Politics
2023: Why Nigerians should shun APC, PDP – Sani, ADP chairman
National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Dr Yagbaji Sani, has said that rotational presidency, otherwise known as zoning, has not provided the needed economic development for the country, rather it has broadened the gap of division and nepotism.
He, therefore, suggested in this interview that political parties should always throw the contest open so that those with the needed administrative acumen would not be disenfranchised because of where they come from.
The former presidential candidate also joined the clamour for the sacking of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, sequel to his utterances on insurgency in the past.
He maintained that the spate of killings and kidnapping perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents is a by-products of Pantami’s teachings.
He, however, backed the Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, for facilitating negotiations with bandits and parents of kidnapped children, adding that he has not done anything wrong.
He also encouraged political leaders to judiciously utilise resources in their possession to create employment, build schools, hospitals and roads, in order to keep the youth busy. Except:
What is your take on the spate of insecurity in the country?
If truth must be told, I believe it is the consequences of leadership failure. Because when there is leadership failure, definitely, you will see that even the most basic things that should be taken care of will not be addressed properly. Because when you look at democracy or any form of government at all, in fact, even in constitution, the two fundamental responsibilities of the government is the issue of security and the welfare of the people. That is what the constitution says. Any government that cannot provide the two things for its citizens has no moral rights to expect respect from the citizens. And if care is not taken it might even get to a revolt; the people may rebel against you because you have not been able to take care of the basic requirements. So, I believe that why what is happening is happening is because we have leadership failure. Period.
While the PDP is pushing for a summit to discuss the way forward on insecurity, the APC is not seeing the need for such a meeting. How do we address the problem?
Both the APC and PDP are one and the same. It is six and half a dozen. That is what it is. You see, when you look at APC and you throw back your attention and recollect what happened during the PDP era, it is just a re-enactment of what happened during the PDP era only that this time around it is more endemic. There seems to be a total collapse of the situation today. We are just afraid that the whole thing will collapse under the PDP. But PDP was not better than what we are seeing under APC. Under PDP, Boko Haram insurgents were even coming to Abuja attacking people, and exploding everywhere. People were afraid just like what we have now. People were not free to move around. But the case we have today is worse; which means that the situation has been degrading from the PDP time till now. So, it is like a case of a kettle calling the pot black. There is nothing that the PDP is accusing the APC today that it did not do. There was leadership failure under the PDP too. And what we are running away is for Nigeria to run away from the situation we have found ourselves today. So, the issue is that Nigerians must start to think and look away from these two parties. Nigeria is bigger than PDP and APC because we transcend those parties. Nigeria does not start and end with APC and PDP. And, when you look at it, the same people that were in PDP in which we were having the problem are the same people today that are in APC. So, it is not as if outside these people you do not have Nigerians that can take care of this country. The situation we have in this country is that Nigerians do not want to rise to the occasion themselves. We must begin to see the futility of continuing to support these two parties in government because they do not have what Nigeria needs. And what Nigeria needs today are people who have this country at heart and have the competence and capability to deliver this 21st Century economy that we have which is a promise of greatness. There is nothing that we need in this economy to make it great that is not there. What is lacking is leadership. What is lacking is the fact that our process of the recruitment of leadership is still at that stage of people manipulating the levers of power and rigging elections to bring in people that cannot deliver. So, if you have your process of recruitment of leadership as corrupt as it is, there is no way you can dream of having people that would live up to expectations or be ready to give this country the kind of leadership that it deserves. So, this is why we are just in a vicious cycle. And both the APC and PDP, believing in me, everybody in this country knows that they are one and the same. It is the same bad dream that we had during the last administration that we are having today. Nigerians never thought that we will be where we are in this country today. Why because we have competent people. We have the resources. We have the statute as a nation which is respected across the globe. That is why anywhere you go Nigerians are respected because they know what you are worth; in terms of resources, leadership and capacity. So, when you talk about PDP or APC, believing in me, it is those that what you can call failure of our circumstances. We just found ourselves in almost a failed state. Look at what happened during Jonathan, the international community had come to rescue Nigeria. It is because Nigeria was almost failing as a nation. Today, we are in a worse situation that we need to be rescued that is why some people are saying that we should look for foreign assistance. It is because Nigeria was almost failing. The political class you have today that are in charge of the affairs of this country have failed. The truth is that they do not have what Nigeria needs so they cannot give that leadership. That is why people should look at the direction of ADP. God knows why he put parties like ours in this country