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APC tackles Fayose for allowing liquidation of Gossy Water

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has berated the Governor Ayodele Fayose administration for failing to rescue Gossy Water from liquidation.

It blamed the governor for allegedly creating an unfriendly atmosphere for businesses, regretting that instead of building on initiatives of his predecessors to sustain job-creating businesses, the governor allegedly created conditions that hampered businesses with attendant job losses.

The party accused the governor of preferring to spend money on projects awarded to his friends for personal gains.

It cited the imminent liquidation of Warm Spring Waters Limited, producers of the popular Gossy Water, as an instance of Fayose’s “callous neglect of government’s enterprises that have the potential to keep Ekiti people in jobs while spending on projects that benefit him and members of his immediate family”.

The board of Warm Spring Waters Limited had given liquidation notice to stakeholders, citing failure of the company to pay its debts and other challenges.

In a statement yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the capital, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, APC said: “One major reason for the winding up of the company is the unfavourable business environment such that there was no electricity supply to the company to run effectively for three years, including the non-patronage of the company’s product by Fayose’s administration because the company was the initiative of his predecessor.

“It is on record that the Kayode Fayemi administration provided electricity in many communities through rural electrification, distribution and repair of transformers while liaising with the power company to restore electricity in many towns.

“Ikogosi Warm Spring Company would not have been without electricity under such an administration as it is under the Fayose administration now, resulting in huge debts overhang, which has led to its liquidation.

“Fayose is known for abandoning revenue-generating projects of his predecessors in office. This is the same way he has abandoned the foreign exchange earner Ikogosi Warm Springs Resorts, which was developed to the world tourist standard by the Dr Fayemi administration.

“Gossy Water is one of the surviving income-generating investments for the state government, but it is unfortunate that Fayose has again killed it with his nonchallant attitude to revenue generating investments of the state initiated by his predecessors.”

It added: “Gossy Water was established as a joint business venture between Ekiti State Government and the blue chip conglomerate United African Company (UAC) by Otunba Niyi Adebayo’s administration.

“The company’s product was known nationwide because Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi administrations that succeeded Adebayo fulfilled their obligations to the company, but the company is closing down under Fayose who has since ensured the liquidation of a sister investment in the same town, the Ikogosi Warm Springs and Resort, after mindless looting, leaving only its carcass.”

The party added: “While he left money-generating investments like the Ikogosi Warm Spring Waters, Warm Spring Resorts, Ire Burnt Bricks and the Pavillion to rot away, he deliberately, through his hostile and anti-business attitude borne out of greed, caused private businesses such as Coca-cola, Ecobank, GTB, ROMACO Igbemo and the billion naira Iluomoba Plywood Industry to close shops.

“Fayose is so insensitive and mean such that he doesn’t care a hoot about what happens to two major investments – Gossy Water and Warm Spring Resort in Ikogosi community – which launched the state to the world map.

“Fayose is like the biblical prodigal son who has frittered away Ekiti’s commonwealth, which his predecessors worked hard to create from their visions and which they nurtured until Fayose came and destroyed all.

“This is a tragedy for Ekiti State, which needs such investments to shore up its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and keep the people in their jobs because Gossy Water directly employed 500 indigenes and about 6,000 indirect labour force, including distributors all over the country; same with banks and other companies he drove away from the state.

“As we speak, nobody knows the IGR profile of the state except Fayose.

“We only hope the whole state would not go into liquidation before the dreadful and locust tenure of Fayose ends in October.”

January 26, 2018
Abia 2019: Kalu and the fortunes of APC in Abia

The recent All Progressives Congress’ mega rally in Umuahia, in which former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu and many other leaders formally joined the party, has increased the tempo of politics in Abia State. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, takes a look at the likely effect of the development on the fortunes of APC in the state in 2019.

UP till January 8, 2018, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State has given observers the impression that it does not have any serious opponent in the 2019 General Election. But that changed following the grand outing of the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) on January 9, 2018, when APC literally shut the state with a mega rally in which it celebrated a rare harvest of powerful politicians and leaders of Abia, including former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, who automatically emerged as the party leader in the state. Other influential politicians who formally switched over to APC that day include the former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Chief Martins Azubuike, a former PDP stalwart from Isialangwa North Constituency; former Deputy Governor, Chris Akomas (Progressive Peoples Alliance), former PDP governorship aspirant, Chief Uche Ogah, and retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Chief Azubuko Udah, amongst others.

Explaining the enthusiasm of the new found APC in the state to take over government in Abia State, the former governor and now leader of APC in the state, Orji Uzor Kalu, told The Nation on Friday that the APC is poised to take over governance in Abia State. He confided that virtually all the political leaders in the state, most of who passed through him in 1999 when he became governor of the state, are now crossing over to APC and that together, they will evolve strategies that will ensure victory.

Sources said fear within and outside Abia PDP that APC may emerge a major threat in the state by 2019, was expressed even before the grand rally, which took place at the Umuahia Township Stadium. According to Chief Ukandu Ahaoma from Isuikwuato area, every serious politician in the state realised that a major political re-alignment was on when it became clear that associates of former governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, were meeting in his Igbere home and other venues in Abia, Abuja and Lagos in preparation for a grand defection to APC. The aim, of course, is to join hands and remove the PDP state government, which they agreed was not performing well enough. It also became known that leaders of APC in the state were lobbying seriously to ensure that Kalu and his supporters join the party.”

In one of such meetings held at Kalu’s country home in Igbere, Abia State, shortly before the rally, his associates in attendance mapped out plans to chase out PDP and take over Abia State government in 2019. The Nation gathered that the meeting, in which far reaching strategic decisions were taken, was well attended both by Kalu’s old political associates and PDP leaders. Among his influential associates that attended the meeting were the Pioneer Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Tony Ukasanya; Senator Chris Adighije, Senator Bob Nwanunu and a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Ralph Egbu. A source said a powerful delegation from the leadership of Abia APC was also at the meeting. Expressing enthusiasm that the crossover of the leaders to APC was enough to win PDP in the state, Ukasanya, according to a source, said with the coming of Kalu into APC, “those who made Abia politics thick were back in the same fold.” He was quoted as saying: “OUK made many people in Abia politics and I’m happy those people are now in APC. Going by the calibre of men and women we now have in APC in Abia, what is needed is little work for us to win the state in 2019.”

Explaining APC’s belief that the presence of experienced politicians in the state chapter of the party will give it the needed edge, a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Sam Nkire, reportedly said “Now that we have someone like OUK in our fold, APC has advantage in the state, and we should work hard enough to take Abia from PDP in the next election. APC is in charge in Nigeria, we should not be afraid in Abia, we should work like those who are in charge,” he said.

Former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Ralph Egbu, in a telephone chat on Friday, Egbu identified three reasons why he believes APC will dethrone PDP in Abia in 2019. “I am convinced that APC will win in Abia State in 2019 because our people want to identify with the federal government. We know the advantage of being in the party that controls the federal government. Apart from that, our people know that if we are part of the mainstream, we would not be denied of our legitimate share. I can tell you that the quality of federal roads now being done in the South-East is better. Apart from these two, I am sure APC will win in 2019 because the whole people of Abia want change. We are tired of PDP government that has made the state to remain at the back. The people desperately want change and given the caliber of members that APC now parade in Abia, no one needs to be told that APC is now the most credible option to PDP.”

Fight against propaganda

One of the challenges APC may have to contain with to achieve its dream of taking over the Government House in Umuahia is the claim that the party is not an Igbo-friendly party. Asked how the party will survive the allegation that APC is a Fulani party being used as a tool to colonise the Igbo, Kalu told The Nation, “That propaganda will no longer work here in Abia and in the whole of the South-East zone. We all know that APC is a national party; it is not any individual’s party. This is just a cheap lie. Is Chief Oyegun, the National Chairman of the party, a Fulani man? Am I a Fulani man? Is George Mughalu a Fulani man? It’s all propaganda. President Muhammadu Buhari and every other member of the party has equal stake in the party. APC is a national party and this is the time for us all to be part of the party,” he said. A former Secretary to the State Government in Orji Uzor Kalu’s government, Chief Ralph Egbu, responding to the same issue said, “I think this type of wicked propaganda is one of the reasons why we are all happy that leaders like Chief Orji Uzor Kalu have joined APC in Abia. To properly project the image of APC in Abia and other parts of the South-East, we need courageous and bold leaders like the former governor of Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu. He is the type of politician that can properly articulate the needs of the people. This is what was lacking before.”

Another respondent, an APC chieftain in Abia State and the Director-General of Buhari South-East Youth Movement (BUSEYM), Engr. Onwuneme Nwabueze, also told The Nation on Thursday that with Kalu’s new moves, APC is sure of victory. “Since the former governor of Abia, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, joined APC, the party has received new vigour. Of course, you know that as a former governor and a most influential politician, he has automatically become the leader of the party in the state. This has changed a lot of things. APC can no longer be pushed around in Abia. The party now has a leader in the state, a leader who has energy, who has the necessary connections, who has influence, the right vision and what it takes to dislodge PDP in the state,” he said. At the mega rally, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun, re-echoed this enthusiasm when he said “I want to say we are satisfied with what we have seen here today. These people here, who cast the votes, are the greatest dignitaries and they have asked me to tell Buhari that he must run and win in 2019. I will pass that message to him. You have also told me that Abia is in bondage and that APC should take over, we shall do that,” Oyegun assured.

New strategy

Kalu, while acknowledging the fact that APC would win the state in 2019, however, told The Nation that for APC in the state today, “politics should no longer be played in the state capital, but at the various political wards.

“I assure you that I and other leaders of the party will not support any candidate until a proper primary is conducted. We will not repeat the mistakes of PDP. For us, there will be no imposition. We are not going to allow a situation where some people stay in Umuahia and write people’s names, claiming that they won elections. This is PDP way. Our strategy is that people should go back to their homes, their wards and mobilise their people. It is after aspirants have won votes in their wards that the state leadership will back them,” he said on Friday.

It would be recalled that, Kalu was reported earlier to have said in one of the re-alignment meetings before the rally that when he was governor, Abia State University was getting subvention as well as Abia State Polytechnic, College of Education, Arochukwu and College of Health Technology, Aba.

