The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sentry

  • Candidate, sponsor fall apart after electoral defeat

    Candidate, sponsor fall apart after electoral defeat

    Before last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections, the going was smooth between a candidate and his sponsor in one of the Northcentral states. They dreamed together, planned together and looked forward to bountiful electoral harvest.

    It would seem, however, that the outcome of the February 25 polls has ruptured the hitherto smooth relationship between the godfather and the godson who is a governorship candidate of the opposition party.

    Until 2019, the sponsor was in total control of the state. He was revered, feared and worshipped like a god. Then came the political tsunami that swept him and his associates off power in the state that year.

    Until last Saturday, the sponsor was confident that he would bounce back. His associates and the candidate were also full of expectations. To get the ticket of his party, the candidate opened his financial tap and there was ceaseless flow of liquid cash. But with the outcome of Saturday’s polls that shattered all expectations again, the financial tap has been locked.

    The godfather, SENTRY gathered, is not finding the development funny. He complained about the squeeze but the candidate would hear none of that. He told his godfather that his own contribution would highly be appreciated as, according to him, “we are in this together.”

    “Nonsense!” the godfather was said to have responded, telling their associates that he had no “shishi” to contribute. If the candidate knew he was not equal to the task, he said, he should not have stepped forward.

    Paucity of funds, SENTRY learnt, has slowed down preparations in the party for the governorship and House of Assembly elections. Confidence has waned and everyone is moody, hence the need for everyone to cut cost.

  • Emefiele’s campaign vehicles provoke questions

    Emefiele’s campaign vehicles provoke questions

    GOVERNOR of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, sent millions of tongues wagging with his decision to purchase the N100 million presidential nomination form of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC) in the build-up to the party’s primary election in June last year. It later emerged that the CBN governor had not only acquired the party’s nomination forms but had also bought a fleet of vehicles for his campaign. 

    As things turned out, however, Emefiele had to give up on the idea of contesting the presidential election due mainly to the public outrage against the idea. The fact remains, however, that the dust raised by that move is yet to settle with the deluge of questions that are left unanswered.

    Where are the vehicles now? Who supplied them? How true is the claim that some of the vehicles are now with the campaign organization of a presidential candidate through a governor that is very close to the CBN governor? What does that suggest? A chummy relationship between the said presidential candidate and Emefiele? How neutral is the CBN governor?

    Since his foray into politics exemplified by his failed presidential bid, how much time does he have for monetary matters which constitute the core mandate of the CBN? How has he fared on this assignment? What was the rate of inflation before he assumed office and what is it now? What was the exchange rate before he assumed office and now? What was the country’s foreign reserve then and now? What has become of his rice pyramids?

    Earlier in the week, he compounded failure with insensitivity, describing the millions of Nigerians on queues at ATM points around the country as miscreants who had no need for cash but were only there to sell their turns for some others in dire need of cash. Really?

    Has Buhari’s soldier spirit rubbed off on Emefiele?

    There is an adage to the effect that when a leaf stays too long on a bar of soap, the leaf itself would turn into soap. That seemed to be the case with the relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele. The latter appears to have rubbed mind so much with the former that he has caught the spirit of a soldier.

    Since the scarcity of notes and consequent agitation provoked by the naira redesigning policy, Emefiele, a finance man, has elected to speak like a soldier and issue threats on a daily basis rather than speak with facts and figures. Because he takes orders from a soldier, he now thinks and acts as one; no longer as a sober, shrewd, reflective and analytical financial expert.

    Consequent on the foregoing, everything about naira redesigning, a poorly implemented policy that has shaken the nation to its foundation in recent weeks, has been opaque. In his broadcast to the nation on Thursday, Buhari had admitted that he approved the policy. But from every indication, it was a unilateral decision on the part of the President, and that much came to light when the Minister of Finance declared on national television that she had no knowledge of it.

