POLITICS
Presidency Urges Obi to Raise Above Personal Ambition, Uphold National Interest
Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on Monday urged the Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to “prove his belief in Nigeria.”
In a statement titled: “Peter Obi should find better vocation instead of casting aspersions on the Judiciary”, Onanuga also admonished Obi to find another worthwhile vocation to engage his time henceforth.
“If Mr Peter Obi truly believes in Nigeria, the time to prove it is now when all men and women of goodwill are rallying support for President Bola Tinubu in his determination to lead a new era of prosperity, inclusive governance and economic growth.
“Our admonition to Obi is to find another worthwhile vocation to engage his time henceforth, having been rejected by majority of Nigerians who didn’t consider him qualified to lead our country.
“Nigerians rejected Peter Obi and his demagoguery at the poll because he posed present and future danger to the peace, progress and stability of our country,” Onanuga said.
The presidential aide said Obi’s antecedents as Governor of Anambra for eight years didn’t inspire any confidence as someone capable of running a country like Nigeria.
According to him, no tangible records of achievement in the state he governed recommended him for the Presidency of Nigeria.
“The LP presidential candidate in the last election, Mr Peter Obi, addressed a press conference, just like Atiku Abubakar, where he cast aspersions on the Supreme Court.
“He also attacked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not declaring him the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.
“We are at a loss as to how the copy-cat Obi and his faction of Labour Party convinced themselves they won an election in which they came a distant third.”
He expressed surprise at the grand delusion that made Obi believe he could have won a national election where he ran the most hateful, divisive and polarising campaign that pitted Christians against Muslims.
“His campaign also tried to pit ethnic groups against each other in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society like Nigeria. Such grand delusion should be a matter for deeper examination.”
“At the press conference where he tried, in vain, to gaslight Nigerians with false claims and innuendos, Mr Obi contradicted himself.
“Here was a beneficiary of judicial pronouncements in the past now castigating the same court because its judgment did not go his way.”
Onanuga said Obi claimed the Supreme Court Justices didn’t consider public opinion in delivering what has been applauded as a most profound judgment in an election appeal.
“Incidentally, the LP candidate presented the most watery and unreasonable petition before any court in the history of electoral cases in Nigeria.
“He made false allegations of rigging and other electoral malpractices yet could not produce any evidence to back up his claims at both the court of first instance and at the apex court.
“In a failed effort to mobilise and retain the support of his supporters, Obi gave them a forlorn hope that he won the election and would prove it before the courts.
“Throughout the trial, his lawyers didn’t present any alternative results different from the results INEC uploaded on the IReV portal and the ones signed by all party agents from the 176,000 polling units.
“We wonder how the LP candidate expected the courts to do justice on the basis of rumours, lies and false narratives by sponsored partisans and fanatical members of his ‘Obidient Movement’
“We expected the LP candidate to know that the supreme court or any other court does not give judgment based on public opinion and mob sentiments.”
The presidential aide noted that judicial pronouncements are based on evidence, precedents and the rule of law.
“Having admitted that the supreme court ruling brought an end to litigation and any challenge to Tinubu as the validly elected leader of Nigeria, Obi should have congratulated Tinubu for his victory and pledged his support, in the spirit of statesmanship.
“But instead, he brought up extraneous matters that he thought the apex court should have considered to declare him the winner.
“In our view, the drowning Obi, just like Atiku, was merely attempting to hold on to a straw in raking up new allegations, which exist only in his imagination and that of his hordes of supporters. ”
Onanuga, therefore, enjoined Obi and his party to play the role of the opposition and start preparing for another shot at the presidency in 2027.
“We hope by then he would campaign on issues and not whip up religious and ethnic sentiments as he did in the last campaign,” he said. (NAN)
From Christopher Tom, Uyo
Non-indigence in Akwa Ibom State especially the Igbo’s community has promised to give the highest number of votes across the state to Governor Umo Eno come 2027 governorship elections in the state.
The Igbo community said they will not fail to vote massively for the Governor.
The President of Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo Akwa Ibom State Chapter, Hon.
Keyceey Chidiadi made this known while speaking with media practitioners shortly after the Uyo chapter of Igbo community unity day celebration 2025 in Uyo.He said Igbo’s scattered across the 31 local government Area of the state without any doubt seriously doing their businesses without any crisis, showcasing their love, unity among the indigence of the state while also contributing their quotas to boost the state economy.
According to him, the Igbo’s are about five thousand while some have not been recorded because they have not identified with the community and advise others to join the train before it’s too late for them.
He said their vote come 2027 is massively for Pastor Umo Eno without compromise because of his leadership style and developmental strive, showcasing true democracy carrying every individual along not minding the state or religion the people came from but stand on peace, unity among the people to benefit the dividend of democracy.
He called on Igbo’s resident in the state to make sure they vote here without going to their various states to maintain their voting strength as the highest numbers of people across the non-indigence communities in Akwa Ibom State.
He said they are law abiding citizens and not ready to accommodate or entertain any crisis, violence, because of their peaceful nature created by God, especially respect for the government of the day while corporate to preach peace in the state. He commended the community for embracing peace after 27 years of crisis without a leader among them, but now peace has restored to them across the communities in the state.
From Francis Sadhere, Delta
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Delta State Office, has announced the commencement of the display of the Preliminary Voter Register for claims and objections across the state.
