By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
  • Home
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    Global Aid Cut
    New Report Reveals How Global Aid Cuts Affecting Women’s Organisations Aiding Women In Crises
    3 days ago
    UNICEF Raises Alarm Over 14m Children Worldwide At Risk Of Malnutrition
    1 month ago
    United Nations for Women
    In 8 Days, 830 Killed In Gaza – UN Women Raises Alarm
    2 months ago
    Sudan
    Beijing Declaration: Nations Reiterates Commitment To Rights Of Women
    2 months ago
    VFS Global
    VFS Global Launches Artificial Intelligence -Powered Chatbot For UK Visa Customers In Nigeria, 140 Other Nations
    3 months ago
  • Africa
    Africa
    Show More
    Top News
    Kagame, Jonathan, Others To Receive African Icon Award In Kigali
    2 years ago
    Human Rights Watch
    Uganda: Human Rights Watch Kicks As Govt Set To Criminalise Gay
    2 years ago
    Putin Gifts Zimbabwe’s President A Helicopter
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Edelman Africa Launches Regional Advisory To Support Global Institution Growth In Africa
    2 days ago
    African Union Champions Artificial Intelligence for Africa’s Socioeconomic Transformation
    1 month ago
    United Kingdom Looks to Deepen Energy Trade, Investment Ties with Africa
    2 months ago
    African Leaders Unite to Mobilize African Investment and Financing for Implementing Agenda 2063
    3 months ago
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
    Politics
    Show More
    Top News
    Osun Lawmakers: We’re Ready To Work With Governor Adeleke
    2 years ago
    Monimitchelle’s Boss, Ebi Egbe Congratulates Sanwo-Olu On His Re-Election 
    2 years ago
    Adeleke’s Government is fully committed to development of Osun State – Odejobi
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    LG Election: Stakeholders Appeal To APC Not To Allow Chairmen Run For 3rd term
    1 week ago
    More APC Chairmanship Aspirants Reject Indirect Primary For Local Govt Elections In Lagos State
    2 weeks ago
    Youth Party Sets May 18 for Lagos LG Primary Elections, Slashes Fees For Women and PWDs
    4 weeks ago
    Oyo State Faces Herculean Task in Picking Makinde’s Successor – Chief Ayorinde
    2 months ago
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
    News
    Show More
    Top News
    Ondo Governor, Akeredolu Begins Construction Of First Flyover In Akure
    2 years ago
    Celebration Of Life: Reverend Adewumi Jegede Of Later House Of God Assembly Buried Amid Pomp
    11 months ago
    Pa Abdulfatah Amoo Ayanwale
    Pa Ayanwale Dies At 76, Fidau Prayers Holds 8 August
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    FCTA Inaugurates FCT Lottery Regulatory Office
    1 day ago
    Just 33% of Entry-Level Formal Jobs in Nigeria Are Held by Women, According to McKinsey’s 2025 Report
    3 days ago
    Ambassador Raffy Bell Hails Princess Ajana’s NCDC Appointment
    3 days ago
    25 years after, NDLEA gets forensic labs in Abuja, Enugu, trains 20 officers
    4 days ago
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
    Entertainment
    Show More
    Top News
    BBNaija 7: Khalid Says Relationship With Daniella Serious
    3 years ago
    Personality Check: Here’s a Look at the Top 5 Most Talked About Big Brother Titans
    2 years ago
    Candy Bleakz: Why It Has Always Been Tough For Female Artistes To Thrive
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Prestige, Impact: Why AMVCA is the People’s Award Show
    1 week ago
    Celebrating African Cinema: AMVCA’s Growing Influence in Global Entertainment
    3 weeks ago
    Boulder International Film Festival Announces 2026 Festival Dates
    4 weeks ago
    Voices of the Future: How MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) Filmmakers are Redefining African Storytelling
    1 month ago
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
    Lifestyle
    Show More
    Top News
    Selfishness Leads To Suicide – Psychiatrist
    2 years ago
    Mercy Ships’ Newest Hospital Ship Prepares To Serve First Patients
    2 years ago
    Remi Tinubu, What Has God Got To Do With It? By Festus Adedayo
    6 months ago
    Latest News
    Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art and Toledo Museum of Art Launch Historic Cultural Exchange
    1 week ago
    Piracy in Africa’s Creative Sector: How Creators Can Protect Their Content
    4 weeks ago
    Fanti Carnival Returns To Lagos This Easter Sunday
    4 weeks ago
    Ara Adire Fashion Show 2025 To Celebrate Culture, Style And Creativity In Abeokuta
    1 month ago
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
    BusinessShow More
    Pan-African Payment & Settlement System
    Nigeria Unlocks Intra-African Trade With New Pan-African Payment & Settlement System Policy Boost
    5 days ago
    Impact Of Online Trading Platforms Like Temu On Nigeria’s Economy
    6 days ago
    Unity Bank Launches GenFi, Targets Children, Teens With Gamified Banking Platform
    2 weeks ago
    Africa Energies Summit
    Africa Energies Summit in London Must Prioritize Hiring Black Africans
    2 weeks ago
    Fitch Rating: Lagos Economy Is Stable
    2 weeks ago
  • Health
    Health
    Show More
    Top News
    ICN 2023: National Nursing Associations To Share Cutting-edge Case Studies At Montreal Congress
    2 years ago
    Deborah Multi-Specialist Hospital & Diagnostics Center
    ‘Deborah Multi-Specialist Hospital & Diagnostics Center, A Wake-Up Call To Ondo State Indigenes To Give Back To The Society’
    2 years ago
    Why Many Women Opt For Plastic Surgery – Surgeon
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    World Hypertension Day: Merck Foundation Commits To Improving Cardiovascular And Diabetes Care Across Africa
    3 hours ago
    First Lady Gives Paediatric Support To Indigent Patients At Lagos General Hospital
    1 day ago
    Salt Awareness Week: CAPPA Urges Fed Nigerian Govt To Accelerate Salt Reduction Targets Regulation
    3 days ago
    VillageReach Names Dr. Ahmed Ogwell As CEO To Drive Its 2030 Strategy
    2 weeks ago
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Reading: Democrats or Deceivers? By Bosun Awoniyi
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
Aa
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
  • Politics
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Health
  • More
Search
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
  • Health
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Independent News Express > Blog > Opinion > Democrats or Deceivers? By Bosun Awoniyi
Opinion

