News
Soludo: Is second term so sweet to be bought at the price of cowardice?
By Sunny Igboanugo
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our Nation’s Independence on July 4, 2026, we look to Patrick Henry, a son of the frontier, the first and sixth Governor of Virginia, an unflinching advocate for American Independence, and a true man of his moment.
“Today, we invoke his courage, we honor his legacy, and we fearlessly summon the spirit of 1776 to build a future that we will be proud to impart on our children. Like Patrick Henry and the giants of American liberty who came before us, now is our time to ring that great bell of American freedom and to propel our Nation into a new and radiant golden age.
“NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 23, 2025, as a day in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s speech to the Second Virginia Convention.
“In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of March the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-ninth.”
These were the words with which Donald Trump commemorated the 250th anniversary of Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death, that epochal declaration on which America stood to unsheathe its sword from the scabbard to fight for independence.
Yes! On March 23, 1775, at the Second Virginia Convention, Patrick Henry, a lawyer and preacher, rose to his feet to address the over 100 delegates including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and many other statesmen, who had gathered to decide the American fate in the hands of the British authorities.
So fiery were his words that these 100 men and many more, who had been wringing their fingers over their parlous fate decided to take that decisive option, which has now transformed their country to the most powerful on earth today – fight!
Fresh in their hearts was the memory of the bloody Boston Massacre and the British Parliament’s authoritarian imposition of the Intolerable Acts – which closed the Boston Harbor and stripped New England Colonists of their right to self-govern, and amid the escalating tensions between the Patriots and the Redcoats, these great men, still torn between continuing the pursuit of peace, or as a final recourse, to take up arms in the rebellion.
Then came Patrick Henry! Bystanders, who watched the scenario, said there was “an unearthly fire burning in his eye.” So moving, powerful and captivating were his words that one of the listeners standing by the window made a wish that he be buried at the exact spot he stood to listen, which was granted at his death.
Here are those words which made America what it is today: “Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” , had no further reason to tarry. With that push, those great men went on to sign the Declaration of Independence. And America was born!
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Governor of Anambra State was on hand with a similar outing. At the 2025 edition of The Platform – a national development initiative, and a yearly event put together by Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor and Founder of The Covenant Nation (TCN), a church founded in 1994 with headquarters in Lagos, Soludo, displayed rare quality of oratory and superlative knowledge.
Listening to him, evoked the same emotions that must have made that bystander declare that he be buried at the spot he stood to hear Patrick Henry. I couldn’t be prouder that I breathe the same air with him as onye Anambra and more particularly, onye OAU. How couldn’t I? How many Nigerians could deliver half of the enchanting treatise, I had just listened to?
But of course, it is in the blood! O di na-obala. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chuba Okadigbo, Peter Obi, Soludo et al! Remember Obi’s stellar performance at the same The Platform in 2016, where he not only mesmerised the same audience, but practically sold himself to Nigerians and garnered the momentum, which has continued to bourgeon till date.
Yes, this tiny South East state not only posts the unique DNA of producing gifted speakers who could with words make men dare lions with bare hands, but men of courage who dared the same lions with their own hands as well.
Was it Zik, the Owelle of Onitsha, the undisputed father of Nigeria, who combined the power of oratory and rare courage to rally other compatriots to action against colonial masters for Nigeria to gain independence?
Was it Ojukwu, who displayed a yet to be matched courage and oratory to stop the monster eating up his people when he drew a line in the sand to provide safety for them as they fled the scenes of mindless butchery across the country and thereafter sustained a 30-month civil war, with a history that has remained a major puzzle in global military circles till date.
Had Okadigbo traded courage for compromise, if not cowardice, he would probably have served out his tenure as Senate President, and probably been alive today. But he chose the former, chose to fight. Yes, he not only lost his position but also his life. But great men like him, his place is firmly etched permanently on the positive side of history.
Today, could anyone speak of politics in Nigeria without Obi? But it comes with its own scars, earned in sustained political wars. Denied victory at the polls he fought his way to power. Impeached from office he returned. While Soludo was at The Platform and the entire gamut of Nigeria’s political leadership were jesting at the National Assembly and mocking Nigerians, Obi was showing the stuff he is made of, by addressing Nigerians on the real issues.
Now, picture if Soludo had chosen the part of rousing Nigerians to action with that breathtaking delivery decked in those powerful words which held his audience spellbound! But no! What followed was the direct opposite. He rather used the platform to offer lame and obtuse excuses spelt every bit disgrace than valour.
In my head since has been ringing this persistent bell: Where is Soludo’s own Anambra DNA of courage? Where, my compatriots? He couldn’t be that bereft of that basic essential that marks out the Anambra man. I ask because that is the only credible reason for this nauseating display of fawning and clowning around President Bola Tinubu, which has become his trademark in recent months. Nothing else!
How could Soludo, look Nigerians in the face and declare to them that Tinubu is not responsible for the current suffering in the land today? But that was the rotten egg the selfsame Soludo threw in the face of his audience after posting that classic delivery on Thursday.
