ANN Politics

Arewa and the Analogy of Four Persons: Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody

by Mohammed Bello Doka
18 June, 2026.

There is a famous allegory that captures the tragedy of collective inaction with devastating precision. It goes like this: there was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

This is not merely a philosophical exercise in circular logic. This is the exact condition of Northern Nigeria today.

A Canadian politician from Alberta, Gurinder Brar, deployed this analogy in his parliament to critique the failure of infrastructure development in his country. He was speaking about roads, schools, and hospitals in a wealthy nation with functioning institutions. But the analogy lands with far greater force here, in a region where the crisis is not about potholes or delayed construction projects, but about survival itself. The analogy of Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody has become the operating system of Northern Nigeria's descent into catastrophe.

Everybody knows that the North is in a serious crisis. This is not a matter of opinion or political posturing. The data is unambiguous and devastating. In 2025 alone, violent conflicts across Nigeria claimed 4,654 lives and left 3,141 people abducted, according to the Nigeria Violent Conflicts Database report unveiled by Nextier Advisory Limited. Banditry accounted for 599 incidents and 2,724 deaths in 2025, representing a significant increase from the 256 cases and 1,585 fatalities recorded in 2024. Zamfara State, the epicentre of the banditry crisis, recorded the highest number of abductions at 1,203, followed by Kaduna with 629, Katsina with 566, and Sokoto with 358. Between 2023 and May 2025, at least 10,217 people were killed by armed groups in northern Nigeria. In November 2025 alone, at least 402 people, predominantly schoolchildren, were kidnapped across four north-central states in a single month.

These are not abstract statistics. These are human beings. Children pulled from their classrooms. Farmers slaughtered in their fields. Communities erased from existence.

The President knows. The 19 northern governors know. The National Assembly knows. The traditional rulers, the emirs, the chiefs, the religious leaders, the scholars — Everybody knows. The Arewa Consultative Forum has publicly criticised political leaders for appearing more preoccupied with positioning for the 2027 general elections than confronting escalating violence in the region. The Chairman of the forum, Mamman Osuman, decried the growing incidents of terrorism, banditry, insurgency and kidnapping, noting that the violence had displaced communities, disrupted livelihoods and forced the closure of schools across affected areas.

Everybody knows. But Everybody expects Somebody to act.

The President expects the governors to act. The governors expect the President to do something. The National Assembly expects the executive to take charge. The traditional rulers expect the politicians to solve the problem. The federal government expects the state governments to secure their territories. The state governments expect the federal government to deploy the military. Everybody is waiting for Somebody else to move first.

This is the paralysis of diffusion of responsibility. When everyone is responsible, no one is responsible.

The Northern Governors Forum has been meeting, deliberating, and issuing communiques for years. In December 2025, they agreed to establish a common Northern Security Framework. Implementation has remained slow due to the failure of some stakeholders to meet their commitments. They announced a multibillion-naira Regional Security Trust Fund, with each of the 19 northern states committing N1 billion monthly. That is N19 billion every month. Where is the money? Where is the action? The governors have the votes. They have the budgets. They have the authority. Yet the killing continues.

In November 2025, during a security summit in Kebbi State, the Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum raised concerns about the deteriorating security situation. They noted that the crisis had worsened in 2026, with coordinated attacks on military formations and deadly assaults across the North-East, North-Central and North-West regions. The forum warned that existing institutional, material and strategic interventions have failed to stem the rising tide of violence. They called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on security in the North. The government has not responded.

Everybody knows the government is not doing enough. But Everybody expects Somebody to call them to order.

The President can act. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He has the constitutional authority to deploy the military, to declare a state of emergency, to mobilise national resources. The governors can act. They control state security apparatuses, state budgets, and local government structures. The National Assembly can act. They control the purse strings of the nation. They can summon security chiefs, demand accountability, and pass legislation. The traditional rulers can act. They command the loyalty of their subjects. They can mobilise communities, identify informants, and expose collaborators. The people can act. Communities can organise, defend themselves, and refuse to be victims.

Anybody can act. The President could declare a state of emergency today. The governors could deploy the N19 billion monthly fund tomorrow. The National Assembly could hold security chiefs accountable this week. The traditional rulers could name and shame collaborators this very hour. The people could rise up and demand accountability this instant.

