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Category: Politics

  • Tinubu: Prophetic in vision, delivering with foresight

    Tinubu: Prophetic in vision, delivering with foresight

    • By Bamidele Atoyebi

    Looking with hindsight at the rate of delivery on campaign promises, what rightfully agitates the mind would be, is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a prophet? The question may sound rhetorical, even dramatic, but it keeps imposing itself on public discourse as events continue to align with the projections he boldly made while presenting the 2025 budget in 2024 with empirical accuracy.

    At the time, many Nigerians dismissed his projections as mere political optimism, but now they know better. He called the 2025 budget “An Ambitious but Necessary Budget to Secure Our Future” and projected that inflation, which appeared untamable and stood at about 34.6 per cent, would drop significantly to around 15 per cent. Today, inflation has reportedly declined further to about 14.5 per cent and is still racing towards single digits. That was not a coincidence; it was a policy meeting purpose, the result of one who prepared for power and just linking the dots with pinpoint accuracy.

    He also spoke with confidence about the exchange rate. When the naira was hovering around ₦1,700 to the dollar, with many predicting it would hit the ₦ 2,000 mark, President Tinubu projected a drop to about ₦1,500. As of today, the naira is trading around ₦1,452 to the dollar, and with the reforms, there is no gainsaying that the Naira will further firm up. Again, what many saw as wishful thinking has become measurable progress with adroit policy implementation.

    This is why the President’s oft-quoted assurance (Elofokanbale) “go and be rest assured, go and be at peace” resonates differently today. Tinubu did not just say he would fix the battered economy; he is fixing it, step by step, policy by policy. Leadership is not about noise; it is about results.  The results are beginning to speak loudly in different sectors where hopes had been lost.

    Even the NNPCL has stepped up under this administration. For the first time in over 36 years, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has broken long-standing barriers, recording historic highs in its upstream crude oil production and posting unprecedented financial returns with never-before-seen transparency. This turnaround has been driven by stronger accountability, improved operational efficiency, and a clear reform direction championed by the Tinubu government.

    Read Also: 2027: CAGrAM unveils plan to mobilise 10 million votes for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election

    President Tinubu has always spoken with the confidence of a man who understands both power and process. He once said he does not join certain caucuses because he knows them to be sneaky and untrustworthy, but that he would defeat them in every election. History records that he did exactly that, defeating Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Kwankwaso despite their combined efforts. “We will vote, we will win” was not just a slogan; it became a political reality that has become an immutable benchmark.

    Every major statement Tinubu has made in public has either become a trending topic, a political reality, or an economic direction. His words shape conversations; his policies shape outcomes. That is why some Nigerians, half-joking but half-serious, now ask: Does Tinubu, like Nostradamus, see the future?

    From the standpoint of the BAT Ideological Group, this is not prophecy; it is preparation. It is the product of experience, courage, clear vision, and an ideological belief in reform-driven governance. Tinubu understands that tough decisions today are the price for stability tomorrow. This is why we say Tinubu is not a politician; he’s an institution, he doesn’t just make a statement like others do without having a plan and methodology on how he would achieve his aims and objectives.

    As we look ahead to 2026, optimism is no longer blind faith; it is grounded in the evidence and reality of what has so far been achieved. The foundations are being laid, the numbers are tallying, and confidence is gradually building. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu deserves his accolades, not because he speaks boldly, but because the country is beginning to move in the direction he promised.

    History will decide the final verdict, but for now, one thing is clear: when leadership is guided by ideology and competence, vision can begin to look like foresight.

    When I was asked at one event I attended in Kwara what to expect from President Tinubu after 2027, I told them to expect anti-terrorist battalions, improved salaries and welfare for our security men, upgraded weapon systems, more loans for farmers, farmers’ cooperative, rural infrastructure development, access to finance, more Renewed Hope homes for low-income earners, among others. When the reporter asked how I knew these, I told him Bamidele understands by Renewed Hope manifestos and political impartation the same way “Daniel understood by books and time.”

