By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemns in the strongest possible terms the shameless manipulation, reckless impunity, coordinated intimidation, and disgraceful outcome of the ongoing primary elections of the All Progressives Congress, which have now exposed before the world the frightening collapse of internal democracy within Nigeria’s ruling party.

In a statement signed by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,What Nigerians have witnessed is not democracy. “It is political criminality dressed in electoral clothing.”

The chaotic scenes, allegations of fabricated results, suppression of delegates, intimidation of aspirants, violence, coercion, and open disorder surrounding the APC primaries have destroyed whatever remains of public confidence in the ruling party’s democratic credentials.

A political party that cannot organize a credible internal contest among its own members has absolutely no moral legitimacy to supervise, influence, or speak about credible national elections in 2027.
The APC primaries have exposed a dangerous political culture where power is no longer earned through persuasion, popularity, competence, or democratic legitimacy, but through intimidation, manipulation, imposition, and raw political force.

This is exactly why Nigerians are terrified about 2027.
If aspirants within the same political family are already screaming about manipulation and irregularities, what then awaits ordinary Nigerians during the presidential election? If delegates are allegedly being bullied, silenced, or overridden during party primaries, what confidence should citizens have that their votes will count in the general election?
HURIWA warns that the ongoing APC primaries may have unintentionally exposed what could become the operational template for the 2027 elections if Nigerians remain passive.
The signs are no longer hidden.
The desperation is no longer disguised.
The arrogance is now open.
Even more troubling is the deepening credibility crisis surrounding the Independent National Electoral Commission, especially following the unresolved public outrage generated by the controversial partisan activities and alleged political bias linked to INEC official Kunle Ajayi Amupitan during the 2023 presidential election.
Those revelations severely damaged public trust in the neutrality and independence of the electoral commission. Sadly, instead of rebuilding confidence through accountability and transparency, recent developments suggest that Nigeria may be drifting toward a far more dangerous electoral crisis in 2027.
HURIWA states clearly and unequivocally that a democracy cannot survive where electoral institutions lose credibility, political parties normalize impunity, and citizens are expected to accept manipulation as normal.
Nigeria is approaching a democratic crossroads.
The country cannot endure another election poisoned by allegations of rigging, institutional compromise, voter suppression, judicial manipulation, security intimidation, and abuse of state power.
The consequences could be catastrophic for national peace and stability.
We therefore call on Nigerians across all regions, religions, and political affiliations to immediately begin peaceful democratic resistance against every attempt to hijack the sovereignty of the people in 2027.
Citizens must obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), organize at community levels, monitor every stage of the electoral process, expose irregularities, resist intimidation, and lawfully defend the sanctity of their votes.
Defending your vote through lawful, peaceful, constitutional, and legitimate means is not an act of rebellion — it is a fundamental democratic right.
Nigerians must understand that democracy dies gradually when citizens become silent in the face of impunity.
It dies when political manipulation is normalized.
It dies when institutions become tools of partisan interests.
It dies when fear replaces civic vigilance.
The APC primaries have now become a national warning signal.
If this level of alleged manipulation and confusion can happen within the ruling party itself, then every Nigerian must understand the magnitude of the threat facing the 2027 general elections.
The time to defend democracy is now — before the machinery of manipulation becomes impossible to stop.

By Ibrahim Muhammad

Experience and records over the years have shown that between 80 and 90 per cent of the challenges that place Hajj administrators, especially the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and private Hajj operators, under the weight of negative spotlight usually originate from issues surrounding tent allocation to VIP pilgrims during the Tashreek days in Mina.

The premium camp facilities, popularly known as Tent A and Tent A Plus, are reserved for pilgrims who pay for high-end Hajj packages priced in US dollars, while pilgrims from state Muslim pilgrims welfare boards are mostly accommodated under the Tent D category.

The challenge of space management in Mina is a global issue arising from the limited size of the valley compared to the huge number of pilgrims occupying the same space during Hajj.

