News

FULL LIST: 175 Beneficiaries Of Tinubu’s Pardons

Published

2 months ago

October 11, 2025

President Bola Tinubu has granted presidential pardon and clemency to 175 persons, including late environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, nationalist Herbert Macaulay, Major General Mamman Vatsa, and Maryam Sanda, who was sentenced to death for killing her husband.

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, the decision followed recommendations by the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

The list, released on Saturday, is divided into six parts: pardoned, posthumous pardon (including the Ogoni Nine), victims of the Ogoni Nine honoured, presidential clemency (clemency beneficiaries), list of inmates recommended for reduced term of imprisonment, and list of inmates on death row reduced to life imprisonment.

Below is the full list of beneficiaries as contained in the statement:

Pardoned

Nweke Francis Chibueze, aged 44, serving a life sentence at Kirikiri for cocaine

Dr Nwogu Peters, aged 67; serving a 17-year jail term for fraud. Sentenced in 2013

Mrs Anastasia Daniel Nwaoba, aged 63. Already served a sentence for fraud

Barr. Hussaini Alhaji Umar, aged 58. Sentenced in 2023 to pay a fine of N150M in the ICPC case

Ayinla Saadu Alanamu, age 63, was sentenced to seven years for bribery in 2019 and has served the sentence

Hon. Farouk M. Lawan, aged 62. Sentenced to five years in 2021 for Corrupt Practices and had served the sentence

Posthumous pardon

Sir Herbert Macaulay — banned from public office for misappropriation of funds and sentenced in 1913 by the British colonialists

Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, age 46 — sentenced in 1986 for treason (alleged coup plot)

