Category: Politics

The Oyo State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has today condemned the unprovoked derogatory comments by the duo of Bayo Adelabu and Senator Teslim Folarin at their respective governorship declaration events held in Ibadan on Monday and Tuesday maintaining that 2023 election defeat to Governor Seyi Makinde would be worse than 2019.

Oyo state PDP described Adelabu and Folarin’s comments against Governor Seyi Makinde as mere outbursts of desperate power thirty politicians aimed at motivating their demoralized loyalists who are still bewildered by the unexpected and unprecedented success recorded within less than three years in office.

A statement by the state Publicity Secretary of PDP in Oyo state, Akeem Olatunji on Thursday May 12 cautioned Adelabu and Folarin against reckless and unguarded utterances against the Governor in the name of politicking even as the political build up ahead of 2023 continues to heighten up.

According to the PDP in Oyo state, Adelabu and Folarin have clearly shown the depth of their political ignorance and naivety with what was called show of shame by failing to take advantage of their declaration to market themselves to the people but rather resorted to personality and individual attack against the person of Governor Makinde who’s success in office as governor has since become a benchmark for good governance in the entire country.

The ruling party in its press statement said the All Progressives Congress in the state is reputable for sheer false propaganda and can not be taken seriously by any serious minded Nigerian regardless of how loud the party tries to engage in personality attacks instead of political campaigns.

While warning against campaign of calumny capable of heating up the polity, the ruling party advised Adelabu to be wary of praise singers and bootlickers surrounding him and also deceiving him on the alter of individual throats. The party stressed that ‘Penkele’ as he is popularly known is only surrounded by political rookies.

The party also wondered how Seyi Makinde who is too busy fulfilling his mandate as the Governor has suddenly become the nightmare of both Adelabu and Folarin who should focus on first getting the APC ticket to contest in the general election noting that only political ignoramus with untamed desperation for power channels energy, time and resources to jump guns instead first crossing the first all important political huddle.

The PDP’s statement read, “It is sad and very pathetic that Nigeria’s political space in the state is experiencing such shameful dance of macabre by those who should continue to beg for forgiveness from the good people of Oyo state upon which undeserved terror and unspeakable hardship were unleashed for eight uninterrupted years.

“It is ridiculously fascinating if not funny to state that such abnormality in our political setting can only be sustained in an environment like ours where desperate and power thirsty politicians take full advantage of political orphans gasping for air for survival so much that they don’t care even if Satan comes out of hell to declare for governorship seat on the platform of the APC.

“It is even more amusing that political ignoramus like Adelabu and Folarin have continued to pick the wrong political fight at the wrong time because any informed and sound politician must know that before you even stand a chance to contest an election, you must first have your party’s mandate in your hand. It is therefore, rather hilarious to note that rather than selling themselves to their party to secure their party ticket they’re busy attacking Seyi Makinde who’s success in less than three years has since been the benchmark for good governance in the whole of Nigeria.

“For the sake of political education, Adelabu and Folarin should first secure their party’s mandate or how do we explain a situ

In today’s Politics, our women across the Nation have been sidelined and deprived of serving their country due to the influence of Gender Propaganda, Gender Intimidation, Frustration and Oppression in political period.

Let’s give kudos to our Feminist friendly Governor for having in mind women inclusiveness in Government especially in his administration, given room for them to serve in different capacities.

Your Excellecy Sir, I want to implore you, Sir to please effect your promise on TWO REP Slots you promised Female demographic.

Having said that, the thirteen aspirants in Ibadan North have only two females aspiring i.e Hon Toyin Balogun former part time member of the Library Board who has been supporting party faithful since 2018 and Hon Bolanle Sarumi former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Diaspora matters who has also proven her mettle since she joined this govt in 2019.

They are both highly versatile, extremely intelligent, trusted and tested nationally, both globally exposed, both staunch GSM Advocates who can represent the good people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency creditably.

Meanwhile, out of the Eight aspirants from Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency, only one gallant female is among them whose nickname has been ringing the bells of all and sundry, Hon. Ramota Agberemi Dabo (RAD).

As I conclude, for the interest of our party not gender biased, always gender concerned, gender inclusive and gender friendly under the distinguished leader of the Party and The Executive Governor of Oyo State, Gov. Seyi MAKINDE, that if we are to have our fourteen Federal representatives at the green chamber from Oyo State, the leadership should please consider our women especially in these two major strong Federal Constituencies to produce two female candidates in Ibadan North and Akinyele/ Lagelu Federal Constituencies in the coming Primaries.

May I use this avenue to charge all eligible voters, delegates at the primaries to watch out for their conscience as they elect their possible destiny fulfillment on behalf of the people in that representations.

