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The Directorate of Mobilisation and Integration (DMI) has begun consultations with political and institutional stakeholders on potential alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The move followed a national strategy meeting of the organisation, at which its leadership and coordinators reviewed the lingering leadership crisis in the Labour Party, ongoing court cases, and the organisation’s political strategy ahead of the elections.

The virtual meeting, titled ‘DMI Updates, State of the Nation and Strategies for 2027,’ drew more than 150 state coordinators from across the 36 states, with another 55 participants joining via the organisation’s WhatsApp platform.

The meeting was presided over by the DMI Director-General, Marcel Ngogbehei, a pioneer organiser of the Obidient Movement and former chairman of the Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO).

In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the DMI said it had mandated Ngogbehei and its leadership team to explore new political and institutional partnerships ahead of 2027.

The organisation, however, said the move did not amount to a declaration of a new political alliance.

It said it would maintain its strategic relationship with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party, led by Julius Abure, while also engaging other political parties and institutions on possible areas of cooperation.

The DMI said the consultations were necessary because of changing political circumstances and the need to protect the interests of its members, coordinators and volunteers.

It said, ‘The proposed consultations are intended to identify possible areas of cooperation in response to changing political circumstances and the interests of DMI members and volunteers.’

The organisation also clarified its relationship with the Labour Party, saying it remained a strategic partnership and not an organisational merger.

According to the DMI, Abure facilitated the relationship, which evolved from cooperation between the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement ahead of the 2023 general elections.

It recalled that the process began in 2022, when Ngogbehei chaired the Coalition for Peter Obi, and culminated in the Labour Party/CPO Leadership Summit held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on August 11, 2022.

The summit was attended by Peter Obi, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the late Doyin Okupe, Abure, Labour Party candidates, campaign officials and support groups.

The DMI said the engagement provided a platform for cooperation between the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement ahead of the 2023 elections.

It, however, stressed that its membership, structures, and mission remained independent of the Labour Party’s internal affairs.

The meeting also reviewed the protracted leadership crisis in the Labour Party involving Abure, Senator Nenadi Usman, Peter Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.

The participants examined disagreements over party leadership, internal processes and zoning, as well as the possible effect of the dispute on grassroots members and volunteers who supported the party during the 2023 elections.

The DMI said the prolonged crisis had created uncertainty around a political platform into which many Nigerians had invested their time, resources and expectations.

The organisation also discussed Obi’ s subsequent move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), particularly the zoning arguments that featured prominently during the Labour Party crisis.

It questioned how the zoning arguments advanced during the Labour Party dispute should be assessed against the political arrangement that subsequently emerged within the NDC.

The DMI said the issue required further discussion, particularly regarding the consistency and application of zoning principles.

On the ongoing litigation over the Labour Party leadership, the DMI identified three possible outcomes.

It said the Supreme Court could restore Abure to the party leadership, affirm Usman’ s leadership, or determine the limits of judicial intervention in internal party affairs, leaving outstanding issues to party processes or further proceedings before the appropriate courts.

The organisation said any of the scenarios could affect party administration, competing structures, candidate nominations, and preparations for the 2027 elections.

It said continued uncertainty could affect the party’ s preparations for the elections.

The DMI, however, resolved to maintain its organisational structures while the legal process runs its course.

It said it would prepare for different lawful outcomes while respecting binding court decisions and applicable electoral laws.

The DMI also presented an update on its nationwide organisational structure.

It said it currently had more than 500 state and Federal Capital Territory coordinators, as well as over 11, 000 coordinators across the country’ s 774 Local Government Areas.

According to the organisation, each coordinator has been tasked with recruiting at least 10 core operational team members.

It said the framework could produce a nationwide mobilisation and recruitment network of approximately 120, 120,000 coordinators and core team members, although verification of the expanded structure was still ongoing.

The DMI said the network was built through the contributions of citizens and volunteers and should therefore remain a citizen- participation resource rather than become the property of any political party, faction or individual.

