Politics
Solid Foundation Needed For Nigeria’s Restructuring -Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu, Wednesday, assured Nigerians that his administration would restructure the country as earlier promised, but noted that a good foundation must be laid.
Tinubu gave the assurance during a visit to the National Leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, in Akure, Ondo State.
After the closed-door meeting with some selected leaders of the group, the National Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr Jare Ajayi, quoted the President as having assured Nigerians that he would still restructure but that certain structures need to be put in place.
Quoting the President, Ajayi said: “On the issues of restructuring, the President said that he is aware of the need to restructure Nigeria but that a good foundation must be laid before bringing the restructuring in place such that if it is done in a rush without a proper foundation, the restructuring may collapse very soon, but it would be done.
“He (Tinubu) said that when he took the oath of office, he (Tinubu) pledged his allegiance to Nigeria, that he knows what he is facing.
“Tinubu said: “I prayed for it, I danced for it, I campaigned for it and I got it. I know the enormous responsibility. So, don’t pity me, Baba (Fasoranti), just sit down and relax.
“He (Tinubu) assured Nigerians that he understood the struggle and that he is trying to build the structures that will not be reversed.
“The President said that the structure he is trying to put in place in Nigeria economically, socially and politically would be such that it would bring Nigeria back to where it is supposed to be.
“On the hardship Nigerians are facing, he (Tinubu) appreciates the pains Nigerians are going through and said that very soon, Nigeria will overcome it; that is a matter of time. He said that the kind of policies government is implementing will bring positive solutions to the challenges.
“He said that Nigerians should grow our foods, that we should eat the food we grow. Doing so would wean us from depending on foods from foreign sources.”
Responding, Pa Fasoranti said: “Your performance so far has shown that you understand the full gravity of your mandate which is to show the Nigerian people that a good government is possible.
“In Yorubaland, we do not seek for any special treatment or unfair advantage. We know you are our own, but you now belong to all Nigerians. Your mandate was freely given by the people of Nigeria and blessed by God. Therefore, Mr President, continue to govern fairly and courageously and with the fear of God. That is what we expect, that is what we know you will do.
“You know that since the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, the Yoruba people, led by Afenifere, have been at the forefront of the campaign for the restructuring of Nigeria.
“It is now incumbent on you to address this issue of constitutional reforms with courage, fairness and determination.
“We know we cannot return to the past, but we have to seek a future where regional competitions would bring out the best in our country as it did during the First Republic.
“We seek, therefore, a true Federal Republic that would reflect fiscal federalism. We believe a review of the 2014 National Constitutional Conference would help you in charting the course.
“For the people of the South-West, restructuring also has a more pressing meaning. Today, Nigeria has a population of 200 million which would double in the next 25 years to 400 million.
“However, the South-West is facing an avalanche of migration from the other zones of the country to the extent that in 25 years, if the current trend continues, the South-West would be home to 50 per cent of the population of Nigeria.
“We need to be prepared so that our region would not be overwhelmed by imported challenges.
“We want each of the geopolitical zones to have greater responsibilities for security, food production and infrastructural development.
“Since the removal of fuel subsidy, which was costing Nigeria $10 billion yearly, the state governments have been receiving hefty allocations from the Federation account.
“Mr President should persuade the governors to allow this change of fortune for the states to reflect at the grassroots so that life can be better for our people. They should not just buy rice and yams for the people.
“Mr President, thank you for this visit. You owe a duty to posterity to serve Nigeria with all your strength and wisdom.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted on the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise yesterday (Sunday) despite calls by some opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension over concerns that millions of citizens could be excluded from the 2027 general elections.
In a notice issued on its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the commission reminded the public that the exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, with designated registration centres open from 9am to 3pm.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the Commission stated.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that they could complete the registration process online through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated INEC offices and registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.
The new Electoral Act stipulates that INEC is required to stop voter registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register 90 days before an election to allow for data clean-up, the printing of Permanent Voter Cards and other logistical preparations.
The law also requires the Commission to display the voters’ register for claims and objections within the stipulated period to enable eligible Nigerians to challenge omissions and errors and help ensure the credibility of the final register for the polls.
The INEC National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education, Mr Mohammed Haruna, told The Tide source that the Commission would not extend the deadline, stressing that the registration exercise had to close to allow the electoral body to begin cleaning the data already collected.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” he said.
Mr Haruna explained that the commission’s Information Technology team and the Voter Registration Department would begin processing the data immediately after the closure of the registration window.
He said INEC would deploy its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect and remove multiple registrations before the provisional voters’ register is displayed for public scrutiny.
“We have this automatic biometric system that will check whether somebody has registered more than once. They will publish the register for claims and objections. That is, if anybody thinks a name shouldn’t be on the register, or if he has some claims, for instance, that his name has been omitted or some of his details are incorrect,” he said.
According to him, the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the biometric verification and the claims and objections process.
“So, it’s after all that has been done that we will have a final figure, which we will now add to the existing 93 million or so. That will then become the voters’ register. We are mandated to give every political party a copy ahead of the election,” Mr Haruna added.
Responding to concerns over the number of Nigerians who may be excluded from the 2027 electoral process by the closure, the national commissioner said INEC could only account for eligible citizens who presented themselves for registration.
He added that the commission had recorded registrations through its online platform, physical registration centres and INEC offices across the 774 local government areas.
According to a public announcement signed by Mr Ariyo Rufus, Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity on behalf of Mr Oluwatoyin Babalola, the INEC Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the said exercise is aimed at assessing its operational readiness and testing the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the governorship poll.
INEC stated that the exercise would simulate Election Day accreditation procedures but clarified that no voting would take place during the exercise.
The commission explained that “the mock accreditation would be conducted in selected polling units spread across the three senatorial districts of Osun State, covering Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West.
“In Osun Central Senatorial District, the selected local government areas are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe, with designated polling units identified for the exercise.
“For Osun East Senatorial District, the exercise will take place in selected polling units across Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun local government areas.”
INEC also listed Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo local government areas as the selected councils for the mock accreditation exercise in Osun West Senatorial District.
The commission urged all registered voters whose polling units were selected to participate in the exercise, stressing that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be accredited.
“This exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under conditions similar to Election Day. There shall be no voting during the exercise,” the Commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its appreciation to residents of Osun State for their continued cooperation and support throughout the electoral process.
INEC also assured political parties, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.
Mr Dare made the remark while criticizing Alhaji Abubakar for hiring a United States of America lobbyist with $1.2 million, in preparation for the 2027 elections.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Dare said the former vice president can’t take Nigeria down the path of self-destruction.
The statement read in part: “Worse still, for a man who presumes to offer leadership to Africa’s most populous nation, his recent resort to grievance offshoring, outsourcing political warfare to Washington and reportedly paying $1.2 million to an American lobbying firm to peddle petitions against a sitting Nigerian President, stands as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a vote of no confidence in its democratic institutions.
“It is also a stinging slight, an implicit condescension directed at generations of Nigerian journalists, policy analysts, academics, and public intellectuals who have spent decades analysing, critiquing, and carrying the burden of the nation’s democratic evolution.
“The Atiku Abubakar of today cuts a pitiable figure, a grotesque portrait of what a politician becomes when ambition overwhelms judgment and every political faculty becomes programmed for self-destruction.
“No, Atiku cannot take Nigeria down that path with him. He must travel it alone. But first, Nigerians deserve Atiku Abubakar’s report card. Charity, they say, begins at home, not in Washington.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether the Atiku Abubakar who has long presented himself as a democrat is, in reality, a politician of many colours. He has erected for himself a throne built simultaneously on sand and bayonets. It is time to explode the bayonets.”
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