Posthumous pardon: The Ogoni nine
Ken Saro Wiwa — sentenced for murder
Saturday Dobee — sentenced for murder
Nordu Eawa — sentenced for murder
Daniel Gbooko — sentenced for murder
Paul Levera — sentenced for murder
Felix Nuate — sentenced for murder
Baribor Bera — sentenced for murder
Barinem Kiobel — sentenced for murder
John Kpuine — sentenced for murder
Victims of Ogoni Nine honoured
Chief Albert Badey
Chief Edward Kobaru
Chief Samuel Orage
Chief Theophilus Orage
Presidential clemency
Aluagwu Lawrence, aged 47, sentenced for Indian hemp (selling), 2015
Ben Friday, aged 60, was sentenced to 3 years or N1.3 million fine for marijuana in 2023
Oroke Micheal Chibueze, aged 21, sentenced to 5 years (cannabis sativa) in 2023
Kelvin Christopher Smith, aged 42, was sentenced to 4 years for importing cocaine in 2023
Azubuike Jeremiah Emeka, aged 31, sentenced in 2021 to 5 years or N3 million fine for importing cocaine
Akinrinnade Akinwande Adebiyi, aged 47, sentenced in 2023 to 3 years for dealing in Tramadol
Ahmed Adeyemo, aged 38, sentenced to 15 years for cannabis. Already served nine years, 5 months at Kirikiri
Adeniyi Jimoh, aged 31 years, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015 and served nine years at Kirikiri
Seun Omirinde, aged 39, sentenced to 15 years for Drugs in 2015. Served nine years at Kirikiri
Adesanya Olufemi Paul, aged 61, sentenced to 14 years for theft. Had served eight years
Ife Yusuf, aged 37, was sentenced for human trafficking in 2019. Had served six years at Kirikiri
Daniel Bodunwa, aged 43, was sentenced in 2018 to 10 years for fraudulent intent to forge a land receipt. Had served six years in jail
Fidelis Michael, aged 40, sentenced to 5 years for cannabis sativa
Suru Akande, aged 52, sentenced to 5 years for cannabis sativa
Safiyanu Umar, aged 56, sentenced to 5 years without the option of a fine for possessing 5 kg of cannabis sativa, 2023
Dahiru Abdullahi, aged 46, was sentenced in 2016 to 21 years for possession of 3 pistols and had spent 10 years in jail
Hamza Abubakar, aged 37, sentenced to 5 years for Indian hemp (selling), 2022
Rabiu Alhassan Dawaki, aged 52, sentenced in 2020 to 7 years for criminal breach of trust
Mujibu Muhammad, aged 30, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years, no option for a fine for cannabis
Emmanuel Eze, aged 49, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for heroin
Bala Azika Yahaya, aged 70, sentenced in 2017 to 15 years for cannabis
Lina Kusum Wilson, aged 34, sentenced to death in 2017 for culpable homicide, had spent eight years in jail
Buhari Sani, aged 33, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for possession of 558 grams of cannabis
Mohammed Musa, aged 27, was sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for possession of 16 grams of cannabis
Muharazu Abubakar, aged 37, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for selling Indian hemp. Already spent 3 years in Katsina Prison
Ibrahim Yusuf, aged 34; jailed 5 years in 2022 for possession of 5.7 grams of Indian hemp
Saad Ahmed Madaki, aged 72; sentenced in 2020 for a 419 offence. Had served 4 years in Kaduna prison
Ex-Corporal Michael Bawa, aged 72: sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in 2005. Had spent 20 years in Kaduna prison
Richard Ayuba, aged 38. Sentenced to 5 years in 2022 for Indian hemp
Adam Abubakar, aged 30 and sentenced in 2022 to five years for possession of 2 kg of tramadol
Emmanuel Yusuf, aged 34; sentenced in 2022 to 4 years for possession of 2 kg of tramadol
Edwin Nnazor, aged 60; sentenced in 2018 to 15 years for cannabis. Had spent 6 years, nine months at Zamfara prison
Chinedu Stanley, aged 34. Sentenced in 2023 to three years for fake lubricant oil
Joseph Nwanoka, aged 42: sentenced in 2022 to five years for drugs
Johnny Ntheru, aged 63, sentenced in 1989 to life imprisonment for robbery. Had spent 36 years in Umuahia Prison
John Omotiye, aged 28, sentenced to six years for pipeline vandalism
Nsikat Edet Harry, aged 37, sentenced in 2023 to 5 years for illegal possession of Indian hemp, cocaine & heroin
Jonathan Asuquo, aged 28, sentenced in 2022 to 5 years for possession of Indian hemp & other drugs
Prince Samuel Peters, aged 54, sentenced in 2020 to 7 years for obtaining money by false pretence. Had spent 4 years, 3 months in Ikot Ekpene Prison
Babangida Saliu, aged 35, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Adamu Sanni, aged 39, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Abdulkarem Salisu, aged 30, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Abdulaziz Lawal, aged 18, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Abdulrahman Babangida, aged 20, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Maharazu Alidu, aged 22, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Zaharadeen Baliue, aged 38, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Babangida Usman, aged 30, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Zayyanu Abdullahi, aged 28, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining, 2024
Bashir Garuba, aged 20, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Imam Suleman, aged 25, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining, 2024
Abbeh Amisu, aged 28, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining, 2024
Lawani Lurwanu, aged 20, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining, 2024
Yusuf Alhassan, aged 33, was sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining in 2024
Abdulahi Isah, aged 25, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining, 2024
Zayanu Bello, aged 35, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Habeeb Suleman, aged 22, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Jubrin Sahabi, aged 23, was sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Shefiu Umar, aged 28, was sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Seidu Abubakar, age 29, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining

Haruna Abubakar, aged 24, was sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Rabiu Seidu, aged 26, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Macha Kuru, aged 25, sentenced in 2024 to 3 years for unlawful mining
Zahradeen Aminu, aged 25 years, sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining
Nazipi Musa, aged 25. Sentenced to 3 years for unlawful mining in 2024
Abdullahi Musa, aged 30 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Habibu Safiu, aged 20 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Husseni Sani, aged 21 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Musa Lawali, aged 25 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Suleiman Lawal, aged 23 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Yusuf Iliyasu, aged 21 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Sebiyu Aliyu, aged 20 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Halliru Sani, aged 18 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Shittu Aliyu, aged 30 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Sanusi Aminu, aged 27 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Isiaka Adamu, aged 40 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Mamman Ibrahim, aged 50 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Shuaibu Abdullahi, aged 35 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Sanusi Adamu, aged 28 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Sadi Musa, aged 20 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Haruna Isah, aged 35 and sentenced to 3 years in 2024 for unlawful mining
Abiodun Elemero, aged 43. Sentenced to life imprisonment for cocaine hawking in 2014. Had spent 10 years plus in Kirikiri
Maryam Sanda, aged 37, was sentenced to death in 2020 for culpable homicide and had spent six years, eight months at Suleja Medium Security Custodial Centre
List of inmates recommended for reduced term of imprisonment
Yusuf Owolabi, aged 36. Sentenced to life in 2015 for manslaughter. Had spent 10 years at Kirikiri. Prison term reduced to 12 years
Ifeanyi Eze, aged 33. Sentenced to life in 2021 for manslaughter and had spent four years at Kirikiri. Prison term reduced to 12 years
Malam Ibrahim Sulaiman, aged 59. Sentenced to life in 2022 for armed robbery & possession of illegal firearms. Sentence cut to 10 years
Shettima Maaji Arfo, aged 54. Sentenced in 2021 to seven years for corrupt practices. Sentence reduced to four years, because of good conduct and ill-health
Ajasper Benzeger, aged 69 and sentenced in 2015 to 20 years for culpable homicide. Sentence reduced to 12 years, based on old age and ill-health
Ifenna Kennechukwu, aged 42. Sentenced in 2015 to 20 years for drugs (cocaine import) and had spent close to 10 years in Kirikiri. Prison term reduced to 12 years
Mgbeike Matthew, aged 45. Sentenced to 20 years in 2013 for the import of 3.10 kg. Following remorsefulness and the acquisition of vocational skills at Kirikiri. Sentence reduced to 12 years
Patrick Mensah, aged 40. Sentenced in 2015 to 17 years for drugs. Sentence reduced to 11 years
Obi Edwin Chukwu, aged 43 and sentenced in 2017 to 15 years for drugs. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Tunde Balogun, aged 32 and sentenced in 2015 to 15 years for drugs. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Lima Pereira Erick Diego, aged 27 and sentenced in 2017 to 15 years or a fine of N20 million for drugs. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Uchegbu Emeka Michael, aged 37. Sentenced in 2017 to 15 years or a fine of N20 million for drugs. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Salawu Adebayo Samsudeen, aged 46 and sentenced in 2016 to 15 years for drugs. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Napolo Osariemen, aged 61 and sentenced in 2022 to 15 years for 2 kilos of Indian hemp. The sentence was reduced to seven years
Patricia Echoe Igninovia, aged 61 and sentenced in 2023 to seven years for trafficking in persons. Sentence reduced to five years
Odeyemi Omolaram, aged 65 and sentenced in 2017 to 25 years in prison for drugs. Sentence reduced to 12 years based on the defendant’s remorsefulness and advanced age
Vera Daniel Ifork, aged 29 and sentenced in 2020 to 10 years for trafficking in persons. Sentence reduced to eight years
Gabriel Juliet Chidimma, aged 32 and sentenced in 2022 to six years for drug (cocaine). Sentence reduced to four years
Dias Santos Marcia Christiana, aged 44 and sentenced in 2017 to 15 years for import of cocaine. Sentence reduced to 10 years
Alh. Ibrahim Hameed, aged 71 and sentenced in 2023 to seven years for illegal property (obtaining property under false pretence). Sentence reduced to five years
Alh. Nasiru Ogara Adinoyi, 65, was sentenced in 2023 to 14 years for obtaining property by false pretence. Sentence reduced to seven years

