Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed confidence that the party will defeat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general election, insisting that the ADC already commands significant political support across the country.
Amaechi, who spoke on Saturday at the ADC presidential campaign rally in Bauchi State, said the party was well positioned to win the presidential election, citing its strong presence in the North-East and North-West, which he claimed account for 13 states.
The former Minister of Transportation, who is running alongside former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, said the ADC would not only dominate the two northern geopolitical zones but also give the ruling APC a serious electoral challenge in the South-South and North-Central regions. He specifically predicted victories for the ADC in Niger, Kogi and Nasarawa states, expressing confidence that the party would secure enough votes across the country to unseat Tinubu.
“We are the only party that comes with 13 states. The whole of North-East, the whole of North-West, that is 13, right? Let the President tell us how many states he comes with. He comes with only five in the South-West,” Amaechi said.
He further claimed that the APC would lose another state in the South-West to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), declaring that the ruling party’s electoral fortunes in the region would suffer a setback. According to him, the ADC would mount a strong challenge against the APC in the South-South and North-Central, while making significant inroads into other geopolitical zones.
“We will fight with him in South-South. We will fight with him in North-Central. And be sure, be rest assured, Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa will be in ours easily,” he said.
Amaechi also dismissed the prospect of Tinubu making significant electoral gains in the South-East, maintaining that the ADC was on course to win the 2027 presidential election.
“He will not go to South-East at all. Be rest assured, we will win. We will win. Things will get better,” he declared.
The ADC vice-presidential candidate also warned against any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 election, alleging that the ruling party could repeat what he described as electoral irregularities witnessed during the 2023 general election.
He insisted that the opposition would resist any such development, stressing that the ADC would not accept a repeat of the controversies surrounding the last presidential election.
“Because these people will do what they did in 2023. This time, we shall not agree. Do you understand? We will not do what?” he told the cheering crowd.
Amaechi’s remarks come amid uncertainty surrounding the ADC’s leadership and its preparations for the 2027 elections following a November 5 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which nullified the leadership of the party’s National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark.
The court also invalidated decisions taken under the leadership structure, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise decisions reached at the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting of July 27, 2025.
However, the ADC rejected the judgment, describing its position as unacceptable and indicating its intention to challenge the decision in court.
The party has maintained that the legal challenge would not derail its political activities or preparations for the 2027 general election, insisting that it remains focused on building a formidable national platform to wrest power from the APC.
Atiku, who served as Vice-President from 1999 to 2007, emerged as the ADC’s presidential candidate at its May 2026 primary, with Amaechi selected as his running mate.
Says seismic operations destroy vegetation, take 15 years to recover; urges Nigeria to invest in alternative energy
A Professor of Applied Geophysics at Rivers State University (RSU), Professor Chibuogwu Eze, has raised concerns over the environmental consequences of seismic exploration activities in the Niger Delta, warning that the destruction of vegetation during oil prospecting could take up to 15 years to recover.
Professor Eze, who delivered the 143rd Inaugural Lecture of the Rivers State University in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, called for greater attention to the environmental cost of oil exploration, even as Nigeria continues to harness its petroleum resources.
The inaugural lecture, titled “Seismic Waves: The Oil Finders and Nigeria’s Messengers of Wealth,” examined the critical role of seismic technology in discovering the country’s oil and gas deposits, as well as the geological processes that underpin Nigeria’s petroleum wealth.
The Professor, however, drew attention to the ecological impact of seismic operations, particularly in the Niger Delta, where extensive vegetation is cleared to create access routes and operational spaces for seismic exploration.
He disclosed that vegetation destroyed during such activities takes approximately 15 years to regenerate, highlighting the long-term environmental implications of oil exploration in a region already grappling with ecological challenges.
The warning comes amid growing concerns about the environmental sustainability of petroleum exploration in the Niger Delta, where oil and gas activities have continued to place pressure on fragile ecosystems and local livelihoods.
