Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has been conferred with the chieftaincy title of “Ugosimba 1 Enugu” (Jewel/Eagle from another kingdom)by the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council.

She received the title on Tuesday during her two-day working visit to the South East state.

Conferring the title, alongside other officers, patrons, and members of the Council, the Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Igwe Ikechukwu Asadu, said the honour was in recognition of her love for Enugu State and service to the nation and humanity.

“Our First Lady served in the senate for three consecutive terms and was honoured with the Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON. Nobody could say you were silent at the parliament.

“The good news is the humanitarian part of you. We looked at the way you love Enugu State. We are thanking you for what you do for the midwives, for the nurses. Personally, I am a nurse too. I appreciate it when it comes to the less privileged, healing the sick, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry. So, we are here to recognise and appreciate all these good works you are doing. It’s only God that can pay you for your good work,” he said.

An evidently elated Mrs. Tinubu, thanked the Government and people of the state for their overwhelming acceptance and love.

She described Enugu as a peaceful state, saying that she felt inner peace since she arrived in the state capital on Monday.

While also appreciating the royal fathers, she described the title as a special honour, not only to her, but also her husband, President Bola Tinubu, and the entire family.

“Thank you so much for all the support you have given. Today is indeed a great honour to me personally and also to my family. I love your state; it is such a very peaceful state and a very peaceful ambience. 

“I want to thank Your Majesties for this honour done to me and also to my husband as well; and I know he will be very delighted and I believe the children too will be delighted. 

“It is not that I have not been given titles, but this one is quite special and I believe it is God-ordained. And as you have honoured me today, Enugu State will know it for good.

“This moment will remain special in my heart and I will always remember your people for good and for the honour you have done for me. And this is not the end because our tomorrow is here already,” she said.

Recently I watched an interview that former President Olusegun Obasanjo granted on the floodgate of defections of governors and other top politicians from across the country’s political spectrum into the then ruling party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) when OBJ was in power. PDP was the party that took over power from the retreating military dictators headed by gemial Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, and which ruled from 1999 until it was booted out of office in 2015 by the first successful alliance/coalition of Nigerian politicians to contest and win elections.

Remember, the PDP was so firmly rooted in power that it prided itself as the biggest political party in Africa; it also boasted that it would rule for an uninterrupted 60 years! But it ended up ruling for only 16 years! Someone said the oracle that the PDP bigwigs consulted actually predicted correctly, but it was the politicians that were hard of hearing, mistaking 16 years for 60 years, either because they both sound alike or because 60 years was sweeter to their hearing than 16!

President Obasanjo was asked whether the gale of defections into PDP, the then ruling party, was not a sign that Nigeria was turning into a one-party state and that he, as the sitting president, was complicit in it. As is characteristic of him, OBJ was bombastic in his response. Did he write a letter to invite anyone to defect into his party? Did he compel anyone to do so? What is wrong if his party was doing well and others appreciated that and wanted to team up with it to further move the country forward? Should he wield a whip and drive away people wanting to join his party? Was the interviewer not aware that the Nigerian constitution guarantees to every Nigerian freedom of association and freedom of movement?

At that time, there were complaints that OBJ was not moving the country in the right direction and that people were suffering needlessly. Remember, in the election of 1999, Obasanjo lost in his home region of the South-west, whose preferred candidate was Chief Olu Falae. That election was believed to have been compromised by the so-called “owners of Nigeria”, the military cabals, retired and serving, and their civilian collaborators whose preferred candidate was Obasanjo.

If that election was tainted, the one that followed in 2003 when Obasanjo himself was the sitting president was no-less a daylight robbery. Obasanjo deployed the ubiquitous “federal might” to make that election a walk-over for him. By guile, subtlety and naked arm-twisting tactics, he ensured he erased the “shame” of 1999 in his home base of the South-west, sweeping away the Alliance for Democracy governors that had held sway in the region, save only for Asiwaju Bola Ahmend Tinubu, the then governor of Lagos state.  

Against the groundswell of opposition to his personality and government, Obasanjo was asked if he thought he could win his re-election in 2003. To him, the question was out-of-place. How on earth could you expect a party that controlled 31 state governors and an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly to lose an election to a motley crowd of opposition parties controlling, among themselves only five (5) states? It should be clear to everyone that the results of that election - though yet to be held - were a foregone conclusion.

And, truly, they were! But the interesting thing to me is that the same person - and people - who relished their party’s control of 31 over 36 states are the same that are shouting from the rooftop today that the All Progressives Congress (APC) that is yet to attain that threshold has already turned the country into a one-party state!

Is the threat of a one-party state more latent today than it was under PDP in the OBJ era? If there was nothing wrong with the PDP controlling 31 out of 36 states; if that control did not translate into the country becoming a one-party state; if the same PDP went ahead to lose the 2015 presidential election to the opposition, why the cry - and from the same people who perpetrated the PDP blitzkrieg - that APC with just about 23 state governors has turned or is turning Nigeria into a one-party state?

 Is this, then, the proverbial case of someone who kills with the sword, who will never allow anyone with a sword to come near him! I said “just about” because the tornado of defections is yet to cease but is gathering momentum in many other states of the federation as we speak; which could be why the opposition is jittery. Judging by Obasanjo’s logic, how can a vastly diminished opposition withstand and overcome APC and Tinubu in 2027 if the ruling party and sitting president control an overwhelming number of state governors and National Assembly members all over the country?

