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OPINION: The Day Friendship Died

Published

4 months ago

December 24, 2025

Editor

By Israel Adebiyi

There is a peculiar kind of pain that comes when two people who once spoke in whispers begin to shout at each other in the marketplace. It is not just the quarrel that hurts. It is the knowledge that both parties know where the bodies are buried. In our clime, we are often warned about who to trust with secrets. Journalists are frequently accused, unfairly, of being incapable of discretion. Even clergymen are sometimes mentioned in hushed tones. Yet experience has shown that the most dangerous custodians of secrets are politicians. When political love turns sour, confidentiality dies first.

Politics has a way of turning men into archivists of one another’s sins. When alliances are strong, secrets are locked away like family heirlooms. When alliances break, those same secrets are dragged into the sun and weaponised. It is why Nigerian politics often feels less like a contest of ideas and more like a theatre of betrayals. The louder the quarrel, the deeper the intimacy that once existed.

The widening gulf between former Rivers State governor and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde belongs squarely in this tradition. Their falling out is not just another political disagreement. It is the unravelling of a friendship forged in the heat of opposition politics and sustained by mutual suspicion of a party they once believed had lost its moral compass. Today, that friendship lies in ruins, and the Peoples Democratic Party wanders like an orphan unsure of who will lead it home.

Not too long ago, Wike and Makinde spoke the same political language. They were comrades in rebellion, leaders of the G5 governors who openly defied their party’s presidential candidate in 2023. Together with Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, they insisted that the PDP had violated its own sense of balance and fairness. They framed their revolt as a moral stand, not personal ambition. In that season, Makinde was often the quieter, more measured voice, while Wike was the thunder that shook the room. But thunder and silence were working toward the same end.

What held them together was not affection but necessity. Politics has always been a marriage of convenience, and like many such unions, it thrives only while interests align. The cracks between Wike and Makinde began to show once the election dust settled and the G5 project lost its urgency. With Atiku Abubakar defeated and Bola Tinubu installed as president, the question became what next. That was where the paths diverged.

Makinde remained in the PDP, speaking the language of reform, independence and internal rebirth. Wike, on the other hand, crossed the aisle, accepted a powerful ministerial role, and began to speak with the confidence of a man who believes he has finally found a system that appreciates his political weight. In itself, that choice was not the problem. Nigerian politics is littered with ideological migrations. The problem was the loose tongue that followed.

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In a recent disclosure, Makinde lifted the curtain on a high level meeting involving President Tinubu, Wike, the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other officials. According to the Oyo governor, the moment that meeting turned from routine to revealing was when Wike reportedly pledged to hold the PDP for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections. It was not just the audacity of the statement that stunned Makinde. It was the silence that followed. The president, Makinde said, did not ask for such loyalty, nor did he encourage it.

In that moment, the illusion of shared purpose collapsed. Makinde made it clear that while he respected Wike’s personal political choices, he could not be part of any arrangement that reduced the PDP to a pawn in another party’s chess game. For him, that was a line that could not be crossed. It was not merely about party loyalty. It was about the survival of democratic competition itself.

Given his political temperament, Wike is unlikely to take kindly to the public airing of private conversations. A forceful response, complete with his own version of events and pointed questions about Makinde’s sincerity and political courage, should be expected. What this kind of exchange usually produces is a familiar pattern: accusations, counter-accusations, selective memory and moral grandstanding, each man speaking with the confidence of someone who knows the other too well.

This is how political betrayals often unfold. The elders say that when two brothers fight, strangers are invited to count their teeth. In exposing one another, Wike and Makinde have not only diminished themselves but also further weakened a party already struggling for relevance. The PDP today feels like a house where the elders are busy quarrelling while the roof leaks.

The tragedy is not just that these men cannot reconcile. It is that they no longer seem interested in trying. Politics has taught them that public disagreement attracts attention, sympathy and leverage. Silence is no longer a virtue. The louder the fight, the stronger the signal to allies and adversaries alike. In this climate, restraint is mistaken for weakness.

We have seen this script before. In Edo State, the once unbreakable bond between Adams Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki collapsed in spectacular fashion. What followed was not a debate over policy or governance philosophy but a parade of allegations and counter allegations. Oshiomhole turned on Obaseki with a ferocity that shocked even seasoned observers. His wife was dragged into the mud, personal matters were weaponised, and the private became brutally public. It was a masterclass in political scorched earth tactics.

What that episode revealed, and what the Wike Makinde saga confirms, is how casually Nigerian politicians treat secrets once loyalty expires. Words are spoken without restraint, meetings are narrated selectively, and private pledges are denied or exaggerated depending on convenience. In such an environment, trust becomes a scarce commodity. Today’s ally is tomorrow’s accuser.

