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Presidency Slams PDP, Says No Opposition in Nigeria
By John Onah, Abuja
The presidency yesterday, threw jibes at the main opposition- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying it was missing in key national issues and only focusing on trivial matters.
Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson said this in an article made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
The Presidency’s position was even echoed by the Ruling- All Progressives Congress (APC), when it said Nigeria was fast becoming one party state
Shehu made reference to the anti-sexual harassment bill proposed by 107 senators as a sign of the productivity of the ruling party.
Although the lead sponsor of the bill, Ovie Omo-Agege is of the APC, dozens of PDP lawmakers are co-sponsors.
The bill was passed by the past Senate under Bukola Saraki, but rejected by the then House of Representatives. Shehu made reference to this in his criticism of the PDP.
“The bill had been tabled before – in 2016 – but it was not passed: some members of our party, working with the opposition, then stronger in numbers than today, blocked it.
“This time around, there has been no such attempt by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), to scupper the legislation. We cannot tell whether they remain opposed to it, for they have been too busy to let the 200 million citizens of Nigeria know,” the presidential aide wrote.
Read his full article below.
NIGERIA’S OPPOSITION IS MISSING
Last week, the Nigeria’s senate majority leader reintroduced anti-sexual harassment legislation to parliament, following a serious exposé by the BBC of a sex for grades scandal at the University of Lagos.
The bill had been tabled before – in 2016 – but it was not passed: some members of our party, working with the opposition, then stronger in numbers than today, blocked it.
This time around, there has been no such attempt by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to scupper the legislation. We cannot tell whether they remain opposed to it, for they have been too busy to let the 200 million citizens of Nigeria know. Instead, last week – whilst this matter was in the Senate, and the first Federal Budget following our February General Election, was being tabled before the House – the opposition’s full attention was elsewhere: on the affairs of the President, who we were told by the internet, was planning to marry in secret to one of his cabinet ministers.
The interminable nonsense of fake news is hardly unique to Nigeria. In the United States, Britain – indeed across much of the democratic world – we see waves of falsehoods and untruths peddled across digital and mainstream media. It has led to journalists and the press to become less trusted than almost any other profession or estate. Yet elsewhere, whether the fake facts emanate from governments or oppositions, neither have sought to abdicate their unique responsibilities in the act of governance.
In Nigeria, the opposition is close to reneging completely on the compact it holds with the voters. Every modern democracy exists for its checks and balances. Voters may elect a government to govern but they also elect an opposition – to oppose, to scrutinise, and to hold the majority to account. In the absence of either weight or counterweight, the scales of democracy become imbalanced. This cannot continue for long without the full functioning of governance being affected.
Whether citizens voted for President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), or for the opposition’s presidential candidate and his People’s Democratic Party (PDP), no one voted for failure. They may have voted differently on policy and personality, but regardless of a voter’s choice of candidate and party, for their vote they expect responsibility. No voter expected, nor wanted, the opposition somehow to simply go missing. But that, effectively, is what they have done.
Immediately after the February election that saw President Buhari re-elected to a second four-year term, and his APC secure a workable majority both in the Senate and House, the PDP went to court to challenge the result.
The world over election losers tend towards “lawfare” once they have lost the campaign battle in the field. None can begrudge the PDP their day in court: yet it was never in doubt that they would fail to persuade the judiciary to overturn President Buhari’s 4 million votes and 14 percent margin of victory over his opponent.
“Biased judges!” screamed the opposition. Perhaps. Judges do tend to be biased – towards the facts. Yet those, it would seem, matter no longer to the opposition at all – for last week they opened their next salvo in lawfare by taking their exact same, fatally flawed case to Nigeria’s Supreme Court. We must sincerely hope the opposition have the wherewithal to appreciate they will fail once more, given the facts and the math remain the same.
The opposition’s over-excretions are leaving a mess for the elected government to clean up. These do not just extend to the fact that even the most serious, and well-intentioned anti-sexual harassment legislation needs scrutiny, or the fact that the opposition yelled “corruption, padding!” at the Federal Budget – even before it had been tabled. More importantly, it leaves a stain on the terms of acceptable debate.
The median age of our 200 million population is 18 years old. Over 100 million Nigerians have access to the internet, and to cell phones. Many will, of course, see the opposition’s fake news and failure to hold the government to account fully and sanely for what it is: dereliction of duty. But there will be those who do not.
