The Perspectives Leadership Development Institute (PLD) last week formally commenced its collaboration with the Oluṣẹgun Ọ̀basanjọ Leadership INSTITUTE (OOLI) .

This follows an exchange of partnership document between the leadership of the two institutions, led by Professor S. A Daramọla for the OOLI and Prof Olúṣesí Ọbátẹ́yẹ for the PLD Institute. Ọbátẹ́yẹ was supported by two directors of PLD Institute, Engr Dr. Olúwatóyìn Jokosẹnumi and Dr. Folúsọ́ Arówójolú.

The Global Patron of PLDI and former President of Nigeria, Chief Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ facilitated the collaboration.

Perspectives Leadership Development INSTITUTE, otherwise called PLD INSTITUTE, is an offshoot of Priesthood Leadership Development INITIATIVE, which is a global leadership organization with membership from 40 countries and convenes leadership conferences yearly in many of these countries.

“Collaborating with OLUṢẸGUN ỌBASANJỌ LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE [OOLI] will no doubt increase our international approval rating and integrity index,” Prof Ọbátẹ́yẹ said. “Leveraging on the global influence of the former President of Nigeria, Chief Oluṣẹgun Ọbásanjọ́ is a global milestone for PLD INSTITUTE.”

The adjournment marks the seventh time the first defendant, Giwa, has sought to stall proceedings and the fourth time he has changed legal representation since the commencement of the trial.

Giwa and Bukola are being prosecuted on allegations of forging official documents and impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Awa Kalu, with the alleged intent to mislead the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) into withdrawing an earlier criminal charge against Giwa.

At the resumed hearing, T. Y. Silas appeared for the Inspector-General of Police, while Ogbu Aboje represented the second defendant. Levi E. Nwoye held a watching brief for the complainant.

The first defendant was represented by Farook Akabi, from the law firm of Ahmed Raji, SAN.

Prosecuting counsel, Theophilus Silas, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the hearing of the prosecution’s motion and urged the court to allow him to move the same.

However, Akabi told the court that the law firm of Ahmed Raji, SAN, was only briefed the previous day, adding that the learned silk intended to personally handle the case but had another engagement.

He therefore applied for an adjournment, citing short notice and the need to properly plan the defence.

Silas vehemently opposed the application, arguing that the request was a calculated attempt to frustrate the trial.

“This is the seventh date the first defendant is seeking adjournment to prevent this motion from being heard,” Silas told the court.

“It is also the fourth time he is changing counsel strictly to delay this trial.”

He further noted that the first defendant was fully aware of the hearing date and at the last hearing the 1st defendant was fit and proper to defend himself .

According to the prosecution, all processes had long been exchanged, with the last filing done on December 1, 2025, making the motion ripe for hearing.

Silas relied on Section 396(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2018, and Section 36(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), arguing that the defendant had exhausted the statutory limits for adjournment and had become “an obstacle to fair trial within reasonable time.”

He also cited two Supreme Court decisions, Etsako West LGA v. Christopher and Tiput v. Dawankat and others submit that litigation must not be allowed to continue endlessly.

Responding, counsel to the second defendant, Ogbu Aboje, urged the court to be guided by its own records but appealed for restraint.

He disclosed that he personally contacted Ahmed Raji, SAN, who confirmed that he was indeed briefed just a day earlier and intended to handle the matter himself.

Aboje also informed the court of a pending motion by the first defendant seeking to relist an earlier motion that had been struck out, urging the court to hear and determine it in the interest of justice. He said the second defendant did not oppose a short adjournment.

In his ruling, the trial judge expressed strong concern over the conduct of the first defendant, noting that Giwa had at various times represented himself and appeared with three different Senior Advocates of Nigeria and over 30 different counsel.

“Each time the first defendant appears, he adopts a storyline to prevent the matter from proceeding,” the judge said, adding that the court works with evidence, not theatrics.

