
FEATURES
British Monarch King Charles III has expressed love for Pidgin English after listening to music by Nigerian five-time Grammy nominee David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, who is on a 17-track playlist recently launched on Apple Music.
Recalls that King Charles launched his Apple music radio show, ‘The King’s Music Room,’ to share the songs that have brought him joy.
Speaking on the song’s inclusion, the King stated that he loves pidgin English, recalling his attempt to make a speech in Nigerian pidgin English when he last visited the West African country.
He was photographed at Buckingham Palace for the music project, with an “On Air” sign on the desk of the royal DJ saying, “The next is by a Nigerian Artist called Davido, and it is called ‘Kante.’
“It also features lyrics in pidgin, which I love in all its forms and which I attempted to make a speech with when I last visited Nigeria.
“I understand now; thanks to Afrobeats, it is becoming more popular.”
Davido is the only Nigerian on the king’s list alongside late South African music legend Mariam Makeba, whose song ‘The Click Song’ also made the playlist.
‘Kante,’ featuring Fave, is one of the hit songs from Davido’s Grammy-nominated album ‘Timeless,’ released in 2023.
The album enjoyed commercial success and set several streaming and charting records.
The Singapore Exchange plans to list bitcoin perpetual futures in the second half of 2025, targeting institutional clients and professional investors, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
The firm thinks its offering will "significantly expand institutional market access", a spokesperson for firm told Bloomberg. Retail customers would be barred from trading the instruments, the report said.
(Reuters)
Cryptocurrency prices extended their slide on Monday as escalating tariff war tensions and diminishing prospects of further Federal Reserve rate cuts offset a wave of pro-crypto announcements from President Donald Trump last week.
Risk assets like crypto have been under pressure since the US Fed signalled a pause in rate cuts in mid-December. Adding to the uncertainty, Friday’s labor data showed US unemployment stood at 4.1%, up from 4% last month.
Bitcoin fell as much as 3.7% early on Monday and later pared some of its losses to trade at $82,568 as of 11:30 in London.
“A large spike in ‘underemployment’ to 5 year highs has added fuel to recession fears and driven yields lower as rate cuts were pushed forward into early summer,” said Augustine Fan, a partner at crypto derivatives software provider SignalPlus.
Trump’s crypto-friendly stance, including an executive order to create a US Bitcoin reserve and a separate stockpile of other tokens, along with a high-profile summit with industry executives in Washington, has done little to lift market sentiment. While the administration pledged to capitalize the reserve with crypto seized in legal proceedings, the absence of fresh capital commitments disappointed investors.
“The market perceived the summit as underwhelming and top cryptocurrencies dropped after it was revealed that the widely anticipated crypto reserve would only hold existing government holdings,” said Jeff Mei, chief operating officer at crypto exchange BTSE.
The US currently owns about $17 billion worth of Bitcoin and about $400 million worth of several other tokens, largely attributable to asset forfeitures related to civil and criminal cases.
Investors are rationally more bullish on crypto given recent developments like the reduced US Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement, but other factors are more nuanced or even negative, said Ari Paul, co-founder of BlockTower Capital.
“The apparent capricious favoritism in the administration’s selection of assets for the strategic reserve — especially after the launching of Trump and Melania coins — is a strong deterrent to investors,” Paul said in a message. “It’s created the impression that the Trump administration is engaged in lobbying based selection and promotion of ‘insider’ assets, and that the cryptocurrency market today is largely a short-term trading casino,” he added.
Since February investors have withdrawn a net $4.4 billion from the group of US Bitcoin ETFs, which played a key role in the token’s record run last year. The largest cryptoasset is currently down 25% from its record high of $109,241 and the broader crypto market has lost over a trillion US dollar in market capitalization from its peak, according to CoinGecko.
“Bitcoin could very well drop to the $70,000-$80,000 range in the coming weeks. Only when this tariff war ends and the Fed resumes cutting rates will top cryptocurrencies resume trending towards previous all-time highs,” Mei added.
