Category: Politics

Dokpesi said he was canvassing for the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for President in 2023 because they had been childhood friends.

He said, “Let me tell you that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, before he became governor, when he was still in Mobil, you know the Headquarters of Mobil is just directly in front of my house in Lagos.

As young men we ate and drank together; we were close friends before he became governor.

He is a philanthropist; he is kind-hearted.

He is supportive of the ordinary person available, and he has brought about bringing hope to people.

For 2023, I wish him the very best in whatever he puts his hands on.

So, it has nothing to do with politics; it is a matter of the good relationship we have always had and I cherish it and I want to keep it.”

Supporters of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, under the aegis of the Progressives Consolidation Group, have received the approval of the All Progressives Congress to canvass support for his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election.

The approval was contained in a letter titled, ‘Letter of Recognition as a Support Group,’ dated October 4, 2021, and signed by the Director of Administration of the APC, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman.

The letter, which was addressed to the PCG, read in part, “We write to inform you that the National Chairman, His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni, has approved your recognition as a support group of the party.”

Addressing reporters on the recognition, the head of the Progressive Civil Society Group, one of the sub-groups in the PCG, Mr Bala Gide, said with this development, the PCG had been given the rare privilege of becoming the first to be so recognised.

Gide said, “While we laud President Muhammadu Buhari’s forthright leadership and its populist direction which we expect an Osinbajo presidency to energetically sustain after 2023, we also applaud the focused forthrightness of the APC leadership ably led by Governor Buni.

“We deeply appreciate the widening mobilisation and deepening support that PCG and all associated groups working towards an Osinbajo presidency, all our grassroots and national leaders, as well as current governors, federal and state lawmakers along with various labour and professional groups will have further significant roles to play post-2023.

The group, however, appealed to the Vice President to yield to the public demand to declare his interest in the election.

It also promised that members would conduct themselves with decorum and respect all other aspirants who may wish to fly the APC flag in the presidential race.

The Governor of Osun, Adegboyega Oyetola, has described as unfounded and untrue, the report linking him to the purchase of a property in London, United Kingdom.

He said that he resigned from the company, ‘Aranda Overseas Corporation’, that was allegedly used to buy the said property in 2011 upon his appointment as the Chief of Staff to the then Osun Governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

The Governor also said that he had no relationship whatsoever with Kolawole Aluko, the alleged owner of the said property let alone have any business transaction with him.

In a statement issued in Osogbo on Saturday and signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, Oyetola revealed that he had not broken any law of the land as he also resigned his Directorship of Global Investments Offshore Limited upon his appointment, in 2011.

He thanked family, friends and associates who have shown concern through phone calls, visits and text messages over the development, assuring them that there is nothing to worry about on the matter.

The statement reads in parts: “We have seen reports in some online media platforms concerning the PANDORA PAPERS’ allegations.This is, therefore, to set the record straight.

“Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun State, resigned his directorship of Aranda Overseas Corporation in 2011, when he took up political appointment. He also surrendered his shareholding of the same company.

“Since 2011 till date, he has had no association, dealings and business transactions with the said company, as he is neither a director nor shareholder of the said company.

“He, therefore, could not have acquired the said property in 2017 either directly or through the said company as being alleged.

“As a matter of fact, Oyetola has no relationship or link with the alleged owner of the property, Mr Kolawole Aluko, let alone go into a business dealing or transaction with him.

“He also complied fully with the law of the land by exiting Global Investments Offshore Limited, as a Director in 2011, upon his appointment as the Chief of Staff to the immediate past governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola.

“While we appreciate family members, friends, associates and well-wishers for their show of concern over the development, we assure them that there is nothing to worry about. Mr. Oyetola has always shown that he is a man who knows and respects the law in his corporate and political endeavours.

“The God that has brought us thus far will never forsake us.”

A federal lawmaker, Shina Peller has disclosed that the next president of Nigeria should not be chosen based on personality cult or subjective feelings.

Reacting to a question on whether former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu should be president of Nigeria in 2023, Mr Peller says that the president’s office should be based on strong institution rather than individuals. He said criteria should be set, leaving whoever meets the criteria to occupy the office.

“We need to build an institution now, we do not need to take any single person and be saying we want to now rally around that person. I think let us form an institution, let us identify a criteria and let us see who meets up with the criteria.

“There is no institution that has set up the criteria yet, if the criteria says the next president should be christian, is Asiwaju a christian?,”

The House of Representatives member further stated that relying on personalities to save Nigeria was a mistake, and that the next president should be elected through institutions capable of ensuring the competency of the individuals.

“We have made the mistake two times. There was a time in Nigeria when President Obasanjo was brought from prison and everybody was saying he is the best person that could do this and we started to run around him. The Same thing happened to President Buhari, everybody was saying Mohammadu Buhari is a saint, he is not corrupt and then everyone starts to run around him, I believe this must stop,” Mr Peller said.

One of the Commissioner-designates in Oyo State, Hon. Abiodun Oni has lauded the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde over successes recorded in several areas of development in the State.

He also commended the people of his hometown for peaceful conduct of Local Government Congress while calling on the people of Igbeti to continually support Makinde-led administration in his bid to ensure that dividends of democracy trickled down to the grassroots.

