President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to China has been portrayed as a significant move towards shaping the future of Nigeria's economy. One of the key takeaways from the trip is that the hard decisions his government has so far taken since May 29, 2023, such as subsidy removal which he literarily announced on the day of his inauguration as president by saying “Subsidy is gone”, and currency devaluation on assumption of office, are intended for the greater good of the country. These measures are positioned as critical steps toward revamping Nigeria’s financial stability, creating long-term benefits, and promoting sustainable development.

To buttress the foregoing viewpoint, it is explanatory to recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Beijing said he was ready to take the hard decisions to move the nation forward, adding that it is not always easy for a leader to have a national consensus on issues.

However, while these tough choices are being enforced, it is essential that the leadership also takes on the responsibility of tightening their own belts. Nigerian citizens are being asked to make sacrifices, even as they face the brunt of the current economic hardship, with inflation skyrocketing and daily essentials becoming increasingly unaffordable. If the Tinubu government is serious about reviving the country’s economy, it must ensure that those at the top lead by example.

The reason for urging Nigerian political leaders to lead by example cannot be farfetched as it is unarguable that in times of national austerity that nothing could be more counterproductive than government officials maintaining an extravagant lifestyle, while the masses are called to endure economic hardship. For Nigerians to buy into the narrative that these tough measures are truly for their benefit, they need to see evidence of leaders walking the talk.

In fact, austerity should not only be reserved for the common man. The Nigerian populace deserves to see their leaders experience some of the same sacrifices they are being asked to make. This could mean cutting down on lavish government spending, reducing the perks enjoyed by public officials, and reining in the ostentatious lifestyle often flaunted by those in power.

During Tinubu's China visit, he would have observed how that country’s leadership, particularly during critical periods of reform, embraced austerity measures themselves. Chinese leaders exhibited a sense of shared sacrifice with their citizens, which helped strengthen public trust in the government’s vision. Nigeria’s leaders should take a page from this playbook.

In fact, the need for public officials to show solidarity in times of hardship cannot be overstated. Nigerians are keen observers, and they recognize when their leaders are out of touch with the realities on the ground. A government that is seen as disconnected from the people’s struggles is more likely to face public backlash and skepticism.

If Tinubu and his administration are genuine in their quest to revamp the economy, they must commit to belt-tightening across all levels of leadership. Therefore, government can demonstrate few practical steps in that direction by reducing its convoy. The sight of long, luxury convoys accompanying politicians has become synonymous with excess and privilege. A reduction in such displays would signal that the government is serious about cutting waste.

Trimming the salaries and benefits of politicians and public officeholders in Nigeria is no doubt a step towards cutting cost of governance. A significant reduction in these perks, along with transparent disclosure of earnings, would show a willingness to share in the sacrifices being demanded of ordinary Nigerians.

Also, there is the need for the limitation of foreign trips and luxury spending. Given the foregoing backdrop, it is not a misnomer to suggest that frequent foreign travels, especially for non-essential reasons, must be curbed. While international relations are important, unnecessary trips at taxpayers’ expense in times of economic hardship send the wrong message.

In fact, Nigerian political leaders must lead by example. This can be done by demonstrating an austere lifestyle in times of economic turmoil, just as presently being experienced.  In the face of Nigeria's ongoing economic challenges, one fundamental question remains unanswered: Are our political leaders truly in touch with the reality of the hardship facing the masses? While millions of ordinary Nigerians grapple with skyrocketing inflation, unemployment, and the ever-increasing cost of living, it seems as though the nation’s leadership class is insulated from the economic turmoil gripping the country. This disconnection raises an urgent need for political leaders to lead by example through the demonstration of an austere lifestyle.

Without any scintilla of hyperbole, Nigeria is facing one of its toughest economic periods in recent history. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), inflation reached an all-time high in 2023, with prices of food, fuel, and essential services becoming unaffordable for many. The removal of fuel subsidies has worsened the situation, leaving citizens with the daunting task of navigating these harsh economic realities with little relief in sight. Yet, despite these difficult conditions, political leaders continue to live lives of opulence, funded by taxpayers who are barely surviving.

