The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ambition

  • Amosun’s senatorial ambition tears Ogun Central apart

    Amosun’s senatorial ambition tears Ogun Central apart

    The next general election is about two and half years away. But the ambition of Governor Ibikunle Amosun to return to the Senate after the expiration of his tenure as governor is already generating tension in Ogun Central District and beyond. Correspondent ERNEST NWOKOLO, who has been following the development, reports.

    In 2007, after completing their two terms of eight years, five former governors got elected to the Senate. The five former governors in the 6the State); and Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna State). Since then, outgoing governors have found the idea of ‘retiring’ to the National Assembly attractive and irresistible.

    Seventeen governors made it to the current 8th Assembly. They are: Bukola Saraki (Kwara), Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Kabiru Gaya (Kano), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Theodore Orji (Abia), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Ahmed Yarima (Zamfara), Danjuma Goje (Gombe), Bukar Ibrahim (Yobe), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), George Akume (Benue) and Isiaka Adeleke (Osun). These senators are currently receiving pensions from government as ex-governors.

    Four others failed in their bid make it to the Senate in the last general election. They are: Gabriel Suswam (Benue State), Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu (Niger State), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi State) and Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi State). Their ambition was marred by the Buhari tsunami in the last general elections; most of the states in the northern part of the country voted en-mass for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Though the next general election is still two and half years away, it is already evident that Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State is interested in the Ogun Central senatorial ticket.  Indeed, the veiled interest of the governor in the ticket is already causing a stir in the state’s APC chapter.

    To douse the tension, its Vice Chairman, Tajudeen Lemboye, convened a caucus meeting on December 23. During the meeting, he took the people down the memory lane, reeling out how Amosun has been caring for party leaders in their moment of need and urged them to give the governor their loyalty and support. He noted that many things have happened in Ogun APC lately, especially among the executive members, alleging that some of them now hobnob with the opposition.

    Lemboye’s position is that Amosun deserves the respect and support of all stakeholders, because of his track record in the last five and half years. Since 2011, he has been diligent in working to entrench himself as the godfather of the Egba politics, in the hope of using the numerical strength of the Egbas (Ogun Central) as a bargaining tool or an arbiter of political outcome outside Egbaland.

    But, how far would the governor go in his bid to emulate former governors from other parts of the country? His political structure in Ogun APC, which is a carry-over from that of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), seemed intact. Nevertheless, there are perceptible pockets of disaffection here and there.

    A week ago, the governor hinted that he might contest the senatorial seat in 2019. He was said to have dropped the hint at a meeting with members of the Ogun State House of Assembly and their National Assembly counterparts, at the Governor’s Office in Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the state capital. He was quoted as saying that he is under severe pressure to contest for the seat in 2019 and that he has earmarked N2 billion towards the realisation of that dream.

    The seat is occupied presently by Senator Lanre Tejuoso who, incidentally, was at the meeting and was said to have been visibly shocked by the governor’s utterances. Amosun said: “I am under enormous pressure to contest for the Senate seat of my senatorial district. I said to myself, I can’t be anything less than number three when I go back to the Senate. I might not contest and I might contest. Even Tejuoso might recontest and might not recontest… I am prepared to spend N2 billion in Ogun Central.”

    The governor was also reported to have said in Yoruba at the said meeting that he was aware of moves by some legislators to undermine his interest and that he would not hesitate to descend on them, if they do not desist from such moves. None of the lawmakers at the meeting spoke.

    At an expanded meeting of the party in Abeokuta recently, Amosun had attempted to douse the tension generated by his ambition, when he indicated that the elders would look into areas where there are conflicts, with a view of coming up with a consensus as to how the state and National Assembly tickets will be shared when the time comes. He added that if consensus formula fails, all aspirants may go through primaries.

    Although the governor did not mention who the elders are, but his body language and his utterances lately suggest that he must have laid multiple ambushes against opponents on all fronts, including aspirants from within his party.

    Should he elect to seek a return to the Senate, he would definitely pick the party ticket, as the ‘elders’ may prefer him to other aspirants and should they be made to go through the primary, other contestants  are likely to be defeated, with the governor’s  absolute control of the APC machinery at the grassroots.

    But opposition to Amosun’s ambition may be spurred from outside the state. It was instructive that the governor was absent during a crucial meeting of the Southwest APC leaders in Lagos recently, at the Bourdilon home of former Governor Olusegun Osoba, when the later returned to the fold.

    Those who attended the meeting include the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Oluranti Adebule, who represented Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; and former Governor Niyi Adebayo of Ekiti State. Others are: former interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande; the APC National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Chief Pius Akinyelure; Senator Gbenga Obadara and former Deputy Governor Prince Segun Adesegun. Amosun and his deputy, and state party leaders were absent and no explanation was given for their absence.

    Osoba who later broached the subject of his reported return to the APC hinted that two prominent traditional rulers pleaded with him to return to the party, as a way of further strengthening it against opposition in future.

    Many believe that the reason Osoba was persuaded to return to the APC is because he is the only capable of checkmating Amosun excesses, as an emerging godfather in the political arena in the state. As things stand today, there seemed to be no credible opposition. The Ogun State PDP is terribly divided along three camps controlled by three separate actors –  Senator Buruji Kashamu, former Speaker Dimeji Bankole and Hon. Ladi Adebutu, while its  governorship candidate in the last general elections, Gboyega Isiaka, is not sure where to align himself.

    The implication is that the PDP would not constitute a vibrant opposition and invariably may be unable to field a candidate that could measure up with Amosun. Also, neither the Labour Party (LP), nor the revived Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) poses any threat to the governor, should he elect to run for the senatorial seat in 2019.

    Given the Governor’s strong will, his close ties with President Muhammadu Buhari dating back to the ANPP days and the backing of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, his fellow Owu man and elder, he may have a field day in Ogun Central. This is more so, considering the fact that he won the 2015 governorship election without the help of Osoba.

    However, Amosun will have the former Speaker and his father, Chief Alani Bankole, as a factor to contend with in Ogun Central. It is not clear what Bankole’s next move is likely to be; he failed to return to the House of Representatives in 2011 and his recent bid for the party’s governorship ticket failed.

    PDP factional chairman, Bayo Dayo, said Amosun is only wasting his time and resources, as he would be disgraced at the polls if he dares try to run for Senate seat. Bayo said Amosun’s style of politics lacked human face. The chairman wondered how people Amosun did not develop or empower would accord him their support.

    Dayo said the PDP has a brighter chance of winning all future elections in the state. He anchored his optimism on his observation that Amosun’s failure is an open campaign for Ogun PDP ahead of 2019.

    He said: “What will he sell to the people in Ogun Central? There is no development in the five local governments there. The schools, the healthcare facilities and agriculture are suffering. He will be rejected take my word. May be he thinks he will entice people with his 10-lane road which is driven be self-interest. Is that what Ogun people need now when there are other roads requiring immediate attention?

