POLITICS
Kanu Arrest: Time to Arrest what Gives Rise to Agitations
By Jude Opara
In past few days, the biggest story that has been coming out of Nigeria is the arrest of the leader of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by Nigerian security agencies. In fact it was almost like a funfair watching the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami addressing the media to reveal the arrest.
Shortly after that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed did not want to miss out of the euphoria as he also addressed the media.
Mohammed almost got personal while describing the life style Kanu was leaving, even the type of cloths he was wearing.Elsewhere all manner of conjectures from the absurd to the ridiculous were made as to where and how he was arrested.
The ever busy social media was awash with all kinds of reactions. While some segments of the society were in a sober mood over the arrest, others were in jubilant celebrations.The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) expectedly jumped into the matter by issuing a statement in celebration of the arrest. Understandably, this was after the same group and other numerous Northern groups jointly placed a N100 million Naira bounty on the head of Kanu.
However, beyond the feeling or reaction of some individuals or groups concerning the arrest of Kanu, the most important question to ask is after the re-arrest of Kanu, what next? Is it now Eldorado for Nigeria? Will the arrest of Kanu bring an end to the numerous challenges facing the country?
It must be stated here that while it is true that most of the people of the South-East are not in support with the style of Kanu and his IPOB, there are some salient realities that must not be ignored.
Number one is that Kanu has managed to attract a large followership of people especially the youths to himself. Today he has a cult figure among the adherents to his message and style.
Secondly, we must separate the fiction from the reality that beyond the propaganda and blackmail aimed at tarnishing the image of Kanu, we must accept the fact that his claim of marginalization of the people of the South East is staring us in the face every day.
Now what has given a fellow like Nnamdi Kanu who was barely known about seven years ago such an international image he has today was the apparent mishandling of the IPOB agitation by the federal government who decided to use the force of arms instead of the more profitable use of dialogue.
Whether we as a people accept it or not, there is an overwhelming belief in the South-East that successive governments have treated them with little or no regard. Over the years the area has been complaining of being marginalized.
The people will without blinking an eye reel out series of reasons why they believe they are being marginalized by the government. For instance, they will tell you that of the six regions in Nigeria, the South-East is the only one with only five states while others have six and North-West has seven. They will readily tell you that the zone has only 95 local government areas while one state elsewhere has 44 local government areas. They will easily point out to the fact their children are the ones that must score higher marks before they could get admission into colleges and universities.
For instance, currently at the University of Abuja there is a silent war going on with the systematic weeding of students from some part of the country. This writer knows the case of a boy from Imo State who wants to study International Studies/Political Science, he scored 276 in the UTME but so far he has not been offered admission while there are some with as low as 180 from other parts of the country who have been offered admission. In the school, it is widely said that the Vice Chancellor says he wants to ensure that more students from a particular religion and parts of the country were admitted. If this fails to get admission not because he did not do well but on the basis of his tribe and religion, does anybody need to tell him that he is not wanted in Nigeria?
In fact, most analysts have blamed the IPOB issue and its apparent mishandling on the same wave of marginalization because before IPOB, we have the killer herdsmen freely attacking and sacking communities across Nigerian and till date the Nigerian government has refused to classify them as terrorists, despite the fact that in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Fulani herdsmen are the fourth most deadly terrorist organization in the world.
But the same government in their thinking thought that rushing to brand IPOB a terrorist organization was the best way to tackle the issue of the agitation for the restoration of the State of Biafra.
How far has successive Nigerian governments gone to really unite the country since after the civil war? Till date the average Igbo man rightly or wrongly believes that while the physical war of bullets and bombs may have ended, the cold war is still very much raging.
The arrest of Nnamdi Kanu will achieve little or nothing unless the government begins an earnest move to truly integrate the people of South-East into the Nigerian system. The usual talks of the zone also having cabinet ministers are hollow statements that only attempt without success to confuse the question.
Biafra is an ideology and the world over; ideologies are never defeated with the force of arms, only superior arguments can defeat ideologies. It is rather regrettable that instead of using dialogue and the suggestion of superior arguments to those who believe they should exit Nigeria, the federal government only knows how to threaten and attack.
The poser here is if after more than 50 years since the civil war ended and today millions of youths from the South-East are again clamouring for the restoration of Biafra, it means that certain things may not have been seen to have been done correctly. Therefore, the only reasonable thing the federal government ought o have done is to call those claiming to be marginalized was to have invited them to a dialogue and hear them out.
