By Ben Atonko

Sankera stands at a crossroads. The next election is not just about filling a seat. It is about choosing a direction.

In Lawrence Vihimga, the people of Katsina-Ala-Ukum-Logo Federal Constituency have a candidate who combines youthful energy with the wisdom of Methuselah. Age has not made it, experience has made him wise.

From his school days, at Government College Katsina-Ala and College of Education, Katsina-Ala Vihimga demonstrated skills that were marked by a rare trait: leadership that puts collective interest first.

While others chased personal glory, he rallied classmates for common causes.

That same spirit followed him to Benue State University, where he was elected President of the BSU Alumni Association. The position earned him a seat in the Governing Council of the university.

He did not serve for title. He served with dedication, honesty and a genuine love for people.

Under his watch, the alumni body became more united, more purposeful and more responsive to the needs of its members and community.

He did not only give the association a new lift by registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), he also placed it on the national map by integrating it with the Council of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities.

There is something about Vihimga that changes every room he enters. The ambience shifts. The atmosphere gets electrified.

Laughter fills the air, but it is not empty laughter. It is the laughter of hope, of inclusion, of a man who makes people feel seen and loved.

In a political climate polluted by tension and division, Sankera needs that kind of presence. A leader who unites before he speaks policy.

In the last political dispensation, Vihimga aspired to represent his people. He presented himself with a clear vision and a clean record.

But gerontocracy forces would not allow him. The old order preferred recycling old names over testing fresh ideas.

Sankera lost an opportunity then. But windows close only for new ones to open.

That window is 2027. Vihimga has presented himself again, this time with more resolve under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — the party of the white horse, the real progressive party.

Oh people of Sankera, this is your chance to entrench true people-centred leadership. Not leadership of promises but leadership of presence.

Not leadership of big grammar but leadership that understands the pain of the farmer, the fear of the mother and the frustration of the jobless youth.

This is the man who can afford you purposeful and selfless representation in the Green Chambers of the National Assembly.

Purposeful because he plans before he acts. Selfless because his record shows he spends more time solving problems than taking credit.

In Abuja, Sankera needs a voice that speaks for those in the rural communities, not just for the elite. Sankera needs to be visible at the national and Vihimga is that voice, he is the person.

Come 2027, every Sankera man, woman or youth who yearns for development should vote Lawrence Vihimga for Katsina-Ala-Ukum-Logo Federal Constituency.

It is the surest way to tackling insecurity, promoting unity and engendering grassroots development.

Insecurity has stolen our peace. Unity has been fractured by politics of exclusion. Grassroots development has been a slogan, not a reality.

Vihimga understands that security starts with opportunity, unity starts with inclusion and development starts at the grassroots.

He will legislate with the farmer in mind, attract projects that touch the rural areas and build bridges across our divides.

Sankera has tried the old formula for too long. 2027 must be different. Youth is not inexperience when it is guided by wisdom.

Vihimga has both. He has the energy to run the race and the character to finish it well.

The choice before us is simple. Continue with what has not worked or try what integrity and service can do.

Lawrence Vihimga is ready. Sankera must be ready too.

The time for recycling is over. The time for results is here. Vote Lawrence Vihimga. Vote for Sankera’s future

By Seyi Balogun

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) National Secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, has explained why the party has enshrined anti defection oath in its constitution and why those vying for elections on its platform should swear the oath.

The national secretary also explained why NDC exempted its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and vice-presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, from the party’s newly introduced anti-defection oath aimed at discouraging elected officials from abandoning the platform after winning elections.

Enekweizu, disclosed this while appearing on Wednesday Channels Television’s Politics Today programme where he defended the policy against criticisms that it violates constitutional provisions.

Enekweizu maintained that the requirement for candidates to sign an oath of loyalty is backed by the party’s constitution, to safeguard the NDC from the wave of defections that weaken political parties in recent years after winning elections. He justified the policy saying:

“First and foremost, a political party is like any other association, and every member who subscribes to the membership of the party is bound by the provisions of the constitution of the party and decisions taken by the party’s properly constituted authorities. Within NDC, the decision to make people sign that affidavit is provided for in our constitution.”

He faulted insinuations that the policy was unconstitutional, arguing that members of voluntary associations are legally bound by the rules governing such organisations.

“The constitution says everybody running under the platform of the party has to sign, but the party has taken the administrative decision that those required to sign in this instance do not include the presidential candidate and his vice,” he stated.

He explained further that the party’s primary concern is with lawmakers who often defect shortly after securing office.

“Our main focus is not the governor; it’s not the president, it’s the national and state assembly members elected on the platform of our party,” he said.

Enekweizu said the NDC was determined to build a lasting political institution and would not allow politicians to treat the party merely as a vehicle for winning elections before moving elsewhere.

By Michael Lim, Abuja

An Abuja three-member appeal panel led by Justice A. B. Mohammed, in a unanimous decision, ordered for stay of execution of the decision of Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to deregister the African Democratic Congress, Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Accord Party and Zenith Labour Party.

The panel on Tuesday faulted Justice Lifu for flouting a May 22 order that directed him to suspend proceedings before him, describing his conduct as the gravest form of judicial misconduct. It declared:

“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.

“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is the highest form of judicial impertinence,” adding that the Supreme Court had previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner “is unfit for the bench as it amounts to judicial rascality.”

The panel said it had a duty to assert its supervisory authority over lower courts and protect the integrity of the judicial hierarchy.

“Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This court has supervisory authority over the trial court. This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for stay of execution is hereby granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed,” it ruled.

Earlier in its submission, INEC told the court that it was stunned by Justice Lifu’s decision to deliver the judgment, disclosing that the commission only learned of the ruling through media reports rather than any official notification.

INEC’s lead counsel, Mr Haliru Mohammed, told the panel that the commission had been aware of the appellate court’s May 22 order restraining the lower court from delivering the judgment, which had originally been reserved for June 5.

“We were not aware of any notice from the court regarding the delivery of the judgment. We only saw it as breaking news in the media. We therefore do not oppose the application of the appellant to stay the execution of the judgment,” Mohammed submitted.

The commission therefore aligned itself with the notice of appeal filed by the affected political parties.

Counsel for the ADC, Mr Shuaibu Aruwa, SAN, told the court that Justice Lifu communicated the judgment’s delivery to the party via WhatsApp, a disclosure that drew visible reactions from the bench.

Aruwa described the lower court’s conduct as an invitation to anarchy and urged the appellate court to invoke its disciplinary jurisdiction under Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution to sanction the judge:

“The action of the trial judge calls for swift and extraordinary measures from this court. We have come to the stage where this court should press the reset button.

“We urge this court to take disciplinary steps by immediately suspending that judgment. This court has the power to protect its own integrity. We pray this court suspends the judgment immediately without further delay.”

The other affected parties similarly drew the panel’s attention to the June 20 by-elections scheduled across six states, warning that allowing the judgment to stand would trigger serious electoral and constitutional crises nationwide.

With Tuesday’s appellate court order, the five parties remain registered pending the determination of their appeals