MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026
VOL 21 NO 82
•Poor People In Nigeria May Peak To Highest Globally - EU Warns •Govt Should Subsidise Food, Transport, Others To Ease Hardship - Analysts
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IGERIANS have cri cised the Federal Government over the persistent economic hardship, ques oning the impact of its economic reforms as fresh infla on figures and warnings about the country’s poverty crisis expose the gap between improving macroeconomic indicators and the living condi ons of ordinary ci zens. OSUN DEFENDER reports that the cri cism followed the disclosure that Nigeria’s headline infla on rate declined slightly to 14.63 per cent in September 2026, from 15.39 per cent in August, while food infla on remained high at 19.59 per cent. The figures, released by the Na onal Bureau of Sta s cs, have intensified concerns about the affordability of food and other basic necessi es. Concerns over the fresh developments comes days a er the World Bank projected that Nigeria’s economy would grow by an average of 4.4 per cent annually between 2026 and 2028, provided the government sustains its reforms and improves public service delivery. The bank, however, stressed that stronger economic performance must translate into job crea on, poverty reduc on and improved living standards. It also indicated that Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.2 per cent in the first half of 2026, up from 3.9 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025. Although the bank said the poverty rate had stabilised for the first me since 2019, it warned that sustained progress would depend on more inclusive growth and
be er delivery of public services. The figures have provided ammuni on for cri cs who argue that the Federal Government’s economic achievements remain largely sta s cal while millions of Nigerians struggle with the cost of feeding, transporta on, healthcare and other necessi es. OSUN DEFENDER reports that the fresh concerns were also reinforced by the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Gau er Mignot, who recently described poverty as one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges, saying the country probably had the highest number of people living below the poverty threshold globally. Speaking in Abuja at the 2026 Interna onal Day for the Eradica on of Poverty, Mignot cited figures showing that 133 million Nigerians were living in mul dimensional poverty in 2022, adding that es mates from different sources suggested the situa on had worsened since then. His remarks a racted mixed reac ons on social media, with several Nigerians ques oning the government’s handling of the economy and demanding policies that would deliver tangible relief to households. A user iden fied as Gredenko, pos ng as @ kuntakinte565, argued that Nigeria’s popula on made the country’s poverty sta s cs par cularly significant. “That would naturally make sense. Nigeria is the most populous black naon in the world. No country comes close at all,” the
user wrote. Another user, @SkillRemitgh, cri cised the government’s responsibility in addressing the crisis, writing, “The poverty they are talking about was made possible by them.” Similarly, @Manando217 expressed frustraon over the country’s situa on, while John Iky, pos ng as @Johniky5, ques oned whom the interna onal assessment was intended to reach, directly tagging President Bola Tinubu’s official account. Other commentators called for a shi from political arguments to policies that would improve living condi ons. The Nigerian
Perspec ve, pos ng as @ Remy_ma nz, said poverty reduc on should be treated as a na onal priority beyond party poli cs, urging the government to focus on job crea on, support for small businesses, educa on and affordable necessi es. Another user, Ishaku Audu, stressed the need to strengthen social protecon, support businesses and ensure that economic growth benefits ordinary Nigerians. Speaking on the development, an economist, Mr AbdulMateen Adekeye, said the central problem was not merely whether Nigeria’s economy was growing but whether the
growth was producing measurable improvements in the lives of ci zens. A d e keye said the Federal Government needed to demonstrate greater urgency in translating economic reforms into tangible benefits, par cularly for lowincome households and small businesses. “Numbers should drive results. It is not enough for the government to announce encouraging GDP growth figures or point to a decline in headline inflaon. These indicators must translate into affordable food, be er-paying jobs, stronger purchasing power and improved living condions. “When the numbers look be er but households are s ll struggling to survive, the government must ask itself what is missing and what needs to change. “The government is not doing enough to cushion the impact of these reforms on the most vulnerable. Reforms may be necessary to address structural weaknesses, but their success must be judged by
