Politics
Atiku too old, lacks capacity to be president, CSOs, others insist
Some civil society organisations have again reiterated that they would not support any aged candidate for the presidency in the 2023 general elections.
They spoke against the backdrop of the declaration of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who declared to contest for the presidency under the Peoples Democratic Party in the forthcoming elections.
The spokesman for the African National Congress, Olufemi Adeyeye, in an interview with our correspondent, said with Atiku’s antecedents while he was Vice President, he should not be allowed to ‘smell’ the presidential seat.
Adeyeye also stressed that Atiku lacked the capacity to fulfill all the promises he has made because he lacked the political will to do so.
“As regards age, we understand so well that the people who have vied to run for presidency are old in age and in their ideas. How ancient their ideas are, is what we are criticising.
“The major point is that we understand that Atiku lacks the capacity to make all these things happen. When he was Vice President under Obasanjo, he was the chairman of the Privatisation Council; what did he do with the privatisation? He privatised Nigeria into their pockets. What Atiku is coming back to do is to privatise some more. We have seen how much the privatisation they did then is now.
“Nigerians do not know how to hold a political grudge. If they truly hold a political grudge, someone like Atiku should not even come close to the Presidency at all, because the PDP in itself, some people would want to say is an opposition party. But Nigerians are opposing this opposition party.
“If you look at it clearly, this same Atiku was in the All Progressives Congress in 2018. Now he is back in PDP. It shows these people are just changing their goal posts while they have the same ideology that they carry. For us at the AAC, we reject old Nigeria. We reject going back to Golgotha to Nigeria. Some of these people should have to go to jail at this point.
“This is someone who has been in government all his life. Atiku has eaten from Nigeria. Nigeria has fed him. What has he done? We have to look at his antecedents. What has he done with all that he had? He was VP for eight years; he keeps running for the presidency.”
Also speaking, the Convener, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy, Dare-Ariyo Atoye, said that Nigeria could not afford to have a repeat of the Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd)-led regime by voting Abubakar come 2023.
“What we suffer under Buhari is not something that we should again repeat. We deserve the best. We deserve a leader who is mentally aware and would be readily available. Atiku would not be able to tackle the humongous challenges that confront this country on a daily basis.
“Vice President Atiku Abubakar has served this country and made himself available but I think this is the time for him to support a younger, competent person to succeed president Buhari. It would be painful for him because it has been a lifelong ambition but there is what we call ‘a place of sacrifice’. He must be grateful to God for the opportunities he has been given.”
A lawyer and political activist, Festus Ogun said, “The presidency is not something that should be exclusively reserved for old people. It is not a retirement plan for rogue politicians. That is the truth.
“The simple reason is that we must ask ourselves why we ask civil servants to retire at 65 and 70. By the time you get to a particular age, there is a limit to what you can do at a particular age. We must insist that we don’t repeat the mistake of the Buhari-regime. Again, is it desirable that Nigeria should have a president that would spend most of his time on a sickbed?”
However, the Ondo State Coordinator, Atiku Abubakar Support Organisation, Mr Damilola Adamolekun, said, “I do not buy into that idea of age. It is someone that can deliver, one who can unite the country. It is someone who has the experience and what it takes to give Nigeria the solution to the myriad of challenges that we have. Everybody knows that this country is not working. Yesterday or so, you can see what happened in Kaduna. We had young and old people attacked. They did not separate them. We need someone who can give us the solution to our challenges. That is what matters. I don’t care if the person is young or old. That is not even the point here. Who can deliver us from this quagmire and unite the country?
“In my opinion, it is the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar. He is the only one who has shown genuine interest in the Peoples Democratic Party. The other one in the other party is saying he is doing so because of his age-long ambition. He has not accepted that APC has led us beyond repair. He has just said he wants to fulfill his age-long ambition.
“Somebody is saying he has the solution to Nigeria’s challenges. I’d rather go with that person who has the solution that the one who wants to use us to satisfy his ego and his ambition. It is beyond us. He should not use us to settle political scores or maintain political affiliations.
“I feel whoever can deliver this country must first agree that this country is not working. There is no fuel scarcity in the history of Nigeria that has stayed this long. Atiku Abubakar is the person I feel will give us the solution we need.”
The youth coordinator of the ASO, Ondo State, Olakunle Balogun, noted that those who had the opinion that Atiku was old were entitled to their opinions.
“Leadership is not about one’s age. If a 70-year-old man has the capacity to pilot the affairs of this country and rescue it from its current state, why not? You can be 25 years old and not have the mental capacity to take care of the problems of this country,” he said.
PUNCH
In the now-controversial post shared on his social media page, Osborne wrote: “In a sane clime president Bola Ahmed Tinubu would’ve respectfully and honourably resigned. I’m of APC but truth be told.”
The comment quickly generated reactions online before the Akwa Ibom State Government moved to terminate his appointment.
In a letter dated June 2, 2026, the Office of the Political Adviser to the Governor announced his immediate disengagement.
The termination letter, signed by the Political Adviser to the Governor, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, stated that Osborne Ubong Okon had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.Politics
According to the letter, the decision was taken over actions the office described as disloyal.
“You are hereby relieved of your engagement as a Media Aide to the Political Adviser to His Excellency the Governor, with immediate effect and from today, 2nd June 2026,” the memo read.
The letter further cited “actions bordering on disloyalty” and the need to keep the office “purified” as reasons for the dismissal.
The office also issued a warning to members of the public and government officials regarding future dealings with the former aide.
“Any person having dealings with the above-mentioned former Media Aide in relation to this office of his former engagement does so on his/her own peril,” the statement added.
