Politics
Odje Urges Institutional Reform To Deepen Democracy
A Legal practitioner and humam rights activist, Dr Akpo Odje, wants increased institutional reforms in the country to deepen democracy.
He made the call in Yenagoa on Friday in a lecture entitled “Freedom of Information: The Right to Know”.
Odje said at the event to mark the World Press Freedom Day that the sack of Prof. Maurice Iwu as INEC Chairman would not bring an end to electoral fraud in the country.
Rather, he said, the nation should concentrate on reforming the entire political system in line with international practice.
The Warri-based lawyer said the reforms would engineer better progress for the country.
Odje said that no one could do any magic in terms of performance until the complete overhaul of the institutions.
“Even if you appoint tested hands, including Prof. Wole Soyinka to become INEC Chairman, there is only little he can do.
“The system is corrupt. Until the institutions are reformed, we may not be able to conduct free and fair elections,’’ he stated.
Odje expressed worry that barely 13 months to the next general election, there is no sign of preparations due largely to political crisis in the country.
“This is the month of May, and elections are been scheduled for January next year. As we talk now, no voter registration has been conducted.
‘’We don’t even know when political parties will conduct their primaries. How then can we have credible elections,” he queried.
The lawyer also faulted the manner in which the federal government was handling the post amnesty programme for ex-militants in the Niger Delta.
“We called the boys to come out of the creeks and granted them amnesty, even for not committing any crime. But the way it is going, it looks like we never prepared for the post Amnesty era,” Odje said.
He also picked on the oil companies, saying that they were “not helping matters”.
He said the companies’ failure to relocate their headquarters to their operational areas in the Niger Delta was a set back to the development of the region.
“They are impoverishing our people by paying their taxes in Abuja and Lagos,” Odje said.
He called on journalists to live above board in the discharge of their professional duties and expressed concerns over the delay in the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill by the National Assembly.
He also advised journalists to be security conscious as they remained targets of politicians who might not like them to report the truth.
“The Nigerian Constitution is not protective of journalists just like in Ghana and other developed countries. Your job is a very delicate one and you need to be careful,” Odje warned.
In an address, the Chairman of the occasion and Commissioner of Bayelsa State Ministry of Information, Strategy and Orientation, Mr Nathan Egba, described journalism as a noble profession.
He called on media practitioners in the state to see themselves as partners in the development of Bayelsa.
In his welcome address, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Tarinyo Akono, said the body was disturbed by the recent killing of journalists across the country.
Akono used the occasion to announce the re-naming of the state NUJ Press Centre after veteran journalist, Late Ernest Ikoli, for his contribution to the growth of journalism in Nigeria.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
The Kano State House of Assembly has debunked the purported impeachment plan against the Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo.
The Tide source recalls that the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, recently sparked controversy during an interview session with a local radio station.
Mr Waiya called on the deputy governor to resign for failing to follow his principal, Gov. Abba Yusuf, in defecting from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the spokesperson to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Kamaluddeen Shawai, while addressing journalists in Kano on Saturday, described reports circulating in some media outlets about Mr Gwarzo’s impeachment as baseless and misleading, emphasising that no such plan is underway.
Mr Shawai further stated that the House remains focused on its legislative duties and oversight functions rather than engaging in speculative political manoeuvres.
The spokesperson urged members of the public and the media to verify information before sharing it, stressing the importance of accurate reporting in maintaining political stability in the state.
He said, “There is absolutely no motion or initiative within the House to remove the deputy governor.
“These reports are false and should be disregarded by the public. The deputy governor continues to serve in his capacity with full support from the House.
“Our priority is good governance and serving the people of Kano, not circulating rumours.”
She made the declaration during an interview with Nigerian football legend, Mr Segun Odegbami, during a live radio interview on Saturday.
Prof. Obasanjo, who is also former commissioner in the state, ruled out a return to the Senate, stating that her focus was firmly on the governorship race.
“So, moving ahead, I’m not going to be Commissioner. Like I said, I’m not even going back to the same party because I think that’s old and I don’t see the use of it. And I’m not going to go back to the Senate,” she said.
“Like the Americans would say, there’s no need. And this is what I told my associates, when this all started. I said, the only thing I’ll come back to do is the governorship.
“And we have started that journey. We are going to see it through. And so that’s the journey I’m on. And we are very serious about it. I mean we are very dedicated to it.”
The politician also confirmed that she recently joined the APC, explaining that her return to active politics followed persistent calls from supporters.
“Like I told you, a group of people who I did not bring together, have been working, I think, for two years now. And then they started talking to me about a year ago, saying, ‘Look, we think you are the best candidate. We want you back,’” she added.
Her declaration sets the stage for what may become a keenly contested governorship race in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 elections.
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