Nigeria is leading the fight in Africa against terrorists claiming to be adherents of Islam. This battle is being won – but not without cost. Our fight matters not just to our country, or West Africa – but to the whole world. We are defeating the terrorists both through military and through educative means. We hold up to the terrorists the inalienable truth that society is better when there is reasoned debate, the exchange of views, argument without harm – and that it is through this process of consent which leads to unity.
Without that process working as it should, not only is good governance threatened but it imperils the principle of our system of governance – based on scrutiny of the executive based on facts – and makes it out to be a sham. It imperils the principle of governance by consent which is the firewall against impressionable young people being swayed towards terrorists, whom it emboldens. Nigeria’s opposition is missing. We need them back.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello will spend the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year days in Kuje prison, Abuja, following refusal of his bail application by the Federal Capital Territory High Court.
Justice Maryann Anenih yesterday adjourned the case until Jan.
29, Feb. 25, and Feb. 27, 2025 for the continuation of the hearing.The former governor is standing trial, along with two others, in an N110 billion money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Anenih had refused to grant a bail application filed by Bello, saying it was filed prematurely.
The judge admitted Umar Oricha and Abdulsalam Hudu, to bail in the sum of N 300 million each with two sureties.
Justice Anenih, while delivering a ruling said, having been filed when Bello was neither in custody nor before the court, the instant application was incompetent.
“Consequently, the instant application having been filed prematurely is hereby refused,” she said.
Recalling the arguments before the court on the bail application, the judge had said, “before the court is a motion on notice, dated and filed on Nov. 22.
“The 1st Defendant seeks an order of this honourable court admitting him to bail pending the hearing and determination of the charge.
“That he became aware of the instant charge through the public summons. That he is a two-term governor of Kogi State. That if released on bail, he would not interfere with the witnesses and not jump bail.”
She said the Defendant’s Counsel, JB Daudu, SAN, had told the court that he had submitted sufficient facts to grant the bail.
He urged the court to exercise its discretion judicially and judiciously to grant the bail.
Opposing the bail application, the Prosecution Counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, argued that the instant application was grossly incompetent, having been filed before arraignment.
He said it ought to be filed after arraignment but the 1st Defendant’s Counsel disagreed, saying there was no authority
“That says that an application can only be filed when it is ripe for hearing.”
Justice Anenih held that the instant application for bail showed that it was filed several days after the 1st defendant was taken into custody.”
Citing the ACJA, the judge said the provision provided that an application for bail could be made when a defendant had been arrested, detained, arraigned or brought before the court.
Bello had filed an application for his bail on November 22 but was taken into custody on November 26 and arraigned on Nov. 27.
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Nationalities Community Development Association (CONAECDA) has called on the federal government to intensify efforts in the resettlement of displaced persons in their ancestral homes.
The organization made this call at the end of its conference held in Jos, the Plateau State Capital weekend.
Thirty resolutions were passed covering security, economy, politics, governance, culture, languages, human rights and indigenous peoples’ rights among others.
The Conference President, Samuel Achie and Secretary Suleman Sukukum in a communique noted that the conference received and discussed reports from communities based on which resolutions were reached on securing, reconstruction, rehabilitation and returning communities displaced by violence across the Middle Belt.
“After considering the reports from communities displaced by violent conflicts, conference resolved, and called on government to focus on providing security to deter further displacements.
“Call on government to provide security to enable communities to return. Government and donor partners should assist in reconstructing and returning displaced communities,” the communique stated.
The GOC 3 Armoured Division Nigeria Army represented by Lt Col Abdullahi Mohammed said the Nigerian Army is committed to working closely with communities to achieve a crime-free society, urging communities to support them with credible information.
“Security is a collective effort, and we cannot do it alone, the community plays a crucial role in ensuring safety.
“We urge everyone here not to shield or protect individuals involved in criminal activities. Transparency and collaboration, together, with maximum cooperation, we can achieve peace, security, and prosperity for our society,” the GOC stated.
The National Coordinator of CONECDA, Dr. Zuwaghu Bonat in his address at the gathering noted that the theme of this year’s program, Returning, Resettling, and Rehabilitating Displaced Communities, was chosen as a wakeup call on the federal government.
He maintained that the organization is aware that President Bola Tinubu has expressed a commitment to ensuring that displaced communities return to their ancestral lands.
He said similarly, some state governments, including Plateau State, have set up committees to address the lingering matter.
The coordinator however cautioned, “It is critical that we avoid generalizations or profiling. For instance, Not all Muslims are involved in terrorism. The overwhelming majority of Muslims in Nigeria are peaceful and reject extremist ideologies.
