Politics
Utomi Blames Nigeria’s Woes On APC, PDP
Former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Pat Utomi, has blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the hardship Nigerians are going through.
He said Nigerians had been duped by the nation’s two dominant parties in their quest for a good government to cater for them.
Utomi stated this while appearing on “Politics Today,” a programme on Channels Television which was monitored in Port Harcourt.
Drawing from the economic and social figures released by local and foreign organisations over the years, Utomi, a Professor of Political Economy, argued that there might not be any difference if the ruling APC and the PDP remained people’s choices in subsequent polls.
He lamented the gradual slide of Nigeria into collapse with little or no effort from a government that promised to fight corruption to a standstill.
“Did you see the numbers just this week on leakages out of OECD figures about corruption in West Africa? You don’t even have to try. You can see it every day.
“You know, what pains me is that many of us threw everything we had into this business, because we thought we’re going to create an anti-corruption regime. We ended up with a more corrupt regime than I think we have ever had in Nigeria. I can prove it. I can bring you the numbers from everywhere OECD reports and so on,” Mr Utomi noted.
With an emphasis on President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, Prof. Utomi, a member of the Third Force Movement, which seeks to reposition Nigeria, said the country had not really been governed with a sense of direction.
“Nigeria is not being governed. And if you look and listen to the conversation that you’ve been having, it shows you the tragedy of the fact that it’s a triumph of politics. Nigerian people are hardly in these conversations. Political parties don’t have programmes, they don’t have exactly a direction to make a difference in people’s lives that they have set up.
“In that kind of situation. You can only get what we have today in Nigeria. Now, for the avoidance of doubt, whether it’s PDP, APC, the truth of the matter is this is the most miserable place to live on Earth today. All the statistics say so,” he said.
Mr Utomi, who was announced last week as President of the Shadow Cabinet set up by the National Consultative Front (NCFront), questioned the constant exchange of blame by the APC and PDP rather than policies for national growth.
He challenged both parties to start addressing the issue of the collapse of culture and moral standards among its members.
Given the prevalent realities of the country backed by indices and statistics, he also accused Nigeria’s political class of lack of empathy.
“If they had empathy, you would see, look, all these numbers that we are throwing out about the poverty rates; if politicians running Nigeria are politicians, they would respond in terms of their behaviour, to the fact that poverty is the number one thing ruling Nigeria.
“But look at the motorcades of governors. Look at their presidential jets as they fly around the place. It shows that there is a complete disconnect between the political class and the people and the pain that people suffer.
“Look, President Obasanjo, as military head of state when oil prices came down, he says look, we’re going to cut our coat according to our clothes not according to our size. And he comes down as president to Peugeot 504 and that’s what he rode as president of Nigeria and everybody else was Peugeot 504 and below,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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