Politics

Suspend LG Polls, Police Tell Adeleke

Published

9 months ago

February 21, 2025

Few hours before the local government elections in Osun State, the Nigeria Police Force has urged the government to suspend the planned elections.

The police stated that joint intelligence assessments revealed that various groups, including political elements and other interested parties, were mobilising to instigate unrest, disrupt public peace, and undermine the democratic process.

There has been tension in Osun fuelled by ongoing disputes over local government administration, with the PDP and APC locked in a heated battle over the legitimacy of past and present officials.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, on Thursday called on the governor to shelve the planned LG elections.

Fagbemi stated that the Court of Appeal ruling in Akure has set aside an earlier Federal High Court judgment that nullified the previous local government elections conducted under ex-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.

However, the governor, Ademola Adeleke, insisted that the election would hold as planned.

In a statement on Friday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the intelligence reports at the disposal of the police showed a high possibility of violence in the state should the election be held.

“The Nigeria Police Force has received credible intelligence indicating a high likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the planned local government elections proceed in Osun State.

“These reports gathered from joint intelligence gathering reveal that various groups, including political elements and other interested parties, are mobilising to instigate unrest, disrupt public peace, and undermine the democratic order.”

He warned that while security agencies are prepared to maintain law and order, suspending the elections would be in the best interest of public safety and national stability.

Adejobi said, “Given this imminent threat to security, the NPF strongly advises the Osun State Government to suspend the planned elections forthwith in the interest of public safety and national stability.

“The Force has assessed the current security landscape and determined that proceeding with the elections under these volatile conditions could escalate into widespread unrest, endangering lives and property.

“The Nigeria Police Force, in collaboration with other security agencies, is fully prepared to take decisive action to prevent any breakdown of law and order. However, to avert unnecessary confrontation and safeguard the democratic process, it is in the best interest of all stakeholders that the elections be stood down.”

Beyond the security concerns, Adejobi also pointed to a recent Court of Appeal judgment delivered on February 22, 2025, which, according to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, nullifies an earlier Federal High Court ruling on local government administration in Osun State.

He noted that the legal complexities surrounding the polls further reinforce the need for a suspension.

“In light of the combination of heightened security threats and the existing legal complexities, the Nigeria Police Force advises the Osun State Government to reconsider and suspend the planned elections immediately,” the statement added.

Adejobi also appealed to all stakeholders, including political parties, to exercise restraint and prioritize the safety and well-being of citizens during this period.

(PUNCH)

Politics

Trump’s Threat: You’re Responsible For Nigeria’s Rising Insecurity – ADC Slams Tinubu

Published

9 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has blasted President Bola Tinubu, blaming him for the escalating insecurity in Nigeria and the tagging of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern by US President Donald Trump.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Monday, the ADC said the action by Trump again highlights the urgency and scale of Nigeria’s security collapse.

The party said that the US President’s designation underlines the global expectation that governments must protect the lives of citizens living within their borders.

“We are guided by the painful reality that what is really at stake on this issue are the thousands of human lives that have been lost to insecurity in Nigeria, irrespective of their tribe, religion, or region.

“The statement by President Trump reminds us of the greater global concern about the sanctity of human life, and the cardinal responsibility of national governments to protect the lives of people who live within their borders.

“The characterisation of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he stated.

Beyond the security failures, the ADC decried Nigeria’s weakened international standing, linking it to what it called the administration’s diplomatic negligence.

It questioned the continued absence of ambassadors in key countries more than two years into the government’s term, asking: “How can a government that has been boasting of unprecedented revenue success continue to give lack of funds as an excuse for not appointing ambassadors?”

“Under President Tinubu, Nigeria has declined both as a continental and a regional leader.”

Politics

How Obama Plotted My 2015 Election Defeat – Jonathan

Published

10 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, has alleged that ex-US President, Barack Obama, plotted his defeat in 2015.

Jonathan made this allegation in his new book, ‘My Transition Hours’ due to launch on Tuesday.

He said Obama displayed an unusual level of bias during the 2015 elections, describing him as overbearing and ‘condescending’ in his message to Nigerians ahead of the 2015 general election.

According to Jonathan, “On March 23, 2015, President Obama himself took the unusual step of releasing a video message directly to Nigerians all but telling them how to vote.”

Giving the details in the book, Jonathan said, “In that video, Obama urged Nigerians to open the ‘next chapter’ by their votes.

“Those who understood subliminal language deciphered that he was prodding the electorate to vote for the opposition to form a new government.”

According to Premium Times, which obtained a copy of the book hours before its unveiling in Abuja on Tuesday, Jonathan had kept the book secret in order to avoid excerpts of it being published ahead of its formal launch.

Recall that Jonathan lost the 2015 elections to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, marking the first time an incumbent president would lose reelection.

He assumed office in 2010 following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, getting his own mandate of four years at the 2011 presidential election.

“The message was so condescending, it was as if Nigerians did not know what to do and needed an Obama to direct them,” Jonathan said of the video message.

He lampooned Obama, who was American president from 2009 until 2017, for saying all Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear, but was reluctant to allow the Nigerian security forces drive Boko Haram insurgents away from the Nigerian territories they had been occupying in order to free Nigerian citizens there ahead of elections.

Jonathan also took a harsh aim at former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, saying the diplomat was nonchalant in his attitude towards his government, despite all efforts to make him understand that the decision to postpone election was in the overall interest of Nigeria.

“How can the U.S. Secretary of State know what is more important for Nigeria than Nigeria’s own government? How could they have expected us to conduct elections when Boko Haram controlled part of the North East and were killing and maiming Nigerians?

“Not even the assurance of the sanctity of May 29, 2015 handover date could calm them down. In Nigeria, the Constitution is very clear: No President can extend his tenure by one day,” Jonathan said.

Politics

Protest Rocks PDP National Secretariat As Wike-led Faction Takes Over

Published

15 hours ago

November 3, 2025

Editor

A protest erupted on Monday at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wadata Plaza in Abuja, as supporters of the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Mohammed Abdulrahman, stormed the premises.

The group, chanting solidarity songs, demanded that the National Working Committee, led by Umar Damagum, vacate the headquarters immediately.

Abdulrahman was named the acting national chairman of the party last week as the leadership crisis threatening the soul of the party worsened with the suspension of the party’s National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and the Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, for a period of one month.

In a dramatic twist, the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had converged at a separate venue in Abuja and announced the suspension of the Damagum-led NWC.

The protesters, who accused the Damagum-led leadership of mismanaging party affairs, vowed to reclaim control of the secretariat for the Abdulrahman-led faction.

Security operatives have been deployed to the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order as both factions struggle for control of the party’s edifice.

However, the faction of the party’s NWC led by Abdulrahman has taken control of the party’s National Chairman’s office.

Speaking to journalists at the office, Abdulrahman promised to unite and reposition the party in preparation for the next general election.

He also assured members of his commitment to work diligently for the party’s progress.

“We are ready to work in the interest of our dear party,” he said.