The court recalled earlier warnings against delay tactics and referenced a previous claim by the first defendant that he had petitioned the Chief Judge and the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The judge noted that the NJC had since replied the Defendant that his petition cannot stop his ongoing trial and case assignment was at the discretion of the Chief Judge.

Although acknowledging the pattern of delays, the court held that “in the interest of justice,” the matter would be adjourned.

The case was accordingly adjourned to February 4, for continuation of hearing.

In a landmark move to reposition the Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC) for 21st-century relevance, the President-General, Alayeluwa Oba Saka Adelola Matemilola, the Olowu of Owu, on Sunday convened a high-level Strategic Retreat at the Aafin Owu in Abeokuta.

The retreat, which brought together a diverse “Think-Tank” of Muslim dignitaries, Islamic scholars, professionals, youth leaders, and women’s organizations, served as the first major consultative engagement since Oba Matemilola’s emergence as the head of the apex Muslim body in the State.

Addressing the delegates, the President-General emphasized that the retreat was not merely an administrative meeting, but a “design laboratory” aimed at fostering unity, brotherhood, and a more purposeful Islamic leadership structure.

“Our goal is to build a Council that is not only unified but remains profoundly relevant in the socio-political and spiritual landscape of our State,” the Olowu noted.
While presenting the OMC Strategic document for review by participants, a member of the Retreat Steering Committee, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, explained that it contained implementation framework to reposition OMC through a 30-year long term plan.

“As an umbrella body for all Muslim associations in Ogun State, we have a historic opportunity to redefine our identity, strengthen our institutional framework, and amplify our impact for the benefit of the Muslim Ummah and society at large.”

Dr. Akintoye explained that the retreat is expected to achieve five objectives which include: clarifying and reaffirming OMC’s identity, mission, vision, and core values; define its programmatic focus and operational priorities.

Other objectives are aimed at establishing effective systems for planning, management, and reporting; designing a sustainable governance and financial model; and to expand OMC’s relevance beyond traditional mandates to national development.

“A cardinal objective of the retreat is to clearly articulate and affirm the identity, mission, vision, and core values of the Ogun Muslim Council (OMC), strengthen the organisational framework, and amplify its impact, for the advancement of the Muslim Ummah and the broader society.”

He added that the retreat is designed to be the “laboratory of ideas,” where distinguished Muslim leaders, professionals, and scholars collectively chart a coherent and forward-looking strategic direction.

In his contribution, the Secretary-General of OMC, Asiwaju Kamaldeen Akintunde, said the ratification of the strategic document of OMC is expected to define the next 30 years vision for OMC.

Asiwaju Akintunde added that this will further be developed into five years roadmap and annual, quarterly and weekly implementation strategies.

Also contributing, another member and expert of the Steering committee Engr. Femi Omotayo further explained that the implementation of the document will enable OMC to be benchmark against global Islamic organisations.

Engr. Omotayo said the committee has put machinery in motion to learn from best practices in terms of structure and implementations.

In his goodwill message at the retreat, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Alhaji Sarafa Tunji Isola, reiterated the need for Muslims to be actively participate in politics in order to achieve the required reform.

Ambassador Ishola, the Baba Adinni of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta
,who showed support to the effort of Oba Matemilola to reposition OMC asked participants to use the opportunity of the retreat to bond and dissect the challenges confronting Muslims.

In their different goodwill messages, the Vice President-General of OMC from Ijebu division, Engineer Fatai Arowolo; his counterpart from Remo, Prof. Habeeb Oduye, as well as that of Yewa zone, Ali Ajibode, enjoined stakeholders to be committed to development of growth and development of OMC.

The session was characterized by the review of several position papers submitted by constituent groups and stakeholders, highlighting a collective desire for a more vibrant and sustainable institution.

A key outcome of the session was the adoption of a “Bottom-Up” consultative approach. Rather than imposing immediate changes, the Retreat resolved to allow delegates to return to their respective organizations with the preliminary outcomes for peer review. This two-month deliberation window is intended to ensure that the final roadmap carries the full weight and consensus of the entire Ogun State Muslim community.

