Politics
Sokonte Davies: Politics And Opposition In Kalabari Land (1)
Hon. Sokonte Davies violated a grand norm of political ranting- those who live in a glass house should not throw stones because of the boomerang effect and political self-exposure. Hon Sokonte Davies engaged in a very dangerous public relation stunt – a stunt with a risk that can exhume and call into question everything about him- albeit twist the truth against him, question his stay in the RSUST; how he left that institution, when he left, his national service- place and time, when did he stowaway to Russia, Australia to earn a Masters degree, a PhD, if his PhD is a Toronto invention? Under what circumstance, with a PhD degree, was he the quintessential “servant to Mr. Uche Secondus in the PDP secretariat as a MS Words operator? At this point, nobody cares for the truth-the veracity of facts. What counts is hate stunting for hate stunting, propaganda for propaganda, hate trite for hate trite, troll for troll.
The people will invent clever insinuations and bad news that it is a payback for docility and lackey subservience rather than political dexterity and deftness of a PhD that made Mr. Uche Secondus to corner the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency ticket to the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP for him. If not for his opposition and partisan nuisance against the Kalabari people and the PDP in their civic reception to honour Governor Nyesom Wike, they are not interested in interrogating any body’s credentials or past. But in the prism of political ranting in Nigeria, there is a maxim, if you Dabo me, I will Tarka you. There is even a customised version of this prism in Kalabari of the poaching woman from Tombia and the male owner of the fishing mesh called ‘bala’ in Kalabari; the great Kalabari joke star-comedian, Tex Kalabari (RIP) joked; “gitolobalam, ma tolootulegi’ (broken Igbo language). This could be vulgar but the inherent political wisdom is beyond ribald vulgarity- actions and reactions are equal and opposite.
Kalabari and the PDP are central to his meteoric rise to political stardom. But for Sokonte’s politics of opposition, hate and distractions, these two entities should be inveighed, denigrated, destroyed and shamed because their civilo-apolitical action to showboat Governor Wike in a civic reception and thank you investiture did not assuage his pervasive political whims. Matters arising.
“The Trans Kalabari civic reception was carefully thought out by the traditional institutions of the Kalabari Kingdom in appreciation of the Governor’s love for the Kalabari Kingdom and his efforts in the Kalabari kingdom, especially the Trans-Kalabari Road project’’- Hon. EnemiAlabo George
“The event is strictly of PDP, by PDP, for the PDP and those who sympathise with them. A cursory look at the signatories and promoters of the event will further confirm it and expose the lies and deception therein. The organisers are looking for a cheap platform to further their political aspiration which they believe the event will help them actualise”- Hon. Sokonte Davies. This is a crass hate reaction in any point of view.
The self-contradiction; “everyone is free to honour those he wants to honour. Everyone is free to go about how he or she wants to achieve a set goal or aspiration. -Hon. Sokonte Davies.
“So, it is a ‘shame’ for any group of persons to gather to honour him (Governor Wike) in the name of Pan-Kalabari. The general public is hereby informed to take note”- Hon. Sokonte Davies.
I have never seen such a self-destruct contradiction in neophyte political triting and impish ranting. He declared the universal right of aspiration and association to achieve set goas-including political and social goals and repudiates the Kalabari common heritage for which he is now the custodian? For using that common heritage in association with the PDP to achieve set goals of Kalabari governor in 2023 and the completion of the Trans- Kalabari Road and other ongoing projects in the Kalabari Kingdom. Hon Sokonte Davies shamed his governor, his deputy governor, his kings, his chiefs, invited guests, even members of the Kalabari caucus of the APC who graced the pan-Kalabari apolitical event and the Kalabari people who are the customers of Governor Wike’s legacy projects thus; ‘it is a shame for any group of persons to gather to honour him (Governor Wike) in the name of Pan-Kalabari’. Hon. Sokonte Davies, please recant and apologise to the Kalabari people and your governor. This is a gross abus of opposition politicking and political triting that can easily backfire. This is hate speech of the worst order.
INTRODUCTION: Let me quickly take you to an epoch in Kalabari political history in the First Republic- civil war opposition politics in Kalabar land. It is in opposition politics that the conflagration that consumed your Tombia till this day can be located. I hope this will be a beneficial lesson to you on politics of opposition and its dismal consequences in Kalabari society. Its carcass has defied time and interment as it keeps playing up itself in the rants of neophyte Kalabari nihilist opposition politicians, especially in the social media. It is a dangerous Frankenstein that has always hunted our politics. But if you follow me to understand the political history of our people beyond the everyday pecuniary strata of politics and engage in contemplative, contextual -historical and contemporary analysis of the debilitating consequences of your brand of opposition political atavism has had on our people, my article will add pedagogical value to your understanding and political intellect. Just patiently follow me.
