By Reuben Abati

The high-level meetings and debates of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) open today at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States, with about 300 heads of states and governments, vice presidents, ministers, and at least a crown prince in attendance.

This is the 81st UNGA, the UN having been established in June 1945.

The event itself began on 8 September, with different forums having been held involving institutions, the private sector, and civil society organisations, underscoring the collective ownership, at a person-to-person level, of the programmes and objectives of the institution.

What begins today is the debate among leaders about many of the central issues of our time.

This 81st session of UNGA will be against the background of increased tensions and uncertainties in the world, war in Gaza, Ukraine, the Middle East, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan, the increasing threat and fear of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of humanity, climate action and the urgency of environmental protection and safety, and the perennial questions about the legitimacy, effectiveness and representativeness of the United Nations.

The question is: Can the UN stop conflicts and division and save the world? This year also brings to full term the tenure of the Portuguese diplomat and politician, António Guterres, as UN Secretary General. With his tenure ending on 31st December, this would be his last UNGA as Secretary-General, a process is on-going to elect a successor. Nigeria’s Amina Jane Mohammed, the former minister of Environment (2015-2016) who was appointed as a Deputy Secretary General in 2017 by Antònio Guterres will also be stepping down after nine years of service at the UN.

This UN Secretary General has had a good run – he has consistently established himself as an unrelenting advocate for peace, human dignity, a safer world, the protection of the international rules-based order, climate action, multilateralism and inclusiveness. He has served as a voice of reason in a turbulent decade.

Amina Mohammed who holds the second highest national honour of Nigeria, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) has been a dependable, hardworking Deputy Secretary General, a great achievement for the centering of women and an outspoken promoter of skills acquisition and sustainable development goals.

As she steps down from her international duties, Nigeria should be proud of her, and find new opportunities for her to continue to contribute to the growth and development of her country and the world.

The United Nations is at a crossroads. It is in crisis. It was established in 1945, to promote international peace, security, development and co-operation, essentially to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, after the horror of World War II.

Over the years, the UN established institutions to promote these objectives within the framework of the brotherhood of humanity and multilateralism. But today, there is skepticism about whether or not the United Nations is still serving its original purpose. It suffers from a credibility and trust deficit.

The world today is divided, fragmented, multilateralism is threatened. Old alliances are collapsing. Energy prices are rising. The international rules-based order is failing, as countries like the US, Russia, and Israel routinely disregard international law, with no enforcement mechanism to check them. The binding resolutions of the UN are breached with impunity by powerful states.

The Permanent Members, known as the P-5 of the UN Security Council and their allies, if not surrogates, have imposed a curious ethic: that might is right in violation of the UN Charter. When they are not checkmating themselves: Russia vs the US, or US vs. China, they block whatever does not align with their power of control. Skeptics thereby argue that the UN General Assembly is, at best, an inefficient, debating society. But that same debate will begin today and it is worth listening to.

Today, Guterres will welcome the UN community of 193 member-nations in an opening address, and there will be statements by US President Donald Trump and French President Emanuel Macron. On Wednesday, speakers will include Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and on Thursday, Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is representing Nigeria. I will comment on Nigeria’s participation shortly.

On Thursday, there will be country statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, to the discomfiture of New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani, who had to be reminded by higher powers that he does not have the authority to stop Netanyahu from entering New York.

Meanwhile, the same US Government that sees Israel as an ally and Netanyahu as a friend has stopped the Iranian delegation from entering the United States, for the second year in a row, and President Mahmoud Abbas can only address the UNGA by video on Thursday. The treatment of Palestine, which enjoys an observer status, along with the Holy See, is in violation of the 1947 UN Headquarters Agreement. 

Whatever may be the shortcomings of the United Nations, there is no doubt that the world still needs it, perhaps now more than ever as a stabilising force. In its 81 years, it has been a catalyst for development, in the defence of causes and projects that remind us at critical moments of the common humanity that binds us.

Its many organisations may not have always saved the world from conflict and war, but they have proven to be strong intervention agencies in many areas: peacekeeping, support for vulnerable persons and institutions, health, humanitarian aid, education, support for women, climate action, sustainable development, a force for decolonisation and the promotion of equity and justice.

On all counts, the UN has been more successful than the League of Nations which preceded it. Not surprisingly the UN has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts through the UNICEF, ILO, IAEA, the UN Commission for Refugees as an institution, and its officials for their personal distinction.

The fact that its relevance is still appreciated was made clear when US President Trump proposed the Board of Peace Initiative in January to oversee a peace plan for Gaza and promote peace building around the world. Many countries (including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, European Union, and the Vatican) declined membership because of Trump’s claim that the

Board could potentially replace the UN. The United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 2803 had welcomed the BoP but Trump had proposed himself as the Board’s President for Life! Even the about 27 countries that joined Trump’s Board have not expressed a desire to abandon the UN.