Explaining the science behind seismic exploration, Eze said geophysics involves studying the earth through seismic waves, physics-based instruments and data analysis to understand underground formations without necessarily digging into the earth.
According to him, seismic waves serve as messengers of wealth because they travel beneath the earth’s surface, revealing the locations of oil and gas deposits and helping exploration companies identify potential reservoirs.
Professor Eze explained that seismic waves could be generated through different energy sources, including earthquakes, explosives such as dynamite and other artificial sources.
The inaugural lecturer noted that the use of dynamite as a seismic energy source, particularly in the Niger Delta, had been extensively researched and offered several advantages over other seismic sources.
Eze, who is a lecturer at the Institute of Geosciences and Environmental Management, RSU, explained that oil and gas are formed from organic-rich rocks known as source rocks.
He identified the principal source rocks in Nigeria as occurring within the Niger Delta petroleum province and the inland sedimentary basins of Anambra and Benue, contrasting these with some sedimentary formations in China’s Bohai Bay Basin, including Beijing, Shijiazhuang and Baoding sags, which he said lack effective source-rock characteristics.
The Professor further explained that Nigeria was endowed with excellent reservoir and cap rocks, which store petroleum and prevent it from migrating towards the earth’s surface.
According to him, geological structural traps within Nigeria’s petroleum province help retain the country’s oil deposits, making seismic interpretation particularly important in identifying the underground formations where petroleum accumulates.
“Nigeria’s oil do not migrate. God so love Nigeria that He put geological traps at the geological borders of the country that held our oil from migrating to another country. God sealed our borders. Unlike the situation where oil from Iraq migrated from Iran”, he said.
He described seismic waves as indispensable to oil discovery, noting that they provide images of geological structures and enable geophysicists to determine where oil is located.
The professor, however, stressed that Nigeria must begin to look beyond its dependence on crude oil by investing more rigorously in alternative energy sources in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the global transition towards cleaner energy.
He also urged the Federal Government to exercise greater prudence in managing the country’s petroleum earnings, pointing out that oil formation and exploration involve complex geological processes and enormous financial commitments.
Professor Eze called for the strengthening of indigenous oil exploration companies to enable them to compete technically with seismic exploration firms from other countries, including China.
He also recommended that seismic companies operating in Nigeria should provide opportunities for young Nigerian geologists and geophysicists through industrial training programmes, as part of efforts to develop local technical capacity.
In his closing remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of RSU, Professor Isaac Zeb-Obipi, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Blessing Jaja, congratulated Prof. Eze on what he described as an elegant and thought-provoking inaugural lecture.
Jaja said the lecture served as a national call for responsible management of the proceeds from Nigeria’s black gold, which he described as the country’s sweet cake.
He observed that seismic waves had played a fundamental role in discovering the resources responsible for Nigeria’s oil wealth, but warned that the country must not take the future availability of petroleum for granted.
Describing the lecture as food for thought for national leaders, Professor Jaja urged them to deploy oil revenues judiciously and invest in alternative energy sources before the country’s petroleum resources are depleted.
Commission urges Nigerians to disregard fabricated social media claim
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed reports suggesting that its Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, is set to resign, describing the claim as false, fabricated and misleading.
The commission, which debunked the report on Saturday, urged Nigerians to disregard the publication and desist from circulating unverified information capable of misleading the public.
INEC made its position known in a statement posted on its official X account, following the circulation of a social media report accompanied by an image suggesting that Amupitan was preparing to step down from office.
“The claim is FALSE, FABRICATED AND MISLEADING,” the commission declared. It urged members of the public to rely exclusively on its official communication channels for authentic information, warning against the spread of fake news.
“Members of the public are urged to disregard the fabricated report, refrain from sharing unverified information and rely solely on INEC’s official communication channels for authentic information. “Stop the spread of fake news,” the statement added.
The denial comes amid growing public scrutiny of Amupitan’s leadership following a protest against him outside Chatham House on Thursday.