Democrats or Deceivers? By Bosun Awoniyi

Last updated: 2025/04/05 at 6:21 AM
1 month ago
Share
Nigerian Democracy
SHARE

In the past few weeks, I have read and watched commentaries and observed the language deployed by some people to castigate President Bola Tinubu for declaring a State of Emergency (SOE) in the oil-rich state of Rivers, especially by politically exposed individuals, and I wondered why he is so viciously hated by his colleagues.

But while it is understandable that most of these politically exposed persons, led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo and vice president Atiku Abubakar, respectively, are still bitter about losing elections and appointments, what baffles most is the audacity to play the holier-than-thou script on the Nigerian people, claiming to be more democratic than Tinubu.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Also, retired practicing legal luminaries, including social media data experts, have freely shared their views and given different interpretations of the section of the Constitution from which the president supposedly derives his powers to declare a state of emergency.

Press commentators are having a field day, accusing both “the godfather (former governor Wike, “allegedly’ backed by the president) and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara of pettiness, lack of decorum, and suffering from an ’embarrassing disdain for intellectual rigor.”

Citing the breakdown of governance as a result of the war of attrition between Governor Fubara and the state lawmakers, as well as attacks on oil facilities in the state, Tinubu suspended Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state House of Assembly.

Some observed that Wike and Fubara are “united in greed and personal aggrandizement” and noted that both are living in “opulence.”

Others have made the point that poor leadership and bad governance, of which both Wike and Fubara are guilty, are a direct cause of Nigeria’s failure to develop.

The declaration is not unprecedented. This is for those who don’t have a thorough understanding of our political history, especially during the era of President Olusegun Obasanjo (The Holier than Thou) from 1999 to 2007.

Saint Obasanjo, as president, and Comrade Atiku Abubakar as vice president, led the federal government to remove five Senate presidents in five years, sack three governors (Plateau, Ekiti, and Oyo states), sack local government chairmen, oversee the kidnapping of a sitting governor in broad daylight (Chris Ngige), and withhold Lagos State allocations even when the court ruled otherwise.

It is on record that the same saint, OBJ, conducted the worst of all elections since 1999, built democracy.

At least, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua admitted before the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, that the process through which he became the president of Nigeria was faulty.

He said, “The April elections had flaws and shortcomings, but it is significant that for the first time in our history, we had a civilian-to-civilian transfer of power.

He knew the process that ushered him in was a fraud unprecedented in Nigeria’s history. Even the legislators themselves were not allowed to pick their leaders.

What can we ordinary people do? They have nothing really to complain about, as they are the beneficiaries of the sham (s)elections. But we, as ordinary disenfranchised citizens, are very much aggrieved, and we have a case to prosecute.

The shamelessness in Rivers remains the foundation laid by Saint Obasanjo, a man who has cultivated the habit of writing letters at critical epochs in our history, failed to do so but was quick to attack a junior colleague.

Those defending the rule of law or democratic principles in Rivers today did not intervene when the matter was accelerating dangerously toward a total breakdown of law and order.