What is established as a growing concern among many UN members is the demand for a reform and restructuring of the institution, a subject of interest and discussion over the decades, which is likely to feature again prominently in the debates.

The Allied Powers that established the UN (US, UK, France, China and Russia) were the victors of World War II, but the landscape of power has since changed in a multi-polar reality, and the question has been the need to change the structure of the UN to reflect the new reality and recognise the new powers that have emerged.

The UN Security Council is dominated by the Permanent Five who exercise a veto power. By the 1970s, Third World nations whose numbers had increased in the UN formed a Group of 77, and began to assert influence. Successive Secretary Generals responded by introducing one form of reform or the other.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992 -1996) initiated a reform of the UN secretariat. In 2011, Ban Ki-Moon established a Change Management Team to work on a reform agenda. His successor, Kofi Annan worked along the same lines.

This last Sunday, the outgoing Secretary General António Guterres called for permanent African representation on the Security Council and sweeping reforms to global governance structures. The sentiment among major regions like Africa and Latin America is that they are excluded.

Others have called for the expansion of the Security Council, or that the UN headquarters should be taken away from New York. Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan are also asking for permanent seats, while the G4 nations are asking for a modernisation of the Security Council.

The UN Security Council is considered anti-democratic, unrepresentative, and inequitable. But there are two obstacles. Any reform will require the approval of two-thirds of the UN membership, which may be difficult to get. The P5, with their veto power, also do not want any reform. They are not willing to give up their power.

When Kofi Annan appeared to be serious and determined about the restructuring of the UN bureaucracy to address charges of inefficiency, the US threatened to withdraw its UN dues. The US has always behaved like the primary power in the UN, a hegemonic, self-assertion that has seen its worst expression under President Trump’s unilateralism. 

The UN today is an assembly of divided interests. It is therefore instructive that Nigerian vice president, Senator Shettima, who is leading the Nigerian delegation this year, as he did in the last two sessions – 79th and 80th – has said that Nigeria’s focus will be guided by its national interest, commitment to multilateralism and President Tinubu’s call for the reforms of global institutions.

This should be a good pitch, and on national interest, that should be an opportunity for the Tinubu administration to project itself on the global stage, this being an election season. But rather than seek to contribute to the debate, Nigerian opposition politicians have been more concerned by the fact that President Tinubu is not attending the UNGA. This should not be an issue.

Nigeria loses nothing by being represented by its vice president. Besides, Senator Shettima has proven to be well-suited for international engagements, as it has been seen in his appearances on the world stage at such events as the World Economic Forum, this same UNGA, the African Union and most recently at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, where on every occasion he acquitted himself honourably.

And by the way, President Tinubu is not the only Head of State who has sent a delegation. He is in the same company, as China’s President Xi Jinping, who meets President Trump on Wednesday, will be represented at UNGA by his deputy. President Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Narendra Modi won’t be there either. With Vice President Shettima in New York, President Tinubu who has been away on a working leave for three weeks should actually be on his way back home, and not tarry any longer in Europe!

As the debates begin at the UN General Assembly, the future of the UN and humanity itself should remain in focus as encapsulated in the theme: “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.” The process for finding a successor to António Guterres is already in motion. It is important to choose the right candidate: a Secretary General that will inherit the institution with its merits and imperfections but with the capacity, strength and vision to draw it closer to its original mandate and rebuild trust.

At the end of a third straw poll, a secret, informal vote, held last Friday, out of the eight candidates who indicated interest in the office (including two from Africa: former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Uganda politician, Olara Otunnu), the race has now been reduced to three leading candidates – Costa Rica’s Rebecca Gryspan, followed by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, and Argentina’s Rafael Grossi.

The winning candidate will need at least nine votes in the 15-member Security Council and must not be vetoed by any of the Permanent Five. The removal of this autocratic hold on the UN by a minority is the most urgent task before the UN, in addition to the menace of war and the emerging threat of Artificial Intelligence.

The UN Charter is also in need of a review to delete certain provisions in its Chapter XIII, and the now obsolete “enemy clauses” in Articles 53 and 107.  

Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised an alarm over smear campaigns among political parties and threatened to sanction erring parties.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Oyo State, Prof.

Adeniran Tella, raised the alarm at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Ibadan on Thursday.

Tella said the commission had observed with deep concern a rise in abusive, intemperate and inflammatory language during the ongoing political campaigns.

He said the commission has the statutory responsibility to monitor campaigns and enforce compliance within the Code of Conduct for political parties.

The REC maintained that campaign activities should be issue-based “and not based on personality, ethnic or religious matters”.

Tella added that Section 96 of the Electoral Act, 2026 prohibits campaign language that could harm religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings or provoke violence.

He reminded politicians that individuals who err will face fines of up to N5 million or a 12-month imprisonment.

“Political parties will face fines up to N10 million for a first offence,” he said.