The protesters reportedly surrounded his vehicle as he departed a discussion on Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 general elections, demanding his resignation over alleged shortcomings in the voters’ register.
Some of the demonstrators also called on the INEC chairman to step out of his vehicle and address their concerns.
However, INEC’s latest statement has dismissed the resignation report, insisting that the claim circulating on social media has no basis.
The Security and Economic Research Network (SERN), a civil society organisation, has called on residents of oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) in its renewed campaign against crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and illicit refining activities in the region.
The organisation warned that oil theft and illegal refining were not only depriving the country of revenue but also destroying the environment, threatening public health and undermining the livelihoods of communities whose natural resources should ordinarily guarantee their economic prosperity.
In a statement signed by its Convener, Morris Victor, SERN said the success of the military campaign under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, depended largely on the cooperation, vigilance and active participation of host communities.
It identified the pollution of rivers and groundwater, destruction of mangrove forests, contamination of farmlands and depletion of fish stocks as some of the devastating consequences of illegal oil activities in the Niger Delta.
According to the organisation, the environmental damage has far-reaching implications for food security, public health and the economic survival of fishing and farming communities.
Citing operational figures released by the Defence Headquarters on October 30, SERN disclosed that troops dismantled 49 illegal refining sites and recovered 756,837 litres of petroleum products in the South-South region during the period under review.
It also referenced figures released by the Nigerian Navy, which showed that more than 7.48 million litres of stolen crude oil and illegally refined petroleum products were recovered between November 2025 and November 2026. The Navy also deactivated 168 illegal refining sites, destroyed 363 dugout pits and arrested 259 suspects within the period.
The organisation said the figures underscored the scale of the criminal enterprise and the need for sustained military operations, effective intelligence gathering and stronger collaboration between security agencies and host communities.
It urged traditional rulers, youth organisations, women groups, religious leaders and community development associations to discourage residents from collaborating with oil theft syndicates.
“Oil theft may appear profitable to those involved in the criminal enterprise, but the communities are paying a much higher price through polluted rivers, destroyed mangroves, damaged farmlands, declining fish stocks and the gradual destruction of their natural heritage,” the statement said.
SERN further called on residents to provide credible and timely intelligence to security agencies on suspicious movements of crude oil, illegal refining facilities, unauthorised pipelines and vessels suspected to be involved in oil theft.
While urging the Armed Forces to sustain intelligence-driven operations, the organisation stressed the need for professionalism, respect for human rights and the protection of innocent residents during security operations.
It also called on the Federal Government and relevant environmental agencies to intensify environmental clean-up and restoration programmes in affected communities, while providing alternative livelihood opportunities for youths vulnerable to recruitment into illegal oil activities.
The organisation maintained that the fight against crude oil theft should not be restricted to arrests, seizures and the destruction of illegal refining facilities, but must also address the environmental degradation and economic hardship that continue to affect oil-producing communities.
“Protecting the Niger Delta is a shared responsibility. The people must stand with the Armed Forces, not with criminal networks. The future of the region, its rivers, forests, farmlands, fishing communities and coming generations depends on the choices made today,” Victor said.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy with over 200 million people, is about to decentralise its police for the first time in over five decades. After approval by 30 of 36 state parliaments, a bill to create state police is now on the president’s desk. While many are celebrating this milestone, available facts suggest it is too early to celebrate.
It’s too early to celebrate because the anticipated law has not addressed some pertinent questions: what kind of police does Nigeria need? Is it a police institution that does the bidding of the political elite to the detriment of the vast majority of the citizens? Do we need a police institution that protects human rights or one that violates them for personal gain? Are we expecting the proliferation of underfunded institutions in the name of creating state police?
A cursory look at the State Police Bill shows it partially addresses palpable fears previously raised by opponents of a dual police structure in the country. Such fears include, but are not limited to, a likely hijack of police institutions by state governors as well as an envisaged funding gap.
