Politics
PDP, APC Have Led Nigeria Astray For 21 Years – Attairu Jega
Professor Attairu Jega who was former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said the two major political parties in the country have led Nigeria astray in the last 21 years of democratic governance.
Speaking at the maiden inaugural lecture of Kwaravisioners Network for Rural Development, in Ilorin the Kwara State capital, on Saturday, Professor Jega advocated creation of new special vehicles to free Nigeria from its present strangulation.
Speaking on the theme: “Politics, Governance and Leadership Recruitment in 21st Century Democracy” Professor Jega, who described Nigeria as a failing state, urged Nigerians to work hard to change our ways for the country to move forward.
“From the local, state and federal government levels, we have clueless leadership because of the way they got into power,” he declared.
He warned that Nigeria may run aground if the needful is not done at the right time.
The former INEC chairman, also called for development of a people-oriented party structure that will be accountable to the people, adding that people must also elect leaders with integrity and competence.
Jega, used the occasion to dismiss speculation about presidential ambition, saying ” I have no presidential ambition, all I am doing is to contribute to a credible, reliable and acceptable process of election and leadership recruitment in the country.
In his own contribution, the Head of News and Current Affairs, TVC, Babajide Kolade Otitoju, said nobody should pretend that all is well with the country presently.
He warned that if the present situation in Nigeria is not well managed, ” we will all go down together.”
Otitoju observed that there is no leadership recruitment module that can deliver Nigeria.
He challenged voters to change bad leaders through the ballot box or else the current situation in the country may continue unabated.
Otitoju, while reflecting on the current worried situation in the country wondered what was the difference between the ruling APC and PDP, the main opposition party.
He wondered how APC, a party that fought and voted out former President Goodluck Jonathan, could now turn around to woo him for another tenure in office.
Otitoju concluded his speech by praying “to God to heal the land.”
Also contributing, Tope Kolade Fasua, blamed both politicians and intellectuals for the rot in the country.
Apparently referring to the degree of corruption in Nigeria, Fasua compared Nigeria with Ghana saying the difference between the two countries was wide from the entry point of that country at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra.
He said available data indicated that Nigeria has now become the third most unsafe country in the world, due to the present insecurity challenges facing the country.
The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Ngozi Odu, issuing them a seven-day notice to respond to allegations of gross misconduct.
The Assembly cited eight specific allegations of gross misconduct as the basis for the move.
This is the third time Fubara and Odu would be facing impeachment proceedings from the Assembly since coming to office in 2023.
Attempts to impeach them in 2023 and 2025, amid political feuds between the Governor and his predecessor and erstwhile political god-father, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had been halted by presidential intervention.
Here are the allegations below:
1. Reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds
2. Unconstitutional misappropriation of public funds
3. Hindering the Rivers Assembly from performing its constitutional duties
4. Illegal appointments of persons without screening by the House of Assembly as provided by the Constitution
5. Seizure of salaries and funds meant for Assembly members
6. Seizure of salaries of the clerk of the Rivers House of Assembly, Emeka Amadi
7. Refusal to implement provisions of the Constitution on financial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary
8. Withholding of funds meant for the running of the Rivers House of Assembly Service Commission and hindering its activities
Lilian Adebayo, the wife of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, has said that the party will unseat the ruling All Progressive Party at the 2027 election if Nigerians are true to themselves.
Mrs Adebayo made this assertion known on Wednesday during an interview with journalists after an event in Abuja.
According to her, the opposition party has overcome its crisis after the expulsion of its former chairman, Shehu Gabam and others.
She said Nigerians should vote the APC out in the 2027 general election due to the hardship the party has plunged citizens into.
“There is always a crisis in the party; the SPD has been able to handle its own. The problems in the party have been resolved.
“He has a great chance of winning the election if Nigerians are honest with themselves. If Nigerians think that the ones they consistently vote for would move the country forward, they live in denial,” she concerning the husband.
Recall that SDP recently expelled Gabam and other party executives.
The party’s state chairmen on Wednesday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police to investigate Gabam over alleged misappropriation.
In a significant political move, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Mbah announced his decision during a televised broadcast in Enugu after weeks of speculation.
He said, “Today, after a long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress.”
Mbah explained that his decision to join the PDP was informed by the need to reshape Enugu and reorganise the politics of the state.
“Today, I stand before you to announce a break from the past and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organize ourselves politically and how we secure the future of our project and our people.
“Leadership sometimes demands painful decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there comes a time, when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.”
Ahead of the governor’s defection, all members of his cabinet had on joined the ruling party.
Governor Mbah’s Senior Media Aide, Dan Nwomeh, confirmed the mass defection in a video posted on his social media handles on Monday. In the video, several government officials were seen openly declaring their allegiance to the APC, chanting praises for President Bola Tinubu and affirming their commitment to the new party.
“Enugu State Cabinet Members join the APC with full chest along with Governor PN Mbah,” Nwomeh stated.
The officials, including commissioners and top aides, could be heard in the video declaring, “We are now in APC; tomorrow is here; it is APC all the way; it is Jagaban all the way; from top to bottom.”
The collective defection marks a significant political shift in Enugu State, which has been a PDP stronghold since 1999.
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