The feedback from these various groups, expected in two months’ time, will culminate in the formal “OMC Strategic Declaration.” This document will serve as the definitive blueprint for the Council’s future programmes, administrative reforms, and its strategic contributions to the development of the Gateway State.

Meanwhile, a renowned legal practitioner and Aare Musulumi of Ijebuland, Chief Musbau Oyefeso, has called for the adoption of an evidence-based approach to reposition the Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC).

Chief Oyefeso also announced a donation of N1 million to support the development of a database system for the Council, aimed at facilitating the realisation of its mission and vision.

He stressed the need for the proper integration of the recommendations of the Public Affairs Committee of the OMC, particularly the collection of data on Muslims and Islamic institutions across the state, to enable a better understanding and appreciation of their needs.

The legal practitioner also offered the services of his law firm to assist in the incorporation of the OMC and any of its subsidiaries non-governmental organisations, to enhance the attainment of the Council’s objectives.

Other dignitaries at the retreat include former Ogun State Commissioner for Information, Dr Lateef Ogunsiji; Mogaji Adinni of Owu, Prof. Moruf Lanrewaju Adelekan; among others.

Director of Defence Information, Maj Gen Samaila Uba, who disclosed this today in a statement, said the measures being taken are purely disciplinary and part of ongoing institutional mechanisms to preserve order, discipline and operational effectiveness within the ranks.

The statement reads:

UPDATE ON DISCIPLINARY CASES INVOLVING SIXTEEN OFFICERS INVESTIGATED FOR INDISCIPLINE, BREACH OF SERVICE REGULATIONS

It would be recalled that the Defence Headquarters issued a press statement in October 2025 regarding the arrest of sixteen officers over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations. The Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) wishes to inform the general public that investigations into the matter have been concluded and the report forwarded to appropriate superior authority in line with extant regulations.

The comprehensive investigation process, conducted in accordance with established military procedures, has carefully examined all circumstances surrounding the conduct of the affected personnel. The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government which is inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the AFN.

Accordingly, those with cases to answer will be formally arraigned before appropriate military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service regulations. This ensures accountability while upholding the principles of fairness and due process.

The AFN reiterates that measures being taken are purely disciplinary and part of ongoing institutional mechanisms to preserve order, discipline and operational effectiveness within the ranks. The Armed Forces remain resolute in maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, loyalty and respect for constitutional authority.

In recent years, Chinese companies have been at the forefront of drone development, with many civilian models widely represented on the global market.

According to the December issue of the Journal of Gun Launch and Control, the UAV was created in collaboration with the Chinese military’s Army Special Operations Academy. During the trial, it fired 20 single shots from the standard issue rifle at a human-sized target 100 meters (328 feet) away – all while hovering ten meters off the ground.

The UAV is said to have achieved a 100% hit rate, with ten bullets landing within an 11-centimeter radius.

In marked contrast to similar models, the new drone does not require a custom-built or modified firearm but rather carries the regular assault rifle that is in use with the Chinese military, the publication said. Such impressive performance is reportedly attributable to improved stabilization and targeting algorithms as well as the new mounting system. Moreover, Chinese engineers developed special software that adjusts the firing angle based on distance, wind estimates, and other parameters – all honed by computer simulation – according to the journal.

On the downside, the system is currently only capable of firing single shots.

In a separate development last month, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced the maiden flight of its heavyweight jet-powered Jiutian (High Sky) drone, which can carry and release up to 100 smaller AI-guided kamikaze UAVs. Additionally, the drone ‘mother ship’, which is said to boast a maximum payload capacity of nearly six tonnes, has been previously demonstrated fitted with various air-to-surface and air-to-air munitions.

According to the manufacturer, Jiutian can fly at altitudes of up to 15,000 meters (49,212.5 feet) and operate for 12 hours at a time.

Meanwhile, the US military is playing ‘catch up’ in terms of modern drone technologies, CNN reported last September, citing an army general.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, on Monday, said Oladejo is a valuable asset and dependable spokesman for Lagos APC.