From fleets of luxury cars to extravagant overseas trips and ostentatious personal expenses, Nigeria’s political elite has shown little sign of embracing an austere lifestyle that reflects the harsh times. The public sees these extravagant expenditures and wonders how leaders can convincingly address the economic crisis while being so far removed from the struggles of the average citizen.

Extravagant spending by the presidency under Tinubu's administration has sparked widespread criticism in a country already grappling with economic hardships. Amid rising inflation and poverty, reports of lavish expenditures by the presidential office have fueled public discontent. Critics argue that the president’s office, along with other government bodies, has indulged in excessive spending on non-essential projects and luxuries, diverting funds from critical areas like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. This comes at a time when most Nigerians are struggling to afford basic necessities, leading to heightened frustration.

One glaring example of this extravagance is the budget allocated for the presidential fleet, security, and renovation of government buildings. Despite promises of austerity and responsible governance, the administration has continued to allocate significant funds to maintain the lifestyles of top officials. This includes multi-billion naira contracts for refurbishing presidential residences and excessive travel expenses for international trips, which have raised questions about priorities and the tone it sets for public office holders. Such practices contrast sharply with the administration's narrative of economic recovery and fiscal discipline.

The impact of these extravagant expenses extends beyond mere optics. It undermines public trust in the government’s ability to manage resources prudently and to empathize with the plight of ordinary citizens. While the presidency has defended these expenditures as necessary for governance, many Nigerians view them as out of touch with the economic reality on the ground. With increasing calls for transparency and accountability, the administration faces pressure to reconsider its spending habits to avoid further alienating an already disillusioned populace.

In times of economic downturn, a true leader should not only acknowledge the crisis but also take visible and meaningful steps to share in the sacrifices of the people. To restore public trust, Nigerian political leaders must demonstrate that they are willing to tighten their belts just like the citizens they serve. This can be done in several practical ways. 

The reason for the foregoing cannot be farfetched when political leaders visibly adopt an austere lifestyle; it sends a powerful message to citizens: we are in this together. It shows that leadership is not about privilege but about service, and that even the highest offices in the land are not exempted from the sacrifices required to rebuild the economy. This could lead to increased public confidence and a renewed sense of unity in overcoming the nation’s economic challenges.

Moreover, demonstrating austerity at the top can inspire better management of resources across all sectors of society. If leaders embrace frugality and accountability, it could encourage public institutions and private businesses to follow suit, leading to a more responsible and efficient use of national resources.

Nigeria’s economic crisis demands much more than rhetoric and promises. It requires real leadership that is empathetic and connected to the struggles of the masses. Political leaders can no longer afford to live in luxury while millions of Nigerians suffer. Leading by example through an austere lifestyle is not only a symbolic gesture but a necessary step towards bridging the growing gap between the leaders and the led. The time has come for our leaders to show that they are ready to make the same sacrifices they expect from the people, and in doing so, they will be better equipped to steer the nation towards economic recovery.

The attention of the NNPC Ltd has been drawn to a press release by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, which claims that the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL) is being undermined by actions of the Nigerian

National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd). Specifically, MURIC asserts that recent changes to the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will prevent the Dangote Refinery from offering lower

prices and that NNPC Ltd has become the sole offtaker of all products from the refinery.

To set the records straight, NNPC Ltd wishes to further state as follows:

1. The pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd (DRL), is determined by global market forces.

          The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery's access to the Nigerian market. In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal                      opportunity

           for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.

2. Furthermore, we emphasize that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL. The NNPC Ltd will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria. The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products. NNPC Ltd has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole offtaker does not arise.

3. The NNPC Ltd cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion dollar stake. 4. As an advocacy group for fair and just treatment, MURIC should have verified the facts before making statements that are entirely flawed and has the potential to incite ordinary Nigerians against the NNPC Ltd.

