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Tag: Opposition

  • Challenging times for the opposition

    Challenging times for the opposition

    The beauty of democracy is that there is a wide space for the opposition to thrive and offer an alternative route to good governance, growth, and development.

    This critical role has its root in the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of association and assembly, and the right of ruling and opposition platforms to jostle for power without let or hindrance.

    It is the duty of the opposition – political parties outside the government, individuals and groups holding opposing views on fundamental questions, and even the civil society pressing for a course of action in societal interest – to challenge the party in power and the government it has midwifed to a duel.

    Through constructive, lawful, and legitimate engagements, the government acknowledges the imperative of self-moderation. Those in power are kept on their toes, and policies and programes are properly evaluated to determine whether they meet public expectations or not. The greatest feedback on the government’s operations, machinery, and performance is offered by parties outside power through scrutiny and criticism.

    They become vital democratic assets when the alternatives they canvass are lucid, logical, objective, persuasive, convincing, and acceptable.

    Opposition parties should ordinarily be constitutional threats to ruling parties. In playing the crucial role, they need vision, skills, capacity, resources, as well as bold, brave, courageous, resourceful, and dynamic leadership. The authentic opposition should be poles apart from the cowardice of the hypocritical political parties masquerading as alternative platforms in the country. The lack of objective actions among the nation’s opposition parties has motivated critics to now blackmail the government that it is plotting to push the country into a one-party state.

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    Since 2023, the major opposition parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – have not put their houses in order. Internal crises, multiple litigations and factionalisation have sapped the energies of their leaders who are not in one accord.

    Unable to resolve their internal problems, they deluded themselves into thinking that they could conjure up a coalition in distress, oblivious of the fact that Nigerians were not ready to follow them to perdition.

    The PDP is split, with pro-Atiku forces now taking temporary refuge in the borrowed platform, the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The two halves cannot electorally survive on their own. Yet, reconciliation cannot be contemplated ahead of the 2027 polls. After 2027, the PDP and ADC, after a fruitless search, will try to moot reconciliation.

    Why they cannot broker a truce now is that their leaders are driven by antagonistic ambitions, and they cannot subject their individual aspirations to group interest. Currently, within the main opposition, crisis resolution is nil. All PDP stalwarts perceive themselves as leaders and they cannot subject themselves to any overriding leadership that evolved in an atmosphere of equity, fairness, and justice.

    The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) is a divided and weak administrative structure that does not command respect. It was reported that the National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, and the National Legal Secretary, Kamaldeen Ajibade, openly clashed in court over legal representation for the party.

    Today, the National Convention scheduled for Ibadan next month is being threatened by malice, hate and strife. It was proposed as a special reunion. But Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who was the Zoning Committee Chairman, and his Enugu counterpart, Peter Mbah, who was the Convention Committee Secretary, have dumped the party.

    Their defection trailed the departure of Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State. There are feelers that Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas may also call it quits with the main opposition.

    Those who have defected can be properly marked or tackled. But the danger for the PDP lies in the activities of those who have not defected, and may not defect but have their souls connected to the APC while their bodies remain in the PDP. They cannot be quoted as canvassing support for APC; they are actively mobilising for President Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

    ADC appears intact as an estranged PDP caucus, although the hosts – old ADC members – are at loggerheads with the new members, led by Atiku and David Mark. The snag is that the party is not waxing strong. Its membership drive has not drawn formidable politicians into its fold. Besides, there is an identity crisis for the dominant group in the party that abandoned its natural habitat, the crisis-ridden PDP.

    The NNPP is confined to Kano State, its only stronghold that is now ebbing away, unable to withstand the arrows of the APC members in the state, who deprived it of two constituencies during the recent by-elections.

    The Labour Party (LP) remains divided, the court verdict affirming the interim leadership of Esther Nenadi-Usman, notwithstanding. The party has a stunted growth, battered by in-fighting among cantankerous chieftains who cannot make sacrifices for the party to survive.

    The four opposition parties are gasping for breath, and they lack colour and character to attract patronage. Thus, their chieftains, particularly the governors, their aides, and lawmakers, are escaping from the sinking ships.

    Instructively, though the parties are in deep crises at the national level, the governors do not have problems with the state chapters they superintend as state party leaders. They also do not face serious opposition from the ruling party in their domains.

    By moving from their parties to the ruling platform, they oppose the opposing roles of the opposition.

    Those defecting claim to be captivated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s style of leadership. But they are reluctant to learn and adopt his style, which led to the survival of the Action Congress (AC), the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and APC. Some analysts argue that it may be due to their lack of intellectual wherewithal, sound principles, consistency, perseverance, courage, and capacity for long-term planning, which sustained the president when he was the opposition leader. 

