Politics
Serial Contestants In Nigeria’s Electoral System
Published
3 years agoon
By
Editor
The three failed attempts by President Muhammadu Buhari to become the President before he eventually won in 2015 has become a classic example of how people should be resilient in their endeavour or political ventures.
A National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, made a caricature of the President’s serial attempts in his Abeokuta outburst few weeks ago when he said in Yoruba, ‘he tried the first time, he failed; he tried the second time, he failed; he tried again the third time, he failed. He even cried on national television but I told him to wipe his tears because crying wasn’t the next thing…’
That video, made a few days to the anticipated APC presidential primary, went viral prompting a rebuttal from the Presidency and a clarification from Tinubu that he didn’t mean to denigrate the President.
However, what is instructive is that Buhari contested the presidential election three times and failed until he won the fourth time after the merger that produced the APC. Likewise, in Nigeria’s four-cycle elections, at the state and federal levels, there are some Nigerians who have been contesting elections but have yet to win. Some are seen only during election season, while some have become a part of the Nigerian life whether or not it is election season.
Atiku: One of the popular names that readily come to mind is former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who is currently the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the February 25, 2023 election. Interestingly, the forthcoming election would be Atiku’s sixth attempt at becoming Nigeria’s president. In some instances, he lost during the primary and in some other instances, he flew the party’s flag but lost the main election. His first attempt at the number one seat was the popular 1993 election won by the late MKO Abiola. Atiku contested the primary of the Social Democratic Party but lost the ticket to Abiola. Some good news however; in the fourth republic that started in 1999, he won the governorship election in Adamawa State but left that to become President Olusegun Obasanjo’s deputy, a position he occupied for eight years.
After falling out with Obasanjo over his bid to succeed him as president in 2007, Atiku joined the Action Congress and flew the party’s flag but lost the election and came third. Before the 2011 election, he had joined the PDP and contested the primary against the then incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan but he also lost to Jonathan. Ahead of the 2015 election when the ACN had morphed into the APC, he contested against Buhari in the primary and lost again. He later defected back to the PDP and flew the party’s flag in the 2019 election but lost again to Buhari. Now, he remains the candidate of the PDP for the forthcoming election. Having defected from one party to another about five times, his supporters are hopeful he would win this time round as they project that this might be his last chance to contest, considering his age. He’d clock 76 in November.
READ ALSO: 2023 Presidency: Why Tinubu Nominated Masari As Running Mate Revealed
Ribadu: The former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, is also another aspirant who has contested the presidency and the governorship of Adamawa State a few times but has yet to win. In the 2011 presidential election, Ribadu was the candidate of the ACN but he lost the election. Ahead of the 2015 general elections, Ribadu dumped the ACN for the PDP and emerged as the governorship candidate of the party for the 2015 election. He defeated six other aspirants, including the acting governor of the state, Bala Ngilari, to pick the ticket but he lost the election to Jibrilla Bindow of the APC. Again, the former EFCC boss dumped the PDP for the APC and contested the governorship ticket against Bindow for the 2019 election but lost the ticket. He remained in the APC and contested the governorship ticket again in May 2022 but lost to the only female aspirant in the primary, Senator Aishatu Binani. In all, Ribadu has contested the presidency once and the governorship ticket/seat thrice.
Agbaje: A popular face in Lagos governorship contest is Mr Jimi Agbaje, a pharmacist. He has contested the governorship election in the state for about four times but didn’t win. He started with the Action Congress in 2007 and was interested in contesting the election on the party’s platform when Tinubu, who was about concluding his second term as the governor, indicated interest in another person, Babatunde Fashola. Agbaje then defected to the Democratic Peoples Alliance to contest the main election but lost to Fashola. In 2011, he joined the PDP and for the second time contested against Fashola. He lost again. In the 2015 and 2019 governorship elections, he contested against Akinwumi Ambode and Babajide Sanwo-Olu – both candidates of the APC – respectively but lost the elections. At the moment, Agbaje seems to have taken a break as he didn’t contest the primary of any party ahead of the 2023 elections.
