Politics
Boko Haram And Jonathan’s Presidency
It was reported that just two days to the inauguration of President Goodluck Obele Jonathan as the President of Nigeria on May 29th 2011, the Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN) claimed to have mobilised 500 witches to Abuja and other parts of Nigeria to prevent any tragic occurrence and ensure peaceful inauguration of the president.
According to reports, in a full page advert in some national newspapers, the witches and wizards said their decision was taken after an emergency meeting at Zuma rock, Niger State of Nigeria.
The Witches and Wizards Assocaition, according to the report also warned President Goodluck Jonathan to take adequate security as “bad people” and disgruntled politicians were planning to cause problem.
There is no gain saying the fact that Nigeria as a nation is at the cross roads of its political history.
Without giving recognition or impetus to the existence of witches and wizards or down-playing the powers and “prophesies of doom” by WITZAN, the prevailing activities and role of the radical and notorious Islamic Boko Haram appear to give credence to the witches and wizards association.
Coupled with the threats by some disgruntled politicians, particularly the Northern Elders or leaders Forum, to make Nigeria ungovernable, if a Northerner was not made (if not appointed) president-forgetting that Nigeria operates democratic system whereby the people elect their president and leaders.
The magnitude of corruption and the barbaric acts of the notorious Boko Haram Islamic sect believe to be sponsored by northern politicians to make good their threats geared against Christians from the South include the killing of Christians, youth corpers, the Suleja church bombing, and many other killings in Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Adamawa. All these are horrendous carnages inflicted not only on Christians but to make the nation ungovernable as President Goodluck Jonathan hails from the Niger Delta.
Intelligence reports had shown that there is coordination/cooperation between the Islamic sect, Boko Haram and al-Qaeda’s North African branch.
The bombing on Christmas Day (December 25, 2011) of the Catholic Church at Madalla gave proof to the link of the Boko Haram sect to the Al-Qaeda, a group believed to have sponsored the failed bombing of an American plane on Christmas Day in 2009 by a Northern Nigerian, Farouk Abdulmutalab.
It is against this back drop that the one week city-wide mega crusade organised by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Diocese of the Niger Delta North held in Port Harcourt from Monday 23rd to Sunday 29th, January 2012, becomes very relevant.
The crusade, which featured international Ministers including Bishop Albert Vum, Malaysia, Rt. Rev. Anthony Paggo, Bishop Episcopal Church of South Sudan, 1 Diocese of Kajo-Keji, Rev. Uma Ukpai, Nigeria and the Most Rev’d Ignatius C. O. Kattey, Archbishop, Ecclesiatical Province of Niger Delta and Bishop, Diocese of Niger Delta North, who was the host, was an expedition undertaken to recover and reposition the country and its people from satanic elements.
The crudade, which had as its theme “Jesus, The Greatest And The Best” was not just an annual religious ritual of the Diocese of the Niger Delta North, but was a vigorious and concerted effort against public evil and satanic manipulations epitomized by corruption, bombing and killings.
The crusade could be said to be an expedition under the Papal – the Most Rev’d Ignatius Kattey’s sanction against the nation’s socio-political and religious heresies.
Is it not indeed a religious heresy, if not, political treason for a religious sect in a country that allows freedom of worship and association to bomb government and public places?
It was Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) who asked “where is the man who owes noting to the land in which he lives? Whatever the land may be he owes to it the most precious thing possessed by man, the morality of his actions and the love of virtue.
What will the righteous do in times like this when those who owe nothing to the land holds the rest to ransom.
Whatever the nation may be, the righteous owes the land the most precious thing possessed by man, the morality of his/her action and the love of virtue.
Speaking at the opening day of the crusade, the Most Rev’d Kattey reiterated the power in the name of Jesus which, he said, remits sin, secures salvation and a strong tower in which individuals and nations run unto for security and peace.
He said, Jesus, who, is the greatest and the best secures, heals and delivers people and nation from all and every problem, be it political, social, religious, economic, health, poverty etc.
Moreover, he said the name of Jesus instills fear in satan and terrorizes satan’s kingdom.
There is no other option available to Nigeria as a nation at this point of its political history where if appear that God has shut up heaven and there is no rain and the locust-hunger, corruption, economic sabotage, disease, pestilence witchcraft and occultist manipulations, oppression have divoured the land than to return to God through Jesus Christ.
A situation whereby witches and wizards, which sole business is to steal, kill and destroy have come out openly to exact authority and influence over governance what will the righteous do? Where are the Elijahs of our time?
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Soye Young-Itiye
Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has directed his legal team to resume all court proceedings against Mrs. Tracy Ohiri over her repeated allegations of indebtedness and other claims against him.
Mrs Ohiri had publicly accused Senator Umahi of owing her N280 million for campaign materials from his tenure as party chairman in Ebonyi State.
The allegations went viral on social media, where she also accused the Minister of sexual harassment.
Security agencies arrested Mrs Ohiri, and she was subsequently prosecuted. Her lawyer, Barrister Marshall Abubakar, intervened, leading to the deletion of all posts and a public apology, which also gained widespread attention online.
However, days after the apology, Mrs Ohiri resumed her claims against Senator Umahi.
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Senator Umahi said he had informed Barrister Abubakar during the intervention that if Mrs Ohiri could provide verifiable evidence, logs, and communications from the period in question, some of his associates were willing to contribute a sum of One Billion Naira (N1billion) to her, evidence which, he said, she had yet to provide.
“The Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, has been monitoring the ongoing public discourse surrounding the claims and counterclaims by Mrs. Tracy Ohiri.
“Ordinarily, this would have been ignored, but in the interest of truth and public clarity, it is necessary to address the issues directly”, the statement read.
