By Ehichioya Ezomon

The “Big lie” – often attributed to the Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels – though there seems to be no evidence that it was used by him to prop up the State under the hegemonic rule of Adolf Hitler – is to repeat a lie until it’s assumed to be true.
According to Wikipedia, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. (Yet) the lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
We aren’t here dealing with the power of the State to lie to the people, to serve certain ends, but the proclivity of politicians to lie to the public, to gain political points and mileage over their opponents. That’s the scenario playing out in Edo State in the lead-up to the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
It’s almost two weeks that the unusual – and uncommon in our clime – reportedly took place in Uromi, headquarters of Esan North-East local government area of Edo Central in Edo State: That the family members of the “Okpebholo dynasty” in Uromi had declared their support for the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Asue Ighodalo.
“Reportedly” because politics is like magic: the more you look, the less you see. In politics, anything can happen, as anything can be “arranged” to look real, especially “when money talks and changes hands.” That’s why opponents are quick to debunk “defections” from their political platforms to others, before the gambit grows wings of reality.
The undisguised impression created in the public by organisers of the Okpebholo family’s “defection” to the PDP, as first reported by The Conclave on April 18, is that the family – settling in a different location – is related to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo (APC, Edo Central).
It’s on this premise that one allowed almost a fortnight’s benefit of the doubt – even as a two-week period is more than a lifetime in politics – to see if Okpebholo would clarify that the family members at Amedokhian community in Uromi, who decamped to the PDP, and declared support for Ighodalo on April 17, are related or unrelated to his family from Udomi-Uwessan community of Irrua, Esan Central local government area of Edo Central in Edo State.
(Sen. Okpebholo’s born on August 29, 1970, at Udomi-Uwessan, Irrua, where he’d his early education at the Udomi Community Primary School and Ujabhole Community Secondary School, both in Irrua, before he completed his secondary education and obtained his senior school certificate in Jos, Plateau State, and received a degree in Business Administration from the University of Abuja, where he’s undergoing a Masters’ degree in Policy and Leadership Studies.)
But one hasn’t heard, seen, or read about an affirmation or a denial from Okpebholo in the media. Perhaps, that may come on the campaign trail, which officially began on Wednesday, April 24, going by the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for full-fledged electioneering that’ll end midnight on Thursday, September 19.
While the public expects a plausible explanation from Okpebholo or the leadership of the APC in its Edo State chapter, it’s curious to know if – before the campaigns commenced – the candidate and the party had a media arm. If they’d, did they bar the outfit from publicising their activities – or giving access to the prying and nosey media to do same – until they “hit the ground running” after INEC would’ve blown the whistle for earnest campaigns?
In that regard, can they cover the lost ground – particularly ceded to the seemingly well-oiled media arm of the campaign organisation of the rival PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo – and meet the expectations of the APC leadership, mostly President Bola Tinubu – who, while handing over the party flag to Sen. Okpebholo and his running, Hon. Dennis Idahosa (APC, Ovia Federal Constituency) at the State House, Abuja, on March 18, described them as “giant killers”?
At a gathering of party stalwarts for the ceremony, Tinubu, sounding upbeat about the APC winning the governorship, declared: “Distinguished senator and our flag bearer, we are putting you forward in order to hold the party in trust for us and achieve victory for us. You and your running mate have been described as ‘giant killers,’ and you have worked tirelessly with the party leadership.
“We are going to work with you. We are going to stand with you like the wall (Rock) of Gibraltar. That is all I can assure you. The party is supreme but victory is superior and very important.” The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) first reported the story.
Both Okpebholo and Idahosa – on their way to the National Assembly (NASS) – defeated incumbents at the poll, and are expected to wave the same or similar political magic wand, to win in September and restore the APC to power at the Osadebey Avenue Government House in Benin City, the Edo State capital city.
Okpebholo, Idahosa, the APC and its leader in Edo State, Sen. and former Governor Adams Oshiomhole – who “anointed” Idahosa for the governorship, and had to settle for the deputy slot after Okpebholo won the twice-held primary – have barely five months to turn things around in the proxy battle of incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki and Comrade Oshiomhole to install their “anointed” candidates, respectively.
Particularly for Oshiomhole, nothing else will suffice, as he strives to avoid a second consecutive defeat of his “chosen candidates” by his erstwhile political protégé-turned traducer, who sponsors Ighodalo, and pulls all stops to ensure the candidate succeeds him in November 2024.
Recall that Obaseki, running for his re-election in 2020 – after Oshiomhole, as then chairman of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, denied him the party ticket, and forced him to decamp to the PDP – defeated Oshiomhole’s choice candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who’s also the PDP candidate in the 2016 governorship poll against Obaseki, then of the APC.