today. It is to rescue this country. There is nothing we will do today that will give this country the kind of progress, peace and unity that are required under another APC or PDP government. It will never happen. Because when they come in instead of concentrating on building the nation they will just be talking about things that are not relevant. The issue is that we have come to the stage where another set of people should be allowed to run the affairs of this country. We can do it. It has been proven that things cannot change unless we the followership change. And change is an option. If it is a situation where we do not have an option that would be a different thing entirely. So, the blame game is all because we do not want to change. So, the press has a lot to do here. The press can make this country work by ensuring that it changes the narrative. It should not be about PDP and APC. Nigerians should begin to understand that there is an option or alternative that is more credible that can give this country a leadership that would provide new path to progress, prosperity, unity and pragmatic leadership that will unleash this huge potential that we have as a country. Everybody knows that we are a country that is of promise of greatness by everything that we need to have. Look at the leadership we have today that is not even engaged with the people. As bad as the situation is you should have a kind of interaction with your people. But that is not happening. Money is given out and nobody is accounting for it even for the insecurity you are talking about. Billions of naira have been given to this people, nobody is telling us what happened to those monies, how it was spent. If it was their own money, none of them would allow things like this to happen; that you spent billions and there is nothing to show for it. There is evidence of arms purchased, no money in the account and to the extent that they are even asking for more money. They want to be given more budget to fight this war as if we are people that have saw-dust in our brains. We need to break from this rigmarole and the narrative of PDP and APC. We still have two years to go. It can be done. The press can lead. Every country where meaningful change happened, it is the press that leads the way.
Do you also subscribe to the sacking of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, following his utterances on insurgency?
I have told you about leadership failure. Where you have leadership, government will not wait for this thing to happen whether wrong of right. The man is not denying what he said or didn’t say. He did. So, the issue is that government, particularly the president, should realise the fact that he was elected by the people of this country and he swore by the Quran that he was going to protect the interest of this country; that he was going to exert fear or favour. So, when you have discovered that in one reason or the other you have a minister in your cabinet that has been accused of most of the things that are happening today in terms of insecurity, whether remotely or anyhow you want to look it, at least, to demonstrate to the nation that he is representing them and that he is living up to his responsibility, this man should be eased out because he did not deny it. Why are we having the problem we are having today? It is because of people that had, or still have those kind of mentality, and their ideology is not in tune with the modern way of doing things. He said he did, but he is recanting that he is not in that kind of belief anymore. But, we are suffering from the by-products. That is what snowballed into what we are having today. It is those people that you taught, those radical thinking that are still in the bush. Even though you have now said that you have renowned that ideology, we are still suffering from the damage in this country. Because that is why we still have the likes of Boko Haram people that are thinking differently. Yes, he has apologised. If the country wants, it can forgive him or allow the law to take its course. But, the right thing to be done is for the government to relief him of his duties and responsibilities, and then let him understand that what he did, the country is still suffering from it. In other climes, if you are in government of a high school, and they discovered that you raped a girl or smoked marijuana, you would be in trouble. There was a judge of a Supreme Court that was supposed to be appointed in America, you can see the extent they went because a woman came out and said the man took advantage of her in a high school. It became an issue. So, it is not enough to come out and apologise. He should not be allowed to continue in office in all fairness given the circumstances we are in today, and given the fact that we cannot divorce those radical ideologies we are having today. So, he is responsible.
Are you comfortable with the role being played by Sheikh Gumi in negotiating with bandits?
Under this circumstance or the situation we are in, it is the right thing to do. Do you know why? The government has denied people money they are supposed to use to build hospitals, schools and roads. They come to Abuja, collect the money, sit down in a room and divide the money among themselves, thinking that the people are stupid or they do not know what is happening. If they are using the billions collected from the federation account to build schools, hospitals and good roads you would not have bandits. If some have jobs and leave their houses at 8:00a.m to go to work, would they have time to go into the bush? That is why they are taking it by force. So, under this scenario, it is right. Let them sit up. Let them stop stealing. Let them use the money to create employment and not to buy houses in Dubai or Europe and always going for vacation. They have exhausted all the civil ways of doing things, that is why they are in the bush. Gumi is right. When Buhari came to power he said 70 per cent of the budget is being stolen. But what did he do about it? And you want the people to just fold their hands and be watching you?
Though we still have two years to the next general election, there has been this agitation for the Southeast to produce the next president. What is your take?
