Author: oduduwanews

It’s no longer news that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo had declared interest to run for the highest office in the land, a decision that obviously did not go down well with the camp of his supposed political benefactor. Since the declaration, many sympathizers to Tinubu couldn’t hide their animosity and in all intensity had brazen their bilious acrimony towards the Vice President Osinbajo.

Trending recently was his posters with a demeaning caption “the Judas who betrayed his master” a statement that equated “Tinubu” to Jesus Christ” while Osinbajo as Judas.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested and put on trial before the Jewish leaders. When Jesus declared that He was the Christ, the Son of God, the Sanhedrin said He was a liar, or blasphemer.

As the posters flood the streets of Abuja, the supporters of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have taken to Twitter and other social media handles to attribute such action to a smear campaign and propaganda tools launched against Osinbajo by the supporters of erstwhile Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu.

On the 26th of March, 2022, the All Progressives Congress APC will be announcing its presidential candidate after the primary election that will determine its flagbearer from over 20 candidates jostling for the exalted office of the president.

The Osun state governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke has predicted election victory over Governor Gboyega Oyetola on July 16th, calling for blacklisting and sanctioning of election riggers to protect democracy.

Speaking while receiving a delegation from the United States embassy led by Brandon Hudspeth (political/Economic Section Chief), at his Ede residence, Adeleke said “if elections are held today, I will Beat Oyetola with wide margins.

”Our people are determined to restore the 2018 stolen mandate. This time around, our margin of victory will be so strong that election riggers will fail in their evil plans. What we advocate and seek support for is free and fair election” , the guber hopeful stated.

Adeleke who decried the growing threat to free and fair election in Africa and Nigeria in particular urged imposition of crippling sanctions and individual blacklisting of leaders and election candidates who perpetrate election violence and rigging.

” The major threat to survival of democracy in Africa and Nigeria in particular are election rigging and political violence. The electoral process is under threat from merchants of violence and election riggers. They are scared of People’s voice and so they invest only in violence and manipulations. The international community must ensure there is bad consequence for election rigger.

”Incumbents and candidates who sponsor and promote violence and rigging should be blacklisted, sanctioned and have their assets frozen. This is the only way to save democracy from those who are afraid of ballot box. The whole world remembers how I was violently rigged out in 2018. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.

”I am committed to violence free campaign and free and fair election. I will campaign on these major areas namely agriculture reforms for job and wealth creation, financial empowerment for businesses to grow local economy, functional educational reforms targeting skills and entrepreneurship, accessible and affordable health care programmes as well as labour intensive infrastructure policy.

”We have the confidence and mass support of Osun people. If election is held today, I am sure of landslide victory against the incumbent. But we need the diplomatic community to adopt that call for sanction against election riggers. We need deterrents and this has to be comprehensive. This has to be done to save democracy in Africa”, he noted.

Speaking earlier, the leader of the American delegation, Mr Hudspeth said the United States supports democracy and wants it to take strong root in Africa and other parts of the world , assuring that democracy promotion and support is a major plank of American foreign policy.

He said the United States supports her allies in their democratic journey through training and support for electoral institutions and stakeholders.

According to him, they are in Osun state to impress it on the candidates to submit to violence free campaign and free and fair elections.

While assuring that the train will visit again before the election, he commended the endorsement of violence free election by Senator Adeleke even as he assured that the messages of the candidate will be conveyed to the Ambassador.

Other members of the delegation include Janine T Lewis ( Political Officer), Halima Abubakar (Civil Society and Media Specialist), Sterling Roop ( Democracy Officer).

Senator Adeleke’s team who received the delegation include Rev Bunmi Jenyo, Hon Niyi Owolade Esq, Akogun Lere Oyewumi and Adekunle Adepoju, the Personal Assistant to Senator Adeleke.

The Peoples Democratic Party PDP has constituted special reconciliation committee for Lagos and Osun States to bring warring factions of the party together and address certain issues before the general elections.

Recall ODUDUWA NEWS had earlier analyzed how crisis rocking the PDP in both Lagos and Osun States continue to wax stronger despite series of meetings called by stakeholders to bring an end to the crisis.

Just two months to Osun State Governorship election, some members of the PDP loyal to Senator Ademola Adeleke had been engaging in war words with members who pitched their tent with Prince Dotun Babayemi who is also a gubernatorial aspirant under PDP.

The party also vowed to reconcile the aggrieved members in Lagos State in order to ensure the victory of the party in the forthcoming general elections.