“All those things have ceased because Governor Ikpeazu is in bondage of Theodore Orji.”

He had therefore promised that when APC takes over the state, “we shall bring back free education which this government has scrapped.”

January 21, 2018
Kwara 2019: Fresh trouble in Saraki’s backyard

The decision of an aggrieved caucus within the Kwara State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to severe relationships with the leadership of the party in the state, is fueling fears of imminent factionalisation of the ruling party, writes Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor

A large scale crisis appear to have hit the Kwara state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as some prominent chieftains of the party publicly announced their decision to severe all relationships with the Hon. Ishola Balogun Fulani-led state executive committee and other organs of the party over what they described as the regrettable handling of party affairs as well as poor performance of the APC government in the state.

The Nation gathered that the faction, made up of leading chieftains of the legacy parties that metamorphosed into the APC in 2014, has been at loggerheads with the Balogun Fulani-led faction alleged to be loyal to Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, long before now. The frosty relationship between the two groups, sources said, had on several occasions led to verbal and physical confrontations among party members in various parts of the state.

It was also gathered that several efforts by stakeholders to make the gladiators sheath their swords failed as the faction opposed to Fulani continued to accuse Saraki and his associates of trying to pocket the APC in Kwara state, contrary to the agreements reached when the legacy parties were joined by the then nPDP to form the APC ahead of the 2015 general elections.

At a well attended press conference held in Ilorin, the state capital yesterday, frontline leaders of the APC in the state, under the chairmanship of Alh. Samari Abdullahi, a former Commissioner of Education, in the state, told the world that the ruling APC in Kwara state is sharply divided into two disagreeing groups. Consequently, the the aggrieved party men and women, under the aegis of Caucus for Progressive Change, announced the formation of its own state executive committee.

Those announced as the new leaders of the faction are Alhaji Samari Abdullahi as Chairman, Kamaldeen Aremu as Secretary, Rahmat Abdulkadir as Treasurer, Bamidele Abdullateef as Publicity Secretary, Sherifat Idowu Kareem as Women Leader, Abbas Adeoti as Youth Leader, Ola Tajudeen as Vice-Chairman, South senatorial district, Issa Mariam Liman as Vice -Chairman, North senatorial district and Biodun Baba, Vice-Chairman, Central senatorial district.

While vowing that they will never leave the APC for Saraki and his group, the new faction said it is determined to ensure that internal democracy is allowed to thrive in the state chapter of the ruling party. They called on the national leadership of the APC and other stakeholders to promptly intervene and help the state chapter to return to the democratic values for which the APC is known.

“We are here so that internal democracy can be engendered in Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). As you are aware, the merger of tendencies within the APC was consummated by what was called the New PDP (nPDP) and legacy parties namely the defunct ACN, ANPP and CPC. It is regrettable that the nPDP family in our marriage has not only behaved as a superior partner but have done so with impunity,” Abdullahi said.

Speaking further, he said, “the party with the government has been operating a monologue style of communication, when it refused to take to public opinion on policy formulation and project execution. The tax policy of the government is harsh, forceful and antithetical to socioeconomic development. Many petty traders have been chased away from business with imposition of levies that didn’t put into account the turn over of the small businesses they do.

“In 2017, party members were framed up by party leaders in an attempt to annihilate them. Abiodun Baba, our ward secretary in Gambari ward 1, was arraigned before a magistrate court in Ilorin by the Kwara Central senatorial chairman of the party, Alhaji Jimoh Adesina, for abusing Dr. Bukola Saraki on Facebook. The arraignment came after he was dragged to DSS headquarters in Ilorin by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Sulyman Tunji Buhari. Abiodun got favor in the sight of meaningful Nigerians as 33 lawyers offered him pro bono services.

“In the same vein, one of us, Kayode Oyin-Zubair, was framed up by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Tunji Buhari because of his critical stance on the injustice and impunity within the party in a fathom bomb saga. Another party member, Ahmed Buhari was kidnapped at the premises of the state high court and driven to the APC state secretariat where he was brutalised, dehumanized and at gun point, forced to implicate Oyin-Zubair as sponsor of the spurious bombing allegation.

“But the matter was promptly reported to the State Commissioner of Police. Investigations later revealed the allegations were untrue. The above are few of the trauma, injustice, victimization and inhuman treatments that loyal party members have been subjected to in the hands of the party leaders in the state.”

Efforts to get the state leadership of the party to react to the development proved abortive as calls and messages made to the phone line of Tunji Buhari, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in Kwara state were unanswered till the filing of this report. Similar effort to reach Balogun Fulani failed as his line filed to connect. But a party source who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity said the leadership of APC in the state is aware of the development and is already taking “necessary action to curb the agitators.”

The new faction also accused the pro-Saraki faction of marginalizing and victimizing elected political office holders who are opposed to their views within the ruling party. “It may interest you to know that when the member representing Balogun/Ojomu constituency in the State House of Assembly, Honorable Saheed Popoola, was involved in a fatal auto accident, he didn’t get a simple “get well” message from the state executive of the party.

This is someone who was visited in the hospital and at home by numerous well meaning Nigerians, including opposition party leaders and chieftains from Kwara and even from other states of the federation. Popoola is the chairman of the House committee on Information. And if such a highly placed member of our party couldn’t attract empathy from its leaders, what would have been the lot of ordinary members?

On what the group is really out to achieve with its declaration of independence from the state leadership of the party, Abdullahi said, “we demand that the party leadership be restructured. The present arrangement where the state party chairman, women leader, youth leader and publicity secretary are from the same senatorial district is unacceptable for fair play and equity. We thought the party will make use of the last year congresses to correct the injustices when it filled up other vacant positions within the party.

“We demand for an open forum devoid of censorship where the government can genuinely engage residents of the state on burning issues like water reticulation of many years that has gulped N10bn and other issues. While we await response of the relevant authorities, we are constrained to announce a committee of men and women of proven characters, to lead this reformation group to warm the party back into the hearts of the electorates and cause justice to reign in the party.”

January 21, 2018
2019: Anxiety in Ogun APC over screening of guber aspirants

The anxiety thrown up by the ongoing struggle for the governorship ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun state ahead of the next gubernatorial election in the state is far from abating following indications that leaders of the party in Ogun West Senatorial District may have resolved to go into the forthcoming election with only one candidate to further enhance the quest of the zone to produce the next governor of the state writes Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor

BUOYED by Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s unrelenting support for Ogun West senatorial district in the governorship race, political leaders in the zone, especially within the ruling APC, according to reliable party sources, have been making moves to reduce the number of aspirants from the zone that will go into the party’s much anticipated primary election later in the year.

The Nation gathered that for weeks, leaders of the ruling party have been meeting to deliberate on the state of things within the party concerning the 2019 general election. “Following widening cracks among the camps of gubernatorial aspirants, our leaders agreed on the need for the APC to begin to put its house in order ahead of the next general election. One thing that became paramount was the need to curb the proliferation of groups within the party.

“And it was clear to most chieftains of the party that the divisions were largely caused by the rising number of governorship aspirants. Perhaps because of the open support for Ogun West by Governor Ibikunle Amosun, the zone boasts of the highest number of aspirants. As at the last count, nearly twenty people have indicated interest to vie for the ticket of our party from Ogun West.

“So it became imperative that something had to be done about the large number of governorship aspirant from Yewa/Awori zone if the party is desirous of a rancor free primary election process later in the year. Also, the leaders of the zone were concerned about the need to boost the chances of Ogun West by ensuring that they do not present too many aspirants at the primary election.

“And if you consider the fact that some chieftains from Ogun East senatorial district are still hell bent on having the zone produce the next governor of the state, you will understand why Ogun West elders clamored for a reduction in the number of aspirants. As we speak, Ogun East parades two or so aspirants as against almost a dozen from Ogun West,” our source, a party executive committee member fro Obafemi Owode L.G.A, explained.

Our correspondent also gathered that a committee put in place by traditional rulers in the are had about two months ago, recommended that the number of Yewa aspirants vying for the governorship be reduced as much as possible. The Monarchs’ while pledging their supports for the quest by the zone to produce the next governor, urged political leaders from the area to work towards ensuring that the aspirants do not work agains each other at the primary election.

Speaking to The Nation last Friday in Abeokuta, a former legislator on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Kunle Tella, said several meetings have been held to talk the aspirants into stepping down for one or two them ahead of the primary election. He lamented that all entreaties failed as all the aspirants insisted on participating in the primary election.

“Without being told, we all know that going into a primary election with a dozen or more contestants, while our opponents come into the same contest with one or two aspirants is detrimental to our aspiration. We didn’t need to be told that we must reduce the number and that was exactly what our leaders resolved to do last week. It was not just a decision taken by a few people, it was agreed to by the entire APC structures and membership in Ogun West,” he said.

Bold move?

Determined to reduce the number of the aspirants from the zone and by extension, the ruling party, party leaders in Ogun West took what many people have described as a bold step during the week as they announced their readiness to conduct a screening exercise for gubernatorial hopefuls of Yewa/Awori extraction with the aim of identifying those with the brightest chances of winning the coveted seat for the zone in 2019.

Thus, at what it called an interactive session with aspirants last wednesday, the APC leadership in Ogun West, allegedly on the prompting of the party leadership in the state, called aspirants from the zone together and conducted a screening exercise. Sources privy to the development told The Nation that all aspirants of Ogun West extraction got letters inviting them to the event a week ahead of the date.

A chieftain of the party from Imeko-Afon L.G.A said, “though I am not instructed to tell you this, I am happy to tell you that what happened on Wednesday is in the best interest of our party and our zone. Ogun APC is one happy family and we are always trying to find ways of preserving that unity. For us in Ogun West, the desire to produce the next governor informed the decision to go into the contest as united as possible.

“It is true that all aspirants were invited. The exercise was not just endorsed by the entire Ogun West APC, it also has the support of the party leadership in the state. This is because everybody within the ruling party is desirous of a hitch free primary election. What is more? The leadership of the party, just like Governor Amosun, is committed to the zoning arrangement and are doing everything possible to see that things go as expected.”