    Where Tinubu learnt his politics is arguably unknown. But it is obvious that he understands the language of politics more than his political rivals. The two leaders he followed – Shehu Yar’Adua of Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and Moshood Abiola – only bestrode the space as colossuses but never attained power. But, not only has Tinubu mastered their tactics; he has become the most electorally successful strategist of the Fourth Republic.

    While he was the arrowhead of the opposition from 2003 to 2015, he eschewed fear. He was focused and consistent. He was also honest in acknowledging certain limitations, one of which was that he or his progressive camp could not do it alone. He, therefore, constructed a bridge of understanding, attracting like-minds to the crusade to liberate the country from what the APC described as 16 years of misrule by the PDP.

    The tragedy of the opposition is the decimation of its ranks through defections, lack of unity, and absence of a trustworthy and unifying leader who can make sacrifices. Asiwaju Tinubu made a great personal sacrifice for his party to survive in 2015 when he lost the bid for the presidential running mate. That quality is lacking in the current scattered opposition leaders who are driven by self-serving agenda.

    The PDP of 2019 was strong and formidable. Four years later, the presidential candidate, Atiku, and his running mate, Peter Obi, parted ways. They became rivals in 2023. Ahead of 2027, PDP has now split into the mainstream PDP where Makinde/Fintiri/Bala forces do not see eye to eye with the Wike/Anyanwu camp; an ADC wallowing in self-deception and a frustrated Labour Party (LP).

    The Obi/Otti factor has its inherent limitations, both being PDP defectors  now hibernating in the LP.

    As the PDP gladiators prepare for the Ibadan Convention, they are not in one accord.

    It now boils down to the fact that while the widely advertised alliance or coalition of the opposition is crumbling, APC’s unannounced alliance and coalition with individual heavyweights it has attracted is taking shape.

    With the expectation that more opposition governors and other heavyweights will soon join the ruling party, the months ahead portend interesting times in Nigeria’s political space. But it is expected that the opposition would make frantic moves to stabilise their bases. Indeed, a stitch in time saves nine. All hopes are not lost for them to overcome their challenges.

  • Confusion reigns supreme in coalition, opposition

    Confusion reigns supreme in coalition, opposition

    Rather than bestride the Nigerian political firmament, the promised coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is being trampled under feet. The inspirers of the coalition have tried to make their teams indistinguishable from the opposition, but opposition political parties, many of them scornful of the domineering roles being played by coalition leaders, have resented such equivalence. They do not think they can win on their own, but they seem uninterested in joining forces with anyone simply to unseat the president. They want a programme, not emotions; a sensible plan of action, not hysteria; an altruistic and probably younger leadership, not old, jaded and bellicose assemblage; and a sound vision of the country, not eclectic ideas about its future.

    By early last week, it seemed to the public that coalition leaders, among whom were former vice president Atiku Abubakar, ex-governors Rotimi Amaechi and Nasir el-Rufai, and the indecisive ex-Anambra governor Peter Obi, had virtually made up their minds to abandon the merger idea in favour of founding a new party. Before the week was over, however, the overcautious Alhaji Atiku was vacillating, and Mr Obi was silent and dithering. The coalition appeared dangerously poised to unravel. Yet, Messrs Amaechi and el-Rufai stuck to their guns. They were of course no longer as euphoric as when they first announced the proposal to form the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) and were met with exultant newspaper headlines beatifying their tactics, but they kept hope alive even in the face of the electoral commission pouring cold water on their efforts. They had not begun to take concrete steps to form a party, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) told them after enumerating a long process of things they must do to get the attention of the electoral body.

    Knowing them for who they are, and regardless of their inappropriately acronymed party, ADA, they will hope to bluff and bluster their way into quick registration. Their success will be qualified, and the process tasking, but they are not known to be quitters. In any case, just as adrenalin rush fuels an athlete, the coalition leaders retain enough amperage of vengeful distaste for President Tinubu to be discouraged by any administrative hurdles placed in their path. For now, Mr Obi, who is still nominally in the Labour Party (LP), has remained fairly reticent about the coalition, declining to summarily repudiate them, especially he being a cautious man and an opportunist. Alhaji Atiku was a little strident in his view of the proposed new party, ADA. Known for his versatility in running with the hare and hunting with the hounds, the former vice president insisted his group was yet to adopt the unregistered ADA. His group might be amorphous, but many analysts are bewildered, having long associated him with the brains behind the ADA registration efforts.

