Politics
Nigerians Need To Restore Their Political Sovereignty – Don
As the 2023 general elections draw closer, the Nigerian electorate have been urged to prepare to exercise their political sovereignty by ensuring that they do not cede the power to decide who become their leaders to anyone else.
A lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Port Harcourt, Dr Emmanuel Wonah gave the charge in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt.
Wonah said it was not just important for the people to understand that political power belongs to them, but that they also exercise that power without being unduly influenced to surrender it or use it unwisely.
He therefore advised the electorate to scrutinize the candidates that are being put up for election by the various political parties with a view to determining the person that is best prepared to protect and promote their interest and giving their mandate accordingly.
“I think that the people should be able to understand that they have the political sovereignty. They’re the ones that need to decide”, he said, noting that, on the face of it, it was difficult to pick out the particular politician that can faithfully deliver on promise.
He said it was imperative for the people to engage the candidates and assess them on the basis of their antecedents in order to establish their capacity and commitment to the cause of the people.
“Given the crop of politicians we have now, it’s difficult to know who is the right politician to deliver us, but Nigerians should be able to look at politicians who have very good strategies. It is not about I’ll build houses, I’ll construct hospitals. They should ask them how they’re going to do it. What are the measures they will put in place to ensure that they achieve them”, he said, adding that “If they (the people) are satisfied with all that, then they can vote for that person and that is how we can begin to restore the political sovereignty of Nigerians”.
The university teacher accused the Nigerian political class of hijacking the political process with the introduction of too much money into the process thereby polluting the system and making it difficult for the people’s participation.
“How many Nigerians can afford the exorbitant amount except those who have been in the political circle and the fact that they have made fortunes from their former positions they occupied in the Nigerian political system? And that explains the fact that the state and its institutions have become means of enriching our political elite in this country”, he said.
Wonah lamented that selfishness and greed have continued to characterize the actions of those in the leadership cadre of the country, leaving the poor masses in misery and hopelessness.
“They do not have the interest of the people at heart, even though democracy is all about acting on the mandate of the people. Democracy is also about allowing the people to actually decide what should be in their own interest.
So, if people can afford to buy these forms because of the public offices they had occupied before, it simply means that there’s a group of people that have tenaciously held on to the political system in this country. Some of them have been past governors who had performed poorly in their different states; some of them have been ministers who have not done well; some of them are serving governors (and) if you look at what is happening in their states, it is nothing to write home about; what is happening in their states does not qualify them to vie for the presidency of this country, but because of what they think they will get and because of the impunity they’ve enjoyed in doing what they did in office or what they’re doing in office, they have the guts to say they’re going to vie for the office of president of this country”, he said.
According to the teacher of Political Science, democracy in Nigeria is still wobbling as much of the norms and standard practices that characterize the popular participatory form of government were yet to be allowed to be firmly entrenched in the country.
“I think that Democracy in Nigeria is yet to find its feet. The reason is that, in a democracy, it is expected that the people should exercise their political sovereignty in terms of deciding who should be their leaders. And again, Democracy abhors coercion, abhors undue influence. The people should be free to choose from among alternatives who should be their leader or the kind of political party they should belong to.
“And again, in a Democracy, there should be no encumbrances in terms of participation. The people are expected to participate in deciding who be their leaders”, he emphasized, maintaining that until political parties in the country are purged of discriminatory, unfair, unjust and inequitable practices, Democracy will continue to be a mirage in Nigeria.
By: Opaka Dokubo
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has renamed The Polytechnic, Ibadan as Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan, in honour of a late former governor of the State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo.
Dr Olunloyo, who died on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer Principal of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, while he also served as Governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.
Governor Makinde made the announcement at the state interdenominational funeral service held yesterday in honour of the late former governor at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde said Dr Olunloyo lived an eventful life, adding that his attainment and personality could not be summarised in one sentence.
“He was not a man we could summarise in one sentence. He was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and, above all, a man of deep conviction.
“While giving the exhortation, I was listening to Baba Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu and he said in 1983, Baba became Governor of Oyo State. Though his time in office was brief, his election victory over a popular incumbent remains a powerful testament to the trust people gave him.
“I talked about preserving and digitising his library yesterday [Wednesday] as a mark of honour to Baba Olunloyo.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.”