    –  Bamidele Atoyebi is the Convener of BAT Ideological Group,  publisher at Mining and Unfiltered reporting, and National Coordinator for Accountability and Policy Monitoring

  • Oyo NNPP elects executives

    Oyo NNPP elects executives

    Oyo State chapter of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has elected members of the executive council.

    It said it is positioned to succeed in the 2027 general election.

    The new executives include the Chairman, Makinde Sunday; Deputy Chairman, Chief Bandele Oyekunle; Secretary, Mr Olalekan Abiodun; Publicity Secretary, Mr Olapade Timothy; Financial Secretary, Adewale Orosiji; Organising Secretary, Elder Atanda Lawrence; Legal Adviser,  Aware Ajoke; Treasurer, Opeyemi Ibrahim; Women Leader, Mrs Dasola Adebayo and Youth Leader, Mr Oyewole Taiwo.

    Read Also: NGF names Yobe best performing state in primary health care delivery

    Makinde said the new executives under his watch were prepared to reposition the party, adding that in the coming general election, NNPP would make inroad into governance in Oyo State.

    He said with the experience of politicians in the state executive, the party would do its home work and position itself for victory in the coming election.

    Makinde said the executives would provide a level playing field for aspirants.

    He added: “Let me tell the people of Oyo State that NNPP is ready to bring succour to them. We are not going to increase your hardship like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government is doing. Your welfare will be our priority.

    “To those who have political ambition, kindly move into our party and realise your ambition. Our door is widely opened.”

  • Foreign bodies aid banditry in Nigeria, says ex-US Army officer

    Foreign bodies aid banditry in Nigeria, says ex-US Army officer

    Former U.S Army officer, Captain Bish Johnson (retd.) says there is foreign support for banditry in Nigeria.

    Johnson, who spoke during an interview on national television yesterday, however, said some of the sponsors may not necessarily be Nigerians.

    “I also believe that there are some foreign sponsors of this banditry that we see in the country where they kidnap and abduct people just to divert our attention to the abduction while they are abusing, illicitly mining our mineral resources in connivance with highly placed individuals in Nigeria.”

    “Some of whom may be in the government, some retired, and some top-level government officials,” he said.

    The former officer maintained that most of the security problems were syndicated operations that involved so many components, people, and elements all working together for the same purposes, which are commercial.

    Read Also: NGF names Yobe best performing state in primary health care delivery

    Johnson said that banditry, kidnapping had become a commercialised enterprise where people made a lot of fortune over the misfortune of others.

    “Nigerians have always had this impression that the insecurity in the country is some kind of complicity from within the government. I have always insisted and maintained that most of the insecurity is syndicated operations that involve so many components, people, and so many elements, all of them working together for the same purposes, which are commercial reasons.

    “Banditry, kidnapping has become a commercialized enterprise where people are making a lot of fortunes over the misfortune of others. Some of you are fueled by the unregulated and illicit mining of our mineral resources in the far North, and also fueled by the vulnerabilities in our borders around that sector between Niger, Chad, and northern Cameroon” he added.

    He further said information or any allegation about some kind of connivance or complicity from anyone in Nigeria should be a matter of serious concern and should be thoroughly investigated.

    However, we should not dismiss such accusations on the basis that it is just a terrorist that is talking or maybe that they are talking under compulsion. “Every information that we get should be investigated,” he said.

  • Adetimehin: Tinubu deserves second term

    Adetimehin: Tinubu deserves second term

    The Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State, Ade Adetimehin has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a “messiah” sent by God to transform Nigeria. He said that the country is already beginning to reap the benefits of his leadership.

    Adetimehin also said President Tinubu’s emergence was divinely orchestrated to rescue Nigeria from years of economic and institutional decline, stressing that the ongoing reforms, though challenging, are necessary for long-term national stability and growth.