    “The Federal Government roads linking Lagos and Ibadan and other northern parts, as well as the southeastern parts are not 10 lanes. Is the governor saying the one he is converting to 10 lanes is the busiest, compared to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway or Lagos-Ore expressway?

    “Amosun is not interested in developing people. The traditional rulers and many other people have advised him against the road, but he would not listen. So, he will definitely reap at the poll, what he has sown. Ibikunle Amosun is going nowhere. PDP has good chances of winning, not only the Ogun Central senatorial seat, but also in all elections in the state, because the governor is campaigning for the PDP directly and indirectly with his failures.

    “Although there is fighting in our party, but it is normal. You fight for what is good and has high prospect. Ogun PDP has a bright future; that is why people are fighting to have one or two things from the party.”

    Isiaka also agrees that Amosun’s intention may not go down well with thousands of other Ogun people.

    Similarly, the LP Acting Chairman, Abayomi Arabambi, said with Amosun’s poor showing as a senator from 2003 to 2007, he is unlikely to get the support from the electorate that have become wiser and sophisticated today.

    He said: “He(Amosun) performed poorly before. We can’t remember any motion he moved at the floor of the Senate then. He did not attract any Federal Government project to Ogun Central and did not execute any remarkable constituency projects throughout his Senate years.

    “We in Labour Party are going to field candidates in all elective positions. Amosun’s ambition may close the door for other interested aspirants in the APC, but not in Labour Party. We have the capacity to sweep away the incompetence going on in Ogun State today.”

  • Ambition without morality

    Ambition comes with various qualifiers. Among the possibilities: tall ambition, high ambition, reasonable ambition and realistic ambition. On the reverse side: short ambition, low ambition, unreasonable ambition and unrealistic ambition. Of course, there are other possibilities.

    Talking of ambition, Senator Dino Melaye, the chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, provided food for thought in an interview published on November 6. The interviewer asked Melaye: “You were the brains behind the ‘Like-Mind’ senators; a platform through which Saraki became the Senate President. Now, he is facing the Code of Conduct Tribunal over discrepancies in the declaration of his assets. Why didn’t you advise him to resign honourably?”

    Melaye answered: “I am not Bukola Saraki. I don’t speak for Bukola Saraki. And I cannot speak for Bukola Saraki. But all I want to say is that if Bukola Saraki thinks he is guilty, he should resign. But if he thinks he is not guilty, there is no reason he should resign. I say it without fear or favour that what Bukola Saraki is passing through is not prosecution. It is persecution. You don’t punish a man for being ambitious. The reason Saraki was before the Code of Conduct (Tribunal) in the first instance was because he was being ambitious.”

    He continued: “President Muhammadu Buhari is also an ambitious character; having contested (the presidential) election three times and he got it (won the poll) the fourth time. That shows how ambitious he is and then getting to the presidency now, he should not be queried for being ambitious. I am also ambitious; I want to be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is God that gives power to whosoever he wishes. So for me, the CCT trial is a kangaroo one and at the end of the day, nothing will come out of it. Just as the case of forgery was withdrawn, this in due course won’t see the light of the day.”

    Talking of Saraki, it may be said that he showed vaulting ambition politically, considering the contentious method by which he became Senate President. Beyond this, it may also be said that his ongoing corruption-related trial is quite another matter, and he will have to prove his innocence. As for the withdrawn forgery charge against him, it was a curious development.  Obviously, President Buhari’s presidential ambition and how he pursued it cannot be categorised with Saraki’s method by Melaye’s sophistry. Clearly, it remains to be seen whether Melaye’s presidential ambition is realistic.

    Perhaps Melaye needs to understand that ambition without morality is not the kind of ambition the country needs for progress.

     

     

     

  • ‘Obaseki family backing my ambition’

    ‘Obaseki family backing my ambition’

    Two brothers are fighting for one position in Edo State. They belong to the same political party, the All progressives Congress (APC). They are men of excellence and honour. In their professions, they have made name. Godwin Obaseki, economist, banker and Chairman of Edo State Economic Team, wants to succeed Governor Adams Oshiomhole. His cousin, Don Pedro Obaseki, former university teacher, broadcaster and film maker, is also running. Neither of them is ready to step down. In the Obaseki family of Benin-Kingdom, there is sibling rivalry. When the two contenders visited Lagos, they spoke on their aspirations, plans for the Southsouth state, expectations about the shadow poll and the chance of their party at the governorship election. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU met them

    Why do you want to govern Edo State?

    I want to govern Edo State because I truly believe that the state is in the throes of a motor park democracy and I also believe that, for us to move the state forward, we must change the way things are done. I also truly believe that the time has come when we cannot allow ourselves to continue to play the ostrich. But, to change Edo State, the people must change their state of mind.

    Elections are capital-intensive. Who is your godfather?

    I don’t have a godfather; my ambition is being funded by the people of Edo State and my campaign billboards have my bank account number on them. So far, contributions have come from not less than 17,000 people and that is something quite different. It is a new way of doing things. I have been to so many countries, talking to Edo people in Diaspora because they are the single largest investors in the state as a bloc in terms of remittances back home. The difference between other aspirants and I is the package I have for Edo people. Even when some of them have made a plethora of promises, the question is: How do they intend to realise them and what is the difference between what they are offering and what we had had prior to now.

    But, you are not the governor’s anointed candidate…

    I want to reiterate this. Only God anoints. I am not rich in the interpretation of the billionaire space in Nigerian politics, but I am very wealthy. I am wealthy in the sense that I am wealthy in ideas and belief. So, I believe that I alone among the army of aspirants in the All Progressives Congress have what it takes to make the party win Edo State because the state is not an APC state. To say that Edo State is an APC State is to be economical with the political truth, but I can leverage on the successes of Governor Adams Oshiomhole to win the state for the APC. I call him the ‘Moses of our time’ because he had to fight Pharaoh. Edo political space before now was like living in Egypt but Oshiomhole’s coming took us across the Red Sea but I believe that I am the Joshua, who will lead the state to the Promised Land.

    What is your plan for Edo, if elected as governor?  

    I have decided to do things in the familiar and I took “Edo” as my political message, ideology and mission. If you educate or employ a person, it comes under a larger umbrella, which is empowerment. So, ‘E’ in Edo stands for empowerment, ‘D’ stands for development whether human or infrastructural, while the ‘O’ stands for opportunities, and that is creating the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Why did I decide to do it that way? As a little boy, who was crazy about the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), we recited the four cardinal points of the party. We knew what to hold the government to task for but that is absent in our political space today.

    What is your reaction to the allegation that the delegates’ list may be tinkered with?

    I was at a meeting with the other aspirants and the national leadership of the party made it clear that the rules of the game cannot be changed. The APC is different from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In the PDP, the governors are the political leaders of the party in their respective states, but in the APC, the state chairmen of the party are the political leaders. So, the primary election in Edo State is not going to be at the beck and call of the state government apparatus. It is the national headquarters of the party that would conduct the poll.

