Politics
I Won’t Congratulate Buhari On Electoral Act – Onaiyekan
The Archbishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has expressed satisfaction with the signing of the new Electoral Act, saying it will make it easy for the country to prepare for the 2023 general elections.
He, however, wondered why it had to take street protests for President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the bill in such a manner as if he was doing Nigerians a favour.
Speaking to journalists during the dedication of the Holy Cross Catholic Church, Gwarinpa, in Abuja, Onaiyekan said that it was the responsibility of the president to sign the Electoral Act, adding that there was no need congratulating the President for doing his job.
The cleric stressed the need to put in place things that would make elections in the country better than before.
He said, “We are so used to things being done badly that whenever anybody does the right thing, it will be like something has happened that we have never heard before.
“It is the duty of the President to sign the Electoral Bill, he had seven years to do it, we had to embark on street protest before he finally signed it as if he was doing us a favour. He is not doing us any favour, it is his duty to sign it. I don’t think I am one of those who will congratulate him for doing a good thing.
We were in the same situation when former President Jonathan, having found that he lost the election conceded defeat and people were saying oh this is wonderful but that is what he should do, that is the normal thing, but in this country we are so used to things being done wrongly.
“Anyway, thank you Mr President for signing the Electoral Bill into law because it is making it easy to prepare for the next election, we need to put in place things that will make our elections better than before.” he said.
Onaiyekan said that the persistent fuel crisis in Abuja, Lagos and other parts of the country was a mystery, adding that it was not possible that millions of litres of bad fuel were allowed into country and nobody had been held responsible.
“There are too many things you cannot understand in this country and you don’t hear the truth, I am not convinced about any of the stories that I am hearing because this kind of thing should not happen, it is not possible that millions of liters of bad fuel is allowed to fill our nation and nobody has so far been held responsible,” he added.
In other countries, you would have been hearing people resigning or being arrested, instead, our cars are knocking and nobody is paying us for it. It is part of the Nigerian situation that things are not working well. Our country can be better than this. Somebody should be held responsible.”
Also speaking, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama urged the Federal government to act promptly and stop the ongoing fuel scarcity because Nigerians were suffering.
He said that the worsening Russia-Ukraine war situation was a failure in human compassion and the consequence of failure to listen to the voice of reasoning and called on the parties concerned to listen to the voice of reasoning and stop the war.
In his remarks, the Parish Priest and the Vicar, Pastoral Affairs for the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Rev. Fr Rowland Nwakpuda pointed out that the event was a reminder of the Parish humble beginning, saying sacrifice and efforts pay off.
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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