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Halt this anarchy! *Okorie, APGA founder writes Tinubu on state of the nation
Nothing short of immediate action by President Bola Tinubu to halt the parlous security situation in the country and the bad behaviour of anti-democratic forces will steady the current tempest threatening to sink the ship on which the Nigerian nation is sailing.
This was the conclusion of Chekwas Okorie, founder and first National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in an open letter he fired to the President on Thursday, specifying the dangers ahead of the nation.
Warning of a brewing anarchy in the country, Okorie, himself a once presidential candidate, cited the serious security breaches by criminals wasting the lives of innocent Nigerians alongside the tensions created by political actors who had severally unleashed mayhem to stifle the voices of opposition in the country.
Writing under the banner of Igbo Agenda Dialogue (IAD), the septuagenarian, bemoaned what he described as the deplorable and unprecedented security situation in Nigeria which had led to unenviable international attention.
Okorie, who specifically acknowledged the sacrifices being made by Nigeria’s security agencies to contain the situation, also praised Tinubu’s “bold effort” to push the inevitable state police initiative as worthy of commendation and support by the public.
Regardless, he said the President must do more and urgently too as the Chief Security Officer of the country, especially with Nigeria going into the 2027 election year in a matter of months particularly with the noticeable flashpoints already being witnessed in parts of the country.
Hear him: “The desperate actions and inflammatory rhetoric of political actors in the build-up to the forthcoming general elections have the dangerous tendency to trigger widespread anarchy that may overwhelm the fragile capacity of Nigeria’s security agencies that have been stretched to its limits already.
“The recent attack on Mr. Peter Obi and his associates in Edo State and the subsequent attack on Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State are a few of the provocative and unprovoked attacks that could snowball to spiral reprisal actions.
“Discerning Nigerians are waiting to hear quality proposals by politicians and their political parties especially the ruling party about what they intend to do differently to alleviate the plight of the citizens if given the opportunity to serve in the offices of their aspiration after 2027 elections. Unfortunately what we hear are threats, acerbic tantrum and arrogant claims about how the forthcoming elections have been won and lost.
“Your Excellency, you have a responsibility to assure Nigerians that the 2027 elections will be fair, credible and transparent. You have a responsibility to rein in some of your overzealous aides and appointees to moderate their rhetoric and provocations.
“The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, enjoys obvious incumbency advantages from the Party’s control of the National Assembly to the overwhelming majority of the state and local government structures in the country.
“The ruling party ought to concentrate its efforts on the strategy and issue-based campaigns to translate the advantages it currently enjoys into electoral victory in a free and fair election. The antics of some prominent leaders of the ruling party smacks of panic and lack of confidence.
“Your Excellency, I venture to make a few recommendations that you may consider to ensure that Nigeria will go through the processes of the 2027 general election and come out of it in one piece.
- You have the power under the Nigerian Constitution to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his fellow prisoners of conscience without further delay. This will calm frayed nerves and reduce tension not only in the Southeast geopolitical zone but among Igbo people who are widely spread in Nigeria and abroad. Exercise this special presidential prerogative. It is auspicious and expedient at this time.
- Direct the APC, the Presidency and its numerous state and local governments to set the tone for issue-based campaigns.
- Incessant arrest and detention of high-profile political leaders especially leaders of the opposition political parties which may suggest deliberate clampdown to put them out of circulation at this time should be avoided.
- The federal government and the relevant agencies in collaboration with civil society and prodemocracy organisations must make deliberate efforts to ensure large citizen participation in the 2027 elections.
“The appalling twenty percent turnout in our general elections speaks to the illegitimacy of the outcomes. Nobody who is a product of such outcome should beat his chest and say that the people have spoken through the ballot box.”
Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.
Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.
The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.
Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.
Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.
Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.
“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.
“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.
“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”
Serah Luca, a Christian woman, has returned N1 million she unknowingly took along with goods purchased from a trader at Terminus market in Jos, Plateau state capital.
Luca, a petty trader, reportedly said she made the purchase on Friday and only discovered the hidden cash after getting home.
She said her decision to return the money was driven by fear of God and her belief that she could not keep what did not belong to her, especially knowing the hardship that comes with losing money in business.
“I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me,” Daily Trust quoted her as saying.
The trader, Abubakar Dola, who deals in polythene bags at Terminus market, expressed surprise at the woman’s honesty, noting that he had no idea where the money went after mistakenly placing it inside the bag she bought.
Dola said he had planned to transfer the cash through a point of sales (POS) operator but became worried when he could not see the polythene bag where the money was kept.
“I mistakenly included it in what she bought. I didn’t realise until days later, and I had already given up hope. For her to return it after three days is remarkable. I pray Allah rewards her and gives us more people like her.”
“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” were the words with which US President Donald Trump, flashed the redlight signal over what could be the fate of Iran in the coming hours, after a month-old war, which saw leaders of the Islamic nation, all but totally obliterated.
The POTUS, who on Saturday, gave Iran 48 hours to to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic approaches, or comply or risk facing “hell,” later threatened that the US would blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran failed to adhere to his warning.
However, in his latest threat on Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (1 am WAT) to make a deal, adding: “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business – burning, exploding and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition – by 12 o’clock. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen.”
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