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Nigerians Need To Restore Their Political Sovereignty – Don

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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

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Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

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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.

 

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Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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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”.

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Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi

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Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

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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