Politics
“Cyber Politics”: Danbatta Hails Ibietan’s Diligence
The literary prowess and activism of Dr Omoniyi Ibietan have earned him commendations.
Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, gave the author kudos what he described as “uncommon industry, literary efforts, and activism.”
Biztellers reports that Dr Ibietan is the Head, Media Relations Management at the NCC, while Prof Danbatta, had the honour of writing the foreword and playing the role of the presenter of the book to the members of the public.
Prof Danbatta said, “I’m fascinated by Dr Ibietan’s passion to write a book on cyber politics. Combining his official work at NCC with his passion to produce this book is commendable”.
On the herculean task involved in writing, Prof Danbatta said, “People who sit down and put their thoughts together and commit those thoughts into writing to produce impactful books such as this are some of the most intelligent people in our society.”
According to the EVC aside from his intellection and excellent public speaking skills, Dr Ibietan is also known as an activist, who strives to make societal conditions better.
In addition, the CEO of NCC noted that “The different stages that writing a book entail are not easy; it is difficult, from the time you start putting your thoughts together, to coming up with the manuscript. That is why his efforts in writing this book should be seen as laudable, as I have heard there are more books coming after this one and we look forward to that.”
“It, therefore, gives me great pleasure, to present this book, on behalf of the Management and Staff of the NCC and Premium Times Books (the publisher), to members of the public and I encourage you all to buy and read this book and I am sure you will not regret the time you spend on this literary effort,” Prof Danbatta stated.
Published by Premium Times Books, the 460-page literary work reviews Nigeria’s democracy through its elections, particularly the role of social media.
However, Cyber Politics is not just about the last general election and filial squabbles, according to Azubuike Ishiekwene, the editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspapers, who reviewed the book in Abuja.
“It’s a deeper phase in the exploratory journey of Omoniyi P. Ibietan whose interest in political communication and its sociology goes back to his early student days,” Ishiekwene pointed out.
Several dignitaries also praised the author for writing the book, which some described as an “exemplary literary work.”
Ishiekwene also noted that, “the book explores, among other things, the question of whether political conversations among Nigeria’s estimated 33 million active social media users, especially the influencers, had any significant impact on the outcome of the 2015 elections”.
From his perspective, a former Minister of Information and Communication in Nigeria, Frank Nweke Jr, noted that the “book represents an uncommon body of work by an intellectual visionary”, and he is of the conviction that the “extrapolation of the lessons and recommendations of this book will find perfect expression in other climes beyond the 2015 Nigerian General Elections scenario.”
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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