Yours GSMist,

✍🏽 Signed:

EGALITARIAN, DIG. COM. MOYOSOREOLUWA OLAMILEKAN ELDREEZ (MOE)
IBADAN NORTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT
FOUNDER/CEO
FOT/MOECAMPORG/MICE
GCON GCOAF
CONVENER OSM
IRE DEEEEEEEE IRE WOLUUUU NI IPINLE OYO

The former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has denied sponsoring propaganda against the incumbent governor of the State, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

This was contained in a statement made available to the newsmen by Amosun’s media aide, Ajibola Bola Adeyemi as read in part:

“The attention of Senator Ibikunle Amosun has been drawn to a publication alleging that he was planning a smear campaign against the Governor of Ogun State, Mr Dapo Abiodun.

“Ordinarily, we do not respond to such wild accusations. However, this is one callous accusation that should not be allowed to pass unaddressed.

“For the record, Sen Amosun is not involved, directly or indirectly, in any campaign against Governor Abiodun or any person for that matter.

“Sen Amosun implores Governor Abiodun to employ every legal means to bring whoever is involved in any such campaign against him, as alleged, to book”.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has rejected the presidential form of the All Progressives Congress purchased for him on Monday by a group of his supporters from the north.

Dr Jonathan’s Media Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, said in a statement hours after the news that the group had bought the form broke that the former did not authorise the purchase and consider the move by the group ‘an insult’.

“We wish to categorically state that Dr Jonathan was not aware of this bid and did not authorise it,” the statement read in part.

“We want to state that if the former President wanted to contest an election, he would make his intentions clear to the public and will not enter through the back door.”

In recent months, there have been increased speculations about whether the former President will run for his old post in in the 2023 general elections and there have been calls for him to do so.

But the former President has yet to state whether he would contest or not.

“While we appreciate the overwhelming request by a cross-section of Nigerians, for Dr Jonathan to make himself available for the 2023 Presidential election, we wish to state, that he has not in anyway, committed himself to this request,” Eze said.

“Buying a presidential aspiration form in the name Dr Jonathan without his consent, knowing the position he had held in this country, is considered an insult to his person. The general public is therefore advised to disregard it.”

As the Ogun 2023 governorship election approaches, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, has obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Akinlade, a 2019 governorship candidate, said he purchased the forms on Friday to contest for the ticket of the party with other aspirants.

In a statement on Sunday, Akinlade maintained that it was a mandate that “we all must undertake with clear conviction and determination to succeed.”

According to him, he had thrown his hat into the ring to sustain and complement the infrastructural strides of past administrations.

The former lawmaker said he had phoned other aspirants in the state, congratulating them for joining the guber race.

He asserted that the desire to serve should be selfless, devoid of acrimony and divisions, saying “this the time to reset our focus and reposition the future of our dear State.”

His words: “My dear good people of Ogun State and party faithful, as a young Eagle (politically), I rode on the great wings of our leader above the Olumo Rock and beyond, he showed and taught me many lessons. Just like every eagle that MUST take its first leap of fate, I joined other Guber aspirants from Ogun State and procured the 2023 Gubernatorial Expression of Interest and Nomination forms on the platform of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday the 6th of May, 2022.

“Someone once told me that “if your dreams does not scare you, then it’s not worth exploring”. Yes it is daunting and almost scary without the usual safety net, but this is one mandate that we all must undertake with clear conviction and determination to succeed. As l call on you once again, I must say that what kept me going in the last three years was your love, prayers, encouragement and sacrifices.

“Dear compatriots, my aspiration to run for the highest office of our dear state once again, hinges on sustaining and complementing the giant infrastructural strides of past administrations, one of which I was privileged to have served in, between 2011-2015.

“This morning, Sunday the 8th of May, 2022. I placed calls through to my co-aspirants and congratulated them for throwing their hats in the ring for the Ogun 2023 Guber contest. I assured them of my cooperation in the process and received same courtesy.

“True vision and desire to serve should be selfless, devoid of acrimony and divisions. We are people destined for greatness, thus, this is the time to reset our focus and reposition the future of our dear State as envisioned by our forebears.”

Lagos Reporters recalls that Akinlade contested under the platform of the Allied People’s Movement in 2019, coming second after the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Oyo Assembly, its Speaker and two other principal officers have sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over its investigation of the accounts and financial activities of the third arm of government in the State.

According to the Nation Newspaper, the plaintiffs are contending among others, that no provision of the Constitution empowers the EFCC to probe the Oyo State Assembly and its principal officers without a formal compliant from the state’s Auditor-General.

They added that the EFCC, being an agency of the Federal Government, “cannot look into and/or cause to investigate the accounts of any authority such as the 1st plaintiff (Oyo Assembly) and/agency in Oyo State,” in view of the specific provisions in sections 120,121, 125, 126 and127 of the Constitution.

