Politics
Grievances Waited For Too Long To Be Addressed – Prof Anthony Ibe
Our dear country Nige
ria and the rest of Africa today face a multiplicity of political, economic, social, environmental, security and cultural challenges that have disrupted our developmental efforts at all levels of governance and social engineering and eroded our identity. Violent conflicts associated with the unremitting struggle for power and scarce resources often result in costly crises at the national and continental levels. As we are all too aware, the African continent is not poor on account of lack of resources; rather, we are victims of ‘resource cause’ and poor leadership that have combined to impoverish our people, who are compelled to helplessly watch this shameful power struggle amongst their insensitive elite classes from the sidelines for too long.
What end should politics serve in contemporary times? As two famous Colombian University scholars, Daron Acemoglo and lames Robinson note in their explosive book appropriately entitled: Why Nations Fail, describe politics as process by which society chooses the rules that will govem it. Politics, according to them, surrounds institutions for the simple reason that institutions may be good for the economic prosperity of a nation, some people or groups, such as the elites of the ruling party or common citizens. Conflicts usually plays out in favour of the powerful groups in any society. It, therefore, follows that the political institutions that are in operation in any society largely determine the quality of life to be enjoyed by the citizens.
In Nigeria, for instance, the correlation between this unrelenting power struggle amongst the elite class and national underdevelopment is so strong that in many instances, citizens willingly forego their franchise in a desperate attempt to avoid being engulfed in election related conflicts that inevitably result in loss of lives and widespread destruction of property by hired thugs and private armies that are commissioned and armed by these despate professional politicians. For instance, in the build-up to the 2011 and 2015 general elections, there were violent conflicts that posed concerns to Nigerian election managers, the helpless electorate, the international election observers and even analysts in the political science community.
Our situation is worsened by the sad fact that political parties are in a constant state of unhealthy rivalries and Implosion from within. The lack of internal democracy in these parties have left a huge dent in our brand of democratic practice. Our experience is that rather stay put to build a formidable opposition to the ruling party, members troop to the winning party to safeguard their pecuniary interests that are usually at variance with the best interest of the people. A former Senator recently declared and I quote him: Life outside the Senate is very suffocating”. He did not ask the rest of us who may never get near the premises of the Senate how life is treating us. That is the paradox of the Nigerian situation today.
Given the inexplicable desperation of the average Nigerian politician to cling to power with or without the expressed mandate of the electorate, it is only by the special grace of God and a dose of good luck that we have not been consumed by the dire security challenges posed by the insurgency in the North Eastern parts of the country, the unremitting daily violence in the
Middle Belt between farmers and well-armed herdsmen, the agitation of Blafran separatists in the South East and militancy in the Niger Delta.
Now, if we add the rising cases of kidnapping of innocent citizens, especially academics to the tally, the full burden of the various conflicts we face in Nigeria begins to become clear. Wherever you look, there are more than enough centripetal forces lurking in hidden and open places, seeking to dismember our nationhood. Some of these contrived or genuine grievances have waited for too long to be frontally addressed by our. leaders, who appear not to read the warning signals emanating from the various crises flash points.
This Conference is coming at a time when security challenges in our environment, particularly during elections are at their peak. The distasteful phrase: Inconclusive elections, is gradually finding a lasting place in our political lexicon. The increasing violent struggles for power is at the centre of several inconclusive elections in recent times, making it not only impossible for election umpires to discharge their statutory obligations, but also leaving many constituencies without representation at both the State and National Assemblies.
I am also happy to note that in the midst of the contrived chaos that brings us a negative image, countries such as Botswana, Malawi, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, and lately Nigeria, have conducted relatively free and fair elections that resulted in peaceful transfer of power from the ruling party to opposition parties on the continent. We hope that this trend would be replicated in the rest of Africa where leaders sit tight in power
until death do them part with the victims of their high-handedness and family dynasty.
Let me hasten to add that Nigerian political scientists stand in a good position to help the nation overcome these challenges through research and enlightenment programmes. As a nation, our journey to improved socio-political and economic advancement would depend so much on committed scholars like you who have a moral and professional obligation to proffer functional solutions to some of the problems I have outlined above.
Prof Ibe is of the University of Port Harcourt.
The Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi, has visited his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in a surprise move that may not be unconnected with the 2027 presidential poll.
Alhaji Abubakar, a former Vice President, announced Mr Obi’s visit in a tweet on Monday afternoon,
“It was my honour and privilege to host @Peter Obi today. – AA,” the post read, with a photo of both men exchanging a handshake.
Although Alhaji Abubabar did not reveal the details of their meeting, insider sources close to the candidates told The Tide source that the meeting, which lasted about one hour, was about a merger towards the 2027 election.
The sources also disclosed that Mr Obi initially met with Jigawa State former Governor and PDP chieftain, Sule Lamido, in Abuja before his private meeting with Alhaji Abubakar.
Before Mr Obi visited the opposition PDP leader, there were speculations that the duo may be plotting to form an alliance to unseat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Mr Obi was previously in the PDP, where he joined Alhaji Abubakar and served as his running mate in 2019. However, in the build-up to the 2023 election, he defected to the LP, where he contested the presidential race.
Mr Obi and Alhaji Abubakar lost their presidential bids to Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out a suit filed by the Labour Party (LP) seeking an order compelling INEC to conduct a fresh election in the Rivers State House of Assembly to fill the seats of the defected lawmakers.
Justice James Omotosho struck out the suit after counsel for the party, F. I. Adariku, applied to withdraw the suit.
In the suit, the LP had sought the order of the court to compel the commission to conduct a fresh election to fill the seats of the lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
But INEC, through its lawyer, Victor Giwa, disagreed with the LP.
