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OBJ: Court Should Not Decide Election Winner

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed concern over the growing role of the judiciary in determining election outcomes in Nigeria, saying it undermines the essence of democracy when the votes of millions are ultimately decided by a handful of judges.

 

Obasanjo spoke yesterday as chairman of the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Democracy Dialogue at the Ahmadu Bello International Conference Centre, Bauchi.

The dialogue, with the theme, “Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and Judiciary Save African Democracy?”, brought together political leaders, statesmen, scholars and democracy advocates from Nigeria and other African countries.

Obasanjo questioned whether it was democratic for millions of citizens to cast their votes only for a few judges to determine the final outcome.

“If millions of people have voted and five people would form a decision either in favour or against the decision of millions of people, is that democracy?” he queried.

He also questioned the independence of the judiciary, asking whether it remained truly independent or was being influenced by the government.

The former president said the situation raised fundamental questions about the state of democracy in Nigeria and Africa, noting that democracy must ultimately deliver good governance and improve the living conditions of citizens.

He said democracy should guarantee welfare and wellbeing, inclusiveness, equality, a sense of belonging, protection of lives and property, and an end to marginalisation and discrimination.

“Democracy that works must deliver the dividends of democracy,” he added.

Obasanjo also questioned the effectiveness of political parties in sustaining democracy, asking, “Can the political parties deliver, or are they delivering? These are the questions the dialogue needs to answer.”

 

Jonathan Advocates Swiss-style Presidency To Curb Power Concentration

In his own submission, former President Goodluck Jonathan urged African countries to review their democratic systems and adopt models that reflect their histories, cultures and political realities while upholding justice, equality, human rights, accountability and free elections.

Jonathan made the call in his vote of thanks at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi.

He suggested that elements of the Swiss system of government could provide useful lessons for some African countries, particularly in preventing excessive concentration of political power in one individual.

“At the top level of the presidency, perhaps the Swiss model, where you don’t have one powerful president, may be the best for some African countries,” he said.

Jonathan explained that Switzerland’s executive authority was exercised collectively rather than concentrated in a single individual, making it more difficult for one person to take far-reaching decisions without consultation.

“I remember when I was Vice President, I once said that forefathers believed that when one person has so much power, it is dangerous to society,” he recalled.

He warned that concentrating enormous political powers in one individual could weaken democratic governance and public institutions.

Jonathan also cautioned against measuring democracy solely by elections, saying elections were only one component of a functioning democratic system.

Citing the 2024 Afrobarometer survey of 39 African countries, he said more than 70 per cent of respondents expressed a preference for democracy, while satisfaction with how democracy was being practised was significantly lower in many countries.

“This clearly shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with our democracy,” he said.

The former president said democracy must guarantee fairness, justice and equal treatment, with citizens able to freely choose their leaders and participate in the political process.

“If that is lacking in a country, then, of course, there is no democracy there,” he said.

Jonathan called for an independent judiciary free from executive interference and urged governments to ensure that legislatures had sufficient independence to perform their oversight functions.

He acknowledged, however, that achieving complete separation between the executive and legislature could be difficult where members of both arms belonged to the same political party.

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Police Discover Indoor Cannabis Farm In Lagos

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The Lagos State Police Command has uncovered a suspected high-tech indoor cannabis farm at a residential property in Apapa, Lagos, arresting a 49-year-old Polish national and a 36-year-old Nigerian in connection with the discovery.

The suspects, identified as Thomas Razvickas, 49, and James Chisome, 36, were arrested on November 2, 2026, at about 8:15 am following intelligence received by police operatives.

The facility, according to the police, was equipped with sophisticated equipment for the cultivation, harvesting and processing of substances suspected to be cannabis.

The Command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, adding that both suspects were residents of the property searched by the operatives.

She said the suspects were currently in police custody, where they had made confessional statements and were providing useful information to assist ongoing investigations.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Tijani Fatai, subsequently visited the scene to inspect the facility, assess the extent of the operation and receive briefings on the investigation.

Fatai commended the operatives for their vigilance and effective use of intelligence, reiterating the Command’s commitment to combating drug-related offences and dismantling criminal networks across the state.

He also urged residents to sustain their cooperation with the police by providing timely and credible information that could assist in identifying and apprehending criminal elements.

The police commissioner assured residents that the Command would remain proactive and resolute in its determination to rid Lagos of criminal activities.

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Trump Accepts Midterm Election Results, Congratulates Democrats

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U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is willing to accept the results of the midterm elections, bringing a temporary end to questions about whether he would challenge the outcome following a difficult night for Republicans.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said he was prepared to respect the election results, declaring, “I am absolutely willing to accept those results.”

The president also congratulated Democrats on their electoral victories and expressed readiness to work with them in the interest of the country, despite earlier warnings that he would use his presidential powers to block legislation backed by the opposition.

“My message is congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country,” Trump told CBS News late Tuesday.

However, he suggested that cooperation would depend on Democrats being willing to work with his administration.

“I think they’re gonna want to work with me,” he said, adding that he could otherwise use his veto power to block their legislative proposals.

Republicans suffered significant setbacks in key races across the country as Democrats recorded victories in several contests, marking a challenging outcome for Trump’s party in the midterm elections.

Reacting to the results, Trump blamed his absence from the ballot as one of the reasons Republicans underperformed, arguing that his presence would have improved the party’s chances.

“I feel that I wasn’t on the ballot, and there was nothing that could be done about that. If I was, we would have won,” he said.

He also suggested that dissatisfaction with some Republican candidates contributed to the losses, claiming that certain candidates lacked his support and failed to attract the party’s political base.

“In some cases, they didn’t like the candidates, and in some cases those candidates were not my friend, and the base knows that better than anybody. And they stayed back,” Trump added.

Despite his conciliatory remarks to CBS News, the president maintained a firm position on his administration’s legislative approach.

Speaking later with Fox News Channel, Trump again emphasised his intention to use the presidential veto to prevent the passage of Democratic-backed legislation.

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Ondo Ponmo Sellers’ Association President Collapses In Court

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A business. woman, identified as the President of the Ponmo Sellers’ Association in Ondo State, reportedly collapsed in court during her arraignment in Akure on Tuesday following her arrest over the alleged discovery of human faeces at her ponmo processing centre.

 

The incident comes days after the Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area, Hon. Gbenga Fasua, ordered the immediate closure of a popular ponmo supply store on Igboliki Street in Akure following an environmental sanitation inspection that reportedly uncovered two buckets containing human faeces on the premises.

The discovery was made during the October edition of the monthly environmental sanitation exercise conducted on Saturday, when Fasua led a monitoring team through Oke Aro, Iro and Igboliki streets to assess residents’ and businesses’ compliance with environmental sanitation regulations.

According to information from the inspection, the ponmo business had reportedly operated in the area for more than 21 years.

The operator, who was present during the inspection, reportedly identified herself as the President of the Ponmo Sellers’ Association in Ondo State.

Following the discovery, Fasua ordered the immediate closure of the premises and directed the disposal of all ponmo products at the shop.

He also ordered that the operator be prosecuted in accordance with applicable local and state environmental laws.

The businesswoman was subsequently arrested and brought before a court in Akure on Tuesday for arraignment.

She reportedly collapsed during the court proceedings.

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