their outcomes. “If people are losing purchasing power, businesses are struggling with opera ng costs and families are finding it increasingly difficult to meet basic needs, then the government must review the pace, sequencing and social protec on measures accompanying its policies,” he said. A public affairs analyst, Dare Adeola, called on President Bola Tinubu to consider targeted subsidies for food and transporta on as immediate measures to ease the burden on Nigerians. According to him, the con nued pressure on household budgets requires interven ons that directly address the cost of essen al goods and services rather than policies whose benefits may take years to reach ordinary ci zens. “The government should concentrate on subsidising essen al food items and public transporta on to cushion the effects of the hardship on Nigerians. Food and transport account for a significant part of household expenditure, par cularly among lowincome earners. When the cost of these necessi es rises beyond what people can afford, their ability to meet other needs, including healthcare and educaon, is also affected. “Subsidies alone cannot solve the problem permanently. Government must invest in agriculture, improve rural roads, tackle insecurity affec ng farming communi es and reduce the cost of moving food from farms to markets. “However, while these structural measures are being implemented, Nigerians need immediate relief. People cannot be asked to wait indefinitely for economic growth to trickle down while their purchasing power con nues to weaken,” he said.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026
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News
Adeleke’s Romance With APC Puts Accord Assembly Candidates At Risk •As Party Members Question Governor’s Moral Ground To Enforce Loyalty •Alliance Will Secure Justice, Benefits - Group
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HE inclusion and acceptance of Governor Ademola Adeleke as Osun State Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress Presiden al Campaign Commi ee is threatening the electoral fortunes of some of the Accord Party’s Na onal and State Assembly candidates in the 2027 general elec ons, OSUN DEFENDER gathered. It was gathered that some Accord members are working against some of their party candidates at the legisla ve level, ci ng underperformance and imposi on. Recall that Governor Adeleke, who won the August 15, 2026 governorship elec on on the pla orm of the Accord Party a er his defec on from the Peoples’ Democra c Party, was last Wednesday named as Osun Coordinator for the Tinubu/ She ma campaign council. The development comes months a er the Accord Party in Osun and the Governor himself cried out over alleged an -party acvi es by some members accused of working for candidates of other par es in the forthcoming legisla ve elec ons. At a closed-door stakeholders’ mee ng presided over by the Governor in Osogbo, the party had lamented that some members were backing candidates of the PDP, Allied Peoples Movement, Ac on Peoples Party and the APC. “Under no circumstances should any Accord member be caught sponsoring or working for legisla ve candidates of other poli cal par es. Such behaviour will not be tolerated,” the party resolved at the mee ng, according to a statement by the Governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed. Governor Adeleke, at that mee ng, had warned of severe sanc ons, saying, “We must avoid an -party ac vi es. Severe sanc ons await any party member who works against the candidates of the party.” But that moral ground, according to several Accord members who spoke to OSUN DEFENDER, has now collapsed with his romance with the APC, and some of the legisla ve candidates may be the worst hit. The Accord members said there were some members of the Na onal and State Assemblies who have done li le to nothing since they were elected into office during the 2023 general elec on but were issued a return cket, noting that they might work
against those candidates. A chie ain of the Accord Party in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government, Alhaji Kehinde Ademola, while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, said the governor can no longer dictate who members should support for Senate, House of Representa ves and House of Assembly, especially where the candidates who are incumbents, are underperforming. “As much as the Governor can accept to work for President Bola Tinubu, who is the APC presiden al candidate, we can also decide to vote against the underperforming lawmakers who are flying the Accord cket. What is good for the goose is good for the gander,” Ademola said. Sharing the same senment, a member of the party in Osogbo, Olatunde Azeez, said he might also vote against some Accord legisla ve candidates in the general elec on. “If the Governor can work for APC presiden al candidate, then we are also free to work for other pares’ legisla ve candidates. I will vote for candidates that are more popular and will perform well in my cons tuency. We cannot be forced to support those who have failed us,” he said. Mrs. Folashade Omoniyi, who described herself as a loyalist of the Governor, said she feels betrayed by the alliance with APC. She recalled incidents that occurred before the August governorship elecon, including the killing of several Accord supporters allegedly by suspected APC hoodlums. “Our people were killed
•Governor Adeleke in Ilesa, Osogbo, Ede, Esa Oke, Ikire. We buried our members. Some were shot, some were macheted by people we believed were APC thugs. The Governor himself cried then and promised their blood would not be in vain. How can he now team up with the same party that allegedly killed his supporters? We are disappointed,” she said. A youth leader of the party who does not want his name in print for fear of in mida on corroborated Omoniyi, saying several Accord supporters were killed in the build-up to the governorship elec on. “We mobilised under
fear. We lost a lot of our members. Their families are s ll mourning. And now we are told our leader is the Coordinator of APC campaign. It is difficult to explain to the grassroots,” he said. Some members said although the Governor had, during the elec oneering period, said he endorsed President Tinubu’s re-elecon, they did not expect him to dance on the graves of his supporters. They expressed anger over his appearance in Abuja during the inauguraon of the APC Presiden al Campaign Council, where he was seen dancing joy-