    So, I am not scared as we were told during the meeting that nobody who is not a delegate as at the time of the last convention would be a delegate during the forthcoming primaries because the Edo governorship election is actually a postponed 2015 poll and as a result, new rules cannot apply.

    It was also agreed that, if a delegate is dead, he can only be replaced at the next convention, which would not hold before the primaries. If the APC allows a free, fair and credible primary election; we will go to the field to ensure victory for the party in the main election despite whoever emerges the candidate. Nobody, no matter how big is greater than the corporate entity called Edo State. We are a different kind of people and anyone who takes us for granted is taking a big risk.

    So, the governor cannot try that?

    I want to say this so that the governor can be mindful of what he is doing. In 2015, out of the three supposed candidates of the governor in the senatorial election, two lost. Senator Francis Alimikhena won in Edo North by a slim margin. That does not show an invincible governor. Also, the days of money politics or what some people refer to as stomach infrastructure are over. President Buhari proved this in the last elections. If money determines who wins election, former President Goodluck Jonathan would have won that election. Edo people are tired, not tired of the party, but tired of the recycled and reshuffled ideologically bereft politicians. Those who are running for the governorship in the APC today, apart from one or two, are former members of the PDP while those running in the PDP are former APC/Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    What is your reaction to the endorsement of am aspirant by the governor; and the aspirant is said to be your cousin?

    The governor is not favouring anyone. He keeps saying that no man is God and that it is a game of one man, one vote. The governor is not a product of godfatherism. So, he won’t subscribe to that. I will defeat all the aspirants on the field.

    Don’t you see your family losing out over your insistence to contest the primary against your cousin?

    I want to make it clear that it was after due consultations with my corporate family that I declared my intention to run for the governorship of Edo State. My family, at a well-attended festival in our patriarch’s palace in Benin on September 9, 2015 endorsed my ambition. And my cousin, Uncle Godwin, happens to be my major supporter and I asked him to take me to Governor Oshiomhole because they are close. It was on the day (September 24) that he was supposed to take me to the governor that he told me that he was also running for the governorship. My family is not divided and this is not an election, it is a party nomination. If Uncle Godwin wins and he feels he needs my support, I will support him but I beg him to also support me if I win because I will need his support.

  • Dimeji Bankole’s re-launches ambition

    Dimeji Bankole’s re-launches ambition

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Sabur Dimeji Bankole, has a special technique that has helped him achieve success over the years. He believes in ample preparation and strategic planning. No wonder he always seems to be moving ahead of time as he has begun an underground move to install the next governor of Ogun State.

    Part of the move is the reactivation of his political structures across the State. These include such groups as Dimeji Bankole Movement and Goodwill Reliance Foundation. Inside sources say he hopes to sell his senatorial ambition and governorship agenda to the public through these channels.

    Bankole had unsuccessfully fought for the governorship ticket of the PDP in the state during the 2015 general election. He thereafter took the back seat and reportedly told his loyalists to distance themselves from elections.

  • ‘I have never been against Gbajabiamila’s ambition’

    ‘I have never been against Gbajabiamila’s ambition’

    There were reports that the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lasun Yussuf, was against the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. In this report, Dele Anofi in Abuja quoted some associates who previously worked with Yussuf as saying it was the Deputy Speaker’s introvert nature that was exploited to give vent to that insinuation

    The misconception about the personality of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Sulaimon Olasunkanmi Yussuf, could be said to be responsible for the erroneous impression that he, as the Deputy Speaker, was against the emergence of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader. The man Lasun is an epitome of calmness even as he is reserved. His close associates are saying that this aspect of his character was exploited in this case by those bent on creating a wedge between the two.

    According to one of his associates, Bimbo Daramola, a former House member, “One fact that must be established is that there was no basis for Lasun’s antagonism of Gbajabiamila for the fact that as Deputy Speaker, his position was fait accompli since June 9th. He was elected on that day with the Speaker and there was no controversy over the process that puts them up. Equally instructive is the fact that there is no way the emergence of Gbajabiamila can undermine the position of the Deputy Speaker as both offices have clearly defined responsibilities. In other words, there is no basis for antagonism from either sides. Rather, Lasun can only benefit from the experience and depth of Gbajabiamila while not ruling out the fact, since no one is an island of knowledge, Gbajabiamila too can learn from Lasun in the discharge of his legislative responsibilities.”

    Another associate, a serving member of the House said the manipulation of the reserved disposition of the Deputy Speaker contributed hugely to the laid back perception of Lasun by those who are not close to him. This, on its own makes it easy for him to be underrated as an astute politician but to those who know him; he has never been a pushover. It must count for something for the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to have stuck to him as his Deputy.

    “The drafters of our constitution were not unmindful of the fact that whoever is going to be the Deputy Speaker must be able to earn his worth, otherwise they would have said when the Speaker emerges, let there be no Deputy but they said there must be an election for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Then, there were other conditions which Lasun met before he was voted as Deputy Speaker. More importantly, for 203 of his colleagues to have voted for him as Deputy Speaker meant that they believed he has something worthwhile to offer to the legislature, as an institution and Nigeria’s democracy. In view of that, as some people would want Nigerians to believe, one wonders how Lasun would have been threatened by Gbajabiamila becoming the House Leader. Furthermore, by job description, insinuations that Lasun was against Gbajabiamila can still not hold waters because the responsibilities of the two offices were clearly defined. While the House Leader liaises between the President and the House, bring correspondences and so on, the Deputy Speaker’s scope is wider, deeper and more extensive. He is an alternate Speaker, the rules say so. In situations when the Speaker is not available, the Deputy Speaker presides. Like we saw on the day the Principal officers emerged; if you recall, Speaker Dogara left the plenary to attend to another important state matter, Lasun presided until the Speaker came back to announce the names of the principal officers. So, how could Gbajabiamila have been a threat to Lasun? In other words, there’s no competition because there is no basis for it. He can learn from the experience and depth of Gbajabiamila and vice versa.

    “At this point in time, people should not stoke up embers of discord between the two, it is not necessary. The introvert nature of the Deputy Speaker should not be manipulated and taken for granted by mischief makers to disrupt harmonious flow of legislative work in this Assembly. His being calm does not compromise the fact that he is intelligent; this is a second degree holder in Mechanical Engineering. He didn’t get his Masters 10 year ago, but about 24 years ago,” he said.

    But people are quick to point out that Lasun was little known. We learnt however that the Deputy Speaker belonged to about six standing committees of the House, including Appropriation. He was a member a Selection Committee, constituted immediately the 7th House was inaugurated.