BACKGROUND : After Nigeria’s independence from colonialism, political parties came in to form the new government in an alliance since none of the parties won the required seats in parliament to form the government. In this order; The NPC- Northern Peoples Congress and the NCNC formed the government. While the Action Group –AG formed the opposition. However, one political event led to the other and the country was plunged into a Civil War. These parties- NCNC and the Action Group-AG played out their opposition to each other in our land as mortal enemies thus; It is significant to note that in Abonnema, two blood relations led both parties; the Action Group (AG) was led by Chief Wenike O. Briggs a Kings College, Lagos, and Oxford educated lawyer and core believer in Awolowo and Awoism- True federalism and free education. He won election to the House of Representatives in the federal parliament on the platform of the AG in the Degema province in the 1953 elections, beating the NCNC candidate the home party. His cousin, Chief Vincent Oruwari Briggs was a NCNC maverick and led the NCNC in Abonnema. But they were so diametrically opposed to each other in opposition politics that Chief Wenike Brigg’s son had just informed me that his father escaped to Lagos by the last flight otherwise the NCNC in Abonnema would have given him out to Biafra to be shot as a rebel. This is the type of enmity and hate that opposition politics brought into Kalabari land. (The story here will be developed further).
The interplay of political forces in Lagos and the consequences therefrom in 1966-67, seeped into our land and led to something of Tectonic shift dimension that shook the existential survival of the Nigerian nation and the Kalabari people. Schools were closed, I was in primary two and pupils were admonished not to pick toys or fancy objects as those could be bomb. It was demonstrated to us as civil knowledge how to take cover during bombing raids. For me, that was the official declaration of the civil war and we are now citizens of a new nation called the federal (Unitarian) republic of Biafra. Immediately, social and political relationships were altered along preexisting opposition and partisan lines-the NCNC and the Unitarians for Biafra and the now amorphous and mostly fugitive Action Group – AG members became Nigeria and federalist in absentia and exile. In actual sense, ideological positions were too complicated and confusing for local politicians to comprehend, so they brought these ideologies down to their level as Biafra or Nigeria. The conflict between these two nations so much influenced our political development and social relations because political party relations in opposition politics had already prepared the ground for the horror that was to visit our land. It took me years of reading and analysis to connect the dots and contextually connect the past and the present.
Politics is a Leviathan, a tentacled beast of hate, bitterness, rancor, vendetta in the pursuit of allocation and control of scarce resources and modernity. And there arose conflicts and contradictions expressly in opposition politics that echoed in the isolated Kalabari ‘Islands of despair’ and we became sacrificial collateral damage first were political parties- Federalist AG, read Awolowo’s ‘ My thought on the Federal Constitution”. Also read, the NCNC’s resistance to the creation of the COR State in the Akanu Ibiam’s addresses to the Eastern minorities. If you read the Ihiala declaration of Biafra’s independence and Ojukwu’s speech after the surrender of Biafra that appeared in Time Magazine, you will see that it was Unitarian in content and intent. That is why no mention was made of the minorities- this was core NCNC regional policy. This was the extent of NCNC’s vice grip and influence on Biafra. This is just to explain the policies of the political parties and what the Kalabari people latched on to ignorantly inflict genocide on themselves in the name of opposition politickiny. This is the background to the historical consequence of political opposition in pre-civil war Kalabari land.
Mr Douglas, a public affairs analyst, lives in Port Harcourt.
Still on the background, when Biafra seceded, it was unconsciously usurped by the NCNC political structure and the civil service of eastern Nigeria. As such NCNC members gained so much ascendancy in politics and civil service and to consolidate that advantage it hounded and labeled members of the AG and NPC as federalist rebels and saboteurs. This pattern so prevailed in Kalabari land from Kula to Bakana. The NCNC became so notorious in expression of support and loyalty to Biafra that members of the NPC and member of the Action Group became fugitives in self-imposed exile gallivanting from creek to creek to save their lives. Even those who went on self-exile had their relatives arrested on vicarious allegations and finger pointing of being saboteurs.
The NCNC as the regional majority party was notorious and inebriated with majoritarian politics. The party developed a conspiracy literary patterns of apologia instigating inquisitions, witch hunting and rewriting the histories of eastern Niger Delta Communities to appease the whims of her members mostly involved in Kingship and chieftaincy wrangling in exchange for their support. Members of the NCNC were a government of their own. For not liking your face or having any flimsy issues of philandering differences, they label you a rebel to the Biafran soldiers. Most of our people that were arrested and taken to the Biafran hinterlands never returned. It was Brother against brother of fratricide and fratricides. What started as party opposition politics and petty hate and rivalry in the first republic soon crystallised to genocide in Biafra and later Nigeria.