    Speaking with reporters in Akure, the state capital, the APC chairman likened the present economic situation in the country to the birth pains of a new Nigeria under President Tinubu.

    He noted that the prices of foodstuffs are gradually declining, affirming that while the economic reforms initiated by the president may be tough, they are designed to reposition the country on the path of sustainable development.

    “President Bola Tinubu is a messiah sent by God to this country at this time. When you talk about economic reforms, you can see what he is doing. You can see his efforts in infrastructural development,” Adetimehin said.

    Read Also: NGF names Yobe best performing state in primary health care delivery

    He added, “Look at the market survey of food items. Last year, a bag of rice sold for almost N120,000, but today you can go to the same market and buy a bag for about N51,000. The same applies to other food items.

    “Gradually, prices are coming down. I thank God for President Tinubu’s life and for working tirelessly to make this country a better place to live. As you can see, the APC in Ondo State is well united.”

    The APC chairman urged Nigerians to exercise patience and continue to support the president, noting that policies such as fuel subsidy removal, tax reforms, and efforts to stabilise the economy would yield positive results in due course.

    He also lauded party supporters for their resilience amid current economic realities while expressing confidence that Nigerians would soon begin to feel the full impact of the APC led administration’s policies.

    Adetimehin, however, reaffirmed the commitment of the Ondo APC to mobilising grassroots support for President Tinubu, stating that the party would continue to enlighten citizens on the objectives and benefits of his economic reforms.

    He further described various support groups campaigning for the re-election of President Tinubu in the state as loyal and committed members of the APC, stressing that their activities should not be misconstrued.

    According to him, the support groups are made up of party faithful, genuinely mobilising support for the president ahead of the 2027 general election.

    “If you are talking about support groups, they are just pressure groups working with the party. They are loyal to the party under my watch. I will never allow the party to be balkanised under my leadership.

    “They are doing a lot to bring life to the party, and they are doing well. I commend them,” he said.

    Adetimehin also called on APC members in the state to remain united and loyal, noting that internal cohesion is critical to the success of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “The APC in Ondo state is solidly behind President Tinubu. We must remain focused, avoid distractions, and work together to ensure the success of his programmes and the continued dominance of our party,” he said.

  • ‘Delayed expulsion of erring chieftains escalated PDP crisis’

    ‘Delayed expulsion of erring chieftains escalated PDP crisis’

    The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ini Emembong, who spoke on television, believes that if erring stalwarts had been expelled in 2023 by the party leadership, the protracted crisis would not have degenerated. Deputy Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports

    If you described Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s defection as a “self-inflicted injury,” how would you describe Governor Adeleke’s defection?

    Governor Adeleke is a victim of circumstance, which is vicarious because every problem has a human cause and therefore should also have a human solution. At the level of the leadership which he belonged to at the party, the party ought to have acted decisively. Immediately we begin to feed the monster without knowing that we’ll end up in the belly of the monster, after a while, we become victims.

    So, if we feed animals to the monster, we feed others to the monster, and we think that time would solve problems, time allows human beings to solve problems, it doesn’t on its own solve problems. So, it’s vicarious in the sense that a strong action by the leadership ought to have been taken from 2023, immediately the decline started. But there were negotiations.

    You also cannot fully blame them because sometimes you think that with negotiations, people can reconsider their position. But unfortunately, it didn’t, until the convention took the decision it did in Ibadan. So, that’s the nature of what has happened. He has become a victim of circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities which he cannot completely extricate himself from.

    Why did you give an excuse for Governor Adeleke and condemn Governor Fubara?

    We’re not giving excuses. We’re saying that both are circumstantial, and even the victims of the circumstances themselves had a role to play in the conflict that eventually engulfed them. So, we’re not making excuses. But in the case of Fubara, you do know that he voluntarily became a candidate of the party.

