Category: South West

The crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has taken another dimension, as concerned stakeholders of the party in Southwest have disowned the acting National Chairman, Alhaji Sheu Musa Garba and Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye.

They warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to desist from granting recognition to Agunloye and Garba, whom they described as cabal in the party.

Speaking with reporters in Ibadan yesterday after their meeting held at the Oyo State SDP secretariat at Yemetu, the Chairman, Southwest Concerned Stakeholders of SDP, Dr. Sola Agboola, urged the party’s presidential aspirant, Adewole Adebayo and other aspirants to beware so that they would not become victims of misfortune.

Agboola enjoined the leadership of the party to ensure reconciliation so as not to jeopardise the chances of the party in the coming election.

He said Agunloye had been suspended at Ward 10 Akoko North in Ondo State, adding that it was illegal for him to still parade himself as a member and national secretary of the party.

“We are here to let the public know about the illegality going on in this party, Agunloye should vacate his office because whatever he does now is void and takes no effect.

“He should stop interfering in the affairs of the party in the Southwest. We are saying no to position swapping, we are saying no to the leadership of Alhaji Sheu Musa Garba as the party interim national chairman.

“The proposed SDP national convention is illegal. We have met here and we are heading for court to seek redress,” Agboola said.

He said the Southwest SDP recognised the leadership of Chief Supo Sonibare pending the determination of the court on the matter.

 

 

 

A leading Oyo South Senatorial District aspirant in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olooye Adegboyega Adegoke, has met the secretaries, women leaders and youth leaders of the nine local governments that make up the district.

The councils are Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South East, Ibadan South West, Ibarapa Central, Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North and Ido.

Speaking with the stakeholders yesterday at the meeting held at NIHORT area, Ibadan, Adegoke, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), and a business turnaround expert, promised to make Oyo South the best district in Nigeria in terms of infrastructural development.

Adegoke, who is also the Chairman of Solutions 93.9FM and Aare-Onibon Balogun of Ibadanland, while soliciting the support of the stakeholders, told them that unity among party members and leaders was key in achieving victory in the 2023 general election.

He said his aspiration was borne out of service to the people of the senatorial district and the state.

Adegoke, an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife and University of Cambridge Judge Business School Advance Leadership Programme, as well as a philanthropist par excellence, advised members to be more committed and loyal to the party in order to achieve victory in 2023 general election.

A body, the Oyo Kajola Group (OKG), has said the resignation of the lawmaker representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Dr. Kola Balogun, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is an act of ingratitude and self-conceitedness.

The socio-political group, which worked for Balogun’s and Makinde’s elections in 2019, said that the senator’s attack on Makinde over the Oyo South PDP ticket for the 2023 general election was unfair, baseless and self-serving.

The organisation, in a statement by its Media Coordinator, Adebayo Ayandele, expressed disappointment in Senator Balogun for dragging the name of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Olalekan Balogun, into the arena with a view to causing bad blood between Ibadan people and Governor Makinde.

It said Senator Balogun’s vituperations and conduct were unconscionable and condemnable, adding that they amounted to poisoning the same river he drank from in 2019.

The body wondered what his alleged failure to secure the PDP ticket had got to do with the Olubadan.

It said the claim that Makinde denied him the second term ticket because he would not be able to control the Balogun family, with one as the Olubadan and the other as a senator, was not only childish, but also farcical.

The statement said: “We have read a report containing the vituperations of the senator representing Oyo South, Senator Kola Balogun, against Governor Seyi Makinde, for allegedly denying him (Balogun) a second term ticket.

“We also read the news of Senator Balogun’s purported resignation from the PDP and waited to read a rebuttal from the senator, whether he would  describe the two reports as fake news. But no rebuttal has come.

“Senator Balogun, to all intent and purpose, was wrong to have publicly attacked Makinde and heap the blame on the governor for denying him a second term, as if the ticket was his right.

“His words and subsequent resignation from the PDP, which chose to trust him with its senatorial ticket in 2019 at a time he had been roundly rejected and ignored in the All Progressives Congress (APC), have shown that he is not a democrat.

“As expected of this period when parties decide on their standard-bearers for the next general election, politicians say and do unexpected things. But in the end, democrats come around to support their parties after standard-bearers have been decided. But that is not the case with Senator Balogun.

“To set the records straight, the Oyo South PDP ticket, over which Senator Balogun attacked the governor and tried to set Ibadan people against his government by dragging the Olubadan of Ibadanland into the political arena, has not been given to anyone.