However, there are three major loopholes that make the annual challenge more troubling. These include the insincerity of service providers regarding the actual space secured for their clients, the tendency of some tour operators to market packages they do not have, and the growing quest for luxury in a place historically associated with sacrifice and hardship.

In 2016, a research project using the Mina Tent Distribution Algorithm (MTDA) was conducted to improve the utilisation of available accommodation space in Mina. The MTDA employed seven functions to determine the best-fit accommodation for pilgrims within the available tents. Experimental results showed that the system outperformed eight other allocation models by successfully accommodating 80 per cent of pilgrims within 76.2 per cent of the available space in Mina.

Yet, even the best experimental result did not guarantee accommodation for all pilgrims within the tent facilities.

Mina covers an area of approximately 7.82 square kilometres, with only about 61 per cent of the landmass effectively utilised due to the rocky and hilly terrain. Tent sizes vary between 8 square metres, 6 by 8 metres, and 12 by 8 metres.

Over the last 15 years, the issue of how many pilgrims Mina can comfortably accommodate has remained a recurring pre-Hajj concern among participating countries. Before the introduction of additional service lanes and support infrastructure, the tent city was originally designed to host about 850,000 pilgrims, with each pilgrim expected to have a sleeping space within Mina.

However, the construction of support facilities such as the Al Mashaaer Railway, medical centres, security posts, ministry offices, emergency response centres, and fire service stations has significantly reduced available accommodation space. These facilities now consume nearly 20 per cent of the original capacity projections.

In reality, Mina can no longer comfortably host 800,000 pilgrims, talk less of the over 1.2 million pilgrims expected for this year’s Hajj.

Another factor contributing to the space crisis is the introduction of mattresses inside tents. Unlike previous years when pilgrims slept on rugs, mattresses now occupy additional space and further compress accommodation capacity.

This year, there have already been complaints from many of the top Hajj-participating countries over inadequate tent space allocation for their pilgrims in Mina.

Anticipating possible shortages, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj had in previous years directed many pilgrims, especially those from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, to proceed directly from their hotels in Makkah to Arafat, thereby skipping the first day in Mina to ease congestion.

Although Kidana Development Company added 79 two-storey accommodation complexes with 7,838 restrooms after earlier expanding existing facilities with 18 additional complexes, the challenge persists because the structures themselves occupy substantial portions of land.

Therefore, the issue of securing comfortable accommodation in Mina within the current global Hajj allocation of about 2.3 million pilgrims will continue to remain a major challenge for Saudi authorities and Hajj-participating countries.

This year may not be different.

There are indications that some private Hajj operators failed to secure Tent A spaces for their clients but still marketed their packages as Tent A services, whereas the actual bookings were made under Tent B or Tent C categories.

Any Nigerian elite who pays $15,000 or more for Tent A services and eventually discovers that he has been placed elsewhere may trigger serious outrage in Mina over the perceived deception.

However, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj’s implementation of “No NUSUK No Hajj” helped to free up more space in Tent D for State pilgrims last year. The influx of unauthorized pilgrims into Tent D was drastically decreased, but Tent A was an exception.

Governors, senators, highly influential politicians, and their family members are among the regular subscribers to Tent A packages. Any disappointment involving this category of pilgrims will certainly attract public attention and widespread criticism.

Way Forward

NAHCON, as the apex Hajj regulatory body in Nigeria, should establish a special committee to work closely with private tour operators in verifying the exact category of tents secured for VIP pilgrims before movement to Mina.

Such a committee should engage directly with the service providers handling Masha’ir services to confirm the actual allocation granted to each pilgrim.

Private tour operators found to have downgraded pilgrims from the agreed tent category should be compelled to notify affected clients before the Hajj rites commence, issue appropriate apologies, and arrange refunds where necessary.

Pilgrims who pay premium fees deserve transparency, accountability, and the exact services promised to them.

Alhaji Muhammad, the National Coordinator, Independent Hajj Reporters, writes from Misfala, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) is deeply outraged, alarmed and scandalised by the shocking disclosure made by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is costing Nigerian taxpayers an average of N7.5 billion per kilometre.

