The Plots Against Peter Obi And Threats To Democracy

 By Emeka Alex Duru

Make no mistakes about it; democracy is not a sure bet for emergence of good leaders. It is also not a guarantee for good governance. But it allows the electorate a voice on how they are governed and grants them the freedom of choice and participation in the affairs of the state, at least, ideally.

*Peter Obi

It is this people-content that separates democracy from other forms of government. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was therefore right in defining democracy as the government of the people, for the people, by the people. Take away the people-factor, it is no longer democracy, no matter how benevolent it may seem. A system that is shorn of democracy, is an aberration. But then, democracy, if not properly managed and protected by the relevant checks, can be abused by even elected leaders. This is part of the reasons why every Nigerian must ensure that the current democracy in the land, is not truncated.

Peter Obi: What Truly Should Be Our Priority Now As Leaders Of A Nation?

 

*Peter Obi

This question has become necessary, given where we are today as a nation and where we are supposed to be.

While completing my INEC nomination form yesterday, Section E, Question 1 caught my attention. It asks: “Have you ever been adjudged a lunatic or been declared a person of unsound mind?” 

The answer is either Yes or No. That question got me thinking: Can we, as the political leaders of today’s Nigeria, truly say we are exhibiting the characteristics of a sound mind? 

When Nigerians, including children and security personnel, are being abducted into the bushes, citizens cannot travel safely on our highways, several million Nigerians are uncertain where their next meal will come from, and several billions are being siphoned frivolously through non-existent agencies and projects, should politics really be our primary preoccupation? 

A sound-minded leadership would have declared these existential challenges a national emergency and immediately mobilised all relevant institutions, security agencies, experts, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders to confront them with urgency and resolve. At a moment like this, the survival, security, and stability of Nigeria must take precedence over every other consideration. This is a time for decisive action, not political calculation or the pursuit of partisan advantage. 

Further in the same Section E, Question 6, was: “Have you ever presented a forged certificate to INEC?” Again, the answer is either Yes or No. This raises another important question: Why shouldn’t INEC, in the interest of ensuring that our leaders are exemplary in following the rules and to strengthen public confidence in our electoral process, publish the academic certificates and credentials submitted by every candidate seeking elective office? 

Transparency strengthens democracy and builds public trust. Nigeria’s problems are too serious for politics as usual. It is time for leadership defined by competence, character, capacity, compassion, and commitment to service. 

A New Nigeria is POssible. 

- PO

Peter Obi: My Vision For A Productive And Prosperous Nigeria

*Peter Obi
Today, being the 1st of July, 2026, I wish to humbly recall that when I decided to contest for the office of President of Nigeria, I pledged to place Nigeria on the path of unity and national transformation. Now, as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, I will, in the coming weeks and months, provide insights into the roadmap that I am confident will help curb abuse in government, halt the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians at all levels, and usher in an era of unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.

This vision is anchored on a commitment to unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of every citizen to pursue lawful dreams.

Peter Obi: My Stance On Road Development

 There is a pertinent reason I have consistently advocated that we should refrain from initiating new road construction projects until we have thoroughly rehabilitated and maintained our existing road network.

Instead of undertaking new ventures and dualization projects that offer marginal benefits, our primary focus ought to be on repairing the critical roads already in place. 

Peter Obi: Lokoja Judgment: An Unnecessary Serious Setback For Nigerian Democracy!

Today was an exceptionally busy day. I left Lagos in the early hours for Emekuku, where I visited the School of Nursing Sciences, an institution I have consistently supported over the years. It was gratifying to inspect projects funded through my previous interventions, including the school’s computer laboratory. Such investments reaffirm my belief that education remains one of the strongest foundations for national development.

Nigeria’s Elections: A Word From Babatunde Jose

 By Banji Ojewale

Ismail Babatunde Jose, described as the “legendary doyen of Nigerian journalism’’ (The Guardian of UK) and “the grandfather of Nigerian journalism’’ (British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC), was responsible for the emergence of a galaxy of talent in the industry in his generation.

*Babatunde Jose

He toiled on the raw aptitude of these young persons coming under his care and, with strategic precision, dropped himself into them, as it were, seeking those who would collect the baton and perpetuate his tradition of unyielding enterprise. They would continue the race resolutely and relentlessly, and refuse to let down cheering crowds and a mentor given to nothing but to see you turn in your best for the community of news consumers.

School Abductions In Nigeria Must Never Become Normal

By Osikale A. Adetomiwa

The recent abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State is a painful reminder that insecurity remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing challenges. Beyond the immediate trauma suffered by the victims and their families, the incident has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of students, teachers, and educational institutions across the country.

The reaction of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) was necessary and commendable. By speaking out forcefully against the attack, the union drew national attention to the dangers confronting schools and reminded both government and society that educational institutions should be sanctuaries of learning, not theatres of fear.

