₦airaland Forum

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has declared his readiness to support whoever emerges as the party’s flagbearer in the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku also dismissed claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could undermine the ADC, noting that the party has continued to attract members nationwide.

The INEC had, on Wednesday, said it would cease further communication with all the leadership of the ADC and would not monitor the national convention of party slated for April 14.

The electoral body based its action on a court ruling, but the ADC, however, rejected the move, accusing INEC of wrongly interpreting the ruling.

Speaking in an interview with DW Hausa, Atiku alleged that vested interests were behind the party’s current situation, noting that its growing popularity had made it a target.

On the party’s presidential ticket, Atiku said he would stand firmly behind whoever emerges through the process.

“We will support and endorse whoever emerges as the flag bearer. How many are we (presidential aspirants), three or four? In the PDP, more than ten of us contested,” he said.

The former Vice President stressed the ADC is youth-friendly, noting that the party remains committed to youth and women inclusion.

“The youths have taken over the party. Most of those seeking elective positions, from councillor to state assembly, national assembly and House of Representatives, are young people. We have always said our party belongs to youths and women. Our role is to create the opportunity and hand it over to them,” he said.

Asked if he could support a youth a presidential candidate should the party field one, Atiku said, “Yes, why not,”

“Allah has done everything for me. I have brought my sons and grandchildren home. What will be their future and that of their children?” he said.

He expressed confidence that Nigerians were ready for change, citing worsening economic and security conditions.

“We are confident that Nigerians are yearning for change. They are ready for it. They are being pushed to the wall and are prepared to do even more than they did in the previous elections,” he said.

The former Vice President linked rising insecurity, particularly in the North, to youth unemployment and poor access to education.

“Insecurity is more severe in the northern states, largely due to youth unemployment and lack of access to education. When you go round the region, you see that education is not receiving the attention it deserves. It has been relegated.

“Governments have not ensured that children enrol in school, and even when they graduate, there are no jobs or business opportunities. I have never witnessed a period like this in Nigeria,” he said.

Atiku further accused the government of tolerating corruption.

“There is also embezzlement on the part of government and corruption is rampant. The government has turned a blind eye because it is involved,” he said.

The senator representing Sokoto East Senatorial District, Ibrahim Lamido, has declared his intention to leave the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), attributing the move to the worsening security crisis affecting his constituency.

Lamido disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Sokoto on Friday, expressing deep concern over the continued banditry attacks that had plagued several communities in the district.

According to the lawmaker, the persistent violence and insecurity in Sokoto East had made it difficult for him to remain in the party, noting that the realities faced by residents no longer aligned with the expectations and assurances given to them.

He described the security situation in the area as alarming, explaining that many villages had been attacked by armed groups, forcing residents to abandon their homes and seek safety elsewhere.

Lamido added that the ongoing attacks had severely disrupted economic activities, particularly farming, which serves as the main source of livelihood for many families in the region.

“My people are enduring untold hardship. Bandits have destroyed entire communities, and I cannot remain in a system that has failed to demonstrate sufficient commitment to resolving this crisis,” Lamido stated.

According to the Sokoto senator, “the decision followed extensive consultations with traditional leaders, political stakeholders, and supporters across the senatorial district.”

He explained that the discussions made it clear that many people believed a change in political direction was necessary under the current circumstances.

Lamido also revealed that he had repeatedly drawn attention to the deteriorating security conditions at the federal level but expressed disappointment that his concerns did not receive the level of response required.

He maintained that his decision was guided by the need to stand firmly with his constituents rather than by any personal political ambition.

The senator further urged the federal government to intensify its efforts in tackling banditry across the North-West, warning that continued attacks could worsen the humanitarian challenges already confronting affected communities.

Sokoto East, which includes local government areas such as Sabon Birni, Isa and Rabah, has in recent months recorded frequent attacks linked to banditry, resulting in deaths, kidnappings and massive destruction of property.

The Presidency has explained why President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remained at the airport during his visit to Jos, Plateau State, citing a mix of scheduling constraints and logistical challenges.

Daily Trust had reported how the President met with families of those who were killed when gunmen struck in Angwa Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Sunday.

Addressing the victims, who were conveyed to meet him at the airport, the President had said, “You have no light at the airport, and I have to fly back within the next 10 minutes. To the victims, there’s nothing I can give you, whether it’s money in millions, but console you and promise you that this experience will not repeat itself.”

The hall was filled with political supporters, traditional rulers, security personnel, among others.

Tinubu’s stay at the airport had triggered massive outrage, with critics accusing the president of being unfair to the grieving families.

Among those who first fired the first set of salvos was opposition leader, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who reacted through his aide, Phrank Shaibu.

According to him, the development reduced a human tragedy to a “choreographed spectacle”, prioritising optics over empathy and dignity.

But in a statement issued on Friday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President’s itinerary for Thursday had initially included receiving the Chadian leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, at the Presidential Villa, before proceeding to Iperu in Ogun State.

However, following a security briefing by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, President Tinubu suspended the Ogun trip and instead made arrangements overnight for an urgent visit to Jos.

Despite this adjustment, the President could not reschedule the high-level bilateral meeting with the Chadian President, which focused on strengthening security cooperation between both countries.

According to the Presidency, the meeting lasted longer than expected, delaying Tinubu’s departure for Jos.

“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids. The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk.”

“Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions. Among the people in the hall were the Minister of Defence, the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police, who had visited Rukuba, the epicentre of the conflict. President Tinubu deployed the high-level team to Rukuba, including the Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement, to undertake critical groundwork on security and community engagement, with a view to stabilising the area before his arrival.

“Beyond expressing his condolences to the victims, President Tinubu’s objective was to engage with critical stakeholders in Plateau State on ending the recurring, decades-old conflict that has resulted in needless loss of lives and property.”

Onanuga added that Tinubu’s visit to Jos was not merely symbolic, bit “a strategic, high-level engagement aimed at bringing all stakeholders together to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity in the state.”

“He interacted with the victims, consoled them, and listened to them. He also listened to local leaders and assured them that the federal government would deliver justice and end the cycle of violence. He promised the deployment of 5000 AI-enabled cameras to monitor the city and enhance the identification and arrest of troublemakers.

“Furthermore, the President invited the community leaders to Abuja for further talks on finding a lasting solution to the recurring violence in the state.

“The meeting, televised live, was solemn and reassuring, boosting residents’ confidence. President Tinubu achieved the purpose of his visit, despite the naysayers’ attempts to ridicule it. He dropped an unmistakable message: sustainable peace must be built with the people, not imposed on them.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed calls for the removal of its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), while addressing what it described as widespread misconceptions surrounding its planned nationwide voter revalidation exercise.

In a statement issued on Thursday night in Abuja and signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, the Commission said its attention had been drawn to “recent public statements by political actors alleging partisan bias, calling for the removal of the Chairman of the Commission on account of the decision of the Commission to obey the recent Court of Appeal Judgment.”

While acknowledging the right of stakeholders to express their views, INEC stressed that its operations and leadership structure are constitutionally protected.

“It is imperative to clarify that INEC is a creation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The appointment, tenure, and removal of the Chairman and National Commissioners are strictly governed by Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended),” the Commission stated.


INEC further emphasised the independence of its leadership, noting that “The Chairman does not hold office at the pleasure of any political party or interest group.”

It warned that “Any call for removal outside the established constitutional process is not only a distraction but a direct assault on the independence of the nation’s electoral umpire.”

Explaining its decision to comply with a recent Court of Appeal judgment, INEC said the move was necessary to avoid a repeat of past incidents.

“The Commission decided to comply with the Judgment of the Court of Appeal to avert a situation that occurred in Zamfara State and Plateau State where elected officials were removed by the Election Tribunal on account of the disobedience of Court Judgment,” it stated.

The Commission added that it was also acting in line with a preservative court order, noting that it did not want to disobey the directive preventing any action that could render ongoing Federal High Court processes nugatory.

INEC clarified that monitoring activities of the David Mark-led faction of the African Democratic Congress would amount to disobedience of that order.

The Commission further noted, “It was only on the 9th of September 2025 that INEC accepted and approved David Mark’s Exco, which was seven days after the matter was filed at the Federal High Court.”

It stressed the binding nature of appellate court rulings, adding, “Section 287(2) of the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 mandates every person and authority in Nigeria not only to obey the Judgment of the Court of Appeal but also to enforce such Judgment.”

On allegations of undermining the multi-party system, INEC dismissed such claims, noting that the recent registration and recognition of the Democratic Leadership Alliance, the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and the National Democratic Party—bringing the total number of active political parties to 22—demonstrates its neutrality.


INEC maintained that it “remains a neutral regulator, not a participant in political competition.”

The Commission also reiterated its stance on internal party disputes, stating that it will not be drawn into the internal strife within political parties, nor allow itself to be used as a proxy for resolving organisational challenges that belong to the parties themselves.

Addressing concerns over the planned voter revalidation exercise, INEC cautioned against politicising the process.

“The decision to revalidate the Voters Register pre-dates the appointment of Professor Amupitan,” the Commission said.

The exercise, it added, is “a professional necessity to strengthen the integrity of the National Register of Voters” and is designed to “sanitise the register…executed in phases.”

INEC emphasised that the exercise is administrative, not a fresh registration, and is not targeted at any region, party, or demographic. It will be conducted uniformly across all Local Government Areas and Polling Units, with robust digital options for ease of access.

“The revalidation process will help confirm the status of registered voters, address issues arising from transfers, multiple registrations, and deceased persons, and enhance the reliability of voter data in Nigeria,” the Commission stated.

Highlighting its focus on upcoming elections, INEC said:


“The Commission is currently focused on the surgical precision required for the forthcoming Ekiti (June 2026) and Osun (August 2026) off-cycle elections. We will not be distracted by unfounded allegations of collusion or bias. Our allegiance remains solely to the Constitution and the will of the Nigerian people.”

Reaffirming its commitment to democratic principles, the Commission stated that its decisions are guided by law and due process.

“The decisions taken by INEC are based on thorough evaluations and aligned with the legal framework that governs our operations, including adherence to the Rule of Law,” it said.

INEC reiterated that calls for the resignation of Professor Amupitan are “out of place.”

BREAKING: Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankwaso, Senator Tambuwal and other ADC leaders are currently at Yar'adua Centre as they prepare to hold a press conference to address INEC's decision to remove ADC National Chairman David Mark and the party's NWC members from its portal pic.twitter.com/Pp8nDv1mKw

— Nigerian Affairs Journal (@NigAffairs) April 2, 2026

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), David Mark, at his residence in Abuja.