Olufemi Soneye

Chief Corporate Communications Officer

NNPC Ltd

Newly crowned Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidimma Vannesa Adetshina, has  expressed her emotions about her recent struggles in South Africa.

Recall that  she withdrew from the Miss South Africa competition due to controversies that trailed the nationality and allegations of identity theft  leveled against her mother by the South Africa’s Home Affairs.

Chidinma revealed in an interview that she faced rejection from South Africans who felt she didn’t belong there due to her name.

She added that the experience was challenging for her, as she further highlighted issues of identity and acceptance in different cultural contexts.

“South Africans felt like I was not South African enough because of my name and it was really hard to see.

“It was a very horrible experience, and I would not wish it on anybody because I have lived there for 23 years.

“ It is heartbreaking to see that I was not welcomed and accepted”, she said.

When asked about the allegations of identity theft levelled against her mum, the beauty queen declined to comment on the issue.

“There were some statements that came out from Home Affairs with regard to my mom’s ID as well, and that is still a legal matter so I won’t comment on it.

“What I do know is that I was born in South Africa, and I am still South African, and I am still proudly Nigerian”, she said.

[Leadership]

Nigerian Singer, Korede Bello, offered reasons why he left the Marvins Record label in 2021.

The “God win” crooner offered the explanation on why he left the record label owned by Don Jazzy in an interview on Hip TV.

Bello, who joined the Don Jazzy-led Marvins Records in 2014, said: “I was at a season in my life where I needed to metamorphose, to explore my inner worth, do introspection, understand myself, understand meaning more, and reconnect to my why.

“Because I was at a stage where I started to feel like a product that is just there (at Mavins Records) to make money.

“You lose sight of what matters when you chase after the next hit, after the next whatever it is that can get you into conversations.

“So a lot of artists are addicted to that cycle.”

[EagleOnline]

Benson Upah is the spokesperson for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). In this interview with Weekend Trust, he expressed concern that the price of fuel may increase to N5,000 per litre. He added that the recent increase runs contrary to the agreement the union reached with the federal government.

During the week, the price of petrol went up again. What will the NLC do about it?

We are planning to have a meeting with the appropriate organs of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC). Those organs will take the decisions. We will take decisions that we believe would be in the best interest of our members and possibly, this country.

Not to pre-empt the outcome of the meeting, what should Nigerians expect?

It will be difficult for me to preempt what the NLC will do because the organ has a very large membership. Let me use the example of the National Executive Council of the NLC; it comprises the president, general secretaries and treasurers of all affiliate unions.

It also comprises state chairmen and secretaries of the state councils of the 36 states and the FCT, as well as members of the National Executive Council of the NLC. So, you can see it is a big family. In the absence of a delegates’ conference, it is the highest organ making body of the congress. So, there will be multiple ideas coming in; you know, we usually have robust debates. We look at issues and the implications from multiple perspectives. I will not be able to preempt the direction for you.

Nonetheless, the mood, I can tell you, is that of anger and I want to say that it is not only within the Nigerian Labour Congress that you have anger. Virtually every Nigerian is angry, except that first one per cent that is maintained by the state. You know, that one per cent has everything; we give them everything, those are the only ones who are not complaining. Every other Nigerian is complaining. So, our mood is reflective of the general mood of the country.

Recently, the president of the NLC said President Tinubu betrayed the union, can you elaborate more on this?

After the announcement, the next day, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, Mr Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said we were lying and there was no agreement. We want to reiterate that we feel betrayed by the present increase in the pump price of petroleum products.

One, when Mr. President called for the negotiation, recall that we were stuck at N62,000 and he made two offers; the first was to agree on the N250,000 we recommended while the price of PMS will rise to N1,500 or N2,000 or he will pay N62,000 and the status quo remains. He told us we had a few hours to consult. The labour leaders did not take the bait, rather we asked to be given more time and later requested at least one week to consult outside the Villa. At the end of that one week, the Presidency met again and the labour leaders unambiguously said we would not accept the offer of N250,000.

This was out of consideration for the well-being of the average Nigerian, because we said ‘what would be the effect of this on the ordinary person?’

