Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reflected on the 2015 general elections, which he lost to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, stating that the card reader rejected him, his wife, and his mother, nearly igniting a national crisis.

Speaking at the YIAGA Africa’s Reflection Conference on Democratic Elections in West Africa in Abuja on Tuesday, Jonathan emphasized that the success of any election depends largely on the conduct of the electoral management body and the police.

The event, themed “Strengthening Democratic Processes in West Africa: Lessons from the 2024 Elections and Prospects for Future Elections,” was supported by the European Commission, ECOWAS, and GIZ.

Jonathan stressed the importance of strong electoral institutions, stating, “Strengthen Electoral Institutions: Independent and impartial electoral commissions as well as non-partisan security operatives are the cornerstone of credible elections. We must invest in building the capacity of these institutions and safeguarding their independence from political interference.”

He further noted, “I always hold the view that the success or failure of any election lies in the hand of two critical agencies which are the electoral management body and the police. It goes without saying that the stability of a democracy is strongly tied to the way its elections are conducted and policed. If elections are not properly managed by security personnel who must be fair and just, the credibility of the electoral process and, by extension, the legitimacy of governance, could be undermined.”

Jonathan also acknowledged the growing role of youth in elections, describing their participation as one of the most crucial aspects of electoral reforms.

Reflecting on his personal experience in the 2015 election, he humorously recalled how the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, introduced the card reader, which ended up rejecting him and his family at the polls.

“When Jega was there, he introduced the card reader, but during the election, the card reader rejected me and almost set the country ablaze. Because the card reader rejected me, rejected my wife, rejected my mother,” Jonathan said.

Despite this, he underscored the value of technological advancements in elections across West Africa, citing improvements in countries like Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana.

“It must be stated that high voter turnout in Liberia, Senegal, and Ghana, as well as the official transition of power in these countries, demonstrated public enthusiasm for democratic participation and consolidation. And I must commend the elections in Senegal. To me, it was one of the best elections I have observed in Africa and a few outside Africa,” he added.

Former INEC chairman, Prof. Jega, who delivered the keynote address, acknowledged concerns about democratic setbacks in the region but maintained that citizens still have a strong desire for accountable and representative governance.

“In spite of the worrisome evidence of backsliding of democratic progress in the West African region, there remains a substantial appetite among citizens for representative and accountable democratic government,” Jega said.

He emphasized the need for citizens, civil society organizations, and democratic actors to mobilize for credible and sustainable democratic development.

“Electing good representatives in governance and holding them to account would make government more responsible and responsive to the needs and aspirations of citizens for societal progress and socio-economic development,” he stated.

Jega acknowledged progress in strengthening independent election management bodies (EMBs) across West Africa but noted that there is still much work to be done.

Yiaga Africa’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, highlighted that the conference provided a platform for stakeholders to reflect on electoral reforms in West Africa, focusing on both challenges and progress.

He explained, “The discussions were aimed at providing a comprehensive analysis of the 2024 elections, shedding light on key challen ges and opportunities for improvement.”

The Senate has unanimously decided to refer Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central) to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review following a disagreement over seating arrangements.

The controversy erupted when Akpoti-Uduaghan confronted Senate President Godswill Akpabio upon discovering that her seat had been changed without prior notice.

The situation escalated into a heated argument during the February 20 plenary session.

The Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun (LP, Edo South), has been given two weeks to investigate and report back on its findings.

Following a voice vote on the matter, lawmakers emphasized the importance of maintaining parliamentary rules and decorum.

Raising a motion under Senate Orders 1(b) and 10, Senate spokesperson Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) criticized Akpoti-Uduaghan’s conduct, describing it as “extreme intransigence” and calling for disciplinary action.

“Where there is sin, there must be a penalty,” Adaramodu stated, urging the Senate leadership to uphold discipline.

Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele supported Adaramodu’s stance, reiterating the Senate’s commitment to its rules and internal order.

“There is no one who does not have an opinion on this issue, but we are unified by our rules. Under our watch, we will not allow this institution to be discredited beyond what we inherited. Integrity is non-negotiable,” Bamidele said.