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Chief Emeka Agbodike, aged 69, was sentenced in 2023 to seven years for obtaining property by false pretence. Sentence reduced to 3 years
Isaac Justina, aged 40. Sentenced in 2022 to 10 years for cannabis sativa and had spent 3 years in the Abeokuta Custodial Centre. Sentence reduced to four years
Aishat Kehinde, aged 38 and sentenced in 2022 to five years for unlawful possession of cannabis. The prison term being served in Abeokuta has been reduced to four years
Helen Solomon, age 68. Sentenced in 2024 to five years for cannabis sativa. Sentence reduced to three years
Okoye Tochukwu, aged 43 and sentenced in 2024 to six years for cannabis sativa. Sentence reduced to 3 years
Ugwueze Paul, aged 38 and sentenced in 2024 to six years for cannabis sativa. Sentence reduced to three years
Mutsapha Ahmed, aged 46 and sentenced in 2022 to seven years without a fine option for criminal breach of trust. The sentence was reduced to five years
Abubakar Mamman, aged 38 and sentenced in 2020 to 10 years in Kebbi Custodial Centre for possession of firearms. Sentence reduced to seven years
Muhammed Bello Musa, aged 35. Sentenced in 2020 to 10 years in Kebbi Custodial Centre for illegal possession of firearms. Sentence reduced to seven years
Nnamdi Anene, aged 67 and sentenced in 2010 to life imprisonment at Katsina Custodial Centre for illegal dealing of arms. Sentence reduced to 20 years
Alh. Abubakar Tanko, aged 61, was sentenced in 2018 to 30 years at the Gusau Custodial Centre for culpable homicide. Sentence reduced to 20 years
Chisom Francis Wisdom, aged 30; sentenced in 2018 to 20 years in Umuahia Custodial Centre for kidnapping. Sentence reduced to 12 years
Innocent Brown Idiong, aged 60, sentenced in 2020 to 10 years for possession of 700 grams of Indian hemp. Has already spent 4 years and 3 months at Ikot Abasi Custodial Centre. Jail term reduced to six years
Iniobong Imaeyen Ntukidem, aged 46, was sentenced 2021 to seven years in jail at the Uyo Custodial Centre. Prison term reduced to five years
Ada Audu, aged 72, was sentenced in 2022 to seven years in Kuje Custodial Centre and had spent 2 years and 7 months in prison. Prison term reduced to 4 years because of old age
Bukar Adamu, aged 40 and sentenced to 20 years in 2019 for advance fee fraud. Prison term reduced to nine years
Kelvin Oniarah Ezigbe, 44, was sentenced in October 2023 to 20 years for kidnapping, which took effect in 2013. The sentence was reduced to 13 years
Frank Azuekor, aged 42. Sentenced in 2023 for kidnapping and jailed in Kuje Custodial Centre for 20 years, and had spent 12 years behind bars from 2013. The sentence was reduced to 13 years
Chukwukelu Sunday Calisthus, aged 47 and sentenced in 2014 to life at Kuje Custodial Centre for drugs. He had spent 11 years at Kuje. Sentence reduced to 13 years
Professor Magaji Garba, aged 67. Sentenced in 2021 to seven years for obtaining money by false pretence and had spent 3 years at Kuje Custodial Centre. The prison term was reduced to four years due to good conduct and advanced age
Markus Yusuf, aged 41. Sentenced in 2023 to 13 years for culpable homicide. Sentence reduced to 5 years based on ill-health
Samson Ajayi, aged 31 and sentenced in 2022 to 15 years for drugs. He had spent five years at Suleja Custodial Centre. The sentence was reduced to seven years
Iyabo Binyoyo, aged 49. Sentenced in 2017 to 10 years for drugs and sentenced to nine years at Suleja Custodial Centre, due to good conduct
Oladele Felix, 49, was sentenced in 2022 to five years without a fine option for conspiracy and exploitation. Based on good conduct and remorsefulness, the sentence was reduced to four years. Felix is serving the term at Suleja
Rakiya Beida, aged 33 and sentenced in 2021 to seven years, without a fine option, for theft and cheating. The sentence, being served at Suleja, was reduced to three years based on good conduct
Nriagu Augustine Ifeanyi, aged 44 and sentenced in 2018 to 10 years in Ikoyi Custodial Centre, for exporting cocaine. The sentence was reduced to eight years
Chukwudi Destiny, aged 36 and sentenced in 2022 to six years in Ikoyi Custodial Centre for heroin import. The sentence was cut to four years
Felix Rotimi Esemokhai, aged 47 and sentenced in 2022 to five years for heroin. The sentence was reduced to four years
Major S.A. Akubo, aged 62, was sentenced in 2009 to life at Katsina Custodial Centre for illegally removing 7,000 assorted weapons. Following good conduct and remorsefulness, the sentence was commuted to 20 years