[Bloomberg]
Bitcoin falls below $83,000 as Trump's pro-crypto push fails to impress and recession fears grow
AdminBitcoin tumbled as low as $80,000 on Sunday, slightly bouncing back before hitting a new low this year, as fears of a recession loom.
The cryptocurrency is down almost 2% and trading at around $82,860 as of Monday morning, marking a more than 10% decline over the past seven days and 1% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum has been down 1% over the last 24 hours, as are Tether and XRP, while Solana has been down 4%. Cardano has shed 2% over in that time, adding to a 24% decline over the last week.
Crypto stocks are behaving much like the broader market, as President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China spark fears of a recession. Major business groups have warned that Trump’s planned taxes on imports of foreign goods will hurt their industries and consumers.
Goldman Sachs (GS) said on Friday that the likelihood of a recession within the next 12 months has increased to 20% from 15%. If the White House continues with additional tariffs, such as the planned 25% duties on aluminum and steel set to kick in on March 12, the bank said the risk of a recession could increase.
On Sunday, Trump was asked by Fox News (FOXA) host Maria Bartiromo if he was expecting a recession this year. The president didn’t deny that was a potential outcome.
“I hate to predict things like that,” Trump replied. “There is a period of transition, because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing, and there are always periods of, it takes a little time. It takes a little time, but I think it should be great for us.”
Crypto stocks also didn’t react favorably to the president’s plans to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a separate stockpile of digital assets. The U.S. owns more than 198,000 Bitcoin, worth about $16.6 billion, according to Arkham, along with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of other cryptocurrencies.
After a wave of support from the Securities and Exchange Commission, which withdrew litigation against major crypto firms and declared that memecoins are generally not securities, some in the industry had expected something more from the president. Others have praised the initiative and said it would benefit Bitcoin in the long-term.
Trump, who has slapped his name on a few crypto projects, on Friday was somewhat optimistic about the industry, telling a group of industry leaders that “we feel like pioneers in a way.”
“From this day on, America will follow the rule that every bitcoin knows very well: Never sell your Bitcoin. That’s a little phrase that they have,” he said at the White House’s crypto summit. “I don’t know if that’s right or not. Who the hell knows, right? Who knows? Who knows, but so far, it’s been right, and well, let’s keep it that way.”
[Quartz]
A Standard Chartered analyst said that while implementing President Donald Trump's most recent executive order, the U.S. government may buy Bitcoin using multiple budget-neutral approaches.
According to a report by decrypt, Geoff Kendrick, who is the global director of digital assets research at the UK bank, the policies would steer clear of "incremental costs on United States taxpayers," forbidden under Trump's creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve on Thursday.
The U.S. government could buy Bitcoin via "several budget-neutral means," including selling some of its gold reserves or tapping into the Treasury's ERF, which has $39 billion in net assets, as Kendrick wrote in a Friday research note.
Impact of 'gold card' on global finance
First presenting the idea of the "Gold Card" on February 25, 2025, President Donald Trump proposed a new immigration program providing U.S. residence and a road to citizenship for a $5 million investment.
Targeting wealthy people to enhance economic development, this project seeks to replace the current EB-5 visa program.
Experts are now sharing their thoughts about it.
Adding to the discussion, crypto industry experts like David Balikey, the CEO of Bitcoin Magazine, recommend that the U.S. also use Bitcoin for its immigration policy, suggesting that "President Trump should accept Bitcoin paid into the SBR in exchange for the "Gold Card. "
The Gold Card is a measure that would potentially help net-worth billionaires avoid capital restrictions in more and more developing countries.
"Many elites in emerging markets want to live in the U.S. but struggle to move $5M in USD out of their home countries. Bitcoin offers a simpler, safer, and more discreet solution." Bailey wrote in a recent post on social media.