    Alhaji Atiku is also nominally still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). But he knows that the doors seemed to have been shut against his aspiration to run for president on their platform. Squabbling PDP leaders expect him to leave the party, and are waiting anxiously for the announcement so that they can start to find their way through Nigeria’s political thicket. But for now they must rein in their apprehensions. The former vice president also knows he will have to leave if the former ruling party can’t put its house in order and remains disdainful of and resolute against his presidential aspiration. He will take his exit when he judges the time right, especially if he thinks he stands the chance of carrying out a scorched-earth action against the party for spurning his advances. Overall, while he can endure all forms of indignities thrown at him, he can’t stand being ‘partyless’, a prospect enticingly possible should he leave the PDP in a huff and the proposed new party, ADA, runs into a storm over registration.

    ADA promoters have been told in no uncertain terms that their ordeal is just beginning. To begin to apply for registration, there was still much to be done, INEC stunned them. They will, therefore, be frantic about fulfilling the preconditions for registration, while those who publicly decline to associate with them might secretly funnel funds to them. But it remains to be seen just how far they can go, especially in the face of public derision against them from, of all places, the core North. While coalition leaders are mired in confusion, the PDP, which remains the main opposition party with sizable presence in states and the National Assembly, is also encrusted in bigger confusion. In their fact-finding meeting with the INEC leadership early last week, they were subjected to facetious remarks by the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, who could barely stop himself from snorting at their inability to follow due process and sort out their administrative mess. They had wanted to know why INEC appeared to disavow their June 30 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting where they hoped to straighten out their secretariat logjam, a precondition for holding a lawful meeting. The party has finally and lawfully, but of curse reluctantly, reinstated Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s national secretary. But their problems are just beginning, quite apart from the defection gale that has scrambled their reasoning.

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    No one knows how far or deep the confusion in the coalition and opposition is. But if it is much deeper and entrenched than appears on the surface, then they are in big trouble. For if they cannot restore peace in their ranks or provide the leadership and ingenuity their parties require for survival, they will have a harder time, as some northern commentators have sighed, in proving they can find the mettle to govern Nigeria. Worse, if they cannot resolve the crises that dog them before early next year, then they will stand no chance of offering the ruling party any opposition, let alone winning the next presidential poll, their main and shameless fixation. The stasis that afflicts them, which they appear unable to resolve in the short run, may explain why they make a recourse to savaging the president’s image in order to weaken him considerably and make a coalition party both appealing and electorally potent.

  • Nigerian opposition in disarray

    Nigerian opposition in disarray

    Democracy thrives better with a virile opposition in place than in an environment where opposition is passive. With the constitutional guarantee of freedom of political choice, association and assembly, citizens have the right and opportunity to choose from alternative platforms fielding candidates for elections. That may be the reason a one-party system is hugely unpopular in mature democracies.

    The major role of the opposition is to question the government of the day and hold the political leadership accountable to the populace. The awareness of political parties in stiff competition for political control can motivate the ruling parties to correct their mistakes. This is a major contribution to democracy, good governance, and political development.

    The opposition in a two-party and multi-party system is the custodian of the right to dissent in a civilised manner. Many experts contend that genuine opposition is a necessary attribute of popular rule. It also underscores tolerance and trust in the ability of citizens to resolve political differences in a peaceful manner and in consonance with the law of the constitution.

    It may be argued, as the Nigerian historical experience has shown, that opposition politics only blossomed under the Westminster system, and the manifestation was felt in the Parliament in the First Republic. Under the presidential system in Nigeria, particularly in this Fourth Republic, there is hardly a line of demarcation between the ruling party and the opposition in terms of ideas, belief systems, and organisational structures.

    The tiny difference appears to be the leadership. The definition of party leadership here is not restricted to members of the executive committees of parties at the ward, local government, state, and national levels. It extends to the towering leadership of the party caucus, the thinkers and the conscience of the party.

    Opposition politics can often thrive where party politics is premised on ideology. The eclipse of ideological culture has motivated defections, inspired by the ambition for power in an atmosphere of ideological vacuum.

    The ruling party and opposition parties have their peculiar problems, although the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to fare better as the party in government. Left in the cold outside power, the three important adversarial parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Labour Party (LP) – are currently in disarray.

    Public servants elected on these platforms jump ship at will. They hide under the crisis rocking their parties to defect to the ruling party instead of building an effective opposition.

    The crises tearing apart the major opposition parties, fundamentally, were not orchestrated by the ruling party. But their escalation is, in the final analysis, to the advantage of the ruling party.

    Four reasons are responsible for the escalation of crisis in the three parties. These are the absence of unifying ideas beyond the aspiration to hijack power, poor adjustment to limiting conditions of opposition platforms outside government, lack of effective leadership that commands respect and weakness of crisis resolution mechanism that has made reconciliation impossible. To survive, they have to return to the vision of their founding fathers.