The truth is, even if the government eliminates or incarcerates Kanu forever but fails to address the issues that threw him up; it is only a matter of time before another person will emerge to continue with the agitation. The Nigerian government should rather show leadership by engaging the Igbo people to find out how they are truly marginalized. Waving them aside with the hope of clamping down on them cannot and will never solve the problem.
Those who are in charge of the affairs of the country today should know that power is transient; they should also know that they cannot continue to hold people down and expect them to remain quiet forever. The irrational impression that some Nigerians are more important than others just on the basis of their religion and ethnicity can never suffice because generations to come will surely ask questions that may not be palatable.
Since the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, it has been observed how most of those making some comments to suggest that Kanu must be punished like a ‘terrorist’ are from Northern part of the country. Despite the fact the region is the hotbed of banditry and kidnapping, especially of little school children, most of these elements have not exhibited such interest in the arrest of Kanu in calling on the federal government to also arrest those terrorizing their region. In fact, some Northern governments have confessed to going to pay money to the bandits to stop harassing their people but till date everybody pretends not o know who after the bandits and where they could be located.
While it must be stated that Kanu while on his self-imposed exile made some incendiary comments that were capable of leading to the breakdown of law and order, it is not for people and even government officials from a particular section of the country to more or less take it personal. That will also suggest that he may not be accorded him fundamental human right which presumes him innocent until proven otherwise by a competent Court. In fact most of them have inadvertently condemned him and it is only imaginable what to expect from the Court.
The way out of this dangerous situation is for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to sincerely begin the process of restructuring Nigeria so that most of the agitations would be taken care of. Refusing and insisting on the apparent lopsided structure will not do anybody any good.
So whatever happens, the problem will not just disappear because Nnamdi Kanu has been arrested. We must begin and out in place structures that will help the real growth of the country.
POLITICS
Osun 2026 Guber: APC Aspirants Should Not Waste Money Contesting Against Adeleke – Ex Party Chieftain, Jackson Ojo

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
A former Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Jackson Lekan Ojo has advised those in the race for the APC ticket not to waste their resources as the victory of Governor Isiaka Adeleke is practically a done deal.
In a video post on his Facebook page, Jackson Ojo said Governor Adeleke has won the heart of the people of his state with his transformation of all the 30 local governments in the State and prompt payment of workers and pensioners.
According to him, the achievements of Governor Adeleke has already done 80 percent of his campaign ahead of the election.
Jackson Ojo, who is a Security Expert and global affairs analyst, from Osun State, stressed that he has always advised political office holders to perform while in office as this is the greatest strategy and tactics to win future elections.
He stressed that the abysmal performance of the APC at the Federal level and the poor performance of previous APC governors in Osun state will count heavily against any candidate that is presented by the party to contest against governor Adeleke.
The former APC chieftain added that he is not patronizing the governor for any personal gain as there is nothing that the governor can give him that God has not already given him.
He stressed that his intervention in the Osun governorship race is to stop opponents of the governor from wasting their resources for an election they can never win.
His words: “Two weeks ago I resigned from partisan politics, so I am no longer member of any political party in Nigeria. When I speak now I am not speaking in favour or against any political party. So, I am very free to air my views
“This is my views on the forthcoming governorship election in Osun state. I still see some people struggling for governor in Osun state come 2026.
“That is highly impossible for an APC aspirant. What is the APC government doing at the national level, what are the doing in the Senate, what are they doing in the House of Representatives to encourage Nigerians?
“If we are in a place like America or United Kingdom (UK) APC will not be able to win ordinary councillorship again in this country. Is it in the management of economy, education, health, security and others?
“In all these areas put together they have not scored up to 10 percent. I can boldly mark them today they they have woefully failed in area of agricultural development, educational development, health development, security, economy and infrastructural development. In all ramifications this party has failed.
“Look at the antecedents of the APC in Osun state. Aregbesola tried a bit, yes, but then Aregbesola left the State aground.
“When Baba Jeje, Mr. Go Slow, the unfortunate Minister of Blue Economy or whatever they call it, came there was nothing to write home about during his tenure as governor of Osun State. He came, he bartered the state, he rubbished the State, he insulted the state, he disgraced the State on the platform of APC.
“Now another APC is coming out now thinking of winning? Winning where, defeat who?
“Governor Adeleke does not know me, there is no benefit Adeleke can give me that God has not given to me. I can’t be a Commissioner in Osun state. No. I can’t be Special Adviser or whatever. I can’t even take their contract. I don’t think they can award the kind of contract that I need to an individual.