Drawing on a recent Deutsche Bank report, Matthew Sigel, head of digital assets research at VanEck U.S., also chimed in, saying the economic and geopolitical advantages of a Bitcoin reserve asset for the U.S., noting that Bitcoin could help cement American dominance in digital finance.
Launching the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to reconstruct the financial markets as such steps would reflect U.S. confidence in Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and dollar devaluation.
[The Street]
2027: Aregbesola, Fayemi, Others Set To Join SDP As Peter Obi, Atiku Factions Join Alliance – Source
AdminEmerging reports have it that former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, and former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi are in talks to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The source in the report also has it that former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as well as some former Ministers who served during the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari are in talks to join the SDP.
According to a source, the coalition efforts from the opposition will involve Atiku Abubakar’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi’s faction of Labour Party (LP), and Nasir Elrufai, who recently defected to the SDP.
The opposition parties are reportedly planning on joining forces under an existing registered party. However, if they are unable to agree on a shared platform within the party they intend to join, they will opt to align with the SDP instead, according to sources quoted by our correspondent.
Recall that former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kola Ologbondiyan, has said merger talk from opposition politicians has been gaining success.
Speaking on AIT Focus programme, on Monday, Ologbondiyan stated that the opposition politicians would come out with what would give Nigerians hope.
The former PDP spokesman said defeating the current government would be easy with what the opposition political leaders would be bringing out.
[NaijaNews]
The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a warrant of arrest against the chairman of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Justice Adolphus Enebeli (Retired), following his refusal to appear before the House.
The Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led House had during its plenary on Monday, issued the arrest warrant after the expiration of its 72-hour ultimatum for Enebeli to appear before the House.
RSIEC had fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government election in the state following a Supreme Court verdict that annulled the October 5, 2024 LG polls conducted in the state.
[Leadership]
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has formerly dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He announced his resignation in a statement on Monday, titled “Onwards to the Future.”
El-Rufai noted that developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation in the party.
The statement reads: “As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties that created the APC. It had been my hope since 2013 that my personal values and that of the APC will align up to the time I choose to retire from politics.
“Developments in the last two years confirm that there is no desire on the part of those who currently control and run the APC to acknowledge, much less address, the unhealthy situation of the party.
“On my part, I have raised concerns in private and, more recently, in public regarding the capricious trajectory of the party. Therefore, at this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish.
“Founders rightly feel attached towards institutions they helped create, but one must be pragmatic enough to admit when a divergence appears unbridgeable. I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform but recognize that the party has since strayed and left me stuck in the vision of its well-meaning founding fathers and mothers.
“As a loyal party man, I worked to help secure the APC’s election victories in 2015, 2019 and 2023. I was one of the many governors elected on the party’s platform in 2015 and 2019, that stood for certain democratic and progressive principles to advance nation-building. My eight-year tenure in Kaduna State was devoted to implementing progressive policies to advance human development in education and healthcare, as well as expand infrastructure, promote equality of opportunity, create jobs and attract investments. These records count for little in the current APC that has castrated its organs and treated its membership with contempt in the last two years. I find this no longer acceptable.
“Today, the 10th of March 2025, I have submitted a letter resigning my membership of the APC to my ward in Kaduna, effective immediately. Subsequent to this, I had concluded consultations with my mentors, colleagues and loyalists alike about the future, and have decided to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and adopt it as the platform for our future political engagements and activities.
“Without prejudice to this decision, as a member of the SDP, I will focus on engaging with and persuading other opposition leaders and parties to join us and congregate under a unified democratic platform to challenge the APC in all elections and bye-elections between now and 2027 by the Grace of God. I therefore call on all our supporters and other persons concerned about our country’s future to join us in the SDP in the journey towards making Nigeria flourish as a beacon of pride for Africans and the Black Race.”
[DailyTrust]
Mark Carney, a former central banker and economist, has had an illustrious career spanning global finance, climate advocacy, and now, politics.
