The Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN has condemned the sinister move of the erstwhile president of Nigeria, Dr. Good luck Jonathan to relaunch himself into political space by picking the Presidential ticket of All Progressives’Congress APC.
In a statement made available to newsmen, Falana said Jonathan cannot contest the 2023 presidential election by virtue of Section 137 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.
“It has been confirmed that former President Goodluck Jonathan has decided to join the All Progressives Congress, APC, to contest the 2023 presidential election,” the statement partly read.
“However, the former President is disqualified from contesting the said election by 137 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended which provides as follows:
“A person who was sworn in to complete the term for which another person was elected as President shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.”
“Some people have said that the amendment is not retrospective and therefore cannot apply to Dr. Jonathan. Assuming without conceding that the amendment is not retrospective, it is submitted that under the current Constitution a President or Governor cannot spend more than 2 terms of 8 years. In other words, the Constitution will not allow anyone to be in office for more than a cumulative period of 8 years.
“It is not in dispute that Dr. Jonathan became the President of Nigeria in 2010 following the sudden death of President Umaru Yaradua. He later contested and won the 2011 presidential election. Having spent 5 years in office as President, Dr. Jonathan is disqualified from contesting the 2023 presidential election.
“The reason is that if he wins the election, he will spend an additional term of 4 years. It means that he would spend a cumulative period of 9 years as President of Nigeria in utter breach of Section 137 of the Constitution which provides for a maximum two terms of 8 years.”
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Tuesday met with aspirants vying for the tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for the 2023 general elections.
Although, Ondo State is not due for governorship election until 2025, the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections will be held in 2023.
Governor Akeredolu, who met with the aspirants at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s office, assured them of a level-playing ground.
He harped on the need to promote unity within the party, calling on the aspirants to allow the leadership of the party to drive the process.
Governor Akeredolu also warned serving lawmakers who have not performed in their constituencies and senatorial districts to reassess themselves before contesting for the party’s tickets again.
“Self assessment is key. Go and assess yourselves. I have come here to appeal to all of you that we don’t all have to run into this election with a huge number. I know people have resigned. I am not filling those positions until after the election. Don’t close any option. Leave all options open. The party has a stake,” he added.
Governor Akeredolu, who noted that the party in the state is presently sailing smoothly, urged the aspirants not to heat up the polity.
The Governor added: “I can assure you that we will give a level playing field. But assess yourselves. Sit down and think. What have you attracted to your constituency or senatorial district as a senator or House of Representatives members? If you have not attracted anything, the people will be your judge.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the party in the state, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, told the aspirants that the party is guided with principles and discipline.
“This party believes in leadership and we will not joke with the tickets of the APC. No individual can win the election without the contribution of the party. I want to appeal that we must take it easy. Allow the leadership to drive this party,” the Chairman said.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, on Tuesday met with aspirants vying for the tickets of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for the 2023 general elections.
Although, Ondo State is not due for governorship election until 2025, the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections will be held in 2023.
Governor Akeredolu, who met with the aspirants at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s office, assured them of a level-playing ground.
He harped on the need to promote unity within the party, calling on the aspirants to allow the leaduership of the party to drive the process.
Governor Akeredolu also warned serving lawmakers who have not performed in their constitu nencies and senatorial districts to reassess themselves before contesting for the party’s tickets again.
“Self assessment is key. Go and assess yourselves. I have come here to appeal to all of you that we don’t all have to run into this election with a huge number. I know people have resigned. I am not filling those positions until after the election. Don’t close any option. Leave all options open. The party has a stake,” he added.
Governor Akeredolu, who noted that the party in the state is presently sailing smoothly, urged the aspirants not to heat up the polity.
The Governor added: “I can assure you that we will give a level playing field. But assess yourselves. Sit down and think. What have you attracted to your constituency or senatorial district as a senator or House of Representatives members? If you have not attracted anything, the people will be your judge.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the party in the state, Engr. Ade Adetimehin, told the aspirants that the party is guided with principles and discipline.
“This party believes in leadership and we will not joke with the tickets of the APC. No individual can win the election without the contribution of the party. I want to appeal that we must take it easy. Allow the leadership to drive this party,” the Chairman said.
A host of stakeholders and leaders, across the two divides of the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, resolved to rectify the “faulty processes” that have left the state chapter of the party disunited.
