By Lateef Adegbite
Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor of Political Science and outgoing Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, who has been playing along with the Leadership and Chieftains of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, at the National and states Level over the years to turn Nigeria into a one- party states appear to have disappointed them.
The trio of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Godswill Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom state and now Senate President, believed to be running an extended arm of the Federal Executive Council, as there is no demarcation in the shared responsibilities of the two arms of government and Nyensom Wike, who incidentally was the immediate past governor of Rivers state and minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, currently having an unsettled case with fiery Omoyele Sowore, an activist over alleged use of US $6 million land grant to acquire an estate in Florida , US just as President Tinubu, as reported in the Arise Television had ordered a probe of a $3.6 billion Abuja land grant of 2000 hectares to son, Joaquin, which the FCT minister had vehemently denied, describing it as the handwork of mischief makers.
Ever since the trio of Tinubu, Akpabio and Wike, took over control of the APC, political machinery over the last two years, they were said to have carefully plotted to turn Nigeria into one party state as there have been marked shifts and strategic realignments , with the Opposition People’s Democratic , PDP, governors, Lawmakers and other Chieftains of the party playing a signifant role in strengthen the party ahead of the 2027, Presidential election.
As a prelude to weakening the PDP, Sheriff Oborevwori, of Delta state, and his predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who was the running mate of former VP Atiku Abubakar, during the eight years of the Olusegun Obasano’s Administration in the February 25, 2023, Presidential election and Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom state.
Just as Snator Akbabio had succeeded in woing Go. Eno, to dump the PDP, and join the ruling APC, Wike, the FCT, minister, was said to have made the same moves using different political tricks: master-minding his suspension from office and replacing him Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Iba a retired Chief of Staff, Nigerian Navy, during Late former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration, for six months, with the backing of President Tinubu, and cancellation of the Local Government Elections Results conducted by his Administration before the Suspension won by the ruling PDP, to frustrate Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, in order to force him to defect to the APC but got it wrong.
The trio, who are controlling the APC, ruling party machinery appears to have read the handwriting on the wall that Prof. Yakubu, the INEC, Boss may not do the party’s biddings in 2027 as he did in 2027, tat President Tinubu , who had acted out a script that had already been prepared had asked the INEC, Chairman to proceed on his terminal ahead of the expiration of his tenure in October, 2025, in what political observers had described as alleged betrayal of the APC.
The outgoing INEC, Boss, may have played into the hands of the trio, who are determined to ensure that the ruling APC, returns to power in 2027, using the INEC , officials at the both the national and state levels, when shortlists All Democratic Alliance, ADA, and 13 , other Political paties, which were said to have scaled the first hurdle of the registration process for the 2027 general elections. Most of the Chieftains of the new political Alliance, ADA, are mostly from the APC, Pdp and Labour party. The PDP defector may have left the party to avoid giving Wike, formerRivers state governor another opportunity to sabotage it in the 2027 upcoming election as he did in 2023.
Going by the structure of the new alliance, Senator David Mark, who incidentally was a for Nigerian Senator Presidents at different times, who is to coordinate the affairs of the party in north central geopolitical region, Nasir -el-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna state and minister of FCT, during Obasanjo’s Administration, saddled with responsibility of the coordinating the party activities in north western geopolitical region, Rotimi Amachechi, a former governor of Rivers state and a one-time minister of Transportation during Buhari’s Administration , overseeing the party affairs , in the south-south region and Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state , cording the party activities in the South east while Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun state, President Tinubu’s former pollical ally, coordinating the alliance activities in the south western region.
The big fish in the coalition, which is under intense pressure to come out for the 2027, Presidential election, but support whoever would emerge as the party Presidential Candidate, former VP. Atiku and multi-billionaire business mogul, takes charge of the party activities in the north east . Being tested politicians at both the state and national level, who are determined to give Tinubu and his allies, a run for their money in the political arena, may have informed why the trio, currently manipulating the country’s political system may have gone back to the drawing board to perfect plans to win the 2027, election at all costs.
Prof. Yakubu, the INEC, Chief may have known that going by the present structure of the institution, if not reviewed to accommodate the recommendations of the European Union, EU that has to do with the country’s judicial reform as well as Legislative reform
The EU, Parliament had repeated said that ‘’shortcoming in Law and the electoral administration had continuously hindered the conduct of well-run and inclusive elections in Nigeria and damaged the trust in Yakubu run-INEC.
It would be recalled that Barry Andrews a member of EU, Parliament, who lead a team to Nigeria recently had raised alarm without the National Assembly Lawmakers speeding up the pace of electoral reforms, the country risks repeating the serious shortcomings of the 2023 general elections
Aware that there is no way President and the APC, dominated National Assembly would reverse the decision on him to proceed on terminal leave may have encouraged Prof Yakubu, the INEC helmsman to pile up pressure on the National Assembly Lawmakers to review the country’s electoral law, describing as crucial for effective planning ahead of the 2027, general election that may not tell good of the country’s 25-year-old uninterrupted democracy.
TAHE EU, Parliamentarian who could not hide his feelings had warned that ‘’widespread impunity for misconduct such as electoral violence, vote buying and misuse of state resources that had continued to threaten election integrity in Nigeria over the years’’ are likely to repeat itself in 2027, if not properly tackled.
The worry of the EU, Parliamentarians may have prepared the minds of Nigerian to protect their votes to ensure that it counts, as they were said to have sounded it loud and clear that ‘’freedom of expression during elections should not only be guaranteed on paper but also upheld in practice’’.
Prof. Yakubu, the outgoing INEC, Chairman, who had exonerated the Commission from blame over lapses had alluded to the fact that only eight of the 2023 recommendations of the EU, Lawmakers, to strengthen the country’s Democracy at all levels were directly addressed to the Commission and one marked as a priority and had been tackled headlong. He noted that the failure of the National Assembly on its part to act swiftly on the electoral amendments as recommended by the EU, Observer team in the country’2023 general election could disrupt planning for the upcoming 2227 elections.