    “As a member of Selection Committee in the 7th House, to put people together, to allocate committees to 350 members and to get it right, that’s a lot or work. And for the fact that neither controversies nor bad feelings followed the selection says a lot about those that put that together. It is instructive to note that it was when the team of Lasun and not Tambuwal, not Ihedioha, not any of the former principal officers, got it right at the level of Selection Committee and turn it over that the leadership could approve what every lawmaker later identified with without rancour. That is serious work that only analytical minds can accomplish. Another member said Lasun is an assertive legislator, who is very difficult to sway once he makes up his mind on an issue. According to him, he takes his time to observe thoroughly before making his conclusion. “Once his mind is made up, it becomes difficult to fault his argument because he will present a superior argument, often times backed with facts and figures. We find ourselves going with his suggestions most of the time during our committee activities. He is well known and feared by most MDAs during oversight duties because his knowledge of the workings of the MDAs was legendary. Once he is in the team, it is not difficult to see how jittery any organisation we are visiting gets because they know that there won’t be room for mediocre session”.

    Apart from carrying out his legislative duties with diligence, Lasun is a man who has no inhibition about discussing his background; he doesn’t hide the fact that he comes from a rustic village of Ilobu. According to Ismail Mustapha, President of the Abuja Chapter of Ilobu Development Association, Lasun endeared himself to the people of Ilobu and Osun State with his humility.

    “You see the pride oozing out of him when he talks about his father, who is a carpenter at every given opportunity. He is never shy of his background. That is something that should count for something,” he said. Lasun’s assertiveness was on display when the group paid him a courtesy call a week ago, where his closeness to the grassroots became apparent.  At the meeting, he showed a glimpse of how assertive and independent-minded he was, he also stressed the need to reward hard work, as a way of encouraging others to follow suit. He made it known that his home town Ilobu paid its dues towards the victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) and should be rightly rewarded.

    At the meeting, he explained that justice should always prevail in all human endeavors, politics apart. He wondered how his resignation as Deputy Speaker would serve any useful purpose, as insinuated in some quarters.

    His stance on justice eventually came to pass with the peaceful resolution of the principal officers’ saga. At the meeting, Lasun noted that having contributed immensely to the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at both local and national levels, it would amount to an injustice to ask an Ilobu man to vacate the seat. He told the gathering that “It is important to state that Ilobu has been a big supporter of our party even beyond Osun. After Osogbo, Ilobu is the only town whose progressive elections have never been rigged. When we had the 2015 elections, every Nigerian knew at that time that it was the election in Osun that will probably dictate whether APC will be in existence or would be strong enough to dislodge PDP. If you recall, everybody moved to Osogbo either as observers or participants. It was reported that about 76,000 security agents were deployed to Osun for that particular election. Statistically, Ilobu as a town was sixth in quality of votes to the emergence of Governor Aregbesola with a staggering difference of 7,000 votes out of 100,000 that APC got over PDP in that election. So, if an Ilobu man is made the Deputy Speaker today, we deserve it because we contributed our quota. So anyone talking about Lasun Yussuf to resign only want to cheat Ilobu people that have toiled day and night to make what APC is today. When I look at that angle alone I laugh, and I want to say this nature itself has a way of regulating things; we cannot want to benefit from where we have not sowed”.

    So, he vowed to do everything within his capacity to assist his town’s socio-economic development. He assured the group that, if it is going to be the only thing he could do, with the assistance and support of his colleagues in the House, a dilapidated bridge built in 1954, liking the town with other parts of the South-West would be rehabilitated. He said it was painful and frustrating that successive governments have ignored the bridge that now takes over two hours instead of minutes for motorists to access due to unending traffic hold ups.

    A devout Muslim, Lasun was born on October 4th 1960. Though, an alumnus of University of Ibadan, he started his education from home at the Local Authority Primary School Ilobu. He has Bachelor and Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. This background was responsible for his being made the chairman of Osun State Capital Territory Development Authority and those conversant with Osogbo would know that a lot must have been accomplished by those saddled with the responsibility of turning the capital around. Lasun was one of them.

    As stated by one of his Chief of Staff, Hon Bimbo Daramola, who was a former legislator and a contemporary of Lasun in the 7th Assembly, the Deputy Speaker is a man that should be given the opportunity to showcase his potentials. According to him, Lasun is roaring to go, to correct the misgivings about him in the last House.

  • Rumpus in Kogi APC over Audu’s gubernatorial ambition

    Rumpus in Kogi APC over Audu’s gubernatorial ambition

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that Prince Abubakar Audu’s interest to contest for the All Progressives Congress’ governorship ticket in Kogi State has raised the stakes ahead the October governorship election in the state

    Though it started as a rumour, whispered in hushed tones, as the people of Kogi State prepare for the 2015 gubernatorial ambition scheduled to hold in October, it is now public knowledge that their former governor, Prince Abubakar Audu, is interested in returning to Lugard House to serve in the same capacity for a third time.

    While the news of the ex-governor’s renewed ambition is being received across the state with mixed feelings, it appears his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), may have been thrown into a serious internal squabble as groups within it battle for and against Audu’s ambition.

    Already, there are allegations and counter allegations. While the former governor’s camp accused his critics of ganging up against him for no reason, other governorship aspirants within the party are accusing Audu of plotting to acquire the party’s ticket through undemocratic means.

    “Prince Audu’s ambition is an ill wind that will blow nobody any good. He knows he cannot win the primary election of the APC and he is planning to subvert the process and award the ticket to himself,” a governorship aspirant lamented. But an aide of the former governor debunked such allegations, saying “these people who before now feel the APC cannot achieve anything in Kogi are now shouting. They are confusionists out to distract the party.”

    The Nation learnt that trouble started within the party following Audu’s decision to finally make his ambition public after months of insinuations and indications. Few weeks back, the former governor announced that he would heed the call of the people of the state to again come forward and contest the forthcoming governorship election.

    He spoke at his Ogbonicha country home in Ofu Local Government Area of the state at a civic reception he organised for his party, the APC’s national and state assemblies’ members in the state. Justifying his decision, Audu said the state was his ”baby” which he would not abandon.

    “The voice of men are the voice of God, the people are yearning for me to come back because of my performance between 1999 and 2003. A lot of people have been wallowing in abject poverty with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in power in the state. A lot of people are dying.  As a matter of fact, Kogi is my baby and if I turn my back against my baby, it means I am an irresponsible father,” he said.

    And as if responding to widespread questions from his critic as to what he is coming back to do, the APC leader said, “I am coming back to salvage; rescue the state and place it back to where I left it in 2003 and even go beyond that.”

    Stiff opposition

    It took little or no time for the public announcement to attract responses from within the party. Expectedly, the first group to reject Audu was the one loyal to the former governor’s arch-rival and fellow party man, Barrister James Ocholi. According to party sources, the group is opposed to Audu because of the running political battle between him and Ocholi.

    “After the successful merger of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), these two leaders, Audu and Ocholi have been locking horns over who becomes party leader in the state.

    Naturally, members who came from the CPC were sympathetic to Ocholi, while those in the ACN group were sympathetic to Audu. Those who came from other parties either followed Audu’s group or Ocholi’s group. As a result of the situation, the CPC group has Muhammed Mabo as their chairman, while the ACN group picks Alhaji Hadi Amentur as the party chairman.

