“An opposition whose principal flagbearers are overflowing with political enthusiasm but without a serious plan reduces the quest for alternative leadership through the democratic process to a mere academic exercise”
Why Opposition Eyes Can’t See the Colours of a Rainbow Read More »
It is not entirely Atiku’s fault that most Nigerians now view subsidy as the only thing they have ever benefited from the political elite. For the most part, few people care about the corruption that plagues the subsidy regime because the Tinubu administration has taken the subsidy money and given it back to equally unaccountable governors
Has Atiku Cornered Tinubu on Petrol Subsidy? Read More »
If Adeleke were to defect to the APC now, he would be risking his advantage. The trade-off of party seats for 2027 might disfavour him or weaken his bargaining power. Carrying the momentum into next year, however, would likely strengthen his hold of National Assembly seats from the current seven to perhaps nine or more, and also secure a comfortable majority in the state assembly. If, on the contrary, he begins now to antagonise Tinubu, and the President wins reelection in January, Adeleke risks a resurgence of brutal federal might that could not only weaken his control over federal legislators but also install a hostile state assembly that could impeach him
Backstory of Osun Poll, and What’s Next for Adeleke Read More »
The state of the living spring now looks like the Strait of Hormuz. And it’s not just the arrival of generals, henchmen and supporters of the major parties that put Osun on a war footing. On Wednesday, a bank source told me that none of the branches in Lagos could pay out up to N5 million in cash. Politicians are raiding the banks, and Osun is floating on a dead sea of money, spooking fears that those who survive the bullets may also have to resist being buried in slush funds
Osun Decides: From Dance Steps to War Footing Read More »
Multiple sources said a US lobby group that had Trump’s ear strongly suggested to the President that he should lean on Tinubu not to tap Shettima for his second term. It claimed that if not the reality, then at least the perception of a Muslim-Muslim presidency could have been fuelling the indiscriminate attacks on Christians
Shettima’s Final Test Read More »
“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”
Who is After Obi, Kwankwaso Again? Read More »
“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”
Amupitan’s Yanga Wakes Trouble Read More »
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
INEC, ADC and the Latin Phrase: Another View Read More »
Two days of protests are good, but they will not be enough to hold the politicians and INEC to account this time next year. Voters, civil society, and the press must continue to exert pressure and maintain vigilance for free and fair elections. The ingenuity of the amended Bill is that it gives protesters a sense of victory while still retaining its pernicious essence: allowing INEC to determine what to do with election results and how
To Catch an Election Thief Read More »
“From twice forecasting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would lose (2019 and 2023, he’ll lose again in 2027), months before the election, to predicting that at least five ministers would be fired in 2025 (seven were fired), nothing has given me greater pleasure than the Nostradamus-like thrill of watching a situation foretold unfolding”
What You Might Expect in 2026: A Valedictory Edition Read More »