By Kenneth Madaki
A former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has renewed his criticism of the electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing it as unlawful, unworkable and insensitive to Nigeria’s political and religious realities.
Hashim said the current scheduling framework was creating avoidable tension within the political system and could destabilise party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking on the development, he argued that the tight electoral calendar does not give political parties enough time to properly conduct internal primaries and democratic processes.
According to him, the situation is already placing unnecessary pressure on parties and contributing to growing internal conflicts across the political landscape.
Hashim disclosed that he had earlier written an open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging guidance to ensure INEC strictly adheres to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
He, however, noted that no response had been received to the appeal.
The former presidential candidate further faulted INEC for scheduling politically intensive activities, including party primaries, around sensitive religious periods such as Hajj and Ileya (Eid al-Adha).
According to him, the periods already come with significant logistical and security demands, warning that combining them with political primaries could heighten tensions and trigger avoidable disruptions.
“Combining election primaries with periods like Hajj and Ileya, which already carry security and mobility challenges, is unreasonable,” he said.
Hashim added that party primaries themselves often generate political tension and security concerns, insisting that such activities require adequate spacing and proper planning.
He maintained that compressing religious and political schedules unnecessarily increases national risk and could undermine stability within political parties.
Hashim further argued that the Electoral Act already provides sufficient timelines for parties to conduct nominations without resorting to what he described as a “chaotic timetable.”
Citing Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, he stated that political parties are required to submit nominations not later than 120 days before elections, a provision he said effectively allows parties up till mid-September to complete their nomination processes.
“Why adopt a chaotic timetable circumventing the provisions of the Act?” he queried.
He warned that failure to review and adjust the timetable could deepen political tensions and erode public confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 elections.
AfDB extends $61m facility to DBN for women-owned MSMEs
By Sam Otuonye
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a $61 million financing package for the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) to expand access to affordable credit for women-owned and women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
According to a statement on AfDB’s website at the weekend, the facility is aimed at addressing persistent financing gaps facing women entrepreneurs and strengthening inclusive private sector growth in Nigeria.
The approved financing package is structured across three instruments designed to deepen MSME lending and support women-led businesses. These include: $50 million gender-focused line of credit; $8 million concessional facility under the Agri-Food SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism (ACFM); and
$3 million grant under the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
The statement said that more than 95 per cent of the total package is specifically targeted at women-owned and women-led MSMEs.
The funds will be channelled through DBN’s network of participating financial institutions to improve access to credit and expand lending capacity to MSMEs across Nigeria.
The AfDB said the structure of the facility combines long-term financing, concessional funding, partial credit guarantees, and technical assistance to strengthen Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem.
The programme prioritises women entrepreneurs in agriculture, clean energy, healthcare, and other sectors performance-based incentives under AFAWA are expected to increase the number of eligible women-owned enterprises. The intervention aims to increase the share of women-focused lending within DBN’s MSME portfolio.
The initiative supports private sector-led growth and inclusive economic transformation.
Director General of the African Development Bank Group Nigeria Country Office, Dr. Abdul Kamara, described women entrepreneurs as a key but underutilised economic resource.
“This operation reflects the African Development Bank’s commitment to unlocking economic opportunities for women.
“By working through DBN… we are not just expanding access to credit; the Bank is investing in the engine of Nigeria’s inclusive economic transformation.”
The new financing package deepens the long-standing partnership between the African Development Bank and the Development Bank of Nigeria, which dates back to DBN’s establishment with support from AfDB and other development partners.