Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the House of Representatives, says decisions on power-sharing and religious balance should be guided by justice rather than fear or political pressure.

Dogara spoke on ‘Sunday Politics’, a Channels Television programme, amid speculation that Vice-President Kashim Shettima could be dropped as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 general election.

The Christian-born politician added that governance should prioritise inclusiveness and fairness in building a nation that works for all.

Asked to respond to claims that his name was being mentioned as a potential running mate ahead of the president’s re-election bid, Dogara said, “Leave me out of this”.

“I would have sincerely pleaded with you to leave me out of this, but let me say something,” Dogara said.

“Whatever we are doing shouldn’t be because we are afraid of anybody breathing down our necks; it should be because it is the right thing to do.

“We are talking about running an inclusive government, bringing everybody in this country together, so that we can build a nation that works for all of us.”

Dogara said discussions around rotational presidency should also accommodate broader religious considerations.

“So, if we are talking about rotational presidency, there is nothing stopping us from having that discussion as well, because you are not just talking about northern Christians but about the Christian faith as a whole,” he said.

“If you have a Muslim, whether he comes from the north or the south, let it be that he is representing the Muslim community.

“And if you have a Christian, wherever he comes from, he represents the Christian faith. That way, you achieve religious balance.

“But honestly, if we’re going to do anything along those lines, it shouldn’t be that we are scared, but because, as men of it, we believe that God requires of us to do justice.

“And justice demands that we should balance things. I think that should be our concern.”

Speaking on the possibility of the APC fielding a Christian running mate in 2027, Dogara said the issue is being discussed.

“It’s a discussion, and I am aware that such discussions are already taking place,” he said.

“At the end of the day, whatever the president decides, nobody who is a serving president has ever lost the party primaries.

“So, we assume that the president will get the party’s ticket.

“Ultimately, whatever decisions he takes, I believe that it is up to him, but if we have an overwhelming majority of our people making a case that these things should be balanced, as a democrat, I sincerely believe that he will listen to it.

“Particularly for us northerners like you, I’ve always insisted that anybody who divides the north along religious lines has actually conquered the north.”

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, with the backing of the Nigeria Labour Congress, on Monday picketed the National Industrial Court in Abuja as part of an ongoing total and indefinite strike over unresolved labour disputes.

The protest followed a directive from the NLC, which declared full support for the industrial action, describing the strike as justified amid what it termed persistent violations of workers’ rights by the FCTA management and political leadership.

Placards carried by the protesters bore inscriptions such as “Wike must go!!”, “Abuja no be Rivers”, “Pay promotion arrears”, “Enough is Enough” and “No working tools”.

Details later…

The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has taken over the case of Mike Ozekhome, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who has been accused of forgery and use of false documents in a disputed property case in the United Kingdom.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filed a three-count charge marked FCT/HC/CR/010/2026 against Ozekhome on January 16.

He was to be arraigned before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Maitama on Monday.

However, when the case was called, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court of the AGF’s decision to take over the prosecution of the matter.

According to him, the case is to be prosecuted with “the highest standard of efficiency, effectiveness, diligence and compliance with due process of law”.

Oyedepo said the AGF would need time to study the case file.

Osuobeni Akponimisingha, ICPC counsel, did not oppose the application.

Consequently, Peter Kekemeke, presiding judge, adjourned the case to February 24 for arraignment of the defendant.

Ozekhome is accused of knowingly presenting forged documents, including a Nigerian international passport, to support his claim of ownership of a property located at 79 Randall Avenue, London NW2 7SX, during proceedings before the London First-Tier Tribunal.

The alleged offences were committed sometime in August 2021 in the Maitama area of the nation’s capital, within the jurisdiction of the court.

Named in the property dispute are Ozekhome and Jeremiah Useni, a retired lieutenant-general who is now deceased.

It was filed at the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Land Registration, UK, under case number REF/2023/0155, with Tali Shani as the applicant and Ozekhome as the respondent.

The property had been claimed by one ‘Ms Tali Shani’ on one hand and Ozekhome on the other.

Ozekhome said he received the house as a gift from ‘Mr Tali Shani’ in 2021, while lawyers for ‘Ms Shani’ insisted she was the rightful owner.

A witness known as ‘Mr Tali Shani had testified in favour of Ozekhome, claiming that he had “Powers of Attorney” over the property and had transferred the property to the respondent (Ozekhome).

Mr Tali Shani asserted ownership of the property from 1993 and claimed he later appointed Useni as his property manager, describing Useni as an “elder friend and business partner”.

On the other hand, several documents, including an obituary announcement, NIN card, ECOWAS passport, phone number, etc were tendered by witnesses of Ms Tali Shani to claim ownership of the property.

However, the tribunal found that all the documents tendered in Ms Tali Shani’s case were fake.

The tribunal subsequently dismissed all claims, ruling that neither “Mr” nor “Ms” Tali Shani existed.

The court ruled that the real owner, via a false name, was Useni.