• Says political leaders must focus on governance, not power grab
• Atiku backs coalition-building, says opposition unity key to challenging power
• PDP stakeholders divided as Damagum calls Abuja meeting
• Arewa youths slam El-Rufai, Bauchi gov for criticising Tinubu’s reforms
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has distanced himself from any coalition efforts aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, stressing that his focus remains on tackling Nigeria’s pressing challenges, including poverty, insecurity, and the deterioration of public institutions.
This came as a fresh wave of controversy rocked the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as loyalists of Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum convene a contentious meeting with South-East stakeholders in Abuja today, reportedly bypassing key party leaders in the region.
The gathering, which seeks to rally support for embattled National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu amid an ongoing court battle, has drawn sharp criticism, with allegations of exclusion and questions over its legitimacy.
Speaking in Abuja at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria yesterday, Obi criticised the prioritisation of political power over addressing the country’s critical issues, calling for a renewed commitment to governance that prioritises the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
Recall that certain chieftains in the opposition political parties and the ruling APC have been engaged in discussions to form a coalition to dislodge the ruling party.
The former governor of Anambra State told reporters on the sidelines of the two-day conference: “Well, for me, what is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do a coalition… let’s talk about the future of the country, but often, we abandon the country and what we need to do and talk about power grab.
“I’m not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria. How do we care about securing Nigerians? How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now.”
Obi also called for concerted efforts to stop financial inducement in politics.
“That’s what we need to remove because what you’re doing is encouraging the stealing of public money. Because if I steal it and use it to win an election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So, we must stop it. That is what is driving the stealing.”
For his part, the 2023 presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said politicians should lose their seats for defecting to other political parties.
Atiku made the recommendation as part of necessary reforms to protect democracy.
He warned that democracy risks decline due to weak institutions, state capture, and judicial recklessness. He called for comprehensive reforms in five key areas, one of which is the strengthening of political parties.
He also called for normative compliance, saying it would ensure that party members, especially leaders, adhere to party rules and laws to uphold democratic integrity.
On accountability, he recommended enforcing strict penalties for electoral fraud, requiring politicians who defect to vacate their seats.
However, Atiku said democracy could be strengthened through coalition-building, stressing that this would encourage opposition parties to unite through coalitions or mergers to effectively challenge entrenched power.
Atiku called for judicial reform, saying judicial partisanship should be addressed to ensure that courts uphold voter choice rather than undermining democracy. He added that these reforms are essential to restore public trust and secure Nigeria’s future.
Presenting his keynote address on the theme of the discourse, ‘Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity’, former Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who was also the presidential candidate of Ghana’s New Patriotic Party in the last general election in the West African country, identified the bastardisation of state institutions as a significant threat to democracy.
He said: “Mr Chairman, one of the most important determinants of a flourishing democracy is the quality of institutions; institutions capable of guaranteeing rights, including property rights, and checking wanton abuse of power.
“These institutions include the Independent Election Management bodies, the judiciary, the Ombudsman, the police, other law enforcement agencies, and many others.
“Celebrated economists like Dani Rodrik, Daron Acemoglu, and others have come to a firm conclusion that, when it comes to the determinants of growth, the quality of institutions towers above everything else.
“Unfortunately, while the culture of peacefully choosing leaders is being entrenched, these institutions are becoming weak and endangered.”
The former presidential candidate also expressed concern over growing poverty in the West African sub-region and, by extension, the continent, noting that it threatens democracy as the electorate begins to lose faith in representative government.
He said: “Mr Chairman, one of the biggest threats to democracy today is what I call the ‘next meal.’ Before I make my point, I need to re-echo the words of one of Africa’s greatest sons, the distinguished Nelson Mandela, to wit: ‘As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.’
“Ladies and gentlemen, democracy must be a means to an end. The best democracy is one that delivers public goods and services effectively and efficiently and creates opportunities for citizens whilst making conscious efforts to leave no one behind.
“For Sub-Saharan Africa, the data suggests that we do not have the option to do nothing. In 2024, the World Bank estimated that two-thirds of the world’s population in extreme poverty live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Back home, the World Bank’s 2024 review reveals that more than half of Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty.
“For Nigeria, and indeed much of Sub-Saharan Africa, our work is cut out for us. We need to take decisive actions to demonstrate that to govern is to advance the interests and welfare of the people.
“We need to reconfigure our economic systems, processes, and institutions in a manner that prioritises the next meal for the majority of our people. For far too long, the focus has been on ticking the boxes on democratic institutions, much to the neglect of what those institutions have been able to produce for the ordinary citizen.
