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Top 10 Political Issues That Dominated 2022

Published

2 years ago

December 24, 2022

The year 2022 has been dominated by political activities as politicians and political parties are gearing up for the 2023 general elections.

All the major political parties conducted primaries for elections to fill different positions amid the challenges posed by the electoral act.

In this report, DAILY POST reviews the top moments and events as far as politics is concerned in the year 2022.

In no particular order, these events and moments shaped the year, in terms of magnitude and outlook—in most cases, they dominated news reportage.

2022 Electoral Act

This law is shaping the political landscape in Nigeria since it was enacted. Several political appointees had to resign to contest the primaries, while some had to let go of their political ambition to stay on the job.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami had to forgo his ambition to contest the Kebbi State governorship race. Others like Timipriye Sylva and Chris Ngige forfeited their N100 million presidential nomination form of the APC to hold on to their ministerial position.

Godswill Akpabio, Ahmad Lawan and several others lost out due to the act, as new provisions in the law have changed party primaries.

Tinubu’s ‘Emilokan Speech’

Out of nowhere, Bola Tinubu, one of the then 23 aspirants jostling for the presidential ticket of the APC, let loose and gave that famous Speech in Abeokuta, where he declared that it is his turn to become the candidate of the ruling party.

In that famous diatribe, Mr Tinubu held nothing back and spared no one. From President Muhammadu Buhari to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Dapo Abiodun. ‘Everyone chop breakfast’ as they say on Twitter.

The former Lagos State Governor reminded President Muhammadu Buhari of his past electoral defeats before 2015.

For Osinbajo, he was reminded of how he became the vice president, while Governor Abiodun earned the “Eleyi of Eyi”. Many had predicted that the speech would have been the end of Tinubu but he went on to become the candidate of his party.

Some of the Yoruba words he used during the speech—like Emilokan—became campaign a slogan. Even Governor Abiodun has embraced Eleyi (This one).

Peter Obi and the birth of Obidents

Ten months ago, it would have been hard to put Labour Party in the conversation of the likely winner of the presidential race. The decamping of Peter Obi from the PDP to the Labour Party and the birth of the Obidient Movement has completely changed the 2023 presidential race.

According to some polls, Obi is ahead in the battle to replace Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja. The Obidients have held rallies in several cities across the country and dominated the political discourse on social media.

While many had predicted that the movement would fizzle out, less than 60 days before the election, the movement remains formidable. Mr Obi and his movement have dominated 2022.

Tambuwal Speech at PDP primary

Shortly before the commencement of voting at the presidential primaries of the PDP at the Moshood Abiola’s stadium, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, stood up to address the audience at the convention. The short speech that ended with the endorsement of Atiku Abubakar changed the course of the main opposition party.

Atiku won the primaries, however, the crack is threatening the chances of the party winning the 2023 presidential election.

That speech is believed to have changed the party. Wike and four other governors have joined forces to form the G5 Governors, who are openly challenging their party.

Jonathan is coming

Despite not being a member of the ruling party, former President Goodluck Jonathan was linked to the presidential ticket of the APC all through the weeks leading to the APC primaries.

It would be recalled that some people reportedly bought the N100 million nomination and expression of interest forms for Jonathan.

All through, it appeared as though Jonathan would join the race, but he did not.

Tinubu’s victory

Tinubu, Asiwaju, Ahmed, Amaechi, Tinubu, Asiwaju……these names echoed in this order at the Eagle Square in Abuja during the counting of votes. In the end, Tinubu, who had earlier gotten some other contestants to step down for him, won the primaries.

His 1271 votes were enough to defeat the Vice President, senate president and several others.

Threat to impeach Buhari

In July, several opposition lawmakers in the two Chambers of the National Assembly gave President Buhari an ultimatum; fix insecurity or be removed from office.

To underscore the seriousness of the matter, some senators of the ruling party like Elisha Abbo and Umar Bulkachuwa also showed solidarity with the opposition.

However, by the time the lawmakers resumed from recess, the matter was dropped.

Wike’s band

The famous musical band of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State could have won the Grammy for political music if there were any such award.

All through the year, they dropped melodious hits on a ‘back to back’ rate. Some of their tracks like “As e dey pain them”, “Agreement is agreement”, “Big man no dey for size” and others are major hit songs in Nigeria.

The band has been adjudged the best political musical group for 2022, even ahead of the Sanwo-Olu Babes.

Million Man March

One innovation to political campaigns in Nigeria is the “million-man rally”. Supporters of different candidates have done different marching for their candidates.

Initially, Obidents staged such rallies to show support for Mr Peter Obi, however, others have also held similar rallies.

The million-man rally definitely featured prominently in 2022.

Okupe’s arrest

The Director General of the Obi/Datti campaign, Doyin Okupe resigned during the week after a court convicted him in connection with the Armed funds.

Although Mr Okupe opted to pay a fine, however, he had to resign as his continuous stay in the campaign appears to contradict the new order the Obidient Movement is preaching.
DAILY POST

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FULL LIST: Nigeria Emerges As Africa’s Third Most Formidable Military Force

Published

27 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

Editor

Nigeria has secured the third position among African nations with the most formidable military forces in the 2025 Global Firepower Military Strength Index, according to Global Firepower’s annual report cited by The PUNCH on Monday.