Under the anticipated law, state governors are empowered to appoint state police commissioners with the confirmation of State Houses of Assembly, acting as watchdogs to check abuse of executive powers in the administrative affairs of state police institutions. The proposed legislation also provides for the establishment of State Police Service Commissions to manage recruitment and discipline to limit political interference in policing.
The mere existence of laws is not a guarantee that they would serve public interests – what matters is their application for the common good of society. Vesting oversight in state legislators is not enough. State police commissioners should not be nominated by governors alone. The commissioner should be nominated by a joint panel of the State Police Service Commission, National Police Council, a state chief judge, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and civil society organisations and appointed by the governor on the recommendation of that panel, subject to confirmation by two-thirds of the State House of Assembly, for a fixed single term of four years.
The current economic reality in the country also suggests that the argument on funding state police has not been adequately addressed.
Most state governments are currently contending with workers’ increasing demands for pay rise in the face of inflation. Essential social services in education and health are derelict on account of inadequate funding. Given this situation, many wonder what kind of police institutions states intend to establish.
Over the years, the debate on state police has narrowly focused on politics, ignoring the equally important social aspects. Policing shapes citizens’ lives in profound ways – affecting public safety, mental and psychological health, community trust, and daily freedoms. It places enormous powers in the hands of individuals left to use their discretion in the exercise of the authority the law vests in them. The abuse or misuse of such powers for personal gain is what amounts to police corruption.
In recognition of the fact that police corruption is universal, many crime scholars are beginning to pay a great deal of attention to fair policing, which must ensure the validity of arrests, appropriateness of shootings, and other crime prevention-related activities of the police. Most notably, the 1969 resolution of the International Chiefs of Police called for collective action and increased efforts to rid the police of rotten apples.
The rotten apple theory places the onus of corruption on the individual police officer. That is to say, it is the few rotten apples in the system that are responsible for corruption. The theory gained prominence with the findings of the Knapp Commission appointed to investigate alleged police corruption within the New York City Police Department. In its final report, the Knapp Commission recommended that any officer found guilty of corruption should be dismissed as a rotten apple that must not soil the clean barrel.
In alignment with the rotten apple theory, many crime researchers have underscored the need for proper scrutiny in police recruitments to ensure that unfit persons are not enlisted as candidates for policing. They insist that the right candidates must be educated, without criminal records, and demonstrate high ethical standards in their conduct.
In more recent times, however, other crime scholars are beginning to find the rotten apple theory inadequate for the explanation of police corruption. They would rather rely on the structural theory which holds that police corruption is systemic. The structural theory is based on the premise that organisational culture influences how decisions are made, how individuals interact, and how they share knowledge in an organisation. It argues that it is the prevailing corruption in the system that influences the individual officer, and not the other way around. Consequently, there is a tendency for a newly recruited officer with high moral standards to become corrupted by the system.
As criminal justice scholar, Frank Heley, notes in his analysis of the structural theory, those ensnared in the corruption web are not only the small spiders – they include police supervisors and chiefs. According to Heley, police corruption is encouraged or discouraged by the conduct of those at the helm of affairs. To reduce professional misconduct, he demands leadership by example and proper supervision of the rank and file to keep them in check. He also emphasises the need for periodic internal investigations as a remedy for the proliferation of the so-called rotten apples in the system.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu recently reiterated the need for a people-centred policing which is at the core of the debate on state police. Speaking at his monthly conference with senior officers in Abuja on November 11, 2026, he observed that “ As we approach another important electoral period, I wish to emphasise that the Nigerian Police Force remains a strictly non-partisan institution. Our allegiance is to the constitution and the Nigerian people”.
That charge is altruistic, but merely addresses the symptoms of systemic shortcomings preventing policing from meeting the needs of citizens. The greater challenge lies in how the police have been designed to operate that creates room for lack of accountability to citizens, especially in matters where political interests collide with citizens’ rights.
In their operations, the police have been driven more by loyalty from the bottom to the top, than accountability to citizens. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) refers to the Commissioner of Police who is answerable to the IGP who in turn reports to the president.