    But they were later reconciled by the party’s national leaders. Hence, Hadi became the chairman in an election supervised by the officials of the party from the national headquarters without the presence of factions. The division was again brought to limelight again during the primary election to pick candidates for the National Assembly and State Assembly elections as election materials were said to have been hijacked by Audu’s group, led by Dino Melaye,” a party source alleged.

    Beside the Ocholi group, some elders are also opposed to Audu’s ambition for some reasons and they are voicing their rejection of him loudly even as the former governor and his team go about seeking the support of groups and individuals within and outside the party in a bid to ensure the success of his ambition.

    The elders, under the aegis of the All Progressives Elders Vanguard, called on the party and President Muhammadu Buhari to save the party from imminent collapse under the leadership of Audu. They claimed that Audu had hijacked the party machinery to his benefit, warning that the APC would lose the goodwill it enjoyed during the presidential election if Audu was not called to order.

    The elders, in a letter to Buhari, warned that the outcome of the state assembly election could be replicated during the governorship election in 2016 except the former governor is prevailed upon to drop his governorship ambition and also allow the rule of law to take root.

    The elders said the party’s misfortune in the National Assembly election in the state was due to the ambition of the former governor. The party was victorious in the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections, but performed dismally in the governorship and state assembly polls.

    The letter signed by Isa Sani Omolori, chairman of the APC Elders’ Vanguard, Kogi Central, also accused Audu of being interested only in building structures for his governorship ambition than working for the collective good of the party.

    The letter read in part: “The main problem of the party (APC) in the state is not that of followership but leadership, which zeroes down on former Governor Abubakar Audu, whose dictatorial politics would destroy rather than build the party.

    “What happened at the last national elections was for Audu to put up structures to launch his governorship ambition rather than abide by the party’s constitution and follow due process in the primaries.”

    Another group, Kogi Renewal Group, kicked against Audu’s quest to get the APC governorship ticket.

    The Chairman of the group, Dr. Abubakar Yakubu, told journalists that Kogi needed change but the change the state needed was not the return of Audu to Lugard House.

    The group advised him to canvass support for other aspirants outside Kogi East Senatorial District to become governor in 2016, stressing that Kogi State had been generous with their support for candidates from Kogi East in the last 16 years. To them, Audu’s ambition is against the principle of equity and fairness.

    Alhaji Suleiman Baba Ali, a former health commissioner in the state and APC governorship aspirant, also want his former boss to quit the race. “As I said, I worked in an administration led by Prince Audu, 1999 to 2003. You must give that to him. I have said that every time. Among all the governors we have had in Kogi, his performance is still the best. I’m proud to have been associated with that government.

    But basically, we think this is the time for others to have their hands on governance in Kogi. Those of us who have learnt from him and imbibed good things from him, this is an opportunity for us to do well, while he plays the fatherly role and stays back. He should give advice on how to make Kogi a better state.

    At the same time, he should be able to fight for Kogi at national level so that he can get bigger and better things because of his fatherly role. He may not be able to get these things directly if he is the governor himself. That is the role of the leadership of the party at national level. They should look at it and I believe they are looking at those possibilities,” Ali argued.

    Counter position

    But the Kogi Peoples Assembly (KPA) chided some self acclaimed politicians in the state who it claimed are bent on frustrating the governorship bid of Audu, saying they can’t stop him from returning to Luggard House next year. Speaking to journalists in Abuja over the unfolding political power play ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the state, the group’s coordinator, Engr. Solomon Adaji, said Audu’s position as the leader of the APC in the state was not contestable.

    Describing critics of Audu’s leadership political status in the party as political neophytes, Adaji specifically condemned the recent statements credited to those he called faceless persons operating under groups against Audu, saying they “are jittery over the unwavering and high status of Prince Abubakar Audu in APC”.

    “Audu represents the agent of change and a gift to any nation like ours which is in desperate need to attain democratic advancement. They had tried in vain to ridicule a man of integrity, honour and prudence; a principled and transparent individual; a revered political colossus, a quintessential achiever”, Adaji noted.

    He described as arrant nonsense suggestions from some quarters that Audu was more interested in building structures for his governorship ambition than working for the collective good of the party. Describing Audu as a shrewd politician, Adaji explained that the former governor does not need to build new political structures to actualise his governorship ambition in the next dispensation.

    He said, “Audu had in place magnificent structure in Kogi State, dating back to 1991, when he ran for the position of the governor of Kogi State under the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC). It was under the same 1991 structure that Audu used in 1999 to emerge victorious as governor of Kogi State under the platform of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP).

    “To put in perspective Audu’s political structure and followership transcends the landscape of Kogi State. As an internationally recognised politician cum business mogul, Audu is not an individual in the political scene of the nation as erroneously expressed by these critics.

    “Audu being a household name in Kogi State, with unprecedented political followers, admirers and supporters across the nooks and crannies in the state will not capitalise on any new structures to win the forthcoming governorship election.

    “Audu has built structures within and around notable political parties across the country, and one of which transformed into the political tsunami, called the All Progressive Congress (APC) today.

    “He single-handedly formed a rainbow alliance with the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Action Congress (AC) and Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) aimed at rooting out PDP’s misrule in the State”.

    He noted that Kogi State was in a deplorable condition under the present leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would therefore require a banker of repute in the person of Prince Abubakar to rescue it.

    Another group loyal to Audu, Confluence for Change, responded, saying Prince Audu is the leader of the APC in the state.

    The group said, in a statement signed by its chairman, Isah Ibrahim, that Audu had remained a rallying point for the APC not only in Kogi State but in the North Central zone.

    Also, thousands of youths from the 21 local governments of Kogi State staged a peaceful rally at Murtala Muhammed Bridge on Abuja-Jamata-Lokoja Road in support of the governorship ambition of Prince Audu. The APC Youth Leader, Omale Moses, who led the rally, said since the former governor left office, the state had collapsed socially and economically, adding that they wanted him to come and save the state from bad leadership.

    Also, a chieftain of the party, Alhaji Linco Ocheje, believed that there was neither a division nor a problem in the APC over who would become the governorship candidate. He said Audu and any other party member were constitutionally guaranteed the right to vie for the governorship seat in a free and transparent primary election.

    He likened the Kogi scenario to the contest among Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso during the presidential primary election when people believed that the APC would have scattered but came out stronger at the end.

    A crowded race

    Findings by The Nation revealed that opposition to the former governor’s ambition is not just verbal, as many aspirants are already warming up to wrestle with him for the APC governorship ticket. The primary elections have been fixed for between August 25 and September 15 by INEC.

    Aside Audu, who was the first governor of the state and leader of the APC in the state, there are about ten other aspirant eyeing the APC ticket. The ex-governor was denied a return to Lugard House by Alhaji Ibrahim Idris in 2003. He had contested all subsequent governorship elections in the state but had always lost.