I do not like to indulge in what I call a very high intelligent way of looking at issues in the country. The problem we have in this country transcends zoning. They are more serious than where the president of Nigeria should come from. Why are we where we are today? It is because of the issue of zoning. You can take it from the Jonathan’s time to now. It is just because they did not allow the best material to emerge as the president of this country; it was always handpicked. It has always taken religious dimension as if when it comes to the issues of the country the person can do better. We should wake up and begin to think about this country as a serious business. If in your private business you start bringing in sentiments like employing your brothers even when they are not competent, what would happen to the business? Definitely, it will fail. For God sake, let us be serious. The position of the president requires more than what we are attributing to it. I look at it as lazy and people who are not serious in their way of thinking. In social club you can do that, but when it comes to the issue of president, we should have a checklist as a nation. We should look at track records and performances that will matter. This is doable. The leaders of thoughts are there to do it. The press is there. It can set the agenda and change the narrative. Look at where we are today. We are a laughing stock simply because there is a leadership failure and because we did not do the right thing. If zoning is working, why are people in Katsina being killed like chicken? Why is the whole North on fire? The business of running the country is a very serious business. It is not about this man is a Yoruba man, or Hausa man or an Igbo man. Let us begin to look at tract records. If you look at countries that have gone passed us like Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia, most of them jettisoned the idea of where a person is coming from. Because when you do that you have completely disjointed the whole issue of running the country from what it should be to what has no relevance in the governance itself. And that is why we are always failing.
What is the prospect of ADP in the next general election?
It is very bright. Do not mind the ballooning of membership they are telling people. Believe me, by the time the two parties will explode you will see what will happen. We believe that the ADP has a very unique opportunity in 2023 because Nigerians will wake up. And sane people who have the country at heart will look for a party like ADP to begin to build Nigeria and not themselves or tribes because that is what we represent. We are the Noah’s Ark that will take the country to the Promised Land.
The Ebonyi State Government has effectively restricted political campaigns and gatherings in Ezza South Local Government Area, directing political parties and groups to obtain prior approval from the council chairman before holding such events.
The directive, issued by the Chairman of Ezza South Local Government Area, Hon. Chinedu Mkpuma, follows a recent security breach in Amaezekwe community amid growing concerns over political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abakaliki, Mkpuma expressed dismay over the security situation and said the measure was necessary to protect lives and property, maintain public order and prevent further security breaches.
He acknowledged the constitutional rights of citizens to freedom of association and peaceful assembly but warned that political gatherings in the local government area must henceforth receive prior approval from his office.
The chairman added that violations of the directive would attract appropriate action in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party governorship candidate, Eze Oko, has condemned the reported killings and alleged attacks on opposition parties in the state, calling on political leaders to end violence and intimidation.
Oko questioned why opposition members were allegedly being targeted and urged youths to resist attempts by politicians to use them as instruments of violence.
He called for a level playing field for all political parties and candidates, insisting that political competition should be based on ideas, manifestos and records of performance rather than violence.
The LP candidate also cautioned political leaders against inflammatory statements capable of fuelling tension during the electioneering period.
He urged candidates seeking re-election to allow their achievements to speak for them instead of allegedly engaging political thugs to intimidate opponents.
Oko further appealed to youths to reject political thuggery and violence, while extending his condolences to the families of those reportedly killed in the incident.
The development comes as political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, with renewed calls for security agencies to investigate reported attacks and ensure that all political parties can operate without intimidation.
The Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator David Umahi, has declared that 2027 is not the South-East’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president, insisting that former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, is not the region’s best presidential candidate.
Umahi, who made the declaration during an interview with ARISE News on Friday, defended South-East political leaders supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, maintaining that their political choices should not be interpreted as betrayal of the Igbo presidential ambition.
“Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South East. He’s not the best, he can never be the best,” Umahi declared.
The minister faulted Obi’s approach to the 2023 presidential election, alleging that he failed to adequately consult governors and other influential political stakeholders in the South-East before pursuing his ambition.
“You cannot play politics in South East without consulting people like us,” he maintained.
According to Umahi, any presidential aspirant seeking to represent the collective aspirations of the region must first engage critical stakeholders and build the necessary political consensus.
He argued that Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election did not automatically make him the South-East’s most qualified presidential candidate, stressing that the region boasts several other capable political figures.
Umahi also questioned why Anambra State should be given preferential consideration whenever the opportunity arises for the South-East to produce Nigeria’s president.