Disclosing this in a statement via X on Wednesday, Atiku said the visit provided an opportunity for both leaders to exchange ideas on strengthening the party.

He described the meeting as a productive engagement focused on repositioning the ADC and enhancing public trust in Nigeria’s democratic process.

The ADC chieftain said talks centred on strategies to further consolidate the party’s structure and restore confidence among Nigerians in the nation’s democracy.

The visit comes amid ongoing political realignments and consultations ahead of future electoral engagements, with key stakeholders exploring avenues to build stronger opposition platforms.


ADC has been aligning and realigning ahead of the 2027 general polls by trying to drag more prominent personalities to sack the ruling All Progressives Congress next year.

On Tuesday, the party sent emissaries to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.

Also this afternoon, I visited the National Chairman of our great party, ADC, Senator David Mark, at his residence in Abuja. It was a courtesy call that provided an opportunity to share ideas on how to further strengthen the ADC and restore confidence in Nigeria’s democracy. -AA pic.twitter.com/6Gi2bAZGZg

— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) April 1, 2026

At the meeting which held at the Government House in Bachi, the delegation led by the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the visit was at the instance of the ADC National Chairman.

He took a swipe at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the handling of the nation’s affairs, saying the ADC provides a credible alternative to rescue Nigeria.

“We are here in Bauchi State today at the instance of our National Chairman, Senator David Mark,” Lawal said.

“Senator Mark sent us here because he is fully aware that the coming battle between us in 2027 to elect new people to lead Nigeria can only be successful if all the various elements of the country that have good intentions towards Nigerians are able to unite to stand and resist the pending disaster that is waiting for us in 2027.

“We are fully aware that if we make a mistake and allow this government to continue post-2027, Nigeria will probably be no more. By then, we will probably be parking people in trailers who are unable to afford medical bills.”

Prior to the Bauchi meeting, the ADC succeeded in winning ex-Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, into its fold.

President Bola Tinubu has invited the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, to Abuja for high-level talks following the recent attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this at a press briefing held on Tuesday in Abuja.

Idris conveyed condolences on behalf of the President and the Federal Government to the victims and their families.

He stressed that swift and decisive measures are being taken to address the attack.

“Let me assure Nigerians that security agencies responded immediately to the incident. Troops under Operation Enduring Peace were rapidly mobilised to the scene following distress calls.

“The military and other security agencies cordoned off the affected area, secured key access routes, and launched targeted search-and-clearance operations to track down the perpetrators.

“These swift actions ensured that the situation was quickly contained and prevented further escalation,” Idris said.


He explained that these actions form part of a broader federal strategy to maintain stability across Plateau State and the North-Central region.

“The Nigerian Armed Forces have continued to carry out clearance operations and intelligence-led missions across vulnerable communities following attacks recorded in recent months.

“Reinforced surveillance and troop deployments have also been implemented in high-risk areas, supported by joint military-police patrols and strengthened rapid response mechanisms.

“These coordinated efforts are designed to neutralise threats proactively and maintain stability,” the minister added.

Highlighting the President’s proactive engagement, Idris revealed that Tinubu convened a meeting with top security and intelligence officials to assess the situation.


“A few hours ago, President Bola Tinubu held a high-level meeting with the nation’s top security and intelligence chiefs to review the situation and take further decisive steps towards arriving at a lasting solution.

“Following this meeting, the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has been invited by President Tinubu to further deliberate and chart a coordinated path towards lasting peace and security.

“The outcome of the meeting between President Tinubu and Governor Mutfwang will be made public in due course,” Idris said.

The Plateau State Government has also implemented immediate measures, including a 48-hour curfew in Jos North, aimed at preventing reprisals and stabilising the area.

Idris said the state government is working closely with federal security agencies to restore calm and facilitate investigations.

While acknowledging the severity of the attack, the minister assured Nigerians that it does not represent a breakdown of national security.

“What occurred does not represent a breakdown of national security, but rather a criminal act within a known conflict-prone area—one that is being actively and decisively addressed by the authorities.

“The Federal Government has directed all security agencies to ensure that those responsible for this heinous act are identified, apprehended, and brought to justice.

“There will be no safe haven for criminal elements anywhere in Nigeria. Ongoing operations are already generating actionable intelligence, and we are confident that those behind this attack will be held accountable,” the minister said.

Idris called on citizens to remain calm and cooperate with security authorities, while avoiding the spread of unverified information that could escalate tensions.

The minister concluded with a message of resilience.

“Nigeria’s unity remains strong. The Federal Government will continue to act decisively, in collaboration with the Plateau State Government and all stakeholders, to ensure lasting peace. We will protect our people, and we will prevail.”

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, on Tuesday warned that Africa and Nigeria cannot continue to rely on external borrowing while losing huge resources to illicit financial flows, insisting that domestic revenue mobilisation must take centre stage.

Speaking at the opening of the 5th Session of the African Union Sub-Committee on Tax and Illicit Financial Flows in Abuja, Edun said, “Africa cannot sustainably finance its development through debt, aid, or external investment alone.”

He stressed that such sources “are inherently uncertain and often influenced by external dynamics beyond our control.”

He added that the continent must urgently curb illicit financial practices, noting that “illicit financial flows alone are estimated to cost the continent nearly $88bn annually—resources that should otherwise be invested in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and productive sectors of our economies.”

