The Nation Newspaper

Tag: governorship

  • Amosun’s Chief of Staff urges support for governorship ambition

    Mr Tolulope Odebiyi, the Chief of Staff to Ogun

    State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, has begun consultations with various political groups and party chieftains in the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially in Ogun East Senatorial District ahead of the 2019 governorship election.

    Odebiyi met earlier with the Chief Mobiliser of Amosun for Second Term Project, Otunba Babatunde Onakoya (aka Debasco), as well as other party chieftains for their support and blessings to realise his ambition.

    He sought the blessings and support of the APC leader in Leguru Local Government Council Area (LCDA) and Odogbolu Local Government Area.

    The governorship seat has reportedly been zoned to Yewa-Awori in Ogun West Senatorial District.

    Odebiyi noted that success might be hard to achieve, if an aspirant does not consult people widely on the matter.

    On the political significance of every senatorial district in the state, the governor’s aide, who is also the son of the late Senator Jonathan Odebiyi of Iboro-Yewa in Ogun West Senatorial District, hailed Onakoya for his usual support.

    The aspirant urged the APC chieftain to double his efforts ahead of the 2019 governorship poll.

    He said: “I am at home. There’s no division in Ijebu and Yewa. I belong to (the late) Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s family, which makes me a part of Ijebu. The likes of (the late) Baba Bisi Onabanjo, Onasanya, among others, testify that I belong to Ijebu as well. I have fathers here; so, I have no doubt that I am in the midst of my people.

    “I want you all to know that we are working to achieve the best in the standard mission of Governor Amosun’s administration.

    “We have been in the system, we know where the shoe pinches, and I am using this medium to clamour for continuity in Ogun State.

  • Governorship aspirant mobilises for Buhari

    Governorship aspirant mobilises for Buhari

    A gombe State All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Alhaji Abu Muazu, has urged the people to continue their support for President Muhammadu Buhari. At a rally to welcome the President, the aspirant said the president has great love and passion for Nigeria.

    Muazu said that he initiatedthe rally to showcase the state’s support for President Buhari.

    He said: “I sponsored this event to show our love and support for the President in Gombe State. Other states are demonstrating there love and support. I felt Gombe should not be left out. “

    He noted that the supporters who carried placards to support the President, were in high spirit, stressing that the procession started from the state  party secretariat along Jos-road to the market roundabout.

    Addressing the  crowd at the market square, Muazu said the president meant  well for the country and that he should be supported by all.

    He decried the misuse and misplacement of priorities in governance in Gombe State by the PDP administration.

    Kashere said projects carried out by the PDP government do not address the immediate needs of the ordinary people of the state.

    He stressed that Buhari embarked on projects that would ease the suffering of the common man.

    He flayed Governor  Ibrahim  Dankwambo, adding that his efforts were cosmetic. “On the surface it would appear as if Dankwambo is working, but he is only embarking on projects that would put money in his pockets.  His bogus roads network keep expnading while hospitals are suffering lack of drugs and many government establishments are grounded due to lack of running cost.“

    Muazu also lambasted the governor for allegedly taken Gombe resources to sponsor a rally against the President.

    He added: “It is a well known fact that Dankwambo Was the core sponsor of the Resume or Resign agitation against President Buhari. He again took Gombe money and went to build a palace for a traditional ruler elsewhere, while our palaces in Gombe are in need of serious work.“

  • How I ‘ll develop Oyo, by governorship aspirant

    How I ‘ll develop Oyo, by governorship aspirant

    A Governorship  aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Professor Adeolu Akande, has promised to transform the state through the development of agriculture, solid minerals and tourism.

    He said a strategic engagement of the three sectors could expand the economy of the state and remove  it from the list of states that could not pay workers’ salaries, owing to the  dwindling allocation from the Federation Account.

    Akande, who is a Visitng Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Presidential Studies at the Igbinedion  University, Okada, Edo State, said the state could exploit its comparative advantage, which is agriculture, and its locational advantage, which is its proximity to Lagos, one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

    The aspitant, who spoke in Ibadan, the state capital, added: “Oyo State is blessed with 28,454 square kilometres of arable land, which could be exploited for agriculture.