Citing Nigeria’s first President, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, who hailed from the area now constituting Anambra State, the minister maintained that Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo states equally deserve consideration in future presidential arrangements.
On the growing support for Tinubu among South-East political leaders ahead of 2027, Umahi dismissed allegations that those backing the president had abandoned the region’s political interests.
He insisted that the South-East’s path to the presidency lies in strategic negotiations, consensus-building and alliances with other geopolitical zones rather than presenting loyalty to Obi as the ultimate test of commitment to the Igbo cause.
The former Ebonyi governor had earlier challenged comparisons between himself and Obi during a political engagement in Benin City in September, declaring that he saw no area in which the former Anambra governor was superior to him.
While expressing confidence that the South-East would eventually produce Nigeria’s president, Umahi maintained that the region’s opportunity had not yet arrived, insisting that “it is not yet our turn.”
Politics
2027: APGA, APC Set for Joint Meeting in Anambra to Mobilise Support for Tinubu’s Re-election
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State have scheduled a joint meeting for November 1 to strengthen collaboration and mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The planned meeting comes amid claims that the two parties are not working together in the state to advance Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The meeting, convened by Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, in his capacity as the state coordinator for Tinubu’s re-election campaign, is expected to bring together leaders and members of both parties, including serving and former political officeholders and members of their respective national and state working committees.
The APC State Chairman, Senator Emma Anosike, also confirmed the meeting, telling reporters that he would lead members of his party to attend the gathering.
The development is expected to counter claims of disunity between the two parties over the president’s re-election project in Anambra State.
According to an announcement dated October 22 and signed by Dr Ben Nwankwo, Chief of Staff to the Governor and Coordinator of the Secretariat for the Presidential Campaign Council in Anambra State, the meeting will take place at the International Convention Centre, Awka.
Proceedings are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., while accreditation will commence at 10 a.m. Participants have been directed to arrive early, as the doors will be closed once the meeting begins.
Attendance is restricted to duly accredited invitees drawn from designated categories of political officeholders, party officials and other stakeholders who remain members of APGA or APC.
Those invited include serving and former governors and deputy governors of Anambra State; members of the national, zonal and state working committees of both parties; and serving and former members of the National and State Assemblies from the state.
All APGA and APC candidates for the 2027 general elections who are members of either party have also been invited.
Other participants expected at the meeting include serving and former political appointees in the state and federal governments, members of the PBAT/APC Presidential Campaign Council from Anambra State, as well as serving and former elected local government chairmen, mayors and transition committee chairmen affiliated with either party.
The invitation list also covers current and former members of the boards of trustees of APGA and APC from Anambra State, coordinators of Tinubu support groups, and serving local government chairmen, secretaries, women leaders and youth leaders of the two parties.
Elected councillors, ward chairmen of APGA and APC, as well as members of the state working committees of the Accord Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are also listed among the invitees.
The announcement further stated that selected stakeholders nominated by the state chairmen of APGA and APC, alongside individuals nominated by the state coordinator of the Presidential Campaign Council, would attend the meeting.
It explained that the notice was intended to ensure that all eligible stakeholders were informed of the gathering, adding that anyone who falls within the specified categories would be deemed invited.
The joint meeting is expected to provide a platform for the two parties to coordinate their political activities in Anambra State ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Strengthen the headline and opening
Trim the lengthy invitation list
Make the report more neutral
…Unveils 17 Buses for Grassroots Mobilisation
…Expresses Confidence in Tinubu, Mbah’s Victory
Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, is set to unveil his grassroots mobilisation and political support group, As Tinubu and Mbah Move (ATM), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The minister has also expressed confidence in the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah.
Udeh disclosed this on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, during a strategy meeting at the group’s secretariat, where he unveiled 17 branded Toyota buses to support the movement’s grassroots mobilisation ahead of the elections.
Addressing members, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria urged them to work towards securing victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in the presidential and governorship elections.
He said the buses were provided to facilitate mobilisation and strengthen the movement’s presence across communities, wards and polling units.
Expressing confidence in the electoral prospects of Tinubu and Mbah, Udeh said the movement must distinguish itself from political groups that generate publicity without translating their activities into electoral gains.
“I want this group to be different so that it will not end in noise-making. The aim is to make APC win from top to bottom, especially the President and the Governor,” he said.
He charged members to take responsibility for delivering their respective polling units and wards, stressing that grassroots engagement remained crucial to electoral success.
“Politics is local. Everybody should work to ensure that APC wins in their respective wards and polling units,” he added.