The minister’s remarks come amid rising concerns over Nigeria’s growing debt profile and fiscal pressures.

Edun said the changing global economic environment has made reliance on foreign funding even more risky, warning that “we are witnessing significant shifts in the international system… reshaping how countries engage, compete, and collaborate,” adding that Africa must now “increasingly rely on our own strength, our own institutions, and our own resources.”

He emphasised that under the African Union’s Agenda 2063, countries are targeting to mobilise up to 90 per cent of development financing from domestic resources, a move he described as critical to achieving long-term economic stability.

Expanding on the risks of financial leakages, Edun said African economies must prioritise stopping illicit flows and improving tax systems.

He further listed key challenges confronting the continent to include tax evasion, weak institutional capacity, limited economic diversification, and continued dependence on external financing, warning that addressing them “is not optional—it is essential.”

On Nigeria’s reforms, the minister said the Federal Government had taken steps to reduce reliance on external borrowing by strengthening domestic revenue mobilisation and improving fiscal transparency.

He noted that since May 2023, the government had implemented comprehensive tax reforms aimed at simplifying the system, broadening the tax base, reducing the burden on vulnerable populations, and improving compliance, with the reforms taking effect in January 2026.

Edun also highlighted measures to improve accountability in oil revenue management, stating that the President had signed an executive order mandating that all oil and gas revenues be remitted into constitutionally designated accounts before disbursement.

He added that recent policy actions, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market, had “significantly improved fiscal transparency, reduced distortions, and strengthened investor confidence.”

The minister further disclosed that Nigeria had launched a National Single Window system to enhance trade efficiency and reduce leakages linked to trade-based illicit financial flows.

These reforms are already yielding results,” he said, pointing to improvements in non-oil revenue performance, stronger fiscal buffers, and rising investor confidence.

He stressed that beyond national efforts, African countries must collaborate to tackle illicit financial flows through stronger enforcement and cross-border cooperation, while also investing in digital systems, institutional capacity, and governance reforms.

Edun also noted the importance of financial inclusion and capital market development, noting that governments must mobilise domestic savings and make investment opportunities accessible to citizens.

“What is required now is the resolve to act decisively and collectively,” Edun said, urging policymakers across the continent to deepen reforms and strengthen cooperation to achieve sustainable growth.

In his welcome address, the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, said Africa must urgently strengthen its fiscal systems and domestic revenue base to close widening development financing gaps.

He warned that illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and aggressive tax avoidance continue to drain resources needed for infrastructure, healthcare, and social development, describing them as “lost opportunities, lost hospitals, lost schools, lost infrastructure.”

Adedeji noted that revenue authorities across the continent are modernising systems, expanding the tax base, and adopting digital solutions to improve compliance, transparency, and efficiency.

The NRS boss added that Nigeria was implementing comprehensive reforms to build a more technology-driven and responsive tax administration capable of supporting national development.

He stressed that stronger continental cooperation was critical, given the transnational nature of illicit financial flows, urging stakeholders to work together to safeguard Africa’s resources and finance development from within.

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary of the African Tax Administration Forum, Mary Baine, said Africa must urgently strengthen its tax systems as rising fiscal pressures and global economic shocks continue to strain government finances.

She noted that the continent faces tightening fiscal space alongside growing development needs, warning that countries would have to rely more on revenue collection and closing loopholes such as illicit financial flows.

Baine said Africa’s economic outlook remains fragile, with external shocks likely to impact growth, trade, and inflation across both oil-exporting and importing countries.

She added that while tax revenues have shown gradual improvement, they remain below global benchmarks, stressing the need for stronger and more efficient tax systems.

Baine noted that Africa’s development goals would only be achieved if countries finance them internally through “robust, fair and efficient tax and fiscal systems.”

Transport operators across the country have raised alarm over soaring fuel prices and dwindling passenger turnout, warning that many businesses risk collapse without urgent government intervention.

Operators say the dual pressure of high operating costs and low patronage is crippling the sector, with inter-state minibus services among the worst hit. Many are now forced to buy petrol at between N1,400 and N1,600 per litre.

A Vanguard investigation found that transporters who previously dispatched three to four buses daily now struggle to fill even one. In most cases, buses wait until late morning to get partial loads, extending travel time well into the night.

At Mazamaza, Alafia, Jibowu and Okota motor parks in Lagos, buses sat idle, reflecting deep frustration among operators.

Drivers who spoke on condition of anonymity said the situation has pushed their families into hardship. “For over two weeks, I haven’t been able to load my bus like before. Sometimes I wait till noon and still leave half-empty. It’s becoming unbearable,” one driver lamented.

Another driver added, “Fuel alone is eating up everything we make. After buying petrol at over N1,500 per litre, what is left? Nothing. We just manage to survive.”

Despite only marginal fare increases, operators say passengers are staying away, opting instead to send goods through waybill services to cut costs. “People now prefer to send their luggage instead of travelling. They say transport fare is too high,” a driver at Jibowu park said.

A transporter, Alex, warned that the industry faces collapse if the trend continues. “We adjusted fares from N35,000 to N40,000 and N45,000 because of fuel costs, but passengers disappeared. Our vehicles are empty,” he said.

Another operator echoed the concern: “Before, once you arrive, you load again the next morning. Now you can stay two weeks without a single trip. How do we feed our families?”