With a reputation for steady leadership in times of crisis, Carney is stepping into Canadian politics with promises of economic stability and progressive policies.
Here are ten key things to know about him
10 Things to Know About Mark Carney
His Signature is on Canadian Money
As the former Governor of the Bank of Canada, Carney’s signature appears on Canadian currency—a testament to his influence in the nation’s financial system.
He Was the First Non-British Governor of the Bank of England
Carney made history by becoming the first non-British person to lead the Bank of England since its founding in 1694.
He Was Called the “George Clooney of Central Banking”
Known for his charisma and intellect, Carney was once likened to the Hollywood actor. He downplayed the comparison, calling it “a very low bar.”
He Has Never Held Public Office Before
Despite his extensive experience in finance and governance, Carney is stepping into elected office for the first time.
He Served as the U.N. Special Envoy for Climate Action
Carney’s commitment to climate change policies was evident in his U.N. role, where he earned a symbolic annual salary of just $1.
He Played Hockey at Harvard
A passionate hockey fan, Carney was a third-string goaltender on Harvard’s varsity team and once played in a game against Colgate.
In 2011, Reader’s Digest Canada editors voted him the “Most Trusted Canadian,” though readers placed him 19th.
He Completed the London Marathon at 50
Proving his endurance, Carney finished the 2015 London Marathon in 3 hours and 31 minutes.
He Is the Godfather of Chrystia Freeland’s Son
His close political ties include being the godfather of former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s son.
He Entered Politics in 2024, Declaring ‘This Is No Time for Politics as Usual’
On January 16, 2024, Carney officially launched his political career, stressing the need for change and a fresh approach to leadership.
The supposed peace meeting convened by the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, could not hold on Monday as scheduled.
This is following the refusal of the lawmakers invited for the meeting to show up.
The governor had, in a letter signed by the secretary to the state government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, invited the speaker of the state house of assembly, Hon. Martins Amaaewhule, and the other 26 lawmakers for a peace meeting in Government House on Monday.
Danagogo, in the letter dated 7th March, said the invitation came after the governor received Certificate True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgement on the political crisis in the state.
At the top of the agenda of the meeting were the presentation of the 2025 budget to the assembly, payment of allowances of the lawmakers, allocation of a sitting venue for the assembly and others.
However, it was gathered that the meeting that was to hold 10am at Government House, Port Harcourt, could not hold because the lawmakers did not show up.
Although, it was earlier gathered that the lawmakers had turned down the invitation from government, noting that it was not properly handled and only posted on social media platforms.
A video sighted on social media showed one of the invitees, who is the member representing Akuku-Toru Constituency II, Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Lolo Isaiah Opuende, stating that the lawmakers would not honour the invitation.
He said, “It is time for us to have our day. ‘When dey your dey started, and our principal said, The time for your day will come, and it has come.’
“How can you write a letter and post it on social media and expect us to come? No, we are not kids. The governor should write to the Assembly in a proper way; that is all.”
However, some other sources alleged that the government that sent out the invitation to the lawmakers was not already for the meeting.
The sources questioned why the governor would schedule a meeting for 10am and at the same time have a project commissioning almost at the same time.
[Vanguard]
More...
Tomi Arayomi, founder of RIG Nation and Pioneer Church in the United Kingdom, has opened up about his traumatic experience of childhood sexual abuse.
In an interview with Sharon Stone, Arayomi recounted the trauma he endured at just five years old, which had a profound impact on his life and identity.
He revealed that his journey began with physical and emotional challenges due to being born with rickets, a leg disease that left him immobile.
The cleric said he faced additional pain when a family friend “sexually molested me”. The abuse, according to him, was accompanied by threats and secrecy.
He disclosed that years later, his trauma resurfaced when he overheard a BBC news segment discussing homosexuality.
Arayomi said since he was unfamiliar with the term, he asked his mother what it meant, but her response left him devastated.