He described Oladejo, a former Chairman of Mushin Local Government and ex-member of the Lagos State Executive Council, as a seasoned politician and administrator who used his positions for the development of governance and politics in Lagos State.

The Governor said Oladejo’s attainment of Diamond age is a personal milestone worthy of appreciation and praises to God for an impactful life. He praised his commitment and service to the Lagos State Government as a one-time Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry and later Commissioner for Special Duties.

He said: “On behalf of my adorable wife, Ibijoke, the government and good people of Lagos State, I join family, friends, political leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State to congratulate our party’s Publicity Secretary, Mogaji Oluseye Oladejo, on his 60th birthday.

“Mogaji Oladejo is a seasoned politician and administrator who has contributed significantly to the ruling party and Lagos State. He served his community, local government and our dear State in different capacities with passion and displayed a high level of integrity, loyalty, dedication and professionalism in public and political offices. He has been a good spokesman for Lagos APC, and we are proud of him.

“He has always been a committed patriot and exemplary servant-leader whose impact and excellent public service record have served as a motivation for those coming behind to serve with unrestrained enthusiasm. He is a team player and a loyal party man who has committed a greater part of his adult life to touching lives and making positive impacts.

“As our party’s Publicity Secretary in Lagos, Mogaji Oluseye Oladejo celebrates his 60th birthday, I urge him to rededicate himself to the greater good of mankind. I pray that God will grant him long life and sound health to enable him to render more service to humanity, our party, Lagos State and Nigeria, especially as the spokesman of our dear party, the All Progressives Congress, in Lagos.”

The development was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Tofa.

According to the statement, Yusuf’s return to the APC marks a political homecoming, recalling that he first joined the party in 2014, when he won the APC primary election for the Kano Central Senatorial District, a ticket he later stepped down from in favour of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

“To Governor Yusuf, the APC remains a familiar and well-structured platform for progressive governance,” the statement noted.

It explained that after years of political engagement across different platforms, including his most recent stint in the NNPP, the governor was guided by “prevailing realities of governance, national cohesion and sustainable development” in making the decision to return to the ruling party.

Yusuf was quoted as saying that rejoining the APC would “strengthen cooperation with the Federal Government and fast-track infrastructural development, security coordination and effective service delivery across Kano State.”

He added that the move would also “consolidate political stability, unity and inclusive governance in the state.”

The statement further disclosed that on Monday, January 26, 2026, the governor will formally register as an APC member in Kano, alongside 22 members of the Kano State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 Local Government Chairmen in the state.

Yusuf is also expected to officially launch the APC e-registration exercise in Kano on the same day.

The event is anticipated to attract key party leaders and stakeholders from within and outside the state.

This operational breakthrough against terrorists delivered a decisive blow to armed networks entrenched within the Sububu Forests of Maradun Local Government Area.

According to a statement signed by the Media Information Officer, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Captain David Adewusi, the operation commenced with a targeted engagement at Indulumu village, where troops made contact with terrorists and neutralised two fighters and recovered one AK 47 rifle during the encounter.

The Strike Force subsequently advanced to Ruduno village, where troops encountered further resistance.

In the ensuing engagement, four additional terrorists were neutralised, effectively dismantling a key element of the network operating in the area.

The statement read that troops recovered another AK 47 rifle, a loaded magazine containing twenty eight rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, while two motorcycles used by the terrorists for mobility and logistics were destroyed on site.

It said beyond the combat successes, the operation also recorded a significant humanitarian outcome. During exploitation deeper into the forest, troops rescued a kidnapped underage victim, Halira Ibrahim, bringing her captivity to an end and reuniting her with safety.

“The rescue highlights the resolve of troops to protect vulnerable citizens while sustaining pressure on terrorist and bandit elements,” the statement noted.

The operation further extended to the destruction of several terrorist camps and life support structures located at Magaji, Galakaje, Filinga and Kukatara.

These actions have degraded the terrorists’ ability to regroup, sustain operations or maintain safe havens within the forest corridor.

