Politics

Open Letter To President Jonathan

Published

12 years ago

July 28, 2014

His Excellency,

Warmest greetings from
my family constituency. In writing this open letter to you, am not unmindful of previous open mails to you by highly-placed individuals including our respected Baba. But in using this open ministry to communicate you is not in any way to spite you and your administration like others did. It was because my previous attempts at reaching you through postage mails were either frustrated by overzealous security aides or ended up in the trash cans through the instrumentality of other administrative staff at the seat of power. Better still, the mails may have lost in transit to show the poor service delivery of the nation’s postal services.
Be that as it may, as the drum beats for the 2015 general elections gather momentum, I’m constrained to share my views on the state of the nation especially as there are fears in many quarters including USA that Nigeria (the most populous black nation) may disintegrate by 2015, if care is not taken.
And when we consider the precision of US predictions on world affairs and eventual outcome against the backdrop of the wind of break-up of Nigeria by 2015 fuelled by severe security challenges dangling like the sword of debacle, then, many will agree that you are likely to be the last President of Nigerian nation. God forbid!
Some may justify the break-up of Nigeria, yet others believe that the unity of the country should not be compromised. My candid advice is that do the best you can to sustain and deepen Nigeria’s unity. History is usually unfair to leaders who preside over the break-up of their nations or even households.
The centenary celebration of Nigeria under your administration is indeed a divine privilege. Many past leaders of the country had wished that they be at the helm of affairs as Nigeria turned 100 years, but providence only smiled at you to celebrate the past 100 years of Nigeria nationhood and also pioneered the next century with promising transformations. It is the wish of many Nigerians that you should transform well, and in doing so, be reminded that “those whose palm kernels were cracked by benevolent spirits should not forget to be honour”.
Now, as you bask in furore over your party’s victory at the Ekiti governorship election, let us not forget in a hurry the controversy of “militarization of elections”. Of all the elections conducted with the deployment of security agents including the Delta central senatorial district by-election, none elicited the level of controversy on the roles of the military as the Ekiti poll. The arguments of the opposition party and your party on the deployment of soldiers for elections are necessary here to understand the way out of the controversy.
APC believes that “election is not war but a civic activity”, and therefore there is need to curtail your power to deploy soldiers for elections. At a recent debate at the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, the House Minority leader and the Minority Whip, Hon Samson Osagie, both of APC, argued that your power to deploy troops must be subject to the Electoral Act. And in a recent interview, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who was prevented by soldiers from attending the APC’s final mega rally in Ekiti, also kicked against the use of soldiers for elections.
While your party (PDP) stoutly defended the deployment of soldiers in Ekiti, Olisa Metuh, PDP’s spokesman remarked “the deployment of soldiers for elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra governorship polls had yielded good results and the outcome had showed that Jonathan administration was committed to free, fair and credible elections”.
There are merits in the argument for and against the notion that Ekiti governorship election and some other past polls were militarized. Even through, it is argued that “adequate security is necessary during elections”, it stands to reason that police and soldiers should be used such that no voter is defranchised or made to vote at gunpoint.
Militarisation of elections may not be good for our democracy, yet, I can’t agree less with the President of Nigeria Voters’ Assembly, Mashood Erubami, when he said “I preferred a situation where elections are peaceful due to the present of soldiers to one where elections are characterised by violence orchestrated by political thugs and killings”.
The impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State and the one dangling over Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State, both of APC, can be interpreted as victims of democracy as a result of the power game between your party (PDP) and APC. But another impeachment move from the PDP camp, concerning the Enugu deputy governor, is seen as adding value to democracy. No matter where the impeachment carrot is being shared, it should not hatched and packaged under mischievous politics and acrimony.
However, even when you have kept mute on your re-election bid, your opponents are already jittery, but you close political associates and the top echelon of your party believe that it is only God that can change the handwriting on the wall, and that you stand tall among the possible presidential candidates for 2015.
As you prepare to re-contest and win, please use the second chance, if you win, to make a significant difference for as the song writer says “you will only be remembered for what you have done”.
We are not saying that you should devote 100% of the resources for the development of South-South zone alone. Far from it. A little to the left and a little to the right is a good bid.
If you transform Abuja and other areas in the federation without tangible development in your zone, you have failed by every sense of the world.
Our dear country is considered to be in the boiling pot because corruption has crippled every strata of the nation’s economy and her citizens are walking with clutches and there is dim hope of salvaging the situation. Arguments over how corruption has contributed to the under-development of our beloved are the delights of the mass media.
Analysts and the Transparency International have identified corruption as Nigeria’s headache with a conservative sum of $400 billion being pilfered from our country by corrupt political and public officials.
While you may be arguing that corruption is overrated in Nigeria and that it is not the country’s most serious problem, permit me to say here that such argument is unnecessary. What matters most is the efforts of your administration to remove Nigeria from the forest of corruption and ineptitude.
Nigerians want a change in the affairs of the nation, but hope is gradually diminishing that you might not get it right. The prospect that you are determined for a new breath into Nigerian system was rekindled with the convocation of the National Conference to chart a new way forward. It does not matter whether it is sovereign or not. What should be uppermost is that at the end of the day, there are prospects that things would change and that the N7 billion or more expended on the conference made of 492 delegates drawn from ethnic nationalities, political representations, professional groups, civil society groups and other interest groups did not go down the drain.
The news that more than 200 girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, abducted on April 14, 2014 by the terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, will be rescued soon is heart-warming at least to re-assure the people that you are not insensitive to the incident that has attracted global condemnation and protests. The outrage is understandable but to politicize the terrorism and horror of Boko Haram insurgency is also unacceptable.
The price of leadership is enormous. But keep hope alive and do the best you can to break the yoke of “making Nigeria ungovernable”.
The transformation agenda of your administration has taken off in earnest with some results in many sectors, but what the ordinary citizens understand about dividends of democracy is the provision of basic amenities – roads, water, power supply and healthcare. The people need a piece of the action to give them a sense of belonging in the Nigerian project, while the “Ogas at the top” loot the treasury all in the name of service.
We are lost why the re-construction work on the East West Road within the Rivers State axis is being handled in a slow-pace manner. You may not understand commuters’ nightmares on the road on a daily basis, but completing the road project can boost the electoral chances of your party in the 2015 general polls.
I may have bothered you with several issues in this mail, but my presentations represent the voice of the voiceless in the society.
Thanks.