June 12: Nigeria’s Annual Ritual Of Glorifying A Sham ‘Democracy’

 By Olu Fasan

The decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to name June 12 as Nigeria’s “Democracy Day” was motivated by self-serving politics, not principled conviction. Before he became president in 2015, Buhari never once publicly condemned the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

*Tinubu and Buhari

However, in 2018, as he prepared to seek re-election the following year and faced deepening unpopularity in the South-West, Buhari changed the annual “Democracy Day” from May 29 to June 12 to curry favour with the South-West, which had turned the annulment into an ethnic issue. Professor Wole Soyinka said at the time that Buhari took the decision “with an eye on electoral fortunes, undoubtedly.” He was right!

Pastor Kumuyi At 85: Discipline, Distinctives And Disquisitions

By Banji Ojewale

Vladimir Kuts was Russia’s unforgettable long-distance runner who, in a wildly combative career that lasted only three years in the 1950s, trashed the records for both the 5000 and 10000 metres in one single competition. He didn’t believe there was any limit to man created in the image of God. Any being with such Divine trappings couldn’t fail.  They would strive to reinvent the wheel, march across dreaded territory and plunge wordsmiths into uncharted depths to attempt to capture their achievements.

*Pastor Kumuyi

Therefore, retiring from global athletics while still at his peak when there were no more challenges, Kuts worked as a coach in the Central Army Club in Moscow and declared his mission: to discover a boy who would run faster than himself. It was a tall call; nobody could match Kuts’ tenacity, iron will and speed in his day. For many, it was illogical and inconceivable that a mentee would align with his lionized mentor’s agenda to outdo the legend.  But the Russian Spartan didn’t rubbish race records resting on rational thinking. Nor on public opinion. Or on emotions.

The Niche Lecture: And Alex Otti Spoke Loud And Clear

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

No one left the auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs on Thursday, April 23, 2026, unsure of what Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti said at the 2026 TheNiche Annual Lecture with the theme, “Governing the Economy: Choices, Trade-offs, and National Priorities.”

*Gov Otti receiving the certificate of induction into the TheNiche Hall of Fame from Ihechukwu Amaechi, the MD of TheNiche 

He spoke loud and clear. In a country where political leaders have mastered the mischievous art of speaking tongue-in-cheek; where judgements of even the Supreme Court are couched in obfuscating clichés and woolly phrases that muddy the waters rather than elucidate, that is a breath of fresh air.

His thesis was profound, the clarity of his hypothesis was refreshing, just as his candour was edifying. The message in his 4,875-word lecture was unambiguous, yet loud: Elections have consequences.

His opening salvo indicated his intention to be forthright: “There is no silver bullet for solving Nigeria’s myriads of economic challenges because economics is about cold, hard facts, not vanities. With high level of unemployment, especially amongst the youth population, rising incidence of poverty and growing sense of helplessness amongst our compatriots, it would be uncharitable to wish these unsettling realities away,” he said.

2027: Atiku Only Cares About Running, Not Winning!

 By Olu Fasan

To several Nigerians, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, should not run for president next year. Some cite age, others zoning. On the first, the general view is that, at 80 years old by the time of the next presidential election in January 2027, Atiku would be too old to run for president. On the second, many posit that the South, which currently holds the presidency, should be allowed to complete the conventional second term.

*Atiku

Thus, Atiku, being a Northerner, should respect the unwritten zoning rule, and desist from seeking the presidency next year. But while there are some merits in the age and zoning arguments, they are not the real obstacles to Atiku becoming Nigeria’s president next year if he decides to defy the zeitgeist and run for the presidency.

Peter Obi And The Cross Of A Nation

 By Valentine Obienyem

Peter Obi’s political journey in Nigeria has, in many ways, come to resemble a quiet but persistent carrying of a cross - marked by endurance, conviction, and a deep commitment to principle in the face of resistance. From his emergence on the national stage to his current role as a leading voice in public discourse, he stands as the personification of a stoic political faith, proving that the cost of integrity is high, but the price of its absence is the slow decay of the soul of a nation. 

*Peter Obi

That burden did not begin on the national stage, the Champion’s League; it can be traced to the local league, his tenure as governor of Anambra State, where Peter Obi first defined the principles that now shape his political identity. In a system often marked by political brigandage, he distinguished himself through fiscal discipline, transparency, adherence to due process, and a refusal to personalise public resources.

From Lagos To London: Flying Homegrown With Air Peace

 By Fred Chukwuelobe 

I am approaching this review from the perspective of a seasoned traveller. Having assessed over two decades of travel on more than ten major foreign carriers, this account is a candid reflection of my recent experience, measured against those global standards.

Between 2003 and 2026, I crossed the Atlantic and travelled extensively through the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Yet, for over twenty years, I never once flew a Nigerian flag carrier on a long-haul route. 