    And you do know that the people who brought him have always said that there were agreements. We’re talking about agreement, till today he hasn’t said what the agreement was, but his political party stood by him. The point of our anger is really when he mentioned that he wasn’t secure in the platform. We all have great sympathies for Fubara even as a person. Before becoming a Publicity Secretary, I had sympathies for him— a calm, gentle person who was pushed to the wall; who had no other direction to move than in the opposite direction.

    But you can’t lay the blame other than where the blame ought to be. If you backtrack and look at the origin of the crisis, you will agree that the origin is between two people. You remember that people rose up at the beginning of this crisis and began to speak for him. After a while, he came out and said: ‘No, no, don’t worry, it’s a father-son matter.’ But after a while, a state of emergency was declared.

    People started advocating, and he went silent. I spoke to some governors, especially Governor Bala Mohammed, asking what happened. He said: “Look, we were ready and we have deployed at some points, but the governor would either remain incommunicado or will say ‘don’t worry, we would handle it’.” So, as they say in Latin, volenti non fit injuria (you cannot do harm to a consenting person). So, while he has our sympathy, the attempt to shift blame is what we are very angry with. There’s no need shifting the blame. Till today he has not explained the agreement he got into.

    He has not really told Rivers people or us on camera or confided in anyone what the real issues are. So, while we sympathise with him—and we know that this is a situation where Stockholm syndrome has happened, where a captive has fallen in love with the captor—we frown against that conscious amnesia where he picks and chooses where the blame should be. He knows where the origin of his problem is.

    Would it be the first time that a predecessor would be having an agreement with a successor governor, and would the party have been diligent to call out a governor if the agreement was just going smooth sailing without things turning awry?

    You do know that people do not enter a crisis until the parties themselves have declared war. So, if people have agreements and the agreement is going fine and the state is not suffering, you have no business going into it because you wouldn’t even know there was an agreement. But it is when people begin to shout or things begin to happen to suggest that a crisis has occurred, that’s when third parties come in.

    In this circumstance, even when he went to the meeting with the President, did he consult the party? Did he consult the Governors’ Forum? Remember that even after his election as governor, it took a long while for him to even associate with the party. We quite understand that maybe his hands were tied. But immediately you feel the pinch, you begin to call for help.

    Are you saying that agreements do not exist between predecessors and their successors?

    I’m not saying that agreements do not exist, but the first thing is that there cannot be a valid agreement to commit a crime. If the agreements are to siphon state funds or lead the state in a way inconsistent with the constitution, that’s an illegal agreement. But if people have political agreements—this one will take this, this one will take that—those are not illegal. But where agreement fails, and understanding fails, then if the parties begin to speak out, the third parties will come in.

    Why did the PDP governors not go all the way with the court case initiated to challenge the state of emergency and suspension of democratic institutions by the President in Rivers State, which is probably what Governor Fubara is citing as the party abandoning him when he needed it most?

    No, that’s not true. You do know that even at the last (Nigeria Bar Association conference, very senior lawyers raised the issue that there was a court case and the Supreme Court did not fix the hearing? Number two, when you are fighting for a person, you must fight in the interest of the person, and the person in whose interest you are fighting must feel that you are fighting in his interest. If you look at the disposition of the governor, even in that whole period, he discouraged people from fighting.

    Commentators coming out from Rivers State to attempt to fight; what was his disposition? ‘We will sort the matter out.’ You cannot cry more than the bereaved at a funeral. The PDP governors took steps, but the steps you’re taking must have the person’s go-ahead. You don’t file a case in court and someone comes to say, I didn’t send you to do that. We have been having discordant dispositions from the governor.

    Read Also: NGF names Yobe best performing state in primary health care delivery

    When he was ready to fight, everyone fought along with him—look at the local government election, he had all the support. But in a circumstance where you are not fighting from the front and you’re asking people to backtrack, then people begin to think maybe fighting further would hurt your interest. It’s like a patient who tells you, “If you give me injection, I will die.” You cannot still go ahead and give that patient injection against his own will.

    You have five governors on paper. Others have left. Do you agree that the PDP has failed?