    Was the policy debated by the Federal Executive Council? No. So who did the President discuss the idea with apart from Emefiele? We may never know. Like President Buhari, Emefiele is keeping everything to himself. He would not disclose how much of the new notes have been printed or the breakdown of the total N2.1 trillion that has been returned to the banks. Buhari directed that the N200 notes already collected from the public should be re-circulated. But what is the value? Emefiele does not think we should know.

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, says the amount in question will not solve the problem of naira scarcity, noting that over N2 trillion was withdrawn while only N400 billion had been printed as at February. But rather than debunk the governor’s claims with facts and figures, Emefiele is asking security agents to go after POS operators. He forgot his elementary economics that this is what you get in times of scarcity. 

    Aides shock governor over support base for Atiku

    A GOVERNOR of one of the South-South states has received the shock of his life after he was told by two of his aides that his preferred presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has no chance of winning the state in the forthcoming presidential election.

    The state in question is one that pundits have penciled down as a must-win for Atiku. The governor himself had nursed no doubt in his mind that his preferred candidate would win massively in the state considering that the state has consistently voted for PDP since 1999.

    At a meeting with some people he sees as his trusted allies, he had said that he was so sure Atiku would have over 70 per cent of the votes in the state, leaving the remaining 30 per cent for other candidates to share. Not so fast, an aide reportedly shot back, leaving the governor shocked that his aide could fault him on the matter.

    Turning to the aide, he asked, “What are you saying?” The aide then shed light on his claim, saying, “Our people are for power shift, your Excellency. That is what the grassroots are saying.” And before the governor could speak, another aide said, “The two leading southern candidates (Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi) should not be brushed aside sir. The grassroots are with them. “

    Shocked by what he heard, the governor ended the meeting abruptly.

    Fashola’s devastating blow on Jandor

    In an instance of the instability of human relationships, two former political associates, namely the Minister of Works, Power and Housing and former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran a.k.a. Jandor, are at daggers drawn in the build-up to the forthcoming general election.

    Until he defected to the PDP in December 2021, the popular belief was that Jandor was being used as Fashola’s foot soldier to unsettle the APC government in Lagos State, following speculations that Fashola was in disagreement with some members of the party’s hierarchy in the state.

    All that however changed with a devastating blow the former governor of Lagos State delivered on Jandor at the formal launch of the Eko o ni baje 10,000 Foot Soldiers on Thursday last week. Speaking at the occasion, Fashola said Jandor should not see himself as a governorship material simply because he functioned as his (Fashola’s) cameraman when he was governor.

    He said: “Some people say they will take the land from us. That is too much. I did the job of governor for eight years, and part of what helped me was that I was chief of staff to the governor. Even that was not enough.

    “So, just following a governor being a cameraman and then watching me for eight years, then you think you will now be a governor, you are not ready. Come to our leadership school; you are not yet ready.”

  • How the Attorney-General made a u-turn

    How the Attorney-General made a u-turn

    First, he sounded very tough. The government, those close to him told the media, would not obey the Supreme Court ruling that the deadline for the currency swap be extended beyond February 10, following a plea by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara state governments that the naira swap policy was causing hardship on Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas.

    Soon after the ruling, Emefiele and the Attorney-General (AG) met with the President. No statement was issued but word soon got out through anonymous sources that the government was seething with rage and would not obey the order. Some senior lawyers went to town with why the order should not be complied with. Some even urged President Muhammadu Buhari to overrule the ruling with an executive order. It was as if the government was set for a showdown with the Supreme Court.

    Worried by the development some retired judges and renowned lawyers warned the AG on the consequences of his action. They told him frankly that he was on a suicide mission and advised him to quickly retrace his steps. Buhari, they told him, is not a lawyer and has only three months to the end of his tenure.

    Emefiele, they further told him, has already ruined his career and would not be spared by the law. He was told to avoid being charged with contempt and punished accordingly. He got the message, and the result was the statement he issued on Thursday night that the government would comply with the injunction.

  • Atiku, PDP regret position on Naira policy

    Atiku, PDP regret position on Naira policy

    Were Ayodele Awojobi, the late professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) alive, he would probably be deploying against the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a popular phrase he used to describe Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s contradictory positions on issues in the 1978/79 electioneering: “consistently inconsistent”.