They urged the government to act swiftly. “Authorities must intervene. If global issues like the Iran crisis are affecting fuel prices, then local refineries should be strengthened to reduce the hardship” one of them said.

Meanwhile, transporters operating night services are gaining some advantage due to the use of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which is cheaper than petrol. However, despite lower fuel costs, luxury bus operators have raised fares from N23,000 to N35,000, further straining commuters.

From its once boastful conglomeration of the most powerful politicians in Nigeria, the house of the Peoples Democratic Party has become desecrated. From 31 governors at their peak, they have whittled down to one, plus a minority in the National Assembly. If only former PDP chair Vincent Ogbulafor were still alive to watch the party, he once boasted, it would lead Nigeria for 60 years in ruins! But knowing Nigerian politicians, if Ogbulafor were alive, he might have defected to the All Progressives Congress. It is not a far-fetched speculation; our political parties are nothing more than “special purpose vehicles” contrived to win elections. We call our system of political practice “democracy”, and that is perhaps because we have no other name for this monstrous baby we have created and forced to nurture. A system where virtually everyone must hibernate under a single political party just to escape the vindictiveness of an overbearing power is hardly democratic.

The PDP began its rapid disintegration the moment it lost the 2015 presidential election. The new president had not even been sworn in when the PDP began to empty its innards into the APC. They could not survive even a year without presidential power, and that tells us what this politics is about. Under different circumstances, former President Goodluck Jonathan would have spent his time out of power working to rebuild the party, but he was too embittered by his astounding loss and its aftermath. Also, we cannot fully blame him; you can only set yourself to that task when you have partners who believe in something and are willing to risk themselves to see their vision realised. Nigerian politics has no such nobility at its core. Our politics is a loose assembly mostly consisting of the hungry, the desperate, and the morally vacuous, all of whom converge around incumbent political power for no other reason than survival.

In a country where the main source of economic life is extractive, all power belongs to the president, who is deified by his control over the means of resource allocation. Within this crooked arrangement, political parties cannot establish distinguishing qualities between themselves and others. Even if they do, they cannot afford to maintain those virtues. Political parties are kept loose on purpose; their fluidity allows politicians to scurry around and take cover under the umbrella of the incumbent. Hardly any of them is interested in building anything that will last, let alone outlast them. It is all about instant gratification, the opportunity to steal as much as possible for yourself and for your children. They hardly ever think of creating lasting structures that can ensure political stability, order, and prosperity. That is why, as soon as they achieved the two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the first thought that came to their small mind was a third-term agenda. Not national prosperity. Not even power generation. Just self-perpetuation.

When the Lagos APC spokesman, Seye Oladejo, recently mocked the PDP for having been whittled down to the point that Governor Seyi Makinde now stands on the brink of emerging as the de facto chairman of a ‘one-man PDP Governors’ Forum,’ what I also saw was how the obituary of the APC, too, will be written. Contained in the rise and fall of the PDP is also the paradigm for how the APC eventually dies. This is neither prophetic nor a malevolent wish; it is just that the APC today is exactly what the PDP was yesterday—corrupt, powerful, and yet highly ineffective. By the time Nigeria has gone through the full gamut of “16 years of PDP” and “16 years of APC”, the APC will become vulnerable to disintegration. What will emerge will not be the push-and-pull forces of ideologically differentiated politics where one party trumps the other. Instead, changing from one political party to another in Nigeria will be due to cycles of inflation and subsequent proneness to deflation. In other words, the end of the APC will come the same way the PDP did: not because they will be defeated by a political party that offers Nigerians a preferred political vision or superior organizing, but more because they would have become over-inflated to the point that they become susceptible to the prickly politics of the tribally disaffected that will be energised to gang up against them.


Everything Oladejo said of the PDP is true for the APC, except for one minor detail: their internal cohesion is built around Bola Tinubu and the immense resources he controlled in Lagos and superintends now as president. Take him out of the picture, and everything called APC will fall apart instantly. A political party in which everyone must stand and sing “on your mandate we shall stand”, and no one dares assert an individual character is a mere cult of personality, not a sustainable model for political organising. The APC’s coming decline will perhaps be worse than the PDP’s because of their preoccupation with seducing critics and converting them to Tinubu’s lickspittles. It is those sorts of contradictions that will facilitate their imminent implosion because future opposition will build a reputation on resisting the allure of joining the APC cult. That is why Oladejo’s mockery is the hollow laughter of a man running around the village asking for whom the bell tolls, not because he is curious, but to quieten the obvious answer raging inside of him.

The question of how soon the APC will eventually combust is simply a countdown to how long Tinubu can maintain his grip on the party, every lever of democracy, and over the country itself. Knowing Tinubu and his tendency to commandeer everything to himself, he will try to retain the country in his pocket for as long as possible and even build the constitutional structure to achieve this. He has the means to do that. He may not pursue a third term, but if he wants to gift himself a fraction of Nigeria as a parting gift—akin to the way he arranged a hefty lifetime pension for himself in Lagos—there is virtually nothing that stops him. But the thing with every political era is that its sun eventually sets. Dictators and strongman politicians may defy political revolutions and even capture the whole of their country’s democratic apparatus to the point they are undefeatable in any election, but they still do not last forever.