It said the contributions of its coordinators and volunteers would remain central to decisions concerning its future direction.

The organisation also acknowledged Abure’s support, describing him as a chairman who had remained committed to the Labour Party project despite the internal challenges facing the party.

The DMI said the Labour Party crisis reinforced the need to build citizen-led institutions capable of sustaining their missions even when political parties or individual leaders change direction.

It said its mission remained broader than any single political partnership, pledged to preserve its nationwide structure, promote citizen participation in governance, and ensure that the efforts of its coordinators and volunteers continued to serve the public interest.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has called on the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to honour his pledge and withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, following recent financial disclosures from the Anambra State Government regarding his tenure as governor.

In a statement on Monday by the council’s spokesman, Dele Alake, the APC PCC stated that official figures released by the state government have dismantled Obi’s long-standing claims of fiscal prudence and a debt-free administration.

According to the APC campaign, records from the Anambra State Government reveal that Obi spent approximately $4.05 billion (N5.4 trillion) during his eight-year tenure and contracted $123.77 million in external loans across eight different credit facilities.

‘The facade of falsehood built around Peter Obi… has now been torn to shreds, with Obi’s persona deconstructed after disclosures by the Anambra State Government, which responded to Obi’s challenge to verify his record,’ Alake stated.

The council noted that as of Obi’s departure from office on March 17, 2014, the external borrowings-tied to projects in erosion control, healthcare, malaria eradication, and education-remained active, requiring servicing by subsequent administrations, including that of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

‘Borrowing is not injudicious if used for development,’ Alake noted. ‘But for a man who prides himself on being austere and has frequently claimed he left the state with a clean bill of health, the revelations confirmed what has long been held: Obi is an irredeemable liar, a mediocre governor, unfit for leadership anywhere.’

The campaign council further alleged that despite the expenditure and loan facilities, Obi’s administration failed to meet basic obligations, including civil service wage payments.

Citing an internal memorandum dated April 25, 2006, from Obi’s former Chief of Staff, Chuks Ileogbunam, the APC PCC highlighted appeals made to the former governor regarding unpaid staff at the state’s Water Corporation.

Quoting the 2006 memorandum directly, Alake cited Ileogbunam’s plea to the then-governor: ‘Since it is your excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership… I am 200 per cent sure that you will hearken to the cries of the children whose parents work for the Water Corporation and end their ordeal.’

The APC council asserted that Obi had previously committed to stepping down during his governorship if salary arrears occurred, a promise they claim was repeatedly breached.

‘Just as Obi promised to quit the presidential race if it was proven that he left a debt burden for Anambra State, the letter revealed that Obi had similarly promised Anambra people during his campaign that he would resign as governor ‘if there is any case where workers are not paid as and when due,” the statement read, adding that successor administrations were left to clear accumulated liabilities.

Advising the former governor to ‘purge himself of his lies and seek the forgiveness of the Anambra people,’ the APC PCC concluded that Obi’s moral standing in the upcoming election cycle has been compromised.

‘Indeed, if Peter Obi has any honour, he must resign from the 2027 presidential race forthwith, in keeping with his promise to end his run if it is proven that his administration left behind liabilities in Anambra,’ Alake concluded.

The Nigeria Police Force has concluded threat analyses of every local government area and states to contain armed crimes and pre-election violence ahead of next year’s poll, the Inspector General (IGP) Olatunji Disu, said on Tuesday.

Disu spoke on the sidelines of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO) 2026, where security performances in previous elections were reviewed to identify gaps ahead of 2027.

He said training for police officers and other organisations involved in election security would begin after the workshop.

‘We are prepared for the election because we have done our pre-training, our plans as usual, and so far so good. We are good to go for the election,’ he said.

He also spoke on police deployment of Artificial intelligence (AI), saying officers in its cybercrime unit were being trained to counter misinformation, identify deepfakes and other internet-enabled crimes ahead of the election.

He said the service was alert to attempts by bad actors to deploy deliberate misinformation and manipulated images or videos to sway the outcome of the coming election, but expressed confidence that the police cybercrime section was prepared to respond.

