News

Clemency: CSOs Carpet Presidency Over Comment On Ken Saro-Wiwa

Published

3 weeks ago

October 17, 2025

The civil society community in Nigeria has taken a swap on the presidency over what it regarded as “insensitive, offensive, sordid and misleading” picture painted by the presidency over the murdered Ogoni 9, and the recent “pardon” granted to them and others by President Bola Tinubu.

Recall that Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr Bayo Onanuga, while publicly announcing the justifications for the pardons and clemency, said: “Illegal miners, white-collar convicts, remorseful drug offenders, foreigners, Major General Mamman Vatsa, Major Akubo, Professor Magaji Garba, capital offenders such as Maryam Sanda, Ken Saro Wiwa, and the other Ogoni Eight were among the 175 convicts and former convicts who received President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mercy on Thursday.”

Onanuga further said in the statement: “Also referred to 4 Ogoni leaders who were unfortunately murdered by a mob in 1995, and whose murder the Ogoni 9 were framed for, as ‘victims of the Ogoni 9.”

But a statement issued by Health of Mother Earth Foundation and 13 other civil society organisations, reads: “The statement by the Presidential Adviser is laced with insinuations and references that have no bearing on history, reality and globally acceptable facts about the occurrences that led to the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and his fellow rights activists on November 10, 1995.”

The civil society groups described it as “unacceptable that despite overwhelming evidence of the miscarriage of justice against the Ogoni 9, which resulted in their hurried execution, the Nigerian state still considers them guilty and deserving of a pardon.”

The environment-based activist groups, who said the Presidency acknowledged the fact that Sir Herbert Macaulay was unjustly treated by the colonialists, wondered why the same Presidency failed to acknowledge the fact that Ken Saro Wiwa and the other ogonis were unjustly murdered by the military government.

The statement reads: “In the said statement, no mention was made of the abuse of the judicial process nor of the fact that the constitutional right to appeal was not extended to the 9.

“It is particularly interesting to note that in reference to Sir Herbert Macaulay, whom the President considers to have been unjustly treated by the colonialists, the statement had the following additional statement: ‘President Tinubu also corrected the historic injustice committed by British colonialists against Sir Herbert Macaulay, one of Nigeria’s foremost nationalists.’ One wonders why the same clarification was not provided for the Ogoni 9.”

The CSOs, who said “what we continue to demand is the complete exoneration of Ken Saro-
Wiwa and his eight comrades,” expressed worries that the “half-hearted pardon extended by the President may be a strategic ploy to resume the extraction of crude oil in Ogoniland, a move that has so far been condemned and resisted by all well-meaning Nigerians.”

They stressed that “the reference to Ken Saro-Wiwa and his comrades by the Presidency is insensitive and offensive to their memory and that of other victims of environmental injustice.”

They, therefore, called
on President Bola Tinubu to “immediately withdraw the ‘pardon’ to Ken Saro Wiwa and his colleagues, and replace it with an unequivocal apology and condemnation of the faulty judicial process that resulted in their murder, followed by a gazette pronouncement quashing their murder conviction.”

According to them “Ken Saro-Wiwa, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, and Barinem Kiobel were exemplary leaders of the Ogoni nation who responded peacefully to the plight of their people and the destruction of their environment. Their commitment to right historical wrongs against their people and the environment should be recognised and commended.”

News

PHOTOS: Low Turnout, Voter Apathy Mar Anambra Guber

Published

3 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

The November 8 Anambra State governorship election has been marred by low voters turn and apathy.

In Akwa, the state capital,
some tricycle riders were also seen going about their normal businesses, just as some business owners opened their shops for businesses.

In the state capital, accreditation of voters did not start in many polling units visited by our correspondent until about 9:00am.

At Polling Unit 009, Ward 06, Akwa South Local Government Area, our correspondent observed that accreditation started at about a few minutes past 9:00am with low turnout.

At Polling Unit 011, Ward 06, Akwa II, Akwa South Local Government Area, the Presiding Officer, Chiamaka Agbakoba,
told our correspondent that she started accreditation at about 9:15 am because “we were waiting for party agents to arrive, and more so there were not many voters on the ground.”

Salas Okosun, Presiding Officer, Polling Unit 018, Ward 06, Udeozo Primary School, Akwa South, said “we started accreditation exactly 9:am but voters have not been coming. As you can see, no one to capture, so we are still waiting, once it’s 2:30pm, we are done.”

Olusola Abdulsalam, Presiding Officer, Polling 017, Ward 06, Akwa II, Akwa South, said “as at 10:08, we have captured 15 voters. They have been coming out little by little.”

Presiding Officer, Polling Unit 023, Ward 06, Akwa II, Akwa South Local Government Area, Mercy Ezeah, said “we have captured 23 voters as at 10:37am, out of the total of 178 voters we are expecting.”

The narrative was however different in Polling Unit 007, Ward 05, as voters turned out to cast their ballots at the unit.

Speaking to our correspondent, a voter, Anene Chukwudezie, lamented that he was disenfranchised because INEC did not print his Permanent Voter Card.

He said: “I cannot vote for the candidate of my choice because INEC did not print my PVC. And it is not me alone, over 30% of voters in Ward 04, Akwa South have this same problem, with my findings, so they cannot vote. And this is why some of our people decide to sit at home.”