Anybody can do it. But Nobody is doing anything.

The consequences are catastrophic. The United Nations Children's Fund has reported that two million children remain out of school in the country's North-East region. In the North-West, insecurity has become a major contributing factor to the rising number of out-of-school children. Between 80 and 90 per cent of out-of-school children in Nigeria are from the North, while about 65 per cent of the country's multidimensionally poor population resides in the region. An estimated 1 million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, double the 2024 figure.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has declared that Northern Nigeria is operating under a curse in view of the incessant bloodletting in the region. He warned: "With the kind of bloodletting we are witnessing in the North, if you are a person of faith, you will know that we are operating under a curse because it is human blood. The effect of a curse is that you sweat without results. That is why we are sweating in this part of the country without any tangible outcome." Dogara insisted that security must be the top priority before any meaningful development could occur, urging governors in the 19 northern states to pool resources to combat the menace. He added: "We need to depart from doing business as usual and embrace radical, transformative action. Help is not coming from anywhere — we must take our destiny into our own hands."

Dogara is right. Help is not coming. The international community is distracted. The federal government is overwhelmed. The governors are waiting. The National Assembly is pre-occupied with 2027. Everybody is waiting for Somebody else.

And while Everybody waits, the body count rises.

On August 19, 2025, armed attackers killed 32 people during an attack on worshippers at a mosque in Unguwan Mantau village, Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State. In April 2025, suspected herder-allied assailants killed 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 during attacks on six villages in Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. In June 2025, suspected herder-allied assailants attacked Yelewata, a farming community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, killing 59 people. Residents provided a list of over 100 people they allege had been killed. In August 2025, over 50 people were abducted in a mass capture in Zamfara State. In March 2025, nearly 400 people were kidnapped. In June 2026, gunmen abducted 39 people in northwestern Nigeria as they were meeting with the parents of a suspected bandit leader, hoping to negotiate reconciliation and peace.

Communities that feel the military does not protect them from constant attacks often negotiate with armed groups. This is the ultimate indictment of state failure. When citizens must negotiate with bandits for their own survival, the state has ceased to exist in any meaningful sense.

The Arewa Consultative Forum has warned that "insecurity has deepened to such an extent that external military assistance has been required". The forum noted that repeated attacks and the climate of fear have disrupted education, leading to school closures across affected areas. Rural economies have been severely strained, travel has become unsafe, and access to farming, schooling, and healthcare has been hindered.

This is not a regional problem. This is a national emergency. Dogara put it bluntly: "The development of northern Nigeria is not a regional prerogative. It must be seen as a national emergency. If the vast number of people we have in the North are not developed, Nigeria is going nowhere."

And yet, the response has been paralysis. The Northern Governors Forum has issued communiques. The Arewa Consultative Forum has issued statements. The Northern Elders Forum has convened summits. The Arewa Broadcast Media Practitioners Forum has issued ultimatums. Everybody is talking. Everybody is meeting. Everybody is deliberating.

Nobody is acting.

The governors agreed in December 2025 to establish a common Northern Security Framework. Implementation has remained slow due to the failure of some stakeholders to meet their commitments. The Northern Governors Forum established a security fund with each state committing N1 billion monthly. That was December 2025. It is now June 2026. Where is the fund? Where is the security framework? Where is the action?

The North-West Youth Forum gave the Federal Government a 30-day ultimatum to address the persistent insecurity ravaging the region, warning that it would explore all lawful means to hold authorities accountable if the situation remains unresolved. The ultimatum has expired. The situation remains unresolved. Nothing happened.

Everybody is complaining. The victims are complaining. The survivors are complaining. The internally displaced persons in overcrowded camps are complaining. The families who have lost loved ones are complaining. The communities living in fear are complaining. The traditional rulers are complaining. The politicians are complaining. Everybody is complaining.

And Everybody is a victim or a potential victim. No one is safe. No community is secure. No road is safe to travel. No farm is safe to till. No school is safe to attend. No market is safe to visit. No home is safe to sleep in.

The analogy of Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody is not just a clever rhetorical device. It is a diagnosis. It is an indictment. It is a prophecy fulfilled.

