A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Dr Jelili Akinola, has described corruption as the biggest obstacle holding Nigeria back.
Akinola made the assertion while assessing 27 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday.

He said that decades of democratic governance in Nigeria have been a mix of progress and missed opportunities due to the high rate of corruption.

According to him, decades of mismanagement and diversion of public funds have slowed growth in road infrastructure, healthcare, education and other sectors across the country.

He maintained that the nation has recorded significant achievements compared to the state of affairs before 1999.

“But the way public funds keep disappearing into private pockets is hindering the nation’s progress,” Akinola said.

The PDP chieftain urged the federal government to strengthen institutions such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

He also called for the non-selective prosecution of corrupt officials.

According to him, political will and transparency in governance remain critical if Nigeria is to meet its development goals.

The PDP chieftain also called on citizens to demand accountability from elected leaders, adding that voter apathy during elections creates room for bad governance.

He noted that development starts with honest leadership and a people who refuse to accept excuses for stolen money.

Akinola said that though democratic consolidation since 1999 has been uneven, it has made irreversible progress when compared with the era of military rule.

According to him, the biggest gain since the return to civilian rule is the culture of regular elections and peaceful transfer of power.

“Since 1999, we have moved from one civilian government to another without military interruption. That alone is consolidation.

“Nigerians now expect elections every four years, and that expectation was not there before,” he said.

Akinola, however, noted that the quality of democracy remains weak.

He urged the National Orientation Agency to launch nationwide campaigns to encourage citizens to shun corruption and embrace patriotism.

Akinola also advised Nigerian leaders to lead by example and govern the country with the fear of God.

The PDP chieftain further called for collaborative efforts to address the security challenges confronting the nation, noting that no meaningful development can be achieved in the face of insecurity.

NAN

National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, says every donation to the party must be domiciled in party’s bank account.

Speaking at the party’s stakeholder’s meeting, Dickson said no party official, including himself can spend the party’s money.

He said he wants the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to audit the party’s account according to the law, adding that they don’t want individuals to use the party’s money to buy private houses and new cars.

“We direct that every donation should go into the party’s designated account so that it can be audited and handled by INEC that has the power to audit it when necessary.

“We’ll even tell the public so that people who are donating to support will know that the money will not be spent by the chairman or national leader or secretary.

“I was in parties, we raised money for party. Before you know, you would hear that there’s no money again. We don’t want NDC to follow that road. So people should bear with us. These are the systems we are creating,” he said.

A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Adamawa State, Ishaya Durkwa, has sued the party as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking the cancellation of the governorship primary he was said to have lost.

Durkwa is before the Federal High Court sitting in Yola, urging the court to restrain the declared winner of the primary, Omar Suleiman, from parading himself as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for 2027.

Omar was declared winner of the primary election, which was held on May 23, 2026, and has since been recognised as the ADC gubernatorial candidate.

In the suit, in which he joined the ADC, INEC and Omar Suleiman as defendants, Durkwa is alleging violations of the Electoral Act, citing a process he claims was not free and fair.

He is praying for an order nullifying both the said primary election and the declaration of Omar as winner.

He is further asking for an order directing the ADC to conduct a fresh governorship primary election for Adamawa State in compliance with Sections 84 and 86 of the Electoral Act