Politics
Fight for me, Buhari begs
Last week, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) found himself face to face with United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.
Buhari may have forgotten, but he first encountered Blinken, at that time the US Deputy Secretary of State, weeks after he took office in 2015. Ironically, the issues that the two men “discussed” last week are the very same that they covered in 2015 when Buhari was preparing for his first state visit to the US.
Buhari told Blinken his talks with Mr President Barack Obama would boost his efforts to overcome terrorism and that Nigeria looked forward to greater US support for the multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.
He then moved up in the world, arriving in the US where he was received like royalty at the White House by a gushing President Obama.
The American leader applauded Buhari’s “reputation for integrity [and] “to make sure that he is bringing safety and security and peace to his country…and a very clear agenda with respect to rooting out the corruption that too often has held back the economic growth and prosperity of his country.”
Obama looked forward to discussing security and counterterrorism, and “how we can be helpful in addressing some of the corruption issues that have held Nigeria back, and unleashing the incredible talent of the Nigerian people.”
Following that meeting, the White House issued a readout on July 21 which said, among others, that Mr. Obama “made clear that the US is prepared to increase support for a holistic effort by the Government of Nigeria to counter Boko Haram; one that protects human rights and brings together security and development tools to defeat Boko Haram and eliminate the factors that fuel extremism.”
Buhari also met with other top officials, notably the then-Vice President, Joe Biden, and they spoke about Vice President Biden and President Buhari spoke about the “…ways in which the US and Nigeria can partner to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities. President Buhari and the Vice President agreed on the importance of rooting out corruption in order to unlock the full potential of the Nigerian economy and ensure stability.”
This is the context in which Buhari’s meeting with Blinken last week must be evaluated for the embarrassment and shame that it was. As much as I criticise President Olusegun Obasanjo, for instance, he would have requested, and obtained a meeting at the highest levels.
Think about it: Buhari, a man who was celebrated in the White House in 2015, could not get a meeting even with Vice-President Kamala Harris, let alone Mr. Biden. He could not speak with either official even by telephone, although they had in March spoken to the leaders of Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In November, Biden had also called President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
From the rooftop of Buharimania in Washington in 2015, Buhari had become indispensable, inconspicuous and irrelevant, because of his policies at home and abroad, including nurturing some of the problems he had claimed he would solve. And of course, Buhari sent to Washington DC for five years a man who was so old it was unclear he knew where he was let alone why he was there.
Last week, if Buhari loved Nigeria, he should have resigned. Indeed, it is over three years since I first called on him to resign. Now completely out of his depth, with his incompetence and insincerity spilling grave insecurity into every family and every street in Nigeria, Buhari was last week begging Blinken to beg Biden to send the exact same help the US offered him directly six years ago.
It was the same week that the inaugural Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), ranking countries according to government capabilities and outcomes, placed Nigeria as the third worst on earth, ahead only of Zimbabwe and Venezuela.
Buhari’s response was to hold out his hat, saying that unless the US and other “strategic partners” came to save Nigeria, the consequences would spillover to all countries. It was a reminder of his July 2015 visit, when at the US Institute for Peace he charged that by not selling weapons to Nigeria, the US had “aided and abetted” Boko Haram.
This was about the A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft Nigeria had sought to buy from the US for which the Obama administration, citing concerns about Nigeria’s human rights record, had placed a hold. That would get worse after the Nigerian Air Force ‘mistakenly’ bombed a refugee camp in Rann, Borno State, in January 2017. Over 100 refugees and aid workers were killed.
The core of the matter is simply that the Buhari administration has never demonstrated commitment to the task, or competence in implementation. He did not read the papers he signed, and never took seriously the subject of human rights. And as he nurtured corruption and nepotism at home, he somehow hoped that everyone around the world was also deceived.
But everyone has seen the past couple of months for instance when he finally changed his service chiefs, he moved swiftly to protect them from being indicted for war crimes by converting them into “ambassadors.”