“My journey was, I was born with rickets. I had a leg disease that made me fairly immobile. And there was a sexual exploitation that took place when I was five,” he said.
“A friend of the family, who at times took care of us, would sexually molest me. And I didn’t know what he was doing at that age, because I wasn’t in any way awakened sexually.
“This is our little secret. And it came with shame. And I knew when my parents left us with them, they didn’t know what was going on, of course, that the abuse was going to continue.
“And it wasn’t until one day, I was watching news, some BBC news, when homosexuality was a taboo. I didn’t know the term homosexuality. That was in the early 90s.
“I said, Mom, what happens to homosexuals? She laughed, and she said, ‘oh, they go to hell’. Now I’m going to hell.”
Arayomi also spoke about a pivotal moment when he finally stood up to his abuser. He said when cornered in the bathroom, he refused the abuser’s demands, pushed him into the bathtub, and ran away, unsure of what would happen next.
“And I remember my last encounter with that man. My parents had left the house again. We were in the house by ourselves,” he added.
“And he cornered me in the bathroom and told me basically to pull my trousers down. And I remember I just said no to him for the first time. He said, ‘what did you say?’ I said no.
“And I pushed him into the bathtub. And I ran down the street crying my heart out because I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I didn’t even know where I was running to.”
The cleric recalled how he was exposed to pornography by his school teacher, which became an addiction even after he became born-again.
He said as he grew older, he struggled with his identity, grappling with the fear of the abuse.
Arayomi said the “double-life” secrets affected his mental and emotional well-being. He said he eventually disclosed the abuse to his parents when he was around 17.
“And I got introduced to pornography by my schoolteacher. And all of a sudden, what became a remedy for a diagnosis from BBC all of a sudden became an addiction,” he added.
“That once I was saved, the addiction didn’t go away. It just got suppressed. And the secrets were suppressed. I never told my parents what happened to me until they rededicated their life to the Lord, when I told them when I was about 17, 18 years old.
“But I didn’t tell them for years. I didn’t tell my twin brother. I just carried the secret.”
Arayomi said through his platform, he aims to offer hope and healing to others who carry the weight of unspoken trauma.
“That is not unique to you. So many people go through that. And I would like to hope that maybe before we’re done today you could even pray for others,” he said.
[TheCable]
Less than two years into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have begun campaigning for his re-election in 2027.
Although neither the party nor the president has officially flagged off campaigns, top APC leaders, including the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, have advocated the president’s second term.
Recently, Ganduje, while hosting APC support groups at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, urged politicians from the North eyeing the 2027 presidency to shelve their ambitions until 2031 when Tinubu would have completed his second term.
Akume, while speaking on a TVC programme, had also advised former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the last general elections, Atiku Abubakar and other northerners not to seek the exalted seat in 2027.
Seyi Tinubu intensifies Ramadan visits to states
Rivers lawmaker dismisses Fubara’s invitation
Campaigns for the president’s re-election were also observed to have commenced in Kaduna, Kebbi and Kwara states; while re-election billboards of the president have also been sighted at different locations in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This development has sparked reactions from opposition parties and political analysts who alleged that it is a violation of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Legal experts and political commentators argue that such premature campaigns undermine democracy, the rule of law and electoral discipline.
Legal framework for campaigns
Section 94 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) states: “For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.”
Subsection 2 adds: “A registered political party which, through any person acting on its behalf during the 24 hours before polling day—(a) advertises on the facilities of any broadcasting undertaking; or (b) procures for publication or acquiesces in the publication of an advertisement in a newspaper for the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular candidate—commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500,000.”
Similarly, Section 95 (1) states: “A candidate and his or her party shall campaign for the elections in accordance with such rules and regulations as may be determined by the Commission.”
Campaign rally in Kebbi, endorsements in Kaduna, Kwara
Last month, the APC launched its campaign in Kebbi State for the re-election of President Tinubu and Governor Nasir Idris ahead of the 2027 elections.