May 1967; Askalabari towns started to fall to federal troops the tide of horror turned. The battle cry changed instantaneously from “go to Niger’ or “ga Niger” to Oshobe! Commando de Boro ;Oshobe! Commando de Boro, Oshobe! One Nigera. The advantage of Politics and its opposition hatred changed hands as Action group and NPC member who have fled on account of hate and bitterness arising from opposition politics came in as federalist and liberators. The federal troop was not an army of liberation but punitive measures. It ushered in new regime of brazen bloodletting and gory decapitation of the Kalabari humanity on the coursed alter of rancour and divisions at which background is the politics of opposition- the type Hon. Sokonte Davies is preaching against his former benefactors and primary constituency by inciting the general public to shame them to world.
Just like the NCNC; as Kalabari lands fell to federal troops of the 3rd marine commando; a federalist ideology was quickly trumped up by the Action group and NPC members who have embed themselves into the federal troops as scouts and informants through the creeks. A more gruesome regime of blood bath, looting, hate, rape (capture women) was unleashed to eliminate all Biafran supporters whose bulk were NCNC members; to recount the orgy of Killings against NCNC members, for reasons of brevity I will recount just few instances ( these are abridged excerpt from the manuscript of a book I am putting together):
MbeHa#ilton (UcleHa#milton). He was not a usual face on the Young Jack section of the water front in Jack’s compound Abonnema.
He was one of the few Easterners who escaped the pogrom against Easterners in northern Nigeria only to meet the most despicable cold blooded death in his Father’s house- compound in Abonnema. He was hiding from federal troops and some family members of the AG and NPC gave him out to federal troops to be shot as biafran supporter. His crime? No fair hearing, no rule of law, the only judgment was death instigated by hate from political opposition. I am still traumatized to this day by the fate that befell this uncle. I was playing war games with other children at the Lawson Jack water front. He was wearing his trademark brownish khaki short nicker, a yellow short sleeve shirt, gold frame glass and brown clerk sandals. He looked well groomed with average education of the time. His Children looked well groomed with good middle class looks that came home from ogonoju-the north. He was a Biafran civil defense. The only Biafran uniform I saw him put on was khaki face carp as a civil defense. I am giving these details because his innocent and elderly mien did not match the fate that befell him just like others to follow. Before me he was held by a federal soldier and led to the slaughter as sheep and he openeth not his mouth for just being a NCNC member and a Biafran Civil defense. This trend of killings has nothing to do with the civil war or liberation as it is now an extension of first republic local politics. A new and invasive authority has come as Nigeria with a marauding army of looters ever ready to waste human beings and our people have become informants to give our people out to be slaughtered. His daughter about my age has told me the full story but that will be fully captured in my book.
Sia* (Madam Biafra) She is the one that they said gave out her lover, uncle Joshua to be taken to the Igbo hinter lands and murdered. Joshua is related to my uncle’s wife. I was going to their compound to see my cousins and in the narrow part (opokuru) leading to their compound, I passed two Biafran soldiers taking Joshua away. That was the end of story for Joshua. He never came back to Abonnema. The story (inume-the rumour mill) circulated the rumour that Joshua was buried alive by Biafran soldiers in the igbo hinterland. Those who called her madam Biafra were very apt. Even as a child of seven now her backedside could not escape my notice not for erotic reason as they looked abnormally protruding as both half seem to be trying to out compete each other as she walk pass you- she cut rather a comical figure. On the day of her slaughter, ironically just the way the two Biafran soldiers walked past me with uncle Joshua in the narrow path (opokuru) so a Nigerian soldiers also walked pass me playing war games at the very sport that uncle Ha#milton was also led to the slaughter. On the day of her slaughter she was putting on what ladies this days called leggings- black coloured- with a sky blue T-shit. The legging really revealed her backside. She was also led to the slaughter and murdered. Her offence? NCNC supporter and Biafran defense, the Khaki face cap and rumors (inume-them say) of giving out or lying against her lover to Biafra for cheating on her.