‘The cybercrime section of the Nigeria Police Force has been updated. Our officers have been trained to handle this issue, so we are not bothered so much about it,’ he said, adding that the priority would be deploying personnel to verify claims quickly and give the public accurate information as misinformation emerged.

He disclosed that three rounds of training had already been conducted for middle-cadre and junior police officers, the ranks most likely to encounter AI-related offences in the field, and that a ‘sizable number’ of officers were currently undergoing further training on artificial intelligence outside the country.

‘By the time they come back, we’ll see changes in the operations of the Nigeria Police Force,’ Disu said.

The IGP also vowed to end impunity and alleged checkpoint extortion, saying teams had already been deployed covertly in response to the allegations by farmers and truckers that extortions from too many security checkpoints were majorly responsible for rising cost of foodstuffs.

According to Disu, statistics from the Police CRU has shown a reduction in public complaints against officers, assuring of the force’s commitment to deal with anyone found wanting.

He urged the masses to route their complaints through the CRU’s contact numbers had recently been circulated.

‘Whenever you complain, we act on it. Anybody arrested, police officers arrested to be doing what they are not supposed to do are punished accordingly,’ he said.

On accusations that senior police officers were shielded from accountability, Disu insisted that impunity applied equally to officers and members of the public. He cited an incident three days before the interview in which a driver in Abuja ran a red light, struck officers with his vehicle while attempting to flee, and assaulted them after being stopped.

The man was arrested and arraigned in court the following day, and remanded in custody, he said.

‘When we talk [about an] end to impunity, it has to do with law enforcement officers, police officers, and to every citizen in the country. Let us obey the law, let us be law abiding…’ he said.

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has dismissed reports of an ongoing war between All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, over the emergence of a ‘Rainbow Coalition’ backing President Bola Tinubu.

?Speaking live from New York on a TVC programme monitored by our correspondent on Tuesday, Governor Sule clarified that the APC Governors’ Forum is not seeking a confrontation with Wike or non-party allies supporting the President.

Instead, he revealed that the governors’ true grievance lies with internal APC members who engage in anti-party activities after losing primary elections, only to hide under the pretext of supporting the President to seek political appointments.

?’The discussion at our meeting was not to fight the coalition, but actually to coerce and inform the coalition that that is not the right way to go,’ Sule stated.

He said; ‘We are pleading with the coalition; let them come and join us. Our focus was more on the area of those who are members of our party who are refusing to support the party locally’.

?Addressing the friction over cross-party support, Sule noted that while the APC welcomes broad political alignment for President Tinubu, party loyalty must remain paramount for registered APC members.

He pointed out that internal betrayals have played out in several states, including Kwara, Nasarawa, and Benue, where politicians lost APC primaries, fought the party at the state level, yet claimed loyalty to the President.

?’People will go, contest under APC, lose under APC, and now say, ‘Alright, we will support the President, but we will not support any other person.’ That’s the one I have a problem with,’ Sule explained.

?Contrasting these internal defections with external political figures, the Nasarawa governor cited non-APC leaders like Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo of APGA and Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party, who maintain their party identities while supporting the President on national interest.

He stressed that bringing allies like Wike fully into the fold requires persuasion and lobbying rather than public hostility.

?’We are pleading with Minister Wike: ‘You are serving in our government. Come and be part of our government. Come and be a member of the APC.’ That’s what I’m saying. You can’t draw people into your party by fighting them,’ he added.

?To de-escalate rising political tensions as the country counts down toward 2027, Governor Sule advocated for direct presidential intervention.

He suggested that President Tinubu convene a meeting with Minister Wike alongside key party leaders, including Kwara State Governor and Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, as well as Imo State Governor and Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) Chairman, Hope Uzodinma.

?’If the President calls Minister Wike and our leaders, the Governor of Kwara and the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, His Excellency Hope Uzodinma and discusses with them, he can get the true picture of what is being said,’ Sule urged.