    To fail would mean that an examination has been set. When you look at the ruling party, despite having a president, look at what happened in Osun State. The President had to intervene. A political party looks homogeneous from the outside, but inside it is a potpourri of heterogeneous struggles for power. The political party is the hotbed for conflict, which is why the most critical leadership tool is conflict resolution.

    Are you begging those governor who want to defect to stay or can they do what they want?

    No. In the circumstance that we are, you know that except for the legislature where the law binds their hands, every executive has the capacity to do what they want. So, we are not begging anybody, but we are reaching out. The Kabiru Turaki led administration is reaching out, the Governors’ Forum is reaching out. But you know there’s a thin line between what is illegal and what is immoral.

  • You’re wrong, expect Asiwaju Tsunami in 2027 – Ikonne taunts Abaribe

    You’re wrong, expect Asiwaju Tsunami in 2027 – Ikonne taunts Abaribe

    Prince Paul Ikonne, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday dismissed Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe’s challenge to the credibility of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election, describing it as a product of political mischief.

    Speaking on TVC’s popular morning show, This Morning, Ikonne, the immediate past Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), said Abaribe’s comments reflect the desperation and growing panic within opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

    “Senator Abaribe’s outburst is symptomatic of a politically desperate person who is out of tune with current realities,” Ikonne said, faulting the Abia South Senator for alleging on Monday that President Tinubu did not legitimately win in 2023 and could not secure victory again in 2027.

    Ikonne maintained that Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 election was decisive, legitimate, and enjoyed broad support across regions, ethnic groups, and political interests.

    He argued that Abaribe lacks the moral standing to question the President’s electoral strength, particularly in Abia State.

    The APC chieftain further emphasized that the senator had become disconnected from grassroots realities and failed to recognize the evolving political dynamics in Abia State and the wider Southeast region.

    He said, “If you know Senator Abaribe very well, you will realize that he is an attention seeker. He is always seeking attention. This is a man who did not win his own election in 2023. One young man defeated him during the election, and anybody who wanted to know the details should get what the young man filed at the Tribunal against Senator Abaribe.

    “What Abaribe displayed showed clearly that the opposition, if any, are panicking. The President won the election, not just in one state but across the country, and his popularity has gone up more than it was in 2023 because 90 percent of the PDP in the entire South-east have collapsed into the APC.

    “As we speak, about 90 per cent of the PDP structure in the South-East has collapsed into the APC,” adding that, “The raw materials of politics are human beings, and those human beings are now gravitating towards President Tinubu. This is the reality in the Southeast and Nigeria as a whole. I can assure you that there will be an Asiwaju tsunami in 2027.”

    He dismissed claims that Tinubu would struggle electorally in Abia, accusing Abaribe of failing to keep tabs on developments in his constituency. Ikonne argued that tangible federal projects and interventions under the Renewed Hope Agenda are already reshaping public perception of the APC in the region.

    According to him, ongoing infrastructure projects, including the rehabilitation of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, as well as Agricultural and Social Investment Programmes, are resonating strongly with the people of the South-East.

    He said such initiatives have demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to inclusive development and equitable distribution of federal presence.

    Ikonne also rejected assertions that Nigeria is drifting towards a one-party state, describing such claims as excuses by politicians unwilling to accept the growing appeal of the APC. He insisted that defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and other platforms were driven by performance and popular support, not coercion.

    “Even the blind and the deaf can see that Nigeria is developing rapidly under President Tinubu,” he said. “That is why the APC continues to attract followership from across party lines.”

    He said, “It is not about a one-party state, it is about building a strong platform, and you know that chartered politicians when they see a strong platform, they don’t waste time, they cross, and it is obvious that APC is the platform to beat.

    “Like in the South East now, the region is now the stronghold of APC if you look at it very well. So the door is still open for those who have seen the light to join us, and for those who have not seen anything, we wish them well.”