The President can act. The governors can act. The National Assembly can act. The traditional rulers can act. The people can act. Anybody can act. But at the end, Nobody did anything.

And Everybody is paying the price.

The time for waiting is over. The time for expecting Somebody else to act is over. The time for blaming Everybody else is over. The time for complaining is over. The time for action is now. Somebody must act. Anybody can act. Everybody must act. If Nobody acts, there will be Nobody left to blame.

Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]

Abuja Network News

Arewa doesn't need more rulers or billionaires; it needs more mentors.

By Mohammed Bello Doka
18 June, 2026

There is a haunting silence echoing across the villages of Zamfara, the ravaged farmlands of Borno, and the collapsing classrooms of Katsina. It is not the silence of peace. It is the deafening quiet of a civilization that has lost its moral compass. We gather in Abuja and London to diagnose the Northern Nigerian quagmire—the banditry, the record hunger, the mass illiteracy—and we point fingers at politicians, foreign mercenaries, and climate change. But we are deliberately avoiding the festering, gangrenous wound at the heart of our tragedy.

We have completely collapsed the system of mentorship that once held our societies together.

Today, the North is bleeding. In 2025 alone, banditry claimed 2,724 lives and over 3,141 souls were abducted—including nearly 400 schoolchildren in Kaduna. Poverty has ravaged the region with a staggering 57.4% rate compared to just 21.2% in the South. Over 10 million children roam the streets without education, and literacy in the North-West languishes below 40%. Nearly 6 million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe now face crisis-level hunger. We are trapped in a cycle where poverty fuels insecurity, insecurity destroys schools, and destroyed schools perpetuate poverty.

But these are merely symptoms. The root cause is a generation raised without fathers, without guides, without mentors.

The Great Betrayal of Our Children

In the olden days, no Emir ascended the throne without sitting at the feet of wise counselors. No scholar issued a fatwa without decades of tutelage under a master who corrected his ego. No trader built a fortune without learning ethics, patience, and communal responsibility from an elder who had walked the path before him. Mentorship was the sacred thread that wove our values—mutunci, hakuri, gaskiya—into the fabric of leadership, business, and faith. It was the mechanism that ensured continuity, character, and accountability.

Today, that thread has been severed by our own hands.

Look at the elite. The wealthy politician, the billionaire contractor, the cloistered religious leader—where are their children? They have outsourced the mentorship of their offspring to expensive private academies in Lagos and exclusive boarding schools in the United Kingdom. These children return with foreign accents, disconnected from the soil of their ancestors, trained to manage portfolios but completely alienated from the communal soul of Arewa. They do not know the Gandu system; they cannot speak the language of the peasant. Their mentors are Western textbooks, not the village imam or the district head who once grounded leaders in local realities.

For the struggling middle class, hope has been outsourced to a crumbling, rotten local education system. Overcrowded classrooms, unpaid and demoralized teachers, and a colonial curriculum have become the de facto mentors of our children. Instead of learning integrity, they learn survival. Instead of foresight, they learn how to cheat exams and cut corners. The system does not produce thinkers; it produces desperate job-seekers.

And for the poor—the vast, silent, hungry majority—mentorship has been outsourced to the hypnotic, glowing screens of social media. With over 70% of Nigeria's out-of-school children in the North, the smartphone has become the village elder. But what wisdom does it dispense? Degenerate skits, get-rich-quick scams, and the glorification of thuggery. The poor are not being mentored; they are being brainwashed by algorithms designed to distract, not elevate.

The Tyranny of Toxic "Godfatherism"

Let us be brutally honest about the "mentorship" plaguing our political and economic spheres today. When a Northern elite takes on a "mentee," he is not looking for a successor; he is looking for a slave. He seeks sycophants who will protect his corrupt empire and brainwash the public in his favor. He deliberately suppresses the mentee's unique vision because an independent, successful protégé is a direct threat to his throne.

Conversely, when the desperate, hungry youth seeks a mentor, they are not looking for wisdom or character development. They are looking for access—access to cash, to political protection, and to the brutal power that keeps the bandits at bay. The young man does not ask, "What values do you uphold?" He asks, "What contracts can you give me?" This transactional rot has turned mentorship into a parasitic relationship. The mentor breeds dependency; the mentee breeds ingratitude. Neither builds the Northern nation.

