Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesman for African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s 66th Independence Day address, rejecting the President’s description of Nigeria in 2023 as a “sick patient” suffering from cancer.
Tinubu, in his Independence Day broadcast on Thursday, likened Nigeria’s situation in 2023 to that of a patient who had been diagnosed with cancer, stating that his administration had embarked on difficult reforms to address the country’s underlying problems.
Reacting in a post on his X handle on Thursday, Okonkwo said Nigeria was a blessed country and not one suffering from cancer.
“God forbid! With respect to President Tinubu, Nigeria is a blessed country that has no cancer.
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“According to Wike, it is the All Progressives Congress (APC) that has cancer, and Tinubu’s leadership style has made the cancer to metastasise.
“Tinubu met fuel at N195, but it has metastasised to N1,500. He met naira at about N450 to a dollar, but it has metastasised to about N1,400 per dollar. He met about N77trn total debt, but it has metastasised to N166.6trn total debt, and he is still borrowing. Insecurity is at its worst under Tinubu.
“He has been away from Nigeria more than 290 days and about 52 times in just about three and half years. Transportation and food costs are horrible, electricity and employment are absent, poverty is ravaging, roads are deplorable, rule of law and human rights trampled on. No microeconomic index is good.
“What Nigeria needs to do to avoid its demise from Tinubu’s terminal cancerous leadership style is to democratically cut out Tinubu and APC’s cancerous leadership style by voting them out on 16 January 2027, and voting in HE Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Coalition Party, to rescue Nigeria from its inevitable cancerous demise under Tinubu’s watch, and make life affordable for Nigerians through the introduction of refined petroleum production subsidy,” the post reads in part.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has omitted former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, from its final list of governorship candidates for Gombe State ahead of the February 6, 2027 election.
Politics Nigeria reports that the commission released a list of 16 cleared candidates for the election, but Pantami’s name was missing despite his earlier inclusion in the provisional list published on August 29.
Among the candidates on the final list are Bala Bello Tinka of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Babayo Ardo Kumo of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC).
Others include Zubairu Mu’azu Halilu of the Labour Party (LP), Lamela L. Silas of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Ibrahim Jalo Abubakar of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and Adamu Mohammed Ma’aji of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Pantami’s exclusion comes amid a series of legal disputes over his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state.
The former minister had initially sought the APC governorship ticket but left the party after it settled for Gwamna as its consensus candidate. He subsequently joined the PDP and emerged as the party’s flag bearer through voice affirmation at its governorship primary.
However, a Federal High Court sitting in Gombe nullified his initial emergence on May 26, following a challenge to the primary process.
The court ordered a fresh primary election, which Pantami won on September 29 with 2,054 votes, defeating Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki and Usman Aliyu Garry.
Garry had challenged Pantami’s emergence, arguing that the required primary election was not properly conducted before the former minister was declared the party’s candidate.
Despite winning the court-ordered rerun, Pantami’s eligibility remained in doubt following the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment on provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 governing political party membership registers and candidate eligibility.
The Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026 and upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 elections.
The provisions bar political parties from fielding candidates whose names were not included in the membership registers submitted to INEC within the stipulated period.
INEC has maintained that parties found to have violated the requirements will not be permitted to participate in the elections through candidates whose nominations breach the law.
Mohammed Haruna, an INEC national commissioner in charge of information and voter education, said the commission would not allow parties to replace candidates affected by the provisions.
Haruna made the clarification during an appearance on Trust TV’s programme on Wednesday evening, explaining that allowing substitutions would enable political parties to benefit from their own violations.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan
He cited previous disputes involving Zamfara and Plateau states to illustrate the consequences of parties failing to comply with electoral requirements.
“It’s like you committed an offence. And then, you come and benefit from it,” Haruna said.
He added that allowing parties to substitute candidates in such circumstances would amount to permitting them to benefit from an offence they had committed.
Haruna also indicated that the commission expected to make a definite pronouncement on the implications of the Supreme Court judgment by the following Tuesday.