Opinion
The Lies About Ekweremadu and South East Roads
By Uche Anichukwu
Among Ndigbo, we say, “ _Onwu gbuo okorobia, ewere asiri jee akwa ya”,_ meaning: when sudden death befalls an able-bodied, young man, many fallacious stories are told at his funeral. Indeed many tales have been told since the unfortunate fate that befell former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his family in London.
Only a few days ago, one Houston-based critic vomited a whole lot about Ekweremadu with triumphal gusto and air of finality. Among others, he wrote: “I had always told the senator in his face and written extensively on how he used his time in the Senate to collude with contractors to loot the funds budgeted for several public projects in Igbo land. These, of course, include Enugu/Onitsha, Enugu/Port-Harcourt, and Oji-River/Awgu roads, which have continued to claim many innocent lives. A simple scan of the internet on my name alongside Ekweremadu will show more, including a library, water, and road projects that were looted in my hometown of Ugbo, Enugu State”.
He also added: “One of the perceived prophesies is that I never ceased to tutor the senator on the genius of the adage: ‘A tree does not make a forest.’… Senator Ike Ekweremadu made sure that none of his political associates from his area could rise or shine”.
The irony of it all is that this man’s community, Ugbo, in Awgu LGA, is one of the greatest beneficiaries of Ekweremadu’s sojourn in the Senate, be it in terms of infrastructural projects or human capital development, regular employments, and political empowerment. Beside the asphalt road network across the length and breath of the hilly community, the water projects, electricity etc., which Ekweremadu attracted to Ugbo, the slanderer’s kinsman and political scion of Ekweremadu, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, rose from being Ekweremadu’s Special Adviser to becoming a three-term Member of the House of Representatives and incumbent Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. This has had a multiplier effect in development projects, employments, etc. in Ugbo in particular, and Enugu West, Enugu State and the South East in general. Ekweremadu also facilitated the appointment of the critic’s elder brother, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia, into federal boards and subsequently as Special Adviser to Deputy President of the Senate. In appreciation for all these, the three autonomous communities of Ugbo came together to confer a chieftaincy title of Onwa na-etiri ora (Moon that shines for all) of Ugbo on Ekweremadu in 2011.
Instructively, although this senseless falsehood that funds voted for the reconstruction of South East roads were diverted by Ekweremadu into buying properties formed the core of the mischievous petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2016 (in a bid to exploit the adverse relationship between the executive and legislature following Ekweremadu’s emergence as presiding officer from opposition and Dr. Bukola Saraki’s emergence without the blessings of the “powers that be”, EFCC has not told anyone that it traced such funds to Ekweremadu after six years of investigating him. The asset forfeiture lawsuit is based on EFCC’s claim that Ekweremadu’s properties are above his “legitimate income” as a former Local Government Council Chairman, Chief of Staff at Enugu Government House, Secretary to Enugu State Government, five-term Senator, three-term Deputy President of the Senate, former Deputy Speaker and Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament as well as a legal practitioner.
Absurd and meretricious as this sounds, I will not go into it since it is subjudice. However, it suffices to observe that right-thinking Nigerians have continued to flay this strange arrangement where a Nigerian public officer is being called to prove his innocence (from his overseas detention) over his alleged assets contrary to the well-held dictum and practice that he who alleges, proves. This judicial ambush tells an entire story on its own. It is reminiscent of the July 24, 2018 siege when the EFCC led hosts of security agents to storm Ekweremadu’s official residence at about 4am without previous invitation as though they came for Osama bin Laden. At the same material time, battalions of security agents already laid siege to Dr. Saraki’s residence during the failed attempt to impeach them illegally.
Elementary knowledge of government tells us that the legislature makes laws, including the Appropriation Acts, while the executive implements them. As it were, Ekweremadu has never been a governor, minister, and director-general of any federal or state government agency. He has not been in a position to administer public funds, except as a local government council chairman between 1997 and 1998 when he was voted the best council chairman at the time.
A striking irony in the whole fallacy of Ekweremadu’s culpability for the state of South East roads is that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo could not reconstruct the Lagos-Ibadan road in the eight years that he was President, and the same goes for Abeokuta road.
