Category: Politics

There was rapt attention yesterday, as over 70 members of All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the Senate gathered to hear the former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, appealing to them to give him their support.

Tinubu was effusive in his discussion with the senators as he revealed that despite cases of backstabbing, his belief in God would see him through in his presidential ambition.

The visit represented a fond homecoming for the former Senator, as Asiwaju and the legislators deliberated on a wide range of issues.

Asiwaju recalled his own time in the Senate before turning the attention of those present to his conception of the legislature as the essence of representative democracy. Addressing caucus members, he said: “The essence of representative democracy is the assemblage of the prudent and the wise to pass just laws for the benefit of the people. The legislation this body passes shall determine the fate of this nation. By what I have seen of your work and words, I can truly say this nation has been in good hands.”

Tinubu, who took time to narrate his ordeals in the fight for democracy, made it clear that his visit was to seek support and partnership of the lawmakers for the realisation of his ambition in 2023.

He said his ambition is not blind to make him step on the toes of President Muhammadu Buhari. Rather, he intends to step into the shoes of the President in 2023.

He also appreciated efforts of the Ahmed Lawan-led Senate in promoting unity and peace through its legislation.

Reminding the Senate of the lessons in the first stanza of Nigeria’s first National Anthem, Tinubu charged the Upper House to continue to legislate in support of the country’s stability and unity.

According to him, courage is very necessary for leadership, as he made reference to the recent electoral act amendment, where President Buhari had wanted section 84(12) deleted, which the Senate rejected overwhelmingly.

He said the President of the Senate demonstrated courage in leadership. His words: “You did it recently there was a bill before you that wants alteration. I watched you sitting as President, I saw the gavel in the hand of the Senate President, as he put the question, the Nay was loudest, yes was quiet and he explained.

“That is courage, that is the courage that the nation needs. The Senate President I will continue to respect you the rest of my life.

“The Senate President, you have shown unusual leadership since you assumed leadership of this Senate.

“You have navigated the mine field in the effort of putting our country together unity in diversity. How I wish you use that unity and diversity for our prosperity

“I have seen the harmonious relationship with the executive, I have seen the cordiality between the National Assembly and the executive as something germane to national development and progress.”

The former Lagos governor said, “it is crucially important that you do your job in the atmosphere of no intimidation or bully. You have been doing that. You are careful as a team leader to build a very successful team that is navigating this country very well in the right direction.

On his ambition, which is the crux of his visit, Tinubu also appealed to the party’s senators to support his presidential ambition.

The former Lagos State governor asked the lawmakers to back his ambition based on his capacity and experience.

He said, “Why am I here? I came for your counsel, partnership and support. Nigeria has come to that stage where we need a change of baton. The President is rounding off his second term.

“Election is coming up in February. We have various programmes that I don’t have to restate here: nomination process, primary process and all of that. I can’t do it by myself and I can’t do it by sitting at home, expecting that many personal friends that I have here will do it for me. I believe jointly, we can do it. You can back me successfully for the nomination of my lifetime ambition.

“If the counsel of wise men is anything to go by, ‘if you want to go fast, do it alone, but if you want to get there successfully, definitely, go with a team’. I’m asking for that ‘teamsmanship’ here today. Get me over the hump of the nomination process and from that, get me to the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Responding, the Senate President said that the APC Senate Caucus was a central and fundamental pillar of the party.

“This caucus has remained committed to the party, shown resolve to our manifesto to work within us and the Executive. We have achieved so much because of the APC caucus.

“From 2019 that this caucus showed loyalty, commitment and purposeful orientation to ensure that our victory from 2015 and 2019 as a political party are fully utilised for the benefits of Nigerians.

On the leadership crisis in the party, Lawan said, “recently we have had difficulty because of misunderstanding between some of our members and the party had been thrown into a temporary confusion.

“I thank God it is over now. It is very clear that our party is back on track that in the next two weeks, our national convention will hold and a new set of leaders will emerge.”