According to sources, the exercise was conducted by the zonal leadership of the party ably led by its senatorial chairman, Alh. Bashiru Ademola Fadairo. Other members of the seven-man committee are the Secretary of the APC in Ogun West senatorial district, Hon. Akeen Fagbemi and the Assistant Secretary of the ruling party in Ogun state, Mr. Iyanda Karem.

Others include a prominent leader of the party in the zone, Kayode Olurin; Alh. Adebayo Michael Adeleke, Commissioner II in the Ogun State Civil Service Commission (CSC); the deputy Women Leader of the party in the state, Victoria Oguntolu and the senatorial Women Leader of APC in Ogun West senatorial district. The exercise took place at Fadairo’s private office.

The Nation learnt that the invitation extended to the aspirants and other stakeholders clearly stated that the event will commence by 10.am in the morning. And as if to show the seriousness attached to the exercise, the committee members were seated, waiting for the aspirants, as early as 9.30am. According to a member of the committee, a team of external Consultants was also invited by the committee to help in assessing the aspirants as part of the screening exercise.

“This is something many people within and outside the party have been expecting us to do. And that explains the seriousness we attached to it. We must also appreciate the co-operation of the aspirants. They all came to the event believing in the ability of the committee to do justice to the task at hand. They all displayed rare patriotism by seeing the need for us to do what we had to do.

“Before, during and after the exercise, it was clear to all those involved that some people will have to sacrifice their ambition for the collective good of out zone. And none of those who participated expressed a contrary opinion to what was being done. And I am very optimistic that the outcome of the exercise, though painful to some people, will be accepted by all in the interest of Ogun West and Ogun APC,” another party chieftain said.

Records of the exercise obtained by our correspondent revealed that seven aspirants participated in the exercise though about ten people were extended invitations to be part of the event. According to a reliable source, none of the aspirants absent sent apology or an explanation for his or her absence to the committee. All the aspirants in attendance were made to formally register their presence and participation before the exercise commenced.

The first to arrived at the venue was the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraj Adekunbi. He was seated by 9.30 am. He was followed by a serving member of the Federal House of Representatives, AbdulKabir Adekunle Akinlade, who arrived a couple of minutes after 10.am. They were later joined by Abiodun Akinlade, a former member of the House of Representatives.

Other aspirants who participated in the exercise are Chief Tolu Odebiyi, the Chief Of Staff to Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Kolawole Mobolorunduro Lawal, the current Commissioner for Forestry and another aspirant, Simeon Abayomi Hunye. Also present at the event was another governorship aspirant from the senatorial district, Olanrewaju Tella,

While the committee is yet to officially announce the result of its exercise, reliable party sources have revealed that the number of aspirants from the zone may have been reduced to just three following the outcome of the screening exercise. It was further gathered that the committee may have also sent it recommendations to the leadership of the APC in the state as well as to Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

Unconfirmed reports also claim that the screening committee, ably assisted by external Consultants who assessed the aspirant during the screening exercise shortlisted three names in the order of preference as preferred gubernatorial aspirants of Ogun West extraction with the intention of conducting another screening exercise at a later date to finally choose one of them as the zone’s consensus aspirant.

“Going by the outcome of the exercise conducted during the week, Hon. Suraj Adekunbi, Chief Tolu Odebiyi and Hon. Adekunle Akinlade were shortlisted, in that order, as the leading aspirants from Ogun West. The implication of this is that we are going to appeal to other aspirants to jettison their 2019 gubernatorial ambition in the overall interest of our zone.

“This is a decision arrived at by elders and seasoned politicians. It is a decision that has been communicated to the leadership of the APC in the state as well as to Governor Ibikunle Amosun. It is a decision meant to better our chances at the primary election later this year. I can boldly tell you it is a decision that was not influence by any person, group or interest other than our quest to produce the next governor of Ogun state,” Tella said.

What next?

While many party chieftains and members have been hailing the rumored outcome of the screening exercise, some others have been anxiously waiting for the official announcement of the committee’s report. Not a few are eager to know how the committee intends to go about fulfilling its promise to eventually pick one of the allegedly shortlisted three aspirants as its choice for the primary election.

Ironically, mum has been the word from most of the aspirants who participated in the said screening exercise. Efforts to get them to confirm or refute some of the feelers emanating from sources yielded very little. While declining to confirm or refute the reported outcome of the exercise, one of the aspirants admitted that he and other aspirants participated in the exercise and were clearly told of the intentions of the committee.

“I got an invitation to be part of the event about a week before the date. I was a the venue with about seven other aspirants and we were duly briefed of the mandate of the committee by our senatorial leader, Chief Fadairo. Said from committee members, there were some Consultants who assessed us individually before we were questioned by committee members one after the other.

“For me, I will say it is a good development and I am very proud I participated. We all know only one of us will eventually become the party’s candidate and we were told of the need to put the interest of our zone and that of the party over and above every other ambition. So, we expect the committee to do something about reducing the number and since the process was free and fair, I see no reason to protest,” he said.

Another aspirant whose name is not among the three shortlisted by the committee explained that though he has heard about the said list, he is patiently waiting for the committee to officially announce its report. According to him, the committee told the aspirants that after due consultations with relevant stakeholders within and outside the party, the result of the screening exercise will be made public.

“So, like many other party leaders, aspirants and members, I am waiting anxiously for the committee to formally announce its decision for us all to hear. We all know that it will get to this if Ogun West is serious about the governorship position in 2019. And if we are patriots who truly want the best for our zone, this shouldn’t come to us as a surprise. But I know many of us will want to be told how the decisions are arrived at when it is finally made public,” he said.

When contacted, the Chairman of the committee declined to comment on the exercise urging our reporter to be patient until an official statement is made on it by the party. But a source within the party confirmed to The Nation that the committee has already forwarded its resolutions to the leaderships of the party at the senatorial and state levels. “I also heard that the Governor has received his copy of the report,” he added.

January 21, 2018
Boroffice welcomes Oke, others to APC

Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, Senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District has applauded the return of the former legal adviser of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olusola Oke and his supporters to the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in Ondo State.

Oke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria ( SAN ), and a 2016 governorship candidate of Alliance for Democracy ( AD ), defected to APC on Thursday in Akure with his supporters.

Boroffice commendation is contained in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Mr Kayode Fakuyi, on Friday in Akure.

READ ALSO: I’m a loyal deputy, says Olusola

“The senator is delighted to note that the laudable efforts of himself and other party leaders to woo politicians from other political parties to join the APC have started yielding positive results.

“As a matter of fact, the wave of defection is currently blowing across Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti and Lagos States,” it read.

The statement added that in the weeks ahead, APC would receive more political gladiators into its fold.

It urged the defectors to quickly perfect their membership registration in order to join hands with party leaders to build a united and formidable party in the state.

NAN

January 19, 2018
Lawmaker preaches peace, tolerance

Maddened by the plethora of violence that has bedeviled some sections of the country in recent time, the member representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency11 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Jude Emeka Idimogu has urged Nigerians to eschew acrimony and embrace peace, tolerance and peaceful co-existence in order to foster the much-needed unity and development.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker gave the advice while speaking to reporters in his office at Alausa, Lagos on Monday.

Idimogu noted that no society can attain an appreciable level of development without amity, tolerance and without being belligerent.

He regretted that the series of conflicts in some states of the federation since the beginning of the year do not tell well of what the country represents which are unity, love and oneness.

He said: “Nigeria will be better if all citizens embrace the spirit of unity which is necessary towards achieving the much-needed socio-economic and political greatness. Nigerians should not lose hope because of the skirmishes being experienced in some parts of the country at moment. It may be the nation’s last momentary setback. All developed countries experienced such obstructions in the cause of their journeys towards greatness. Yet, they made it at last.

Nigeria’s situation would not be an exception. I am confident that we will come over the current seeming drawback.”

Hon. Idimogu further said with the political will being exhibited by the APC-led Federal Government and governors of APC-controlled states towards tackling all forms of conflict, every part of the country would soon experience peace and tranquillity.

The lawmaker advised state and local governments to be committed to the issue of security, even as he urged that they should ensure that their security architectures are impermeable as experienced in Lagos State where he said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is so committed to issue of security.

That, he said, informed why the state experiences less cases of conflicts. He quickly added that “it does not mean that there are no cases of skirmishes, but they are very insignificant.”

He praised Ambode for all his development strides that have made Lagos true-life Centre of Excellence and economic capital of West Africa.

What cannot be contested is that Lagos State can be compared to the Nigerian federation where the atmosphere of sense of belonging has been created and nourished for peace to reign.

Idimogu said: “Governor Ambode has been so unswerving in developing Lagos State in all ramifications.

“Ambode’s strides since he assumed office have been tremendous. He has made development get to the grassroots, even as he has taken Lagos State to a higher level. He has ensured that all ethnic groups resident in the state have a sense of belonging. They, in turn, work hard to ensure that peace reigns in their host communities in the state.

“There is no doubt that development in Lagos State has been so massive. Development has been going very fast which is good.”

He urged residents to be security conscious, even as he advised that their actions should be within the ambits of the law so that the state would continue to experience peace.

January 17, 2018
Ogun lawmaker denies news of decamping to PDP

Mr Olusola Odofin-Sonuga, a member of Ogun House of Assembly, on Tuesday denied the news that he had left All Progressives Congress ( APC ) for Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ).

Odofin-Sonuga, representing Ikenne Constituency, said in Abeokuta that he had no issues with his party, APC.

He said he had no reasons to dump APC for another party.

The social media was awash with reports that the lawmaker had dumped APC ahead of the 2019 general elections.

“My attention has been drawn to the fake news going round the public that I have decamped to the PDP.

“That is not true and it is important to address the issue immediately.

Read also: No plan to dump PDP for APGA – Oduah

“Last week Tuesday, I visited Ladi Adebutu, House of Representatives member under the platform of the PDP, in his house in Iperu Remo, Ogun State.

“I paid him a visit to commiserate with him over the unfortunate fire incident that gutted a building in his house.

“But to my surprise, I received news from social media that I had decamped and there were several calls to confirm if I had decamped to the PDP.

“I want to state categorically that I was not the only prominent APC member that visited Adebutu that day to commiserate with him.

“Moreover, I don’t think visiting a senior colleague and a good friend has anything to do with me decamping from my party to the PDP.

“I, Olusola Odofin-Sonuga, hereby publicly declare that I have not decamped to the PDP and any news of such should be ignored,’’ he said.

The lawmaker urged his supporters not to be distracted, saying that the current government at the state and national levels meant well for citizens.

NAN

January 16, 2018
Buhari has done well, can seek second term- Momoh

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), Prince Tony Momoh on Wednesday said President Muhammadu Buhari has done well in the delivery of his electoral promises.

Momoh, a former Minister of Information, gave the assessment in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

He said though there were still some challenges in the country, Buhari had acquitted himself remarkably well as president of the country.

Momoh pointed out those who said Buhari had not done well were either playing politics or refused to check the facts.

He said the president had achieved a lot in the areas on which he anchored his campaign promises despite the herculean problems he met on ground.

“President Buhari has done well based on the facts available and not sentiments. He has done well in the delivery of his campaign promises despite the big problems he met on ground.

Read also: What is President Buhari up to?

“For example, let us look at the area of security, before Buhari came in, the Boko Haram insurgents was operating almost uninhibited, to the extent of seizing territories.

“But for Buhari’s intervention, Only God knows what would have happened to the country because of Boko Haram.

“Also, while some other countries are still wriggling under recession caused by crash in commodity prices, the country is out and is even doing well in the area of diversification.

“Even the World Bank has just predicted that the country’s GDP will further grow in 2018, there are also monumental gains in the fight against corruption.

“I reviewed a book recently on the scorecard of the president and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the revelations about Buhari’s performance.

“Those who do not know, should go and check the facts, Buhari has done well as president,” he said.

He said the opposition was behind the cacophony of voices asking Buhari not to seek re-election based on the way they rated him.

Momoh said they were only seeing Buhari’s performance based on their perspectives which did not reflect the facts.

He said Buhari had the moral and legal right to seek re-election so long he made the decision and the party endorses him.

“The opposition cannot stop Buhari from contesting if he decides to do so and the party endorses him. The facts are different from the prism through which they are looking at his performance,’’ he said.

Momoh called for caution in treating the killings in parts of the country as being caused by Fulani herdsmen.

He said criminal, including Boko Haram, might be hiding under Fulani herdsmen to unleash terror in some communities in the country.

“We should be careful in the way we see the killings in some parts of the country, so that we can have a better understanding of dealing with the problem.

“Some criminals, such as cattle rustlers and even Boko Haram insurgents can also hide as Fulani herdsmen to unleash terror on Nigerians.

“The herdsmen we used to know were not carrying AK47, how we have come to this problem of killings calls for proper understanding.

“It is not a political matter but a matter that needs understanding and attention because it involves lives,’’ he said.

NAN

January 10, 2018
Oyo politics: The veil gradually lifts

He has been, until now, playing his politics beneath the radar. But the festive season was not only very busy for Debo Adesina, Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian group of newspapers. It was a time of lifting of the veil. Even if gradually, the masquerade is beginning to reveal his dance steps.

From Saki to Ibadan, Lanlate, in Ibarapa zone, to Ogbomoso, from Okaka, his hometown in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State through Iseyin to Oyo town, he moved like a hurricane, meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) elders, wooing leaders of other parties, attending ceremonies and generally carrying out “an assignment I have been given by our leaders,” a phrase The Nation picked up in his speech to a coterie of groups in Kisi, in the northern part of the state.

In Saki, where he had a private session with the Elders’ Forum, he spoke of the “too many things” that he does not have.

“I have no money, no position and no connection. But I have your DNA, your character and good breeding in me,” he said.

In Yoruba, he repeated the same refrain: “Bibiire ti o se fi owo ra nikan ni mo ni, (my only qualification to stand before you is the priceless attribute of an Oyo person: rare breeding and character.)”

In Oyo town, at the wedding ceremony of political stalwart, Prince Kabir Adebayo Gbadegesin’s daughter on Saturday, where he was received by various groups on the side of the wedding ceremony, he shuttled between the venue and other meetings.

Caught in flight once by The Nation, he insisted it was “not yet time for interviews or posturing” but went on to reiterate his long-held position that who would be governor or leader is not the issue. The issue is what he or she would do with the office. Hence, against the challenges facing the state, especially the lack of funds to pay salaries, let alone execute capital projects, he has gone round the state, asking questions and seeking ideas on how a new government could immediately bring joy to the people in 2019, irrespective of what the conditions might be.

For someone who, apart from his time as a Federal Commissioner in the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, a post to which he was appointed by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, has largely shunned government appointments, Adesina’s grasp of the practical workings of government bureaucracy is impressive. Much more so is his vision of how Oyo should run and the need for all professionals to get engaged in the state’s affairs so as not to leave the destiny of its people to professional political jobbers.

Adesina, 52, has, for quite some time, been preaching to the people of the state to think of a different kind of governor from the usual politicians, moneybags and wheeler-dealers.