Samuel Eleonu

President Goodluck Jonathan

Politics

Senate Urges Tinubu To Sack CAC Boss

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

The Senate yesterday urged President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Magaji, over what lawmakers described as a persistent refusal to appear before its Committee on Finance.

The resolution followed a motion raised by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu during a session where members of the President’s economic team were present for engagement with the committee.

Tension rose at the commencement of the meeting when agency heads were introduced and senators observed the absence of the CAC Registrar-General, who had been invited to account for the commission’s activities, particularly on revenue matters.

Moving the motion, Kalu expressed anger over what he termed repeated disregard for legislative oversight, accusing the CAC boss of consistently avoiding invitations to appear before the committee.

He said, “Since I came to the Senate, this CAC man has always given excuses that he is in the Villa or going to London. He is not above the law. This man is not coming to the Senate. Look at the ministers of finance and budget. They are both here. We summoned them and they came.

“But this man thinks he’s bigger than the Senate. We’re not going to take that rubbish again. He had refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee. We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.

“I move a motion that the man should be reported to Mr President and ask for immediate removal because we cannot continue with him. Is that what we’re doing here? He should come and give us an account of what he had done.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, corroborated the concerns, pointing to unresolved discrepancies in the reconciliation of the commission’s revenues.

He noted that despite several invitations, the registrar-general had failed to show up to address the issues raised by senators.

“The registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused on so many occasions to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee.

“There are only about three committees that are in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Committee of Finance is one of those committees. Sections 88, and 89 have given us these powers.

“And as registrar-general, we have issues with the reconciliation of their revenue. Anytime he is invited, he will give us one reason or another, and he will send junior officers to come and talk to the Senate. That cannot be accepted,” he said.

In a further show of frustration, Senator Adams Oshiomhole proposed that the Senate escalate the matter by withholding approval of the CAC’s 2026 budget pending the registrar-general’s personal appearance before the committee.

Oshiomhole also suggested that the commission be restrained from spending its internally generated revenue without prior approval of the national assembly.

“This senate should decline to appropriate anything in the 2026 budget until we are satisfied that he has accounted for previous money and spending properly.

“And should he spend money that is not appropriated, he should be heading to Kuje prison,” Oshiomhole said.

The motion urging the President to remove the CAC Registrar-General was subsequently put to a voice vote and adopted.

The development underscores renewed assertiveness by the Senate in exercising its constitutional oversight functions, particularly over revenue-generating agencies.

The Corporate Affairs Commission, which regulates companies and business registrations in Nigeria, is a key contributor to non-oil revenue, making accountability and transparency central to its operations.

News

Amend Constitution To Accommodate State Police, Tinubu Tells Senators

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu has appealed to the leadership of the 10th Senate to amend the constitution to provide a legal framework for the establishment of State Police to tackle insecurity nationwide.

