Most Nigerians started the year 2023 with high expectations for a new government at the centre that would break the jinx of bad governance which has been the bane of development for the country.
As a year that was greeted with some notable elections including the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, State Houses of Assembly elections and off-cycle polls in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa States, several citizens were hopeful that the change of batons in governments would usher fresh dividends of democracy for them.
2023 did not escape the thrills and tension that have over time defined Nigeria’s political landscape.
It has been a year of fight-to-finish for politicians with ambition as well as political parties seeking to wrest or retain power in Africa’s most populous country.
Here are 15 political happenings, in no particular order that impacted democracy in varying lights in 2023.
General elections and Tinubu’s victory
On February 25, Nigerians of voting age filed out across the country and participated overwhelmingly in the presidential election. Four days later, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the president-elect.
Official results showed that Tinubu, who is now 71-years-old, got 37 per cent of the vote. His main rival Atiku Abubakar, of the People’s Democratic Party, polled 29 per cent, and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi got 25 per cent. The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso and 14 other candidates battled for the nation’s top job.
Statistically, Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to beat his closest rivals, Atiku, who polled 6, 984, 520 votes to place second, and Obi who came third with 6,101,533 votes.
Despite that Tinubu had based his campaign on his record of rebuilding the biggest city, Lagos, when he was governor, the veteran politician was nevertheless defeated in the city by Obi, a relative newcomer who mobilised the support of many young people, popularly known as Obidients, especially in urban areas, shaking up the country’s two-party system. Obi also defeated Tinubu, one of Nigeria’s richest politicians in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Tinubu won most other states in his home region of the South West, where he is known as a “political godfather” – for helping to put others into office.
Tinubu, who campaigned for the presidency under the slogan: “Emi lo kan”, which means “It is my turn” in Yoruba won in his first ever presidential election to preside over Africa’s biggest economy and most populous black country.
But, PDP, LP and other aggrieved political parties had earlier dismissed the poll as a sham, and demanded a rerun before the Supreme Court thrashed their cases and upheld Tinubu’s victory.
“The apex court affirmed the position of the PEPT that the FCT does not have a status that is more special than that of the 36 states of the federation”
Analysts are united in agreement that never in the history of Nigerian politics has there been the kind of political awareness and participation that were witnessed during the 2023 general elections.
They also agreed that the country’s political firmament has never been as charged and ominous as it was between the period when Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential election and May 29, when he was actually sworn in as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Controversy on 25 per cent FCT votes
Among the many grounds of Atiku and Obi’s petitions which were presented before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, was the claim that Tinubu did not get 25 percent of the total votes cast during the presidential election in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. According to them, 25 per cent in FCT is a constitutional requirement before anybody can be declared the president of Nigeria.
The petitioners’ other grounds were that the 2023 presidential elections were characterised by massive rigging as evidenced in the alleged widespread voters’ intimidation and suppression, ballot box snatching and destruction, over-voting, results manipulations, thuggery, vote buying, INEC’s failure to abide by its own rules and procedures, physical assault on voters, presentation of forged certificates by Tinubu, among others.
Tinubu and those on his side had insisted that the constitution considers Abuja as one of the states in the country. They argued that the word, ‘and’ as used in the constitution, ‘36 states of the federation and the FCT,’ does not really mean that the FCT is different from the 36 states of the federation. To them, the FCT is just the same as any other state of the federation.
They, therefore, posited that Tinubu, having scored 25 percent of the votes cast in about 30 states, is eminently qualified to be declared president since the constitution said a candidate must secure 25 percent in two-third of the 36 states and the FCT, which is 24 states.
After eight months of legal battle for the presidency of Nigeria (March to October), the Supreme Court, in its lead judgment, prepared and read by Justice Inyang Okoro, held that there was no merit in Atiku/PDP and Obi/LP’s petitions to nullify the outcome of Tinubu’s election.
The apex court affirmed the position of the PEPT that the FCT does not have a status that is more special than that of the 36 states of the federation.
PDP G5 members’ regrets after ruining Atiku’s sixth run for president
The ‘Integrity Group’ led by former governor Nyesom Wike included Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State); Samuel Ortom (Benue State); and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State) succeeded in bringing Atiku down politically.
But, it did not also end well for some of the five aggrieved former governors of the PDP known as the G5 as three of them failed in their quests to cross over to the Senate after their two-term tenure of eight years each.
The five former governors (only Makinde is incumbent) formed an alliance after the party’s presidential primary in May 2022, to demand that the former PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu step down for a southern replacement as a precondition to support the presidential ambition of the party’s flag bearer, Atiku in the February 25 poll. Both Atiku and Ayu called the governors’ bluff and did not succumb to their demands.
For the presidential election, Atiku lost in all the G5 states while LP’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi won Enugu and Abia, Bola Tinubu of the APC won in Oyo, Benue and Rivers.
Of the G5, Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi and Wike were two-term governors while Makinde was a single-term governor who contested the March 11, 2023 governorship poll and was returned to office for another four years.
