SUNDAY 5TH MARCH 2023

Former AGF, Aondoakaa, Insists Tinubu Must Score 25% in FCT to Be Declared Winner Says Supreme Court had determined the issue Ozekhome faults INEC for declaring APC candidate winner

Alex Enumah in Abuja

A former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of

Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), has maintained that before a candidate can be declared winner in a presidential election, that

candidate must score 25 per cent of the votes cast in the election in 2/3 of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

This is coming as a constitutional lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (INEC), faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission

(INEC) for going ahead to declare Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the President-elect, having not

scored the required 25 per cent in the FCT. Continued on page 5

Atiku Hails Media, US Senator for Standing with Nigerians, Democracy… Page 6 Sunday 5 March, 2023 Vol 28. No 10189

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APC Dominates N’Assembly with 57 Senators, 162 House Members Elected lawmakers to get Certificate of Return on Tuesday, Wednesday Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) has so far won majority seats in the two Chambers of the National Assembly, the Chairman of the Independent

National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has announced.

Yakubu said the ruling party won 57 seats in the Senate and 162 seats in the House of Representatives out of the 423

legislative results so far released by the commission.

The INEC boss, who disclosed this at a meeting with state Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in preparation for the March 11 governorship and

state Houses of Assembly elections, said the results from 98 senatorial districts and 325 House of Representatives seats have so far been released.

Yakubu said since the winners had been declared for 423 national

legislative seats, supplementary polls would be held in 46 constituencies.

He revealed that 98 out of 109 seats had been declared in the Senate, adding that seven political parties have won senatorial seats.

In contrast, he said in the House of Representatives, eight political parties have won 325 out of 360 seats.

According to him, seven Continued on page 5

INEC Admits Logistics, Technological Challenges, Others in Presidential, N’Assembly Elections Says RECs will be held responsible for flawed logistics Insists BVAS will be deployed for governorship, state assembly elections

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that issues of logistics, election technology, the behaviour of some election personnel at different levels, and the attitude of some party agents and supporters added to the extremely challenging environment in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who stated this yesterday at a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) held at the commission's headquarters in Abuja, warned that the RECs would be held responsible for the flawed logistics.

He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed for voter accreditation and result management, adding that the deployment of BVAS has gone a long way to sanitise voter

accreditation in recent elections.

Yakubu explained that since last week, the commission had intensified the technology review to ensure that glitches experienced, particularly with uploading results, are rectified.

He said yesterday's meeting aimed to review the commission's performance during the presidential and National Assembly elections and assess preparations for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

Yakubu stated: "No doubt, last week's national elections raised some issues that require immediate, medium, and long-term solutions. The planning for the election was painstakingly done.

However, its implementation came with challenges, some of them unforeseen.

"The issues of logistics, election technology, the behaviour of some Continued on page 5

See eCopy of THISDAY Style CONGRATULATIONS TO MR PRESIDENT-ELECT… L-R: Chairman, Geregu Power Plc, Mr. Femi Otedola; President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and President, Oando Group Plc, Mr. Wale on www.thisdaylive.com Tinubu, during a visit to congratulate the President-elect on his victory in the recent presidential election, in Abuja…weekend

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Buhari Leaves for Qatar to Attend UN Conference on Least-developed Countries To return on Wednesday

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday departed Abuja for the fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LCDs) in Doha, Qatar.

This followed an invitation by the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

According to a statement

issued by the presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, the conference, which is from 5th to 9th March 2023 under the theme: “From Potential to Prosperity,” holds once in a decade and provides an opportunity to garner support of the international community for accelerating sustainable development in the LDCs as well as assist them in making progress towards achieving

prosperity.

The statement further explains that while in Doha, President Buhari would reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the most vulnerable countries to meet their development challenges, highlighting areas through which the Nigerian government has provided them with various assistance over time.

The President’s spokesperson

added that as most of these countries struggle to find sustainable solutions to challenges of poverty, adverse effects of climate change, food, and energy crises as well as high-debt burden, among others, the President will vigorously reiterate the need for sustainable solutions for countries facing these severe challenges.

The Summit, which would be attended by world leaders,

the private sector, civil society, and youth organisations, aims to share developmental ideas and mobilise political would, solidarity, action, and solutions to transform the LDCs, by finding sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, food insecurity, hunger, weak or non-existent infrastructure, inadequate health facilities, climate change among others as they struggle to deliver on

the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

President Buhari’s delegation includes some ministers and top government officials who are expected to use the opportunity of the visit to sign some agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the Qatari government.

The President is expected to return to the country on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

INEC ADMITS LOGISTICS, TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES, OTHERS IN PRESIDENTIAL, N'ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS election personnel at different levels, the attitude of some party agents and supporters added to the extremely challenging environment in which elections are usually held in Nigeria."

Yakubu said the commission appreciated the sacrifice and doggedness of Nigerians and the dignity and maturity displayed by political leaders even in the context of divergent views about the election, saying many lessons have been learnt.

The chairman noted that of immediate concern to the commission was how the identified challenges could be

addressed as it approaches the concluding phase of the general election involving the largest number of constituencies –28 state governorship elections and 993 state Houses of Assembly seats.

He stated: "As we approach the governorship and state Assembly elections, we must work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election.

Nothing else will be acceptable to Nigerians.

"All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad hoc officials, including Collation and Returning Officers, must not be involved in forthcoming elections.

RECs must also immediately initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrongdoing has been established," he explained.

Yakubu said election day logistics must be finalised days before the election and handled by the Electoral Officers (EOs) at the local government level, saying this had been the standard practice.

According to him, centralising the process as was done in some states resulted in a delayed deployment of personnel and materials and late commencement of polls.

"RECs will be held responsible

FORMER AGF, AONDOAKAA, INSISTS TINUBU MUST SCORE 25% IN FCT TO BE DECLARED WINNER Aondoakaa, who stated this while appearing as a guest on ARISE NEWS Channel programme, maintained that this requirement had been the law and has not changed since the pronouncement of the Supreme Court in 2008.

There have been mixed reactions by lawyers on the issue since Wednesday when Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes, while Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party scored 6,101,533 votes.

While Tinubu and Atiku won 12 states each, Obi won 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while Kwankwaso defeated the three only in Kano State.

Of the three leading presidential candidates, only Obi won the FCT, which is believed to be a very strong constitutional requirement to become the President of Nigeria.

Obi scored 281,987 votes or 62 per cent of the total votes cast in the FCT, while Tinubu scored 90,902 or 20 per cent.

On his part, Atiku scored 73,743 votes, or 16 per cent of the total votes While the 1999 Constitution states that a presidential candidate must secure the highest number of votes cast at the election, it further added that the candidate must also secure not less than 25 per cent of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of all the states of the federation and the FCT. Though Tinubu scored the highest number of votes cast at the election and also polled at least 25 per cent of the valid votes in at least 24 states in line with the Constitution, the former Lagos State governor did not secure 25 per cent in the FCT. Specifically, Section 134 (2) states: "A candidate for an election to the Office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election: (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the

Federal Capital Territory, Abuja."

But while noting that the matter is already in court and, as such, he would not dwell deeply on it, the former AGF recalled that the Supreme Court had in 2008 in a suit involving the current President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the then President, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, resolved the issue of the 25 per cent in 2/3 of the states of the federation and the FCT. "It's a very difficult situation, but the matter has been interpreted before, around 2008, in a matter involving the current President," he said, adding that "the pronouncement then was that the 'and' is used conjunctively; that was the interpretation then.

"Maybe the Supreme Court may have another look since it was a long time ago, but as of now, that is the interpretation.

"The interpretation was that the states and the Federal Capital Territory shall be construed conjunctively. In order words, you must get 25 per cent in 2/3 and 25 per cent in the FCT if you go by the interpretation of the Supreme Court in 2008.

"But I know the Supreme Court has a right to depart from his previous decisions if the justices of the case demand so.

"I don't know if confronted with a similar situation they will follow their own decision or depart from it," he added.

Meanwhile, a constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ozekhome (SAN), has faulted INEC for declaring Tinubu as the president-elect having not scored the required 25 per cent in the FCT. "The Constitution says you must get 25 per cent in 24 states, and in FCT, Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not score 25 per cent in the FCT, and since he didn't score 25 per cent in the FCT, he should not have been declared president as INEC wrongly did," he said.

While claiming that the February 25 presidential election was not free, fair, and credible, Ozekhome pointed out that Tinubu would continue to "carry a very heavy, strong burden of legitimacy and lack of it on his neck like an albatross; it doesn't require demonstration or protest on the street; the issue is a moral burden on him."

The senior lawyer noted that in seeking 25 per cent in 2/3 of all the states of the federation and the FCT, the Constitution clearly distinguished the FCT as a separate entity or a special territory, wherein the presidential candidate needs to obtain at least 25 per cent of the total votes cast in the election.

"The framers of the Constitution certainly desired for Nigeria a President that is widely accepted with a national spread and not one that has only the support of his tribe or region. Hence they provided in the Constitution the sections relating to the election of the President because of our peculiarities as a multi-diverse and multi-facetted nation.

"The provisions contained in Section 134 of the Constitution are meant to reflect this. In the same light, the framers of the Constitution viewed the FCT as a melting pot, a sort of mini-Nigeria. Thus, as a commentator posited, the position or status of the FCT assumes that of a compulsory question that a presidential candidate must answer in the electoral examination.

"The only logical conclusion is that sections 134 and 299 are not mutually exclusive or contradictory.

Rather, Section 299 supports and complements section 134. To show this distinctiveness, FCT has never conducted any elections, either for gubernatorial candidates or state Houses of Assembly members, as done by states. Rather, under Section 301 of the Constitution, the FCT is governed by the President with an appointed Minister as his proxy in the form of Minister of the FCT. Likewise, the FCT does not have its own state House of Assembly but legislates through the National Assembly. This, therefore, speaks to its distinct status, which is not affected by section 299.

"Whether Abuja is regarded as a full state, pseudo-state, quasi-State, or semi-State, is immaterial. Even if it is none of these, the intention of the Constitution-makers matters if in their wisdom, they decided to reckon with the votes cast in even a single LGA in Nigeria, along with votes cast in the 36 states recognised under the 1999 Constitution, to decide the winner of a presidential election, then the six Area Councils in the FCT cannot be treated lesser or ignored," the senior lawyer explained.

for any tardy arrangement or the failure to deploy electric power generators to collation centres or polling units where such facilities are needed. The commission has enough facilities in all the states of the federation. Failure to deploy them is inexcusable," he said.

He announced that refresher training must be conducted for ad hoc staff that participated in the last election, saying where they are replaced for a good reason, they must be properly trained so that processes are not delayed or

compromised at any stage.

His words: "Arising from last week's election, the commission has received reports from our State offices and complaints and petitions from political parties and candidates. Where infractions of any kind are proven, there will be redress. I must add that any action taken by the commission is without prejudice to the rights of parties and candidates to seek further remedy as provided by law.

"On election day technology, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation

System (BVAS) will again be deployed for voter accreditation and result management. The deployment of BVAS has gone a long way to sanitise voter accreditation, as can be seen from the result of recent elections.

"Since last week, the commission has intensified the technology review to ensure that glitches experienced, particularly with the upload of results, are rectified.

We are confident that the system will run optimally going forward," Yakubu explained

FG, UNICEF Urge Broadcast Organisations to Prioritise Children Programmes Kuni Tyessi in Abuja To ensure that airwaves are accessible to children, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has harped on the need for broadcast organisations to give quality attention to children's programmes.

This is coming as 18 million of the country's children aged between five and 14 years are not in school.

The organisations said this in a statement ahead of the 2023 International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) and with the theme 'More money for primary education.'

The statement jointly issued by the

Director/Head Advocacy (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mercy Megwa, and UNICEF communications specialist Dr. Geoffrey Njoku also said children should be allowed to participate in the programming process.

According to the statement, despite primary education being officially free and compulsory in Nigeria, 18 million children aged between five and 14 years are not in school.

"In Nigeria, primary education is officially free and compulsory, but 18 million children aged between five and 14 years are not in school."

Only 61 per cent of six-year-old children regularly attend primary school.

The statement also said adequate funding of primary education would create an enabling environment for increased demand for qualitative education, which is the bedrock of enhanced knowledge, improved behaviour, and children's personal growth.

"We, therefore, enjoin broadcasters to open airwaves to the children for this year's celebration and throughout the year and also to produce documentaries that highlight the plight of children in Nigeria."

UNICEF created the International Children's Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) in 1991. It is celebrated on the first Sunday in March of every year.

Makinde: Why Oyo Residents Supported Tinubu Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, yesterday gave reasons why Senator Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the state in the presidential election that was held on February 25 and expressed happiness for being part of the process that “redrew the electoral map of Nigeria.”

Makinde, who spoke when he was featured on Splash FM’s State Affairs with Desmond Obilo, said he stood for equity and fairness.

Tinubu polled 449,884 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 182,977 votes in Oyo State.

“I supported fairness, justice, and equity. I supported a united Nigeria, a Nigeria that gives opportunity to every part of this country,” Makinde said.

When he was told that he had

delivered his ward to Tinubu, Makinde said, “He (Tinubu) defeated me out there. How do you deliver your ward?”

He said democracy was about people expressing themselves through the ballot, saying many people in Oyo voted who they wanted. “That is what they decide to do.”

“You know, you allow people to express themselves. A lot of our people - that is what they decided to do. They decided that look, we want after eight years of presidency in the North, they want it to come to the South and this place being South-West, one of theirs was a candidate; so they supported one of their own.”

The governor added that when one goes into a contest, they have to situate things appropriately, adding, “We had a survey before that election; we knew that many of our people are agitating for a

country where there is fairness, equity, and justice. I pointed it out to our party.”

“I am glad that I am a part of a process that redrew the electoral map of Nigeria. I believe that arrogance, with the result of last Saturday’s election, is behind us.

Now we know that people will have to seek alignment. If you want to rule this country, you are not just going to say oh, because I am from a certain part of this country, then that is the only qualification I require to rule this country. Now, you have to build bridges and reach out to others.”

Five of the PDP governors, including Makinde, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and their leader, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, did not campaign for the candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, before the presidential election.

APC DOMINATES N’ASSEMBLY WITH 57 SENATORS, 162 HOUSE MEMBERS political parties have won senatorial seats while in the House of Representatives, 325 out of 360 seats have been won by eight political parties”.

He noted that the 10th Assembly would be the most diverse party representation since 1999.

Yakubu explained that in the Senate, the All Progressives Congress (APC) won 57 seats; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 29 seats; Labour Party won six; New Nigerian Peoples

Party (NNPP) won two; Social Democratic Party (SDP) also won two; the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Young Peoples Party (YPP) won one each.

Also, in the House of Representatives, Yakubu said the APC won 262, PDP 102; LP 34; APGA four; African Democratic Congress (ADC), and SDP won two each while YPP won one.

Yakubu added: "Certificates of Return will be presented to Senators-elect on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 11.00 am at the

National Collation Centre (the International Conference Centre), Abuja, while the members of the House of Representatives-elect will receive theirs the following day, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 11.00 am at the same venue."

The INEC boss stressed that for effective crowd management, each senator/member-elect should be accompanied by a maximum of commission's two guests, adding that the comprehensive list of all members-elect would be uploaded to the website shortly.

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DADDY GO AT 81...

L-R: Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; and his wife, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, at the Special Holy Ghost Service in celebration of Pastor Adeboye's 81st birthday at the Redemption City in Mowe, Ogun State… weekend

Atiku Hails Media, US Senator for Standing with Nigerians, Democracy Chuks Okocha in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has hailed a ranking member of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch, for pointing out that Nigeria's recently concluded presidential election was fraught with irregularities.

He also hailed Risch for criticising the US government over its decision to hurriedly embrace the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu as the president-elect, despite damning reports from election observers.

Senator Risch had said: "The ongoing electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by the election observers and many Nigerians. It is disappointing to see the administration rush to embrace the result while the full picture of what occurred during this electoral process is yet to be seen.

"I've expressed concerns about other areas of our relationship with the Nigerian government. I worry this rush to judgment will undermine our ability to be an effective partner to all Nigerians, especially given their longstanding desire for democracy."

Responding in a statement issued yesterday, Atiku's Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, said posterity would be kind to Senator Risch for siding with the people of Nigeria even against the US government.

"Senator Risch's name will be etched in the minds of Nigerians forever. Posterity will be kind to him for speaking up at this crucial point in history. His action is reminiscent of the late US Ambassador, Walter Carrington, who acted as an activist, insisting on the June 12 mandate from 1993 to 1997 during the repressive regime of General Sani Abacha.

"Senator Risch has confirmed what objective observers revealed.

And that is that the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria was a sham, a usurpation of the will of the people, and a stain on the history of Nigeria."

Atiku also commended the Guardian Newspaper of London, the Financial Times of London,

and a national newspaper for their strongly worded editorials, where they described in detail what happened in the so-called election of February 25.

Atiku noted that the Financial Times, in its editorial titled, 'Nigeria's Badly Flawed Election Fails to Set an Example,' dismissed the poll for its sham.

"What Nigeria needed above all was a clean election to reiterate the basic message of democracy: that a sovereign people can choose its leaders. Sadly, it did not happen.

The election – which appears to have delivered the Presidency to Bola Tinubu, a wealthy political fixer running for the incumbent All Progressives Congress – was badly managed at best. It failed to set the example needed for West Africa," The Financial Times stated.

It added, "INEC badly misfired.

Voting started late in many districts, depriving millions of voting rights.

The system to upload the results from 177,000 polling stations stuttered, causing legitimate concerns of vote tampering during long delays. Violence was troubling.

Party goons invaded many polling stations in what appeared to be blatant acts of intimidation. The Financial Times witnessed armed men remove a presidential ballot box in Surulere, Lagos."

He also commended the Nigerian national newspaper (not THISDAY) for its scathing editorial, describing in graphic detail how thugs acting on the instruction of the APC used violence to intimidate voters in Lagos.

According to Atiku, the Nigerian paper particularly stated, "In Ikate, Lagos, gunmen invaded a centre, scattered the voting materials, causing voters to flee. The soldiers nearby saved the day. There was also violence in Oshodi and Okota, compounded by the late arrival of materials in polling centres, which was reportedly instigated by a faction of the road transport union that refused to move materials.

Thugs threatened those who refused to vote for the All Progressives Congress in Shitta, Surulere, Lagos."

Shaibu argued that the crown that Tinubu was wearing was stained with the blood of innocent Nigerians who were bold enough to resist the APC on the day of

the election.

He added: "Tinubu's pyrrhic victory will be short-lived. The stolen crown balances on his head precariously. He will continue to shake until he drops it. It is funny that Lagos was the fulcrum of Tinubu's campaign as he promised

to replicate the miracle of Lagos across Nigeria. Yet, the people of Lagos rejected him on the day of the election.

"Tinubu lost in Ikeja local government, where he had voted, and in Bourdillon, Ikoyi, where he lives. Rather than accept the

people's will, he unleashed thugs on those he claimed to love. Jennifer Efidi Bima was hit in the face

by Tinubu's hounds in Surulere.

Her blood-stained ballot paper is a testament to the people's resolve as he still lost in Lagos despite the violence.

"Ahead of the governorship election, Tinubu will once again relocate to Lagos, where he will try to unleash violence on the people to ensure that his puppet, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is re-elected. Nigerians must rise against such tyranny," the statement added.

Court Grants Labour Party's Request on e-Transmission of Governorship Election Results in Lagos Orders INEC to use BVAS Wale Igbintade Ahead of the weekend's governorship and house of assembly elections, a Federal High Court in Lagos has granted an order mandating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and all the presiding officers of polling units to electronically transmit or transfer the result of the polling units direct to the collation system.

The court also ordered the electoral body to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to upload a scanned copy of the EC8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) immediately after the completion of all the polling units' voting and results procedures.

The court presided over by Justice Peter Lifu also ordered INEC to paste the publication of result poster EC60(E) of each polling unit conspicuously after completing the EC8A result sheet of the March 11 governorship election in Lagos State.

Justice Lifu made the above orders on Friday, sequel to a motion ex-parte marked: FHC/L/CS/370/2023 filed

by Labour Party, its governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, and 37 others.

Other applicants in the suit are Chukwunike James Onoosi; Wakwe John Victor; Omorodion Dorcas; Adeniyi Jarojo: Akinropo Abdullahi; Ezekiel Akintunde; Awe Dupe Adebola; Stella Osafile; Doherty David; Funke Awolowo; Ojora Ramon Aliu; Mr. O Ogunsanya; Oladele Egbeyalo; Okoya Mobolatan Asafa, among others.

INEC is the only defendant in the suit.

The judge also made an order of mandamus compelling the INEC to enforce the observance and compliance of Section 27(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 in the distribution of electoral materials during the conduct of the Lagos State governorship and House of Assembly election on March 11, 2023, by engaging the services of independent, competent, and reliable logistic companies who are nonpartisans or known supporters of any political party for the distribution of electoral materials and personnel.

The applicants, through their lawyer, Mr. Abass Arisekola Ibrahim, had approached the court by a motion ex-parte marked: FHC/L/ CS/370/2023, seeking the following: "A declaration that the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022 made pursuant to Section 148 of the Electoral Act 2022 is constitutional, valid, lawful and ought to be strictly complied with for the conduct of the general election 2023.

"A declaration that the defendant and all its agents and/or their privies or any persons acting under their directions are bound to comply with and enforce the provision of Clause 37 of the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on March 11, 2023, to wit: mandating the presiding officer of all polling unit to paste the publication of result poster EC60 (E) at the polling units conspicuously after completing the EC8A result sheet.

"A declaration that the defendant

and its agents and their privies or any persons acting under their directions are bound to comply with and enforce the provision of clause 38 of the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on March 11, 2023, to wit: Mandating the presiding officer of all polling units to transmit or transfer the result of the polling units electronically, direct to the collation system and use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to upload a scanned copy of the EC8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) immediately after the completion of all the polling units' voting and results procedures.

"A declaration that the defendant is bound to enforce the observance and compliance of Section 27(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 in the distribution of electoral materials during the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly election in Lagos State on March 11, 202,3 by engaging the services of independent, competent, and reliable logistic companies who are nonpartisans or known supporters of any political party for the distribution of electoral materials and personnel.

"An order of mandamus directing and/or compelling the defendant and all its agents and/or their privies or any persons acting under their directions to comply with and enforce the provision of clause 37 of the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on publication of result

poster EC60(E) at the polling units conspicuously after completing the EC8A result sheet, "An order of mandamus directing and compelling the defendant and all Its agents and their privies or any persons acting under their directions to comply with and enforce the provision of clause 38 of the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022 for the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly elections in Lagos State on March 11, 2023, to wit: mandating the presiding officer of all polling units to transmit or transfer the result of the polling units electronically, direct to the collation system and use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to upload a scanned copy of the EC8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IRev) immediately after the completion of all the polling units, voting and results procedures.

"An order of mandamus directing and/or completing the defendant to enforce the observance and compliance of Section 27(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 in the distribution of electoral materials during the conduct of the governorship and House of Assembly election in Lagos State on March 11, 2023, by engaging the services of independent, competent, and reliable logistic companies who are nonpartisans or known supporters of any political for the distribution of electoral materials and personnel."

The applicants supported the motion ex-parte with an affidavit deposed to by their lawyer and a written address also signed by their lawyer.

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SEEKING SUPPORT FROM CHURCH LEADERS… L-R: Bishop Sam Oyede; Archbishop Gimbright Adaigho; Bishop of Isoko Diocese, Rt. Revd. John Aruakpor; President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Kingsley Enakirerhi; and Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, during a meeting with Isoko Church Leaders Council at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area of the state …weekend

Afenifere Urges Tinubu Not to Disappoint Nigerians Unite every ethnic group, Fasoranti tells former Lagos gov Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The apex Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, not to disappoint Nigerians but to hit the ground running and live up to his words.

The leader of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, has also congratulated the Presidentelect and advised Tinubu to avoid making mistakes by his predecessors by ensuring that every ethnic group is united in his administration.

In a congratulatory message signed by Afenifere’s Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group said a lot is expected from the incoming administration.

“The incoming administration must hit the ground running with sustainable welfarist programmes, ousting terrorism and banditry, and putting an end to nepotism with round pegs in round holes,” Afenifere said in the statement.

“The administration must bring down the hyperinflation

in the country, make sure fuels are available at very low prices, and artificial bottlenecks in the financial sector resulting in cash crunch are removed.

“It must create an atmosphere for all Nigerians to realise their potentials wherever they are and without infringing on the rights of fellow Nigerians, especially natives of a given area as is happening in some parts of the country presently.

“It is hoped that the Bola Tinubu government will not disappoint Nigerians. It will govern in a manner that will make citizens speak with pride at being a Nigerian, as he promised in his acceptance speech.

“We are confident that Tinubu can accomplish these as he promised.

“We are hopeful that he will be able to harness the requisite political and sundry other wills to give us a truly federal Nigeria where people are truly in control of their affairs.”

Afenifere described Tinubu’s victory as one that should further

Lagos Govt: Why We Opposed Exhuming Chrisland Student’s Remains Segun James The Lagos State Ministry of Justice has explained why it would oppose exhuming the remains of the late Chrisland Secondary School student, Whitney Adeniran.

The state government had confirmed the cause of her death as asphyxia and electrocution in a proven autopsy conducted by Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

Recall that she died during the school’s inter-house sports activities on Thursday, February 9, at the Agege Stadium.

The Director, Public Affairs of the ministry, Alo Grace, said in a statement issued yesterday that “Adeniran’s death was as a result of asphyxia and electrocution, as indicated by an autopsy conducted

by Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

“The Lagos State Ministry of Justice is aware of the current ongoing dialogue about the alleged

plans to exhume the body of the late Whitney Omodesola Adeniran, a student of Chrisland Schools whose death as revealed by the autopsy, conducted by Lagos State University Teaching Hospital was as a result of asphyxia and electrocution,” the statement reads in part.

“While we have not received any such official communication requesting for exhumation, however, if and when we do receive such a request, we shall be opposed to it.

“In any event, the circumstances for exhumation under the Coroners’ Systems Law, 2015 do not arise in this case. We do not intend to traumatise the deceased’s family further.”

Meanwhile, the ministry noted that it was working closely with the police, who had reportedly given their reassurance that the duplicate case file would be forwarded on Monday, March 6, 2023, to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to aid the speedy issuance of legal advice.

unify the country.

“Garnering substantial votes from five of the six geo-political zones demonstrates that the mandate given to Tinubu and his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima, can re-invent Nigeria as a truly federal yet united country,” the group said.

“A country in which every section and every citizen would have a sense of belonging without regard to any other consideration such as religion, language spoken or where the person comes from, etc.”

The group asked Tinubu to embark on policies that would heal “the deep wounds in the country” as soon as he was sworn in.

A splinter faction of the group,

Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), has also congratulated Tinubu, saying his victory at the poll did not come to it as a surprise because it was a product of hard work, vision, and the sacrifice he pioneered over 30 years ago.

In a congratulatory message by its Ekiti State Publicity Secretary, Prince Michael Ogungbemi, the ARG noted that Tinubu’s unquestionable pan-Nigerian stand gave him an edge in the contest.

The group expressed confidence his reign would return Nigeria to the surest path of greatness, economic prosperity, and radical turnaround in all spheres of human life.

On his part, the leader of

Afenifere, Pa Fasoranti, has advised Tinubu to avoid making mistakes by his predecessors by ensuring that every ethnic group is united in his administration.

While urging aggrieved parties to seek redress in court and allow Tinubu to settle down, he told the President-elect also to prove him right.

This was contained in a congratulatory letter addressed to Tinubu by the Afenifere leader and made available to journalists yesterday.

According to the letter, Fasoranti commended Tinubu for his doggedness and determination to achieve victory at the poll.

The letter read, “I did marvel

at your doggedness, selfdetermination, self-assuredness, strong belief in self, ability to overcome daunting and ever surging challenges.

“I was also amazed at God’s grace on you that gave you the strength of character and such abundance of energy, that enabled you to navigate through all the ever emerging intricate problems, and made it possible for you to, against the wishes of some people, traverse successfully all the states of the federation, during the energy sapping marathon presidential campaigns. I am glad to know that your hard-earned victory had a very good national spread,” Fasoranti explained.

Rhodes-Vivour: I'm an Omo Eko Proper, True Son of My Father

Ayodeji Ake

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said he is an original Lagosian and the true son of his father, a lawyer, Mr. Olawale Rhodes-Vivour.

Rhodes-Vivour was reacting to a viral message claiming he is an Igbo man, purporting that he was born out of wedlock and not raised by his father.

"I am a Lagos boy, an Omo Eko Proper, no doubt! To those doubting my Yoruba pedigree, I advise you to read Lagos history if, as a Lagosian, you don't know the Rhodes-Vivour family pedigree and our stellar contributions to the development of Lagos - foremost legal luminaries and judges from the 1800s such as Steven Bankole Rhodes, to my uncle the Supreme Court Judge Bode Rhodes-Vivour and my father, Barrister Olawale Rhodes –Vivour, a lawyer.

"The land upon which City Hall is built belongs to my family. My great parents' estate owned the largest plantation in Lagos. I am an original Omo onile olona of Lagos. With so many high flyers in this Yoruba family that I have to emulate and surpass, I hardly have time for the 1939 April Fool's day joke that ignited the Yoruba versus Igbo rivalry and its current

divisive effects," he said.

Rhodes-Vivour pointed out, "My focus is on how to uplift Lagos, my beloved state of birth and lineage, by resolving the perennial Lagos traffic problem by building four new rail lines in four years, whose multiplier effects would create jobs throughout our economy, resolving the massive unemployment and underemployment that is the 'Agbero' culture.

"Provide housing and social services, all of which you can read in my manifesto. Therefore the Yoruba-Igbo tribal card is a ploy by our political opponents to disunite and distract our people from ending 24 years of Lagos' arrested economic and political development by the Tinubu cabal."

Admitting that his father is Yoruba and his mother is Igbo, Rhodes-Vivour noted, "In Yorubaland, a child is that of the father. Omo Eko ni mi, I am the true son of my father."

"Right from childhood, I noticed that there wasn't much difference between Yorubas and Igbo as we share hundreds of the same words - Okuta/Okwute (stone), Imu/Imi (nose), Akuko/Okuko (chicken), Omo/Umu (child), Ifa/ Afa and over a hundred other words even after thousands of years of dispersal. Economics and culture still tie us together, and love between

thousands of Yoruba-Igbo families, from the Rhodes-Vivour, Funsho Williams, Agbaje, and many other Lagos families, to across Yorubaland with the Adelekes, Alade, etc."

The LP candidate continued: "As I educated myself and became conscious, I learnt that Yoruba and Igbo and all Southern and Middle Belt groups share the same genetic and cultural origins. With more similarities than differences, we are the same people. Every Yoruba and Igbo town was founded and settled, according to our common knowledge bank Ifa/Afa, the world's oldest knowledge bank. Genetic evidence shows Yoruba and Igbo share the same genetic and cultural origins as Ife. Ooni of Ife and Obi of Onitsha stated that Igbos once lived in Ife. We are a continuum of dialects that spread from Ife to South Africa. The Ezeani IIi of Mmaku, Enugu, said that if all Blacks were Catholics, Ooni of Ife is our Pope."

He added: "It was the colonists that divided the Original African civilization, essentially made up of a continuum of dialects known as the Niger-Congo ethnolinguistic family that spread to South Africa. It was colonists that created and inspired divisive tribal perspectives. On April Fool's day, April 1st, 1939, while leaving the much larger Northern Protectorate intact to break up the National Youth Movement and

budding liberation movement evolving from Lagos, the British colonists broke up the Southern Protectorate into East and West regions and instigated rancour between Yorubas and Igbos till today.

Once again, this time, as Nigerian Youth unite under the umbrella of the 'Obidient' movement for economic and political emancipation, the Tinubu cabal, the modern-day enslavers, and colonizers of Lagos want to divide us with tribalism.

"The political collaboration between Herbert Macaulay and Nnamdi Azikiwe, which fuelled the Black liberation movement, was split with Yoruba and Igbo rivalry after Macaulay's death.

This time, my generation is more consciously progressive, with successful collaborations between Olamide and Phyno and millions of others in tech and business. And unfortunately, Yoruba and Igbo jointly suffer Tinubu's cabal-arrested development."