Udeh explained that ATM was established to provide members with a platform to connect with political leaders and contribute to the activities of the party.
According to him, active participation in grassroots mobilisation could also create opportunities for members to engage government officials and seek assistance in addressing challenges facing their communities.
The minister, who described himself as not being a career politician, said integrity and the fulfilment of commitments were central to his dealings with people.
He also pledged to spend more time in the South-East during the campaign period to coordinate the movement’s activities.
Earlier, the ATM Coordinator, Igboke Onyebuchi, said the meeting was convened to establish and ratify the movement’s structures ahead of the planned commencement of local government-level mobilisation in November.
Onyebuchi described ATM as a political movement rather than an ordinary group, explaining that some members were motivated by their desire to support Governor Mbah and acknowledge his role in Udeh’s ministerial appointment.
“We are doing this to support the governor for giving such a smart young person the opportunity to be a minister. This has not happened in recent times,” he said.
He explained that the movement comprised community mobilisers, union leaders and individuals from the civic space, many of whom were not career politicians but were willing to contribute to the political process.
According to him, ATM plans to adopt an innovative, community-based approach to mobilisation, focusing on reaching rural residents and strengthening the APC’s existing grassroots structures.
He added that a community map had been developed to guide the movement’s engagement with residents.
Onyebuchi thanked Udeh for providing members with a platform to participate in the political process, expressing hope that the movement would encourage greater political opportunities for young people with strong professional and intellectual backgrounds.
Politics
One Feared Dead, Several Injured as Thugs Attack Ebonyi NDC Assembly Candidate, Burn Campaign Vehicle
…Ebonyi Democratic Movement Blames Police Commissioner, Demands Immediate Redeployment
The campaign convoy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Ezza South State Constituency in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Barr. Rollins Offia Nwali, has reportedly come under armed attack at two separate locations in Amaezekwe Community, Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, leaving one person feared dead and several others injured.
The attackers, suspected to be political thugs, also reportedly set ablaze a 2024 Toyota Hilux vehicle belonging to the campaign convoy.
According to preliminary accounts, trouble began when Nwali, who was scheduled to meet with his polling unit canvassers, received information that some government officials allegedly accompanied by armed hoodlums had stormed the meeting venue.
The officials reportedly warned that they had received orders from above to prevent opposition candidates from holding campaign activities during the swearing-in ceremonies of local government chairmen in the state.
Sensing danger, Nwali reportedly directed his convoy to turn back a few metres from the venue.
However, suspected political thugs riding motorcycles and tricycles allegedly opened fire on the convoy, resulting in an exchange of gunfire involving security personnel, including operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) attached to the candidate.
About five persons reportedly sustained gunshot injuries, while one person was feared killed during the confrontation.
The casualty figures could not be independently verified.
In another attack a few metres away, a separate group of suspected hoodlums, reportedly operating in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle and tricycles, allegedly intercepted the retreating convoy, opened fire and set one of its Toyota Hilux vehicles ablaze.
A state government appointee was accused of leading the second group of attackers.
Reacting to the development, Chairman of the Ebonyi Democratic Movement, Chief Emmanuel Igwe Chidi, condemned the incident and accused the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police of failing to address what he described as recurring political violence against opposition figures in the state.
Igwe alleged that the failure of the police to prosecute individuals previously implicated in electoral violence, despite several petitions submitted to the state command and the Inspector-General of Police, had emboldened suspected political thugs.
He recalled that the movement had earlier organised a nationwide protest over alleged persecution of opposition members and the deteriorating security situation in Ebonyi State.
The EBM chairman consequently called on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately redeploy the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, arguing that the measure had become necessary to restore public confidence in the neutrality of the police ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He also demanded a comprehensive investigation into the Amaezekwe attacks, insisting that all those found culpable must be identified and prosecuted irrespective of their political affiliations or positions in government.
Igwe further urged security agencies to guarantee adequate protection for opposition candidates and their supporters, stressing that no government official or political interest has the authority to prevent citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to political participation.
He warned that democracy would be endangered if political competition was allowed to degenerate into intimidation, gunfire and destruction of property rather than being determined through the ballot box.
The allegations against government officials and the police, as well as the circumstances surrounding the reported death, remain unverified. The accounts provided did not include responses from the Ebonyi State Government or the Police Command.
Separate reported facts from allegations
Tighten the casualty and attack sequence
Use a more legally cautious headline
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