Public Affairs Analyst

  On September 22 and 23, 2022, the National Assembly in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung held a capacity-building workshop for members of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption. The theme of the workshop was “Corruption as a threat to security in Nigeria.” In attendance were military and other security top brass and federal lawmakers. I was privileged to be one of the few resource persons.   I presented a paper titled “The Electoral Process in Nigeria in the Face of Insecurity and Corruption: Solving the Problem of Dirty Money in Politics.” I decided to expatiate on this position again given the fact that Nigeria is at the threshold of conducting her seventh general elections in this Fourth Republic and, coincidentally, formal campaigns for national elections holding on Saturday, February 25, 2023, start today. It will last for five months. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria i

  When I see what science and technology have turned the world into, I marvel. What has moved man from the state of nature, the primitiveness and crude way of life are simply innovations brought about by science. Each time I’m travelling by air, I request a window seat at the check-in counter. The reason being that it enables me to watch happening outside the plane even as we’re air-bound. I have never ceased to wonder how the human mind can conceive and produce such a contraption that can fly despite the heavy weight of the aircraft. When I stand up to go to the restroom on the plane, it seems like I am walking in the air. It’s not only aircraft that amazes me. Everything that science and technology have made possible does. When I pass through the body scanner at airport or hotels; when I sit in my home and watch television or put on my air conditioner or radio using remote control; when I’m in a television studio and a button-like microphone is put on me and my voice is amplified;

  “I wish to reiterate here that the core costs of our electoral activities, including the acquisition of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for all elections, remain the sovereign responsibility of Federal Government of Nigeria. Nevertheless, the Commission appreciates the support of international development partners to enhance training and capacity building of officials; stakeholder engagement for peaceful election; production and dissemination of messages for voter education and sensitisation; enhancing the active and meaningful participation of all segments of society in the electoral process with particular reference to women, youth, Persons with Disability and Internally Displaced Persons; and, finally, election conflict mitigation, management and resolution” – Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Monday, September 12, 2022 at the launch of the EU-SDGN Phase II According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, The International Day of Demo

  It’s about three weeks to the official commencement of political campaign ahead of the seventh general elections taking place on February 25 and March 11, 2023. By September 28, 2022 campaign by presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives candidates will start in earnest and for the first time will last for 150 days, which is five months, according to S.94 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022. It is noteworthy that hitherto campaigns are held for 90 days.   I have read the press statement recently issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as plan by supporters of a presidential candidate, who are abroad, to raise millions of dollars for him and the controversies this has generated. I will ventilate my view on that in a bit. As the saying goes, ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Before the August 28, 2022 press statement of INEC, I have in a two-part article published in this column on March 16 and 23, 2022 titled, How Electoral Act 2022 impacts politica