John Ibiam, aged 39, was sentenced in 2016 to 15 years for manslaughter and served 9 years and one month in the Afikpo Custodial Centre. The sentence was reduced to 10 years after the individual showed remorse and acquired vocational skills
Omoka Aja, aged 40 and sentenced in 2016 to 15 years for manslaughter, served 9 years and 1 month in Afikpo Custodial Centre. The sentence was commuted to 10 years
Chief Jonathan Alatoru, aged 66, was sentenced in 2021 to seven years for conspiracy to cheat. The sentence served in Port Harcourt Custodial Centre has been reduced to five years
Umanah Ekaette Umanah, aged 70 and sentenced in 2022 to 10 years in Port Harcourt Custodial Centre for forgery. Sentence reduced to five years due to old age and remorsefulness
Utom Obong Thomson Udoaka, 60, was sentenced in 2020 to seven years in Ikot Ekpene Custodial Centre for obtaining money by false pretence. He had served four years and two months at Ikot Ekpene. Due to his old age and good conduct, the initial sentence has been reduced to five years
Jude Saka Ebaragha, aged 44. Sentenced in 2020 to 12 years at Ikoyi Prison and a fine of N1 million for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. The sentence was commuted to six years, and the N1m fine was waived
Frank Insort Abaka, 46, was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years and a N1M fine at Ikoyi Custodial Centre for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. The sentence was reduced to six years, and the fine was waived
Shina Alolo, 42, was sentenced in 2020 to 12 years and a N1M fine at Ikoyi Custodial Centre for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. Like others, the N1m fine was waived, and the sentence was reduced to 6 years
Joshua Iwiki, aged 50: Sentenced in 2020 to 12 years at Ikoyi Prison and a fine of N1M for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. The N1m fine was waived, and the sentence was commuted to six years in prison
David Akinseye, aged 44: Sentenced in 2020 to 12 years & N1M fine for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. His sentence was commuted to 6 years, and the fine was waived
Ahmed Toyin, aged 46: Sentenced in 2020 to 12 years & N1M fine for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. Sentence also commuted and fine waived
Shobajo Saheed, age 57: Sentenced in 2020 to 12 years and a fine of N1M for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. He got a similar reprieve like the others
Adamole Philip, aged 52 years: Sentenced to 12 years & a N1M fine for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel, 2020. Philip also got his term reduced to seven years and the fine waived
Mathew Masi, aged 39: Also sentenced to 12 years and a fine of N1 million for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. The sentence was reduced to six years, and the fine was waived
Bright Agbedeyi, 46, was also sentenced in 2020 for conspiracy to hijack a fishing vessel. Like the others in his category, he got a reprieve
List of inmates on death row reduced to life imprisonment
Emmanuel Baba, aged 38: sentenced to death in 2017 for culpable homicide. On death row in Kuje Custodial Centre for the past 8 years. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment based on good conduct and remorsefulness
Emmanuel Gladstone, aged 45, was sentenced in 2020 to death for murder and had spent five years at Katsina Custodial Centre. Death sentence commuted to life imprisonment due to good conduct and remorse
Moses Ayodele Olurunfemi, aged 51: sentenced to death in 2012 for culpable homicide and had spent 13 years on death row in Katsina. President Tinubu commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment
Abubakar Usman, aged 59: sentenced to death in 2014 and had spent 14 years on death row in Katsina. His sentence was commuted to life because of his remorse and good conduct
Khalifa Umar, aged 37: sentenced to death in 2014 and had spent 11 years on death row in Kano Custodial Centre. His sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment
Benjamin Ekeze, age 40: sentenced to death in 2017 for armed robbery and conspiracy, and had spent 12 years on death row at Kirikiri, Lagos. The sentence was also commuted to life
Mohammed Umar, aged 43: sentenced to death in 2018 for culpable homicide and had spent seven years on death row in Onitsha Custodial Centre. He got the Presidential reprieve, commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment
(PUNCH)

