Politics
Buhari’s 2019 Budget Presentation: Another Developmental Anomaly
There was near pandemonium last Wednesday on the floor of the National Assembly (NASS) when Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2019 budget. The bone of contention was disagreement over claims on achievements in the past three and half years of governance by the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC).
While members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) led opposition booed as the Mr. President mentioned the purported achievements of the government one-by-one, the ruling party hailed. But even then, the voice of the opposition was unmistakably too high to be subsumed.
At the end of the day, all other normalcy was thrown to the air as the session came to an abrupt end, with no speech entertained from neither the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, nor the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.
Expectedly, in a democracy, this action of the ruling party has attracted various reactions. Specifically as is characteristic of Nigerian politics, some of these reactions, coming from the echelon of the ruling party, are self-contradictory, to the point that questions their real intentions.
One of the earliest reactions to the commotion in the Hallowed Chambers came from the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Abdulrazak Namdas, who declared the day’s event as normal in a democracy.
According to him, “What happened on the floor of the House was democracy in action. There is nothing abnormal about it because you could see that (members of) the ruling party were hailing the President but the opposition was not doing same.
“Everybody has the right to freedom of speech. But at the end of the day, the budget has been presented by the President and message has been passed, and it has been laid. That is what is important”.
He however evaded questions regarding why the Senate President and Speaker of House where not given opportunity to give their speeches, as a matter of responsibility.
His explanation was, “I want you to know that it was not just the Speaker, even when the President was actually reading out the budget speech, there was interruption at each point.”
In his response, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of Government, credited what transpired to those he called “unruly lawmakers who threw away parliamentary decorum to behave like ordinary protesters or agitators’’.
According to the Minister, “it is nothing but bad politicking, infantile politicking/parliamentary rascality. But the real news is that the unruly action provided the platform for our party, the APC, to assert its majority in the National Assembly”.
He did not stop there, as far as he is concerned, the incidents of that Wednesday, December 19, 2018 in the NASS is lesson for what will happen in the call of Nigerians for the President to assent to the pending Electoral Bill ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He used the opportunity to explain that as far as the same Electoral Bill was used to conduct the 2015 elections, which was adjudged to be largely free and fair, there was no need to change it.
“That law was drafted and approved under the same opposition that is now crying foul. “At what point did they lose confidence in this same law? What do they know that they are not telling Nigerians? The noise over the bill is a distraction and a potential alibi for an opposition in disarray,’’ he said.
In all of this melodrama, clearly characterized more by a quest by the ruling party to let the status quo remain than alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians, whose voice do not seem to matter, one key phenomenon that has played out is anomalies that can be hugely developmental for Nigeria, if the players truly have patriotism running throw their veins.
This season of developmental anomalies started with the first ever loss by a sitting President in 2015, when then President Goodluck Jonathan was voted out of power. While this was normal in a true democracy, it was widely seen as abnormal in Nigeria’s version of democracy.
The reason is mostly a mere belief that given the power accorded the Chief Executive in Nigeria, he is in a position to “do and undo”, meaning that he has the power to do virtually anything he deems fit. All he has to do is give just any explanation for his actions. The believability of such explanation is usually not secondary.
Another developmental abnormality played out again in the constitution of the leadership of the NASS at the end of elections in 2015. The contention was on who should be the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Expectedly, both the ruling party and the opposition had their choices. But as is usual, especially in Nigerian politics, in which merit can easily be slaughtered without qualms for mediocrity, just to prove superiority, amongst other unnecessary considerations, the choice of the ruling party takes the day.
But, at the end of a lot of political horse trading, which included bootlicking, propaganda, trade-by-barter, advocacy, etc, at various dignified levels, the fewer opposition members succeeded in instituting their choices for both the Senate President and Speaker of the Lower House, in the fold of Saraki and Dogara respectively.
