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MThe Allied People’s Movement (APM) has accused the Presidency of launching attacks against its presidential candidate, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, because of what it described as growing concern over his increasing popularity ahead of the 2027 general election.

The party said recent comments by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Daniel Bwala, reflected what it called the Tinubu administration’s unease over Makinde’s emergence as a major contender for the presidency.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, the APM argued that the Federal Government had resorted to personal attacks because it lacked convincing achievements to present to Nigerians. The party maintained that Makinde would defeat President Bola Tinubu at the 2027 polls.

Bwala had, during an interview with journalists on Monday, dismissed both Makinde and the APM as insignificant players in the forthcoming presidential race.

Responding, the opposition party criticised the Presidency for what it described as a decline into political mudslinging rather than engaging issues affecting Nigerians.

‘It is rather pathetic that the Tinubu Presidency has fallen so low into ignominy that it now relies on internationally discredited and politically inconsistent characters like Daniel Bwala to speak for it on national TV; a situation that further confirms that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu no longer commands the support of credible Nigerians.

‘Since Daniel Bwala’s March 6, 2026, scandalous interview with Al Jazeera, Nigerians can always see through the antics of President Tinubu’s handlers. Daniel Bwala would soon eat his own words against Governor Makinde.

‘In any event, the 2027 presidential race would be between Governor Seyi Makinde, standing shoulder to shoulder with millions of Nigerians who are determined for a new beginning, and a failed President Tinubu, who only has the feeble support of a handful of sycophantic, corrupt, arrogant and morally depraved minions on his payroll.

‘The APM is, therefore, not surprised that the Tinubu Presidency is deflated and intimidated because it has no tangible scorecard of achievements to present to the public, given its abysmal failures, for which Nigerians across the board have reached a consensus to replace President Tinubu with Governor Makinde at the 2027 election, given Makinde’s outstanding performance as Governor of Oyo State.’

The party said it had no intention of engaging in an exchange of insults with the Presidency, insisting that its focus remained on presenting solutions to the country’s challenges.

It also argued that Makinde’s performance in Oyo State had strengthened his credentials for higher office.

‘Of course, President Tinubu should be jittery because Governor Makinde is coming into the contest with an intimidating record of performance, including transforming Oyo State into a foremost economically viable state, surpassing the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, according to data from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), a feat Nigerians want him to replicate at the national level.

‘The Tinubu Presidency is edgy because Nigerians are determined and eager to elect Governor Seyi Makinde as the next President of the country so that they can enjoy the benefits of his blueprint to revamp the economy, rejig our security architecture, rebuild collapsed infrastructure, revitalise the productive sectors, provide jobs, end corruption and bring a new lease of life to the people.

‘Of course, why won’t the Tinubu Presidency be jittery when Governor Makinde is coming with the full support of over 50 million young Nigerians whose destinies are being caged by the Tinubu administration and who are now rallying with our presidential candidate as the face of the new Nigeria they eagerly seek and for which they are ready to vote in 2027 and defend their votes to the very end?

‘To suggest that a presidential candidate with such an army of support is ‘inconsequential’ says more about the anxiety within the corridors of power than it does about the candidate.

‘In fact, before noon on election day, the Presidency will know who actually is inconsequential in this race.’

Since his assumption of office in October 2025 as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has superintended over the conduct of two off-cycle gubernatorial elections as well as some National Assembly and State Assembly elections. Those elections served as the first litmus tests of his preparedness for the office and, perhaps, of his competence as the new chief election manager in the country.

The two governorship elections – Anambra State in November 2025, and Ekiti State in June 2026 – generated huge public interest and triggered massive conversations around the sanctity of the ballot, seamless logistic arrangements, conduct of election officials, and the need for effective security architecture during the elections. Concerns about election results collation and the need for real-time electronic transmission of results also dominated conversations. Many public commentators called for a paradigm shift and a new election template from the rancorous, opaque, and violence-prone system of the immediate past era.

