Category: Politics

Oluwaseyi Afolabi Tinubu is Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s favourite son and CEO of a media promotion brand in Lagos State.

The rumors about APC National leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make his son Seyi Tinubu (36yrs) the next governor of Lagos state come 2023 is getting louder by the day as there might just be some truth to it considering the current position he, Seyi Tinubu holds.

Mr. Seyi Tinubu is also a lawyer by profession, having pursued a legal education (LLM) at the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and received an LLB from the same university in 2011. He became a member of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in 2013.

Recently, Seyi Tinubu was appointed as the emergency financial consultant to all parastatals and local governments in Lagos state. His convoy has said to rival that of a state governor. This position makes him as powerful as the governor of the state. This brings him closer to the government than most of the senior officers.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has urged Nigerians to wait till January 2022 for the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, to declare whether he will be running for president in 2023 or not.

He stated this on Channels Television’s ‘Hard Copy’ programme aired on Friday night which was monitored by Lagos Reporters

Of recent, posters and billboards advertising the rumoured presidential bid of Tinubu who was Lagos governor from May 1999 to May 2007 have been seen in major cities including Lagos and Abuja.

Though Tinubu has yet to declare his intention to contest any office in 2023, there have been reports and veiled indications that he might be interested in the exalted seat.

We had earlier reported that the SouthWest Agenda 2023, a political movement mobilising support for Tinubu to contest the 2023 presidential election, was inaugurated in Lagos in October by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and other party chieftains.

Tinubu, who celebrated his 69th birthday in March 2021 and command an arguably large following of political loyalists, has been reported to nurse presidential ambition in 2023, even as political debates get intense for a Southern President after the eight-year regime of the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, who is from Katsina State, North-West Nigeria.

Some groups and persons have also said aside from Tinubu, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; and Fashola are equally capable to be Nigeria’s President.

When asked whether he is interested in becoming the President of Nigeria, Fashola said, “It is a very tough responsibility, a very tough job; I don’t envy those who have held that office and I don’t envy those who aspire to take it as well.”

Asked whether he is speaking for any aspirant come 2023, the minister said, “As far as I am aware, nobody has said, ‘I want to be Nigeria’s President’. There are people speaking for people. Nobody has come out, we are not at that stage yet.

“I can’t venture out and say that I will speak for X or Y. Let the person come out and say, ‘I want to serve Nigeria’.

“It pains me sometimes when we see that very important job and responsibility to, ‘My people said’. I think the whole sense of it should be that, ‘I am able, I have looked at myself, give me your problem, you go to sleep’.”

On whether he will support Tinubu’s rumoured 2023 presidential bid, the two-term ex-governor of Lagos said, “I saw him (Tinubu) last week, he didn’t tell me he is running for office and to the best of my knowledge, the last statement he made on it is that people will know in January.”

Fashola also said he has not asked Tinubu whether he is interested in the 2023 Presidency or not. “No, I didn’t ask him, I just went to ask how was doing. He has issued a statement that, ‘I will speak in January, so let us wait till January,” he said.

The House of Reps Minority Caucus has called for the immediate sack of Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed.

In a statement on Thursday, made available to Newsmen, signed by Minority leader, Ndudi Elumelu, the report by the Lagos Judicial panel setup to investigate the Lekki toll gate shooting of unarmed protesters was enough reason for the resignation/removal of Mohammed.

The statement read; “The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives, after a thorough review of the report of the Lagos State EndSARS judicial panel, holds that the attempt by officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to cover up the now confirmed bloody massacre of Nigerians youths by security forces at the Lekki Tollgate suggests a high-level state-backed conspiracy against Nigerians.”

“The confirmation by the Lagos Panel that there was indeed a massacre at the Lekki Tollgate during the 2020 EndSARS protests in Lagos and that APC government-controlled security forces carted away bodies and mopped up evidence, places a huge burden on the Federal Government which had vehemently denied any killings.”

“The Minority caucus is therefore apprehensive as to what furtive motive must have made the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who ought to know the truth, to rush to the media, ahead of the judicial panel, to insist that there were no killings at Lekki Tollgate, even in the face of testimonies of witnesses at the sad event.”