While this was also abnormal in the Nigerian political white book, it was developmental to the point that it created a reasonable atmosphere of balance that had been hitherto non-existent at that level of Nigeria’s politics.
This has so far given little room for reason, if any, not to contend that it is these developmental anomalies at the highest levels of the country’s political space that has given birth and standing to such vehement disagreements witnessed recently over the call for the President’s assent to the Electoral Bill, and the incidents of last Wednesday over the 2019 budget.
In all, it has not only become easier to identify the rabble-rousers and pathological self-serving sycophants in Nigeria’s polity, but also made the institution of change at the right time very imperative.
What is yet to be done to seal the institution of more development anomalies in the Nigerian mentality, perhaps, is ensuring that when it is time for these anomalies to occur, nothing can stop them, not even the incumbency factor.
One way to ensure this is to put the Nigerian Constitution aright and make it work for the people.
Soibi Max-Alalibo
Politics
Alleged Coup: Protests Rock N’Assembly As Detained Officers’ Children, Wives Demand Justice
Scores of children and wives of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot yesterday staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly, demanding a speedy trial and the release of the accused officials.
The protesters who gathered at the entrance of the National Assembly complex, moved in a slow procession while clutching placards with inscriptions such as “Don’t Kill Our Daddies,” “Detention Without Trial is Injustice,” and “Six Months of Torture: Enough Is Enough.”
Amid tears and trembling voices, the children appealed for justice and access to their detained fathers, many of whom they said they had not seen for months.
The appeal was made during a press briefing in Abuja attended by no fewer than 20 wives and several children of the detained officers, including a two-month-old baby.
The families were accompanied by human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju and activist Omoyele Sowore.
At the briefing, the families lamented that the officers had been held for over 160 days without trial or contact with their relatives, describing the situation as a violation of their fundamental rights.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Memuna Bashiru said the prolonged detention had thrown their households into uncertainty and emotional distress, noting that while allegations had been widely publicised, families remained in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.
The arrest of the indicted officers was first announced on October 4, 2025, by the then Director of Defense Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, who disclosed that 16 officers were taken into custody for alleged breaches of military regulations and acts of indiscipline.
However, an interim investigation later suggested the existence of a clandestine network of officers, allegedly coordinated by a senior Army officer, which had begun preliminary planning for a coup.
According to the report, the alleged plot involved surveillance of key national assets, including the Presidential Villa, Armed Forces Complex, Niger Barracks in Abuja, and major international airports, with October 25, 2025, cited as the planned date for the operation.
Those reportedly in custody include Brig Gen M. A. Sadiq, Col M. A. Maaji, Lt Col S. Bappah, Lt Col A. A. Hayatu, Lt Col P. Dangnap, Lt Col M. Almakura, Maj A. J. Ibrahim, Maj M. M. Jiddah, Maj M. A. Usman, Maj D. Yusuf, Capt I. Bello, Capt A. A. Yusuf, Lt S. S. Felix, Lt Cdr D. B. Abdullahi, Sqn Ldr S. B. Adamu and Maj I. Dauda.
The alleged plot, according to findings, targeted senior government officials, including President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a statement issued yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, said the exercise would take place in all wards and designated centres nationwide.
He called on existing members to update their records, while encouraging new entrants to join the party through the digital platform.
“As the electronic membership registration exercise resumes in all wards and designated locations nationwide, we urge existing members to validate their membership while new members are encouraged to register and join the progressive family,” Mr Morka said.
According to him, eligibility for registration is limited to individuals aged 18 and above who possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN).
The party said the initiative is part of efforts to modernise its operations by transitioning to a digital database that would enhance record accuracy and accessibility.
Mr Morka noted that the e-registration would “digitise the party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of records, and enhance efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions.”
He added that the move is also aimed at promoting internal democracy within the party and strengthening its commitment to democratic innovation.
The APC had previously introduced electronic registration as part of broader reforms to streamline its membership system and improve organisational efficiency.