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Alleged Third Term Agenda: PDP Warns APC, Presidency
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency against purported plans to push a third term agenda for President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, it described the alleged plot as a dangerous underhand politics capable of derailing Nigeria’s democracy.
It also described the statements from the presidency and the APC as unhealthy ploy to introduce a repugnant issue into official discourse in a bid to give it a life and achieve its fruition in the nation’s politics.
“It is preposterous for the Presidency cabal and the APC to think that Nigerians cannot see through their shenanigan to import and elevate what they labeled as rumour and internet-based gossip, into official national discourse.
“Our party notes that Nigerians will not be surprised when, after the statements by the Presidency and APC, new groups surfaced to orchestrate more forceful agitations in the public space for the alteration of the 1999 Constitution to achieve an ignoble aim,” the statement added.
The party urged President Muhammadu Buhari to speak out and immediately call his supporters to order as Nigerians would not allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to alter any part of the constitution to serve a selfish interest.
Besides, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has sought the arrest and prosecution of campaigners and sponsors of third term for President Buhari because what they were advocating was treasonable and amounts to constitutional coup plotting.
HURIWA said any campaign sponsored by forces within the current government for the constitutional term limits for political office of president of Nigeria to be extended constituted an offence against the Nigerian people and capable of truncating constitutional democracy.
The group insisted that such moves should not be swept under the carpet or explained away through presidential media propaganda.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group cited Chapter 6, Part 1, section 137(1)(b) of the Constitution, which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of president if he has been elected to the office at any two previous elections.
Meanwhile, the South East Zone wing of the Zikist-Buharist Movement (ZBM) has applauded President Buhari for rejecting the third term gambit being proposed by anti-democrats and unpatriotic elements.
The presidency had on Tuesday through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Garba Shehu, distanced the President from the alleged third term agenda.
Shehu said the Presidency had always maintained that President Buhari was a convert democrat and like most converts was fanatical and could not support any move that would altering the 1999 Constitution to stretch his tenure beyond a two-term limit.
Reacting in a statement by the Chairman, Stanley Ohajuruka and Secretary, Godwin Onwusi, commended President Buhari for rejecting third term gambit, saying it was being proposed by the infamous banana peel anti-democrats and unpatriotic elements, whose sole objective was to truncate the nation’s democracy and tarnish the President’s image.
The Guardian
United States Representative Riley Moors has said further military strikes against Islamic State-linked militants in Nigeria could follow recent operations ordered by President Donald Trump, describing the actions as aimed at improving security and protecting Christian communities facing violence.
Moore made the remarks during a televised interview in which he addressed U.S. military strikes carried out on Christmas Day against militant targets in North-west Nigeria.
The strikes were conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government, according to U.S. and Nigerian officials.
“President Trump is not trying to bring war to Nigeria, he’s bringing peace and security to Nigeria and to the thousands of Christians who face horrific violence and death,” Moore said.
He said the Christmas Day strikes against Islamic State affiliates had provided hope to Christians in Nigeria, particularly in areas affected by repeated attacks during past festive periods.
According to U.S. authorities, the strikes targeted camps used by Islamic State-linked groups operating in parts of north-west Nigeria.
Nigerian officials confirmed that the operation was carried out with intelligence support from Nigerian security agencies as part of ongoing counter-terrorism cooperation between both countries.
The United States Africa Command said the operation was intended to degrade the operational capacity of extremist groups responsible for attacks on civilians and security forces.
Nigerian authorities have described the targeted groups as a threat to national security, noting their involvement in killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.
Moore said the strikes marked a shift from previous years in which attacks were carried out against civilians during the Christmas period. He said the U.S. administration was focused on preventing further violence by targeting militant groups before they could launch attacks.
U.S. officials have said the military action was carried out with the consent of the Nigerian government and formed part of broader security cooperation between the two countries. Nigeria has received intelligence, training and logistical support from international partners as it seeks to contain militant activity.
Moore had previously called for stronger international attention to attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria and has urged continued U.S. engagement in addressing extremist violence. He said further action would depend on developments on the ground and continued coordination with Nigerian authorities.
Nigerian officials have maintained that counter-terrorism operations are directed at armed groups threatening civilians, regardless of religion, and have reiterated their commitment to restoring security across affected regions.
World-renowned boxer Anthony Joshua on Monday survived a ghastly road accident in Makun, Ogun State.
Eyewitnesses report that the incident occurred along a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
The vehicle carrying Joshua, a Lexus Jeep with the number plate, KRD 850 HN, reportedly collided with a stationary truck under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Joshua reportedly sustained minor injuries, while two persons were said to have died on the spot.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has cautioned that any attempt to hurriedly re‑gazette Nigeria’s new tax laws could undermine parliamentary oversight and set a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Atiku’s warning follows public scrutiny over reports that the Tax Reform Acts signed by President Bola Tinubu differ from the versions passed by the National Assembly. Lawmakers, including Abdussamad Dasuki, raised concerns that the alterations could pose serious legal and constitutional risks, noting that they were not backed by any constitutional framework.
In a statement on X, Atiku said the directive to re-gazette the Acts effectively confirms “that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly,” calling it “a grave constitutional issue.”
He emphasized that under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, a bill only becomes law after passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and gazetting.
“Gazetting is merely an administrative act of publication. It does not create, amend, or validate a law,” Atiku said, adding that any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification without legislative approval constitutes forgery rather than a clerical error.
Atiku further warned that rushing a re-gazetting while legislative investigations are ongoing “undermines parliamentary oversight and sets a dangerous precedent,” stressing that the only lawful approach is “fresh legislative consideration, re-passage by both chambers, fresh presidential assent, and proper gazetting.”
The former vice president clarified that his position is not opposition to tax reform but a defence of constitutional order.
“This is a defence of the integrity of the legislative process and a rejection of any attempt to normalise constitutional breaches through procedural shortcuts,” he said.
The Federal government has denied wrongdoing, insisting the laws will take effect as scheduled on January 1, 2026, while the National Assembly has directed the issuance of Certified True Copies of the Acts to ensure clarity and accuracy.