Earlier in his sermon, a retired Methodist Archbishop of Ilesa and Ibadan, Ayo Ladigbolu, described the late Olunloyo as a role model with intellectual inspiration and unassailable integrity.
The cleric said the deceased also demonstrated leadership in most superior quality during his lifetime.
In attendance were the state Deputy Governor, Chief Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal; wife of a former Military Governor of the old Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Jemibewon; wife of a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; and former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi.
Others were the member representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Hon Abass Adigun Agboworin; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Oyo State Exco members; Chairman of Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun; Chairman of All Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, Hon Sikiru Sanda; President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adeniyi Ajewole; religious leaders and family members, among other dignitaries.
Ten members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) have countered the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, on the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
The dissenting members, led by the Deputy National Chairman ( South), Taofeek Arapaja, in a joint statement, said no organ of the opposition party could overturn the decision of the 99th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The dissenting NWC members include Arapaja; Setonji Koshoedo, Deputy National Secretary; Okechukwu Obiechina-Daniel, National Auditor; Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary; Ologunagba; Woyengikuro Daniel, National Financial Secretary and Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Treasurer.
Others are Chief Ali Odefa, National Vice Chairman (South East); Emmanuel Ogidi, Caretaker Committee Chairman (South South); Mrs. Amina Darasimi D. Bryhm, National Woman Leader and Ajisafe Kamoru Toyese, National Vice Chairman (South West).
The group also insisted that contrary to the position of the acting National Chairman, the 100th NEC meeting of the party would be held on June 30 as earlier scheduled.
The statement read: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a press briefing by the acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, today Wednesday, June 25, wherein he attempted to overturn the resolution of the 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which scheduled the 100th NEC meeting for Monday, June 30.
“The acting National Chairman in the said press briefing also reportedly announced that Senator Samuel Anyanwu has been asked to resume as National Secretary of the party contrary to the resolution of the 99th NEC meeting, which referred all matters relating to the office of the National Secretary to the 100th NEC meeting.
“The pronouncements by the acting National Chairman have no foundation as no organ of the party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) under the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party, second only to the National Convention. By virtue of Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC to hold its 100th meeting on Monday June 30, is binding on all organs, officers, chapters and members of the party and no organ, group or individual can vary or veto this resolution of NEC.
“Furthermore, the claim by Damagum that Sen Anyanwu has been asked to resume office as the National Secretary of the party is, therefore, misleading being contrary to the resolution of NEC.
“In the light of the foregoing, the 100th NEC meeting as scheduled for Monday, June 30, has not been canceled or postponed.”
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has fired back at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following the latter’s scathing criticism of President Tinubu’s administration and his 2027 re-election prospects.
In an interview on live television, Mallam El-Rufai said it would take a “miracle” for President Tinubu to be re-elected in 2027, citing an internal poll that purportedly shows a 91 percent disapproval rating for the president across key regions in the country, including the South-East and the North. He also claimed that President Tinubu’s disapproval rating in Lagos stood at 78 percent.
Reacting on Wednesday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Onanuga took a swipe at the ex-governor, quoting a harsh assessment of Mallam El-Rufai’s character from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s memoir, My Watch.
“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological,” Mr Onanuga wrote, citing Chief Obasanjo’s words. “Why does he do it? Very early in my interaction with him, I appreciated his talent. At the same time, I recognised his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir El-Rufai.”
The presidential adviser emphasised Chief Obasanjo’s remarks that Mallam El-Rufai often tries to elevate himself by diminishing others. “He lied brazenly, which he did to me, against his colleagues and so-called friends,” Mr Onanuga continued, quoting the former President. “I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who, in an African setting, was like a foster father to him.”
Chief Obasanjo, who appointed Mallam El-Rufai as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory between 2003 and 2007, did not mince words in the memoir, describing Mallam El-Rufai as suffering from “small man syndrome.”
Mr Onanuga’s post is seen as a direct rebuttal to Mallam El-Rufai’s recent criticism and growing opposition role. The former governor is reportedly playing a central role in forming a new coalition to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
In March 2025, El-Rufai officially dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), intensifying speculations about his 2027 political ambitions.
As the political rift deepens, Mallam El-Rufai remains one of the most vocal critics of the Tinubu administration, while Mr Onanuga and other presidential allies continue to push back against what they describe as “reckless” opposition rhetoric.