Indeed, some public affairs analysts and political watchers who have witnessed many electoral seasons and the social cataclysms often associated with them have made a general characterisation of election cycles in the country as chaotic, fraud prone, and falling below the threshold of internationally acceptable contests. Nigeria’s electoral activities have often been characterized by irregularities, including vote rigging, violence, voter intimidation, vote buying, logistical shortcomings, delayed deployment of election materials, and allegations of bias by the electoral commission. These issues have continued to cast doubt on the credibility and transparency of the nation’s democratic process.

A political researcher, Shankyula T. Samuel, in his work titled *Political Thuggery in Nigeria and Elections and The Law,* notes that Nigeria’s political journey in the past two decades has been fraught with objectionable patterns which consign its democracy to a repugnant state. ‘The relevance of an election in a democratic setting cannot be overemphasized. An electoral process, depending on how free, fair, and credible it is, will either make or mar a democratic system… There is no gainsaying the fact that in the past series of elections held in Nigerian between 1999, 2003 and 2007, activities of thugs have taken a centre stage thereby breeding a feeling of resentment among members of the public,’ he observes.

Similarly, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of civil society organisations in the country, made a forceful point for democratic growth and consolidation in the country. In a piece titled ‘The Challenge of Finding an Independent Umpire,’ the group stresses the importance of having an electoral institution that is above board, non-partisan, and transparent.

‘The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is created under Section 153 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended). INEC is charged with the responsibility of conducting credible elections in the country. In recent times, there has been a huge challenge of partisan elements finding their way into the different levels of INEC, either through nomination by politicians or turning partisan upon appointment.The challenge for Nigeria at this time is to achieve a truly unbiased and non-

partisan election management body,’ the group said.

However, post-election assessments by political analysts, election observers, and other stakeholders since November 2025 when Prof. Amupitan mounted the saddle at INEC, have largely awarded the election refree an impressive scorecard, reflecting significant improvements in the conduct of elections across the country. The reports commended the Commission for its enhanced election management, marked by the timely deployment of electoral materials, effective handling of logistical challenges, and the seamless coordination of polling activities.

The reviews also highlighted greater transparency in the collation and transmission of election results, which contributed to increased public confidence in the electoral process. Furthermore, INEC was widely praised for demonstrating a high level of impartiality and professionalism, with observers noting the Commission’s non-partisan disposition in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.

Overall, the favourable assessments portray a noticeable departure from the shortcomings that had characterized previous electoral cycles, suggesting meaningful progress towards more credible, transparent, and efficiently conducted elections in Nigeria.

YIAGA Africa, a non-profit, civic organisation dedicated to democratic governance and civic participation in Nigeria and in Africa, awarded INEC under Prof. Amupitan, an excellent assessment in all the elections conducted since November 2025, while also recommending areas for improvements.

On the June 2026 Ekiti State gubernatorial election, the NGO averred that the official results announced by the commission accurately reflected votes cast at polling units across the state. The INEC Chief Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure(FUTA), Professor Adenike Oladiji, declared incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) winner after polling 319,224 votes to defeat the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), Dr. Wole Oluyede, who came a distant second with 40,543 votes.

In its final assessment of the poll, Yiaga Africa stated that its Watching The Vote (WTV) Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) findings showed that the results declared by INEC fell within its estimated range, indicating that the outcome announced by the electoral umpire was consistent with ballots counted at polling units. Its Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, and the Executive Director of the organisation, Samson Itodo, while presenting the report, noted that the alignment between INEC’s official figures and its independent verification exercise demonstrated that the election results were not manipulated during collation at the ward, local government or state levels.

