[Punch]

“The judiciary,…. has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment.”

Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, No. 78.

In January 1983, a suspicious fire incident did considerable damage to NECOM House, the high-rise building in Lagos that housed the headquarters of the country’s telecommunications monopoly, then known as the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL. Alhaji Shehu Shagari was in power as elected civilian president. The belief was widespread that the fire was the handiwork of “senior officials in the building (who) had been under investigation for fraud and embezzlement that police estimated at more than $100 million.” 

The NECOM House fire was another in a succession of high-profile incidents with a whiff of arson affecting public infrastructure in the country. The previous month, another fire had consumed the Ministry of External Affairs, reportedly “set by accountants who were under investigation.”

Casualty count from the NECOM House fire incident was substantial but uncertain. By some coincidence, the fire occurred the week after the fire-fighting team at the facility had been inexplicably withdrawn.

The response of the federal authorities was even more inexplicable. The 21 persons whom they chose to prosecute in connection with the incident included Ray Ekpu, at the time a senior journalist and columnist, whose crime appeared to be that he published an article after the incident suggesting that it was arson.

Also charged were Adamu Akokhia, Chief Fire Officer of the Federation; and Saidu Garba, the Divisional Fire Officer responsible for the building. While they were suspects in pending criminal proceedings, the federal authorities also suspended Adamu Akokhia and Saidu Garba from work.

Saidu Garba sued at the High Court of Lagos State challenging his suspension. While his case was still pending, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, John Oyegun, issued a letter sacking him from the public service.

Informed of this development, the presiding judge, Yahaya Jinadu, summoned John Oyegun to appear before him and explain why he should not be held in contempt of court. The judge subsequently found Mr. Oyegun guilty of contempt, cautioned him and required him to withdraw the letter of termination issued to Saidu Garba while his case was pending.

Despite the forbearance of the court, Mr. Oyegun failed to comply. On 3 August 1984, the court ordered his lawyer to secure compliance by his client with the order or cease participation in the proceedings until he complied. By this time, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was in his eighth month in power as military ruler, having overthrown Shagari.

Five days later, on 8 August, then Chief Judge of Lagos State, Adetunji Adefarasin, summarily withdrew the case file from Yahaya Jinadu and reassigned it to himself, claiming that he did so at the request of the trial judge. Yahaya Jinadu denied ever having made such a request to the Chief Judge.

While Yahaya Jinadu was on pilgrimage to Mecca shortly thereafter, the Advisory Judicial Committee (AJC), then chaired by Chief Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo (the same one who infamously convicted Obafemi Awolowo two decades earlier), constituted a committee “that curiously condemned his actions and asked him to make written and verbal apologies” to, among others, the federal attorney-general, the President of the Court of Appeal, and the Chief Judge of Lagos State. Unwilling to abide an order which he characterised as “humiliation and disgrace of the judiciary”, Yahaya Jinadu served the statutory sixty-day notice of his intention to resign as a judge. In response, the regime terminated his judicial career summarily.

For being acutely aware of the duty to conserve the currency of judicial authority and being prepared to defend that, Yahaya Jinadu paid a heavy price with his career. Those who traduced him set in motion a deadly corrosion of judicial authority whose inter-generational consequences today endanger the very foundations of both the institution and the country.

Two contemporaneous events this past week dramatized how badly so. Addressing judges at the beginning of the week at a continuing judicial education event in Abuja, the Federal Capital, Chief Justice of the Federation, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, complained about deepening public distrust of the judiciary, reminding her colleagues that “it is not enough to be impartial; we must also be seen to be impartial. The perception of bias or impropriety can be as damaging as the reality itself.”

At about the same time as the Chief Justice uttered them, these sentiments were on trial at another end of town. The Federal High Court in Abuja was the venue of the now viral contretemps between Nnamdi Kanu, self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), on the one hand; and the presiding judge, the lead prosecutor, and even his own team of lawyers, on the other. If anything was more troubling than the conduct of Mr. Kanu in that outing, it was the self-inflicted lack of judicial authority to firmly put a stop to it.

To be sure, there are ample provisions in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) empowering courts to preserve their authority or act against the disruption of their proceedings. A judge for a quarter of a century and a state attorney-general before that, the one charge that cannot possibly be made against the presiding judge in this case is inexperience. So, why was the court, nevertheless, so craven?