OpuDekema VS Kaladekema (Isokun) It was blood for blood. A well-mixed sizes of human blubbers (floating dead bodies) and drifting with the tides responding to the tidal forces of planetary movement on the sombrero river. Sights like this were very familiar of the times only that these time the number was immense- beyond counting; the toxic byproducts of politics of opposition, hate and man’s inhumanity to man. The sombrero river was littered with decomposing human blubber as lumps of meat in pepper soup. These particular bodies were in pack or herd drifting across, first drifting across the Sombrero River from DrAfamDegema across to Abonemma, towards the Atlantic- it is a six hourly rituals- coming and going with the changing force of the tide. A body count was not possible- the herding blabbers were too many but there was one blubber right in the center of the herd more pronounced and looking regal even in death. The blubber was decomposing with gaping wounds at the back as it was lying prostrate on the sombrero river- That blubber was the King of Opu- Dekema elders immediately recognized the body with the fact a genocide has taken place in Dekema. The people of Kala-Dekema- as petty fedralist have given out their brothers of Opu-Dekema to federal troops asBiafran supporters and there is a genocide on the fields of Degema. A mass massacre of even women and children. At the center of the drifting blubbers is the Amayanabo (king of Dekema). He was putting on a white singlet and tying a print wrapper he must have been shot point blank from behind with gaping wound. Offence? They were all NCNC supporters. But in like manner we were told the king also gave up the the people of Kala-Dekema and the surrounding villages to Biafra as Nigeria supporters and Biafra wiped out the people of Kala-Dekema and the surrounding villages- including my maternal great grandfather’s plantation- Idimina Iwo ama were burnt down. My mother’s cousin just informed me that he was the only survivor of that Biafran pogrom. He said, of the more than hundreds of them that were arrested he was the only one that survived. He said a Biafran soldier that was his junior student in secondary school identified him and set him free (his story will be developed further).
The fall of Degema to the federal troops began an era of revenge and vendetta, blood bath occasioned by the emergence of local petty federalists in alliance with brigand federal troops and the King and people of Opu-degeme paid in blood for their previous sins of treachery against their brothers of Kala-Dekema purely along partisan lines of NCNC against the Action Group. Now, this is what the NCNC members are paying for in blood and flesh.
But there is a polar semantics of diametric opposition in the affixes ‘Opu’-big and ‘Kala’ Small, little. It is these affixes that their neighbours the kalabari people used to capture the politics and geography of the Dekema people. This is to mean that from the point of view of their kalabarineighbours, there was an unsettled traditional political divide, antagonism or feud and hate that predates first republic politics of opposition and the emergent new nation of Biafra- NCNC and now the federal troops-AG. The former and the latter were just a ruse and facade – the Opu (the big) and Kala(the small, little) brothers used to tell the world their actual size in fratricidal bloodletting. My point here is that nitwit opposition populist should note the prospect of horror as derivable that face us all when they are so intolerant with people with different political views as to shame a governor, a people, a political party and their supporters to the world. And there are many politicians like them in Kalabari land of today.
The barefaced fratricide of Iju Polo- Jack compound: There is no space to fully capture this story in full here. This story touched my being. My mother never recovered from this brazen fratricide till she left this world; My God father was a towering man. My mother’s hero and mentor in trade and church. I had my childhood being in him, his wives and his children. I was always in his shop for candy (jweinswiti or the paddle candy). Of a sudden I started seeing my godfather with Khaki face cap and heighted activities of movement and Biafran soldiers around him and I was no longer getting my usual patting attention and candy from him- new sights and sounds around him I could not comprehend. Owusara was closed after the first strafing of the market with machine guns from the air by federal jet fighters ( researches have shown the market was not bombed like the second bombing of Abonnema). And because there is now a war of mostly fratricide, filial and political attritions contrived by blood relations with the false pretense of opposition politics of the first republic offloaded into Biafra. Unfortunately, my mother lost her only brother, my step mother and my father took me to put up with them. My step mother is my godfather’s half sister so this afforded me the opportunity to still see him in his house despite the closure of the market. He never parted with his khaki face cap- the insignia of loyalty to the new nation of Biafra and her civil defense. Abonnema fell to the federal troops and he was arrested and declared a Biafran supporter (NCNC member they actually meant).
The arrested Biafran supporters were incinerated in the Duke compound hall. The routine was corporal punishment of the worst order in the mornings and evenings. They will be paraded naked, kept under sun without food for days and looted fridges and other burdensome items will be heaped on them. Those elderly and infirm, who could not stand the rigours of the punishment that died in the drills, had their bodies desecrated and dumped in the sombrero river. A decent burial by relations was not an option. For the federal troops and the emergent new order of the AG group supporters will never permit that type of luxury to the dead. That was the extent of hate arising from political opposition. Despite these punishments my Godfather refused to die- he was a stoutly built man, very energetic and able bodied. He offered all his trade money to the federal troops to spare his life– he was a very rich man. He was the treasurer of the big church and offered ten thousand pounds of church money then mostly coins stashed away in jungo (jugs) in his custody- quite a huge ransom even now. Then the Nigerian currency was more valued than the British currency- The currency was so strong, even the war could not depreciate it. The federal troops became so frivolous with this money. They will cascade the coins into the air during occasions to celebrate them for town folks and children to scramble for. I also got one shilling of that money- quite a huge loot of the time. In his desperation he offered them his first son to be killed to spare his life and the federal troops and their AG, NPC supporters stupidly engaged in the vicarious arrest of his first son before he was released after much beatings. Actually, some notable sections of the people intervened – the church, women, chiefs, the Amanyanabo to save his life. But the allegation against him was too heavy and grave for an a quittance and discharge at the time. And his case was made more complicated by his brother’s son- his nephew. This is the point I want to strike here;
In the pre-civil war first republic opposition politics, my godfather was a core NCNC and his nephew a very smart man of very strong character and immense street intelligence and political acuity with minimal education was one of the Action Group leaders. So, when NCNC usurped the Biafran government, my godfather it was alleged gave out his nephew as a federalist –Nigeria supporter to be killed by the Biafran soldiers. He was arrested and taken away, presumed killed. But he was a smart alec and a cat with nine lives. End of story? No, he – the nephew entered Abonnema with the rank of a major with the federal troops.