When Fubara refused to pay the 27 legislators in the opposing camp their legitimate allowances, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Peter Obi, Abubakar Atiku, etc., probably saw that as a noble example of democratic practice.

When Fubara reportedly said he would tell the militants when to act, they did not see anything wrong with that.

They did not even bother to engage him and redirect him to the path of peace and reconciliation. When the militants came out in support of Fubara and threatened to disrupt the live wire of Nigeria’s economy, no one called them to order.

From childhood, individuals learn to manipulate the truth to navigate social interactions, avoid punishment, or gain an advantage. But why do people lie? The motivations behind deception are multifaceted, ranging from self-preservation to manipulation and protection of self-image. Yes, a liar will have to remember the lie forever.

The person that was lied to will not. They think the lie was the truth and will be able to recall it in detail, but the liar won’t. They will have to repeat the lie so many times that they will begin to believe it as truth.

Sounds kind of like what the government is doing to the people. Lie enough times, it becomes the truth, and the truth becomes the lie.

David Lieberman, Ph.D., a psychotherapist and an expert in the field of human behavior, helps us understand the signs of deceit and how to get a confession.

“I think a great way to see deception is to view it as a seed. It’s a seed that gets planted. Because it’s a seed, it eventually bears fruit, and that fruit is usually sin,” he said.

Some are more vulnerable to being deceived than others.

Our leaders think the citizens are dumb, and they, “politicians,” are smartly corrupt. A new study reveals the pessimistic view most politicians have of the people who put them in office.

The OBJs, Atikus, Elrufais, Ameachis, Jonathans, Tinubus, IBBs, Obis, Aregbesolas, Osibanjos, and a host of leaders believe that Nigerians are uninformed, unreasonable, and short-sighted.

These politicians want us to believe that their friend and brother, Tinubu, is entirely responsible for the current crisis our country is mired in, but it is a lie.

Where was Elrufai when former President Buhari destroyed our economy, drained our foreign reserves, and borrowed the next four generations into debt?

Why are El Rufai and some shameless northerners trying to play a regional agenda here?

Are the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors like Bala Usman and Adeleke better than the APC governors like Dapo Abiodun and Abdulrahman?

The last thing politicians want is for us to analyze, synthesize, infer, and evaluate.  Most times, it is easy to imagine we are thinking critically when we are merely leaping to conclusions.

Atiku specifically admitted that the coalition by political actors from the opposition is not about governance but a strategic move to unseat the APC-led administration in 2027.

What a missionless and visionless man. Nigerians should know that the coalition led by desperate Comrade Atiku Abubakar lacks the necessary political structure to challenge any sitting government in an election, not to talk of Tinubu as president.

They are being driven by individuals rather than established political structures, making it unlikely to pose a serious threat to the APC’s dominance. Just imagine that the coalition is not about Nigeria but about defeating Tinubu!

Who are these Deceivers? Obasanjo, Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, El Rufai, Kayode Fayemi, etc. All of them have held important positions, but what are their records of service?

How, for instance, were Kaduna and other states better on May 29, 2023, than they were four years before then? In Anambra, many local governments are just now having their first government-built hospitals since creation.

Atiku Abubakar presided over the privatization of government assets for almost eight years, and we all know the results. In their quest for power, these politicians are regrouping for themselves and their families.

They don’t care about you at all except for how your votes impact their power struggles. Some use power to make money. Some use money to grab power. They hate us for our freedom.

They are not Democrats. They are deceivers.

Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.

Bosun Awoniyi writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

You Might Also Like

Ekiti’26: A Gale Of Gov. Oyebanji’s Half-Pie Endorsement And The Rest Of Us

Wanted: Blueprint For Nigeria’s Waste Management Crisis

BOOK REVIEW: Big Debt, Big Thirst: A Case Study of World Bank Supported Water Projects in Ekiti, Rivers and Bauchi States

A Tribute To Dr. Mike Adenuga @72 By Adebayo Ogunbiyi

Degrees Without Skills: Why Nigeria Needs More Techies, Not More Universities

TAGGED: Nigerian Democracy
INadminNG April 5, 2025 April 5, 2025
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Ayorinde Pays Tribute to Late Alhaji Yekini Adeojo
Next Article 2025 International Day of Sports for Development and Peace Int’l Day of Sports for Devt. & Peace: LSSC, Global Sports Ambassadors Unveil Commemorative Events
about us

Independent News Express (iNews Express), a publication of 4Ds Nigeria Limited, is birthed out of the desires of the founding fathers to report News as it is.

We value Professionalism, Excellence, Service, Creativity and Integrity.

The Company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Deal

Categories

Find Us on Socials

© Independent News Express. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?