    Although Nigeria, historically, shows a tendency towards a two-party system, the scattered opposition parties do not see any wisdom in pulling their resources together, like the defunct ACN, CPC, and ANPP did to form a formidable party. They are further torn apart by mutual suspicion. They propose collaboration only to deny it. It is because their interests do not align. There is a clash of egos, and their leadership lacks negotiation skills. They cannot also make sacrifices.

    Until 2015, the PDP was the leading party. It ruled for 16 years. The party boasted that it would rule for 60 years, uninterrupted, as the largest party in Africa.

    But it has turned out that the PDP is not an ideological party. Yet, those who laid its foundation considered some principles. However, latter-day party undertakers forgot the foundation of the party and the philosophy of equity, justice, and fairness that united its founding fathers.

    The idea revolved around zoning or rotation, which was collectively embraced as the guarantee for a sense of belonging among members from the six geo-political zones. Merit was not sacrificed because the early party leaders believed that when it was the turn of any zone, there would be no scarcity of “presidential materials” to occupy Aso Villa, the seat of government.

    When the PDP violated the cherished principle of rotation in 2015, it lost power. When the mistake was repeated in 2023, it failed to bounce back. The lesson is instructive. Unless the party agrees to go back to the dumped principle of fairness, it may continue to flounder.

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    The 2023 hurdle that PDP could not cross was the sustenance of time-tested party value and the principle of unity in diversity. Few party leaders in the North insisted that the region should produce the national chairman and the presidential candidate at the same time. It was an anathema.

    Also, the Northern PDP insisted on taking the presidential ticket to produce a president who would succeed another northerner who was completing eight years in Aso Villa. The South disagreed, and cracks appeared on the wall. The cracks widened ahead of the poll. The result was fatal. Its bid to regain power was futile. Up to now, the PDP has not overcome the challenge of conscience.

    Since then, many chieftains who could not endure the hard life of opposition have defected to the APC in search of a lifeline, bread, butter, and comfort.

    Those who cannot move quarrel daily. After its national chairman, IyorchaAyu, was shoved aside, the party has not been unable to organise a mid-term convention for the selection of a replacement. A section of the party sees waging war on the acting chairman as a pastime. Plots are hatched to expel those opposed to the breach of the charter of equity. There is the hypocritical commitment to reconciliation.

    The greatest problem of the PDP is the absence of leadership collectively held in esteem. While APC had Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu as leaders in APC when it was in the opposition, the PDP lacks the kind of leadership that can hold the party together. The BoT is merely advisory. The National Working Committee (NWC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC) are divided. The PDP Caucus in the National Assembly can hardly offer a strong opposition in the Parliament.

    The party’s power resides in the PDP Governors’ Forum. Yet, this too is polarised. The crises at the national level do not allow the NWC to fully attend to the conflicts at the state chapters.

    Ahead of 2007, PDP is not putting its house in order.

    Like the PDP, APGA is in turmoil. It is not aspiring to grow beyond its Anambra enclave. The party is being deserted by those who were committed to its growth in the past. Even, its national chairman for 12 years, Victor Umeh, had to call it quits. Hit by leadership instability and squabbles, APGA has been in and out of court for five years.

    Umeh, now LP senator representing Anambra Central in the Senate, handed over to Victor Oye, who was suspended ahead of 2021 governorship poll in Anambra and Jude Okeke was asked to act as national chairman.

    Now, the party has split into two factions, led by Edozie Njoku and Sly Ezeokenwa, who is supported by the lone APGA governor, Charles Soludo. It is evident that those who have been governors on the platform of APGA were only interested in the party because of their ambitions. After the expiration of their tenures, their commitment ends.

    The APGA crisis pales into insignificance in the face of the LP troubles. The party has a reputation of being hired, used and dumped by aggrieved politicians from other parties urgently looking for a platform to contest. Politicians who have used and dumped the party are Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, and Ayodele Fayose and Opeyemi Bamidele of Ekiti State. Social media warriors who are ‘Obidient’ followers of Peter Obi are confused as party members, despite the fact that their loyalty is restricted to his presidential ambition.

    Today, LP is neck-deep in a leadership crisis that is confusing to its members. The party is divided. Julius Abure is laying claim to being the party’s national chairman. But at the stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia organised by Obi and the only LP governor, Alex Otti, a National Caretaker Committee, headed by Esther Nenadi Usman, was set up.

    Opposition parties in Nigeria should should examine themselves. They need to put their house in order. An effective opposition is in the interest of democracy.

  • Why no opposition can unseat Tinubu in 2027, by Lukman

    Why no opposition can unseat Tinubu in 2027, by Lukman

    A former member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has given reasons why none of the opposition parties can unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the former APC National Vice Chairman (Northwest) noted that all the leading opposition parties are embroiled in some embarrassing internal crises which have pitched their leaders against one another.