According to a press release by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Etekamba Udo Umoren, the exercise will begin on Monday, 15th December 2025 and end on Sunday, 21st December 2025.
The display will take place at all the 25 Local Government Area offices of INEC in Delta State between 9:00am and 3:00pm daily.
INEC explained that the exercise is in line with the Electoral Guidelines and is aimed at correcting any anomalies that may have occurred during the recent voter registration exercise.
The Commission noted that the process is essential to producing a credible and reliable voter register, which remains a key instrument for conducting free, fair and credible elections.
The Commission urged eligible voters in the state to seize the opportunity to visit INEC offices in their respective local government areas to confirm that their names and personal details are correctly captured in the register. Voters were also encouraged to report cases of omission, errors in spelling, or any other discrepancies.
In addition, members of the public were advised to raise objections to the inclusion of names of deceased persons, underaged individuals, or any other doubtful entries found in the register.
INEC reiterated its commitment to electoral integrity and called on all Deltans to actively participate in the exercise as part of their civic responsibility.
The Commission concluded the notice with a call to action, encouraging eligible citizens to register and participate in the electoral process.
…Says Defectors to Ruling Party Will Regret
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
A former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Jackson Lekan Ojo has given further insight into why governor Ademola Adeleke chose the Accord Party instead of the APC when he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
All the governors that dumped the PDP had detected to the ruling APC, including governor Simi Fubara of Rivers State who joined the party last week.
Speaking at the weekend, Dr Jackson Ojo said the people of Osun State prevailed on Governor Adeleke not to join the ruling APC when it became apparent that there was no point in remaining in PDP over the festering crisis in the PDP.
According to him, the people of Osun State already have deep hatred for the APC and joining the party was never an option for the governor.
Dr Ojo maintained that the performance and achievements of Governor Adeleke is his biggest selling point ahead of campaign for his reelection and the people of Osun State will troop into the Accord Party with him.
“Governor Adeleke trusted himself. He trusted his performance and achievements as governor of Osun State that is why he crossed over to a relatively unknown political party, the Accord Party. All of us have been talking to our people in Osun State to give him maximum support. I have featured of recent at least three times in Osun Broadcasting Corporation to talk to our people. I have been discussing about this, I have been contributing.
“I was one of the people that told the governor to go to Accord Party. I told my governor you don’t need to go to APC because the people of Osun State already hated the APC. I told him to go to any other political party, go to APGA, go to Accord Party because of your performance it will make everybody follow you. And he is going to win the election.
He added that the PDP is already a dead party and that is the reason gales of defection have been hitting the party.
He, however, warned that politicians who are defecting to the APC will regret it as they will be denied the automatic ticket that was used as bait to lure them into the party.
“I don’t think there is any miracle that can resurrect PDP today because they are already in the grave and it just to cover the earth on them. I don’t blame anybody crossing from the PDP because the party is already factionalized. But why are they all going to the APC, the APC is over saturated now. There are persons in APC before that have been fighting.
“You know I belonged to this party before and I know their modus operandi. This is a party that will tell you to go and queue and wait for your time because some people are already working before you came. APC is not a party you just cross to and they give you ticket the second day.
“When my brother who is a member of the House of A Representatives decamped from the PDP to the APC I told him it is good to decamp from the PDP but for going to the APC you are going to regret it. They promised them that they are going to give them automatic ticket but at the end of the day he went and picked the membership card but they called them and told them that crossing to the APC does not mean you are going to have automatic ticket. I hope it will not happen to Simi Fubara in Rivers State.”
Speaking on cold war in Rivers state between Governor Fubara and Lawmakers in the State, Dr Ojo declared that the loyalty of the Lawmakers should be to the people of Rivers State and not to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
“Former governor Nyesom Wike did not give life to the members of the House of Assembly that are loyal to him. Whatever he must have done for them the governor is there today and he could do better.
“The law is already there in place. Nobody should teach the governor how to settle with these people (Lawmakers). These people are not stones, they are not abstract. They are people you can call on phone, they are people you can meet. You don’t need any other person or intermediary. You have direct access to them and they have direct access to you.
“He should deploy more diplomatic ways and he has to settle with them.
“The members of the House of Assembly don’t need to be loyal to the governor, they just have to do their work according to the dictates of the law. Then the governor too has to do his work according to the dictates of the law. We are greeting or not greeting does not matter.
“What is loyalty? Loyalty of the governor and loyalty of members of the House of Assembly is to Rivers people. Greeting or no greeting, when it is time for the governor to send Bill to them he will send it, they will study it holistically and if it is for the benefit of the people of Rivers State they should approve it.
Reacting to the defection of Governor Fubara, Dr Ojo said: “Fortunately or unfortunately I am not one of his consultants. Possibly he must have consulted with his loyalists. I monitored his statement when he said those of you that suffered with him here and there that now we are going to the APC. He knows the best why he decamped to the APC.
“Decamping to APC does not matter anything to me because a political party is just a vehicle. Every achievement of Fubara in Rivers State today is not because he belonged to the PDP. If all his co-travelers are well contacted and they are well informed that the situation will not boomerang against them, then I say kudos to them, congratulations to them.
“But I hope whatever chased them out of PDP will not chase them out of APC.”
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