In this chain of command, the interest of a sitting president is overriding, even if it conflicts with the collective good of society. It’s an awful loyalty chain that travels down swiftly. And this is what should not be replicated with the creation of state police.
The danger of creating state police without the necessary safeguards is inherent in the transfer of an old culture of policing in the interest of a privileged few, particularly for state officials that call the shots, rather than the society as a whole.
Creating state police means decentralising policing in Nigeria. It is expected to enhance community policing through proximity. Under state police institutions, an officer who knows the terrain of a particular community well and speaks the local language, arrives at the crime scene in minutes rather than several hours it takes an officer deployed from Abuja. Proximity also means that a resident of Yenagoa, in the oil-rich Niger Delta, can approach the state police complaints commission and get results with more ease than proceeding to Abuja for the same purpose.
From the foregoing, it’s essential to decentralise police. However, it is dangerous to decentralise without creating standards to reinvent policing in Nigeria. There must be a paradigm shift from the colonial legacy of emphasising on crowd control to de-escalating a mob as a better way of crime prevention. The brand new police institutions Nigerians expect are those that should not be investigating crimes after they have been committed, but a better equipped force fully committed to crime prevention based on community intelligence. In a nutshell, we don’t need reactionary police institutions, but those that are proactive enough to nip crime in the bud to protect lives and properties.
In the final analysis, the president should withhold his assent to the proposed law on the creation of state police.The bill should go back to the National Assembly to replace the clause that empowers state governors alone to appoint police commissioners with a joint nomination clause. Allowing the bill to become law in its current form means the same loyalty compelling partisan loyalty at the centre will be replicated in states. This would distract senior officers, from DPOs to Commissioners of Police, and keep them at the beck and call of state governors.
This course of action is consistent with the provision to make state police funding seamless. The logic is clear: if he who pays the piper calls the tune, then the governor must not be the piper. Funding must therefore be a first-line charge, released automatically, not at the discretion of the governor.
Failure to address this gap in the proposed creation of state police means creating a new law that brings back old problems that could prove more difficult to fix in the near future. It amounts to refusing to make the police independent of political influences. It means perpetuating structural injustice that prevents police officers from meeting their constitutional obligations to citizens. When salary is lean and comes late, road blocks become the salary that will never disappear from Nigerian roads. It is a practical explanation for the systemic shortcomings that teaches young recruits to adopt survival strategies in the midst of structural adversities.
Nigeria is not alone in this dilemma. But many other countries are beginning to realise that decentralising policing without changing police culture only decentralises abuse.
By Tekena Amieyeofori
Dr. Amieyeofori, Journalist and Conflict Analyst, can be reached on tekena4real@gmail.com.
Nigeria’s football teams recorded contrasting results on Friday, with the Super Eagles securing a convincing 3-1 victory over Tanzania in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, while the Olympic Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat to DR Congo in the first leg of their U-23 AFCON qualifying tie.
The contrasting outcomes saw the senior national team bounce back from their disappointing 3-0 loss to Guinea-Bissau, while the U-23 side was left with an uphill task ahead of Tuesday’s return leg.
At the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, the Super Eagles produced an impressive second-half performance to overcome Tanzania after the visitors had threatened to frustrate their hosts.
Nigeria got off to a flying start when Alhassan Yusuf opened the scoring in the second minute, finishing off a pass from Ademola Lookman.
The early goal appeared to set the tone for a comfortable evening for the hosts, who dominated possession and created several opportunities to increase their advantage.
However, Tanzania responded against the run of play in the 32nd minute, with Alphonce Msanga restoring parity to leave both teams level at 1-1 at half-time.
Super Eagles coach Éric Chelle responded with a double substitution after the break, introducing Moses Usor and Tolu Arokodare for Yusuf and Tochukwu Nnadi.
The changes proved decisive as Arokodare restored Nigeria’s lead in the 52nd minute, connecting with a cross from captain Wilfred Ndidi with an exquisite backheel finish.
