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Reading the Early Signals of Nigeria’s 2027 Presidential Contest
By Tom Chiahemen
In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the wrestling arena was more than a place where strong men tested their physical prowess. It was a theatre of honour, discipline and communal values.
There were rules. There were spectators. There was a referee. Above all, there was an understanding that no wrestler, however formidable, was greater than the traditions that governed the contest.That timeless lesson suddenly came alive for me after reading two Facebook posts on Monday.
Written independently by respected journalist Udo Silas and former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Comrade Solomon Dalung, the two interventions are stylistically different yet remarkably complementary.
One is steeped in literature and symbolism; the other rests on constitutional accountability and democratic transparency. Yet both illuminate the same emerging reality.The political contest for Nigeria’s 2027 presidency has begun.
Not in campaign grounds.
Not in party primaries.
But in the battle to define the narrative.
Udo Silas, in his beautifully crafted essay titled “As Life Presidency Arrives Our Shores (2): Okonkwo and Amalinze – Understanding Tinubu’s Imagery of the Wrestler,” draws inspiration from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration that he would “wrestle” his political opponents to the finish.
To many, it may have sounded like ordinary political bravado.
To Udo, however, it was far more profound.
Borrowing richly from Achebe’s literary masterpiece, he recreates the famous wrestling duel between Okonkwo and Amalinze the Cat before reminding readers of the tragic turning point in Okonkwo’s life—the killing of Ikemefuna despite repeated warnings from the elders.
It is here that literature transcends fiction and becomes political philosophy.
The warning from Achebe’s Umuofia is timeless.
Strength is admirable.
Determination is commendable.
Victory is desirable.
But power that refuses restraint eventually consumes itself.
When leaders begin to believe that every contest must end only in their favour, democracy itself begins to suffocate.
Udo captures this anxiety with remarkable elegance.
“The drums are beating again,” he writes.
“Not the gentle drums of harvest, but the iron-throated drums of contest.”
It is difficult to read those words without sensing that they describe not merely political competition but an atmosphere already thick with apprehension.
Perhaps the most powerful line in his essay is the reminder that “wrestling is not war.”
That simple statement carries profound implications for democratic governance.
In every genuine democracy, elections are contests—not conquests.
Opponents are rivals—not enemies.
Institutions are expected to serve as impartial referees—not extensions of partisan interests.
The arena belongs to the people, not to any one contestant.
Almost seamlessly, Solomon Dalung’s intervention provides the constitutional counterpart to Udo’s literary allegory.
His concern is not wrestling metaphors or political imagery.
It is documentation.
Reacting to President Tinubu’s published particulars reportedly released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dalung observes that the sections relating to the President’s primary and secondary school qualifications were reportedly left blank while only the university qualification was listed.
Dalung is careful.
He makes no accusation.
He pronounces no verdict.
Instead, he asks what should ordinarily be regarded as a legitimate democratic question.
Why?
His argument is disarmingly simple.
If public records, affidavits and educational declarations have consistently been used to scrutinise political opponents, then fairness demands that the same standard be applied to the incumbent President.
No exceptions.
No sacred cows.
No selective accountability.
Whether one agrees with Dalung’s premise is almost secondary.
The larger issue he raises is one upon which every constitutional democracy depends: public office attracts public scrutiny.
Questions are not acts of rebellion.
They are instruments of accountability.
Transparency is not a favour bestowed upon citizens.
It is an obligation owed to them.
Silence, especially where clarity is possible, rarely settles public debate. More often, it deepens suspicion.
Read independently, Udo Silas and Solomon Dalung appear to be discussing different issues.
Read together, they become two chapters of the same political conversation.
One interrogates the psychology of power.
The other interrogates the responsibility that accompanies power.
One asks whether the contest itself will remain fair.
The other asks whether those seeking authority are willing to subject themselves to the same standards they demand of others.
Together, they point to what may become the defining question of the 2027 presidential election—not simply who wins, but how victory is achieved.
This is why the accompanying political cartoon beneath Udo’s post is particularly instructive.
Inside the wrestling ring stands President Tinubu, facing two leading opposition figures—Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peter Obi of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Around them sit ordinary Nigerians, security personnel included, watching intently.
Yet the cartoon’s true subject is not the wrestlers.
It is the arena.
The spectators are not merely observing who throws the first punch.
They are watching whether the referee remains impartial.
Whether the rules are respected.
Whether the contest remains credible.
That, ultimately, is where democracies either flourish or fail.
