COLUMNS

The Sun Is Setting on the Red Cap Era: The Rise of the “Maliya” Momentum in Kano

Daily Dispatch January 3, 2026

For more than a decade, Kano’s political identity was inseparable from a single symbol: the red cap. The Kwankwasiyya movement did not merely win elections; it defined loyalty, belonging, and political relevance. But politics, like history, does not stand still. Across Kano today, a quiet but

COLUMNS

Distinguishing between Federal Government Revenue and the Federation Account

Daily Dispatch January 3, 2026

By Temitope Ajayi Public debate on government finances in Nigeria is once again clouded by confusion, little knowledge, and deliberate misrepresentation. At the centre of the current controversy is a misunderstanding of the distinction between total revenue generated by government agencies and the portion that actually belongs to the federal government. The confusion has

COLUMNS

THE MYTH OF NUMBERS, THE TYRANNY OF REALITY: Why 2027 Will Not Be 2023—and Why Tinubu Will Prevail

Daily Dispatch January 3, 2026

By Dr. Bunmi Awoyemi There comes a moment in every political epoch when illusion collapses under the sheer weight of arithmetic, geography, and raw political machinery. Nigeria is fast approaching such a moment. The 2027 elections will not be a referendum on sentiment, social media enthusiasm, or the nostalgic fantasies of perpetual opposition. They will […]

COLUMNS

IMPRISONED BY AMBITION : Peter Obi’s reckless misreading of politics and power

Daily Dispatch January 2, 2026

By Sunday Dare If the recent decamping of Peter Obi from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress was intended to detonate like a political bombshell, it failed spectacularly. What arrived instead was a dull thud—unremarkable, unsurprising, and terminally familiar. Nothing more. Nothing less. The script had been written long ago, recycled endlessly, and […]

COLUMNS

Aláàfin Ọ̀yọ́ cuddling a dead empire (2)

Daily Dispatch January 2, 2026

By Tunde Odesola (Published in The PUNCH, on Friday, January 2, 2026) When he was a child, my immediate younger brother, Abiodun, had a piggy bank made of clay. It was a treasure prized beyond measure. Two adults working in my father’s construction company – Bisi Builders – Uncle Bisi Owolabi and Uncle Bayo, were […]

COLUMNS

Aisha Yesufu’s declaration for ADC: A bolt out of the blues

Daily Dispatch January 1, 2026

By Niyen Tosan The build-up to the 2027 general elections in Nigeria is taking many twists and turns as political actors and gladiators align and realign their interests for one elective office or the other. The coal city of Enugu, Enugu State, the political capital of South East Nigeria, came to a standstill on Wednesday, […]