In response, Senate President Akpabio instructed the Committee on Ethics and Privileges to conduct a thorough review of the incident.

He pointed out that while Senate rules permit members to sit anywhere, contributions must be made from their designated seats.

Akpabio suggested that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s unfamiliarity with Senate procedures may have played a role in the confrontation.

“The first day she was sworn in, she stood up to contribute, and I was worried if she had even read the rule book. There is nothing wrong with being vibrant, but everything wrong with disobeying procedure,” he remarked.

Citing Order 66(2) and Section 55 of the Senate rules, Akpabio stressed that all senators must conduct themselves with decorum, noting specific prohibitions on chewing gum, drinking water, or being disruptive during sittings.

“The rules empower the Senate President to suspend a senator for infractions for at least 14 days. It’s not me who made the rules, it’s in the rule book,” he stated.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has initiated legal action against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging defamation.

The dispute arose after Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Senate seat was reassigned following a reshuffle triggered by opposition members switching to the majority wing.

Her resistance to the relocation led to a confrontation with the Senate President.

On February 25, 2025, Akpoti-Uduaghan filed a suit at the Federal Capital Territory High Court, naming Akpabio, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the Senate President’s Senior Legislative Aide, Mfon Patrick, as the first, second, and third defendants, respectively.

The case, marked CV/737/25, was filed through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, who claimed that defamatory statements made by the Senate President were published on Facebook by his aide.

Giwa referenced a post titled “Is the Local Content Committee of the Senate Natasha’s Birthright?”, which included a statement suggesting that Akpoti-Uduaghan believed being a lawmaker was only about “pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers.”

Describing the statement as defamatory, provocative, and damaging to her reputation, Giwa stated:

“A DECLARATION that the words, ‘It is bottled anger by the Kogi lawmaker, who knows nothing about legislative rules. She thinks being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the chambers,’ used and written by the third defendant at the prompting of the first and second defendants, is defamatory and intended to cause public opprobrium and disaffection toward the claimant.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan also requested a court order preventing the defendants and their associates from making further defamatory remarks about her.

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the defendants, whether acting by themselves or through their agents, privies, assigns, or associates, from further publishing or causing to be published the said defamatory words or any similar publications about the claimant on social media or in any other manner capable of defaming her,” the suit stated.

Additionally, she sought N100 billion in general damages and N300 million to cover litigation costs.

“An order for the payment of the sum of N100,000,000,000 as general damages. An order for the payment of the sum of N300,000,000 as the cost of action,” she prayed.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has disagreed with former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s characterization of former military President Ibrahim Babangida as one of Tinubu’s tormentors.

Osinbajo made the remark during the public presentation of Babangida’s autobiography, A Journey in Service, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja last week.

While reviewing the book, Osinbajo recalled how Tinubu, who was then a senator, opposed the dissolution of the Senate by the military government following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.

He jokingly stated that Tinubu, once “tormented” by the military, including Babangida, for attempting to reconstitute the dissolved Senate, was now attending an event to honor one of his past tormentors.

However, Onanuga, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, refuted Osinbajo’s statement, arguing that Babangida was actually an inspiration for Tinubu’s political journey.

“I think the former Vice President got it wrong. I think Babangida was not really a tormentor of President Tinubu, don’t forget that President Tinubu said in his own extempore speech that he held Babangida as something, that he was the person that inspired him to get into politics.

“When Babangida came in, he was talking about new breed politicians and so on, and Tinubu like many of them were already technocrats or in private business and so on. All of them came out to participate in politics, that was what brought him in. So, he came there to pay homage,” Onanuga explained.

He further clarified that Tinubu’s real troubles began under General Sani Abacha when he and some of his colleagues attempted to reconvene the Senate in Lagos.

Onanuga also acknowledged Babangida’s recent admission that MKO Abiola won the 1993 presidential election but noted that the admission came too late.

The crisis within the Enugu State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has deepened as some party members have announced the expulsion of the state chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah, along with several other executives, for allegedly violating a court order.

The expelled officials include Chief Augustine Alumonah (state deputy chairman), Jude Aniogbo (state treasurer), and Mr. Emeka Eze (state organising secretary), among others.

