Politics

2023 Presidency: How Nnamdi Kanu’s Release May Affect Peter Obi’s Chance

Published

3 years ago

October 14, 2022

The release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, from the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS, may affect the chances of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi to win the 2023 election.

Recall that the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous verdict on Thursday, acquitted Nnamdi Kanu of all terrorism charges leveled against him.

The secessionist was thereby discharged from the custody of the DSS in the Federal Capital Territory.

Kanu, leader of the group agitating for the actualization of Biafra as a sovereign nation, was re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria on June 28, 2021, to continue his trial bothering on treasonable felony.

Since his alleged unlawful repatriation to the country, the IPOB leader, who was accused of making utterances capable of threatening the corporate existence of the country while in the United Kingdom, had been in the custody of the Nigerian secret police amid several court cases.

The news of his release yesterday plunged several Nigerians, particularly residents of the South-East, into celebration.

While reaction continues to trail the release, some stakeholders have predicted how Kanu’s freedom could affect the chances of the former Anambra State Governor to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Prior to his arrest, Nnamdi Kanu, who is a major opinion leader in the South-East, had ruled out the possibility of the Nigerian government conducting elections in the region.

Some political analysts had hitherto revealed that the Labour Party relies more on the South-East for Peter Obi’s victory come 2023.

Although the IPOB leader is yet to speak since he was freed, a Public Affairs Analyst, Mr Kenneth Onah said on Thursday that Kanu’s release would affect Peter Obi’s presidential bid negatively.

According to him, Igbos would now continue their agitation for a possible break up from Nigeria, stressing that they may no longer be interested in the Igbo presidency or any form of election.

He said, “The attention of the whole Ndigbo has been shifted from Peter Obi. They are now following their master, Kanu, so Peter Obi and other presidential candidates who were relying on the South-East may have to look for alternatives.

“Before he was detained, he clearly told everyone that election would not hold in Igbo land. He is back, and agitation continues. This is going to affect Peter Obi more than other candidates”.

Recall that IPOB, while reacting to the release of their leader, told newsmen yesterday that the realization of the Biafra nation would be their next target, stressing that nothing can stop the movement.

In a chat with our correspondent, the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said, “Biafrans both home and abroad, including our friends, should rejoice because Almighty Chukwu Okike Abiama has done it again.

“Biafra realisation is the next target, and nothing will stop IPOB from achieving Biafra freedom.

“If you know you are criminal terrorising our people, just run because you are going to meet your waterloo.”

However, when contacted, the President-General of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, Mr Goodluck Ibem, countered Onuh, saying Kanu’s release would favour the Labour Party candidate.

“We are happy that he has been released. The release of Mazi cannot affect Peter Obi negativity, it will rather adds colour to what is already happening”, he said.

Asked if there was the possibility of Kanu asking the Igbos, particularly youths, to boycott the Igbo presidency, Mr Ibem said, “I can’t read his mind to know if he would say so, but all I know is that we are happy that he has been released and we are ready to vote.”

Similarly, a Labour Party member in Abuja, who identified himself simply as Mr IK, said the release of Knau would force many Igbos to change their negative perception of Nigeria.

He said, “I don’t see Kanu’s release as a threat to Peter Obi. The truth is that many people who didn’t plan to vote before due to what the government was doing to Kanu may now have a change of plan.

“Before now, they don’t believe in the judiciary, not to talk of the government itself but what happened today has made many people to change their thoughts.”

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Politics

Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Published

7 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.

National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.

The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.

Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.

There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.

Politics

Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Published

10 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.

Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.

The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.

Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.

According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.

Politics

2027: Oyo Gov, Makinde Speaks On Successor

Published

1 day ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the choice of who would succeed him in 2027 rests solely with the people of the state, not with political godfathers or entitlement claims.

Makinde said this on Thursday in Ibadan while flagging off the zonal stakeholders’ consultative forum and engagement meeting on the 2026 Budget.

According to the governor, the decision of who becomes the next governor of Oyo state rests on all eligible voters in the state.

“Oyo State has gone beyond the era of politics based on entitlement or propaganda.

“Rather, the people of the state are now more politically enlightened and they will only support leaders who present credible plans and demonstrate capacity for development,” he said.

Makinde, while reflecting on his own experience before coming into office in 2019, noted that leadership must be about accountability, not entitlement.

He recalled that many people doubted his capability when he first sought the governorship position, because he had not held any political office.

“In 2018, when I was consulting to become governor, there was no yardstick to measure me. I had never been a councillor or a local government chairman, but I asked the people to trust me and judge me by my actions,” he said.

The governor urged political leaders to focus on policies and projects that directly impact the lives of citizens rather than engaging in political theatrics.

He said his administration’s approach to challenges has been to present a clear roadmap for Oyo State’s development, “one that people can read, evaluate, and hold us accountable to.”

Makinde expressed optimism that the people of the state would continue to support leaders who prioritise progress, inclusivity, and the well-being of citizens over personal ambition.

Speaking at the 7th Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the governor said that his administration would continue to consult and engage with residents of the state on the making of the state’s annual budgets, with a view to knowing their aspirations and prioritising their needs.

He maintained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to enable his government to serve the residents of the state better through a bottom-up approach to development, noting that his administration began the tradition in 2019.

According to him, his government first separated the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning from the Ministry of Finance in order to ensure better management of the state’s resources and to avoid discrepancies.

He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement had resulted in better budget performances and economic development of the state.

Makinde reiterated that his government would continue to serve the interests of the people of the state by putting in place institutions that would ensure that the environment was safe and ready to attract investments.

He added that the state was growing rapidly and that this development had stopped rural-urban migration with the construction of Moniya-Iseyin Road, Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road, Oyo-Iseyin Road, among other infrastructural projects, which have opened rural communities.

Makinde is currently serving as governor for the second time.

The governor, whose term ends in 2027, had earlier this month advocated a single term of five or six years for elected political office holders across all levels of government in Nigeria, against the current double term of four years each.

He said a single term of five or six years is enough for any government to focus and serve the people and deliver on its mandate.

(NAN)