Another angle that must frighten the opposition is the way Nigeria’s business moguls are lining up behind Tinubu, saluting his economic reforms. If anything, the example of the United States teaches that money plays a big role in election matters. The financial support of Elon Musk was pivotal in Donald Trump winning the last US presidential election. Both men have publicly admitted to that.

With the country’s billionaires filing behind Tinubu and the opposition being depleted of cash-cow states where resources to finance its election could come from, what are the chances of the opposition in 2027? Where will the funds come from? How will they cope with the deep pockets of Tinubu who, as a private citizen, reportedly single-handedly financed his own election, not to talk of now that he has limitless financial resources at his beck-and-call? If, despite all the obstacles strewn his path as an aspirant and the “Federal might” deployed against him, Tinubu still scaled through in 2023, what do we make of now that he himself wields the “federal might”, which he can deploy against anyone as he deems fit?

As far as human eyes can see and political permutations are concerned, the prognosis for the opposition as we move towards 2027 does not look good at all. But with God all things are possible! In soccer, there is also something that is described as “against the run of play” where a team that has its back to the wall becomes the one that manages to score first and goes on to win the game. At a point like we are in today, PDP looked impregnable, but see what has become of it!

APC is just 10 years in power - six more years before it, too, reaches the “magical” year where PDP unravelled. Anything is possible. Even if Tinubu gets a second term, after him, what next? What do we think can happen to the presidential election of 2031? Politics is not static; it evolves. And when you think everyone sleeps with all heads pointing in the same direction is when you find dissenters. May their tribe grow!

Which brings me to Ini Ememobong, the young, amiable, and, above all, politically-conscious Akwa Ibom state politician, Ini Ememobong. Ini recently resigned his appointment as a commissioner in the cabinet of the governor of the state, Pastor Umo Eno, rather than follow the governor to defect from PDP to APC. Umo, the latest defector into the ruling party, had asked everyone he appointed to either follow him into his new party or resign.

Comrade Ini, as he is fondly called, declined to do “follow-follow”, like Fela crooned in Mr. Follow Follow! “Some dey follow-follow dem close them eye/Close dem pin-pin-pin/Some they follow-follow dem close them mouth/Close them pam-pam-pam…” According to Fela, they close their ears and senses as well, to do follow-follow! That was what Ini refused to do last week when his boss the governor, after speaking in parables and in tongues for a while, eventually came into the open to dump PDP for APC. We have said a lot about why politicians defect and that need not detain us here again save, to say, that it is usually for their own selfish interests.

Ini did the honourable thing; he resigned his appointment. Not everyone can be bought! Not everyone has a price! Not everyone has their eye fixed on the pie! In Nigeria’s aridity of conscience-less politicians, there still can be found an oasis of principle and honour. When the Delta State governor defected some weeks back from PDP into APC, all his appointees and the entire PDP political structure in the state - past and present - went with him. Not a single Ini Ememobong was found in their midst.

Ini was a fire-brand and principled student union leader in his days. That activism, radicalism, and commitment to principles, the readiness to make sacrifices, must still be burning fiercely in him. I worked closely with Ini during the short-lived campaign of the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom state, Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, for the PDP presidential flag (2022/2023). Ini was Udom’s Commissioner for Information while I was the National Director, Media and Publicity for the campaign. At home in Uyo and at work, Ini was a delight to work and associate with.

My prayers: Ini's departure from Gov. Umo Eno’s government shall be unto sunshine and not unto twilight! Seven “Gboosas” for Comrade Ini Ememobong!   

 Former editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-chief of The Westerner news magazine. He 

Several months after the demise of some federal lawmakers in active service, and the resignation of two legislators, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to conduct by-elections to fill the vacuum created.

Some persons of the affected constituencies have cried out, citing failure of the commission to guarantee them adequate representation and sense of belonging.

However, INEC has said that it is being hampered by funds. Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, the commission said it would act on the issue when funds are made available.

Daily Trust reports that there are seven vacant seats at the National Assembly. A break down showed that there are two vacant seats at the Senate and five at the House of Representatives.

Also, while five vacancies have been created sequel to the death of five lawmakers in both chambers, two vacancies are occasioned by the electoral victories of two lawmakers.

In the Senate, two seats are vacant. This followed the death of Senator Ifeanyi Uba (APC, Anambra South) and the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central) as governor of Edo State.

Uba died in London in September 2024, while Okpebholo was elected governor on September 21, 2024.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has since declared their seats vacant.

The members

The member representing Garki/Babura Federal Constituency of Jigawa State, Rep. Isa Dogonyaro died in May, 2024.

Similarly, Rep. Olaide Akinremi, representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency of Oyo State and  Rep. Ekene Adams, representing Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, also died on separate dates in July, 2024.

In September 2024, Senator Ifeanyi Uba (APC, Anambra South), lost his life in London. His seat was later declared vacant by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In January, 2025, the House also lost its Deputy Chief Whip, Rep. Adewunmi Onanuga, who represented Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency of Ogun State.

Sequel to the deaths of members, the House held a valedictory session to appreciate their contributions to nation-building and other sacrifices they made before their departure.

The valedictory session which was held at the Chambers with tributes and reflections from House  members was led by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

Apart from those who died in active service, two other lawmakers – one from the Senate and another from the House of Representatives – won elections and left the National Assembly for new roles at the state level.

Senator Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central) had contested and won the September 21 governorship election in his home state of Edo to clinch the number one citizen in the state.

After assuming office, he returned to the National Assembly to bid senators, his former colleagues farewell in December 2024.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, used the occasion to declare his seat at the Senate vacant. The declaration aligns with Section 68(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which mandates that a lawmaker’s seat becomes vacant upon assumption of another public office.

Similarly, the seat of Dennis Idahosa became vacant when he was elected alongside Governor Okpebholo as deputy governor of Edo State.

Idahosa, represented Ovia Federal Constituency of Edo State in the House before he got elected as deputy governor.  His seat has remained vacant since then.

We feel forgotten, neglected  – Constituents

Reacting, residents of Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency in Kaduna State expressed frustration over the delay in filling the vacuum created by the demise of  Ekene Adams, saying, they have been shut out of legislative representation at the federal level for a whole year.

Benjamin Yuhana Maigari, a community leader in Kajuru, described the delay as a betrayal of democratic principles, saying, “By-election delay has left us feeling extremely bad and disfranchised because we don’t have a representative.

“As a community, we are not happy with the government. We expected the election to be conducted within three to four months, but it has been over a year now.

“Since his death, nothing has come from the federal legislature—no resources, no impact. We feel forgotten, neglected, and unrepresented.”

Another constituent, Haruna Ibrahim Nasarawa from Chikun Local Government Area, echoed similar concerns, describing the delay as a violation of citizens’ rights.

“It’s our right to have a representative in the House of Representatives through a by-election. We are aware that if a lawmaker dies, a by-election is supposed to be held within 90 days. But in our case, it’s been over a year since Ekene Adams passed away, and still no election,” Nasarawa said.

Similarly, constituents from Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia North East /Ovia South West Federal Constituency have decried the failure of the electoral body to conduct by-elections into the vacancies created by Senator Monday Okpebholo (now Edo governor) and Dennis Idahosa (now Edo deputy governor).

Speaking with Daily Trust on the development, Aslem Ojezua, who hails from Edo Central, described the trend as worrisome, saying the constitution and electoral act make provisions for time frame to conduct by-election into a vacant seat.

Ojezua, a member of the APC said it is incumbent on the National Assembly to make provisions for INEC to meet the timeframe for conduct of by-elections.

He said the implication of not conducting the election is that the district is not being represented at the National Assembly, and advised the commission to conduct the poll without further delay.

Similarly, Victor Edoro, a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly and  a constituent in the district said he wrote a personal letter to the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, intimating him of the injustice INEC is doing to the district, but nothing has been done since then.

“Edo Central is not being represented today.  Where does the salary and the money for constituency projects for the district go to?”he queried.

“We have been deprived of representative dividend and the Esan people are not happy because as we speak, we don’t have a voice in Nigeria” he added.

On his part, Peter Agwele, said, “most of us are seeing this as a deliberate way of alienating us as a people. It is unfair”.

Also, a constituent from Ovia Federal Constituency, Friday Aghedo said INEC has no reason not to conduct  the by-elections into the affected federal constituencies and senatorial districts.

Aghedo, who is the spokesperson to the Edo State deputy governor, Denise Idahosa, said, “We have lost voice  at the House of Representative since Idahosa was elected the deputy governor.”

Also speaking, another constituents from Ovia Constituency, Dr. Jerry Osamede,  said, “It is 150 days now without quality representation of Ovia Federal Constituency. We are no longer getting the democratic dividend from the federal government.”

Meanwhile, the PDP in the state has described the development as a bad omen for the nation’s democracy. Speaking with Daily Trust, the PDP Secretary, Hilary Otsu said, “It is regrettable because the governor was sworn-in eight months ago, yet the INEC couldn’t do the needful.”

Also, the acting chairman of the APC in the state, Jarret Tenabe, said the development is “against the spirit and letters of our constitution and democratic norms.”

Funding, a big challenge  –Electoral body

But reacting, INEC cited lack of funds as reason for the delay in conducting the by-elections.

Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, however, told Daily Trust that the commission was confident that the issue of funding would soon be resolved and the by-elections will be conducted.

“INEC will conduct all outstanding by-elections in due course. We have been hampered by lack of funds. But we are confident that all funding issues will soon be resolved,” Oyekanmi said.

However, sources within INEC told one of our reporters that apart from the issue of funding, the commission was concerned about the security challenges in some of the affected constituencies and the safety of its personnel who would conduct the by-elections.

No excuse is tenable – Okorie

An elder statesman and politician, Chief Chekwas Okorie, urged INEC to conduct the by-elections and stop giving excuses.

Okorie, a former presidential candidate and founder of the defunct United Progressives Party (UPP) in a telephone interview with Daily Trust said, “INEC is giving excuses that funds are not available to conduct those elections.

“But this shouldn’t make INEC to renege on their statutory responsibility. That is not enough reason to violate the provisions of the law. The National Assembly should have called INEC to order because there are seats that are vacant in that Assembly and the constituents are not being represented.

“In other words, the constituents have been shut out by the behaviour of INEC, and there are several implications for what INEC is doing”, he said.

