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‘Silly season’

Officially, political gladiators are back on the hustings. Not that they ever left, but now they have legal imprimatur to openly electioneer. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) approved open campaigning towards the forthcoming national elections to kick off from last Wednesday, 19th August, and campaigning for the state elections to commence on 09th September. By the commission’s timetable, the presidential and national legislature elections are scheduled for 16th January, 2027, while the governorship and state legislature polls will hold on 6th February, 2027. Electoral law provides that campaigning by political parties should commence 150 days before election day and terminate 24 hours to the poll. Political parties and candidates flagged off the season with the signing of a peace agreement in Abuja on Tuesday, 08th August. Anchored by the National Peace Committee, the contenders by the accord committed to peaceful and issue-based campaigning, and pledged to shun vi...
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Strait of Iran

Five months after it launched its war against Iran, the United States isn’t anywhere near subduing the Persian state. Worse, Iran is fully emboldened to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz as had effectively blocked the waterway from international shipping. Before the war, Hormuz was where a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies transited and was recognised as an international route open to free global traffic. Now, Iran is seeking to toll the strait and has been attacking any vessel passing through without its clearance. And the US hasn’t been able to do much to remedy things.  Washington and Tehran traded claims at the weekend on the status of Hormuz and its availability to international shipping. President Donald Trump plied his repeated narrative that the US had full control of the waterway. In a Truth Social post, he said “the U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” His comment reinforced his earlier assertio...
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Tyla, Trevor and culture war

South African Grammy-winning artiste, Tyla, will no longer hold a concert in Nigeria during her upcoming world tour. She has pulled Lagos from the list of 34 cities she earlier announced for a musical globetrot scheduled for later this year to promote her new album, A*POP. Although there was no reason cited for updating the list, the 24-year-old had faced a clamour to perish the thought of having a show in Nigeria over anti-immigrant aggression in her country. She had scheduled to make a stop in Lagos on 22nd December as part of the world tour. Just before the singer adjusted her itinerary, an online petition titled “Ban Tyla from entering Nigeria until xenophobic attacks stop in South Africa” made the rounds and garnered thousands of signatures. After she unveiled her initial tour plan on social media, Nigerians raised a campaign to forbid her from coming for a performance here because she failed to speak out against xenophobic violence back home. Tyla isn’t the only South African cel...
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Oriire as anti-terror template

With the strategy applied in the recent hostage recovery in Oyo State, Nigeria may have hit on a useful template for dealing with the menace of terrorist kidnappings. If adopted and adapted in tackling abduction cases nationwide, the template could help rein in the tyranny of abductors and frustrate allied complicities that have made the crime into a thriving industry.  Forty-four out of 46 pupils and teachers mass-kidnapped by suspected Ansaru terrorists in Oriire council area of Oyo State on 15th May were recovered by security operatives after 56 days in captivity. Two of the kidnapped teachers did not make it back because they were killed by the terrorists while the ordeal lasted. Terrorists belonging to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, had stormed three schools in Oriire local government  area near Ogbomoso, where they abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers including a grammar school principal. An assistant headteacher and a commercial ...
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Jega on electoral democracy (2)

 Last week, we began running a paper delivered by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, at the public presentation of A Collection of Essays: Readings on the Legislature by Hamalai, Ladi in Abuja. In the paper titled ‘Some Reflections on the 2026 Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Electoral Democracy,’ the ex-umpire, a leading political scientist, reviewed Nigeria’s journey in electoral democracy and dissected the 2026 Electoral Act. The portion excerpted last week reviewed legislative frameworks for elections since 1999 and major provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 as they will impact future polls. The concluding part of the paper runs following: 3.0 Grey/bad provisions in the 2026 Electoral Act Regardless of the lofty intentions of the 2026 Electoral Act, of adding value to the integrity of Nigerian elections, there are issues of serious concern, and some areas for further contemplation; so as to offer clarifications, remove...
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Jega on electoral democracy (1)

 Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, recently delivered a paper at the public presentation of A Collection of Essays: Readings on the Legislature by Hamalai, Ladi in Abuja. In the paper titled ‘ Some Reflections on the 2026 Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Electoral Democracy ,’ the ex-umpire, a leading political scientist, reviewed Nigeria’s journey in electoral democracy and dissected the 2026 Electoral Act, highlighting the key provisions as they impact on the political system. The paper will be run in two instalments in this column as input to the national conversation on the electoral process. Body text of the presentation goes thus: 1.0 Background to the 2026 Electoral Act •Good constitutional provisions and primary parliamentary legislation are necessary and required as the legal framework for elections in representative/electoral democracies such as Nigeria. In Nigeria, and in a few other electoral jurisdictions, suc...
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Revolving door of old empire

Since the United Kingdom exited the European Union bloc in 2016, i.e. Brexit, No. 10 Downing Street has become a veritable bed-and-board for short stays. Prime Minsters come and go in rapid succession, with the seat of British government now awaiting its seventh occupant within a decade.  Vacancy opened up again with Keir Starmer announcing his resignation last Monday after just two years in the saddle. Sir Keir was elected leader of the Labour Party in April 2020 and became prime minister on 5th July, 2024 following Labour’s landslide general election win. He will leave Downing Street as the shortest-serving Labour prime minister in history. His time in office is taking longer than those of his immediate predecessors from the Conservative Party, namely Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, but will be behind all six previous Labour prime ministers. Speaking in Downing Street early last week, Starmer acknowledged he was not best placed to lead Labour into the next general election and had inf...
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