The Entertainment Industry: A Moral Abattoir

Nowhere is this collapse more glaring than in our entertainment industry. We have left the cultural shaping of an entire region to the most morally bankrupt individuals among us—influencers and musicians who grew rich not through virtue, but through viral notoriety. These are men and women with massive followings, yet they lack the basic education to differentiate right from wrong.

Instead of using their platforms to resurrect our dying traditions—our poetry, our history, our proverbs—they have turned the industry into a mercenary tool for the political class. They are paid propagandists, willing to peddle any narrative for a fat check. In their desperate, undignified quest for clicks, likes, and views, they glorify thuggery, promote drug abuse, and mock the very institutions that once held us together. And the followers—largely uneducated, unemployed, and famished—consume this trash like manna from heaven. They are being mentored by empty vessels, and they are filling themselves with emptiness.

The Foreign Vultures Circling Overhead

This vacuum of native mentorship has left us vulnerable to foreign exploitation. With a porous 1,497-kilometer border with Niger, arms and fighters flow freely across our frontiers. The geopolitical chess game between France, Russia, and the United States plays out on our soil. Niger's military junta accuses France of funding Boko Haram with billions of CFA to destabilize the Sahel. Whether true or not, our leaders lack the institutional memory and strategic mentorship to negotiate from a position of strength. They trade sovereignty for arms. They become puppets dancing to foreign strings because they have no local elders to remind them of the cost of selling out. The bandits are partially fueled by illicit mineral exploitation—gold and uranium—extracted by foreign interests in collusion with local proxies.

Our leaders have no mentors to tell them that the path of the sellout leads to ruin. Because the mentors are dead. We killed them with our greed.

The Way Forward: The What, The Why, and The How

We cannot fix this by simply throwing money at "mentorship programs." That is a bandage on a severed artery. We cannot have a successful mentorship system without a clear, binding, and ruthless Development Plan.

For every successful mentorship system, there must be an aim, a plan, and a system—the WHAT, the WHY, and the HOW.

· The WHAT: What are we mentoring our children for? Without a target—be it agricultural mechanization, ethical governance, or technological innovation—mentoring is just wandering aimlessly in the dark.
· The WHY: Why should they listen? Without a compelling narrative that ties their personal success to the collective survival of Arewa, they will continue to listen to the corrupt influencer and the predatory godfather.
· The HOW: How will we sustain it? Without a structured system integrated into our state budgets, religious institutions, and traditional councils, these efforts will crumble with the next election cycle.

Conclusion: Build Mentors or Build Coffins

This is not a call for pity; it is a clarion call to war—a war against intellectual laziness, cultural decay, and the deliberate underdevelopment of our people. The foreign powers exploit us because we are fractured. The politicians buy our entertainers because we are distracted. The bandits recruit our youth because we are desperate. And we are desperate because we have no one to show us a different path.

Arewa does not need another billionaire hoarding wealth in Dubai. Arewa does not need another ruler drunk on power and adulation. Arewa needs mentors—men and women of character, integrity, and competence who will pour their souls into the next generation. But a mentor without a roadmap is just a wanderer. A mentee without a destination is just a soldier without a war.

In our next article, we shall dissect the practical scaffolding of this vision: the Arewa Development Plan. We will outline the specific economic pivots, educational overhauls, and security reforms required to pull our region from the abyss.

But first, we must confess our sin. We have abandoned our elders for foreign textbooks, our scholars for social media, and our values for viral clicks. The North has no fathers today. We are orphans ruling a graveyard. It is time to rebuild the family—starting with the soul.

The North must choose: Build mentors, or build coffins. There is no middle ground.

Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via [email protected]

Abuja Network News

THE DAY NIGERIANS SPOKE IN ONE VOICE.
THANK YOU, DEFENDERS OF THE CONSTITUTION.

💥The attempt to undermine the constitutional rights of duly registered political parties has sparked a powerful response from Nigerians who believe that democracy must remain bigger than politics, bigger than parties, and bigger than any individual.

💥Across the nation, voices have risen in defense of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the rule of law, and the sacred principles of multi-party democracy.