‘INEC’s official results for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election are consistent with Yiaga Africa’s WTV estimate, as they fall within Yiaga Africa’s estimated range. This indicates that the official results, as announced, reflect the ballots counted at polling units’, the CSO said. It explained that if the results had been substantially altered during the collation process, the final figures would have fallen outside the statistical ranges generated through its PVT methodology. It stressed that the consistency of the results specifically confirmed the accuracy of polling-unit result tabulation.

Similarly, the Situation Room gave its verdict on the Ekiti guber election, affirming a credible election and passing a satisfactory assessment of the poll. Situation Room noted that the Ekiti State Governorship Election was conducted in a largely peaceful atmosphere across the State.

‘Reports received from accredited observers and citizen observers through the SEAT App indicated that election officials and materials arrived on time in a majority of polling units observed between 7:00am and 8:00am. Following deployment, polls commenced early in approximately 92 percent of polling,’ the Situation Room said. It added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned satisfactorily in most observed locations.

Observers’ reports on the November 2025 Anambra State governorship election also revealed remarkable progress in the nation’s electoral process. The observer groups were unanimous that the election was in line with international best practice. Incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo polled over 400,000 votes to defeat his opponents at the poll.

Yiaga Africa also affirmed that the official results of the Anambra State governorship election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), aligned with findings from its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) exercise.

In its post-election assessment, the group said the election outcomes were independently verified by the Anambra Election Observation Hub, a coalition of civil society organisations that monitored the poll across the state. In a statement signed by the Chair of the 2025 Anambra Election Mission, Dr Asmau Maikudi, and Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, the group stated that the consistency between its PRVT estimates and INEC’s official figures reinforces confidence in the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.

These findings were corroborated by the United Nations election observer, Jim Oko, who described the Anambra State governorship election as being ‘in line with international best practices.” Oko, who is the National Coordinator of Nouvel Perspective International, a UN-accredited election observation organisation, stated this in Awka in an interview with newsmen after the election result was announced.

With the positive and progress-affirming reports and assessments of credible independent electoral process and the confidence building election management by INEC under Prof. Amupitan, Nigeria may have finally turned the corner and put behind her incidents of electoral heist, irregularities, rigging, and manipulation of election results. Nigeria may have entered a new electoral era of due process, better organisation and coordination of polling activities, and a regime of an unbiased umpire..

That is not all. A credible poll is a recipe, if not the foundation of good governance. When polls are credible, elected officials will no longer use quality time and public resources to defend their mandates in the courts. INEC under Amupitan is set to see Nigeria through to that desirable era.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu never fails to deconstruct power by exposing its banality. He never fails to show the ordinariness of power through his actions, whether on the streets or in the way he relates to his subordinates.

Indeed, he has done that many times in the course of his public service through actions that belittle power, that stubborn, headstrong taskmaster who prefers to be served rather serve, that egocentric overlord, that over-bloated, power-drunk ‘oga-at-the-top (to use Nigerian pidgin parlance) who prefers to be worshipped rather than serve.

Power, of course, often announces itself with distance. It prefers the high table to the crowded floor, the spotlight to the shared moment. It is more accustomed to being photographed than to holding the camera.

But on the evening of July 20, 2026, at the grand ballroom of Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu quietly reversed that script. He became a photographer.

It lasted only a few moments. Yet the governor unknowingly captured more than smiling faces gathered on a stage. He captured a philosophy of leadership: service -especially the one espoused by John C. Maxwell when he said: ‘The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves.’

Standing before a crowd of photographers, artists, public officials, family members and friends during the public presentation of Sanwo-Olu Against the Odds: A Photo Story of Resilience in the Face of Adversity, a coffee-table book by renowned photographer Ademola Olaniran, Sanwo-Olu accepted a professional camera, raised it with surprising ease, focused on Olaniran and his colleagues who had assembled on stage, and pressed the shutter.

The photographers became the photographed.The governor became the image-maker. The symbolism was impossible to miss.