“Whereas the proclivity of the APC-led administration to lie to Nigerians on issues is legendry and known to all, our caucus is however shocked that the administration can lie in a matter that has to do with the gruesome killing of citizens, particularly our youths and even attempt to provide official cover to the culprits.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has approved the appointment of a former lawmaker, Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina, as his Special Assistant, political matters (southwest).

Hon. Lam-Adesina replaces Hon. Ayodeji Joseph, a former lawmaker, who served the Speaker in the same capacity until his recent appointment as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC).

Hon. Adedapo Lam-Adesina served as a member of the 8th House of Representatives representing Ibadan North East/South East Federal Constituency of Oyo State and former Commissioner for Youths and Sport in Oyo state. He has been a close ally of the Speaker since the 2015 speakership contest in the House.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, on Sunday visited a leadership BootCamp for the young people in his Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State.

The Leadership BootCamp, which is taking place at the Sea School, Apapa, Lagos, features training on poise and soft skills, public speaking classes, marine and physical drills, life-saving techniques in water, assault defensive techniques, mentorship/leadership sessions on legislation and art of governance.

Speaking during the mentorship session with the young constituents, Gbajabiamila said it was organized to prepare Surulere youths against future leadership challenges.

He said: “Surulere, as you all know in Lagos State, is the numero uno who is the number one. We have instructions on economic leadership, social leadership and political leadership.

“Of all those things, I think the most important is political leadership because your politics and what you lay politically on the ground will determine what happens economically, socially and in every other aspect of your life.

“That is why, if you follow the news, you must be conversant because it happens around you; you will see that the National Assembly has just passed a Bill. You’ve heard of the direct and indirect primary controversy?

“The reason direct primary was inserted as mandatory in the electoral amendment act was because of you, you, and you! So, we have opened up the political space, and it’s up to you to take advantage of it and attain the height of political leadership that some of you here, maybe not all, might desire.”

Gbajabiamila said he would continue to support the youths, not just in Surulere or Lagos State, but also across the country to attain their desired goals.

Signed:
Lanre Lasisi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, House of Representatives, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Peoples Redemption Party in Oyo State organized her state’s congress on Saturday, 13th November, 2021 at Ifesowapo Primary School Play Ground, Boluwaji Area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Present at the Congress were all accredited delegates across the state, the outgoing interim executive officers, party members and INEC Officials.

The congress started around 12.30pm with opening prayers and National Anthem.

The introduction of delegates and all contestants was conducted on zonal basis. All the political zones in Oyo State were all well represented.

The outgoing interim party chairman in the state in the person of Aremo Adeola Adepoju gave his speech at the event.  He said the party in Oyo State just lost one of its executive officers, the interim state’s secretary, Mr. Marufh Bello and if not that the congress is extremely compulsory for the party to move on, we wouldn’t have organised the congress at the moment. He said the demise of our interim party secretary calls for a sober reflection that one day we shall all answer the same call. The congress stood up to observe a minute silence and prayed for the departed soul.

The outgoing interim organizing secretary of the party in person of Hon. Oladimeji Abbas Olajide talked about the vision and mission of the party. He spoke further about the founding fathers of this great party, the late Abubakar Rimi, Balarabe Musa and the host of them.
He emphasised that PRP being the oldest political party in Nigeria has come a long way.

The list of contestants was read according to their respective zones and local government.

The Oyo State PRP elected all the new Excos through the process of affirmation. The affirmation was done and the party delegates unanimously returned the interim state’s chairman as newly substantive party chairman in the person of Aremo Adeola Adepoju.

The party also through affirmation confirmed the interim organizing secretary as the newly substantive organizing secretary in the person of Hon. Oladimeji Abbas Olajide.

In the same vein, we have Prince Taiwo Ayoola as the substantive Secretary to the party in Oyo State, Mrs Ayobami Adekunle as the Woman Leader and Hon. Dayo Malomo as the Youth Leader.

The party fielded sixteen (16) positions for the executive officers cutting across all the political zones in Oyo State.

The team leader of INEC Officials at the event, Mr. Kabir Alagbe encouraged all and sundry to go for their voters registration exercise. He advised that all political parties should embrace internal democracy and always allow the will of people to prevail.