He added; ‘It is not necessary to generate so much heat in the nation over something like this’.

Legendary Juju musician King Sunny Ade marks his 80th birthday, a milestone for a career that defined and internationalised Nigerian popular music.

Born Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye on September 22, 1946, the master guitarist, bandleader and cultural ambassador has spent over 60 years as the soundtrack to Yoruba and Nigerian high-society celebrations.

Ade revolutionised traditional Juju music in the 1970s and 80s by introducing the electric pedal steel guitar. Its weeping slide, layered over the percussive thud of the ‘gangan’ talking drum and interlocking guitars, became his signature, earning him two Grammy nominations and global recognition.

What began as a localised post-war Yoruba folk genre became an international stage spectacle, filling concert halls from Lagos to London and Seattle.

The Afrobeats blueprint

Industry historians argue that today’s Afrobeats explosion rests on foundations laid by King Sunny Ade.

In 1982, he became one of the first African acts to sign to a major Western label, Island Records, years before Nigerian pop stars began selling out arenas abroad.

His impact extended beyond sound to performance. Drawing on his background as a dancer, Ade strapped on his Fender Telecaster and introduced synchronised choreography across a 20-man band, a sharp departure from the static bandleaders of his era. That model remains visible in the large-scale live productions of Burna Boy, Davido and Wizkid today.

Musically, the multi-layered percussion arrangements that underpin contemporary Afrobeats hits were honed in Ade’s analogue sessions decades ago. His catalogue continues to be sampled by Adekunle Gold and Flavour on ‘Yoyo,’ which interpolates his 1982 classic ‘Ma Jaiye Oni,’ and by American rapper Petey Pablo on his Timbaland-produced 2001 single ‘I Told Y’all,’ which sampled ‘Syncro System’.

A catalogue of classics

Among his vast discography, four records stand out: ‘Ja Funmi’ (1982), his Island Records breakthrough, a prayer for divine protection turned dancefloor anthem; ‘Synchro System’ (1983), the Grammy-nominated title track that proved Yoruba lyrics needed no translation; ‘Ma Jaiye Oni’ (1982), the mid-tempo anthem that codified post-oil-boom luxury and enjoyment; and ‘Ariya’ (1976), an early masterpiece that became the definitive sound for Nigerian celebrations.

At 80, Ade’s longevity also prompts a wider question about the future of Juju music.

Unlike Afrobeats’ three-minute, digitally produced, streaming-driven model, classic Juju demands large orchestras, extended improvisations and deep mastery of Yoruba praise poetry, a costly proposition in today’s industry.

With peers like Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey long retired from secular music, no younger artist has built a mainstream career on traditional Juju at Ade’s scale. Most have pivoted to hybrid electronic fusions.

Whether a successor emerges or the genre evolves into new forms, Ade’s influence is undisputed. For over half a century, he has remained Nigeria’s Juju King, and his music is timeless.

The Federal Government has begun a major tightening of Nigeria’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs), warning operators against diverting goods into the domestic market, understating sales and exploiting tax incentives meant to promote exports.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, gave the warning on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting on the Special Economic Zones, declaring that the government would no longer tolerate practices that undermine the integrity of the scheme.

She specifically warned against goods diversion, mispricing of related-party transactions, understating domestic sales and disguising businesses operating in the Nigerian Customs Territory as free-zone enterprises.

‘These unsavoury practices are not victimless practices. They damage the reputation of the entire scheme and bring the entire scheme at risk, particularly under the new tax regime,’ Oduwole said.

‘Compliance is a condition precedent. The Ministry can only defend a clean scheme.’

The minister said the crackdown followed concerns that some enterprises were taking advantage of free-zone incentives to sell goods into the Nigerian market, creating what she described as an uneven competitive environment for manufacturers operating outside the zones.

According to her, manufacturers in the Customs Territory import similar inputs, employ Nigerians and pay full domestic taxes and duties, while competing with goods entering the same market from free zones on concessional terms.