    If anyone is wondering why the main opposition party and its candidate are no longer upbeat in the run-up to the presidential election, the answer is simple: they have shot themselves in the foot with their comments and positions on critical issues on naira swap and fuel scarcity.

    It will be recalled that Atiku and the PDP were the first to attack Tinubu when the APC presidential candidate spoke against the twin issues that subjected ordinary Nigerians to untold suffering. Contrary to popular opinion, they told the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to forge ahead with the policy. Tinubu, however, ignored Atiku and the PDP and appealed to the government to consider the poor who would suffer the most.

    Somehow, Atiku and his party were blind to the hardship that ravaged the land and even dismissed the APC governors who supported Tinubu’s position. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari was under pressure from traditional rulers and other non-political actors to extend the January 31 initial deadline set for the old naira notes. The President agreed and directed Emefiele to consider an extension.

    Word got to Atiku through no other person than Emefiele that an extension had been approved. Pronto, he released a video on Saturday, January  28 asking the government and CBN to extend the deadline in the interest of the poor. On Sunday, two days to January 31, the CBN announced a new deadline of yesterday (February 10). Still convinced that the extension was no solution to the hardship, Tinubu and APC  recommended a minimum of six months for both old and new currencies to co-exist. This, they said would cause the hardship caused by the scarcity of the new notes to cease . Atiku and the PDP countered Tinubu and the APC, saying that the deadline should not be extended. They now became the defender of the CBN. The motive was clear: to cast the Buhari government and APC in bad light ahead of the elections and reap electoral benefits from the hardship in the land.

    But Nigerians were not deceived. They saw through the politics of Atiku and the PDP. Now, the position has backfired. To many, Atiku is truly anti-people. In public places, he is regarded as selfish, unprincipled and manipulative. He wants power desperately and does not care if the people die from bad and obnoxious policies provided his interest is not injured. He has never fought for the people.

    Atiku had previously exhibited his desperation and selfish instincts in the case of Deborah Samuel, a Christian student gruesomely murdered in Sokoto by some Muslim extremists who accused her of blasphemy. Atiku had issued a statement on his Twitter account condemning Deborah’s killing only to take off the statement moments later because some young Muslims threatened to withdraw their support for his presidential ambition.   

    During the Abacha years when Tinubu and others were in the trenches fighting for democracy, Atiku was busy campaigning to become the governor of Adamawa State on the platform of one of the parties described by the late Bola Ige as “the five fingers of a leprous hand”. He spoke no word against the Abacha junta. Now, with Nigerians going through serious hardship as a result of an ill timed and badly executed policy, he is cool with those behind it, leaving his handlers worried that their stance on the naira crisis has backfired.

    Everywhere, from the North to the South, reports reaching them say that voters are disappointed in Atiku, especially.

  • Stranded ‘Baba’ makes save-my-soul call, gets crisp naira notes

    Stranded ‘Baba’ makes save-my-soul call, gets crisp naira notes

    Those who think the current naira scarcity crisis is a respecter of persons or status will do well to learn about the fate that befell one of Nigeria’s most prominent and accomplished figures, who had to make a call to the big man in his state for a bailout after running out of cash and becoming literally stranded in his country home in one of the southern states.

    It is needless to state that the last two weeks have been agonising for most Nigerians as virtually everyone has been cash strapped because of the scarcity of both old and redesigned naira notes. The enormity of the attendant frustration has been such that a man stripped himself bare in a banking hall because he could not withdraw his hard earned money from the bank while a lady almost went berserk in another bank leaving only her underwear and bra to also protest the non availability of cash in that bank.

    In what has become a case of every man for himself and God for us all, people have resorted to various means to cope with the scarcity and the very big man , one of the fathers of the nation, gifted letter writer and author of controversial books, was no exemption. Really? True. What he needs cash for, what he buys with it or who he settles with cash are all matters reserved by SENTRY for another day.

