Politics

By SHEDDY OZOENE Nigerian politics has always been filled with drama, but the last six months could easily pass for a badly scripted series. Nigerians were treated to two running political comedies, from the city of Port Harcourt to the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian Senate. President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, was one leg of the comedy. Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly, justifying his action with claims of a breakdown in governance, threats to national security, and the alleged sabotage…

FESTUS ADEDAYO Three Nigerian “witches” just got beaten by a midnight downpour. They are, Siminalayi Fubara, Nyesom Wike and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in ascending order. Last Thursday, September 18, 2025, there was an initial apprehension in Rivers State over whether its reinstated governor, Fubara, was “coming home.” An earlier excitedness over the end of emergency rule got momentarily dampened. Apprehension however dissolved when Fubara’s nemesis, FCT Minister, Wike, proclaimed that indeed, Fubara was coming home. The frenzy over Fubara “coming home” was similar to "It's coming home!", a phrase taken out of the 1996 song, “Three Lions”, composed for England…

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI It is no longer a matter of conjecture. As Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, haughtily disclosed on August 30, President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, announced an end to the six-month emergency rule he imposed on Rivers State on March 18. Unlike the emergency rule proclamation which he made via a national broadcast, the president ended the ill-advised political manoeuvre via a statement he personally signed, expressing satisfaction that the inglorious measure had achieved its objectives. Claiming that it would have been a colossal failure on his part not to have made the proclamation,…

By SHEDDY OZOENE When Professor Chukwuma Soludo indicated interest in becoming governor of Anambra State, there was so much excitement in the air.  Here was a globally respected economist, a technocrat of uncommon intellect, and one of Ndigbo’s brightest stars—armed with credentials that promised to redefine governance in the state. His rise from a respected academic to Presidential economic adviser under Olusegun Obasanjo, and later, Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, put him head and shoulders above other aspirants. When one adds his “Dubai-Taiwan” vision, one would appreciate why the imagination of the people who are famous for their high business…

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI As an Igbo, ever mindful of the country’s chequered political history, when the news filtered in on Saturday that former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, a scion of the Muslim North and major opposition politician, had been whisked away from the venue of the Odenigbo Lecture in Owerri, my first reaction was, not again. For maximum effect, the story added that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, was cautioned by the protesters. Not again because of the irascibility of Nigerian politicians and the herd mentality of their minions.…

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI The conduct of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, in the public space is quite unbecoming. It is not enough to dismiss him as unhinged as many are wont to do because to do so is to ignore the fact that for whatever it is worth, he is a Nigerian political elite, a member of the privileged club that makes the authoritative allocation of our collective values. In any sane society, such privileged position demands some level of politesse and dignity in public conduct. But the reverse is the case here. Wike’s actions, at any given…

By SHEDDY OZOENE The second anniversary of Peter Mbah’s tenure as governor of Enugu State was significant in many ways. There was a certain uniqueness with the celebrations but the most noteworthy is the fact that it was attended by his predecessor in office, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. It is the first time such was being recorded in the state in this Fourth Republic. It is also remarkable because it signified that the governor has maintained a cordial relationship with his predecessor since assumption of office 2 years earlier. Before then, on his 61st birthday last March 20, Governor Mbah not only…

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI One of the absurdities of Nigeria’s pseudo-democracy is the fact that those clamouring for President Bola Tinubu’s second term are not flaunting his achievements. Instead, the battle cry is the need for him to complete his “constitutionally guaranteed” two terms of eight years, not minding that there is no such guarantee in the 1999 Constitution. The more sophisticated amongst them are blackmailing the country with the rotational presidency arrangement between the north and south. They insist that since Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, was president for eight years, then a southerner must be accorded the same privilege. And…

BY ABRAHAM OGBODO It is too early to worry about the coalition to fight Tinubu in 2027. Even if the lion is ensnarled, you do not approach it with bare hands. You give all the benefits of doubt and go very prepared for any eventuality. When the coalition was announced some weeks ago, there was some breathe of relief across the land. This was, however, not in the air-tight assurance that the days of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President could now be counted. It was more in the feeling that a ferocious tiger was being released into the jungle to…

By SHEDDY OZOENE The formation of a coalition of opposition elements in Nigeria has sparked off a wave of political activities as the general elections of 2027 draw closer. Led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai and former Senate President David Mark, the coalition is built around the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has emerged as a potential vehicle for a unified opposition platform.  The key drivers of the coalition have not minced words about what their mission is: to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress…