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Tag: Ajimobi

  • Ajimobi, forum rift over congress deepens

    The controversy over the outcome of the Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congress deepened yesterday.

    The Unity Forum – a group within the local chapter of the ruling party – accused Governor Abiola Ajimobi of mounting pressure on the national secretariat to alter the results and “accept his people as the duly elected ward executives.”

    They claimed that the governor’s loyalists “lost out of the power play.”

    The Unity Forum is said to have obtained the 9477 forms produced for the congress to put their men incharge contrary to the governor’s advice to the national secretariat “not to issue multiple forms” because he wanted affirmation.

    “Affirmation means approval of an existing executive whereas the list submitted to the congress committee is not that of existing executive members but entirely that of his Ajimobi group (SENACO).

    “He deceived the congress committee that they were existing party executives. This is another fraudulent act in addition to the printing of fake nomination forms which the governor and his men parade.”

    Sources said: “On getting to know on Saturday that members of Unity Forum had collected all the forms; “Ajimobi was said to have lobbied members of the congress to accept payment on the day and provide forms for his people. It was, however, learnt that members of the congress committee rejected the idea saying that they lacked such power.”

    But the governor rejected all the claims in a statement yesterday by his Media Adviser Bolaji Tunji said: said the latest media propaganda by the self-styled Unity Forum of the APC is a desperate attempt to rubbish the result of the ward congresses, which was successfully held across the state, on Sunday.

    He said it was on record that the so-called unity forum adjudged the election to be free, credible and fair in an advertorial published in a national daily and even went ahead to congratulate the congress committee for a job well done.

    Ajimobi added that other stakeholders, including himself, congress committee and the leadership of the party hailed the conduct of the ward congress and would, therefore, have no reason to seek to influence the results.

    According to the governor, it was inconceivable that the same unity forum can make a sudden u-turn to accuse the governor of attempting to doctor the outcome of the election.

    “This shameless act by this dissident group has exposed their level of desperation and extent they are willing to go to mislead the public about the true picture of events leading to the ward congress.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, all eligible members of the APC obtained the nomination form before it closed and actively participated in the election as attested to by the congress committee chairman.”

  • Ajimobi, Shittu in war of words

    MINISTER of Communications Adebayo Shittu yesterday accused Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi of being afraid of him (Shittu).

    He said Ajimobi was afraid because of going to jail if he succeeds him in office, owing to mismanagement of the state’s resources.

    But the governor said it was the minister, who should be afraid because of the allegations against him.

    Shittu, who spoke to reporters during his visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat in Abuja on the outcome of the party’s ward congresses, said: “I want to say that if anybody is desperate in the Oyo political firmament, it should be Governor Ajimobi, who believes that if Barrister Shittu succeeds him, he will be in jail. That is what he is reported to have always told people who mentioned me to him.

    “He thinks that I am too principled, firm, unbendable and uncompromising when it comes to the issues of morality. It is he who is desperate to stop me, not me being desperate to become governor.

    “The rules are clearly there and like somebody who believes in the rule as a lawyer and man of law and order, if I follow the rules to contest the primaries in a free, fair and credible poll and did not win, I will take up something else.

    “I am not desperate to become the governor of Oyo State. It is the other way round because the governor is desperate to stop me for whatever reason.”

    On whether he had taken advantage of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s APC Reconciliation Panel to bring about a solution to the disagreement between him and the governor,  the minister said: “I can say straight away that I am like any other Nigerian that heard that a committee was constituted. No invitation was extended to me for any purpose of discussions, negotiations, reconciliations or whatever. Nobody can blame me for that.”

    Shittu said Ajimobi had failed in so many things “including human relations and others I cannot say openly in the media”.

    He queried: Why is he afraid of going to jail if another Buhari like me comes to power in Oyo State? Why is he afraid of primaries?”

    However, a statement issued by Ajimobi’s Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, quoted him as saying that the minister should be the one to be afraid of going to jail in view of the damaging allegations made against him by all his aides, who resigned en mass following his refusal to pay their emoluments.

    “In any case, Shittu should be the one that should be afraid of going to jail in view of many allegations made against him as minister. Few of these are his alleged illegally-acquired property in Ibadan and Abuja and sudden unexplainable and stupendous wealth not commensurate with his emoluments.

    “In addition, his recent attempt to covert and appropriate a parcel of land belonging to Saki community, which was stoutly resisted by his own people, has shown his level of greed, avarice and penchant for appropriating what does not belong to him.

    “Governor Ajimobi remains a distinguished senator of the country who had successfully traversed the corporate world and got to the peak of his career as the Managing Director and Chief Executive of a multinational; a position that requires a high degree of integrity, ability and capability.

    “All these attributes have reflected in the way he has successfully managed the affairs of the state in the last seven years, which has transformed the face and fortunes of the state and had attracted unmatched number of investors to the state.”

    The governor advised aggrieved stakeholders in the just concluded ward congresses to explore the party’s internal organs for seeking redress rather than engaging in actions capable of further sowing the seed of discord within the party.

    As leaders and stakeholders in the party, the governor said it would be counter-productive to engage in actions and utterances that tend to further divide the party, adding that he would on his own part keep doing the best for Oyo State.

     

     

     

  • Ex-SSG advises Ajimobi on local govt poll

    A leading governorship aspirant in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli, has urged Governor Abiola Ajimobi to obey court order on the local government election.

    Alli, a former Secretary to the Oyo State Government (SSG), in a statement by his Director of Media and Publicity, Taiwo Ibrahim, said: “This attitude of impunity can lead to a state of anarchy if those in authority believe court orders have no effect on governance.

    ”One wonders why Ajimobi is expressing enthusiasm about the local government elections a few months to the end of his tenure.”

    He said the position of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) law on which Ajimobi and his agents are resting on, which states that no interim interlocutory or any order shall affect the timing of elections, remains contentious.

    Alli said Section 9 of the OYSIEC law is a subject of judicial interpretation in a suit filed by PDP, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and others in respect of the contentious local government elections before a Federal High Court in Ibadan.

    He advised the governor to use his energy towards the Integrated Payment Roll (IPR), “which has elevated the status of local government workers in some states, rather than dissipating his energy on a fruitless exercise.”

     

     

  • Ajimobi expresses satisfaction with peaceful conduct in Oyo

    •Party preaches sustained peace

    OYO State Governor Abiola Ajimobi is satisfied with the peaceful conduct of the rescheduled ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held across the state yesterday.

    A statement by the Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy to the Governor, Mr. Bolaji Tunji, quoted the governor as saying that feelers from the state’s five zones suggested that the exercise went without hitches.

    Ajimobi described Saturday’s disturbances at the APC state secretariat, which forced the postponement of the congress till yesterday, as one of those things expected in a political gathering of highly placed political leaders with vested interests.

    According to him, followers and supporters of such leaders have been known to instigate crisis in their bid to outdo one another and to impress their principals, who often time were never in support of such violent conducts.

    The governor said: “The reports I have heard so far across the state indicate that the congress went peacefully without any form of acrimony or rancour. That is what we have been preaching and I’m happy that the players have embraced peace.

    “As the leader of the APC in the state, I’m also father to all and that informed my conciliatory moves. No good father will stand aloof while his children are at loggerheads. Thank God all have been settled now and we have had a peaceful outing today (yesterday).”

    The governor debunked some newspapers report, which claimed that the incident at the APC secretariat was a ‘bloody violence,’ describing it as exaggeration.

    The state APC also hailed the Ward Congress Committee led by Alhaji Musa Halilu Ahmed for the professional way it conducted its task.

    In a statement issued by the party secretary, Mojeed Olaoya, members across the 351 wards of the state were also lauded for their orderliness in the discharge of their onerous responsibility to elect new executives that would pilot the affairs of the party for the next four years.

    “It gladdens our heart that the congress went smoothly and was very successful across all the 351 Wards without any skirmishes or violence against the wish of the so called Unity forum.

    Olaoya said the 351 Wards Congresses were monitored by INEC officials and the security agents to authenticate the exercise.

    The party secretary advised members of the Unity Forum to always embark on moves that would promote the party’s unity instead of being divisive.

    “The claim is spurious and unfounded. They are calling the integrity of top APC members deployed in Oyo for the exercise to question. This is not good for the image of our party in Oyo State.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari has managed Nigerian economy better than Obasanjo, Jonathan, others – Ajimobi

    Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has stated that no other president in the country has managed the nation’s economy better than President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The governor spoke  in Ibadan on Friday evening while receiving members of the National Congress Committee of APC at the Government House.

    The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the committee led by Alhaji Musa Aliyu were in the state for the ward congress of the APC scheduled to hold on Saturday.

    “I read Economics and Finance, and there is no economic theory that we have not read. The most important part of all the economic theory is leadership.

    “And Nigeria is lucky to have that leadership. There is no president in Nigeria that has ever managed the economy like Buhari,” he said.

    Ajimobi, who described the APC as the greatest party in Africa, said Buhari was the most credible president that Nigeria has ever produced.

    “I was in one of Buhari’s delegation to London and when he was asked to speak he said ‘I have no money to distribute. All I have been selling is my integrity,” he said.

    The governor said that Buhari has been able to maintain that integrity till date

    “Politics is just a game that if God plays it, some people will abuse Him no matter the performance. I use to tell the president anytime I meet him not to worry people are abusing him.

    “I told him that people abused Prophet Muhammed and Jesus Christ, who are godsend not to talk of us ordinary human beings. That is why God has created the world a binary one,” he said.

    Ajimobi promised that the congress committee would not be influenced, assuring them of their support.

    Earlier, Aliyu said the committee was in Ibadan on a national assignment of the party, which he said the committee would do satisfactorily.

    He said that the party was known for internal democracy, adding such was the cardinal principle preached by Buhari, the leader of the party.

    “We intend to work closely with the local chapters in achieving the desired success, so that the party will come out strongly,” he said.

    NAN reports that on the committee were Hon Usman Ibrahim, Hon Mohammed Ibrahim, Hadjia Halima Jabiru and Mrs Fola Olasehinde.

    Also in attendance were Chief Akin Oke, Oyo State APC Chairman and some House of Representative members from Oyo State.(NAN)

  • LG polls: No court can stop us — Ajimobi

    As controversy trails the court ruling on the forthcoming May 12 local council election in Oyo, the state governor, Abiola Ajimobi has said that no court has the power to stop the conduct of the polls scheduled to hold across the 33 local government areas, 35 local council development areas and more than 600 wards in the state.

    He made the clarification on Friday, on the heels of news making the rounds across the state, that a Federal High Court, sitting in Ibadan, had on Wednesday delivered a ruling, stopping the conduct of the poll.

    Addressing thousands of members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) during a sensitization mega rally, which held at the State Party Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Governor Ajimobi explained that the ruling delivered by the court presided over by Justice J.O. Abdulmalik did not stop the council poll.

    He said the court only restrained the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from conducting elections into newly created wards by the commission in Ibarapa East Local Government Area, following issues arising from ward delimitation.

    According to a Congress timetable from the National office of the party, ward congress is slated for today, across the country.

    But the governor insisted that the council poll would be held in all the LGAs, LCDAs and wards, including the wards in Ibarapa East Local Government, saying the constitution has made it clear that no court has power over an election.

    He said: “There is this speculation spreading across the state that the council poll will not hold as a result of the court judgment. The court has not stopped us from conducting the election, except in some newly created wards.

    “But we are telling the court that it is in the constitution that no court has power over an election. We are telling you that the wards mentioned and those that were not mentioned, we are going to conduct election there.

    “We are in touch with the aggrieved members of the party that had gone to court. I want to assure you that the election will hold across the state, even in the disputed wards.”

  • Ajimobi promises better welfare

    THE Workers’ Day ceremony was observed with less fanfare in Oyo State yesterday due to the mourning of the state House of Assembly Speaker, Michael Adeyemo. He died on Friday.

    Head of Service (HoS) Mrs. Hannah Ogunesan, who represented Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the ceremony at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, urged workers to keep supporting the administration with a promise to sustain their welfare.

    In addition to scores of workers and labour leaders at the stadium, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, joined the celebrators at the stadium.

    Mrs. Ogunesan reiterated the administration’s commitment to workers’ welfare, giving an example of promotion letters being distributed.

    She noted that workers have also been sent on local and overseas trainings.

    “The administration of Senator Abiola Ajimobi shall continue to place priority on the welfare of workers generally, while our continued support is expected for the administration to continue to succeed in its good policies,” She said.

    State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Waheed Olojede said the union appreciated certificates’ verification exercise carried out by the state government, which resulted in the sack of many workers.

    He, however, said the union had also verified the results of those accused of certificate forgery by visiting the institutions concerned but discovered that some of the sacked workers were innocent of the allegation.

    Olojede, therefore, appealed to the governor for an executive pardon for the workers in the category.

     

  • Tinubu condoles with Ajimobi, Tambuwal

    ALL Progressives Congress National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commiserated with Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi over the death of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo.

    He also mourned with Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over the demise of his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Imam Dalhatu Imam.

    Adeyemo died last Friday after a heart attack. He was 47 years old.

    Tinubu said in his letter to Ajimobi: “I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Michael Adeyemo.