History offers sobering lessons.
Nations rarely lose democracy in one dramatic moment.
More often, democratic erosion begins quietly—through weakened institutions, diminished transparency, selective application of rules and growing public distrust.
By the time the damage becomes obvious, rebuilding confidence has become infinitely more difficult.
This is why thoughtful interventions such as those of Udo Silas and Solomon Dalung deserve engagement rather than dismissal.
One speaks through the enduring wisdom of literature.
The other through the language of constitutional responsibility.
Neither should be reduced to partisan talking points.
Both are reminders that democracy survives not because leaders are strong, but because institutions are stronger.
The drums announcing Nigeria’s 2027 presidential contest have already begun to beat.
Whether they herald another credible democratic transition or a bruising struggle over the country’s political soul will depend on far more than campaign slogans, political alliances or electoral arithmetic.
It will depend on whether every actor—government, opposition, electoral umpire, security agencies, the judiciary, the media and the electorate—accepts one fundamental truth that Achebe understood so well.
No wrestler is greater than the arena.
And no democracy survives when the arena itself becomes the prize.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
League of Women Voters
of Nigeria (NILOWV) on Tuesday, tasks the National Assembly on the quick passage of Special Seat bill for women and people with disability.
The President of NILOWV, Hon.
Irene Awunah-Ikyegh, stated this while briefing the media in commemoration of 2026 International day of Democracy, in Abuja.She lamented that no nation can claim to leave a lasting democratic legacy without it’s commitment to inclusive democracy that include women and people with disabilities.
She there begged NASS not to waste the opportunity but to make history, the opportunity to tell the daughters of
Nigeria that Parliament sees them, the opportunity to tell young women that their political aspirations
are legitimate, the opportunity to strengthen our democracy.
She said, “The Special Seats Bill presents an opportunity to leave a lasting democratic legacy. The question is not
whether Nigerian women are asking for too much. The question is whether Nigeria can continue to
claim that it is committed to inclusive democracy while women remain so dramatically
underrepresented.
“You have the opportunity to make history, the opportunity to tell the daughters of
Nigeria that Parliament sees them, the opportunity to tell young women that their political aspirations
are legitimate, the opportunity to strengthen our democracy. Please, do not waste this opportunity”.
She noted that, “This day is not merely a day for speeches, ceremonies and declarations. It is a day for reflection. It is a day to ask difficult questions. It is a day to examine whether the democracy we practise truly reflects the aspirations of the people. It is a day to ask whether every citizen has a meaningful opportunity to participate. It is a day to ask whether our institutions are working. It is a day to ask whether our political
parties are truly democratic. And, most importantly for us at NILOWV, it is a day to ask whether Nigerian women who constitute approximately half of our population are being given a fair and meaningful opportunity to participate in political leadership and decision-making”.
She lamented, “The final list of National Assembly candidates provides us with a sobering picture. There are 4,408
candidates contesting for seats in the Senate and House of Representatives. Of this number: 3,965 are
men while only 443 are women. Women therefore constitute approximately 10 percent of the candidates, while men constitute approximately 90 percent. This means that, for roughly every one
woman appearing on the National Assembly ballot, there are about nine men.
“These figures are more than statistics they represent the continuing imbalance in access to political power. They tell us that although Nigerian women are participating in the political process, the pathway from participation to actual political power remains extremely difficult and this is where we must
distinguish between participation and representation.
“Women may constitute a large proportion of voters Women may attend political meetings. Women may
mobilise communities. Women may campaign tirelessly. Women may provide food, logistics and
grassroots structures during elections.
“Women may even constitute the majority of volunteers in some
political activities but when it comes to the point at which tickets are allocated, resources are distributed and candidates are selected for elective office, the numbers suddenly collapse.
“That is the problem Women are often visible in political mobilisation but invisible in political power that
is not equality that is not inclusion and that is not the democracy Nigeria should be proud of” .
She decries, “We must humanise these figures. Behind the 443 women on the ballot are hundreds of Nigerian women
who have decided that they are ready to serve but behind the thousands of women who are not on the
ballot are also stories. There is the woman who wanted to contest but could not afford the nomination
and expression-of-interest fees. There is the woman who had the qualifications but lacked the political
godfather.
“There is the woman whose party told her to wait. There is the woman who was encouraged to contest but later discovered that the ticket had already
been informally allocated. There is the woman who was told that she could serve better as a campaign
mobiliser than as a candidate. There is the woman who was warned that politics is too dangerous for
her.
