…Warns against forces seeking to destabilise Nigeria

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola (rtd), on Tuesday assumed leadership of the reconstituted Council of the Wise, an initiative of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), aimed at promoting peaceful, free and credible elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As part of its mandate, the council is expected to engage President Bola Tinubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, leadership of political parties as well as other key stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The council was inaugurated in Abuja by Former Chief of Staff to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and founder of the Savannah Centre, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, who charged members to help create a conducive atmosphere for peaceful, free, fair and credible elections in 2027.

The reconstituted council comprises eminent Nigerians drawn from diplomacy, academia, governance, civil society, media and the creative industry, including Prof. Shuaibu Abdulraheem, veteran actress Joke Silva, former ambassador Godknows Igali, governance expert Tunji Lardner.

Others include Peace Advocate Ummu Kalthum Muhammad, retired ambassador Abdulaziz Dankano, Prof. Abdullahi Shehu Yibaikwal and National President of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Abdullahi Aliyu Usman.

Speaking after his inauguration, Ariwoola warned against forces seeking to destabilise the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said Nigerians must not allow detractors bent on exploiting the country’s fault lines to undermine national unity, peace and democratic development.

He said: “We all know that the story of Nigeria’s democratic development is riddled with tales of gloom, agony and discontent with the potential of imploding, to give the prophets of doom what they had been advocating for- Nigeria’s collapse and disintegration as a country.

“For example, in January 2005, the proceedings of a one-day conference of USA experts on sub-Saharan Africa, sponsored by the US National Intelligence Council, expressed concerns about Nigeria’s possible collapse by 2015.

“It is therefore our responsibility as patriotic Nigerians, young and old, to do everything possible within our power to ensure that Nigeria remains united, stable, and prosperous. We should not be cowed or intimidated by our detractors, whose main interest is to set the country ablaze so that they can exploit our resources at will.”

The former CJN pledged that the council would work to strengthen national cohesion, deepen democracy and facilitate peaceful, free and credible elections before, during and after the 2027 polls.

According to him, the council’s assignment is to engage critical stakeholders across the country to address both perceived and real challenges confronting nation-building and democratic governance.

“The assignment upon the council is to continuously engage with critical stakeholders nationwide with a view to facilitating in tackling perceived and real challenges to nation building, particularly with regard to the 2027 general elections and beyond,” Ariwoola said.

He assured the founder of the Savannah Centre, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and the organisation’s Board of Directors that the council would contribute to unifying Nigeria’s diverse ethnic, religious, political and socio-economic groups through strategic advocacy and dialogue.

Earlier, Gambari said the Council of the Wise was established to tap into the collective experience, influence and wisdom of eminent Nigerians in promoting peaceful elections and democratic governance.

Speaking virtually from Philadelphia in the United States, the diplomat expressed concern over persistent challenges confronting Nigeria’s electoral process, including vote-buying, electoral violence, hate speech, political thuggery, candidate imposition and weak internal democracy within political parties.

He noted that insecurity arising from insurgency, communal conflicts, farmer-herder clashes, pipeline vandalism and other threats had further complicated Nigeria’s democratic landscape.

“You will all agree with me that today the political atmosphere is truly charged and the challenges have multiplied several folds in scope, intensity and spread,” Gambari said.

According to him, the council is expected to engage a wide range of stakeholders, including President Tinubu, the Chief of Staff to the President, political party leaders and candidates, former presidents and heads of state, the National Security Adviser, heads of security agencies, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Chief Justice of Nigeria, governors, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women groups, members of the diplomatic community and the media.

He recalled that the Council of the Wise was first established in 2014 under the Savannah Centre’s Leadership Effectiveness and Accountability Dialogue initiative, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, to strengthen democratic governance and peaceful electoral participation.

The first council was chaired by the late former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais, between 2015 and 2022, while the second was led by former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, from 2022 to 2026.

Also speaking, human rights advocate and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (SAN), stressed the need for accountable and effective leadership to strengthen democracy and development.

Ezeilo said citizens must actively participate in governance through free, fair and credible elections, noting that effectiveness without accountability amounts to unchecked power, while accountability without effectiveness is merely noise making.

The council is expected to begin nationwide consultations aimed at preventing electoral violence, promoting peaceful democratic participation and strengthening national cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.