The statement clarified that Barrister Abubakar acted in good faith and without any financial interest, motivated solely by a desire to assist Mrs Ohiri.
At no point did the lawyer discuss or negotiate any payment with the minister, although some well-meaning associates independently offered support”, the statement added.
Senator Umahi reiterated the conditions for resolving the matter: either the claims must be tested in court, or Mrs Ohiri must provide credible evidence, including all relevant communications, to substantiate her allegations.
The minister emphasised that Barr Abubakar conducted himself with integrity throughout the process.
“Following the failure to meet these conditions, particularly the inability to provide verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes to ensure the truth is fully established,” the statement said.
Senator Umahi said despite years of public provocations and attacks, he chose to remain silent, focusing on national and state services.
He thanked Nigerians who had taken time to assess the facts and noted that “not everyone who presents themselves as a victim truly is one, and in some cases, narratives are deliberately inverted.”
The Minister affirmed that he will not be distracted by Mrs Ohiri’s allegations and remained committed to his mandate at the Ministry of Works.
“The focus remains on results, service, and ensuring that Nigerians continue to benefit from projects that improve connectivity, economic growth, and national development. This administration will continue to pursue its transformation agenda with dedication, transparency, and an unwavering sense of responsibility,” he concluded.
A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned proceedings in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions.
Justice Stephen Jumbo made the pronouncement during a recent sitting in Port Harcourt.
The suit, which borders on the legitimacy of the party’s leadership structure in the state, was instituted against the factional State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Aaron Chukwuemeka, alongside the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) and other respondents.
Also joined in the matter are the PDP as a corporate entity, the Rivers State Government, as well as Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt City and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas, including their respective Vice Chairmen and Councillors.
The claimants, Enyi Uchechukwu, Wisdom Kalio and Uche Amadi, approached the court via an originating summons seeking judicial interpretation on the validity of actions taken by the Chief Chukwuemeka-led state executive committee of the party.
Central to the dispute is whether the said executive committee, whose emergence the claimants contend has been nullified by a subsisting court judgment, retains the legal authority to act on behalf of the party in critical electoral matters.
The plaintiffs specifically urged the court to determine whether the factional leadership could validly submit a list of candidates to RSIEC for the purpose of participating in local government elections.
They further questioned the legitimacy of the PDP’s participation in the August 30, 2025 local government elections, contending that any list purportedly submitted by the factional leadership was invalid and of no legal consequence.
In addition to the declaratory reliefs sought, the claimants also prayed the court to grant consequential orders addressing the outcome and conduct of the said elections across the affected local government areas.
At the resumed hearing, counsel representing the PDP and the affected local government councils informed the court that they had only recently been served with the originating processes and accompanying documents.
The defence team, comprising several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), disclosed that service of the court processes was effected on March 13, 2026, leaving them with limited time to adequately prepare their responses.
Consequently, the defence counsel applied for an adjournment to enable them study the processes and address the legal issues raised, particularly as they relate to jurisdictional questions and points of law.
Counsel to the claimants, Glory Chizim-Chinda, did not oppose the application, following which the presiding judge granted the request and adjourned the matter to April 14, 2026, for the hearing of all pending motions, with a possible ruling expected ahead of the substantive suit.
By: King Onunwor
A former state lawmaker in the old the Rivers State, Professor Alex Eseimokumo, has described Nigerian opposition political parties as mere preposition political parties.
He also advised the country’s electorate against selling their votes during next year’s general elections.
The former legislator, who is also the president of the Institute for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Entrepreneurial Research, said this in an exclusive interview with The Tide on the sidelines of an event organized by the institute in Port Harcourt.
He said opposition political parties in Nigeria have been reduced to preposition political parties as most of them are not only dinning with the government but advising government on what to do to win election.
“The problem in Nigeria is we are not practicing politics the way it is supposed to be.The opposition are more in preposition.
“You see, opposition is supposed to find out things that are wrong in government but in our present day politics, you see opposition even dinning with the other group. So, there is basically nothing like opposition in Nigeria “, he said.
He lamented a situation where some individuals within the opposition are allegedly working hard to prevent their parties from fielding presidential candidates in the forthcoming election, adding that such individuals were only there to protect their personal interest.
Prof. Eseimokumo said as a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), he could not wish his party to fail in the election, even though nothing is impossible in Nigeria.
He noted that though the government in power has been trying it’s best, there was more to be done.
In his words, “I’m an APC member, so I don’t have the right to criticize my party but a word of advice: we still need to do more, more people oriented leadership where everybody will feel carried along.
“For now, I’m campaigning for APC to be re elected and if I stand here to say APC is not doing well, I’m not being fair to myself. But I think, with God all things are possible, there can be changes”.
On his assessment of the performances of governors of the Niger Delta states, Prof Eseimokumo said the governors were doing well within the limit of their resources.
” I don’t know what is given to them as allocation, but if what we are seeing in terms of window dressing is not window shopping, then they are doing well”, he said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Eseimokumo has advised Nigerian electorates against selling their votes during the forthcoming elections.
He said credible election could only be achieved when the electorates refuse financial inducement during the elections.
According to him, though Nigerian voters had been difficult to persuade, the time had come for them to stop selling their votes.
Prof. Eseimokumo said the forthcoming elections will serve as a litmus test for the Nigerian electorate to demonstrate their desire for changes in the country, stressing that free and fair elections will continue to be a mirage in the country until the was a change in the attitude of the electorate.
“If you want your vote to count, don’t take money from anybody; if you want your votes to count, don’t collect money for your vote. The moment you collect money for your vote, you have sold your conscience”, he warned.
He said his institute will continue to work for peace, not just in the Niger Delta region but across Nigeria.
By: John Bibor