Tella directed political parties in the state to submit schedules of their campaign activities, including specific venues and dates of their rallies and meetings, to the commission’s state headquarters for monitoring.

Speaking on the participating political parties’ candidates in the forthcoming general election, the REC said 38 candidates are vying for the three senatorial district seats.

According to him, 151 candidates are vying for the 14 House of Representatives seats.

“Regarding the governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the commission has published the particulars of candidates on Form EC9.

“The final list for state-level candidates is scheduled for publication on Oct. 10.

“So, I urge all party leaders to verify the details of their candidates and ensure that their credentials are in order, as there will be no room for errors at that stage,” he stated.

The REC further informed the public that the commission had opened its portal for the recruitment exercise of ad-hoc staff to be deployed across 6,319 polling units in the state.

According to him, the portal: pres.inecnigeria.org and http://www.inecnigeria.org/pres.apk or https://inecpres-app.com/pres-app.apk, opened on Sept. 18, will remain accessible until midnight on Nov. 18.

He promised a level playing field for all and appealed to all political parties, candidates, and their supporters that politics is a contest of ideas, not a war.

“We shall remain impartial, transparent and accountable as an umpire in the electoral process,” he said.

In his goodwill message, the police representative, Usen Ekanem, said political parties and their candidates should be decorous and campaign with a focus on what they will do for the electorate.

He said all political parties should endeavour to inform the police of their rally/campaign venues and dates 48 hours in advance to enable the provision of security officers.

The representative of the Department of State Security (DSS), G. E. Akaram, urged political parties to shun violence and refrain from destroying their opponents’ campaign billboards.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) representative, Mrs Florence Shiyanbade, urged political parties to focus on their manifestoes instead of engaging in fights and violence with their opponents.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), represented by Olajumoke Odususi, called on political parties to support INEC and security agencies to conduct credible elections.

Odususi, who is the state Deputy Chairman of IPAC, said the council had started orienting its members on the need to ensure their campaigns are issue-based.

She called on all political parties not to see the forthcoming elections as a do-or-die affair. (NAN)

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has dismissed allegations that he rigged the 2023 presidential election in the South-South in favour of President Bola Tinubu against Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi.

Wike, who made the rebuttal in Abuja on Wednesday, described the claim as a ‘baseless narrative propagated primarily on social media”.

Widespread criticism erupted across the political sphere after Wike’s remarks during an interview on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, claiming that his G5 group of governors strategically allowed Obi to win in South-South.

Critics, public commentators, and opposition figures argued that Wike’s statement was a public confession of voter manipulation.

Reacting, Wike clarified that the results were the product of calculated electoral strategy aimed at neutralising major political threats rather than illegal manipulation.

Responding to critics who accused him of altering result sheets in favour of Tinubu, Wike wondered how an individual could single-handedly dictate the outcome across thousands of polling units.

“People who don’t understand, how can they say I rigged the election? How would I have done it? So, I just took the result sheets, wrote it, and gave it to INEC?” he asked.

He emphasised that social media projections often fail to reflect the reality across the country’s vast voting infrastructure.

“I’ve always said social media does not win elections. You have about 176,000 polling units, and probably you have seen 300 polling units and then you rush to the conclusion that so-and-so has won.

“Election outcomes are not predicted this way,” he said.

Wike also noted that in spite of the public outcry following the election, opposition parties failed to substantiate claims of rigging in court.

“You remember that when they went to the tribunal, did anybody tender any result from Rivers to say, ‘look, this is the result, we won’?” he added.

Detailing the tactical approach adopted in the South-South, traditionally a stronghold of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike explained that PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was identified as the primary threat to their political coalition, known as the G5.

To prevent Atiku from securing the region, Wike explained that their strategy involved routing votes toward Peter Obi in specific areas to split the opposition base and suppress Atiku’s margin.

“We felt that Atiku was more of a factor in that election than Obi. So our strategy was that, make sure that you vote for Obi to win in order to deny Atiku the votes.

“South-South was purely a PDP state and so if we had voted for PDP all through, then Atiku would have won. That was a threat,” he said.

The minister dismissed Obi’s broader national surge as largely cosmetic, noting that strategic calculations required focusing on hard numbers rather than online popularity.

“Obi wasn’t a threat. Obi was merely a threat by social media. Even if Obi had secured Rivers outright, it would not have altered the outcome of the presidential race.

“Assuming Obi won Rivers, add it for him. Would he have won the election?” he asked.

Wike also argued that attempting to manipulate an election without genuine grassroots popularity was impossible in Nigeria’s current political landscape.

“When you talk about rigging, you cannot rig an election where you are not popular. You cannot. If you try that, then you see what will happen to you. People will resist it,” he added.

Wike urged political analysts and the public to focus on electoral mechanics and verified facts rather than online commentary.

“We had our strategy, and that strategy worked well for us.

“Our major opponent was Atiku Abubakar and if we didn’t do that, something would have happened,” he said. (NAN)