“This state needs a genuine servant, a listener who will take informed decisions and a compassionate leader who will embody the dreams and hopes of the people,” he said.

He continues to speak out about the economic potential of the state, given its agricultural and mineral blessings and laments the dependence on the allocation from the Federation Account.

“In order to truly develop the state, Oyo must go from just talking and move to executing a comprehensive agricultural revolution, tourism development and solid mineral exploration and development plan,” he said.

By his estimation, Oyo State is blessed with agricultural resources, minerals and the potential for a world-class tourism industry and he has a way of reeling off different sites and places that can make his home state the place of choice to visit.

“The policies, the enabling environment for private sector participation and the physical infrastructure must urgently be put in place for the economy to be on the path of self-sustainability,” he stated.

One issue that never ceases to come up is the vociferous agitation by the people of his native Oke Ogun region to produce the next governor. Adesina, of course, emphasises the view that without compromising merit, a governor of Oke Ogun extraction is the right, just and equitable thing to happen.

“I have said it before and I am repeating it now. We may be the same people in Oyo State but our zonal plurality is not in doubt.

“Wherever, either by design or by accident, there are different groups of people who must live together in peace, harmony or prosperity, the best results for the whole can only be achieved when every part feels equal and no one is left out. It is important to give a sense of belonging to the people of Oke Ogun and other zones in the state,” he noted.

The Oyo race is, of course, one of the most interesting in the country with more than a dozen candidates having signified their intention or are being pushed forward by various groups.

Oke Ogun alone has about half a dozen, all of whom are in the ruling All Progressives Congress. Adesina is locked in the race with current Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, Adeolu Akande, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Ajimobi, who is from the same Itesiwaju Local Government Area as the renowned journalist. Ajiboye Omodewu, also from Itesiwaju, is a serving Commissioner and an ally of Ajimobi’s.

The current Deputy Governor, Moses Alake Adeyemo has recently joined the fray and there is Remi Olaniyan, an Engineer who retired as a Permanent Secretary in the state a few years ago.

From Ibadan, the likes of Senator Femi Lanlehin, Seyi Makinde and Senator Soji Akanbi are also believed to be in the race. Akanbi is in APC while Lanlehin, formerly in APC and Seyi Makinde of SDP are running on the PDP platform.

In all, the edge of one candidate against the other is difficult to assess as each parade his own strength in terms of connections and deep roots at home.

Interestingly, the power brokers in the state and from outside are yet to show their hands in terms of any preference, as if they are enjoying the spectacle of brothers battling it out.

No doubt, the interesting times are just beginning in Oyo State.

January 10, 2018
2019: PDP begins search for presidential flag bearer

Key stakeholders and power blocs within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have begun the covert search for an acceptable candidate that will fly the party’s flag in the 2019 presidential election.

The party has also renewed its pressure on the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, former Kano State Governor, Senator Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso and other prominent chieftains that dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014.

Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin, who dropped the hint in Abuja on Tuesday, also confirmed that the party was already weighing options regarding the suitability of the array of aspirants lining up for the job.

Jibrin spoke at Legacy House, the party’s campaign headquarters while addressing a PDP youth group, Ward-To-Ward that paid him a courtesy visit. He, however, clarified that the search is restricted to aspirants from the North.

“We are all doing what we can in the North with all the leaders to identify who is the best candidate to rule this country. The best person that will take away power from the ruling party because 2019 is our own. 2019 is for PDP.

“We as a party, have agreed that the President of Nigeria in 2019 should come from the North. I enjoin you to support the North to bring and give you a very capable President; never-a-no-do-well President, a good qualitative President.

Describing the return of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to the PDP as a good omen, Jibrin said the party was expecting more of the chieftains that dump the PDP for the APC before the 2015 general elections.

He listed Saraki and Kwankwaso as key among those expected to rejoin the PDP, adding that others being expected to return to the party include serving National Assembly members and former governors.

Jibrin said: “We are also expecting a big return of some of our former governors, our National Assembly members and very renowned party followers. And when this is done, which will be done very quickly, then the party will now come to its stable stand.

“We should encourage everybody who has left us to come back and reunite with us. We will not hate anyone or deprive anybody. It is a good omen for this party that we should receive people.

“We are therefore calling on the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and all our former legislators who have left this party to come back quickly”.
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The BoT chair also disclosed that the party has constituted a special reconciliation committee headed by a former President of the Senate, David Mark.

According to him, the Mark committee has been mandated to mediate in grievances among BoT members that disagreed over the choice of chairmanship candidate at the December 9 national convention of the party.

Some of the BoT members had openly taken sides with their preferred candidates, a development that Jibrin said was divisive and tended to erode the neutrality of the BoT as the conscience of the party.

Jibrin regretted that members of the BoT had remained neutral before that chairmanship campaign, but that along the line, some members decided to give open support to some aspirants. This he said, had left the BoT members divided.

The BoT chair commended the role played by the party’s governors in the convention in which Prince Uche Secondus emerged as National Chairman.

He credited the governors with the success of the convention, adding that all the party’s 11 governors gave the necessary support to ensure Secondus’ emergence.

January 9, 2018