By Felix Akpan | Opinion It is becoming increasingly obvious even to political neophytes that the G-5 Governors are more interested in their post-immunity political survival than anything else; because whether Atiku wins or loses the presidential election, there would be consequences. As a corollary, if the matter between them and their party is not resolved to their satisfaction, they are most likely to support a candidate with considerable clout to defeat Atiku and stymie...
Culled from the Conversation | Lorna Grisby (Senior Politics & Society Editor) The year 2022 has been full of confounding events. Russia invaded Ukraine. The Supreme Court overturned a 50-year precedent guaranteeing the right to abortion. Midterm election results overwhelmingly contradicted pundits’ predictions. And so much more. But, as regular readers, you know the politics editors and the scholars we collaborate with provided deep analysis and explanation to help you make sense of it all....
“The error and disappointment from Obi’s supporters steams from their miscalculation that silence translates to support. “— Ebuka Onyekwelu Prince Engr. Arthur Eze, by his comments that he is not in support of Peter Obi, has again, opened the debate on the plausibility of Obi’s presidential aspiration. Many might say that it is expected considering the age-long, albeit false assertions that Igbos don’t support each other. Among other things, this is given as the major...
“The PDP is reputed for its penchant to handover it’s ticket to the highest bidder”— Ebuka Onyekwelu The candidate of the All Progressives Congress – APC in the 2023 Presidential Election, Ashiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has continued in most social media debates, to be measured on a different scale. A former governor of Lagos State, Nigeria’s most successful model state, and a former senator, yet, somehow, Bola Tinubu’s presence in the contest has generated more controversy...
“As I write this, I am hoping that I will be challenged by a more accurate fact. But unfortunately, there is non”— Ebuka Onyekwelu With the 2023 Presidential Election now counting in days, it might be necessary to observe that whoever wins, will win for political reasons. Those who will lose, will also lose for political reasons. No matter how admirable social change may be, whatever direction it goes within political context, is determined by...
All eyes are on Nigeria as it prepares for its general election in early 2023. Has the government convinced Nigerians that their votes, and lives, will be secure? Nigeria’s 2023 general election is just weeks away. With incumbent President Mohammadu Buhari term-limited, the country will be choosing a new leader. That new president will immediately confront an exhausting array of challenges, from multiple, complex security crises to a disastrously mismanaged economy. In a recent Afrobarometer survey, nearly 89...
This is happening for the first time in nearly two decades, that people contesting election on APGA’s platform have jettisoned Ojukwu’s picture as a credible campaign tool. There are clear indications that the All Progressives Grand Alliance- APGA, might be bent on moving on without the memories of Ojukwu, the face of the party, and the singular reason APGA lays claim to being an “Igbo party”. Perhaps, APGA is ready and willing to test its...
“Southeast can benefit significantly from any government in power, if its politics are right” The Southeast Nigeria is virtually at a political cross road ahead of the 2023 General Election. Win or lose, the zone must be confronted by questions of power sharing. For instance, if the project for Nigeria’s president of Igbo extraction fails, what would be the fate of the zone in the next four or eight years? What would be its stake...
The legislature is the engine room of every democracy. Therefore, legislators are gatekeepers of democracy and, must show the highest level of respect for the laws of the country. At the basic, every legislator must be law-abiding and must protect the sanctity of the law. Legislators must show the highest level of personal example, particularly in any matter relating to the laws of the land, especially provisions of the constitution. Any lawmaker who for whatever...
Apparently, evaluating a lawmaker’s performance is one of the most difficult things for Nigerians to do. It appears most Nigerians do not know just how to say if a lawmaker has done well or has failed. The reason is that the expectations from an average lawmaker, state or National Assembly, are so high and often outside the scope of duty of lawmakers. Why the expectations are high is directly connected to the many needs of...