He emphasised: "I, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is an embodiment of the successful unity of Yoruba, Igbo, and other Nigerians that propelled the 'Obidient' political liberation movement, and I am calling you to come out to vote for the freedom, progress, and harmony we deserve, and for a new Lagos that would set the pace for a new Nigeria. Eko e dide."

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MOBILISATION… L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Samuel Egube; Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; former Speaker, state House of Assembly, Hon Adeyemi Ikuforiji; and member-elect, House of Representatives for Ajeromi Ifelodun Federal Constituency, Hon. Paul Kalejaiye; at the B.O.S for Participatory Governance Stakeholders’ meeting at the Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area, Ajegunle, Lagos…yesterday

ISWAP Kills 200 Boko Haram Terrorists, Women, Children in Borno

Kingsley Nweze in Abuja

No fewer than 200 Boko Haram fighters, including women and children, were killed by the Islamic State of the West Africa Province (ISWAP) in a deadly rivalry clash in the Gudumbali Local Government Area of Borno State.

It was gathered that the ISWAP insurgents targeted hundreds of the Boko Haram terrorists and their families at Choliye village, located in the northern part of the state, while fleeing ISWAP attacks.

Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in Lake Chad, reported how the terrorists fled their enclaves between February 26 and 27, 2023, amidst deadly attacks targeting their enclaves in Gaizuwa, otherwise known as Mantari, Gabchari, Kashimiri, and Maimusari in Bama Local Government Area of the state.

A military source familiar

with the development told Makama that the sustained attacks had led to the dislodgement of hundreds of the fighters.

The sources said the Boko Haram terrorists, who scampered to safety, ran towards the Mandara Mountains in the Gwoza axis to seek refuge. In contrast, others fled towards Konduga, Mafa, Dikwa, Gajiram, and the Lake Chad shores.

Some of the surviving Boko Haram leaders who fled the attack due to the ISWAP’s superior fighting capacity included Abbah Tukur, the Khaid of Mantari and Maimusari; Abu Isa, Khalid of Ngauri; Alhaji Ali Hajja Fusami, the newly appointed Khalid of Garin Abu Ikliima and Abu Ali, among others.

According to multiple sources, ISWAP immediately mobilised more fighters to go after the fleeing Boko Haram,

who were later intercepted at Choliye village, where they opened fire and killed 200 of them, including their family members, mostly women and children.

The source said that the onslaught against Boko Haram continued in the Asinari, Ashanari, and Masarmari areas in Konduga, where scores of the fighters were killed in the attacks coordinated on March 1 by one Ba’ana Chingori of the ISWAP. In Yale, a village in Konduga LGA, ISWAP Commander Modu Bashir Okocha led another team of ISWAP to attack another Boko Haram position and, as a result, killed 15 of them, seizing their weapons and motorcycles.

The fierce onslaught had forced hundreds of the Boko Haram fighters and their families to surrender to the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Mafa, Konduga, and

other parts of the theatre while some of them managed to flee through Mafa to Dikwa, Abadam, as well as the Niger Republic in the Lake Chad region.

Some of the fighters escaped to the camp of Bakura Wulgo, a.k.a Abou Oumaymah, in the axis of Marte and Krenowa.

In contrast, others ran to the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza to seek refuge and protection from Ali Ngulde.

The ongoing rivalry clash between JAS and ISWAP seems unending as several efforts by the groups to merge forces against the Nigerian military, and Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) appear impossible.

So far, ISWAP and Boko Haram have failed to increase the workforce and equipment needed to sustain their nefarious activities as they attacked each other, inflicting heavy casualties among

Sokoto APC, PDP Trade Blames Ahead of Governorship Election Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto Exactly six days to the 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections across the country, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State have accused each other of conspiring with security agencies in the state to scuttle the electoral process.

The APC, in a press conference held at the party's secretariat and addressed by its chairman, Isa Sadiq Acida, accused the PDP in the state of conspiring with security agencies to deploy armed men to polling units to attack voters and voting agents during the recently concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.

Acida further alleged that the same people sent out of the PDP by the Governor Aminu Tambuwal-led administration turned out to have played a significant role in its downfall.

The party called on INEC to investigate the actions of some of its Ad Hoc and permanent staff, "which we believe connived with the PDP in the last election to deliberately delay the arrival of voting materials to the polling units and placed artificial clogs to the voting process, in areas where the APC has a large following.

"We also urge the security agencies to investigate incidents of deliberate destruction of ballot boxes, find out who destroyed the boxes, who their sponsors are, and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book."

But the PDP, during a stakeholders' meeting in the state, called on its members across the state to ensure that their votes are protected against rigging or manipulation.

The stakeholders' meeting was attended by the leaders of the party in the state, including Governor Aminu

Waziri Tambuwal, his Deputy, Muhammad Manir Dan'iya, and the party's campaign DG, as well as former ministers, among many others.

PDP said it had thoroughly reviewed all infractions noticed during the presidential election and vowed never again to allow foul means to usurp power as it did in the past.

The party leaders berated the action of security agencies, especially the Nigerian police, which it said allowed themselves to be used by the state's campaign DG of the APC, who is also the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.

Speaking on the issue, the state governor, Tambuwal, urged the security agencies to be professional, stressing that any further attempt to intimidate the people in the forthcoming elections would be resisted.

"All of you know what happened last Saturday. We

were winning overwhelmingly when the APC thugs invaded the polling units at the watch of security agencies," he stated.

"These thugs rendered most of the election in many polling units inconclusive.

"Our party, the PDP, therefore, resolves that in as much as it remains a law-abiding political party, conducting its affairs strictly within the ambit of our nation's electoral laws; the party will henceforth resist rigging.

"We will henceforth directly and physically confront and resist the election riggers from always having a field day by truncating our nascent democracy.

"Consequently, the PDP directs all its agents, its officials to be vigilant in all polling units to avoid repeating what happened last Saturday," the governor explained.

He called on President Muhammad Buhari to caution erring security officials.

themselves.

On December 6, 2022, Boko Haram carried out one of the most devastating attacks, killing 33 wives of Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) militants in Sambisa Forest.

On December 31, a faction of Boko Haram attacked an armory base of the ISWAP at Toumbum Allura Kurnawa and Kangar by the shores of Lake Chad. Bakoura led the attack, resulting in the killing of several ISWAP terrorists and the seizure of a large number of weapons.

Against this backdrop, the ISWAP leadership led by its IMAM Abu Mosab Albarnawi fled Nigeria to Somalia, Mali, and Burkina Faso to seek the support of

other terrorist partners to save their self-acclaimed Daula from collapsing.

Due to its in-house leadership crisis, the Boko Haram faction has been on the receiving end within the past few weeks.

The sack of Mallam Ibrahim Shuwa, aka IKIRIMA, and the appointment of Alhaji Ali Hajja Fusami by Ali Ngulde as a commander did not go well with many fighters within Sambisa Forest who were believed to be undermining the JAS groups.

The task ahead of the newly elected president of Nigeria will focus on a full-time military offensive around the shores of the Lake Tchad sub-region, including part of the Niger Republic and Cameroon

Buhari Condoles with Abacha's Family over Demise of Son, Abdullahi Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has extended heartfelt condolences to the former First Lady, Mrs. Maryam Abacha, and family on the death of their son, Abdullahi.

Thirty-six-year-old Abdullahi Abacha, was the son of the late former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

Abdullahi was the second to the last son of the late Nigerian military ruler.

His death was announced yesterday by Gumsu Sani Abacha, his sister, via a tweet.

According to the post, Abdullahi died in the early hours of the day.

“Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. I lost my younger brother Abdullahi Sani Abacha,” she wrote.

Gumsu disclosed that her younger brother died at the family’s Nelson Mandela Street residence in Abuja.

“May Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him jannatul firdous, Ameen. Please include him in your prayers,” she added.

His brother, Mahmud Abacha, the fourth son of the late Nigerian leader, has also reportedly confirmed the sad

news in a terse post.

He wrote: “I just lost my brother, Abdullahi. May his soul rest in Jannatil Firdaus.”

The cause of death was unknown as he was said to be hale and hearty on Friday night. He died peacefully in his sleep.

The funeral prayer was held by 4 pm at the National Mosque, Abuja, on Saturday, 4 March.

In a condolence message issued yesterday, the presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu stated that Buhari’s prayers and thoughts are with the family of Abacha as they grieve over the passing of the young Abdullahi.

According to Shehu, the president prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and comfort for those who mourn.

Born in 1987, the deceased was one of the nine children left behind by the late military leader.

Captain Jamil Abubakar, a friend of the deceased, wrote on Twitter: “Innalillahi wainnailaihirraju’un. We just lost one of our course mates and friend, Abdullahi Sani Abacha. He was NMS97, our set; he was in Delta company.

Condolences to his family, friends and coursemates.”

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News Editor: Gboyega Akinsanmi E-mail: gboyega.akinsanmi@thisdaylive.com,08152359253

CAMPAIGN RALLY IN OGUN… L-R: Senator-elect for Ogun West, Senator Olamilekan Adeola; All Progressives Congress candidate for the state’s House of Assembly, Mrs. Bolanle Ajayi; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and his deputy, Mrs. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, at a campaign rally of the party at Oke Odan, Yewa South Local Government Area of the state…weekend

Oshiomhole, APC Plotting to Unseat My Govt, Obaseki Alleges Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has alleged that the immediate past National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and his party are working hard to win majority seats in the next House of Assembly elections.

Consequently, the governor urging a group of women in the

state to vote for all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 11, 2023 elections.

He made the allegation at a meeting with women from the 12 wards in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City, saying a a vote for the PDP in the House of Assembly elections would help sustain the legacy of his administration.

Gombe Governor Apologises to Christians in the State The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, has apologised to the Christian faithful in the state.

Yahaya, who is seeking reelection, tendered the apology during a meeting with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Gombe State chapter, held at the Government House yesterday.

In 2021, TheCable reported that Yahaya refused to announce Musa Maiyamba, a Christian who is also a graduate of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), as the new Mai (king) of the Tangale kingdom, despite being chosen by the kingmakers.

Following the claims that the governor was attempting

to impose a Muslim on the kingdom, CAN in the state called for a three-day fast and prayers.

It also called on him to respect the wishes of the people.

Speaking yesterday, Yahaya, who did not say what he was apologising for, said his administration might have made some errors, The governor said as a human being who is capable of erring, he thought it wise to apologise and seek a fresh start.

While promising to do better in his second administration, he said the upcoming elections should be devoid of sentiments.

“It should be achievementsbased and infrastructural development that has a direct impact to the people as a guiding consideration,” he said.

Jonathan Felicitates Obasanjo on His 86th Birthday Ejiofor Alike Former President Goodluck Jonathan has felicitated former President Olusegun Obasanjo on the occasion of his 86th birthday, wishing him long life in good health and peace of mind as he continues to work for a united and prosperous Nigeria.

Jonathan described Obasanjo as a sincere patriot who has remained relentless, even in old age, in his commitment to building bridges of harmony, equity and progress in Africa.

In a goodwill message issued by his spokesperson, Ikechukwu

Eze, which he personally signed, Jonathan stated: “On behalf of my family, I felicitate you as you celebrate your 86th birthday. Your Excellency, you have lived a life of exemplary loyalty, service and patriotism to Nigeria and Africa, building bridges of harmony and making peace.

“I am delighted that even in old age, you have been relentless in your passion for a peaceful and just Nigeria and a prosperous Africa.

“As you celebrate, I wish you more strength, sound health and peace. On behalf of my family, I wish you a happy birthday.

Congratulations, Your Excellency.”

Obaseki, represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, said the March 11, 2023 House of Assembly election “is for Obaseki to sustain efforts at developing the State and making life more meaningful and better for Edo people.”

He, thus, urged the people to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying plans are ongoing by the APC to rig

their way through on March 11 so as to impeach him and stop his development programmes, which have benefited the Edo people.

“Adams Oshiomhole and his party are planning to disrupt all the good works the governor is doing in Edo State. We will stop him and his plans to disturb the governor and his developmental strides

in Edo State.

“We are appealing to the people to vote for PDP and stop the enemy of the Edo people from halting our progress as a people. All our votes must be one way.

It must be PDP all the way.”

The Director General of the Edo State PDP Campaign Council, Chief Osaro Idah commended the women for their support for the

Obaseki-led state government.

He thus appealed to PDP’s women in Oredo LGA and other parts of the state to support Obaseki and ensure PDP candidates win the election come Saturday 11th March 2023.

“Please, let us mobilize for PDP candidates in the election and ensure they secure victory in the House of Assembly elections,” the director-general explained.

Labour Party Wins 40 National Assembly Seats Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City In a historic precedent, Labour Party has won six senatorial seats and 34 in the House of Representatives in the just concluded federal legislative elections, making it the third most popular party in the 10th National Assembly.

This was revealed at a meeting the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

held with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja yesterday.

In last Saturday’s elections, the chairman of the commission said winners had also been declared for 423 national legislative seats while supplementary elections would be held in 46 constituencies.

In the senatorial election, Yakubu explained that 98 out of 109 seats “have been declared. Seven political parties have won senatorial seats while in the House of Representa-

tives, 325 out of 360 seats have been won by eight political parties.”

In terms of party representation for the 10th National Assembly, Yakubu said All Progressives Congress (APC) won 57 Senate seats; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 29; Labour Party (LP) six; Social Democratic Party (SDP) two; New Nigeria Peoples Party two; Young Progressives Party (YPP) one and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) one.

In the case of the lower chamber, Yakubu said the APC has 162 seats; PDP, 102; LP, 34; NNPP, 18; APGA, four; ADC, two; SDP, two; YPP, one.

Yakubu also said Certificates of Return would be presented to Senators-elect on Tuesday at the National Collation Centre (the International Conference Centre), Abuja, while Members of the House of Representatives-elect would receive theirs the following day, Wednesday at the same venue.

Court Bars Denco Wires, Two Others from Using Havells’Trademarks Alex Enumah in Abuja A Federal High Court in Lagos has barred Denco Nigeria Wire and Cable Ltd from further usage of the Trademarks belonging to Havells India Limited; a world renowned electrical and electronics manufacturer and the owner of some prestigious global brands like Havells, Standard, Crabtree, Promptec, Reo and Lloyd.

The presiding judge, Justice A. Lewis Allagoa issued the restraining order while delivering ruling in a motion on notice filed by

HAVELLS India Limited against Denco and the Registrar of Trade Marks.

The plaintiff/ applicant in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1548/2022 , specifically prayed the court for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the first defendant from further use, importation, commercialization, sale or otherwise dealing in any form of electrical, electronics and allied and cognate goods bearing the trade marks and devices STANDARD, STANGUARD

STANDARD, STANGUARD or any other mark confusingly similar to the STANDARD and STANGUARD marks belonging to Havells India Limited pending the determination of the substantive Suit by the Honourable Court.

In the suit filed on August 17, 2022 by Amala Umeike, plaintiff further prayed the court for another order restraining Denco, its directors, employees and their associates from commercialising any product including Distribution Board, switch box with a trade dress similar or identical

to the STANDARD trade dress pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit filed contemporaneously with the application.

However, a certified true copy of the ruling sighted by our Correspondent, showed that the court granted the request of the plaintiff/ applicant after it was convinced that the respondents were served with the motion for interlocutory injunction but failed to file a counter affidavit challenging the averments made by the plaintiff.

Three States Agreed to Light up Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Makinde Reveals Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Oyo State governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde yesterday revealed the lofty programmes his administration had in store for residents of the state if re-elected for another term of four years.

Makinde, facing re-election next Saturday, also stated that one of the plans is a partnership among Oyo,

Ogun and Lagos States to light-up the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He revealed the plan on Splash FM 105.5, Ibadan yesterday while shielding light on programmes and projects that he would implement if eventually re-elected.

The governor explained that he had initiated a discussion with his colleague in Lagos State and that the three states would work on

the possibility of lighting up the entire stretch of the expressway.

According to him, the proposed project will benefit all the three states.

Makinde equally used the opportunity of the programme to give a scorecard of his administration across the four pillars of the government.

He called on the residents

of the state to re-elect him next Saturday, and also vote for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates for House of Assembly seats.

He maintained that the fact that the state has been stable socially, economically and politically under his watch meant that Saturday’s election is a no-contest, saying the people have vowed never to return to politics of desperation.

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BUSINESS

Editor: Festus Akanbi 08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

After Election, Tinubu Faces Economic Realities Having been declared winner of the February 25 presidential election, Nigerians are DQ[LRXVO\ ZDLWLQJ IRU WKH SUHVLGHQW HOHFW·V PXFK WRXWHG SULYDWH VHFWRU H[SHULHQFH and ingenuity to tackle some of the economic challenges currently pushing Nigeria into another episode of recession, Festus Akanbi writes

T

hebattle for the justconcluded 2023 presidential election ended with the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner on Wednesday morning.

While other aggrieved candidates have vowed to go to court, stakeholders in the Nigerian economy said while Tinubu and his party are bracing up for the impending legal battles, Nigerians will keep their eyes on the President-elect to hit the ground running.

The argument is that having traversed the length and breadth of the country, where mesVDJHV RI KRSH DQG DVVXUDQFH RI TXLFN À[LQJ of the prevailing economic challenges were given by Tinubu, one can’t blame the citizens for being in a hurry for solutions to the myriads RI HFRQRPLF GL΀FXOWLHV ZKLFK KDYH GULYHQ D larger proportion of them into poverty.

Therefore, they raised some issues bordering on low-hanging fruits in the economic space and challenges that they feel need to be urgently addressed once Tinubu becomes WKH QH[W 3UHVLGHQW 2Q ZKDW KH ZRXOG GR ZLWKLQ KLV ÀUVW 100 days if elected, Tinubu said, during his campaigns, that he would hit the ground running by selecting a team of technocrats to help him run the country as he did when he was governor. He said he would prioritise national security, economy, agriculture, power, oil and gas, transportation, and education if elected in the 2023 general election.

Tinubu also outlined policy options for healthcare, the digital economy, women empowerment, judicial reform, federalism/ decentralisation of power, and foreign policy.

Fuel Subsidy Removal On what to do with the issue of fuel subsidy, Tinubu said: “I believe we must remove petrol subsidy immediately. It has outlived its shelf life as a public good. We will neither subsidise neighbouring countries’ fuel consumption QRU DOORZ D VHOHFW IHZ WR UHDS ZLQGIDOO SURÀWV and hoard products.”

And in line with the popular narrative, the President-elect had said, “And the subsidy money will not be ‘saved’ because that means elimination from the economy. Instead, we will redirect the funds into public infrastructure, WUDQVSRUWDWLRQ DͿRUGDEOH KRXVLQJ HGXFDWLRQ and health, strengthening the social safety net for the poorest poor, thus averting increased security challenges.”

Analysts said his ability to walk the talk ZRXOG EH RQH RI WKH ÀUVW PHDVXUHV WR NQRZ if he has what it takes to implement policies he advanced during his campaigns or not.

Calls for the end of the subsidy regime have been coming from home and abroad. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund had repeatedly advised Nigeria to do away with the subsidy programme, which put pressure on revenue and heightened tension in the QDWLRQ·V IRUHLJQ H[FKDQJH PDUNHW The IMF, for instance, stressed the need for EROG ÀVFDO UHIRUPV WR FUHDWH QHHGHG SROLF\ space, put public debt on sound footing, and reduce vulnerabilities.

It urged the authorities to deliver their commitment to remove fuel subsidies by mid-2023 and increase well-targeted social spending.”

Despite rising oil prices, the IMF said the JRYHUQPHQW·V ÀVFDO GHÀFLW LV HVWLPDWHG WR KDYH

RU QRW XQSURGXFWLYH 'HÀFLW VSHQGLQJ LV D compound negative, especially if backed by H[FHVVLYH IRUHLJQ FXUUHQF\ ERUURZLQJ 7KLV LV not classroom economics, but it is the lesson of the real economic history of nations,” he said.

However, his message is coming at a time when the country is steep in debt, as President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration canQRW EDODQFH LWV UHYHQXH DQG H[SHQGLWXUH 7KH JRYHUQPHQW UHOLHV RQ ERUURZLQJ WR ÀQDQFH its budget to bridge the gap. $V H[SODLQHG E\ WKH 'LUHFWRU *HQHUDO RI WKH 'HEW 0DQDJHPHQW 2΀FH '02 3DWLHQFH Oniha, Nigeria’s debt was already N77 trillion as of September 2022. The National Assembly refused to approve the planned securitisation of the CBN’s ways and means, which would have added to the public debt,” she stated.

Tinubu widened further in 2022, mainly due to high fuel subsidy costs.

And according to the current Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, the government needs WR H[LW WKH IXHO VXEVLG\ UHJLPH EHFDXVH LW LV D VLJQLÀFDQW FRQWULEXWRU WR UHYHQXH ORVV “You can look at it in two ways; the payments made are revenues that would have come to the government but don’t because they are being spent on fuel subsidies,” she stated, adding that Nigeria borrows to buy the products. Analysts said it would be politically challenging to scrap the popular price cap that residents and small small businesses use to run cars and power generators in the HQHUJ\ GHÀFLHQW FRXQWU\ Revenue Generation Perhaps, one of the central planks upon which the campaign of Tinubu rested was his impressive revenue credential which he earned when he was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. He has continued to boast of growing Lagos’ internally generated revenue from “a paltry N600 million monthly, which has now grown to N51 billion.”

Analysts said having secured victory at the poll; the onus is on him to unveil his plans to redeem Nigeria from its current revenue challenges.

7LQXEX LV H[SHFWHG WR JLYH PDUFKLQJ RUGHUV to revenue agencies like the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Customs Service, and Nigerian Ports Authority, among others.

Revenue generation is a major constraint

of the federal government, negatively impacting the country’s debt situation.

Analysts believe the systemic resource mobilisation has been compounded by recent economic recessions, adding that the most viable solution to the country’s challenge remained to grow revenues and plug all leakages, DV FXWWLQJ H[SHQGLWXUH ZDV QRW D YLDEOH option.

Today, Nigeria’s non-oil sector accounts for about 93.67 per cent of the GDP, while the oil sector accounts for 6.63 per cent. Still, according to National Bureau of Statistics data, the oil sector DFFRXQWV IRU RYHU SHUFHQW RI H[SRUW earnings.

5LVLQJ 'HEW 3URÀOH Although Bola Tinubu once said he would not borrow dollars from China and other lenders to build infrastructure that will stimulate growth and improve the average Nigerian’s standard of living, analysts say his body language suggests he is not entirely opposed to borrowing to fund the economy.

They maintained that Tinubu, who ZDV TXRWHG DV VD\LQJ WKDW D GHÀFLW budget is not inherently wrong since, according to him, all modern economies UXQ LW H[SODLQHG ´$ EXGJHW GHÀFLW LV QRW necessarily bad. Look at the Japanese H[DPSOH ZLWK KLJK JRYHUQPHQW ERUURZLQJ DQG ORZ LQÁDWLRQ 7KH UHDO LVVXH LV ZKHWKHU GHÀFLW VSHQGLQJ LV SURGXFWLYH

Crude Oil Theft One of the dangers to the nation’s revenue generation is crude oil theft. The president-elect is not unmindful of the danger this poses to the nation’s economy. During his campaigns, 7LQXEX SURPLVHG WR HQVXUH PD[LPXP WHFKQROogy deployment to curtail oil theft in the polity.

Speaking during a Townhall meeting with Organised Labour at the Chida Hotel ConferHQFH &HQWUH LQ $EXMD KH H[SODLQHG WKDW WKH measure would monitor, protect pipelines and block theft of oil resources in the country.

Tinubu also condemned those receiving stolen crude, saying there won’t be a supplier if there is no receiver. He also stated that his administration would have a zerotolerance for corruption by strengthening anti-corruption agencies. He urged Organised Labour to support him in the 2023 presidential election based on his track record in public service.

Crude oil theft has gone on in Nigeria for years. Unfortunately, not much has been GRQH WR VWHP LWV WLGH 7KLV DSDWK\ LV GL΀FXOW to understand for a country that depends almost entirely on this economic good for its sustenance.

1LJHULD FXUUHQWO\ IDFHV DQ H[LVWHQWLDO WKUHDW Crude oil is the mainstay of the economy. ([SHUWV VD\ WKDW 1LJHULD ORVHV DERXW barrels of crude oil daily to oil thieves. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) admits losses of 470,000 EDUUHOV GDLO\ :KLOH WKLV GLVFUHSDQF\ H[LVWV what is certain is that much of our crude oil is stolen daily.

The federal government recently engaged the services of Tantita Security Services, led by former militant leader Government Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo, to protect oil pipelines.

Although Tinubu has yet to speak on whether or not he would retain the services of Tantita Security Services, the war against economic saboteurs must be fought from all angles.

Naira Redesign/Cash Withdrawal Limit At the height of the country’s current cash crisis, Tinubu claimed that the withdrawal policy was implemented to thwart his presidential ambition.

Some of his close associates said the policy would be reversed once Tinubu won the presidency. Tinubu also promised to deal with the FKDOOHQJH RI PXOWLSOH IRUHLJQ H[FKDQJHV ); rates if elected President.

As Tinubu engages challengers to his victory LQ FRXUW LQ GD\V WR FRPH RQH DOVR H[SHFWV KLP to brace up for the challenges ahead and his promise to turn the nation’s economy around.

16

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

BANKING

Undercurrents of CBN’s Tenure Policy for Bank Chiefs The latest tenure policy for chief executives of deposit money banks, rolled out by the Central Bank of Nigeria, will, among others, create room for a seamless succession in the banking industry. However, analysts argue that the adoption of the HoldCo structure by some banking institutions has conferred the right to determine directors’ tenure on shareholders and not CBN, reports Festus Akanbi

B

ut for the sustained media blitz of the on-going general elections, reports and analyses on the recent review of the tenure of bank directors by the Central Bank of Nigeria would have remained on the front pages of major newspapers today.

Nevertheless, analysts believe that discussions over the new policy would return to the centre stage after the second leg of the election this weekend and as policymakers shift attention to business and economic issues in the coming days.

The Policy A fortnight ago, the apex bank issued a circular announcing a revision of the regulatory requirements for the tenure of executive management and non-executive directors of '0%V DQG ÀQDQFLDO KROGLQJ FRPSDQLHV LQ WKH Code of Corporate Governance for Banks and Discount Houses.

The rule says bank executive directors (EDs), deputy managing directors (DMDs), managing directors (MDs), and non-executive directors (NEDs) can only serve a cumulative tenure of 20 years across the banking industry.

CBN said the tenure review was part of measures aimed at strengthening governance practices in the banking industry.

According to the CBN, the tenure of Executive Directors (EDs), Deputy Managing Directors (DMD), and Managing Directors (MDs) shall be, by the terms of their engagement, approved by the board of directors of banks, subject to a maximum tenure of 10 years.

Furthermore, the banking sector regulator stated that when an executive, a DMD, becomes the MD/CEO of a bank or any other DMB before the end of their maximum tenure, the cumulative term of such Executive shall not exceed 12 years.

As Banks Begin Compliance with New Policy While some banks are still studying the new policy, others have begun its implementation. Last week, Zenith Bank announced the retirement of its Deputy Managing Director, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, following the new tenure limits for bank executives.

According to the bank, her retirement EHFDPH HͿHFWLYH RQ )HEUXDU\ =HQLWK %DQN GLVFORVHG WKLV LQ D QRWLÀFDWLRQ to the Nigerian Exchange Limited signed by its Company Secretary/General Counsel, Michael Otu. The bank explained: “We write to notify the Nigerian Exchange Limited and the investing public of the retirement of Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji from the board of Zenith Bank Plc ZLWK HͿHFW IURP )HEUXDU\ Another bank that complied with the new tenure policy last week was First Bank of Nigeria, a subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc. It immediately announced the retirement of the bank’s deputy managing director, Gbenga Shobo, from the bank’s board of directors.

Shobo, who served as the MD designate in the bank during a boardroom crisis in 2021, had been on the bank’s board since 2012 and has been an executive director for 11 years. The circular by the CBN stipulated that for “an Executive (ED), who becomes a DMD of a bank or any other DMB, his/her cumulative tenure as ED and DMD shall not exceed ten years.”

Also expected to retire is Ladi Balogun, Group CEO of FCMB Group Plc, who became CEO of First City Monument Bank Limited from 2007 to 2017.

CBN Headquarters, Abuja Implications of HoldCo Structure Given analysts’ disagreement on the scope of the new policy, banking sector operators said WKHUH ZDV D QHHG IRU PRUH FODULÀFDWLRQV IURP the apex bank.

While some believe that the tenure policy DͿHFWV DOO WKH EDQNV RWKHUV DUJXH WKDW H[HFXWLYHV of HoldCo arrangements are not necessarily impacted.

However, some banking industry watchers believe the decision of some banks to adopt a HoldCo structure may have insulated them from the latest tenure policy from the industry regulator.

As a result, analysts from Proshare, a research DQG LQIRUPDWLRQ DGYLVRU\ ÀUP FODLPHG WKDW the CBN circular wrongly grouped the parent or holding companies of banks with their subsidiaries.

They described the introduction of the new SROLF\ DV D EDG PRYH EHFDXVH ORFDO ÀQDQFLDO holding companies engage in businesses other than banking, according to observers. $V D UHVXOW WKH UHVHDUFK ÀUP PDLQWDLQHG WKDW bank executives such as Tony Elumelu of United Bank for Africa Plc, Jim Ovia of Zenith Bank, Segun Agbaje of GTBank, and Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank are exempt from the new tenure policy due to the HoldCo structure under which their organisations operate.

The Grandmasters of Nigerian Banking Industry The banking public believes the CBN would UHOHDVH PRUH FODULÀFDWLRQV RQ WKH QHZ SROLF\ in days ahead and that this will provide the needed information on the fate of some bank FKDLUPHQ DQG JURXS H[HFXWLYH R΀FHUV Some of these senior players in the banking sectors include Mr. Tony Elumelu of the UBA and Jim Ovia of Zenith Bank.

Others who were not bank chief executives at the time of the 2005 consolidation, but whose LQÁXHQFH KDG FRQWULEXWHG LQ RQH ZD\ RU WKH other to the survival of their institutions include Segun Agbaje of GTBank and Herbert Wigwe of Access Bank Plc.

Tony Elumelu: Before his retirement as the &(2 RI 8%$ 3OF LQ DIWHU \HDUV LQ WKH saddle, when former CBN Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi introduced a 10-year tenure policy for bank chiefs, Tony Elumelu bestrode the banking industry with a remarkable performance, taking the bank to other parts of the African continent with unique branding.

He came into the limelight after a superlative turnaround of the defunct Standard Trust Bank to the point of a merger with UBA Plc. Elumelu was appointed chairman of UBA in UHSODFLQJ $PEDVVDGRU -RH .HVKL Jim Ovia was the chief executive of Zenith Bank, which he founded in 1990. He retired from the bank in 2010 following a similar policy of CBN, which limited the tenure of banks’ chief H[HFXWLYH R΀FHUV &(2V WR D PD[LPXP RI years. However, the billionaire was later appointed as board chairman and non-executive GLUHFWRU RI WKH EDQN LQ 6HJXQ $JEDMH +H ZDV D SLRQHHU VWDͿ LQ 1991 and rose to become executive director in 2000 and deputy managing director in 2002.

Agbaje became the substantial MD and CEO of GTBank in June 2011 when Tayo Aderinokun passed on. In 2021, Agbaje became the group FKLHI H[HFXWLYH R΀FHU RI WKH EDQN Herbert Wigwe:After over 10 years of service, Wigwe left GTBank as an ED to co-lead the transformation ofAccess Bank Plc in March 2002 as DMD. He was appointed group managing GLUHFWRU &(2 HͿHFWLYH -DQXDU\ DQG served in that capacity till May 2022. Wigwe was subsequently appointed a non-executive director RI WKH EDQN HͿHFWLYH 0D\ )ROORZLQJ WKH completion of its scheme of arrangement with all approvals gotten for its holding company (HoldCo) structure, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, was yesterday announced as the Group Managing 'LUHFWRU &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2΀FHU *0' &(2 of Access Holdings Plc in July 2022.

Lumping HoldCo with Banks Meanwhile, analysts at Proshare argued that in the attempt to put limits on the tenure of bank executives, the CBN lumped the parent or holding companies of banks with their

VXEVLGLDULHV GHVFULELQJ LW DV D ´ÁDZHG PRYH DV ORFDO ÀQDQFLDO KROGLQJ FRPSDQLHV HQJDJH LQ businesses well beyond banking note observers.”

1LJHULD·V ÀQDQFLDO +ROG&RV UXQ EXVLQHVVHV UDQJLQJ IURP EDQNLQJ DQG ÀQDQFH WR WUDGLQJ LQ HTXLWLHV DQG À[HG LQFRPH DVVHWV DQG LQYHVWPHQWV LQ ÀQWHFK DJULWHFK LQVXUH WHFK ,QIRUPDWLRQ &RPmunication Technology (ICT), and alternative DVVHW ÀQDQFH According to Proshare, the regulatory oversight for a few of these activities come under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Communications Commission (NCC), and some Self-Regulatory Organisations (SROs) such as the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), FMDQ, AFEX, NASD, and the Lagos State Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE).

“Therefore, the CBN’s attempt at regulating the tenure of bank executives and that of their ÀQDQFLDO +ROG&RV ZLWKRXW WKH DJUHHPHQW RI RWKHU ÀQDQFLDO PDUNHW DQG FRPPXQLFDWLRQ regulators, according to analysts, represents a KDP ÀVWHG RYHUUHDFK RI SRZHU DQG UHVSRQVLELOity,” the analysts said. &RPPHQWLQJ RQ WKH SROLF\ WKH KHDG RI ÀQDQFLDO institutions ratings at Agusto&Co, Ayokunle Olubunmi, was quoted as saying that while the policy was a positive development, the apex EDQN FRXOG KDYH JLYHQ WKH ÀQDQFLDO LQVWLWXWLRQV enough time to have ease of transition.

Noting that the policy was long overdue, Olubunmi said it would allow for easier implementation of succession as he said the top level of the banking industry is heavy with those who have been in the industry for a long time, thus, not giving room for younger talents to grow.

“We have noticed among some bankers that it seems the top is crowded, and those at the top are not leaving; thus, some don’t see any hope of growing to those executive positions. So the policy is good for the industry.

“If within 12 years, you can’t develop people who will take over from you that means you are not serious about succession planning. If, after being in an executive position for 12 years, you can’t identify two to four people that can take over from you, then you are not serious about succession.”

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

17

TRIBUTE

Subomi Balogun: Toast to Iconic Banker, Shrewd Entrepreneur at 89 As Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, Founder of First City Monument Bank Plc marks his 89th birthday on March 9, 2023, Festus Akanbi describes the banker, who has bestridden the Nigerian banking industry like a colossus for many decades, as an epitome of GHWHUPLQDWLRQ DQG VHOÁHVV VHUYLFH WR KXPDQNLQG

I

t is a fact that the history of the Nigerian banking industry is replete with memories of failed institutions and men who had WR JLYH XS DORQJ WKH ZD\ KDYLQJ EHHQ RYHUZKHOPHG E\ WKH FKDOlenges of the Nigerian business HQYLURQPHQW RYHU WKH \HDUV %XW for Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, founder of First City Monument Bank and other IRUPLGDEOH ÀQDQFLDO RUJDQLVDWLRQV ZKR clocks 89 years next Saturday, it has been a story of grit, determination, and uncommon JUDFH EHFDXVH KH KDV UHPDLQHG XQGDXQWHG Although he is primarily remembered as the founder of FCMB Plc, Balogun’s career in the Nigerian banking industry has remained a study of focus, relentlessQHVV DQG FRQÀGHQFH LQ DQ LQGXVWU\ WKDW made him a household name in Nigeria DQG EH\RQG Illustrious Banking Career The high point of his illustrious banking career includes his stints in ICON Limited and City Securities, a stockbroking and issuing house he founded before he later applied for a merchant banking license that birthed First City Merchant Bank, which ZDV ODWHU UHQDPHG )&0% *URXS The common practice in Nigeria, especially in the early 90s, was for banks to be VHW XS E\ SHUVRQV RI GLYHUVH SURIHVVLRQDO FDOOLQJV +HQFH WKH\ DUH XVXDOO\ VHW XS E\ JURXSV RI LQYHVWRUV ,Q WKH FDVH RI )&0% LW ZDV D GLͿHUHQW EDOO JDPH DV WKH EDQN ZDV VROHO\ WKH LGHD RI 2WXQED %DORJXQ 1RW just that he set it up, but he imbued it with a culture of excellence that has endured RYHU WLPH 7R KLV FUHGLW KH ZDV WKH ÀUVW to create a special dining room for bank Balogun employees and insisted they wear dark and FRQVHUYDWLYH VXLWV $QG KH DOVR LQWURGXFHG the elegant, memorable, likable, and relatPhilanthropy able bank architectural model synonymous When something has become a way ZLWK WKH DYHUDJH )&0% EUDQFK QRZ ZLGHO\ RI OLIH LW GHÀHV VFKHGXOLQJ ² LW MXVW KDSDGRSWHG LQ GLͿHUHQW LWHUDWLRQV E\ EDQNV SHQV +H VHW XS WKH ¶2WXQED 7XQZDVH LQ WKH FRXQWU\ to institutionalise this way +DYLQJ DWWDLQHG WKH SLQQDFOH RI EDQN- Foundation of life, which has become a blessing to ing success, Otunba Balogun shifted his PDQ\ 2QH RI KLV IDYRXULWH TXRWHV IURP IRFXV WR SKLODQWKURS\ DQG QRZ OLYHV D OLIH the scriptures is, “Children are a heritage RI JLYLQJ PRUH WKDQ DQ\WKLQJ HOVH +H LV RI WKH /RUG«µ EHFDXVH KH ORYHV DQG YDOXHV XVLQJ KLV VXFFHVV WR JLYH EDFN DQG SRVLWLYHO\ FKLOGUHQ ZKLFK PRWLYDWHG KLP SULRULWLVH LPSDFW RWKHUV 3HRSOH DUH RIWHQ DPD]HG their well-being by building the Otunba DW KLV OHYHO RI JHQHURVLW\ DQG KRZ LW KDV Tunwase National Paediatric Centre - a EHFRPH D ZD\ RI OLIH PDVVLYH PXOWL ELOOLRQ QDLUD KHDOWK FDUH centre now fully donated as a total gift to Educational Background Baba, as he is fondly called, is a national WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI ,EDGDQ DQG 8QLYHUVLW\ WUHDVXUH ZKRVH LQÁXHQFH DQG JRRG GHHGV &ROOHJH +RVSLWDO ,EDGDQ <RX ZLOO ÀQG quote from the scripture etched on H[WHQG EH\RQG WKH VKRUHV RI 1LJHULD $QG that there is no better moment to celebrate the WKH PDVVLYH LQIUDVWUXFWXUH +H DOVR XSOLIWV LQGLYLGXDOV DQG FRPPXQLOLIH RI DQ $IULFDQ YLVLRQDU\ HQWUHSUHQHXULDO ties through scholarships, empowering model, and astute banker (The Grand Master WKH GLVDGYDQWDJHG WR SXUVXH WKHLU GUHDPV RI 1LJHULD·V ÀQDQFLDO VHUYLFHV VHFWRU WKDQ DFKLHYH WKHLU JRDOV DQG PDNH D SRVLWLYH KLV WK ELUWKGD\ %RUQ RQ 0DUFK LPSDFW EH\RQG WKHLU FRPPXQLWLHV 7R KLV at Ijebu ode, Ogun State, Otunba Michael FUHGLW DUH RYHU HGXFDWLRQ VFKRODUVKLSV 2ODVXERPL %DORJXQ DWWHQGHG VHYHUDO RͿHUHG WR 1LJHULDQV IURP GLͿHUHQW ZDONV schools, including Igbobi College, Yaba RI OLIH 6R LW LV XQVXUSULVLQJ WKDW PDQ\ Lagos, before heading to England, to study accomplished people always warm up /DZ DW WKH /RQGRQ 6FKRRO RI (FRQRPLFV to him, saying he is their benefactor and $UPHG ZLWK WKH UHTXLVLWH TXDOLÀFDtions, he returned to Nigeria and joined UROH PRGHO +H LV D PDQ RI WKH SHRSOH ZKR

the Ministry of Justice, Western Region, KDV LW DOO DQG RZHV *RG D ULYHU RI WKDQNV as a Crown Counsel and Parliamentary 7KH DYHUDJH PDQ GHVLUHV WR DWWDLQ ORQJ before departure from this terrestrial &RXQVHO LQ WKH )HGHUDO 0LQLVWU\ RI -XVWLFH years plane, but many rarely make it to their 80th +H ODWHU PRYHG WR WKH 1LJHULDQ ,QGXVWULDO ELUWKGD\ DQQLYHUVDULHV )RU WKLV UHDVRQ 'HYHORSPHQW %DQN 1,'% ZKHUH KH DG- Otunba Balogun appreciates the grace of YRFDWHG WKH HVWDEOLVKPHQW RI D PHUFKDQW VHHLQJ PXOWLSOH WHQV DQG VWLOO FRXQWLQJ EDQN +H MRLQHG WKDW VDPH VXEVLGLDU\ RI Much more so, celebrating all these in 1,'% ,&21 VHFXULWLHV LQ

WKH VRXQGQHVV RI PLQG DW DOPRVW +LV ELUWKGD\ DQQLYHUVDULHV DUH RFFDVLRQV IRU JLYLQJ WKDQNV EHFDXVH LW takes Godly grace to celebrate 89 and do so in good health, a sound soul LQ D VRXQG ERG\ )HUYHQWO\ 2WXQED Balogun prays thus: “I want my God WR XVH PH , ZDQW WR VSHQG WKH UHVW RI P\ OLIH VHUYLQJ *RG DQG KXPDQLW\ I want my God to allow me always WR VKRZ P\ DSSUHFLDWLRQ , DP QRW DVNLQJ IRU DQ\WKLQJ DJDLQ LQ OLIH All the beautiful things of this life *RG KDV JLYHQ WR PH µ +H ZDV ZKHQ KH IRXQG SHDFH ZLWK *RG DQG JDYH KLV OLIH WR &KULVW despite coming from a family of VWDXQFK 0XVOLPV 2WXQED VKDUHG his journey in the following words: “Incidentally, my late mother was HGXFDWHG , FRQÀGHG LQ KHU WKDW , ZDV JRLQJ WR FRQYHUW WR &KULVWLDQLW\ 7KH late Bishop Segun, a priest at PoroJXQ &KXUFK LQ ,MHEX 2GH FRQYHUWHG PH DW +DYLQJ DFFHSWHG -HVXV , MXVW IRXQG P\VHOI ORYLQJ +LPµ Harvest of Awards $V KH OLYHV KLV OLIH RI VHOÁHVV VHUYLFH VR GR UHFRJQLWLRQV DQG DZDUGV ÁRRG KLV ZD\ +H DOVR KDV WKH American Biographical Institute Inc’s Distinguished Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to the GHYHORSPHQW RI ,QYHVWPHQW %DQNLQJ 2WXQED 0LFKDHO 2ODVXERPL Balogun is also a recipient of the

8QLYHUVLW\ RI ,EDGDQ·V 'HJUHH RI 'RFWRU RI /DZV +RQRULV &DXVD LQ UHFRJQLWLRQ RI KLV RXWVWDQGLQJ DFKLHYHPHQWV ERWK LQ WKH ÀHOG RI /DZ DQG KLV FRQWULEXWLRQV WR WKH VRFLR HFRQRPLF GHYHORSPHQW RI 1LJHULD )RU a man of his status with chains of business concerns to think about, a sound mind is a priority asset, yet it is an asset that has not HOXGHG KLP LQ DQ\ ZD\ +H KDV *RG WR WKDQN for this and the gift of four accomplished VRQV DQG D SHDFHIXO ORYLQJ DQG FDULQJ ZLIH DV WKHLU PRWKHU ´*RG JDYH KHU WR PHµ KH VD\V SKLORVRSKLFDOO\ ´, EHOLHYH WKHUH ZDV D PDQLIHVWDWLRQ RI *RG·V LQÁXHQFH RQ P\ choice”, with each passing day acting as FRQÀUPDWLRQ RI WKLV *RRG PHQ WKH\ VD\ KDUGO\ OLYH IRU WKHPVHOYHV 7KHLU VWRULHV DUH QHYHU WROG with hisses in disillusionment, but rather LQWHQVH LQWHUHVW IRU WKH PDQ\ SRVLWLYH PRUDOV WKH\ SUHVHQW WR WKH ODUJHU VRFLHW\ So are the testimonies of Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun, CON, the Asiwaju RI ,MHEX &KULVWLDQV DQ DUFKHW\SH RI GLYLQH IDYRXU IRXQGHU RI WKH )&0% *URXS DQG an apostle of humanitarianism who has FRQVWDQWO\ GHPRQVWUDWHG LQ GLͿHUHQW ZD\V DQG DW DOO WLPHV KLV WRWDO VXUUHQGHU WR VHUYLQJ *RG DQG KXPDQLW\ “I am a child of God, and the good Lord KDV EHHQ NLQG WR PH :KDWHYHU \RX VHH LQ PH QRZ LV D GLYLQH JLIW 6R ZK\ GR , KDYH WR KROG back in good deeds,” Otunba Balogun, in a UHÁHFWLRQ VWDWHG WKLV ZKLOH JLYLQJ LQVLJKW LQWR ZK\ KH XSOLIWV LQGLYLGXDOV LQVWLWXWLRQV DQG FRPPXQLWLHV +H LV WKDW UDUH EUHHG Nigerian synonymous with good works, excellence, panache, humanitarianism, and philanthropy, who graciously deploys personally earned fortune to assist others LQ QHHG LQGLYLGXDOV RU LQVWLWXWLRQV A man who founded, nurtured, and sustained hugely successful organisations in RXU NLQG RI FOLPH TXDOLÀHV IRU D VWXG\ IRU DV LW LV FRPPRQO\ VDLG LQ HYHU\ VXFFHVV WKHUH LV D VWRU\ DQG LQ HYHU\ VWRU\ D PRUDO 7KH +DOOPDUNV RI /DERXU )RXQGDWLRQ +/) recently wrote, “We are pleased to inform you that Otunba Olasubomi Balogun has HPHUJHG DV :LQQHU RI WKH +/) 5ROH 0RGHO Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship DQG &RUSRUDWH *RYHUQDQFH +LV VHOHFWLRQ is in recognition of his leadership and outstanding contributions to entrepreQHXUVKLS DQG FRUSRUDWH JRYHUQDQFH ZKLFK set him apart as a Great Nigerian Role 0RGHOµ 7KH +/) DZDUG PHPRULDOLVHG VRPH RI KLV YDOXHV KDUG ZRUN GHWHUPLQDWLRQ SHUVHYHUDQFH LQWHJULW\ FRXUDJH DQG NLQGQHVV Without a doubt, Otunba Michael OlaVXERPL %DORJXQ ZRXOG KDYH ORVW FRXQW RI the honours and awards from within and RXWVLGH 1LJHULD FHOHEUDWLQJ WKLV OHJHQG $V IDU EDFN DV KH KDG EHFRPH WKH KROGHU RI WKH &DYDOLHUH GHOO·2UGLQH $O merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight of WKH 2UGHU RI 0HULW RI WKH 5HSXEOLF RI ,WDO\ FRQIHUUHG RQ KLP E\ WKH ,WDOLDQ 3UHVLGHQW +H KROGV VHYHUDO UHYHUHG WUDGLWLRQDO DQG cultural titles in recognition and appreciaWLRQ RI WKH QXPEHU RI OLYHV WRXFKHG DQG transformed, not minding religious and HWKQLF GLYLVLRQV 7KH\ LQFOXGH 2WXQED 7XQwase, the Olori Omo-Oba of Ijebu, Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, the Baba Oba of Ijebu-Ife and the Asalu-Oba of Ijebu Mushin and PDQ\ RWKHUV IURP RWKHU SDUWV RI 1LJHULD 7KH IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW DOVR GHFRUDWHG him with the high honour of Commander RI WKH 2UGHU RI WKH 1LJHU &21

18

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • MARCH 5, 2023

SOFT FINANCE with AYO AROWOLO The only column you may need to read on everything personal finance, money, investing -and other life matters

EMAIL: AYO.AROWOLO@THISDAYLIVE.COM PHONE: 08086447494( SMS ONLY)

Another Great Book To Consider: Instant Income “Cash is king!” Can anyone dispute that? There have been instances when cash goes missing in an otherwise bubbling marriage and in a matter of time, it marriage lapses into disaster and frustration. When cash is not flowing freely within an enterprise, it is the same as straining blood out of a living organism. It is only a matter of time before the inevitable happens: it goes out of operation. It is not an exaggeration when King Solomon, the wisest man in the world as recorded in the Judo-Christian Bible that “money answereth all things”. When cash is present in the correct dosage, life can be enjoyable and fulfilling. When it is absent, life can be meaningless and frustrating. We all need money. Don’t we? We need money to finance our dreams. We need money to procure the good things in life. We need money to send our children to the best schools.

We need money to buy tools that can enhance our intellectual ability. We need money to do so many things.

If cash is so important, why is it that only a few people can boast of having it in the desired measure? Indeed, it reckoned in a typical society, the collective wealth is in the hand of less than 5%. Why is this so? Does it mean there is something they know that the rest of the people do not know? Is there a formula that when applied, can with certainty, bring in cash? Can such techniques or strategies be taught?

In her groundbreaking and insightful book (a manual actually), Instant Income Janet Switzer claims, with some measure of authority, that there is indeed a foolproof strategy for creating cash on demand and the strategy is not only simple. It is also available to willing students. Here we present her practical insight on how to make this happen.

FULL SUMMARY Janet Switzer is one of the very few American female entrepreneurs who have been able to master the art of converting their brands into raw cash.

Having worked behind the scene for years to push a great number of American celebrities into wealth zones, Janet has now devoted her time wholly to turning her products and her brand into a huge information empire. And she seems to be making a success of it with the phenomenal success witnessed by her first book, Instant Income.

It might help to quote Janet directly: “Making money is easy, and whether you own a small business, work for someone else’s small business, or just want to earn thousands on the side pursuing what I call being an Occasional Entrepreneur, you have all the resources at your fingertips to boost your personal income immediately.”

Interestingly, Janet did not start as an entrepreneur and did not intend to learn how to generate cash. It was a combination of circumstances that pushed her into jobs and placements that helped her eventually spot the creative instinct in her. In her words: “In fact, as I reflect on my own career as the “expert” behind the incomes”, it seems incomprehensible to me that I fell into a line of business for which I had no formal training whatsoever”. To use her method, Janet says no qualification is needed other than the willingness to learn and experiment.

Janet had dreamed of becoming a diplomat, having studied International Relations, Economics and International Law. While still trying to perfect her qualifications for the foreign service, Janet decided to try some part-time jobs in several places as an intern.

In one of those experiments, she had applied to a small regional bank as an entry-level clerk but she was surprised when she was given the job of marketing manager. She was speechless. She, however, explored the skills she had learnt in her public relations class to develop winning sales strategies that launched her and the small bank into the limelight. As a way of perfecting her strategies, Janet had worked behind the scenes to help celebrities such as Les Brown, Jack Canfield, Victor Mark Hansen and a host of others to turn their brands into instant cash.

With astounding success trailing her experiments, Janet has since launched out teaching small business owners and people in paid employment strategies for generating instant cash. Instant Income is her first documented approach to making the strategies available to the general public.

Instant Income is divided into seven sequentially arranged parts. In part one, Janet demonstrates how you can create instant cash when you need it through the easy-to-apply strategies she included in the part.

You will learn how to reactivate your past customers and make more money from them than would be possible with new customers. You will know how to spot overlooked assets in your company and turn them into instant cash.

Part two of the book is devoted to showing you the road map for applying the instant income strategies in the book. In this part, you learn how to create an overnight audit that serves as a guide to all your instant income endeavours. Janet also generously lists all her resources that you can access for free to carry out your instant income strategies.

Part three of Instant Income deals with strategies that can be employed by people in paid employment to generate more money from their employers. It gives a step-by-step guide on how to launch your first campaign as an employee desirous of earning more money while you keep your day job.

Part four of Instant Income articulates all the strategies you can employ to be an occasional entrepreneur.

CASH The central theme of this section is that you are better off focusing your marketing strategies on your existing customers than spending money to woo new customers. A marketing expert once said that: when your business is in a financial mess the first place to turn to for instant cash is the customers sitting in your database. Not rushing to the banks or your friends to lend you money.” We tend to agree with him. But what do most business owners do? In most cases, they ignore their current customers and begin to spend money on promotional adverts designed to bring in new customers. Often, they result in waste.

Janet has a different but practical and effective approach: ignore new customers for now and focus on reactivating your past customers and giving your current customers the best treat to convince them that you value them.

Making it happen Here are some of the approaches recommended by Janet for squeezing more money from your current and past customers.

Part five shows with examples, how you can turn the strategies you would learn inside this book into lifetime wealth where creating cash on demand becomes a way of life for you.

Getting the best out of the books Instant Income is more than a book; it could be well regarded as a manual of how to generate cash on demand. We are persuaded that every single word used in this book carries deeper meanings. As such we suggest that you adopt the following tips if you want to get the best out of the book: •Take some time to read the entire book from the start to finish to have a general sense of the theme and strategies shared in the book.

•Go over the book slowly the second time to identify the sections and the areas that apply to your situation and then begin to dig deeper into such sections.

•To refresh your memory on the book, read the executive summary as frequently as you can and as well listen to the audio version a few times.

•Zero in on just one strategy you want to employ and launch out fully with it.

•Revise your success and see how you can make it produce better results. With success in one strategy, you would build the confidence to implement other strategies in the book that appeal to you.

Janet says a few things would happen to you if you read the book as instructed: One, you will learn how to get paid more at your current job. Two, you will learn how to make more money on your side business. There, you will learn how to implement any marketing campaign with ease. Four, you will learn how to develop an implementation calendar.

Five, you will learn how to negotiate compensation deals. Can you possibly ask for more?

PART 1: STRATEGIES THAT BRING IN

1. Getting Customers to Give You More Money The starting point is to know your customers inside-out by doing the following: •Begin to pull out their names by extracting all the details you can get: telephones; emails; buying history; status; residential addresses, birthdates and so on. Just any data can help you to gain more knowledge about your customers.

•Develop valuable special reports that are relevant to the problems that your customers are currently facing which you can find out through research. Get to know the problems your customers are facing and by all means, strive to find a solution to the problem. Once this is done, you can produce a well-packaged special report that you can circulate free of charge to your past and present customers.

•Plan a reactivation campaign. Having discovered what the problems of your current and past customers are, the next thing is to categorise them into how valuable they are to you, especially those that have patronised you greatly in the past but have left for one reason or the other. Having done this, you should think of the best way to contact them: telephone, email, or physical contact. You should decide which approach would produce the best result.

•Reach out first to your past customers. Having arranged the reports and identified the best way to contact them, the next action is to go ahead and contact them. You can go ahead and write a well-crafted letter or email and send it to them.

•It should be realised that the essence of all these efforts is to establish a solid relationship with your customers. Once this has been achieved, some strategies can then be applied to make more money from your past and current customers: •You can, for instance, create continuity products that would turn the customers into repeat buyers which would ensure that you have a regular inflow of income.

•Once you have established a good relationship with your customers, you can also upsell them by offering them complimentary products that can enhance

With astounding success trailing her experiments, Janet has since launched out teaching small business owners and people in paid employment strategies for generating instant cash

the use of the main items they are buying from you. For instance, a dentist can sell toothpaste and mouth fresheners. The whole idea is to ensure that you get more money from them.

2. Getting Other People to Help Bring in the Cash This is one of the most creative approaches to creating cash and instantly too. If you have ever found yourself struggling to get your business off the ground, one of the best income-creating strategies is to enter into a marketing arrangement known in the information marketing parlance as a “Joint Venture”. This simply means identifying your strengths and weaknesses, focusing on your strengths and going out of your way to look for a partner who can fill in the gap for your weaknesses.

This is how Janet defines a JV: A joint venture is an informal business relationship, in which two parties come together for a single purpose to execute a single promotion or to participate in one small piece of each other’s business with both companies profiting from the result”. A joint venture does not mean you are buying into part of someone else’s business. It is usually a temporary arrangement where both parties play on each other’s strengths to achieve collective results that are superior to individual efforts. Here are a few examples: •A person who is a good product creator can enter into a JV with another person who has great selling skills.

• A person who has a great product but has no database can get an owner of a huge database to sell his product to that database on the understanding that the database owner will have a cut from the proceed of the efforts.

•You can enter into a JV with another person to develop a new product from scratch. This is one way of expanding the horizon of your business without much financial outlay. A creative info marketer for instance can get the owner of a huge database to endorse his product and broadcast that offer to the database. The effect of such can be phenomenal. There are a few rules guiding a JV: •The parties involved must be persuaded that they have complementary skills that when pooled together can bring far superior results than individual efforts.

• The parties must believe that the skills they are bringing to the table are equally important and that no partner is superior or inferior to another.

•It helps if the parties involved in a joint venture agree ahead of time on the terms of the relationship and commit such in writing.

•The best form of sharing accruing income from the venture is a 50:50 formula where each party takes care of 50% of the expenses for running the business and also 50% of the income that comes from it. This assumes there is no senior partner or junior partner.

3. Prospecting for Instant Income For a small business owner, generating prospective customers is the most important aspect of the instant income strategy. The trick is to seat down and organise all the tips and helpful strategies you have learnt into coordinated strategies. And a starting point is to find a niche you are comfortable with and do everything to own that niche. You should strive to become the experts people are looking for. In addition, you can also try a combination of the following strategies articulated in this chapter: Read the full article at https://www.thisdaylive.com

OPI NION

119

T H I S D AY MONDAYSunday MARCH 14, 2022 5 March, 2023 Vol 27. No 10142

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

HOW THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IMITATES THE 1983 AND 1993 ELECTIONS

Nigeria tends to learn little or nothing from their past electoral crisis, writes ANIETIE USEN

See Page 20

OBI-BATISM AND THE ‘KINGMAKER’ PRESIDENT-ELECT OBI-BATism is a lesson in democracy and a good springboard for the kingmaker to become the king, writes OLUDAYO TADE

See Page 20

EDITORIAL INEC AND THE GUBERNATORIAL POLLS

8%(51$725,$/ 32//6

See Page 21

The new government, when inaugurated, should take time to formulate policies that will placate the teeming youth of the country, writes GBADE OJO

2023: A VOTER’S OBSERVATION

L

ike every other registered voter, I waited with great anxiety for the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections. For INEC to have created additional polling units to arrive at a total of 176,606 and transferred many potential voters away from the polling units where they voted in 2019, the first hurdle was how to locate my new unit. With the aid of my phone, I was directed to where I was moved to and the distance from my home which was well over one hour trekking. I decided to take the pain to vote for two important reasons: first, as a Political Scientist, I needed to be a participant observer and two, I thought it imperative to discharge my civic obligations to the state. Each election at four years interval has been throwing up new challenges and learning experiences. This particular election was, however, crucial more so, being another civilian/civilian transition in a poll like no other, in view of the events in the political milieu that lingered till the day of election, that is, cash crunch and fuel scarcity.

More than one and a half hours after my arrival at the new polling unit, INEC officials were not available, not until around 10 in the morning when voting proper commenced.

Not many could cast their votes because they could not go the whole hug to locate the new units where they were expected to cast their vote. Besides, not many hold the kind of phone that could assist them, while only a few have the skill to manipulate their phone to get the required information. Unfortunately, INEC did not advertise the information. Sad enough, it was after voters had arrived before officials of the electoral body started pasting voters’ register for potential voters to know whether they were to vote where they had queued for hours or not.

Many left disappointed and frustrated when they discovered that their names were not where they were after having waited for so long.

Not only that, since 1960 when Nigeria got its flag independence, our successive electoral bodies had failed to come up with innovative temporary polling units. Many of the units were not different from market places, with lots of people crowded together under the inclement scourging sun. It was so bad that the electoral body could not even provide big umbrellas that would have provided the necessary shades.

However, Nigerians endured till the end, having been voting since 1999 that democracy returned to Nigeria’s body polity. It is imperative to note that the aged and people with disabilities were not given special preferences at polling units to facilitate their movements and performance of their civic obligations with minimum stress.

In terms of security, it was far from being adequate. Reason: the number of polling units across the country perhaps outnumbered the number of policemen and Civil Defence Corps operatives combined! This scared many potential voters, most especially the elites, most of whom were afraid of the possibility of violence in the process of casting their votes. It is still a sad commentary that in the South- West zone, the issues of vote buying and electoral violence have not been completely eliminated in our electoral processes. There were places where names and account numbers were collected for bank transfers after the exercise.

The introduction of technology that could aid voting processes became a liability as the BVAS

machines either malfunctioned in many units or were out rightly discarded in very others. Where they were used at all, they were not used to transmit results to the INEC server as envisaged.

This has raised multiple questions such as: why the humongous financial commitment for the procurement of the machines when they could be dispensed with as a result of possibility of hackers? The manual result computation and transmission are not without its attendant hiccups. INEC chairman will find it not funny that the raging controversy may not fizzle out easily for putting into abeyance the BVAS machines.

In many areas, it was reported that the malfunctioning of the machines was pure sabotage, as the likes of Chief Segun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State, could not vote despite repeated efforts before he retired home.

Electronic transmission of results could have saved INEC from this embarrassment now despite its imperfections; agreed that there is no perfect election anywhere in the world. One cannot easily forget the mannerism of Donald Trump former American President when he lost his second term bid with the allegation of Russia’s poke nosing in American election to aid Trump by tampering with technology.

Furthermore, one major observable phenomenon that should interest any keen watcher of this election is the factors influencing voting decisions at polling units. Ab initio, the security and economic pains, occasioned by cash crunch and fuel scarcity were expected to determine voting decisions, but alas, they were far from affecting the voting patterns and voters’ decisions. By implication, Nigerians are resilient and have become catalysts for democratic sustenance.

The shocking revelations from the results so far include: (i) Mallam Nasir El-Rufai could not deliver Kaduna State (ii) Governor Abdullahi Ganduje failed to deliver Kano State (iii) Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the ÁDJEHDUHU RI WKH UXOLQJ $OO 3URJUHVVLYHV Congress (APC), could neither deliver Lagos nor Osun State where he hails from. (iv) Muhammadu Buhari, as sitting president and leader of the ruling party, also failed to deliver his home state, Katsina and (v) Governor Simon Lalong, who is the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, could not deliver his Plateau State too. Some of the factors responsible for these are ethnicity, religion and youth’s restlessness. In Plateau State, which is a predominantly Christian state, they opted for

Peter Obi as a Christian and some other places too where he got a lot of votes.

For ethnicity, the South-West voted for their own – Bola Tinubu – not just for his sterling qualities but for the fact that he is a Yoruba man with the reasoning that a Fulani man, Buhari has almost served out his term, why another Fulani, Atiku Abubakar? This made Tinubu a blessing to several other candidates for Senate and House of Representatives, as many voters were thumb printing APC all through in many areas. The role of G-5 governors was infinitesimal in the game in South-West region of the country. But why did Tinubu suddenly become unpopular in his Lagos base? This was incredible and never envisaged.

The simple reason is that youths opted not to vote for him for some reasons. First, the hangover of the #EndSARS protests of which both his personality and business interests were attacked in Lagos. Till date, the assumption, whether right or wrong, that Tinubu played ignoble roles with the suppression of the unrest remains an issue till date. Not only that, universities were locked for close to eight months, students, who are predominantly youths, were at home along with their unpaid teachers. Thus, not many among students and teachers would go out to vote for APC. Obi or the Igbos generally should not claim popularity for Tinubu’s poor electoral performance in Lagos but the restless youths who are yet to be placated.

If you look out for election results on campuses of tertiary institutions like the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, University of Lagos and Lagos State University, amongst others, APC fell flat. This couldn’t have been the handiwork of the Igbos. New government, when inaugurated, should take time out to formulate policies that will placate the teeming youth of this country who perceived that their future has been compromised by the ruling elites who are not only seen to be supercorrupt but also grossly inefficient. Without that, a new government may be their government rather than ours. Should there be a rerun of the electoral contest, a greater damage may be done by the youth who are not ready to compromise their stand. If Peter Obi did not contest, they could have opted for Omoyele Sowore, so they claimed. In essence, the election was about issue and not personality. Vote buying could not change the perception and electoral decision of the youths.