The mega rally, held at the township stadium in Birnin Kebbi, was attended by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu; Governor Nasir Idris; House of Representatives member and Tinubu ally, James Abiodun Faleke; Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Tanko Sununu; and other APC leaders.
Tagged “We Stand with Tinubu and Kauran Gwandu,” the event saw a massive turnout, with supporters displaying banners and posters of Tinubu’s projected second-term bid.
Bagudu stated that both Tinubu and Governor Idris deserved re-election based on their performances, saying, “The Tinubu administration has done so much to improve Nigeria. The president has fulfilled his campaign promises to Kebbi, and I am proud to be associated with him.”
Bagudu also announced a donation of N450 million to Kebbi’s 225 wards for food distribution ahead of Ramadan and urged residents to continue supporting the APC-led government.
Governor Idris added: “The people of Kebbi are solidly behind President Tinubu because he has brought progress and development to our state.”
After the Kebbi event, APC leaders, including the Deputy Senate President, Barau I. Jibrin; the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru; Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari; and many others took turns to project Tinubu for re-election during an agriculture and human capital development empowerment programme organised by Senator Saliu Mustapha in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Last week, stakeholders of the party in Kaduna State passed a vote of confidence on both President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani “for their exemplary leadership and pro-people policies.”
A statement by the state Secretary of the party, Yahaya Baba Pate, said the stakeholders gave the endorsement at a meeting held at the Kaduna State Liaison office in Abuja. This followed the endorsement of both leaders for a second term by the 255 councillors in the state.
At the weekend, during a reception organised by Ganduje and Senator Barau Jibrin, some members of the support groups of Atiku Abubakar, from the 19 northern states, while announcing their defection to the APC promised to “work for the continuation of Tinubu’s administration in 2027”.
Early campaign shows APC not for governance – Atiku’s aide
But reacting, Paul Ibe, the spokesman of Atiku in a chat with Daily Trust yesterday said that the individuals “are unknown to us.”
According to him: “We have groups we’ve been working with, and we are still working with those support groups. Anybody can claim anything for whatever it is they are doing it for, but we know clearly that the Tinubu administration has weaponized poverty, so all they are doing is that everybody survives through them, so probably it’s a furtherance of that goal,” he alleged.
On the early campaigns, he said, “it is unfortunate and clearly shows that they don’t have anything to offer. One would have thought for now the focus would be on governance; on how they could redeem themselves and make amends for the mess that they have created.
“But that is typical of APC. They are more used to politics than governance, and it clearly shows that Nigeria will continue to suffer for their inhumane policies”, he said.
‘2027 polls might be a charade’ – PDP NEC member
A PDP National Executive Committee member, Timothy Osadolor, said 2027 elections might be compromised if APC’s actions go unchecked.
Osadolor, who is also the PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, said: “When those in power violate the law, it becomes a recipe for disaster. If you go around Abuja, especially from the airport, you will see billboards of the president and his wife already campaigning for 2027. Who even knows what will happen next year or next week?
“If Nigerians do not demand constitutional order now, 2027 will be a charade. Being in government does not give a party the right to impunity. Previous presidents have respected electoral laws, but this administration bypasses the process, undermining Nigerians’ intelligence”, he said.
Buhari, Jonathan’s eras precedent
Daily Trust recalls that a similar scenario played out during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term. In September 2017, the APC began campaigning for Buhari’s 2019 re-election. Likewise, in August 2017, Buhari’s supporters inaugurated a South-West office for his campaign organisation in Ibadan, even before the electioneering season officially commenced.
A similar scenario occurred under former President Goodluck Jonathan when the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) led zonal rallies, urging him to seek re-election before the formal campaign season.
