Politics
Boko Haram And Jonathan’s Presidency
It was reported that just two days to the inauguration of President Goodluck Obele Jonathan as the President of Nigeria on May 29th 2011, the Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN) claimed to have mobilised 500 witches to Abuja and other parts of Nigeria to prevent any tragic occurrence and ensure peaceful inauguration of the president.
According to reports, in a full page advert in some national newspapers, the witches and wizards said their decision was taken after an emergency meeting at Zuma rock, Niger State of Nigeria.
The Witches and Wizards Assocaition, according to the report also warned President Goodluck Jonathan to take adequate security as “bad people” and disgruntled politicians were planning to cause problem.
There is no gain saying the fact that Nigeria as a nation is at the cross roads of its political history.
Without giving recognition or impetus to the existence of witches and wizards or down-playing the powers and “prophesies of doom” by WITZAN, the prevailing activities and role of the radical and notorious Islamic Boko Haram appear to give credence to the witches and wizards association.
Coupled with the threats by some disgruntled politicians, particularly the Northern Elders or leaders Forum, to make Nigeria ungovernable, if a Northerner was not made (if not appointed) president-forgetting that Nigeria operates democratic system whereby the people elect their president and leaders.
The magnitude of corruption and the barbaric acts of the notorious Boko Haram Islamic sect believe to be sponsored by northern politicians to make good their threats geared against Christians from the South include the killing of Christians, youth corpers, the Suleja church bombing, and many other killings in Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Adamawa. All these are horrendous carnages inflicted not only on Christians but to make the nation ungovernable as President Goodluck Jonathan hails from the Niger Delta.
Intelligence reports had shown that there is coordination/cooperation between the Islamic sect, Boko Haram and al-Qaeda’s North African branch.
The bombing on Christmas Day (December 25, 2011) of the Catholic Church at Madalla gave proof to the link of the Boko Haram sect to the Al-Qaeda, a group believed to have sponsored the failed bombing of an American plane on Christmas Day in 2009 by a Northern Nigerian, Farouk Abdulmutalab.
It is against this back drop that the one week city-wide mega crusade organised by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Diocese of the Niger Delta North held in Port Harcourt from Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th, January 2012, becomes very relevant.
The crusade, which featured international Ministers including Bishop Albert Vum, Malaysia, Rt. Rev. Anthony Paggo, Bishop Episcopal Church of South Sudan, 1 Diocese of Kajo-Keji, Rev. Uma Ukpai, Nigeria and the Most Rev’d Ignatius C. O. Kattey, Archbishop, Ecclesiatical Province of Niger Delta and Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta North, who was the host, was an expedition undertaken to recover and reposition the country and its people from satanic elements.
The crudade, which had as its theme “Jesus, The Greatest And The Best” was not just an annual religious ritual of the Diocese of the Niger Delta North, but was a vigorious and concerted effort against public evil and satanic manipulations epitomized by corruption, bombing and killings.
The crusade could be said to be an expedition under the Papal – the Most Rev’d Ignatius Kattey’s sanction against the nation’s socio-political and religious heresies.
Is it not indeed a religious heresy, if not, political treason for a religious sect in a country that allows freedom of worship and association to bomb government and public places?
It was Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) who asked “where is the man who owes noting to the land in which he lives? Whatever the land may be he owes to it the most precious thing possessed by man, the morality of his actions and the love of virtue.
What will the righteous do in times like this when those who owe nothing to the land holds the rest to ransom.
Whatever the nation may be, the righteous owes the land the most precious thing possessed by man, the morality of his/her action and the love of virtue.
Speaking at the opening day of the crusade, the Most Rev’d Kattey reiterated the power in the name of Jesus which, he said, remits sin, secures salvation and a strong tower in which individuals and nations run unto for security and peace.
He said, Jesus, who, is the greatest and the best secures, heals and delivers people and nation from all and every problem, be it political, social, religious, economic, health, poverty etc.
Moreover, he said the name of Jesus instills fear in satan and terrorizes satan’s kingdom.
There is no other option available to Nigeria as a nation at this point of its political history where if appear that God has shut up heaven and there is no rain and the locust-hunger, corruption, economic sabotage, disease, pestilence witchcraft and occultist manipulations, oppression have divoured the land than to return to God through Jesus Christ.
A situation whereby witches and wizards, which sole business is to steal, kill and destroy have come out openly to exact authority and influence over governance what will the righteous do? Where are the Elijahs of our time?
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Soye Young-Itiye
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday brushed aside the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja which ordered him to stay proceedings in a suit that sought deregistration of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Accord Party and three others.
The Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision of a panel of three Justices had on May 22, 2026 directed the Federal High Court Judge not to proceed with the suit until an appeal pending before them and filed by Accord Party is resolved.
In a Certified True Copy Enrol Order of the Superior Court, Justices Mohammed Danjuma, Adebukola Banjoko and Oyejoju Oyewumi asked the lower Court Judge to stay proceedings until all issues on the appeal filed by the Accord Party were resolved
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State had, through the Accord Party, applied to justice Lifu to join him as a defendant in the deregistration legal battle instituted by a group of former legislators.
The contention of the Osun State governor was that he had a stake in the Accord Party, being the platform he was seeking re-election in the August 15 gubernatorial poll in the state.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu on April 27 ruled against the Osun State governor, rejecting his request to be joined in the suit to defend his own position and interest.
