New Telegraph
FELIX NWANERI writes on major events that shaped Nigeria’s political space in 2024
The year 2024, ending tomorrow, has been an interesting one for Nigerians given the fact that it was characterised by intrigues and manoeuvrings of different shades as most political gladiators busied all through the year, scheming to remain relevant in the political space.
From the Supreme Court judgement that affirmed the election of Abba Yusuf as the governor of Kano State to the degeneration of the rift between the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike; revert to her old National Anthem, cabinet reshuffle by President Bola Tinubu, the year ending was politically remarkable.
Other landmark events that shape the polity within the period under review include gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo states as well as the Supreme Court judgement that granted financial autonomy to local governments,, conduct of local government elections in most states of the federation and the #ENDBAD GOVERNANCE PROTEST
Kano guber election verdict
The political fireworks in 20244 started on January 12, with the Supreme Court judgement that upheld Abba Yusuf as the duly elected governor of Kano State.
The apex court set aside the verdicts of the Court of Appeal and election petitions tribunal, which nullified the victory of Yusuf in the March 18, 2023 governorship poll.
A five-member panel of the apex court in a judgement delivered by Justice John Okoro, held that the tribunal and the appellate court erred by sacking Yusuf, who was the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), as governor of the state.
The Supreme Court further held that the law and natural justice were turned upside down by the two courts to arrive at the unjust and unfair decision. Justice Okoro, while voiding and setting aside judgements of the two lower courts said that miscarriage of justice in the ways and manners the petition against the governor was handled was manifesting.
The Court of Appeal and the tribunal had in their respective judgements annulled the election of Yusuf and declared Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Party, (APC) as winner of the Kano governorship election.
Wike, Fubara rift degenerates
For the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike (now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory) and his anointed successor, Simi Fubara, it is fingers on the trigger despite the purported truce brokered by President Bola Tinubu.
Wike had ensured that Fubara, who served as Director of Finance and Accounts, government house and Accountant General, while he held sway as governor of the oil-rich Rivers State emerged as his successor given their friendship, which is beyond politics. However, the collapse of the once fatherson relationship less than six months after exchange of the governorship baton has left many bewildered.
The crack in the duo’s relationship was noticed shortly after the May 29, 2023, inauguration but was dismissed by their respective camps. However, the October 30, 2023, move by some members of the Rivers State House Assembly loyal to Wike to impeach Fubara confirmed the speculation of a no love lost relationship between the duo.
The impeachment move against Fubara started with the suspension of the House Leader, Edison Ehie and other three lawmakers – Victor Okoh (Bonny Constituency), Goodboy Sokari (Ahoada West Constituency) and Adulphus Timothy (Opobo/Nkoro Constituency) – said to be the governor’s loyalists.
The impasse that ensued saw a part of the Rivers House of Assembly Complex being destroyed by an explosion, while some policemen fired teargas and water cannons at Fubara, when he visited the complex to assess the extent of damage from the explosion.
While Fubara survived the impeachment plot, it has been claims and counter-claims between the godfather and his godson since then. Fubara’s camp did not only alleged that Wike is seeking gratification from Fubara, it also claimed that the former governor insisted on calling the shots in Rivers State from Abuja.
Wike, who initially described the crisis as a PDP affair, later opened up. He not only denied that he was seeking financial gratification from Fubara, but accused him of hobnobbing with his political adversaries.
This, according to him, suggested that the governor is trying to take control of the PDP structure in Rivers State. Despite interventions by President Tinubu and some Rivers State stakeholders, the supremacy battle has failed to subside, with new dimensions almost on a daily basis.
From the emergence of two factional speakers of the state Assembly – Martins Amaewhule (Wike-backed faction) and Edison Ehie (later Victor Oko-Jumbo (Fubara-backed faction) to the cabinet reshuffle and resignation of Wike’s loyalists from the state executive council and the crisis over the recent local government elections, 2024, can be described as year of twists and turns for Rivers State.
