By Our Reporter
Ahead of the 2027, Presidential election in Nigeria, fear appears to have gripped top officials of the ruling All progressive Congress, APC, as President Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NNPP, could not use his political influence to ensure that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the party flag bearer in the Saturday, Dec,7, 2024, Presidential election in the West African country of Ghana wins instead of the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, Candidate, former President John Dramani Mahama.
The ruling NPP, Presidential Candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, may have lost the last Saturday, Ghana’s Presidential Presidential to the Opposition NDC, Presidential flagbearer, for VP. Mahama over the party’s management of the country’s economic crisis which appears to be getting worse on daily.
The Ghanaian former President, who had ruled the country between 2012 and 2017 but made attempts again in 2016 and 20 , to reclaim the position back may have failed to beat President Akuffo-Addo. This may have informed why there have been pressure on former Goodluck Jonathan, a former Nigerian President by some of the Oposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, stalwarts to brace up to contest the 2027 Presidential election against the incumbent President Tinubu of the APC. The PDP stalwarts may not have seen former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration , described as a serial loser by Nyensom Wike, a former governor of Rivers state and minister of Federal Capital under President Tinubu, as someone who can win Presidential election in Nigeria. The former Ghanaian Leader may have taken advantage of the eight years of power for the NPP, under President Akufo -Addo, market by the West African ‘s worst economic crisis in years, high inflation and debt default to World Bank/ IMF and other multilateral financial institutions including the Paris Club and the London Club to win the heart of the people during the electioneering Campaigns and to turn the table against the NDC, Candidate, Bawumia.
A resident of Accra , the country’s Capital had confirmed that that there was no way the ruling NPP, could have won the Saturday, Dec.7, 2024, Presidential election because the economic woes of Ghana , under President Akuffo-Ado’s Administration had dominated the election, as the African Continent ‘s top gold producer and second cocoa exporter in the world went through a crisis of foreign loan default, currency devaluation , which was said to have attracted the North American country of the United States, $3 billion in World Bank/IMF, bailout.
Although, President Akuffo-Addo and his economic Management team were said to have succeeded in bringing down the West African nation from the high point of 50% to the manageable level of 23% and other macro-economic indicators which are already stabilizing , which should have given the NPP, Candidate , victory, but the people appears to have lost faith on the party, for not keeping to their 2020, electioneering Campaign promises of reducing the high cost of living in the country.
The ruling NPP, Candidate, Bawumia, who was incidentally the country’s Vice President under President Akuffo-Addo’s Administration was said to have struggled to distance himself from criticism over the Akuffo-Addo’s handling of Ghana’s economic crisis and high cost of living, which was the dominant issue during the electioneering Campaigns but that was how far he could go.
The NPP, Presidential Candidate, who did not want to waste time and resources to have to head to the Ghana election tribunal to contest the election results may have known that it would a wasted effort as the party will never reclaim the President Seat back, insisting that the people have voted for change this time.
It was not surprising why the Ghana’s Vice President and NPP, Flag bearer did not hesitate in conceding defeat to NDC, Candidate, former President Mahama, on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 , noting that the Opposition party Candidate , Mahama, won the country’s Saturday, Dec.7, 2024, election,’’ decisively as well as the party winning the country’s Parliament election’’, which cannot be faulted by anyone.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who incidentally was a former governor of Lagos may have known that since President Akuffo- Addo, could not use his Presidential powers to convince the Ghana voters to cast their votes for the country’s Vice President to succeed him, the chances of the ruling APC, winning the 2027, election is slim may have informed why the Nigerian President who is likely to run for a second term in office appears to have focused in fixing the country’s battered economy under the eight years of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration.
There is no gain saying the fact that the situation in Ghana, which had caused the Vice President and Candidate of the ruling NPP, to lose the election to former President Mahama, is not different from what is happening in Nigeria, the most populous country in the African Continent where inflation levels have reached new highs, pushing the cost of basic food items like garri, yam, beans and rice, beyond millions of Nigerians in the recent time.
The Nigerian President, who incidentally is Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Authority of Heads of States of Government, may have known that chances of the APC, reclaiming its mandate in 2027, election, is slim, that he has taken advantage of the graduation ceremony for the Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 at the National Institute of Security Studies in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to reassure Nigerians that ‘’the future looks bright’’ but how that would make the difference remain to be seen.
Nuhu Ribadu, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, rtd, and former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and now National Security Adviser, NSA, under the Tinubu’s Administration, who was said to have represented the President at the Institute of Security Studies event, may have acknowledged the difficulties faced by Nigerians but said the Tinubu’s Administration is working tirelessly to rewrite the country’s economic history’’.
He had alluded to the government floating of the naira, which may have informed the unification of the Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, AFEM and the Parallel, popular, Black Market Foreign Exchange Market, and the withdrawal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, as responsible for the current state of the country’s economic crisis but stated that ‘’the economy is changing for better’’.
He had alluded that Nigeria is also facing a myriad of security challenges in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and the north central states Benue, Plateau including the north eastern states of Adama, Taraba, Borno and Yobe and south eastern part of Nigeria.
The bomb explosions that had rocked the Dansadu -Gusau road in Zamfara, described as home state of the bandits Group that had claimed the lives of scores of travellers and several others kidnapped in the recent time speaks volume. In of the bomb explosions, a truck carrying about 100 bags of grains and passengers from Gusau, the state Capital to Dansadou market was said to have hit the Improvised Explosive Device, IED, planted on the route, resulting in devastating explosion.
Many believes that the insecurity situation in the country had become more worrisome since President Tinubu, assumed office on May 29, 2023. Besides what is happening in Zamfara state, planting of IED, along the Gusau and Dansadou route, the Bandits’ gangs appear to have stepped up their henious activities.
Only recently, the Jibia Divisional Police Headquarters, acting on a tip off was said to have foiled the kidnap attempts across Jibia border as they were said to have engaged the bandits in a gun duel, forcing them to abandon their mission and flee. Policemen were said to have rescued kidnapped victims at Fasakri Local Government Areas of the state. That much was confirmed by Aliyu Musa, the state Commissioner of Police by exhibiting their professional skills.