On 24 September 2024, she had ruled in respect of the same proceedings concerning Mr. Kanu that: “The root of adjudication is confidence. The defendant has no confidence in this court. Consequently, I hereby recuse myself from this trial and hereby remit the case file to the Chief Judge for further necessary action.” Three weeks later, it was reported that the Chief Judge decided administratively to overrule the trial judge’s recusal and return the case file to her.

There are, however, two problems with this decision. First, as a matter of law, the Chief Judge may be a first among his peers but he is no paramount chief at large. His powers do not extend to administratively overruling a written decision of a judge sitting as such. Second, as a practical matter, a judge who by her own hand rules to recuse herself from proceedings after affirming cratered confidence in her handling of the proceedings cannot allow herself to be bullied or inveigled into attempting to ingest her judicial vomit.

The coincidence of these two developments almost assuredly denied the court of its constitutive authority, making it a passenger in that piece of execrable judicial theatre.

The standard under the 1999 constitution is that a court shall be constituted “in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.” A judge cannot return to claim impartiality and independence after having gone on record to recuse herself for having lost the confidence of the defendant. A forum in that setting hardly deserves the appellation of a court.

Nigeria’s 1999 constitution speaks loosely of “judicial power”. The traditional tools of power in this sense are coercive or transactional. As a fact, the judiciary lacks both. Its currency is neither arms nor money. Rather it is reason and authority.

To the extent that it is possible to salvage anything from the wreckage of those proceedings in that Federal High Court last week, it is the importance of holding the feet of the judiciary to fire when any judge – no matter how high – acts in a manner that casually endangers that authority. The costs of not doing so are incalculable.

A lawyer and teacher, Odinkalu can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Baba, our people say, if an old woman stumbles twice, we must inspect the basket on her head. I will be blunt. By 2027, you will be 81. This is not ageism. By that time you would have spent more than 20 years trying to be president. In 2022, you looked tired. You could be Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln was young and died at 56. He didn’t run for president for 20 years. Baba, let it go. 

However, it’s your prerogative. You are allowed to run for president in every election cycle till ‘thy kingdom come’. But you must think of yourself. It shouldn’t be a fixation, an unhealthy obsession. It’s good to aspire. But you have one life to live. At nearly 80, the frail ought to retire to easier routines. Then, they can sit out and reflect and write their memoirs from the outside, from the vantage position of a bystander. With the freedom to tell the truth, stepping on toes and not bothering whose ox is gored, for the benefit of coming generations. A freedom that compromise-ridden politics inhibits. Baba, think.

You must think of the country. This country has a large youthful population. The nation has stagnated. It needs energy. You saw Buhari. It wasn’t his fault. Age reduced him to a fraction of himself. His aversion for disorder and corruption had faded sufficiently for crooks to tum rings around him. You can see Tinubu. A big private jet, perhaps kitted with a good bed, is his priority. He shuttles to France frequently to grease his joints. This country doesn’t need another kabukabu president. Biden thought about his party and country and stepped aside. You can do the same. You contested for this presidency with Abiola 33 years ago. You have to move on. 

Baba Atiku, let me tell you something else. This might be one of the problems. You have been everything. Now, nobody knows what you are. Obasanjo once said you were corrupt. But after that cleansing at ‘River Ota’ in 2018, he said you were clean. Then in 2022, he stayed away from you like you were a leper. People can’t define you in a way that gives them hope. The white garment prophetess called you a humble man whose time was imminent. That was in 2019. Baba, you have conjured earth, wind and fire. Baba, you need a break. 

You are not a bigot. You don’t do religious politics. You are a decent politician. You are not violent. You are better than most. But your decency is the decency of an old political organizer who neither by deeds nor words promises a new beginning. Sir, permit my insolence, you invoke a feeling of staleness, constipation, and ‘more of the same’. The nation needs a rebirth. It needs a fundamental transformation. Not little back and forth or diffident paces of incremental progress. We need to regain respect in the comity of nations. We are a nation bleeding its talent, losing its young to other countries. Slogans won’t cut it. You don’t inspire the youth. 