The town became equally divided between the kill hims and the spare hims. But in the ding dong between the kill hims and the spare hims, one man had the decisive voice or vote but had already been surreptitiously working with the Kill hims. Of the federal troops who came into Abonnema, the highest rank was a lieutenant but my godfather’s nephew entered with the rank of a major- quite a huge rank for a filibuster soldier of fortune; he gave his voice/vote is uncle should be killed as a revenge/vendetta. After inflicting all manner of despicable disgrace on him, the kill hims supporters spurred on by his nephew carried the day; so, it was his procession day to his hanging; Bo mu biri (come and go and have your bath on the sombrero- invitation to death) He was led as a sheep to the slaughter and he openeth not his mouth. The rest is now part of the bestial history of our politics of opposition. These are stories I will elaborate on in my manuscripts and may be book after clearing all sensitivities. What happened to the human blubbers on the sombrero is another chapter.
What obtained in Buguma, was of the same general pattern as in other part of Kalabari. Buguma was core NCNC so it was somehow spared some of the opposition nuisance arising from first republic opposition politics and Biafra. But as soon as Buguma fell to federal troops, the federalist virus emerged and started the inquisition of finger pointing and witch hunting of NCNC members as Biafran supporter. The murder of Biafran supporters began- Kalabari gave up Kalabari to Ijaw soldiers of the 3rd marine commandos to be killed as Biafran supporters. But tradition has it that, it was NCNC members who saw to it that Buguma was not sacked into exile like Abonnema and Bakana that were core “Action Group”. (For further research and development. Some parts will be too sensitive to delve into since it involved the Amayanabo and his prominent chiefs who escaped by the whiskers). More research here.
It is thus apparent that in kalabari land from the highest strata of traditional politics to the subs strata of chieftaincy and war canoe houses, the thing to do to consolidate or have advantage had so much to do with if you are NCNC, AG, Biafra or Nigeria- local Unitarian or federalist. Fifty nine years after the first republic, Fifty two years after the civil war, the Kalabari on Kalabari murders that ensued, the divisions, bitterness, vendetta, the recriminations, acrimony, grudges social and filial displacements and resentments are still in the hangover yet to abate as Biafra or Nigeria- in some places our people still define their filial relationships along these lines.
In Bakana; there was the story of a Dr. C. I. Berepiki. A PhD. in education; a top civil servant in the eastern Nigeria Ministry of education in Enugu. When Bakana fell to federal troops, the Bakana federalist gave him out to federal troops to be shot on account of being a Biafran supporter. But according to tradition, he was able to prove his innocence that despite supporting Biafra he did nothing inimical to the existential interest of his people especially about the sacking of Bakana into Ezi Item in the Igbo hinterland (I am researching to see the role of shell D Archy or BP in the sacking of Bakana. Shell provided the resources Biafra used to sack Bakana into exile). But the people of Bakana are mostly pointing to a section of Kalabari were the NCNC- Biafra civilo -military was dominant with primordial traditional hierarchy tussle as responsible for their woes. It is to vent their anger on this latter issue that the federalist gave him out to be shot. But the federal troops did not see any reason to waste this prominent and amiable man. So, the soldiers devised a clever ruse between the Kill hims and the spare hims. The soldiers took him to the swamp and creeks and shot into the air and provided him means to escape to Port Harcourt. This way the kill hims were fooled and assuaged. They jubilated and dispersed. He escaped to Port Harcourt and was absorbed into the Rivers State ministry of education. After the civil war, Rivers State was short of qualified teachers so to fill the gap, he and his committee recommended to the state government to open Teachers training colleges to train teachers to fill the gaps in primary schools. This is how teachers training colleges at the grade two level to fill primary school teachers gaps came into existence. He was appointed the rector of T.T.C Regina Celi in Bodo; he came back to Bakana and other Kalabari towns for unqualified teachers to register for training and certification as grade two teachers. Indigent primary six holders whose parents could not afford secondary education were encouraged to use this opportunity to train as teachers. My proof readers mother read from prima six to first degree in primary education. In Bakana about four of my elder friends whose parents could not afford secondary education, they all enrolled in this scheme and became trained teaches. This is how teacher education blossomed in kalabari land. Some read from primary six to first degree, masters, and PhD in education. He also made sure Kalabari got one of the T. T. C’s sited in Degema. Now, in counterpoise, this is the type of man that the hate and bitterness of the Kalabariopposition politics gave out to federal troops to be wasted. After the T. T Cs the Advanced teachers college to fill secondary school gaps was born and later the Rivers University of education ( Ignatius Ajuru University of education now)