The development has sparked fresh conversations about the limits of political expression for government appointees and the expectations of loyalty within public service, particularly when comments are directed at the presidency.
Neither Osborne nor the Presidency had publicly responded to the development as of the time of filing this report.
The decision was taken during plenary on Tuesday at the Assembly complex in Dutse, the state capital, as the party continues to deal with the fallout from recent primaries.
The action comes amid a wave of suspensions across Jigawa APC following the recently conducted primary election.
Several special advisers and special assistants have already been suspended statewide over alleged anti-party activities from state level down to local government level.
Maigari, who doubles as the councillor representing Auyo Ward, was suspended after the House considered a motion by the Majority Leader, Lawan Dansure.
The motion sought disciplinary action against the lawmaker for conduct deemed harmful to party cohesion.
Moving the motion during the Assembly’s plenary session on Tuesday, Dansure urged members to support the suspension.
He said the House must act to protect the integrity of the ruling party ahead of 2027.
According to him, the actions of the Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
“His actions are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress,” Dansure told the House.
He argued that anti-party conduct at the grassroots level could undermine APC’s performance in future elections.
He said the House could not fold its arms while party discipline was being tested.
“Hon. Haruna Maigari is hereby suspended as Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council over alleged anti-party activities,” Dangyatin announced during plenary.
The Speaker also said the House remains committed to party discipline at all levels of governance in the state.
Dangyatin then constituted an investigative committee to look into the matter and report back within two weeks.
“The committee is expected to establish facts and recommend further action based on its findings,” he said.
The Speaker also directed the suspended lawmaker to hand over all official documents in his possession to the Deputy Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council.
He said the handover must be done immediately to ensure continuity of council business.
Meanwhile, the House also received a formal notification from Governor Umar Namadi regarding an official trip.
“The governor is billed to attend a two-day West African Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, Ghana,” the Speaker said during the plenary session of the Assembly.
Dangyatin, who explained that the governor’s foreign engagement will hold between June 2 and June 3, 2026, added that “the governor’s participation is aimed at attracting investment to Jigawa’s rice value chain.”
By Chinedu Sabastine
Mr. Samson Chukwu Nnamani has declared that he remains the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 election.
Nnamani made this known on Friday during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Enugu.
Reacting to allegations that he was suspended from the party before the PDP governorship primary election, Nnamani dismissed the claim, questioning how a supposedly suspended aspirant could participate in the exercise and secure votes.
“The purported claim that I was suspended is very funny. If I was suspended as they claim, how can they attribute votes for me during their kangaroo primary,” Nnamani questioned.
Represented by his Media Director, Dr. Buchi Nnaji, the PDP chieftain said his authenticity derives from the present recognition of the Abdulrahman-led faction of the PDP by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of which he is a member.
The clarification followed the emergence of multiple claimants to the PDP governorship ticket in Enugu State.
Nnamani insisted that the party was no longer factionalised following INEC’s recognition of the Abdulrahman-led PDP leadership, noting that the panel which declared him winner where sent from their headquaters, Abuja.
Nnamani expressed gratitude to PDP leaders and supporters whom he said turned out massively on Sunday, May 24, 2026, to elect him as the party’s governorship candidate.
He pledged to reposition Enugu State through infrastructure development, job creation and people-oriented policies.
“As the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Enugu State, I remain committed to the ideals of good governance, inclusive leadership, economic development, youth empowerment, quality education, improved healthcare and enhanced security for all residents,” he said.
He added that his aspiration was to build “a greater Enugu State where opportunities abound for every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, religion or social status.”
According to him, his administration would prioritise infrastructure development, industrialisation, support for small businesses and welfare programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
“We shall also review and remove policies and practices that are truncating the wellbeing, economic survival and social advancement of the citizens,” he stated.
Nnamani further called on stakeholders, party faithful, youths, women, traditional rulers and the people of Enugu State to join hands in building “a united, peaceful and progressive state.”
“Together, we can achieve the Enugu of our dreams,” he added.
The Presidency has reacted following the circulation of an alleged WhatsApp voice note in which President Bola Tinubu reportedly claims he begged opposition figure Peter Obi to step down ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The reaction came on Wednesday from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President.
Onanuga condemned the audio file, labeling it a fabrication and called for legal action against popular social media critic VeryDarkMan who shared it.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform.,” Onanuga tweeted.
In the viral video, VeryDarkMan used the alleged leaked audio to urge Nigerians to vote against President Tinubu’s reelection bid in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Recall that just days ago, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, President Tinubu secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a landslide nationwide direct primary election.
During that contest, Tinubu faced a lone challenger, Edo State businessman and APC chieftain Stanley Osifo. The President won with 10,999,162 votes from the 12,643,306 registered party members, while Osifo secured 16,503 votes.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 election, is widely expected to fly the flag for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Both Obi and Tinubu hail from the southern region of Nigeria and are set to face last year’s runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to lead the ticket for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of running the state like a personal family business.
Odii made the remark shortly after emerging as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election following the party’s primary election conducted across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Speaking to party supporters in Abakaliki, Odii said the 2027 election would be about rescuing Ebonyi from poor governance and restoring economic growth and public welfare.
“Ebonyi can never be consumed. Ebonyi can never be conquered. Ebonyi can never become a personal family business, and we are here for the rescue of our dear state,” he stated.
The PDP flag bearer pledged to improve the welfare of civil servants and teachers while promising policies aimed at reviving the state’s economy.
Odii also dismissed fears over political opposition ahead of the election, insisting that his focus remained the development and progress of Ebonyi State.
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