“But then, Adeleke has tried. If you go to my community you will see the way he has positively turned the community. Even if I am the governor of Osun State I don’t think I can do what Adeleke has done in my town and that transformation cuts across all the 30 local government areas of Osun State. All the communities, all the local governments, all.
“This man is no longer paying half salary of quarter salary. This man is not owning workers, he is not owning pensioners. This alone has spoken, this alone has done 80 percent of his campaign.
“If you perform well in office that is the highest strategy and tactics that you can use to win the heart of the people.
“Come 2026 whoever is putting money on ground in Osun state to go and contest governorship in Osun state, honestly that person has money to waste. It is sadaka, the money they have stolen they want to come and do sadaka. It is Adeleke till 2030.”
POLITICS
Former DG of PDP Governors Forum Defects to ADC

By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Former Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Hon C.I.D Maduabum has resigned from the party and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement made available to Daily Asset in Abuja on Sunday, Hon Maduabum said he is dumping the PDP because the party has been “hijacked by self-serving, unscrupulous elements who are more interested in personal power grabs than in party discipline, internal democracy, or national interest.
”Part of his statement read: “After deep reflection, extensive consultations, and careful evaluation of the current political realities within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I have taken the difficult but necessary decision to resign my membership of the PDP with immediate effect.
“As a committed democrat, a two-term member of the House of Representatives, and former Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, I have dedicated significant portions of my political life to building the PDP as a platform for democratic consolidation and national development.
“However, the soul of the party I once served with pride has been hijacked by self-serving, unscrupulous elements who are more interested in personal power grabs than in party discipline, internal democracy, or national interest.
“The PDP today is a shadow of its former self. It has descended into chaos, internal betrayal, and systematic destruction by diverse forces who have no regard for the principles upon which the party was founded. Sadly, voices of reason are no longer welcome, and genuine reformers are vilified or silenced.
“I can no longer in good conscience remain in a house that has been stripped of its moral compass and overrun by opportunists.
“In light of this, I am proud to announce that I am joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — a party that now stands as the only credible democratic alternative for Nigeria.
“The ADC is emerging as a beacon of hope for good governance, integrity, accountability, and inclusive politics. It offers the opportunity for principled politics, genuine people-oriented leadership, and a platform for rebuilding our nation from the grassroots up.
“The ADC Coalition includes progressive minded people like Mr. Peter Obi and others.
“I join the ADC not merely as a defector but as a reformer committed to helping build a new political culture — one based on merit, ideology, discipline, youth inclusion, and national unity.
“The time has come for all well-meaning Nigerians to take a stand against the decay in our political system. I call on all patriots, especially those disillusioned by the dysfunction in the traditional parties, to rally around this movement for a new Nigeria through the ADC.
“I remain committed to the democratic ideals of justice, equity, and service to the people. The struggle to rescue Nigeria and restore its promise continues — and it begins now on a new, firmer footing.”
POLITICS
Anambra: INEC Registers 96,085 New Voters, Extends CVR by Three Days

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has registered 96,085 new voters in nine days and extended the exercise by three days in Anambra.
The commission disclosed this in a statement by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, on Thursday in Abuja, after its weekly meeting.
He said that on the preliminary stage of the CVR, 56,017 representing 58 per cent of new registrants were female while 50,429 52 representing 48 per cent were young people between the ages of 18 and 34.
“The commission is pleased with the turnout of registrants in Anambra and the peaceful conduct of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in all the 326 registration centres in the state.
“As of yesterday, Wednesday, 96,085 new voters have successfully registered in nine days. On average, the Commission registered over 10,600 voters per day.
“In addition, 12,595 voters applied for transfer of their registration both within and outside the state while 7,061 persons applied for the update of their records or the replacement of their damaged or lost Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
“The CVR in Anambra ends today. However, in response to appeal from citizens, the Commission hereby extends the exercise for three more days. It will now end on Sunday, July 20,” he said.
Olumekun said that the commission would thereafter display the register for claims and objections by citizens as provided by law.
This, according to him, will be followed by a further clean-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
“Subsequently, the detailed breakdown of the new registrants by age, gender, occupation and disability will be published for public information,” he said.
Olumekun also disclosed that INEC had received five more letters of intent from associations seeking registration as political parties.
According to him, the new application brings the number received so far by the commission to 134.
Olumekun stated that the details of the new associations, indicating their proposed names, acronyms, logos, addresses and interim leaderships were already published on INEC website and other platforms for public information.
He said that INEC would continue to keep the citizens up to date on all its activities.