The latest successes reinforce the sustained momentum of Operation FANSAN YAMMA in denying terrorists freedom of action and restoring stability across Zamfara State and the wider North West region.

The Cambridge English dictionary defines ‘Wizkid’ as “a young person who is very clever and successful.” Collins Dictionary defines it as “a person who is outstandingly successful for his or her age.” Wisdom Library says “’Wiz’ is a shortened form of ‘wizard,’ connoting skill, talent, and expertise, while ‘kid’ implies youthfulness or being junior. When combined, ‘Wizkid’ suggests a young, talented, and skilled individual, particularly in a specific field.”

Fela and Wizkid? The space between the nose and the forehead is not as short as it appears. A noisy digital skirmish: a torrent of online exchanges; an endless war of words. All between Seun Kuti and Afrobeat super star, Wizkid, with his fans, over a reported off-hand tweet that super-rich Wizkid had surpassed Fela Anikulapo Kuti in music and social stature.

Seun Kuti is reported to have remarked that “it’s an insult to Fela to call Wizkid the new Fela.” Apparently in frustration with the back and forth over the inanity on the Internet, the living star is reported to have retorted: “Ok. I big pass your Papa!!! Wetin u wan do? Fool at 40.” That “igán” was the spark that caused the conflagration.

It is a needless quarrel. Wizkid is not Fela. He is Fela’s wizkid. The fight is stupid because the truth is self-evident. A child may own as many garments as an elder, but he cannot possess the same number of rags. Time, not tailoring, produces experience. But, there is nothing that the Internet and its warriors cannot weaponise. And, the undiscerning is easily conscripted into the raucous army. Wizkid himself understands the distance involved. So, let no one summon tension where harmony is the musical key.

The younger wizard knows the source of his tumultuous river; he has never denied where it flows from. In a May 3, 2017 interview with English DJ and author, Semtex, Wizkid traced the arc of his musical influences with disarming candour. “So I was influenced by rap, reggae, Bob Marley, Fela… like good music, some big names,” he said. Yet he admitted that Fela’s music did not immediately appeal to him. His parents played Fela and King Sunny Ade at home, but the young Wizkid, by his own account, was “not old enough to understand or enjoy the music.” He wasn’t alone with that judgment. Even Fela’s mother, at the experimental beginning of his career, told him: “Start playing music your people understand, not jazz.”

Time, however, has a way of teaching the tentative how to stand firm and take their share of what life offers. Wizkid, the young man who once declared that he did not want to be “just an African star” grew into a global figure by climbing the ladder of destiny mounted on the shoulders of global giants. He mentions them in that Semtex interview: Bob Marley of Reggae, and unmistakably, Fela Anikulapo Kuti of Afrobeat.

Another old interview is unearthed by the present noise. In it, Wizkid speaks to the Fela matter with humility and clarity: “We can’t compare, let’s not use that word because it is like disrespect when you’re mentioning Wizkid and Fela in the same sentence. You can’t compare. Fela is someone that inspires me. I have him tattooed on me. Fela’s face is all over my body. Everything he did with his music, his legacy, inspires me to be great and to want to do more.”

Wizkid is big because he is wise. Reading him, hearing him, tells that the young man enjoys the benefit of good upbringing. There is his ‘Ojuelegba’ line:

“Ti isu eni ba dele

A f’owo bo je…”

And he remembers to tell his interviewer that underneath that line is the timeless advice he got from his mother: “When I was like younger my Mama told me, you when God blesses you, you should be smart enough to know that you should be more cautious. That’s when you should get more cautious of what you say, what you do and how you move.” To be cautious is to act with care, with prudence. The synonym is wisdom. What Wizkid says his mother told him is the same as what Kahlil Gibran tells us: “Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one, people ruin beautiful things.”