That changed when Air Peace launched its direct Lagos–London service. Naturally, the question became: could another homegrown airline truly compete on one of the world’s most demanding aviation corridors considering that previous efforts could not be sustained. On April 18, 2026, I put this to the test and only time will tell. 

I boarded Air Peace Flight P4-7578, a Boeing 777-300 service from Lagos to London Gatwick (LGW). While I initially considered flying via Abuja to Heathrow, I opted for Gatwick, confident in its ease of onward ground connections.

Terrorism: Hold Some Northern Govs Responsible

 By Dele Sobowale

“In every community, there is a class of people profoundly dangerous to the rest. I don’t mean the criminals. For them we have punitive sanctions. I mean the leaders. Invariably, the most dangerous people seek power” – Saul Bellow, 1915-2005, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 124.

Newspapers headlines were grim a day before the Eid-el-Fitr 2026. The end of Ramadan, to which all faithful people looked forward, joyfully, in the past, has now become threatening and mournful all over Nigeria. Apparently, no place is spared the fear of violence on the days of celebrations declared by government. It was never like this. Hope for relief is fading faster with each new assault by terrorists. Increasingly, there is despair about governments’ ability to provide security to citizens who, in many communities, have surrendered sovereignty to the bandits by paying the levies imposed.

Safety First: Air Peace Clarifies Ibadan Flight Delay Amid Weather Disruption

 

We wish to clarify the situation regarding the Ibadan–Abuja flight, following claims by a passenger that it was unduly delayed.

The aircraft scheduled for this service made two landing attempts in Ibadan but had to return to Abuja due to adverse weather conditions at the time. 

Is The Nation’s Democratic Whistle Still Trusted?

 By Stephanie Shaakaa

Is INEC actually independent? In Nigeria today, this is not a question of law, it is a question of life or death for democracy. Because when citizens begin to doubt the hands that blow the nation’s democratic whistle, every vote, every promise, every election is already suspect before it begins. Trust is the true ballot. Without it, even the cleanest election is hollow.

*Amupitan 

In every democracy, the whistle is more than an instrument of order. It is the sound of fairness itself. The moment citizens begin to suspect that it no longer blows by the rulebook, the game changes long before the final score is announced. Every controversial call, every silence, is filtered through suspicion rather than principle. Trust does not collapse in one instant. It leaks away, decision by decision.

Emperor Tinubu And The Jos Massacre

By Ugoji Egbujo

Emperors owe no duties to their subjects. When they deign to show pity, it must be applauded as great charity. 

*Tinubu

President Tinubu cannot feel the people’s pain. He didn’t tell the truth to that woman who clutched to her dead son, Ayiba,  and stirred the soul of the nation. He owes Jos—and the many other communities ravaged by insecurity—the constitutional duty to protect lives and property.

Terrorists Are My Enemies, Not “Brothers”!

 By Ochereome Nnanna

For me, the legacy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari remains the most profound failure of Nigerian leadership. It was a tenure defined by a litany of institutional abuses. Chief among these was Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC).

Initiated almost as soon as he touched the levers of power in May 2015 and fully activated by September 2016, it was a betrayal of his primary campaign promise. Instead of the total military defeat of Boko Haram he had pledged, he gave us an abomination: a programme designed to “rehabilitate and reintegrate” so-called repentant jihadists back into the very society they had spent almost a decade trying to incinerate.

Recurring Bloodbaths: Nigeria Is Too Fragile, Too Fractured To Be Safe

 By Olu Fasan

Recently, after the mass killing in Jos, Plateau State, President Bola Tinubu said he was not elected “to comfort and create widows and widowers”. Yet since he became president barely three years ago, his administration has overseen the creation of thousands of widows, widowers and orphans whose husbands, wives and parents were killed in terrorist attacks.

After each attack, President Tinubu would mourn the dead, console their widows and widowers and then authoritatively declare, as if issuing the irreversible law of the Medes and Persians: “This experience won’t repeat itself”! 

INEC And Its Professors Of Iniquity

 By Ikechukwu Amaechi

Electoral umpires in Nigeria have a long history of dalliance with academics so much so that it has almost become a rule for a professor, the discipline notwithstanding, to be appointed chairman. Granted, some non-academics sometimes find themselves in the saddle, but that is more of an exception.

*Prof Amupitan 

So, the 1959 federal election, which preceded independence, and was strictly the business of the departing colonial overlord – Britain – was conducted by the Electoral Commission of Nigeria, ECN, which was inaugurated in 1958 and headed by a British, Ronald Edward Wraith.

After independence in October 1960, the Tafawa Balewa-led government set up the Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO, which replaced the ECN and in 1964 appointed Mr Eya Esua as the chairman. Though not a professor, Esua, nevertheless, was a reputed teacher.