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AN OPEN MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR
AN OPEN MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR
Mr. President,
History often remembers leaders not merely for the victories they record, but for the decisions they make when justice, fairness, political wisdom, and democratic principles stand before them.
Today, we write as concerned members of Anioma Conscience Group with deep respect for your office and your leadership, but also with profound concern regarding the future of Delta North and the political direction of our great party in the senatorial contest ahead.
Delta North stands at a defining moment. This is not merely about personalities. It is about democracy, equity, credibility, representation, performance, and political survival.
Mr. President, democracy derives its legitimacy from the will of the people. When party members participate in a political process, they do so with the expectation that their voices will matter and that their collective choice will be respected.
Many stakeholders across Delta North maintain that Senator Ned Nwoko secured overwhelming support during the primary process. Supporters and party faithful point to figures circulated during and after the exercise indicating that Senator Ned Nwoko received approximately 123,000 votes, while Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa received approximately 6,000 votes. To many supporters, these figures represent a remarkable margin and a clear expression of grassroots preference.
To ignore such a mandate would create the unfortunate perception that political outcomes can be determined irrespective of the wishes of party members. Such a perception risks weakening confidence in the APC, discouraging grassroots participation, and creating avoidable divisions within our party.
Mr. President, fairness matters. Rewarding loyalty, performance, grassroots acceptance, and popular support strengthens institutions. Ignoring these principles weakens them.
The concerns being expressed by party members are not based solely on electoral numbers. They are also rooted in performance, visibility, accessibility, and tangible service delivery.
In a relatively short period in the Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko has facilitated and attracted an unprecedented number of constituency projects and development initiatives across the nine local government areas of Delta North. These projects cut across education, healthcare, agriculture, youth and women empowerment, roads, water supply, electricity, security infrastructure, sports development, and community development.
Among these achievements are:
Construction and renovation of classroom blocks in schools across Delta North;
Establishment of ICT centres and provision of computers and laptops for students;
Renovation and equipping of medical facilities, including the Idumuje-Ugboko Medical Centre and primary healthcare centres across the district;
Medical outreach programmes serving communities across all nine local government areas;
Training and empowerment programmes for women, youths, farmers, market traders, livestock producers, and cassava farmers;
Procurement of tractors, farm implements, fertilizers, and agricultural infrastructure;
Installation of transformers and solar-powered street lights across numerous communities;
Construction of roads, drainage systems, water projects, and irrigation schemes;
Development of boreholes and regional water supply projects;
Construction and renovation of security infrastructure, including police facilities;
Establishment of sports facilities and youth development centres;
Facilitation of major regional infrastructure projects, including the proposed Coastal Road linking numerous communities across Delta North.
These interventions have touched virtually every local government area within Delta North and have significantly enhanced the visibility and credibility of the APC at the grassroots level. They are not campaign promises. They are measurable interventions already completed, ongoing, or captured in federal budgets for execution.
Beyond constituency projects, Senator Ned Nwoko has become one of the most visible advocates for the long-sought creation of Anioma State. For decades, generations of Anioma leaders fought for justice, recognition, and equity. Today, many Anioma people regard Senator Ned Nwoko as one of the leading voices advancing that historic aspiration at the national level.
His advocacy has extended beyond the creation of Anioma State to include:
Advancement of the Okpai Power Project and associated power infrastructure;
Promotion of the Ogwashi-Uku Dam Project;
Advocacy for the Asaba–Oko–Okpai Road Corridor;
Environmental protection measures and flood mitigation initiatives;
Economic development and investment opportunities for Delta North and the wider region.
Mr. President, there is also growing concern among party members regarding the concentration of political opportunities within a narrow circle of individuals and interests. Democracy flourishes when opportunities are broadened, when leadership emerges through merit and popular support, and when citizens believe that their participation has value.
Many supporters fear that denying a candidate who enjoys overwhelming grassroots support would send a troubling message that political engineering can supersede democratic choice.
The APC stands today at a critical crossroads. The party needs candidates who can energize voters, unify stakeholders, attract new supporters, and strengthen the party’s electoral prospects in Delta State.
This election cycle demands political wisdom. It demands fairness. It demands respect for democratic participation.
Anioma people believe in justice.
Anioma people believe in inclusion.
Anioma people believe in rewarding performance.
Anioma people believe that those who enjoy overwhelming grassroots support should not be displaced through political manipulation or administrative engineering.
Mr. President, this is not merely a political request.