To keep this brief, the president acted in breach of his promise to labour leaders and he knows the truth. But let us even look at this matter; what has happened goes beyond the parameters of minimum wage and negotiation. It negatively affects the generality of Nigerians. Since the first wave of price increase, occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, Nigerians have been trying to reorder their lives to accept the fate they never bargained for.

Coming to terms with 500 per cent hike in cost of education, transportation, food and everything else is not easy. At a time they were just trying to adjust to the new normal, you introduce another shock. So, what we have now is uncertainty; we have moved from pain to uncertainty. In fact, this matter goes beyond the logic and philosophy of our national minimum wage.

When the president mentioned that fuel price will increase to N2,000, one of the labour leaders interjected him and said, ‘Sir, you have removed fuel subsidy, so which other thing are you removing again?’ Remember, the subsidy was removed and prices were stabilised.  So, how many times are you removing subsidy, that you have removed? Subsidy was never restored at any point in time as they claimed. So, what will inform moving the pump price of PMS from N650 to N1,500 or N2,000?

I want to tell you something, what this signals is that Nigerians have not seen the end yet, we may end up paying nothing less than N5,000 per liter for fuel in this country. We hope not to get there but if we get there, the decision will be left to Nigerians.

Can the president justify the increase from N650 to N1,000 vis-à-vis the current minimum wage?

I would have said let the president answer that question, but clearly, there is no correlation between the national minimum wage and what he has done. In fact, at the time we demanded N615,000 as the national minimum wage, we broke it down to say N40,000 for rent, N20,000 for food for a family of six. Our permutations were based on a family of six, a husband, wife and four children. We were able to justify that.

We were patriotic enough by coming down to N250,000. But of course, even at that, you saw what the president did. He gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from and we chose the one we felt was going to be less injurious to Nigerians, believing that he will keep his word but barely a month after, he violated it.

What is the status of the minimum wage, has the federal government commenced payment?

Only one state has started paying and it is Adamawa. We commend the governor for the spirit. But of course, while the process of negotiation was going on, the Edo State governor paid N70,000, with a promise to pay more if the minimum wage was to be resolved to something higher. Lagos paid N70,000. Other than this, I am not aware that other states have started paying, though committees have been put together to work out consequential adjustments to enable them commence payment.

I must tell you; governments are very rich now. What they declare and share from the federation account used to be N700bn, which has since moved to N1.3trn. That is what they declare and it does not include the ones they keep aside and pass under the table. With all of that, have you seen any improvement in the quality of the life of Nigerians? There has been no commensurate improvement, rather what we have been getting is pain, penury and trauma.

We do not expect much from those promises. How many CNG buses have you seen as an individual? At the time those promises were made, we were also meeting with Innoson Motors, a local brand. We were also in discussion with a reliable foreign firm that makes CNG buses, Yutong, in China. They said they were ready. They assured us they will provide facilities to offer Nigerians soft loans to convert to CNG. At that time, the government said it would cost N800,000 to do it but these people were ready to do it at N250,000.

These facts were made available to the government, yet nothing happened and those conversations fizzled into thin air. So, compare that with what General Ibrahim Babangida did, when he made his own increment. IBB ensured that every state government had a transport company and even labour had a transport company known as Labour Transport Company. It was by virtue of what IBB did, trying to manage the effects of the minimal change when he did his own increase. It was even a minor increase that IBB did compared to what we are now seeing. So, he was prepared and there was no noticeable side effect.

Also, Abacha introduced PTDF, chaired by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. The impact of PTDF was cross-sector, including providing exercise books. Clearly, our military leaders were better prepared than what we are witnessing today because they anticipated the effects and they were prepared for them.

The president announced that subsidy was gone and did not think of what will be the consequential effects of this policy pronouncement.

The Nigerian government and some other persons believe the current economic challenges are pains Nigerians have to bear for a better tomorrow, what do you have to say to that?