The striker completed his brace eight minutes later, converting another cross, this time from substitute Usor, with a low finish to give Nigeria a commanding 3-1 advantage.
Tanzania coach Miguel Gamondi made further changes in an attempt to revive his team’s fortunes, but the Super Eagles held firm to secure all three points.
The victory moved Nigeria to second place in Group L with six points, one behind leaders Guinea-Bissau, who have seven points.
While the senior side celebrated a much-needed victory, Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles endured a difficult outing against DR Congo in their 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations second-round qualifying encounter.
The Nigerian team, coached by Ikorodu City manager Bright Osehai Ozebagbe and former U-20 assistant coach Deniran Ortega, fell 2-0 to the Congolese side, leaving their qualification hopes hanging in the balance.
Nigeria started brightly and could have taken an early lead through Victor Samuel, whose efforts in the fourth and ninth minutes failed to find the back of the net.
The missed opportunities proved costly as DR Congo took the lead in the 20th minute in controversial circumstances.
Nigeria goalkeeper Samuel James appeared to have been fouled by a Congolese player while attempting to gather an aerial ball, but the referee allowed the goal to stand.
The Olympic Eagles suffered another setback when Brighton youngster Zadok Yohanna was forced off through injury in the 30th minute.
DR Congo capitalised on their advantage five minutes before half-time, with Felozefe Mabete scoring an impressive free-kick to double the hosts’ lead.
Despite Nigeria’s attempts to reduce the deficit after the restart, the Olympic Eagles struggled to break down the Congolese defence as the hosts held on for a 2-0 victory.
The defeat leaves Nigeria needing a strong response in Tuesday’s return fixture at the Remo Stars Stadium, where they must overturn the two-goal deficit to advance to the final qualifying round.
The U-23 AFCON tournament also serves as the qualifying pathway for the men’s football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Professor Edward Bristol-Alagbariya, re-elected Dean, Faculty of Law, UNIPORT.
The Association of Duawaris (Founding and Aboriginal Royal Houses) of Grand Bonny Kingdom has congratulated Professor Edward T. Bristol-Alagbariya on his unanimous re-election as Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), for a second two-year tenure.
The association also congratulated Dr (Mrs) Mercy Oke-Chinda on her unanimous re-election as Associate Dean of the faculty.
The re-elections were announced in a congratulatory statement issued on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and signed by the Registered Trustee and Secretary-General of the association, Aseme-Warisenibo Elliott D. Dublin-Green.
According to the statement, Bristol-Alagbariya’s re-election was secured at the 82nd Board Meeting of the Faculty of Law, held on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
The association described the professor, who is renowned for his contributions to sustainable development and multidisciplinary sustainable development-oriented practices, as a distinguished son of Grand Bonny Kingdom.
Dr. (Mrs.) Mercy Oke-Chinda, re-elected Associate Dean.
The group also identified him as its Royal Highness (Aseme-Alabo), Founder of Grand Bonny (Okoloamakoromabo) XX and Kuruama Amadabo.
Similarly, the association acknowledged Dr Oke-Chinda’s re-election, noting her role as Team Lead, Public International Law, in the Faculty of Law.
While expressing delight over the outcome of the election, the association attributed the development to the grace of God and prayed for divine wisdom, guidance and direction for both academics as they discharge their responsibilities over the next two years.
It further wished the entire Faculty of Law, University of Port Harcourt, continued success in its academic and administrative endeavours.
Manchester United announced Friday that Mauricio Pochettino would be their new manager following the dismissal of Michael Carrick.
The club issued a statement saying the USA coach, who has previously managed Tottenham and Chelsea in the Premier League, would take charge from November 18.
“The club has reached an agreement with the US soccer federation for Mauricio and his staff to be released after the conclusion of their responsibilities with the US men’s national team,” United said.
“The Argentinian is renowned for his high-intensity, attacking style of football, his dedication to building strong, cohesive teams and his outstanding record of developing individual players.”
United are in the Premier League relegation zone after just one win in 10 games.