To every reasonable and informed observer of global infrastructure economics, this figure is not merely excessive; it represents one of the most controversial and suspicious public expenditure claims in Nigeria’s recent democratic history.

HURIWA in statement signed by National Coordinator,Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko said it strongly condemns what appears to be a reckless, opaque and dangerously inflated spending regime being executed under the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu while tens of millions of Nigerians are trapped in multidimensional poverty, mass unemployment, hunger, collapsing purchasing power, insecurity and social despair.

At a time citizens can barely survive rising food prices, unaffordable transportation costs, astronomical electricity tariffs and a collapsing naira, this government is asking Nigerians to quietly accept a road project allegedly costing N7.5 billion for every kilometre constructed.
This is unacceptable.
This is morally offensive.
This is economically provocative.
And this demands immediate independent international scrutiny.

HURIWA therefore calls on all patriotic institutions and civic organisations in Nigeria — including the Nigerian Bar Association, the Nigeria Labour Congress, civil society organisations, anti-corruption coalitions, engineers, economists, procurement experts, development partners and transparency advocates — to urgently form a united national accountability coalition to subject the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project to comprehensive forensic auditing.

Such an audit must include:
Full disclosure of all procurement processes;
Publication of engineering valuation reports;
Details of project financing agreements;
Loan procurement structures;
Environmental impact assessments;
Tolling concessions and revenue projections;
Compensation and land acquisition costs;
Identities of all contractors, consultants and financial beneficiaries;
Comparative cost analysis with similar international highway projects.

HURIWA insists that the Freedom of Information Act must immediately be invoked to compel the release of every contractual and financial document linked to this project.

The Nigerian people cannot continue to be treated as spectators while public resources disappear behind grandiose infrastructure propaganda.

The association notes with grave concern that countries with far superior infrastructure standards and stronger regulatory systems — including China, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia and the United States — routinely deliver major highways at significantly lower comparative costs despite deploying advanced technology, stricter safety systems and more transparent procurement frameworks.

It is therefore impossible for patriotic Nigerians not to question the logic, transparency and integrity of a highway project whose cost profile appears outrageously disconnected from both local economic realities and global infrastructure benchmarks.

Even more disturbing are comments credited to the Minister openly linking federal infrastructure spending to future electoral expectations and political reciprocity.

For a serving minister to publicly imply that regions should politically “repay” the President for executing federally funded projects raises dangerous constitutional, ethical and democratic questions.

Public infrastructure is funded with taxpayers’ money — not personal charity from political office holders.
Federal roads are constitutional obligations of government — not partisan gifts designed to purchase loyalty ahead of elections.

HURIWA warns that Nigerians are increasingly becoming concerned that massive public borrowing, opaque infrastructure financing and aggressive project announcements may ultimately be tied to broader political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.

The association fears that unchecked public spending without transparent oversight could create dangerous conditions for institutional compromise, political patronage and abuse of state resources.

We therefore call on:
The National Assembly to immediately commence public investigative hearings;
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to monitor all financial flows linked to the project;
The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to independently review procurement compliance;
Professional engineering bodies to conduct independent technical evaluations;
International anti-corruption and transparency institutions to monitor the project’s financing structure.

HURIWA further demands that all future disbursements connected to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway be temporarily suspended pending independent forensic review and public accountability hearings.
No democracy can survive when citizens are denied transparency over projects funded with borrowed public money that future generations will repay.

No responsible government should expect applause while Nigerians are buried under economic pain and public debt.
No patriotic citizen should remain silent when questions surrounding one of the most expensive road projects in Nigeria’s history continue to multiply daily.
HURIWA maintains that accountability is not opposition.
Transparency is not sabotage.
Public scrutiny is not hatred.
Democracy demands answers.
Nigeria belongs to the people — not to a political elite treating public funds as instruments of power retention and political dominance.
The time for silence is over.