CSO, analysts speak

Speaking on the matter, the Executive Director of the Yiaga Africa, Mr Samson Itodo, said the delay in conducting by-elections into vacant seats is a matter of significant concern, especially in a democracy where citizens’ right to representation is paramount.

He said while it is easy to direct blame at the INEC, it is important to consider the broader context within which the process unfolds.

“Under Sections 76(2), 116(2), and 178(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), INEC is mandated to conduct by-elections once a formal declaration of vacancy is made by the presiding officer of the legislative house whether that is the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, or the relevant State Assembly Speaker.

“If these presiding officers fail to declare the seat vacant, INEC is unable to proceed.

“In addition to this procedural bottleneck, another critical factor contributing to the delay is lack of funding. By-elections can be costly and require significant financial resources, including logistics, security, and personnel. In instances where there is insufficient funding, INEC’s capacity to organise these elections promptly is severely constrained.

“This situation highlights the need for both legal reforms and greater financial support for INEC. There should be clear guidelines and penalties for the timely declaration of vacancies by presiding officers, as well as consistent funding to ensure that the electoral body can efficiently carry out its mandate,” Itodo said.

Also, a professor of political science, Chris Kwaja, expressed worry over the development and called for a review of the laws to make things right.

He said some of the issues including those of conducting by-elections have been politicised, thus, paving the way for delays and controversies.

“We currently run a democracy that is liberal in theory and not in practice. The law must be reviewed in such a way that the power to declare seats vacant, in the case of defections, does not come from the presiding officers of the National Assembly,” he added.

Another political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, condemned the delay in the conduct of the by-elections, saying denying the people quality representatiion is a bad omen for democracy.

“I wonder what has become of INEC. They are failing in their responsibilities. This is wrong,” he said.

He called on the electoral body to reconcile the issue of funding with the appropriate authorities in government to give hope to the people.

[DailyTrust]

Abia North Senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, has declared that he is ready to die to ensure victory for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Kalu said he and other APC loyalists will work hard to deliver the state to President Bola Tinubu and the party.

The former governor disclosed this while addressing journalists at his country home in Igbere, Abia State yesterday.

He also said Tinubu’s achievements in the past two years were enough to gain the support of Nigerians.

He said: “APC is strong in Abia. Like I said in my interview, I am ready to lay down my life for the party. I am a member of the party and a strong one at that. I am APC to the core. That’s why APC is strong in Abia North.

“Our party will work hard to deliver the President in the state. We have done it in the past, and we will do it again in 2027.”

The former Senate Chief Whip further expressed confidence that Nigeria’s economy would bounce back because Tinubu is working hard to make the naira regain its value.

He said, “The economy needs time to bounce back. The President is working to ensure that the economy bounces back.”

[Dailypost]

The lifespan of the capital vote component of the Federal Government’s 2024 budget is set for extension.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele gave this hint yesterday, saying this is necessary to ensure full implementation.

Bamidele said: “We have to sit and assess the full implementation of the 2024 budget.

“We will further extend the capital expenditure timeline while ensuring that the 2025 budget is fully implemented.”

The National Assembly, before the passage of this year’s budget, extended the implementation of the capital expenditure for the 2024 budget till June 30, this year.

The planned further extension might have been a result of the inability to fully implement the capital vote.

Last December 18, the National Assembly extended the implementation of the 2024 Budget by six months.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, speaking at the 2025 Budget presentation by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the 2024 Budget had achieved a 50 per cent performance rate in capital expenditure and 48 per cent in recurrent expenditure.

“Your Excellency, we have noted the 2024 Budget performance.

“Given this great achievement, we have deemed it necessary to extend the life span of the 2024 Budget to June 30th, 2025.

“The enabling law for this extension will soon be placed before you for your assent as a testament to our appreciation for the great performance of the budget, ensuring that we build upon your momentum,” Akpabio had said.

Bamidele, in a statement by his media adviser, Gboyega Akinsanmi, also spoke on the need to institutionalise a presidential address every June 12 in recognition of its historical significance.

The Senator said: “We are hoping to bring a bill soon to institutionalise the President’s address on June 12 because of its historical importance.

“There can’t be a better time to address the nation through the parliament than on June 12, especially since it is a joint sitting.”

President Tinubu is slated to address the Federal lawmakers at a joint sitting tomorrow.

Bamidele said the proposed legislation would also seek to designate the National Assembly  Complex as the venue for future presidential inauguration.

He added: “We are hoping, in that bill, to ensure that the swearing-in of the next President and Commander-in-Chief, who we believe is President Tinubu, will be held within the arcade of the National Assembly.”

June 12 was declared Democracy Day as a replacement for May 29 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The historic election won by Chief Moshood Abiola and annulled by Military President Ibrahim Babangida was held on June 12, 1993.

May 29, 1999, is the anniversary of the return to civil rule after 13 years of military.

Bamidele said a bill to make the presidential address at the National Assembly on June 12 mandatory will be proposed.

The Senator, who is the Vice Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, acknowledged that the constitution amendment has been slow.

However, he assured Nigerians that the process is ongoing, adding that it will bear fruit.

Bamidele said the committee is approaching the final stage of its work and planning to hold public hearings at zonal levels.

He said the public hearings would lead to a joint public hearing coordinated by the House of Representatives and the Senate.

He stressed: “We have done almost 70 per cent of the work before going public.