They are insulting our collective intelligence. Those who make such comments are not competent to do so because they are isolated from the pains we bear. The National Council of State passed a vote of confidence on the president the other day, all of them are on subsidy. Let me say this, all of them don’t pay for petrol; they don’t pay for light. We did say that they were not competent to pass any vote of confidence. It is Nigerians; those who face this heat that are competent to pass a vote of confidence.

Those that say we should bear the pains should be jailed or shot. For how long are we supposed to continue like this? This situation has gotten to a point where our yesterday is always better than our today.

I keep telling people who say Buhari was the worst that they are joking. For us at Labour, we found Buhari very accommodating. He did everything humanly possible to ensure that life was stable and good. When he came in, he gave money to the states to pay the backlog of salaries and pensions but it was diverted. He made other interventions to avoid the insane increases.

If you ask those same people now, they will tell you that the Buhari administration was very good. We are talking about less than two years ago. Before Buhari came, it was Jonathan. We said Jonathan had messed up this country, but now look at the indices and compare the exchange rate, the interest rate, the debt. So, we are in a situation where we are progressively getting worse.

Those people who say we need these pains should be shot, how much of these pains would they bear themselves? They can’t even bear one per cent of it. It is because they are isolated from this trauma; that is why they have the effrontery to say that we need the pain. We don’t need these pains. We don’t need the president who will come and complain. When this one first came, he said, ‘I asked for this job’. I was impressed by that, but later he said that these problems were caused by his predecessor. When any leader begins to talk like that, that leader has come to the end of the road in terms of ideas.

[DailyTrust]

A member of the House of Representatives, representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) has said that no congress of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was held in Rivers State at the weekend.

Ugochinyere said, rather the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike held a party with his friends, under the guise of a party congress.

The main opposition party’s state congresses, took place at the weekend, and was marred by complaints from several states, including Rivers, Benue, Katsina, and Kogi.

In Rivers, the congress was held despite an existing court order preventing the process.

This has led to a dispute between the National Working Committee (NWC) that authorised the congress and the PDP Governors Forum, which asserted that Governor Siminalayi Fubara should remain the party leader in the state.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and his faction are also claiming control of the party structure after the congress that was boycotted by the state governor and his supporters.

But the PDP has stated that the process is subject to review by the party’s organs.

Ugochinyere, who is the spokesperson of G-60 federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives, in a statement on Saturday, described the supposed Congress held by the Wike faction as laughable and a jamboree.

According to the PDP chieftain, no PDP Congress was held in Rivers state, rather “Nyesom Wike out of desperation to look good before his dwindling followers who are losing confidence in him held an owambe party and called it state Congress.”

The lawmaker recalling the interim order stopping PDP from holding congresses in the state, said the party Wike conducted for him and his friends was an exercise in futility.

The statement reads, “Take it from me, there is no PDP state Congress yet in Rivers state.

“Wike out of desperation to look good before his dwindling followers who are losing confidence in him held an owambe party and called it state Congress.

“Recall that in July, a State High Court, holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and presided over by Justice Charles Wali had issued an interim order stopping PDP from holding congresses in the state.

“The court decision was clear and the Congress was stopped from holding and so if people out of desperation gather to hold a family or kindred meeting from their hideout under the guise of Congress, you can only but pity and laugh at their political frolicking caused by joblessness and desperate quest for power.

“Defying the court orders, some members of PDP hobnobbing with the APC reportedly made an attempt to pass off some family gatherings of their faction as PDP congress.

“The purported Congress is a nullity and an exercise in futility as there is still an existing valid order against any conduct of Congress in Rivers and in view of that, the purported Congress will be set aside as you can’t put something on nothing.”

[DailyPost]

Popular actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has addressed her intermittent absence from the Nollywood industry.

In a social media post, she revealed that she needed to take a break to relax, reflect and recharge.

Omotola, who started her acting career at 15, explained that working non-stop for decades led her to feel the need to unwind and revitalise.

She emphasised that taking time off is essential to maintaining her creative energy and passion for her craft.

“I know many Never understand why I take time off Movies for a few years then come back and do it again!

