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Stick to Constitutional Role of Defence, Don’t Dabble into Politics, LP Tells Military
The Chief Spokesman for the Labour Party Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, has said that the party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had not done anything contrary to the Constitution by going to court to reclaim their mandate, adding that the military should stick to their constitutional role of defence, and not dabble into politics and political pronouncements.
Tanko made the remarks while responding to The Punch on the issue of interim government after the military, speaking through the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Musa Danmadami, in Abuja during the biweekly update with journalists on Armed Forces of Nigeria operations, condemned the clamour for an interim government by those unhappy with the outcome of the presidential election, stating that the ING was illegal and unconstitutional.
“The military is not the court of law. They are making their assertion on what they think they know. The military is a respected institution. So, I know that they will respect the position of the law when pronouncements are being made.
“We at LP are law-abiding citizens who have taken their case to court for redress. What we are doing is taking back our mandate that was illegally given to somebody in a legal process.
“All that we have done is to follow the due process of what has been done in our Constitution in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For instance, when the Nigerian people and we decided to go on a peaceful protest, it is our own right. Therefore, we have not done anything contrary to the Constitution of Nigeria,” he stated.
Also speaking, Obi’s media aide, Tai Obasi, urged the military to stick to its defence role instead of striving to interpret the Constitution for Nigerians.
While warning that the LP would not succumb to subtle intimidation and bullying, Obasi disclosed that the party and Obi would not relent until they reclaimed their ‘stolen mandate.’
He stated, “Everybody seems to be politically inclined now. It is a system to do whatever is necessary to assist whoever they want to assist in swearing-in as president for the next four years. It is not in the position of the military to define our constitution or whatever it says.
“Their (Military) duty is defence. They are meant to intervene whenever they are called upon. It is not for them to start telling us what they think is in the Constitution. The Constitution shall be defended by the court when there is a logjam. Not by any other person or institution.
‘’The LP has dutifully and obediently gone to court. It is left for INEC, Senator Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima to respond and the court processes to start.’’
Warning the military against dabbling in politics, Obasi added, “The military should therefore not jump the gun. It will be very unfortunate and unfair for the DHQ to start releasing intimidating statements. If the target is to intimidate and bully people whose only lawful route to recover their stolen mandate, it won’t work.’’
The Federal government has announced plans for a modest commemoration of Nigeria’s 27th Democracy Day anniversary, with President Bola Tinubu expected to lead activities by addressing a joint session of the National Assembly and delivering a nationwide presidential broadcast on June 12.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of an Inter-Ministerial Committee charged with coordinating preparations for the annual celebration.
A statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, Yomi Odunuga, further disclosed that Akume, who inaugurated the committee at the Shehu Shagari Complex, said that with barely 10 days remaining before the anniversary, members must immediately commence implementation of activities outlined for the event.
According to him, a week-long programme has been scheduled for the celebration, culminating in a Democracy Day Gala Night on June 12.
The activities include a World Press Conference on June 4, Special Juma’at Prayers on June 5, a Special Inter-denominational Church Service on June 7, a Democracy Day Public Lecture on June 9, as well as Youth and Women-Oriented Programmes on June 10.
The SGF stated that the administration remained conscious of prevailing economic realities and its commitment to prudent management of public resources, noting that this year’s events would be deliberately scaled down.
He said the decision reflected the government’s awareness of the current national mood and determination to ensure fiscal responsibility in the execution of public programmes.
Akume also paid tribute to heroes of the June 12 democratic struggle, particularly the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, describing his sacrifice as a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic journey and a foundation upon which the country’s democratic institutions have evolved.
He said the annual observance of Democracy Day serves as an opportunity to honour the memory of those who fought for democratic governance while celebrating Nigeria’s progress in sustaining civilian rule and strengthening democratic institutions.
According to Akume, the occasion will also provide the Tinubu administration an avenue to showcase progress made in consolidating democracy, repositioning key institutions, and implementing reforms aimed at addressing national challenges despite prevailing socio-economic difficulties.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee inaugurated for the anniversary is chaired by the SGF and comprises senior government officials drawn from the executive, security, and administrative sectors.
Members include ministers responsible for Information, Interior, Federal Capital Territory, Health, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Defence, and Budget and Economic Planning, alongside the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, presidential aides, and permanent secretaries.
The committee has been mandated to coordinate and execute all approved Democracy Day activities, engage relevant organisations and stakeholders where necessary, preserve records of the events for historical purposes, and undertake any additional assignments required for the successful delivery of the programme.
