By George Mgbeleke

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has raised the alarm over what it describes as an emerging and disturbing pattern of partisan capture of influential traditional, religious and academic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

HURIWA in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,said the systematic visits by the Presidential Campaign Council of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to first-class and highly influential traditional rulers across the country, coupled with public endorsements and appeals for a renewed mandate, should concern every Nigerian who believes in credible, competitive and genuinely democratic elections.

The association says the development is no longer something that can simply be dismissed as routine political courtesy.

HURIWA observes that the campaign council appears to be deliberately targeting traditional institutions with enormous influence over millions of Nigerians, while similar political endorsements are emerging from religious and academic circles.

The association particularly condemns the reported endorsement of President Tinubu by the Oba of Lagos who illogically and comically claimed that there’s no vacancy in AsoRock comes 2027, and also the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and the endorsement by student leaders representing tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

HURIWA insists that traditional palaces, religious platforms and academic institutions must not become extensions of partisan campaign headquarters.

The association acknowledges the constitutional right of every traditional ruler, cleric, academic, student or private citizen to hold political opinions and support any candidate. But HURIWA draws a firm distinction between an individual’s political preference and the use of an institution enjoying enormous public trust and influence to advance partisan interests.

The rights group warns that when traditional, religious or academic institutions are repeatedly deployed as platforms for partisan endorsements, their neutrality, credibility and moral authority are placed at serious risk.

HURIWA therefore calls on traditional rulers, religious leaders, university authorities, student organisations and other influential institutions to reject the conversion of their platforms into political campaign machinery, regardless of the political party involved.

The association says the growing pattern of palace visits and endorsements must be subjected to intense public scrutiny because elections are ultimately about the free choice of citizens, not the political preferences of influential individuals or institutions.

HURIWA warns that no traditional ruler, religious leader, academic authority or student organisation has the constitutional power to determine how Nigerians will vote in 2027.

The people, and only the people through their votes, possess that democratic authority.

The association consequently calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission to remain uncompromising in protecting the electoral process from partisan pressure and institutional interference.

HURIWA also calls on security and law-enforcement agencies to ensure that no Nigerian is intimidated, threatened, induced or coerced because of his or her political preference.

The association demands that all political parties be given equal opportunity to campaign, organise and communicate their programmes to Nigerians without the political machinery of the ruling party overwhelming traditionally neutral institutions.

HURIWA says the 2027 election must not become an exercise in which political power is projected through traditional palaces, religious establishments, campuses and other institutions before ordinary citizens are given the opportunity to make their own choices.

The association particularly urges the leadership of traditional institutions to remember that their legitimacy transcends individual political administrations and political parties.

A palace belongs to the people and history; it must not become a campaign office for any political party.

HURIWA similarly urges religious and academic institutions to defend their independence and refuse to allow partisan politics to destroy the public confidence painstakingly built around them.

The association warns that the credibility of the 2027 elections will depend not only on what happens on election day but also on whether Nigerians believe that the political environment preceding the election was sufficiently open, neutral and free from undue institutional influence.

HURIWA therefore calls on all national institutions of traditional, religious and academic practitioners to speak up now and condemn the partisan exploitation of their institutions.

The association urges Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist every attempt to substitute the preference of powerful individuals or institutions for the constitutional right of citizens to freely choose their leaders.

By David Owei

Former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, has described the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike’s Rainbow Coalition as a major political asset capable of delivering “bulk votes” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Eradiri said the coalition, which cuts across political interests and platforms, should be embraced as an added advantage to the President’s re-election bid rather than viewed as a threat by APC governors and other party leaders.

He said Wike’s initiative had demonstrated political ingenuity by creating a broad alliance focused on mobilising support for Tinubu beyond the structures of the ruling party.

He said: “Wike and his Rainbow Coalition should be seen as an added advantage to Tinubu’s re-election because the Rainbow Coalition was formed solely to work for Mr President and not to advance the interest of any governor.”

Eradiri urged political leaders supporting Tinubu’s second-term bid to support the coalition and encourage its expansion, arguing that the President’s re-election would require a broad-based mobilisation strategy capable of attracting voters across political divides.

“Out of sheer ingenuity, Wike developed the Rainbow concept, which has gained traction as a powerful force of alliance,” he said.

