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Kukah And The Vice Presidential Story

Published

9 months ago

January 19, 2026

By Simon Reef Musa

According to a news story published by a national newspaper, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah was one of the names being tipped to replace vice president Kashim Shettima as running mate to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
This story fits into the barrage of misinformation devoted to swinging the political pendulum, ahead of next year’s general elections. Any storyteller can come out with a better narration insinuating such a fabrication.

The allegation that all is not well between Tinubu and his deputy gained credence when an appointee of the presidency, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, resigned in April 2025 and said his resignation was principally influenced by the lack of resolve by the Tinubu-led administration to tackle insecurity and poverty. The relationship between insecurity and poverty is intertwined. As long as insecurity festers, so long will the dream of emancipating citizens from the claws of deprivation remain forlorn and unrealisable.

The Drumbeats Begin

With the drumbeats of the general elections becoming louder, those plotting to wrest power from the incumbent are exploring all avenues to defeat Tinubu. Following the US President Donald Trump’s tweet late last year that degenerated into a pro-Christian and pro-Muslim genocide group, the discourse assumed a feverish religious undertone. In the face of a debate that had turned into a conversational warfare, both camps became a tool in widening the religious gulf and portraying the cross and the crescent moon with a star in a combat.
Contrary to the erroneous assumption that Christianity and Islam are at war, the deployment of politics to gain ascendancy has always been an established rule among members of the ruling elite, with democracy practised devoid of the people’s participation. Taking advantage of turning poverty into an effective weapon, ethnicity and religious sentiments are now the albatross of the ballot system of government.
The 2023 general elections proved an eye-opener as they uncovered the underbelly of religious and ethnic sentiments taken too far. Against the old practice where both faiths had informally agreed to some sharing of position in maintaining religious relevance, the APC in 2022 adopted a Muslim-Muslim ticket. While former Governor Nasir Ahmed el-Rufai of Kaduna State revealed that the real reason behind the same faith ticket was to put non-Muslims in their true position as political underdogs, he vowed that by the time the same faith ticket was put into practice for many years, non-Muslims would realise that the same faith ticket is for justice and not injustice.

The Kukah Position

In its third year of being in power, the same faith ticket of Tinubu and Shettima has clearly shown that it can and has worked for both faiths. Comparing the previous administration, led by a pious Muslim, General Muhammadu Buhari, and a pastor of Redeemed Church, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, with the present administration amounts to comparing apples and oranges in delivering equity. The incumbent may not have shown an adequate commitment to resolving the intractable problems of the country, but it has shown an unparalleled devotion to tackling challenges confronting Nigeria.

Kukah is a metaphor for negotiating many curves by Nigeria in its many years of being trapped in the mud. More than any cleric, Kukah has left no one in doubt that he is a committed humanist for both faiths. Sometimes his views may be unfathomable to many, but to some, he remains a roadmap to a prosperous future devoid of disunity.

The unique trait of Bishop Kukah is his interest in finding solutions through intellectual debates to our national woes, without throwing his hat in the ring for a contest. Though not an active political participant, he is a friend to many across the political and religious divide. He still sees the problem in religious colouration but a deeper manipulation of the twin factors of ethnicity mixed in religion.

Identifying Kukah as a potential running mate to Tinubu in 2027 is a reporter’s infertile figment that is devoid of any sense of the cleric’s footprints. The Catholic Bishop has not only chosen the path of serving God, but also, he has chosen the path of intellectualism in providing solutions to the myriad of challenges plaguing his nation of birth.

As a public intellectual for the common good, Bishop Kukah dreams of a country where all can walk through the door and be assessed based on their competence and not religion or ethnicity. Linking Kukah’s intellectualism into a political dream could turn into a strategy to deepen the religious debate over Christian-Muslim sharing power that has left ethnic minorities politically disadvantaged.

Shooting Down Same Faith Ticket

There is no doubt that under a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Christians have been visited with justice and equity. The ministerial rejection of el-Rufai as a ministerial nominee has endorsed the assertion that politicians are always in love with their personal interests. With his dream of being a minister rendered futile, the former governor has become a bull in a China shop in undoing what he helped to bring about in 2023.