People can read desperation. You can call it determination. A chronic determination to be president without a compelling moral point can’t pass the desperation test. The root of the rot is moral rather than economic. In 2022, you wanted to succeed Buhari. Power rotation didn’t matter to you. These are moral issues. You have been running for president since 2007. Nobody knows what you stand for. After six election cycles with you seeking to be president, Nigerians should know you. But you had often dashed in from Dubai, snatched a ticket, lost, and dashed back to Dubai. You are here today, there tomorrow. You can switch to any party and flock with any birds. That may be a general political problem in Nigeria but you epitomise it. 

Okay, you have friends from across the country. That’s a plus. But Tinubu does, too. Yet his appointments have shown that despite his cosmopolitan outlook, he is an ethnic chauvinist. A small wind has blown, and we have seen the underbelly of the fowl. So the country needs more than a wheeling and dealing politician with friends from all corners of the country. It needs a principled visioner. The pragmatism of a hustler is sometimes called realpolitik, but it won’t help this country. You once had the opportunity in the early 2000s you hired myopically. People of the northeast literally took over the EFCC. Ribadu, Larmode, Magu. It wasn’t you, right? Many Nigerians do not want a government by godfathers prioritizing entrenched interests. That’s the image you portray. 

You flock with all birds. The youth say you don’t inspire them. Like pap without sugar. Eaten only by the hungry for strength, slapping the cheeks and making the eyes water. Some say it’s only you that can dislodge Tinubu. But like Obi said, dislodging Tinubu isn’t the issue. The opposition and any government it might form must be foresighted, selfless and averse to corruption. If Tinubu is dislodged and a new president emerges in 2027 to award a Maiduguri – Calabar forest road to his own business partner without due process, what has the country gained? 

Waziri, your time has passed. The country needs a leader who can inspire the youths to dream. The country needs a leader who, by personal examples, can initiate a national rebirth. The country is tired. Sorry, baba Atiku, your role now should be to help identify and support a candidate who can champion national transformation. It sounds naive, right? 

To be honest you had a captivating manifesto in 2022. You prioritized national unity. But you looked exhausted.. And your campaign lacked imagination. It couldn’t even ‘Atikulate’ again. You picked up millions of votes from those who wanted a northerner and those who wanted the PDP. Nobody doubts your ability to get 7 million votes if Buhari is not in the ring. Don’t allow those votes to make you feel indispensable 

Baba, sit aside like Obasanjo and help identify suitable choices. Sit aside and help demand for electoral reforms. Baba, step aside and help build a strong electable opposition party. 

The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, has come under attack from northern leaders and groups over his call on the North to bury any ambition of contesting the presidency in 2027.

They accused him of working against the interest of the North just to please President Bola Tinubu.

The controversy surrounding Ganduje’s statement highlights the complex dynamics of Nigerian politics, particularly regarding zoning and power rotation. As the country prepares for the 2027 presidential election, it remains to be seen how this debate will unfold.

Ganduje had urged northern politicians nursing presidential ambition in 2027 to bury the idea, insisting that President Tinubu would serve two terms.

Apparently reacting to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who, in a post on his verified X handle, threatened that in 2027, the North would give Tinubu the same treatment meted out to former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

But Ganduje, while hosting leaders and members of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre, PBAT Media Centre, and Tinubu Northern Youth Forum, TNYF, at APC National Secretariat in Abuja, said expectations that the North would produce the President in 2027 should be “perished.”

“When a leader from the northern part of this country was in office for eight years, we advocated that the next president in our party should come from the South”, he stated.

“And luckily enough, we worked very hard with the cooperation of Nigerians. Our President has come from the South and is going, insha’Allah, for a second term in 2027. And then after that, it will be turned to the northern part of this country”.

‘Dangerous precedent’

However, the statement seems to have provoked stakeholders in the region, who told Sunday Vanguard that what the APC chairman said is a “dangerous precedent.”

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, said the statement wasn’t surprising, adding that Ganduje was doing the bidding of his “benefactor.”

National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said: “It is a political statement, and he is representing the party. Whether he likes it or not, the President is the main man for the party, and the benefit he would get comes through the President.

“So, whether he is from the North or wherever, he just has to support the President. It is, therefore, not surprising that, in spite of the Northern resistance for whatsoever reason, he is supporting the President, so it is not surprising.