Some people might dismiss it as just a show, as the governor playing to the gallery and paying back his photographer in his own coin for all his years of service and obeisance.. Some might dismiss that singular gesture as the governor cashing in on the opportunity to not just steal the moment but the show and also to ‘cash out’ by gaining social capital from it.

But it is more than that. Power doesn’t genuflect. It hardly concedes defeat. It hardly pretends to be what it is not. For a man whose public life has been documented through countless lenses, there was something deeply human about his willingness to step behind the camera and celebrate those who usually remain behind it.

It was a simple gesture, almost playful, but it reflected the traits many Lagosians have come to associate with him: humility, accessibility and an instinctive appreciation for the contributions of others.

Leadership, after all, is not always measured by grand speeches or monumental projects. Sometimes, it reveals itself in the smallest acts. That photograph was one such act.

It was an acknowledgment that history is not written by leaders alone. It is also preserved by those who patiently document every handshake, every inauguration, every crisis, every triumph and every ordinary day that eventually becomes extraordinary.

For one brief moment, Sanwo-Olu crossed that invisible line separating the subject from the storyteller. It was a role reversal filled with quiet grace. Those who have followed his political journey would hardly find the gesture surprising. Humility has remained one of the defining features of Sanwo-Olu’s public persona.

Since assuming office as governor in 2019, he has cultivated the image of a leader more comfortable among people than above them. Whether walking through flooded neighbourhoods after heavy rains, visiting markets without excessive ceremony, riding public transportation to inspect ongoing reforms, or engaging directly with victims of disasters, he has consistently projected the image of a governor who prefers proximity to aloofness.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Lagos became Nigeria’s epicentre of the crisis, Sanwo-Olu’s daily briefings became less about officialdom than reassurance. Rather than govern from behind closed doors, he spoke directly to residents, explaining difficult decisions, calming anxieties and sharing the burdens of uncertainty.

He understood that leadership, especially in moments of crisis, is not merely about issuing directives. It is also about being visibly present.

That same disposition has often manifested in quieter moments. Staff members and political associates frequently recount a governor who remembers names, acknowledges junior officers and treats protocol as a necessity rather than a barrier. Such stories rarely make newspaper headlines, yet they often shape public perception more profoundly than political rhetoric.

His decision to launch Olaniran’s book was itself an affirmation of creative labour. Photography has long occupied a paradoxical space in public life. Every great political moment is remembered through photographs, yet photographers themselves often remain anonymous, hidden behind the cameras that immortalise everyone else.

On that evening, Sanwo-Olu turned the spotlight around. He celebrated the storytellers. He recognised that history belongs not only to those who make it but also to those who preserve it.

Perhaps that explains why laughter filled the hall as he carefully aimed the camera at Olaniran and his colleagues. The governor appeared genuinely delighted by the experience, while the photographers responded with raised hands, broad smiles and playful poses.

It was less a ceremonial exercise than a shared human moment. The irony was delicious. The man whose resilience had inspired an entire photo book suddenly found himself learning, however briefly, the craft of the man who had chronicled his journey through years of political storms, public scrutiny and personal resolve.

For a fleeting instant, the governor stepped into the shoes of the artist.

And perhaps he came away with a deeper appreciation of the patience behind every memorable photograph.

Photography demands timing, perspective and empathy. So does leadership. Both require seeing what others overlook. Both depend on understanding that every face has a story.

As guests applauded and cameras flashed across the ballroom, Sanwo-Olu’s impromptu lesson in photography became more than a delightful interlude in an otherwise formal event. It became a metaphor.

A reminder that leadership is strongest when it remains grounded enough to exchange roles, honour others and celebrate those whose work often unfolds outside public applause.

The photograph he took may never win an international photography award. That was never the point. Its greatest value lies in what it represented: a governor willing to step down from the pedestal, stand behind the lens and allow others to occupy centre stage.

In an age when power too often seeks to be seen, Sanwo-Olu chose, if only for a few minutes, to see. Sometimes, that is the finest picture a leader can take.