Listed with the House of Assembly as the plaintiffs in the suit are Adebo Edward Ogundoyin (the Speaker); Sanjo Adedoyin Onaolapo (Majority Leader) and Asimiyu Niran Alarape (Minority Leader).

The EFCC is the sole defendant.

The pendency of the suit, filed on May 5 this year at the Federal High Court, Ibadan has been communicated to the Chairman, EFCC Abdulrasheed Bawa and the Director, Legal Department via letters written by lawyer to the plaintiffs, Musibau Adetunbi (SAN).

The letters, with the court processes attached, were sighted in Abuja on Sunday. They are dated May 5, but received at the Abuja headquarters of the EFCC on May 6, 2022.
The letters are titled: “Notification of the pendency of suit No: FHC/IB/CS/71/2022 between Oyo State House of Assembly & 3 others v. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”

The plaintiffs are praying the court to among others, declare that under the Constitution, particularly Section 125, the state’s Auditor-General possesses the exclusive duty to investigate the accounts and finances of the House of Assembly and its officers.

They want the court to declare that the EFCC’s act of requesting for the 1st plaintiff’s account books and information about its financial activities, without any complaint from the state’s Auditor-General is a violation of Section 125 of the Constitution and a clear usurpation of the Auditor-General’s duty under Section 125(4) of the Constitution.

The plaintiffs equally want the court restrain the EFCC from further interfering in the activities of the plaintiffs and their staff, and to order it (the EFCC) to return the account books and other documents “forcefully obtained from the 1st plaintiff.”

In her witness statement, filed with the writ of summons, the Clerk of the Oyo House of Assembly, Mrs. Yetunde Oludara Awe stated that the activities of operatives of the EFCC were gradually grounding the operations of the third arm of government in Oyo State.

Mrs. Awe stated that armed EFCC operatives first stormed the Assembly in July 2021, arrested some officials and compelled them to make statements and submit documents concerning the financial transactions of the plaintiffs.

She added that while the EFCC operatives have made it a habit to constantly invite and harass officials of the House of Assembly, they are allegedly planning to invite all the 32 members of Assembly “with the intention of incapacitating the effective running of the 1st plaintiff.

“By virtue of the Constitution, section 125(2), (4), and (6) in particular, the defendant cannot look into the financial activities of the 1st plaintiff and the financial transactions of the 1st to 4th plaintiffs,” the Clerk said.

She added that it was obvious from the various letters written by the defendant to the House of Assembly that the purported investigation by the EFC is “a usurpation of the power of the Auditor-General of Oyo State as stipulated by Section 125(4) of the Constitution.

This is the monthly EDITORIAL of ODUDUWA NEWS

There have been growing concerns about the choice of Oyo North Senatorial candidates in both major political parties as disagreement, sectional interest among other concerns have been said to have emerged since the two major political parties, Peoples Democratic Party PDP and All Progressives Congress APC have started consensus arrangements on the choices of their respective flagbearers in Oyo North Senatorial District.

Recently, the media space was awash with the condemnation and innuendos that trailed the choice of PDP’s consensus candidate in Oyo North Senatorial District, Mr. Akinwale Akinwole popularly known as Wolekanle who is believed by pundits to be a lily-livered and a pawn in the chess of political game that could not weather the roaring storm of sectional interest of ‘Oke-Ogun Lokan’ as being bandied around by the political gladiators in the zone.

ODUDUWA NEWS, in its investigation to unravel the mystery behind the resurface of ‘Oke-Ogun Lokan’ in Oyo North Senatorial District as the coinage firstly surfaced during the 2019 gubernatorial election found out that the people of the region believe that surrendering the Senatorial ticket to Ogbomosho again in 2023 would be tantamount to capitulating to political machination of their rival zone for another political dispensation.

The analysis of the representatives had so far in Oyo North Senatorial District since return of democracy in 1999 highlighted thus: Yusuff Brimo 1999-2003 (Ogbomosho), Senator Robert Koleosho 2003-2007 (Oke-Ogun), Sen. Gbenga Babalola 2007-2011 (Oke-Ogun), Sen. Hosea Agboola 2011-2015 (Oke-Ogun) and the current serving Senator, an Ogbomosho indigene, Sen. Fatai Buhari who will be the first Senator representing the zone for two terms consecutively.

This above stated analysis has shown that both zones have had equal representation since 1999 but political stakeholders in the zone hinge their assertion on zoning of the ticket to Oke-Ogun on the grounds that if Ogbomosho indigene is returned in 2023, Oke-Ogun zone with ten local government councils would have been completely marginalized by Ogbomosho with three local government councils. It is factual, that should Ogbomosho indigene emerges in 2023, it would make the total years of representation by the region to be 16 years provided it is single tenure and 20 years if the future Senator is returned for second term while Oke-Ogun will be left to remain at 12 years of representation since the return of democracy.

