Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has challenged any individual or group that has evidence he requested a third term in office to provide it to the public.
Obasanjo, who spoke on Wednesday at the democracy dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, dismissed claims that he sought a third term in office.
According to the former president, no Nigerian, living or deceased, can provide evidence to substantiate such claims, insisting that he never pursued such an ambition.
He said, “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian dead or alive that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” Obasanjo said.
He emphasised his ability to secure difficult achievements, noting that securing debt relief for Nigeria during his administration was a far greater challenge than obtaining a third term in office.
“I keep telling them that, look, if I wanted to get debt relief, which is more difficult than getting a third term and I got it, if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.
Obasanjo also warned against leaders who overstay their tenure, describing the mindset of indispensability as a “sin against God.”
“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal and vibrant and dynamic. When you are ‘kuje kuje’ you don’t have the best. But some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else,” he said.
“They will even tell you that they haven’t got anybody else. I believe that that is a sin against God, because if God takes you away, which God can do anytime, then somebody else will come, and that somebody else may do better or may do worse.”
MOAWKA (precise Post) – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anambra Chapter, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and stakeholders to protect internal democracy being lured to arbitrarily dissolve its duly constituted State Executive Committee(SEC).The PDP in a letter to INEC signed by Mr Chidi Chidebe, the chairman of the chapter said the Oct 23, 2024 Congress in the state was conducted in strict compliance with the Judgment of the Court of Appeal and fully monitored by INEC.
The party’s letter which was made available to newsmen in Awka on Sunday, was in reaction to a letter purportedly written by INEC directing a ‘repeat congress’ in the Anambra chapter
The PDP said the election which produced the current State Executive Council, was widely described as the most free and most transparent in the state’s history.
The products of the exercise were were constitutionally guaranteed a four-year tenure between 2024 and 2028.
The party warned that no individual or group should be allowed the power to arbitrarily usurp the party for illegitimate political gains, noting that such actions erode party structures and weaken public trust in Nigeria’s democratic system.
“The need for every stakeholder to join hands in deepening internal democracy within all political parties has never been more urgent,” PDP said.
It called on INEC to investigate and publicly explain why it would consider the abrupt termination of a legitimately constituted State Executive Committee of a political party that had a constitutional mandate of four years.
The party further called on the electoral body to reaffirm its independence and commitment to the Electoral Act 2022 by tracing the source of the allegedly forged document and making clarification to Nigerians
The PDP said hat the document in circulation, which was calling for a so-called repeat congress was unknown to Nigerian electoral law and therefore a nullity.
The PDP in Anambra dismissed so-called “open letter” as ‘social-media propaganda’, adding that it held no weight before a constitutionally established body like INEC.
“The legitimate letter from the State Chairman has been duly submitted, received, and acknowledged by both the INEC Headquarters in Abuja and the Anambra office,” the party said.
The PDP urged INEC not to allow itself to be used as a tool to destabilise a lawfully constituted party structure in Anambra.(NAN)
Abuja (precise 
Post) – Former Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan says electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
Jonathan stated this at the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, GJF, democracy dialogue in Accra, Ghana
According to him, when democracy fails to meet people’s expectations, it can breed desperation and pave the way for authoritarianism.
He further stated that leaders must embrace democracy that secures a better future for children and ensures their voices are heard.
“Democracy in the African continent is going through a period of strain and risk of collapse unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means,” he said.
ABUJA: The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has approved the demands of resident doctors in the territory, who had been on strike since September 15 over unpaid entitlements
Wike announced the approval on Friday during the flag-off of the construction of the Northern Parkway, linking Ring Road II to Ring Road III along Shehu Yar’Adua Way in Life Camp, Abuja.
He commended the doctors for suspending their industrial action in the interest of patients and the wider FCT community.
“I must commend the resident doctors for calling off the strike. The administration is happy with their understanding. I have signed all the doctors’ requests on my table today,” the minister said.
Wike further directed the FCT Acting Head of Service and his Senior Special Assistant on Administration, Samuel Atang, to immediately implement the approvals.
On the Northern Parkway project, the minister said the initiative would create jobs, ease traffic congestion within the city and boost economic activities.
Resident doctors had embarked on strike last Monday after months of unresolved negotiations with the FCTA.
Their demands included the payment of salary arrears ranging from one to six months for members employed since 2023, recruitment of new staff, settlement of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, and payment of arrears arising from the 25/35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
They also demanded timelines for completing pending skipping and conversion processes, correction of irregular salary payments, stoppage of erroneous deductions, payment of outstanding wage awards, 13 months’ hazard allowance arrears and clearance of arrears owed to 2025 external residents.
Music executive Ubi Franklin has said a joint project involving Afrobeats’ “Big 3” – Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, would be difficult because of the competitive nature of their careers.
Speaking on the Afropolitan podcast, Franklin likened their rivalry to that of Nigeria’s leading banks, noting that while they remain cordial, their top-tier status makes collaboration challenging.
He, however, stressed that the tension is strictly professional, adding that he has never heard Davido speak negatively about Wizkid or Burna Boy and believes the respect is mutual.
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It would be difficult for Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy to come together. I will speak for Davido. I have never heard him say something ill about Wizkid or Burna Boy. And I’m sure it’s the same for them. But the environment [industry] they are in will make it difficult for them to work together.
“It’s like the rivalry between the top banks in Nigeria. In every industry, there is the big 3,” he stated.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has boosted its daily passport production capacity from about 300 to 5,000, following the launch of a new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre in Abuja.
The Minister of Interior, Dr uh Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who disclosed this on Thursday during an inspection of the facility at the NIS Headquarters, described the move as a major milestone in Nigeria’s 62-year history of passport issuance.
According to him, the old decentralised system relied on outdated machines that could only produce between 250 and 300 passports daily. The new centralised system, however, now enables NIS to process 4,500 to 5,000 passports each day within just four to five hours of operation.
“This is a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria. We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week. Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” Tunji-Ojo said.
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