By Augustine Akhilomen

The Presidency has taken a swipe at former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, following his recent media appearance, describing his performance during the interview as unimpressive.

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Policy Communication, criticised Obi while reacting to an interview the former Anambra State governor granted on Tuesday.

Bwala, in a post shared on his verified X account on Wednesday, questioned Obi’s ability to clearly articulate his plans for addressing some of the country’s pressing challenges.

“This is the bold vision of Peter Obi as expressed by himself on a podcast interview.

“Have you taken your time to listen to his interview on a platform of his own unofficial spokesman? Even with the leading questions the guy no fit perform,” Bwala said.

The presidential aide’s comments came shortly after Obi’s appearance on a programme hosted by broadcaster Oseni Rufai. During the discussion, Obi spoke on governance, national security, economic reforms and the country’s power sector.

One of the major talking points from the interview was Obi’s response when asked about his plans for improving electricity supply in Nigeria. The former presidential candidate declined to disclose specific details of his strategy, arguing that revealing such plans publicly was not necessary at the moment.

By Augustine Akhilomen

…Insists Opposition Parties Will Challenge Tinubu At The Polls

The National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Dan Nwanyanwu, has dismissed suggestions that the outcome of the 2027 presidential election was already predetermined, insisting that opposition parties would actively challenge the ruling party at the polls.

Nwanyanwu made this known during when he appeared live on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, where he said the opposition parties will challenge President Bola Tinubu at the polls.

“I think they want to write results. We are waiting; we’ll give them the biro and paper to write the results. We are going to be in this country; we are not going anywhere. There will be a contest in this election. It is not over,” Nwanyanwu said.

His comments come amid increasing political activity ahead of the 2027 general election, with major parties intensifying preparations and building alliances.

President Tinubu has secured the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and is expected to seek a second term in office.

Tinubu received the symbolic APC flag from the National Chairman of the party, Nentawe Yilwatda, after emerging as the presidential candidate of the party on Sunday, May 24, 2025.

Meanwhile, has cautioned Tinubu against what he described as excessive political activities by some of the President’s supporters, warning that their actions could dent the Nigerian leader’s public image ahead of the 2027 general election.

“I think President Tinubu should be very careful with some people who are claiming to be supporting him. They are going overdrive, and this overdrive is making people lose interest in him,” he said

The presidential hopeful said some of Tinubu’s supporters are affecting his re-election chances by alienating Nigerians who once backed him.

“I am not supposed to advise him because I am also interested in that seat, but it is making him very unpopular.

“Then there are people who ordinarily decided to support Tinubu because of where he took over, but now they are all gone because there are people around him,” he said.

Following the Court of Appeal’s decision to reverse the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress and four other parties on Monday, ADC National Chairman Senator David Mark stated the judiciary is on trial and warned the Federal Government against political manipulation.

Stakeholders also called for sanctions against Justice Peter Lifu for flouting a superior court order, as the ADC assures supporters they will remain on the ballot.

Political parties and stakeholders affected by the Federal High Court’s controversial deregistration order welcomed the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the judgment.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had on Tuesday ordered a stay of execution of the judgment that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister the ADC, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party, while delivering a stinging rebuke to Justice Lifu for flouting a May 22 appellate court order restraining him from delivering the ruling.

In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, a three-member panel led by Justice A. B. Mohammed condemned Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja for flouting a May 22 order that directed him to suspend proceedings before him, describing his conduct as the gravest form of judicial misconduct.

“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution,” the panel held.

The appellate court went further, invoking a Supreme Court precedent to characterise Justice Lifu’s conduct in the harshest terms.

“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is the highest form of judicial impertinence,” the panel declared, adding that the Supreme Court had previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner “is unfit for the bench as it amounts to judicial rascality.”

The court said it had a duty to assert its supervisory authority over lower courts and protect the integrity of the judicial hierarchy.

“Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This court has supervisory authority over the trial court. This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for stay of execution is hereby granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed,” the panel ruled.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Lifu, had on Monday ordered INEC to deregister the ADC, Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Peoples Party and Zenith Labour Party, ruling that the five parties failed to meet the constitutional performance thresholds under Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution, specifically, requirements related to securing at least 25 per cent of votes in certain states or winning seats in the 2023 general elections.

Earlier in Tuesday’s proceedings, INEC told the appellate court it was stunned by Justice Lifu’s decision to deliver the judgment, disclosing that the commission only learned of the ruling through media reports rather than any official notification.

INEC’s lead counsel, Mr Haliru Mohammed, told the panel that the commission had been aware of the appellate court’s May 22 order restraining the lower court from delivering the judgment, which had originally been reserved for June 5.

“We were not aware of any notice from the court regarding the delivery of the judgment. We only saw it as breaking news in the media. We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” Mohammed submitted.

The commission also aligned itself with the notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties.

Counsel to the ADC, Mr Shuaibu Aruwa, SAN, told the court that Justice Lifu communicated the judgment’s delivery to the party via WhatsApp, a disclosure that drew visible reactions from the bench.

Aruwa described the lower court’s conduct as an invitation to anarchy and urged the appellate court to invoke its disciplinary jurisdiction under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution to sanction the judge.

“The action of the trial judge calls for swift and extraordinary measures from this court. We have come to the stage where this court should press the reset button.

“We urge this court to take disciplinary steps by immediately suspending that judgment. This court has the power to protect its own integrity. We pray this court suspends the judgment immediately without further delay,” he added.

APC reacts

Reacting to the appellate court’s decision, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ruling offered a measure of hope for the judiciary’s credibility, though he was careful not to celebrate unreservedly.

“It indicates that the judiciary may still redeem itself. We are cautiously delighted but we insist that it shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” Abdullahi said in a telephone interview.

He called on the National Judicial Council to take urgent steps to rid the bench of judges whose conduct brought the institution into disrepute.

“We, therefore, hope that the judicial council will take urgent steps to purge the bench of judges who bring the judicial institution to disrepute,” he said.

The National Leader of the Action Peoples Party, Ikenga Ugochinyere, was more emphatic in his welcome of the ruling, describing it as a vindication of the party’s position from the outset and calling on the NJC to weed out what he termed controversial judges.

“There was no need to panic in the first place, and, so, this ruling is a vindication of our position from the get-go,” Ugochinyere said.

“We call on the NJC to weed out controversial justices who say one thing in the morning and another in the evening. These are the bad eggs giving the judiciary a bad name,” he added.

Ugochinyere raised broader concerns about public confidence in the justice system, warning that judicial inconsistency was eroding citizens’ respect for court pronouncements.

“Court pronouncements are supposed to be respected by citizens, particularly because they come from institutions established by law. But when people begin to hide behind technicalities, it raises concerns about the integrity of those institutions.

“How do we expect citizens to obey court judgments when many people no longer see justice as blind, but rather as something influenced by individuals and personal interests? That is the challenge before us,” the APP leader added.

He also noted that the controversy surrounding Justice Lifu’s ruling had sparked frustration across the country, with some of the anger directed at the presidency.

“This situation has generated a lot of reactions across the country. Many people are directing their frustrations at the President. Perhaps there is a need for greater clarity so that Nigerians understand exactly what is happening,” Ugochinyere said.

He nevertheless described Tuesday’s outcome as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.

“What happened today (Tuesday) is a victory, not just for democracy, but for the rule of law. We are happy because the courts have once again demonstrated their relevance in our democratic process,” he said.

Other parties speak

The Acting National Chairman of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Peter Ameh, took a philosophical approach in welcoming the ruling, invoking the words of the philosopher Edmund Burke to frame the significance of the appellate court’s intervention.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” Ameh said.

He warned that what he described as hostile executive rascality and brazen judicial overreach must not be allowed to stand.

Also, the ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar said in a statement posted on his X handle that the ruling was a positive development, noting with particular significance that INEC itself had initiated the application for the stay .

“I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgment seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay,” he wrote