Sadly, Ortom, Ikpeazu, and Ugwuanyi attempted to cross over to the Senate which has been described as a ‘retirement home’ for former governors but the trio lost their senatorial bids in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Wike was very lucky as he was robustly compensated with a ministerial position by President Tinubu whom he worked for in Rivers State during the polls.
Ike Ekeweremadu loses seat, imprisoned abroad alongside wife for organ trafficking
A former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was on May 5, sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison for organ trafficking.
The sentencing was done at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, United Kingdom.
Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months in jail.
The jury convicted the senator, Beatrice, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor who acted as the middleman.
Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, dies after long health battle
The Governor of Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, died on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 after a prolonged health battle.
Akeredolu, 67, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, ex-president of the Nigerian Bar Association, and ex-Attorney General of Ondo State, was a second-term governor before his death.
According to a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, the governor died in Germany after battling prostate cancer.
The statement read, “With a heavy heart, the Ondo State Government announces the passing of our beloved Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON.
“Mr. Governor peacefully departed from this world in the early hours of today, Wednesday, December 27, 2023. This tragedy has left behind a profound void in our hearts.
“Governor Akeredolu answered the eternal call while receiving medical treatment in Germany. He succumbed to complications arising from protracted prostate cancer.
“The family and the Ondo State Government appreciate Mr. President for his support for Governor Akeredolu during his illness. The family and the state government will release further details regarding the funeral arrangements.
“Governor Akeredolu was an extraordinary leader whose unwavering dedication to the state and its people was both commendable and unparalleled. He not only served as the Governor of Ondo State but also emerged as a prominent advocate for the entire South West region and the nation. Governor Akeredolu was a courageous leader and an exemplar of integrity. The weight of this loss is truly unbearable.
“However, we find solace in the knowledge that Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu lived a purposeful life, devoted to the service of God Almighty,” the statement added.
Akeredolu’s death brought the number of Nigerian governors who have died in office to four. Others are the former Sokoto State Governor, Sheu Kangiwa, Kaduna State Governor, Patrick Yakowa, and ex-Governor Mamman Ali of Yobe State.
Consequently, the Acting Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has been sworn in as the governor of the Sunshine State.
The swearing-in was held at the Cocoa Conference Hall in the governor’s office in Akure, the state capital and was administered by the chief judge, Justice Olusegun Odusola at 5:18 pm.
The body of the late Akeredolu, on Friday, arrived in Nigeria, days after he passed on in Germany.
His body was received by his wife, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, his children, and siblings, led by Wole Akeredolu, the immediate younger brother of the deceased.
APC crisis, Adamu’s resignation, alleged misuse of N30bn
Like other major political parties, the governing APC had its own share of internal squabbles in the outgoing year. After the party survived the crisis that greeted its presidential primary election, it fell into a fresh one in May after a member of the national working committee of the party, Salihu Lukman, asked the immediate past national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to render account on the usage of over N30 billion.
Lukman in an open letter to Adamu titled: “Restoring Constitutional Order in APC – Not Negotiable”, claimed that the monies were proceeds from the sale of nomination forms to aspirants that vied for various elective seats in the 2023 general elections.
Lukman, who was the National Vice Chairman North West, remarked that it was embarrassing that after one year in office, Adamu was yet to have a regular national executive council, National Caucus or National Advisory Council meetings.
He alleged that the functions of the aforementioned organs and the decisions expected from them based on the constitution of the party had been usurped by Adamu, in consultation with the former National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore.
Two months after this confrontation, Adamu and other NEC members resigned.
PDP’s unending infighting, Ayu’s eventual exit
The infighting in the main opposition PDP has refused to abate since it discarded the zoning principle ahead of the last presidential poll. Wike and other G5 champions had vehemently agitated for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu before his eventual sack as the national chairman of the party.
After the party failed at the last general elections, Ayu was suspended by his local Igyorov Council Ward in Benue State, while a court in Makurdi also barred him from parading himself as the national chairman.
In March, the party appointed its Deputy National Chairman, Umar Damagum (North), as its acting national chairman in compliance with the order of a Benue High Court that sacked Ayu.
Crisis-ridden LP parades three chairmen
With a former Deputy Chairman of the Labour Party, Callistus Okafor, asking the Supreme Court to pronounce him the substantive chairman of the party, the crisis in LP assumed a dramatic dimension in May.
Already, both Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa have been parading themselves as chairmen of the party amid different court orders removing them.
Wike, political godson on war path for Rivers’ soul
Some elders in Rivers State have approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to declare the purported peace agreement with the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike unconstitutional.