News

Out-of-school: Group To Enroll Adolescent Mothers In Bauchi

Published

10 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

Women Child Youth Health and Education Initiative (WCY) with support from Malala Education Champion Network, have charted a way to enroll adolescent mothers to access education in Bauchi schools.

Rashida Mukaddas, the Executive Director, WCY stated this in Bauchi on Wednesday during a one-day planning and inception meeting with education stakeholders on Adolescent Mothers Education Access (AMEA) project of the organisation.

According to her, the project targeted three Local Government Areas of Bauchi, Misau and Katagum for implementation in the three years project.

She explained that all stakeholders in advancing education in the state would be engaged by the organisation to advocate for Girl-Child education.

The target, she added, was to ensure that as many as married adolescent mothers and girls were enrolled back in school in the state.

“Today marks an important step in our collective commitment to ensuring that every girl in Bauchi state, especially adolescent who are married, pregnant, or young mothers has the right, opportunity, and support to continue and complete her education.

“This project has been designed to address the real and persistent barriers that prevent too many adolescent mothers from returning to school or staying enrolled.

“It is to address the barriers preventing adolescent mothers from continuing and completing their education and adopting strategies that will create an enabling environment that safeguard girls’ rights to education while removing socio-cultural and economic obstacles,” said Mukaddas.

She further explained to the stakeholders that the success of the project depended on the strength of their collaboration, the alignment of their actions, and the commitments they forge toward the implementation of the project.

Also speaking, Mr Kamal Bello, the Project Officer of WCY, said that the collaboration of all the education stakeholders in the state with the organisation could ensure stronger enforcement of the Child Rights Law.

This, he said, could further ensure effective re-entry and retention policies for adolescent girls, increased community support for girls’ education and a Bauchi state where no girl was left behind because of marriage, pregnancy, or motherhood.

“It is observed that early marriage is one of the problems hindering girls’ access to education.

“This organisation is working toward ensuring that girls that have dropped out of school due to early marriage are re-enrolled back in school,” he said.

Education stakeholders present at the event included representatives from the state Ministry of Education, Justice, Budget and Economic Planning and Multilateral Coordination.

Others were representatives from International Federation of Women Lawyers, Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), Bauchi state Agency for Mass Education, Civil Society Organization, Religious and Traditional institutions, among others.

They all welcomed and promised to support the project so as to ensure its effective implementation and achieve its set objectives in the state.

News

OPINION: Fubara, Adeleke And The Survival Dance

Published

11 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

By Israel Adebiyi

You should be aware by now that the dancing governor, Ademola Adeleke has danced his last dance in the colours of the Peoples Democratic Party. His counterpart in Rivers, Siminalayi Fubara has elected to follow some of his persecutors to the All Progressive Congress, after all “if you can’t beat them, you can join them.”
Politics in Nigeria has always been dramatic, but every now and then a pattern emerges that forces us to pause and think again about where our democracy is heading. This week on The Nation’s Pulse, that pattern is what I call the politics of survival. Two events in two different states have brought this into sharp focus. In both cases, sitting governors elected on the platform of the same party have found new homes elsewhere. Their decisions may look sudden, but they reveal deeper issues that have been growing under the surface for years.

In Rivers, Governor Siminalayi Fubara has crossed into the All Progressives Congress. In Osun, Governor Ademola Adeleke has moved to the Accord Party. These are not small shifts. These are moves by people at the top of their political careers, people who ordinarily should be the ones holding their parties together. When those at the highest levels start fleeing, it means the ground beneath them has become too shaky to stand on. It means something has broken.