Oshiomhole’s, however, promised – with the joint efforts of the APC candidates and members of the party – to reclaim Edo State from the PDP. He made the pledge in a congratulatory message to Okpebholo after he picked Idahosa as his running mate on March 17.
Oshiomhole said: “Your decision to choose Hon. Dennis Idahosa as your running mate, demonstrates great wisdom and foresight. Your joint ticket presents the people of Edo State with the best option to usher in a dynamic, progressive, and responsive government that aligns with the aspirations of our vibrant youth population.
“I am confident in your leadership abilities and believe that, with the support of all APC members across the state, we can restore Edo State to the path of progressive governance, sustainable socio-economic growth and political inclusion in all its ramifications.
“Together, we must forge a strong, united front that resonates with the electorate and secures victory in the governorship election on September 21, 2024. Congratulations once again, as I eagerly anticipate our collective efforts towards achieving victory in the upcoming election. Yours in the struggle for the rebirth of a greater Edo State that works for all.”
Oshiomhole’s lofty expectation of a return of the APC to governance of Edo State is a daunting task and a big challenge to Okpebholo’s candidacy that needs bolstering with rapid response to disclaiming oppo narratives tending to portray that Okpebholo and the APC are losing ground, and surrendering when the battle has just begun.
Meanwhile, Ighodalo and the PDP are gaining in momentum. Pre-primary in February 2024 to pick candidates for the September governorship poll, Ighodalo’s opponents had capitalised on his supposed handicap in not communicating fluently – some allege he can’t even string a few words together – in Esan language.
To somewhat compound his perceived political woes, Ighodalo – unable to address his ward members in Esan when he visited Ewohimi to inform them about his ambition, and crave their support to make it a reality – allegedly “hired an interpreter” to help him out of the language logjam.
In the polarised, tribally and ethnically-inclined political environment in Nigeria, the fact that Ighodalo can’t communicate in his native language, he’s bred, schooled, and works outside Edo State, and his mother and wife were/are non-Edo – even though his father’s an indigene of Okaigben, Ewohimi in Esan South-East local government area of Edo State, where he kicked off his bid for governor – makes his political opponents to adorn him with the toga of “not a true ‘son-of-the-soil'” of Esanland, and Edo State.
But whether or not Ighodalo speaks Esan fluently – which’s not a criterion for the governorship – he’s adjusted to delivering his message of “making Edo the Number one State in Nigeria” in simple English language, mixed with pidgin English – the “unofficial lingua franca” of Esan people, Edo people, and the Nigerian people – that’s turned for him a blessing in disguise.
Like Nigeria’s leading telecoms operator’s famous unique selling point, “MTN Everywhere You Go,” Ighodalo – since entering the governorship race in 2023 – has been everywhere in the nooks and cranies of the 192 wards of the 18 local government areas of Edo State, selling himself, his vision and mission to be governor in November 2024.
And the results – as he consulted widely in the off-campaign period – were the friendly and welcoming receptions for him and his team, and the many defections from other political parties to the PDP, as witnessed on April 17 in Uromi, where the “Okpebholo family members” defected from various political parties and “joined the rest of their members, who were already in the PDP, to jointly endorse Ighodalo and the PDP.”
The Conclave reports: “The carnival-like atmosphere witnessed not just only the members of the family, but also women, youths and other members of the community, all chanting Ighodalo’s name and affirming that he is their governorship candidate for the election.
“Ighodalo had stormed Uromi, with a number of his supporters, to witness their defection to the PDP. He was treated to a warm welcome, as cultural dance troupes added colour to the convivial atmosphere, showcasing the rich heritage of the Uromi Kingdom to their guests.
“With the approval of the head of the Okpebholo dynasty, Hon (Engr.) Felix Okpebholo, Barr. Patrick Okpebholo – a grassroots politician and mobiliser, who recently dumped the Labour Party (LP) for the PDP – introduced his cherished family members, who are leaders and stakeholders in various endeavours of life.
“The visit was significant in many respects, as it served as a pivotal moment for Ighodalo to further reaffirm and expand his bond with the Okpebholo dynasty and indeed the Amedokhian people of Uromi, where he also shared his vision and aspirations for the people of Uromi and the broader Edo State.
“Ighodalo expressed his profound gratitude to the family for the support and reception, promised not to let anyone down, assured the audience of his unwavering dedication to their cause, and upholding the values of integrity, accessibility and inclusivity in whatever he will do in the state, and emphasised the importance of unity and collective action in realising their shared dreams for a brighter future and a prosperous Edo State.”
The defection of members of the”Okpebholo family” of Uromi to the PDP – and similar others across Edo State – is a huge boost to Dr Ighodalo’s aspiration, and capable of giving Sen. Okpebholo (and the APC) sleepless nights and a wake-up call to action, if he’s to realise his ambition to be governor in November 2024!

Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria

By Ola Awoniyi

The Justice sector is one critical area of governance in Nigeria crying for reforms. It is not that there has never been some forms of reform in the sector. The point is that a lot more needed to be done. Evidence abound that in Nigeria today, both the poor and the rich are crying for justice.

It is against this backdrop that the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, convened the National Summit on Justice 2024 with the theme: “Repositioning the Justice System.” The Justice Ministry was not alone. The Summit was in collaboration with the National Judicial Council(NJC) and Nigerian Bar Association(NBA).

The two-day event which was declared opened by Vice President Kashim Shettima (who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) kicked off on Wednesday 24th April, 2024 at the auditorium of the National Judicial Institute, Abuja. The Keynote Speaker was a former Chief Justice of Kenya, Dr Willy Mutunga.

Shortly after Justice Mutunga delivered his speech virtually, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, mounted the podium. Akpabio was first a lawyer before becoming a lawmaker. So he was well grounded in the legal profession and very much at home at the forum, with his learned colleagues.

Akpabio didn’t just deliver a Goodwill address. His speech, no doubt, set the tone for the summit. His presentation left no one in doubt that even the rich too are crying for Justice in Nigeria. He urged the participants at the Summit to consider what he called a Bottom-Up approach in the anticipated reforms.

In the course of his speech, Akpabio narrated the case of a Senator, who found himself in Kuje Prison like he was dreaming. He told his audience, which included the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Olukayode Ariwoola: “I will like a kind of a Bottom-Up approach to the judicial reforms. For instance, who suffer the most when the right reforms are not made?

“Very recently in one of our courts, a Senator of the Federal Republic appeared before My Lord. My Lord was excited and said, for respecting the court, I grant you bail on self recognition but come back next week Thursday. So he appeared on Thursday. Friday Public Holiday. Monday Public Holiday.

“But suddenly around 3.30pm to 4pm, My Lord changed his mind and said ‘I hereby revoke your bail on self recognition. You now have to bring two sureties. Each of them must have properties worth N50 million in Abuja. Bring Certificate of Occupancy. In addition, get us in writing, Certified Reports from AEGIS’, knowing very well that AEGIS has closed by 3.30pm. And the two people with the Certificate of Occupancy must be civil servants, not less than the rank of Director, and meanwhile they had all gone home.

“So by the time he struggled to look for directors with Certificates of Occupancy, AEGIS had closed. And then he struggled and struggled and struggled. And then My Lord, realising that the conditions of bail may never be met by this Senator, immediately ordered for form and signed for a remand in Kuje Prison. So the Senator was taken to Kuje Prison.

“From there, a warden called me and said ‘Mr Senate President, one of yours has just arrived in our prison and no hope of his coming out because tomorrow, Friday is Public Holiday and we don’t work on Saturday and Sunday. And Monday is also public holiday and the case may not be mentioned until June’. We are talking about liberty. We are talking about delivering justice which must be transparent.

“To cut a long story short, the Attorney-General of the Federation had even cancelled the Fiat. So there was actually no case in court but the Senator was there for many days. When he eventually came out, he wanted to petition, I said no. That if I have an opportunity and we are seated like this, I will use your case also as part of what we are going to reform because it was a clear case that if we don’t reform well, that even the rich also cry.”

