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Party Politics And The Position Of Poisonous Policies

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By Bala Ibrahim.

Nigeria is operating as a Republic, with both a national government at the top and the governments of 36 states, in which the people hold power, but elect representatives to exercise and utilize that power, with the executive powers placed in the hands of the president and the governors. In line with this arrangement, called the Presidential system, the Federal Republic of Nigeria has a multi-party system, where today, the National Assembly is dominated by the members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, while the rest are in the minority. The APC got the mandate to lead based on the public conviction on it’s policies.

In highlighting the meaning of it’s policies or manifesto, the upper article of the APC constitution says and I quote:

1. To initiate action to amend our Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit.

2. Strengthen INEC to reduce/eliminate electoral malpractices.

3. Attract the best and brightest into our politics and public service by aggressive recruitment of private sector people, academics and professionals within Nigeria and in the Diaspora through internships, fellowships, executive appointments and special nomination to contest elective offices.

4. Prevent abuse of executive, legislative and public offices through greater accountability, transparency and strict enforcement of anti-corruption laws whilst strengthening the EFCC and ICPC.

Of the four ambitions above, none seems designed with a desire to inflict hardship on the people. In fact, to the contrary, the aspiration of item 4 is to prevent executive and legislative abuses, through transparency and accountability. An advanced interpretation of the APC manifesto could say, it is on a mission to rescue the people from poisonous policies, that are capable of inflicting any form of hardship on the people, including, if the need arises, through the action of amending the constitution.

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The position of the Nigerian Political party politics is clearly crafted to constitute the foundation for a good democratic government. The functions of political parties are therefore for political recruitment of credible candidates into the party membership, as well as political socialisation. The parties are also duty bound to engage in political education and the training of their political leaders, including those of them that are elected into executive positions. Where the party deems it fit, it can over rule the executive, on matters that may tantamount to perceived poisonous policies.

Pursuant to the execution of the new Naira policy, as a country, Nigeria is under terrible tension today, and the apprehension is on the rise, over the scarcity of the newly redesigned currency notes. The policy is perceived as poisonous. In many states, commercial banks, motorists and sales outlets are refusing to collect the old notes, while the public is threatening fire and brimstone. Many Nigerians are still holding on to the old naira notes due to the poor circulation of the new ones.

When I came out of the house this morning, I thought the government had made a new announcement while I was sleeping last night, saying the general election has been brought to today, as against the 25th of the month. As I drove along the road, intermittently I was seeing groups of people in front of buildings, rowdy, looking frightened, unsettled and perturbed. My initial instinct told me voting was going on in those buildings. Then suddenly I saw a bank logo on one of the buildings. It then dawned on me that the stampede is for people trying to carry out some transactions in the banks.

As I write this article, reports reaching me are saying at least three banks were torched today, Monday, 20th February 2023, in the Sagamu area of Ogun State. Just four days to the election. Last week, the story was terribly displeasing from all over the country. And the reason is simple – poisonous policy on money.

I’ve heard arguments by people saying the policy is aimed at checkmating governors who have stashed naira in houses ready for use to buy votes. I only laugh at the dopiness of such people. Incidentally, one of them once told me that his bank had made an offer to him, to bring to him at home, a bullion van, to evacuate whatever quantity of naira he has, in exchange for the new notes, or for deposit into his account. The question now is, if my friend, who is just a successful business man, can have such offer from his bank, what more of a governor, from whom the banks are falling over each other, in order to have state funds deposited with them? Cant he have better offers?

Whatever may be the reason for the policy, the fact that it did not anticipate the likelihood of the targets converting their money to foreign currencies, and using same for use in the election, or the penurious state of our financial infrastructure, with regards online real-time banking, means it was not done by people with foresight, because they would have been able to predict what is happening today.

It is however pleasing to hear that, the APC, as the ruling party, has responded to the public anguish with a human face. After a marathon meeting with all its governors yesterday, the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has called on the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Central Bank Governor, to respect the Supreme Court order, which instructed the maintenance of the status quo, in order to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians.

Indeed as a party, this is a commendable action that is in compliance with the purpose of party politics and the position of poisonous policies in the polity.

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News Analysis: Emergency Rule on Return to Democracy

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By Abbas Yushau Yusuf

When Nigeria returned to democracy on May 29, 1999, General Olusegun Obasanjo was the first beneficiary of the country’s return to civilian rule. A four-star general who had handed over power to President Shehu Shagari on October 1, 1979, twenty years later, destiny beckoned on Obasanjo, and he took charge again as Nigeria’s President.

But before General Obasanjo’s return in 1999, Nigeria, especially the northern part of the country, experienced serious religious upheavals and uprisings, starting from the Maitatsine riots of 1980 in Kano and the Zangon Kataf religious crisis of 1987 in Kaduna State, in which former Governor of Rivers State, General Zamani Lekwot, was the mastermind.

