By David Owei,Bayelsa

The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has commended individuals and institutions including the six presidential candidates and the Conference of Ijaw Traditional Rulers and Elders (CITRE) for their efforts towards actualising a peaceful and seamless transition of leadership in the Ijaw National Congress (INC).

He gave the commendation during a stakeholders meeting at the weekend in Government House, Yenagoa, where all the candidates gunning for the INC presidency agreed to withdraw all subsisting litigations concerning the Ijaw National Congress election.

Senator Diri, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Peter Akpe, also expressed gratitude to the Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ambassador Godknows Bolade Igali, the Chairman and members of the INC National Electoral Committee and other stakeholders who contributed to the resolution reached at the meeting.

Drawing an analogy from the scriptures, particularly First Kings Chapter 3, he likened the unanimous agreement of the candidates to withdraw all pending court cases to the decision of the true mother of the disputed baby who pleaded with King Solomon not to cut the child into two.

According to the Bayelsa helmsman, the resolution reflects the enthusiasm, love and patriotic fervour in all the presidential candidates to move Ijaw nation forward.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the candidates including High Chief MacDonald Igbadiwe who secured the injunction from a Port Harcourt High Court stopping the INC Elections billed for last weekend, confirmed the agreement and pledged commitment towards the peaceful emergence of the next President of the apex Ijaw socio-cultural organization.

Also speaking, the President of Ijaw National Congress, Professor Benjamin Okaba , expressed delight at the outcome of the meeting, pointing out that the resolution would enable the National Executive Council of the INC and other critical stakeholders to settle all grey areas within the 30-day window given by the convention.

He said: “Today is a culmination of several efforts being made by myself and some members of the INC Exco to ensure that the transition moves on smoothly, and we will get to the appropriate destination.

“The meeting which was convened by His Excellency, the Governor of Bayelsa State in his capacity as the Governor General of the Ijaw nation was very productive. All the six presidential candidates were in attendance and have agreed to withdraw all court cases.

‘I want to assure you that we are going to explore the 30-day window given to us by the Convention to ensure that the election holds. All appropriate organs of the INC will start work immediately, while we monitor the processes of the withdrawal.’

In attendance at the meeting were all the INC presidential candidates, the Chairman of PANDEF, Ambassador Godknows Igali, the Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs, Chief Godspower Oporomor, his Information counterpart, Mrs Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, the Chairman of Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers and CITRE, His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo, the Chairman, INC Electoral Committee, Retired Supreme Court Justice Francis Tabai, his vice and the Pere of Tarakiri Clan, Dr Seiyifa Koroye, among others.

By: Amb. Anderson Osiebe

As Nigeria gradually approaches the 2027 general elections, conversations around power rotation have resurfaced with renewed intensity.

At the heart of this debate lies a fundamental question: Should the presidency remain in the South in 2027, before returning to the North, in the spirit of unity, equity, justice and national stability?

Nigeria is a delicate federation, diverse in ethnicity, religion and political history. Since the return to democracy in 1999, an informal but politically sensitive understanding has guided the distribution of presidential power between the North and the South.

This unwritten rotational principle has helped calm tensions, reduce suspicion, and foster a sense of belonging among Nigeria’s federating units.

From 1999 to 2007, the presidency was held by Olusegun Obasanjo (South-West). It shifted to the North with Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2007, before returning to the South under Goodluck Jonathan.

Power moved back to the North in 2015 with Muhammadu Buhari, who completed eight years in office. In 2023, the pendulum swung again to the South with the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

So, if this has been the arrangement, why North in 2027?

Against this backdrop, proponents of equity like me, argue that 2027 should consolidate the South’s turn in the interest of fairness. If the North completed eight uninterrupted years from 2015 to 2023, justice demands that the South be allowed the same political stability and opportunity.

Beyond arithmetic fairness, the argument is also about national cohesion. Nigeria has endured deep political mistrust, sectional agitation and identity-driven tensions.

Abruptly truncating the Southern tenure in 2027 could reignite feelings of marginalisation and undermine the fragile trust the rotation principle seeks to protect.

Supporters also maintain that political stability strengthens economic confidence.
Investors and development partners prefer predictability too.

Sustaining zoning arrangements reduces electoral volatility and signals continuity.
However, the broader message is not about permanent entitlement, it is about balance.

After a completed Southern tenure, power can then justifiably rotate back to the North, reinforcing the spirit of give-and-take that sustains multi-ethnic democracies.

Ultimately, Nigeria’s democracy must rise above winner-takes-all politics. The survival of the republic depends not only on ballots cast, but on perceived fairness in the sharing of power.

In 2027, the test will not just be about who wins, but whether Nigeria chooses unity over division, equity over expediency, and peace over provocation.

This is where I stand.

Amb. Anderson Osiebe, Executive Director, HallowMace Foundation Africa, Public Policy Expert and an Administrator writes from Abuja – Nigeria.

By George Mgbeleke

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his recent remark about the state of democracy in Nigeria. While speaking at an Iftar (break of fast) with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the President dismissed opposition criticism of his handling of the Electoral Act 2026 amendment, concluding that the “game is sweet if you are winning.”

But the opposition party has described the President’s reaction as cynical, saying it makes a mockery of democratic participation and reduces the serious business of government to a mere “game.”

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the comment raises serious questions about the President’s democratic credentials and his understanding of the grave responsibilities of leadership at a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling with rising violence, unemployment, and widespread poverty across the country.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) strongly rejects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent remarks, which cynically dismiss opposition objections to the Electoral Act 2026, while reducing the serious business of governance to a mere “game.”

Speaking at an Iftar with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the President, while attempting to explain his hasty assent to the much maligned Act, told the opposition to stop complaining and meet him at the polls. “The game is sweet only when you’re winning,” he concluded, triumphantly.

For a sitting President presiding over a country facing deep economic hardship and widespread insecurity, this remark is not only cynical, it is profoundly troubling. Perhaps more importantly, this remark also raises serious questions about the President’s democratic credentials and his understanding of the responsibilities that come with leadership in a constitutional democracy. Democracy is not a contest to be enjoyed by those in power; it is a system of governance built on accountability, respect for institutions, and responsibility to the people.

The President claims to be a democrat. But in reality, he has demonstrated more totalitarian tendencies than most dictators. The Electoral Act, which is, to all intents and purposes, designed to further emasculate the opposition, lower the nation’s ethical standard, and give President Tinubu a free pass to victory is something no true democrat would do. Yet, the President sees this as a game.

The President may go ahead and award himself victory over the political game, but there is no doubt that he is failing woefully in the game that matters most: providing leadership and improving the lives of citizens. Despite the APC’s near total control of the entire political structure in the country, the ruling party under President Tinubu has failed in its primary responsibility to everyday Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods they now consider a fair game.

It is important to therefore ask the President: Who exactly is winning in this so-called game? Are Nigerians winning when communities are attacked and citizens are killed? Are Nigerians winning when graduates cannot find jobs? Are Nigerians winning when families cannot afford food and basic necessities? Are Nigerians winning when the brightest young people see their future only outside their own country?

If politics is a game to the President, the Nigerian people are the ones paying the price. Nigeria does not need a gamer-in-chief. Nigeria needs a leader who understands the weight of the office he holds and the responsibility it carries. The presidency is not a prize to be enjoyed. It is a burden to be carried with competence and respect for the Nigerian people and the laws of the Federal Republic.

At this critical moment in Nigeria’s history, governance must never be trivialised. Too many lives depend on it.