Unfortunately, those who were accused by el-Rufai of being religious bigots in supporting Peter Obi in 2023, are yet to re-align themselves to realities. A former governor told me in 2014 that, when politicians resort to religious sentiments, the real intention is to confuse the polity and give a stamp of acceptability to their personal ambition.

Even when the presidency is under the same faith ticket, some Muslim groups have accused Tinubu of favouring Christians, as shown in a report where over 60 per cent of appointments have been given to non-Muslims.

Those riding on the wings of Trump Christians’ killing tweet are now calling for a reversal of the same ticket for political equity for both faiths. Shooting down the Muslim-Muslim ticket cannot be an answer to the religious divide ripping across the Nigerian polity. The US cannot decide what is good for us as a nation. When voters outsource the exercise of power in a democracy to the ruling elite, the hope for transparent governance will always be incinerated by the greed of politicians who deploy ethnicity and religion for their own selfish ends.

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Alao-Akala’s Widow Urges Full Implementation Of LG Autonomy

Published

16 hours ago

October 7, 2026

Our Reporter

Drums support for Tinubu, APC candidates

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Chairperson of the Akala Transformation Movement (ATM) and former First Lady of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Oluwakemi Alao-Akala, has called for the full implementation of local government autonomy, saying it will bring governance closer to Nigerians and accelerate development at the grassroots.

Alao-Akala made the call during an ATM outreach held at Equilibrium Resorts, Ojongbodu, Oyo West Local Government Area of Oyo State, where she also urged Nigerians, particularly women, to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu and participate actively in the democratic process.

She said the effective functioning of local governments was crucial because they remained the closest tier of government to the people.

“One important thing I am preaching now is local government autonomy. Obviously, we are going to have our local governments properly elected. They are going to be funded, and they are the closest to the people,” she said.

The former First Lady urged Nigerians to understand and assess the impact of government policies before making political decisions, stressing that the coming years should be devoted to consolidating ongoing reforms and ensuring that their benefits reach ordinary citizens.

She also called on women to remain actively involved in governance and continue supporting leaders through their votes and prayers.

According to her, voting remained a major responsibility of citizens because it determines the quality and direction of leadership at all levels.

Alao-Akala further urged ATM members and supporters to work for the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and support its candidates in state and national elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

She clarified that ATM was a movement and not a political party, adding that its activities were aimed at mobilising support for the APC and its candidates.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of ATM, Mr Demola Alao-Akala, said the movement would continue to preserve and promote the legacy of his late father, former Oyo State Governor, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala.

He said the essence of the movement was not merely to remember the late governor but to sustain the values and principles he stood for, particularly people-oriented governance and the welfare of ordinary citizens.

“The concept of remembrance of our father is about making sure that his legacy survives. When he left, he left us a pattern, and we strongly believe that the legacy he left behind can be used to propagate his ideas and keep his memory alive,” he said.

The ATM DG said members of the movement were determined to build on the ideals of service and good governance associated with the late governor.

“We believe strongly that if we are alive, we are going to go back to our lives and continue in the spirit that he showed. We are moving forward, and I think we are supposed to continue,” he added.

Alao-Akala said the late governor’s political philosophy placed the welfare of the people at the centre of governance, noting that democracy should ultimately be judged by its positive impact on citizens.

He assured ATM members that the movement would remain committed to promoting the late governor’s ideals while mobilising support for programmes and candidates it believes can improve the lives of Nigerians.

“We are going forward,” he declared.

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Bank Cannot Freeze Customer’s Account Without Valid Court Order — Zarewa