Lawan, thereafter, wished Tinubu well and success in ‘this enterprise’, saying, “all of us wish you well, wish you success in this and in the affairs of fighting for APC to continue to be the ruling party in Nigeria justifiably so; your Excellency, we are with you.

Former senators on his entourage included Adedayo Adeyeye (Ekiti), Abu Ibrahim (Katsina) and Iyiola Omisore (Osun).

As part of the agitation for an independent Yoruba Nation and the dissolution of the amalgamation of Southern and Northern Nigeria, self-determination activists have filed two suits at Federal High Courts in Ado-Ekiti and Osogbo.

They want the judiciary to stop the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Ondo States scheduled for June and July respectively.

They are praying for a declaration that the current 1999 Constitution of Nigeria is illegal, invalid and of no effect whatsoever because no referendum was conducted before it was enacted.

The members of the umbrella body Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO) Worldwide filed the suit on Wednesday through their lawyer, Tolu Babaleye.

The defendants are the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The activists include IOO leaders, Professor Banji Akintoye, from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti; his Deputy, Professor Wale Adeniran, from Ile-Ife, Osun State; Ado-Ekiti based medical doctor, Chief Bayo Orire, and 15 others.

The applicants are demanding a total decommissioning of the 1999 Constitution to pave way for a referendum so that the indigenous people of Yoruba can secede.

On Wednesday, IOO spokesman Maxwell Adeleye told the public that INEC does not have the law that can be used to conduct elections “anywhere in Yoruba land, a region within Nigeria”.

“The Ekiti and Osun Governorship Polls and all future elections should be stopped in Yoruba land until a referendum is held for the Yoruba people to decide on the system they want for themselves within Nigeria and whether they even want to remain as Nigerians”, he noted.

Adeleye said they want: “A Declaration that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) is invalid, illegal and of no effect whatsoever by reason of its failure to satisfy the essential requirements of a referendum and national consensus expected of a valid Constitution.

“A Declaration that the preamble/introductory passage to the 1999 Constitution inserted into the Constitution by the Military Government which says ‘’we the people of Nigeria have resolved to give ourselves a Constitution’’ is a lie when.”

The suit argues that it was the Military Government that came up with the document and imposed it on the Nigerian people without their contribution.

Others requests are: “A Declaration that no valid elections whether Presidential, Governorship, National and State Assembly or Councillorship elections can be validly held under the said invalid and fraudulent Constitution as one cannot build something on nothing in law and expect it to stand.

“A Declaration that the forthcoming Ekiti State Governorship election which is scheduled to be conducted in June 2022 by the INEC cannot be validly held under the said illegal and invalid 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

“An Order stopping the holding of the scheduled Ekiti State Governorship election coming up in June 2022 from being held as there is no valid legal framework for such an exercise because the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) under which the said Governorship election is planned to be conducted is illegal, invalid and inherently defective.

“An Order directing the Defendants jointly and severally to stay clear of Ekiti and Osun States in June and July 2022 and suspend with immediate effect the plans and arrangements they have put in place to conduct such an illegal election in Ekiti and Osun States of Nigeria.”

Adeleye called on all Yoruba people, especially, Self-determination activists in Ekiti and Osun to mobilize themselves and ensure that they are present in courts in Osogbo and Ado-Ekiti whenever the cases are called for mention.

Hon. Iyiola Am­bali Hameed, a former Oyo State Com­mis­sioner for Agri­cul­ture has reportedly passed on.

Hon. Ambali, the Ekerin Balogun Onijaye of Ijayeland died on Wednesday morning at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

One of his loyalists who confirmed his death said he had earlier recieved a call that Hon. Ambali was sick and rushed to UCH but unfortunately, he had died by the time he went to the hospital this morning to check him.

“I got the sad news that he is dead, arrangement is ongoing to bury him this afternoon according to Islamic rites,” he said.