    Of interest now is how did he get by? How did he get the elusive Naira? The answer is provided by George Orwell in his famous book, Animal Farm. All animals may be equal but a lion is not a rabbit, neither is a snail a leopard. The jungle they all reside in quite well but the animals know who amongst them is king. The king gets what it wants easily.

    For this eminent Nigerian, a mere call to the big man in his state did the magic. “Can l get one?” he was said to have asked the man who calls the shot in the domain. Appropriate directive was said to have been given and within minutes, the eminent father got the notes — crisp, freshly minted.

  • Atiku, Fintiri in silent war

    Atiku, Fintiri in silent war

    Up until the build-up to the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his Adamawa State counterpart, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, were in a chummy relationship.

    But in an instance of the instability of human relationships, the bond between them appears to have waned because against popular expectation, Fintiri chose to support Atiku against Wike, who the former eventually defeated to emerge winner.

    Since then, Fintiri has left no one in doubt about his support for Atiku’s presidential ambition as they have been going in and out together. At Atiku’s campaign rallies, the Adamawa State governor has been visible, eulogising the presidential candidate as an experienced politician and illustrious son of the state, who should be supported in his quest to become the nation’s number one man. In return, Atiku has showered encomiums on the Adamawa State governor at public gatherings and eloquently recommended him for a second term as governor.

    But in spite of Atiku’s praises and recommendation, the challenge posed by the candidacy of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Aishatu Binani, is not lost on Fintiri as she continues to pull huge crowds particularly among the youths and women in the state. She is also loved by many Christians in the state.  Her support base was further boosted when President Muhammadu Buhari visited Adamawa State recently and told the residents to make history by electing the first female governor in the country.

    Jolted by Binani’s growing popularity and crowd pulling rallies, Fintiri felt a desperate need to neutralise it by any means possible.  Since he already has a sizable support from the Muslim community in the state, he hit on the idea of appealing to the Christian community and resorted to wooing the Christian voters, particularly those of them who are leaning towards the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. During one of his campaign rallies in a predominantly Christian community, he chose to say some kind words about Obi, believing that his listeners would be persuaded by that to embrace him.

    Well, how much vote the Obi card would fetch him in the governorship election remains a matter of conjecture. What is certain, however, is that his kind words on Obi has landed him in trouble with Atiku and the national secretariat of the PDP, who were said to be miffed by the gesture. Kind words for Obi in Adamawa, the territory of Atiku, Turaki Adamawa, and from a PDP governor? What sacrilege!

    While the party has demanded an explanation from the Adamawa governor, Atiku’s loyalists are livid and are baying for his blood. Atiku was said to have wondered if the bug of Wike, who is leading the G5 governors in their opposition to his candidacy, has also beaten Fintiri. “Is that what Wike asked him to do here?” the PDP presidential candidate reportedly asked.

    As Finance minister cleans up CBN governor’s vomit . . .

    The nation was treated to a mild drama in October last year when the news of plan by the Central Bank of Nigeria to redesign the naira hit the airwaves. Forty-eight hours after the announcement, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who was at the Senate to defend budget estimates for her ministry, had denied any knowledge of the plan, saying she was not consulted.

    But before Nigerians could recover from the shock provoked by her claim, President Muhammadu Buhari came out and declared that he gave the directive for the policy. Of course, the President’s declaration naturally sent tongues wagging as observers wondered why an economic policy of that magnitude would be initiated without the knowledge of the Minister of Finance. Others readily pointed to it as an evidence of disconnect in government.

    Well, no one knows what has transpired between then and now. In more civilised climes, the shabby treatment she received when the policy was being formulated would be enough grounds to throw in the towel. But this is Nigeria. The reality, however, is that the minister has now turned the chief defender of the policy that has turned into a national nightmare, a monumental disaster.

    Fielding questions from State House correspondents when she featured at the 65th session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Presidential Villa, Abuja during the week, Ahmed said the current hardship, though temporary, is required to stifle corruption and gradually transition into a cashless economy.