Biology eventually intervenes where the human capacity to push against their overwhelming political power falls short. In this case, the so-called internal cohesion and ideology holding the APC together is already in his 70s. I am sure some of the members of his internal cabinet are looking at his physical frailty and already doing some mental arithmetic. It is only a matter of time before the treachery that characterises succession politics begins to unsettle the party. Without Tinubu, they will go the way of the PDP.

The optimist in me wants to end this by saying that the end of the Tinubu era will also mark the decline of the way we do politics, one in which a “chief-thief” steals everything only to redistribute it among cronies and the conquered masses. That godfather figure is, in some ways, a holdover from the strongman persona that dominated our politics for decades during the days of military rule. When their generation finally expires, the vacuum their exit will create might eventually lead us to a point where men and women contest through ideas and coherent programmes of social development. The pessimist in me looks around at the Nigerian political landscape and worries that the lack of a viable pipeline for developing leaders, which has been the bane of Nigerian politics for so long, will keep us in the doldrums for a long time.

Former Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Matters, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, says Nigeria is currently in deeper trouble than when Tinubu came as president in 2023.

Baba-Ahmed stated this on Tuesday while fielding questions in an interview on Trust TV, insisting that even Tinubu himself knows that he has failed.

He was speaking on the state of Nigeria as a nation from economy down to security.


“We are in deeper trouble than when you came. Violence are becoming a lot more serious than we anticipated. Three years into President Tinubu’s presidency, we’re seeing an escalation in the pattern of violence and its magnitude and impact on our people that we’ve never seen before.

“This is a president who came to power promising to put an end to this insecurity and to create a new path for Nigeria, create new living conditions for Nigerians, make life safer and more abundant.

“The president himself would admit that he has failed to do this, to live up to the promises he has made and to make Nigerians safe.

“A few days ago, the President and the huge entourage of ministers and government officials traveled to the United Kingdom on state visit. It was a very festive event, from the media reports, very happy event.

“It occurred at a moment when, in just a few days earlier, there were one of the most horrendous attacks in Borno state, a few days before the departure of this huge contingent that the President led,” he lamented.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has dismissed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a negligible political threat ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The governor argued that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has no reason to feel threatened by an opposition party that does not control a single state in the country.

Sule made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, where he also expressed strong support for state policing as a solution to the terrorism and banditry challenges bedevilling the country.

Responding to questions about the ADC’s growing profile as the leading opposition platform ahead of 2027, the governor described the narrative of a shifting opposition threat as a recurring political storyline.

“At one point, they said the PDP is the strongest opposition to our party, so now it is the ADC. You’ll continue to hear this goalpost keep moving. There’s no problem whatsoever with our party. A party controlling 31 states cannot actually be scared of a party that doesn’t control one state,” he said.

Turning to the issue of insecurity — one of the central planks of the ADC’s campaign against the Tinubu administration — Sule acknowledged the severity of the challenge but expressed optimism about state policing as the most effective structural response to the crisis.

The governor revealed that at a recent National Economic Council meeting, an overwhelming majority of state governors had endorsed the state policing initiative, with 35 out of 37 signing up for the policy.

“When we sat down at the NEC level to discuss, I think 35 out of 37 signed up for state policing. We agreed to go on with it. I think it is the parameter because it has to go into amending the law, it has to go to the National Assembly, it has to go to all the assemblies at various states. I think it is just the process that is taking time, but as far as we are concerned, I think every state believes strongly in state policing and Nasarawa is one of them,” he said.

However, as the 2027 election draws closer, the ADC has continued to attract high-profile defections from across the political spectrum and positions itself as the primary vehicle for opposition to the Tinubu administration.

A bad civilian government is more difficult to remove than a bad military government—Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC spokesperson

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of African Democratic Congress (ADC), in his usual brilliant, bold and daring manner, shared his thoughts on the state of the nation ahead of thE 2027 general elections in Ilorin. Excerpts of interview:

Some Nigerians are of the view that President Tinubu should be allowed to complete two terms as others from other geopolitical zones before him. What’s your view?

The Nigeria constitution that provides for second term does not make it automatic. It says that after four years you do what? You renew your mandate. That’s why it allows for election after four years. If the Nigerian constitution envisages automatic eight years, the constitution will just simply say you are elected for eight years. It doesn’t say that. It says you are elected for four years. So, after four years you go back to the people, then they will decide whether to re-elect you or not. And you don’t get to mark your own script. Nigerian people will mark your answer sheet and decide whether you have passed or you have failed. And what Nigerians are saying resoundingly, because when you say let him also, it’s not about anybody letting him or not letting him. It’s about whether you have improved the lives and livelihood of the people. And the verdict today is that the APC government has failed.

That is a verdict. Look at the Borno bomb blast. Do you know how many Nigerian soldiers are killed every single day? People’s children, people’s husbands slaughtered for offering to defend their own country. More people have died under President Tinubu that have died even in any country of the world where there is war. The numbers are there. I’m not making it up. When you leave here, go and check the Afro barometer report 2025, 94% of Nigerians said they are not happy with the direction that the country is going. So, what other verdict do you need? They can do propaganda, but they don’t get to mark their own answer sheet. Nigerians will. And Nigerians are saying that they have failed. The only way they can come back is to rig this election. That’s the only way. And they know, and that’s why they are doing all that they are doing. And that’s why they are making all kinds of funny laws. They don’t care whether they pull down the country in the process. The APC government is reducing Nigeria to its low ethical standards. Because in what other clime will you see a National Assembly make a law that says certificate forgery is no longer a basis to challenge election results? What are we telling children? And the question we are asking is where is ASUU? Where are the students unions? A national representative of the people made a law that says if someone forges a certificate, or claim to have gone to University of Ibadan for example, forged a certificate in Oluwole or wherever they forge certificate, as long as his party did not stop him and he managed to win the election, that is okay. The constitution of Nigeria by the way is very clear on this, but they don’t care what the constitution says. So, if on the basis of that forged certificate you are elected, then nobody has the right to challenge your election. So, what are we telling children? Go ahead and forge certificates? We have become a nation of certificate forgers.

