• Fashola, Ambode join Sanwo-Olu as Lagos APC backs Tinubu for second term
• Wike predicts ‘political tsunami’, vows support for Tinubu loyalists
• APC blames lack of credible opposition for decline in political accountability
• NNPP warns N’Assembly against plan to shift 2027 elections to 2026
A former minister’s stark warning that Nigeria faces a dangerous breaking point due to corruption and mass suffering comes as the political establishment rallies behind President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had led key stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos yesterday to endorse President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in office.
Also, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike had boasted of an impending “political tsunami” in the country, declaring full support for Tinubu’s allies seeking elective positions.
However, ex-Minister of Power and Steel and two-time Minister of the Federal Republic, Elder Wole Oyelese, warned that Nigeria is drifting towards a dangerous breaking point as moral values collapse, corruption festers, and the suffering of the masses deepens.
Oyelese, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cautioned that without urgent and genuine intervention by President Tinubu and other political leaders, the country risks a grassroots explosion that could shake its very foundation.
In a statement, the elder statesman declared that Nigeria is “sitting on a moral volcano,” stressing that the failure of leadership to act with conscience and justice has left millions in despair.
“Each act of injustice, every looted fund, and every display of indifference to the suffering of the people adds heat to that volcano,” he said. “When leadership loses its conscience, the governed will eventually rise, not out of being unpatriotic, but because they can no longer breathe and are forced to struggle for life.”
The former minister lamented that billions of naira in stolen public funds are being written off or swept under the carpet while families continue to go to bed hungry.
“Nothing threatens a nation more than when thieves become kings and the law becomes their protector,” he said. “The several cases of senseless looting of our common patrimony and the shameless cover-ups that follow are an unforgivable assault on the soul of this nation. The time has come for President Tinubu to step on toes, no matter how large. Nigeria cannot survive on selective courage.”
Oyelese also criticised what he described as the “emperorship mentality” of some state governors who, despite huge monthly allocations, deliver little in terms of performance and shift blame to Abuja.
“Across the states, we now have public servants behaving like emperors who cannot be questioned, burying their heads in the sand like the proverbial ostrich while their exposed rump is visible to all,” he said. “The people are hungry and angry, but not foolish. Their silence must not be mistaken for consent or cowardice.”
He argued that with current federal allocations, no governor has any moral justification to shirk responsibility for citizens’ welfare or to blame the Presidency for failures at the subnational level.
“It is hypocrisy of the highest order for any leader who sits on billions to tell his citizens that only the President must make life better. Even local councils that have access to their statutory allocations can adequately cater for their people’s welfare better than any other level of administration,” he said.
The former minister urged President Tinubu to prioritise true local government autonomy, insisting that the move is essential for equitable development and lasting peace.
“Local government autonomy is not a constitutional ornament; it is the lifeline of democracy. When councils are free to function, development breathes again, and hope returns to the villages, towns and wards. No nation can know peace while its base is suffocating.”
Oyelese warned that history would not forgive leaders who continue to ignore the warning signs of public frustration.
“Those who sit atop the mountain of privilege must remember that when the base erupts, it swallows the peak. Power is temporary; humanity is permanent. Let us act with conscience while there is still a nation to govern.”
He concluded with a passionate appeal for humility, courage and compassion in leadership, stressing: “The poor do not want revenge; they want relief. The earlier we listen, the safer we all become. Let us heal this nation before frustration turns to fury. True social intervention begins with a morality-fuelled conscience.”
Fashola, Ambode join Sanwo-Olu as Lagos APC backs Tinubu for second term
GOVERNOR Babajide Sanwo-Olu led a high-powered gathering, including former Governors Akinwunmi Ambode and Babatunde Fashola, Senators James Faleke and Tokunbo Abiru, to endorse President Tinubu’s bid for a second term in office.
Addressing the meeting, Fashola expressed concern over the party’s declining voter turnout despite a rise in voter registration numbers. He emphasised the need for the APC to introspect and identify the reasons behind the trend, noting that the party’s traditional stronghold has been experiencing a worrying drop in voter enthusiasm.
“We are facing increasing voter registration and decreasing voter turnout. I think that is not good for us. We should interrogate why the turnout is decreasing. We used to be the party that led in total votes. What has happened? Why has the vote dropped?” he said.
Fashola recalled that Lagos once led the party in total votes, but the numbers have since dropped significantly, citing an instance where the state recorded 1.5 million votes, while its closest rival managed about 300,000.
Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, announced incentives to boost party mobilisation, including N1 million for the best-mobilising polling unit, N5 million for the best-performing ward, and N20 million for the top-performing local council.
He commended party members for their dedication and loyalty, pledging to deepen grassroots participation and encourage youth involvement. Ojelabi also announced the refund of nomination fees paid by aspirants in the last local government elections, urging members to redouble their efforts at the grassroots and participate in the ongoing voter registration exercise.
“The journey to a successful 2027 election begins now. Let’s mobilise more people to register and play active roles in governance,” he charged.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Babafemi Hamzat, also threw his weight behind President Tinubu’s second term bid, emphasising the importance of continuity in leadership. Speaking on behalf of the Lagos APC family, Hamzat praised Tinubu’s visionary leadership and commitment to national transformation.
According to him, the reforms being implemented under Tinubu’s leadership are driven by renewed hope, productive governance, and economic recovery. He urged party members to support the president’s re-election, stressing the need to build on existing achievements and deliver greater prosperity.
Hamzat called on party members to serve as ambassadors of the APC, spreading the message of good governance, unity and progress, and emphasised the need for collective action to ensure the continuity of progressive leadership.
ALSO, the party’s spokesman, Seye Oladejo, in a statement issued yesterday, expressed grave concern over what he described as the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s opposition parties.
He said the absence of credible opposition was unhealthy for the country as it gradually approaches the 2027 general elections.
“Rather than serve as credible watchdogs, policy challengers, or intellectual counterweights to the ruling party, the opposition has degenerated into a coalition of desperation, confusion, and hypocrisy – the very bane of Nigeria’s democratic growth.
“The health of any democracy is measured by the quality, depth, and seriousness of its opposition – its ideas, organisation, and consistency.
“Sadly, Nigeria’s opposition has failed woefully on all counts. It lacks leadership, cohesion, and a binding political philosophy.
“The nation has watched in disbelief as individuals who once claimed to stand for ideological purity now leapfrog from one platform to another in search of personal relevance.
“The opposition’s moral compass has been completely eroded, leaving behind a band of opportunists united only by their lust for power,” Oladejo said.
noted that today’s reality of opposition politics stands in sharp contrast to the era under the leadership of now-President Bola Tinubu.
Describing Tinubu as a master political strategist and democrat, Oladejo said the former opposition leader, now president, built a formidable coalition rooted in principles, ideas, and structure.
He added that Tinubu’s opposition politics was defined by clarity of purpose, ideological direction, and consistency of engagement.
“He offered Nigerians a credible alternative founded on progressivism, good governance, and national unity,” he said.
Wike predicts ‘political tsunami’, vows support for Tinubu loyalists
MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, warned of an impending “political tsunami” as he declared full support for Tinubu’s allies seeking elective positions.
Wike made the remark during the commissioning of the Provided Engineering Infrastructure in Wuye District, Abuja.
“For all of you who are running an election, who are supporting Mr President, be assured I will also support you. I have no regrets,” he said.
The minister stressed that his loyalty remains with Tinubu, saying, “If you are supporting Asiwaju, I am going to support you. Anywhere you are, the moment I know you are with Bola Tinubu, you get my support 100 per cent. So if you know you have not changed your mind, better change your mind because very soon, there will be a political tsunami. It is Asiwaju all the way.”
NNPP warns National Assembly against plan to shift 2027 elections to 2026
MEANWHILE, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has cautioned the National Assembly against its plan to move the 2027 general elections forward to November 2026.
In a statement, Olufemi Oguntoyinbo, a South-West chieftain of the party, said such a decision could derail governance and further destabilise the country.
He described the proposal, contained in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, as ill-conceived and capable of plunging the political system into confusion.
According to him, the proposed change would impose unnecessary pressure on political parties, candidates, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thereby threatening the credibility and logistics of the electoral process.
“The National Assembly must avoid creating needless tension by rushing the country into an election cycle that lacks adequate preparation. Elections are not casual events; they require planning, funding, and structure,” he said.
The amendment before lawmakers seeks to hold presidential and gubernatorial elections not later than 185 days before the expiration of current tenures, effectively bringing the next general elections forward by several months.
While proponents argue that the move would allow sufficient time for election petitions to be resolved before the May 29, 2027 handover date, the NNPP chieftain dismissed that justification, insisting that the timely conclusion of election disputes rests with the judiciary, not the political calendar.