“Although Governor Makinde has encouraged the PDP in Oyo State to pick its candidates by consensus in order to avoid the rancour and heavy financial resources that will be expended on primaries, he has also insisted that any area where the consensus option fails will go ahead with primaries.

“The Electoral Act is also clear on this, as it permits that any aspirant who has purchased forms and refuses to sign off on consensus can participate in primaries. So, he (Balogun) still reserves the right to contest in the PDP primary if he so wishes.

“But rather than explore that democratic means, we are surprised that he has chosen pettiness, trying to start an unwarranted war between the throne and the government and mouthing how much he has given to party leaders and all sorts.

“Senator Balogun, in his fiendish plan to bully the PDP into giving him the senatorial ticket willy-nilly like he enjoyed in 2019, said the governor is afraid that he will not be able to control the Olubadan and himself. The question is in what ways can a governor control a monarch of Olubadan’s standing or even a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

“Governor Makinde has made it clear that the Olubadan Traditional System must operate without external control and he will never seek to meddle in the affairs of the Olubadan.

So we urge Senator Balogun to find another excuse for his planned dalliance with the APC.

“Sadly, this senator was accused of unholy fraternisation with the APC presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when the latter visited the palace of Olubadan and he (Senator Balogun) had been quick to issue a rebuttal. But his actions now appear to put a lie to that rebuttal.”

The group added that whatever arrangement had been made on the Oyo South ticket of the PDP was in the interest of the party, noting that any effort to strengthen the hands of the ruling party in the state should be supported by well-meaning party members.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the choice of Chief Olasunkanmi Tegbe as a consensus candidate was not forced by Governor Makinde and whatever arrangement PDP had with Tegbe is not strange. It had the same arrangement with Dr. Kola Balogun in 2019, which resulted in his picking the PDP ticket without a fight, though he did not participate in the PDP primaries.

“He, Senator Balogun, is the basis for Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi’s grievances with the PDP hierarchy to date. So, if the arrangement worked well and it favoured Balogun in 2019, why should he think that arrangement is now anathema?

“Shall we say because the winner of the PDP primaries in 2019, Chief Bayo Lawal, is not from a royal family, then he could be treated anyhow and now that the same equation appears not to favour Kola Balogun, then it is an assault against the Olubadan? That is unthinkable and fiendish.

“As an organisation, which laboured hard for the success of the PDP in the 2019 National Assembly election that produced Balogun, and the governorship election that followed two weeks after, we encourage Senator Balogun to rethink his ways by not poisoning the river he drank from.

“While he is also free to join up with any party he so wishes, he should stop labelling Governor Makinde or trying to cause division between the governor and the royal throne due to selfish interests.”

 

A community leader in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State, Pa Mathew Asaolu Oni Oluwayemi, will be laid to rest on Saturday. He was 100.

A Christian wake will take place at his Kajola Street home, Efon-Alaaye, at 4pm.

A statement by his son, Pastor Bayo Oluwayemi, said funeral service would hold at CAC, Alabukun District Headquarters, Odi-Olowo, Efon-Alaaye, the following day.

Pa Oluwayemi is survived by children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

 

 

MR Idris Abiola-Ajimobi, son of the late former Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, yesterday declared his interest to contest the Ibadan South-West State Constituency II seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 elections.

He made the declaration while addressing party leaders in his constituency in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the son of the former governor also presented a Letter of Interest to contest the seat to the party leaders.

NAN reports that the party leaders led by its Chairman in the council, Mr. Sunday Babalola, also met with all the aspirants from the local government, contesting elective positions on the platform of APC.

He urged the party leaders to support his aspiration, which he said, was his childhood dream of serving humanity.

“It has always been my childhood dream to serve humanity and presenting myself to serve the good people of Ibadan South-West Constituency II, which will avail me of the opportunity to achieve this dream,” Abiola-Ajimobi said.

The aspirant told the leaders that he was before them as a son, who needed their support and prayers to achieve the dream, saying he could not do it without them.

I have come before you as your son, to plead for your support and prayers as I cannot do this alone without you,” he said.

“I know that lots of us here know my father and the legacy he left behind (May his soul rest in perfect peace).

“Also, his grandfather, Alhaji Ganiu Ajimobi, who served the good people of Ibadan South-West Constituency II during the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s regime in the Western Region.

