Tag: Peter Obi

Judiciary is the Biggest Threat to Nigeria’s Democracy – Obi
Elections, Judiciary, Justice, News, Nigeria

Judiciary is the Biggest Threat to Nigeria’s Democracy – Obi

Enugu, May 17, 2024 – Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has declared the judiciary as the foremost threat to Nigeria’s democracy, rather than the electoral umpire. Obi made these remarks during his keynote speech at the fifth memorial of late Justice Anthony Aniagolu at Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu. In a candid and critical address, the former governor of Anambra State lamented the current state of Nigeria's judicial system, which he described as being plagued by corruption and inefficiency. "Justice in Nigeria goes to the highest bidder and has become commodified," Obi stated emphatically. "While the judiciary, today, still boasts of a few outstanding judges, there is an undeniable decline in our judicial system. This decline ...
Wike was instrumental in Obi’s PDP Exit – Paul Ibe
Elections, News, Nigeria

Wike was instrumental in Obi’s PDP Exit – Paul Ibe

Paul Ibe, the spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, has pointed fingers at the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, accusing him of frustrating the Southeastern presidential zoning within the party, rather than Atiku. Speaking on Seun Okinbaloye’s Mic On podcast, Ibe clarified that Atiku had advocated for the PDP to allocate the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast region. However, he alleged that Wike played a pivotal role in thwarting this effort. The backdrop of this accusation stems from the departure of Peter Obi, the former vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 elections, who shifted allegiance to the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the 2023 presidential ele...
Tragic Road Accidents Claim 35 Lives in Kogi and Enugu States
News, Nigeria, Safety

Tragic Road Accidents Claim 35 Lives in Kogi and Enugu States

Former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, took to his X (formerly Twitter) page to talk about two devastating road accidents that occurred in Kogi and Enugu states, resulting in the loss of 35 lives. The incidents have continued to highlight the urgent need for improved road safety measures and infrastructure maintenance. The first accident occurred on Sunday along the Okene/Lokoja bypass in Kogi State, where 19 individuals lost their lives in a horrific blaze. The victims were reportedly trapped in their vehicles and unable to escape the inferno, resulting in tragic consequences. The Kogi State Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the incident, which has left families shattered and communities in mourning. Just two days later, another tragedy struck along the Nsukka/En...
Opinion: Debt and Waste as Economic Policy – Peter Obi
Economy, News, Nigeria

Opinion: Debt and Waste as Economic Policy – Peter Obi

Barely 26 days to the end of its eight-year tenure, the Buhari administration got the Senate to approve a N22.7 trillion Ways and Means borrowing from the CBN. In seven years, CBN lending to the Buhari government had climbed 2700% in flagrant violation of the CBN Act. Indifferent to the illegality of the excessive ways and means borrowing, the National Assembly still approved the new Tinubu administration’s request for an N7.3 trn securitization of the existing ways and means facility just before considering the 2024 budget proposals. On the 30th of December 2023, the last working day of the year 2023, shockingly the President requested the National Assembly to approve the securitization of N7.3 trillion being the outstanding debt owed to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by ...
The Rule of Law and the Credibility of Leadership
Elections, News, Nigeria

The Rule of Law and the Credibility of Leadership

Still on the identity crisis and controversies that have continued to haunt the Nigerian citadel of power since the February 25, 2023 presidential elections. There is this saying: "IT IS NOT TITLES THAT HONOUR MEN, BUT MEN THAT HONOUR TITLES." The lofty titles that decorate people in power have little meaning if there is a hollowness and falsehood underneath them. Such titles which adorn those in public office mean nothing if they are not original and are fake if those who bear them have no honour to support the weight of the titles they carry. In situations where there is public doubt as to the veracity and authenticity of these titles and the claims behind them, it is the judiciary's role, when called upon, to uphold the honour of the titles through transparent rulings. Only th...
Obi Condemns Sit-at-Home Order, Calls for Strategic Approach to Insecurity
Law Enforcement, News, Nigeria, Security, Violence

Obi Condemns Sit-at-Home Order, Calls for Strategic Approach to Insecurity

South-east governors promise to deal with Simon Ekpa and other troublemakers Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, has strongly criticized the sit-at-home order imposed by a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), labeling it as a criminal activity that inflicts suffering on innocent people. In a series of tweets, Obi called for a more strategic approach to address the escalating violence in the Southeast, Benue, and Plateau states. He expressed deep concern over the wanton loss of innocent lives due to communal clashes, banditry, and kidnapping activities across Nigeria. "The rising insecurity in the country leading to mindless bloodletting, particularly in the North Central zone of the country, and the continued disrup...
An Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on Transparency and Accountability In Court Proceedings – Adebowale Aluko
Elections, Justice, News, Nigeria

An Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria on Transparency and Accountability In Court Proceedings – Adebowale Aluko

An open letter from a frontline legal practitioner to the CJN My Lord, I write, as a concerned member of the Nigerian bar, regarding a subject which has generated controversy among members of the bar and indeed the larger public in the past week. Confidence in the judiciary is at an all-time low.  On 22 May 2023, at the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the National Association of Women Judges, Your Lordship urged judges sitting in election petition matters across the country to do substantive justice and eschew technicalities, in order to restore the confidence of the public in the judiciary. It is against this backdrop that I write in relation to the directive of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), prohibiting mobile phones and other electronic d...
Atiku Indicates Willingness to Form Alliance with Obi
Elections, News, Nigeria

Atiku Indicates Willingness to Form Alliance with Obi

Atiku Abubakar, who was the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recently concluded Nigerian general elections, has expressed his willingness to form an alliance with Peter Obi, who contested on the platform of the Labour Party (LP). Atiku made this statement during a press conference on Thursday. Atiku stated that he believes that there will be no problem if Peter Obi decides to dialogue with the PDP to form an alliance or not. It is important to note that Peter Obi was Atiku’s running mate during the 2019 Presidential election. However, this time around, both men were competing for the PDP ticket before Peter Obi decamped to the LP. See Also: Election: Atiku To Win Without G-5 Govs – Campaign Council In the official results declared by the Indepen...
I Won the Presidential Elections and I’ll Prove it – Peter Obi
Elections, Judiciary, Justice, News, Nigeria

I Won the Presidential Elections and I’ll Prove it – Peter Obi

On Thursday, Peter Obi, the Labour Party's presidential candidate, insisted that he had won the presidential election held on Saturday and was ready to prove it. According to him, the election, won by the All Progressives Congress candidate Bola Tinubu, was controversial and designed to deliver predetermined outcomes. Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the president-elect, Obi claimed that the election did not meet the necessary requirements and could not be deemed credible. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, was declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election after he polled 8,794,726 votes. The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced Tinubu as the winner at the International Collation Centre in Abuja during the ear...
Opposition Calls for New Polls as Tinubu is Declared Nigeria’s President-Elect
Nigeria

Opposition Calls for New Polls as Tinubu is Declared Nigeria’s President-Elect

Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the winner of Nigeria's presidential elections, representing the ruling All Progressives Congress party, with close to 8.8 million votes, about 36.6% of the total, according to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Mahmood Yakubu. The election, which saw more than 93 million people registered to vote, was fiercely contested, and its results have been widely disputed. Opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), have decried the polls as rigged and called for a fresh vote, while many have cited corruption and technical failures in the process. In his acceptance speech, Tinubu thanked voters and said he was "profoundly humbled" and that he represented a promise that he would fulfill with the support ...