Similarly in 2018 as the herdsmen violence began to expand, he told the United Nations General Assembly that the insurgencies in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin featured “runaway fighters from Iraq and Syria and arms from the disintegration of Libya.”
Earlier, in April that year, he told Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the killer herders had been trained and armed by former Libya leader Muammar Gaddafi, and subsequently “escaped with their arms.”
And yet it was the same killers, who had, among others massacred over 70 Nigerians in Benue State on New Year’s Day three months earlier, with Buhari urging the leaders of that state to “accommodate your countrymen” (the killer herders); and “restrain your people” (the victims).
Three years later, Buhari is begging the world to send the calvary to rescue his government from the same mess he has nurtured for six years.
The truth is that while relocating the AFRICOM Headquarters to Africa might help to put out one or two brushfires, and while friends and partners may send other resources, the real problems (and solutions) are in his hands. The cynicism and duplicity of Buhari’s government has proved to be Nigeria’s biggest challenge.
Every society needs a leader who can think beyond himself, and for the public good. Buhari thinks in indecisive fragments, pandering to hidden agendas.
It is his contradictions and arrogance that are responsible for the chaos and insecurity in Nigeria. For Nigeria to slide back from disintegration, it must have a leader with a national vision and focus: a leader who is persuaded and led by the mammoth challenge of justice, poverty and accountability.
In essence, that is what Blinken was saying to the African media after his meeting with Buhari. Perhaps Buhari, because he ignores the local press, did not read that encounter.
And that is the point.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Ahead of the 2027 National Assembly elections, a mass protest voting movement may be building up in Anambra South Senatorial District, following reported moves by members of major political parties to support the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Ebuka Onunkwo.
The development is said to be linked to grievances among some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress (APC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and remnants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the treatment allegedly meted out to Onunkwo during previous political contests.
Onunkwo, who had previously contested the Anambra South senatorial seat under APGA, later emerged as the NDC candidate for the 2027 election.
Although the ADC is currently embroiled in legal disputes over the authentic candidates and the conduct of its primary elections, some members of the APC and APGA are also reportedly dissatisfied with developments within their respective parties.
It was gathered that a section of APGA members, in particular, are backing Onunkwo as a form of protest over the conduct of the party’s senatorial primary, while some members of other parties are also believed to be considering voting for him irrespective of their party affiliations.
Confirming the growing support for Onunkwo, the Chief Executive Officer of NOWAS Oil and Gas Limited and a major stakeholder in Anambra South politics, Chief Ignesus Ikechukwudere Nnubia, said the NDC candidate currently enjoys widespread acceptability across party lines.
Nnubia said the growing support for Onunkwo had made his party affiliation less significant, arguing that voters would ultimately vote according to their conscience and assessment of the candidates.
He said, “At the moment, the number of APGA members with him and supporting him makes one wonder what is left of that party. Even the remnants of the PDP have pitched their tents with him, while members of the ruling APC at the national level are also behind him.
“So, the party that he belongs to is not a factor at all. You know that it is a game of numbers, and people are going to vote according to their conscience and not necessarily because of the political party they belong to.
“People are not bound to vote for their party, and some of them are ready and willing to vote for him.
“We are not talking about the party because he will surely get votes from the NDC, APGA, APC and even other political parties that are already closing ranks to support him as their candidate.”
Nnubia further described Onunkwo as the candidate currently standing tall among the contenders for the Anambra South senatorial seat, expressing confidence that his emergence would usher in what he described as a “new dawn” for the district.
He said political parties should not be the major consideration for voters, stressing that what matters most is the ability of elected representatives to improve the lives of their constituents.
According to him, political parties exist because of the people, and therefore the influence of party structures and incumbency has its limits during elections.
Nnubia said those factors would ultimately be tested by the electorate in the 2027 election, which he described as a contest in which voters’ choices would determine the outcome.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State election, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to attract more than ₦2 trillion in private-sector investment to the state within six months of assuming office if elected.