    “For a young man with such a promising career to be so plucked by death leaves a sour taste in the mouth. But who are we to question God?

    “Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences. I also extend, through you, my condolences to the family left behind by the deceased, to his colleagues in the state assembly and to the government and people of Oyo State.

    “I pray that God Almighty grant repose of his soul and grant his family the strength to bear this loss.”

    In the letter to Tambuwal, the APC national leader said: “Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences over the death of your Special Adviser, Media, Malam Imam Dalhatu Imam.

    “His death was a loss not only to you, the government and people of Sokoto State and Kaduna, his home-state, but a loss to all of us.

    “I knew the deceased since his time at THISDAY as Political Editor, through when you were Speaker of the House of Representatives and he your Special Adviser.

    “He was deeply committed to his work and to the journalism profession. His death is a loss also to that profession.

    “I wish I could say something that might erase the sadness and loss but words fail us at such times. All I can say is that you take heart. I pray that Almighty Allah grant his wives and children the strength to carry through this moment.

    “I also pray that Allah grant him Aljanna Fridaus.”

     

     

     

  • Oyo Speaker’s death: Ajimobi, Akeredolu visit family

    Governors Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state, on Saturday led high powered state delegations on a condolence visits to the family house of the late Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo. The visits came on the heels of the sudden demise of the speaker who died of heart attack at the Jericho Hospital, Ibadan at the early hours of Friday.

    The state declared a three-day mourning period, with effect from Monday, April 30 – Wednesday, May 2, 2018, with a directive that flags be flown at half mast during the period. Adeyemo, 47, who was on his second term representing Ibarapa East State Constituency, was the first person to attain such political height in the history of Lanlate land, Ibarapa region of the state.

    Prior to his position as Speaker, he was Deputy Chief Whip of the House, member of Fund Allocation, Works and Transport, Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Appropriation and Public Finance committees of the 7th House of Assembly. The late Speaker was the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Conference of Speakers and also the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, among Speakers of the States’ Houses of Assembly.

    On Ajimobi’s del;elation to Lanlate was his deputy, Moses Adeyemo, wife of the governor, Florence Ajimobi, the Secretary of the State Government, Olalekan Alli, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Gbade Ojo, Oyo APC chairman, Akin Oke, the Senator representing Oyo North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Fatai Buhari and the Executive Secretary to the Governor in charge of Administration, Soji Eniade.

    The governor who refused to utter any word at every place visited for the fear of betraying emotions however penned down his pains in the condolence register opened at the Adeyemo’s residence in Lanlate. “Adeshina Michael Adeyemo’s demise is the greatest lost of the APC administration in Oyo State. He was a brilliant, eloquent, intelligent, diligent and most patriotic Speaker I ever met. He contributed immensely to the success of this administration. He is a peacemaker, bridge builder and a great son of Lanlate, Oyo State”,  Ajimobi wrote in the condolence register.

    Akeredolu, who visited the Ibadan home of the Speaker in company of some alumni of Akin Olujimi & Akeredolu Co. led by the  former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adebayo Ojo expressed grief at the sudden death of the lawmaker. Late Adeyemo aged 47, a lawyer was with Akin Olujimi & Akeredolu Law Firm  before he joined politics.

    According to the Ondo governor, the late Adeyemo led a robust legislative house, resulting to good governance in Oyo State during his lifetime. As the deceased will be missed by the people of Oyo State, Governor Akeredolu askd them to take solace in the fact that his contributions to the development of the state will not be forgotten in a hurry. The governor urged all Nigerians to continue to pray for the Adeyemo family at this trying period.

    Meanwhile, Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described the death of the Speaker as a colossal tragedy. He paid glowing tribute to Hon. Adeyemo, whose sudden death was a rude shock to Oyo State and the country, saying “he was hale and hearty, full of life, when last I saw him recently. He was his usual self, active, effervescent, exuding infectious enthusiasm. The late lawmaker was a politician with a difference He will be missed.

    “During his political career, he brought his deep convictions and discipline to regional, state and community levels and was ready to always offer his best to the development and stability of the state. His major political ambition was to serve his people. He was a pillar in the political structure of Oyo and had used his office to better the lot of the people. I pray that God repose his gentle soul and give everyone concerned the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss,” Aregbesola stressed.

  • ‘Why Olaniyan should succeed Ajimobi’

    In this piece, Omolere Omoetan extoils the virtues of Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Raufu Olaniyan and explains why he should succeed Governor Abiola Ajimobi at the poll.

    One of the greatest scientists who ever lived was Albert Einstein. Although he was an academic genius in every sense of the word, he nevertheless, acknowledged the value of experience in the management and advancement of humans. It is not enough to possess academic qualifications alone, the experience that one has acquired in the areas they intend to serve is also important.

    As Nigeria approaches another election year, politicians are gearing up to pursue elective positions. While a few have honest intentions for seeking office, many are hoping to hoodwink Nigerians into giving them their votes. However, the people are now very much aware and they now desire aspirants who possess knowledge birthed from the womb of experience. Aspirants who will truly provide solutions to the plethora of problems that has become a part of the people’s daily lives.

    Out of the several aspirants seeking to become governor of Oyo State, Engr. Raufu Aderemi Olaniyan FNSE, a technocrat par-excellence, is in a class of his own. He exemplifies whom one could call the ‘quintessential Civil Servant and Public Administrator’ as his track record shows.

    Having started his civil service career at the Local Government level as a Supervising Engineer for programmes initiated by the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), the young Olaniyan got exposed to the needs of rural dwellers at an early age. The projects he supervised spread across several local governments in Oyo state and these earned him commendations in high places.

    His competence and commitment to service got him a promotion from the Local Government Service Commission to the Oyo state Civil Service Commission, where he held very important positions until he retired as a Permanent Secretary. He was in the civil service for over 26 years and in all of these years, he never received a single query. Let us take brief preview into the life of the man who many are rooting for to become the next governor of Oyo state.

    Olaniyan is a humble, generous and very humane person. Little wonder he is called a “humanitarian to the core” by those who know him well. Many who have dealt with him can attest to these fine attributes.

    He was born on the 25th of February 1960, and he hails from Igboho, Orelope Local government area of Oyo State. His early education was at Baptist Secondary Modern School, Igboho from 1973 to 1976. He also went to Irepo Grammar School, Igboho from 1977 to 1980. His tertiary education was at the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsuka from 1980 to 1985 from where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering. He is a COREN-registered Engineer, a fellow of the Institute of Public Administration and also of the Civilian Institute of Democratic Administration of Nigeria.

    Engr Olaniyan worked as an Hydrological/Civil Engineer with the Oyo North Agricultural Development Project (OYNADEP) financed by the World Bank. As a specialist in designing and construction of Earth, Dams and Appurtenances, he participated in the construction and maintenance of rural roads extensively. This project covered the nine Local Governments of the present Oyo North (Oke-Ogun) in 1988.

    He worked with Local Government Service Commission of Oyo State from 1990 to 1991. His dedication to duty and hardwork paved the way for him in the state civil service where he became Deputy Director (Rural Road and Infrastructures).

    He was once a Superintendent Engineer, Ministry of Works and Transport in Oyo State. He supervised various Civil Engineering departments where he designed projects and helped in the formulation and execution of government policies.

    Olaniyan was also the pioneer General Manager, Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency between  2007 and 2011. This position afforded him the opportunity to traverse the length and breadth of Oyo state. Not only does he know the state like the back of his hands, he is also familiar with the basic expectations of every community in the state from the government.

    He retired as a Permanent Secretary in the Oyo State Civil Service. In all the years that he was in service, despite holding sensitive positions, he was never found wanting.  Olaniyan is a man to be proud of. If there is anyone among the plethora of aspirants seeking to govern Oyo state in 2019, he is the most qualified. He is a unique individual that doesn’t make promises that he does not intend to keep. He believes that enough false promises have been made that has left the electorates despondent. As he often would say “ The Truth is easier, live by it”. This, perhaps, is the main attribute that sets him apart from the lot.

    Having worked closely with several governors of the state in the past, he knows Oyo state inside out.  He understands the workings of government vis-a-vis the needs of the people. Being a former public servant, he would be in the best position to optimise the strengths of the civil service, while attending to their welfare to boost their morale. If there is anyone that can avoid the proverbial ‘banana peel, at the corridor of power to the benefits of Oyo State, Raufu Aderemi Olaniyan is the man.

    Presently, he is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of two construction companies accredited by the World Bank as a major contractor. These are West Midland Construction Company and Blue line Construction Services both in Ibadan.

    Governing Oyo State requires much more than the basic constitutional fulfilments. The office demands requirements that only experience guarantees. Engr. Raufu Aderemi Olaniyan FNSE brings this experience and more to Oyo State people in 2019.

    • Omoetan is a social commentator resident in Ibadan, Oyo state.