TOMBIA ; In Hon. Sokonte Davies’ Tombia Kingship tussle divided along the line of political opposition- as of the General patterns I have extrapolated above. But Tombias case became a disgusting fratricide of a Peloponnesian war. At several time the town has been burnt down by factions who see themselves as NCNC- AG, Biafra or Nigeria, to one faceless group to the other until the unification and pacification of Tombia by Farah Dagogo. That there is Tombia today and Hon Sokonte Davies has a place to call home is because there is Farah Dagogo now in the national assembly. During the primary election for Sokonte’s second tenure into the national assembly. Hon. Sokonte was ambushed by a clever chap from Bille with the Bonny section of the constituency. He was defeated in the primary. It was Farah who single handedly reversed that result in sokonte’sfavour. I hear today Hon. Sokonte is in political opposition to Farrah and he is shaming Hon. Farrah, his Kalabari people and the PDP, his benefactors. What an ingrate. (research will be needed here)
I have to teach Hon. Sokontete a lesson in our political horror through our history of politics of opposition. Now if you read between the lines of my anecdotes and the historical- political analysis there in, you will see that people were killed in the Kalabari holocaust not because Igbos brought Biafra or Nigeria brought liberation and her brigand federal troops but because there is an existing structure of politics of opposition and hate ingrained in our psyche and fueled by irredentist politicians like Hon .Sokonte Davies of the time who preach a hate ideology of meddling and shaming the opposition even when political actions and the wills are tailored for the general good. In politics there are levels and phases and our reactions at any time gives out our level of political intellect. The event that Hon. Sokonte is shaming is a mere spectacle of political symbiotism- Gov. Wike wants presidential politics; the Kalabari section of the PDP wants the Governorship of Rivers state 2023 and the completion of their trans Kalabari road. There is a popular political allegory of the bear and the hunter. The hunter wanted the fur of the bear and the bear wanted the hunter for food so they negotiated. You scratch my back, I scratch your back. Sokonte’s shaming of his people for negotiating politics is nothing but a partisan nuisance and political opposition atavism. If the Kalabari people on whose name and back he rode to political stardom should evolve a pan- Kalabari ideology; Kalabari governor 2023 to turn their backwaters of marches and swamps into an economic center; the organisers of the event had the political acuity to wean it of politics and the PDP by not allowing politicians and political appointees to speak in the event. The event featured the crème de la crème of Kalabari politics and traditional. Hon. Sokonte was invited as a prominent son and former representative. He declined the invitation so that he can shame people.
If he doesn’t know the gory past and misapplication of opposing views, he doesn’t aspire with us in our economic and infrastructural development, how did he represent us in the national assembly? Or this is just another case of systemic fluking created by our aberrant politics. Sokonte, amabebeburu; ngeriboburupakiri. This is a pristine dialectics of “The whole against the part” bequeathed to the kalabari Kingdom by our great King Amakiri. I am not a frontline politician. I write as a kalabari elder and publicist. Thank You.
By: Sogbeye Douglas
He said he would not hesitate to activate the recall process against any lawmaker found wanting, if he returns for a second term in office.
He stated this while addressing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including those who lost out at the recently held national and state assemblies primaries and have become aggrieved and disrespectful to the party.
While emphasizing the supremacy of the party, he said decisions were taken in the overall interest of the party and the state and must, therefore, be respected by all members.
He warned lawmakers against being insolent and arrogant to their people to the extent of shutting them out after each election cycle, saying such would no longer be condoned.
“So I am appealing to all of you. If you were born with arrogance, please just drop that ticket here”, he said.
The governor hinted that after the next cycle of elections, the process of recalling lawmakers who made themselves “tin gods” would be activated.
“Well, they say they don’t recall people from parliament, but this will be the first time.
“Anybody whom the people say they are tired of will be brought back home. Anybody who goes and forgets his people completely and doesn’t care, thinking that during elections he will come and pretend to be a good man, will be brought back.
“And we are making this very, very clear. We will not fail in what we have said. I am working tirelessly; I don’t sleep. If you are going into office during this period, there will be no sleep for you”, he said.
He advised politicians not to ignore their people who hold the power, insisting: “You cannot overlook them and become so arrogant and pompous that you don’t know your people.”
