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Tag: Dr. Otive Igbuzor

  • ADC committee list: Igbuzor rejects inclusion, affirms loyalty to APC, Tinubu

    ADC committee list: Igbuzor rejects inclusion, affirms loyalty to APC, Tinubu

    Civil society activist and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Otive Igbuzor, has condemned the unilateral inclusion of loyal APC members in committees constituted by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as an affront to the party’s commitment to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC’s victory in 2027.

    Speaking with The Nation in Abuja at the weekend, Igbuzor expressed outrage over the inclusion of his name in the ADC’s “Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee,” constituted by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) late last week.

    He stressed that he was neither consulted nor did he give consent to be listed, insisting that he remains a committed member of the ruling APC with no intention of joining any other political party.

    “I am not just a loyal APC member; I am a founding member of the party. I have never contemplated joining ADC or any other political party, so you can imagine how surprising it was to see my name on that list,” he said.

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    Igbuzor added that he would not honour the ADC’s invitation to be part of the 50-member committee.

    “I was surprised to see my name among the 50 Wise Men and Women to draft the manifesto and policy documents for ADC. Although the party’s Publicity Secretary later explained that the committee includes both party members and others selected based on pedigree, I want to put it clearly on record that I am not a member of ADC and I did not consent to be included,” he stated.

    While noting that he has written extensively on party manifestos and national development as a public intellectual, Igbuzor maintained that such contributions do not translate to membership of, or affiliation with, the ADC.

    He further highlighted his political background, noting that he was a governorship aspirant on the platform of the APC in 2015 and served as Chief of Staff to an APC chieftain who was Deputy President of the Senate between 2019 and 2023.

    “I have never considered joining any other political party, and I am not considering doing so now,” he emphasized.

    Earlier, former Executive Director of Enough is Enough (EiE), Yemi Adamolekun, and former KOWA Party presidential candidate, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, had also publicly objected to the inclusion of their names in the ADC committee, which is expected to provide policy direction ahead of the 2027 general election.

    In a statement, ADC spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, explained that the 50-member Wise Men and Women Policy and Manifesto Committee was approved by the NWC to harness the members’ experience in governance, economic management, social development, security, and democratic reform.

    The committee will be chaired by former APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, with Prof. Pat Utomi as Deputy Chairman, while Salihu Lukman will serve as Secretary. It is scheduled for formal inauguration in Abuja on Monday, February 2.

  • 2027: Free, fair elections key to women, youth, PWDs’ political participation — Igbuzor

    2027: Free, fair elections key to women, youth, PWDs’ political participation — Igbuzor

    As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, pro-democracy activist and founding Executive Director of the Center for Leadership Strategy and Development (Center LSD), Dr. Otive Igbuzor, has stressed that free, fair, and violence-free elections are essential for increasing women’s participation in politics.

    Speaking in Abuja during his 62nd birthday celebration and the public presentation of his new book, Inclusive Governance and Development in Nigeria, Igbuzor said credible elections would also encourage greater involvement of youths and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in elective and partisan politics.

    He maintained that transparent elections are critical to achieving inclusive governance where women, youths, the poor, and persons with disabilities can influence who manages the affairs of the nation across the three tiers of government.

    “If we have free, fair, credible, and violence-free elections, more women will participate. Secondly, we need deliberate policies for inclusion—quotas for women, youth, and PWDs. Thirdly, we need participatory democracy as an approach. With these three, inclusive governance will be possible,” he said.

    Igbuzor further noted that good governance can only be realised if the right people are elected into leadership.

    He urged citizens, particularly God-fearing individuals, professionals, and religious leaders, not to shy away from politics for fear of it being a “dirty game,” warning that doing so would leave governance in the hands of charlatans.

    “And the end result will be accelerated development and progress of the entire society. You talk about a participatory approach to Nigerian governance. How do you make this attractive to those categories of persons who were mentioned as key elements in taking the driver’s seat? There are many ways we can make it attractive.

    “The first and the most important is awareness. For people to become more aware of the centrality of politics in life. For people to know that politics determines a lot of things in society. Politics will determine the kind of education you will have. Politics will determine the type of media you will have. Politics will determine religion. Politics will determine whether you have housing or not. Politics will determine whether you have food or not.

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    “But the challenge we have all over the world is that many people run away from politics. That’s why you see that in Nigeria. If you go to the United Nations, Nigeria is doing well. If you go to the World Trade Organization, Nigeria is doing well. If you go to the African Development Bank, Nigeria is doing well. Just until recently, Dr. Osahon Enabulele was the President of the World Medical Association. In fact, Mrs. Bagudu was just In Nigeria, inclusive governance faces precarious conditions marked by limited participation of marginalized groups, particularly women, youths, and people with disabilities, in economic, social, and mainly political processes.

    “This exclusion hinders effective representation and decision-making, potentially leading to social and political instability. Efforts to promote inclusion are often hampered by institutional, individual, and socio-cultural or patriarchal barriers, requiring comprehensive and collaborative interventions to extirpate. There is no doubt that the absence of inclusivity in governance has had dismal consequences on the Nigerian state.

    “Exclusion from governance has created a sense of injustice, marginalization, and resentment, all of which have been experienced recently as the President of the World Cancer Association. Comrade Ayuba was once the global president of the International Confederation of Trade Unions. So, Nigerians are good leaders in other aspects.

    “That’s why my consistent message over the years is for good people, is for decent people, is for God-fearing people, is for religious people, is for professionals to participate in politics. Where you don’t participate, you leave this peace for charlatans and hoodlums.”

    In a keynote lecture to mark Igbuzor’s birthday, Dr. Stephen Iroro Izu of the Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, titled, “Ideology and the quest for inclusive governance in Nigeria”, the political scientist warned that inclusive governance in the country faces precarious conditions marked by limited participation of marginalized groups, particularly women, youths, and people with disabilities, in economic, social and mainly political processes.

    According to him, “This exclusion hinders effective representation and decision-making, potentially leading to social and political instability.”

    He lamented that efforts to promote inclusion are often hampered by institutional, individual, and socio-cultural or patriarchal barriers, which require comprehensive and collaborative interventions to extirpate.