  • 2027: BAT Vanguard endorses Tinubu, vows to deliver 10m votes

    2027: BAT Vanguard endorses Tinubu, vows to deliver 10m votes

    The second term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday got a boost, as a support group, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Vanguard endorsed him and pledged to deliver 10 million votes to secure the President’s second term in the 2027 general election

    Members of the group unanimously endorsed the president at the group’s end-of-year party and special recognition awards ceremony in Abuja with the theme: “Standing Firm for Renewed Hope: The BAT Vanguard Mandate.”

    The Convener of the group and chairman of the board of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Hon. Sola Olofin said the president’s endorsement was informed by the need to avail the country another opportunity for a “performing, capacity, vision and proven leadership”, which he said are the hallmarks of Tinubu’s administration since 2023.

    He disclosed that the BAT Vanguard is launching a major national social investment initiative inspired by the Renewed Hope vision which will begin in 2026 with a targeted social assistance programmes to support about 50,000 vulnerable households nationwide with food items, school materials and basic welfare support. 

    Applauding the President, Olofin noted that Tinubu should be commended for taking bold decisions that were postponed for decades but necessary to reset the economy and secure Nigeria’s future.

    “From critical fiscal reforms and subsidy rationalization, to restoring investor confidence, stabilizing monetary policy, accelerating infrastructure development, and redesigning social investment programmes, the direction is clear that Nigeria is being rebuilt deliberately, systematically, and with vision.

    “We believe the reforms must be consolidated. And we believe President Tinubu remains the best leader to complete this transformation. As we look ahead to 2026, BAT Vanguard is repositioning itself not just as a campaign structure but as a governance-support institution.

    “We are set to embark on a structured monitoring and evaluation engagement across key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to support compliance with the Renewed Hope Agenda. This is not to antagonize any appointee but to strengthen delivery, accountability, and citizen confidence.

    “As we move toward 2027, our objective is clear and measurable: to mobilize and deliver no fewer than 10 million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are expanding, re-energizing, and strengthening our structures to make this vision a reality,” he said.

    Another chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr O’Diakpo Obire said since May 2023, the President has embarked boldest reforms in modern Nigerian history, ranging from economic restructuring to fiscal discipline; infrastructure renewal to social investment and energy reform to enhanced regional leadership.

    “Under President Tinubu; Nigeria’s finances have been placed on a more sustainable path; infrastructure renewal, roads, rails, ports, is accelerating across states; the Students’ Loan Fund has opened new doors for young people; oreign exchange reforms are stabilizing long-term investor confidence.

    “Power sector interventions are opening space for renewed generation and distribution and targeted social programs are being recalibrated to support vulnerable households. These are not easy reforms. They are the kind of decisive actions necessary to build a stronger economy, a more competitive nation, and a fairer society,” he said.

    Obire noted for these reforms to succeed, public understanding and grassroots support are essential which is a role BAT Vanguard and its loyal members have played and must continue in taking government achievements to the grassroots, countering misinformation and ensuring citizens understand the long-term benefits of these policies.

    “As we approach the 2027 elections, the task before BAT Vanguard becomes even more critical. The story of President Tinubu’s reforms must be told with clarity. The progress achieved must be translated into political value. The trust of the Nigerian people must be deepened through engagement, transparency, and consistent mobilisation.

    “BAT Vanguard must strengthen its structures and target all 774 Local Government Areas, expand youth and women engagement platforms, establish policy advocacy desks to explain government programme, mobilise Nigerians based on facts, achievements, and shared national vision, and galvanize support that ensures President Tinubu’s re-election for continuity, stability, and consolidation,” he added.

  • 2027: APC group opposes alleged plan to impose candidates for A’Ibom Assembly seats

    2027: APC group opposes alleged plan to impose candidates for A’Ibom Assembly seats

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Media Network(APCMN) has opposed the alleged plan by some political leaders in the APC to impose candidates for the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly seats in the forthcoming election.

    The group was responding to a viral video in which the Speaker. Udeme Utong allegedly claimed that he would decide who gets the APC tickets for the 26 seats in the Assembly in 2027.