I travelled by road from Port Harcourt to Yenogoa in November 2020. Obviously, Goodluck Jonathan could not fix the single most important road in the Niger Delta, the East-West road, for the little over five years he was president. I equally travelled from Yenegoa to Otuoke during that trip. It was not paved with gold. In July 2021, Niger Delta youths barricaded the East-West road last year to protest the state of that road.
Just like the Enugu-Onitsha road, travelling on Abuja-Minna Road or Bida-Minna Road is never a pleasant experience. In 2019 and again in 2020, the people of Niger State staged protests, blocking Abuja-Minna road for hours to register their displeasure. In September 2021, truck drivers barricaded the Bida-Mokwa-Kwara road in protest. Malam Abdullahi Mohammed, a tanker driver, lamented to the News Agency of Nigeria, saying, “The Bida/Lapai/Lambata road is completely bad. We sleep there for two or three days before getting to our destinations”. Let us bear in mind that Niger State produced two military Heads of State.
Furthermore, right from the days of Yar’Adua to President Buhari administration, the Kano-Katsina road is still work in progress.
Yet these are roads in the areas that have produced Nigerian Heads of State and I do not think they are pleased with the situation. It is therefore total ignorance or deliberate malice to argue that a lawmaker syphoned contract sums for South East roads when even successive CEOs (presidents) of Nigeria, who supposedly provided the funds, cannot boast of better roads in their regions and hometowns.
As could be seen, the poor state of our roads is a national and systemic problem not peculiar to any region. The root cause is our wrong road funding and governance models. Instead of concessioning our roads to the private sector, we are still depending on annual budgets, which are a far cry from reality and hardly released. When government announces award of a N10 billion road contract, for instance, it does not mean that N10 billion was released. Such funds are released to the Ministry in tranches and sparingly. Most times, completed parts fall apart before a new tranche is released. It is so bad that during budget defence in 2021, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, called for embargo on new road contracts pending the funding and completion of ongoing projects.
He has underscored the challenges yet again in the ongoing budget defence at the National Assembly. He said: “The main challenge to highways development in the country remains inadequate funding. As at date, the government is committed to highway contractors to the tune of about N10.4trillion while a total of about N765billion are unpaid certificates for executed works.
“As at October 2022, the Ministry had a cumulative unpaid certificate in the sum of N765,017,139,752.92 for ongoing highway and bridge projects. Apart from the pressure of resources to pay, there is the inadequacy of annual budget provisions where N100 million or N200 million was provided for roads costing N20 billion or more”.
The truth is that the only roads guaranteed to succeed as of now are those captured under the Presidential Infrastructural Development Fund (PIDF) managed by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) because they do not depend on the unrealistic and yearly budget. They are notably the Lagos-Ibadan highway, the Abuja-Kano highway, and the Second Nigeria Bridge. By the way, it took the strategic thinking of Hon. Toby Okechukwu as the Chairman of the House Committee on Works in the 8th NASS and Ekweremadu to move the Second Niger Bridge from the stranded PPP arrangement with Julius Berger to the NSIA through the magnanimity of Fashola.
Besides funding, the initial serious flaw in the engineering design of the Enugu-Onitsha road by the Ministry of Works contributed to the delay in the reconstruction of that road. The built portions were collapsing such that even the contractors, RCC, were not willing to continue. The government had to either re-award it or redesign it. Ekweremadu and some other South East stakeholders preferred to have it redesigned than get an undurable road. In redesigning it, polymer, some level of filter (sand), cement, double binder (instead of the initial single binder), etc., were added. Anyone, who has plied the reconstructed portions would attest to the difference.
Apart from the usual funding challenge, the summary of the story of Oji-Achi-Mmaku-Awgu road, is that the Federal Government awarded it to a contractor that lacked the capacity for such a challenging topography. Unfortunately, successive Ministers of Works neglected to annul and rearward the contract despite recommendations by successive National Assembly Committees on Works after each oversight visit. Only Fashola could take that bold step in 2018 and it was awarded to SETRACO Nigeria after ten wasted years. The great work done on that road since then is there for the world to see.