The INEC Officials at the congress witnessed, ascertained and confirmed the process of affirmation that brought the emergence of the new Sixteen (16) Peoples Redemption Party executive officers in Oyo State.

In his closing remarks and votes of thanks, the newly emerged state’s secretary, Prince Taiwo Ayoola encouraged all the party faithfuls to work tirelessly to ensure we are able to present credible candidates in the forthcoming elections in 2023. The newly emerged state’s secretary said with hard work and God on our side, we shall take over Oyo State government from PDP in 2023.

The Congress came to close with prayers.

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde has approved appointments of Secretaries, Special Assistants, Chief of Staffs (CoSs), and Supervisory Councilors for all 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo state.

Source gathered that appointment letters of the new local government officials were released to the new appointees yesterday Thursday 11 via the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.

It was gathered that government activities at the grassroots level was moving at a slow pace due to the absence of local government cabinet members comprising of Secretaries to local governments, Special Assistants, CoS, and Supervisory Councillors.

The Oyo state People’s Democratic Party (PDP) State Secretary, Alhaji Wasiu Adeleke, who made this known on Tuesday, in a message forwarded to Whatsapp group, congratulated all newly appointees and urged them to be a good ambassador of the party at their various local government areas.

“This is to inform us all that the Leader of our party and the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde has graciously approved the list submitted by the leaders of various local government concerning the appointment of Secretaries, Supervisory Councilors and Special Assistants for all our 33 Local Government and 35 Local Council Development Areas.”

“We implore all our Executive Chairmen and Chairpersons to inaugurate and swear in the list as approved by His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde with immediate effect.”

“The Party will also make public the list of Secretaries, Supervisory Councilors and Special Assistants very soon “. He said

“Oyo State PDP appreciates His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde for always carrying along our party members in his developmental strides and ensuring that benefits gets to the grassroot party members. “

“We congratulate those who are privileged to make the list and we admonish them to be selfless, sincere and humane in carrying out their duties.”

Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN, has said the hue and cry about restructuring which has pervaded the entire country is about devolving power to the states to make them function effectively.

Governor Akeredolu, who declared that he doesn’t believe in the disintegration of the country, said the fiscal policy and over-centralisation of power in the hands of the Federal Government has turned the country into a unitary nation.

The Governor spoke on Tuesday while playing host to officials of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission, NSSEC, who are in the state for a One-Day Advocacy and Sensitisation Workshop on the establishment of the commission with Education Stakeholders in Southwest States of Nigeria.

Lamenting that putting many items in the exclusive list has concentrated too much powers in the hands of the federal government, Arakunrin Akeredolu noted that the unity of the country is based on sustainable true federalism.

He identified over centralisation of structures of governance as a major reason for the unending agitations for restructuring.

Arakunrin Akeredolu therefore called for devolution of powers to enable the states function effectively as federating units within the federation.

The Governor advised the NSSEC to limit its operations to curriculum formulation, monitoring and implementation rather than wholesale take-over of secondary schools administration in the country.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Benjamin Abakpa, said the sensitisation to the geopolitical zone was to get policy makers acquainted of reasons why the commission was set up by the federal government.

He said regulation of Secondary School Education, intervention on areas of needs and setting minimum standards are critical objectives before the commission to actualise, in a bid to strengthen the post-primary level of education in the country.

The Wazeer of Yorubaland, Sheikh Muhammad Yahqub, said there are only two recognized festivals in Islam, anything aside that is not permissible in the religion.

Before the event, the Wazeer of Yorubaland came out publicly to urge Oluwo to reconsider his stance on the celebration of the planned Odun Olohun. However, Oluwo proceeded with the event as different religious leaders and personalities graced the event.

In his words, Sheikh Yahqub Muhammad narrated that his closeness with Oluwo won’t stop him to say the truth when it comes to the commandment of Allah. He said Oluwo has done exemplary things as a Muslim king in Yorubaland, however, the truth is that Odun Olohun is not part of the religion. He urged Oba Adewale Akanbi to ensure the festival celebrated should be the first and last of such.