The young wizard is wise. Wizkid is lucky he has a mother who prays. He sings:

“See eh, e kira fun mummy mi o,

Ojojumo lo n s’adura…”

He is as lucky as Abraham Lincoln who said the same: “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”

Now, if there is a positive gain for me in the ‘childish’ fight over which is bigger and deeper between the Atlantic and the Lagos Lagoon, it is the opportunity to read and know more about the music of the youth, and the chance to throw long-owed libation at the king of waters. In celebrating Fela, therefore, we celebrate a king of songs whose insistence is that art must not be for art’s sake; that music must matter, that it must speak when politics lies, and that it must disturb the comfort of the powerful.

The difference between fire and light is in what is done with them. Some music is not meant to entertain alone, but to awaken. The music of Fela is fire and light combined; it is a force that moves more than bodies; it moves minds. He created Afrobeat; he made music, and with it, made life and living into sound and resistance. His everything is a fine blend, whether of assonance or of alliteration; he made sense out of nonsense. His ‘Zombie’, for instance, has not stopped teaching us that when power stops thinking, rhythm must do the thinking for it.

Fela sang the outrage of today and the rage of tomorrow yesterday. Like NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars, the Afrobeat king orbited power with defiance. He was at once coarse and smooth, abrasive and balmy in the same breath.

The Yoruba know that when you sing wahala softly, you can get an entire city dancing. Call it iboosi if you like, trouble turned into tune. Fela sang “Palaver” and made it sound sweet; even his “Yeepa” sounds so sweet that it pirouetted the sonics of chaos into pleasure. Where there is “Sorrow, Tears and Blood”, Fela trained his voice and drum not to keep quiet; and they never did; they still are not quiet. In the moral urgency of African chant, Fela’s music sings and dances; and as it dances, it indicts. When he winks his wings make meaning. His clenched fist circles the earth; his art is an eraser that continually cleans off the boundary between stage and street, between rhythm and revolt. You listen to his ‘Alagbon Close’ lyrics, you hear his sax speak the language of condemnation, while his drum sings defiance to state captors.

The Gen Z fighting on X over which star is the biggest in the cosmos should know this: Fela was one spirit who stretched tradition until it screamed. He was the potter who scooped mounds of Yoruba earth and, from it, moulded an impossible steed for the battlefield of the world. In his sax, step and sup, music became the language of war and peace. His truth is dense, his anger repetitive, his chant hypnotic. In his dance steps are disclaimers that deprecate the chaos of Nigeria’s politics. In 1975, he flung defiantly rebellious “Expensive Shit” at power and its police; the steel-hearted swooned in pain. Fela’s truth is eternally too heavy for weak stomachs.

He acted alone in his rebellion. “Solitude sometimes is best society,” says John Milton. Fela’s choice of road to tread almost obeys that Milton poetry. He was not a gentleman, and he sang it into our skulls: “A no be gentleman at all o.” His songs, like his life, wear no borrowed manners. Every Fela song is a sermon rudely delivered; every performance a trial of societal evils; every arrest a verse added to an unfinished composition on power and freedom. His eclecticism, with his synthesis, and his defiance, give his music oxygen. They are what make Fela endure.

In Fela’s biological musical children, “heirs of fame,” and in the wizard kids who sing his legacy, he lives. The Abami Eda spirit pulses through Femi and Seun Kuti; their blazing saxophones and militant energy carry forward the torch of political Afrobeat. This paragraph is a product of reading and asking. In reading and exploring, I got to know so much about this subject: Fela’s legendary drummer, Tony Allen, was right here, modifying the rhythms, making the music irresistible. Beyond his fecund loins, Fela’s immortality is heard in the sounds of contemporary stars: Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Rema, Joeboy, and Olamide. In these stars, Afrobeat’s pulse blends seamlessly with the aplomb of Afropop, hip-hop, and global pop. Singly or in pairs, they speak to new audiences, while across the world, fans feel Fela in the music of Benin’s Angélique Kidjo, UK-based Afro B, and even Major Lazer. And, writing and reading this paragraph again, I realize I have convinced myself that decades after death yanked Fela’s fingers from the pot of world music, his creation, Afrobeat, still walks the streets loud, stubborn, and unbowed