By way of epilogue, although sacks of tales are taken to the funeral of an able-bodied man, the good thing is that it is not yet Ekweremadu’s funeral, by God’s grace. Those hastily composing a dirge, hurrying to bury a breathing man will have to cloth themselves in long, flowing gowns of patience because God is still on the throne. As Ekweremadu always says, the just shall be vindicated and the wicked will never go unpunished.
_Anichukwu is Media Adviser to Senator Ekweremadu_
By Ibrahim sani
From the historic lands of Kaduna State where leadership finds its home, Arises a statesman, a visionary, whose legacy is beautifully engraved in stone. Born on 28th May, 1968, under a destiny divine, Rt. Hon. Bashir Zubairu Usman stepped forward to make his community shine. With a blessed heart and a blessed mind, his path of service began to unfold, A narrative of resilience, courage, and a promise more precious than gold.
Long before the hallowed green chambers, his wisdom guided the state, As the honorable Speaker of the Kaduna House of Assembly, navigating its fate. Under the administration of Makarfi, he mastered the art of the law, Governing with fairness, legislative precision, and checking every structural flaw. As the Ciroman Birnin Gwari, he bridges traditions and modern governance with pride, A true cultural icon, a trustworthy guardian, with the people always by his side.
When the call of the nation echoed in 2023, The people of Birnin-Gwari and Giwa chose a leader to set their potential free. With 41,023 votes, the mandate was won, And a glorious era of unmatched federal representation had proudly begun. In the 10th National Assembly, his vibrant voice rings out exceptionally clear, Sponsoring 7 profound bills and moving crucial motions that his people hold dear.
When fierce security challenges cast dark shadows upon our agrarian ground, And local maize farmers lost over ₦100 million to sudden attacks around, He stood firmly on the House floor, demanding federal protection and swift defense, Collaborating with security agencies to restore safety and common sense. He partnered closely with NGOs to bring critical, free medical care to our lands, Providing life-saving surgeries and essential treatments through his caring hands.
Look upon the schools where classroom blocks are beautifully built and new, Look upon the modern Primary Health Care Centre at Anguwan Shehu coming into view. Over 5,000 eager students now hold life-changing educational scholarships, While vital farming fertilizers are distributed to ease our local communities’ hardships. From strategic SMEDAN economic empowerment programs designed for youth and women, To constructing modern skill acquisition centers, he lifts up families time and again.
This is not a leader of empty rhetoric, or one who rules from an ivory tower, He is a loyal, tested, and highly trusted bridge-builder of monumental power. His outstanding record from day one to date proves his absolute merit and worth, Bringing the dividends of genuine democracy to the very grassroots of our earth. As we lift our eyes toward re-election 2027, the path ahead is bright, We choose continuous progress, visionary development, and unyielding protective might.
Let the trumpets blow for continuity, let the entire constituency confidently align, For the journey of excellence must march forward under this historical sign.
HONOURABLE REP. BASHIR ZUBAIRU USMAN — CONSOLIDATING THE VISION FOR 2027!
The visit of the Forum of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Chairmen to Ebonyi State is politically significant as the country moves towards the 2027 general elections. Beyond the allegations of political violence that prompted the visit, it raises a fundamental question: could the handling of opposition politics in Ebonyi undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election prospects?
The developments surrounding Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru deserve closer scrutiny, particularly given their potential implications for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate.
The PDP chairmen deliberately took the allegations of attacks, killings, abductions, intimidation and restrictions on opposition activities to the national stage. By visiting Ebonyi, they elevated what might have been treated as a state-level political dispute into a matter of national democratic concern.
The allegations are serious and require independent investigation. But beyond the question of who is responsible, the political implications of the unfolding situation deserve attention.
Why attack those supporting Tinubu?
One intriguing aspect of the controversy is that the alleged victims are members and supporters of the PDP, whose Ebonyi governorship candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has openly declared support for Tinubu’s re-election.
This creates a political contradiction. If PDP members are being intimidated because of their political affiliation, what is the ultimate objective? And if such hostility discourages people who might otherwise support Tinubu, who benefits?
Ebonyi is an important state in the South-East, where the President and the APC would naturally seek to consolidate their support. Consequently, any political development that alienates potential supporters could have implications beyond the state’s governorship contest.
This is where Nwifuru and his political advisers need to be careful. The pursuit of a governorship victory should not be allowed to undermine the broader objective of securing support for the President.