President Tinubu made the appeal during an interfaith breakfast with senators at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday.

The president said that the creation of State Police has become urgent to address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, strengthen grassroots policing, and enhance states’ capacity to respond swiftly to threats within their jurisdictions.

He noted that a decentralised policing structure would complement existing federal security architecture and promote intelligence-led, community-focused law enforcement.

“We are facing terrorism, banditry, and insurgency. But we will never fail to make a right response to this cause. What I will ask for tonight is for you (Senators) to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate the State Police for us to secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear,” he said.

The president commended the cordial relationship between the Executive and the Senate, saying that unity is needed to defeat terrorism and banditry in the country.

“It is a good thing that we are working in harmony, we are looking forward to a country that evolves, a country that takes care of its citizens and protects all.

Tinubu thanked the Senate for its unflinching support towards achieving various economic reforms of his administration, especially the fuel subsidy removal and tax reform policy.

“I have a lot of credit for bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together. What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in the subsidy system. We don’t want to participate in monumental corruption and arbitrage foreign exchange.

You don’t have to chase me for dollars; you could see what Nigeria is today. You should be proud, and I am glad you are. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, and prosperity is beckoning us. We need to work hard, and this attendance means a lot to me,” the president said.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, commended the president for hosting the leadership of the Senate to the Interfaith breaking of fast.

He commended President Tinubu for providing the visionary leadership the nation needs at this critical time, stating that the administration’s bold reforms have now brought more revenue to governors at the sub-national level for the development of critical infrastructure.

The Senate President prayed for the administration, and for the nation’s peace and prosperity.

Politics

FCT COUNCILS’ ELECTIONS: PDP WINS GWAGWALADA CHAIRMANSHIP AS APC SECURES AMAC, BWARI

Published

4 days ago

February 23, 2026

The Tide

Alhaji Mohammed Kasim, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the Gwagwalada Area Council chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Philip Akpeni, the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Sunday morning.

Alhaji Kasim polled 22,165 votes to defeat Alhaji Yahaya Shehu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 17,788 votes.

Alhaji Biko Umar of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 1, 687 to come in third place.

“I am the returning officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Gwagwalada chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026,” Akpeni said.

“That Mohammed Kasim of PDP, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

In the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Maikalangu, the APC candidate, was declared the winner of the chairmanship poll with 40,295 votes.

Andrew Abue, the Collation Officer for AMAC, said Hon. Maikalangu, who is the incumbent AMAC chairman, was returned elected having scored the highest number of votes cast.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) came second with 12,109 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 3,398 votes.

According to Abue, the total number of valid votes in the chairmanship poll was 62,861, while the total votes cast stood at 65,197.

He added that the number of registered voters in AMAC was 837,338, while the total number of accredited voters was 65,676.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Mr. Joshua Ishaku of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Bwari Area Council Chairmanship election.

Announcing the result on Sunday in Bwari, the Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Nurudeen, stated that Ishaku polled a total of 18,466 votes to emerge victorious in the February 21, 2026 poll.

“I am the Returning Officer for the 2026 FCT Area Council, Bwari chairmanship held on Feb. 21, 2026. That Joshua Ishaku, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Nurudeen said.

According to the results declared, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) secured 4,254 votes, while the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) polled 3,515 votes to place second and third respectively.

The declaration adds to the series of results emerging from the 2026 FCT Area Council elections, as political parties assess their performance ahead of future contests.

INEC UPLOADS 2,602 OF 2,822 FCT CHAIRMANSHIP RESULTS ON IReV

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had uploaded 2,602 out of the 2,822 expected polling unit results from Saturday’s chairmanship elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at 5:55am on Sunday, data retrieved from its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) showed.

According to The Tide source, the figure represents an overall upload rate of about 92.2 per cent across the six area councils of the territory.

A council-by-council breakdown indicates that Municipal Area Council recorded the highest number of submissions in absolute terms, with 1,309 of 1,401 polling unit results uploaded, representing 93.43 per cent.

In Gwagwalada Area Council, 330 of the expected 338 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 97.63 per cent — the highest upload rate among the six councils.

In Bwari Area Council, INEC uploaded 463 of 485 polling unit results, translating to 95.46 per cent.

In Abaji Area Council, 129 of 135 polling unit results had been uploaded as at 5:55am, representing 95.56 per cent.

In Kwali Area Council, 164 of the expected 201 polling unit results were available on the portal, representing 81.59 per cent.

In Kuje Area Council, 207 of 262 polling unit results had been uploaded, representing 79.01 per cent — the lowest rate among the six councils as at the time of review.