She said the regulatory reforms were therefore designed to restore the original export orientation of the free-zone regime while ensuring that legitimate investors continue to enjoy lawful incentives.

Under the revised framework, Oduwole said the 75 per cent export and 25 per cent domestic-sales structure would be given clearer effect, while goods transferred from a free zone into the Nigerian Customs Territory would be treated in accordance with applicable customs laws.

The reforms, she added, would also establish clearer institutional responsibilities.

The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) will retain responsibility for licensing and operational oversight within their respective regimes, while the Nigeria Revenue Service will handle tax administration and the Nigeria Customs Service will retain responsibility for customs control, valuation, classification and enforcement.

Despite the tougher regulatory stance, Oduwole stressed that the government remained committed to protecting legitimate investments in the zones.

She said the free-zone scheme had attracted more than $200 billion in foreign investment and over ?900 billion in domestic investment, generating more than 100,000 direct jobs and over 500,000 jobs when supply chains, logistics networks and host communities are included.

She said the government’s objective was not to weaken the zones but to make their regulatory environment clearer, more sustainable and attractive to investors.

‘Lawful incentives that support the purpose of the Zones remain critically important,’ she said.

‘We are making the framework clearer, more coherent and more sustainable so investors can plan with greater certainty and the integrity of the Scheme can be protected.’

Oduwole cited the recent commencement of production by Health Textiles Nigeria FZE at the Lagos Free Zone as evidence of the type of investment the government wants to attract.

The company, a subsidiary of Vestergaard, has begun producing WHO-prequalified dual active-ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets and is expected to produce up to 10 million nets annually, with more than 600 Nigerians expected to be employed when the facility reaches scale.

The minister also cited the Dangote Industries Free Zone, which hosts the Dangote refinery and Africa’s largest granulated urea complex, as well as the Lagos Free Zone, where the International Finance Corporation took an equity position of up to $50 million.

The government is also expanding the free-zone framework to accommodate the digital economy.

Oduwole said revised NEPZA regulations would create Digital Free Zones and Digital Special Economic Zones for the first time in Nigeria.

She said the new framework would support technology-enabled and non-physical businesses and introduce licence categories, including an Innovator Licence for enterprises operating in areas where regulatory frameworks are still developing.

The minister said the reforms followed 19 months of consultations involving government agencies, lawmakers and private-sector stakeholders.

She urged operators to submit further recommendations to the Special Economic Zones Legislative and Regulatory Reform Committee.

Oduwole said the reforms were part of efforts to reposition the zones as engines of non-oil export growth and support President Bola Tinubu’s target of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has moved to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who lost in the party’s recent primaries, assuring them that there would be room for all within the party.

Prince Abiodun, who spoke yesterday in Ijebu-Ode during a meeting with APC leaders and stakeholders in Ijebu-Ode Local Government, directed the establishment of a reconciliation committee to reach out to aggrieved members, address their concerns and give them a sense of belonging.

The governor said the reconciliation effort was critical to strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 general election, adding that those who contested and lost the primaries remained important members of the APC.

‘I want us to set up a reconciliation committee in Ijebu-Ode because I know that we have some of our members who are still angry. I want us to be aggressive about that reconciliation. Let us appeal to them. I am ready to implement the report of the reconciliation you will submit to me,’ he said.

Abiodun directed that the committee be headed by Chief Olu Okuboyejo, with former Deputy Governor Yetunde Onanuga and state commissioners serving as members.

He also directed that similar reconciliation committees be established at the ward and local government levels to ensure no aggrieved member was left out of the process.

The governor assured members that the objective was not only to reconcile those who lost in the primaries, but also to accommodate everyone who remained committed to the party.

‘We must reach out to them, give them a sense of belonging, assuage their concerns and ensure proper reconciliation. There is room for everybody,’ he said.

Abiodun said elections were about numbers, urging party leaders to bring back members who might have become aggrieved while simultaneously expanding APC’s membership base by welcoming new members from opposition parties.