“However, there are things we need to learn from the behavior of the North. There is this thing they call ‘Takiya.’ It is a holy deceit. It is practiced in the North in some things.

“So, what he says may not exactly be what he meant. So, let’s hope and believe that what he said was what he meant, and that was not a deceit aimed at appeasing those he wants to, with the intention of doing something else.

“This is something our Southern brothers do not seem to know or understand. But for those of us in the North, when one of us says something, we weigh it properly based on the action that might follow.”

‘Disturbing questions’

On his part, National President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, said Ganduje’s position raised disturbing questions about Nigeria’s democracy.

He said: “Ganduje’s call for politicians from the North to drop any ambition of contesting against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election raises important questions about the principles of democracy and the right to political participation.

“It is essential to analyze this statement in the context of democratic principles and the right to political participation. In a democratic society, every citizen has the right to contest for political office and present themselves as candidates for election.

“This right is enshrined in the constitution and is a fundamental aspect of a functioning democracy. Ganduje’s call for politicians from the North to refrain from contesting against Tinubu raises concerns about the freedom of political expression and the right to participate in the democratic process.

“By discouraging potential candidates from running for office, Ganduje’s statement could be seen as an attempt to limit the choices available to voters and stifle political competition.

“Such a directive could also be interpreted as an attempt to consolidate power within a particular political faction or region, rather than promoting a fair and open electoral process.

“In a diverse and multi-ethnic country like Nigeria, it is essential that all regions and groups have equal opportunities to participate in the political arena and present their ideas and policies to the electorate.

“It is also worth noting that the 2027 presidential election is still several years away, and it is premature to make such sweeping statements about potential candidates and their eligibility to contest for office.

“In a democratic society, political competition should be encouraged, and voters should have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of candidates with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

“As citizens and observers, it is crucial to uphold these principles and ensure that all individuals have the opportunity to participate in the democratic process without fear of reprisal or discrimination.”

‘Why 2027 noise?’

Also speaking, Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, North-West zone, Emmanuel Obe, said: “2027 is still far away, so why the noise about 2027? It’s only God that knows what 2027 will look like; therefore, those looking for favour and patronage should stop distracting those who have the responsibility of providing dividends of democracy to the people rather than engaging them with the trouble of 2027 that may or may not come.

“Nigerians are suffering, and the least expectation is to provide them with basic needs, which includes but is not limited to: food and shelter, security of lives and property, good drinking water, access to basic education, and good health facilities, stable and affordable supply of electricity, good roads, among others.

“Ganduje and his likes should address those needs rather than disturbing the citizens with the noise about 2027. Mr. President should not be distracted by the noise from those political jobbers and favour seekers but rather should focus on delivering his campaign promises to Nigerians and allow 2027 to breathe.”

‘North united politically’

Former Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Anthony Sani, said: “There is nothing controversial about such statements. This is because none of the two people you have mentioned speaks for the North in so far as partisan politics is concerned.

“This is because the North can be united politically on real issues of real concern to real northerners, but when it comes to partisan politics, the North does not act in unison.

“Recall NPC, NEPU, and United Middle Belt Council in the First Republic. In the Second Republic, there were Shagari who contested against Zik of NPP and Awolowo of UPN from the South and with Mallam Aminu Kano of PRP from Kano and Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of famous ‘politics without bitterness’ from the North.

“During the third and the current fourth republics, the North voted for Abiola against their son, Bashir Tofa, and voted for Bola Tinubu in 2023 from the South against son of the soil, Abubakar Atiku, respectively. “This should also inform political pundits that the North can use contingency in its approach to politics depending on the situation on the ground.”

Similarly, former Chairman of CAN, Kaduna State, Rev Joseph John Hayab, said: “I am not sure Ganduje has said anything new. What he said is what the previous party in power used to say. I hope his party will listen to the cries of Nigerians and attend to their needs before the next election.

“Many Nigerians are tired of how politicians use this zoning of offices to deny them good governance. Nigerians in the next election will be looking for good governance, not the region of the candidate.

“Those who still want to go to the people with regional or religious messages about whom to vote will regret it. We have played regional and religious politics, but we are still standing in one spot, with no progress, only wallowing in hunger and poverty.

“Ganduje and all other leaders of political parties that want to get the mandate of Nigerians should focus on addressing Nigeria’s problems to win the support of the masses and stop talking about which region should drop her ambition to contest in 2027.”

