Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, the former governor of Rivers state and current honourable minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is an interesting man of many parts. As a Governor, he was fully in charge of his office and its appurtenances: power, personal linkages, official friendships across the divide, etcetera. He nurtured very many relationships across Nigeria, and showed good reason to be relied upon; even if and when it caused him to remain the last man standing. Having studied the rubrics of Nigeria’s boisterous politics, he surely knows how to navigate its landscape, to avoid landmines. Wike comes across as a…
Author: Kassim Afegbua
In my last week’s treatise, I wove my discourse around the theory of contradiction which may give birth to a new set of outliers in solving the puzzle that has enveloped Osadebe House. On the one hand, a serial betrayer is feeling betrayed; lamenting pretentiously that his Deputy has been plotting a coup against him, in cohort with the opposition, to unseat him. My mind quickly reckoned how many people would be chuffed at this news and my lungs unleashed a gale of laughter; as I imagined the emotions of Governor Obaseki, lamenting his Deputy’s untoward behaviour. Indeed, I…
After the dismal flooding situation that caught Governor Obaseki pants down concerning the sorry state of affairs in Edo state, I saw a video clip where the Governor tried to locate the problem at the doorstep of the Federal Government. What he intended to serve as fresh menu for Edo citizens to bail him out of such a calamitous embarrassment, ended up worsening his already bad situation. When a government has failed in its constitutional responsibilities, it searches for excuses from the potholes and flooded plains it created by its own inaction. Vigilant Edo people were on hand to expose…
The South-South geopolitical zone deserves the position of the Senate Presidency in the 10th Assembly for various reasons. One, it will be a way of acknowledging the support of the zone towards the Tinubu presidency.: the zone did not only contribute enormous votes that helped the APC candidate defeat other candidates; it actually surpassed the 25% threshold in the entire six states of the South-South geopolitical zone. It is natural in the spirit of fairness, equity and justice to cede the position to the zone that is a treasure base of the country. Also, it is a way to promote…
Fake prophesies were churned out. Men of God left the shores of spirituality into the realm of predictions. Doctored opinion polls were released to set agenda for the wrong narratives. They mocked him, called him names, but the strategy in him kept his eyes on the ball. He was the candidate for all Nigerians, not cocooned into any geopolitical flirtation. He went round the country and refused to be detained by the same faith accusation that dogged his part. He toiled through the night and day, insisting that religion should not be a determinant for our collective governance process and…
The primary purpose of government is the welfare and safety of the citizenry through provision of security, policies and programmes that would enhance their well being, and address their challenges in various ways. This is trite, not in this clime, it beggars repeating. At this time in Nigeria, one is bound to wonder what the rationale is, for introducing the new and redesigned naira; I mean at this critical time of our democratic journey, when elections are just by the corner. Could it be that there are persons who are poised to derail our democratic trajectory or certain persons are…
As his boss for eight years, he has a working knowledge of him; he was President and Atiku was his vice from 1999 to 2007. In that period, Obasanjo gave Atiku a lot of assignments and made him handle huge responsibilities in line with the shared commitment of the presidency. Unfortunately, before their tenure ended, their relationship became frosty; something of a cat and dog one. Today, the testimonial of Atiku from his boss is a damning verdict of historical incongruity. It is a testimonial of heist and financial malfeasance. A testimonial of hate, incandescence, subterfuge, political horse-trading and a…
By Kassim Afegbua I have watched with keen interest the potpourri of broadcast exchanges between anchors of Arise TV’s The Morning Show program and members of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation. I have noticed Reuben Abati and one Oseni Rufai, trying effortlessly to defend their employer, Nduka Obaigbena in the wake of serious undercutting allegations of financial profligacy in the not-too-distant past. The exchanges compelled me to revisit my notebook from the Journalism school when we were made to draw a distinction between how to balance the interest of the media owner when faced with certain incongruous situations and the expectation…
By Kassim Afegbua I have heard from some sources that President Buhari is not supporting his party candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. My attention was drawn to his repeated pronouncements and body language that every Nigerian eligible to vote, will be left to vote for any party of their choice. Saying that what he desires the most is a free and fair electoral contest. The sources pointed my attention also, to the claim that rather than President Buhari unequivocally campaigning for his party, The APC, he has been saying what he wants is to bequeath credible elections; citing Anambra, Ekiti…
Nothing can be so mockingly debasing than going out for a political campaign only to be welcomed by a scanty crowd in a metropolitan city like Lagos. The PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was in Lagos this week and what he saw was not only palpably discomforting, it also revealed many lows about his chances in the 2023 general election. His Lagos scanty crowd was being covered up by his publicists through a deliberate distraction, using Asiwaju Tinubu’s appearance in London as a subject of scorn just because Atiku was not welcome in Lagos. Reno Omokri, Atiku’s diaspora attack dog, was…
They come to you like saints from Heaven’s most treasured haven. They dance around like free radicals, wearing toga of piety. They move from door to door searching for recognition and relevance with jaw-breaking nuances. They gallivant about from house to house, busybodying but indeed pursuing their own selfish interest. They say barefacedly that they love christianity albeit no one can see any traceable impact on their lives or communities drawn from Christianity. They wear flowing gowns of lies and contradiction all towards cultivating a passage for themselves and the content of their stomach. Self-acclaimed big men who are perennially…
I have just read a piece of news that says Yakubu Dogara and his co-travellers are endorsing Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election. My first impression was to question why a gentleman of Idris Wada’s orientation would fall prey to this needless profiling of religion and politics; two mutually distinct institutions with different end-point belief. Religion talks about eternity, politics talks about earthly engagements. How religion should dominate political discourse is still a matter of contradiction to me. Idris Wada, please run away from that group before they use your head to break coconut. When I read the contents of…
Politicians in Nigeria are often described as shameless people; hardly displaying integrity and common-sense. They are used to swallowing their vomit, again and again. Even those who display a bit of principles, are still called unprintable names; because when they are canvassing for votes, they exhibit desperation and forget their odyssies, reminiscences that should remind them of their political journey and trajectories. They feel no qualms. Not a scintilla of regret nor a modicum of shame when certain decisions are taken. I saw Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Governor Okowa with former President Jonathan in a photograph; when the…
In 2015, when the race to the general election got to a fever pitch, all manner of theories and conspiracies were woven around Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as though he was the candidate of the newly formed All Progressives Congress. The AIT did a documentary deliberately targeted at the former Lagos state Governor entitled; THE LION OF BOURDILON which attempted a faulty characterisation of Asiwaju Tinubu as someone who represented the good, the bad and the ugly in the 2015 political narratives. President Goodluck Jonathan was running against the grains following the idea of zoning that is enshrined in the PDP…