fully. “Yes, during the campaign he told us he was endorsing Tinubu for second term. We accepted that as poli cal strategy. But what we saw in Abuja was different. He was dancing joyfully on the stage as if nothing happened in the past, as if our people were not killed. “All he said then about APC killing our supporters, that APC is an evil party, was that just a lie? Was it just sympathy to get votes from us? He danced on the graves of our dead supporters,” Adebayo Adekanbi said. However, a socio-political group, Osun Leaders
Alawo Condemns Traditional Incisions, Urges Residents To Trust In God
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HE Alawo of Awo in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, Oba Abdulrazaq Taiwo Adegboye, has urged residents to shun tradi onal bodily incisions and prac ces he considers fe sh, advising traders and business owners to seek prosperity through faith in God rather than spending their hard-earned money on spiritual solu ons. Oba Adegboye expressed his views in a video recorded during a recent Islamic event in Awo, where he cri cised what he described as unwholesome tradi onal prac ces. He said since his corona on as a tradi onal ruler, he had not undergone
tradi onal bodily incisions, challenging anyone who claimed otherwise to provide evidence. “From the day I was crowned as a tradi onal ruler, nobody can publicly tes fy that they have seen any tradi onal incision on my body. Anyone can come and tes fy if they have seen such on my body,” the monarch said. He added, “I do not partake in any unwholesome tradi onal prac ce and incisions. Any of such incisions would just end up marking you for life.” The monarch also urged traders and business owners to strengthen their faith in God rather than spend their hard-earned money on
tradi onalists in search of wealth or business success. Addressing the congregants, he argued that some people were being deceived by promises of prosperity through tradional spiritual prac ces. “You traders should stand with God. It is God that you should be calling and not wander about and give your hard-earned money to tradi onalists who will end up swindling you,” he said. Oba Adegboye specifically iden fied market women as among those he believed were commonly involved in such prac ces, ques oning whether seeking spiritual shortcuts had improved their financial circumstances.
“The prac ce is most common among our market women. Salva on is only in God and not man. Since you have been wandering about looking for shortcut to wealth, have you become millionaires?” he asked. The monarch concluded by urging the audience to remain steadfast in their faith and trust in God. OSUN DEFENDER reports that that monarch’s posi on appears to echo that of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, who has repeatedly cri cised certain tradi onal religious pracces and spoken against customs he considers harmful or inconsistent with his beliefs.
of Thought, has risen in defence of the Governor, declaring that the alliance between Adeleke and President Tinubu will expand growth and development for Osun people and secure their rights and privileges within the Nigerian federaon. The group, in a statement issued by Alhaji Gboyega Olaide, said the new brotherhood will regain the rights of Osun people in terms of access to jus ce on the pre-elecon violence, direct enjoyment of federal mul -billion naira social investment funds and resolve the local government crisis. “We affirm that the alliance represents a selfless push to protect Osun voters and secure the rights that were threatened in the countdown to the August 15 elec on. For the vic ms of the electoral violence, jus ce will be served. There is no hidden place for those who killed and maimed Osun people. This is a huge gain for the alliance. “We are equally elated that there will be more transparency in the handling of the mul -billion naira federal social investment fund meant for Osun State. In the past, some failed poli cians denied Osun people access to these funds from the federal level. All that will change, and Osun people will feel the posi ve touch of federal poverty alleviaon ini a ves,” the group stated.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026
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IGERIA’S democracy is in retreat, and the warning signs are becoming impossible to ignore. Nearly three decades a er the return to civilian rule, poli cal in mida on, restricons on opposi on ac vi es and the exclusion of eligible ci zens from meaningful electoral parcipa on are threatening to hollow out the country’s democra c ins tu ons. The descrip on of Nigeria as a “semi-democracy” by The Economist magazine about two decades ago, once dismissed by some as unfair and offensive, now seems less a provoca on than a damning indictment. More disturbing is the prospect that Nigeria is steadily surrendering even the limited democra c creden als it has acquired. The recent reloca on of a Social Democra c Party event from Kaduna to Abuja, following threats against the venue ini ally booked for the gathering, is another disturbing illustra on of this decline. Such incidents reflect a worrying pa ern in which in mida on increasingly determines the boundaries of poli cal par cipa on. In a country where freedom of expression and associa on should be sacrosanct, threats to frustrate lawful poli cal ac vi es are wholly unacceptable. That Kaduna, once regarded by many as a rela vely liberal poli cal space, should feature in this development makes the situa on even more alarming. The normalisa on of rights viola ons is perhaps the most dangerous aspect of Nigeria’s democra c crisis. Democracy cannot thrive where ci zens fear in mida on or risk their safety to exercise cons tu onally guaranteed freedoms. A government’s commitment to democracy is measured not by rhetoric but by its willingness to protect dissent, accommodate opposi on and uphold the rights of all ci zens, irrespec ve of their poli cal affilia ons. The same disregard for democra c inclusion is evident in the country’s failure to provide for early vo ng. As Canadians exercise their cons tu onal right to parcipate in a referendum, Nigeria
