The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu, to caution politicians against divisive conduct as campaigns for the 2027 general elections intensify.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the appeal on Tuesday when he led officials of the commission on a courtesy visit to the monarch at Iga Idunganran on Lagos Island.

The visit was part of activities marking the conclusion of INEC’s South-West Zonal Readiness Assessment and Staff Interactive Session.

Amupitan urged the Oba to deploy his influence as a traditional ruler and father to politicians across party lines to encourage issue-based campaigns and discourage personal attacks, hate speech and inflammatory rhetoric.

He said: “We urge you, as a father to all politicians regardless of their party affiliations, to counsel them to focus on issues rather than insults. Let them debate policies, not personalities”.

The INEC chairman described traditional institutions as important pillars of peace and social cohesion, stressing that their influence was critical to ensuring a peaceful electoral process.

According to him, while INEC is deploying technology to strengthen the electoral process, technological innovations alone cannot guarantee peaceful and credible elections without the cooperation of citizens and traditional institutions.

He appealed to the Oba of Lagos and the Lagos Traditional Council to support the commission in mobilising residents to participate actively in the electoral process.

Amupitan said the National Register of Voters was fast approaching 100 million, adding that managing the electoral process across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory required not only technical preparedness but also the cooperation and moral support of traditional institutions.

According to him, traditional rulers remained enduring anchors of their communities, whose influence extended beyond political parties and electoral cycles.

The INEC chairman sought the monarch’s support in encouraging eligible residents to complete their voter registration and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

Wing means different things to different entities. To a bird, it means the ability to fly; to an angel, it means a medium of delivering goodwill messages; to a bat, it’s seen as a form of movement from one spot to another, and many more. The million dollar question, therefore, is what’s the purpose of a wing to you as an individual? To fly, to jump, or have fun with?

We all have wings, no doubt, but most people are not in the habit of using their wings well. Some even use their wings for the wrong reasons. But your wings can serve as an asset to your personal and professional development if properly activated.

To drive home how wings can serve as a tool for enhancement, I will explain using a bird. As we all know, a bird’s wing is for flying. The eagle is considered the king of the sky or king of the air because its ability to fly far above the earth and reach great altitudes represents untethered freedom, liberation from bondage, and a perspective that rises above worldly troubles.

The reason the eagle can fly is simply because of its wings. The wing does not depend on the eyes to fly; no, the eye serves a unique purpose that enables the eagle to see what other birds can’t see. The eagle’s eye gives it clarity, hyper-focus, heightened awareness, and the ability to see the bigger picture beyond immediate distractions.

The birds are not an exception. Do you know that if a bird lands on a branch, the branch does not break; even if it breaks, the bird is not scared of falling because it trusts its ability to fly because of its wings. Let me ask you a question: when a bird lands on a branch of a tree, does it trust the branch not to break, or does it trust its ability to fly? One may say both to an extent; however,  I will say the bird will trust its wings more because the bird ought to have common sense to know what can protect and sustain it, and that is its wings.

The main reason the bird won’t be scared is simply because of its wings. The bird knows that even if the branch breaks or falls apart, it won’t fall; rather, it will fly away to safety. This is how simple life works: most times, we depend on people, money, and other things to succeed, but the main person we ought to depend on is God, as well as believe in ourselves. And to believe in ourselves, we must have self-confidence.

One of the greatest limiting factors preventing us from succeeding in life is lack of confidence. Many people don’t believe in themselves; even those who believe in themselves sometimes have doubts. In some cases, they lack the confidence to take the bold step. If you have confidence like a bird, you won’t be scared if anyone leaves you. Even if you are fired from your job or experience challenges in life, you will know it’s for a short period of time and that you can bounce back.

Still on the story of the bird, the birds trust their wings to fly and not the branch. The birds know that anything can happen to the branch. For instance, a hunter may try to shoot the tree, and the force can affect the branch; a big animal with weight may try to attack the bird, and the weight may break the branch. It could be any reason.

So, in real life, we’ll be tested; life is going to test the branches we are relying on or standing on. These branches can be our friends, family members, our health, religion, business, money, relationship, academics, jobs, etc. All these branches will shake; some will disappear without warning. Question: What will you do when your “branch” falls apart?  Do you cry over spilt milk, or will you activate your wings of perseverance? Let me tell you, your wings belong to you. Your wings are your power. They cannot be taken away from you no matter what, unless you give them up.

As mentioned earlier, your wings can be your confidence, perseverance, character, knowledge, skill, or even gift/talent. All these virtues don’t come from what you are standing on. They should come from inside of you. So, don’t give up that inherent power in you. Remember, if the whole world is telling you you can do something, and you know you can’t do it, you will fail, but if the whole world is telling you you can’t do something, and you know you can do it, you will succeed because 1 John 4:4 says, he that is in you is greater and strong than he that is in the world.

In my journey through life, I discovered that many people trust their branch for approval, comfort, and sustenance; they forget that they are born to fly.

It’s instructive to note that life doesn’t offer us a straight road. Life is not tested when everything is stable around us; rather, it is tested when there’s chaos and when everything around us begins to shake. And, as such, it does not punish you when your branch breaks; rather, it reminds you who you are, and it instructs you to remember what’s always yours from the start. All you need is the key to activate your wings so you can fly. Don’t allow failure to define you. Do you see why it’s important to trust your wings?

I need you to understand that if you learn to trust yourself by trusting your wings, you won’t be afraid of failing.  Trust me, your wings are not safe because the world is safe. The world is not safe and will never be safe, so trust your wings because you can overcome any storm or challenges that come to you when everything falls apart

As I begin to wrap up, I need you to look into yourself and ask yourself, what’s the wing inside of me? What’s the wing I’m yet to activate? If you find it, please activate it and trust it. Remember, you’ll experience challenges and setbacks, but that’s part of the process of trusting your wings. So, my final message to you today is: Stop trying to fix the branch when it’s time to fly. Fly, because it’s your heritage.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer, and author of Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, Unleash Your Destiny, and The Six Pillars of Success. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com