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The February 21 elections into the six councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) left me scratching my head on many counts. The All Progressives Congress (APC) won five of the chairmanship positions, leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with one. In 2022, the PDP and APC won three apiece. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), […]
Continue ReadingLet me say it upfront: I am 100 percent in support of anything that will improve the quality and credibility of elections in Nigeria. Therefore, I am in support of electronic transmission of election results. It can be of great help in the evolution of our democracy, particularly in the quest for credible elections. For […]
Continue ReadingOne of the most amazing things about Nigerian politics is how a tiny rumour develops wings and flies around the ecosystem, nestling in the minds of the people and gaining significant media mileage in no time. President Bola Tinubu had hardly been inaugurated in 2023 when rumours started gushing out that he had become estranged […]
Continue ReadingWhen President Bola Tinubu sent an extravagant message to Mr Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, on his 50th birthday last year, I shook my head in disbelief and despair. My mind went straight to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had spent enormous time and energy investigating Bello. It is also […]
Continue ReadingThose of us who love competitive democracy can only take a positive view of the defection of Mr Peter Obi to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the platform adopted by key opposition figures for the 2027 elections after the cannibalisation and factionalisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party by a blend […]
Continue ReadingWhen news broke that Anthony Joshua, a former world boxing champion, was involved in a crash on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, many things went through my head simultaneously. Was he driving? Was he speeding? Did a trailer ram into his car? Was he trying to avoid a pothole? My head was spinning. The initial stories were […]
Continue ReadingAfter reading my article on the failed coup in Benin Republic, a friend sent me a series of chats via WhatsApp. He wrote: “As much as I agree with your piece on military rule, African presidents are shrinking the democratic space in most countries. Even before the coup, most of President Patrice Talon’s opponents were in jail. It is even worse in Tanzania. In Nigeria, opposition […]
Continue ReadingYou should have seen my face when news broke last Sunday that some soldiers had announced the overthrow of President Patrice Talon of the Republic of Benin. Apart from the fact that as a Nigerian, I still have some PTSD from the military era, Benin has been one of the more stable democracies in West […]
Continue ReadingIn the words of an anonymous author, “I love politics. It’s politicians I can’t stand.” Alas, there can’t be politics without politicians. I have watched, in horror, the conduct of Nigerian politicians in the last 26 years and I have been thoroughly appalled at the way they play dirty politics with everything under the sun. […]
Continue ReadingWhen I saw the video of Chief Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), engaging a soldier in a shouting match, my mind raced back to an experience I had some time in 2010. Fuel tankers used to block the road in front of THISDAY offices at Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos state, making […]
Continue ReadingUS President Donald Trump has finally created space for Nigeria in his busy schedule. “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who […]
Continue ReadingOn December 25, 2011, when the Boko Haram terrorists bombed St Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger state, killing 37 worshippers, did you view it as an act of genocide against Nigerian Christians? Yes? No? On November 28, 2014, when they hit the Great Mosque of Kano during Juma’at prayers, killing over 100 worshippers, did […]
Continue ReadingIn the early hours of Saturday, December 31, 1983, we woke up to martial music on Radio Nigeria. A military officer, who identified himself as Brigadier Sani Abacha, announced the overthrow of the democratically elected government, led by President Shehu Shagari. “You are all living witnesses to the great economic predicament and uncertainty which an […]
Continue ReadingNo, I am not talking politics. I am aware that sixteen months to the next general election, the political atmosphere is already fully charged as if we are going to the polls tomorrow. I am tempted to say I have never seen anything like this in my life, but that would be an unacceptable exaggeration. […]
Continue ReadingHow can election results become more credible and acceptable in Nigeria? If you ask five Nigerians, three will tell you an upright chief executive must be appointed for the Independent National Electoral Commission, better known as INEC. The pervasive opinion is that the most important factor in credible elections is the character of the person […]
Continue ReadingWe made so much noise and raised plenty of eyebrows, but Sir Siminalayi Fubara was successfully sent packing from office for six months in a controversial display of federal might and presidential powers by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. On Wednesday, Fubara was officially restored to office. In summary, he lost the battle for supremacy with […]
Continue ReadingSince he was defeated in the 2015 presidential election, President Goodluck Jonathan has remained very visible in the public eye. Moreover, his unspent second term keeps hovering over the political waters. Because Jonathan conducted himself with dignity in the aftermath of his loss — even conceding the election to Candidate Muhammadu Buhari before the results […]
Continue ReadingHow would I ever forget 1983 in my life? My cousin (now of blessed memory) told us Chief Obafemi Awolowo said if he did not win the presidential election, he would relocate to the moon. After the disputed election, won by President Shehu Shagari, we gathered every night in our compound in the village to […]
Continue ReadingMy friend and I were passing by a car parked next to my street. We usually discuss Nigeria during our daily exercise and it is our wont to analyse trending events and developments, trying to highlight the problems and propose possible solutions. I always tell David: “It is very easy to point out Nigeria’s problems. […]
Continue ReadingThe pace and energy with which President Bola Tinubu’s foot soldiers sped to Kaduna last week to defend his stewardship at an engagement organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) should confirm an obvious thing: that the president knows the importance of getting northern support again in his bid for a second term […]
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