New Minimum Wage law
President Tinubu, on July 29, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), meeting, at the Council Chamber in the State House, Abuja signed the N70,000 the new minimum wage into law.
A tripartite committee had submitted two figures in its report to the President as a result of disagreement among the government, the private sector and organized labour.
While the government and the private sector offered N62,000, organized labour demanded N250,000 but President Tinubu agreed to pay N70,000 from the initial offer of N62,000.
Impeachment of Shaibu
Impeachment of Philip Shaibu as deputy governor of Edo State by the state House of Assembly on April 8, 2024, followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man committee set up by the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, to investigate allegations of misconduct against him.
While the panel was unable to establish the case of perjury levelled against Shaibu, it found him guilty of disclosure of government secrets. Consequently, 18 out of 19 members present at plenary voted for his impeachment while one abstained from the head count and voting process.
The former deputy governor fell out with his principal over his governorship ambition and his impeachment marked an end to their long-drawn political battle that was charactised by intrigues, claims and counter-claims.
Following Shaibu’s ouster, Obaseki picked 37-year-old Omobayo Godwins, who was immediately cleared by the state Assembly and inaugurated as deputy of Edo State. Shaibu later contested the PDP governorship primary and declared himself a winner in a parallel election.
However, businessman Asue Ighodalo was declared as the party’s flagbearer for the exercise coming up later in the year. However, the Court of Appeal, in August affirmed the reinstatement of Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo State by the Federal High Court.
Edo guber election
The September 21 governorship election in Edo State saw former political allies squaring against each other. The build-up to the poll and the election proper was characterised by high-wire politics. Seventeen candidates contested the election; one of them a female.
The then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state fielded Asue Ighodalo, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) had Senator Monday Okpebholo, as its candidate.
Despite the number of candidates, bookmakers said the election was a three-horse race between Ighodalo of the PDP, Okpebholo of APC and Olumide Akpata of Labour Party. This conviction was predicated on the strength of the respective candidates and their party’s structure.
Besides the candidates, the election was a proxy war between then Governor Godwin Obaseki and his predecessor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole. Obaseki single-handedly anointed Igbodalo as the candidate of the PDP, while Oshiomhole was behind APC’s Okpebholo.
At the end, Okpebholo defied the odds to emerge winner. He polled 291,667 votes, winning eleven out of the 18 local government areas of the state, while Ighodalo had 247,274 votes, winning seven local government areas. Akpata placed a distant third with 22,783 votes.
Financial autonomy for local govts
While there is no doubt that efforts in the past to free the local governments from the grip of state governors did not materialize, the present administration, led by President Bola Tinubu, in its determination to ensure financial autonomy for the councils, filed a suit against the governors of the 36 states of the federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of local governments.
The Federal Government, in the suit marked: SC/CV/343/2024, filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) on May 24, not only demanded full autonomy for the 774 councils as the third tier of government but an order deterring state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local governments leadership.
It also sought an order permitting funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors.
The Federal Government equally prayed the Supreme Court for an order stopping governors from further constituting caretaker committees to run affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognised and guaranteed democratic system.
It also applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies, from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments, when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.
In the 27 grounds it listed in support of the suit, the Federal Government argued that Nigeria, as a federation, was a creation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, with the president as head of the federal executive arm, swearing on oath to uphold and give effect to provisions of the Constitution.
Consequently, the Federal Government asked the Supreme Court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that state governors and the states House of Assembly are under obligation to ensure a democratic system at the third tier of government in Nigeria and to also invoke the same sections to hold that the governors cannot lawfully dissolve democratically elected local government councils.
It further prayed for the invocation of sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that dissolution of democratically elected local government councils by the governors or anyone using the state powers derivable from laws enacted by the State Houses of Assembly or any Executive Order, is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.
At a hearing on the matter on May 30 , the apex court, gave the 36 state governors seven days to file their defence, while the AGF was given two days to file his reply upon receipt of the governors’ defence.