“Nigeria cannot afford to continue normalising democratic regression. The right to vote must not depend on where a citizen lives, the nature of their employment or their ability to abandon essential responsibilities on election day. Likewise, political participation must never be held hostage by intimidation and threats”
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with appropriate legal and administra ve arrangements. Nigeria has li le jus fica on for con nuing to lag behind. Electoral democracy must be inclusive, prac cal and responsive to the reali es of modern society. It cannot be reduced to the ritual of holding elec ons while substan al categories of eligible ci zens are prevented from par cipa ng. Nor can a country credibly claim democra c progress when opposi on par es face in mida on, freedom of expression is threatened and This is an unac- the electoral framework fails to ceptable contra- accommodate ci zens whose cirdic on. The state cumstances make vo ng on elecdepends on these on day difficult or impossible. These shortcomings demand urworkers to maintain gent a en on, not another round security, preserve of poli cal promises. The Na onal lives, provide essenAssembly must ini ate the necal services and keep essary legisla ve reforms to inthe public informed, troduce early vo ng for essen al but fails to provide service personnel and establish a adequate arrangeworkable framework for diaspora ments for reconcilvo ng. Any immediate intervening these responon must, however, be assessed sibili es with their against exis ng cons tu onal proright to vote. Their visions, electoral laws and prac cal professional obligaimplementa on requirements. The ons should not become a penalty that objec ve should be las ng reform deprives them of a that strengthens electoral credibilvoice in determin- ity and expands par cipa on. Nigeria cannot afford to con nue ing the country’s ponormalising democra c regression. li cal future. A credThe right to vote must not depend ible electoral system on where a ci zen lives, the nature must an cipate such of their employment or their ability circumstances and to abandon essen al responsibiliprotect both eses on elec on day. Likewise, posen al services and li cal par cipa on must never be democra c par ciheld hostage by in mida on and pa on. Equally inde- threats. The government, the Indefensible is the con- pendent Na onal Electoral Com•Cover of the book that led to slamming the door on freenued exclusion mission and the Na onal Assembly dom of expression of Nigerians in the must recognise that protec ng demust confront an electoral system mocracy requires more than organthat leaves many eligible ci zens diaspora from vo ng. These ci - ising elec ons; it requires crea ng unable to vote because of profes- zens contribute billions of dollars condi ons in which every eligible sional responsibili es. In Canada, in remi ances annually, support- ci zen can par cipate freely and early vo ng arrangements allow ing households and strengthen- meaningfully. eligible voters to cast their ballots ing the country’s foreign exchange A democracy that excludes ci before elec on day. Nigeria, by posi on. Yet they remain excluded zens, constrains opposi on and contrast, con nues to operate a from the electoral process because fails to protect fundamental freesystem that risks disenfranchising they reside outside Nigeria. Sever- doms is democra c in name rathci zens whose circumstances pre- al African countries, including Ke- er than substance. Nigeria must vent them from reaching the polls nya, have established mechanisms reverse this dangerous trajectory for diaspora vo ng, demonstra ng on the designated day. before its democra c ins tu ons With only about 19 days re- that such par cipa on is possible become hollow shells, maining before the elec on, the preserving the appearOSUN DEFENDER urgency of addressing this excluance of democracy sion cannot be overstated. Se- Publisher – Moremi Publishing while steadily erodHouse Ltd. curity personnel cannot simply ing its founda ons. A – Michael Bamigbola abandon their duty posts to vote Deputy Editor na on cannot claim without poten ally compromising Deputy Photo Editor – Shola Aderinto democra c progress public safety. The same dilemma Deputy Graphics Manager – Zainab Olalere simply because its leadconfronts firefighters, medical Produc on Controller ers emerge through – Petkola Taiwo Ibitowa personnel, electricity workers, elec ons. Democracy journalists and other essen al ser- OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing is ul mately measured vice providers whose responsibili- House Limited, Behind Oranmiyan Building, Gbodofon, by the freedoms ci es do not cease on elec on day. Off Gbongan Road, Osogbo, Osun State. zens enjoy, the fairness : 0794-8050 These ci zens perform indispens- ISSN of the electoral process able du es in the public interest, Telephone : 0809-301-9152 and the extent to which : www.osundefender.com/index.php every eligible voter has yet the electoral system offers Website : osundefenderhq@gmail.com them no adequate alterna ve for e-mail a meaningful voice in osundefenderbank@gmail.com par cipa ng in the choice of their determining the counAll correspondence to the above email addresses. leaders. try’s future.