“Before the end of the third legislative year, we intend to complete the constitutional amendment process.”

[TheNation]

The battle for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party has reportedly pitted the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, against the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike.

The two political gladiators used to be good friends and played a key role in the victory of President Bola Tinubu in 2023, following their resolve to work against the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The duo, alongside Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom — then governors of Abia, Enugu and Benue states respectively- formed the G-5 bloc and insisted on a southern presidential ticket; but Atiku, who comes from the North, claimed the PDP ticket at the national convention.

Things have since fallen apart, with the Oyo State Governor, backed by his Bauchi counterpart, Bala Mohammed, and the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, no longer enjoying a cordial political relationship with Wike.

On his part, Wike is enjoying the support of Governors Caleb Muftwang (Plateau) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

The rift between Makinde and Wike reached its peak when, at a meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the PDP governors rejected the planned reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu by the Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation Committee; a move seen by Wike as a betrayal by the Oyo State Governor.

Makinde is working in sync with the party’s national leadership, which has fixed June 30 for the PDP’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting and August 2025 for its convention.

On Monday, Wike rallied members of the defunct G-5, bar Makinde, to lay down his terms for peace to reign.

The PUNCH gathered that the Wike-backed group is pushing for a postponement of the convention, apparently to get a stronger hold of the party ahead of the 2027 election.

Despite this move, the plan by the PDP to hold its convention in August 2025 will not be affected by Wike’s move, party chieftains told The PUNCH on Tuesday.

This is just as they ruled out the postponement of the event on account of the press conference convened by Wike in Abuja.

On Monday, Wike and members of the G-5 – Ortom, Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi – converged on Abuja to deliberate on the state of affairs of the PDP, giving conditions for peace and progress of the party.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the Wike-led group made it clear that the decision of the PDP governors to back Sunday Ude-Okoye as the party’s National Secretary against Senator Samuel Anyanwu is a recipe for chaos and upheaval in the party.

The leading opposition party has been enmeshed in a series of crises primarily driven by a power struggle between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.

The dispute is anchored on the control of the party’s structure, with both leaders vying to assert their dominance ahead of the 2027 general election, where Atiku appears set to seek the party’s presidential ticket once again.

Wike, who has since pledged to lead the campaign for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, is determined to ensure that the PDP is sufficiently weakened to render it incapable of causing any upset against the sitting President.

The internal rift has intensified calls for the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Samuel Anyanwu, who is widely suspected of aligning with Wike in holding down the party. Wike’s perceived influence within the party’s hierarchy has further fueled concerns among Atiku’s loyalists, who believe that Anyanwu’s continued leadership could compromise the PDP’s unity and electoral prospects.

Not surprisingly, the Wike-led group stated, “In the spirit of fairness, inclusion, federal character principles and respect for our party constitution, the party must make an unequivocal announcement, zoning its presidential candidate to the South in the 2027 general election.

“That to finally arrest the inexorable drift towards extinction in our party, the party must, without further delay, respect the judgment of the Supreme Court. We, therefore, unequivocally reaffirm Senator Sam Anyanwu as the duly elected and substantive National Secretary of our great Party.

“In line with the provisions of our party constitution, only the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, can issue notices of meetings of the National Convention, National Executive Committee, National Caucus and the National Working Committee and to this end, all notices not issued by him and actions founded on them, including correspondences to the Independent National Electoral Commission, are null and void and of no effect whatsoever.”

George warns Wike

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH on Tuesday, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Olabode George, warned Wike and his group to know that nobody, no matter their status, could hijack the party.

He stated that the NEC meeting scheduled for June 30 would go on as planned.

“As an elder, I am a custodian of the rules and regulations governing our party. I want to advise this young man (Wike) to know that the only authority that can make a comment on this issue (convention) is the NEC. I want to advise them (G-5) that if they have any issue that will be of support to the party, or even if they are against the direction of the party, it is morally expedient to talk about it within the family,” he said.

He added, “These guys (Wike-led group) should calm down. They will not dare the NEC. Let the decision come from NEC. I spent 10 years in the National Working Committee but I have never seen anything like this before. We will not discuss anything outside of NEC. Whatever the majority says, that is it!”

The party, he further stated, is a collective heritage, saying, “Nobody owns this party, no matter who the heck you are. We don’t have any emperors in our party. We will stick with the rules and regulations as stated. We will be meeting on June 30, and by the grace of God, all this back and forth and innuendos will be put to bed.”

Ex-secretary reacts

In a separate interview with The PUNCH, another BoT member and former National Secretary of the PDP, Sen Ibrahim Tsauri, said, “Wike and his group may be planning to stop or sabotage the planned national convention but what is new in their plans or plots? Their plots cannot be as unacceptable as their utterances and resolve to support President Bola Tinubu.

“Whoever is in the PDP and expects to hear anything supportive from Wike and his group as regards the NEC meeting or convention must be deceiving himself, but we should know that Wike truly contributed greatly to the growth of the PDP after it lost the election in 2015.”

The former National Secretary ruled out a rescheduling of the convention, stating that despite the setbacks recently experienced by the party, it still boasts 10 governors.

“As for the postponement of the proposed convention, Nigerians should realise that PDP still has 10 committed sitting governors. For anyone to think that the proposed convention would be shifted simply because of a threat from an individual or group; that person may not be fair to himself, the teeming PDP supporters and even Nigerians.