OJO, a professor of Political Science, writes from University of Ilorin

20

T H I S D AY SUNDAY MARCH 5, 2023

Nigeria tends to learn little or nothing from their past electoral crisis, writes ANIETIE USEN

OBI-BATism is a lesson in democracy and a good springboard for the kingmaker to become the king, writes OLUDAYO TADE

HOW THE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IMITATES THE 1983 AND 1993 ELECTIONS

I had just completed my NYSC programme in Kano in 1983 when the most controversial election of the Second Republic was conducted on August 6, 1983.

The result was a highly disputed victory for Shehu Shagari. He was the candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), and the incumbent president who was contesting for a second term. He was declared winner over Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), and Nnamdi Azikiwe, of the Nigerian Peoples Party, (NPP) in an election that was openly rigged by the ruling NPN government.

Nigerians, a people with a deep sense of justice and fair play, cried out helplessly against the election to no avail. They said the elections were mired in fraud, violence and compromise of government institutions. The complaints fell on deaf ears. Students took to the streets while journalists and musicians, including the legendary Fela Kuti, criticised, mocked and sang in derision about the systematic and widespread rigging that took place. No dice.

It was the golden era of electoral impunity.

The ruling class bulldozed their way with unparalleled arrogance. But three months after the elections and two months after President Shagari had been sworn in for a second term, the military visited the State House on Ribadu Road, Lagos, stamped their authority firmly and overthrew the Shagari government on December 31, 1983.

Nigerians went wild with joy.

A thin and austere Army Officer, known as Major General Muhammadu Buhari was announced as the new Head of State.

He ruled Nigeria with an iron fist for 20 months. He brooked no nonsense from anybody. He sentenced many politicians to hundreds of years in prison for corruption.

He even executed publicly by firing squad, three young Nigerians convicted of illegal possession of cocaine and heroin. They were Bartholomew Azubike Owoh, 26, a former employee of the Nigeria Airways; Lawal Akanni Ojuolape, 30, a spare parts dealer, and Bernard Ogedengbe, 29, a sailor. That was on Wednesday, April 10, 1985, outside the Kirikiri maximum security prison.

As a rookie reporter covering that frightening event, I remember that Owoh, a handsome, urbane gentleman smiled broadly in the face of death, waved to reporters and prayed in front of the execution stake before he was tied to it. ‘If I knew peddling in hard drugs would result in death I would not have done it,’ he said.

The executions took five minutes as a burst of violent gunfire instantly terminated their lives. Watched by thousands of Lagosians, the victims were loaded into rough coffins for burial at Atan Cemetery in Lagos. It was one of the toughest days of the military rule, all because the 1983 elections were widely rigged.

Strikingly, before the military coup that ushered the first coming of Buhari, there was a flurry of post-election court battles over the tainted victory of Shehu Shagari. Star among the court cases was the one over the definition of two-thirds of 19 States, which was the constitutional requirement for electoral victory of a Nigerian President. Nigeria had 19 States at that time. Two-thirds of 19 States was 12 and a fraction State. Nigeria had no fraction of State. A legal dilemma engulfed the country. It was probably akin to the simmering controversy now over the 1999 constitutional requirement of “25% of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory”, for a victory in the current Presidential elections. Tinubu did not score up to 25% in FCT. Curiously, it is one sure ingredient that makes the 2023 election a twin brother of the 1983 election.

Perhaps the lessons of the flawed 1983 elections led to one of Nigeria’s most transparent, freest and fairest elections in 1993.

It was conducted under what was termed Option A4. Nigerians across the country simply lined up openly in every polling unit behind the party that they supported.

Even before the ballot was counted and announced, it was clear to all Nigerians that MKO Abiola of the SDP was “our man o”. He won a landslide victory even in Kano State, home base of Bashir Tofa, his only opponent.

But there was a fly in the ointment. The election was annulled by the ruling military government of General Ibrahim Babangida.

The express wishes of the Nigerian people were suppressed. MKO was not sworn into office. Instead, he was arrested and thrown into the dungeon. He died in captivity. The rest is history. Those who masterminded that grave injustice are still in the black book of Nigerian history.

Curiously, Bola Tinubu, the controversial winner of last weekend’s presidential election has a lot in common with MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election. The two are Yoruba. The two contested on a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The two chose their running mates from Borno State. The two ran with nearly the same campaign slogan: Abiola with HOPE’93, Tinubu with RENEWED HOPE’2023. The two set up thriving media houses before contesting for presidency. Not the least, the two were rightly or wrongly fingered for trafficking in hard drugs.

But that is where the similarities end.

Abiola was a very popular and well-loved man, with philanthropic landmarks across Nigeria before he went into politics. Tinubu is unpopular with many Nigerians and generally seen as a godfather figure. Abiola’s election was in a two-party system. Tinubu’s election is in a multi-party system. Abiola’s election was manually counted. Tinubu’s election was digital by law and it was mandatory for Presiding Officers to transmit election results electronically.

Yet there is more to compare and contrast.

Abiola won his home State of Ogun and the home State of his opponent in Kano. Tinubu lost his home State of Osun. He lost his State of residence in Lagos. He lost the home State of his party chairman. He lost the home State of the Director General of his campaign.

He lost the home State of the leader of his party, President Buhari. He lost in the Federal Capital Territory, seat of the federal government and lost also in the home States of his three major opponents, to mention a few.

USEN is a multiple award-winning journalist, author and technocrat

OBI-BATISM AND THE ‘KINGMAKER’ PRESIDENT-ELECT OBI-BATism is a movement by Nigerian voters and non-voters for the actualization of return of political power to the southern part of the country after the North would have finished their eight-year hold on power under the outgoing President, Muhammadu Buhari. OBI-BATism animates this concern before political parties elected their flagbearers in the interest of peace, justice, equity, and national development. While the All Progressives Congress (APC) settled for Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) refused to vote for a southern Nigeria flagbearer. PDP dared to put forward a perpetual contestant, Atiku Abubakar. This balkanized the party, forcing the pull-out of five governors code-named “G5” (Nyesom Wike, Rivers; Samuel Ortom, Benue; Ifeanyi Uguwanyi, Enugu; Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia and Seyi Makinde of Oyo state). These governors claimed to represent a movement fighting for equity, justice and fairness. Obviously, they were against the emergence of another northerner as President of Nigeria. All entreaties to them failed, they became a political ‘cult’ group, ready to negotiate with interests that align with their convictions. Not ready to be commandeered, Peter Obi, the new face which changed the dynamics of the 2023 presidential election, defected from the PDP into the Labour Party and secured the presidential ticket. In the same way, Rabiu Kwakwanso, former PDP member also clinched the ticket of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

A four-horse-race contest then began between the forces that wanted political power at the center to remain in the North (Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwakwanso) and the forces that desire political power to move down south (Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi). These formations set the tone for a new political dynamic which rocked the 2023 elections and the eventual winner as announced

by Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the early hours of March 1, 2023.

The new month of March opened with the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) of the APC as the president-elect. The ‘kingmaker’ who has now become president-elect defeated his longtime rival and political associate, Atiku Abubakar and the third force, Peter Obi to the second and third positions respectively. Bola Tinubu who promised renewed hope polled 8,794,726 while Atiku Abubakar who promised to unify the country polled 6, 984, 520 which is 1,810,206 below the votes of the winner. The political game changer, Peter Obi who promised to move the nation from consumption to production gave the two establishment forces a battle for their money, returning with 6,101,533 votes. Rabiu Kwakwanso was only able to finish with 1, 496, 687 votes; the largest part of this came from Kano, the only state he won decimating other political parties.

While the results may have been announced, some felt the process was not entirely credible.

They are unhappy about the manner the polls were conducted by INEC such as delayed uploading of results, delayed arrival of INEC staff, voter suppression and intimidation, collaborative electoral fraud, violence, and disenfranchisement of Nigerians. This perception has generated cold war and hateful speeches on many social media platforms. Although he finished third, many didn’t believe that Peter Obi did not win.

They believe that there are underhand dealings or electoral malpractices. Friends, associates and family attacked one another based on political differences. The sociology of voter behaviours and preferences as exemplified in the 2023 presidential election tells me that Nigerians desire a country where peace, progress and prosperity are assured but differ on the right pilot to take the country to that destination. The main contention was and is still between the supporters of the presidentelect, Bola Tinubu and those of the labour party candidate, Peter Obi. Old men fought themselves

dirty, the youth felt disappointed with the outcome. They reasoned that the process was compromised. The Asiwaju people would not tolerate anyone to talk down on the man they think hold the magic wand to their futures.

The presidential results however tell me a lot of stories. One, a total of 14, 896,259 (Tinubu + Obi votes) voted for a southern presidency while a total number of 8,481, 207 (Atiku + Kwakwanso votes) voted for northern presidency. The difference of 6, 415,052 voted for equity, justice, inclusive governance, peace and unification of the country which may have been threatened if the opposite happened. Two, the total number of people who voted against the president-elect are 14, 582, 740 indicating that there is possibility that the president-elect’s chances may have been threatened were it not for the Obi phenomenon and the G5’s disruptive political move in the PDP. What this says is that the president-elect will need to understand the dynamic needs of these people and incorporate their aspirations in his blue-print of governance.

People think it is backward to vote along tribal lines even when you believe your ethnic group has the best of the candidates.

Such thoughts, as good as it may seem, downplays the social reality embedded in the sociology of electoral victory in Nigeria.

The law stipulates winning majority votes and getting 25percent in two-thirds of all the states and FCT. This implies is that you must have a strong base, secure it and reach out to political allies in zones with higher voting population for partnership. This is where the constitution lays foundation for voting along ethnic lines. Bola Tinubu edged others out in these areas because all three top candidates won 12 states each while the fourth won one.

What separated them was the highest votes he secured and the 25 percent spread. Tinubu secured his southwest and where he lost, it was with narrow margin or not without getting 25 percent votes. Obi secured his base but his gains outside his base were not with high margins as with the first two candidates according to the results released by INEC. Tinubu reached out to the G5 who added to his gains. This should tell Nigerians that politicians, unlike them fighting themselves, don’t have permanent enemies. They go after those who can guarantee their interests and futures. Nyesom Wike’s posture aptly captured this point.

INEC, with all the logistics support ought not to have allowed suspicion at all let alone asking people to go to court if they have any issue with the results. A maxim in Yoruba says If God sees you, let humans see you too (ti olorun ba ri e, je ki eniyan naa ri e). Transparency has tracking variables.

DR TADE, a sociologist wrote via dotad2003@yahoo.com

21 T H I S D AY SUNDAY MARCH 5, 2023

EDITORIAL

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

INEC AND THE GUBERNATORIAL POLLS A pity INEC did not perform to expectations in the Presidential Polls. It must ensure the Gubernatorial Elections are well organised and credible

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) placed so much faith in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Despite the use of these technologies that had aided the credibility of several stand-alone gubernatorial and legislative elections in the past few years, many of the old problems resurfaced at the presidential and national assembly elections held on 25th February. At the end, INEC failed to live up to its promise, especially regarding real time uploading of polling unit results. And because of that, the outcome of the presidential election is now a subject RI LQWHQVH GLVSXWH ZLWK XQÁDWWHULQJ FRPPHQWV LQ the international media about our country and its electoral process.

On Wednesday, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu declared the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu winner of the election. He defeated 17 other candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP). Both Atiku and Obi have refused to concede defeat, promising to challenge the result in court. We commend their recourse to civility and due process of the law in airing their grievances. But with the gubernatorial elections coming up this Saturday in 28 states and House of Assembly elections in all the 36 states, the main concern is whether INEC will get its act together to ensure that the problems associated with the presidential and national assembly elections do not recur.

By uploading polling unit results piecemeal days after the election, INEC has raised many questions that border on transparency, according to the reports of several observer teams. The Centre for Democracy and Development &'' LGHQWLÀHG VRPH RI WKH FULWLFDO LVVXHV WKDW GHÀQHG WKH SUHVLGHQWLDO DQG QDWLRQDO assembly elections to include glitches in the use of technology, logistics problem like late arrivals RI ,1(& RIÀFLDOV DW SROOLQJ VWDWLRQV LQÁXHQFH RI

*8%(51$725,$/ 32//6

money, violence in some areas in the country and online falsehoods. These issues, according to CDD, “shaped the process, and provide some initial UHÁHFWLRQV RQ HPHUJLQJ WUHQGVµ ZKLOH PDNLQJ recommendations for “improving future processes LQ WKH VKRUW PHGLXP DQG ORQJ WLPH µ Given the desperation that attends every election cycle, pertinent questions remain. What is the cause of this extreme aggression in our politics?

What’s behind the chaos in our elections? Why are politicians ever ready to game the electoral process?

Why must every election in Nigeria be fought almost like a war? These and many other questions should engage the attention of stakeholders because these challenges are beyond the capacity of INEC and could ruin any election no matter the preparations.

We have stated in this space repeatedly that the struggles for election in our polity are vicious and bloody because the stakes are very high. A win during an election can transform hitherto struggling person to a life of luxury. The perks attached to politicians DQG SXEOLF RIÀFH KROGHUV PXVW EH SUXQHG GUDVWLFDOO\ to expect a change in the desired direction. Besides, those caught employing the use of violence or ballot VWXIÀQJ PDQLSXODWLRQ RI PDQXDOO\ ZULWWHQ UHVXOWV snatching of ballot boxes etc., must be marked down and brought to justice. We saw desperation even in the campaigns. Instead of marshalling how to attack the salient issues of the day, on full display were the same old dangerous politics of bitterness, rancour, and mudslinging, all of which are inimical to the economic and social well-being of the nation.

Meanwhile, INEC cannot afford to fail in the gubernatorial election this Saturday. We hope WKH FRPPLVVLRQ ZLOO KDYH UHFWLÀHG WKH SUREOHPV of logistics. In many states across the country RQ WK )HEUXDU\ ,1(& RIÀFLDOV DQG YRWLQJ materials arrived the polling booths hours late in many places, while some prospective voters were disenfranchised, due to the failure of the BVAS machines. If INEC is not to permanently damage its credibility, the gubernatorial election slated for this weekend must be conducted without hitches.

If INEC is not to permanently damage its credibility, the gubernatorial election slated for this weekend must be conducted without hitches

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LETTERS

2023 ELECTIONS AND NATIONAL LAMENTATION

Given the often false bravado and braggadocio of Nigerian politicians, it ZRXOG QRW EH KDUG WR ÀQG DPRQJ WKRVH who make up the putrid ranks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) those who would swear that Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the February 25 polls. Among many of those who would put forward this spurious argument would be some people who claim to be more Nigerian than others.

However, beyond the triumphalism of the All Progressives Congress at another suspect victory, and the monumentally embarrassing performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be found those who lament the incurable kind of leprosy that has now befallen a country that was already struggling with so much.

With everything the APC has cooked and served Nigerians in the last eight

years, so many Nigerians wanted the chef to be forced out of the kitchen as her culinary skills had become outdated, and the kitchen too hot. Problem was that in a country where power is so often and mindlessly abused, getting people out of the kitchen always takes a seismic force no thanks to the outrageous perks and privileges there. So, the chef persevered in the kitchen to dish out one more pot of poison.

It stung many like nettles that the APC easily coasted to victory in some of the states that have been turned upside down in the last eight years because of the failures of the administration of its highest ranking member, President Muhammadu Buhari. It really stung until it became clear that right under the watch of the INEC, Nigeria’s election results had been cooked.

Perhaps in mockery, or in a nod to the predictability of the judiciary, those who feel aggrieved have been asked to go

WR WKH FRXUW ZKHUH WKH ÀQDO QDLO ZRXOG EH SXW LQWR WKHLU FRIÀQV E\ DQRWKHU institution that currently coughs up everything chaotic about Nigeria.

It is a tragedy of epic proportions that Nigerians actually perceived that their choice at elections was tampered with. In a country where perception often drives patriotism or a lack of it, it is national catastrophe that the just concluded election hark back to the early days that followed Nigeria’s return to democracy when the devilish whirring of the PDP’s unprecedented matchless rigging machine was heard the world over.

Something was always going to give.

The APC summarily lost in the Southeast.

In the Southwest where discomfort over the deception Nigeria calls federalism had boiled since 2015, cooked by the likes of Rotimi Akeredolu, the Ondo State Governor, ethnicism no doubt drove their voting pattern to give the APC most states.

After all, a party that had been repulsive since 2015 could not have suddenly become appealing In the South- south, chaos reigned supreme especially in Rivers State where Nyesom Wike lived up to his reputation by posting a brazen electoral heist. In the North, the LP, the PDP and the APC took spoil albeit in different regions. However someday, some of those states in the North where communities have been torn apart under the indolent watch of the APC may have to explain the choices they made.

Nigerians lament a chance gone begging; a chance to actually have someone who truly cares about Nigeria in Aso Rock. Peter Obi would not have worked miracles. But his prudence, pragmatism and patriotism would have set Nigeria on the right path.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

22

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5, 2023

INTERNATIONAL Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election and Problematic Magouilles: Foreign Policy Implications

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igeria’s 2023 presidential election, held on Saturday, 25th February, 2023, was fraught with many problems contrary to the pretentious submission of some international election observers. The Independent Foreign Observers Mission (IFOM) was quoted inThe Nation ofWednesday, March 1, 2023 as saying that there was a large turn out and with that the election was ‘peaceful and transparent.’The IFOM was also quoted as having commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for doing very well.This report can be admitted to the extent that it was given as a preliminary report of the IFOM. Largely, Telephone : 0807-688-2846 it can be posited that the election was peaceful in some areas, but e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com it was still largely characterized by transparent electoral magouilles and violent destruction in many other areas. This fact necessarily neutralized the alleged peacefulness of the election.

Besides, one major problematic aspect of the election, which is often ignored, is that most Nigerians strongly believe in the promises of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) that he would ensure a free, fair and credible election. As a result, they are generally tolerant. In the same vein, the INEC Chairman, Professor MahmoodYakubu, also consistently told Nigerians that the INEC was ready for the election to take place, hence glitches were ruled out. However, there was nothing to suggest that efforts were consciously made to ensure free, fair, and just election. This partly explains the rejection of the election results by some opposition parties and their decision to go to court.

Without doubt, the election was, stricto sensu, between a northern candidate and a southern candidate, on the one hand, and between a sexagenarian and a septuagenarian, on the other.The four leading candidates were Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the standard-bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) who are both from the North, while Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progessives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) are southerners. Hence the choice is either a northerner or a southerner.

In the same vein, Atiku Abubakar and BolaTinubu are 76 years and 70 years old respectively while Peter Obi and Kwankwaso are aged 61 years and 66 years respectively. Again, the election was a choice Onyeama between the 60-year-old generation and the 70-year-old generation candidates. For Candidates Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, the election was a must-win or a do or die contest, hence the readiness provides for the conditions to be met in the event there are only two to engage in sharp electoral malpractices. With the declaration of presidential candidates (vide Section134 (1) (a) (b), and when there Senator Bola AhmedTinubu onWednesday March 1, 2023, at about are more than two candidates (see Section 134 (2)(a)(b). As there 4.10am, the President-elect of Nigeria, the electoral choice is older are more than two candidates in the 2023 presidential election, it generation and a southerner to succeed PMB. This is in spite of very is Section 134(2) that is applicable. It provides that ‘a candidate for serious allegations of electoral magouilles by the INEC. an election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election, a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; Problematic Electoral Magouilles The first expression of electoral magouilles, that is wuruwuru in and he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election Yoruba language, is a resultant of constitutional contradictions which in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and have prompted many questions on whether the INEC has consciously the Federal Capital Territory.’

ThefirstproblematichereiswhethertheFederalCapitalTerritory(FCT) disregarded the provisions of the Electoral Act. Explained differently, the main problematic is the determination of the extent to which the shouldbeequatedasanotherconstituentStateofNigeriatowhichthe election can be considered credible and generally acceptable. In this electoral laws should be applied in the mania of other States.The law regard, it is argued that the collation process as engaged in, was in says a candidate must obtain‘at least two-thirds of all the States in the violation of Section 64(4) of the Electoral Act, which stipulates that‘a Federation and the FCT’whether the clause is interpreted conjuctively Returning Officer at an election can only collate and announce the or disjunctively, the implication remains the same. Conjunctively, there result of an election subject to verification and confirmation that will be 37 territories or States in which a presidential candidate must the accreditation number and votes stated on the collated result are obtain two-thirds of votes cast. If considered disjunctively, there are correct and consistent with votes or results recorded and transmitted 36 States plus the FCT because the law specifically mention‘and FCT’.

The intendment of the law is to ensure that a presidential candidate from the polling units.’

In this regard, who has the responsibility to verify and confirm the obtains two-thirds of votes cast in every constituent State and also consistencyoftheaccreditationnumberandvotesstatedonthecollated in the FCT. Because the FCT is not considered a State, that is why it is result? Naturally, the answer cannot but be the INEC. However, what specifically mentioned. Consequently, if a candidate does not have happens if the INEC is seen and believed to have been compromised? two-thirds of the votes cast in the FCT, he or she does not qualify to Have the party agents not the right to be convinced that there is be considered for the office of the President, regardless of whatever consistency? If not, what is the opposition parties complaining about? number of votes already scored in the various States.

In other words, whatever is the interpretative position of the learned For instance, the opposition elements argued that the collated results were not transmitted directly from the polling units, hence their call people on this issue, the FCT is a territory and not a State but the for the stoppage of the collation process and the cancellation of the regulatory electoral law applies to it, meaning that every presidential candidate must obtain at least one quarter of the accredited votes election results.

Related to this is how to interprete Section 134 in relationship as part of the qualifying conditions for the office of the President. In to Section 160 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Section 134 this case, the APC candidate, declared as President-elect, is not on

VIE INTERNATIONALE

Bola A. Akinterinwa

“

Above all, it cannot be sufficient to have good intention in political governance. What will be sufficient is to have political governance largely predicated on honesty of purpose, which has always been far-fetched in the governance of Nigeria. True, Nigerians have been made to believe that providing a homeland for the Fulani ethnic group coming from Central and West African regions to Nigeria is a desideratum and a task that must be done. Nigerians have been told that cabals rule Nigeria and not ruled by thosed elected by the people.

Nigerians have been told that national unity is not by negotiation and popular consent, but by manu militari and use of force. Nigerians have also been told that there is nothing wrong with presidential nepotism and that any possible means must be used to win election, no matter the extent of the crookedness of the means. This situational reality cannot in any way help nation-building. It only enhances the agitation for regional separation.

In fact, for as long as the INEC is defiantly dependent on the President of Nigeria who appoints the INEC Chairman, never will there be a truly independent INEC. Based on the Nigerian electoral experiences, the only electoral method that can nip in the bud election rigging, ballot snuffing and snatching, as well as vote buying, is to revisit Professor Nwosu’s Option A4 model. It was an open balloting that sustained electoral transparency and honesty of purpose, without which a Nigerian nationahood can be possible in an enduring manner.The implication cannot but be obvious. Already, the image being presented of the President-elect is that of a drug baron in an Austrian newspaper and yet international leaders are purporting to be happy with his election.

record to have obtained the necessary number of votes in the FCT as constitutionally required.

A school of thought has tried to justify the action of the INEC based on Article 160 of the 1999 Constitution which stipulates that the INEC, which was created under Section 153 of the Constitution as one of the 14 Federal Executive Bodies, is empowered‘to make its own procedure’ which‘shall not be subject to the approval or control of the President.’

All the other 13 bodies established at the same time with the INEC can regulate their own procedure or confer powers and impose duties on any officer or authority for the purpose of discharging its functions but subject to the approval of the President of Nigeria.

In this regard, the INEC regulation and guideline is that results should be scanned and uploaded to the server from each polling station after authentication by the party agents and election officials.

But this guideline could not be complied with because of what the INEC Chairman has called ‘technical glitches’ and for which he has tendered apology. This is seen as magouille per excellence. Can any apology remove the perception of electoral injustice and unfairness?

Does it solve the problem of interpretation of the technical glitches as a calculated attempt to rig the election result in favour of the APC presidential candidate? Expectedly, in a joint PDP-LP press conference, the PDP Vice-Presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, and his Labour Party counterpart,Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, argued that it was either the Biomodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was down or the INEC had connived with the APC to rig election in favour of the APC. As raised by Governor Okowa, ‘if the system was down and they knew it was down, then they ought to have postponed the election.

If the system was not down, and they didn’t allow the upload of the results in (the BVAS), it means that they have connived, and they are no longer neutral and impartial.’ Based on this reasoning the PDP and the LP have decided to refer the issue to the court for possible adjudication and justice. They have seven days within which to file their objections to the INEC’s declaration of Senator Ahmed Tinubu as President-elect.

In a preemptive manner, the President-elect and the APC have urged the Federal High Court in Kano to restrain the PDP, LP and the Action Alliance and any other persons from taking any step or steps, be they judicial or extrajudicial, that is capable of preventing the INEC from completing the process of the conduct of the presidential election held on February 25. Justice A.M. Liman granted an accelerated hearing and ordered that‘parties shall within 24 hours of the hearing of the motion on notice be availed with meeting and access code.’

There are still other problematic areas: complaints of non-holding of election in some polling units, and yet, results were still collated and announced for the same polling units, money laundering, financial inducement of voters, bribery and conspiracy, snatching of BVAS machines, willful destruction of ballot papers, forgery of election results, under-age voting, dereliction of duty by electoral officers and party agents, misuse of voter’s card, presentation of old election results as new ones in 2023, declaring election results for what election officials announced as‘inconclusive’as it was the case with the senatorial election in Abia South, reducing the vote count of one candidate to add to that of another candidate, and asking aggrieved candidates to go to the court for not accepting the declaration of election results of polling units where election never took place, etc.

There is also the problem of political philosophy that whatever is possible to win election should first be done and then leave the rest to the court to determine, a situation that largely explains the resort to destructive political thuggery often with impunity. More important is the political belief that the judicial system can always be manipulated to unnecessarily delay cases to the extent that whoever might have been illegally elected could be allowed to end his or her term before the cases could be heard.Thus, it is not only the integrity and credibility of the whole election process, but also that of the judicial system that is being called to question.

Again, when Femi Falana, SAN, and Chairman of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) called for the arrest and prosecution of electoral offenders, because, as reported by Adebisi Onanuga in The Nation of March 1, 2023, page 6,‘the activist-lawyer said this has become imperative because the INEC, empowered by Section 145 of the Electoral Act, 2022 to prosecute electoral offenders has said it cannot combine the conduct of elections with the trial of electoral offenders.’With the foregoing perception of bias, conscious technical incompetence, deliberate disregard for the Constitution and self-made guidelines and the resultant tension being generated, what is the foreign policy implication, and quo vadis?

The Foreign Policy Dimensions One important foreign policy dimension to begin with is the threepoint direct message from former US President, Barack Obama, to all Nigerians: first, to eschew violence; second, to confront the Boko Haram which wants to destroy Nigeria; and third, to make keeping Nigeria united as a task that must be done. He assured Nigerians that in sustaining democracy as an instrument of national development and working strenuously to advance security, prosperity, and human rights, all Nigerians can always count on him, and on the people of America as a whole, as friends and partners.

As Barack Obama put it directly to Nigerians,‘Nigeria is a great nation and you can be proud of the progress you have made.Together you have won your independence and emerged from military rule and strengthen the democratic institutions.You strived to overcome divisions and turned Nigeria’s diversity into a source of strength.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾MARCH 5, 2023

23

GLITZ ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrity Fandom and Politics: A Toxic Mix? Stories by Vanessa Obioha The just concluded presidential elections did not go without a bang. Feathers were ruffled, bonds were broken and even the most devoted departed with a broken heart.

Its ripples are still felt in many quarters including the entertainment industry where celebrities received praise and criticisms for their choice of candidates from fans.

Celebrities in the entertainment industry, be they movie, music, fashion, or comedy stars, are often idolised by fans.

The adoration is not limited to their craft but includes their lifestyle and the values they stand for. Thus, fans see these superstars as role models, a kind of guiding light that helps them make better decisions.

The guidance often spills over to politics as fans expect some kind of goals alignment with celebrities. They demand, even though unfairly, that the celebrity’s choice should be in tandem with theirs.

This sometimes explains why some stars prefer to remain apolitical so as not to draw the ire of fans. But given the dominance of social media which has in a way churn out more celebrities, it is difficult to sit on the fence during election time. One way or the other, celebrities are expected to reveal their stance and wait for the verdict of fans.

Most Nigerian entertainers however did not have the best encounters with followers during the presidential elections. Some were abused, threatened, cursed and unfollowed simply because they chose a candidate that the majority did not find favourable.

Not a few could stand the heat, and those who did needed several layers of thick skin to withstand the insults hurled at them. Take for instance the Nollywood actress and filmmaker Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi who was abused for supporting the president-elect Bola Tinubu.

In one of her posts on Instagram where she shared a picture of her and the winner of the 2023 presidential elections, she was pilloried for claiming in her caption that the latter shared his ideas and visions for the nation with her.

The post generated over 37,000 comments with most people threatening to unfollow her and withdraw their support for her craft. Interestingly, the same post was liked by nearly 200,000 social media users.

The attack on Abraham-Ajeyemi was extended to her husband too who had to dissociate himself from the drama and asked people to stop cursing his children.

The actor and skit maker Adebowale Adedayo, better known as Mr. Macaroni who supported the Labour Party’s presidential candidate was caught in the firestorm too.

He revealed on Instagram that he has been threatened for supporting Mr. Peter Obi. The 2023 presidential elections caused a big divide not only between celebrities and their fans but also among

Mr Macaroni, Toyin and Adunni

colleagues. This was the case with the dirty drama that ensued between actress and filmmaker Adunni Ade and her colleagues over their presidential choice. She alleged that some of her colleagues were paid a stipend (N90,000) to campaign for a particular presidential candidate. This led to some of her colleagues lambasting her, including actress Bukky Adekogbe who disclosed that Ade got pregnant for a married man and aborted it.

Being indifferent was also not a choice for these entertainment stars. Burna Boy, the self-proclaimed Africa Giant was tackled too for not lending his voice to election matters. In his defence, the Grammy winner said that he has never supported any political party and has no preferred candidate. He however advised a fan to look somewhere else if he is looking for guidance on whom to vote for.

Given the drama that unfolded, Afrobeat musician Seun Kuti advised fans not to allow actors, musicians and influencers to direct their life because according to him, they will use their resources to become American and British citizens so that their children will not exist with those of the fans.

With all this brouhaha, one wonders if celebrity fandom and politics are a toxic mix. On one side are the fans who are hellbent on getting their idols to do their bidding simply because they feel it’s the right thing to do. On the other hand are the celebrities who have to weigh their political choices for fear of losing the relevance which seemingly is gotten from fans.

Arguably, celebrities cannot please every fan, and every fan cannot subdue a celebrity to do his/her bidding. Both stand to lose something at the end of the day. One way or the other, they will have to learn to manage expectations.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars 2022

To Avoid Another Will Smith Moment, the Oscars Set up a Crisis Team With just a few days to the 2023 Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, the Chief Executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Bill Kramer revealed that the organisation has set up a Crisis Team to manage unexpected incidents during the awards show.

“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” Kramer said in an interview with Time. “We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for

just in case it does happen.”

Last year’s Oscars was marred by the actor and comedian Will Smith’s famous slap to his counterpart Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Although Smith has been banned from attending the awards show for a while, the implication of that moment was not lost to many Explaining further, Kramer said that the crisis plans help to organise quickly.

“This is how we all come together. This is the spokesperson. This will be the statement. And obviously depending on the specifics of the crisis, and let’s hope something doesn’t happen and we never have to use these, but we already have frameworks in place that we can modify.”

This new team, according to Kramer, was responsible to address concerns around the surprise nomination of Andrea Riseborough, the ‘To Leslie’ actor whose Best Actress nomination raised a few eyebrows. One week after the nominations were released, the academy announced that Riseborough’s nomination will stand and the academy will work to refine and clarify the rules around awards campaigning.

The 95th Oscars is slated for March 12, 2023, and will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

BBTitans: Will a Save Tonight Enliven Royals Mood?