Not satisfied with the Federal High Court decision, the Osun State governor, through his lawyer, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN), moved to the Court of Appeal in Abuja where he challenged the Justice Lifu decision to refuse to allow him join the suit.
After listening to the argument canvassed, especially that he has interest to protect as Accord Party gubernatorial candidate for Osun State governorship election, the three Justices of the Court of Appeal, unanimously directed Justice Lifu to allow them look into the grievances of the governor.
In specific terms, the Court of Appeal Justices directed Justice Lifu not to proceed further with the matter and fixed October 27 to determine the interlocutory appeal of the appellant.
However, when the certified enroll order and notice of appeal were served on Justice Peter Lifu by Mr Adetunbi (SAN), the judge rejected it on the ground that it was a ploy to arrest his judgment in the matter.
Although the judge had adjourned his judgment delivery in the matter indefinitely, he finally made a dramatic turn around on Monday and proceeded to deliver the judgment that has now proscribed the five political parties.
Actor turned politician, Mr Kenneth Okonkwo, has rejected the choice of former Rivers State Governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, as the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement on Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, announced the party’s choice of Mr Amaechi.
However in a statement, Mr Okonkwo said that the choice of Mr Amaechi from the South South strengthens the continued marginalization of people from the South East.
According to the former spokesperson of the Labour Party, any arrangement that would not factor a person from the South East either as president or vice president in the party is anti-Igbo.
He contended that Chief Raph Nwosu, who founded the ADC in 2005 and willingly surrendered it’s leadership to Senator David Mark did not do so to entrench Igbo marginalization in the party.
The former actor said: “I heard from the social media that ADC has picked its vice presidential candidate from the South-South. If this is true, it is unfortunate, as this will continue the crude marginalisation of the South-East.
“This geo-political zone has neither produced a president or vice president since 1999. To deny the South-East the opportunity to produce the president or vice president in the ADC in 2027, will amount to perpetuating the marginalisation.
“The ADC was founded by Ralphs Nwosu from the South-East in 2005. He made the sacrifice to give up the party in 2025 for the coalition to usher in a better Nigeria. He couldn’t have made that sacrifice to marginalise his own people.
“I did not join the coalition to assist in marginalisation of my own people further. I am of the opinion that if we made a sacrifice to give up the national chairman and the president, it will amount to unpardonable injustice to deny us the vice president in 2027.
“I joined politics to fight for a better Nigeria where no region, geo-political zone, or person will be marginalised.
“The only favour I asked Atiku Abubakar, who openly declared that he is the pathway to the presidency of the South-East, is to show it by choosing someone from the South-East to be his vice.
“If it is confirmed that he has chosen a candidate from the South-South, I wish him well. I am not favourably disposed to campaigning for any presidential ticket that does not have a person of South-East origin as president or vice in 2027”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, on Monday said that the numerous projects being executed by President Bola Tinubu across the states in the southeast will give him upper hand over other presidential candidates during next year’s general elections.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this at the Abakaliki Township Stadium during a mega rally organized by the Ebonyi State government and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, during which President Tinubu and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections were adopted.
According to the APC National Chairman, no President had done for the southeast region what President Tinubu has done for them and expressed the confidence that the president would not only win in Ebonyi State but in the entire South East.
Prof. Yilwatda also used the occasion to address growing insinuations in some quarters that Ebonyi State had been conceded to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dismissing the claim, Prof. Yilwatda said the state would not allow the PDP to win any position in the forthcoming general election.
“We will return President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Francis Nwifuru as Governor of Ebonyi State in 2027.
“We want to return all APC senators, members of the House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates in 2027.
“Nobody has conceded Ebonyi to the PDP. Therefore, there is no vacancy in Ebonyi State. Ebonyi PDP has no place, and there is no vacancy at all in the Government House come 2027,” the APC National Chairman declared.
He commended the people of the state for their support for President Tinubu and urged them to re-elect him in the next presidential election in appreciation of what he has done for the state and the entire South-East through infrastructural transformation and human capital development.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, who also spoke at the event, said the state had no other presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections apart from President Tinubu.
He declared that Ebonyi remained a stronghold of the APC and vowed that the party would deliver the President in the state.
Gov. Nwifuru said President Tinubu had shown exceptional commitment to the state and deserved total support for appointing Senator Umahi as Minister of Works, a role he said Senator Umahi had performed creditably.
“Ebonyi has no other presidential candidate apart from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and we will return him in the presidential election.
“We are standing here today to tell the whole world, especially those using the President’s name to orchestrate division and confusion in this great state, that we have only one party, and that is the APC.
“This statement became necessary because some people are going around claiming they have discussed with Mr President and that he has handed Ebonyi over to the PDP. They are also saying that Chief Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the President has given Ebonyi to him.
“Ebonyi is not for sale. We are restraining ourselves because the people are with us. Nobody should push us because we have what it takes to confront anyone trying to destabilise us.
“We want to tell Mr President that he has earned our votes. He gave us what we had never had in Eastern Nigeria — the office of the Minister of Works. And this Minister of Works is not sitting idle; he is working,” he stated.
Senator Umahi, in his remarks, said President Tinubu had done what no other President had done for Ebonyi State and the entire South-East by executing numerous projects across the state and the region.
“Ebonyi State is a one-party state under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru. We are not going to repeat the mistakes of the past.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done a lot, not just for Ebonyi State but for the entire South-East and other geopolitical zones,” he said.