A Stalled Democracy
News
MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2026 VOL. 21 NO 82 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com
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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) finally inaugurated its presidenal campaign council on the 14th day of October, 2026. The venue of the event was the banquet hall of the presiden al villa. This is the first act of poli cal impunity. Playing poli cs of elec on by a poli cal party in a building built and serviced by the taxpayers for the administra on of the country. Since APC came into power, it has found it difficult, if not impossible, to dis nguish between the affairs of its party and the affairs of the na on. Obviously, it has failed to dis nguish between the purse of its party and the purse of Nigeria. Gov Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), one of the co-opted governors from the opposi on par es to serve Tinubu of APC, said at the inaugura on that the inaugura on stands as the endorsement from the largest number of elites in Nigeria. I guess he is not far from the truth, because the only set of people who endorse Tinubu’s regime are the elites who benefit directly or indirectly from the corrup on that is oozing out from the regime. What Soludo did not say is that this is the regime that is most loathed by the Nigerian people. Even The Economist that hazarded a guess that Tinubu may be re-elected, did so on the empha c founda on that the President is disliked strongly by the Nigerian people. No doubt, Tinubu is not expec ng to win by the votes of Nigerians but by the shenanigans of the elites who bypass the electoral process to declare whoever they benefit from as winners of elec on. In 2023, the then Independent Na onal Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman bypassed the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV Portal), which he vowed to use for colla on, to declare Tinubu as President. Could this be what APC is planning to do again in 2027? It is anyone’s bet that the party will surely repeat it if the people fail to be vigilant. The Na onal Assembly had commenced this process of bypassing the IReV Portal by making a law that where electronic transmission of results to the IReV Portal fails, manual colla on can be used to declare results. This is in spite of the fact that the Presiding Officer does not need network to transmit electronically, but network is needed only to download, which INEC had said, me without number, that every colla on centre has the network for the download of transmitted results. APC does not look at the reasonability of what it is doing or what it is say-
PERSPECTIVE
BY KENNETH OKONKWO
APC Impunity And Opposition Strangulation
ing, it does whatever it wants, and says whatever it likes. This is impunity at its highest. Senator Godswill Akpabio, the 10th Assembly Senate President declared openly while presiding over a Senate session on 15 October 2026 that the post of President and the Vice are already gone, what was le was the posi on of the Senate President. Senator Mohammed Munguno of APC quickly declared that the seat is also reserved for Senator Akpabio. Can you imagine, reserving the post of Senate President for the 11th Assembly in 2027 for a Senator who is yet to win his senatorial seat? This assurance can only come from a party that has already wri en results wai ng for the announcement of it. Gov Nyesom Wike, during his media chat, declared that the President had already won. There is a saying that Nigeria is the country with the fastest capacity to announce results of elec on. The saying goes that in America, it takes about 24 hours to declare presiden al result. In India, results are announced in few days. But in Nigeria, even before the elec on, results are already announced. This is impunity at its highest. What APC cannot do does not exist. At the same inaugura on ground we witnessed a lot of inconsistencies, contradic ons and impuni es. Gov Hope Uzodimma hinted that Tinubu would stay back in office and concentrate on governance while they con nue with the campaign. He actually pleaded with Tinubu that Nigerians are be er of with him concentra ng on governance rather than poli cking. Tinubu actually accepted the advice from the Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum, Uzodimma, that he would not be joining in the campaign as expected, but will be speaking to Nigerians from his office.