APC has destroyed the moral fabric of our society. They now say children can go ahead and forge certificates. They will tell you, oh the reason we did it is, ‘so that it should be pre-election litigation. It shouldn’t be post-election litigation. So, if an armed robber robs a house, as long as you didn’t catch him at the venue of stealing, so he can get away with it? So as long as he gets away with it and he was not caught at the crime scene, then you can no longer challenge him for armed robbery. That is the meaning of what they are saying.

What should be the role of the Nigerian electorate in all of these?

You see, it is not ordinary people that provide leadership in a time like this. There are nucleuses of power in every society in organized form. I asked earlier, where is ASUU? Where is the Nigerian Labour Congress? As a matter of fact, where is the media? Where are the civil society organizations? Civil society organizations now, they have been demobilized since 1999. They are just doing election monitoring, voter education. And what we fail to realize is that a bad civilian government is more difficult to remove than a bad military government. How do I mean? A bad military government is fundamentally illegitimate. So, anything you do to remove it is legitimate. Now, a bad civilian government, no matter how bad, is fundamentally legitimate because it can claim that it was elected by the people. So, anything you do other than democratic process is illegitimate. That’s why it makes it more difficult to remove a civilian, a bad civilian government than a bad military government. Now, the only way to deal with a bad civilian government, we have agreed, is only through legitimate means.

Protest. Election. And the constitution provides for all these. That people can come out and express to say, “no, we don’t agree with this, you cannot do this”. Because when the elected representative of the people conspire against the very people that elected them, then who protects the people? So, it seems that everybody has surrendered and left the job of opposition to the politicians alone. But there has never been a time in the history of Nigeria where it’s the politicians alone that fought for this country. What is going on? You’ll expect that ASUU will feel insulted that this is what we do. We teach children, you cannot make a law that legitimizes certificate forgery. But ASUU says nothing. NLC says nothing. You only hear them when they are demanding for more salaries. But NLC, labour has always been at the forefront of protecting the conscience of this nation.

As a matter of fact, where is the media? All through the Abacha era, all through the civilian era, the media was at the forefront of protecting the conscience of Nigeria and Nigerians. Everybody now appears demoralized, and I use that word technically and consciously. And we leave the job to just the politicians alone. What is the opposition doing? The opposition is not doing enough. At what point did we leave it to only politicians to fight for this country? Can’t we see that the fight ahead of us is a fight for Nigeria? It is a fight for the soul of this country? After pauperizing the people, did you see what is going on? I saw one video clip where people are to collect one kilo of rice, you show your PVC. Who exploits the people that way? And you say you are a Muslim, that you are fasting. And you’re asking them to come and show their PVC for you to give them rice to be able to eat iftar. Who does that? So, you pauperize the people, then you weaponize their poverty against them. People are dying every day, people are being kidnapped every day for ransom, and the only response is President Tinubu sharing rice. Do dead people eat rice? And that’s why ADC is saying, “Come back home. You have no business in the UK. Come back home. Your job is here. For once, do your job. Come back home”. But they don’t care. Because they treat Nigerians as a conquered people. They don’t care. No matter what they do, ADC will issue statements and people move on. They know the worst that will happen is ADC will issue a statement. Right? When we said that 63% poverty level in Nigeria, since the removal of subsidy, has climbed from 40% to 63%, they responded. What did they say? They started abusing the opposition. They say we are inciting the people. Did we need to tell Nigerians that they are poorer? Did we need to tell Nigerians that they are hungrier? It’s the daily reality of people. Right? So, we said that they are plotting to make President Bola Tinubu the sole candidate in 2027.

How did they respond? They abused us. You see, sometimes they forget that they are a ruling party, that they are not the opposition party. Do you understand? Then when we criticize, they say, “Hey, what is your option? What alternative do you have?” You are the ruling party. Have you forgotten? The work of the opposition is to oppose you. You are the ruling party but they tend to forget that they are the ruling party. And their only response is to abuse the opposition. Where did you ever hear that it is the ruling party abusing the opposition? We don’t abuse them. We only point out what they do that is wrong. But they respond by abusing us. And you see this righteous indignation. As if, how dare you challenge President Tinubu? How dare you? They look at us like, how dare you? As if we are a conquered people. At least if you must enslave us, conquer us first. You must go through the trouble of conquering us first before you enslave us. But if you have not conquered us, you can’t enslave us. We are free citizens. If the only weapon we have is our voice, we will use it. If we are irritating you, we are sorry, you ask for the job, do it.

In the face of criticism of insecurity and bad economic situation against the ruling APC, do you think the ADC or any other opposition party would have done better than what the APC people are doing right now?