💥Today, we pause to express our profound appreciation to all those who stood firm when it mattered most.
We thank the Justices of the Court of Appeal for their timely intervention in preserving constitutional order and ensuring that due process remains the foundation of our legal system.

💥We thank the leadership of INEC for remaining guided by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, recognizing that democratic rights cannot be extinguished by arbitrary interpretations or political pressure.

💥We salute the Nigerian Bar Association, members of the legal profession, constitutional scholars, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and democracy advocates who courageously spoke in defense of the law and reminded the nation that justice must always be anchored on constitutional provisions.

💥We thank political leaders across party lines who refused to remain silent. In moments such as these, patriotism demands courage, and courage demands speaking truth in defense of democratic values.

💥We commend those who recognized that this issue was never about one political party. It was about the future of democracy itself.

💥Today it may be ADC.
Tomorrow it may be another political party.
If constitutional rights can be denied to even one party, then no party is truly safe. If democratic participation can be restricted for some citizens, then democracy is weakened for all citizens.

💥This is why Nigerians of goodwill rose above partisan considerations and defended the principles that bind our Republic together.

💥We particularly thank the millions of ordinary Nigerians who spoke out on social media, in town halls, in professional circles, and in communities across the country and in the diaspora too. Their voices sent a clear message that democracy belongs to the people and that the people will not surrender it.

💥Nigeria's Constitution guarantees freedom of association.
Nigeria's Constitution guarantees political participation.
Nigeria's Constitution envisions a vibrant multi-party democracy in which citizens are free to organize, compete, and offer alternative visions for national development.

💥No democracy can thrive where political competition is suppressed.
No democracy can flourish where constitutional guarantees are weakened.
No democracy can survive if citizens become indifferent to injustice.

💥To every lawyer who defended the law.
To every judge who upheld due process.
To every political leader who spoke out.
To every journalist who reported responsibly.
To every activist who defended democratic freedoms.
To every Nigerian who refused to be silent.
We say thank you.

💥Thank you for defending the Constitution.
Thank you for defending the rule of law.
Thank you for defending democracy.
And thank you for standing on the right side of history.

💥Together, we shall continue to defend the democratic rights of all Nigerians and preserve the constitutional foundations upon which our great Republic stands.

💥The overwhelming reaction of Nigerians has demonstrated that our democracy remains alive, that constitutionalism remains relevant, and that the spirit of liberty remains strong. It also demonstrates what Nigerians would collectively do, should the ruling cult attempt to tamper with the will of the people of Nigeria, in 2027.

🥰Thank you All, 🥰🥰
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Long Live Constitutional Democracy.
Long Live the African Democratic Congress.
Arise and Shine, Nigeria.

Lauretta Onochie


ANN Politics

PRESS RELEASE

El-Rufai Support Group Engages US Lobbying Representation to Sound Alarm on the Plight of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai

ESG ASSOCIATION Retains Vanguard Africa to Bring Due Process Concerns Before the White House, Congress, Federal Agencies, and Multilateral Institutions

ABUJA, Nigeria - June 2026 - The El-Rufai Support Group (ESG) Association (ERSGA), an independent organization of civic advocates committed to the rights and due process of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, today announced the formal engagement of Vanguard Africa, a Washington, DC-based international advocacy firm, to lead a coordinated campaign calling attention to the erosion of the rule of law and the abuse of due process in Nigeria.

According to the regulatory filing published by the US Department of State, Vanguard Africa will “plan and execute outreach to U.S. Administration officials, Congress, relevant bureaus and agencies, prodemocracy institutions, and multilateral stakeholders” on behalf of ERSGA, among other activities in the United States.

Nasir El-Rufai is an accomplished reformer and former two-term Minister of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja as well as a former two-term Governor of the State of Kaduna. According to media reports, since mid-February he has been detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), while courts have repeatedly delayed bail hearings.

ERSGA categorically rejects the ICPC accusations and maintains El-Rufai’s innocence, pointing to a series of alarming procedural irregularities.

"The treatment of Governor El-Rufai is not an isolated incident - it is a symptom of a deeper crisis threatening Nigeria's democratic institutions," said Mohammed Salihu on behalf of the El-Rufai Support Group Association. "We are bringing these concerns to Washington because the international community has both the standing and the responsibility to speak plainly when due process is weaponized for political ends."