    Pundits say one major factor that may affect his chances this time around, in spite of APC’s seeming good stead to defeat the ruling PDP, is the agitation for power shift from his native Kogi East which has been ruling the state since its creation in 1991. But his handlers believe his popularity and the numerical strength of his zone will deliver the votes for him.

    Other aspirant seeking the party’s ticket include budding political giant, Yahaya Bello, also called “Fair Plus”, which is his business name, according to sources. He is from Kogi Central, a zone highly favoured by proponents of power shift. This factor, coupled with his popularity across the state, especially among the youths, is expected to work in his favour.

    Audu’s arch-rival, James Ocholi, is another strong contender for the APC governorship ticket from the eastern flank of the state. The 55-year-old Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a former governorship aspirant on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the state. His closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari is being bandied as a selling point by his supporters.

    Also in the race is Salihu Atawodi. He is a retired Air Vice Marshal. A reckoned politician, he, alongside other ex-PDP chieftains, joined the APC shortly before the general election. Although considered an aspirant of note by many, his critics say he is too new in the party to be trusted with the ticket.

    Other chieftains of the APC said to be keen about contesting the primary election for the party’s governorship ticket are Aliyu Zakari Jiya, Habeeb Yaqeen, Suleiman Babe Ali, Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo, Lanre Ipinmisho, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, Rotimi Yaqub Obadofin, former Deputy Governor, Alex Usman Kadiri, Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane and Olusola George Olumoroti.

    Fear, assurance

    Consequent upon the open opposition to Audu’s quest to fly the party’s flag and the crowded race to the primary election, keen watchers of the development are warning of a rancorous contest within the party which may affect its chances at the general election later in the year.

    But the APC chairman in the state, Hadi Amentur, insists there is no division in the party. Amentur is confident that there is no cause for alarm because of his belief that there was no PDP in the state at the moment. He said it was normal and constitutional for any member of the party to aspire to get the party’s ticket for the governorship election.

    According to him, any member of the party can contest any position in the party as long as he or she is a member. Nobody can stop anyone from contesting the governorship ticket. He said the constitution allowed those who wanted to contest to do so through the primary election, stressing that those saying somebody should not contest were only making noise because the party constitution clearly spelt it out.

    “We won three senatorial seats, six House of Representatives and 11 State House of Assembly seats. More seats will be collected through the tribunal. With the poor performance of the PDP, led by Idris Wada, it would be an easy ride for the APC,” he said.

    With such reassuring words from the leadership of the party in the state, one can only wait to see how President Buhari’s party men will manage the situation in the Confluence State ahead of the battle for the  Lugard House.

  • Of ambition and destruction: Truncating the “change” we desire

    On June 9, Bukola Saraki and his co-travellers, including his former friends in the PDP, executed their plan to acquire the Senate presidency and the Speakership of the House of Representatives. In an apparently well choreographed move, Saraki along with some APC mutineers joined the PDP senators and elected Saraki as the Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP as Deputy Senate President contrary to the APC’s well-publicized preference for Ahmed Lawan and George Akume. Once the Senate coup was executed, the House of Representatives followed; it elected another PDP turncoat called Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives also against the party’s preference for Femi Gbajabiamila and Tahir Monguno.

    In yet another big slap on the face of his party, Bukola Saraki in a letter dated June 25 to the chairman of APC relied on some arcane recently conjured Senate standing rules to justify his continued defiance of the party’s preference. He said his “hands were tied” by Senate standing rules, which prevented him from acting on APC’s preferred candidates for the senate principal offices. He then went on to pledge loyalty to President Buhari etc.

    This letter was yet another example of a self-serving attempt by Saraki to defy the same party that gave him a ticket to run. Again Yakubu Dogara and his supporters took cue and engineered the disruption of the sitting of the House of Representatives thereby truncating the adoption of the APC’s preferred candidates for the principal offices in the House of Representatives.

    The APC Constitution anticipated this level of treachery and disloyalty and made copious provisions. Article 21 (A)(i,ii,iii,vii), (B)(i&ii), D(i,f,g,h & ii) of the APC constitution comes readily to mind here:

    Article 21 lists the offences against the Party as including the following:

    i. A breach of any provision of this Constitution;

    ii. Anti-Party activities or any conduct, which is likely to embarrass or have adverse effect on the party or bring the party into hatred, contempt, ridicule or disrepute;

    iii. Disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of the Party;

    vii. Flouting the rules, regulations and decisions of the Party; engaging in dishonest practices, thuggery, continuously being absent from meetings to which he/she is invited without reasonable cause; carrying out anti-Party or other activities which tend to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient organization of the Party or which are inconsistent with the Aims and Objectives of the Party;

    In the same manner, Article 21 B (i and ii) establishes the disciplinary procedure:

    i. A complaint by any Member of the Party against a Public Office holder, elected or appointed, or another member or against a Party organ or officer of the Party shall be submitted to the Executive Committee of that Party at all levels concerned which shall NOT LATER THAN 7 days of the receipt of the complaint, appoint a fact-finding or Disciplinary Committee to examine the matter.

    ii. The Executive Committee concerned shall not debate or discuss the complaint or allegation before sending it to the Disciplinary Committee or fact-finding

    Committee which shall hear, determine and cause its decision to be transmitted to the relevant Executive Committees of the Party concerned.

    Section D spells out the PUNISHMENT for ERRING MEMBERS thus:

    i. The Party shall have power to impose the following sanctions on members in accordance with the nature and gravity of their offence:

    Reprimand;

    b) Censure;

    c) Fine;

    d) Debarment from holding Party Office;

    e) Removal from Party Office;

    f) Suspension from the Party;

    g) Expulsion from the Party;

    h) Debarment from contesting Office on the Party platform.

    ii. Where it is proposed to expel a member of the Executive Committee, political office holder, or a member of a Legislative House from membership of the Party, such a proposal shall be submitted to the National Executive Committee, which after deliberations on the matter may confirm or reject the proposal;

    iii. A decision to expel a Member of the Party taken or confirmed by the National Executive Committee shall be submitted to the Board of Trustees for ratification;

    iv. The National Executive Committee shall on receipt of the report of the fact- finding committee make a decision on the matter within fourteen (14) days;

    v. Any member who files an action in court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matter or matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting the avenues for redress provided for in this Constitution shall automatically stand expelled from the Party on filing such action and no appeal against expulsion as stipulated in this Clause shall be entertained until the withdrawal of the action from Court by the Member;

    vi. Each organ of the Party shall have power to remove a Party officer or officers as the case may be from office at that level for failing to discharge his/her responsibilities, neglect and dereliction of duty or misconduct during his tenure of office through a vote of no confidence passed against such officer/officers by a two-thirds majority of the members of the appropriate organ and voting subject to such officer’s right to fair hearing.