Lol..,I see fans asking when I’ll be back on screens but when you’ve been working since you were 15! like I have…

“You’ll do good to Relax, Relive, Relearn and Re-charge.,Who Understands & Who’s Following,” she wrote.

[TheNation]

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has denied claims that it is responsible for the recent hike in premium motor spirit, commonly called petrol, in the country.

The company said the pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd, is determined by global market forces, stating that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining of the products in the country.

The NNPC stated this on Saturday in reaction to rumours it is attempting to monopolise the offtake of all products from the Dangote Refinery Ltd.

In the statement titled “NNPC Ltd Not the Sole Offtaker; Market Open to Lower Prices from Any Domestic Refinery”, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer NNPC Ltd., Olufemi Soneye, said “The attention of the

NNPC Ltd has been drawn to a press release by the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, which claims that the Dangote Refinery Limited (DRL) is being undermined by actions of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).

“Specifically, MURIC asserts that recent changes to the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will prevent the Dangote Refinery from offering lower prices and that NNPC Ltd. has become the sole offtaker of all products from the refinery.”

The company said to set the records straight, “The pricing of petroleum products from any refinery, including the Dangote Refinery Ltd. (DRL), is determined by global market forces.”

NNPC said “The recent changes in PMS prices have no impact on the DRL or any other domestic refinery’s access to the Nigerian market,” adding that “In fact, if current prices are perceived as high, it presents an ideal opportunity for the refinery to sell its products at lower prices in the Nigerian market.”

The NNPC further emphasised, “that there is no guarantee of lower prices associated with domestic refining compared to any global parity pricing framework, as confirmed by the DRL.”

“The NNPC Ltd. will only fully offtake PMS from the DRL if the market prices of PMS are higher than the pump prices in Nigeria. The DRL and any other domestic refinery are free to sell directly to any marketer on a willing buyer, willing seller basis, which is the current practice for all fully deregulated products.

“NNPC Ltd. has no desire or intention to become the distributor for any entity in a free market environment, and therefore, the notion of becoming a sole off-taker does not arise,” it said.

The NNPC said it cannot undermine a business in which it holds a billion-dollar stake.

“As an advocacy group for fair and just treatment, MURIC should have verified the facts before making statements that are entirely flawed and has the potential to incite ordinary Nigerians against the NNPC Ltd,” the company said.

[Punch]

The Edo State Government has announced an indefinite postponement of resumption of all schools in the state over the hike in fuel price.

The government announced this in a memo by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, in Benin on Saturday.

“An official statement from the government has directed that schools remain closed due to the tension arising from the recent increase in fuel prices and the challenges faced by parents and guardians.

“The government urges parents, guardians, and caregivers to monitor the activities of their children and wards closely, given the current situation and the rising tension caused by the fuel price hike,” Akin-Longe said.

(NAN) 

In politics, propaganda is a powerful weapon. False information is readily pushed down the throats of the gullible masses and presented as fact. This occurs more frequently when parties to a case give conflicting interpretations of court orders or judgements on political issues after the courts render even unambiguous decisions.

This is evident in the current macabre dance within the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where Chief Edozie Njoku claims to have convened a convention in Owerri, in 2019, to elect himself as the party’s national chairman. Despite not being a member of the party’s executives or NEC—the formal body of the party with the authority to call an APGA election convention, he and his allies nevertheless claim they organised a party convention.

Edozie Njoku has been trying to establish his legitimacy as the national chairman of the APGA as well as the convention he held in Owerri in 2019. However, he is yet to be recognised by a Nigerian court. In any case, the party constitution, which caps the tenure of the party executives at four years, would have caused his tenure to expire by effluence even if he had been lawfully elected. Either way, Edozie Njoku shouldn’t be in the equation were it not for the strange politics in the party.

Njoku has persisted and somewhat succeeded in swaying the sympathy of some by claiming that Barr Sly Ezeokenwa, the newly elected national chairman of the APGA, is not the real APGA chairman, clinging on to the mention of his name in a completely different matter by the Supreme Court. What’s more, no court in Nigeria has affirmed Njoku’s status as the national chairman of the APGA.