“Wike and his group may be working to stop the convention while the PDP does not bother much on what it expects to happen,” he stated.

He added that having openly admitted to supporting the re-election bid of President Tinubu, Wike has done his worst for PDP.

“Imagine someone who claims to still be in the PDP but intends to support the presidential candidate of the ruling party in 2027 — what could be worse than that?

“For us, it’s simple. They may continue to insist, citing constitutional rights, that they remain PDP members. But the truth is, the leadership of the PDP has been compromised. If the leadership were serious, the constitution already provides for disciplinary action, including expulsion. That should have been done by now,” he added.

Also speaking, former National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South-West), Eddy Olafeso, faulted Wike’s stand on the reinstatement of Ayanwu as the party’s National Secretary, saying, “I don’t know exactly where he is getting his interpretations of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Supreme Court judgment from.”

On his part, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Capt Umar Bature (retd.), told The PUNCH that the insistence of the Wike-led group for Anyanwu to be duly recognised as the party’s National Secretary was in order.

He said, “That is the fact based on the Supreme Court judgement.”

S’West, Bauchi chapters

Meanwhile, the PDP South West Vice Chairman, Kamoru Ajisafe, faulted the communique issued by the Wike-led group in Abuja.

In an interview with one of our correspondents, Ajisafe said the NWC of the party, being the highest working organ of PDP, has decided on the issue of the National Secretary.

He added that the NEC meeting of the party would be held on June 30.

“What he (Wike) did was not normal. The process of removing any officer must involve the NWC, which the Supreme Court, at its discretion, has established.

“The NWC of any political party remains the highest working organ of the party, and we have so decided regarding the post of the National Secretary.

“What we have right now is the Acting National Secretary, who is the Deputy National Secretary, and we are having our National Executive Committee meeting on June 30. Anything short of that, there are procedures. I don’t know what Wike is trying to establish.”

In the same vein, the PDP Bauchi State chapter clarified that the decision on whether to postpone the national convention to October, as requested by the FCT Minister and some stakeholders, rests with the party’s national leadership.

Bauchi State PDP Publicity Secretary Dayyabu Ciroma stated this in an interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday.

“This should be the decision of the national leadership. As state officials, we don’t have the right to deny or grant any recommendations of national affairs,” Ciroma said.

He expressed confidence in the national officials’ ability to handle the matter, saying they “Are equal to the task and may respond to the recommendations soon.”

Regarding Anyanwu’s retention as National Secretary, Ciroma noted that states have no say in the matter, saying, “It is solely the affairs of the national officials, NWC, BoT and the South-East PDP stakeholders.”

The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Gov Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Mukhtar Gidado, did not respond to calls and messages by our correspondent as at the time of filing this report.

‘Followers and friends’

On its part, the Oyo State chapter of the party has described the meeting convened on Monday by Wike as alien and strange to the structure of the PDP.

The party, through its Publicity Secretary, Micheal Ogunsina, told The PUNCH that the meeting would not be regarded or recognised in any official capacity within the PDP.

According to Ogunsina, what took place was simply Wike meeting with his “committee of followers and friends,” not a gathering of bona fide party stakeholders.

He said, “The meeting Wike called is for Nyesom Wike’s followers and friends, not concerned PDP stakeholders.

“The meeting is alien and strange to the structure of our party. Whatever it is they discussed has nothing to do with the PDP or what we do as a political party.

“It’s just Wike and his committee of followers and friends having a gist on different matters. The meeting holds no water, and we don’t count it as a serious meeting.”

On the absence of Makinde from the Abuja meeting, Ogunsina stated that the Oyo governor held a meeting with the chairman of the PDP reconciliation committee, Senator Bukola Saraki.

“Bukola Sàràkí was with Governor Makinde yesterday (Monday) while the Abuja meeting was ongoing,” Ogunsina added.

There is something they say about digging yourself into a hole. It usually takes more  time to claw your way back. That is, if you ever want to see light again. 

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, did not intentionally dig itself into a hole. Some people, given the responsibility to curate the day-to-day operations of the regulatory authority, dug the system into a hole. The Commission has been trying to fight its way back ever since, although it will take a longer time because of the absence of a board.

I was recently informed that the regulator will institute the Telecom Identity Risk Management Platform, TIRMP, by the last quarter of this year, to streamline the activities of churned numbers in the industry. That may not seem much but it’s one of the several actions the regulator is taking to fight its way out of the abyss. I am pretty sure that, at the end, people will be happy that such a step was ever taken. In the meantime, let’s do a little flashback to prove that, also in the last quarter of last year, the Commission executed some actions to demonstrate a seriousness that was more positive than pretentious. I will state just two. 

One: Early last year, the regulator revised its telecommunications statistics to reflect Nigeria’s updated population estimates of 216,781,381, as projected by the Nigerian Population Commission, NPC, in 2022. The adjustment replaced the previously used 2017 population estimates of 190m. 

There was only going to be one sure outcome. The teledensity dropped from 115.63 per cent to 102.30 per cent as the subscriber base also plummeted to 154.6m. It was a bold decision that jolted the industry into reality, an action that could hardly be contemplated previously when it was needed most. 