Perhaps more revealing is the Forum’s allegation that the Nwifuru administration has allowed the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) access to public spaces for political activities while restricting or threatening venues used by the PDP.
The Forum also raised questions about a possible political understanding between the governor and the NDC, suggesting that such an arrangement could have implications for Tinubu’s re-election prospects.
These claims require verification, and the governor’s administration should be given an opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding access to public facilities.
Nevertheless, the allegations raise an important question: if political parties are being treated differently, what criteria determine who can organise meetings and conduct political activities in Ebonyi?
Political alliances are legitimate in a democracy. But if public authority is being used to facilitate some parties while restricting others, that would raise concerns about fairness and the freedom of political association.
The alleged Nwifuru-NDC understanding also deserves scrutiny, particularly in view of Odii’s stated support for Tinubu. However, the existence of such an arrangement and its implications for the President’s electoral interests leaves much to be desired.
Unresolved political grievances
Other developments may help explain the tensions surrounding Ebonyi politics.
There have been reports that Nwifuru was unhappy about his initial omission from the Presidential Campaign Council. Although he was subsequently included in the revised council inaugurated by Tinubu on October 14, 2026, the initial development reportedly generated disquiet in political circles.
Another issue is the reported replacement of Barr. Idu Igariwey, whom the governor favoured for the Afikpo North/Afikpo South Federal Constituency seat. Attempts to reverse the party’s decision were reportedly unsuccessful.
There have also been reports of tension between Nwifuru and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, following the governor’s alleged accusation at a zonal party gathering that the minister was plotting his defeat in 2027.
Whether these developments have contributed to any grievance against the party’s national leadership remains an issue. They nevertheless illustrate the political tensions that can emerge when interests over nominations, appointments and electoral influence collide.
It could be suggested that these disagreements have influenced the governor’s handling of opposition politics. However, the APC’s national leadership should be concerned about any internal disputes that could affect political cooperation ahead of the elections.
Is Nwifuru sabotaging Tinubu?
At this point, the question must be asked; is Nwifuru deliberately working against Tinubu’s re-election? This question deserves consideration because political decisions can have consequences beyond the intentions of those making them.
A governor may be pursuing his own political interests while inadvertently weakening the broader political platform on which he depends. With allegations of intimidation and attacks substantiated, the resulting resentment could damage confidence in the political process and alienate voters who might otherwise support the President.
That is the danger the APC should not ignore.
The critical distinction is between deliberate sabotage and political actions that produce unintended consequences. The former requires evidence of intent; the latter can be assessed by examining the effects of political decisions.
The truth is that Nwifuru must be conscious of the wider implications of the situation in Ebonyi. His immediate political interest may be to secure his future in 2027, but that objective should not come at the expense of peaceful political participation or the broader interests of his party and its presidential candidate.
Tinubu must pay attention
President Tinubu and the APC national leadership should take the allegations seriously and act fast before the situation degenerates.
They should encourage impartial investigations, insist on equal treatment of political parties and examine the reported tensions within the party. The governor, in turn, should address the allegations and clarify the administration’s position on access to public facilities and the protection of opposition members.
No political grievance should justify violence or unlawful restrictions on another party.
The situation in Ebonyi presents a question that extends beyond Nwifuru and the PDP: can the pursuit of state-level political interests undermine a party’s wider electoral objectives?
The Forum of PDP State Chairmen has brought serious allegations into the national spotlight. Those allegations must be tested against evidence, and those accused must be given an opportunity to respond.
Ultimately, the unfolding developments deserve urgent attention because of their potential implications for political participation and the relationship between Ebonyi’s political contest and Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
Whether the situation amounts to deliberate sabotage remains an open question. What cannot be ignored is the possibility that unresolved political grievances, unequal treatment of parties and poorly managed power struggles could have consequences extending beyond the governorship race.
Nwifuru’s political contest in Ebonyi and Tinubu’s national re-election campaign are separate battles, but developments in one could affect the other. That is why the APC leadership should pay close attention to the situation before the political tensions deepen.
