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Top 10 Political Issues That Dominated 2022

Published

3 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

Headline

UK Police Hunt Asylum Seeker Mistakenly Freed For Sex Offence

Published

14 hours ago

October 25, 2025

Editor

UK police were still hunting Saturday for an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender whose crimes sparked a wave of anti-immigration protests and who was accidentally released from prison.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “appalled” by Friday’s “totally unacceptable” error that saw 38-year-old Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu freed rather than sent to an immigration detention centre.

“This man must be caught and deported for his crimes,” the UK leader added.

Kebatu had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman, but was reportedly due to be deported when the Prison Service mistake occurred.

Kebatu’s high-profile case earlier this year in Epping, northeast of London, sparked demonstrations in various English towns and cities where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

Justice Secretary David Lammy said late Friday night that Kebatu was “at large in London” after he was seen boarding a train to the capital in Chelmsford, eastern England.

Essex Police, which is leading the search with the help of London’s Metropolitan Police, said Saturday that “inquiries are continuing at pace this morning to locate and arrest” him.

“Officers worked throughout the night to track his movements, including scouring hours of CCTV footage,” the force added, noting “it is not lost on us that this situation is concerning to people”.

The Telegraph reported he was wrongly categorised as a prisoner due to be released on licence and handed a £76 ($101) discharge grant.

The father of Kebatu’s anonymous teenage victim told Sky News that “the justice system has let us down”.

Police arrested the asylum seeker in July after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her.

He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

At the time, Kebatu was staying at Epping’s Bell Hotel, where scores of other asylum seekers have been accommodated, and which became the target of repeated protests.

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UK Is A Home, Not Hotel, Kemi Badenoch Tells Immigrants, Starmer’s Govt

Published

2 days ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has slammed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government over its immigration policy, declaring that Britain is “a home, not a hotel.”

Badenoch accused Labour of weakening the country’s borders and enabling mass automatic citizenship.

In a 1:11-minute video posted on her official X account on Friday, Badenoch claimed Labour’s proposed reforms could allow up to two million immigrants to automatically qualify for British citizenship starting next year.

“From next year, two million immigrants can automatically claim British citizenship. Two million people! That’s nearly twice the population of Birmingham. That’s massive,” Badenoch said in the video.

Badenoch noted that the Conservative Party has introduced a deportation bill to bring immigration down.

NDLEA intercepts drugs hidden in snails, others meant for UK, US, DRC
Among the measures she endorsed in the video were deporting all foreign criminals, mandatory age checks, no more pretending to be kids, tougher visa rules and salary thresholds, disapplying the Human Rights Act to immigration cases, and no more abusing human rights laws to judge deportations. Make asylum support repayable, and no permanent right to stay in the UK if you’ve relied on benefits.

“Until that’s law, we won’t fix this. Labour should adopt it now. It’s time to get tough. That’s what the Conservatives’ Deportation Bill delivers, and we’re going to go further. Our country is a home, not a hotel. And if we don’t defend it, no one else will.”

In the caption that came with the video, she tweeted, “Labour has blocked every single measure we’ve put forward to cut immigration and stop abuse of the system.

“Now they’re pushing one half-arsed proposal — it’s weak; it won’t work. It’s time they stopped playing games and backed our Deportation Bill.”

Headline

King Charles To Pray With Pope Leo In Historic Vatican Visit

Published

3 days ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

King Charles III will on Thursday meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and make history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with the pontiff for five centuries.

The 76-year-old monarch, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England, arrived in Rome on Wednesday evening with his wife, Queen Camilla, for what Buckingham Palace described as a “historic” state visit.

It will be Charles’s first meeting with Leo since the US-born pope took over as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May, following the death of Pope Francis.

The royals will arrive at the Apostolic Palace at 10.45am (0845 GMT) for private talks with the pope.

The king and queen will then join an ecumenical service at midday (1000 GMT) in the Sistine Chapel led by Pope Leo and the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, currently the senior cleric of the Church of England.

Broadcast live by Vatican media, it will be the first time a reigning English or British monarch has prayed publicly with a pope since English king Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534.

Triggered by the pope’s refusal to annul the king’s marriage so he could marry another woman, the schism made the monarch head of the separate Church of England.

Thursday’s service, held beneath Michelangelo’s spectacular ceiling frescoes, will be centred on conservation and protecting the environment, a cause championed by Charles.

It will bring together Catholic and Anglican traditions, with the choir from the Sistine Chapel joined by that from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, one of the king’s residences.

– Schism –

The religious break between London and Rome remains, even if there has been a significant rapprochement in recent decades.

In 1961, the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, became the first British monarch to visit the Holy See since the split.

The law was changed in 2013 so that marrying a Catholic would no longer disqualify someone from becoming monarch — although they still have to be a Protestant themselves.

The rapprochement is important because “Anglicanism was born in reaction to the Catholic Church, and therefore in opposition,” said Hyacinthe Destivelle, a French priest and member of the Vatican’s dicastery (department) for promoting Christian unity.

This is no longer the case, despite “theological differences in recent decades”, he told AFP.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England — the mother church of the world’s 85-million-strong Anglican community — ordains women and allows priests to marry.

Sarah Mullally was recently named the first female archbishop of Canterbury, the Church’s top cleric, although she has yet to officially take up her post.

– Royal Confrater –

Charles and Queen Camilla are also set to take part in a service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, one of four major papal basilicas, which has historic links with the English crown.

The king will be made a “Royal Confrater” of the basilica and presented with a specially designed seat for use by him and future British monarchs.

Charles has visited the Vatican several times and met privately with Pope Francis on April 9, just days before the pontiff’s death.

The king sent his son and heir, William, to the funeral and his brother, Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, to Leo’s inauguration mass.

The visit comes as the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee, a year-long event held every 25 years, which has drawn millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.

It also comes at a delicate time for Charles, following new revelations about his brother Prince Andrew, who is mired in a scandal surrounding late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew announced on Friday that he would relinquish his title as Duke of York, reportedly under pressure from Charles. He had already stepped back from royal duties in 2019.

AFP