We would have done differently, not better. Because when you say better, it is comparative. It means that what they are doing is good. No, we would have done differently. Now, people have been asking one question. What is the ideology of ADC? They say political parties don’t have ideology. The ideology of ADC is very clear. When we came into the coalition, when the coalition went into ADC, we looked at that party and we asked ourselves, what is our job? We want to rescue Nigeria. Then we looked at ADC and we began to work on giving it a solid identity as an opposition political party in Nigeria that is ready to go into government. And we came to the conclusion, and it is very clear, the Africa in African Democratic Congress is not an accident. The foundational philosophy of ADC is that Nigeria has a duty to provide leadership for the rest of Africa.

That Nigeria has a duty to provide leadership for the entire black race. But Nigeria will only be able to do this if it makes the right investment in the Nigerian people to provide leadership. In other words, it is not the Nigerian nation that will provide leadership, it is the Nigerian people that will provide that leadership. But Nigerian people will only be able to provide leadership if we make the right investment in the Nigerian people to be productive, to be competitive. In other words, as long as Nigerians remain the fetchers of water and the hewers of wood, our population means nothing. Unless we have a population that is productive, that is competitive. Therefore, it means that ADC’s priority will be what? Logically, investment in the people: Education, health care, job creation, opportunities.

What it means is that when ADC will measure real progress, ADC will not measure progress by the growth of GDP, which is what this government is doing. ADC will measure progress by the number of people we are able to take out of poverty. Not by how our GDP grows. That’s a neoliberal interpretation of economic growth. But ADC is anchored on the principle of democratic citizenship: The people first. Now let’s talk about one fundamental issue so that we take this out of the arena of theory. Fuel subsidy: If you listen to the national chairman of ADC yesterday, Senator Mark, when he was receiving the interim report of the Policy and Manifesto Committee, he said the abrupt implementation of economic reforms has pauperized Nigerians more than ever before. That ADC will be deliberate in introducing any reform in a way that protects the people. The problem with subsidy is not subsidy itself. There is no country in the world that does not give one subsidy or the other. The problem with fuel subsidy, the way it was, it is the governance of that subsidy. In other words, giving fuel subsidy to everybody is wrong. Removing subsidy from everybody is equally wrong. What was happening was wrong. What they provided as solution was wrong. ADC will provide subsidy to those who need subsidy. We will not punish the poor people for the crime of the rich people. It’s not poor people that are smuggling petrol. Poor people don’t have five SUVs. Poor people just want to be able to survive. You cannot pursue a policy that punishes these people already. ADC will target subsidy to those who need subsidy. Therefore, ADC will do what is called means-tested subsidy. What is the financial situation of this family, of this person? In Malaysia, for example, they give a voucher that subsidizes petrol for the poor people up to 300 litres in a month. Until you buy more than 300 litres before you begin to buy at the market price. But as long as you don’t buy more than 300 liters, you buy at subsidized rate. There are examples all over the world. When this government came, President Tinubu, on the inauguration day, said that “subsidy is gone”, regardless of pain and suffering of the people. And they said, “Don’t worry, it’s temporary. Down the line, you will enjoy it”. Three and a half years going to four now. Are you enjoying it? Is your life better today than it was? And the question people are asking: All the money you said you were saving as a result of subsidy, where is that money?

Because I want to be able to go to hospital, for example. I said the subsidy from petrol that is rife with corruption, we are now subsidizing drugs. So I want to be able to go to the hospital. And the drug that I used to buy for X amount is now virtually free. And they say, “How come the drug is so cheap?” They say, “No, it’s subsidized”. In this country, there was PTF, you remember? We used to have what is called Excess Crude Account in this country, right? Now this government, when you ask them this question, they will say, “No, all the surplus money, all the money that we have given it to the states. So, go and ask your state governors. We have given the money to the states”. Are you surprised that all the governors have joined their party? Because the people would ask the question, “All that money you collected, what did you use it for? What did you do with it?” So they seek refuge in APC because a former chairman of APC said, ‘Come into our party and all your sins shall be forgiven”. No matter how dirty you are, APC appears to have a river in their party Secretariat.

Once they dip you in, you come out shining brighter than the snow, no matter how dirty you are. So, that is the situation we have found ourselves today. I’ve just articulated to you what ADC will do differently. So, it’s not a question of doing better. It’s a question of not doing the wrong thing. They tell us that, “Oh, tax, tax reform, tax reform. We will not tax poor people. It’s only big men that we are taxing”. If you go to any pharmacy today and buy any drug, you pay VAT. And VAT is regressive. It means that if you are a billionaire or you are a poor salary earner, you pay the same percentage of VAT in anything you consume. People can no longer afford to fly. Because the tax they’ve imposed on the airlines is pricing tickets out of the reach of ordinary people who need to move around. You cannot travel by road. Kidnappers are waiting for you. You cannot travel by rail now. The train is likely to derail. And when people cannot move around to do business, of course, what do you expect? Poverty will continue to compound. So, when you continue to suffer, President Tinubu has a solution. He will give you rice.

I’m curious, just like you are, that there are not many voices against some of these issues bordering on survival of the masses. Why are people not talking?

Yeah. I don’t know why they are doing what they are doing. Maybe they have given up. Maybe they are giving up. Maybe they are tired. Maybe they don’t have the consciousness. Maybe some of them have joined the ruling party secretly. Maybe some of them are collecting what everybody is collecting. Maybe people have become a lot more selfish and they care less about the people. Maybe. I don’t know.