    She said: “Of course we are worried, we are not happy that citizens have to queue and struggle to get their cash but this is a temporary situation.

    “Let me give you an analogy, this situation can be compared to a patient having a sore and while treating the sore, you must apply some iodine or spirit which is usually very painful.

    “It is something that needs to be done at this time. But the Central Bank has been responsive in terms of providing some extension and also some explanation that before the closing date, it is not all over. There are still opportunities for citizens as provided for under Section 20(3) of the CBN Act, for people to take their old currency to the CBN for redemption.

    “Mr President is not happy that citizens are suffering but there is also the positive side to it, which is that a lot of currency has been mopped up back into the system.”

    Who has saddled the minister with the arduous task of cleaning up the vomits of the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in spite of contradictory moves and pronouncements? For instance, when he appeared before the House of Reps panel on Tuesday, Emefiele tactically blamed the banks for the hardship occasioned by the introduction of the new notes, knowing full well that the banks would not reply him.

    On Thursday, however, he confirmed what everybody knew has been the cause of the hardship: scarcity of the new notes. In a directive it issued to the banks, the CBN had asked them to pay N20,000 of the new notes across the counter. The question is why 20,000 when an individual, by the CBN policy, can withdraw up to N100,000 across the counter per day and N500,000 in a week? The answer is simple: scarcity of the new notes.

    By the CBN directive on Thursday, Emefiele unknowingly absolved the banks and now admitted that the CBN has been shoddy in its execution of the policy. Surprisingly yesterday, Buhari blamed the banks for the scarcity.

    Speaking at a meeting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors Forum who were at the Presidential Villa yesterday to seek solutions to the cash crunch which they said was threatening the good records of the administration in transforming the economy, Buhari said: “Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves,” adding that “even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed won’t go away.” Poor bankers!

    Tale of two political opponents

    Both are renowned and respected in the traditional town of one of the North Central states. One is wealthy and the other a tested technocrat. They have mutual respect for each other, but they are eyeing the same seat in the next National Assembly. It is one race that has caught the attention of analysts and political observers and both are throwing everything they have into the contest.

    The less endowed of the contestants is harping on honesty, probity and untainted riches as values while the wealthier is reminding the voters of service, empathy,  and provision of amenities as factors to consider. Today in the ancient city, his philanthropy is unparalleled and the people seem to love him.

    Sensing that this can be a factor in the race,  the one harping on untainted riches is asking voters to ask his opponent how he came about his wealth. It is not enough to flaunt wealth, the source of it must be interrogated, he tells those who care to listen.

    His opponent, on his part, is asking the voters to ask his fellow contestant why he didn’t ask that question when he assisted him financially not long ago. As the verbal missiles continue, SENTRY is poised to bring you the juicy details.

  • Governor rebuffs former colleague, friend and candidate

    Governor rebuffs former colleague, friend and candidate

    There is a governor in an oil rich state known for his frankness, boldness and generosity. Only very few people without substantial knowledge of his antecedents would dispute his generous disposition. It is widely believed that no one in need goes to him and returns home without smiling or jumping for joy.

    But that is as far as his admirers go. His traducers, on the other hand, have chosen to view his benevolence from a negative perspective, calling him ‘Mr Donatus’, a cynical pseudonym meant to portray him as a spendthrift; one who squanders what is entrusted to him on behalf of the people.

    However, what many people do not know about him is that he carries out detailed investigation and subject requests for financial assistance to serious scrutiny to determine which one is genuine and which one is not. So it was recently when a former minister colleague of his, who is running for elective office in one of the states in the North, solicited his financial assistance.

    Having contacted the governor, the candidate in question was highly expectant after their interactions. Unknown to the candidate, the governor was not convinced that his ex-colleague in the federal cabinet needed any assistance, hence he ignored the request.

    Believing that he could get a mutual friend and also ex-colleague of theirs to intercede on his behalf, the candidate journeyed to the friend’s abode in another state where he pleaded with his friend to prevail on the governor. The friend obliged, and at what he thought was an auspicious time, reminded the governor about the ex-minister’s request. The governor, however, ignored the request and dwelt on other matters.