Akume further directed subcommittee secretaries to promptly submit budget proposals to facilitate the seamless implementation of the planned activities.
Democracy Day, celebrated annually on June 12, was instituted in honour of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest polls and won by the late MKO Abiola.
Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has accused Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State of orchestrating the recent school kidnapping to blackmail President Bola Tinubu.
Fayose while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said: “Let me branch to Oyo State, before you get to the president in the hierarchy of leadership and governance, there is local government, there is state, state has security votes and there are people that are supposed to be working.
“In Oyo State, I strongly believe though I might be wrong but this sometimes might be orchestrated. The governor of Oyo State had his nomination and that of his candidates in the face of this abduction.
“He did not take any action, no steps were taken, it was after those nominations that he went to the families to visit them
“I sometimes believe that the abduction at Oyo School was orchestrated by the Oyo State Government to blackmail President Tinubu.”
Some school children and teachers were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in some local governments in Oyo State over two weeks ago.
Tinubu, last weekend, despatched a high powered delegation to the affected areas who promised to ensure the safe return of the abducted school children. The delegation was led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.
Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general election, has dismissed claims of economic progress under President Bola Tinubu, insisting that the administration’s celebrated macroeconomic gains have failed to translate into improved living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.
Speaking during a television interview to mark the third anniversary of the Tinubu administration, he argued that the government’s economic performance should be judged by the realities facing citizens rather than official statistics.
According to him, only those in government could claim to be better off today, while the majority of Nigerians continue to struggle with rising living costs, declining purchasing power, unemployment and worsening poverty.
“No one’s life is better off except those who are in government,” Adebayo said. “When all economic policies crystallise, they are reflected in what people pay for food, rent, transportation, healthcare and education. In all of these objective indicators, no one’s life is better off than before.”
He faulted attempts by government officials to present positive economic indicators as evidence of success, arguing that an economy that is genuinely improving would not require extensive official explanations to convince citizens.
“The economy belongs to all of us. If it is working, everybody will know it is working. Farmers, industrialists, traders, workers and consumers will feel it,” he said.
He also wondered why the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has governed Nigeria since 2015, continues to attribute current economic challenges to inherited problems.
He maintained that the economic conditions inherited by Tinubu in 2023 were themselves products of eight years of APC governance, making it difficult for the party to shift responsibility elsewhere.
“The same political party and largely the same political actors produced the situation they now describe as terrible. Nigerians voted for them twice and those conditions emerged under their watch,” he said.
The Ondo prince further accused the administration of creating what he described as an “illusion of progress” through currency devaluation and heavy borrowing.
According to him, increases in government revenue and foreign reserves, often cited by officials, do not reflect genuine economic growth but are largely the consequences of naira depreciation and debt accumulation.
“What they suffer from is what economists call the illusion of money. The devaluation of the naira creates the appearance that more money is coming in, but the reality is that the money has lost purchasing power,” he stated.
He argued that the government’s macroeconomic indicators are “faulty and incorrect” because they do not correspond with the realities experienced by households and businesses.
He noted that the widening gap between official economic statistics and citizens’ living standards demonstrates that the government’s policies are not producing meaningful results.
He cited rising unemployment, increasing poverty levels and declining purchasing power despite official reports of GDP growth and moderating inflation.
“The average Nigerian wants to know whether he can buy food tomorrow. That is the true test of economic policy,” he said.
He also blamed the administration’s foreign exchange policies for worsening the financial position of state governments and businesses, arguing that projects awarded before the naira devaluation had become significantly more expensive to execute.
He noted that most state governors belong to the APC and are implementing policies aligned with those of the Federal Government, making it difficult to separate state-level outcomes from federal economic decisions.
He further criticised the government’s borrowing strategy, claiming that much of the growth recorded in Nigeria’s foreign reserves is linked to loans rather than productive economic expansion.
“They have engaged in heavy borrowing since coming into office, and a significant portion of the reserves being celebrated is already spoken for,” he said.
He also questioned the credibility of official inflation figures, arguing that they failed to capture the realities of fuel prices, transportation costs and the broader cost-of-living pressures confronting Nigerians.
He maintained that until economic policies result in tangible improvements in the daily lives of citizens, claims of success by the administration would remain disconnected from reality.
“The president and the country are better served by an honest assessment of the economy than by defensive arguments that do not reflect what Nigerians are experiencing,” he submitted.