By Onyekwere Nwobodo
Barely one week after Chinyeaka Ohaa wrestled the Enugu NDC guber ticket from the rightful winner, Prof Peter Eneh-Nwangene, in an unprecedented, odious chicanery, painted for the optics as voluntary abdication by the beleaguered academic, Enugu was immediately inflicted with strange tales of political violence !
In a single day, Mr Ohaa imported dangerous touts whom he claimed were supporters,unleashed them against security agents on duty at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, in the guise of campaign flag-off!
It was a near-mayhem, but the besieged gallant officers apparently prevailed,repelling the marauding gang into retreat, but that was hardly the end of the story : another round of violence reportedly broke out same day, at the NDC headquarters; that one ultimately claimed the life of an innocent bystander!
An ostensibly fulfilled Ohaa, his goons and ‘data gang’ went to town, accusing state agents indiscriminately without a shred of evidence, as perpetrators of the violence which became the signature of the day.
Governor Peter Mbah, a man of peace and due process, has distanced himself and government from the unfortunate occurrences of that day, while urging security agents to spare no efforts to bring perpetrators to book !
While we await the outcome of investigations,it is important to painstakingly evaluate, between the state government and Chinyeaka camps, which had the need and/or the predilection to orchestrate lawlessness: between the two camps, which would expect or hope to leverage from the atmosphere of insecurity and fear in Enugu state?
Is it a Governor that has invested humorous resources, made enormously unprecedented sacrifices to take the state back from the vile grip of criminal gangs and swashbuckling non-state actors?
Or, is it a deluded candidate, without a program of action, by way of blueprint, that needs to ebb viciously, even violently, by any means possible, from the irrefutable, imperishable goodwill of an uncommon leader, to have a chance in hell to make any inroads, in pursuit of a vaulting ambition, that had become dead on arrival?
Chinyeaka has not told Ndi Enugu what he would do if he became governor, has he?
The last time I checked, he had only attempted to glamorize his inglorious resume as administrator of many years. May I, please ask : Is it how long or how well?
It’s almost TWO full weeks since that ill fated political outing that took a precious human life; Chinyeaka has not unveiled the manifesto he promised Enugu!
Did he go back to work on the document after he had made the public declaration?
He had obviously put the cart before the horse…this is the kind of cluelessness he had so carefully plotted to mask with exaggerated and misattributed tales of violence and obfuscation of opposition in the state.
But Odalije nwanne, there’s no hiding place for you or your ilk; not while you are on this mission, or in this dispensation!
Remember you had abandoned this same guber ambition in 2022 after your plot to surreptitiously ‘use’ His Excellency, Senator Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, unraveled, as soon as you set it in motion?
You had tricked the elder statesman to your new GRA residence allegedly to bless the mansion before you put it to use. The innocent leader, oblivious of your devious intentions, obliged: before he got back to his home after the brief visit, the news was all over the place that he had blessed and anointed Odalije as Enugu East official candidate !
The mortified Chief summoned you in a matter of minutes, unbraided you for your treachery in the strongest words possible, whereupon you apologized, seemingly profusely, removed your shoes and swore you never authorized the publication and sacked your dutiful media aide, Ajay, on the spot! You made the innocent guy a scapegoat, threw him under bus, and had him run over; you made him pay the price for your unabashed desperation for power, dishonorable capitulation from your own instructions, and unquenchable vaulting ambition!
You tout yourself as experienced technocrat who would govern Enugu like no other, didn’t you?
Pray, as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of ESUT, Nigeria’s premier university of science and technology from March 2024 to February 2926, what were your imprints?
The Governing Council of a university is the highest policy and administrative body responsible for governance, oversight and strategic direction. In fulfillment of any or all of these roles, at ESUT, what and what did you bring to the table as pro-chancellor, during your tenure, Mr Technocrat?
You were docile, unimaginative and added no value, and despite your current grandstanding as supper former perm sec., subordinated yourself to a vice chancellor you were meant to superintend over! Is that the character and personality of someone ready to lead Enugu of today, dear Odalije?
You do not possess the presence of mind, the mental enablement to govern Enugu; even the position of Secretary to the State Government (SSG) has become too big for you, based on what the world has seen Professor Chidiebere Onyia, make of that role, today!