A Yoruba proverb captures it perfectly: Iku to n pa oju gba eni, owe lo n pa fun ni. The death that visits your neighbour is sending you a message. The crisis that has engulfed the Peoples Democratic Party did not start today. It has been building like an untreated infection. Adeleke saw the signs early. He watched senior figures fight openly. He watched the party fail to resolve its zoning battles. He watched leaders undermine their own candidates. At some point, you begin to ask yourself a simple question: if this house collapses today, what happens to me? In Osun, where the competition between the two major parties has always been fierce, Adeleke was not going to sit back and become another casualty of a party that refused to heal itself. Survival became the most reasonable option.

His case makes sense when you consider the political temperature in Osun. This is a state where the opposition does not sleep. Every misstep is amplified. Every weakness is exploited. Adeleke has spent his time in office under constant scrutiny. Add that to the fact that the national structure of his party is wobbly, divided and uncertain about its future, and the move begins to look less like betrayal and more like self-preservation.

Rivers, however, tells a slightly different story. Fubara’s journey has been a long lesson in endurance. From the moment he emerged as governor, it became clear he was stepping into an environment loaded with expectations that had nothing to do with governance. His political godfather was not content with being a supporter. He wanted control. He wanted influence. He wanted obedience. Every decision was interpreted through the lens of loyalty. From the assembly crisis to the endless reconciliation meetings, to the barely hidden power struggles, Fubara spent more time fighting shadows than building the state he was elected to lead.

It soon became clear that he was governing through a maze of minefields. Those who should have been allies began to treat him like an accidental visitor in the Government House. The same legislators who were meant to be partners in governance suddenly became instruments of pressure. Orders came from places outside the official structure. Courtrooms turned into battlegrounds. At some point, even the national leadership of his party seemed unsure how to tame the situation. These storms did not come in seasons, they came in waves. One misunderstanding today. Another in two weeks. Another by the end of the month. Anyone watching closely could see that the governor was in a permanent state of emergency.

So when the winds started shifting again and lawmakers began to realign, those who understood the undercurrents knew exactly what was coming. Fubara knew too. A man can only take so much. After months of attacks, humiliations and attempts to cage his authority, the move to another party was not just political. It was personal. He had given the reconciliation process more chances than most would. He had swallowed more insults than any governor should. He had watched institutions bend and twist under the weight of private interests. In many ways, his defection is a declaration that he has finally chosen to protect himself.

But the bigger question is how we got here. How did two governors in two different parts of the country end up taking the same decision for different but related reasons? The answer goes back to the state of internal democracy in our parties. No party in Nigeria today fully practices the constitution it claims to follow. They have elaborate rules on paper but very loose habits in reality. They talk about fairness, but their primaries are often messy. They preach unity, but their caucuses are usually divided into rival camps. They call themselves democratic institutions, yet dissent is treated as disloyalty.

Political parties are supposed to be the engine rooms of democracy. They are the homes where ideas are debated, leaders are groomed, and future candidates are shaped. In Nigeria, they increasingly look like fighting arenas where the loudest voices drown out everyone else. When leaders ignore their own constitutions, the structure begins to crack. When factions begin to run parallel meetings, the foundation gets weaker. When decisions are forced down the throats of members, people begin making private plans for their future.

No governor wants to govern in chaos. No politician wants to be the last one standing in a sinking ship. This is why defections are becoming more common. A party that cannot manage itself cannot manage its members. And members who feel exposed will always look for safer ground.

But while these moves make sense for Adeleke and Fubara personally, the people they govern often become the ones left in confusion. Voters choose candidates partly because of party ideology, even if our ideologies are weak. They expect stability. They expect continuity. They expect that the mandate they gave will remain intact. So when a governor shifts political camp without prior consultation, the people feel blindsided. They begin to wonder whether their votes carry weight in a system where elected officials can switch platforms in the blink of an eye.