ERSGA and its international partners have framed the El-Rufai case as a defining test of whether Nigeria's institutions are capable of operating with genuine impartiality. With national elections approaching in 2027, the association warns that the use of legal mechanisms to marginalize opposition figures strikes at the foundation of free and credible democratic competition.

Vanguard Africa is a highly regarded organization established in Washington DC, with a proven track record of advocating for pro-democracy figures across the region such as President Adama Barrow of The Gambia, the duly elected president of Niger Mohamed Bazoum, and Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, among others.

ERSGA calls on the United States Government, international democratic institutions, and civil society organizations worldwide to closely monitor developments in Nigeria closely and to speak clearly in defense of due process, judicial independence, and the democratic space that free and fair elections require.

# # The El-Rufai Support Group Association is an independent organization of supporters and civic advocates dedicated to the political and leadership activities of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the promotion of democratic governance and the rule of law in Nigeria.

17th June 2026

THE RULE OF LAW, POLITICAL FREEDOM, AND THE BURDEN OF PUBLIC OFFICE.

It is deeply disappointing to witness the Attorney-General of the Federation, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, allowing himself to be drawn into a matter that many Nigerians believe has no legal or constitutional merit.

As the nation's Chief Law Officer, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, occupies an office that demands impartiality, independence, and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law. Those of us who have admired his distinguished legal career expected him to remain above partisan considerations and to uphold the principles that have earned him respect within, and outside the legal profession.

It is also disheartening that someone who once sat in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly, could masquerade as representing the wishes of past members, in advocating for the de-registration of some political parties. I was a senator of the 6th and 7th Senate, and was never invited, along with many others, to any meeting of ex-legislators where such a decision was discussed and taken. History of the National Assembly will definitely be unkind to such undemocratic men and women.

History offers an important lesson. President Goodluck Jonathan, despite being the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), permitted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the coalition of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a faction of the PDP, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and other political interests that eventually formed the All Progressives Congress (APC). That coalition was allowed to emerge and compete without unnecessary obstruction and today occupies the highest office in the land. If the Jonathan administration could accommodate political plurality and allow opposition forces to breathe, why should the present government deny other political parties the same democratic space?

Democracy flourishes through competition, inclusion, and respect for constitutional rights, and not through the suppression of legitimate political associations.

Chief Fagbemi should also remember that power is transient. No public office is permanent, and no earthly authority lasts forever. Every human being will one day leave this world, either while in office or afterwards, with the body returning to the earth while the soul returns to the Creator. At that moment, titles, offices, and political influence will no longer matter. The question, therefore, is simple: What will Chief Fagbemi be remembered for? Will history celebrate him as a defender of justice and constitutional democracy, or as one who stood by while legal principles were compromised?

Material wealth and earthly possessions rarely guarantee a lasting legacy. More often than not, they become subjects of prolonged family disputes after one's passing.
Furthermore, those who seek to manipulate the political process should recognize the consequences of excluding legitimate contenders. Attempting to prevent the only major Northern presidential aspirant from participating in the 2027 elections through legal or administrative manoeuvers risks deepening political tensions and undermining national unity. Political competition should be decided by the electorate, not by technical obstacles or judicial controversies.

Finally, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Fagbemi is undoubtedly aware that the judicial hierarchy is fundamental to the rule of law. When a Federal High Court appears to disregard the decision or directives of a superior appellate court, it creates uncertainty, weakens public confidence in the judiciary, and risks breeding anarchy. Once respect for judicial authority is eroded, the stability of the entire legal system is placed in jeopardy.
Nigeria stands at a critical moment in its democratic journey. The Constitution, the rule of law, and political inclusiveness must remain the guiding principles of governance. Every institution and every public officer should work to preserve national unity through justice, fairness, and respect for democratic freedoms. Let Nigeria be governed by law, equity, and justice. And if fundamental constitutional questions about our coexistence cannot be resolved through fairness and dialogue, then every effort should be made to pursue peaceful and lawful solutions that preserve the dignity and aspirations of all its people.

*Senator Ehigie Uzamere*

ANN Politics