politics - Azu Ishiekwene

AI generated illustration of a man and woman standing at a Nigerian newspaper stand with varying headlines.

Unusual Moments In the World Cup

Human Interest, politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“I’m not sure Minister Mohammed or the DG SS still remembers that the same mainstream press they’re calling on for restraint (including this writer), also called President Goodluck Jonathan’s government clueless and incompetent, mainly because of that government’s ability to tackle insecurity. And that Jonathan’s successor, Muhammadu Buhari, an army general and patron saint of the APC, didn’t do much about insecurity either. Now, the shoe is pinching where it hurts.”

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A Party for Nigeria’s Latest Abductors

Human Interest, politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“That politicians can still manage to hold primaries in the midst of a worsening wave of horrendous attacks on communities and kidnappings in parts of the country, not to mention the economic hardship, suggests we must be living in different worlds…winning the party’s ticket is one thing, but more important, having a country in which to contest the election and govern is quite another”

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Does it Matter to Africa if Nigel Farage Comes to Number 10?

International Affairs, politics / Azu Ishiekwene

‘What makes him effective is not simply his rhetoric, but his ability to position himself as the voice of the people who feel ignored by mainstream politics.’ It would be an absolute disgrace for a racially bigoted twat to exploit voters’ misplaced economic and political grievances to advantage’

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Who is After Obi, Kwankwaso Again?

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“Why, even though he has flipped political parties five times in three election cycles, should he be compared to Vice President Atiku Abubakar in political vagrancy? Who is chasing Obi and his new soulmate, former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso? There are three possible answers”

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Is there a Backstory to Wale Edun’s Exit?

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“If the economy is not broken, why remove the finance minister, and how could one of the President’s most trusted men be removed in a press statement that describes his removal as a “minor cabinet reshuffle,” bundling him out with another minister, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, whose name many had barely heard until his sacking was announced?”

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an image of Amupitan sitting on a chair with a pen and paper

Amupitan’s Yanga Wakes Trouble

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“If Amupitan digs in, as is likely, and his appointor, Tinubu, indulges him, the commission will struggle to retain public trust. INEC may argue that suspicion is not proof and that, in any case, no forensic, platform-level evidence has been found against it. That is precisely what the National Assembly should do: Initiate a forensic probe. INEC is independent, but not unaccountable”

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An image of ADC protesters with logos of ADC, PDP, NNPP and Labour Party

INEC, ADC and the Latin Phrase: Another View

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

Delisting the ADC’s leaders was hasty and prone to needless controversy. Whatever its legal department may be telling the commission, Amupitan, a professor of law and senior advocate, should know that INEC’s action gives the impression that the commission is an interested party in the dispute, and calls his judgment and independence into question…I offer a comfort phrase to the ADC’s distressed leadership from the diminishing repertoire of street Latin: Potestas non est ad libitum – power is not given at one’s pleasure. It’s not served a la carte

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an image of bayo adelabu holding a candle light in a dark room

Adelabu’s Power Lines as Laundry Lines

Economy, politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“Adebayo Adelabu has performed so disastrously, saying he failed would be an honour. But it’s not his fault – it’s the fault of the President who appointed him and the Senate that cleared him for a job that he was clearly incompetent to perform, either based on his record or based on any hope of redemption”

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an image of peter obi carrying a bag, with silhouettes of the image both sides of him

Obi’s Transition From Serious Contender to Mascot

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“This Obi is a Peter of clay – malleable, confused, and lacking in staying power. He’s drifting, mistaking a jungle for a zoo. This should be a great source of worry for his troops, especially the social media-based avatars (without voter cards), who deify Obi and whose political signature tune is “Obi-way or the highway.”

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ADC’s Problem is ADC, not APC

politics / Azu Ishiekwene

“I don’t know what other conspiracy the ADC might find before the next market day, but I think the party is its own biggest problem. If it continues this way, before the APC kills it, it will be long dead, and on its grave would be the epitaph: here lies the remains of a party that thought it would get power à la carte!”

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