Politics
As Ekiti Governorship Poll Holds Tomorrow

As the Ekiti State Governorship election holds tomorrow, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared its readiness to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Credible poll depends on many variables and top on the list are safety and security of voters, election materials, electoral officials and freedom of voters to make their choice without let or hindrance, including financial inducement.
Contesting the poll for the governorship seat at Oke-Bareke in Ado-Ekiti are 16 political parties. Most of the parties have traversed the nooks and crannies of the state selling their candidates and manifestos to the people.
Prominent among the gladiators are Abiodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, APC: Olusegun Oni of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Others are Wole Oluyede of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Reuben Famuyibo of the Accord; Debo Ranti Ajayi of the Young People’s Party, YPP; and 10 others.
Worth mentioning is the first female governorship candidate in the state, Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle of the Action Democratic Party, ADP. From the blast of the whistle for this race, she has been consistent and very visible, holding her own and fighting her way into reckoning in the male-dominated race. Despite the fact that all her party executive members from ward to state level decamped to the ruling party, she has been defiant and still on her feet.
The stake in this election is high. It is a three horse race. The coming of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has changed the calculations from what could have been a straight fight between the two traditional rivals, APC and PDP. The two parties had hitherto maintained a seemingly balance of power, with almost equal followership but the reality on ground today is different. Segun Oni’s SDP draws followers and supporters from both parties and is presently a serious contender.
Ekiti and Osun governorship elections precede the 2023 presidential election, and both will serve as a litmus test of the popularity and general acceptability of the APC presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and it will also signify the political relevance of the outgoing Governor, Kayode Fayemi.
To underscore the importance of Ekiti election, no fewer than 14 APC governors accompanied Tinubu to Ekiti, for the grand final mega rally to campaign for the governorship candidate of the party, apart from the National Chairman and Secretary of the party and other party bigwigs, including the former National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande.
Segun Oni, a former Governor of the state, between 2007 and 2010 is having his last shot at the governorship seat, having failed to stage a come-back on two different occasions through APC and PDP before finding an abode in the SDP.
Former Governor Ayo Fayose’s investment in this race is a fight for political relevance, since all politics is local, a successful enthronement of his protégé in Ekiti, will signpost a big come-back and a significant role in 2023 presidential election.
Signs preceding Saturday’s election are very ominous. Already two lives have been lost. Momentary peace, akin to the peace of grave yard has pervaded the state. Skirmishes, violent clashes among the three prominent political parties are being recorded on daily basis.
Since Monday, June 13 June, detachments of heavily armed soldiers have taken over strategic areas and flashpoints in the state, while combined forces, made up of men from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Police and Army constantly embark on patrols of major roads and highways in the state.
Undeterred by the tension in the state, the INEC has told the people of the state of its readiness to conduct a credible election.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, disclosed that four national commissioners and eight resident electoral commissioners had been deployed to Ekiti State ahead of the poll.
He said that 749, 065 voters representing 76 per cent out of the 988,923 registered voters in the state have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.
He said: “Let me assure political parties and voters that the task of electing a new governor will be left in the hands of Ekiti voters. We won’t take any action that would put any party and candidate in a vantage position. We are going to do everything according to the constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
“To underscore how prepared we are, we have provided magnifying glasses and braile ballot papers for visually impaired citizens while the Bimodal Voters Authentication System Machines, BVAS, will be used for accreditation.
Similarly, Ekiti INEC Resident Commissioner, Dr Adeniran Tella, said the Commission would be deploying 10,269 personnel, and 3,346 BVAS equipment for the election.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, did not mince words when he declared that any threat to the nation’s bourgeoning democracy would not be tolerated.
Baba said 17,374 police personnel would be deployed to provide security cover for the June 18 governorship elections in Ekiti State.
The police Chief said: “All the 177 wards and 2,445 polling units will be manned by appropriate manpower. Let me say this, the massive deployment is not to scare the citizens, but to protect the sanctity of the ballots and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
This is apart from personnel from the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies.
Baba dismissed the insinuation that the heavy security presence would create voters apathy saying that it would rather ensure large turnout of voters during the election
He assured the voters that adequate security personnel are on ground to ward off any security threat that can hinder them from exercising their franchise rights during the poll.
Political watchers are concerned that beyond rhetoric, the electoral umpire and the security agencies are not disclosing measures put in place to prevent financial inducement of voters, a development, which has gained currency in the recent political trajectory of the country. They said if the practice is not nipped in the bud, it could affect the outcome of the election.
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.
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