This was contained in a statement sent to Oduduwa News today by his Media Aide as read in part:

“Hon. Abiodun Oni, the commissioner-designate and former Chairman Oyo State Solid Minerals Development Agency has commended Engr. Seyi Makinde for the successes he has recorded within 2 years of his administration and pledged and vouched his support for him in his bid to take Oyo State to the Promised Land.

Abiodun Oni made this known at the Local Government Congress of Peoples Democratic Party which was held in Igbeti at the Olorunsogo Local government Secretariat on October 5, 2021.

At the congress Abiodun Oni was given a rousing welcome as people trooped out and the shout of Ooo Seyi, as Seyi leekansi rented the air.

The people of Igbeti appreciated Seyi Makinde for the choice of Abiodun Oni as Honourable Commissioner-designate, saying he’s a right choice, while they vouched and re-affirmed their unalloyed loyalty and support to his administration.

Abiodun Oni congratulated the newly elected Olorunsogo Local Government party executives for the peaceful conduct of the congress and urged them to foster peace and unity in the party.

The commissioner-designate also called for more support from the party members for His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde, saying his administration truly reflects the hope and aspirations of the people.

The SouthWest Agenda 2023 group has said that the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, already have 12 million votes in the bag ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

The chairman of the pro-Tinubu group, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, made this known on Friday as a guest on Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’ programme monitored by ODUDUWA NEWS.

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.

Speaking on the television programme on Friday, Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works and Housing, boasted that just like Buhari who raked 12 million votes from the North before the 2015 elections, Tinubu also has at least 12 million votes from the South-West.

He said traditional rulers in the South-West are also in support of Tinubu’s 2023 presidential bid.

The SWAGA chairman, however, said his group was not commissioned by Tinubu but they are prodding the ex-Lagos governor to run for President in 2023.

Adeyeye said, “When this movement started, we wanted our candidate who some people particularly in Abuja and some circles have been saying have no home base; he is no longer popular and all that. We wanted to prove to them that the man is very acceptable, not only in his home base but throughout the country.

“We want everybody in the South-West to rally around this man and support him and so far we have been very successful.

“We have moved round the palaces to see most of our top traditional rulers who have endorsed him.

“Charity begins at home; we wanted to solidify the Homebase. Once the home base is solidified, I believe other Nigerians, particular in our party, will feel more comfortable to field this candidate, knowing that he can win the election for them.”

Speaking on the chances of Tinubu in the 2023 elections, the APC chieftain said, “Don’t forget that one of the selling points for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was that he already had 12 million votes in his pocket (in previous elections) particularly in the North-West and North-East. So, it was easy with support from a few other places for him to win the presidency.

“We are also saying that come 2023, the man we are projecting already has at least 12 to 13 million votes in his pocket and so it will be easy.”

Asked how sure he was about his statistics, Adeyeye said, “I am giving it (figure) based on what I have seen on ground having to transverse the length and breadth of the South-West and having seen people from political parties saying that when it comes to the issue of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they will shed their partisan toga and embrace him and vote for him. I have seen that in the palaces of the Obas, amongst artisans and market women.

“When it comes to the issue of the Presidency in 2023, all of these people in unison, they will shed every differences and vote for this man.

“The votes in the South-West is more than 20 million votes. I am only saying 12 to 13 million votes is already assured and I say it with all sense of responsibility without fear of contradiction that those 12 to 13 votes are already in the bag.”

Former Governor Alao Akala-led Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Advisory Committee has suffered another big blow as a potent group within the party, The Core Progressives, described the committee as an illegality which must be disbanded immediately for the party to consolidate on the gains recorded so far in its reconciliation and reengineering process.

The Group in a statement in Ibadan on Thursday declared that the advisory committee without any locus standi or any authority whatsoever to constitute any committee for the party was already usurping the powers of the Caretaker Committee of the party, a development, it said was inimical to the growth of APC in the state.

According to the statement signed by Alhaji Musibau Ahmed, Chairman of the group, the Core Progressives said the Alao Akala committee has so far remained a cog in the wheel of progress of the party and should therefore be disbanded forthwith by the Caretaker /Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party for APC to have real progress in Oyo State.

The group stated that it has now been vindicated over its earlier rejection of the committee based on the lopsidedness in its composition which gave edge to old members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with known records of hijack and disruption of peaceful process, maintaining that the obviously biased zoning committee released by the committee has cleared all doubts over the intent of the Akala’s advisory committee to hijack the party for PDP.

The group commended the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare for coming out boldly to reject the committee, stating that with the rejection, Chief Dare has further proved that he is a committed party man and a patriotic Nigerian who would always ensure that the right things are done in consonance with the constitution.

The Progressives urged the Minister as the representative of the National Leader of the party, President Muhammadu Buhari in Oyo State, to work closely with the Caretaker Chairman for the state, Chief Akin Oke and come up with the right strategy that would be acceptable to the majority of the members and put the party on strong footings in the state.

“We are highly impressed with the prompt and bold rejection of the Akala’s PDP infested Zoning Committee by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Chief Sunday Dare. By rejecting the committee, Chief Dare has shown courage, sincere commitment to the party and the ideals of the progressivism of inclusive politics. It is leadership per excellence. We only want him to remain steadfast and work with the caretaker Chairman and other genuine masses friendly leaders of the party and give us a strong and virile party that will clear all the elections in 2023. We are solidly behind these bold steps of the minister.”