A seven-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Lawal Garba, issued the order, while ruling in the application for abridgment of time argued by Fagbemi. Justice Garba held that the decision of the court was predicated on the national urgency of the suit and the non-objection from the Attorneys-General of the states of the federation.
The Attorney General of Ebonyi state and chairman of the body of state Attorneys-General, Dr. Ben Odo, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said they had a meeting and he has their consent of no objection to the suit.
Delivering judgement on the matter on July 1, the Supreme Court ordered that funds from the Federation Account in the credit of the councils must be paid directly to their respective bank accounts.
The apex court also barred the governors and their privies from directly or indirectly receiving, tampering or withholding funds meant for the local governments henceforth. In addition, the court barred governors from dissolving democratically elected officials of local governments.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the Federation Account was specifically ordered to ensure that henceforth all monies including shares from taxes and other sources are channeled directly into the purses of councils with democratically elected officials.
In the unanimous judgement of the seven-man panel of Justices, the Supreme Court agreed with Fagbemi that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognised local governments as the third tier of government.
They also agreed with him that some state governors have in the past two decades been using Nigeria’s constitution to perpetrate unconstitutional acts. According to the justices, the constitution did not make local governments appendages of the state and that no tier of government should be subordinate to another.
Reacting to the judgement, governors of the 36 states of the federation described the development as a relief given that autonomy for the councils will ease their responsibilities. What later ensued was local government elections in most of the states.
EndBadGovernance protest
Nigeria witnessed a nation-wide mass protest termed #Endbadgovernance between August 1 and 10, in reaction to economic hardship in the country. Interestingly, there was no coordinated leadership for the protest but several activists identified with it.
One of them, Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 elections and convener of #RevolutionNow movement, said the protest was aimed at addressing the country’s governance challenges.
Among the 15 demands from Nigerians ahead of the protest and which were directed at President Tinubu’s administration include a call for the President to scrap the 1999 Constitution and replace it with a people-made; scrapping the Senate arm of the Nigerian legislative system and make lawmaking a part-time endeavour.
The group also demanded that Nigerian workers be paid a minimum wage of nothing less than N250,000 monthly, increased investment in education; release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (leader of Indigenous People of Biafra – IPOB) and demilitarization of the South-East; freedom for all #EndSARS and political detainees; renationalization of public owned enterprises sold to government officials and their cronies as well as reinstatement of a corruption-free subsidy regime to reduce hunger, starvation and multidimensional poverty.
Others are probe of past and present Nigerian leaders; restructuring of Nigeria; reform of security agencies; establishment of a Special Energy Fund to drive power sector development; immediate reconstitution of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); massive investment in public works and industrialization and shake-up in the judiciary to remove corrupt judges and judicial officers.
The Federal Government, on its part, not only called for calm but asked for more time to address the prevailing hardship in the country.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who spoke on behalf f the government at the time, said President Tinubu is doing everything necessary to address the situation.
President Tinubu, on his part, met with various stakeholders, including governors and traditional rulers, in his bid to diffuse calls for the protests.
He equally called for caution against what he termed “premature politics” and “politics of hate and anger” by those calling for protests against his administration.
The heads of the various security agencies, not only talked tough but warned that they will resist any attempt at regime change. The #EndBadGovernance campaigners were however not deterred.
As expected, the protest started as scheduled but later turned violent in some Northern states, following looting and burning of public facilities. Consequently, the Federal Government had to deploy security agents to halt the carnage.
Crisis in opposition parties
The leading opposition political parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – were rocked by leadership crises within the year under review.
While that of APGA and LP have been resolved by the courts, which declared Sly Ezeokenwa as national chairman of APGA and Julius Abure as national chairman of LP, it is peace of the grave yard as the warring factions within both parties are yet to sheathe their swords. For the PDP, there seems no end to the leadership crisis rocking the party.
