First, two impeachment attempts against former President Donald Trump and now the January 6 proceedings to criminalize a president who isn’t even in office: all over the world, people look on and think America is having an episode.

But politicians all over the world overlook on and think: I’ll have some of that.

Since the Democrats started going after Mr. Trump in the name of democracy, around the globe, copycat impeachments have been popping up in dozens of countries. From Malta to Peru and South Africa to Nigeria, suddenly democratically elected leaders the world over are being challenged, not by the voters, but their rival politicians.

Sure, the job of opposition leaders is to hold those in power to account. To help them do their job we have structures — committees to challenge and question, with powers of subpoena — and much more.

But it’s not opposition politicians’ job to remove democratically elected leaders from office. That’s for the voters. And when politicians snatch that role from them, it undermines democracy itself.

There are exceptional circumstances when presidents and other office holders deserved to be impeached: President Andrew Johnson in 1868 for defying the will of Congress and by extension, the American people in their commitment to political equality for Black Americans following the civil war, and more recently, Rod Blagojevich, the former Democratic governor of Illinois removed from office in 2009 on federal corruption charges. Both were slam-dunk cases of malfeasance in the highest office.

But two impeachments and one congressional investigation? That smells like political persecution.

The January 6 investigation is well-timed show trial — handily in the run-up to the November elections when President Biden and its aging, failing Democrats are running on fumes. It’s also a third Mr. Trump impeachment by any other name, just as the election day nears. And that’s not just a problem for American democracy, but for freedom and democracy the world over — for where America leads others follow.

In Nigeria, the world’s third largest democracy after India and the United States, there’s a copycat attempt underway.

Just last week, in a headline-grabbing stunt, opposition lawmakers in Nigeria staged a mass walkout from the Senate plenary. Their grievance? the Senate president did not entertain a motion to impeach the country’s two-time democratically elected leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, just months before the end of his second and final term.

It is no coincidence this occurs just months before Nigeria’s next presidential election. Nor is it a coincidence that the calls for impeachment are led by senators from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which was defeated by Mr. Buhari after its leader, Goodluck Jonathan (president from 2010 to 2015), became synonymous with corruption and incompetence. And as in many other countries around the world, it is no coincidence that no other Nigerian president has faced impeachment proceedings. Recent events in the U.S. gave legitimacy and international attention to this unscrupulous and underhanded political tactic.

The Nigerian presidency responded predictably and appropriately. It called on the opposition to collaborate with the government more closely on tackling the same security issues that form the basis of their complaint, rather than resorting to theatrics. But the damage was already done. The headline grabbing stunt achieved what was intended: allowing left-wing international broadcasters such as CNN and BBC to naively report the impeachment attempt — without bothering to understand or cover the underhand reasons behind it.

Nigeria does face serious security challenges that have worsened under the pandemic and global cost of living crisis. But the current administration has made significant inroads in tackling the threats. West African terror cell Boko Haram, which before Mr. Buhari held territory the size of Belgium within Nigeria, has now been reduced to a shell of its former self. The Islamic State’s West Africa Province group that terrorizes the region lost its leaders thanks to Nigerian airstrikes using American-made fighter jets. Consequently, the U.S. and the U.K. are boosting security cooperation with the government in a way they never did with its predecessors for lack of trust.

Africa has sadly replaced the Middle East as the global breeding ground of Islamist terrorism. African governments and their stretched security forces are on the frontlines of battling this scourge. With many of these violent groups linked to global networks of terror, this is a threat that could extend well beyond the borders of Africa. Those African governments that are giving their all to fight this threat need and deserve all the support we can give.

As leaders of the free world, politicians in the United States should think carefully about their actions. They influence politicians in democracies the world over, particularly in newer democracies like those in Africa. If we play dirty politics at the expense of democracy, those democracies that look to us will follow suit. And then those who we should be united in fighting, the enemies of freedom, will gain the upper hand.

• Saul Anuzis is president of the 60 Plus Association, the American association of senior citizens; a former member of the Republican National Committee; and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

He is one of the finest gentlemen of the press that I have ever encountered. A courageous, fearless, humane and humble editor, Mallam Yusuf Alli has come a long way in redefining investigative journalism from his decades of experience in the coverage of various beats in the Nigerian media.

Born on August 8, 1962, Yusuf Alli attended the Kwara State College of Education, Oro, under the auspices of the Institute of Education of the University of Ilorin. He later studied Language Arts at the University of Jos

Mallam Yusuf Alli is a veteran investigative reporter, humanitarian journalist and seasoned editor.

For his career in journalism, he honed his skills at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos; the Centre for Foreign Journalists, Reston, Virginia in the United States; Lagos Business School; and Kookmin University in Seoul, South Korea. He is also a product of journalism training in China, and he earned a BBC Certificate on Election Reporting.

Yusuf Alli has worked with several newspapers, including being a reporter with the Herald and standing out to be counted in the heady days of struggle against military dictatorship, as a guerilla journalist with the AM News/The News titles.

He rose through the ranks as a reporter, senior reporter, Chief Correspondent, Assistant Editor, before becoming a Deputy Editor and then getting elevated as the Editor, SUNDAY PUNCH, SATURDAY PUNCH and ultimately THE PUNCH daily newspaper in 2006. He is currently the Managing Editor, Northern Operations of The Nation newspapers.