The index evaluates 145 countries based on over 60 metrics, including troop numbers, equipment capabilities, financial resources, logistical efficiency, and geographical advantages to assess military strength.

In the 2025 rankings, Egypt maintains its lead as Africa’s top military power, followed by Algeria in second place and South Africa in fourth. Nigeria’s rise to third underscores its growing military capabilities, driven by investments in personnel, equipment, and counter-terrorism efforts.

Here is a list of African countries ranked in the 2025 Global Firepower Index.

1. Egypt (19)

2. Algeria (26)

3. Nigeria (31)

4. South Africa (40)

5. Ethiopia (52)

6. Angola (56)

7. Morocco (59)

8. Democratic Republic of the Congo (66)

9. Sudan (73)

10. Libya (76)

11. Kenya (83)

12. Chad (84)

13. Mozambique (89)

14. Tunisia (90)

15. Tanzania (92)

16. Cameroon (93)

17. Ivory Coast (102)

18. Mali (104)

19. Zambia (109)

20. Ghana (110)

21. Zimbabwe (111)

22. South Sudan (113)

23. Uganda (114)

24. Namibia (116)

25. Niger (119)

26. Eritrea (120)

27. Republic of the Congo (121)

28. Botswana (122)

29. Mauritania (123)

30. Senegal (125)

31. Burkina Faso (129)

32. Madagascar (130)

33. Gabon (133)

34. Liberia (138)

35. Sierra Leone (140)

36. Somalia (142)

37. Central African Republic (143)

38. Benin (144)

Headline

Middle East Crisis Dominates EU Foreign Ministers’ Brussels Meeting

Published

41 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

Editor

The foreign ministers of EU member states on Monday were set to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East at their June meeting in Brussels.

The talks come amid growing international alarm after the United States joined Israel in launching strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.

A key question for the ministers will be whether Europe can help steer the crisis back towards diplomacy.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday urged all sides “to step back, return to the negotiating table and prevent further escalation,” in a statement posted on X.

Headline

US Says Strikes ‘Devastated’ Iran’s Nuclear Program

Published

16 hours ago

June 22, 2025

Editor

Unprecedented US strikes have wrecked Iran’s nuclear program, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday as Washington sought to assess what remained of the three targeted sites.

The surprise strikes threaten to deepen conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran, with Tehran vowing to retaliate against US involvement.

But the United States said President Donald Trump wanted peace and urged Iran to end the conflict after strikes on a key underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, along with nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz.

“We devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” Hegseth told a Pentagon press briefing, adding that the operation “did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”

Trump “seeks peace, and Iran should take that path”, Hegseth said. “This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change.”

Standing beside Hegseth, top US general Dan Caine said that “it would be way too early for me to comment on what may or may not still be there.”

“Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” he told reporters.

– Protests in Tehran –

People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.

Trump claimed total success for the operation in an address to the nation hours after the attack, and Vice President JD Vance followed up on Sunday morning.

“We know that we set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially last night, whether it’s years or beyond,” he told ABC.

“We’re not at war with Iran — we’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program,” he added. “The president took decisive action to destroy that program last night.”

In Tehran, AFP journalists said the roar of aircraft flying over the city was heard repeatedly for the first time since Israel’s initial attacks.

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency said it had not detected any increase in radiation levels at the nuclear sites and Tehran said Sunday there were no signs of contamination.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had “crossed a very big red line,” asserting Iran would continue to defend itself “by all means necessary.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump’s decision to “target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history.”

The Israeli military was also checking the results of the US raid on the deeply buried nuclear facility in Fordo, with a spokesman saying it was “too soon” to know if Iran had removed enriched uranium from the site.

The main US strike group was seven B-2 Spirit bombers flying 18 hours from the US mainland to Iran with multiple aerial refuelings, Caine said.

– Global concern –

In response to the US attack, Iran’s armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international gateway near Tel Aviv.

Israeli rescuers said at least 23 people were wounded.

In Jerusalem, Claudio Hazan, a 62-year-old software engineer, said he hoped the US intervention would hasten an end to the Iran-Israel war.

“Israel by itself would not stop… and it would take longer,” he said.

Israel said it had launched fresh strikes on western Iran and in Qom, south of Tehran. Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported four Revolutionary Guard members were killed in strikes on a military base in the city’s north.

The Israeli military said it had “struck missile launchers ready to launch toward Israeli territory, soldiers in the Iranian Armed Forces, and swiftly neutralized the launchers that launched missiles toward Israeli territory.”

Iran’s Shargh newspaper reported that a “massive explosion was heard” Sunday in Bushehr province, home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant.

Iranian news agencies also reported strikes in Yazd province.

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, which had been mediating Iran-US nuclear talks, criticized the US move and urged de-escalation.

The European Union called on all sides “to step back,” while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

The Iranian foreign minister said he would travel to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Following his address, Trump warned Iran against retaliation. Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen on Sunday repeated their threat to resume attacks in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war, saying they were ready to target US ships and warships.

The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck the country on June 13, repeating his insistence it could never have nuclear weapons.

Tehran denies seeking an atomic bomb. On Saturday, President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”