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    Lukman said: “It is quite appalling, for instance, that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders are antagonistic to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Mr. Peter Obi is in the midst of a helpless survival leadership battle in the Labour Party (LP), and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is oversighting a directionless New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) whose roof is being torn apart by no other than its own so-called leaders.”

    The former APC chieftain noted that “all the other parties, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), have adopted a monarchic behaviour, sitting in their comfort zones waiting for disgruntled and aggrieved opposition political leaders to come to them for some ‘royal’ covers”.

  • Dearth of opposition in democratic discourse

    Dearth of opposition in democratic discourse

    Sir: Democracy’s essence is tethered not only to governance but to a vigorous opposition. As Trantidis contends, the very definition of democracy hinges upon the contestability of government by an efficient opposition—a sentinel safeguarding against arbitrary governance while championing the citizenry’s interests. Regrettably, Nigeria, amid soaring living costs, escalating insecurity, and a display of autocratic leanings by the administration, witnesses a resounding silence from its anticipated opposition parties.

    This unparalleled dearth of opposition, an unanticipated vacuum in Nigeria’s democratic history, leaves the populace bereft of a resonating voice. The camaraderie between opposition factions and the ruling party paints a grim picture, foreshadowing potential disaster.

    The recent policy shifts—subsidy removal, currency floatation, and diminished tertiary education funding culminating in exorbitant student fees—have inflicted profound anguish on Nigerians. This suffering is compounded by the pervasive uncertainty surrounding the government’s intentions—whether these hardships herald a transient discomfort for a greater good or signify the administration’s lack of direction. Amidst this tumult, the glaring inefficacy of the opposition is laid bare. It falters in holding the government accountable for policies breeding suffering and uncertainty.

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    The escalating cost of living, burgeoning poverty, and hunger besetting Nigeria speak not of momentary pains but of an existential crisis demanding salvation. Even the supposedly outspoken NLC faltered to address the populace’s dire plight until its leader faced assault, a stark irony when compared to the hunger plaguing the masses. As if the suffering of the masses is not a greater assault.

    The government and opposition’s collective silence in the face of escalating insecurity further exacerbates the nation’s woes. Instances like the abduction of 35 students from Federal University Gusau and the appalling discovery of over 80 bodies in Abia, met with silence, underscore a lack of national concern. The absence of opposition scrutiny on these crucial matters is a dereliction of their duty to represent and safeguard the interests of those who vested their trust in them.

    The recent events in Imo and Kogi cast shadows on the opposition’s ineptitude. The apparent ascent of the ruling party, be it genuine popularity or autocratic suppression, only underscores the opposition’s weakness. The southeast, ostensibly ‘anti-APC’ at least on social media, granted Uzodinma an overwhelming 90 percent of votes in Imo State, prompting questions about electoral legitimacy or manipulation, both scenarios emblematic of the opposition’s recklessness.

    The major opposition parties in Nigeria languish due to lacklustre leadership and a myopic grasp of the prevailing circumstances. As the nation teeters on the brink of chaos, they remain embroiled in internal strife. Social media now hosts a semblance of opposition, yet it lacks cohesion and authority, rendering it toothless in the face of governance. This vacuum emboldens government officials to dismissively address Nigerian citizens without fear of reprisal.

    A prompt remedy is imperative. Structural reforms or coalition efforts must swiftly materialize. A robust and organized opposition is indispensable for Nigeria’s democracy, especially given the feeble checks and balances among governmental institutions. A government unchecked is a catalyst for disaster.

  • Opposition is jittery, says Oshiomhole

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole spoke with reporters in Lokoja, Kogi State capital on preparations for next Saturday’s presidential election.

    Do you think President Buhari has fulfilled his promises to Nigerians to seek for a second term?

    The PDP ruled for 16 years without fixing our problems and now you are saying that President Buhari would have fixed Nigeria in three and half years. President Muhammadu Buhari has fulfilled most of his promises to Nigerians and you cannot tell me that he would have fixed the country in three and half years. We are on the road to sustainable growth and development. Our local industries are very very firm now and that is the root of the development of any country and massive investment in infrastructure which I believe President Buhari has been doing. Addressing the infrastructural issues, reviving the rail way system, dealing with the issue of power even with the way and manner that the PDP privatized the Discos, giving them to those who neither has the capacity to run them nor the resources to invest. But this is not to suggest that everything is fine. If we think that we have completed our mission we won’t bother ourselves.

    But do you think that those things that you have done will earn your party victory at the polls?