Giwa, in a preliminary objection filed on INEC’s behalf, prayed the court to dismiss the suit for being frivolous and incompetent.
According to the lawyer, the suit is an abuse of court process.
He urged the court to decline jurisdiction in the case as the plaintiff (LP) lacked the locus standi and territorial jurisdiction to institute the action.
Giwa, a human rights activist, argued that there was a pending case currently ongoing at a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt judicial division, with suit number: FHC/PH/CS/25/2024 before Justice E.A Obile.
He said the Port Harcourt suit had same parties and concerned same subject matter which was filed earlier before the instant suit in February.
However, after INEC filed its objection, the LP approached the court to withdraw the suit.
Adariku, who held the brief of Kehinde Edun, the party’s national legal adviser, sought to withdraw the suit, praying the court to strike it out.
A. S. Adisa, who held the brief of Giwa, did not oppose the application.
“It is hereby ordered as follows: that this matter having been withdrawn is hereby struck out.
“That the cost of 50,000.00 (Fifty Thousand Naira) is awarded against the plaintiff in favour of the 29th defendant (INEC),” Justice Omotosho declared.
The Tide source reports that other defendants in the suit were Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, Dumle Maol, Major Jack, Franklin Uchenna Nwabochi, Christopher Ofiks, Azeru Opara, and Enemi George.
It also included Granvill Wellington, Ngbar Bernard, John Iderima, Queen Uwuma Williams, Loolo Opuende and Abbey Peter.
Others are Igwe – Obey Aforii, Justina Emeji, Ignatius Onwuka, Hon. Chimezie Nwankwo, Lemchi Prince Nyeche, Barile Nwakoh, Emilia Amadi, Nkemjika Ezekwe, Davios Oxobiriari, Nwankwo Sylvanus, Gerald Oforii and Wami Solomon.
The Kogi State Governor ship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Monday, reserved judgment in the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Murtala Ajaka, against the election victory of Governor Usman Ododo.
At Monday’s proceedings, Ajaka’s lawyer, Pius Akubo, urged the tribunal to set aside the respondents’ submissions and uphold theirs.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through its lawyer, Kanu Agabi, told the court that their final written address was dated and filed on May 2 as he prayed the tribunal sitting to dismiss Ajaka’s petition.
Likewise, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Ododo asked the tribunal to dismiss Ajaka’s petition in its entirety for being incompetent and lacking in merit.
Counsel to the respondents, Agabi, Joseph Daudu, and Emmanuel Ukala, while adopting their final written addresses and presenting their arguments against the petitioners, prayed the three-member panel of Justices, led by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu to dismiss the petition.
Agabi contended that the Appeal Court had decided that if the grounds of a petition are inconsistent with one another and are not consistent with the reliefs, it should be struck out.
He also argued that the evidence of the petitioners were grossly insufficient, citing a Supreme Court decision in a case of Tonye Cole against INEC.
“It is our humble submission that your work in the determination of this petition is simplified in recent judgments by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
“It is to the effect that once the evidence called is grossly insufficient, there is no evidence. In that case, the petitioner filed 305 witness depositions but only adopted 40 of them.
“The petitioner, according to the decision, only adopted about 13.1 per cent of the witness depositions. In this case, the depositions adopted represent just about 3.6 per cent of their witness depositions,” he said.
He said the petitioners only called 25 witnesses out of the scores listed.
Agabi, said in the mathematical calculation of evidence, 3.6 per cent of Ajaka’s witness deposition adopted in the petition amounted to a failure and therefore, ought to be dismissed.
He said the petitioners equally failed to file the witness deposition beforehand in contravention of the Supreme Court’s decision in Obungado’s case.
He argued that the petitioners’ witness who testified about the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, clearly stated that he could not guarantee whether those were the BVAS used.
Governor Ododo’s legal representation, Daudu, while adopting his final written address dated and filed on May 1, argued that the petition was statute-barred (filed out of time).
He argued that the action of the petitioners was against Section 122(1) and (2)(a) of the Evidence Act, which empowers the tribunal to take judicial notice of the time of filing, service and response.
Although he clarified that the petitioners responded to their service, Akubo objected to Daudu’s citing of the section describing it as a fresh argument.
Daudu, in response, disagreed with Akubo that he was raising fresh issues after a final written address had been filed.
He said if the court found merit in his argument, Akubo had the right to respond because it bordered on issues of remittal procedure.
He also urged the tribunal to dismiss the allegations of forgery against his client, saying it bordered on a pre-election matter, which the apex court had decided in Gbagi’s case against INEC.
Daudu also argued that Section 137 of the Electoral Act cited by the petitioners on allegations of over-voting did not apply in the instant petition.
Similarly, Ukala, who represented APC, urged the court to dismiss SDP and Ajaka’s petition for lacking in merit while he adopted all the processes.
He informed the court that their final written address, dated April 30 was filed same date.
The petitioners’ lawyer, Akubo, told the tribunal that their final written address was dated and filed May 6 adding that their petition was not filed out of time.
He argued that the respondents themselves confirmed that the petition was filed on December 2, 2023, even by their own witness.
“I urge your lordship to hold that we filed this petition within time under our law,” he said.
After taking arguments from all parties, Justice Birnin-Kudu reserved judgment in the petition.
He announced that a date for judgment would be communicated to the parties.
Recall that the tribunal had, on April 25, fixed Monday, May 13, for the adoption of final written addresses after the parties closed their case in the matter.
SDP and Ajaka had approached the tribunal to challenge Governor Ododo’s victory in the Nov. 11, 2023, Kogi governorship election.
In the petition, INEC, Ododo and APC are listed as 1st to 3rd respondents respectively.
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