For the PDP, the consequences are dire. A party that once bestrode the political landscape like a colossus now looks disoriented. Its leading figures speak in different tongues. Some flirt openly with the ruling party. Others preach resistance without offering a roadmap. The internal contradictions are no longer hidden. They are debated openly by men who once pretended unity.

An orphaned party is a dangerous thing. Without clear leadership or shared vision, it becomes vulnerable to infiltration, manipulation and irrelevance. The PDP’s inability to manage internal dissent has left it exposed. Wike’s proximity to power and Makinde’s insistence on independence represent two competing instincts within the party. Neither seems willing to yield.

There is an old saying that when the drumbeat changes, the dancer must adjust his steps. The PDP’s problem is that its drummers are beating different rhythms. Some want accommodation. Others want confrontation. Without consensus, the party risks becoming a footnote in future elections, remembered more for its internal quarrels than its contributions to democracy.

The personal feud between Wike and Makinde matters because it symbolises this broader crisis. Their words carry weight. Their actions send signals. When they speak loosely, they embolden others to do the same. When they expose private conversations, they normalise betrayal as political strategy.

Yet, one is tempted to ask whether reconciliation is still possible. History suggests that political enemies can become allies again when interests realign. Today’s betrayal can become tomorrow’s handshake. But trust, once broken, is not easily repaired. The crack in the mirror remains even after it is glued.

Perhaps the lesson here is not about who is right or wrong but about the cost of unguarded alliances. The elders also say that a friend who knows your weakness holds your destiny in his hands. Nigerian politicians have mastered the art of intimacy without loyalty. They embrace quickly and separate violently.

As the nation watches this latest drama unfold, there is entertainment, yes, but also exhaustion. Nigerians are tired of politics as personal warfare. They yearn for substance, for ideas, for leadership that rises above vendetta. Every public spat chips away at public confidence.

The PDP still has a choice. It can continue down this path of mutual destruction, or it can find a way to impose discipline, restore trust and redefine purpose. Whether Wike and Makinde will be part of that rebirth remains uncertain. What is clear is that their feud has already done damage.

In the end, betrayal is not always about knives in the back. Sometimes it is about words spoken too freely, secrets shared too carelessly, and bridges burned too eagerly. When former friends become public enemies, everyone loses. And when a party loses its compass, it wanders until something stronger replaces it.

For now, the PDP wanders. Its loudest sons are talking past each other, not to each other. The marketplace is noisy, the whispers are gone, and the secrets are out. Whether wisdom will return before it is too late is a question only time can answer.

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Xenophobic Attacks: Oshiomhole Tells FG To Retaliate Against South African Companies In Nigeria

Published

7 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has called on the Federal Government to retaliate against South African businesses operating in Nigeria following the recent attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Oshiomhole said the Federal Government should consider revoking the working license of South African owned companies such as MTN and DSTV.

He argued that Nigeria must respond firmly to what he described as persistent hostility against its citizens.

“I am not going to shed tears. If you hit me, I hit you. I think it is appropriate in diplomacy. It is an economic struggle,” Oshiomhole said.

He argued that while some South Africans accuse Nigerians of taking their jobs, Nigerians should return home and take over employment opportunities created by major South African companies operating in the country, including MTN and DSTV.

“When we hit back, the President of South Africa will not only talk but will also go on his knees to recognise that Nigeria cannot be intimidated.

“We will not condone any life being lost. If a crime has been committed under the South African law they have the right to bring any such person to justice, but to kill our people as if we are helpless, we will not allow that,” Oshiomhole added.

DAILY POST reports that several Nigerians in South Africa have reportedly been attacked, and their businesses destroyed, in ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country.

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IGP Orders Officers Display Name Tag On Uniform, Gives Update On State Police

Published

7 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Tunji Disu, has ordered all police personnel to always have their name tags on their uniforms for easy identification.

Disu disclosed that only police personnel who are undercover are exempted from displaying their name tags.

Speaking on Tuesday, Disu said: “All police officers should have their name tags. All of us on the high table have our names apart from the undercover among us so if you look at all the Commissioners of Police we have our name tags, so it’s not our standard.

News

Court Orders SERAP To Pay DSS Operatives N100m For Defamation

Published

12 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has ordered a non-governmental organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, to pay N100 million as damaged to two operatives of the Department of the State Services, DSS, for unjustly defaming them in some publications.

The court also ordered SERAP to tender public apologies to the defamed officers,
Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele, in two national newspapers, two television stations and its website.

Besides, the organization was also ordered to pay the two operatives N1 million as cost of litigation and 10 percent post-judgment interest annually on the judgment sum until it’s fully liquidated.

Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory gave the order on Tuesday while delivering judgment in a N5.5 billion defamation suit instituted against SERAP by the DSS operatives.

The judge found SERAP liable for unjustly defaming the two DSS operatives with allegations that they unlawfully invaded its Abuja office, harassed and intimidated its staff, in September 2024.

In the offending publication on its website and Twitter handle, SERAP alleged that the two operatives unlawfully invaded and occupied its office with sinister motives.

The judge held that the publication was in bad taste especially from an organization established to promote transparency and accountability, as nothing in the publication was found to be truthful.

The DSS staff had listed SERAP as 1st defendant in the suit marked CV/4547/2024. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, was listed as the 2nd defendant.

In the suit, the claimants – Sarah John and Gabriel Ogundele – accused the two defendants of making false claims that they invaded SERAP’s Abuja office on September 9, 2024..

Counsel to the DSS, Oluwagbemileke Samuel Kehinde, had while adopting his final address in the mater urged the judge to grant all the reliefs sought by his client in the interest of justice.

He admitted that although the names of the two claimants were not mentioned in the defamation materials, they had however established substantial circumstances that they are the ones referred to in the published defamation article by SERAP on its website.

The counsel submitted that all ingredients of defamation have been clearly established and the offending publication referred to the two officials of the secret police.

However, SERAP, through its counsel, Victoria Bassey from Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, law firm, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that the two claimants did not establish that they were the ones referred to in the alleged defamation materials.

She said that SERAP used “DSS officials” in the alleged offending publication, adding that the two claimants must establish that they are the ones referred to before their case can succeed.

Similar arguments were canvassed by Oluwatosin Adefioye who stood for the second defendant, adding that there was no dispute in the September 9, 2024 operation of DSS in SERAP’s office.

He said that since SERAP in the publication did not name any particular person, the claimants must plead special circumstances that they were the ones referred to as the DSS officials.

Besides, he said that there is no organization by name Department of State Services in law, hence, DSS cannot claim being defamed adding that the only entity known to law is National Security Agency.

The claimants had in the suit stated that the alleged false claim by SERAP has negatively impacted on their reputation.

The DSS also stated, in the statement of claim, that, in line with the agency’s practice of engaging with officials of non-governmental organisations operating in the FCT to establish a relationship with their new leadership, it directed the two officials – John and Ogunleye – to visit SERAP’s office and invite them for a familiarization meeting.

The claimants added that in carrying out the directive, John and Ogunleye paid a friendly visit to SERAP’s office at 18 Bamako Street, Wuse Zone 1, Abuja on September 9 and met with one Ruth, who upon being informed about the purpose of the visit, claimed that none of SERAP’s management staff was in the country and advised that a formal letter of invitation be written by the DSS.

John and Ogundele, who claimed that their interactions with Ruth were recorded, said before they immediately exited SERAP’s office, Ruth promised to inform her organisation’s management about the visit and volunteered a phone number – 08160537202.

They said it was surprising that, shortly after their visit, SERAP posted on its X (Twitter) handle – @SERAPNigeria – that officers of the DSS are presently unlawfully occupying its office.

The claimant added, “On the same day, the defendants also published a statement on SERAP’s website, which was widely reported by several media outfits, falsely alleging that some officers from the DSS, described as “a tall, large, dark-skinned woman” and “a slim, dark skinned man,” invaded their Abuja office and interrogated the staff of the first defendant (SERAP).

John and Ogundele stated that “due to the false statements published by the defendants, the DSS has been ridiculed and criticised by international agencies such as the Amnesty International and prominent members of the Nigerian society, such as Femi Falana (SAN)”.

“Due to the false statements published by the defendants, members of the public and the international community formed the opinion that the Federal Government is using the DSS to harass the defendants.”

They added that the defendants’ statements caused harm to their reputation because the staff and management of the DSS have formed the opinion that the claimants did not follow orders and carried out an unsanctioned operation and are therefore, incompetent and unprofessional.

The claimants therefore prayed the court for the following reliefs: “An order directing the defendants to tender an apology to the claimants via the first defendant’s (SERAP’s) website, X (twitter) handle, two national daily newspapers (Punch and Vanguard) and two national news television stations (Arise Television and Channels Television) for falsely accusing the claimants of unlawfully invading the first defendant’s office and interrogating the first defendant’s staff.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N5 billion as damages for the libellous statements published about the claimants.

“Interest on the sum of N5b at the rate of 10 percent per annum from the date of judgment until the judgment sum is realised or liquidated.

“An order directing the defendants to pay the claimants the sum of N50 million as costs of this action.”