Pray! If Tinubu is not responsible for why more than 30 million Nigerians have suddenly found their way into multi-dimensional poverty and why the country is the global poverty capital, who is?
It wasn’t enough that Charlie nwa-Mgbafo virtually poured vinegar to the festering wound of his people by rolling out the drums to celebrate the same man, who has wantonly cheated them daily, treated them like trash and reduced them to fourth-class citizens, but he had to climb the podium and with the klieg light and camera beamed on you, regale the world with such unearthly fallacy!
All because of second term? Haba! On that podium 250 years ago, Patrick Henry had challenged his compatriots, when he asked that famous question: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Today, I ask, is second term so dear to you, Charlie nwa-Mgbafo as to be earned by cowardice?
My name is Sunny Igboanugo, I’m The Tiny Voice!
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), in the 2027 presidential election, is peeved at the decision of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the de-registration of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the move is a heavy blow and dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy.
Justice Peter Lifu, who made the order, based on an action brought by National Forum of Former Legislators, agreed that the parties, including Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), failed to meet the requirement for continued existence in Nigeria.
But Obi, who left the ADC coalition to join the NDC, incidentally, based on what he explained resulted from the multiple court cases hanging on its neck, expressed his disenchantment, in a statement by the Peter Obi Media Reach (POMR), on Monday.
Signed by Ibrahim Umar, its spokesman, the group quoted the former Governor of Anambra State as decrying the growing damage to the nation’s sacred institutions on the altar of politics.
Stressing that the rise of nations depended on stronger institutions devoid of political influences, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, wrote on his X platform: “When the controversy surrounding the removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, unfolded, I expressed a concern to a friend: that the greatest damage might not be immediate, but the message it sends about the sanctity and independence of our institutions to the world.
“Strong economies are built on trust. Investors can manage security risks, policy risks, and even market risks. What they fear most is uncertainty in the rule of law and a judiciary that is perceived to be vulnerable to political pressure.
“Today, many Nigerians have lost confidence in systems that should protect them. Businesses increasingly request that their contracts be governed by foreign jurisdictions because they have greater confidence in those institutions than in our own. That should concern every patriot.
“We must never sacrifice our sacred institutions on the altar of politics. Nations rise when institutions are stronger than individuals. The Federal High Court judgment ordering the deregistration of the ADC and other political parties is just one of those activities that further reduces the common man’s trust in our legal systems. It should be reversed.
“I pledge that we will restore the dignity, independence, and integrity of the judiciary. The common man must have a voice. The business community must be protected from legal uncertainty and intimidation. Justice must be impartial, accessible, and respected by all. To our judges, legal luminaries, senior advocates, and lawyers: this is your moment. Rise, defend the rule of law, take back your country! A new Nigeria is POssible.”
Not even Lamine Yamal’s second half introduction could help Spain break through the defence of debutants, Cape Verde, in their first ever meeting, as the ongoing World Cup event produced another one of the stunning results on Monday.
Yamal, the Barcelona superstar just recovering from a near two-month hamstring injury, was brought into the game in the second half to zest up the one-time world champion, but failed to break down the Cape Verde’s dogged defence.
Spain’s in the game played in Atlanta, one of the cities hosting the three-nation Mundial, displayed the same dismal outing, which saw them offering far less than the quality, which saw them lifting the trophy for the first time in 2010.
The European champions, which have not won a knockout game ever since, failed to dominate the African side, replicating their less than impressing outings and their eventual exit in 2018 and 2022 editions, even with the claims of coach Luis de la Fuente that the squad was the best in the competition, Spain were considered among the pre-tournament.
Neither Yamal nor Nico Williams, who also was hit by an injury-disrupted season at Athletic Bilbao and was not introduced until the 87th minute, were able to rise to the occasion against the 500,000 people African side, ranked 67 in the world, which is making their debut on the global stage.
In stark contrast to the searing temperatures faced by some other sides, Atlanta’s state-of-the-art air conditioned stadium meant there was no excuses for the slow tempo of Spain’s build-up.
Indeed the mid-half hydration break was met by boos with fans frustrated at the break in play despite the cool conditions.
The only serious move from the European champions only came at the sixth minute to half-time, when Marc Cucurella, fresh for sealing his move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, sent over a teasing cross that Ferran Torres turned onto the crossbar and Cabo Verde goalkeeper Vozinha got back on his feet to turn Mikel Oyarzabal’s looping header over the bar.
Even after the break, the Blue Sharks, were also able to hold back from the onslaught as they did in the first half, where Vozinho, managed to make another superlative save against Aymeric Laporte’s header just before half-time.
Despite the excitement from the crowd after he was introduced, Yamal, billed as one of the stars of the tournament, failed to create any magic with his first touch being the set-up of a decent opening for fellow substitute Mikel Merino which was too close to Vozinha.
In fact, Cabo Verde billed to take on Uruguay in Miami, nearly snatched a famous victory in the final minute of the 90 when Dani Borges planted a header too close to Unai Simon, who saved the occasion, to prevent the former world champions, billed to face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday from humiliation.
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