This is where the politics of survival becomes dangerous for democracy. If leaders keep prioritizing their personal safety over party stability, the system begins to lose coherence. Parties lose their identity. Elections lose their meaning. Governance becomes a game of musical chairs. Today you are here. Tomorrow you are there. Next week you may be somewhere else. The people become bystanders in a democracy that is supposed to revolve around them.

Rivers and Osun should serve as reminders that political parties need urgent restructuring. They need to rebuild trust internally. They need to enforce their constitutions consistently. They need to treat members as stakeholders, not spectators. When members feel protected, they stay. When they feel targeted, they run. This pattern will continue until parties learn the simple truth that power is not built by intimidation, but by inclusion.

There is also the question of what these defections mean for governance. When governors are dragged into endless party drama, service delivery suffers. Time that should be spent on roads, schools, hospitals, water projects and job creation ends up being spent in meetings, reconciliations and press briefings. Resources that should strengthen the state end up funding political battles. The public loses twice. First as witnesses to the drama. Then as victims of delayed or abandoned development.

In Rivers, the months of tension slowed down the government. Initiatives were stalled because the governor was busy trying to survive political ambush. In Osun, Adeleke had to juggle governance with internal fights in a crumbling party structure. Imagine what they could have achieved if they were not constantly looking over their shoulders.

Now, as both men settle into new political homes, the final question is whether these new homes will provide stability or merely temporary shelter. Nigeria’s politics teaches one consistent lesson. New alliances often come with new expectations. New platforms often come with new demands. And new godfathers often come with new conditions. Whether Adeleke and Fubara have truly found peace or simply bought time is something only time will tell.

But as citizens, what we must insist on is simple. The politics of survival should not become the politics of abandonment. Our leaders can fight for their political life, but they must not forget that they hold the people’s mandate. The hunger, poverty, insecurity and infrastructural decay that Nigerians face will not be solved by defection. It will be solved by steady leadership and functional governance.

The bigger lesson from Rivers and Osun is clear. If political parties in Nigeria continue on this path of disunity and internal sabotage, they will keep losing their brightest and most strategic figures. And if leaders keep running instead of reforming the system, then we will wake up one day to a democracy where the people are treated as an afterthought.

Governors may survive the storms. Parties may adjust to new alignments. But the people cannot keep paying the price. Nigeria deserves a democracy that works for the many, not the few. That is the real pulse of the nation.

News

Human Rights Day: Stakeholders Call For More Campaigns Against GBV

Published

12 hours ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

Panel of discussants at an event to commemorate the International Human Rights Day, 2025 on Wednesday called for more campaigns against Gender-Based Violence, adding that it must start from the family.

The panel of discussants drawn from religious and community leaders, security agents, members of the civil society community, chiefs, etc, made the call in Benin in an event organised by Justice Development & Peace Centre (JDPC), Benin, in collaboration with Women Aid Collective (WACOL) with the theme: Multilevel Dialogue for Men, Women, Youth and Critical Take holders on the Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The stakeholders, who said causes of GBV are enormous, called for more enlightenment and education in the family, community and the religious circle.

Security agents in the panel charged members of the public to report GBV cases to security agents regardless of the sex Involved, adding: “When GBV happens, it should be reported to the appropriate quarters. It doesn’t matter if the woman or the man is the victim. GBV perpetrators should not be covered up, they must be exposed. We are there to carry out the prosecution after carrying out the necessary investigation.”

Earlier in his opening remarks, Executive Director, JDPC, Rev. Fr. Benedicta Onwugbenu, lamented that (GBV) remains the most prevalent in the society yet hidden because of silence from victims.

According to him, GBV knows no age, gender or race, adding that “It affects people of all ages, whether man or woman, boy or girl.”

“It affects people from different backgrounds and communities, yet it remains hidden because of silence, stigma, and fear. Victims of GBV are suffering in silence.”

On her part, Programme Director, WACOL, Mrs. Francisca Nweke, who said “women are more affected, and that is why we are emphasising on them,” stressed “we are empowering Christian women and women leaders of culture for prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria through the strengthening of grassroots organisations.”