Politics

What Tinubu Should Consider Before Flying Muslim-Muslim Ticket – South-West Group

Published

4 years ago

June 27, 2022

The Coalition Movement for Bola Ahmed Tinubu (COBAT), a support group based in the South-West geopolitical zone, has released a report to guiding the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate on the selection of his running mate and the controversy over a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

COMBAT, which was convened by the Deputy National Chairman of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju, Senator Rilwan Akanbi, released the report on Sunday, a copy of which was forwarded to The PUNCH.

The report was titled, ‘Nigeria Stakeholders Engagement Review: APC 2023 Presidential Election.’

The coalition noted that the emergence of Tinubu, a Muslim from Lagos State in the South-West, “has turned out to be a very challenging and tense in views of a selection of his vice-presidential candidate.”

According to the report, the situation is “a reversal of political status on the country in 1993” when the late Chief MKO Abiola, a Muslim from the South, ran the presidential election with Bashir Tofa, another Muslim from the North.

COMBAT stated that the plan that APC candidate picks a Muslim running mate from the North “seems inevitable for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, considering the roles played by notable members of the party from the North and knowing that northern regions remains the stronghold of the party”.

The report read in part, “Expectedly, Christian Association of Nigeria’s vehement opposition to such a ticket favour opposing views among the segment of the party and non-party public, especially from the Southern part of the country. For those opposing the Muslim-Muslim ticket, it is perceived that the ticket will be a direct challenge to the Christian community and may have a negative impact on the chance of the party winning the 2023 presidential election.

“There is school of thought who doesn’t see Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s wife (Senator Oluremi Tinubu) being a Christian and a possible First Lady as a solution to the issue because they thought the attention given to the South-North regional diversity should be applied to Muslim-Christian diversity as well.

“All over the world politics is about interest, which can be personal, communal, ethnic, racial, religious, etc. However, there are strong views who believe that strong and admirable values and visions for nation-building should override these sentiments which should be our selling proposition.

“With this development, political analysts believed that the chances of presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the ruling party of APC to retain the position in the 2023 may be threatened based on the outcome of selection of a vice-presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

According to COMBAT, those supporting a Muslim running mate to Tinubu “believe that it would be politically expedient for the party to take advantage of huge potential voters in the northern regions, dominated by Muslim population and being the stronghold of the party in the last two presidential elections.”

The coalition stated, “The fear about the Muslim-Muslim ticket can be doused through a political solution where strategic government positions are zoned to individuals from others (zones) not represented at the presidential or vice-presidential level. Such positions may include the President of the Senate president, Speaker of the House of Reps, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, etc.”

COMBAT also stated that the APC needs to make “all necessary sacrifices, appeals or negotiations” that will help to reach an amicable solution in the light of winning the 2023 presidency.

It noted, “The good starting point is to understand the mindset of stakeholders and the electorate to guide the decision in respect of the vice-presidential candidate because the struggle for the 2023 presidential election will certainly remain the APC and PDP affairs.

“Despite the favourable outlook for the opposition party in settling the matter of religion of its running mate, what may be the deciding factor for APC is how internal democracy is effectively managed to avoid division over the choice of vice-presidential candidate for the party.

“Just like in another political environment, it is important to recognise religious factor in the Nigerian context, going by our political history and current the challenges, thus the need to ensure a wider consultation both within and outside the party if the Muslim-Muslim ticket must be considered for stakeholders to buy-in.

“The party and the candidate need to recognise people’s emotional attachment, perception, and reality to all religious interests, in view of the prevailing circumstances.

“However if the running mate must be a Muslim, he must be a personality that will be seen has accommodating and sensitive to the Christian community over the years and who they can trust. This can be achieved through a commitment to the national interest.”

Politics

2027: NDC Unveils Electoral Committee Members For Primaries

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has released list of Electoral Committee Members to Conduct primary election.

The exercise is for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and Presidential Primaries across all States in Nigeria and the FCT.

This was contained in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Thursday.

The party had provided updates concerning its upcoming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries.

According to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas,
and Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, National Secretary, the primaries are confirmed to take place across the nation on May 29, 2026, adhering to the previously established timetable of May 28 and 29.

Politics

APC: Fubara Has Been Treated Badly, It’s Dangerous For Tinubu – Otubanjo

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said the treatment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in the just concluded All Progressives Congress’, APC, primary poses political danger to President Bola Tinubu.

Otubanjo stated this on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he also criticised the role being played by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in the political affairs of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the handling of Fubara’s political crisis remains one of the most surprising developments in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Otubanjo further argued that Wike, who is not a member of the APC, appears to be dictating political activities within the ruling party in Rivers State.The research director warned that the current political arrangement in Rivers State could negatively affect Tinubu politically, insisting that Wike was pursuing his personal agenda rather than that of the president.

He said: “The treatment of Fubara must be one of the American wonders of Nigerian politics. Fubara has been badly treated. We have a situation in which Nyesom Wike who is not even in the APC is taking the primary decision in the APC. I hope the tactical team of President Bola Tinubu is not sleeping.

“The reality is that what they have done is very dangerous for Tinubu. What has emerged in Rivers today is that Wike is pursuing his own agenda, not Tinubu’s agenda inspite of PBAT and all of that combination.”

“If Wike really wants to pursue Tinubu’s agenda, he must retain Fubara.”

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

24 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.