Hammed, who hails from Seriki Origitag-bokalu Dynasty, popularly called Seriki area of Ijaiye, was born on Sunday, January 4, 1959.

He attended Ijaiye High School, Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and University of Ibadan, Oyo state; where he studied Agric and Bio-Resources Engineering and Laboratory Technology, respectively.

He was a member, Oyo State House of
Assembly (1999-2003); Chairman, Care-taker Committee, Akinyele Local Government (2011-2012).

Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Aviation Minister, has criticized Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State over his comment on the removal of Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, as the acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Fani-Kayode described El-Rufai’s comment that President Muhammadu Buhari approved Buni’s removal as APC acting Chairman as baseless and unwarranted.

The Kaduna State Governor said his Yobe State counterpart would not continue as the acting Chairman of the ruling party.

El-Rufai said Buhari approved Buni’s removal before he embarked on his medical vacation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

He also alleged that the Yobe State Governor had concluded plans to scuttle the party’s national convention through frivolous court injunction.

However, Fani-Kayode dismissed the claims made by El-Rufai.

Appearing on Channels Television on Friday, the former Minister doubted if the President ever approved Buni’s removal.

He said: “I was not there when the President ordered the removal of Buni. Neither was he there. I doubt very much if the President would do that, to listen to one side and ignore the order. I doubt if he would do that without following the law.”

The APC chieftain insisted that El-Rufai was wrong to have discussed such matters on national television.

“I have never seen a situation where the minister or governor or even party chairman would come on national TV and say the President has endorsed someone and everybody ought to sit down. The President of this country is a democratic, decent person who would never act that way.

“Even if the President told them that, it is not right for El-Rufai to come on national TV and disclose that or begin to paint the President as if he were kind of a dictator. We are in a country of laws which must be regarded. If the President wants to remove Buni, we would do it according to the law,” he said.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has declared support for an Igbo Presidency in 2023.

Obasanjo, while receiving a 2023 Presidential aspirant, Mao Ohuabunwa on Thursday in Abeokuta said it was time for reconciliation in Nigeria by supporting a president from the Southeast region to emerge in 2023.

The former president stated that southeasterners can bring a lot to the table if elected.

“Beyond bringing unity to Nigeria or being the cement that holds Nigeria together, I believe that Southeasterners can model hard work and entrepreneurship.

“This will help in wealth creation and fight against poverty, which is ravaging Nigeria,” Obasanjo said.

He warned Ohuabunwa that running for Presidency is a tough job.

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo state, says some “Yahoo Yahoo governors” in the All Progressives Congress (APC) supported Mai Mala Buni, Yobe governor, to circumvent the will of party members.

Buni was booted out of office as chairman of the national caretaker committee of the APC after his plan to scuttle the party’s convention fixed for March 26 came to light.

Abubakar Sani Bello, Niger governor, has since been in charge of the party.

We, the governors are for the party except for the few ‘Yahoo, Yahoo’ governors (apologies to Salihu, former DG of the Progressive Governors’ Forum) who were hand in glove with Buni to circumvent the will of majority of our Party (APC) members.

“Progressive governors in the true name, mostly all of us, are determined to see our Party through these patchy parts at all cost.

Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Igboho, has warned against war.

He said this in a video that surfaced after his release from detention on Wednesday.

In the video, Igboho was seen discussing the war between Ukraine and Russia.

“Let’s hope that this Ukraine crisis won’t lead to a third world war. May God not let us witness war in the world,” Igboho said.

Recalled that Igboho, who fled the country to avoid arrest was given a conditional release from prison in neighbouring Benin eight months after he was detained there.

Igboho had been detained in Benin’s commercial capital Cotonou on accusations of “criminal association”.

Igboho, who escaped from a deadly raid on his Ibadan residence by the operatives of the Department of State Service on July 1, 2021, was arrested in Benin Republic on his way to Germany on July 19 together with his wife, Ropo. His wife was released earlier.

Police at the time accused Igboho and his associates of planning to wage a violent insurrection against the Nigerian state.