Then another religious crisis engulfed the city of Kano over the visit of a Christian monk in 1991, Reverend Rent Harnboky. The people of Kano resisted the visit because earlier, a renowned Islamic scholar of comparative religion, Sheikh Ahmad Deedat, intended to visit the state. He was denied, and when that of Rent Harnboky was approved, it turned into serious attacks on non-Muslims in the state.

It took the military Governor of Kano state retired Major General Idris Garba to deploy soldiers in Mosques and churches across the city.

Another deadly religious riot that shook northern Nigeria again was the 2000 religious Shariah crisis in Kaduna when former Governor Ahmad Makarfi intended to introduce Shariah in the state. An unaccounted number of people were killed during the Obasanjo regime. Another killing took place in Lagos by the Odua People’s Congress during the time of Governor Bola Ahmad Tinubu, now President Tinubu, in the year 2000.

In 2001, the once peaceful northern city of Jos, Plateau State, was rocked with a serious crisis of unprecedented proportion in which many Muslims and Christians were killed.

During the second term of President Olusegun Obasanjo, a local government in the depths of Plateau State, Yelwa Shendam, was thrown into religious conflict during the time of Governor Joshua Chibi Dariye, where Muslims were killed in unprecedented proportions.

On May 11,2004 , the Yelwa Shendam crisis spilled over to Kano, where reprisal attacks took center stage, in which many Christians were killed.

On Tuesday, May 18, 2004, President Olusegun Obasanjo addressed the nation, in which he declared a state of emergency in Plateau State and removed democratic structures in the state.

President Obasanjo accused Governor Joshua Chibi Dariye of aiding the Plateau crisis. He appointed General Chris Alli as the administrator of the state for six months, where it ended on November 18, 2004.

Analysts say the removal of Governor Dariye by President Obasanjo was because the crises were threatening the whole country, hence his decision to take decisive action.

In his address, Chief Obasanjo said the crisis had already reverberated to Kano and was now threatening the FCT and some parts of Katsina State. While his state was boiling, Governor Joshua Dariye was somewhere in Abuja attending the National Sports Festival.

Another political crisis in 2006 engulfed Ekiti State, where President Obasanjo suspended democratic structures, including Governor Ayodele Fayose, and appointed an administrator.

Obasanjo’s state of emergency differs from that of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who declared a state of emergency in three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe in 2013 as a result of the Boko Haram crisis that turned the states into a killing field.

Governors Murtala Nyako, Kashim Shettima (now Vice President), and Governor Ibrahim Gaidam were not affected, as President Jonathan did not suspend the democratic structures, only massively deployed the military.

Jonathan’s approach, analysts say, is more in tandem with Nigeria’s constitution than Obasanjo’s. Now, President Tinubu’s declaration in Rivers State, where Governor Fubara and the state assembly were suspended on March 18, 2025, through a presidential broadcast, has sparked debate.

Some lawyers flayed President Tinubu’s declaration as autocratic and partisan because the Minister of the FCT is being accused of fueling the Rivers crisis due to the lack of influence he has over his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Many international human rights associations did not back President Tinubu’s declaration in Rivers State because they see it as more political than aimed at returning peace to the oil-rich state.

Of the four Presidents Nigeria has had from 1999 to date, only the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and President Muhammadu Buhari did not declare a state of emergency in crisis states like Zamfara, Borno, and Yobe during the term of President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, when banditry took a serious toll on the lives of many.

 

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Fubara’s Whereabouts Unknown As Military Moves Trucks Into Rivers Govt House

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The movement of Governor Siminalayi Fubara was unknown on Tuesday night when the military moved trucks into Rivers Government House in Port Harcourt.

The trucks were placed within and outside the Government House on the first night of the State of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu.

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Tinubu declared emergency rule amid the attacks on oil installations in Rivers State.

Some militants groups had threatened to blow up pipelines if the Rivers House of Assembly impeach Fubara.

However, hours after the lawmakers served the governor with notice of alleged misconduct, the militants carried out their threat.

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Breaking :President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers state,Removes Democratic Structures

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The president made the announcement on Tuesday in a nationwide broadcast over the political crisis and instability in the state.

Tinubu said Siminalayi Fubara, governor of the state; his deputy, Ngozi Odu; and all members of the Rivers assembly are “hereby suspended for an initial period of six months”.

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“Having soberly reflected on and evaluated the political situation in Rivers State and the Governor and Deputy Governor of Rivers State having failed to make a request to me as President to issue this proclamation as required by section 305(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it has become inevitably compelling for me to invoke the provision of section 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State with effect from today, 18th March, 2025 and I so do,” the president said.

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