Akpabio, in his interventions, identified some vital but worrisome areas needing urgent reforms. These include interlocutory appeals, requirement for Attorney-General’s consent before executing judgments and misuse of Ex-parte Orders in political cases.

His words: “It is essential that we reform our approach to interlocutory appeals in civil cases. Currently, these appeals often cause unnecessary delays, prolonging litigation and burdening our courts.

“As was done in the criminal jurisprudence during the enactment of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, we propose that all appeals in civil cases should be taken only after the conclusion of the substantive case. This change will accelerate judicial processes, reduce backlog, and ensure that litigations are not unduly prolonged by intermediate appeals.

“Another area requiring urgent reform is the need for obtaining the Attorney-General’s consent before executing judgments. This requirement often acts as a bottleneck, delaying justice and undermining the autonomy of our judicial system. We propose modifying this requirement to facilitate a swifter execution of judgments, thereby enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our justice system.

“We are not ignorant of the rationale for securing the Attorney-General’s consent as stipulated in sections of Sheriff and Civil Procesess Act which is to avoid the embarrassment of not knowing that funds earmarked for specific purposes have been diverted in satisfaction of a judgement debt which the government may not know anything about.

“It is our view to enhance efficiency while maintaining necessary checks, we propose replacing the requirement for the Attorney-General’s consent with a mandatory notification system. Upon receiving a judgment against the government, the relevant authorities will notify the Attorney-General immediately in writing.

“Following the notification, the Attorney-General will have a specified period, say 30 days, to respond. The response could involve initiating an appeal or settling the matter directly. This timeline ensures prompt action and prevents undue delays in justice delivery.

“If there is no response from the Attorney-General within this period, the judgment will be executed automatically. This measure is crucial to prevent stalling and ensure that judgments are respected and enforced in a timely manner.

“In cases where the judgment comes from a final court, the option to appeal is not available. Therefore, the Attorney-General’s response would be primarily directed towards settlement. This approach ensures that the government acts responsibly as a litigant and respects the decisions of our highest court in the land. Reforms like this foster trust in the justice system and improve the overall efficiency of legal proceedings involving the government.

“Finally we must try and curb the misuse of ex-parte orders in political cases by our judges. To curb it, it is imperative that the National Judicial Council (NJC) exercises stringent oversight. We recommend prompt and decisive punishment for judges who are found to abuse their authority in this manner.”

Akpabio specifically proposed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to establish clear and detailed standards governing the issuance of ex-parte orders, accompanied by a defined set of sanctions for violations. These sanctions, he said, should be severe enough to serve as a deterrent against future abuses.

The Senate President’s recommendation was that the NJC should conduct regular audits and reviews of ex-parte orders issued by judges to ensure compliance with established standards. According to him, this proactive approach would help in identifying patterns of abuse early and in administering corrective measures promptly.

In addition to punitive measures, Akpabio also emphasized the importance of ongoing training and education for Judges on ethical and responsible use of judicial discretion in issuing ex-parte orders.

He advised that the outcome of the summit be translated into effective policies that would address, not only current inefficiencies, but also future challenges.