Kwankwaso: A former two-term governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, is also taking a third shot at the presidency. Kwankwaso, who once served as the Minister of Defence, contested the primary of the APC ahead of the 2015 election, but lost the ticket to Buhari. In 2019, having defected to the PDP, he lost the ticket to Atiku. After leaving the PDP in protest against he said he was treated by the party, he’s currently the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party. His supporters are hopeful he will win the election in 2023.
Utomi: A professor of political economist, Prof Pat Utomi, is a passionate Nigerian who has also contested presidential and governorship primaries/elections a few times. In 2007, he was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress but lost the election to the late Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP. Also, in 2011, Utomi emerged as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Mega Party but he again lost the election to Jonathan of the PDP. Meanwhile, in 2019, the don went back to his state, Delta, and sought to be the governor under the platform of the APC, of which he was a founding member. He however lost the ticket to Great Ogboru as the party recognised the faction that produced Ogboru as against his emergence in another primary. Responding to criticisms that he contested a governorship election having tried to be president, Utomi said there was nothing wrong with his quest, since both were about service to the people. In the ongoing electioneering, however, Utomi was a presidential aspirant in the Labour Party but stepped down for former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who is now the party’s candidate.
Otti: After his exit as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank in 2014, Mr Alex Otti joined politics and contested the governorship seat in his home state of Abia. He contested on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance but lost to Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP. However, the Court of Appeal in December 2015 declared him as the winner and sacked Ikpeazu, but that decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court in 2020. Again in 2019, he contested the election but lost to the PDP. In 2020, he dumped APGA for the APC. In the ongoing electioneering, however, having dumped the APC for the Labour Party a few weeks to the primaries, he is the candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 governorship election in the state. He has assured the people of the state he wouldn’t take salary if elected the governor of the state, among other primaries.
Akpanudoedehe: The immediate past secretary of the APC caretaker committee, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, has also been on the field for some time. He served as the Minister of State for the FCT under Yar’Adua. In 2011, he was the candidate of the ACN for the governorship of Akwa Ibom State but lost the election to Senator Godswill Akpabio, who won his reelection. In 2015, he recontested on the platform of the APC but lost the ticket to Umana Umana. In 2019, again he lost the APC governorship ticket to Nsima Ekere, who eventually lost the main election to the incumbent, Udom Emmanuel. Currently, Akpanudoedehe has secured the ticket of the NNPP for the 2023 governorship election, and has expressed hope he would win the election. He left the APC a few weeks ago after he was allegedly denied the party’s ticket.
READ ALSO: 2023: Atiku’s Promise To PDP Governors Before Picking Okowa As Running Mate Revealed
Meanwhile, is it important to note that there is no limit to how many times any individual could vie for an office, according to the 1999 constitution (As amended), however it is of interest how politicians move from one party to another to realise their ambitions.
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Politics
Ekiti 2026: APC Sets N40m For Nomination, Offers Discounts For Youths, Women
Published
11 hours agoon
August 5, 2025By
Editor
The All Progressives Congress has released a revised schedule of activities and timetable for the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State.
The party also sets nomination and expression of interest forms at a combined N50 million, offered significant concessions, including exemptions for female aspirants and persons with disabilities, and a 50% discount on nomination fees for youths aged 25 to 40.
According to the timetable issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, the schedule outlines a series of pre-election activities beginning with the release of the notice to the Ekiti State chapter on Friday, July 26, 2025.
The party said the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms is set to commence on Monday, August 26, 2025.
READ ALSO:Philanthropist Offers Scholarship To Secondary School Students In Ekiti
It stated that the update of the party’s membership register for those eligible to participate in the primaries will take place from Monday, July 29, to Friday, August 9, 2025.
The ruling party said the expression of interest and nomination forms will be available for purchase from Monday, August 26, and will close on Friday, August 30, 2025.
The party said the last day for submission of completed forms, including the accompanying documents, is Thursday, September 11, 2025.
“Screening of aspirants is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, while the publication of the screening results will be done the following day, Wednesday, September 24. Aspirants who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the screening may submit appeals on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
READ ALSO:Ekiti Unveils Contest To Promote Creative Arts In Secondary Schools
“The ward congress to elect delegates is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 2025, while appeals arising from the congress will be entertained on Monday, September 29. The party’s governorship primary election will take place on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, with the appeal process concluding on Thursday, October 2, 2025,” the timetable read.