The inaugura on of APC Presiden al Campaign Council has finally exposed Tinubu’s physical incapacity to embark on the onerous task of a presiden al campaign. First, governance and poli cking are not mutually exclusive. Democra c governance is enthroned by poli cking, not by combat. A President who came into office by poli cking but who wants to be re-elected without poli cking wants to win through other means. The actual truth about such decei ul arrangement is that APC was actually telling the President indirectly to take care of his health. The fact speaks for itself that for the first three and half years of Tinubu’s presidency, since 2023, he had spent about 290 days outside Nigeria for about 52 mes, on a purported “working vaca on” which is an euphemism for medical vaca on. Does this also amount to governance of Nigeria? When the 10th Na onal Assembly was inaugurated in 2023, the opposion were more in the House of Representa ves than APC, and had about 50 members in the Senate out of 109 Senators, leaving APC with about 59. Today APC has about 88 Senators in the Na onal Assembly leaving the opposion with about 21. APC has almost two thirds of the members of the House of Representa ves. APC had about 20 Governors during 2023 inaugura on. Today, it has about 31 Governors. The President spent the whole of his three and half years muscling the elected opposi on members into joining the APC. Immediately any poli cian joins APC his sins were forgiven. Senator Okowa used to be a regular visitor to the EFCC when Delta State was under the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP). Immediately he joined APC, his sins were forgiven. With the mindset that whichever poli cian that joins APC earns more money from the Federa on account and more forgiveness of sins, poli cians trooped en masse to APC, not by elec on but by in mida on. So Tinubu used the first three and half years for poli cking and holidaying but not governance. The results of this abandonment of governance for poli cs for the past three and half years are obvious. The Federal Government spent N7.7trn on interest payments in the first half of 2026, represen ng 124.2 per cent of its total revenue of N6.2trn during the period, according to the World Bank. The figures indicate that interest payments alone exceeded the government’s rev-
P2 enue by N1.5tn between January and June 2026, raising concerns about Nigeria’s debt burden despite improved revenue collec ons. Tinubu has borrowed Nigeria into bankruptcy. The country can no longer service its debt without borrowing to do it. The Interna onal Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that higher prices for essen al goods, food, and energy are compounding a severe cost-of-living crisis, with na onal poverty es mated at 63 per cent and roughly 27 million Nigerians facing food insecurity. This means that more than 145m Nigerians are poor. More than 27m Nigerians are feeding essen ally from the dustbins. His ill-advised “fuel subsidy is gone” from the first day in office and his illfated devalua on of naira, without cushioning the effects of these policies on the cost of living of ci zens, ballooned the transporta on costs and engineered the greatest inhumane living condi ons on Nigerians in history. Fuel sells at N1500 per litre. Minimum wage is N70,000.00. It takes N150,000 to fill up a 100-litre fuel tank. Nigeria and Nigerians are broke and gasping for breath. Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) couldn’t take it anymore and decided to issue a two-week ul matum to the Federal Government to adjust the minimum wage and reduce the cost of fuel. Prac cally, every sector of the economy is in distress. Electricity is not yet provided. Industrialisa on cannot take off without electricity. Nigeria is crippled. A President who removed subsidy on fuel, yet has out-borrowed all his predecessors has no claim of being in governance. He is simply being in decep on. It is ridiculous that three months to the elec on, APC is now saying that Tinubu should je son poli cking and concentrate on governance. Whereas he had never been governing all the while but poli cking. This is the contrap on and the contradic on. Opposi on par es had been at the ugly side of this poli cking. All the opposi on leaders who refused to join APC are subjected to one form of torture, in mida on, or the other. A ku Abubakar, who is the leading opposi on leader and a major frontrunner believed to be the only poli cian that can defeat Tinubu in 2027, has recently been subjected to a campaign of calumny by the APC misinforma on and propaganda machine. Unfortunately for APC, as they are peddling unfounded allega ons of corrup on against opposi on leaders, their own presiden al candidate, Tinubu, con nued to face increasing pressure of allega ons of criminality and corrupon worldwide. Tinubu himself filed an objec on to the plans by a US Judge to release the records of his alleged dealings in illegal ac vi es, especially drug related ma ers. As the campaign heats up, it has become very obvious that the incumbent president lacks the energy and acumen needed to govern. However, if Nigerians are not vigilant to vote and protect their votes, he may s ll be imposed on Nigerians through the power of the elites whom Gov Soludo referred to, but certainly not by the Nigerian people. •Okonkwo, a lawyer and politician is a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). (Culled from Sunday Sun Newspaper of October 18, 2026)
OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Behind Oranmiyan Building, Gbodofon, Off Gbongan Road, Osogbo, Osun State. All correspondence to the Deputy Editor, MICHAEL BAMIGBOLA, Telephone: 0809-301-9152. ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefenderhq@gmail.com