A thoroughly studied phenomenon; in one text, Academy Award winner, Joseph Patel, says “Fela Kuti is the truth.” In another line, American writer, Knox Robinson, describes him as “the original Afronaut.” Music scholar and historian, Peter Guralnick and Douglas Wolk, published a survey of turn-of-the-millennium music in 2002. In it, they make the bio of “irreducible” Fela read like a political chant. Now, read them and chant along:
“Fela Kuti: 77 albums, 27 wives, over 200 court appearances. Harassed, beaten, tortured, jailed. Twice-born father of Afrobeat. spiritualist, pan-Africanist. Commune King. Composer, saxophonist, keyboardist, dancer… There will never be another like him.”

Surely, there’s a “pattern, an intention or an enemy action” by power mongers to exclude Senator Shettima from pairing President Bola Tinubu on the APC ticket for the next General Election in November 2026 (as mooted at the National Assembly) or in February 2027.

In an unusual and controversial move in 2022, then-‘National Leader’ of the APC, Asiwaju Tinubu, named Shettima as his running mate on a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the February 25, 2023, election, which they won despite the muckraking, even from within the APC, against the pairing.

The ‘M-M’ ticket led to prominent Christians across Nigeria renouncing their membership of the APC, while many others who remained behind canvassed for, and voted opposition parties and their candidates at the poll.

Having survived the political hurricane, won the election and are in government, most APC members have taken for granted Shettima’s shoo-in as Tinubu’s running mate in 2027. But that assumption looks misplaced, as the political din reaches a crescendo!

The 2027 poll has dominated political discourse such that the opposition parties have formed a Coalition of Opposition Politicians (COP), and under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), are challenging the behemoth APC, which so far controls 29 of 36 states of Nigeria.

But the APC, which’s enjoyed a smooth ride, appears courting division in its fold with the idea of replacing Shettima on its ticket. Whether sponsored by Tinubu, his handlers or those eyeing Shettima’s position, the idea has shockingly gained traction in the vice president’s North-East base.

The purveyors of Shettima’s “no-show” for 2027 carry on their objectives in a humiliating manner of refusing to mention his name as Tinubu’s “running mate” at APC’s political events, and leaving out his photographs on banners displaying the party’s stalwarts and possible candidates for the 2027 poll.

On Sunday, June 15, 2025, at an APC North-East Consultative Meeting in Damaturu, Gombe State capital city, a fracas broke out mid-session when the National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, endorsed President Tinubu for a second term without mentioning Vice President Shettima as his running mate.

It is a revelation of the scheming by the APC governors of Gombe and Yobe to replace Shettima if Tinubu sees through his alleged plan for another Muslim to run with him in 2027, while some North-East Christians reportedly want former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, for the position.

Salihu’s announcement prompted hauling of missiles at the APC leaders, including then-National Chairman and former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who tried unsuccessfully to douse the tension by assuring the aggrieved members that it’s a given that Shettima would run with Tinubu in 2027.

Then-three governors of APC in the North-East, Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe had held series of meetings to prevent from becoming public the alleged plot to replace Shettima; and “to adopt a unified position, indicating that stakeholders from the six states of the North-East were unanimously backing both President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for re-election in 2027.”

The governors were reportedly divided over Shettima’s endorsement, with Zulum “agreeing to the idea, while Yahaya and Buni remained neutral.” That disagreement resulted in what transpired at the meeting when Mr Salihu endorsed Tinubu, without Shettima, for re-election!

Not surprising to polity watchers, as the issue remains a hush-hush affair, a similar Damaturu scenario surfaced in Maiduguri, Borno capital city, on January 19, 2026, as the North-East hosted a Zonal Public Hearing on amendment of the APC constitution, where Shettima’s photograph was missing from the banner featuring pictures of President Tinubu, the four APC governors of Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe and the party’s National Legal Adviser, Vanguard reported on January 20.