Manchester United: Eight Managers in 13 Years Since Ferguson’s Exit Manchester United have appointed eight permanent managers since the departure of legendary Scottish manager Sir Alex Ferguson in May 2013, as the English Premier League giants continue their search for the stability and success that characterised Ferguson’s remarkable 26-year reign at Old Trafford.
Ferguson, who announced his retirement after guiding United to their 20th English league title in the 2012/2013 season, left behind an enormous legacy, having won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League trophies, among other honours.
However, the club have struggled to maintain that level of consistency since his departure, with a succession of managerial appointments failing to establish a sustained period of dominance.
David Moyes was the first manager appointed to succeed Ferguson in 2013. Handpicked by the departing United manager, Moyes signed a six-year contract but lasted only 10 months before being dismissed in April 2014 following a disappointing campaign.
He was succeeded by Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who took charge in 2014 and spent two seasons at the club.
Although he guided United to FA Cup success in 2016, he was dismissed shortly afterwards.
Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho became the club’s third permanent manager in 2016. He delivered the Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield in his first season, but his relationship with the club deteriorated, leading to his departure in December 2018.
Former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed caretaker manager before securing the permanent position in March 2019. He guided the club to a second-place Premier League finish in the 2020/2021 season but was dismissed in November 2021 following a poor run of results.
German coach Ralf Rangnick took over on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2021/2022 campaign before Erik ten Hag was appointed in April 2022.
Ten Hag won the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024 but was relieved of his duties in October 2024 after a disappointing start to the season.
Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim succeeded him in November 2024 but also struggled to deliver consistent results and was eventually dismissed in 2026.
Michael Carrick subsequently had a spell in charge before Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment on November 13, 2026, adding another chapter to United’s post-Ferguson managerial history.
The club have also relied on interim and caretaker managers, including Ryan Giggs, Carrick, Rangnick, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Darren Fletcher, during periods of transition. The frequent changes in the dugout underline the difficulty United have faced in rebuilding the winning culture established under Ferguson.
Despite significant investments in players, changes in football administration and repeated managerial overhauls, the club have yet to reproduce the sustained domestic dominance that made them one of Europe’s most successful sides under their former manager.
For Manchester United, the challenge remains finding a manager capable of restoring consistency, competing regularly for major trophies and bringing back the glory days of the Ferguson era.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged Nigerians to give the commission another chance to rebuild public confidence, insisting that lessons learnt from the controversial 2023 general election and improvements in subsequent polls have positioned it to deliver credible elections in 2027.
Amupitan made the appeal on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a high-level dialogue at Chatham House, London, organised in partnership with the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), under the theme, “Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Democratic Trajectory and Regional Stability Beyond the Ballot.” His appeal comes amid protests at the London venue, reflecting the lingering public distrust and controversies surrounding Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly the conduct and management of the 2023 presidential election.
Acknowledging the damage caused by the 2023 election to INEC’s reputation, the chairman admitted that the commission had yet to fully recover from the significant loss of public confidence.
“First and foremost, let me speak about what happened in 2023, which resulted in a significant trust deficit for INEC—damage so large that the Commission has not yet fully recovered from it,” he said.
However, he argued that his leadership, which began in October 2025, had used subsequent off-cycle elections as opportunities to identify operational shortcomings and strengthen the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to concerns over why Nigerians should trust him and the commission, Amupitan pointed to what he described as measurable improvements in the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council polls, Ekiti governorship election and 16 legislative by-elections.
According to him, the recent elections demonstrated that INEC was learning from past mistakes and making progress in the conduct of elections.
“Why must Nigerians trust me? Nigerians must trust me because, number one, I have conducted off-cycle elections—and observers agree that the recent election in Osun State marked a clear improvement,” he said.
He described every election as a learning opportunity, noting that the 2023 general election and the subsequent Anambra poll had provided important lessons for the commission.
Amupitan recalled that Anambra and Osun states had previously experienced prolonged and inconclusive governorship elections, citing the 2021 Anambra election, which took about five days to conclude.