‘Those who were not with us before were the ones disturbing us and making sure our votes in Ijebu-Ode are not 100 per cent. But now that they are with us, our victory is certainly 100 per cent sure. Let us welcome them,’ he said.

The governor urged party members to concentrate on issue-based campaigns, saying the APC had a record of performance at both the state and federal levels.

He said his administration had grown Ogun State’s economy to about N17 trillion, while internally generated revenue had risen to N250 billion and was projected to reach N300 billion before the end of the year.

Abiodun described the meeting as the formal commencement of his political activities ahead of the 2027 general election and appreciated the people of Ijebu-Ode for their support for the APC in the 2019 and 2023 elections.

He assured the people that his administration would continue to improve infrastructure and deliver more dividends of democracy to the area.

The Director-General of the Campaign Committee, Senator Lekan Mustapha, said Ijebu-Ode, being the headquarters of Ogun East Senatorial District, had a significant voter population that must be mobilised for the party ahead of the elections.

He noted that the local government had 161 polling units, stressing the need for effective mobilisation across all units.

The governor later held similar meetings with APC leaders and executives in Ijebu-North East and Odogbolu local government areas as part of efforts to strengthen the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended his working vacation in Europe by a few days and will return this weekend, the Presidency announced yesterday.

But African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and his party protested the extension.

The party even threatened a legal challenge to the action.

Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for an initial three-week vacation, beginning in London, United Kingdom. The original schedule would have seen the President return at the weekend.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said yesterday that the President had extended the vacation by ‘a few days’ and would return to the country at the weekend.

The Presidency said Tinubu had remained actively engaged in the affairs of the country throughout the vacation, issuing directives and maintaining communication with officials at home.

After spending about a week in London, the President travelled to Paris, France, where he held engagements with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.

Tinubu met Bolloré on Friday for talks on expanding investment in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy. The Bolloré Group’s media and digital interests include Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group.

According to the Presidency, the President has continued to direct affairs of state while abroad, including ordering an investigation into the reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners following their detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

Tinubu on Friday ordered a full and transparent investigation into the incident, insisting that enforcement of the law must not result in violations of the rights and dignity of people in government custody.

He also directed that any official found by the investigation to have contributed to the deaths through action, abuse or negligence should be prosecuted.

The Presidency said Vice President Kashim Shettima had also continued to represent Tinubu at designated official functions during the President’s absence.

Onanuga said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who has also been representing Tinubu at official events, would continue to perform such assignments.

On the political front, the statement said the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abubakar Yari, had been leading prominent party figures in consultations with traditional rulers across the country ahead of January 16, 2027 general election.

Atiku raises constitutional questions

Atiku, however, said the extension of Tinubu’s vacation raised questions beyond the President’s physical absence from Nigeria.

He argued that the Constitution does not recognise a ‘working vacation’ as a substitute for the procedure contained in Section 145.

According to him, whenever the President proceeds on vacation, he is required to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice President performs the functions of President as Acting President.

He said that where such a declaration was not transmitted within 21 days, the Constitution provides for the National Assembly, by a simple majority of each chamber, to mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of the President.

‘President Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August. The Presidency publicly announced a three-week vacation. Yet, to date, Nigerians have not been shown any constitutional letter transmitting presidential authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima,’ Atiku said.

He called on the Presidency to publish the declaration if it had been transmitted and asked the Senate President and Speaker to state whether they had received it.

Atiku said the matter was particularly important because both Tinubu and Shettima were outside Nigeria, with the Vice President in New York for the UNGA.

‘These are not ordinary times. Yet the President is abroad. The Vice President is abroad. The Senate President is abroad. And Nigerians have not been told, in the clear constitutional language required of a serious democracy, who is exercising the powers of the President,’ he said.

Atiku also linked his concerns to the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners, security challenges and high petrol prices in parts of the country.

He described the issue as one of ‘constitutional order’ rather than political convenience and asked the National Assembly to explain whether it had taken any action under Section 145(2), should no presidential declaration have been transmitted within the stipulated period.