Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that politics should not be reduced to a playground for unruly conduct.

Jonathan said this on Thursday at the 10th anniversary dinner of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, an event that also doubled as a celebration of his 68th birthday.

He warned that Nigeria’s democracy is being suffocated by reckless political behaviour, arguing that leadership must be anchored on responsibility, nation-building and restraint.

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According to him, sustaining democratic stability requires civility and a genuine sense of accountability from all political actors.

DAILY POST reports that the gathering brought together an impressive mix of African statesmen, diplomats, political leaders and business figures.

“Politics is not for rascals. It is for people who want to build, not destroy,” Jonathan said, warning that the rising tide of aggressive rhetoric and hostile political behaviour is weakening democratic resilience across the continent.

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He reflected on the experience that inspired the creation of his foundation, noting that its work over the past decade has focused on diplomacy, governance reforms, peacebuilding, mediation and the strengthening of democratic institutions.

Jonathan also lamented the recent spate of violent attacks and abductions across the country, urging leaders at every level to take their responsibility to citizens more seriously and ensure the protection of lives while safeguarding the nation’s democratic order.

The Edo State correspondent of Vanguard newspaper, Comrade Ozioruva Aliu, has bagged the Edo Icon Award of the Year 2025.

Aliu, a one time secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State Council, was awarded alongside others in the 5th edition of the programme for his exceptional performances and commitment to the journalism profession.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Benin City, the organizer of the Edo Icon Award, Lion Moses Ebahor, said the award was designed to celebrate Edo people who have performed excellently and to further motivate them.

“The Edo Icon Award is a means to celebrate Edo people all over the world.

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“Most of the people we give the award to are those creating value in their callings, both in public and private sectors.

“The current Edo State governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, was given ‘Edo Personality of the Year 2022’. He became a senator, and we gave him ‘Edo Man of the Year 2024’ before he became the governor of Edo State.

The chairman of the occasion, Chief Leemon Ikpea—also a philanthropist—is ‘Edo Man of the Year 2025’, while the Deputy Governor, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, is the ‘Edo Personality of the Year 2025’.

“Ours is to celebrate Edo people who are doing well.

“We don’t give the award to criminals; we don’t give it to people with shady characters. Those we give awards to are people we do not know personally, but we carry out research to see what they are doing. For example, the Vanguard reporter we awarded—we didn’t know him or had ever met him, but we saw what he was doing at Vanguard.

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“We give awards to those in security, academia, business, media, and all human endeavours. We dig into people’s profiles before anything,” he said.

Responding, the Vanguard Correspondent in Edo State, who bagged the ‘Edo Icon Print Media Personality of the Year’, said he was overwhelmed when he was informed of his nomination, adding that the recognition serves as an encouragement to do more.

“I am really overwhelmed by this award because our job is a thankless one. If you write a report and someone does not like it, they believe someone has given you money to do it. The day you write something that favours them, they will pretend that they didn’t see it. That is the kind of job we do.

“I was shocked when I was called and informed that the group had nominated me for an award. Whatever we do, we should know that someone is watching. I appreciate the organizers of this event, and I want to say that this is an encouragement to do more,” he said.

Uchechi Okwu-Kanu, wife to Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, has reacted to the life sentence judgment slammed on her husband on Thursday by the federal high court.

Kanu’s wife maintained that a judge cannot ask a defendant to open a defense on terrorism related charges without reading out the written law under which the court is trying the person.

Uchechi alleged that the judge read a script handed over to him in sentencing Kanu to life imprisonment.

She also claimed that the judge could barely read out some of the words in his own very written judgment.

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced NKanu to life imprisonment.
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‎Justice James Omotosho handed down the judgment after delivering a landmark ruling in the trial of the IPOB leader.

DAILY POST reported that Omotosho had earlier convicted Kanu on all seven counts of terrorism charges brought against him by the Department of State Services.
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‎In his judgment, the judge held that the prosecution presented sufficient and credible evidence to prove its case.

READ ALSO:Terrorism Conviction: Nnamdi Kanu Lawyer, Ejimakor Reveals Next Step After Life Imprisonment
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‎He noted that Kanu failed to enter a defence, instead choosing to rest his case on the prosecution’s evidence—a gamble the court said left it with no option but to convict.

However, Kanu’s wife said: “In Nigeria, a judge cannot ask a defendant to open a defense on terrorism related charges without reading out the written law under which the court is trying that person. Okay, so the constitution of the Federal Republic of of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, section 36, I mean, I’m sure that is very familiar to everyone now.

“It provides that a person shall not be convicted of a criminal offense unless the the offense is defined and the penalty prescribed as in a written law. So what Omotosho has done today is a script, a written script for him to read out. Everyone could hear him. Everyone could see that he was reading a script handed over to him and that he could barely read out some of the words in his own very written judgment. How interesting. How interesting.

“I’ve had to quickly tweet and well post the the travesty of justice today regarding how Omotosho ignored the Constitution’s requirement that none can be convicted under an unwritten or unknown offense.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: ‎Court Sentences Nnamdi Kanu To Life Imprisonment For Terrorism

“He forced Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to take a plea under a repealed law, which Mazi Nnamdi Kanu refused. So show me where it is written before I can enter into a defense. And that never happened.

“Omotosho refused, blatantly, flagrantly, to issue written rulings on serious applications. So you could hear him reading. You could hear him counting 1000s of lines of hours of account.

“But then he refused to issue a written a written ruling, which he ought to have done first, but never did. He told Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to put all objections in a final address, then block the final address. So if you were Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, you will be as outraged as he was this afternoon.

“You cannot ask me to put my final address, put it down, write it down, and then you block it. So Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has right. It is his right to put a final address down, to write it down. But a Omotosho blocked that and decided to read out those nonsense he called counts.”