They stated that the said agreement, which was signed on December 18, was not only illegal but amounted to usurpation, nullification, and undermining of the extant/binding relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The plaintiffs, led by a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly representing Bonny State Constituency, Hon. Victor Okon Jumbo, are Senator Bennett Birabi, Senator Andrew Uchendu, Rear Admiral O.P. Fingesi, Ann Kio Briggs, and Emmanuel Deinma also asked the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a fresh poll to replace 27 lawmakers who defected from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Listed as defendants in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1718/2023 are President Bola Tinubu; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Rivers Assembly, Speaker of the Rivers State Assembly, and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
They contended that neither President Tinubu nor Governor Fubara have the statutory powers to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from conducting fresh elections to replace the 27 Rivers State lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC.
Between November and December, panic and tension gripped Rivers State as the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike battled his political godson and governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara over the control of the state.
Emefiele, Bawa’s sack, incarceration
After assuming office as President, Tinubu suspended the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and Abdulrasheed Bawa, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. They were immediately arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services.
Penultimate Friday, Emefiele regained his freedom from the Kuje Correctional Centre upon fulfilling his bail requirements. Emefiele’s release, confirmed on Friday, December 22, 2023, comes following the fulfillment of his bail conditions.
The spokesperson for the Kuje Correctional Centre, FCT, Adamu Duza, verified the development stating, “I can confirm to you that he (Emefiele) has met his bail conditions, hence he has no reason to remain in our facility. He met his bail condition and was released past 2 pm yesterday (Friday).”
The Federal Capital Territory High Court Abuja had granted Emefiele bail of N300 million over alleged procurement fraud. Justice Hamza Muazu granted the bail, stipulating two sureties in like sum and requiring the sureties to possess certificates of occupancy and titles of properties within the Maitama District of Abuja.
Additionally, Emefiele was directed to deposit all his travel documents with the registrar of the court and remain within the Abuja Municipal Area Council.
Despite granting bail, Justice Muazu ordered Emefiele to stay in Kuje Correctional Centre until he fulfilled the bail conditions, which included meeting the required sureties and providing the necessary documents.
Bawa, the embattled former anti-graft boss was released from DSS custody in October after spending four months.
Osun CJ’s controversial removal and intervention by NJC
The Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Oyebola Adepele-Ojo came in the eye of the storm in November after Governor Ademola Adeleke and the State House of Assembly made frantic efforts to edge her out.
Despite an order of the National Industrial Court barring Adeleke, the governor called the bluff of the court and approved the removal of Adepele-Ojo by the state lawmakers.
But for the swift intervention of the National Judicial Council that reinstated Adepele-Ojo as Osun CJ, the female judge, accused of misconduct, abuse of power, corruption and disregard for rule of law, would have been edged out.
Obaseki in messy rift with deputy
Throughout August, the political landscape in Edo State was tense as Governor Godwin Obaseki of the state and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, held each other at the jugular.
“Governor Akeredolu answered the eternal call while receiving medical treatment in Germany. He succumbed to complications arising from protracted prostate cancer”
The feud got messier with the governor sacking the entire deputy governor’s media aides and even throwing Shaibu out of the Edo State Government House.
Meanwhile, Shaibu, who is nursing interest in succeeding Obaseki later bowed as he apologised to his principal.
The Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, said penultimate Thursday that N354m was appropriated to the Office of the Deputy Governor as Shaibu is not expected to carry out too many functions in 2024.
In the budget which was signed into law by Governor Godwin Obaseki on December 15, the Governor’s Office got an allocation of N19bn, the Secretary to the State Government got N8bn; the House of Assembly got N13bn while the Head of Service got N968 million.
Speaking to journalists on the development in his office, Agbebaku also dispelled rumours that the issue has caused acrimony among members.
Shaibu said three weeks ago that his office has not been paid a six-month allowance owing to the tension between him and his principal, Godwin Obaseki.
He said that he had been running the office and doing other activities through goodwill and contributions from friends.
Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa get new governors and NLC President’s brutality
There were off-season governorship elections in November, this year in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa States. While Ahmed Ododo of Kogi and Hope Uzodimma of Imo, both of ruling APC won in their respective states, Douye Diri of Bayelsa secured re-election under the platform of the governing PDP.
Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero was brutalized in Imo State in November. Ajaero said police operatives handed him over to some suspected thugs for beating when he visited the state to lead a protest organised by Imo workers against Governor Uzodimma.
Few days later, the NLC and Trade Union Congress embarked on a nationwide solidarity strike over the assault on Ajaero.
NASS members acquire N160bn SUVs
Despite excruciating poverty in the country, members of the National Assembly acquired Sports Utility Vehicles amounting to N160 billion in November.
The federal lawmakers incurred the wrath of Nigerians after reportedly sharing money to enjoy the August holiday.
Public outcry over fraudulent Nigerian Air project
Nigerians were shocked in June following revelation that the celebrated national carrier unveiled at the tail end of the former administration was hired.
They lambasted the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over what they termed last-minute desperation capable of ridiculing the nation.
They noted that the hurried unveiling of the Nigeria Air project at the tail end of the former administration was suspicious.
The House of Representatives has invited immediate-past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika for questioning over the controversial national air carrier, Air Nigeria.
