Amobi Nzelu Esq is the Principal Partner at Chinenye Chambers. In this recent press interview with our media consultant, Ekunkonye Junior, he faults the performance of all the arms of the government, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on issues ranging from electoral integrity to insecurity and corruption. While warning against pushing the country toward “a precipice, Nzelu says the battle is not between political parties but “between the Nigerian people and those buying them.” Excerpts
What do you say about inter-party conflicts like those in ADC?
That is why I say moles were planted into them. These black legs are bound to cause disagreement. They were put there to give the ruling party a free cruise to power. Fair and good, but this battle is not between two political parties. It is a battle between Nigerian people and those buying the people — Nigerians who cannot go to bed sure of their next meal.
Have you spoken directly to the President about these issues?
Yes. I wrote a letter to him in 2025. 14 pages. I told him clearly that our generation had a good life in Nigeria. I was born January 14, 1953; he was born March 10, 1952. I told him I went to secondary school and left with 41 Naira. By 1980, as a young lawyer, 250 Naira was more than enough. The dollar was 1 to 1. I begged him: you are not looking for anything again. God has blessed you, from Senator to Governor to President. Not 1% of Nigerians will have such opportunity. Say no to evil, and evil will flee. Say no to corruption.
What is your view of the current Senate?
The Nigerian Senate is a rubber stamp. It is an extension of the executive. They can do bloody nothing. An application was made for a $6 billion loan and the same day it was brought, it was approved. Who is fooling who? It is not fair. They cannot correct these anomalies because they have been bought over. They are a negative appendage.
Should the judiciary be involved in party leadership disputes?
Why should a judge who went through law school, practiced, then went to the bench, interfere in what concerns political parties? Why are we trying to rewrite settled law? The more they do for themselves, the more they get into a mess. We need someone who will say no to this nonsense. When the head is not stealing, everybody will sit up. Body language matters. If leaders dip their hands, everyone follows suit.
Do INEC, the Presidency, and the judiciary have a hand in the killings across Nigeria?
Security of Nigeria needs to be looked at critically. First, security is everybody’s business. But I learned that 500 people, said to be Boko Haram, were brought in for rehabilitation. Fair and good. But why now? Less than nine months to the election, you bring 500 people to settle them? They can become informants. Anybody with blood DNA of violence cannot change overnight. My appeal to Mr. President is: look at Nigeria. 80% of Nigerians go to bed not knowing where the next meal will come from.
How bad is the social situation for young Nigerians?
Our children cannot marry again. To get employed in any big organization, you have to compromise. You must get a letter from the Senator representing you. If you are a pretty girl, you end up in bed with a man. And we say this country is going forward? It is a terrible thing. We had a good life. This generation is being denied that.
What is your final word to Nigerian leaders?
There is sowing time and harvest time. Whatever you sow, you will reap. You sow discord among political parties to have a free cruise to power, but remember: this is not about parties. It is about Nigerians who are suffering. What we need is a determined ruler to say no to corruption, no to oppression. If the head is clean, the body will follow. But if we continue like this, blood will be shed. Let INEC, the Senate, and the judiciary do the right thing before this country heads for doom.
How do you see the performance of INEC in Nigeria’s democracy?
INEC has not lived up to expectations in this country. But you must not take it away from them: they are part of the rotten state of the nation. They are thrown up by the people. They didn’t come from the moon. They are Nigerians. However, let them not move this country into a precipice. Blood will be shed if we continue this way. With 200 million Nigerians on the line, if there is any problem, God forbid, the refugees from this country will overrun other West African countries.
What is the danger of a one-party state?
A country whereby there is only one party is heading for doom. The barometer to test the minds of the people is opposition. Where there is no opposition, you cannot claim to be running a democracy. Democracy without opposition is a cruise to dictatorship. And law is dynamic, not static. We must allow dissent to breathe.
You mentioned judicial interference in party affairs. Can you explain?
Way back in 1983, the position was clear: courts have no power in the domestic affairs of a political party. That was the age-long principle. From what I am seeing today, it appears the court has entered the arena to assume powers over party matters. The motive behind the old rule was simple: if a court says a candidate should go to Party B, will the court sponsor him? Our law is very clear: there is no independent candidate in Nigeria today. You must be sponsored by a political party. So why is the judiciary rewriting that?
What gamble is INEC playing?
INEC is on a very high gamble. They are trying to satisfy their “task master” and forgetting that 200 million Nigerians are on the line. They should do the right thing. They should not muzzle the voice of the opposition. They should not be an instrument of oppression. The moment an umpire becomes partisan, the game is over.
You spoke about “moles” in political parties. What do you mean?
Political parties today have moles planted among them to disrupt the running of the party. These “black legs” are planted to cause disaffection and disagreement within the party. Look at what happened to PDP. It was hijacked by one person and is now being buried. The ADC and others, they get into them to muzzle them. That is why you see endless crises. It is not natural — it is engineered.
Is democracy itself the problem?
Democracy in any country is a weapon for development. But democracy in itself does not throw up genuine people in governance. What it does is remind you, like Christianity or Islam reminds you, to turn away from evil. Democracy throws up those bad qualities, those bad things that are hidden. It exposes the character of a people. Right now, it is exposing us.
What do you make of federal appointments under this government?
Look at the appointments in government. Who is there? Does it reflect the federal character of this country? It does not. You see nepotism while we pretend we are building a nation. If you do not balance the table, you cannot ask people to eat in peace.