Two: And this is connected to the foregoing. At the conclusion of the NIN-SIM regulation exercise, a much criticised programme,  jointly executed by the NCC and the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, the number of lines on the mobile networks dropped to 154m, with one operator losing as much as 40m lines. The announcement was made in October. It caused a lot of discomfort and business reimagining. 

One would say that such an industry would have a lot of churned numbers. But it is much more than that. There are other reasons. At the dawn of the mobile industry, it was a thing of prestige for one subscriber to carry as many phones as the pouch can accommodate, those who wanted to enjoy the full expression of conspicuous consumption, although it was more of the limitations of the networks that were having a lot of headache in rolling out services after being jilted by a government that had promised so much. 

The story has changed. Growth has plateaued and the economy has not been any kinder. For over a decade now, there are so many people slipping into multi-dimensional poverty for whom telephony means very little. For these people, it is a matter of the stomach first, the art of the mastery of survival in challenging times, while for the rest of us who had luxuriated in class, the economy has levelled everybody. Without seeking economic lessons, a number of subscribers have resorted to using one phone. So, there are more reasons for churn numbers in the industry; which is why it is salutary that the regulator has taken a decision to sanitise their use. 

For more understanding of the churning process, the regulator explained that “when a phone number (MSISDN) has not carried out any Revenue Generating Event, RGE – outgoing or incoming calls or SMS, charged USSD sessions, data use, or any other activity on the line that generates income for the operator – for over 180 days, the MSISDN is deemed as inactive. If this inactivity continues for another 180 days, that is a total of 360 days, the line becomes eligible for churning, and recycling”.

Literally, the number has gone into a recycling bin where it can be retrieved by the operator and reassigned to a new subscriber, according to the QoS Regulation and Business Rules 2024.

But that’s just the beginning of a new journey as the dangers are embedded in the old number which could be harmful to the previous owner or be put to some unsavoury use by the new owner.

According to the regulator, the recycling of lines presents challenges, particularly when the previous owners of the reassigned numbers still have those numbers linked to services they used before the numbers were recycled. It presents issues of security and integrity of phone number ownership. 

This is the reason the TIRMP is being put in place, to serve as some kind of clearing house for those numbers, help maintain their integrity and prevent innocent phone users from being harmed. 

An NCC source gave further understanding. Any time a number is recycled, sensitive details of the previous user, like bank details, including balances, fintech details and even health, could still be in the number that can be manipulated by unscrupulous individuals. The Commission, according to the source, is therefore working with all the stakeholders, including the security agencies, the Central Bank, banks, fintechs and telecoms service  providers, to ensure that every churned number will go to the platform which will automatically notify all the stakeholders. Is that what they call flagging?

The NCC is only acting within its regulatory powers to ensure that industry phone users are protected. For instance, in  the UK, Ofcom, the communications regulator, is responsible for overseeing the recycling of mobile phone numbers.

In the UK, an MNO is allowed to deactivate an unused number, which is given a dormancy period of between 30 to 90 days, depending upon the carrier, before the number is reassigned. Although the operator is allowed to reset or erase data linked to the number, it is generally accepted that traces of its history can still be present, especially with online services that use SMS-based two-factor authentication. 

Numbers are a limited resource which are strictly managed by the regulator and assigned to the operator. As it is in Nigeria, so it is in the UK where Ofcom ensures the reassignment of numbers by operators after the dormancy period due to the limited pool of available numbers. 

But the Federation of Communications Services, FCS, of the UK has published procedures for mobile phone recycling that aims to discourage fraudulent activities and provide a clear defence against charges of handling of goods. A feature of such procedures is to ensure “that operators will place blocks on the records of devices for a wider variety of reasons.”

A clear point here, however, is to ensure that subscribers are preserved and that operators do the right thing by going through the platform which the regulator is putting in place. It portends a win-win for all stakeholders, including the subscribers.

“It will reduce fraud risks and improve our digital and financial services by enabling service providers to proactively detect and act, particularly to high-risk numbers, while updating customer KYC details where applicable,” the regulator said. 

It is a good step in the right direction to checkmate the little demons that usually coalesce into giant forces to trouble the wider ecosystem. Much like the journey of a thousand miles beginning with one step. The challenge is to take the step at all, and that’s what the NCC has done. 

 The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.

The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.

In a statement, Mr. Collins Omokaro, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience. He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.

“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step toward a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.

The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.

Dr. Zacch Adedeji, FIRS Executive Chairman, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.

“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.

The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.

“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.

The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organization, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.

[Vanguard]

It’s 65 years of Nigeria’s independence and 32 years after the watershed and epochal June 12 presidential election. The landmark election was won by Bashorun MKO Abiola, who was also the Aare-Ona-Kakanfo of Yorubaland. Unfortunately, that election was annulled by the military junta of Ibrahim Babangida. Tomorrow, June 12, has been declared Democracy Day in Nigeria and will be observed as a public holiday. The winner of that election has been posthumously conferred with the highest title of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the benefit of Millennials and Genzs, who were not born at that time, the events leading to and after that election are worth recalling the same way I did on this page on June 12, 2024.

On August 27, 1985, General Ibrahim Babangida overthrew the Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari. Instead of answering Head of State, he decided to call himself Military President, which is an aberration. Soon after seizing power, he inaugurated a Dr Samuel Cookey-led 17-member Nigerian Political Bureau on January 13, 1986. According to Wikipedia, the bureau was set up to conduct a national debate on the political future of Nigeria and was charged, among other things, to “review Nigeria’s political history and identify the basic problems which have led to our failure in the past and suggest ways of resolving and coping with these problems”.

