Public Affairs Analyst

“….. the defences of the respondents are plagued with fundamental mortal flaws highly irreconcilable and unreliable, incapable of defeating the credible evidence tendered by the petitioner in respect of 744 polling units where over voting has been established. The inference, we hereby draw from the facts established by the evidence on record is that the election conducted on July 16, 2022, was done in substantial non-compliance with the provisions of Electoral Act 2022 (Supra) and the extant regulations….”  – Hon Justice T.A Kume, Chairman, Osun State Governorship Election Petition while delivering judgement on Friday, January 27, 2023 After barely sixty days at the helm of affairs as governor of Osun State, the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo has nullified the election of Governor Ademola Adeleke. He is the second Osun governor to have had his election nullified. The first was former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the Peoples Democratic Party whose election was n...

  I have said time and again that science, technology and innovations make a nation to be a force to be reckoned with in the comity of nations. It is not the huge population of China and India which is in excess of a billion each that makes these countries powerhouse and developed countries; it is because of their scientific and technological breakthroughs as well as innovations. In the era of slave trade, slaves were raided in Africa to work on plantations of their masters in Europe and America. With industrial revolutions when machines were designed and mass produced to do the work of human beings, there was no need to further raid slaves to work on agricultural plantations, thus, it became unfashionable to continue slave trade and subsequently, it was banned. Industrial revolutions, as bye products of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics better known as STEM education, led to automation of most of the things being done manually hitherto. Robots, artificial intellig...

  A popular phrase says ‘traveling is a form of education.’ This is because it is not only in classrooms that you can acquire knowledge. Traveling provides field experience. I recall my first visit to Jos, Plateau State in 1980 to spend part of my long-term vacation with my uncle residing in the tin city. My elder sister and I travelled by rail. We boarded a train from Ibadan around 9pm and arrived Jos at the dawn of the third day. In the course of the travel, I recall traveling with an exercise book where I jotted the names of all the towns and villages we passed on our way. It was my first travel by train and it was an exciting and memorable experience.   Since that time, I don’t have to be informed of how cold Jos is. Also, I got the opportunity to visit places of interest in the ancient town. Since 1998, I have been a development worker or better still a non-governmental organisation staff and later consultant. One thing I like about the job, which does not have job secu...

  Background Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission warned that the 2023 general election, which is just over a month away, faces serious threat of postponement or cancellation if the waves of insecurity in parts of the country fail to improve. INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was represented by the chairman, Board of Electoral Institute Prof. Abdullahi     Zuru, disclosed this last week Monday, January 9, 2023 in Abuja at the Validation of Election Security Training Resources. Since that disclosure was made the federal government through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and even INEC Chairman has assured Nigerians that the election will hold as scheduled. However, at a press conference on Friday, January 13, 2023, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said APC was trying to blackmail critical election stakeholders to accede to its design to postpone the 2023 general elections, particularly the pre...

  We’re in the second week of 2023 and it is important to track some of the issues that will make or mar Nigeria this year. Many are quick to jump to conclusion that the forthcoming seventh general elections in this Fourth Republic are perhaps the major issue that will define the country this year. That is partially true. However, others that are not being reckoned with right now include the National Population and Housing Census scheduled for April, the ongoing constitutional amendment, the economy, and indeed the lingering insecurity. Yes, the preparations for the 2023 general elections have reached a fever pitch with 44 days to the polls. Like I said in this column last week, power will change hands in approximately 1,491 federal and state constituencies where elections will hold. Save for those who may be lucky to retain their positions after their successful re-election bid, others will have to give way to new ‘sheriffs.’ Presidential and governorship seats where their prese...

The Mountain of Fire and Miracles church founded by Dr. D.K Olukoya is reputed for organising a monthly prayer meeting called “power must change hands.” That essentially is at a spiritual level. However, what is certain to happen in Nigeria is that political power will change hands at 1,491 electoral constituencies on February 25 and March 11, 2023. This consists of one seat of the president, 109 senatorial seats, 360 House of Representatives positions, 28 governorship seats, and 993 state houses of assembly seats. There will also be change of power at many appointive levels such as ministers, commissioners, as well as heads of ministries, departments and agencies. Preparatory to the forthcoming seventh general election since the return to civil rule in 1999, a lot of electoral cum political activities are ongoing. One of them is the distribution of permanent voter cards to those who have registered to vote but are yet to collect their voter cards. This last phase of distribution sta...