    Not willing to give up, the ex-minister repeated the request as they were rounding off their conversation. But the move reportedly jolted the governor into action. He reportedly declared in his usual “blunt and direct” way: “That one, he cannot win. Even if it is N20 million, I will not give him. Besides, I hear he has four wives. If I give him money, he will set part of it aside and share it among his wives and help himself with the balance.” The ex- minister, an “accidental politician” (apologies to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai) was jolted and shocked by what he saw as an exposition of the ways of politicians

    Not done, the governor fired another shot. “Election is serious business. I support people who can win; I don’t waste my money.”

    End of discussion!

    Naja’atu Mohammed:  What manner of activist?

    POLITICAL observers were treated to a strange spectacle during the week with the dramatic change of camp by Naja’atu Mohammed, the director in charge of civil society organisations in the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Like a bolt from the blue, Naja’atu had announced her purported resignation from the PCC, citing lack of access to Tinubu and vowing never to touch party politics even with a six-inch pole for the rest of her life, only for her to pitch her tent with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, less than 24 hours after.

    Her move naturally sent tongues wagging as political observers wondered what she was up to, dumping the APC camp and showing up with PDP in less than 24 hours. But the answers appear to be coming from different speakers in the APC camp who were privy to what actually transpired between the party and the self-acclaimed activist and human rights crusader.

    Among the ‘sins’ for which Naja’atu jumped the APC ship, according to a chieftain of Tinubu’s PCC, was the APC presidential candidate’s refusal to grant her demand for a whopping N500 million to run her department.

    Read Also: Court throws out suit seeking Tinubu’s disqualification

    The PCC member said: “In a PCC that has hundreds of people, you should know that there would be moles who are there to gather information and those who are there to cash out. Such people are not grounded and it becomes a problem if money is not coming as they expected. I was told that the directorate she led requested for N500 million.”

    Tinubu, being an auditor, was said to have considered the request hollow and promptly kept it in the KIV (keep in view) file. The activist, after salivating endlessly for the anticipated windfall, left the APC PCC in frustration and promptly pledged loyalty to Atiku.

    “Tinubu is a generous person, but he is also an accountant who keeps his eye on money,” the APC PCC member said.

    The position of the APC PCC member would seem to have found justification in the antecedents of Naja’atu, a self-acclaimed human rights crusader who as a member of the Police Service Commission thought nothing of collecting a Prado SUV worth more than N60 million for doing nothing more than attend statutory meetings for a maximum of six times in a year. What a way to fight for a better society! What a way to be the voice of the voiceless!

    Now, the question arises: what was Naja’atu’s mission in the APC PCC; a mole or a gold digger?

    Has Ikpeazu  scored an own goal?

    WITH the quandary in which Abia State governor, Victor Ikpeazu has found himself over the sudden death of the state’s governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Eleazar Ikonne, there is no better way to justify the saying that what goes around comes around.

    Only two months ago, the National Chairman of PDP, Prof. Iyorchia Ayu, was the object of public ridicule in Umuahia, Abia State capital, as he as well as the presidential candidate of the party Alhaji Atiku Abubakar were shunned at its campaign flag-off.

    Ikpeazu, one of the five aggrieved PDP governors popularly known as the G5, who have vowed not to campaign for Atiku without Ayu resigning his position as the party’s national chairman, had slighted Ayu during the campaign flag-off ceremony by saddling another member of the G5, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to perform the handover of the party’s campaign flag to Ikonne; a function that ought to be exclusively preserved for Ayu as the national chairman.

    At the occasion, Governor Ikpeazu laughed his heart out as Wike mocked Ayu and described Atiku as an enemy of progress who blocked Ikpeazu from taking loans to rebuild Ariara International Market.