ODUDUWA NEWS reported yesterday the news of the defection of the former gubernatorial aspirant of APC in Oyo State, Chief Joseph Tegbe to PDP.

It was confirmed to us that Tegbe had earlier been pencilled down to replace Chief Bisi Ilaka a frontline aspirant of the Oyo Central Senatorial District before some notable personalities in the State moved and lobbied the State Governor to thwart the plan in the last of minute.

The recent move of the Chieftain of All Progressives Congress, Joseph Tegbe was said to have been facilitated by a former Speaker of Oyo State and closed ally of Engr. Seyi Makinde, Alh. Monsurat Sunmonu who had perfected the deal of replacing Ilaka for Tegbe as the aspirant of Oyo Central Senatorial District being part of the terms of the agreement in the defection plan.

Meanwhile, Chief Bisi Ilaka having got the clue of been edged out of the senatorial race made a last minute move to save his Senatorial ambition by lobbying some traditional rulers and eminent personalities in the State to beg Gov Makinde to allow him flag the PDP Senatorial ticket return. Series of meeting confirmed to have held to that effect with Gov Makinde who was later persuaded to leave the ticket for Ilaka by making him realize that the collection of the ticket at the last minute would be a total disgrace to Ilaka and may see to the end of his political career.

Makinde in his magnanimity later succumbed to the pressure and yielded to the plea and later gave nod to party leaders to persuade Joseph Tegbe to move to Oyo South and use Oyo South Senatorial ticket as a replacement to the incumbent Senator, Kola Balogun believed by party members to have performed below expectations.

Sources said there is still ongoing unresolved meeting as to whether the camp of Senator Kola Balogun will take it lightly with the Governor on the move to hijack the ticket from him and hand it over to the recently defected Chieftain of APC, Joseph Tegbe.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Mr Dare Adeleke, has declared that Mogaji Joseph Tegbe cannot contest the 2023 senatorial election on the ticket of the party.

There has been speculations on the senatorial ambition of Tegbe, a governorship aspirant in the 2019 elections on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), since his defection into the PDP, on Wednesday.

While the rumour mill was agog, earlier in the day, that he has been offered the senatorial slot to represent Oyo Central Senatorial District, another unconfirmed report has it that he is being prepared to contest the senatorial election in Oyo South Senatorial District.

Reacting however, Adeleke faulted the acceptance of Mogaji Joseph Tegbe who defected from the APC into the fold of the PDP, ostensibly to displace a staunch member of the party.

Speaking in a telephone interview, on Thursday, Adeleke, who is the Executive Chairman of the state-owned Oyo Pacesetters Transport Services, questioned the identity of the latest entrant into the PDP in the state.

He described Tegbe as a politician without any clout, adding that he has nothing to offer the ruling party in the state, in terms of ensuring its victory in the 2023 elections.

Adeleke said: “Tegbe has no clout, not even in the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he was of little or no relevance and his electoral value is next to zero, compared to Chief Oyebisi Ilaka.

“Chief Bisi Ilaka, has been a lonely lion that weathered the storm with the party. It will be wrong for anyone from another political party to sell a dummy to us now.

“We cannot have a paper weight Tegbe when we already have Chief Oyebisi Ilaka, the Ladilu of Oyo Kingdom, an indefatigable candidate, as affirmed by our leader, Engineer Seyi Makinde.”

Adeleke also described the entrance of Tegbe into the Oyo PDP fold as a move in a bad light, and further asked: “How could we bring a person of no electoral value to our fold?”

He therefore stated that he is of the opinion that some people are hellbent to destroy the party’s hard-earned victory in the state.

“There was never a time His Excellency, Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, invited an APC chieftain that has no value to join us. These people are trying to milk our victory.

“However, we are unperturbed because the drum of disruption cannot change our electoral status which is victory all the way,” he said.

Adeleke again brought up the controversies surrounding the state of origin of Tegbe as he said he may not be from Oyo State.

He said the erstwhile APC chieftain may not be qualified to contest the senatorial election, nothing that same issue was brought up when he sought to contest the governorship election in the state in 2019.

Adeleke said: “I don’t think Tegbe is even from Oyo State. He is actually from Delta State. I have a friend from Itsekiri called Omotsegbe. I wont be surprised if they are from the same clan.

“If people of the state challenged his state of origin in 2019, what has happened between now and then? Why is he coming out to want to contest for the senatorial election when his state of origin is still in doubt?”