    Let me tell you, what Nigerians have always wanted is an honest leader. You can accuse Buhari of anything but you cannot say that Buhari is corrupt. Even the worst foreign leader has acknowledged that Buhari is a man of honour and integrity, no President before him commanded that kind of respect, not even Obasanjo. And when the British Prime Minister had the guts to say, Nigeria is fantastically corrupt, our President said but you are the custodian of the corrupt money, return the money to me. How many Presidents can look at the British Prime Ministers face and say that to her, but he did. So I am not suggesting that those who are going to vote for us think that the problems are solved, they see honest intensions by the President and he is pursuing honest solutions.

    People are saying that your party will not win South East and South South, they will not win in the North Central and they will balkanize the votes the President has always had in other parts of the North. And they are saying your party cannot win in the free and fair election?

    The campaigns have started. You can actually go round and find out what people think. And the things about choice, is that no man is good and no man is bad. But when you compare one man with another, no man will compare President Buhari to Atiku, those who know Atiku and what he stands for. And this reminds me the point we need to make about foreign interest in our election, we begin to see foreign countries go beyond their bounds, more or less interfering. Right now Americans are talking about the Russian interference in American election. It is a subject of investigation as we speak. So no country will tolerate interference. But that you provide a system to monitor and ensure that you assist countries to strengthen democracy, all of that is fine. But don’t get to a level of interference.

    When you hear Atiku saying, I will privatize NNPC, even if they will kill him, I don’t know why he had to add that one. Who will kill him? I am not sure how many Nigerians have money to buy NNPC, he is speaking to his Western audience. When he says he will float the naira, you know whose values he is piloting. Those are IMF agenda, float the naira. So in Atiku’s world floating naira means one thousand naira to one dollar so be it. You think he does not know what he is saying. Of course there are countries if they have their way they want Nigeria to be perpetually under developed.

    But do you think President Buhari will earn votes like he earned in 2015?

    Of course he will earn more votes, you know why? Somehow, there are things I really don’t want to talk about. PDP tried to give the impression at a point, if you review some reports in the past, including some stories in the print media, there was an attempt to link President Buhari to Boko Haram. That they brought him just to make Nigeria ungovernable for Jonathan. But they change the narrative now since he became President. There is nothing they have not said. Today, the man from the South East who has seen Buhari building the River Niger, it is no longer rhetoric, he did not have to change his name to Azikiwe, but he is building River Niger. He is restoring the dual carriage way between Onitsha and Enugu. He is building one connecting to Port Harcourt, there are a number of roads in the South East that he is doing. So those ordinary traders who ply those roads, they are going to vote for Buhari. Last time they did not vote for him. Look at the outing we had in Enugu, we can see the difference between the campaign we had in 2015 in Enugu and now. We were in Akwa Ibom, you must have seen the pictures, that is the South South where they call the safe haven of the PDP, it is no longer going to be so.

    But some will say that crowd at rallies may not be the true reflection of votes?

    What are the true reflection of votes? Social media? Let me tell you, most times the crowd reflect the true picture of acceptance of that person. Go and organize a rally and say you want to be President and see. I have ran elections, I was a governor twice, so I understand the language of the electorate. I can read the body language of the electorate, I know where we are strong and where we are weak.  So if you were to go to Kebbi as I have done, and stay with ordinary farmers who are experiencing new posterity because unlike PDP government, this President said we must eat what we produce. Atiku says he is going to renew importation, he will remove the ban on 42 items so that we can go back to begin to import tooth pick, import plantain, import Amala. He is going to export our jobs and import unemployment to the country. Because there is no miracle about job creation. What this government is doing by insisting that you prohibit the importation of rice, requires huge political will. PDP producing Atiku is the best thing that has happened to this election. The day PDP selected him, we were happy. First because he cannot plead innocence. Atiku has been in government and he was a party to many decisions, he superintended over the privatization of many enterprises, he was involved in many pronouncements. He was one Vice President who was so ambitious. So his face is well known.

    is bigger than Saraki.

  • ‘Opposition plots to truncate polls’

    Opposition leaders are plotting to truncate the forthcoming elections and throw 10 states into chaos, the Federal Government alleged yesterday.

    The plot, said the government, is to create an atmosphere of confusion to pave the way for the enthronement of an interim government.

    Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed, who raised the alarm, declined to reveal the identities of those behind the plot.

    According to the minister, some armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been hired to launch massive attacks on more than 10 states.

    The states are: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara. The minister alleged that some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic were hired to attack top government officials, including governors, in the Northwest.

    According to him, the government was issuing the alert “not out of any panic or any partisanship”.

    He assured that everything will be put in place to have the elections conducted everywhere.

    Mohammed, who made the disclosures at a press conference in Abuja, said the alert was based on credible intelligence.

    He said: “As you are aware, Nigeria goes to the polls just 27 days from now. However, the Federal Government is in possession of credible intelligence to the effect that widespread violence being orchestrated by the opposition is threatening the 2019 general elections.

