Political Notes

Can Tinubu dvice Governors On What He Controls? By Emmanuel Aziken

Can Tinubu dvice Governors On What He Controls? By Emmanuel Aziken

President Bola Tinubu’s extraordinary intervention in the freezing of an Osun State Government account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has brought into sharp relief a question that has increasingly shadowed his presidency: who exactly acts in the President’s name, and how much of what is done around him carries his prior knowledge and approval? […]
Visible Articles 5 10 15
APC’s closed consensus capsule, by Emmanuel Aziken

APC’s closed consensus capsule, by Emmanuel Aziken

The decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to return the majority of its national officers at its convention through consensus may, on the surface, appear to reflect unity and internal cohesion. However, beneath that carefully curated image lies a troubling contraction of democratic space within the party, it is one that raises fundamental questions about the […]

How Umahi makes enemies eat dust, by Emmanuel Aziken

How Umahi makes enemies eat dust, by Emmanuel Aziken

Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has always been a curious figure in the country’s political theatre. Long before he emerged on the national stage, his political style often reminded observers of the eccentric manoeuvres of the late Saleh Michika, the Third Republic governor of Adamawa State.  Michika, who governed under the National Republican Convention (NRC), became […]

Obasanjo At 89: The Pan-Nigerian Dreamer, by Emmanuel Aziken

Obasanjo At 89: The Pan-Nigerian Dreamer, by Emmanuel Aziken

At 89, Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo remains one of the most compelling figures in Nigeria’s political history, a leader whose presence still commands attention across the country and the African continent.  Decades after he first stepped into the national spotlight, Obasanjo continues to stand as a symbol of the enduring quest for a pan-Nigerian identity, a […]

Walida and Her DSS Man: When love becomes a national crisis, by Emmanuel Aziken

Walida and Her DSS Man: When love becomes a national crisis, by Emmanuel Aziken

The uproar over the alleged love tangle between a Department of State Services operative and a young woman from Jigawa State has once again exposed the fragility of Nigeria’s religious equilibrium. What should ordinarily have been treated as a private, if troubling, matter between consenting adults has spiralled into a combustible public controversy — not because of […]

Two new absurdities of the Akpabio Senate, by Emmanuel Aziken

Two new absurdities of the Akpabio Senate, by Emmanuel Aziken

An associate once claimed that Senator Godswill Akpabio initially aspired to be a comedian before fate and fortune nudged him toward law and eventually politics. If that early ambition ever existed, one might argue that the comedic streak never entirely left him. As presiding officer of the Senate, he often peppers proceedings with humour, laughter, and playful […]

Remi Tinubu’s breakfast with Trump: Symbolism and substance, by Emmanuel Aziken

Remi Tinubu’s breakfast with Trump: Symbolism and substance, by Emmanuel Aziken

Oluremi Tinubu’s presence at the National Prayer Breakfast, an occasion that gathers leaders of faith and influence from across the world, projected a rare positive beam on Nigeria’s seriously darkened international image. At a time when global headlines about Nigeria often revolve around insecurity, economic strain, political tension and ethnic fault lines, the optics of the country’s […]

Decoding Mutfwang’s move to APC, by Emmanuel Aziken

Decoding Mutfwang’s move to APC, by Emmanuel Aziken

When Governor Caleb Mutfwang formally stepped into the fold of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last Tuesday, it was more than a routine defection ceremony. It was a calculated political signal. And by the time he sat before a select team of visiting editors and declared that Plateau State had become the “crown jewel” in the political […]

The lies from Kaduna pulling Nigeria down, by Emmanuel Aziken

The lies from Kaduna pulling Nigeria down, by Emmanuel Aziken

There are moments in a nation’s life when tragedy does more than wound bodies and break families. There are moments when tragedy strips a country naked, exposing the rot in its institutions, the poverty of its leadership culture, and the moral hollowness that has quietly become normal. The mass abduction of worshippers in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru Local […]

When Sons Defect: Inside Tinubu’s precision strike on Atiku, by Emmanuel Aziken

When Sons Defect: Inside Tinubu’s precision strike on Atiku, by Emmanuel Aziken

The defection of Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of opposition leader and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, is the latest and perhaps most symbolic precision strike in President Bola Tinubu’s methodical dismantling of organised opposition.  This was not just another politician switching parties. This was intimate. Psychological. Almost theatrical.  A son of the man who wants […]

Wike’s Politics of Gbas-Gbos, by Emmanuel Aziken

Wike’s Politics of Gbas-Gbos, by Emmanuel Aziken

Wike’s politics of gbas-gbos — the brand of raw confrontation that blurs party lines, intimidates institutions, and thrives on public spectacle — appeared, until recently, immune to political boundaries. For years, Nyesom Wike operated in a space where allegiance to party mattered less than allegiance to power. He fought PDP leaders while funding APC victories. He governed […]