Odii made the pledge while addressing supporters in Lagos ahead of the formal commencement of his campaign.
He said his investment strategy would cover key sectors of the Ebonyi economy, including mining, hospitality, real estate and manufacturing.
According to the PDP candidate, he has identified more than 2,000 prospective investors, each capable of investing about ₦1 billion in the state.
“I have over 2,000 people who can invest ₦1 billion each. When you multiply it, you will get over ₦2 trillion. This has been structured in such a way that all aspects of the economy will be involved,” Odii said.
He said the proposed investment drive was designed not only to inject capital into the state but also to create jobs, expand the productive base of the economy and provide opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs.
Odii said Ebonyi’s natural resources and strategic location placed it in a strong position to attract large-scale investments if its economic potential was properly harnessed.
He promised that his administration would prioritise private-sector participation, industrialisation and job creation while creating an enabling environment for both local and foreign investors.
The candidate also said existing businesses in the state would be supported to expand, while new investors would be encouraged to establish operations across various sectors.
His pledge comes amid growing political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with economic development, employment generation and wealth creation featuring prominently in his campaign message.
The proposed ₦2 trillion investment target within six months, if achieved, would represent a significant boost to Ebonyi’s economy and rank among the most ambitious private-sector investment mobilisation plans proposed in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The planned visit of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to Anambra State has sparked controversy following a protest by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Emma Anosike, that the party was not informed about the visit.
Anosike said the APC in Anambra was never consulted or briefed about the proposed visit, adding that the party was taken aback by reports that the wife of the party’s national leader and presidential candidate, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be visiting the state without recourse to the state chapter.
He said, “It is indeed strange that the First Lady of our presidential candidate is visiting Anambra State without recourse to the party in the state.
“The party wishes to state categorically that we are not part of the arrangements for the reception of our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, because the party was never put in the picture.”
Anosike also dismissed the mantra that “The Progressives Are Working Together”, being canvassed by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), describing it as a smokescreen by the ruling party in Anambra to hijack President Tinubu’s re-election from the APC.
He said, “For instance, the APGA-led government in Anambra State did not interface with us on the organisation of the visit, and the party wonders if the progressives are indeed working together.”
The APC chairman, however, said the development would not compromise the First Lady’s visit, urging all APC members and supporters in the state to turn out and give Senator Oluremi Tinubu a warm welcome.
He stressed that despite the party’s reservations over the arrangements, APC members remained committed to welcoming the First Lady to Anambra State.
Former Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Sagir Saleh, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saleh, who served as deputy governor under former Governor Isa Yuguda, announced his resignation in a letter submitted to the party leadership in Katagum Local Government Area.
He cited personal reasons for his decision but did not provide further details.
His exit comes amid growing disagreements within the Bauchi APC following the party’s 2027 governorship primary. Other prominent members, including former governorship aspirant Bala Jibrin and Sunusi Kunde, an associate of Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, have also reportedly left the party.
Jibrin, a former National Auditor of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), resigned on August 31, 2026, following his opposition to the emergence of former Bauchi Governor Muhammad Abubakar as the APC’s 2027 governorship candidate.
He had criticised the primary process and questioned how the candidate emerged.
Kunde also resigned from the APC in August, submitting his resignation to the party chairman of Beti Ward in Misau Local Government Area.
The latest departures are coming as efforts continue to resolve internal disputes and disagreements among APC members in the state.
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to assassinate former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video shared on his verified X account on Sunday, urging both opposition figures to strengthen their security and remain vigilant.
The cleric did not identify those allegedly behind the purported plot but claimed that attempts were being made to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
According to him, divine intervention would prevent the alleged plan from succeeding.
“Obi and Atiku, be very conscious of your security. They are looking for any means to eliminate Obi and Atiku.
“But God will never allow it to happen. Watch out and be cautious about your security,” he said.
Ayodele also urged President Bola Tinubu to reconsider travelling to the United States, alleging that there were forces in America working against his political fortunes.
The claims come as political activities and realignments intensify ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
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