Why the voter registration exercise should be extended.
As we continue to encourage Nigerians to participate actively in our democracy, I respectfully appeal to INEC to consider extending the voter registration window to the latest practical date that still allows adequate time for the preparation of a credible voters’ register before the 2027 general elections.
Every day, more young Nigerians attain the age of 18 and become constitutionally eligible to vote. They are not just our future; they are stakeholders in our present. It would be unfortunate if many of them were denied the opportunity to exercise their civic responsibility simply because the registration process closed long before the elections.
Moreover, this position is legally supported by the High Court judgment delivered on 22 November 2022 in Anaja Salmat & 3 Others v. INEC (Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1342/2022). In that decision, the Federal High Court held that voter registration should continue until 90 days before a general election to protect the constitutional voting rights of eligible Nigerians.
I appreciate the enormous responsibility placed on INEC to deliver free, fair, and credible elections. I also recognise the need for sufficient time to clean the register and make the necessary logistical preparations. However, our electoral process should, as much as possible, maximise participation rather than limit it.
A democracy is strengthened when every eligible citizen has the opportunity to be heard. I therefore urge INEC to adopt a registration timeline that protects the integrity of the process while ensuring that no eligible Nigerian, especially our young people, is unnecessarily disenfranchised. -PO
Reflections on My 65th Birthday
Today, July 19, 2026, marks my 65th birthday. At sixty-five, birthdays should naturally become moments of deep reflection - moments to look back with gratitude to Almighty God for His abundant graces, examine the journey so far, and ask how the remaining years can be devoted more meaningfully to the service of God and humanity.
Perhaps in countries where basic human needs have largely been met, where institutions function effectively, and where citizens enjoy a greater measure of security and dignity, such attainments may rightly call for elaborate celebrations. In Nigeria, however, our reality compels a different kind of reflection.
Our nation is blessed with enormous human and natural resources, yet millions of our people continue to struggle with challenges that demand our collective attention. We cannot afford to celebrate ourselves excessively while many around us are burdened by poverty, ill health, unemployment, and limited opportunities. Rather, occasions such as this should remind us of our responsibility to contribute towards building a nation where future generations can genuinely celebrate.
This is why I have always seen birthdays not merely as occasions for personal celebration, but as opportunities for sober reflection, thanksgiving, and a renewed commitment to service.
As I reflected today, I came to a simple conclusion: the greatest celebration of life is not what we receive from others, but the lives we can touch positively.
This conviction has guided my approach throughout my years in business, in the corporate world, and as Governor of Anambra State. In each of these roles, I have tried to see every privilege not as a personal entitlement but as an opportunity to improve the lives of others.
Whenever people or institutions sought to celebrate me with expensive gifts or elaborate ceremonies, I encouraged them instead to redirect those resources towards projects that would have a lasting impact. Over the years, this philosophy has resulted in the building of schools, hostel blocks, support to schools, and other facilities that continue to benefit the less privileged. I have always believed that resources meant for personal comfort can often be transformed into instruments of hope for many.
The greatest honour anyone can receive is not found in gifts, ceremonies, or public admiration, but in knowing that one’s life has contributed, however modestly, to making another person’s life better.
Today, therefore, I give thanks to Almighty God for the gift of life and for bringing me to this important milestone of 65 years. I began the day with a Mass of Thanksgiving in Onitsha, thanking God for His grace, protection, guidance, and the countless blessings He has bestowed upon me over the years.
After the Mass, I proceeded to St. Raphael’s Hospital, Umueri, a small rural hospital in Anambra East Local Government Area. In furtherance of my belief that birthdays should be occasions for service rather than self-indulgence, I donated the sum of ₦10 million to support the hospital’s work of providing quality healthcare to the people.
As I was conducted around the hospital and saw patients in their moments of vulnerability, I was reminded again of our shared humanity. Some of those receiving care may not even have the financial means to settle their hospital bills, yet they deserve compassion, dignity, and access to quality healthcare. Their condition was a reminder that leadership, in its truest form, is about caring for people, especially those who cannot repay our kindness.
Hospitals and schools remain two of the greatest investments any society can make. A hospital preserves life; a school shapes the future. Supporting both is, therefore, not just an act of charity - it is an investment in humanity and in the future of our nation.
🚨💣 BREAKING: Youri Tielemans to Manchester United, HERE WE GO! 🔴🇧🇪
United activate €41m release clause into Tielemans’ contract at Aston Villa, verbal agreement also with Belgian midfielder.
Andrey Santos done + Tielemans next after Éderson deal called off on Friday. 📈
🥶🧊 Lamine Yamal: “What is aura? In football, Cristiano Ronaldo”.
“Aura is a person who gives off, something like when they arrive, it's like… WOW. For example, Brad Pitt or like that”.
“In football, Cristiano would be a good example of aura”.
المقطع الاكثر حذفًا في تويتر من امبارح
المقطع ده الفيفا بتطارده بحقوق النشر من امبارح وكل اللي بينشره بيتقفله حسابه او المقطع ينحذف
ده باختصار ملخص الاخطاء التحكيمية امبارح وملخص المدعرة اللي عملها الحكم القذر ضد مصر
اتفرجوا بعينكم … ظلم بيّن وسرقة
DEAR OPPOSITION — UNIFY UNDER PETER OBI
This is for the Labour Party stalwart. The PDP loyalist who has not crossed
over. The NNPP supporter. The ADC newcomer. The independent who cannot find a home.
I am not here to tell you your party failed. I am here to tell you the arithmetic.
Tinubu was declared winner 2023 with 36 percent of the vote. The opposition together took the rest.
The math has never been the problem. The math has always favoured us. The problem is that we ran three campaigns where we needed to run one — and the man who was said to came first in that split is the
man currently mortgaging your children's future.
2027 will not be won by the party with the loudest supporters. It will be won by the side
that learns to assemble itself.
Peter Obi is not the candidate of one camp. He is the candidate with the strongest record on the ballot, the broadest appeal across the regions, and the only campaign in 2023 that took Lagos from the man who claims to own it.
Unifying under him is not surrender. It is strategy. And unifying does not mean dissolving your party, your platform, or your principles. Your senator can still be your senator. Your governor can still be your governor. What we are asking is one
shared answer at the top of the ballot — and a shared commitment to govern together when we
win.
If you are a party operative, an organiser, a fundraiser, a strategist sitting inside
one of the opposition parties — we have a coordination channel for you. Not to replace what you are doing. To connect it.
The other side is unified. They are unified by stolen public money, but they are unified. We have to be unified by something stronger.
Visit https://t.co/VWJfhLpJZZ. Bring your party. Bring your network. Let us assemble.
Arise, O Compatriots.
🚨🔴 Andrey Santos to Manchester United, here we go! Deal in place with medical now booked in next 24h for Brazilian midfielder.
#MUFC to pay £50m matching price asked by Chelsea plus 10% sell-on clause.
Contract until June 2031 to be signed tomorrow — follows @David_Ornstein.
The wait is over.
We have 2 golds: Chimdiebube Onwubiko and Don Anele Munachimso.
We are the best in the world!
Egejurum Onyedikachi’s name was omitted. He should have a gold.
🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo: “I will wake up tomorrow with same mood as I did today. I did my best”.
“I won three titles with Portugal, before me it was ZERO titles. I can only be happy”.