    The Director-General of the APCMN, Otuekong Iniobong John in a statement on Tuesday condemned the Speaker for allegedly making such claims, insisting that only a democratic process will produce the party’s candidates for the Assembly election.

    John in the statement said that if such undemocratic action is allowed to take place it would have foreclosed the chances of the foundation members and stakeholders of the party who have sacrificed so much for the APC in the state.

    The statement reads in parts: “The APC Media Network condemns the anti-democratic and provocative statement made in a video clip by the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, in which he claimed that the 26 APC House of Assembly tickets for the 2027 general election are “custodied” by him and that no aspirant can secure the party’s ticket without his endorsement.

    “The statement is deeply offensive to APC members across the state who have invested time, resources, and political capital in growing the party. It undermines the authority of the APC’s constitutional organs and creates the false impression that the party has been appropriated by personal ambition.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong has no constitutional or moral authority to determine APC candidacies or to “custody” party tickets. 

    “Such powers reside exclusively with the party, exercised through its duly constituted organs in accordance with its rules and the collective will of members. Any attempt to assume this role is a direct affront to internal democracy.

    “The Speaker must be reminded that the APC in Akwa Ibom State predates his defection. For years, committed party members laboured under difficult conditions to build, sustain, and defend the party. 

    “These loyal stakeholders deserve respect and recognition, not political marginalisation. Fairness and equity demand that those who kept the party alive are accorded a meaningful role and a fair opportunity to contest elective positions on the platform of the party”. 

    The APC group called on the Speaker to retract the statement in the video clip and offer an unreserved apology to the teeming APC members in the State who were rightly offended. 

    “A public recantation is necessary to ease tension and reaffirm respect for the party’s democratic values.

    “He should also take a cue from the exemplary conduct of Governor Umo Eno and the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, who have consistently demonstrated topnotch maturity, humility, and an accommodating spirit in their leadership.

    “Their approach has fostered unity, inspired loyalty, and strengthened the APC across Akwa Ibom State. Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong would do well to emulate these qualities, placing the party and its collective interests above personal ambition, rather than projecting arrogance or attempting to intimidate party members.

    “This claim reflects a troubling disregard for internal party democracy and a fundamental misrepresentation of how political parties function in a constitutional system. APC tickets are neither personal assets nor instruments of patronage”

  • ‘2027 elections will be contested on records, ideas’

    ‘2027 elections will be contested on records, ideas’

    Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it has observed with a mixture of amusement and concern, the growing desperation within the opposition, as Nigeria steadily counts down to 2027 general election.

    Spokesman Seye Oladejo said yesterday in a statesman in Ogba, Lagos: ‘’Stripped of ideas, credibility and public trust, the opposition have now resorted to an audacious and shameful demand for political immunity from scrutiny, accountability and consequence.

    ‘’Unable to defend their records in office or articulate a coherent alternative vision for Nigeria, opposition figures have chosen to cry persecution each time they are confronted with facts, interrogated by public opinion, or held to the same standards they once weaponised against others. They want power without responsibility, ambition without accountability and relevance without performance. That era is long gone.’’

    He said the desperation of the opposition had reached a point where it was evident that they were no longer just afraid of accountability, but also afraid of their own shadow.

    ‘’Haunted by their past actions and public records, they now seek political cover rather than public validation. This fear-driven posture explains the sustained attempt to blackmail the government into conferring an illegal and immoral immunity that has no place in a constitutional democracy.’’

    READ ALSO: Insecurity: Why are we defeated?

    The statement said: ‘’Let it be clearly stated that the government will neither be blackmailed nor ambushed into granting protection to political actors, who have not earned the trust of Nigerians. Immunity is not a campaign strategy, and persecution narratives will not erase documented failures.