    It is clear from the above provisions that Bukola Saraki, Yakubu Dogara and their co-travellers have crossed the “red line” and need to be sanctioned very quickly to prevent the dissolution of the APC.  The mutineers are clearly caught by the provisions of Article 21 (a) i, ii & iii); the disciplinary procedures leading to expulsion from the party must be immediately followed to bring sanity and discipline to the party.

    What happens when the culprits are expelled from the party? The renegades will have the option of defecting to another party and invoking section 68 of the 1999 constitution to prevent their seats from being declared vacant claiming that the party is in crisis.

    Will the PDP accept them in order to swell their ranks and claim majority in the Senate and House of Representatives? If they do will they allow them to retain their Presidency and Speakership or will David Mark and other carpetbaggers re-emerge to truncate the change we desired? Will Saraki, Dogara and their shadowy sponsors and co-travelers float another party to split the APC for the benefit of the PDP?  Will they go to court to stall their expulsion and create a “Chinese standoff”?

    Will Saraki’s sins be resurrected in order to whip him in line? Will the APC close ranks and vote Ekweremadu out as Deputy Senate President? Will Buhari change his principle of non-interference? Will a new crisis be resurrected in the PDP? Will APC receive new defectors from the resurrected PDP crisis in order to checkmate Saraki and others? Will Saraki and others prevail; defy the party and cause John Oyegun’s removal?

    Is Saraki’s real aim the takeover of the party machinery at the national level? Is Buhari’s anti-corruption stance the real target of Saraki and his co-travelers?

    These questions and many more need to be answered very quickly or we shall be looking at the complete disintegration of the party known as APC.  What then becomes of the dreams of patriots like Ogbonaya Onu, Bisi Akande, Muhammadu Buhari, Nasir El Rufai, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rochas Okorocha, Kayode Fayemi, Audu Ogbeh, Aminu Masari , John Oyegun Chris Ngige and several others who fought for change on the platform of the APC ?

    In this unfolding sad movie Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara are the villains and no amount of whitewash can turn them into heroes in the eyes of the APC faithful. They betrayed the party and are well on their way to truncating the change we desire.

  • Saraki and the limits of over ambition

    WITH the dawn of  Super Tuesday for the election of the Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives, we have seen party discipline fall by the way side as many leading members, driven by over ambition are willing to work against the ruling party in other to satisfy their narrow political interest. The refusal of the Saraki and the Dogara camps to line up behind the candidates picked by the party, APC, is  an affront on party cohesion and discipline.

    This  is what we are been confronted with within the APC as we choose our senate President and Speaker of the House today. Let no man however deservedly placed in the party  misunderstand the opportunities at play and the fundamental significance of unity in the power play that will determine who becomes Senate President or Speaker of the House.

    Politics is the study of human behaviour and interaction. Politicking is the intervention of forces beyond commonsense and a display of an amalgamation of who secures both power and authority. Power and authority is one tool in the methodology of politics that help develop and shape cohesion in the development of the state and the furtherance of democratic ideals for peace stability and good governance. Power sometimes is transient and is sought after at all cost to make possible authority governance peace and progress.

    Today within the APC, there is power play in the quest for authority. Authority determines how power is and can be used, for one without the other makes the doctrine of separation of powers intangible. Personalities help wield power, authority vindicates power and creates conformity and cohesion. Party leaders are trusted in the determination and formation of government. The essence of democratic government lies solely with the nomination of trusted party faithful into positions of authority to legislate, implement party policy and manifesto and deliver dividends of democracy to the people. The sacrifice is huge and so a consensus ad idem must be met to create a primus inter pares at both houses of assembly. The Senate President must have the confidence of the party in and out of the National Assembly and so must the Speaker.

    The Speaker of the federal house of assembly in the APC has secured such assent. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has the support of the majority albeit a few dissents (though negligible and good for any democratic process) have had their voices heard. The senatorial presidential race is however portending danger. A disgruntled Bukola Saraki is looking to the opposition party to help him secure a majority in his quest for victory in the race for Senate President. What if he gets his way and he becomes Senate President will ambition be made of sterner stuff or will ambition have planted a seed of discord within the party? How does he forge ahead in leadership? Will his power have authority or will he have authority and his powers eroded? As an experienced Young Turk, is his ambition, like Julius Ceaser’s or unlike it? Will he scuttle the change ideals and programmes he deserted the PDP for or will he have compromised his ideology and so become an unreliable

    leader and third most powerful Nigerian? The party is now being polarised and huge sentiments are rumoured within the ranks and file of leadership as to the value of such an admired person who brought hope and drive to their leadership being young vibrant agile intelligent and full of promise. As in the tale of Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser, is ambition going to deal the APC a deadly blow?

    We must all wrestle with our conscience in this common sense revolution built solidly from scratch to overcome tyranny, oppression, victimisation, repression, want, stagnation, insecurity, corruption and many ills to develop a new nation. Will the race for Senate President destroy our humble beginnings or will common sense prevail?

    I am a believer in party supremacy. Towing the party line can never be to the detriment of a minority group or individual. On the contrary, it creates strength from the dissenting voice. Working outside of the party is blackmail and as a defector sends a wrong signal. The position of Senate President is sacrosanct and many have voiced and opined privately the raison detre of a former defector being considered to such powerful sensitive position. The wanton disregard for party supremacy begs this question on the lips of party faithful and the inability of Senator Bukola Saraki to conform leaves sour grapes on the lips and minds of the leadership. Trust is key. What is his hurry and why can’t he wait for why must he be Senate President at all cost? If he wins within the APC caucus, then his ambition has been made of sterner stuff but if he goes outside the APC in parliament and secures victory from his former colleagues, he throws a clog into the wheel of change and compromises the new executive in its quest to build a transparent viral incorruptible government. His ambition challenges the doctrine of separation of powers ….his ambition rubbishes the whole efforts garnered to bring about change. He becomes a liability so incalculable and undemocratic he deserves expulsion from the party.

    Let no observer of the 8th Assembly formation doubt the unscrupulous behaviour of this intelligent promising Young Turk and find justification in what political feat he is trying to achieve. The doctrine of collective responsibility should be strictly adhered to at leadership levels. Decision into an exalted office of the Senate President should not be a matter of discord, acrimony, individual ambition or selfish jingoistic pride. The price for ambition beyond reason is high. Julius Caesar paid with life; let the lessons of Caesar be learnt an adopted to build a viral vibrant democracy devoid of personal interest ambition or self absolutism. Humility must prevail, pride buried and hope garnered for opportunity beckons on all selfless contributors into positions that will create great chances that will propel our new Republic to heights for the common good of all. Let our common sense revolution be our benefit. Let our party be united for the common good.

    There should be a limit to ambition or is it over ambition. Saraki’s over ambition seeks to bring down the house. It has exposed Saraki as a desperate power monger who cares only about the room he occupies not the foundation that holds the building.