Published

1 day ago

October 7, 2026

Our Reporter

A legal practitioner, Mr M. D. Zarewa, has said that a bank cannot freeze or restrict a customer’s account without a valid court order.
Zarewa said it was prevalent in the society for law enforcement agencies to give directives to banks to freeze customers’ accounts whenever there was a pending case before them, adding that banks often complied with such directives.
He, however, said such practice was alien to Nigeria’s jurisprudence, stressing that banks were enjoined not to interfere with or restrict the activities of any customer’s account without a valid court order.
According to him, it is trite law and settled beyond argument that a bank cannot freeze a customer’s account without a valid court order.
He said the position was entrenched in the case of GTB Plc v. Olachi & Anor (2025) LPELR-81833(CA), where the Court of Appeal held that “whether frozen or restricted, neither can be done without the valid order of a Court of Law.”
Zarewa further cited GTBank v. Adedamola (2019) 5 NWLR (Pt. 1664) 30 at 43, Paras. E-F, where the court held:
“Before freezing customer’s account or placing any form of restraint on any account, the bank must be satisfied that there is an Order of Court.
“By the provisions of Section 34 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has no power to give direct instructions to banks to freeze the account of a customer without an Order of Court. So doing, constitutes a flagrant disregard and violation of the rights of a customer.”
The lawyer said any customer whose account had been frozen or restricted without a valid court order could institute a suit against the bank for grossly violating his or her rights.
He said such a customer could particularly seek redress for the violation of the right to own movable and immovable property and seek compensation from the court.
Furthermore, Zarewa said the law was trite that where there was a wrong, there was a remedy, as captured in the Latin maxim, Ubi jus ibi remedium.

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Gov AbdulRazaq Inaugurates 464-Unit Housing Estate In Kwara

Published

1 day ago

October 7, 2026

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

‌‌‌‍‍‍⁠⁠‍⁠⁠Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has inaugurated the ‘AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq Morire Housing Estate’ in Ijagbo, Oyun Local Government Area of the State.

Speaking at the groundbreaking of the housing estates, which included 210 units of two-bedroom terrace apartments, 200 units of three-bedroom units and 54 units of four-bedroom terrace duplexes, the
Governor, noted that housing should not be seen or regarded as a luxury, but rather as a fundamental human requirement and cornerstone of dignity, security, and family stability, lamenting the daunting challenge of addressing housing deficits across the country.

He said: “Dear Kwarans, housing is not a luxury. Basic housing is a
fundamental human need and a cornerstone of dignity, security,
and family stability. Yet, across Nigeria and indeed in Kwara State,
the challenge of addressing housing deficit is daunting.

“This administration believes that inadequacy of proper shelter
for Nigerians is not merely a problem of not building enough
houses. Indeed, several studies have attributed the housing deficit in Nigeria to a complex mix of causes, key among them being high costs and rising costs of building materials, weak finance, difficult land systems, infrastructure gaps, institutional limitations, among others.

“On behalf of the people of Kwara, I thank the management of ISHI
Homes Limited for this partnership and for choosing Kwara State
as the location for this important development.”

Represented by the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr Segun Ogunsola, the Governor applauded the developer for recognising his administration’s contributions to mass housing development in the State.

“The administration has consistently placed housing development high on its agenda. The government recognises access to decent and affordable housing as essential to the wellbeing of the people.

“The State Government has also been in active collaboration with
institutional partners including the Federal Ministry of Housing
with a view to increasing housing stock in the State.

“Recently, we acquired a housing estate with over 130 flats at
Ogbondoroko in Asa LGA of the State. Government has approved
that the estate be onboarded onto the administration’s social
support scheme,” he disclosed.

AbdulRazaq said the commitment was reflected in the development of the Kwara Smart City and other mass housing initiatives across the State.

The Governor disclosed that his reforms in land administration have reduced the processing time for Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from 180 days to 35 days.

AbdulRazaq said the improved turnaround time demonstrated the administration’s commitment to making land administration more transparent, efficient and investor-friendly.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ISHI Homes, Dr Olayinka Ilufoye, said the project was intended to democratise home ownership and make decent and affordable housing accessible to the people of Kwara South senatorial district.

Ilufoye said the estate was meant for civil servants, traders and other Nigerians who can access it through the National Housing Fund (NHF).

“The name AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq Morire, which translates to ‘I have seen goodness’, is a deliberate expression of our faith, hope and expectation.

“We believe this estate will become a testimony of prosperity, progress and abundance in Kwara South,” he said.

Ilufoye pledged that the company would remain committed to transparency, accountability, quality construction and timely delivery.

The Executive Chairman of the Kwara State Geographic Information Service (KWGIS), Alhaji Sulyman Abdulkareem said the state government has consistently placed housing development high on its development agenda.

He commended the state government for ensuring access to land, facilitating the prompt issuance of titles and certificate of occupancy.

Abdulkareem pointed out that by providing timely approval for mortgage transactions, the Governor is creating the conditions necessary for housing development to thrive in Kwara State.