“There is the woman who was threatened. There is the woman who was sexually harassed. There is
the woman who was subjected to online abuse.There is the woman who was told that she was too ambitious. There is the woman whose competence
was questioned simply because she is a woman and there are women who have watched all these
experiences and quietly concluded:
“Perhaps politics is not for people like me.”
She therefore concluded by urging every Nigerian not to give up on democracy, ‘Instead, demand a better democracy.
Democracy belongs to citizens. If we withdraw, others will’.
The Abia Government has elevated selected cultural and natural sites to state heritage and monuments as part of efforts to position them for recognition as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting on Monday in Umuahia.
Kanu said the State Executive Council had approved the declaration of selected heritage and natural sites as state heritage and monuments to strengthen their preservation and promotion.
He said the approved sites included the National War Museum, Ojukwu Bunker and Government College, all in Umuahia, as state monuments.
He also listed the Ibom Waterfall in Arochukwu and Ulochukwu Caves at Alayi Bende as state natural monuments.
According to him, the elevation of the sites would enhance their tourism potential and position them for possible recognition as UNESCO heritage sites.
Kanu also announced the designation of Aba as a Creative and Innovative City, saying the move was part of efforts to promote the state’s cultural, creative and tourism potential.
He further said that the retrofitting of the Ojukwu Bunker and National War Museum had reached about 80 per cent completion and was expected to be completed before the end of 2026.
The commissioner said that the projects, when completed, would enhance the preservation and historical value of the sites, improve visitor experience and increase their tourism potential.
Kanu said the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy had commenced the development of the Ibom Waterfall Tourism Corridor in Arochukwu.
He said that initial development works, including the grading of access roads to the waterfall, had commenced, adding that the project was expected to be completed before the end of 2026.
According to him, the project is expected to unlock additional tourism and economic opportunities in the state.
He said that the ministry had also commenced the erection of monuments at strategic locations across the state to preserve Abia’s heritage and honour its heroes and heroines.
Kanu said one of the monuments would honour the heroines of the 1929 Aba Women’s Uprising, celebrating their courage, resilience, resistance and leadership.
The commissioner said that the initiatives reflected the state government’s broader efforts to preserve its historical and cultural assets while using them to drive tourism and economic development.
On tax rates in the state, Kanu said the rates being circulated were not new, adding that most dated back to 2020 and were introduced by the previous administration.
He said that the Abia Board of Internal Revenue could not increase tax rates without enabling laws and that no such increase had been introduced by the board.
Kanu also dismissed reports that an akara seller was paying N50, 000 in tax, describing the claim as false.
“Akara sellers don’t pay tax or levies, they pay daily tolls, and none can pay as high as N50, 000,” he said.
On gratuity payments, Kanu said that the state government had paid the batch covering 2001 to 2010, while preparations covering 2011 to 2025 were being processed.
He dismissed claims that the government was compelled by the opposition to commence gratuity payments, describing the narrative as misleading.
He explained that the government had incorporated gratuity provisions into its 2026 to 2030 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework to ensure that future arrears did not accumulate.
“This does not translate to the payments being terminated in 2031.
“So, as soon as the internal processes are done with, these payments will continue at pace and in batches,” Kanu said.(NAN)
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced an annual preventive maintenance of its 330/132 Kilo Volt (kV) at Ajaokuta Transmission Substation.
It said that the maintenance was scheduled to take place on Tuesday from 9am to 4pm.
The management of the company announced this on its X handle in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to TCN, the exercise will enable its crew to carry out preventive maintenance on the 162 MegaVolt Ampree (MVA), 330/132kV power transformer, associated switchgear and ancillary equipment in the substation.
It said that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) would be unable to off-take electricity to its customers in Ekirin, Omuo, Ibillo, Akoko, Ogala, Ikare, Magongo, Okene Town, Ayere, Kabba and environs during the period.
”Similarly, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) will be unable to off-take electricity to its customers in Okpella Town, BUA Cement Company, West African Fertiliser Company, Dibeks Milling Company, and Edestein Company.
”Other areas to be affected include the Freedom Group Company, Ososo, Uluoke, Iyora, Apana, Okpekpe, Arigidi, Ikare Town, Lampese, Igara, Oka and environs,” it said.
The company said that power supply would be restored to the affected areas upon completion of the exercise.
It also apologised for the inconvenience the planned maintenance would cause affected electricity customers, and appreciated their understanding and cooperation.(NAN)
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