Again, the supreme court could not have upheld Njoku as national chairman since that decision was never at question before the apex court in the first place. Courts are not Father Christmas. Further adding to the confusion was the electoral body, which inexplicably listed Edozie Njoku on the INEC website as national chairman of APGA. However, it gave the reason for doing so as “court order.” The question then is: which court ruling directed INEC to do so since fact checks show none exist?

The lack of a requisite court order or judgement requiring Njoku’s recognition by INEC compelled Sly Ezeokenwa, the national chairman of the APGA, and the party to sue INEC so as to produce the court order that Njoku’s recognition as APGA national chairman by it was based on. As it stands, INEC was also misled.

This is aside from the three appeals (CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/723MI/2024, 2. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/728MI/2024, and 3. CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/870MI/2024) resulting from multiple cases on the APGA crisis heard together in Abuja on 5th September, which gave Sly Ezeokenwa, the national chairman, and the party the leave to appeal to the Supreme Court to resolve any doubts about whether the highest court had ever upheld Edozie Njoku’s position as APGA national chairman. The response is either yes or no. All is now ready for the Supreme Court to provide clarification on its ruling from October 14, 2021, where the error in name was committed, and the implication of the subsequent correction made by the same Supreme Court on March 24, 2023.

Also crucial is that the party suffers and bleeds while this APGA crisis lingers. The blackmailing even extends to Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the party’s national leader and governor of Anambra State. Despite the fact that the matter is in court and that Edozie Njoku’s legitimacy has not been confirmed by any Nigerian court, Chief Chekwas Okorie, the former national chairman of the APGA who left the party to run for president of Nigeria in a different party, is requesting that Governor Soludo be disciplined for failing to uphold Njoku as APGA national chairman.

Chekwas, in the press conference, reaffirmed himself to be the founder of the APGA and accused Soludo of aiming to destroy the party. Nigerian politics is really murky. Why Chekwas didn’t make peace and bring together the factions is curious and partisan. One watched Chekwas’ news conference with bated breath, hoping to see what attempts he had made to resolve the crisis, but nothing. Good leaders are recognised for their ability to unite aides rather than picking sides like Chekwas did.

In the meantime, APGA faces two critical elections in November (LG elections) and 2025 (gubernatorial election), while men such as Edozie Njoku and Chekwas Okorie are sowing further seeds of division and instability within its ranks. Instead of putting up a united front with Sly Ezeokenwa and the party to face these elections, the Njoku group is putting a lot of effort into undermining the process as if working to guarantee the party’s defeat. Their way or the highway, it seems to be.

Their actions resemble those of the biblical woman who requested that King Solomon divide the contentious child. But which normal or honest mother would call for her own child’s death in order to get even with the other woman who is the child’s true mother, knowing that the child would die if that step were to be taken?

The APGA’s current state of affairs and the potential consequences for the party’s existence as a 3rd force—a position that the Labour Party has since supplanted—are quite depressing. While certain alternatives are conceivable, none are favourable to the party, if truth be told.

Even though Soludo doesn’t back down from a fight, as the incumbent governor, he has the right to leave APGA. The All Progressives Congress (APC) or his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will gladly accept him back, and this will put any of them in a firmer stead to win the upcoming Anambra governorship election.

If Soludo were to choose such a drastic course of action, where else would that leave Edozie Njoku, Chekwas, or APGA, if not in an empty shell? Party stakeholders ought to encourage them to regain perspective, lest the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which was once the third force, suffer irreversible damage. If this happens, but God forbid, it’s Edozie Njoku’s fault. He brought forth a faction when none should have been by holding a convention in violation of the APGA constitution and proclaiming himself national chairman and wouldn’t even wait for the courts to affirm him. People like Chekwas are also fomenting this conflict and need to retrace their steps if indeed they mean well.

Dr Law Mefor, an Abuja-based forensic and social psychologist, is a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He can be reached via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @Drlawsonmefor.