Worrisome argument

Also, the Director of NGOs and SCOs of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Suleiman Abdul-Azeez, said he found Ganduje’s argument worrisome.

His words: “As a leader from the North, I am deeply concerned by the recent statement made by former Governor Ganduje urging the North to drop any ambition of contesting against Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

“This call for the North to step aside and allow Tinubu to run uncontested is not only undemocratic but also goes against the principles of fair competition and equal opportunity in a democratic society.

“It is important to note that democracy thrives on the principles of free and fair elections, where all eligible candidates have the right to contest for any political office without fear of intimidation or coercion.

“By asking the North to abandon their political ambitions in favour of Tinubu, Ganduje is essentially stifling the democratic process and denying the people of the North their right to choose their own leaders.

“Furthermore, this call for the North to step aside in the 2027 presidential election sets a dangerous precedent for future elections, where certain individuals or regions may be pressured to withdraw their candidacy in favour of a preferred candidate.

“This undermines the democratic values of inclusiveness and diversity, which are essential for a thriving democracy.

As a leader from the North, I believe it is imperative that we uphold the principles of democracy and ensure that all eligible candidates have the opportunity to contest for political office without any form of discrimination or bias. It is crucial that we promote a culture of political inclusivity and diversity, where individuals from all regions and backgrounds have an equal chance to participate in the democratic process.”

“I strongly condemn Ganduje’s call for the North to drop any ambition of contesting against Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. It is essential that we uphold the principles of democracy and ensure that all eligible candidates have the right to contest for political office without any form of interference or coercion. Let us strive to promote a culture of political inclusivity and diversity, where every individual has an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process.”

Opposition politicians have revved up their engines again ahead of the 2027 election. They are busy meeting, engaging in visitations, regrouping, and strategising under various platforms. And recently at a two-day event in Abuja themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity,” some of these opposition figures huffed and puffed, upbraiding the present government and disparaging President Bola Tinubu and the governing All Progressives Congress.

Some of them, like former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, have taken advantage of various public speaking opportunities to condemn the government’s policy options and decisions but offered little or no alternative course of action.

This is dismaying. During the Second Republic when the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria leader, the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was the leader of the opposition, he would dissect the policies of the National Party of Nigeria government of President Shehu Shagari, cut it down into granular details and offer clear, convincing and actionable alternatives. Awolowo’s interventions provided useful solutions that would have bolstered Nigeria’s economy and enriched our democracy, but unfortunately, that era lasted only four years and three months as the military struck.

President Tinubu has barely spent two years in office. Yet, political opponents have upped the ante in a desperate move to grab power in 2027. The latest move in this direction was the visit last week of the defeated Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Abeokuta, Ogun State hilltop residence. Atiku was in company with former Sokoto State governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former Cross River State governor Liyel Imoke and Senator Abdul Ningi from Bauchi State, all of the crisis-ridden PDP.

The former vice-president claimed the meeting had nothing to do with 2027. Anyone who believes him on that will believe anything. There was also New Nigeria People’s Party leader, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, who travelled all the way to Lagos from Kano to confer with former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola to discuss issues believed to be in connection with 2027. Ogbeni Aregbesola is leading the Omoluabi Group in Osun.

Three sets of opposition groups are discernible at the moment. One group comprises President Tinubu’s opponents in the 2023 election who have refused to see, and perhaps may never see, anything good in the present government, hard as the administration works to reverse the past mistakes and dwindling fortunes of the country. These men contested the last election with the President and were roundly defeated both on the ballot and in court.

However, they have continued to carry on as if the 2023 election cycle has not ended. In this group are former VP Atiku and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi. Their depleting rank of supporters, called the Atikulated and Obidents, are in league with them in this cantankerous behaviour.

The second group is made up of some erstwhile APC chieftains who claim to still belong to the party but have constituted themselves into opposition elements within. Bitter and vicious, they include former minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi and some others who rightly or wrongly feel entitled to political appointments and government patronage. Amaechi had detached himself from the APC since he lost out at the APC primaries in August 2022.

The last group is composed of former APC leaders who are completely out of the party but now vigorously working against the party’s interests. Ogbeni Aregbesola belongs in this group.