Mr Democrat,Odalije, but you clung to the position of President-General of Awkunanaw Welfare Association for nearly three decades, rebuffed attempts to elect your replacement and turned the clan association into your personal estate; didn’t you?
Where are your handover notes, after your prolonged tenure? Do they really exist?
As president General, you regularly launched appeal funds, year in, year out, raked in humongous donations from folks at home and in diaspora but had the notorious reputation of initiating snd building the Akpasha Civic Center, the only visible project of your era, for the entirety of your endless tenure, without completing it!
Thanks to Honorable Nnoli Nnaji, for his personal intervention ; the civic center would never have been reality. And you want Ndi Enugu to trust you with their future?
The man who eventually took over as your predecessor at Awkunanaw Welfare Association, didn’t live long after, or last in that role, did he? It could’ve been a coincidence, and without imputing culpability,the truth remains that he was assassinated! That man was Chief Stephen Aniagu.
Those who know violence preach violence; those who know peace, preach peach!
When the President-General of your Obuoffia homestead, Chief Osita Mambo, was assassinated in Amechi in 2025, was it ordered by APC?
What a hypocrite! You want Ndi Enugu to ascribe vicariously to the government of the day, any incident of violence anywhere in Enugu!
You conveniently ignore the fact of history which you can’t possibly obliterate: criminals took over and governed territories outside the reach of previous Enugu Governments: Agu ibeje in Igboeze North, Agu udele, in Akpawfu and parts of Awgu and Uzo Uwani, were criminal havens, until the advent of the Governor Peter Mbah administration!
Enugu people cannot forget where they were coming from…and they know and trust where Peter Mbah is taking them!
They are neither forgetful nor deluded…
Let Chinyeaka Ohaa reel out his own program of action, his blueprint for his own Enugu; the truth, however, is that he is incapable of anything close to what we see today under Governor Peter Mbah!
His predicament is akin to that of a butterfly that thinks it’s a bird…
Onyekwere is Special Adviser to the Enugu State Governor on Media.
Opinion
EBONYI GUBER 2027: Are Clergy, Youths, Political Stakeholders Becoming Accomplices in Bad Governance?
When respected voices fall silent, society is left at the mercy of bad leadership.
By Emma Igwe
There comes a time in the life of every society when silence becomes more dangerous than the actions of those perpetuating injustice. When respected voices that once spoke courageously against oppression, injustice and bad governance suddenly go silent, every well-meaning citizen should be concerned.
As Ebonyi State approaches another defining political moment ahead of the 2027 governorship election, a fundamental question demands urgent attention: Are the clergy, youths, political stakeholders and other influential voices still prepared to defend the interests of the people, or are they gradually becoming comfortable spectators in the face of growing concerns over governance?
The clergy, in particular, occupy a unique position in society. Beyond their spiritual responsibilities, they have a moral obligation to speak truth to power, defend the vulnerable and remind those in authority that political power is a sacred trust, not a licence for personal aggrandisement.
My thoughts go particularly to Rev. Fr. John Odey, whose voice was once prominent in the struggle for good governance and the protection of ordinary citizens.
Father, I recognise the difficult experiences and alleged persecution you endured while standing up for the common people, including reports of a punitive transfer following your courageous interventions. One can only imagine the personal sacrifices involved in defending a cause greater than oneself.
However, my concern today extends beyond those sacrifices to the very constituency whose interests you once championed.
What has become of those people? Have their circumstances improved so remarkably that your voice is no longer needed? Have the injustices you once challenged disappeared, or have we simply surrendered to the prevailing political atmosphere?
These questions are not intended to diminish your sacrifices but to remind you, and indeed other courageous clergymen, that the struggle for a just society cannot end merely because those who speak out encounter resistance.
Ebonyians still need courageous moral voices. They need religious leaders who will stand with the oppressed, challenge injustice and demand accountability, irrespective of who occupies Government House.
The youths must equally awaken to their responsibility.
Politics must not be reduced to the sharing of money, securing political appointments, attending rallies or defending political personalities on social media.
The 2027 election is about their future. It is about employment opportunities, quality education, accessible healthcare, infrastructure, economic empowerment and the kind of society the next generation will inherit.
Young people who mortgage their future for temporary political patronage must realise that the consequences of bad leadership often outlive the immediate benefits of political loyalty.