This is as leaders of the party set up a committee with a 48 hours mandate to revisit, amend the “faulty processes” and come up with a give and take kind of arrangement that satisfies all party interests and engenders a united front.
This resolve was reached at a meeting of the party stalwarts summoned by the wife of the late leader of the party, Mrs Florence Ajimobi that was held at the Oluyole, Ibadan residence of the Ajimobi family.
Party stakeholders present at the meeting included the host, Mrs Ajimobi; party chairman, Mr Isaac Omodewu; former deputy governor, Mr Moses Adeyemo; Senator Ayo Adeseun; Dr Azeez Adeduntan; Chief Kunle Sanda; Mr Ayodeji Abass-Aleshinloye; Mr Bolaji Repete; Mrs Hannah Ogunesan; Mr Hammed Adigun; Mr Olalekan Alli; Chief Akinade Fijabi.
Speaking with journalists at the meeting that lasted over two hours, Senator Ayo Adeseun said the committee will look into all issues that put the Oyo APC into a state of quagmire.
He said the state chapter was keying into similar moves by the party at the national level to ensure that members of the Oyo APC work together towards the ultimate aim of winning the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Adeseun said: “There are problems. The process that was very faulty ab initio will be revisited and we will try to make amendments as necessary to ensure that we can, in a united manner, focus on the challenge at hand.
“The challenges are still there so we will set up a committee that will go in, delve into all the issues that are at hand and then we will resolve and come back as a unified party.
Asked about the particular issues that the committee will look into, Adeseun said: “We will look into everything. All we are looking for is an arrangement where all of us can work together. With a give and take kind of arrangement, we will be able to do it.
“We will require the cooperation of every member of the party at all levels for us to succeed in our onerous objective of ensuring that come 2023, the Seyi Makinde administration will be put to an end.”
Speaking, party Chairman, Mr Isaac Omodewu, said he was optimistic that the committee set up by the party leaders will resolve all issues to favour the two major divides in the party.
With the APC rolling out its schedule of activities ahead of the 2023 election, Omodewu said it had become expedient for the party to reconcile well in time so as to achieve the target of reclaiming the governorship of the state.
“We are here to reconcile which is the best thing to do so that we are able to regain the government by 2023. We don’t have much time and I believe in a couple of days, things will be resolved.
“As the state chairman, I am in the middle but I want both sides to come together as one so that we can send away the present government out of office.
“The party leaders will carry out the task and it will favour everybody. The committee will look at how to resolve all the positions, elective positions. As the chairman, my mandate is to make sure we win the 2023 election.”
The host of the meeting and wife of the former leader of the party in the state, Mrs Florence Ajimobi said she convened the meeting keen on fostering peace and love among members of the Oyo APC
She expressed optimism that within the next two days, all faulty processes will be rectified for the party to come together as one again.
Stating that she was also an aggrieved party member, Ajimobi expressed joy at the attendance and resolve at the meeting.
Ajimobi said: “As we have agreed at the meeting, there are faulty processes. We are going to rectify and we are all going to come together, God helping us.
“Within two days, we will achieve what we want to achieve. Even though I am aggrieved too, I have swallowed my pride and I am here today and happy.”
Comrade Lekan Badmus is an investigative reporter and a Columnist with ODUDUWA NEWS.
Despite vigorous campaigns and efforts aimed at achieving equal representation of women in governance, women are still treated unequal to men. Age-old traditional beliefs, women’s physical weaknesses and men’s egos have been identified as some of the reasons for this discrimination.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.
Efforts have been intensified in the past by women and their sympathisers on the need to legalize women participation with a special percentage of representation. This effort is in tandem with the changing socio-politico-economic situation and equations in the world today, taking into account, the historical factors as well as futurological projection.
In Nigeria of today, it is an incontrovertible fact that women form the largest percentage of those who exercise their franchise during elections. This is unlike men who show apathy except on the assurance of inducement or gratification. Unfortunately, fewer women seldom express interest to vie for political office. Where few express interest, they are more often than not discouraged or cheated by men on frivolous excuse.
In a bid away from rhetorics and in the spirit of equity, justice and sense of belonging, the executive governor of Oyo state, Engineer Seyi Makinde had directed that three slots should be automatically reserved for women in each senatorial zone in the state. This gesture was aimed at correcting the age-long imbalance that has permeated politics in Oyo state where men have ever displayed domineering over women, irrespective of their clout, sagacity and intelligence. It is apt to conclude therefore that the wise decision of His Excellency was to erase the impression that women are persona-non-grata. Certainly, women should not be confined to kitchen.
