Politics
Govt Should Be Solving Problems, Not Creating More – Dr Allen
The Prime Minister of Britain has resigned because Britons have voted to leave the EU. That is credibility. It’s not about self. It’s not about you. It’s about what the people want. So, even if you disagree with them, you still have a responsibility to respect the opinion of the people and the desire of the people. That is what politics should be. It’s not about self. It’s not about lining up your pocket with public funds.
Dr Fidelis Allen is an
associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Port Harcourt and the Secretary of the Local Organising Committee of the 30th Annual International Conference of the Nigerian Political Science Association kicking off in Port Harcourt today. He spoke on the essence of the conference and other burning political issues in Nigeria in this interview with Opaka Dokubo.
Excerpts:
What is the take home for Nigerians for the conference?
Political Scientists will be gathering to discuss the problem of elections, the security challenges that Nigeria has faced. Nigerians should expect to hear from political scientists in this country regarding the political processes, regarding elections, regarding the security challenges in different dimensions, regarding the state of democracy in Africa. There must be a way out of this situation and that is what political scientists, as we gather, will be interested to do.
Is politics just an academic discipline or a vocation?
Well, we call some people politicians because they’re actively involved in seeking power in order for them to be able to convert their intentions to reality in terms of what they have to offer. But really, politics is everybody’s business.
In our clime, people see politics as a vocation. You see a youngman and you ask him what are you doing and he says “I’m a politicians.” It’s something that you don’t welcome. You don’t admire. You give the impression that it’s a vocation, it’s a profession but I know that in some other climes, people can be in politics on part time basis just to be able to offer something to society, just to be able to contribute. But now you see people who want to be in political office, maybe as law makers for four years and they want to have person. For me its so ridiculous.
But for those who call themselves as politicians, what do you do as a politicians? Do you govern the people in the interest of the people or you do that in your own interest? We see politics as a means of survival and it is this impression that we have that has created problems of governance, corruption and the rest of them. People just see politics as a means of lining up their pockets and helping their families. I don’t think that that is the right approach to politics.
Politics is about representing the people and doing for the people what they desire, solving the problems in society and any of us should be able to do that. But I think that there’s a problem some where when it comes to our own clime where people see themselves as professional politicians.
This morning, the Prime Minister of Britain has resigned because Britons have voted to leave the EU. That is credibility. It’s not about self. It’s not about you. It’s about what the people want. So, even if you disagree with them, you still have a responsibility to respect the opinion of the people and the desire of the people. That is what politics should be. It’s not about self. It’s not about lining up your pocket with public funds. So I think we need to properly conceptualise politics. We haven’t done that well with those who are in positions of power.
What quality of individuals should be in politics in your opinion?
I have said that everybody should be interested in politics but if you talk about the individuals who seek power or political position, anyone with appreciable academic qualification with moral status, with integrity with desire to help solve society’s problems can be in politics. This should not be limited to those who have no employment. I mean you can be and I as an academic should have the opportunity to serve this country without losing my job. But there are laws that hinder those in public service like us. In some climes, even lawmaking is part time so you don’t have to see yourself as a professional politician who has gone to the National or State House of Assembly to make money through making laws.
So, we need to adopt a system that will offer the best and not restricting them to contribute to the political development of this country. The essence of governance is to address problems in society. Those in government have a responsibility to solve problems, not to create more problems. We need to see a situation where government is solving problems but I see a situation where the politicians themselves are creating so much problems.
Do you think that restructuring this country will solve our problems?
Well, Nigeria is in principle actually a federal state. But most federal systems approaches are completely different from our own approach. We, for example, have a centralised federal system. Though federal, we have vestiges of a unitary system. For example we have a centralised security system which means that even though we’re a federal state, the component units don’t have the constitutional power to provide security agencies that are available.
So, a governor is the chief security officer of the state, in our own federal system, he has to depend on the federal authority to be able to utilize services provided by the security agencies. That for me is some kind of contradiction.
Well, many are actually saying that this is not good enough for this country because Nigeria is highly heterogeneous and it’s difficult to operate a federal system that has this posture or orientation.
In the area of revenue generation, that is also a problem for many who are saying that the centre should not come to control certain revenues coming from the extractive sector. They are saying it is wrong for the centre to collect-revenues coming from the extractive sector only to distribute.
So, if you give responsibilities to the states and say well we will collect the money and share, for some scholars that is a contradiction. There must be some kind of fiscal federal component when it comes to revenues in certain areas like the extractive sector.
We are seeing a lot of agitations, a lot of arguments against the kind of federal system that we operate. So, I think that there might be need to look at these issues very critically and see what is workable but I believe in a united country- Nigeria. But we need to do that in a way that is very responsive to the different ethnological units that we have in this country so that no group really feels excluded from the political process, no group feels excluded from access to basic amenities and opportunities in this country and every one can have a sense of fairness and a sense of justice. That is crucial.
What do you think of the relationship between the legislature and the executive at the national level and how that may affect the general well being of the country?
Politics is about interest, we all know that but our own politics has been fundamentally about interest. There’s nothing wrong about the legislature disagreeing with the executive and there’s nothing wrong with the executive disagreeing with the legislature. In a normal democracy, there should be checks and balances. In a normal democracy, these conflicts should be there, especially if they are on the grounds of public interest. There’s nothing wrong with that. Where you find the legislature and the executive working so smoothly without any disagreement, I think there’s a problem. So, that the legislature and the executive have issues, for me, that shouldn’t be a problem. I think that we should allow the political process to play out and people can be in conflict. We should just watch and allow things to happen. If people have done the right thing, what they have done will speak for them.
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.
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