The party said the cost of the nomination form has been pegged at ₦40 million, while the expression of interest form will cost ₦10 million, bringing the total to ₦50 million.
“Female aspirants and persons with disabilities are exempted from paying for the nomination form and are only required to purchase the expression of interest form. Youths aged 25 to 40 will receive a 50 percent discount on the nomination form,” it added.
READ ALSO:Ekiti Court Remands Man Over Alleged Threat To Life
The party also announced that the forms would be available for purchase at the Directorate of Organisation at APC’s National Headquarters in Abuja. Meanwhile, the delegate form will cost ₦5,000.
The APC stressed that only financial members of the party whose membership has been active for at least three months before the release of the timetable will be eligible to participate.
The party urged interested members to contact its Directorate of Organisation or reach out via the contact number provided in the document.
Politics
2027: Peter Obi Is Honest, His 4-year Term Promise Is Sacrosanct – PDP Chieftain
Published
16 hours agoon
August 5, 2025By
Editor
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dan Ulasi, has thrown his weight behind the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on his four-year term pledge.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, had declared that if elected in 2027, he would spend only four years and would not seek re-election.
His promise has attracted criticism from some quarters, with some politicians expressing skepticism.
READ ALSO:2027: Obi’s One-term Presidency Gambit Sparks Political Firestorm
In an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, Ulasi said Obi’s promise should not be doubted, describing him as an honest person.
He said, “I believe Peter Obi’s words are sincere. Unlike the usual crop of politicians in Nigeria, he is honest. The constitution guarantees only a 4-year term, which can be renewed by the people.
“Obi has not said anything out of the ordinary; he believes he can accomplish a great deal in those four years.”
Politics
2027: Four Years Enough To Make Impact – Peter Obi Insists
Published
16 hours agoon
August 5, 2025By
Editor
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has reiterated his commitment to serving only one term if elected president.
Obi stated that four years is sufficient to turn Nigeria around if leadership is driven by genuine service and not personal ambition.
The former Anambra State governor made the statement via his official X handle on Tuesday.
Obi said he finds it baffling that his one-term pledge is generating widespread debate, stressing that a sincere leader can achieve significant progress within a single four-year term.
READ ALSO:Peter Obi Won’t Be Voted Even If He Swears In shrine, Only Jonathan Can Defeat Tinubu – Adeyanju
He added that his motivation is rooted in a desire to see Nigeria work, not personal ambition.
The former Anambra State governor also challenged anyone to investigate his past political campaigns, maintaining that he has never been involved in electoral malpractice, thuggery, or ballot box snatching.
He said: “I still find it baffling that my decision to do a term of four years, if given the mandate to rule this country, is generating so much agitation. By this feeling, we are doubting the fact that a sincere leader can achieve much in 48 months.
“I have never been desperate in the pursuit of power, or anything else, for that matter. There are some traits associated with desperation, which in no way are in any of my political behaviours in the past and now, like engaging in overly aggressive rhetoric or actions to prove a point or gain attention; becoming overly defensive or reactive to criticism, often to the point of appearing paranoid.
READ ALSO:Why Peter Obi Should Inform Okpebholo Before Visiting Edo – Oshiomhole
“Making unrealistic or unfulfillable promises to win support or approval, resorting to personal attacks or character assassination to discredit opponents, or frequently changing positions or policies to suit immediate political needs.
“Throughout my political journey, I have never been involved in thuggery, the snatching of ballot boxes, or any form of electoral malpractice. I challenge anyone: conduct your investigations. You will find no stains of rigging or violence associated with my name. I have always chosen the path of peace, principle, and civility.
“In four years, we can confront corruption head-on, redirecting resources to priority areas. For instance, the trillions used to acquire new presidential jets and other unnecessary expenses at this time could have been channelled into education, healthcare, or infrastructure.
“Within the same period, we ensure that the rule is sacrosanct and the rule of law is strictly followed. Within the same period, we can conduct free, fair, and credible elections.”
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