Gov. Otu also advised members of the ruling APC, who lost at the just-concluded party primaries in the state, not to defect to opposition parties like the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) or the African Democratic Congress (ADC), warning that they would suffer untold hardship and would not make any political headway, if they did.
“There are some kwashiorkor parties that are registering people. Such parties are wasting their time and not even my time. They cannot do anything.
“I don’t want anybody to suffer the fate I suffered. That’s why I’m warning those aggrieved aspirants who lost not to go the way of those parties to avoid unnecessary suffering.
“I don’t want anybody to go that route. It’s an absolute waste of time, energy and people’s future, because at the end of the day, you will drag people into that bottomless pit.
“And when you drag them there and can’t take care of them, you begin to rot, you begin to die. May God give me the energy and power to sustain.”
He appealed to the aggrieved APC members, saying: “There’s nothing that we cannot settle. God’s time is the best. Whatever we’ve done is for the common good of all of us.”
2027: INEC APPEALS JUDGMENT ON ELECTION GUIDELINES
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which nullified aspects of the Commission’s 2027 General Election Guidelines.
The appeal, filed before the Court of Appeal, seeks to overturn the judgment delivered on May 20, 2026, by Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The trial court had nullified the provision in the guidelines directing political parties to submit their membership registers and databases by May 10, 2026, as part of the conditions for participation in the 2027 General Election.
The suit challenging the directive was instituted by the Youth Party, which argued that the Commission’s timeline was inconsistent with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
In his ruling, Justice Umar held that INEC could not lawfully shorten the timeline stipulated under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 regarding the submission of party membership records and candidates’ particulars.
However, INEC, through its counsel, Chief Alex Izinyon, SAN, filed a notice of appeal dated May 25, 2026, asking the appellate court to set aside the judgment.
The Commission also filed a motion seeking an order staying the execution of the judgment pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.
INEC raised nine grounds of appeal, arguing among others that the trial court failed to determine the jurisdictional issue concerning whether the suit was hypothetical and academic in nature.
The Commission further contended that the respondent lacked the locus standi to institute the suit and urged the Court of Appeal to strike out the case accordingly.
INEC maintained that its actions were in line with its constitutional mandate to ensure the orderly conduct of elections and effective electoral administration ahead of the 2027 General Election.
WHY I ENDORSE TINUBU’S SECOND TERM BID — ADELEKE
Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has explained that his decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027 was influenced by moral responsibility and the need to sustain developmental progress.
The governor said his endorsement was not based on political calculations alone but on what he considers appropriate in view of the relationship between Osun State and the President, as well as ongoing projects benefiting the region.
The position of the governor was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Mr Olawale Rasheed.
According to the statement, Gov. Adeleke spoke on Sunday after conducting an inspection of the ongoing construction work on the Ibadan–Ile Ife–Ilesa Expressway.
During the visit, the governor reportedly commended President Tinubu for embarking on major infrastructure projects across Osun State and other parts of the South-West.
Gov. Adeleke noted that infrastructure development remains essential to economic growth and improved connectivity among communities.
He acknowledged the significance of road projects currently underway, stressing that such investments are expected to contribute to easier transportation, commercial activities, and broader development outcomes within the region.
The governor also highlighted the importance of leadership support in facilitating projects that have direct effects on residents.
He indicated that recognition should be given where efforts are being made to improve public infrastructure, particularly projects capable of enhancing movement between states and strengthening economic interactions in affected areas.
According to the statement, Gov. Adeleke’s remarks came while assessing the progress of the expressway project, which has continued to attract attention due to its strategic role in linking major cities within the South-West.
The governor reportedly used the opportunity to express appreciation for federal involvement in projects impacting Osun State.
His comments further reflected his view on political and regional ties, especially considering Osun State’s historical connection to President Tinubu.
Gov. Adeleke suggested that such considerations, alongside visible developmental initiatives, shaped his decision to openly support the President’s anticipated re-election effort in 2027.
He said, “I am the governor of the ancestral birthplace of Mr President. How can I have my own in the saddle and think twice before embracing him?”
IPAC specifically said that INEC guidelines cannot supersede constitutional provisions or extant electoral laws.
The Council, which stated these while appraising the judgement of the Federal High Court, stressed that the court judgement specifically addressed exclusionary conditions capable of disenfranchising aspirants and party members during primaries.
This is contained in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of IPAC, Mr Martins Egbeola, stating that the judgment was a reaffirmation of constitutional supremacy, democratic principles and the rule of law within Nigeria’s electoral process.
IPAC said that even though INEC possesses powers to issue election guidelines, such powers must however, operate strictly within constitutional provisions and electoral laws.
It noted that the court judgment represented a major victory for democracy, political parties and citizens participating in Nigeria’s electoral process.
IPAC also said that the court judgement had restored the constitutional rights of political parties to manage their internal affairs democratically without unlawful interference through administrative directives.