Political stakeholders are equally challenged to rise above personal interests, political patronage and the pursuit of relevance.
A society cannot make meaningful progress when its influential citizens become more interested in protecting those in power than demanding accountability from them. Leadership should be assessed by its impact on the people, not by the privileges it extends to a select few.
2027 Must Be About the People, Not Political Interests
As the governorship election approaches, Ebonyians must resist every attempt to intimidate, manipulate or deny them the freedom to make independent political choices.
The people must be allowed to determine who governs them based on competence, character, verifiable achievements and a credible development agenda.
Good governance must never be sacrificed on the altar of political loyalty, zoning arguments or the ambitions of a privileged few.
Those who once condemned injustice must not suddenly become its defenders simply because political circumstances or personal interests have changed.
Similarly, those who previously demanded accountability from political leaders must not abandon those principles when their preferred personalities assume positions of authority.
The standard for assessing governance must remain consistent, regardless of who holds power.
I therefore respectfully appeal once again to Rev. Fr. John Odey and other respected voices across Ebonyi State: Do not allow the sacrifices of yesterday to become forgotten chapters in our political history.
The people still need your voices. The vulnerable still need defenders. The political class still needs to be reminded that public office exists for public service.
History will not judge us merely by the injustices we witnessed, but also by what we did, or failed to do, when our voices mattered most.
Silence in the face of injustice does not promote peace; it merely gives injustice room to grow.
Ebonyi deserves better, and the responsibility to demand better belongs to all of us.
Emma Igwe, a public affairs commentator, writes from Abakaliki.
Reduce repetition and tighten the opening
Clarify the appeal to Father Odey
Balance the criticism with specific actions
By Felix Oboagwina
Towards the Osun State governorship election of August 15, not a few expected heaven to fall. All the signs were there. “Dead body surplus,” as they say on the streets. No fewer than 29 corpses laid underneath the soil, lives cut short for a purely political reason. Records cited 79 violent incidents. Thugs had been imported to complement local thugs.
When E-Day came, Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) invaded Osogbo, the state capital, with all its Federal might. Up to 16 governors, alongside national figures like the Senate President and Speaker, vacated their comfort zones and migrated with brazenly loud–mouthed and foul–mouthed foot–soldiers into Osun, a state their party had declared a warzone they must conquer at all costs.
It did not matter to these APC goons that what they desired did not desire them. Osun people did not hide their love for their dancing Governor Ademola Adeleke. For these citizens, this beautiful soul with a distinguished family pedigree had not only waltzed his way into their hearts, he had in performance and projects surpassed the last two APC governors.
The Nigerian police had taken sides. They were unabashedly pro-APC. For all the killings unleashed against Accord, Adeleke’s party, the police still haven’tbrought any murderer to trial. Unfettered andunrestrained, the death squad roamed the streets of Osun seeking Accord people to devour. But as the Yoruba say, the craftiness of a concubine’s inner-circle can be equally matched by the cunningness of the husband’s own. Accord supporters also showed that, when pushed to the wall, they could match fire for fire. They made APC members too to pay the supreme price. Miffed with the fight-back, a certain Senator publicly egged his people to “kill Accord” members on sight. He spoke openly and on record. Yet the police failed to rein him in. On the other hand, Osun State Government VIPs, like the Chief of Staff, were rounded up. The Chief of Staff to the Governor, ANY GOVERNOR, is His Excellency’s nerve centre. Picking up Adeleke’s CoSamounted to going for Adeleke himself. But this was police victimising the victim.
The Progressives’ usual bad boys breezed in from Lagos and Abuja. They dared the Governor. They brazenly defied his efforts to enforce the peace. With police serving as their rear guard, they raided bus–stops. When Navyofficers, equally brought in to provide security, picked up these goons and guns, police trampled upon “espirit de corps,” attacked this sister Force and freed the hoodlums.
In the midst of all this bizarreness, Grammy nominee musician and nephew to the Governor, Davido, internationalised APC’s iniquity. He swore to drag the Federal-ruling party to the US, the UN, the UK and the EU if it rigged the election results.
However, the most important element in Nigeria’s election is the umpire: INEC. Would the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) withstand or would it kowtow to the Federal ruling party like the police had done? It all boiled down to the new man running the commission.