He said, however, that under the current reforms, results in both states were declared the day after voting, describing the development as evidence of improved electoral management.
Beyond the conduct of elections, the INEC chairman identified insecurity, logistics and result management as the three major challenges the commission was prioritising ahead of 2027.
On the controversies surrounding electronic transmission and result management in 2023, Amupitan said a post-election assessment by the commission revealed that some of the most serious failures occurred at collation centres rather than polling units.
He disclosed that INEC had consequently introduced stricter technical validation measures to prevent inaccurate results and figures reflecting over-voting from being uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“We found that the core problem of election result management and declaration in Nigeria is not even at the polling unit—it is at the collation centres,” he explained.
“In 2023, there were instances of inaccurate results or results with over-voting being uploaded onto IReV. We have now devised a technical safeguard: if a result is not accurate at the polling unit, it will not go to IReV at all.”
He added that the new safeguards would ensure that results displayed on the portal had passed the commission’s validation process, thereby strengthening transparency and public confidence in the outcome of elections.
“The moment a result appears on IReV, citizens can trust what they see. By eliminating inconsistencies at the source, collation will become a transparent formality,” he said.
The INEC chairman also explained that the commission had considered introducing an entirely new electoral technology for the 2027 elections but opted to upgrade its existing infrastructure because of the limited time available before the polls.
Addressing concerns over the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 2023 elections, which he attributed partly to extreme heat and poor storage conditions, Amupitan said the commission was constructing climate-controlled storage facilities across the states.
He further disclosed that INEC had procured additional BVAS devices and reduced the maximum number of voters assigned to each machine from 1,250 to 850 to improve efficiency and minimise technical disruptions.
As part of preparations for the 2027 general elections, the commission also announced November 28, 2026, for a nationwide mock accreditation exercise to test its systems and identify possible technical challenges ahead of the polls. The INEC chairman maintained that the reforms, operational improvements and lessons from recent elections would strengthen the commission’s capacity to conduct credible polls in 2027.
However, with the controversies of 2023 still fresh and public scrutiny of the electoral umpire heightened, the success of the proposed reforms will ultimately depend not only on INEC’s assurances but also on their transparent implementation and the confidence Nigerians have in the electoral process.
The Federal Government has signed a concession agreement for the Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo International Airport, Port Harcourt, with PH Airport Limited, assuring aviation workers that the arrangement will not result in job losses.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Group Managing Director of PH Airport Limited, Eyo Asuquo, following consultations with aviation labour unions.
The minister’s media aide, Tunde Moshood, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, noting that the unions, led by Ben Nnabue, endorsed the agreement after receiving assurances from the government and the concessionaire on the protection of workers’ jobs.
Speaking on behalf of the unions, Nnabue said workers’ welfare and job security were critical considerations in their decision to support the concession, stressing that organised labour would not endorse any arrangement capable of threatening the livelihoods of its members.
He said the unions were satisfied with the assurances given after extensive engagements with the government and the concessionaire on the implications of the agreement for workers and the future management of the airport.
In his remarks, Asuquo said Port Harcourt’s strategic location within the Gulf of Guinea presented enormous opportunities to transform the airport into a major gateway for regional commerce, investment and connectivity.
He said the concessionaire’s vision extended beyond taking over the management of the facility to investing in infrastructure, improving operational standards and expanding economic activities around the airport.
“Our vision goes beyond taking over the management of the airport. We are committed to driving development, expanding opportunities and creating additional jobs through investments and the growth of airport-related activities,” he said.
Asuquo added that the company intended to harness the airport’s strategic location to attract greater economic activities and strengthen Port Harcourt’s position as an important aviation and commercial hub.
Keyamo, who presided over the signing ceremony, had earlier held a closed-door meeting with aviation union leaders to address their concerns and secure their understanding of the concession process.
The meeting was attended by the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Chris Najomo; Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Olubunmi Kuku; directors of the ministry and representatives of the aviation labour unions.