However, as germane as the governor’s directive was, the PDP leadership from Lagelu/Akinyele constituency are determined to scuttle the gesture, confront the governor and sabotage every effort to give what is due to women. This is somewhat a fragrant disrespect, defiance and an affront to the governor who is the leader of the party. The women in other zones who do not have war chests also experience such political abracadabra in the hands of the so-called marauding leaders who are hell-bent at scuttling the decision of Gov. Makinde.
Few days ago, the party’s leadership at Lagelu/Akinyele constituency had purportedly convened a consensus meeting where a document was falsified to the effect that party faithfuls in the area had unanimously agreed to present their anointed son as House of Representatives candidate for the constituency. The document was thereafter transmuted to the governor for approval.
However, the burble burst when a staunch member of the party got wind of the intrigue. He was said to have immediately alerted the governor with the explanation that the purported consensus was a ruse, a fabrication and a concoction. He was able to convince the governor that the signatories on the document presented was a product of the attendance of a statutory weekly meeting of the area. Thus, exposing the sinister motive behind the kangaroo consensus. Evidently, the action of the party leaders was to deny and deprive the only female aspirant in the axis the privileged automatic ticket as the only female contestant for House of Representatives in the constituency.
In view of the leaked fact, the governor, who felt disappointed had issued a stern warning that a primary election should be conducted without disenfranchising the woman.
In all honesty, it is an abberation for the party leaders at the constituency to thinker with the order of the governor. In a sane clan, such executive directive is sacrosanct. The privilege extended to women is a norm.
In all the zones in Oyo State, three females are left in the race to compete among men who are determined to use everything at their disposal to ensure that Gov’s gesture does not see the light of the day and it is high time the Gov came out boldly and march his words with action as posterity to judge if he fails to ensure gender balance in the political equation of Oyo State as envisaged and promised by him.
The Chieftain of All Progressives’ Congress APC in Oyo State, Chief Niyi Akintola SAN has alleged that the Chairman of the Party,in the State, Chief Omodewu Isaac and his team are planning to scuttle the peace move embarked on by the National Headquarters of the party.
This was contained in a statement released and sent today to ODUDUWA NEWS by the Chieftain of the party, Chief Niyi Akintola SAN. The full text of the press statement is stated below.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.
OYO APC CHAIRMAN ATTEMPTS TO AMBUSH APC HQ PEACE EFFORTS: ISSUES KANGAROO VOTE OF CONFIDENCE MEMO TO THE PRESS
Our attention has been drawn to a news doing the rounds in the media that the Zonal leaders of APC passed a vote of confidence in Omodewu.
According to Chief Niyi Akintola SAN “This is a lie from the pit of hell. There are seven zonal leaders in the state and if a meeting was convened and only one leader showed up, that speaks volumes about the spin that is doing the rounds in the media that a vote of confidence was passed on the state Chairman of the party by the zonal leaders.
This is not only a self serving message, it is a despicable lie told to ambush the effort being made to straighten out party matters through APC headquarters fixed for Thursday. There has been frantic efforts by the “Jagba” syndicates to scuttle the central efforts in the last few days, the peak of which was the Kangaroo meeting boycotted by conscientious zonal leaders who refused to be bought.
Peace loving APC members should discountenance the so called communique which was based on falsehood the like of which Chief Bola Ige of blessed memory likened to five fingers of leprosy. The real meeting will hold in Abuja and the outcome will be published for all to hear and read. All these shenanigans by Omodewu and Co. to sabotage the real meeting should be ignored”.
You will recall that Chief Akintola had in a press conference about two weeks ago submitted that unless the central party leadership steps into the Oyo APC crisis, the state might not make any headway in 2023.
The centre has acceeded to this call as it tallies with what other voices of reason are saying. So all the falsehood generated by the “DEMO” people is to draw the carpet off the feet of the real peace effort.
ODUDUWA NEWS has just gathered that a drunk driver had killed a teenage girl at Sango area of Ibadan yesterday evening.
Waterfield Luxury Hotel, Akobo, Ibadan.