In as much as it is believed that politics is a game of calculations and numbers, Seyi Makinde and his think tank could be said to have thought less of emergence of their candidate in Oyo North by trading senatorial ticket of the zone purposely for the sole aim of getting a return to Agodi seat believing that if a candidate is fielded from Ogbomosho, such candidate will secure bloc votes for him. However, this political calculation seemed to have died on arrival as one of the gladiators of the PDP in the zone, Hon. Mulikat Adeola has used a last straw to break the camel’s back by pitching her tent with a newly found love, the party of Social Democratic Party SDP. This is a pointer to the political think tank of Gov Makinde to restrategize and look into a way of preventing the political goodwill they might have thought of enjoying in Oke-Ogun from being eroded.

The same drum is being beaten into the ears of the gladiators in All Progressives Congress APC in the zone but there seems to be a fair sectional calculation in the political scheming of the party in the zone as many Oke-Ogun sons have signified intention to secure the ticket. Some Oke-Ogun APC candidates that have picked their nomination forms include Hon. Sola Ogunbode from Kajola Local Government, Hon. Shina Peller, the incumbent Honorable representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency and Hon. Saheed Alaran, who feelers hinted would pick his form any moment.

One may wonder why Oke-Ogun people have suddenly brought out the coinage of ‘Oke-Ogun Lo Kan’ project in the Oyo North Senatorial District, the ‘Oke-Ogun Lo Kan’ might not have fetched the desired result in having an Oke-Ogun Governor but the agitation is propelling a sense of purpose towards having people from their region in the National Assembly and other important political posts to bring about the positive changes the region so desires.

Having their Indigenes as their representative is believed to be a remedy to the percieved marginalization of the zone in federal distribution of projects particularly the age-long yearning for tertiary institution.

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola aka Yayi has been reduced to tears after his supporters bought expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ilaro, Ogun State for him.

The Senator is representing Lagos West Senatorial District and the forms cost N20 million.

It was gathered that his supporters bought and presented the form to him today and he got emotional.

Yari will be contesting in Ogun state after switching base from Lagos against the likes of Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, Abiodun Isiaq Akinlade and incumbent Senator Tolu Odebiyi for the Ogun West Senate seat.

As part of the vision of the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to strengthen the civil service of Oyo State with the view to enhancing the productivity and efficiency of civil servants, the Governor has approved the appointments of some career officers to various positions.

The Governor on Friday announced the appointment of ten Permanent Secretaries, ten Inspectors -General of Education, ten Tutors-General and Surveyor – General.

The Permanent Secretaries are, Fatai Olalekan , Falola Evelyn Eseosa, Akintunde Lukman , Akinola Muraina, Oluyemisi Olajumoke, Adebusuyi Modupe Elizabeth, AdeleyeTajudeen, Olabode Raji, Sunday Adeyemi Ojelabi.

Inspectors-General of Education.

Adebayo Olusegun Salaam

Bamidele Toyin Oyinloye

Lawrence Adelani Binuyo

Paul Oyedele Oyedokun

Lukuman Alowonle Kareem

Olarinre Alabi Adetayo Oloyede

Oyeyemi Iyabode Ojo

Olusanjo Joel Adeniyi

Faosat Ayobami Oluokun

Tutors- General

Toyin Funmilola Akinyemi

Akinlolu Abiodun Akinwale

Julius Funso Folaranmi

Olatunde Lanre Suulola

Babatunde Olayinka Onifade

Haroon Animashaun Lawal

Kafari Olasunmade Babajide

Serifat Bukola Abimbola

Tunde Sakiru Adeniran

Olubukola Ajoke Oladipo

Surveyor -General

Abiodun Sekore Alaba

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo Has Reiterated The Need For State Police To Help Combat The Country’s Growing Insecurity.

In A Statement, Obasanjo’s Special Assistant On Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Cited The Former President As Saying This During A Courtesy Visit To Him In Abeokuta On Wednesday By The Leadership Of The National Association Of Ex-Local Government Chairmen In Nigeria. Prioritized Over Community Policing.

He Said That During His Era, The Tiers Of Government Were All Active But Are All Gone Now.

He Expressed Confidence Over The Need For State Police Which Will Inturn Birth Community Policing.

He Said, “Our Situation In Nigeria Concerns Everyone, Particularly, The Case Of Terrorism. The Case Has Gotten Over The Issue Of Community Police. It Is Now State Police. It Is From That State Police That We Can Now Be Talking About Community Police.

“I Prepared During The Popular Murtala/Obasanjo Administration, Because I Believe That There Is Need To Enable That Tier Of Government To Work Truly As A Local Government. They Have Their Own Executive, Judiciary And Legislature.

“They Were Working And They Were Very Visible, Building And Managing Roads, Looking Into Education, Health, Local Administration, Agriculture, But They Are All Gone.”