“The person who is unable to afford the next eba meal is unlikely to appreciate any data on democratic progress.”
ALSO, loyalists of the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), have summoned South-East stakeholders to a crucial meeting in Abuja.
An invitation to the meeting, scheduled for today, was reportedly sent via WhatsApp yesterday.
Sources revealed that Damagum and his allies are seeking to rally support for embattled National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, who is contesting his removal from office following two court rulings.
The controversy arises from an Appeal Court decision in Enugu, which upheld a High Court ruling removing Anyanwu and appointing Sunday Ude-Okoye as the PDP National Secretary.
Before the 2024 Imo State governorship election, South-East stakeholders had met in Enugu and nominated Ude-Okoye for the position of National Secretary, as Anyanwu had been chosen as the PDP governorship candidate for the state. However, Anyanwu has filed a motion for a stay of execution and is appealing the ruling at the Supreme Court.
In a press invitation to cover the event, PDP’s Director of Publicity, Mrs Chinwe Nnorom, stated that “critical stakeholders of the party in the South-East” had been invited to the meeting, scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
A member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), speaking anonymously, questioned the inclusiveness of the meeting, saying: “I wonder which stakeholders Damagum and his allies are referring to. The critical South-East stakeholders we know have already met and endorsed Ude-Okoye because the position was zoned to the South-East. Can you talk about critical stakeholders and leave out key figures like our Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and the National Vice Chairman, South-East? Let’s call a spade a spade. We’ll watch and see.”
However, the PDP’s National Vice Chairman (South-East), Chief Ali Odefa, has distanced the zone from the purported “South-East critical stakeholders meeting” with the NWC scheduled for today.
In a statement issued to journalists via email, Odefa clarified that, as the representative of the South-East in the NWC, he was not aware of any such meeting. “My attention has been drawn to a purported invitation of critical South-East stakeholders of the PDP to a meeting with the NWC of our great party on Tuesday, January 28, 2025,” Odefa stated.
He further emphasised: “As the National Vice Chairman (South-East) and member of the NWC representing the South-East, I hereby authoritatively state that no such meeting is scheduled between the South-East stakeholders and the NWC.”
Odefa referenced the Zonal Committee (ZEC) meeting held in Enugu on January 25, 2025, where all South-East critical stakeholders had gathered and unanimously agreed on matters related to the planned South-East Zonal Congress.
“For the avoidance of doubt, all PDP South-East critical stakeholders, staff of the National Secretariat, and the media should disregard the purported invitation to a meeting of the South-East stakeholders with the NWC, as no such meeting was scheduled,” he concluded.
MEANWHILE, the Arewa Youth Leaders and Professionals Forum (AYLPF) has criticised Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai over their opposition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing their actions as divisive and self-serving.
At a press conference in Abuja, AYLPF National President Abdulahi Bilal Mohammed accused Mohammed of prioritising personal gain over national progress. He claimed the governor’s criticism of Tinubu’s policies was rooted in a desire to preserve corrupt practices that had previously benefited him and his allies.
“Governor Bala Mohammed’s opposition to the reforms is not motivated by concern for Nigeria’s development but by his disdain for national unity and his determination to cling to the corrupt practices of the past,” Bilal Mohammed said.
The forum also accused El-Rufai of losing touch with the realities facing Nigerians, describing him as a politically irrelevant figure. The group alleged that El-Rufai’s alignment with advocates of a third force was an attempt to destabilise northern Nigeria for personal and political gain.
“El-Rufai’s reckless rhetoric and divisive politicking highlight his disconnection from the aspirations of Nigerians,” Bilal Mohammed added. “His recent actions reveal a strategy to pit the North against the rest of the country for selfish reasons.”
The AYLPF warned that both leaders were exploiting the challenges posed by Tinubu’s reforms to sow discord, accusing them of betraying the trust of the northern region and the nation.
“The North is built on principles of fairness, justice, and patriotism,” the group stated. “Governor Mohammed and El-Rufai’s positions do not represent the true voice of the region. Their antics are nothing more than a betrayal of trust.”
The forum called on Nigerians to support Tinubu’s reforms, acknowledging the short-term discomforts but emphasising their long-term benefits.
“We firmly stand with President Tinubu’s administration and its commitment to repositioning Nigeria for growth and progress. Those opposing these reforms are merely protecting the flawed systems that have sustained their corrupt privileges,” the group said.