When it comes to investigative reporting, Mallam Yusuf Alli is fundamentally guided by some of the central tenets and core principles of the practice, which is the necessities of objectivity, fairness and balance, and to report on people and issues without fear or favour. Naturally, such essentially professional conduct could be to the discomfort of friends and even family members, at times. In fact, as a journalist who covers anti-corruption agencies for more than two decades, Alli is reputed to have dossiers of lesser and most corrupt public officials at all levels.

On a few occasions, I had expressed my disenchantment with some of his investigative stories that were not favourable to common associates. He merely responded that “once you are an investigative reporter, you should demonstrate integrity above board.”

As an impartial lawyer in the finest legal tradition would, Yusuf always insists on the sanctity of truth-telling, and nothing other than that. And, rather than anyone trying to plead with him to kill an unfavourable story that could be harmful to certain interests, it is usually better for such a person to expend his or her energies on making a clearer presentation of the other side of the story involved to Yusuf Alli to enhance its balancing, than seeking to persuade him to renounce a story or distort the truth.

Beyond the often cat-and-mouse game between a PR professional and a journalist, our relationship is mutually built on trust, sincerity and openness. Mallam Yusuf can be very considerate in his reporting, to save a bad situation. In fact, he has saved many lives from ridicule, embarrassment, distress and even poverty, through philanthropic endeavours.

When I was forcefully retired from the public service in 2013, Yusuf Alli as an influential media personality, introduced me to highly placed individuals, including the current presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is now a former Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, among numerous others.

Knowing that Mallam Yusuf Alli is one who could take risks including riding Okada motorcycles during heavy traffic, undertaking inspections at odd hours and even spending his last kobo on investigative and exclusive reports, I have taken advantage of this awareness to the fullest on a number of occasions. An instance of this occurred when I was in Las Vegas, USA in 2015, and became informed that back home security personnel had surrounded Sambo Dasuki’s Abuja residence in an attempt to re-arrest him, as against court orders. This was at a time when fake news and hate speeches were deliberately being sponsored and churned out to incite citizens against top officials of the previous administration, in some of the darkest days of media trials in Nigeria.

I quickly called Mallam Yusuf on phone and urged him to reach Dasuki, as he could get some immediate exclusives (stories) if he did.

“Are you sure?”, he asked. To which I quickly replied: “Yes… But you have to meet with him as soon as possible at home not on phone, please!.”

Not surprisingly, Mallam Yusuf Alli managed to penetrate security corridors through the strategic disguise of a tested news spymaster. In the process, he ferreted out details of military procurements, dates of deliveries, and the acknowledgements by the end users. His subsequent reports blew open many of the toxic allegations that had been made against the previous administration – of which Dasuki was a prominent figure as the national security adviser (NSA).

Rather than me thanking him for the unbiased reports he did that yanked the veil off the unfortunate media accusations, Alli was the one thanking me for providing him with the opportunity for practicing his craft and delivering on such critical exclusive reports with fresh facts on security expenditures.

Despite being an Editor, the quintessential Yusuf Alli is still at the frontiers of breaking and reporting news, competing with reporters for the bylines. He would rather be on the field sweating out the daily grind of journalism than serving as a desk officer with a big title and in a comfortable office.

As a board member/director of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, the publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Yusuf Alli is one of the brains behind the mentorship programme of the organisation for Mass Communication students, budding writers and young journalists. He regularly participates as a resource person and provides logistics for the success of capacity-building programmes.

He is also actively involved in charity activities as he belongs to many organisations including Ansarudeen (the Helper) Society of Nigeria and is a board member of NASFAT Zakat/Sadaqat Foundation in the Federal Capital Territory. Just recently, he emerged the 11th President of the Rotary Club of Abuja Maitama District.

During his investiture as the Rotary Club President, many dignitaries commended Yusuf Alli for his various efforts and endeavours. In extolling his numerous qualities, the former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima said the quintessential journalist’s life is a study in dedicated professionalism, service, and a deep sense of duty.

Shettima said: “Today, Yusuf Alli has been recognised as a leading authority in investigative journalism in our country. His colleagues, from far and near, recognise the incredible hard work he puts into every story he pursues and the excellent quality of his outputs in the professional field. If all that Rotarian Yusuf Alli has done in life is the exemplary service that he has given to journalism in our country, we would be forgiven to conclude that he has done enough for a lifetime.”

I am aware that he has politely rejected many offers of juicy public affairs roles in a number of establishments. Instead of being on the driver’s seat, Alli usually says: “I have never aspired to lead. All I wanted was to serve in my little way. I come from a family with a deep passion for service and giving. I also married from a family which loves to share and give.”

Mallam Yusuf Alli gives without expecting anything in return and lends his professional practice to the promotion of truth, pursuit of fairness, building of goodwill, enhancement of better friendships and enabling acts that are beneficial to humanity. His brand of journalism, over the years, respects our diversity, protects the national interest and upholds equity and justice.

Married to Hajiya Muinat Abiola Yusuf on November 27, 1997, their marriage is blessed with four children, including a set of twins.

To an epitome of humility and simplicity, this is to wish Mallam Yusuf Alli Happy 60th Birthday and 25th Wedding Anniversary

Yushau A. Shuaib
Author An Encounter with the Spymaster
www.YAShuaib.com
yashuaib@yahoo.com.