Borno State House of Assembly’s longest-serving Speaker in Nigeria’s history, Rt Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, summed up the stakeholders and delegates’ vehement rejection of a “deliberate scheme to undermine Shettima as Vice President of Nigeria,” and ensure he isn’t paired to run with Tinubu in 2027.

“How can the organisers exclude the picture of a sitting vice-president, who is from Borno and the North-East zone? This was what created the fracas in Gombe, and it is repeating itself here in Borno. I do not know the motive of the organisers, but it is not right,” Lawan said, drawing applause from the audience – “reflecting the widespread disapproval, among party members at the event, of Shettima’s photo omission.”

Meanwhile, the North Central All Progressives Congress Forum has risen in support of Shettima as running mate to Tinubu in 2027, warning that dropping him from the party ticket would amount to a “grave political miscalculation.” Its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, issued a statement on Thursday, January 22, in Abuja, in reaction to “reports of some APC members pushing for Shettima’s replacement,” as PUNCH Online reports.

The Forum claimed that Tinubu won’t gain new votes by replacing Shettima on religious grounds, but would lose support and votes in Northern Nigeria if the opposition ADC fields, as its 2027 candidate, the 2023 flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi.

“If you check, you will notice that in 2023, most of their (Christian) communities voted for Peter Obi Now, if Obi comes out again in 2027 on the platform of the ADC, what is the guarantee they will vote for Tinubu even if he drops Shettima and replaces him with a Christian? That is not going to happen,” the Forum said.

“What is likely is that Tinubu will lose support among core (Muslim) northerners, thereby reducing his votes and giving the advantage to Peter Obi. Basic political calculation shows that dropping Shettima makes no sense and is actually very dangerous.”

Warning that abandoning the Muslim-Muslim ticket would strengthen the opposition in 2027, and advising President Tinubu to “retain Shettima in order to strengthen his chances in 2027,” the Forum noted that those calling for a change on the APC ticket didn’t support Tinubu in 2023 and won’t vote for him in 2027, “even if he bows to their demands” to replace Shettima.

The Forum declared: “There is serious danger in changing a winning ticket. We totally and unequivocally reject calls and plans to drop Vice President Kashim Shettima as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the next election.

“We sincerely advise President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the party not to listen to such calls, because such a decision will turn out to be a grievous political miscalculation. Those behind the agitation are acting against the interests of the party and the president. They do not want to see President Tinubu re-elected. That is the only reason anybody with political knowledge would make such a request,” the Forum added.

Noting that the “Muslim-Muslim ticket gave us (APC) victory in 2023,” the Forum dismissed suggestions that foreign powers, including the United States and other Western countries, might pressure Nigeria to abandon the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027, insisting that Nigeria is a sovereign nation that shouldn’t bow to external influence, warning that “outside interference can undermine democracy and trigger avoidable conflict.”

Can President Tinubu gamble with replacing Vice President Shettima at a time when dissatisfied and disgruntled Northern politicians, including members of the APC, congregate to remove him from power, citing the prevailing hardships caused by the administration’s tough economic reforms, and insecurity in Northern Nigeria, all of which Shettima’s navigated with Tinubu?

This is the poser in my December 22, 2025, copy, titled, “2027 poll: Replacing Shettima one gambit Tinubu can’t wager,” stating emphatically that the aftermath of the president’s proclamation of “Subsidy is gone” in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, “will be a storm in a teacup compared to the political tsunami that’ll sweep Northern Nigeria” should he “carry out the lingering rumours of replacing Vice President Shettima on the 2027 ticket of the ruling APC.”

While acknowledging Tinubu’s acclaimed political “sagacity and wizardry” since 1992, when he’s elected Senator, to 2023 when he secured the Presidency, and now “in government and in power,” I make bold to repeat that “replacing Shettima is a gamble that Tinubu can ill-afford,” as the vice president remains the best and surest bet that can swing the needed votes for the APC in Northern Nigeria!

President Tinubu shouldn’t change his winning combination to satisfy those, who don’t mean well for his re-election in 2027!

• Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos. He can be reached on X, Threads, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp @EhichioyaEzomon. Tel: 08033078357