    ‘Let no observer of the 8th Assembly formation doubt the unscrupulous behaviour of this intelligent promising Young Turk and find justification in what political feat he is trying to achieve. The doctrine of collective responsibility should be strictly adhered to at leadership levels’

     

  • ‘Mosquito’ challenges Warri Wolves on ambition

    ‘Mosquito’ challenges Warri Wolves on ambition

    WarriWolves midfield marshal, Ibenegbu Ikechukwu has challenged his team mates to raise the bar on their ambitions, as the team prepares to challenge for the new season.

    Ibenegbu, who is a part of the Nigeria Beach Soccer team, disclosed that his aim of joining the club has not been fulfilled, thus, he has urged his team mates to brace up and win something with him this season.

    Mosquito – as Ibenegbu is known in Nigeria football circle – revealed that the main reason of playing for the Warri based team is to win trophies and he believes the team can do it if all work together.

    “My aim of joining this club has not been met. I came here to win trophies and it really pained me that we did not win anything last season. I just want to appeal to all, including Management to put all hands on deck and see that we win something.”

    Meanwhile, Ibenegbu is happy with the progress made so far this season even with the late resumption, especially the spirit displaced against the National U-23 in their first match which they lost by two goals to one.

    “I am happy with the progress made so far ,especially the way they have been going about it even though we resumed late. We have a combination of experience and young boys who are hungry to make a name for themselves and that is good for the team,” said Ibenegbu.

  • Edo South: Obahiagbon’s ambition upsets calculations

    Edo South: Obahiagbon’s ambition upsets calculations

     

     

     

    The battle to decide who represents people of Edo South Senatorial District at the National Assembly is gathering steam as more politicians declare interest in the seat.

    The contest promises to be interesting indeed. Although nearly all the major political parties are jostling to field candidates for the senatorial contest, pundits say the battle is mainly between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, the entrance of present Chief of Staff to Edo State Governor, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon (aka Ighodomighodo), into the race has sent tongues wagging as many observers of the politics of the state posit that his coming may redefine the entire contest from the primary elections to the general poll.

    Ending months of speculations about his political future, the former member of the Federal House of Representatives has thrown his hat into the ring saying he feels he still has a lot to offer the people of Edo South in the area of robust representation at the National Assembly.

    Given that the race is already a crowded one, the aspiration of Obahiagbon, who is famous for his eloquence and earth-moving vocabularies and who had represented the Oredo Federal Constituency between 2007 and 2011 on the platform of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), is seen by many as a move by the ruling party to ensure that it put its best foot forward in the looming political contest.

    The lawmaker, who was denied a return ticket on the platform of the PDP in 2011, decamped to the ruling APC and played a prominent role during the re-electioneering campaign of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 2012. He afterwards emerged as the Chief of Staff to the state governor upon the Comrade Governor’s re-election.

    Before his election into the lower chamber of the National Assembly, he was elected into the House of Assembly in 1999 under the PDP. He served for eight years as a state legislator.

    Perhaps as part of effort to ensure that he does not suffer the fate that befell him in 2011 that saw his losing to Hon. Razaq Bello-Osagie, The Nation learnt that Obahiagbon is currently reaching out to political and community leaders with a view to marketing himself to constituents.

    “With Obahiagbon in the race, the contest is bound to take a new shape. We all know he is not a politician to be shoved aside in any contest that is political. By the time you add his current position as a serving Chief of Staff to the governor, you will understand what we are talking about.

    Yes, a lot of people are in the race, even before him. But his aspiration can easily be used to guess the body language of some powerful forces within and outside his party.

    If that happens, then the entire race will immediately assume a new dimension,” a chieftain of the ruling party said on Friday.

    “Edo South Senatorial District requires someone like Obahiagbon with not just charisma, depth, huge local following but also national visibility to make impact. To stem the current drab sessions at the Abuja Chamber, he is the man we should send to the senate in 2015.

    You will recall that respected national figures like the Sultan of Sokoto, General Ibrahim Babangida and even Bishop Mathew Kukah are known to have openly begged Comrade Oshiomhole at one time or the other to release Obahiagbon to serve Edo and indeed the nation in Abuja come 2015. So, we are urging the governor to do that right away,” Hon Elias Oduware, APC youth leader in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of the state submitted.

    Senator Ehigie Uzamere currently occupies the senate seat in contention at the Green Chamber in Abuja. Uzamere, who was re-elected into the senate on the platform of the ruling APC in 2011 after he was denied a return ticket by his then party, the PDP, recently dumped the ruling party and staged a return to his former party, the PDP.

    Analysts say Edo South is APC stronghold in Edo State. If this turns out to be true, then pundits who have been giving victory to APC in the forthcoming senatorial battle would be right and Senator Uzamere, who is reported to be seeking a third term in the senate, may not be re-elected.

    Aside the current senator who had to switch political party platforms to get re-elected, no other person has been re-elected into the senate from the district since 1999. His predecessors – Senators Roland Owie and Daisy Danjuma – both served only a term each between 1999 to 2003 and 2003 to 2007 respectively.

    Aside Obahiagbon and the current senator, also in the race is the APC Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, Hon. Samson Osagie. He has been a lawmaker for 16 years.

    Osagie was a member of the Edo State House of Assembly between 1999 and 2003 before moving to the House of Representatives. He was elected thrice on the platform of the PDP. In 2011, he joined the ACN and was re-elected into the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

    His critics urge him to seek an executive office haven been a lawmaker for 16 years. But, Osagie says he is well equipped to proceed to the senate in 2015. He says only a credible and tested person is fit for the job. The Speaker, according to his associates, is very keen about getting the nod of his party to represent the district in the senate and is working seriously towards this.

    “He sees himself as the candidate to beat and is not thinking of jettisoning this ambition come what may,” an aide told The Nation.

    But pundits say with the entrance of Obahiagbon into the race, the permutation in the Speaker’s camp would have to change.

    “Given the closeness of the two and the fact that they are both trusted allies of the governor, there are no way the calculations will not be altered. These two people cannot engage themselves in blind politicking. Even the governor will not allow that to happen,” a chieftain of the party said.

    In the PDP, apart from Senator Uzamere, other political heavyweights gunning for the ticket include Hon.Victor Edos Ebomoyi, currently the Chairman of the Governing Council, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. He served Governor Lucky Igbinedion as chief of staff. He was also a commissioner before becoming the chairman of Oredo Local Government Area. Viewed by his supporters as loyal to the party, they believe he would be rewarded for his loyalty by the party.

    Hon. West Idahosa and Matthew Urhoghide are other aspirants on the platform of the PDP. Both are believed by their supporters to have what it takes to get the ticket of their party.

    While Urhoghide, who is the Publicity Secretary of the PDP, joined the PDP ahead of the last general elections after he felt cheated at the ACN primaries won by Senator Uzamere, Idahosa, a three-term federal lawmaker, was among APC members that defected to the PDP after the APC congresses.

    Observers say it will be a keen competition among those that have remained loyal to the party and those that left the party and defected back alongside Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.