“The judgment would ensure equal opportunities for eligible members to participate in party primaries without discriminatory or exclusionary conditions.
“The INEC Chairman should deepen engagement and consultation with political parties on issues concerning electoral administration and reforms.
“Greater dialogue and collaboration between INEC and political parties would help prevent avoidable disputes and litigation arising from controversial guidelines,” IPAC stated.
Prof. Yilwatda stated this while speaking on a live television interview programme.
According to him, the ruling APC was not focused on fighting opposition parties, claiming that the political battle was currently between the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said, “In the last three weeks, the APC has not been fighting ADC or NDC. It is NDC versus ADC or ADC versus NDC.
“Actually, I watched with fun all the insults that the ADC is raining on the NDC and the NDC is returning those fireworks on the ADC.
“I watched the videos, and I laughed. The self-implosion is in the opposition rather than in the APC.”
When asked whether he was orchestrating the crisis in the opposition, Prof. Yilwatda denied the allegation but said weakening the opposition was part of politics.
He said, “No, I can’t. But I will be happy if I can do it. That’s my job.
“If you are opposing me, should I be happy? If you oppose me because you are in the opposition, what’s my job? Of course, to stop the opposition.”
The APC chairman also said the ruling party had stronger conflict resolution mechanisms than other political parties.
According to him, the party had committees at national and state levels to resolve internal disputes arising from congresses and other activities.
Speaking on the APC membership register and the votes secured by President Bola Tinubu during the party’s presidential primary, Prof. Yilwatda said the party relied on data from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for its registration process.
“To register as a member of the APC, your name and primary data are sourced from NIMC. That’s the same primary data that is used across the country to open a bank account, get a driver’s licence and secure an international passport.
“So we’re the only political party that sources our primary data from NIMC. This is why people have seen the APC as one of the most politically viable and stable parties. We are a data-driven political party,” he stated.
RIVERS ADC PRIMARY: ASPIRANT REJECTS OUTCOME, ACCUSES AMAECHI OF IMPOSITION
The governorship primary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State has been thrown into turmoil after aspirant Mr Allen Idaso Ezekiel-Hart rejected the outcome and accused former governor, Mr Rotimi Amaechi of imposing a candidate.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart described the exercise as a “shambolic charade” and said it had produced three separate governorship primary “winners” within the same party.
“Right now, we have three governorship candidates in one party, all thanks to Amaechi’s high-handedness,” he told journalists in Abuja on Monday.
He warned that the situation could plunge the opposition party into crisis ahead of the 2027 elections if the national leadership fails to intervene.
According to him, while the party’s timetable fixed May 23 for the primary, aspirants were informed late Friday that the exercise had been moved forward.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart said he was mobilising supporters across the 23 local government areas when fellow aspirant, Hon. Farah Dagogo, informed him that a parallel process had already been conducted.
He accused the state party chairman, Mr Chukwudi Dimkpa, of inviting only five aspirants loyal to Mr Amaechi while excluding himself and Hon. Dagogo. The arrangement, he alleged, was designed to clear the path for Dr Gabriel Pidomson, whom he described as Mr Amaechi’s preferred candidate.
He further alleged that three aspirants were persuaded to step down for Dr Pidomson in what he described as a disguised consensus arrangement, despite the party’s public stance against consensus.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart claimed Hon. Dagogo later approached him to jointly resist Mr Amaechi’s camp but asked him to publicly congratulate him as the winner.
“He told me to go on air and congratulate him, saying we are from Atiku Abubakar’s political family and should unite. I told him to stop rubbishing Atiku’s name. Atiku will not be part of this nonsense,” he said.
The aspirant said he rejected the offer and subsequently declared himself winner after Hon. Dagogo made a similar announcement.
“As it stands, Farah declared himself winner, Thompson was declared winner by the state exco, and I also declared myself winner. Three winners in one primary that never held. This cannot stand,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart accused the Rivers ADC leadership of sidelining him despite being the only aspirant who formally notified the party in writing of his intention to contest.
He also faulted Mr Amaechi for allegedly imposing candidates while demanding transparent presidential primary at the national level.
“How can someone who is demanding transparent presidential primaries at the national level turn around and impose a governorship candidate in Rivers?”, he queried.
He urged the ADC National Working Committee to nullify the exercise and either conduct a fresh primary or adopt a lawful consensus arrangement in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The most pragmatic thing now is for the NWC to order a rescheduled primary or quickly adopt a lawful consensus option. Time is running against us,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel-Hart said he would pursue all grievances within the party’s constitution and warned Hon. Dagogo against invoking Atiku’s name to bolster his claim.
“We will exhaust every legal channel within the party. I will not rock the boat unnecessarily, but the party must recognise that I won the primaries,” he said.
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