Calls for its acting national chairman, Umar Damgum to revert to his position as deputy national chairman to pave the way for the emergence of a substantive national chairman, possibly from the North Central geopolitical, has continued to reverberate, among party stakeholders but there is no doubt that Damagum is unlikely to let go of the position he is presently occupying.
It is a similar case in the NNPP, following the battle for the party’s soul between its presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso and the founder of party, Boniface Aniebonam.
Clamour for state police
The clamour for establishment of state police due to worsening state of insecurity across Nigeria, which poses a big threat to the unity and development of the country gained momentum within the year.
President Bola Tinubu had in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, promised to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten its peace and stability.
No doubt, arguments against state police revolve around its abuse, but President Tinubu, on February 16, specifically approved a committee comprising state governors and representatives of the Federal Government, to among others, explore modalities for establishment of state police as part of measures to check rising wave of insecurity in the country.
While some states responded immediately by submitting their positions on the issue, not much was heard about the committee after that.
Recall that governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had before the President’s endorsement, restated their position that state policing is the solution to the country’s worsening security situation.
Socio-political and regional groups such as Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and the Northern Elders’ Forum, have also repeatedly called for establishment of state police.
To these stakeholders and others, the prevailing security situation and the need for an effective response makes it imperative for states to set up their own police forces.
Apparently heeding the call on urgency of now as regards establishment of state police, the 36 states of the federation have submitted their positions, with a majority agreeing on the need for state-controlled policing.
Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, who revealed this to State House Correspondents after the 147th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on December 12, said the consensus stemmed from various security challenges across states.
Defections
2024 saw defections by some politicians of the opposition extraction, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) elections. Among those who jumped ship is the senator representing Imo East Senatorial District, Ezenwa Onyewuchi.
The lawmaker based his decision on the intractable division and crisis in the Labour Party that sponsored his election into the Senate.
He also noted that his decision was is in line with the dictates of the constitution. Onyewuchi, a former member of the House of Representatives (Owerri-Municipal/Owerri-North/ West-Federal Constituency), in 2022, also dumped PDP to join the Labour Party.
The House of Representatives, on its part, has recorded more defection cases than the Senate. Nine members of the Green Chamber have so far dumped the respective platforms on which they were elected.
They are Salman Idris(Ijumu/ Kabba Bunu federa constituency, Kogi State), from African Democratic Congress (ADC) to APC; Christian Nkwonta(Ukwa East/Ukwa West federal constituency, Abia State) from PDP to APC; Suleiman Abubakar Gumi (Gummi/Bukkuyum federal constituency, Zamfara State), from PDP to APC and Erthiatake Ibori-Suene (Ethiope East/ Ethiope West federal constituency, Delta State), from PDP to APC. Others are Tochukwu Okere (Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/ West federal constituency, Imo State) from LP to APC; Donatus Mathew (Kaura federal constituency, Kaduna State), from LP to APC;
Bassey Akiba (Calabar Municipal/ Odukpani federal constituency, Cross River), from LP to APC, Iyawe Esosa (Oredo federal constituency, Edo), from LP to APC and Fom Dalyop Chollom (Barkin Ladi/ Riyom federal constituency, Plateau) from LP to APC. The defection game ahead of the 2027 polls is not limited to the lawmakers. Chieftains of the opposition parties are also not left out.
Just recently, some chieftains of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) defected to the APC in Kano State. Among the defectors were kinsmen of the national leader of the party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf. Anyim Pius Anyim, a former President of the Senate, in July, left the PDP for APC.
While the move shocked many, Anyim said he and his supporters joined the ruling party because of the resolve to unite the whole of Ebonyi with the APC political family. He added that the move was informed by the need to support President Bola Tinubu and all his political appointees in the state.
“The people of Ebonyi have resolved to collaborate with the governor and all federal appointees of Ebonyi, particularly the Minister of Works (Umahi) to upscale our support for President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
It was in like manner that the immediate past deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu and a former Edo North senator, Francis Alimikhena, dumped the PDP for APC ahead of the September governorship election in the state.