    “You have definitely seen the massive and warm reception that President Muhammadu Buhari has been receiving across the country, compared to the thinning crowds that have been attending the opposition rallies.

    “Having realised that their fortunes have dwindled badly ahead of the polls, the desperate opposition is orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections, thus triggering a constitutional crisis that could snowball into the establishment of an interim government.”

    Mohammed said the government uncovered plans to unleash mayhem on more than 10 states, mostly in the Northwest and in the Northeast.

    He said the wanted militia leader in Benue State, Terwase Akwaza (a.k.a. Gana), had been engaged to attack soft targets in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba states

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    He added: “Before you accuse the government of crying wolf, let me tell you, gentlemen, that we have credible intelligence that armed bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilised to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country, including Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

    “The Benue-based armed criminal group, led by Terwase Akwaza, also known as Gana, has been commissioned to strike soft targets in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba states.

    “In Kano State, a group of notorious miscreants have been mobilised by some prominent opposition leaders to provoke massive chaos before, during and after the elections.

    “There is also an international dimension to the evil plan. Some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic have been contracted to attack top government functionaries, including state governors, across the North-west between now and the elections.”

    The minister, however, assured the nation that the government was doing its best to address the security threats.

    But he pleaded with Nigerians to be vigilant in the days ahead of the poll.

    Mohammed said: “The Federal Government is taking every possible measure to counter these evil plans by unpatriotic anarchists and ensure the success of the 2019 general elections.

    “The administration’s commitment to credible, free, fair and peaceful elections is unshaken. After all, according to the online encyclopedia – Wikipedia – elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century.

    “We appeal to all Nigerians to be vigilant in the days ahead. We also appeal to the media to help in sensitising members of the public on these observed threats, which are capable of disrupting the elections.

    “The punch line of our long-running campaign on security – if you see something, say something – remains relevant, perhaps even more, at this time.

    “Finally, all the relevant agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture will work together to ensure that Nigerians are alerted to the dangers posed to the forthcoming elections by unscrupulous, unpatriotic and desperate characters who will not hesitate to destabilise the country if they cannot achieve their inordinate ambition.”

    He expressed regrets that some opposition leaders were ready to cooperate with Boko Haram to disrupt the general elections.

    Mohammed said: “I think every election year, Boko Haram has always threatened to attack people and make the conduct of elections impossible. But this time around, it gets a bit more worrisome because some unpatriotic elements are even ready to use Boko Haram for these attacks.

    “What I can assure you is that the Federal Government is up to the task and everything will be put in place to ensure that elections are held everywhere. Actually, that is the whole purpose of this press conference.

    “We want to alert the nation that we are aware of these threats, we are in possession of credible intelligence that this is being planned.”

    Despite promptings from reporters, the minister declined to disclose the sources of the credible intelligence.

    He added: “I have been asked that if we made such serious allegations, they should be backed by facts and figures. But I do not know anywhere in the world where intelligence sources will reveal its sources. But, you see, it is serious enough if the government came out to say that it has received credible intelligence.

    “And that is the difference between the government and the opposition. We have an obligation to protect lives and property; we have an obligation to ensure that there is stability in the country.

    “When we made these allegations, which we called credible intelligence, it is because they are real.”

    The minister insisted that the forthcoming elections will hold in every part of the country.

    Mohammed said: “We are committed to holding the elections. And the fact that we are conscious of this intelligence means that we are also on top of the matter. We do not want anybody to panic, we will take all measures to ensure that elections are held. Mr. President has said clearly that the elections will be free, fair and credible.

    “When the government is in possession of this type of credible intelligence, it is like you are nipping in the bud whatever is going to be likely consequences of this type of thing.

    “The fact that we are aware of this information serves two purposes: we are able to alert and sensitise the public and at the same time it enables us to take preemptive actions. What those preemptive actions will be is not what you discuss in the open.”

    He explained that the Lake Chad Commission was already looking into plans to hire armed bandits in some neighbouring countries to attack some states.

    “You must appreciate the fact that we work closely with Cameroon, Niger Republic, Chad and other members of the Lake Chad Commission. I can assure you that at that level, the matter is being taken care of,” he said.

    Responding to a question, Mohammed said there was no need for panic, debunking insinuations that the alarm was meant to frame up some key opposition figures.

    He said: “We are raising these allegations or alerting the people not out of any panic or any partisanship because we are committed clearly to peaceful elections, we are committed to maintaining law and order in the country and we believe elections can be held, would be held fairly and they will be credible.

    “I think that is rather trivialising the whole issue, we are talking of serious intelligence some of which came from outside the country. We are not out to frame up anybody.”