These three groups of opposition figures are working to take over power in 2027. They are aiming at forming a coalition to unseat APC. None has been consummated as of this time.

It is relevant to ask: why are opposition parties in our climes unduly fixated about taking over power? It may be argued that the zero-sum nature of our politics, the winner-takes-all syndrome, is a contributory factor. But then, the role of opposition parties in a democracy is much more crucial. It is critical in determining the level of accountability and acceptability of governing parties as well as the overall quality of a country’s democracy.

In his seminal work on the “Role of Opposition Parties in Developing Democracies” published in a journal by Democracy Works Foundation, Williams Gumede posits that: “Opposition parties provide alternative visions, policies, and leaders to the governing party. They scrutinise government decisions, policies, and actions – and play oversight over the executive and the public administration. They defend the voters’ interests – not only their constituencies but all the country’s voters.”

Indeed, opposition parties’ capacity to show the electorate they are credible alternatives is crucial to the credibility of the democratic system. The strength of the opposition in a democracy plays a key role in the quality of that democracy and, by extension, the effectiveness of the state. Gumede adds that, “a democratic system is significantly undermined if the opposition does not offer any credible alternatives to the governing party, is invisible in the public debate or does not have a public profile beyond during elections.”

Although many will reckon that 2027 is still a long time and according to a Yoruba adage, the sun out there can still dry the clothes, nonetheless, it is doubtful if the opposition as currently constituted in Nigeria is capable of ousting the APC in 2027.

This is why I surmise this way: the major opposition parties, the PDP, Labour Party, and of course NNPP are neck deep in crisis. They parade fragile leadership with seemingly unending court litigations. Generally, the opposition seems too uncoordinated and lacks focus. Any alliance by such groups can only be fickle and fissiparous. These opposition politicians are being driven by personal ambition, and not the interest of the country.

Also, the matter of power rotation between the North and South over two terms is also an important factor that may work against the opposition. This factor and the machinations over 2027 may have prompted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George George Akume and APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje to ask the North to wait till 2031 for another shot at power, arguing that President Muhammadu Buhari from the North had done eight years in office and that the South should be allowed to complete its eight years as well.

APC national secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru spoke on this seeming emptiness of the disgruntled opposition groups. In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune published on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, he doubted if the opposition parties had what it takes to successfully cobble a merger or form a united front against the APC.

He declared: “The question is, for the economic policies of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, what are the alternatives that the opposition has brought out, beyond just planning for the 2027 election? If 2027 comes, what do they want to campaign with, and what alternatives are you giving the people? They don’t have any alternative. The so-called opposition groups are just power-mongers. The only job they have is that they want to access government power for personal aggrandizement without any program or policies for the Nigerian people. I’m not a soothsayer, but they will not be able to merge because all the leading opposition figures are driven by personal ambitions.”

Do I agree with the APC national secretary? I think so.

Rahman is the senior special assistant to President Tinubu on media, publicity and special duties.

Aminu Tambuwal, a former governor of Sokoto state, says no politician with a conscience would join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tambuwal spoke on Saturday in Kaduna after the national executive council (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the north-west zone.

Tambuwal, a former speaker of the house of representatives, said the current economic situation in the country makes the membership of the ruling APC unattractive.

He noted that politicians defecting from the PDP to join the APC are “driven by stomach infrastructure”.

He added that those who believe in the country must work together to unseat the APC-led government in 2027.

“People leave parties for certain reasons or for different reasons, but what I have been observing is that defections are not based on the interest of the people but based on stomach infrastructure, Tambuwal said.

“If you are talking about defecting in the interest of the people, I believe no one can go to the APC.

“If you are a politician with a conscience, with the current policies being driven by the government of the APC.

“The current economic doldrum caused by APC has driven Nigerians into hardship across the country, and with the dismal performance of the Tinubu administration, there is nothing attractive outside stomach infrastructure.”

“It is for all of us who believe in this country, who believe in the service of the people, to continue to come together and work out something that will ensure that by 2027, we ease out this administration that lacks focus, compassion, and does not have any direction.”

[TheCable]

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has been elected as a member, Steering Committee of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), the highest decision making body of the organization.

This was at the 29th Ordinary General Assembly of the organization ongoing in Addis Ababa on the sideline of the 38th African Union Summit Ordinary Session.