News

Okpebholo’s One Year Performance Outshines Some governors’ 8 Yrs, Says Idahosa

Published

14 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

The deputy governor of Edo state, Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa says Governor Monday Okpebholo’s performance within his first year in office surpasses some state governors achievements in eight years of office.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Friday Aghedo, the deputy governor was quoted to have said this when he played host to delegation of Esan Daughters Development Initiative of Edo State in his office on Thursday.

He assured that Okpebholo’s administration has just taken off, adding that with the support of the people, Edo will record remarkable achievements in few months to come.

Idahosa noted that with his SHINE Agenda, Okpebholo is poised to entrench good governance across the nook and cranny of the state.

He particularly noted that Okpebholo policies are people centric.

While noting that the unity of the people remains the governor’s primary concern, Idahosa reeled out names of Esan extraction who made impact on Esan land and Edo State in general.

According to him, “Distinguished Senator Monday Okpebholo, to me, is God’s gift to Esan land,” and, “the entire Edo State people are happy with him.”

The President, Esan Daughters Development Initiative of Edo State, Mrs. Kate Osaro commended Idahosa for his complementary role to Okpebholo.

According to her, their complementary roles have ensured peace reign in the state and solicited for its sustainability.

In related vein, Idahosa received and congratulated Management, Staff and Students of “Our Lady of Mercy Nursery and Basic School” on their forthcoming school’s 50th anniversary.

He appreciated the school’s management for helping to shape and impact the lives of students and society.

He deemed it an honour having the organizing committee lead pupils of the school to his office.

He encouraged them (Pupils) to aspire to greater heights by participating in politics to becoming future governors and deputy governors of the state.”

News

#AnambraDecides: Transport Unions Endorsement Of Soludo Could Undermine Perceptions Of Neutrality — KDI

Published

15 hours ago

November 8, 2025

Editor

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), has expressed concern that the endorsement of governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State by the Joint Transporter Forum could undermine perceptions of neutrality in the November 8 governorship election, owing to the role they play in conveying sensitive and non-sensitive materials during elections.

KDI said since INEC relies heavily on these unions —NURTW, RTEAN, Keke, Okada, and Bus Unions — for material transportation, their partisan alignment could undermine perceptions of neutrality, risk delays, and erode public confidence in the process.

Bukola Idowu, Executive Director, expressed the organisation’s concern at a pre-election briefing held in Akwa on Friday.

“The endorsement of the incumbent governor by the Joint Transporter Forum, comprising NURTW, RTEAN, Keke, Okada, and Bus Unions, raises a significant logistical red flag,” KDI worries.

INEC’s Preparedness

The KDI, while noting that INEC has largely demonstrated logistical readiness, some operational gaps persist.

“KDI’s comparative analysis of INEC’s preparedness for the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election against the 2024 Ondo Off-Cycle Election reveals a mixed outlook on operational readiness.

“The training of ad-hoc officials concluded only on November 6, 2025, two days before the election, compared to a timelier completion in Ondo 2024 left no room for mock drills or refresher sessions, limiting INEC’s ability to evaluate the competence of ad-hoc personnel and replace unfit or unavailable staff ahead of election day.”

The CSO, however, commended INEC for the “continuous engagement with stakeholders and improvements in technology usage, particularly through the BVAS and IREV platforms,” saying that it “remains positive indicators that, if effectively managed, can mitigate these risks and enhance the credibility of the process.”

Pre-election Observation, Warning

KDI observed that voter turnout in Anambra has fallen by over 58% in the last eight years, attributing this decline to insecurity, logistical and geographical challenges, warning that “special attention must then be paid to these areas lest Anambra risks experiencing another historically low voter turnout in tomorrow’s governorship election.

“Despite consistent growth in voter registration.It will appear that voter turnout is falling at the same rate at which voter registration was growing. This means that while more citizens are registering to vote, fewer are turning out on election day, a troubling trend that points to deepening voter apathy and declining trust in the electoral process.”

On intolerance during election, KDI said while the overall security risk across the state remains moderate, several localized flashpoints persist in areas historically prone to electoral tension, political rivalry, and voter intimidation.

“The analysis identifies Aguata and Ihiala as severe-risk areas, with a high likelihood of violence or disruption on election day.

“Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ogbaru are categorized as high-risk LGAs, while the remaining local governments are assessed as being at a moderate risk level.

“In practical terms, this means that LGAs classified as severe or high risk face a greater probability of experiencing election-related disturbances, ranging from logistical delays and voter suppression to violent clashes, unless proactive measures are taken.

“Conversely, moderate-risk areas could be relatively peaceful, provided preventive actions are maintained and early warning signals are properly addressed.”

KDI, therefore, urged security agencies to uphold professionalism, neutrality, and restraint in their election-day operations.

“Security deployments should prioritize visible but non-intimidating presence in identified flashpoints, timely intelligence sharing, and rapid response coordination to ensure the safety of voters, election officials, and materials across all 21 LGAs,” KDI noted.

KDI, however, expressed optimism of a largely peaceful election, just as it emphasized that the “credibility of the process will depend on timely deployment, transparent procedures, and restraint by political actors and their supporters.”

The CSO also called on eligible voters to come out peacefully, exercise their civic rights, and resist any attempt to disrupt the process or sell their votes.