He thereafter released an elongated transition to a civil rule timetable.  Initially, the transition was supposed to end in October 1990, but IBB, as Babangida was fondly called, shifted it to 1993. He banned old politicians and called for a new breed. He established the Centre for Democratic Studies and made Prof. Omo Omoruyi the pioneer chairman. The centre was to train politicians in a democratic ethos. He set up the National Electoral Commission, headed by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu. IBB established a two-party system for Nigeria. He formed the National Republican Convention and the Social Democratic Party. The NRC elected Chief Tom Ikimi as its national chairman, while the SDP elected Chief Tony Anineh as its national chairman. Both chairmen are from Edo State. Babangida did not just establish the political parties; he built party secretariats for them across the country and provided grants to run the parties.

Elections for local governments, state Houses of Assembly and governorship positions were held at different times between 1991 and 1992. The transition was to end with the presidential election on June 12, 1993. However, events leading up to that day were ominous. A group called the Association for Better Nigeria, led by Abimbola Davies with Chief Arthur Nzeribe as a promoter, went to court to stop the election from holding.  On June 10, 1993, a Federal Capital Territory High Court Judge, Justice Bassey Ikpeme, ordered NEC not to conduct the June 12, 1993 election based on the prayers of Nzeribe. However, the election was held as there was already a decree which resulted in the ouster of any court ruling stopping the poll.

There were some things which are novel in the June 12, 1993 poll.  NEC used what it termed Option A4 voting technique (open ballot system, where members in a party primary queued behind the aspirants or their pictures). This was the method adopted by NEC for the presidential primaries of the two political parties. The election itself was, however, conducted with ballot papers in what was termed the modified open ballot system.

In a transcribed speech of IBB annulling the election, which was published by Daily Post on June 12, 2017, it stated inter alia, “Apart from the tremendous negative use of money during the party primaries and presidential election, there were moral issues which were also overlooked by the Defence and National Security Council. There were cases of documented and confirmed conflict of interest between the government and both presidential candidates, which would compromise their positions and responsibilities were they to become president….It is true that the presidential election was generally seen to be free, fair and peaceful. However, there was a huge array of electoral malpractices virtually in all the states of the federation before the actual voting began. There were authenticated reports of electoral malpractices against party agents, officials of NEC and also some members of the electorate. If all of these were clear violations of the electoral law, there were proofs of manipulations through offer and acceptance of money and other forms of inducement against officials of NEC and members of the electorate.”

I was an undergraduate student at the University of Lagos when the June 12, 1993 election was held and subsequently annulled. I participated in the civil protests to make the military junta rescind that decision. In fact, I wrote to air my view on   OGBC FM Mailbag 2084, which was a popular programme on the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation. The programme was then anchored by Busayo Olaifa, Babakura Abajato (he later became the Commissioner for Information in Borno State), Toun Sogbesan and the like. It used to be held at 6pm on Friday. Little wonder the programme was rested after the June 12 debacle.

The agitation to disannul the June 12 election led to the killing and maiming of many protesters. Indeed, most, if not all tertiary institutions in the six South-West states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Osun and Ondo were shut down indefinitely. Workers under the Nigeria Labour Congress also embarked on an indefinite strike. Some newspapers, including The PUNCH and broadcast stations, were proscribed.

Some journalists were arrested and clamped into detention without trial, while others had to go into exile. The National Democratic Coalition, popularly called NADECO, was formed, and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu was a prominent member. Pro-democracy activists floated Radio Kudirat. The struggle eventually consumed the winner of the election, Chief MKO Abiola, who died in detention after he was arrested for declaring himself president at Epetedo in Lagos. His wife, Kudirat Abiola, was assassinated. Another person martyred by the June 12 struggle was Pa. Alfred Rewane.

This year marks the 32nd anniversary of the June 12, 1993 election. How have we fared in our democratic journey? Unfortunately, our electoral process seems not to be throwing up credible leaders due to the manipulative tendencies of the political class. Money and violence are the twin evils beleaguering our elections now. To contest elections in Nigeria, you must have a war chest (money in millions and billions). If you don’t have it, you either sell off your property to raise the gargantuan amount needed or look for a godfather to bankroll your political aspiration. Many of the godfathers are shylocks who will squeeze you dry. (If in doubt, ask former Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chris Ngige).

Because of the huge financial outlay needed to contest elections, contestants, therefore, don’t want to take chances and do not want to see politics as a sport. They go for broke. They want to win at all costs. Failure is not an option. Thus, they induce voters and unleash violence on the supporters of their opponents. Indeed, assassinating political opponents is a game for them. That was what happened in Enugu State ahead of the February 25, 2023 national elections when unknown gunmen killed the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Enugu East District, Oyibo Chukwu, alongside five supporters who were inside his vehicle. The killing took place three days before the senatorial election.

June 12, 1993, was symbolic because it was deemed the freest and fairest poll, though not without flaws. I beseech the Nigerian political elite to allow for credible elections which will see not only moneybags but people of ideas and integrity being voted into political offices. The politics of a winner-takes-all, zero-sum game is dangerous and counterproductive. It’s why elections have become a mere routine without delivering the dividends of democracy or good governance.