When the newest Sheriff landed in INEC in October 2025, sceptics shook their fists in anger. Like the President, Professor Joash Amupitan is Yoruba. And sceptics quickly disparaged the appointment of this University of Jos Law Professor as fitting into the established profile of the President as a regional, Yoruba-centric leader. Multifarious attacks landed from several sides. The appointee’s anonymity did not help matters. Who was this Amupitan? Unlike Professor Attahiru Jega, Justice Victor Ovie–Whiskey, Justice Tayo Akpata, Professor Maurice Iwu, Professor Humphrey Nwosu and others who hugged the klieg–lights long before securing the electoral umpire job, Amupitan came from the shadows. No one knew him. UNIJOS, from where he obtained his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees, hardly made the news –much less this Professor of Law who earned his silk as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2014. Even the little known about this UNIJOS teacher, who rose to become its Deputy Vice Chancellor, sparked controversy and rendered him politically incorrect to the powers-that-be in the Northern establishment. Why? One paper he wrote undid him. In the paper he presented in 2020, this Christian Prof had dared to pontificate against the terrorism that ravaged the North and the Fulani militants behind the bloodshed. Titling his paper as, “Nigeria’s Silent Slaughter,” the Senior Advocate of Nigeria called for urgent international intervention to stop what he termed “pogrom and attacks against the Christians and minority groups in Nigeria” by two extremist movements —Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen. He didn’t stop with just naming and shaming these two genocide squads. Amupitan went ahead and committed the unpardonable sin of criticising the government for recognising Boko Haram as a terrorist organisation but failing to officially label Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. And in 2020, when Amupitan wrote that paper, remember, the Pan-Fulani Muhammadu Buhari held sway as President.
For that singular literary work, the Northern oligarchydeclared the North-Central Kogi State-born Amupitan an anathema. They piled pressure on Tinubu to discard him like a menstrual rag. The President stubbornly paid them deaf ears.
Amupitan appears to have justified Tinubu’s confidence, and that of those who spoke up for this SAN. Under this 62-year-old Prof, INEC has held by-elections and off-cycle elections, and not one governorship poll has been returned inconclusive. None!
Think! This was the same INEC which, under its last Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, littered the entire country with “inconclusive” elections. In Mahmood’s first four years (2015-2019), his INEC conducted 46 inconclusive elections. In 2019 alone, Mahmood delivered seven inconclusive governorship elections: Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Benue, Kano, Plateau, Rivers and Kano. But Amupitan’s tenure looks like a breath of fresh air.
Same INEC!
Same Commissioners!
Same Resident Electoral Commissioners!
So what changed? A new man steers INEC’s wheel! A new sheriff came to town! Not many have sung his praise. But the Osun elections proved just how stubborn and principled this gentleman can be. Governors, 16 of them, encamped in Osun. They came with tons of cash and foot–soldiers primed to snatch, grab and run. But all theirthunder and their shenanigans fizzled out into a whimper. But their efforts didn’t die easily. Phone calls assailed Amupitan from all corners –the National Assembly, The Presidency– ordering him: Stop the counting! Announce the election as inconclusive! But the UNIJOS Prof turned deaf ears and insisted the process ran its course. At the end of the day, votes counted. This unsung hero, Amupitan, ensured this happened in Osun. It took guts! It took strength of character! Say it: Yes, it took the fear of God!
What many don’t know is that Amupitan happens to be one of these public servants who cannot but flaunt their born-again toga. He is an Elder of the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC. Those who know him testify that he has lived by the CAC creed and grail. To boot, he holds no less a position than the Pro-Chancellor of the CAC-owned Joseph Ayo Babalola University, JABU. The Prof practises not orthodox Christianity, but the fire-bred brand of fundamental Christianity.
What does all this portend for 2027? When it matters mostto Nigerians, will the saintly principles of this unsung hero of the Osun State election goad him to deliver a credible election? Can he? Will he?
OBOAGWINA, JOURNALIST, AUTHOR AND MEDIA CONTENT PROVIDER, SENT THIS PIECE FROM LAGOS, AND WILL WELCOME FEEDBACK VIA “FOBOAGWINA@GMAIL.COM”
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