It was gathered that the driver who was under the influence of alcohol lost the control of his vehicle and rammed into people while coming from Eleyele road.
The little girl was rushed to the hospital after the unfortunate incident but died this morning.
Eyewitness affirmed that alcohol drinks were found inside his vehicle which laid credence to the fact that he was drunk.
The driver has since been handed over to the police for further investigation.
As Muslim faithful continue their fasting and supplications to Allah in this Holy month of Ramadan, I express my gratitude to the Lagos State House of Assembly for their decision to organise a special tawaf (circumambulation of Holy Kaabah) and prayer session for me today (Thursday) in Mecca.
I’m most honoured by this gesture purposed to be in furtherance of similar prayers seeking God’s blessings for my aspiration to lead our country from 2023.
However, while thanking Speaker Mudasiru Obasa and all members of the Lagos State House of Assembly for this important decision, I enjoin the Speaker and his colleagues to go beyond my ambition and pray for Nigeria as well.
I urge them to intercede on behalf of the nation and beseech Almighty Allah for an end to the challenges besieging our country.
I urge them to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration in their efforts to surmount these challenges.
Pray to Almighty Allah to touch the hearts of bandits and criminal elements in our country so they toe the path of goodness in this blessed month.
I also enjoin everyone organising or holding similar prayers either for themselves or for some particular causes to also remember to pray for our country in this sacred month.
The former member of House of Representatives, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola has claimed that the Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde worked against her Senatorial ambition in 2019.
Mulikat who contested for senatorial seat in Oyo North Senatorial District stated this while featuring on a radio programme anchored by Edmund Obilo on Splash FM as monitored by ODUDUWA NEWS.
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She was quoted as saying, ” My interest and interest of my people is paramount and if I notice that my interest is not protected any longer, I would not keep quiet.
“The Governor met us in PDP and we mobilized support for him for his emergence and since the inception of his administration, he has been making every attempt to relegate me politically, some of my supporters who supposed to be given fair share of representation in his administration were totally sidelined.
“I have incontrovertible evidence that Gov Seyi Makinde worked against my senatorial ambition, Makinde was behind my defeat in Iseyin and Saki because some of his footsoldiers ensured that I lost in both local government councils that I needed to coast home for victory.
“I decided to move on despite their plot against me but they never stopped at making every effort to scheme me out politically. He even attributed his plot to ensure my defeat to the fact that if I had won I would be too powerful to be controlled”.
She however, clarified that she is no longer in PDP again and that she has instructed her followers to continue their political journey in the newly adopted party.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 arrested thirty suspected internet fraudsters in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The suspects, comprising of twenty-eight males and two females were arrested at different locations in Ado-Ekiti based on credible intelligence obtained by the Command.
They are Godspower Falodun, Omoniyi Pelumi, Victor Damilola, Akerele Olugbenga, Oluwatosin Alade, Abayomi Aderinwa, Ologunsoro Ayodeji, Olakunle Bidemi, Emmanuel Olukayode, Ojo Tobi, Ayeni Kayode, Ezekiel Ayomide, Tunde Lukman, Onikoyi Tobi, Busayo Obadu, Abiodun Taofeek, Ajayi Opeyemi and Ebenezer Ayodeji.
Others are Akinola Paul, Jacob Wisdom, Akinrinmola Olumide, Lawrence Abimbola, Tope Abejide, Busuyi Ajewole, Seyi Ajewole, Sunday Pelumi, Sunday Pelumi, Fapohunda Paul and Aguh Henry, while Omowumi Victoria and Peace Beloved were the only females amongst the suspects.
Items including six exotic cars worth millions of naira, forty-seven different brands of phones and sixteen laptops were recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest.
In a related development, operatives of the Command also arrested four persons suspected to have been involved in similar offences over the weekend in Ilorin.
The Suspects: Oyewole Moruf Damilare, Abdul-salam Quzeem, Mohammed Bello and Olusanya Idowu Lukman were arrested in Agric Estate, Sango area of Ilorin following a tip-off on their alleged unwholesome activities.
Some of the items recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest included expensive phones, different brands of laptops and a car.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan reads a letter of notification from Senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, Ibikunle Amosun, announcing his intention to contest for the Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the APC. 5TH May, 2022 by 11:00am.
The formal declaration is scheduled to hold on Thursday 5th May, 2022 by 11:00am at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, CBD, Abuja.
