Politics

Kwankwaso After The Supreme Court

Kwankwaso After The Supreme Court

BY AZU ISHIEKWENE In the last one and a half decades, Rabiu Kwankwaso has been the most charismatic politician out of Kano after the passing of Abubakar Rimi. Kwankwaso is not just charismatic; he is consequential, with a cult-like following that responds twice, even when he calls once. He is facing yet another defining moment in his political career. The outcome of the ruling of the supreme court in the case between the Kano state Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and his rival, Nasiru Gawuna, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), could well determine…
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Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu On My Mind

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu On My Mind

By SHEDDY OZOENE Before he became governor of Ondo State in 2016, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had a reputation for taking principled positions on important national issues. He said nd did the right things, and many saw him as the people's advocate. His leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association was a glorious era for Nigerian lawyers. His decision to join politics did not surprise many. Politics came naturally to him and those who know about his performance in office say he is not totally a disappointment. Recent happenings in the state now threaten to negate the reputation he has built over…
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Rotimi Amaechi’s Crocodile Tears

Rotimi Amaechi’s Crocodile Tears

By SHEDDY OZOENE Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is a sharp-shooter and newsmaker any day. As far as our national political issues go, he hardly sits on the fence, so his abstinence from those public commentaries that draw attention to him, has raised a few eyebrows. Penultimate week, however, he came out of his ‘hiding’ to headline TheNiche public lecture in Lagos and he was at his singing best. The news is not what he said at the public lecture, the reason he gave for restraining himself from commenting on political and governance-related matters, is somewhat curious. Since he…
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Gaza: Counting The ‘Dead’ Before They’re Killed

Gaza: Counting The ‘Dead’ Before They’re Killed

SHEDDY OZOENE The State of Israel does not believe in the Biblical injunction of turning the other cheek when slapped. It does not even stop at the principle of reciprocal justice - an eye for an eye - as explained in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus. When you pluck an Israeli eye, be sure they'll retaliate by plucking your two eyes, shutting your mouth and leaving your nose bloodied. Since October 7, 2023, when the Islamic Resistance Movement popularly called HAMAS launched a surprise invasion of Israel, another chilling season of killings and destruction have returned to that familiar…
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Chicagogate: A ‘Severe And Irreparable’ Damage

Chicagogate: A ‘Severe And Irreparable’ Damage

By SHEDDY OZOENE It has happened in the past that some men, great and small, were able to predict looming unsavoury fates. While some of such predictions end up as flukes, others have come in pin-point correct. A few, like Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln, went to the extent of predicting their own deaths. It is called premonition. As the case instituted by Atiku Abubakar at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, to compel the Chicago State University to disclose Bola Tinubu's academic records proceeded to a decisive end, the Nigerian President had…
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Senator Bulkachuwa vs Justice Bulkachuwa Shines Light On Judiciary

Senator Bulkachuwa vs Justice Bulkachuwa Shines Light On Judiciary

By IKEDDY ISIGUZOA Major Commentator on Minor lssues NOTHING is wrong about spouses sharing confidences which should normally be private. Everything is wrong with such marital bonds where they result in possible intentional mis-carriage of justice. Still worse, is when one of the parties brags about his interference with judiciary processes as an achievement to be celebrated at the valedictory session of the Senate. Senator Adamu Muhammad Bulkachuwa chose 10 June 2023, his last day of representing Bauchi North, to thank his wife, and remind some of his colleagues that his wife assisted them. He would have said more if…
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The Great Expectation (OPINION BY ANAYO AGU)

The Great Expectation (OPINION BY ANAYO AGU)

           By Anayo Agu Life is a continuum, always evolving with great expectations from the choices we make and the chances we take in response to events in our environments.  The South East Geopolitical Zone appears to be strategically positioning for a political and economic rebirth. Speculations about this paradigm shift are coming on the heels of the shocking destruction of businesses, properties, and the reported killings of some innocent citizens particularly in Lagos State, including those suspected to be of Igbo extraction because of their presumed political leanings. The great expectation is that by the end of the…
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With 3,343 Vote Margin, Peter Mbah Beats Chijioke Edeoga

With 3,343 Vote Margin, Peter Mbah Beats Chijioke Edeoga

The battle for who becomes Enugu State governor-elect has finally been settled. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Mbah as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State. The margin between the two foremost contestants is a slim 3,343. Mbah polled 160,895 votes to beat his closest rivals — Chijioke Edeoga of the Labour Party (LP) who scored 157,552. Edeoga In declaring Mbah as the winner, the INEC Returning Officer, Prof Maduebibisi Ofo-Iwe, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike,…
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Alex Oti of Labour Party Is Governor-Elect Of Abia State

Alex Oti of Labour Party Is Governor-Elect Of Abia State

The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last Saturday's governorship election in Abia State, Alex Otti, has been elected Governor of Abia State. He scored a total of 175,467 votes to defeat his closest rival, Okey Ahiwe of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 88,529 votes. The result was announced by the State Returning Officer, Nnenna Oti who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri. This comes after the collation of results from all 17 local government areas of the state. Oti addressing his supporters after the announcement The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had…
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Ndigbo: Now That Mahmoud Yakubu Has Done His Worst

Ndigbo: Now That Mahmoud Yakubu Has Done His Worst

Now that Mahmoud Yakubu has done his worst, Ndigbo will be unfair to other Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba, who have championed this cause of a new, transcendental Nigeria under an Obi presidency if they descend into the arena of ethnic baiting because that is what the malcontents want. By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI In the early hours of Wednesday, March 1, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, declared the result of the presidential election which held on Saturday, February 25. Rather than jubilation, a pall of silence descended on the nation because many believe that their electoral…
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