The Royals (Ebubu and Tsatsii) started their second reign as Heads of House on a sad note. The duo made history as the pair to win the Head of House title twice so far in the season. However, their joy was short-lived as Tsatsii broke one of Big Brother’s rules which was not to discuss nominations with fellow housemates unless your teammate.

Perhaps, out of excitement, Tsatsii threw this caution out of the window, thereby making Big Brother revoke their veto power and put them up for nomination.

This will mark the first time the Royals will feel the eviction pressure since last week’s eviction was a ruse. The first time they were on the eviction block, they were saved by Blaqleng. Apparently, the pressure got ‘wesser’ for the pair as Ebubu was not in his usual bubbly mien. With their wager loss too, the atmosphere was hardly the same for the pair as they awaited their fate tonight. Perhaps if they survive the eviction, their mood will be enlivened. Yelisa, Kaniva, Juvone, Juiovla and Khosicle are also up for possible eviction.

Meanwhile, Miss Insecurity visited the house and most of the possible ships were shaken. From Juicy Jay and Yvonne, Yemi Cregx and Khosi to Nelisa and Thabang. Hopefully, the lovers will be able to find hope in their love when the game is over.

L-R: Ebubu and Tsatsii_

Vincent Maduka Details His Journey Through Nigeria’s Broadcasting Landscape in ‘Reel Life’ Iyke Bede Veteran broadcast engineer Vincent Maduka’s ‘Reel Life’ chronicles the history of public broadcasting service in Africa, particularly from a Nigerian perspective.

The memoir captures both his personal and professional experiences at Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) from 1961 to 1968, to when he became the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) from 1977 to 1986.

One of the memoir ’s key themes is the use of TV programme content as a tool for unity and cultural change. Maduka provides exhaustive and relatable examples of how programmes such as ‘Village Headmaster ’, ‘Cock Crow at Dawn’, and ‘New Masquerade’ promoted Nigeria’s diversity and culture. He also details the background, development, and training of manpower that formed the core of the personnel that started Nollywood.

“The Nigerian constitution of 1979 gave power to not only regions but also to individuals to set up TV stations. And the quality of TV today is likely the root of that. It has opened up competition, and people now have the choice, and stations are now competing for viewership. Clearly, the quality has gone up compared to what could have been a monopoly.

“With monopoly, we were the ones struggling to set standards, set benchmarks. The BBC, the American, those were the people we looked up to.

Today, you look at your neighbour, you want to beat them,” Maduka said at a book reading recently held at Rovingheights Bookstore, Landmark Centre, Lagos.

The War Against Indiscipline (WAI) campaign, which aimed to execute a mass mobilization or change of culture campaign with the use of themes and related actions on indiscipline, is another highlight of ‘Reel Life’. Maduka provides details on the background, development, and successful execution of the campaign, including how NTA filmed and edited the related actions and corrections for broadcasting.

His personal experiences with different military governments are also highlighted. He provides an insightful account of how civil servants deified military rulers, and how the civilian government of Shehu Shagari removed him from the role of NTA Director General (DG) for the station’s non-partisan role.

He also demonstrates courage in his voluntary retirement from public service at the relatively young age of 50. ‘Reel Life’ shows that one can still achieve a lot after public service, considering Maduka’s exploits and achievements after retirement, including his work on the liberalization of the Nigerian telecommunication sector and the birth of its regulator, Nigerian Communication Commission.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

5.3.2023

OSAI OJIGHO

A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ON THE GLOBAL STAGE Driven by her passion to protect citizens’ rights, Osai Ojigho, a Nigerian human rights activist, lawyer and gender equality advocate, is leaving Amnesty International for another worthy cause. In a gripping conversation with Udora Orizu, the Delta State-born scholar reflects on her daunting task as the Country Director of Amnesty International and her next move ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/victoria.olaode@thisdaylive.com.

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COVER

When People are Talking about Justice, Women and Girls are Left out

O

sai Ojigho is on a mission to ensure human rights are not abused. Of course, she does not have a superwoman cape tied around her neck but with her legal skills and knowledge as a civil society actor, Ojigho over the years has used her position to ensure that people use relevant institutions to pursue justice, and raise visibility to the issues of women and girls.

This mission is a long-time dream that started in the lecture halls of the University of Lagos where she obtained her law degree.

“I was very studious and participated in a number of activities,” she began. “I was a student member of Amnesty International, the University of Lagos Chapter.”

Ojigho proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Abuja and went on further to obtain her masters at the University of Wolverhampton in the UK. Even though her masters was in international trade and commercial law, she found herself in a state of uncertainty when she came back to Nigeria in 2003.

“I was trying to find my feet like okay, what should I be doing? What else is available? And then one of my sister’s friends shared with me an opportunity to intern at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in the Netherlands. I was a bit skeptical because I was looking for a job, but I applied anyway. It was something to do while I’m waiting for those applications and interviews to come through. So, the International Criminal Court offered me an internship to work in the victims and witnesses unit which is under the registry.”

This was a sort of detour from Ojigho’s career plans as she wanted to practise as a legal researcher. But she nevertheless took the challenge wholeheartedly, at least, to get international experience.

“I was doing mostly preparatory work, because, at that time (2004), the court had not started receiving cases, so it was mostly preparation, studying the situation, preparing what to do when victims and witnesses come and their families, how they will handle them to ensure that they are not intimidated by the other side.”

One of the cases that caught the interest of Ojigho during this period was the case of Northern Uganda. Reading about how children were drafted into the military, raped, and abducted, opened her eyes to a different world. From that moment, Ojigho knew what her true calling was.

“One, I felt that I could use my legal skills to help make the world a safer place. Two, to fight for justice. Because if these institutions do not exist, who would have helped those victims from Northern Uganda.”

Ojigho worked briefly with a research firm before joining Alliances for Africa in 2007. Since then, she has not ruled her decision to become a civil society actor.

“I haven’t looked back in terms of using not only my legal skills but my knowledge as a civil society actor in order to ensure that people use these institutions in order to pursue justice, but also to bring the voices of women and girls to these conversations.

Oftentimes when peace or security is being discussed, or when people are talking about justice, women and girls are not decisionmakers, and I thought that by adding my voice and my expertise, I can raise the visibility of the issues of women and girls as well.”

In 2017, Ojigho was appointed Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, where she has overseen and participated in advocacy and social change campaigns including the #BringBackOurGirls and #EndSARS movement as well as lending the organisation’s voice to various human rights violations.

Prior to joining Amnesty International, Ojigho served in various roles with Oxfam in Nairobi, Kenya as interim Pan Africa Director of Oxfam GB and Coalition Coordinator for the State of the Union (SOTU). She was also a human rights observer to the African Union Mission to Mali and the Sahel 2013-14.

Even though she works in a male-

Ojigho

dominated field, she is not easily intimidated. “I think for me, the major thing is about knowing what you’re doing, having the correct qualifications in terms of degree, experience, and then your determination to succeed because that’s the overarching difference. It can be disarming for people when they meet you because they feel we can walk over her or we can intimidate her by raising our voice and everything but I found out that if you are aware of your abilities and you’re confident in yourself, they can try but you will stand strong and stay firm. It’s also been an advantage for a role like the head of Amnesty International in Nigeria. When I enter a room people are expecting to see a man, so the first few minutes they’re trying to say, okay where is the director; and then I’ll be like I’m the director.”

Introducing herself that way, she said, gives her a sense of ownership and allows her to properly reintroduce herself and set the agenda of the meeting.

“Most pushback comes also from communities and beneficiaries you want to work with because you’re not sure whether their issues will be dealt with. So it’s about building confidence, building relationships.

I found that I need to dedicate a bit of time to building those relationships because people will not take it on the surface level that you are competent, so it’s almost like you are not until you prove it.

“I try as much as possible to ask about their needs, make suggestions, and then give them alternative provisions to what they need. So they know that this person is knowledgeable, this person is an expert, this person is not just doing it as a sort of token, acknowledgement, or recognition. But it is

tough because it’s something that I have to deal with every time, every day, it’s a daily thing. There is never a time when I don’t have to be fully present in order to be acknowledged for the work and expertise that I bring to the team.”

Speaking on the difficult task of being the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Ojigho said she has learned to say no and to be able to prioritise issues that are relevant to the organisation’s goals.

“So, many things are always happening at a time. It’s about managing my time.”

She utilises tools like calendars to schedule work meetings as well as time for herself. This helps her to maintain balance and attend to issues even when she is not physically present. By doing so, Ojigho is also able to delegate, review her work and progress on projects.

Comparing handling the tedious job on issues of human rights violations in Nigeria to that of other countries, Ojigho admitted that the work in Nigeria is enormous.

“When I’m in meetings with other amnesty directors, in the region, that is Africa and elsewhere, I can see that the kinds of threats that we face in our environment are more intense. Maybe because of the kinds of natural resources we have. There’s a lot more interest in the states and corporations and multinationals in what is going on in Nigeria. You constantly have to be alert to possible violations. The size of the country as well contributes to this.

“In the Nigeria office, we are just about 20 but we are dealing with a country, 36 states and 200 million plus people and everybody wants you to work on their issues. So, it’s quite overwhelming. And

you find that you are stretched, working on several things. Whereas in some other countries, you can just be dealing with one or two issues. It doesn’t mean that other issues are not important, but they are able to focus and prioritise because they have less demand for their time.

“But overall in Africa, we are still facing issues that the West might not consider so much of an issue now, which is civil and political rights. Freedom of movement, and freedom of expression, it’s the same whether it’s in Nigeria, Ghana, or in Kenya, and issues about cultural and religious practices that could be discriminatory cut across many of those countries as well. So, for Nigeria, I would say it’s the size and complexity of the kinds of issues we deal with and the pressure from the populace in order to be more vocal on issues that concern them.”

Of course, every job comes with its challenges and Amnesty is not immune to one. Under her leadership as the country director, the human rights organisation has had issues with the military. Ojigho finds the different tags the military has labelled the organisation amusing. She painted the relationship between Amnesty International and the military as that of David and Goliath. However, she found it interesting that the military viewed Amnesty International reports to be a direct attack on their capacity to deliver security in response to the insurgents.

“I don’t want to say that Amnesty International is right because the insurgency has taken much longer than people thought it should. Something that started in 2009, we are in 2023 and it’s still going on. The insurgency has mutated into several other kinds of conflicts in the region. So Amnesty International’s research and campaign were not an attack on the military but rather throwing lights on abuses that are ongoing and providing the authorities an opportunity to correct those issues.”

She argued that the organisation expected the military to investigate the issues raised rather than dismiss them publicly. Nonetheless, Ojigho said that the organisation is aware that the military takes the issues they raise seriously. She cited an example with the 2015 report where the organisation highlighted the rules of engagement.

“One of the issues that the military needs to be clear of is that some of its soldiers go into battle without recognising the human rights implications of their actions and that the rules of engagement need to be clear. So they know how to deal with people in the theatre of war, how to deal with prisoners of war, and how to handle issues of detention and the treatment of prisoners in their care and we know that the military in the last few years has actually improved on the kind of training their soldiers get and ensuring that the rules of engagement become something that everybody should be aware of. But they won’t tell people that it is as a result of the criticism, or the fact that Amnesty raised this as a crucial issue that motivated them to adopt or tweak their practices.”

After six years in Amnesty International, Ojigho feels it’s time for a change. Though she will still be in the development sector, she believes it’s a great idea to use her skills in another organisation that deals with similar issues.

“I will be moving to Christian Aid UK, where I will be the Director of policy, public affairs and campaigns. I think it’s a good time for me, I think there’s still a lot of work to do at Amnesty International. But Christian Aid came calling and the opportunity to do work at a more global stage and to influence at a higher policy level, I thought would be another way to enhance my skills as well as expose some of the challenges of the development sector in the Global South.

“There are not many of us who do this work at a very senior level. And I think that it’s important to have diverse voices in this space.

So, it’s going to be like a chance to contribute from a different experience, an experience of a black African woman working in this sector for nearly 18 years, and contributing to that space,” she concluded excitedly.

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HighLife Runsewe’s Love for Nigeria

Runsewe

These are troubling times for Nigerians that care about the country. Since the start of this escapist mindset that has been generously named the ‘japa’ mentality, Nigeria has lost many of its prospects, including youths and even some skilled citizens.

Thankfully, there are many voices now that are actively opposing this movement.

Olusegun Runsewe is among them and his voice is currently the loudest.

The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has called on Nigerians to be more deliberate in their actions, especially as it concerns their decisions to remain in or leave the country.

Runsewe’s plea is coming at a time when patriotism is becoming a thing of the past as Nigerians shuffle from one foreign embassy to the next in their bid to leave the country.

According to Runsewe, Nigerians are giving too much up just so that they could join what may be perceived as the strongest wave in a river.

However, such a decision is not without consequence because many Nigerians that successfully left the country are struggling to find their way back and failing.

Runsewe’s heartache is reflected in the fact that more and more skilled Nigerians are leaving the country, including bankers and lecturers. This category of skilled workers is joining others in the medical profession, thereby reducing the number of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists that are in the country.

One must commend Runsewe for standing firm in the face of popular opinion to denounce the ‘japa syndrome’ that is eating into Nigeria’s fortune and prospects. If things continue this way, it would only be a matter of time before the nation is emptied of whatever potential she is supposed to use to raise herself and stand on the same level as her peers from Europe and Asia. So, in a way, Runsewe is helping to secure the future of Nigeria with his cautions.

with KAYODE ALFRED 08116759807, E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Lioness of Bourdillon: How Remi Tinubu Becomes the New Beautiful Bride

Politics is such an interesting game.

For every new win, there is often a change of loyalties. But Senator Remi Tinubu, the wife of President-elect, Bola Tinubu, is wise regarding such things.

Therefore, she is not the kind to be swayed by temporary loyalty, no matter how women grovel and declare her to be the fairest of the fair.

She is called the Lioness of Bourdillon not only because her husband has been given the alternate appellation worthy of a man of great power and political influence. In reality, Senator Remi is more of an experienced politician and statesperson than people give her credit for. At the peak of her time as a senator, she was able to manage a multitude of sharp individuals on her own, not depending entirely on the influence that her

husband wielded as a result of having planned years ahead.

Currently, things are different.

Even if Senator Remi wants to hide and refuse the ingratiating title of Her Excellency, people would not allow her. After all, this is a time for people to suck up to her and attempt to win her favour. Whether or not they would be successful is another matter.

Yes, Senator Remi has become the new bride among the political elite, especially the women who have to represent their husbands to shuffle into the good graces of the senator and her husband. Considering that she remained by her husband before the campaigns for the election even began, it is clear that she is one of the ways into his heart.

Therefore, these women are not wrong to attempt to smuggle themselves into Senator Remi’s camp.

Tinubu

Guardian of Style … Folake Akindele-Coker Celebrates Birthday

Akindele-Coker

Great things are on the horizon for Nigerian citizens whose career paths have shown them to be capable of handling duties and tasking responsibilities in the new era. Ibe Kachikwu, the immediate former Minister of State Petroleum Resources, is one of these Nigerians that fortune has flashed a smile upon. With the new prospects that are before him, Kachikwu will likely burst out of his cocoon before anybody can predict his moves.

The day has come for Kachikwu to shine again.

According to reports, the former Minister has caught the eyes of multiple Nigerian universities, all of which are prepared to flex their muscles if only they would be privileged to have Kachikwu as a visiting Professor of Law. One might say that this opens Kachikwu up to all sorts of accolades and demonstrates his track record in the political world as evidence that he is a practiced

Elegance is one of those things that refuses to lose its effect even after the winds of time have passed by. For Folake AkindeleCoker, the mind behind Tiffany Amber, the prospect of adding a new age is one worth celebrating. And so it was that she recently celebrated her birthday to the delight of friends and relatives, and reminded the rest of the world of her polished and debonair personality.

After keeping to herself for the most part in the last handful of years, the Tiffany Amber lady has once again emerged to demonstrate the rosiness in her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes.

Akindele-Coker clocked a new age on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

Although a party was thrown to celebrate her, she demanded that the party be low-profile. This is the only reason that the high-ranking members of the country did not

have to dust their sandals and go around the world as a way of honouring her. But Akindele-Coker has also shown that she prefers the peaceful and quiet way of life.

To the people that know Akindele-Coker, she will always be the daughter of the late stylishly distinguished billionaire, Chief Bode Akindele. As a result, she is a well-behaved individual with well-rounded home training. Alas, there was a time when even this quality was not enough to ensure her happiness. That was the period she lost her heart to a person and lost a large fraction of the colour in her world. Although she continues to bear t h e m a n’ s na m e , s he i s he r o w n w o m a n a nd w i l l most likely be one of the most stylish ladies in Nigeria.

Ultimately, Akindele-Coker remains a woman of style, eleg a nc e , a nd p a na c he . E v e n w i t h he r new age, she is the very definition of elegance and class.

Ibe Kachikwu out of His Shell?

man of the court.

From the reports gleaned, Kachikwu’s stars blossomed anew when various universities asked to have him as a visiting Professor of Law. These institutions include the University of Benin in Benin City, Edo State; Baze University in Abuja; and Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). With these universities behind him, Kachikwu stands the chance of coming out of the hole that time has dug him in, especially after his stint at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

It is easy to forget that Kachikwu was and will always be a lawyer.

This was especially the case when he caught the eye of President Muhammadu Buhari and the latter named him the NNPC Group Managing Director and then Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. Of course, Kachikwu’s being the President of OPEC played a role in President Buhari’s faith in him.

Whatever the case, things are looking rosy for the man.

Kachikwu

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾MARCH 5, 2023

HIGHLIFE

As Tinubu Wins Presidential Election, Will Bode George Relocate?

Politics has always been a game of minds. To the intent that adversaries would be deceived into making wrong moves or intimidated into retreating from their strongest points, politicians would make statements that might come back to bite them. Olabode George, more popularly known as Bode George, has become a victim of his own words.

Having sworn to take drastic action if the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu comes out victorious in the 2023 presidential election, what will the former military governor do now that what he dreaded has come to pass?

Following the emergence of Tinubu as President-elect, things are not going very well in some quarters of political Nigeria. Specifically, many people with the same mind as George are having to defend themselves before Nigerians if they want their words to mean anything moving forward. Of course, George is one of the most high-profile

Nigerians who dared to make a seemingly hasty decision and commitment. So, it falls to him to defend it.

As many readers would recall, George was one of the strongest opposers of Tinubu’s presidential ambition. According to George, Tinubu has nothing to offer the country and would only be left without any idea of what to do with presidential power. George also said that Tinubu would send people after him. As a consequence, he would immediately go into exile should it so happen that Tinubu wins the 2023 presidential election.

Perhaps, because things are always as one would have it, George needs to make a decision soon and fast. After all, it is only a few weeks before Tinubu would be sworn in as the president of Nigeria.

Before that happens, won’t George be forced to leave Nigeria so that his words would be taken seriously? After all, he is no ordinary Nigerian and cannot say whatever comes to him in the heat of the moment.

George

Superiority Between Bagudu and Aliero

Bagudu

Aliero

There is always an interesting kind of political mathematics that plays out during elections that is absent from reality every other time. It is very rare in real life for the proverbial David to slay Goliath. Instead, it is the more powerful and influential Goliath that typically dominates the ring. Alas, Kebbi State has turned the narrative on its head, a feat that only Senator and former Governor Adamu Aliero has been able to perform.

All is not looking well in Kebbi.

The reason for this is that the present Governor of the state, Abubakar Bagudu, has lost the senatorial bid to which he dedicated a lot of his time. More so, the winner of the senatorial contest that Bagudu participated in is none other than his gubernatorial predecessor, Aliero, who is also the current senator of Kebbi Central senatorial district.

The current reality smashed into the faces of observers when the National Assembly elections took place in Kebbi and Aliero polled more votes than his

successor. From the reports of the election, the former Governor and current senator of Kebbi Central got 126,588 votes while the incumbent Governor of the state got 92,339 votes.

As a result, the votes showed that the people of Kebbi Central senatorial district were more than willing to have Aliero continue to be their representative in the Senate, not minding the intentions of Governor Bagudu.

As one would expect, Aliero has not been able to contain his joy at the fact that his people considered him more worthy to represent them than the governor of their state. He expressed this joy without restraint. Although he did not cast aspersions at his opponent, he was very deliberate in thanking the people for showing him their support and promised to uphold their trust in every way possible.

So, are sparks flying between Aliero and Bagudu? Has the line been drawn?

The coming days will show.

Abdullahi Haske Takes the Backseat All things fall apart, Chinua Achebe declaration. The entire point of that declaration was that when things fall apart, it is because the center is unable to hold them together. In many ways, this is the lot of individuals who have either lost their backing or can no longer count on said backing. When such things happen, these individuals, like Abdullahi Haske, take the backseat and wait for things to blow over.

In the grand scheme of things, Haske is the kind of person that any reasonable individual would want on their team. A brilliant young man by virtually any standard, Haske has demonstrated an incredible predilection for business. So astute is his unique perspective of business deals that it has been intimated many a time that Haske has only managed to stand out because he is the son-in-law of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

However, whatever the insinuation, even

his biggest naysayers admit that Haske has guts and brains. As the founder and Group MD of AA&R Investments and Mars E&P, Haske’s good fortune was made possible because he has always been able to identify opportunities and differentiate them from pits of problems.

The same vision helped Haske win 51 per cent of the Addax oil bloc, a business deal that he snatched from under the noses of individuals who have been involved in the oil business longer than the AA&R Group has been out of school. Despite all of this, the time has come, it seems, for Haske to retire to the backseat and let the waves of time wash some of his glory into the shores.

There is much to learn from Haske, according to some political-business analysts.

The shared narrative among this group is that Haske’s business acumen is so closely tied to his father-in-law’s influence that when said father-in-law lost his presidential bid, Haske was forced to take the backseat.

In Late Alao-Akala’s Home, another Son Rises Time continues to flow in the realm of life, demonstrating that it is an incontestable force.

Nevertheless, human ambition and the need to continue the legacy of one’s father leave marks on the marble that even time is unable to wash away.

And so when it was reported that Olamiju, the son of the late exgovernor of Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala, had won his House of Representatives bid, there was great joy among those that love the Alao-Akala household.

Olamiju came first in the polls to secure the right to speak for Ogbomoso Federal Constituency, Oyo State, in the House of Representatives.

The joy following Olamiju’s win is palpable to any observer.

From the reports, the son of the former governor obtained 33,268 votes while the runnerup, Olufemi Onireti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), got 27,126. Of course, with his experience as the former Chairman of Ogbomoso North Local Government, Olamiju should be able to impress the people with his continued commitment to their demands, needs, and welfare.

When the Alao-Akala first announced that Olamiju would be contesting for the House of Reps position, some people wondered whether he would be able to rouse the goodwill of the Ogbomoso people. Some people felt that it was possible because of the track record of his father.

Others were not so sure. But time has shown that things are different when one is dedicated to their goals.

Ultimately, Olamiju has proved that Alao-Akala is not without a successor. The coming years will show how much the young man learned from his late father.

Haske

Gbenga Daniel is Over the Moon as He Finally Achieves His Longtime Ambition

Daniel

A new era is coming for a lot of Nigerians.

In the wake of the current elections, more and more Nigerians are finding reasons to throw their fists into the air in jubilation. In the case of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the former Governor of Ogun state, the cause for celebration is his recent victory in the senatorial polls. Now that Daniel has obtained something that he has been very bullish about for a long time, one can only imagine the heights of his joy.

Not one to accept that he is done with serving his people, Daniel has always been looking for that opportunity that will allow and enable him to represent his people on the federal stage. With his victory at the recent senatorial polls, the time has come for Daniel to stand for his people.

Daniel came out as the senator-elect in

Ogun East. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he won the senatorial mantle for Ogun East with a total of 115,147 votes. In his address, the former governor explained that this was a duty he took to heart because the people of Ogun supported his gubernatorial bid in 2003 and have once again supported his senatorial aspiration.

Clearly, the people of Ogun are indicating that they have a regard for Daniel that 20 years of being on and off the political stage is not able to turn off or quench. Even as the man has exited the quarters of political irrelevance and stands a chance of being a number one for his people, especially those of Ogun East, one can understand his excitement.

Alao-Akala

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LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Bola Ahmed Tinubu: My Emperor, My President There was this arrogant confidence around this campaign. Yes, politicians are eternal optimists but this one moved around with the confidence that this was in the bag. From the declaration of ‘Emilokan’ to the golden speech in Abeokuta where he ridiculed the incumbent Buhari, to the last one where he said in Yoruba at the height of the Naira scarcity that – it is not where they are looking at that the road is, one felt that these ones were not really relying on the one man one vote mantra to emerge.

Fumbling and wobbling all over the country, Tinubu kept pushing. The more they pelted him with rotten tomatoes, the stronger he moved.

The gaffes didn’t stop coming, the ridiculing, the falls, the missteps but the man kept trudging.

He got to Uyo and called the Governor a ‘boy’ and another

firestorm erupted but he survived.

He had developed thick skin and it was looking like nothing could stop him. His people had moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the sitting Government, the respect for the incumbent had gone and we were looking at a really lame President who had no choice but to join the campaign trail even though his policies were looking like they were carefully designed to strangle Mr. Emilokan.

All these came to a head as the votes started coming in and the INEC Chairman in a very dull and strange performance announced Mr. Tinubu our new President, marking the climax of a 30-year journey and leaving Nigerians in utter amazement and national gloom.

This story is epic. A man literally dropping from the sky, with no

Abubakar

Rhodes-Vivour

very good showings in the North, and permanently cemented his personality as the hero of the struggle. His campaign was deeply emotional and resonated with the urban intelligentsia and the youths but failed to engage the northern powerful electoral machinery, and this is where his inexperience at such levels began to show.

Three weeks before the elections, it would have dawned on him as it did on the rest of us, just how the elections would go. At that point, he should have immediately done everything within his power to build bridges with either the PDP or Kwankwaso’s NNPP. I hear attempts were made but failed. He should have been very insistent because even if it was only Kwankwaso he got, he would have forced a rerun and then recalibrated and moved in much more strategically.

But his inexperience made him feel he could do it alone. He didn’t have the energy or sagacity to push further at the last part of the race, especially with the willy-nilly APC Candidate he had to contend with, and as such came third.

Anyways, he remains the people’s President. The president in our hearts and the true winner of the 2023 presidential race. Well done my brother, you truly have run a super exciting race and, in the process, reset our thinking and outlook as a nation.

For me, the next four years will be a ‘close out’ period, where the darkness of epileptic leadership occasioned by corruption would gradually draw to an inevitable eclipse and the dawn of purposeful, relational leadership will emerge. Thank you so much, Mr. Obi. Thank you so much.

known parentage, no acceptable educational qualification, a colourful relationship with the law, both local and international, a brilliant antimilitary dictatorship career, a very interesting tenure as Lagos State governor, an admirable career as a regional godfather, careening that into a very powerful ‘unseater’ and imposer of presidents and finally imposing himself on a now confused country.

Our mouths remain open with shock. Did this really happen? We are asking ourselves.

As I write, 3 am, a good 24 hours after the announcement, and Nigerians are still dazed in silence, not really comprehending what has just happened.

An Emperor President has just been imposed. This is going to be a real rollercoaster ride, I swear. Na to buy popcorn and siddon look. Nigeria has just entered the real one chance. Chai. Na wa.

Tinubu

Obi

PETER OBI AS THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT You know how they console those who ‘carry last’ during the Olympics, they will say that the Olympic goal is to participate and not to win. Na lie o, na stupid consolation be that. Anyways, this time around, that mantra seems to be golden.

The true winner of this very Freudian race is Peter Obi and not the colourful and suspicious character that emerged.

Peter Obi, I have always said, should never look at his endgame as the trophy but as the morality of his journey. The fact that he has been able to drive conviction into national political discourse. The fact that his campaign rose above the shallow ethno-religious gallows that normally characterise our political space to me is a massive victory.

A minority Christian candidate in black traditional wear and black cheap shoes to move with such confidence and pool over six million votes in a campaign that was less than stellar can only be seen as massive.

Obi defeated the emperor in his stronghold, took out more than the required 25% in strategic states, cleared the whole South-east, made some

ATIKU ABUBAKAR’S AMATEURISH DISPLAY Me, I did not feel his energy o. Watching the Atiku charade was like watching Larry Holmes, the great heavyweight champion being beaten to a pulp by a much younger and spirited fighter. I still remember that fight. It was in the 80s and it was at night. I had woken up to watch the fight with my dad who had great hope and believed in Holmes.

I had wondered just how this great blob of a man with all that fat will be able to beat the younger, well-toned fighter.

Come and see beating, the former champion was just looking like a badly made ‘Eba’ in the ring. People in the audience started crying at the painful humiliation he was going through. His legs wobbled, his face bloated from the blows, blood pouring out from all over his face and his eyes pleading to be let go.

That is the image of Atiku in this

Obasanjo

campaign. A huge heavyweight who had lost the nimbleness that made him a champion. Surrounding himself with court jesters who made a career of mimicking Mr. Tinubu and trading words with Mr. Tinubu’s wolves, but lacking the understanding of the shifting voting terrain occasioned by the fiery movement led by Mr. Obi. He stood to lose severally from the Obi wildfire and he stood there doing nothing. Only a political novice and you cannot call Mr. Atiku that, will sit down there and watch the Obi phenomenon, knowing fully well that he would be the greatest loser and still will be nudging his big head at Dino’s lame jokes instead of going out there to rein in Obi or build a working partnership that will see them strongly push out Mr. Tinubu.

It is no wonder that Obi took him out in his South-east and South-south strongholds, killed him in the Southwest, and shared some of his votes in the North.

While still at that, he also watched Wike mess him up with his weird contraption- G5. This Atiku surprised

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾MARCH 5, 2023

me o. He had lost his edge. Age telling very seriously and the battering from OBJ taking a final toll.

Sad, like Larry Holmes, Atiku has received the very last heavy beating of his political career. Sad end to a very colourful career. Well-done sir.

GBADEBO RHODES VIVOUR: AN INTERN SEEKING TO MAKE IMPACT On one of my many WhatsApp groups, someone asked, “Please can someone send me GVR’s resume?” Up until that time, we knew very little about this candidate whose profile had started ramping up as a result of the anger the people were feeling as a result of the rape during the national elections.

As the results were churned out and people were seeing the blatant inconsistencies and the brazen lack of respect of the people’s will by our traducers, the image of the Labour Party candidate who up until that time had run a very lackluster campaign began to drum up.

So, someone dropped his resume and we all opened our mouths. It was empty!

This particular group is a group of intellectuals – investment bankers, media people, and a motley sort of professionals who yearn for advocacy in leadership.

The resume was purred over and the consensus was that this person cannot for the life of me run the 5th largest economy in Africa with all the complexities that come with that positioning.

We saw very strong pedigree keying into the yearning for an indigenous leadership of Lagos away from the ‘Iragbiji’ throng of raiders. His marriage and maternal links gave him a good balance in the ethnic tensions that beset the state. He was just a lucky ‘boy’ in the right party and at the right time who so happened to be at the toll gate #EndSars uprising.

A further look at the resume saw very strong educational qualifications unlike the Chicago type one that continues to be bandied on our faces and a very strategic engagement with public policy at the master’s level. This is quite impressive, showing very clearly a very early intent at leadership.

But the question is that are we now going to elect a new governor for the most important city in Africa simply on emotions? People are saying, “Edgar, he will learn on the job,” and I ask them will you give your phantom Rolls Royce to your son to learn? Won’t you give him a tokunbo car to go and learn first?

Nigerians, nay Lagosians should kindly look very closely and beyond all of these and see the very important work that needs to be done and take a decision based on logic and rationality and not because ‘he fine’. Thank you. Kai. OBASANJO: SAINT OR RESIDENT DEVIL? Like it or not, we are stuck with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the crusader elder statesman. He sure knows how to look for our trouble and for his efforts, he gets all sorts of abuses and attacks. The man doesn’t seem to mind because the very next day, he is shooting another letter.

This time around, he dropped another bomb asking for the immediate cancellation of the elections on the grounds of the massive infraction that we all witnessed on live TV. My own problem with Chief Obasanjo is totally different from that of the APC. So, the footage of him signing the letter was released so that people will know that he was the one who actually wrote it. As he walked towards the table and the letter handed over to him by his media aide – Kehinde, I was excited as I looked out for my collage from the play ‘Aremu’ that I did on him.

After the play, I presented to him a huge collage of images from the play which had veteran actor Yemi Shodimu play the lead role Aremu. He hung it in that particular room and during all that Covid period, whenever he did a Zoom press conference, you will see the collage with the ‘Duke of Shomolu’ written boldly on it and girls would be calling me, saying, “Duke, I saw you behind OBJ,” and I would say, “come let me tell you more about it.”

But this time, as he signed the ‘yeye’ letter, I did not see the collage o.

Somebody has removed it and I am sure it is Vitalis that removed it — that one does not really like me o. At that point, I did not care what the letter said.

If they rig nko, what concerns Baba? Is it today we have been rigging in Nigeria?

Rigging is part of our culture, abeg. We have been rigging since 1960. Didn’t we rig in 1979? Abeg Baba go and put my picture back o because me I don’t understand what is happening o.

You see why them Dele Alake and Bayo Onanuga will be yabbing you up and down when you will be removing my picture. Thankfully, Buhari also ignored the letter for the same reasons I am ignoring it. Me, I had called Buhari in anger and said, “Lord, OBJ is writing letter again o, please ignore him o because I did not see my picture behind him,” and you know that one does not joke with me.

“Duke, abeg no mind that Baba, that is how he will not mind his business. Na wa.”

Baba, put my picture back o, otherwise, it will not be funny if I come to Abeokuta oooo. It will not be a town hall meeting when I get there o.

G5 AS A COMEDIC QUINTET These ones just came to do side attractions during the elections. Role players who served as pretenders on the big stage, they just offered us a laughing interlude and at the end of the day fizzled out into oblivion.

Their leader was very engaging. His speeches and his dances all gave us momentary lapses of fun as the very serious business of campaigning was going on.

So, they fell out with their party on

ON BABAJIDE SANWO-OLU AS MAN IN THE MIRROR

Sanwo-Olu

Shebi I can be confusing abi. People have been calling and asking, ‘Duke there is something really wrong with you. How can you be attacking Tinubu and now be supporting Sanwo-Olu, they are one and the same, can you remove the father from the son’ Even me sef, at times, I don’t understand but the truth is that when you see diamond, it comes out rough and dirty. You wash it and cut it and its beauty is apparent. Sanwo-Olu is that diamond. In that hurried mess, that is the structure that has captured Lagos and kept it in bondage for the last 24 years, you find a clean spirited Sanwo-Olu who is genuinely fighting for the interest of the people.

I have chosen to lay my bets on him on three platforms – sincerity, performance and experience. Lagos is just so complicated and huge that it will be a great disaster for us to

move leadership on the basis of an emotional push.

Sanwo-Olu’s stride in education, health and infrastructure remains far and above average. But in entertainment where it really concerns me, he has shown a deft understanding of what is needed to better position the sector as the biggest employer of labor in the country.

Bounding up the stairs at the historic Glover Memorial Hall during the Command Performance of AWO my last play, he looked to his left and there was this young lady, selling toast bread. He stopped and said, ‘ elo ni toast bread’ and the whole hall went into laughter. That is his common touch. His relationship and his ability to feel the pulse of the people that makes him our candidate. Ahead of the governorship elections, let Lagosians be the judge

the back of positioning. Broke away, but didn’t leave the party and went ahead with an unprecedented anti-party jamboree, daring the party to expel them while at it.

At the end of the day, despite their camaraderie, they couldn’t come up with a uniform candidate. The leader went to the left, the deputy leader in his Benue went right and the others simply just meshed into incognito and at the end of the day, the only real winner in this tragic game was their tailor. Na wa. Nigerian leadership, na wa.

DINO MALAYE: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE JACKET Nigerians are a rare breed. It was all about Dino’s jacket as he stood up to engage the hapless INEC Chairman as that one reeled out leprous figures. Dino stood like a man, bold and confident as he shouted, “Mr. Chairman this is wrong…”

He sounded like Martin Luther King as he waved a finger at the Chairman who was intent on spewing the poison chalice on us. Dino cut a heroic figure that one could be tempted to put his name in the democratic hall of fame being compiled.

The only snag was that it now looked like he was wearing a fake jacket while making history. Kai! Dino yab me.

Apparently, some people on social media had done their investigations and came up with the sad fact that the original jacket had only one letter N but Dino’s own came with a double N. Be like say, Dino has some friends who deal with okrika or second-hand clothes from China. They must have supplied him with the jacket and he now wore it boldly on national TV for over 30 million people to see. I am sure even the jeans sef must have come from the same supplier and we have seen pictures of him without underwear, so I will not need to hazard a guess as to the originality of his boxer shorts.

My brother, your jacket symbolized everything that went wrong with the Atiku campaign. Just as the jacket was not original, na so the campaign lacked originality. Na wa egbon.

PROF BAKARE OJO RASAKI IN LEGENDARY DANCE Prof is a very gifted dancer. I have seen him in action in some productions and have marvelled at the seamless flow of his movements. His carriage bellying his eloquent movements. His gazelle-like interpretation of the sequences of dance is legendary and it is no wonder he is the first professor of dance in Nigeria.

Prof, as I call him who is the Commissioner for Culture and Arts in Ekiti State will be directing one of Nigeria’s most exciting theater productions this Easter.

Ladi Kwali is my take on the very attractive potter who amazed the world with her superlative gift of pottery. Her fame rose and attracted world attention and on the back of that, Nigeria immortalised her by putting her image on the Naira note.

This Easter, Prof Rasaki will be dropping this superlative production at the Muson Centre. The production would be a 100% dance sequence that will tell the story of this wonderful lady in pure superlative dance moves. I really cannot wait and well done in advance, my dear Professor. Well done.

SEGUN AWOLOWO: GRANDPA DUTY CALLS I do not know if it is okay to release this information. But you know that the whole world really knows that I cannot really keep a secret. During the week, I stumbled on pictures of my great egbon receiving his first grandchild.

Oh, it was so touching and romantic.

The baby was handed over to him by his daughter and he cradled him with prayers with little tears in his eyes.

I cannot wait to be a grandfather. I quickly sent the pictures to my son Joseph Edgar II, and Chantal and said to them, “what’s up?”

Congratulations my Lord and may our Heavenly Father bless and keep the baby and give us all long lives to allow in the warmth and loving embrace of our children and their children. Wow!

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Is Shina Peller’s Political Career on the Precipice?

Prest

Again, Oil Tycoon, Michael Prest, Sings Another Song of Victory Despite his reputation as an international entrepreneur and businessman with expertise in growth, investment and strategy, Michael J. Prest hardly talks and avoids controversies.

The Nigerian-born international oil tycoon is one very private man who actually detests being put in the spotlight.

No doubt, he is one of the toughest negotiators the oil industry has produced. According to close aides, Prest’s brain is always working as each of his actions and moves are well thought out and calibrated.

Yet, the founder of Petrodel Resources, an international oil and gas development and energy company, keeps miring a series of legal controversies. Not a few would easily forget the landmark case centred on the £17.5 million divorce of Prest and his former wife Yasmin, the British-born second daughter of the highly respected veterinary surgeon from Gombe, the late Dr. Inua Mohammed. The case had pitched the family division and the commercial division of the United Kingdom High Court against each other and many had presumed the more powerful corporate side would win.

While the dust had yet to settle on that case, the billionaire businessman has again enmeshed in yet another landmark case. This time around, as revealed to Society Watch, it was in the Caribbean Island of Nevis where the Nigerian-born magnate has had a home since 1996.

Prest also owns the Bank of Nevis International Limited, BONI, an international bank offering private and wealth management services. The Delta State-born tycoon is also one of the largest employers of the small Idyllic Caribbean Island. But in June 2021, the Island’s financial regulators attempted to restrict Prest’s company, Petrodel, and imposed fines on BONI. The legal action led Prest’s lawyers to argue that the regulators had the power to do so and were acting with impunity.

In a landmark court ruling, Honorable Justice Patrick Thompson Jr. handed down a judgment in favour of Prest, which has sent seismic shock in the financial services industry in the Caribbean Island of Nevis. The Jurist awarded Prest an order for certiorari, quashing the decision of the Regulator of International Banking to issue the letter dated June 23, 2021, seeking to restrict Prest, and ordered that Prest was entitled to a declaration, that the Regulator of International Banking had no authority to restrict the activities of Prest’s company, Petrodel. Thus Prest was successful in his claim for judicial review.

Perhaps, if Shina Peller had yielded to the advice of some of his friends, he wouldn’t be biting his finger in regret today.

The man, whose name was synonymous with the nightclub business, would later embrace politics with the assistance of his godfather, the late governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi. The Iseyin-born was quite lucky as he found his way to the green chamber of the national assembly in his first attempt at the poll, a feat some of his contemporaries spent years searching for.

Like a fighter and an ambitious young man, he took up the gauntlet, and, in no time, wormed his way to the hearts of his people owing to his famed kindness. He subsequently got elected, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/ Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency in Oyo. However, just like a typical ambitious man that allowed his inordinate ambition to blind him, he decided to bite more than he could chew.

Just as the preparation for the 2023 general election commenced, the light-skinned politician got more confused. Some sources said it could be because of his over-bloated ego or allowing himself to be deceived by political jobbers or hangers-on. But some others hinted

that it could be that he actually overrated his political experience and capabilities.

First, he nursed the aspiration of becoming the number one citizen of the country. Then, it was gathered that he backed out and eyed the Oyo North Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He opted out from the position as member of the House of Representatives while he aimed higher for the ticket for the Oyo North Senatorial District. Despite that he was advised against this decision, he remained adamant and contested the primary election against the incumbent, Fatai Buhari. He polled five votes against Buhari who garnered 570 votes.

For his incurable optimism, he turned a deaf ear to wise advice and dumped the party that made him. He secured the ticket of the Accord Party, where he contested the senatorial election last week Saturday, February 25, 2023. But, again he lost to his arch-rival, Buhari of APC. A source disclosed that at the moment, his greatest concern borders on how to salvage his political career which is literally heading toward the precipice. Indeed, he is said to be making frantic efforts within his power to

Peller

save his political career from nose-diving when he finally leaves the Green Chamber in May.

Ooni of Ife New Beautiful Dreams

Oba Ogunwusi

Since he ascended the throne of his forefathers in 2015, Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi has never hidden his grand dreams from all and sundry. His desire and determination to do things differently are the reasons he has achieved more success.

Arole Oduduwa, as he is fondly called, has remained steadfast in his ways and has always been driven by the interest of his people. He is also blessed with a repertoire of knowledge in his culture and tradition. Little wonder he has remained one of the most influential monarchs in Nigeria.

Before attaining his royalty status, he was a top shot in property and real estate alongside his elder brother, Adetunji Ogunwusi. Together, they ran Primewaterview Limited, with a lofty vision to become the best real estate company in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond. Prior to the advent of the firm in the Nigerian real estate industry,

residential high-rise development was a no-go area for indigenous private individuals. But they changed the story and revolutionised the industry in no time with huge success.

Although his position as a king, to some extent, has hindered him from operating his business, the king is however filled with lofty ideas and has constantly been actualising them little by little. Society Watch gathered that the Ooni is currently investing several millions of naira in retail shopping outlets with his trademark Ojaja Mall across the South-western states, such as Ile-Ife in Osun, Akure, the capital of Ondo, Ekiti in Ekiti, Abeokuta in Ogun, and Lagos.

It was also gathered that the malls are presently under construction. A source revealed that if completed, the malls would have a great impact on the country’s economy.

Kogi Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja’s Next Move Blessed with a humane demeanour and uncommon poise, Kogi State Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, is gradually causing some ripples as one of the key players in the state politics.

As an undergraduate of Geology at the University of Jos, Plateau State Onoja carved a niche for himself as a potential activist and politician who would someday make history in his state of origin. The opportunity to be actively involved in politics in his home state came after he was appointed as the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello in his first tenure.

In his capacity as CoS, his influence could not be ignored, particularly as he helped his principal run the state almost seamlessly.

For his loyalty to Bello in his first term, he was rewarded with the Deputy Governor slot after the former deputy governor, Simon

Achuba, was impeached by the state House of Assembly.

During that period and owing to the confidence Bello had in him, he was allowed to handle all political matters in the state, while Bello focused more on the politics of Abuja. In fact, he was said to have handpicked over 80 per cent of Bello’s cabinet, while also discharging his duty diligently devoid of nepotism and favouritism.

It was revealed that he was running the affairs of the state when the governor was busy with his now botched Presidential ambition.

Interestingly, as the race for the 2023 election seems to have begun gathering momentum, all fingers are pointing to Onoja as the perfect successor and anointed candidate to run for Governor in 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Onoja

Shockwaves as Top Socialite, Lanre Shittu, Dies

Late Shittu

Since the news broke of the death of prominent businessman and popular auto dealer, Chief Lanre Shittu, Chairman of Lanre Shittu Motors, on Monday, February 27, 2023, shockwaves had spread across the entire social and corporate circuit.

Shittu died in Lagos in the early hours of Monday, February 27, 2023. Sources said the

wealthy businessman battled diabetes before he eventually succumbed to his other underlying conditions. His death came a month after his 65th birthday. He was buried according to Islamic rites on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at the Vaults and Gardens in Ikoyi Lagos.

Shittu was a well-known figure in the automobile business world and started his auto business in the early 1980s. His business began in the Alaka area of Lagos, which was then a popular auto hub on the then Western Avenue, now Funsho Williams Avenue.

A few years ago, the late Shittu diversified into the marketing of construction equipment, Mack heavy-duty trucks, and Yutong long buses. He later set up an assembly facility for JAC trucks in Lagos.

The Lanre Shittu Group also has investments in the real estate and agricultural sectors of the economy. He was a colossus in the automobile business in this part of the world and was well known for his great finesse and charisma.

Apart from being a motor dealer to beat, he

was among the top socialites whose popularity traversed far and beyond. He was a darling of many musicians, especially K1 de Ultimate who sang his praise to the high heavens on many occasions. The musician did a special dedication to him in his hit album ‘American Tips.’

He was also known for driving posh cars and wearing expensive dresses and designer watches, while beautiful women ran after him like honey to nectar.

However, he suffered a reversal of fortunes after he was arrested in 2000 and whisked away from Nigeria to the US by security operatives of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA in collaboration with agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for alleged money laundering.

After the trial, nothing was found on him but he went underground for some time. By the time he resurfaced, he had dropped old habits, which includes lavish spending and excessive partying.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

5. 3. 2023

For Beninese Artist, Ludovic Fadairo, Art is for Rebirth of Spirituality For the legendary Beninese artist, Ludovic Fadairo, his first solo exhibition in Nigeria is a comeback and a rekindle of his spirituality. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

L

udovic Fadairo had wanted to pursue a musical career at first.

He had a group. But music was such a hard sell at the time.

He had to change his mind. In 1972, Fadairo did a painting and sold it for 100 CFA francs and he realised that it was lucrative. He saw that music was more challenging because he had to work with more people to music and he saw that he could make more money from music.

He travelled to study more about painting. Born on August 21, 1947, at Zinvie, Fadairo is a Beninese master respected in the contemporary African art scene and indeed the world. He had a traditional education at the Art School in Amsterdam, returned soon after, and developed a unique language in trans materiality and texture.

Fadairo's oeuvre encompasses painting, installation, sculpture, and works in mixed media. Typically, he seeks to understand the media he employs, which range from the traditional to the highly unorthodox including chalks and natural pigments. His 3-dimensional figures are imaginative, emotive, and charged with immediacy.

Details are everything to him.

Fadairo’s perfect control of detail emerges and develops as the artist breathes life into various symbols and compelling themes.

Although Fadairo’s work has been exhibited across Europe and Asia, this is the first time of exhibiting at a gallery in Nigeria. Through an interpreter, he recounted how he had witnessed the most iconic cultural event in Nigeria- FESTAC '77, adding that he still has a friend and a brother in Bruce Onobrakpeya. For him, this solo show is a homecoming and an opportunity to connect with

Fadairo F d i beside b id one off hi his works k

his spirituality. Titled What We Don’t See, the show runs from March 4 to April 2 at Soto Gallery, Ikoyi.

Known for developing his works in an organic way, Fadairo grew up in a family where they did a lot of traditional worship. Hence, he started searching for God by himself.

"I get his own image from my own thinking and perspective. I create my ideas in concrete form having been inspired in spirit," he said.

When asked why he seems to be preoccupied with spirituality, he explained his point of view.

“God is everywhere, in every person. I look for God in everything I do. From the food I eat I try to know God. From the water I drink, I try to know God. God is everywhere and in everything.

"There are some things you see that others don’t see. There are some things you hear that others

don’t hear. The idea is to keep passing on the message. We refuse to see God in all we do because we have different ways of communicating with God." Over 20 pieces of works are to be shown at the exhibition.

Sometimes his works are quite abstract and meditative. This body of works takes a close and comprehensive look at the illustrious career of this Beninese master.

At 75, his practice spans over four decades, and his output rank amongst the most prodigious in contemporary art within and beyond Africa.

This exhibition is the first major survey of Fadairo’s work in Nigeria and English-speaking West Africa. A well-known and respected figure within

artistic and intellectual circles in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, he will be making his Nigerian debut with a selection of works that showcase the artist’s unflagging vitality over the years and his continued interest in the interplay between the creative and the spiritual.

"We’re incredibly honoured to present Ludovic Fadairo’s work for the first time in Nigeria," the Director, Soto Gallery, Tola Akerele says. "With this exhibition, we hope to help begin the process of re-evaluating Fadairo’s place in the canon of African art. He is a pioneer whose contributions, given due assessment, should remain relevant for at least another few generations.

His paintings have been shown in the great art capitals of the world so we consider this exhibition evidence of Lagos’s rising esteem as well as a significant achievement for Soto."

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\POT POURRI

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onvergence 2022, the m u c h anticipated ÁDJVKLS HYHQW of the Abuja Open House, ÀQDOO\ DSSHDUHG VHW WR UROO DW WKH Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja that late Thursday morning, October 27. That is one reason why the organisers deserved a pat on the back. To think that the US (PEDVV\ VHQW D GL΀FXOW WR LJQRUH terror alert days, if not weeks, before the opening day, hinting at sporadic strikes in locations throughout the federal capital city! The British High Commission heeded the like the US Embassy, withdrew critical employees.

So, there was no clearer indicator of the event's positive reception WKDQ WKH UHODWLYHO\ VLJQLÀFDQW attendance by members of the Abuja art community. For this writer, who was featured among the speakers, who included Beste Gursu (a Turkish female curator ZKR ÁHZ LQ IURP 7XUNH\ D leading artist Polly Alakija, an Abuja-based social entrepreneur Imal Silva, the Society of Nigerian Artists President Muhammad Sulaiman, the German Deputy Ambassador Martin Huth and theAbuja Open House helmsman Ndubuisi Nduwhite Ahanonu, the audience’s attentiveness and decorum were remarkable.

Indeed, there is no denying the fact that the activities of this RQH RI D NLQG DUW ÀHVWD ZKLFK UHvolved around the theme "Discov-

An interactive session during the festival

ART FESTIVAL ering Abuja Art Spaces," helped cast fresh light on the Abuja art scene. Included among the city’s art spaces, alongside conventional art galleries, are cafés, hotels, and cultural centres.

A quick rewind to the previous day. The cab ride from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to the Nordic Hotel in Jahi was closely monitored via a WhatsApp group chat until arrival. It is commendable that the organiser's protocol team sprang into action soon after this writer arrived, despite having few resources at its disposal.

In any case, Convergence 2022 was all about the potential of big ideas. Therefore, thumbs up to Ahanonu and his team for curatLQJ WKLV YLVXDO EXͿHW DQG QHWZRUNing platform, which provided DÀFLRQDGRV ZLWK GHOLJKWIXO WLGELWV

of the capital city's art scene during its run from October 27 to October 30. This is besides the inclusion RI WKH H[KLELWLRQV RI KLJK SURÀOH non-Abuja-based artists like Duke Asidere, Diseye Tantua, Timi Kakandar, and Dotun Popoola DPRQJ LWV YLVXDO RͿHULQJV A closer examination of the H[KLELWLRQV WKH ÀUVW RI ZKLFK was Convergence: There from Here, which was curated by Aisha Aliyu-Bima, at the Institut Français along Libreville Crescent, Wuse 2, and featured two artists: Zaria-born and Lagosbased Idris Abdulwahab and Zaria-born and Kaduna-based Salim Abubakar, revealed an HͿHUYHVFHQFH DQG YLEUDQF\ QRW previously associated with the Abuja art scene. Take, for example, Abdulwahab, whose 12-painting exhibition titled "The Veiled Ones" comprised digital pieces showing turbaned or veiled characters.

He aimed for a synthesis of the

old and the modern. Similarly, his co-exhibitor Abdulrazaq, ZKR ZDV KHDYLO\ LQÁXHQFHG E\ northern Nigerian iconography, went beyond the realms of the imagination, using both digital collages and physically tangible media.

Still on the exhibitions, there were also the joint exhibition of the works of Diseye Tantua and Duke Asidere at the Nordic Hotel, the October 29 (Turkish 1DWLRQDO 'D\ RSHQLQJ RI WKH works of theAbuja-based painter Sor Sen and the Ife-based metal sculptor Dotun Popoola, as well as the brunch and artist talk with Sam Ovraiti and Timi Kakandar at the Fraser Suites at the Central Business District.

Of course, the additional activities such as the fashion and dining experiences at the Mambaah Café in Maitama Neighborhood Park, the discussions with Ndubuisi Nduwhite Ahanonu and Beste Gursu at the Moeshen Gallery in Life Camp, as well as another with Polly Alakija at the Shehu Musa Yar' Adua Centre, the various discussion panels, and the gatherings at the Turkish Embassy further enriched the three-day DUW ÀHVWD V SURJUDPPHV OLQH XS If Convergence earned the recognition of being a huge success, it was primarily due to the skillful coordination of WKH HͿRUWV RI WKH FLW\ V YDULHG art spaces and, of course, the cooperation with airlines, the diplomatic community, and the hospitality industry. This is despite the virtual non-existence of purpose-built art spaces.

9LVLRQV DQG 1XDQFHV RI 6XVWDLQDELOLW\ Segun Ade-Martins

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n Monday, February 13, in the evening, an exhibition of two artists, Moses O. Njoku and Jane E. Ugah, was opened at the Matrix Gallery of ContemporaryArt.Respectively, they were the second- and thirdplace winners of the visual arts competition 2022, organised by the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria.

The exhibition was masterfully curatedbyRowlandGoyit,andit made use of the entire main gallery area to present the artworks.

Each sculpture and artwork was evenly spaced out, allowing spectators to concentrate and appreciate the nuances.

Moses Njoku’s works are soft sculptures with a simple colour palette of blue, red, white, and yellow made from discarded Perspex, a material commonly used for signage. While Jane E. Ugah’smediumisacryliconcanvas, with the occasional use of “Ankara”fabricandAfricanwax print glued on some paintings.

The works of both artists are ÀJXUDWLYH DQG HPRWLYH EXW that sums up their similarities. Jane Ugah’s paintings are predominantly melancholic, as evident from the poses of the ÀJXUHV LQ WKH SDLQWLQJV $OO WKH subjects have their eyes closed in all the paintings. The ecstasy is palpable in the works, as they DOO DSSHDU LQ D UHÁHFWLYH PRRG Tranquillity is the overtone of her work. Ugah also thought it was a good idea to make her

The Spanish Embassy's cultural adviser Eva Barta Martin at the opening of the exhibition

EXHIBITION pieces similar in dimension.

They provide a spectacular visual rhythm, which adds to the visual drama of the display.

Ugah’s pieces are dreamy and transcend the peace they portray. Most might be drawn to her Mother Nature painting, whichdepictsamotherandchild dressed in Ankara. The mother DQG FKLOG DV ZHOO DV DOO WKH ÀJXUHV in her works can be described as anthropomorphic rocks or people with rock-like skin.

The most emotive standout piecewouldbe“ASimpleSong,” ZKHUH WKH PDLQ ÀJXUH SOD\V D non-existent “piano” with so much bliss. The character seems lost in the ecstasy of a song the viewer cannot hear.

As for Njoku, the standout pieces are clearly "Surugede Dancer," "Women Leader," and

"Adamma." "Surugede Dancer" calls to mind a frivolous display.

Its subject is depicted in motion, but the story behind it brings a great juxtaposition to the concept of the work. Frivolity and gaiety meet spirits, benevolent or evil.

"Women Leader" paints a picture of a boss lady in charge of her domain. "Adamma," PHDQZKLOH KDV WKH PRVW ÀWting title among all his works, as it depicts a woman with a deep disdain for the presence of her “peasant-like” observers.

The sense of conceit in the work seems palpable as it hangs in the gallery.

The things to note about Njoku's work are his predominant depiction of women and the technique of forming the perspex pieces. It is clear he LV VWURQJO\ LQÁXHQFHG E\ WKH women in his life and surroundings.Also, he has a strong sense

of anatomy drawing in two and three dimensions.

The Embassy of Spain in Nigeria has recognised these artists through their visual arts competition with the theme of sustainability. Indeed, the use of discarded perspex and the inventiveness of showcasing aspects of his culture earned Njoku his selection.

Ugah’s paintings depict people “made” from rocks with grass RU ÁRZHUV JURZLQJ DV WKHLU KDLU Even the use of African wax print and Ankara fabric also shows the recycling or repurposing of discarded materials.

It is interesting to note that since 2006, 16 Nigerian artists have travelled to Spain to partake in an International art fair. However, this privilege is reserved IRU WKH ÀUVW SODFH ZLQQHU RI WKH visual arts competition who at the time of writing is in Spain.

Generally, this exhibition and the visual arts competition are thoughtful examples of cultural exchange from the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria. Here they are, discovering and showcasing Nigerian artistic talent to Nigeria and Spain, as well as using this creativity to promote social awareness about “sustainability in all its forms.”

It would be interesting to keep an eye on Eva Barta Martin's portfolio, who serves as the cultural adviser for the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria, to see what other cultural initiatives they have. $GH 0DUWLQV ZULWHV IURP $EXMD

DOCUMENTARY

Halima Abubakar

'RFXPHQWDU\ 3KRWRJUDSKHU 8QHDUWKV ,GHQWLW\ 6WRULHV LQ ¶.ZDOOL\D· On the heels of Kwalliya (meaning adornment)- a solo exhibition project by a freelance documentary photographer, researcherandarchivist,HalimaAbubakar explores cultural identity and gender bias inaconversationwithYinkaOlatunbosun

H

alima Abubakar rocked her baby back and forth as the conversation started in the exhibition hall of the Jelosimi Art Centre, Oshodi where her solo show titled ‘Kwalliya’ took place. The Kaduna-based archivist who currently serves as the artistic director and curator for the 19th Emir of Zazzazu set the show against the backdrop of her quest to interrogate history and cultural identities embedded in marks and symbols.

With childhood years in Lagos, Abubakar proceeded to study mechanical engineering at Bayero University, Kano. Beyond OHDUQLQJ DERXW PDFKLQHV DQG H΀FLHQF\ VKH ZDQWHG WR WHOO XQLTXH stories through the lens.

“As a child, I have always tilted to the arts,’’ she began. “I remember that anytime my dad travelled, he gifted me a camera and I always liked being behind the camera and not in front of it. I have always been intrigued by lines and patterns. I remember that my dad has tribal marks on his head and his father did too. And then some of his friends and siblings had. Some don’t. I was curious. I just wanted to know why they have the marks,’’ she said.

In Lagos, she encountered manyYoruba tribal marks and wondered ZK\ RQH GLͿHUV IURP WKH RWKHU “I wanted to understand. I started to ask questions but I wasn’t getting the answers that I needed. I had an adventurous friend who was also curious about the marks. She gave me a 10koko coin to rub on my forehead and I did. When I got home and my mother saw the mark, she was furious. But that made the curiosity grow further and it stayed with me for a long time.”

She knew she had to probe further. She delved into photography after her graduation from the university. During her service year, VKH ZRUNHG ZLWK KHU XQFOH·V ÀUP DQG ZDV HQFRXUDJHG WR WDNH up photography. During her work travels, she would take lots of picture.

“That was when I started exploring tribal marks,’’ she continued. “I went to Kebbi and Sokoto and several museums. I was researching trying to understand it. Through the journeys, I met people who had tribal marks and I spoke with them. I also spoke with the people who give the marks and asked them a series of questions. I saw the tools they use to give the marks. I found out that marks were just a little portion of their job description and that research was becoming too big for me to handle all alone.”

Her grandmother had some marks that are historical references.

As she grew closer to her, she began to probe the stories the marks tell.

“I didn’t have a good relationship with my grandmother initially.

Due to cultural restrictions, she doesn’t call my father by name.

Till she died, she didn’t call him by his name. when we went to visit her, she wouldn’t look at us in the face. I had the impression that she didn’t like us. After complaining to my father about her attitude, she began to respond better to our greetings. I tried to develop a relationship with her, as the fourth granddaughter and started documenting her marks. For her, the marks were some form of adornment.

Abubakar later discovered that her grandmother wrote the names of her friends with the marks on her arms- in some cases, with dates.

“She wrote the name of the love of her life on arm. The marks were untold stories of her life. When I wasn’t asking her the meaning of the words on her hand, she didn’t tell me. Most of the marks are aspects of their personalities so they lived the stories the marks told.”

From facial marks to Adinkra symbols, Abubakar interrogate identities, memories and rich cultural heritage. In her view, this process needs to be documented and preserved for future generations.

33

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

INEC Promised Too Much, Delivered Little After giving Nigerians high hopes that it would conduct free, transparent and credible elections with the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the electronic transmission of results for the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission ended up failing to deliver on its promises. Adedayo Akinwale reports that with INEC’s failure to effectively utilise its improved technology, which had restored the confidence of the people in Nigeria’s electoral system, voter apathy may return in future elections

P

enultimate Saturday, precisely on February 25, 2023, Nigerians trooped out to perform their civic duties to choose the next President and members of the National Assembly. The expectations were very high, mobilisation was huge in the urban areas and all eyes were on the electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

From the reports garnered so far, voter turn-out was impressive in some areas and average in others, due mainly to a number of factors, ranging from voter apathy, fear of attack by political thugs, intimidation, political tension and restriction of movement.

It was a crucial vote for Nigeria. It took Nigerians so much to put together the new Electoral Act, 2022, the highpoint of which was to de-emphasise incidences of human intervention in the voting process.

With the experiences in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun gubernatorial elections, Nigerians expected INEC to be on top of its game in the presidential election, especially in the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the transmission of results electronically and the subsequent announcements. But this was not to be as voters waited endlessly for INEC to upload the results electronically as it had promised on countless occasions.

Before the elections, Nigerians had expressed doubt over the willingness of INEC to use BVAS and e-transmission of results, but the commission came out boldly and confidently told Nigerians that it had no plan to jettison the new innovations.

At a two-day capacity-building workshop for INEC press corps members on critical issues in the Electoral Act, 2022 and the commission’s processes, innovations, and preparations for the elections, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, again gave the assurance that the use of BVAS in the elections was a sine qua non.

Yakubu who was represented by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, noted that the goal of the commission was electoral justice where every Nigerian would experience electoral fulfillment. According to him, the commission would continue to use technology to improve and enhance the credibility of elections in Nigeria.

“The BVAS and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) will be deployed for the conduct of the 2023 general election. We will continue to use technology to improve and enhance the credibility of elections in Nigeria. Our goal is electoral justice where every Nigerian will experience electoral fulfillment,” he stated.

With the assurances by the electoral commission, many Nigerians who had never voted in their life due to the belief that their vote would never count, were cajoled to believe that the process would work perfectly, were proved wrong.

Yakubu

Unfortunately, on the day of the elections, not only were the BVAS jettisoned, the commission’s official resorted to manual accreditation and results were not transmitted to the IReV as promised, resulting in widespread agitations and complaints.

In its response to aggrieved Nigerians, INEC, which had given repeated assurances on the reliability of its technology turned around to give flimsy excuses on the election day.

In line with the Electoral Act, 2022, it is the statutory duty of INEC to upload the elections of Polling Units at the INEC portal as prescribed by Section 60 (5) and Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Election 2022.

The manner prescribed by the commission in transferring results and the total number of accredited voters is provided for in Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022.

Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 stipulates thus: “Upon completion of all the Polling Unit voting and results, procedures, the Presiding Officer shall:-(i) Electronically transmit or transfer the result of the Polling Unit, direct to the collation system as prescribed by the commission. (ii) Use BVAS to upload a scan of ES8A to INEC Result

Viewing Portal (IReV), as prescribed by the commission. (iii) Take the BVAS and the original copy of each of the forms in tamper-evident envelope to the Registration Area/Ward Collation Officer, in the company of security agents. The polling agents may accompany the Presiding Officer to the RA/Ward Collation Centre.”

However, in spite of the clear provisions of Section 60 (5) of the Electoral Act, 2022 and Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022, the commission resorted to doing otherwise by engaging the use of manual collation, apparently to manipulate the results. Many Nigerians have accused the commission of sabotaging its technology to achieve predetermined results.

It was not surprising that some preliminary reports by election observers scored INEC low in last elections.

The EU in its reports said INEC lacked efficient planning and transparency during critical stages of the electoral process, the trust in INEC was seen to further reduce due to delayed polling processes and information gaps related to much anticipated access to results on its Results Viewing Portal (IReV).

It pointed out that collation centres at ward level were not opened at all, particularly in the South-South and South-east where presiding officers were sent directly to the LGA collation centres.

Also, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) Joint Election Observation Mission (IEOM), led by former President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda, in its report said despite the much-needed reforms to the Electoral Act 2022, the election fell short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations.

It added that the challenges with the electronic transfer of results and their upload to a public portal in a timely manner, undermined citizen confidence at a crucial moment of the process.

Moreover, it noted that inadequate communication and lack of transparency by INEC about their cause and extent created confusion and eroded voters’ trust in the process, saying that the combined effect of these problems disenfranchised Nigerian voters in many areas, although the scope and scale is currently unknown.

It did not come as a surprise when former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his own assessment said it was no secret that INEC officials, at operational level, had been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which was manipulated and the results doctored.

With its conduct in the presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC has destroyed its impressive records in the previous elections and eroded people’s confidence in the electoral system.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Lessons from Ado Doguwa’s Travail

Uzodimma Doguwa

There is always a day of reckoning for any politician who believes that politics is worth the blood of any man. The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, will have to convince the courts that he is not one of such politicians.

Last Wednesday he was remanded in prison after a five-count charge including culpable homicide, criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, mischief by fire, and inciting public disturbance was filed against him.

According to reports, the influential lawmaker who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency of Kano State, was arrested after he was accused of leading thugs, who attacked and set on fire the office of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) at Tudun Wada, Kano, where two people were also burnt to death on Sunday during the collation of results of

the just-concluded elections.

Doguwa was accused of shooting two to death and injuring others during the raid on the NNPP Tudun Wada Office.

The magistrate, Ibrahim Yola, said he had no jurisdiction to entertain the charges and ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody.

The lawmaker is not new to allegation of violence. In a video that went viral last year, Doguwa, who spoke mainly in Hausa, had used abusivelanguagetothreatenprospectivevoters at a political rally in Kano.

“To God who made me, on election day, you must vote for APC or we will deal with you. I’m saying it again: On election day you either vote for APC, or we deal with you.

“Repeat after me, in Doguwa you either vote for APC or we deal with you,” he said.

His desperation to retain his seat was not

surprising following a revelation that he was being positioned as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Doguwa had earlier been accused of attacking the deputy governorship candidate of the APC in Kano State, Murtala Garo, with a teacup during a meeting.

However, the lawmaker denied that he attacked the deputy governorship candidate.

But Garo had told BBC Hausa that the majority leader violently invaded a meeting at the deputy governor’s residence and made several “baseless accusations” against the gathering, including the deputy governor, Nasiru Gawuna, who is also the party’s governorship candidate.

If the security agencies had prosecuted him for the various acts of violence, the latest incident which claimed lives would have been avoided.

34

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

BRIEFINGNOTES Tinubu’s Tortuous Road to Victory Despite the formidable opposition against his presidential ambition within the All Progressives Congress, the former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, has emerged as the Presidentelect. Ejiofor Alike, however, reports that the ruling party was actually rejected by the majority of Nigerians at the presidential poll but the failure of the opposition parties to form an APC-like strong coalition and present one candidate gave victory to the party who scored only 36 per cent or 8.7 million votes out of the 24 million valid votes cast by Nigerians

T

he hot race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari ended at exactly 4.10 am last Wednesday when the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu declared the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election held on February 25.

The former Lagos State governor polled a total votes of 8,794,726 to defeat his closest rival and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar who scored 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour party who polled 6,101,533 votes.

The presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso came a distant fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes.

Yakubu said the number of registered voters for the election was 93,469,008, while 25,286,616 voters were accredited He put the total valid votes at 24,025,940, while total rejected votes were 939,278.

The INEC chairman said the total number of votes cast was 24,965,218.

Tinubu’s journey to become the 16th leader of Nigeria since independence in 1960 was rough and tortuous. Even before Tinubu declared interest in the presidential race, his rumoured presidential ambition had already created cracks in the APC and fuelled protracted intra-party rivalry.

Being largely instrumental to the victory of President Buhari in 2015, the former Lagos State governor had apparently expected an easy ride to the seat of power. But certain forces within the party were determined to block his chances by aligning with a section of the presidency to make sure that his loyalists did not occupy influential positions.

Even when he succeeded in installing a former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the successor to the then National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the forces opposed to him did not allow the former labour leader to complete his tenure.

In an apparent plot to further nail his ambition, his non-ally and Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni was appointed to head the national caretaker committee of the party.

After Buni and his committee were forced out of office by the efforts of Tinubu’s loyalists, the anti-Tinubu forces still abandoned all the major chairmanship aspirants of the party because of their alleged direct links with Tinubu and anointed his non-political associate and former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the consensus National Chairman of the party.

Tinubu

President Buhari was also said to be noncommittal to his ambition when he visited the President in January 2022 to inform him of his ‘lifelong’ ambition. According to reports, the president neither threw his weight behind him nor asked him to drop his ambition.

Speaking on what transpired between him and the president at the closed-door meeting, Tinubu said: “He (Buhari) is a Democrat. He didn’t ask me to stop. He didn’t ask me not to attempt and pursue my ambition; it is a lifelong ambition.”

Buhari’s reaction was seen as clear evidence of his lack of commitment to Tinubu’s aspiration.

Before Tinubu unveiled his ambition, Buhari had during a nationwide interview, said he was holding his preferred choice close to his chest, because, according to him, “they may kill him if I choose my successor public.”

When the perceived plots to frustrate his ambi-

tion thickened a few days to the June 2022 APC presidential primary, he made disparaging remarks against Buhari in Abeokuta, Ogun State where he claimed that he made Buhari the president.

Despite the threat by the National Chairman of APC, Adamu to sanction him, he remained undaunted.

The last-minute attempt by Adamu and other forces to make the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan the consensus presidential candidate of the party was also frustrated by Tinubu’s loyalists.

When he defied all odds and successfully emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, the perceived plots against him persisted.

Instead of deploying the state apparatus to lead his campaign, Buhari had initially told Nigerians to vote for the candidates of their choice, a development which did not go down well with the Tinubu camp.

APC became its own opposition because of intra-party rivalry fuelled by Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

In what was viewed as another direct attack on the president, Tinubu told his supporters in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital that the fuel scarcity and naira redesign project of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were contrived to sabotage his victory at the presidential election.

He was believed to be behind the decision of some APC governors to challenge the CBN policy at the Supreme Court.

Despite all the plots against him, Tinubu emerged victorious at the presidential poll.

However, the results have been vehemently rejected following allegations of massive irregularities witnessed during the elections.

An analysis of the results would also reveal that Nigerians actually rejected the ruling party at the presidential poll by giving it minority votes of 36 per cent or 8.7 million votes out of the total valid votes of 24 million. In other words, 64 per cent of the voters voted against the APC. By scoring only 8.7 million votes against the 15.3 million polled by the three main opposition parties – the PDP, Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), the ruling party suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of the three rival parties.

While the APC and the PDP won in 12 states each, the Labour Party won in 11 states, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The NNPP won in one state. So, the opposition parties won in 24 states and the FCT, while the ruling party won in only 12 states. The results of the elections showed that the large majority of Nigerians passed a vote of no confidence on the ruling party.

However, the opposition parties unwittingly gave victory to the APC by failing to form a strong coalition to present only one candidate to challenge the ruling party.

The APC was able to sack the PDP in 2015 because the leaders of many political parties sacrificed their personal ambitions and collapsed their structures into one party.

Analysts believe that if the opposition parties had presented one candidate, they would have sent APC out of the Presidential Villa.

The APC has apparently acknowledged the impressive performance of the opposition parties by setting up a reconciliation committee to reach out to the major presidential aspirants, as confirmed in a statement issued last Wednesday by the Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu.

However, it is doubtful if this effort will assuage the feelings of the aggrieved parties and calm frayed nerves in the face of the alleged massive irregularities that allegedly characterised the elections.

NOTES FOR FILE

Lawan’s Display of Ignorance of Electoral Act

Lawan

It is simply shocking that the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, did not understand the import of the Electoral Act 2022 he supervised its enactment.

During plenary last Tuesday, Lawan, said there was no provision for the electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Act. He added that the parliament only madeprovisionforthetransferofresultsfromthepolling units to the INEC server.

Buttoshowthathewasignorantofthelawhepassed, twoPDPsenators,GershomBassey(CrossRiverSouth) and Abba Moro (Benue South) faulted his argument.

They said the Act mandates the Independent National ElectoralCommission(INEC)totransmitelectionresults electronically from polling units to its central server.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja, Senator Moro lamented thattheINECwentaheadtoannouncetheresultsoflast

Saturday’s elections despite local and foreign outcry due to substantial non-conformity with the Electoral Act regarding the electronic transmission of results.

Moro said: “By the passage of the Electoral Act, BVAS should be able to transmit electronically from the polling unit to the server in the INEC office.When it gets to the wards, it is supposed to transmit to the local government and later to the state. It is expected thatwhenthissequenceisfollowed,wecanguarantee the transparency in the system.”

Senator Bassey also corroborated the submission of Moro, saying, “The key element of the process is that when the results are collated at the unit level, they should be uploaded to the server which must be accessible to everyone.

“It is the leg upon which the transparency of the

INEC stands. We are saying that the process has been compromised because many polling units have not been uploaded and it is a major flaw of the election,” he said.

WillLawansaythathedoesnotknowtheimportof Section60(5)andClause38oftheINECRegulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Election 2022.

Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 stipulates thus: “Upon completion of all the Polling Unit voting and results, procedures, the Presiding Officer shall:-(i) Electronically transmit or transfer the result of the PollingUnit,directtothecollationsystemasprescribed by the commission. (ii) Use BVAS to upload a scan of ES8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as prescribed by the commission.”

35

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

CICERO/ISSUE

Legal Issues in Tinubu’s Victory Senator Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress has been declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election, but with his failure to win 25 per cent of the votes in the Federal Capital Territory, many fear this could provide sufficient grounds for his opponents to challenge his victory, Alex Emunah writes

I

n spite of legitimate concerns raised about the alleged irregularities in the 2023 presidential poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Wednesday declared Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the February 25 election.

Tinubu secured a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes, while Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party scored 6,101,533 votes.

A few hours later, the former Lagos State governor was presented with a certificate of return alongside his running mate Kashim Shettima, making them the President-elect and Vice President-elect respectively.

While Tinubu and Atiku won 12 states each, Obi won 11 states and the FCT, while Kwankwaso defeated the three only in Kano State.

Of the three leading presidential candidates, only Obi won the FCT, which is a very strong constitutional requirement to become the President of Nigeria.

Though Tinubu met the threshold by scoring at least 25 per cent of valid votes in at least 24 states of the federation, the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stated categorically that a candidate must win 25 per cent in at least 24 states and the FCT. This has led to different interpretations.

In 1979, Shehu Shagari faced a similar scenario when he scored 25 per cent in 12 of the 19 states of the federation at the time. With the 1979 Constitution requiring him to score at least 25 per cent in two-thirds of the states, a crisis ensued over what should be considered as two-thirds of 19 states, whether it was 12 or 13.

The Supreme Court concluded that it would be “12 two-thirds’’ - meaning 25 per cent in 12 states and 25 per cent of two-thirds of a 13th state.

Shagari automatically met the requirement - but the opposition cried foul.

Now that the result of FCT has been announced, APC had just 19.8 per cent and PDP 16.1 per cent, compared to Labour Party’s 61 per cent.

Before Tinubu emerged the winner of the election, many Nigerians particularly supporters and members of the APC were already apprehensive, wondering if INEC was going to call for a run-off since the two leading candidates did not win the FCTor approach the court for interpretation before declaring a winner.

They also wondered if INEC would declare the election as inconclusive and organise a second election within seven days as also provided for under Section 134 (3), which states: “In a default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section there shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidates shall be (a) the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of states, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.”

Unfortunately, at the end of the collation of the result, the electoral umpire declared Tinubu the winner and decided that the opponents should go to court for interpretation What Does the Constitution Say Exactly?

Section 134 (2) states: “A candidate for an election to the office of president shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election: (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the FCT. “(3) In a default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section their shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidates shall be (a) the candidate who scored

Tinubu

Ariwoola

the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and (b) one among the remaining candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with majority of votes in the highest number of States, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.”

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) was the first to point out this tricky constitutional provision in a letter he wrote to the INEC early in January 2023.

Although commending INEC for a “great job to ensure free, fair, verifiable, credible and transparent elections,” Agbakoba said the clarification was needed.

“I am a little worried. I reviewed Section 134

carefully, specifically, subsections 134 (1) (b) and (2) (b), and wondered if “two-thirds of all the States in the federation and the FCT” means either of the following: “a) that a presidential candidate must score not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the federation which means 24 states, the 24 states will include the FCT as a “state”.

The former NBA boss added that there are three major questions arising from his interpretation. He said: “(1) Is the requirement that a presidential candidate must score not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation; does this mean that the FCT is incorporated in the 24 states?

“Can a candidate that scored not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in 36 states of the federation but fails to score one-quarter of the votes cast at the election at the FCT, be duly elected as President of Nigeria?

“To be honest, I am not quite sure of the right answers to my questions. I just thought to bring this to your attention as something you might wish to clarify to the public.”

Another senior lawyer, Emeka Ozoani (SAN), said for any candidate to be constitutionally declared a winner of a presidential election in Nigeria, he or she must win in FCT. Quoting some sections of the 1999 Constitution, Ozoani argued that if a presidential candidate did not win in the FCT, he or she is not qualified to be declared winner, adding that the only available option is for INEC to conduct fresh election.

“Any presidential candidate who did not win the FCT cannot legally and constitutionally be declared the winner of the presidential election.

The only available path to INEC is to call for a fresh nomination. Section 133(b), last paragraph of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended attests to this,” he said.

“The only interpretation to be founded on Section 133 (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended is to the effect that for a candidate to be qualified to the office of the president, ‘he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all states in the Federation and the FCT, Abuja but where the only candidates fail to be elected by this section, then there shall be fresh nominations’.

“The interpretation of and is in the issue. We submit that the word, A ‘ ND’ means ‘Conj’, ‘in addition’, ‘together with’, and ‘plus’. See Webster’s Universal Dictionary and thesaurus, Bedded and Grosset, P. 31. Also, ‘AND’ means, ‘generally, a cumulative sense, requiring the fulfillment of all the conditions that it joins together and herein, it is the antithesis of ‘OR’. See Stroud’s judicial dictionary of words and phrases, Seventh edition, VOL. 1, Daniel Greenberg, London Sweet and Maxwell, 2006, P 128.”

He maintained that it is illegal and unconstitutional to declare any presidential candidate winner without him or her winning the FCT Abuja.

But another senior lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) had said that it is not mandatory for a presidential candidate to win the FCT to be declared the winner of the election.

In a statement, Falana explained that the law sees the FCT as any of the 36 states in the country.

He said: “You don’t have to win the FCT; if you meet the requirement; that is two-thirds of the majority of states in the country. You don’t have to win the FCT. Section 299(1) of the Constitution provides that the provisions of the Constitution shall apply to the FCT as if it were one of the states of the federation. It means that the FCT is the 37th state.

“Sosection134oftheConstitutionwhichprovides that ‘not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states and the FCT’ means 25 states or 24 states plus the FCT. Winning the FCT by a candidate is not compulsory.

“In Baba-Panya V. President, F. R. N. (2018) 15 NWLR (PT. 1643) 395 the Court of Appeal held inter alia: It is therefore doubtless clear that by virtue of Section 299 of the Constitution of the federation, the FCT is in law a state.

The senior lawyer further noted: “By the combined effect of sections 134 and 299 of the Constitution, a candidate shall be deemed to have won the presidential election if he scores the majority of lawful votes cast at the election and 25 per cent of lawful votes in 37 states or 36 states plus the FCT. It is not compulsory for a presidential candidate to win the FCT,” Falana added.

With the contradicting interpretations, many feel that the opposition political parties need to approach the courts to seek proper and definite interpretation of the controversial section.

The days ahead would reveal the next step the PDP and LP would take.

36

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

CICERO/ISSUE

Ugwuanyi

Ortom

Ikpeazu

Makinde

Wike

The Political Suicide of G-5 Governors

By joining forces with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who is not on the ballot paper in the 2023 general election to de-market and weaken the Peoples Democratic Party, Ejiofor Alike reports that Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State have lost their senatorial elections, while the fate of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on his second term bid hangs in the balance

W

hen Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State decided to align with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to work against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on whose platform they were planning to contest in the 2023 general election, many political analysts believed that they were unwittingly putting their political ambitions in jeopardy.

This belief stemmed from the fact that Wike has no stake in this year’s general election, except sponsoring a successor on the platform of the PDP. Unlike Ugwuanyi, Ortom and Ikpeazu who cannot afford to lose their senatorial seats, and Makinde, who also cannot afford to sacrifice his second term ambition, the Rivers State governor can easily trade the ambition of his preferred successor on the altar of political expediency and personal survival.

It was shocking to many observers of the anti-party activities of the G-5 governors as the other four governors allowed themselves to be drafted into Wike’s mission to settle personal scores.

By choosing to work for the candidates of different political parties in the same election, many analysts had argued that the members of Wike’s camp might suffer the fate of the five governors of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD), who were reportedly ‘hoodwinked’ by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and they lost their second term bids.

In what many had described as a show of solidarity with Wike, the four governors who were sympathetic to his cause had pulled out of the Presidential Campaign Council of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, insisting that the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, must step resign for a southerner to succeed him.

The anti-party activities of Wike and his group did not end with their pulling out from Atiku’s campaign council.

They also started hobnobbing openly with the leaders of other major political parties before the 2023 general election.

Wike’s grouse was his woeful loss of PDP’s presidential and vice presidential tickets.

But in the resolution read by a former

Deputy National Chairman of the party, Bode George, where they took the decision to pull out from Atiku’s campaign council, the camp of the Rivers State governor insisted that “Senator Iyorchia Ayu must resign as the National Chairman of the party for an acting Chairman of the Southern Nigerian extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.

“Consequently, we resolve not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu,” part of the resolution added.

Though Wike’s grouse was his loss of the presidential and vice presidential tickets of the party, he recruited others to demand that Ayu must resign because both the party’s presidential candidate and national chairman should not emerge from the North.

Wike and his group had supported the election of Ayu democratically. The Rivers State governor and his camp had also supported the recommendation of the party’s committee on zoning to throw the presidential ticket open when many were agitating that it should be zoned to the South like the All Progressives Congress (APC) did. Indeed, Wike’s close ally and Benue State governor, Ortom was the chairman of the zoning committee.

Analysts had argued that if Wike was truly committed to the cause of the South, he should have insisted that the ticket be zoned to the South. But those close to him said he had feared that the northern aspirants could insist on micro zoning to the South-east to exclude him if he insisted on zoning to the South. According to his critics, if he was truly being driven by justice and fairness and not selfish interest, he should have made a case for the South-east since his kinsman from the South-south and former President Goodluck Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari.

His critics also argued that he was driven by personal ambition and was confident that he would defeat Atiku and all other aspirants, hence his decision to back throwing the ticket open.

Having lost both presidential and vice presidential tickets, and realised that he would not be on the ballot in the elections, the Rivers State governor was busy mobilising the four other governors to gallivant around the world under the auspices of the ‘Integrity Group’ of G-5 governors.

While Ugwuanyi and Ortom were accused by

their political opponents of abandoning many communities in their states to the rampaging herdsmen and kidnappers in pursuit of Wike’s project, Makinde was accused of not showing seriousness to his second term campaign. On his part, Okezie was believed to have done nothing to curb the high level of insecurity in his state which peaked with the abduction of the then Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche.

While these governors were busy wearing “Aso ebi” and holding meetings both in Nigeria and outside the country, they paid less attention to governance and their 2023 political ambitions.

These governors vowed to work against the presidential candidate of their party, Atiku but could not agree to work together for one presidential candidate. It later became obvious that Wike was working for the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, now the President-elect.

Ortom also publicly announced the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as his preferred choice. Unlike the Benue State governor, Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu could not make their choice known publicly.

With the three governors contesting senatorial seats on the platform of the PDP and still working against their party’s presidential candidate secretly, it was difficult for them to separate their individual interests from the collective interest of their party. In other words they could not convince their supporters to vote against Atiku in the presidential election and vote for them in the senatorial election, in view of the unpopularity of the PDP in their states, and their perceived poor performance as governors.

It was therefore not surprising that Ugwuanyi, Ortom and Ikpeazu lost their senatorial ambitions in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Ugwuanyi who had spent 12 years in the House of Representatives for Udenu/Igbo Eze North Federal Constituency, and is completing his eight years in office as governor, lost his bid to go to the Senate to the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Okey Ezea.

The Labour Party senatorial candidate polled 104,492 votes to defeat the Enugu State governor, who scored 46,948 votes.

Ikpeazu also lost the Abia South senatorial district election to the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator

Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Abaribe polled a total of 49,693 votes to defeat his closest rivals and the candidate of the Labour Party Mr. Chinedu Onyeizu, who got 43,903 votes while Ikpeazu polled 28,422 votes to take a distant third position.

On his part, Ortom also lost his senatorial bid to represent Benue South senatorial district to the candidate of the APC, Mr. Titus Zam. Zam was Ortom’s Special Adviser on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs while they were together in the APC before the governor defected to the PDP in 2018.

The former Gwer-west LGA chairman polled 143,151 votes to defeat Ortom who scored 106,882 while Labour Party’s candidate, Mark Gbillah scored 51,950.

In Oyo State, the APC also defeated Makinde’s PDP in the presidential election.

Tinubu won in all the 33 LGAs in the state, while Atiku and Obi came second and third, respectively.

Tinubu’s victory in the PDP state has created anxiety in Makinde’s camp and whether this development will sweep Makinde out of office or not will be clearer after the March 11 governorship election.

On his part, Wike secured victory for the APC in the February 2023 elections under very controversial circumstances that led to massive protests by the supporters of the Labour Party.

It was gathered that even APC chieftains outside the state, who were only targeting 25 per cent of the votes in the state, were surprised that a traditional PDP state where the Labour Party was coasting home to victory with a landslide, was suddenly won by the APC. Many believe that the Rivers State governor will become a magician if he secures the similar controversial results for the PDP in the March 11 governorship election.

With their attacks on the leadership of the PDP, which helped in demarketing the party across the country, Ugwuanyi, Ortom and Ikpeazu have paid the price for joining forces with Wike to weaken a party on whose platform they were contesting elections.

Political analysts believe that they committed political suicide by allowing Wike’s selfish interest to distract them, failing to concentrate their efforts on delivering on their campaign promises, building and strengthening the PDP, and mobilising the people of their states to vote for the party’s candidates at all levels.

37

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

TRIBUTE

Yaya Suleiman: My Brother, ‘Our Father’ Maryam Uwais

T

wo days after his 68th birthday, on the 7th February, 2023, we lost our oldest brother, and the first among five siblings, Major General Suleiman Isa Wali (rtd).

Yaya Suleiman, as many of us called him, was more than a big brother. From the moment our father died in February 1967, Yaya assumed a fatherly role.

As we grew older into adulthood, and across the many stages of life, he remained our compass and guide. He is mostly remembered as a retired military officer, but my own recollections are quite naturally, more personal.

As a child, Yaya was a bit of a rebel. I was the one who typically got involved with his escapades. I would often get co-opted to ‘run away’ from home (to a shed at the corner of a large compound, then perceived by me to be the ‘end of the world’) because he had been naughty and ‘we were not wanted’. I would get hungry after a couple of hours, and he would then agree for us to sneak back home when I began to fret. It never mattered that the incident had nothing to do with me. We were a team.

As his preferred punishment, I recall having to write hundreds of ‘lines’, in different colours, ‘I will never disobey my older brother again’, only to be let off if I agreed to accompany him on a cycle ride to a nearby community.

Yes, Yaya taught me how to ride a bicycle; to play chess (although that was more an exercise in futility); to play the guitar (again, this effort frustrated him to no end); to sing ‘On the Very Last Day’ at the top of my voice (this was not too bad). Yaya would tease me endlessly with the words of a song, ‘baby, you too rub pancake’, because it was a nickname I was known by (and hated) then, as a child.

He insisted that I should inculcate the habit of remaining steadfast when convinced, and to speak up courageously, especially where my heart was beating fast. To embrace fear, so long as I believed. This included jumping from the top diving board of a swimming pool. Yaya would position himself in the pool below and yell at me, ‘do you really think I would let you die? Come on! Jump!’ I would close my eyes, petrified, but trusting him. And I would jump, knowing that he would be there to save me, if the need arose. Always.

A minimalist, Yaya had the kindest heart, a curious ‘innocence’ and a fertile imagination that often led him into conducting daring experiments. I was usually the ‘rat’. Which often led him into trouble with our mother. To my mother’s consternation, I would often do as he demanded, even because his approval meant so much to me! He would tear a huge leaf into different bits and sizes, and then have me chew on them, one by one, timing the periods that they would itch in my mouth, and gravely writing the results down in columns as if his life depended on the outcomes. I recall his leading us (his two sisters, at that point) into killing mice that had infested our garage (which then served as a store), only to find some five tiny, hairless, pink babies in the corner, their mother having just been killed. Instantly remorseful, he hurriedly made a nest for them in my mother’s finest teapot, feeding them with milk whenever he could ‘take’ some from the fridge unnoticed by our mother. Imagine how horrified our mother was, when she picked up the pot to serve tea to some guests!

Yaya was a disciplinarian. So, it was natural for him to join the army after qualifying as an Electrical Engineer at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. As a Signal Corps officer, he was extremely proud of his military career, having converted to a full combatant and retiring after 32 years of distinguished service as a Major General in the position of Deputy Commandant/Director of Studies at the National Defence College in 2011. He was the recipient of several medals, awards and recognitions in service to the army and country.

These included the Commandant’s Award FL Gordon, Augusta Georgia, USA, for the best foreign student, a letter of commendation for the best College paper for his Master’s Degree at the Rochester Institute ofTechnology, a letter of commendation from the Chief of Army Staff

Suleiman for his contribution to the Army on IT, as well as the Nigerian Army Distinguished Award for outstanding contribution to the Career Development of Nigerian Army Officers. He also got awarded the Grand Service Star (Gss) for 30 years of unblemished military service.

Yaya was obsessive about acquiring knowledge. As an army officer, he went on to obtain a Master’s in Engineering, specializing in Information and CommunicationTechnology (Digital Signal Processing/Encryption) from the Rochester Institute of Technology, United States, and another Master’s in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan. He also loved military history and research, spending hours poring over old manuscripts and books. Later in life, his keen interest revolved around the Holy Qur’an. Our Holy Book was consistently beside him in his sitting room. I still haveWhatsApp messages where he would send me a verse, reiterating that this just had to be the word of God, being so visionary.

He would exclaim that there was no way in the world that an individual, in those early days, with the background of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW), could foretell the fact that the earth revolved in an orbit of cycles, along magnetic fields with other planets!

Yaya could never sweat the small stuff.

The larger picture was his focus. He had no time for frills and fancies and often spoke bluntly. He propelled me into studying law (I had initially opted for history), took a keen interest in my exam results and was always, always there, whenever we needed just about anything. The position of Islam on inheritance,

pertaining to the double share for the male child (as against half for the females) manifested under Yaya’s caring and protective watch. What was ours individually, as his 3 sisters, was ours.

Yet what was his, was also ours to share.

We approached him and expected him to fund our petty needs, even though our own portions were still in our custody, unspent. He would buy the new skirt or earrings that I liked, pay for cinema outings or affordable trips, take me to the other campus when I needed to go (to save costs) and stand firm in my favour, whenever the need arose. I grew in confidence and was never afraid because Yaya was always there for us.

He urged us to approach him with our needs, saying he would only buy what was reasonable. He would often remind us that for girls in a university, it was too much of a temptation to not have what we needed; but that he would be the judge of what was needed, as against what was a mere fancy. Indeed, when he was done with University and leaving the campus, he gave his Fiat 128 to my older sister, Fatima, to facilitate our transportation around and about Zaria. She had to first demonstrate that she could change the tyre all by herself, however, before he handed her the keys!

Material things never mattered to Yaya. He lived a spartan life, with very basic needs. He could literally live out

of the boot of his own car! Indeed, whatever he owned was spent on others, until he had no more to spend. In my law school days, I lived with him at Giwa Projects barracks in Ikoyi, Lagos. I had my own room (as he did, his, with his wife, and his children), but I recall so many young men then (now accomplished and many retired) ‘camping’ in our living room, because they had nowhere else to stay in Lagos. He loved Nigeria with a passion and was always available to apply himself in service to our country’s unity, harmony, and security. Many ‘illogical’ topical issues exasperated him, such as the growing penchant for politicizing ethnicity and religion, as well as the pervading poverty, which he linked directly to corruption in high places. Indeed, it is instructive that he passed on with no landed property or major asset in his name, irrespective that he had inherited some and had access to acquiring more, by virtue of his many high positions and connections while in service.

For most, his relative ‘innocence’ was perceived as naivety. He had numerous dreams, but all of them related to how he could support others attain their own dreams. Since his demise, we have continued to receive so many phone calls and visits. Especially from the army and the less privileged. ‘Junior ranks’ testify as to how he encouraged them to study further, so they too could become officers (as they are now); how he had paid for their fees in tertiary institutions; their children’s school fees; empowered them; paid for their parents’ funeral obsequies; ensured their entitlements were duly paid. Mechanics have come forth to say he had ‘dashed’ them vehicles; some saying he had paid off their debts in entirety.

Complete strangers have informed us of how supportive he had been when they were most in need. We have been inundated with narratives of how forthright and fearless he was, in standing for justice. He was admired and loved by so many, having directly touched the lives of family, friends, colleagues, associates and apparently, so many more.

Retired Major General Suleiman Wali was many things to many people. No nonsense, curt and professional to the core, he was a protective father; a loving son and dependable relative; a solid rock in times of trouble; an intellectual; an innovative creative; a brilliant engineer and a fine officer; ultimately, a committed, diehard Nigerian. In these various capacities, Yaya was not only there for us (his immediate and extended families), he was also evidently there for so many more. Even at 63 years of age, I feel a deep sense of sadness and an emptiness following his demise. I just took it for granted that he would always be there for us. As a Muslim, however, I have come to terms with the fact that for everyone, there is an appointed time.

Sympathisers come and go. The phone calls and messages will peter out, with time.

Even for mourners, life goes on irrespective.

Nothing more to be done, but prayer and the giving of alms in his name, for his continued benefit beyond this world. I am told that time will gradually numb the pain. This is a time for faith and patience. I pray that Allah (SWA) will make it easy for all of us.

I remain immensely proud of who my big brother is and was. He lived a quiet life; gentle, unassuming, simple but hugely impactful.

A life well-spent. He remained true to his convictions; taking a distinctly frugal, even lonely path, but only as HE found it to be meaningful and fulfilling. I have many regrets, even because I wish I could have been more present in his own life. I should have repeatedly told him (even as I know it would have embarrassed him), of how proud I am of being his ‘little sister’, and how his own understanding of life was so ‘on track’.