“We shouldn’t let these legacies die. I will like to build on his legacies while charting a course of my own to unite our people and bring the dividends of democracy close to them,” he said.

Babalola welcomed Ajimobi’s son into the race, describing it as a good development.

 

 

Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari yesterday urged Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to seek another term.

He hinged his endorsement on AbdulRazaq’s ‘superb’ performance.

The emir spoke in Ilorin at this year’s Bareke held at the Government House, as part of activities to mark Eid-el-Fitr .

Said he: “The governor is hard working. In fact, he is a field man. I think he spends more time on the field than in his office. I am very glad to be here and I have, from my heart, to testify that I am here on good faith. I wish that the governor does another term.

“It is an individual’s right enshrined in the constitution that if you do the first time of four years, you may also contest the second term.

“Each Nigerian is entitled to ask and he should be answered. Your Excellency, go ahead in your aspiration to become second-term governor in Kwara State. May God be with you, guide you and enable you to succeed.”

Sulu-Gambari prayed for AbdulRazaq for God’s guidance and strength to consolidate on his remarkable feats across sectors of the state’s economy.

The governor said the emir’s visit to the Government House was a testament to the excellent relationship between the traditional institution and the government.

He said he did not take the love the emir showed him for granted.

AbdulRazaq restated the commitment of his administration to peace, unity and well-being of the majority of the people.

He said: “Within three years, we have made Kwara workers one of the best and promptly paid workforce in central Nigeria.

“Our commitment to collective good is evident across all sectors. Health indices have improved; we have upgraded facilities across the state. We have taken roads and other developmental projects to the remotest corners of our state; and we have standardised basic education. Today, unlike before, Kwara competes strongly with its peers in things that truly matter.

“But this is just the beginning. In the next few years, our state will be the centre for national and international events. This is as a result of the facilities we are building. When people come to see our Durbar, they will go away with beautiful memories of a peaceful state with some of the most modern artistic structures and tourist attractions.”

Senator Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This is contained in a statement signed by his media aide, Dapo Falade, in Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Balogun, younger brother of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, is the vice-chairman, Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development.

NAN reports that Balogun’s resignation occurred a few days after he was denied return ticket.

The ticket had been handed to Chief Joseph Tegbe, who recently defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Balogun’s resignation was contained in a letter dated April 28 and addressed to the chairman of the party in Ward 12, Ibadan North-East Local Government.

He said the letter was received and acknowledged by the PDP Ward Chairman, Tijani Wasiu, on April 29.

Balogun thanked the party for giving him the opportunity in the ninth Senate, saying his resignation took effect from April 28.

He said he enjoyed the cooperation of the PDP leadership and its members throughout April and wished the party best of luck.

Balogun was the only PDP senator from the state in the ninth Senate until his resignation.

NAN reports that Balogun’s resignation from the PDP is coming less than 48 hours after scores of PDP and ADC leaders defected to the APC in the state.

Lagos State Governor’s wife, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, has urged parents and guardians to pay attention to their children and wards.

She gave the advice yesterday at the Eid-El-Fitr celebration in Ikeja, organised by the First Family and the Lagos State Government to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Sanwo-Olu said parents should be friendly with their children by attending to all that concerned them.

She added: ‘’As we bask in the euphoria of this sacred celebration, it is also important to take the opportunity of this spiritual exercise to admonish our children and youths to shun ungodly, immoral and bestial acts.

‘’As parents and guardians, we must lead by example and pay attention to the totality of what concerns our children and wards. It is okay to intrude into their privacy and guide them on the right path.”

Home Affairs Commissioner Prince Anofiu Elegushi said the 30 days of Ramadan fast had helped in reshaping the lives and disposition of Muslim faithful.

Elegushi, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Sewedo Whenu, hailed the efforts of the Islamic scholars, who taught topics of human endeavour during the Ramadan fast.

 

 

Ekiti State Government has directed public and private schools to resume the third term academic session today.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Mrs. Bimpe Aderiye gave the directive in a statement signed by the Information Officer, Mrs. Abimbola Dada, yesterday in Ado-Ekiti.

She appealed to parents and guardians to put in place arrangement that would facilitate resumption of their children and wards.

Aderiye said the appeal had become necessary for pupils not to miss out in the school activities, expected to begin immediately.

She reiterated government’s commitment towards advancing qualitative education regime, saying such success required collective efforts of stakeholders.

The commissioner said officials of the ministry would monitor the schools to ascertain the level of compliance.