Campaigns illegal, height of impunity – Analysts
A political analyst, Jackson Lekan Ojo, described the early campaigns for Tinubu’s second term as illegal.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust, Ojo said, “Campaigning for 2027 when Tinubu’s administration is less than two years old is a demonstration of high-level impunity and a flagrant disregard for the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
“Lack of performance is causing this. The ruling party is desperate to stay in power because it fears losing”, he said.
He added: “In a democracy, good governance earns votes. INEC must lift the ban on political campaigns before any party can start campaigning for votes. What APC leaders are doing is an insult to the nation and makes Nigeria a laughing stock.”
A political scientist, Professor Abdulrauf Ambali, stated: “It is very obvious that what many of them are doing goes against the Constitution and the Electoral Act. INEC has not declared the commencement of any campaign, yet we see them acting as they please. This clearly violates the law, but they justify it within their party structures. Any political campaign must follow officially established timelines.”
He called for stricter enforcement of electoral regulations, arguing that such actions undermine the current administration.
“However, many of those involved are part of the government itself. This will create instability, confusion, and further strain a polity already suffering from economic hardship,” he added.
Similarly, Hassan Seyid Cisse, a lecturer in Politics and Governance at the Kwara State University described the situation as a strategic move.
“This is already 2025, and a government with good strategists will not wait until the challenge is imminent before making plans. We are seeing posters in some states in preparation for 2027. However, in relation to the Electoral Act, it is still premature campaigning since the official ban has not been lifted,” he explained.
Cisse cited political theorist, Nicholas Spykman, arguing that “he who controls the law is not affected by it.” He noted that the current leadership, seeking re-election in 2027, is in control of power.
“But this will have significant implications for governance. Printing posters and organising these rallies means diverting funds that should be used for productive purposes to an election still over two and a half years away,” he concluded.
Presidency mum
Efforts to get a reaction from the Presidency on the development were unsuccessful.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, could not be reached for comment.
Telephone calls as well as text and WhatsApp messages sent to them by Daily Trust were not responded to.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is considering an extension for the sale of its expression of interest (EOI) and nomination forms for the upcoming Anambra State governorship primary, following concerns over the party’s participation in the November 8 election.
Initially scheduled between February 26 and March 5, the sale of forms had been set at N5 million for expression of interest and N35 million for nomination.
However, sources disclosed to Daily Sun that due to the lack of interest from aspirants, the party is considering extending the deadline to March 12.
Reports suggest that no aspirants have purchased the nomination forms, largely due to the ongoing leadership dispute between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye over the position of PDP National Secretary.
The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, had ruled in December that Ude-Okoye was the rightful nominee for the position, but Anyanwu has since appealed the decision at the Supreme Court.
Speaking to Daily Sun, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, confirmed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) had resolved to extend the sale of forms. However, he refuted claims that no nomination forms had been sold.
“We want to give more room for people to participate. That is the essence of democracy,” Ologunagba stated. “It is not correct that people have not collected forms. If that is part of your story, then it will be fake news.”
He emphasized that extending the deadline was a routine practice and unrelated to the Supreme Court case over the national secretary position. The party is expected to release an official statement on the new deadline soon.
Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has revealed he rejected a prayer to be 140 years.
He made the revelation during a sermon.
He recalled how some of his followers prayed for him to live to different ages. He said when they prayed for him to reach 80 years, he responded with a hearty “Amen.”
Similarly, when they prayed for him to live up to 90, he accepted the prayer. However, when the number increased, his response changed.
He said: “When I was 70 years old, some children of mine began to pray for me. And they said, ‘Daddy, you will live to be 80,’ I said Amen. ‘You will live to be 90,’ I said Amen. They said, ‘You will live to be 100,’ I didn’t answer them.
“And then one fellow got excited and said, ‘You will live to be 120,’ I said na lie! What will God say I have done wrong? I have been here for 70 years, He will now keep me here for another 50 years? In this world?
“Where today you have electricity, tomorrow you don’t have? But there was one lady who got really excited, and said, ‘You will live to be 140,’ I said no be me.”