Our late father, Mallam Isa Wali, would have been so proud of what he stood for. As is our mother, whose grief is deep, but faith remains strong. I pray that Allah (SWA) have mercy upon Yaya’s empathetic, forthright, selfless and giving soul; that his sins be forgiven and that his copious good deeds remain a store for him where it matters most. In Aljannat Firdaus, our Heaven above. Amin. ˾ áËÓݘ ˜ ÓÝ ÚÏÍÓËÖ ÎàÓÝÏÜ ÞÙ ÞÒÏ ÜÏÝÓÎÏØÞ ÙØ ÙÍÓËÖ ØàÏÝÞ×ÏØÞ˛

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

38

ENGAGEMENTS

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

Democracy in a Crime Scene

N

igeria’s much anticipated presidential election has yielded an outcome, leaving behind a thick smoke trail of disquiet and global infamy.

Mr. Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has since been announced winner of the February 23rdelection.Athome,theemotionsareunevenly mixed between the minority whose partisanship hastriumphedandtheopposingmajoritywhoare understandably disappointed. Internationally, the consensus among independent observers is that the conduct and outcome of the election fell short of the expectations of the majority of Nigerians.

The high expectation was palpable among Nigerians in the run up to the polls. The optimism among an army of youth most of whom were voting for the first time signaled a more than usual level of optimism in the promise of democracy to heal the multiple wounds of a country that has been badly injured in the last eight years. For the first time, majority of Nigerians believed that the imminentelectionswouldassuagetheircollective hurtfromeightyearsofeasilythemostrudderless administration in the history of the country.

Early on election day, the atmosphere in most parts of the country was almost that of a carnival. Polling stations were over filled and the enthusiasm of young voters was readable on the faces of throngs. They had come to believe that the ballot held the key to a better country.

Strangers at polling stations became friends unitedby a commonaspiration, a sharedhopeand confidence in the power of democracy. Perhaps at last democracy had found hope and home in the largest black nation on earth.

People at polling units shared food, drinks and hope. Somewhere in Kogi state, a man was arrested by the mob after he snatched a ballot box. The mob descended on him. At the point of lynching, he was rescued by youth, INEC and the police, all intent on having a peaceful election. At the slightest suspicion of INEC staff trying to play outside the rule book, a uniform cry rent the air: “We no go ‘gree o! We no go ‘gree!” That became a universal national outcry by crowds, mostly of youth, protesting slip ups and attempts by INEC and officialdom to deviate from the rules.

At other times, when it seemed that people wouldnothaveanopportunitytovote,adifferent, more militant outcry erupted: ‘We must vote o!!

Wemustvoteo!!Wemustvote!!!’Thatwasanother nationwide battle cry of youth armies at different polling stations either when INEC officials were late in coming or voting material were lacking or INEC’sefficiencywaslagging.Inoneplace,women with bare hands fought off hoodlums with clubs and machetes who had come to disrupt voting.

At another polling station, people waited all through the day and well into the night just to cast a vote. A female voter from the neighborhood excused herself to go a make food for the multitude. She returned with a hot basin of Jollof rice to feed the crowd of voters. As night fell and thevotingwasyettobecompletedorevenstartin some stations, the sloppy preparedness of INEC began to show. The batteries of the BVACS appliances began to run down and fail. But voters freely volunteered the power banks of their cell phones to help. Where there was no electricity, voters eagerly lit up the voting points with the torch lights from their cell phones; hundreds of points of light by so many hopeful people seeking to free their nation from dark rule and the powers of darkness.

But as the voting got underway and the day began to wane, the optimism of those who had not yet voted turned into anger. Camaraderie turned into open frustration. Worse still, news camethatinanumberofplaces,thugshadinvaded polling units and were disrupting the process. In other parts of Lagos in particular, some people had been injured, ballot boxes snatched, ballot stripsburnt.Hoodlumshadtakenoverpartsofthe city and were roaming free. Many could not vote.

Others waited in endless queues for the entire day. In some places, those who went out to vote returnedhomeinbandagesfromwoundsinflicted by hordes of thugs and hoodlums unleashed by political vampires. A day that began with the optimism of millions of democracy enthusiasts was ending with a national disquiet and a realization that the darker side of Nigeria had overwhelmed the promise of hope and the prospect of unfet-

Yakubu tered freedom. The results began to trickle in.

Most people could not believe what they were seeing and hearing even from the very polling units where they had cast their votes earlier in the day and left for home.

As it turned out, the commitment by INEC that the new technology of the BVACS would ensure instant faithful uploads of results from polling units to INEC’s IREV central servers had failed orbeencompromised.Initsplace,INECwasrelying largely on manual reportage of results from assorted sources. Where uploads were taking place, what was being uploaded was at wide variance from the actual results that people witnessed at polling stations.

Uploadingofresultswasslowinstartingandhas continued to be slow. At the time of this writing, only 83% of results have been uploading though final results were announced two days earlier. In a number of places, results from states far away wereuploadedinthenameofotherstates. Inafew reported cases, fictitious results were allocated anduploadedtoINEC.Forinstance,onINEC’sonline results portal, results were uploaded for polling units in Okigwe where no election took place at all. In a rural place in Rivers state, villagers found a heap of signed and stamped INEC result sheets in a nearby bush bearing a different set of results from what was on display on INEC’s online site being beamed to the world!

Through it all, a result has been announced. A president-elect has emerged. Mr. Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is the president-elect. This outcome has not in any way doused the embers of anger and disquiet among Nigerians. Grave fears still abound that disappointment could spiral into mass protests even as the opposition candidates that lost the election have vowed to head to court to challenge the outcome.

The picture that has emerged still speaks of a closelycontestedelectionwithinterestingfigures.

All three leading candidates won outright in 12 each of our 36 states. The votes scored by the three are interspaced by a margin of about one million votes. Yet in spite of the reportedly large turnout of voters, only 25% of registered voters were recorded. This is against 35% in the 2019 election which had a lower voter turnout.

The overall result is still a close call. Bola Tinubu scored 37% of total votes cast. Atiku Abubakar scored 29% while Peter Obi brought the rear of thethreewith24%.Intheattainmentofthemargin of 25% in two thirds of the total number of states , Tinubu scored a razor edge margin of in Bayelsa and Adamawa states. Mr. Tinubu scored 25.01% in Adamawa and 25.8% in Bayelsa respectively.

In spite of the catalogue of anomalies and failings recorded in this election, it is only fair to acknowledge the overall political significance of the results we have so far seen. There are changing

patterns in the nation’s political landscape. For instance, in spite of his incumbency and famed cultic followership, President Buhari’s APC was defeatedinhishomestateofKatsinabyMr.Atiku’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Mr. Bola Tinubu, famed juggernaut of Lagos politics, was roundly trounced inLagosstatebyMr.PeterObi,afledgling thirdpartynewcomerinnationalpolitics.Similarly, Mr.PeterObisweptthepollsintheFederalCapital TerritoryofAbujawhilemakingsignificantinroads into the Northern hemisphere with substantial wins in Nasarawa, Kaduna, Plateau.

Sincethethreeleadingcandidatesreflectedthe tripodofdominantethnicnationalitiesinourpolitical layout, the results also indicated a throwback toidentitypoliticsofthepast.OutsideLagos,Bola Tinubu swept the South West. Peter Obi chased the PDP from most of the South-east and most of the South-south. Atiku Abubakar shared the highgroundsofthedemographicallyhugepolitical north with Tinubu of the APC. At the national level, the emergence of Mr. Obi and the Labour Party indicates the emergence of a viable Third Force in the nation’s political architecture, thus supplanting what has always been largely a bipartisan picture. Peter Obi effectively banished the binary option of “either or” from our political thought process by proving that a third force can offer voters an alternative to the two ageing older parties. Largely, Bola Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket made no significant impact in the outcomes as his running mate, Mr. Shettima, merely delivered his Borno State and can hardly be credited with the wins of his party in either the north east of the rest of the Muslim north.

There are two very significant outcomes in the political landscape. The emergence of Mr. Obi who ran on a national message of a new Nigeria predicated on a new politics and dominated by developmental issues addressed to the youth indicates a future politics of ideas and issues.

Similarly,Obi’smassivewininthesoutheastsends a message to advocates of an Igbo presidency that what is urgently needed is not necessarily an Igbo president but a Nigerian president of Igbo extraction who embraces and embodies the essence of Nigeria’s broad questions and unites the nation under a common banner of progress, enlightenment and modernization. Peter Obi may haveeffectivelyendedthepoliticalisolationofthe Igbo by expanding his reach beyond the homeland to the rest of the nation.

Perhaps the days of ethnic bigotry as a political creed are coming to an end at last. We see the beginnings of a polity gradually growing out of traditionalpoliticalloyaltiescompelledbyanational youth bulge and urban national consciousness.

Most international observers of the election have questioned the performance of INEC and therefore the overall integrity of the polls. Even the United States department of State in its

congratulatory message to Mr. Tinubu has urged INEC to clean up its act from the untidiness of the presidential election. They all concluded that the election fell short of the expectations of most Nigerians.

That evaluation is essentially a moral judgment and indictment. It however ails to take into consideration Nigeria’s emerging national character and long standing reputation as a crime scene merely pretendingtousedemocracytoearnrespectability among nations.

Nigeria’s institutions of nationhood are essentially administered more like criminal cartels than as tools of collective sovereignty in any enlightened sense. At best, Nigeria under Mr. Buhari has degenerated into a sovereign crime scene. A crime scene with flag, anthem and the insigniaandparaphernaliaofsovereignnationhood is itself a dangerous proposition. It is made even more dangerous when it is a nation state presided over by a revolving conclave of gangster collectives. It exports crude oil but insists on importing refined petroleum products to line the pockets of a handful of oligarchs. It runs on multiple exchange rates so that patronage can feed unfettered on the commonwealth. It arms a security force to supervise the routine stealing of half of its crude oil production. It buys arms and ammunition to fight an insurgency funded and created by known political figures so that a “security industry” of corrupt officers can thrive. Who needs a more elaborate crime scene than this?

In such a crime scene state, it is foolish to judge theactionsofanystateinstitutionbyrationalmoral parameters. Politics is ordinarily said to be amoral.

Worse still, the politics of a sovereign crime scene cannotbutreflecttheessentialmoralityofajungle ruled by the ethics of gangsters. In such a place, the quest for political preeminence can only be a battle among captains of a pirate ship, a stampede amongtreasureraiders.Therulesofengagementin that battle can at best only be a code of dishonour drawn up by thieves in a jungle retreat.

Democracy in such a place cannot escape the organizedriotthattookplaceon23rdofFebruary.

The common people were put through a ritual whose outcome may have been pre-arranged.

INEC administered the fatal hypnosis through a pretension to technological savvy. A technology that delivered unquestionably credible elections inAnambra,Edo,EkitiandOsungovernorshipelections decided to flutter and fail when it came to an electiontochoosethepresidentofthecrimescene!

Understandably,therefore,thevoicesofprotest bypartiesthatlostthiselectionhavebeengreeted by a unified cry by both the APC and INEC. ‘Go to court!’ has been the constant refrain. The only line they cannot add publicly is this: ‘Our judges are waiting for you there!’ Yes, indeed, there is nothing in the record of recent judgments by the Nigerian Supreme Court on political cases that should fuel anyone’s hope that recourse to judicial remedy holds any promise of justice in the cases that have been evoked by this election.

There is an even more worrisome question from this electoral outcome. A ruling party that haspresidedovereightyearsofharrowingsuffering for the people has literally arranged for itself a contentioussuccessioninspiteof areignofinfamy and monumental ineptitude. Two conclusions are possible: the voting mob is irrational and basically foolish or the ruling party as a cartel of political gangstershashoodwinkedandconnedthepeople.

Whichever we choose, Mr. Buhari will return to Dauraastheultimatecarrierofthemoralburdenof this hour. His de-mystification is complete. A man who swore to bequeath a legacy of free and fair elections is going home after delivering a dubious self -adulating referendum. A man who came to power vowing to drain the swamp of corruption in Abuja may have ended up placing a presidential seal of approval on the triumph of industrial scale corruption. A man who was hailed into the town square as the hero that will chase away the ogre of insecurity is leaving us in the pool of the blood of friends and family needlessly killed. For Buhari, then, this outcome is the ultimate inversion of a deceptive mythology. We may have witnessed the greatest political heist of the century.

Somehow though, Mr. Bola Tinubu is an apt and inevitable outcome. Perhaps a crime scene state needs none other than someone who fully understands the mechanics of the game to lead it.

Perhaps the president -elect’s long and elaborate resume eminently qualifies him as the most apt leader of this kind of state at this moment in time.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER MARCH 5 , 2023

39

SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Arsenal’s Last-gasp Winner Stun Bournemouth

Reiss Nelson scored Arsenal’s last gasp winner to hand Gunners 3-2 win against Bournemouth...yesterday

PHOTO: PA

Chukwueze Takes Season’s Goals Contribution to 20 Kunle Adewale

S

amuel Chukwueze continued his excellent season with two assists as Villarreal claimed a 2-0 road win over Almeria in a La Liga match at the Power Horse Stadium yesterday.

And in doing so, the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup winner took his goal involvements for the 2022-2023 campaign to 20 (10 goals, 10 assists).

This is the first time in Chukwueze’s professional career that he has hit double digits for goals and assists in a single season, Prior to this campaign, his best figure in terms of goal involvements was 13 (5 goals, 8 assists) which he achieved in 2020-2021.

After a goalless first half, Villarreal broke the deadlock in the 76th minute through Gerard Moreno, who fired home after Chuwkeuze’s brilliance down the right flank.

Two minutes to the end of the

game, Morales sealed the win with a first time volley after another assist by the Nigeria international.

Chukwueze’s goal involvement of 20 comprises eight in La Liga, six in the Copa del Rey, four in the group stage of the Europa Conference League and two in the UECL qualifiers.

Next up for Chukwueze and his Villarreal teammates is a Europa Conference League Round of 16, first leg tie against Anderlecht at Lotto Park on Thursday, March 9.

Reiss Nelson scored a stunning 97th-minute winner as Premier League leaders Arsenal came from two goals down to beat Bournemouth.

Bournemouth had taken the lead after just 9.11 seconds through Philip Billing, and went 2-0 up via a Marco Senesi header.

However, Arsenal pulled level with goals by Thomas Partey and Ben White, before Nelson struck.

7KH ZLQJHU PDNLQJ KLV ÀUVW DSSHDUDQFH VLQFH 1RYHPEHU 12, slammed in from 25 yards in the seventh minute of stoppage time. $UVHQDO·V 3UHPLHU /HDJXH OHDG LV UHVWRUHG WR ÀYH SRLQWV after they had seemed certain to cede ground to Manchester &LW\ ZLQQHUV RYHU 1HZFDVWOH LQ WKH HDUO\ NLFN RͿ Bournemouth, meanwhile, remain in the relegation zone after threatening a major upset - and beginning at top speed.

Billing’s goal was the second-quickest in Premier League history - only Shane Long, who scored for Southampton after 7.69 seconds at Watford in April 2019, has netted faster.

Nelson had played just 64 minutes of Premier League football this season - having struggled with thigh problems - before being thrown on as a second-half substitute by Mikel Arteta here.

Yet, the homegrown talent was the unexpected hero, collecting a half-cleared corner outside the area and bending a superb strike beyond Bournemouth keeper Neto.

The outpouring of emotion that followed was immense; the Arsenal bench cleared as virtually every player and PHPEHU RI VWDͿ UXVKHG WR FHOHEUDWH ZLWK WKH PDWFK ZLQQHU )URP WKH NLFN RͿ -RH 5RWKZHOO IHG D SDVV ZLGH WR $QWRLQH Semenyo, whose low ball across the box was dummied

by Dominic Solanke and missed by Gabriel, who allowed it beneath his studs. Billing escaped William Saliba’s lax PDUNLQJ DQG ÀQLVKHG XQGHU $DURQ 5DPVGDOH For a long time, Bournemouth defended their very early lead with stubbornness and co-ordination, marshalled well E\ JRDONHHSHU FDSWDLQ 1HWR ZKR PDGH D WHUULÀF GRXEOH save from Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka just minutes after Billing’s opener.

Bournemouth were happy to attack on the break, and should have gone two ahead before half-time, Ramsdale making a superb spreading save to deny Dango Ouattara as the visitors countered from an Arsenal corner.

However, they dropped deeper as the game progressed XQWLO WKH GHFLVLYH EORZ LQ WKH ÀQDO VHFRQGV While Arsenal continue to lead the pack in their pursuit RI D ÀUVW 3UHPLHU /HDJXH WLWOH LQ \HDUV WKH\ DOVR KDYH clear defensive frailties - they now have just three clean sheets in their past 18 home league games.

AFCON 2023

Former Eagles Player, Ideye Allegedly Liverpool, Man Utd Re-enact S’Eagles Handed Onyeka Boost Abandons Children in Ukraine Rivalry at Anfield Ahead of Nigeria/G’Bissau

F

ormer Super Eagles star Brown Ideye has reportedly abandoned his children in Ukraine, according to his ex-partner, Yana Voloshchenko.

The Ukrainian-born psychologist claims she has two children for Ideye, with the eldest born in 2014 when the former Nigerian international was plying his trade at Dynamo Kyiv.

According to Yana (in an interview granted Dynamo), after Brown Ideye initially refused to acknowledge the paternity of their children, the striker later acknowledged paternity and agreed to pay child support. +RZHYHU LQ -DQXDU\ 2022, Brown stopped paying child support, and Yana’s lawyers have been unable to contact him since.

7KH RQJRLQJ FRQÁLFW EHtween Ukraine and Russia

has further complicated matters, as Yana, concerned about the safety of her children, is trying to leave the country.

But Brown Ideye’s name is on the children’s docuPHQWV PDNLQJ LW GL΀FXOW to do so.

In all these, Ideye has shown no care about his children’s safety and has refused to fulfill his obligations as a father, Yana claimed.

Yana admits that she knows Ideye is married with children, but she insists she only found out about the player ’s family after she got pregnant for him.

The Ukrainian vows she wants nothing to do with Ideye but that he should abide by the contract he signed and pay child support for their children.

While trying to reach Ideye’s employers at his present Kuwaiti club, Al Yarmouk, Yana continues to launch a massive attack on Ideye on social media.

A

v o c i f e ro u s Anfield atmosphere awaits1 old foes Liverpool and Manchester United this afternoon - a renewal of hostilities with major implications on the respective Premier League title and topfour faces.

Both behemoths enter the showdown on a high, with the 5HGV VHHLQJ RͿ :ROYHUKDPSWRQ :DQGHUHUV LQ WKH WRS ÁLJKW while Erik ten Hag’s men came from behind to sink West Ham United 3-1 in the FA Cup. While meetings between the familiar faces of Liverpool and Manchester United are always eagerly anticipated, Liverpool and Wolves must have been sick of the sight of one another by the time that Wednesday rolled around, as they engaged in their IRXUWK RQ ÀHOG EDWWOH VLQFH WKH turn of the year.

Slowly but surely creeping up the ranks and threatening to upset the top-four apple cart, a wildly inconsistent Liverpool - who have just four wins to boast from their last 12 games have risen to sixth spot in the table and are six points adrift

of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, albeit with a match in hand.

Even with their powers waning, one constant that has not changed this season is Liverpool’s Premier League UHFRUG DW $QÀHOG ZLWK WKH 5HGV losing just one of their last 35 WRS ÁLJKW JDPHV LQ IURQW RI WKHLU own supporters and taking 13 SRLQWV IURP WKH ODVW RQ RͿHU keeping clean sheets in their most recent three such games.

Seeking to emulate Liverpool’s EFL Cup and FA Cup double from the 2021-22 season, a Man United side who have already got their hands on the former were at risk of crashing back down to earth when Said BenrahmaputWestHamahead LQ WKHLU )$ &XS ÀIWK URXQG WLH However, a Nayef Aguerd own goal sparked a late rally from the Red Devils, who struck through Alejandro Garnacho and Fred in the dying HPEHUV WR ERRN D TXDUWHU ÀQDO date with Fulham and keep their hopes of a Premier League, Europa League, FA Cup and EFL Cup quadruple alive - Liverpool will be in no PRRG WR RͿHU DQ\ WLSV LQ WKDW quest, though.

Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka has been given the medical green light by Brentford’s doctors to return to Premier League action against Tosin Adarabioyo’s Fulham on Monday night.

Through their official website, the Bees have confirmed that Onyeka is in contention for the match at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Onyeka’s potential return to action against the Cottagers will be sweet music to the ears of Super (DJOHV PDQDJHU -RVH 3HVHLUR ZKR LV VHW WR DQQRXQFH his roster for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches with Guinea-Bissau.

The Portuguese football tactician visited Onyeka LQ /RQGRQ HDUO\ -DQXDU\ EXW FRXOG QRW PRQLWRU KLP at close quarters against one of the top teams in Europe, Liverpool as the midfielder was recuperating from a hamstring injury.

To get him into shape ahead of a return to first team action, Brentford drafted him into the B team for their Middlesex Senior Cup tie against Wealdstone at Grosvenor Vale on February 14, and the holding midfielder showed he was a cut above the rest by getting on the scoresheet.

Onyeka has not featured in the Premier League since November 12, when he helped Brentford secure an impressive 2-1 win at Manchester City, and was unavailable for selection in nine matches on the bounce.

The Super Eagles have issues in midfield before the double-header against Guinea-Bissau, with (QJOLVK EDVHG GXR -RH $ULER DQG :LOIUHG 1GLGL out of favour at their respective clubs, and Onyeka lacking match fitness.

75

Sunday 5 March, 2023

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“In Nigeria, primary education is officially free and compulsory but 18 million of the country’s children aged between 5 – 14 years are not in school. Only 61 per cent of 6 – 11 year olds regularly attend primary school”– The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) wondering why despite free primary education, 18million children not in school in Nigeria

4*/$&

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

And Four Another Election, Another Trouble Other Things…

W

ow! The inevitable disputes aside, what an amazing presidential election we just had! Surely one of the most extraordinary in our history. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), losing at home to Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeating APC in President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state. A Muslim-Muslim ticket winning in Benue state, where the better part of the last eight years has been about resisting “Islamisation” and “Fulanisation”. The chairmen of the PDP and APC losing at home. The top three candidates doing fairly well outside their zones and regions. Wow! Before the 2023 presidential election, my worry was not really about the outcome. In the end, there would only be one winner. Personally, I was ready to accept any of the three leading candidates as the next president. I believe any of them would assemble a solid team and manage the economy well. But I knew that no matter who won, the outcome would be disputed — going by our history. My biggest worry was the risk of violence. The heated build-up to this particular election was worrisome. I have a mortal fear for instability, having lived through a horrendous period following the annulment of June 12 presidential election in 1993. The mere recall of it still makes me shiver.

Expectedly, Obi and Atiku have both rejected the outcome and are preparing to challenge it in court.

This is lovely. The way forward is to gather evidence and head to the tribunal. Some would say it is a waste of time, but that was exactly what people told Obi in 2003 when he believed he was cheated in the Anambra governorship election. He gathered the evidence and went to the tribunal to prove that the final results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were false. It took him a while, but he won. This has helped improve our experience and practice of democracy. Let’s trust the process. As Mandela said, it always looks impossible until it is done.

Since we started conducting elections after our independence from colonial rule in 1960, it has always been one trouble after the other. The notable first was the Western Region parliamentary polls of 1963 and 1964 whose outcomes were rejected by the Action Group, the party in power in the region. AG believed that the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) — which controlled the federal government — was working through the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) to take over the Western Region (now referred to as the “south-west”, with the exception of Edo and Delta states) by any means foul or fair. NNDP was founded

by Chief Samuel Akintola, an AG renegade.

The crisis ended in sorrow, tears and blood. “Wetie” ensued in the “Wild, Wild West”. “Wetie” was the act of wetting people and property with petrol before setting them on fire. As many as 2,000 persons were killed and over 5,000 houses burnt in the uprising. The conundrum destabilised the polity and, many would argue, led to the series of events that terminated the first republic after the failed military coup of January 1966. Part of the unfortunate chain reaction was the “counter coup” of July 1966 and the resultant pogrom that landed us in the Civil War. In life, you can start an event but you cannot always tell where it will end. It seemed to have all started with a little rift in the AG. In 1983, violence broke out over allegations of rigging in Oyo and Ondo states. Over 70 people were killed. Hon Tunde Agunbiade, the majority leader of Ondo state house of assembly, was killed with his wife, two children, driver and five others.

Hon Olaiya Fagbamigbe, a federal lawmaker and secretary of NPN in the state, was burnt to death along with 10 members of his household. Also, in the aftermath of the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, soldiers mercilessly massacred an estimated 100 protesters in Lagos as they tried to suppress protests. That was the Nigeria I grew up in.

INEC Chairman, Yakubu You can now understand why I am paranoid about elections and reactions.

Thank God, not all post-election disputes were violent. In 1979, it was a legal matter. The constitution required the winning presidential candidate to score a quarter of the votes in two-thirds of 19 states of the federation — in addition to winning the highest number of votes. Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) scored 25 percent in 12 states, but a crisis broke out over what was actually two-thirds of 19: should it be 12 or 13? The Supreme Court concluded that it was “12 two-thirds” — meaning 25 percent in 12 states and 25 percent of two-thirds of a 13th state.

Shagari met that requirement. It was awkward but we moved on. We did not resort to violence.

In 1993, there was initially a mild dispute over the June 12 presidential election before it was annulled.

The National Republican Convention (NRC), which had obviously lost to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), started making a fuss about the embroidery of SDP’s logo on the dress Chief MKO Abiola wore to the polling unit. NRC argued that it amounted to campaigning on the day of the election and a breach of the electoral laws. They asked that Abiola should be disqualified by the electoral commission. We then went into a prolonged debate over whether it was a donkey or a stallion (SDP’s logo was a horse) until the enemies of democracy sneaked in and ended it all.

The dispute in 1999 was mild. Chief Olu Falae, the flagbearer of the AD/APP alliance (the forerunners of APC), rejected the declaration of PDP’s Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as the elected president, alleging rigging and claiming to have “mass and mass” of evidence. He said former US President Jimmy Carter, Obasanjo’s friend, did not congratulate him after monitoring the election and this was proof that it was not a credible process.

He filed an election petition, alleging, among other things, that Obasanjo was a cultist and an ex-convict, having been sentenced to life imprisonment by Gen Sani Abacha over an alleged coup. Falae lost but withdrew on appeal. Thankfully, there was no violence.

The results of the 2003 and 2007 polls were challenged

by Buhari all the way to the Supreme Court but there was no post-election violence. However, in 2011, there were killings in the north. The case of Bauchi was weird: Jonathan got just 16 percent of the votes but nine youth corps members were killed for “rigging” for him.

Buhari alleged that the INEC computers were hacked and that his votes were being deducted and added to Jonathan’s tally. The late Rotimi Fasakin, spokesman of Buhari’s Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said “some so-called NYSC members were murdered,

but in actual fact some are IT consultants”. Over 800 people were killed. It was a very depressing episode.

That was why what Jonathan did in 2015 was remarkable. He not only conceded while INEC was yet to declare the winner, he also went to the extent of picking his phone and calling to congratulate Buhari.

That was incredible. I never thought that in my lifetime, I would witness such sportsmanship in Nigeria. It was like a new dawn. Some governors who lost two weeks later emulated Jonathan by congratulating their opponents. But you know what? The APC-leaning Twitter elite said there was nothing special about it and started abusing some of us who celebrated him. They accused us of having “low standards” and celebrating “mediocrity”. They said Jonathan had no other options.

In truth, Jonathan had many reasons to complain and refuse to concede. There were reports that the card readers were bypassed in Buhari’s strongholds and monumental figures were being manufactured there.

There were also reports that children were allowed to vote. But Jonathan, as hurtful and humiliating as it was to him, still did the unusual by accepting defeat and congratulating the president. Of course, many would argue that figures were also sexed-up in Jonathan’s strongholds — but that is the point: in Nigeria, politicians only complain when they are outfoxed. If they lose, their opponents cheated. If they win, the process was perfect. That is the game.

From what we later heard, there was a real plot to make sure Jonathan did not accept defeat. All sorts of options were considered. Elder Godsday Orubebe, former minister of police affairs, pulled a stunt at the national collation centre in trying to stop further announcement of results. He kept asking Prof Attahiru Jega, then INEC chairman, to “go back to your office… we will not accept this… this is tribalism” — trying to whip up ethnic sentiments. The word then was that there was a plot to kidnap Jega between the collation centre and his office so that the process would be inconclusive and truncated. By law, only the INEC chairman can declare the winner of a presidential election.

Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke, then attorney-general of the federation, recounted in his book, ‘Burden of Service’, how a lady asked him to get an injunction to stop the announcement of results. “I told the lady… that election had taken place and it was incumbent on INEC to announce the results and declare a winner. I said I was the Attorney-General of the Federation, not the Attorney-General of the PDP,” he wrote. “If PDP had any problems… they should collate their evidence and get their lawyers to head to the elections petitions tribunal. I told her, politely, that nobody should call me again. She did not like it but I was thinking of the larger picture: the peace and progress of Nigeria.”

In his memoir, ‘My Transition Hour’, Jonathan recalled: “I was fully informed about the manipulations, intrigues, intimidation and betrayals. The consequences of not conceding were only better imagined. My natural instinct for peace automatically surfaced. I was going to make a decision which reflected my commitment to that ideal.” Ironically, Buhari never conceded any of the three elections. Also, Atiku did not concede to Buhari in 2019. He said he won and mentioned something about INEC servers being manipulated. This should put some perspective on what Jonathan, as a sitting president, did in 2015. It was extraordinary. If it was that easy, others would have done it.

I remain glad that there are no violent protests over the 2023 presidential poll. The consequences would have been ugly. It is important to continue to keep the peace, for the leaders of the opposing sides to continue to speak to their supporters to shun provocative acts and resist the urge to self-help. The peacemakers and security forces need to maintain vigilance too. The fact that we have escaped the Doomsday projection so far doesn’t mean we are out of the woods. Eternal vigilance, in this case, is the price of peace. We are all better served in a peaceful country: if things break down, we may know the beginning but may not know the chain reaction. Let’s learn from history.

BUHARI NOT INEC President Buhari, by luck or design, is not being accused of rigging the 2023 presidential election in favour of the candidate of his party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. All the anger has been directed at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu. Buhari bought himself the reprieve by implementing a chaotic naira redesign policy that many alleged were targeted at stopping Tinubu from winning via vote-buying. Some APC governors openly took on the president and asked citizens to defy his deadline for the old notes. It would, thus, be unfair to hold the president responsible for Tinubu’s victory. Sense won’t kill Buhari.

Distanced.

OBJECTIONABLE OBASANJO When ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, a staunch supporter of Peter Obi, issued a strong-worded statement asking for the cancellation of some results of the presidential poll, his intervention was met with scorn in some quarters. Some accused him of not wanting another Yoruba to be president, recounting how he, as military head of state in 1979, voted for Alhaji Shehu Shagari and spited Chief Obafemi Awolowo. In 1993, his statement that Bashorun MKO Abiola was not the messiah was believed to have helped legitimise the annulment of June 12. Well, say whatever you want about Obasanjo but he will always stick his boot in and doesn’t care what about the reaction. Obstinate.

TURNOUT TURNOFF Increasingly, the number of Nigerians voting in presidential elections has been dropping.

According to the data boffins at TheCable Index, the 24 million that turned up on February 25 was the lowest since 1999 when 29.8 million voted. There were 39 million votes in 2003, the highest ever. The introduction of biometric technology and card authentication machines might have played a major role in the falling numbers, but INEC also has some work to do. I have a feeling that the register has not been thoroughly cleaned up to tackle overregistration. It can’t be just about those who have died or relocated. There may not really be more than 50 million legitimate voters in Nigeria. Fishy.

TINUBU’S TURN Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidentelect of Nigeria, surely has to thank the broken opposition for his victory. As many analysts have pointed out, it would have been more difficult for him if he was facing PDP’s Atiku Abubakar only. The south-east, south-south and Christian north always came through for the PDP in presidential elections, but this time they had to share their votes and LP’s Peter Obi was the major beneficiary. However, contrary to the belief that the G5 Governors achieved nothing, I would say they had an impact, even if some of them did not deliver their states. A lot happened behind the scenes, including in Lagos state, that are stuffs for memoirs. Politics!

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