    In an unusual twist of fate, however, Ikonne died on Wednesday and Governor Ikpeazu suddenly found himself at the mercy of Ayu, who the law saddles with the responsibility of writing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh primary election, to help him submit a fresh governorship candidate for Abia PDP.

    Ikpeazu is now in a catch-22 situation where his friends and folks may not be able to give a helping hand.

    The Abia governor is said to be in Abuja looking for Ayu, his inherited enemy, while Ayu and some other leaders of the PDP are in the field campaigning for Atiku. Nobody is sure of what Ayu would do.

  • Atiku’s lie in the house of God

    Atiku’s lie in the house of God

    Considering the open confrontations he had with his boss while he held sway as Vice President between 1999 and 2003, Atiku’s bravery as a politician is never in doubt.  But very few people would expect him to display the same audacity in the hallowed auditorium of a church and lie in the presence of clergymen.

    Atiku, represented by a former Speaker of the House of Representatives as a guest at the 2023 extraordinary General Church Council (GCC) of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Jos during the week, said he had never contemplated same faith ticket in his entire political career.

    “My business and political partners come from different backgrounds with zero expressions of religious or ethnic sentiments. I have never contemplated same faith ticket throughout my political career. The Muslim/Muslim ticket adopted by some people is a recipe for disaster,” he said.

    It would seem that the former vice president has excised from his political career his desperate bid at the national convention of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Jos, Plateau State in 1993 to become the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, the late Bashorun M.K.O. Abiola, who was a Muslim like Atiku.

    Abiola’s decision to opt for Alhaji Babagana Kingibe as his running mate is believed till this day to have fueled the conspiracy that culminated in his not being sworn in as president.

  • Sule Lamido thirsts for history

    Sule Lamido thirsts for history

    As a former minister and erstwhile governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido is no doubt a major player in the Nigerian political space. But there is more to him in the forthcoming general election than a statesman in search of free and fair elections.

    Beyond successful elections in the nation and Jigawa in particular, Lamido will fancy his chance to make history as the first Nigerian whose biological son would be governor after he had occupied the same office.

    With his eldest son, Hon. Mustafa Sule Lamido, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, the older Lamido is leaving no stone unturned in his effort to ensure the former’s victory at the poll. Little wonder he has been deeply involved in his son’s campaign rallies in different parts of the state.

    The former governor and his son were sighted together on the rostrum as the latter’s campaign train hit Buji Local Government Area of the state during the week.

  • Minister, federal agency chair on collision course

    Minister, federal agency chair on collision course

    With their gaze fixed on the forthcoming general election, Nigerians are oblivious of a brewing personality clash between a minister of the federal republic and the chairman of a federal agency saddled with the task of accelerating the development of a conglomerate of states in one of the nation’s geopolitical zones.

    The looming show of strength, according to findings by Sentry, is already causing a stir in federal circles.

    Followers of national events would recall the uproar that was generated in the affected states when President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded the chairman’s name to the Senate for ratification last year. The president stood his ground and senators were left with no choice but to oblige.

    However, the chairman in question is enmeshed in serious controversy less than a month after the agency’s board was inaugurated.

    At the base of the controversy was a directive the chairman issued to the effect that the chairman must be a signatory to all the agency’s accounts. The stunned executives were said to have explained that the directive was against the established rules of the agency, but they were overruled by the chairman who declared that “this is a new dispensation”.

    The minister, whose ministry oversees the agency’s activities, was said to have heard about the directive and immediately put a call through to the chairman, explaining that the action the chairman was about to take would amount to a violation of the extant policies of the Federal Government.

    Rather than heed the minister’s counsel, the chairman told the minister a second opinion would be sought on the matter. The chairman’s reaction was said to have set everyone at the agency worried about what they perceived as sheer display of arrogance and ignorance on the part of the chairman.

    Besides the issue of signature, the new board is said to have met twice in one month whereas the law that guides the operation of the agency only mandates the board to meet once every quarter.

    It is, indeed, a new order in this agency that is always in the news, particularly as the ‘executive chairman’ seems to feel like being under obligation to do things in a unique way.