It is an appeal for fairness.
It is an appeal for democratic integrity.
It is an appeal for party unity.
It is an appeal for justice.
Most importantly, it is an appeal for respect for the voice of Delta North.
History is watching.
The people of Delta North are watching.
And history will remember the choices made at this defining moment.
Respectfully submitted,
Professor David Echefune
For and on behalf of Anioma Conscience Group
The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed that five persons, including a soldier and a local hunter, died during a violent attack in Magbon Etido, Mowe, in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the incident was an “isolated criminal attack” and not a bandit operation as speculated in some quarters.
According to the command, the attackers struck the community, killing a soldier who was on security duty and injuring another military personnel, who is currently receiving treatment.
The assailants also abducted four residents during the raid. Babaseyi said police operatives, working alongside the military and other security agencies, immediately launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.
He added that one of the abducted victims was rescued alive, while the remains of the other three were later recovered during the operation.
During the subsequent bush-combing exercise, a local hunter assisting security operatives was reportedly killed in an encounter with the fleeing suspects.
“The Command extends its condolences to his family,” the statement said, while assuring that efforts were ongoing to track down the perpetrators and prevent further attacks.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Prof. Tukur Mohammed-Baba, has said President Bola Tinubu has lost considerable political goodwill in Northern Nigeria since the 2023 general election, citing worsening economic conditions and insecurity.
Mohammed-Baba made the remarks during an interview on PrimeTime on Arise Television on Monday, where he criticised the country’s political leadership and expressed disappointment over the lack of clear policy direction from major political actors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, the North has become increasingly disillusioned with the political class, which he accused of prioritising personal ambitions over the welfare of citizens.
“I have not seen a party that articulates a clear policy ambition or an ideological standard. The average northern voter is disillusioned and has been for a long time,” he said.
“We have tried all kinds of permutations—northern candidates, Muslim-Muslim tickets, and so on. It seems to the average northerner that all this politics is about personalities and personal interests. It is not about people.”
Assessing Tinubu’s administration, Mohammed-Baba said the impact of government policies had been difficult for many Nigerians.
“The impact of his policies on the economy and especially on individual lives has been highly disappointing, if not disturbing,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the security situation across parts of the country, arguing that the government’s response had fallen short of expectations.
“Furthermore, the insecurity thing, no matter what the government says, is getting worse,” he said, noting that discussions around the deployment of forest guards had come only after renewed attacks in parts of the country.
Mohammed-Baba warned that communities increasingly resorting to self-help in the face of insecurity posed a threat to the authority of the state.
“We are gradually normalising self-help—that unless you do something, the government will not be there to protect you. That undermines the essence of the role of the state,” he stated.
The ACF spokesman also criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, describing him as a “recurring decimal” in Nigeria’s presidential politics.
“I don’t see anything from him that presents an alternative apart from saying this government has failed,” Mohammed-Baba said. “Where is the beef?”
On Peter Obi, he argued that the former Anambra State governor had failed to sustain whatever political goodwill he enjoyed in the North before the 2023 elections.
“He has moved to two or three parties. The question we ask is: what does he want?” he said.
Mohammed-Baba further criticised Obi’s running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over comments he said appeared to compare himself with revered northern figures such as Ahmadu Bello and Aminu Kano.
“In the North, that is very irreverent. It would be highly delusional for him to go that far and say he presents an alternative,” he said.
“An alternative in terms of what? Has he articulated anything on the economy, security, or infrastructure? When you keep talking about things in abstract terms that run counter-intuitive to what the people have held on to, you will run into trouble.”
Asked to identify a potential presidential aspirant capable of winning northern support ahead of 2027, Mohammed-Baba declined to endorse anyone.
“We are waiting to see,” he said.
He also cautioned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against complacency, warning that attempts to weaken opposition parties through defections and legal battles could backfire.
“Nothing fails like success. Be very careful, because sometimes complacency can spring surprises,” he said.
Mohammed-Baba rejected suggestions that the North remained a unified voting bloc capable of determining election outcomes on its own.
“No one region can determine on its own the outcome of a presidential election, and the North has never been able to do so alone, outside of military rule,” he said.
With rising fuel prices, increasing numbers of out-of-school children and persistent attacks by bandits in parts of the North-West, Mohammed-Baba maintained that Nigerians were searching for leaders with practical solutions to the country’s challenges.
“Is there anybody offering an alternative now?” he asked. “I don’t see anything.”
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