    ‘’It is indeed ironic that individuals who supervised monumental failures, institutional decay, and the plunder of national assets now seek refuge in manufactured victimhood. The same voices that once applauded investigations, probes and sanctions have suddenly discovered ‘witch-hunts’ the moment the searchlight of accountability beams in their direction. This selective morality exposes not only hypocrisy, but also fear-fear of records, fear of memory and fear of Nigerians.

    ‘’Nigerians are not oblivious of the track record of those who now pretend to present an ‘alternative.’ The nation remembers where we are coming from and what it costs us to get here. Any so-called alternative that resembles a return to our vomit will be rejected by a discerning voter that has learned, sometimes painfully, from history.’’

    Oladejo noted: ‘’As 2027 approaches, Nigerians are no longer interested in emotional blackmail, recycled faces, or political fugitives shopping for platforms that offer protection rather than progress. Democracy does not confer immunity from public interrogation, and opposition status does not translate to sainthood. Those aspiring to lead must first submit themselves to the court of public conscience.

    ‘’The APC-led government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains focused on the serious business of national renewal-economic stabilisation, security reform, institutional rebuilding, and the repositioning of Nigeria for sustainable growth. While the opposition demands immunity from questions, this administration demands results from itself and accountability from all.

    ‘’Let it be clearly stated: Nigeria will not mortgage its future to political actors whose primary campaign message is fear of scrutiny. The 2027 elections will be contested on records, ideas, courage and capacity-not on entitlement to immunity.

    ‘’History is watching. Nigerians are alert. No amount of manufactured outrage will shield failure from judgment.’’

  • APC not behind crises ravaging opposition parties, says IPAC deputy chair

    APC not behind crises ravaging opposition parties, says IPAC deputy chair

    The newly elected Deputy National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Hajiya Zainab Abubakar Ibrahim, has absolved the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of any complicity in the various crises affecting opposition political parties.

    She said the governing party should not be held responsible for any internal crisis of other political parties.

    Ibrahim, who is also the APC Deputy National Women Leader, made this clarification yesterday in Abuja while addressing reporters on the outcome of the IPAC election, which was held on December 8 in Abuja.

    Responding to an accusation that the ruling party has been fingered in the instability within most opposition parties in the country, Ibrahim emphatically rejected the allegation, saying: “I do not think APC is responsible for the internal problems of any political party. That is their internal affair.”

    She noted that, unlike other parties, APC strictly adheres to the principle of internal democracy.

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    The IPAC deputy chairperson said this has been the ruling party’s special quality that makes it an attractive and formidable national party, which continues to attract more members from opposition parties and well-meaning Nigerians.

    “APC is a formidable national party with representation across all zones. It is the strict adherence to the principle of internal democracy that draws the attention of the people to the party. You cannot stop a moving train. Other parties’ challenges are their responsibility, not that of the APC.”

    Clarifying the position of the council on factionalised parties, the IPAC leader said the council was not involved in the running of any political party but only aligned and worked with party leadership recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Ibrahim said: “IPAC relates strictly with INEC. It is the names of party leaders on the INEC portal that IPAC works with. We do not concern ourselves with factional disputes of political parties.”

    Shedding light on the just-concluded IPAC election, the deputy chairperson said the adoption of the “twinning formula” in the newly drafted constitution of the council has further entrenched gender inclusivity in the political space of the country.

    This, she said, led to the election of three women into the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the council, a development that she claimed was novel to the council.

    Under the new constitution, Ibrahim said, “if the Chairman is male, automatically the deputy must be female. Where the secretary is male, automatically the deputy is female, and vice versa”.

    She added: “It is now inscribed in the IPAC Constitution that there must always be at least two females in the IPAC Executive. That is what happened.

    “On the 8th of December, the election was held. I contested for the position of Deputy National Chairman and another female contested for Deputy National Secretary. These positions were meant strictly for women to contest.

    “Today, IPAC now has three women in its Executive, instead of the zero gender inclusion level we previously had. Standing before you now is the Deputy National Chairman of IPAC—the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria.”