Onder guber election
There is no doubt that the build-up to the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State was not a tea party. It was characterised by tension given the bitter campaigns ran by the various parties and their candidates. Name-calling dominated the campaign period rather than debate on issues.
However, after voting and collation of results the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa, as the winner of the poll.
Ayedatiwa was returned after winning the governorship poll in all the 18 local government areas of in state, garnering 366,781 votes to beat his closest challenger, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), who got 117,845 votes.
Revert to old National Anthem
President Bola Tinubu on May 29 signed into law the bill to revert to the old National Anthem. This followed the Senate and House of Representative’s passage of the bill that sought to replace the then current anthem with the former one adopted as the country’s independence on October 1, 1960, but was changed in 1978 by the Olusegun Obasanjo military regime.
Resignation of presidential spokesperson
On September 7, Ajuri Ngelale, resigned from his positions as Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
Ngelale, in a statement released to State House correspondents, said he submitted a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President indicating that he was proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence. He said this was to enable him deal with medical matters presently affecting his family.
He added the decision was taken after consultations with his family over the past several days “as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home,” he wrote, adding: “I look forward to returning to fulltime national service when time, healing and fate permit. I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and I during this time.”
Bwala appointed as presidential aide
President Bola Tinubu on November 14 appointed Daniel Bwala as his Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications. Bwala’s appointment was contained in a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga who also said Tinubu named three other persons as director-general of various agencies.
Bwala worked as a spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign team in the 2023 election in which Tinubu defeated Atiku Abubakar and others to emerge as president.
He was a vocal critic of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the leadup to that exercise with Tinubu as the flagbearer of the party. However, the lawyer and political analyst had after the election pitched tenth with the APC.
While his romance with the ruling party raised eyebrows, Bwala said his support for the administration of President Tinubu was not borne out of selfishness.
Cabinet reshuffling
President Bola Tinubu, on October 23, announced the sack of five ministers, rejig of his cabinet and nomination of seven others for Senate confirmation as ministers.
This followed several weeks of speculations and insinuations on which of the ministers would be sacked for nonperformance or retained.
Presenting the statement by the Presidency, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the ministers discharged of their duties by the President were Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Kennedy Ohanenye; Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John; Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman; Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo; and Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim.
The erstwhile Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Beta Edu, who was suspended following allegations of corruption earlier in year was officially sacked from the cabinet and replaced by Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda.
Ministers reassigned to new portfolios were Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu, moved as Minister of State, Education to become the Minister of State Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, from Minister State, Health to Minister of Education;
Bello Muhammad Goronyo, from Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation to Minister of State, Works; Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh, from Minister of Niger Delta Development to Minister of Regional Development. Others reassigned were Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Minister of State Steel Development now Minister of State, Regional Development;
Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment now Minister of State, Finance; John Owan Enoh, Minister of Sports Development, now Minister of State Trade and Investment (Industry]; Imaan SulaimanIbrahim, Minister of State, Police Affairs, now Minister of Women Affairs; Ayodele Olawande Minister of State for Youth Development now the substantive Minister of same ministry and Dr Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye, Minister of State, Environment, now Minister of State, Health.
Nominated as ministers were Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and Employment; Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Minister of State Foreign Affairs; Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Idi Mukhtar Maiha, Minister of Livestock Development;
Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Said Ahmad, Minister of State, Education. According to the Presidency, the decisions were taken by President Tinubu to “reinvigorate the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency pursuant of his commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.”
Other changes made by the President were the renaming of Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development, to oversee the activities of all the Regional Development Commissions.
The Regional Development Commissions to be under the supervision of the new ministry are: Niger Delta Development Commission, South East Development Commission, North East Development Commission, and North West Development Commission.
The President also directed immediate winding up of the Ministry of Sports Development and transfer of its functions to the National Sports Commission, in order to develop a vibrant sports economy;
“The merger of Federal Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Arts and Culture, to become Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.
The President also approved the appointment of Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission and the appointment of Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