    The Social Democratic Party (SDP) yesterday hit back at the minister for alleging that opposition parties plan to truncate the forthcoming general elections.

    Its National Publicity Secretary Alfa Mohammed said the party was not surprised that the present administration has been shifting the burden of its inability to address major problems confronting the country.

    He challenged the minister to arrest those opposition parties identified by the government for sponsoring Boko Haram insurgents.

    Mohammed said: “We are not surprised; they have always been shifting the burden of their inability to address the major problems which they were elected to address. Why can’t they arrest those oppositions sponsoring Boko Haram members that they have identified?”

  • Oshiomhole accuses opposition of spreading falsehood

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has accused the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  of spreading fake and malicious information about his relationship with the President’s wife,  Aisha Buhari.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,  Simon Egbegbulem,  Oshiomhole said the misinformation  being peddled was part of the PDP’s plan to cause disaffection within the ruling party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the malicious and misleading statement credited to Oshiomhole against the person of the First Lady in the social media.

    “We want to state that it is the handiwork of mischief-makers. At no fora did the National Chairman made such uncomplimentary remarks against the person of the First Lady.

    “This is part of the fake news from the pit of hell being propagated by highly unscrupulous elements of the PDP and their cohorts, knowing fully well that they have lost the forthcoming general elections.

    “Unfortunately for the PDP, all their efforts to cause disaffection among members of the ruling party have failed. As we speak, both the first lady, the APC National Chairman and other leaders of our party enjoy cordial relationship and working in unison to ensure that the PDP looters do not return to power.

    “We urge the highly discerning people of our great country to disregard the misleading comment currently on the social media as it is not only fake, but equally untrue.

    “The tiger cannot change its spots, as the saying goes. PDP has chosen to remain the lying party it has always been.”

  • Opposition instigating violence to justify state of emergency call, says PDP

    The local chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of instigating violence to justify its call on the Federal Government to declare emergency in the state.

    Its chairman Obong Paul Ekpo said the party is privy to plots by the APC to provoke the civilian populace against the government.

    Ekpo said the APC, having realised that it cannot win the 2019 elections in the state, have resorted to violence so that the elections could be rescheduled.

    Ekpo said in statement: “We had mentioned that information available to us was to the effect that the chieftains of the APC are planning to instigate violent disruptions of the wheels of governance and provoke the civilian populace to react in like manner, so as to stimulate their call for the declaration of a state of emergency immediately or the rescheduling of elections in Akwa Ibom State.

    “The APC and its chieftains have always boasted of their total reliance on federal might, which they see as their only highway to power.

    “Having found Akwa Ibom as a very peaceful state and with no tangible reason for increased deployment of security forces to the state, the APC and their conspirators (both indigenous and exogenous) had mapped out plans to instigate crisis in different areas of the state. This plan is not new to us, as we are aware of every step of their plans and will continue to alert the public.

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    “On the invasion of the House of Assembly and the complicity of the police, it is important to state that the constitution of the country which is the operational code for all public and private persons, is clear on the steps expected of a presiding officer of any parliament, when a member of the parliament defects without any lawful justification.

    “In our case, the Speaker of the State Assembly, we have been reliably informed, had applied restraint in the declaration of the seats of the law makers until they approached the courts and judgement was given against one of the law makers and the rest teamed up with him in pursuit of an unlawful course, of attempting to prevent the House of Assembly from undertaking its legal responsibilities.

    “It is common knowledge that as at the time the speaker acted in declaring the seats of the former members vacant, there was no subsisting injunction or legal impediment restraining him or any other person from acting in that direction.

    “It is therefore not in doubt that the declaration of the vacancy of seats of the former members was, is and remains constitutional, lawful, legal and extant and there is nothing the APC can do about it.”

  • ‘Opposition has no place in Ondo North’

    Ahead of next year’s general elections, the senator representing Ondo North, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice has assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win all contestable political seats in the senatorial district.

    The senator said majority of the residents have passion for the ruling party, despite some distractions.

    A statement by Kayode Fakuyi of the senator’s media office was reacting to the defection of two chieftains of the APC, Tunji Abayomi and Kolawole Babatunde.

    It said: “Despite the defection, APC will win the presidential election, all National Assembly seats and all House of Assembly seats in Ondo North Senatorial District.

    “It is a matter of a defection without deflationary effect on the support base of the party.

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    “Instructively, members and supporters of the APC remain upbeat, spirited and energetic, chiefly because the people with APC are more than those against APC.

    “Moreover, in the days ahead, Senator Boroffice will lead other party leaders to welcome prominent politicians and their supporters from other political parties into the fold of the APC in Ose, Owo, Akoko Northeast local government areas and other parts of the senatorial district.”