She joins the 8- member Steering Committee as one of the two members representing West Africa. Other member nations elected include Sierra Leone whose First Lady is the new President of the Organization, Angola, whose First Lady is the Vice President, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

She will serve in the new position for a two year tenure.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu who is already a strong voice within OAFLAD, the First Lady is expected to further carry the torch of the organization, driving its advocacy initiatives towards the realization of its 2025-2030 Strategic Framework.

SIGNED

Busola Kukoyi

SSA Media to the First Lady of Nigeria 

OpenAI says its board of directors has unanimously rejected a $97.4 billion takeover bid by Elon Musk.

“OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk's latest attempt to disrupt his competition," said a statement Friday from Bret Taylor, chair of OpenAI's board.

OpenAI attorney William Savitt in a letter to Musk's attorney Friday said the proposal “is not in the best interests of OAI's mission and is rejected.”

Musk, an early OpenAI investor, began a legal offensive against the ChatGPT-maker nearly a year ago, suing for breach of contract over what he said was the betrayal of its founding aims as a nonprofit he helped found a decade ago.
Then on Monday, while that case was still awaiting a key ruling, Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a group of investment firms announced a bid to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI. Musk in a court filing Wednesday expanded on the proposal to acquire the nonprofit's controlling stake in the for-profit OpenAI subsidiary.

Savitt's letter Friday said that filing added “new material conditions to the proposal. As a result of that filing, it is now apparent that your clients' much-publicized bid' is in fact not a bid at all.” In any event, “even as first presented,” the board has unanimously rejected it, Savitt said.

Musk has alleged in the lawsuit that the companies are violating the terms of his foundational contributions to the charity. Musk had invested about $45 million in the startup from its founding until 2018, his lawyer has said.

He escalated the legal dispute late last year, adding new claims and defendants, including OpenAI's business partner Microsoft, and asking for a court order that would halt OpenAI's plans to more fully convert itself into a for-profit business. Musk also added xAI as a plaintiff, claiming that OpenAI was also unfairly stifling business competition.

A judge is still considering Musk's request but expressed scepticism about some of his claims in a court hearing last week.

[telegraphindia]

Meta is betting big on humanoid AI-powered robots, Bloombergreports.

The company has reportedly formed a new division within its Reality Labs unit, which developed the Meta Quest VR headset, which will initially focus on developing hardware for robots that can assist with physical tasks like household chores.

The unnamed new division will be led by Marc Whitten, former CEO of General Motors' self-driving car division Cruise, and it will look to hire 100 engineers in 2025. The company has reportedly already begun talks with robotics companies like Chinese firm Unitree Robotics and US startup Figure AI.

But rather than directly launching a branded robot, like Tesla's Optimus, Meta plans to develop AI systems, sensors, and software for robots that will then be manufactured and sold by a range of companies, much like how smartphone manufacturers all over the world use Google’s Android operating system. Meta is allegedly aiming for its upcoming LLaMA language model to become “a foundation for robotics researchers around the world.”

Though Meta isn't aiming squarely at the consumer market, Bloomberg reports that Meta still plans on building hardware, using existing components, and will build prototypes for testing purposes. However, the sources said that Meta hasn’t ruled out the option of one day launching a consumer-facing robot.

Rather than working separately from its AR and VR projects, Meta executives reportedly hope that the division will be able to leverage data collected from the firm’s augmented and virtual reality devices to spur advances in robotics. This shouldn't come as that much of a surprise, Meta has been open about its plans to use data collected from its Quest VR headsetsto improve its products.

But robotics aficionados shouldn’t get their hopes up, at least in the short term. A source with knowledge of the project told Bloomberg that it “could be years” before Meta’s platform is ready to power third-party robotics.

It’s not just Meta turning its eye toward humanoid robotics. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo saidthe iPhone maker is “exploring both humanoid and non-humanoid robots for its future smart home ecosystem, though the products are still early proof-of-concept (POC) stage internally.”

Meanwhile, Nvidia has also been bullish on the future of robotics and physical AI. At CES 2025 last month, CEO Jensen Huang predicted the market for humanoid robotics could soon hit $38 billion in the coming decades, saying that “the ChatGPT moment for general robotics is just around the corner.”

[uk.pcmag]