***Awoniyi, Media Aide to the Senate President, writes from Abuja

Khalid Ibn Abubakar

Political power play, power game as well as high political interests aggregation, are normal variables that define partisan politics. However, when these correlates are stretched beyond certain limits, there may be the likelihood of ushering in very dangerous instinctual reactions that have huge capacity for destabilizing the polity.
For all followers of the politics of Kano, Northwest Nigeria, particularly between May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007, there is a tie-back to the historical precedence of the joint electoral victory between Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as then governor-elect and Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, PhD, as deputy governor-elect, respectively.
These two gentlemen were members of the same political party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party {PDP}, but they had definitely passed through varying and divergent socialization processes. Even as it is a known fact that all deputy governors in Nigeria are hardly allowed to exercise full political authority, the duo of Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje managed to work together in harmony during their first tenure.
For Alhaji Kwankwaso to consider the inclusion of Ganduje as running mate for the second term, however, it was a tug-of-war. Elders of the party, eminent citizens and significant others, intervened, persuaded and eventually prevailed on Kwankwaso to restore Ganduje to the joint gubernatorial ticket as running mate. They expectedly won the elections. So, they worked together for eight years.
Ganduje was to succeed Kwankwaso as governor, perhaps against the wishes of his former political principal and leader who, after his tenure as governor, was rewarded with a high end political portfolio as Nigeria’s minister of defence by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Over time, Ganduje has achieved a solid political stature which tended to overshadow his former principal. The result is that Kano has been split between the two tendencies. The particular human behavioural trait at play here is none other than the human Ego. As a student of the Freudian tradition, one is quick to point out that the major behavioural set back that any political leadership , must avoid in his or her political career, is by avoiding a negative inter-play of the different roles of the three major clinical psychology properties that regulate the impulse of all human, namely, Id, Ego and Superego, respectively.
These three, when negatively influenced, can bring about the downfall of anybody who is somebody, irrespective of his or her social stratification in the larger society.
It is therefore imperative to point out within this medium that the ongoing struggle for political power, relevance and advantage between a former political principal, Alhaji Kwankwaso, and his “junior” associate, Dr. Ganduje — who by way of chronological and mental age is much more senior and better educated than his erstwhile political boss— can all be traced to politics. That is why there is a desperate plot by Kwankwaso and his group to oust Dr. Ganduje as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Part of the plot is the sinister scheme to destabilize the Tinubu administration using veiled propaganda, campaign of calumny and allied methods to tarnish APC and its leadership with the hope that such a distraction will add to the political fortunes of Kwankwaso and his NPP in Kano. The calculation is that once Ganduje is out of the way, Kwankwaso and his acolytes can have the whole of Kano to themselves.
Not surprisingly, the whole machinery of the Kano State Government has been deployed to achieve this end.
Dr. Ganduje in his eight years as governor of Kano State produced a very credible democratic scorecard, whose sectoral achievements are cogent and verifiable by any interested member of the public. Apparently not getting adequate results from all the failed plots so far executed by him and his lackeys, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso does not seem to have any iota of respect for seniority and civilized order.
Devoting and ploughing all his energies towards clandestine schemes aimed at pulling down the personality of Alhaji Ganduje who had paid his dues in society by Allah SWT’s divine blessings, is akin to trying the patience of the Almighty ALLAH SWT. The bitter jealousy of Kwankwaso and his men can be further understood when one considers the fact that Ganduje is an urbane intellectual who obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree {PhD} at the famous University of Ibadan, in 1993, following his first degree in 1975, when Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had not dreamt of enrolling in any Higher School Certificate program.
The conditioned behaviour, which had always propelled Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, who has an affinity for wanting to show political dominance over every citizen from Kano State as an infallible dictator, was what made eminent personalities like Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau and Distinguished Senator Jibrin Barau, just to mention a few, not stay in the same political camp with him.
In Kwankwaso’s world, his word is law. He cannot tolerate democratic tenets. He cannot work with intellectually endowed people. For him, getting Dr. Ganduje out of his current position as the National Chairman of the APC is his greatest headache. He is probably calculating that Ganduje’s ouster will enable him (Kwankwaso) grab a ministerial position as a pre-electoral bargaining condition and convince President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that he has the entire Kano State in his pocket and that his NNPP is waiting in the wings to play ball.
The NNPP gang is full of hypocrites. They demand integrity from others while lacking it themselves. An example: Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf has appointed Kwankwaso’s son as a member of the Kano State Executive Council. It’s payback time. They are sharing the spoils as all the other parties do. There is no difference between the way they are carrying on and the way Ganduje ran the government. If anything, Ganduje was better. Time will tell.
When Governor Yusuf eventually finds out that he is not allowed to have a mind of his own and that Kwankwaso is supposed to be all-knowing, the current cosy relationship between them will disappear. Owing to the fact that Kwankwaso would always want every eminent political citizen in Kano State to submit to his overbearing and dictatorial tendencies, all who flock around him must play the dummy to be considered loyal.
In their desperation to pull down Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, NNPP hirelings have embarked on senseless moves to procure fake “APC Executive Members”, at the ward and state levels, who are their sidekicks. They’ve tried impersonation, blackmail, open threats and all sorts of sabotage to no avail.
From the grapevine, Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s most pressing need now is how best he can penetrate the APC federal administration to get a plum ministerial appointment when the president rejigs his cabinet as expected. To achieve this, he is persuaded that he has to destroy Dr Ganduje. But, if history is anything to go by, all their schemes will fail. For, history teaches us that those who plot the destruction of others often fall on their own sword.