Ideas with a paper trail.

From all indicators, our economy is failing. This is why the APC is talking about everything but the economy. Our people are hungry - they don’t need more failed promises and rhetoric.

It was reassuring that notwithstanding his age and health challenges, Prof Ben Nwabueze (SAN), patriot and foremost constitutional lawyer, led our legal team at the commencement of trial at the Presidential Election Petition, today. https://t.co/Lucg9tVjYR

Your #CandleLight memorial of yesterday shows that you place premium value on your fallen patriots. I heard you loud and clear and stand in solidarity with you in the quest for a #BetterNigeria. #EndSARS #EndPoliceBrutality #EndInsecurityNow

Taxation is an investment. We have 90m Nigerians who are not doing anything. The government first has to invest. How? By putting money in SMEs. In a bank, you cannot withdraw without paying in. Nigeria needs to invest in its people, after which they’d pay back (via taxes). -PO

Dear Nigerians. I am here to inform you all that I will be aspiring for the post of President of Nigeria in 2023. -PO

I have just finished addressing an international press conference. I urge Nigerians to remain resolute. We won this election and we will prove it to Nigerians. We shall reclaim our mandate via due process. Please do not despair! -PO https://t.co/1O98Z6FF8Q

It was truly a delightful and uplifting experience for me today, as I joined other Nigerians to watch Nigeria's National Team, the Super Eagles, live in Abidjan, Ivory Coast Capital, as they cruised to the semi-final of the ongoing AFCON tournament. https://t.co/wlG0mVx0JL

Thank You All From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely thank everyone for the outpouring of goodwill and birthday wishes I received worldwide. I remain deeply grateful to all who marked the day in one way or another, not to mention Nigerian youths, the Obidient family and the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, renowned for their apostolate to the poor. As for me, while I deeply appreciate the gestures of celebration, I must once again reiterate that I do not personally celebrate birthdays. I recall vividly when I turned 50, during my time as Governor. Many institutions and individuals approached me with elaborate plans for the occasion. One institution generously offered to build a house for me in the village. When I asked for the estimated cost, they said it would be ₦120 million. I humbly requested that the funds be redirected to build classrooms in three educational institutions at Agulu, Ekwulobia and Abatete. They obliged—and the impact was far-reaching. Another group had budgeted ₦20 million for a lavish party. I graciously asked them to consider using the funds to purchase desktop computers for schools. Their eventual donation of 200 desktops was distributed to schools across the state, enhancing learning for many students. In a similar spirit of redirection, another organisation—whose intention had originally been to celebrate me—ended up donating buses, which we distributed to institutions in need, including one that went to the legendary Old Rangers Association. This has been my consistent approach over the years. On each birthday, I use the opportunity to redirect goodwill towards causes that uplift others. As I turned 64 years old yesterday, I must confess that the current state of our nation makes the idea of personal merriment even more difficult to contemplate. The scale of suffering and deprivation among our people weighs heavily on the conscience. This is why I have once again requested that all those who wish to celebrate me should instead channel their resources towards helping the poor or supporting our struggling health and educational institutions. On my part, I have chosen this day to renew my personal commitment to continue supporting the institutions of state in the best way I can, especially those that directly serve the people. Providentially, I was in Rome, at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs, and my birthday coincided with this visit. I used this sacred opportunity, as I always do when I am in Nigeria, to remember you all in prayer. I especially prayed for our beloved country, Nigeria—that God may touch the hearts of our leaders, and awaken in them the realisation that public funds are meant for the public good. May we all find strength and grace to keep striving for a more just, compassionate, and equitable society. Thank you, once again. -PO

Fellow Nigerians, good morning. I woke up this morning after my church service with a deeply reflective heart, and despite every constraint, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with you. Many people do not truly understand the silent pains some of us carry daily—the private struggles, emotional burdens, and quiet battles we face while trying to survive and serve sincerely in difficult circumstances. We now live in an environment that has become increasingly toxic, where the very system that should protect and create opportunities for decent living often works against the people—a society where intimidation, insecurity, endless scrutiny, and discouragement have become normal. More painful is when some of those you associate with, believing you would find understanding and solidarity among them, become part of the pressure you face. Some who publicly identify with you privately distance themselves or join in unfair criticism. We live in a society where humility is mistaken for weakness, respect is seen as a lack of courage, and compassion is treated as foolishness—a system where treating people equally is questioned simply because you refuse to worship status, tribe, class, or power. Personally, I have never looked down on anyone except to uplift them. I have never used privilege, position, or resources to oppress others, intimidate the weak, or make people feel small. To me, leadership has always been about service, sacrifice, and helping others rise. Let me state clearly: my decision to leave the ADC is not because our highly respected Chairman, Senator David Mark, treated me badly, nor because my leader and elder brother, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, or any other respected leaders did anything personally wrong to me. I will continue to respect them. However, the same Nigerian state and its agents that created unnecessary crises and hostility within the Labour Party that forced me to leave now appear to be finding their way into the ADC, with endless court cases, internal battles, suspicion, and division, instead of focusing on deeper national problems and playing politics built more on control and exclusion than on service and nation-building. Even within spaces where one labours sincerely, one is sometimes treated like an outsider in one’s own home. You and your team become easy targets for every failure, frustration, or misunderstanding, as though honest contribution has become a favour being tolerated rather than appreciated. And when you choose to leave so that those you are leaving can have peace, and you step out into the cold, you are still maligned and your character is questioned. Despite all your efforts to continue working for a better Nigeria and engaging people with sincerity and goodwill, those who do not wish you well continue to attack your character and question your intentions. There are moments I ask God in prayer: Why is doing the right thing often misconstrued as wrongdoing in our country? Why is integrity not valued? Why is the prudent management of resources, especially when invested in critical areas like education and healthcare, wrongly labelled as stinginess? Why are humility and obedience to the rule of law often taken to be weakness rather than discipline? Let me assure all that I am not desperate to be President, Vice President, or Senate President. I am desperate to see a society that can console a mother whose child has been kidnapped or killed while going to school or work. I am desperate to see a Nigeria where people will not live in IDP camps but in their homes. I am desperate for a country where Nigerian citizens do not go to bed hungry, not knowing where their next meal will come from. Yet, despite everything, I remain resolute. I firmly believe that Nigeria can still become a country with competent leadership based on justice, compassion, and equal opportunity for all. A new Nigeria is POssible. -PO