“We also know that some terrorists exploit religion to mobilize support or rationalize their actions. However, their atrocities – slaughtering women, cutting open pregnant mothers, and killing children show a profound disregard for humanity and God. Normal human beings would not commit such acts.
“We must also be cautious about lumping banditry with terrorism. While statistics indicate that many bandits and kidnappers may share similar ethnic backgrounds, kidnapping has now evolved into a profit-driven enterprise. This distinction is vital to address the root causes effectively,” he stated.
The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang represented by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Middle Belt Nationalities, Hon Daniel Kwada noted that the conference was apt to addressed the various underlying issues bedeviling the region and its people.
“We in the Middle Belt have long been standing at the crossroads of Nigeria’s complex history. Despite our tireless efforts to stabilize this nation, we have faced immense challenges, including underdevelopment, security issues, and marginalization.
“Often, we are unfairly maligned, but gatherings like this offer a chance to change the narrative.
“Such conferences set the tone for better discussions. They allow us to drive processes that bring development, ensure security, and elevate our people to greater heights,” Mutfwang noted.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called on banks to reinforce their corporate governance principles and risk management frameworks to boost investor confidence during the ongoing recapitalisation exercise.
Dr Emomotimi Agama, Director-General, SEC, said this at the yearly workshop of the Capital Market Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CAMCAN) held in Lagos.
The theme of the workshop is: “Recapitalisation: Bridging the Gap between Investors and Issuers in the Nigerian Capital Market”.
Agama, represented by the Divisional Head of Legal and Enforcement at the SEC, Mr John Achile, stated that the 2024–2026 banking sector recapitalisation framework offers clear guidance for issuers while prioritising the protection of investors’ interests
He restated the commission’s commitment towards ensuring transparency and efficiency in the recapitalisation process.
The director-general stated that the key to bridging the gap between issuers and investors remained the harnessing of innovation for inclusive growth.
In view of this, Agama said, “SEC, through the aid of digital platform, is exploring the integration of blockchain technology for secure and transparent transaction processing to redefine trust in the market.”
He added that the oversubscription of most recapitalisation offers in 2024 reflects strong investor confidence.
To sustain this momentum, the director-general said that SEC had intensified efforts to enhance disclosure standards and corporate governance practices.
According to him, expanding financial literacy campaigns and collaborating with fintech companies to provide low-entry investment options will democratise access to the capital market.
He assured stakeholders of the commission’s steadfastness in achieving its mission of creating an enabling environment for seamless and transparent capital formation.
“Our efforts are anchored on providing issuers with clear guidelines and maintaining open lines of communication with all market stakeholders, reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks through digitalisation.
“We also ensure timely review and approval of applications, and enhancing regulatory oversight to protect investors while promoting market integrity,” he added.
Agama listed constraints to the exercise to include: addressing market volatility, systemic risks, limited retail participation as well as combating skepticism among investors who demand greater transparency and accountability.
He said: “We are equally presented with opportunities which include leveraging technology to deepen financial inclusion and enhance market liquidity.
“It also involves developing innovative financial products, such as green bonds and sukuk, to attract diverse investor segments.
“The success of recapitalisation efforts depends on collaboration among regulators, issuers, and investors.”
Speaking on market infrastructure at the panel session, Achile said SEC provides oversight to every operations in the market, ranging from technology innovations to market.
He stated that the commission is committed to transparency and being mindful of the benefits and risks associated with technology adoption.
Achile noted that SEC does due diligence to all the innovative ideas that comes into the market to ensure adequate compliance with the requirements.
On the rising unclaimed dividend figure, Achile blamed the inability of investors to comply with regulatory requirements and information gap.
He noted that SEC had done everything within its powers to ensure that investors receive their dividend at the appropriate time.
He, however, assured that the commission would continue to strengthen its dual role of market regulation and investor protection to boost confidence in the market.
In her welcome address, the Chairman of CAMCAN, Mrs Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma, said banks’ recapitalisation is not just a regulatory requirement, but an opportunity to rebuild trust, strengthen the capital market, and drive sustainable growth.
Joel-Nwokeoma stated that the recent recapitalisation in the banking sector had brought to the fore the need for a more robust and inclusive capital market.
She added that as banks seek to strengthen their balance sheets and improve their capital adequacy ratios, it is imperative to create an environment that fosters trust, transparency, and cooperation between investors and issuers.
The chairman called for collaboration to bridge the gap between investors and issuers to create a more inclusive and vibrant Nigerian capital market.She said: “we must work together to strengthen corporate governance and risk management practices in banks, enhance disclosure and transparency requirements for issuers.” NAN
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