Speaking at a media briefing in Enugu on Tuesday, Chief Charles-Solo Ako, on behalf of the party’s acting state chairman, Hon. Alphonsus Nwafor, stated that the affected officials had disregarded a restraining order issued by the Enugu High Court in Suit No: E/548/2024 on August 7, 2024.

The order barred them from continuing to act in their respective positions pending the determination of a Motion on Notice.

According to Ako, the officials had already been suspended before the court order due to alleged disruptive conduct that had caused instability within the party.

“The High Court bars these self-styled executives from acting and presenting themselves in any of these positions pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice,” Ako stated.

He accused Agballah and his allies of openly flouting the court’s decision by continuing to conduct meetings and issue statements as if they were still in office.

“In blatant contempt and disrespect for this order, they continue to publicly showcase their meetings, holding media briefings and interviews as if they are members of the State Executive Committee, despite the court’s injunction against such actions.”

The embattled chairman and his team were also accused of defying the court order by continuing to operate from the APC state secretariat.

“Agballah and his self-identified executives have persistently used the Enugu State APC Secretariat, defying the court order that prohibits them from accessing, claiming, or using the APC Secretariat, located at 59B Bishop Onyeabor Street, G.R.A, Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.”

Ako further alleged that Agballah had victimised and orchestrated the arrest of party members who had supported President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit to Enugu on January 4, 2025.

“One of the most egregious actions of Agballa has been the victimisation and arrest of our members who identified with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, honouring and welcoming him during his visit to Enugu State on 4th January 2025.”

Based on these allegations, the party leadership declared the expulsion of Agballah and his allies, stating that their actions were fundamentally at odds with APC’s constitution and values.

“As a result, Ugochukwu H. Agballah and the self-proclaimed members of the state executive committee have consistently and shamelessly defied the High Court order, exhibiting impunity and lawlessness, and instigating further troubles and crises that bring our party into disrepute. Therefore, the leadership of the APC Enugu State Chapter officially expels Ugochukwu H. Agballah, Augustine Alumonah, Jude Chinedu Aniogbo, Moses Emeka Eze, Sunday Ugwoke, Ugwu Christian Kanayo, Eze Chidiebere Johnson, Queen Charles, and Onyekachi T. Ezeagu from the APC Enugu State Chapter for engaging in activities fundamentally incompatible with our party’s constitution, values, and principles, following a comprehensive disciplinary process,” Ako stated.

He emphasised that the decision followed due process and was reached after a thorough review by the disciplinary committee.

“This expulsion should serve as a strong reminder that our dedication to discipline and ethical conduct remains steadfast. The general public is hereby advised that anyone engaging with these individuals as members of the All Progressives Congress, APC Enugu State Chapter, does so at their own risk.”

Despite the internal crisis, Ako reassured members of the party’s commitment to unity and rebuilding.

“We shall build a united APC Enugu State that can make a positive impact on the lives of our members and the state at large. We will continue to uphold the principles of our Party Constitution, support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and his Renewed Hope Agenda through promoting good governance, championing democratic values, and ensuring loyalty and service to the people.”

When contacted for a response, Agballah, who was in Abuja for the APC National Executive Council meeting, dismissed the expulsion, stating that he would not dignify it with a response.

Former Kaduna State Governor and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has remained non-committal on whether he will support President Bola Tinubu’s rumored second-term ambition in the 2027 election.

Speaking on Arise Television on Monday night, El-Rufai stated that he would make his position known only after extensive consultations with his political allies and supporters.

He also refrained from endorsing any particular candidate, whether from the North or South, for the upcoming election.

El-Rufai, who played a key role in mobilizing support for Tinubu during the 2023 election, expressed concerns over what he described as an imbalance in federal appointments.

He argued that Tinubu’s selections for key positions in ministries, departments, and agencies have disproportionately favored individuals from the South-West geopolitical zone, particularly those close to the president.

The former governor warned that dissatisfaction with these appointments, coupled with economic reforms that have caused hardship in the North, could erode Tinubu’s support in the region.

He urged the president to address these grievances before they jeopardize his chances of securing a second term in 2027.