Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has downplayed the exit of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, declaring that it would not affect the fortune of the party.
Governor Makinde said this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during an interview with journalists at the 10th anniversary celebration of the rulership of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi.
Asked to comment on the exit of Alhaji Abubakar from the party, the governor said that “Politics is a game of interest. I don’t think that will make any dent on PDP as a party.
“The Peoples Democratic Party  is an institution. We have freedom of entrance and exit. Anyone that will hold PDP down, it is better for such an individual to quit.”
On whether the African Democratic Congress (ADC) poses a threat to the PDP, Governor Makinde said that “l don’t see ADC as a threat to PDP.
“The goal is about the same. If you are not happy about the tempo and pace of governance, you are free to associate and see what can be done.
“But one thing we must all realise is that players will come and go, governors will come and go, presidents will come and go but our state and country will remain”.
In his lecture entitled “The Role of Nigeria’s Traditional Institutions in Nation Building: Impediments, Impacts, and Prospects, the governor advocated a constitutional role for traditional rulers.
Governor Makinde said that his administration in Oyo State had taken deliberate steps to integrate traditional institutions into the governance architecture.
According to him, “In Oyo State, we have been having good collaboration with traditional institutions, and we have had great results from such collaborations.
“That is why we are pushing for a constitutional role for them so that they don’t keep floating. They can participate and contribute, and also we can hold them accountable.
“We institutionalised their role in the State Security Council. Our royal fathers are not bystanders. They serve as first responders, sources of local intelligence, and advocates for peace”.
The governor added that “We passed laws to remove ambiguity around succession and throne ascension. The outcome? Fewer legal battles, reduced communal tension, and enhanced legitimacy for our royal fathers.
“We need stronger, smarter partnerships—between the old and the new, between the traditional throne and the modern office, and between the oba’s palace and the policies of government.”
While appreciating the governor, Oba Aladelusi said that the traditional institution had a pivotal role to play in nation-building, hence the need for the country’s constitution to strengthen it.
Oba Aladelusi said that Akure is one without division and commended the state government, as well as the sons and daughters of the town, for their support of the Deji palace.
Meanwhile, one of the discussants at the colloquium, a professor of History in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Adedayo Afe, said that “law of succession should be entrenched in the nation’s constitution, not just in the state law, to check overbearing tendencies of governors over traditional institutions.
Prof. Afe called for promulgation of law establishing Paramountcy in Ondo State.
Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, advocated that the constitution should accommodate and recognise culture and traditions.
Mr Ajulo said that the traditional rulers should be funded and trained in conflict resolution.

In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced the commencement of its Zonal and National Public Hearings across the country.

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.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has stirred fresh political controversy by dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu was highly instrumental to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after the merger of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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”.