The former IYC leader challenged other governors and political leaders to emulate the initiative by developing innovative alliances that could complement existing party structures and strengthen Tinubu’s electoral base.

“I encourage other governors to think out of the box and develop similar concepts that will aid mobilisation and deliver bulk votes to President Tinubu in 2027,” he said.

Eradiri said the coalition’s value should be measured by its capacity to mobilise voters for Tinubu rather than by political calculations about its possible impact on individual governors.

He therefore cautioned APC governors against allowing internal political differences with Wike to undermine an alliance that could contribute significantly to the President’s re-election.

“The Minister has said that his interest is the re-election of the President. Therefore, the governors, who genuinely love the President, are expected to work with him to actualise that sole interest,” Eradiri said.

He added that Wike’s continued support for Tinubu made the minister an important partner in the 2027 project.

“Wike has remained a pillar and a backbone to the President and whoever is working for the re-election of the President is expected to support Wike,” he said.

Eradiri commended Wike’s commitment to the Tinubu administration, insisting that the minister’s political mobilisation should attract appreciation rather than opposition.

“Wike’s political concept deserves commendation, not condemnation. The Minister deserves appreciation, not negative jealousy,” he said.

He urged Wike to continue expanding the Rainbow Coalition ahead of the election, stressing that the task of securing Tinubu’s re-election required every credible political structure and alliance capable of delivering votes.

“The Minister’s Rainbow Coalition is making impact and I encourage him to keep expanding the frontiers of the group because the re-election of the President cannot be left to chance,” Eradiri said.

By George Mgbeleke

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that his government’s economic policy is pushing Nigerians “dangerously close to the limits of human endurance.”

In a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary, the party said that with petrol now selling for as much as N1,470 per litre, every journey had become more expensive, while food and even basic education are being priced out the hands of citizens.

“President Tinubu has turned the petrol pump into an instrument of punishment for everyday Nigerians. Food, transportation, electricity, education, and everything Nigerians need to survive responds directly to the price of fuel and combine together to make life difficult for the majority of Nigerians,” the party said.

The ADC noted that the widespread reports of private schools increasing fees by between 30 and 40 per cent, while incomes have not increased anywhere near that margin is another evidence of how life has become progressively worse under the APC government.

“Parents are not earning 40 per cent more. Their salaries have not risen with the prices of fuel, food, rent, transportation, and school fees. Yet, at every turn, this government demands that already exhausted families pay more.

The party said it does not blame school proprietors who, it said, are themselves “struggling” with rising taxes, electricity bills, fuel costs, rent, and salaries. “Parents, workers, and businesses are all casualties of Tinubu and the APC’s economy.”

“At N1,470 per litre, petrol is no longer simply a commodity. It is Tinubu Tax, which has made life unbearable for the majority. Under Tinubu and the APC, Nigerians have been tightening their belts. Now, there are no more holes left, and people have started to choke. Families are now skipping meals, withdrawing children from school, abandoning medical treatment and shutting down businesses,” it says, adding that the government could not continue demanding sacrifice from ordinary Nigerians while public officials funded extravagant lifestyles from the same public purse.

“A reform that continuously makes the people poorer is not working. An economic policy that produces impressive figures at government briefings but hunger in Nigerian homes is a failure. When parents must choose between feeding their children and educating them, the government has failed spectacularly in its most basic responsibility.”

The ADC said the 2027 election would present Nigerians with a clear choice between carrying on with enduring President Tinubu’s punishment and embracing the relief programme proposed by the ADC presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

The party restates its presidential candidate’s commitment to reducing the price of petrol by bringing back subsidy to support domestic production of fuel, which would, in turn, ease the cost of food, transportation and production.

“Unlike Tinubu and APC, we recognise that economic reform must serve the people, not sacrifice them, ” it says. “Nigeria cannot be an oil-producing country whose citizens experience every visit to a filling station as punishment.”

It therefore warned the ruling party not to mistake the patience of Nigerians for approval or surrender.

“Their resilience must not become an excuse for continued cruelty. Tinubu has had enough time and inflicted enough pain. The people are suffering, businesses are dying, and hope is becoming increasingly expensive. President Tinubu must act now. Don’t push Nigerians to their limits,” the party said.