    “Our  comparative advantage in agriculture is cassava, poultry and fishing. We produce about 20 per cent of the 54 million tonnes of cassava produced in Nigeria. The fact that Nigeria exports less than one per cent of this product but imports cassava products worth more than one trillion  naira every year means there is a huge market to exploit both locally and internationally. Can’t  we double or triple our production?”

    Akande said job creation is possible through agricultural development.

    The aspirant, who noted that the Ajimobi administra!on has been addressing some of the problems confron!ng agriculture, said that a paradigm ship in the nation’s crude-oil driven-economy has made imperative to look inwards for revenue to run government.

  • Nwoye wins Anambra APC governorship primary

    A member of the House of Representatives, Dr Tony Nwoye, has won Anambra State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary ahead of the November 18 election.

    Nwoye, who represents Anambra East and Anambra West Constituency in the National Assembly, polled 2,146 votes to defeat his closest rival, Senator Andy Uba, who scored 931 votes in the party’s primary conducted on Saturday.

    The result of the primary was announced yesterday by the Chairman of the state’s APC Governorship Primary Election and Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the state capital.

    The election started on Saturday and extended till about 4.10 p.m yesterday when the result was announced by Shettima after a long period of collation of ballots.

    A breakdown of the result showed that Chief George Muoghalu polled 525 votes to place third, while Ms Adaobi Uchegbu, the only female aspirant, scored one vote.

    The Borno State governor said the total votes cast was 4,332, out of which 4,302 votes were valid and 31 were invalid.

    He noted that the total figure tallied with the number of ballot papers brought by the committee for the election.

    Shettima described the election, which had 12 aspirants as “very tedious” but the “easiest” he had ever taken part in.

    He said: “It was an easy one for us as an umpire because none of the members of the committee has personal interest. That was why we did our best to make the election free, fair and credible.”

    Shettima said the committee resisted overtures from aspirants, which he noted would have adversely affected the outcome of the primary.

    The governor hailed security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their roles at ensuring that the primary was successful.

    He said: “I must thank the security agencies, especially the Commissioner of Police and state’s Director of Department of State Service (DSS).”

    Presenting a copy of the election result to Nwoye, the Borno State governor urged him to ensure that APC wins the November 18 governorship poll.

    In his acceptance speech, Nwoye described the process that led to his victory as “thorough”.

    He pledged to lead the party to victory.

    Nwoye, a medical doctor and former President of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), was born on September 13, 1974.

    He studied Medicine at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka (UNN) and at the Ebonyi State University at Abakaliki.

    The APC candidate hails from Nsugbe in Anambra East Local Government Area, the same area with incumbent Governor Willie Obiano.

    He is a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State and its governorship candidate in the 2013 election.

    Nwoye won the election to the National Assembly in 2015 on the platform of the PDP.

  • Ex-PPPRA chief joins Ekiti governorship race

    A former Executive Secretary of Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Dr. Oluwole Oluleye, has joined Ekiti State governorship race on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The aspirant promised to implement an all-encompassing blueprint to bring sustainable development to the state and give the people a new lease of life, if he wins the party’s ticket and the governorship election.

    Oluleye unfolded his agenda at the weekend while addressing party leaders and members from the 10 wards in his hometown, Efon Alaaye, and APC state secretariat in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The governorship hopeful, who was joined by his wife, Pat, and other party supporters, inaugurated the headquarters of his campaign organisation at Ureje in Ado-Ekiti.

    The former executive secretary of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) noted that his 33-year career as a public servant and technocrat, among other assignments, prepared him for demands of the office of governor.

    He said contrary to opinion, Ekiti is not a poor state.

    Oluleye promised to invest in agriculture and mineral resources to create jobs, shore up the revenue base and depend less on allocation from the Federal Government.

    Describing himself as a “child of necessity,” the aspirant said he took up the challenge because decent people and men of integrity are needed in politics to prevent charlatans and people of questionable integrity from dominating the political space.

    APC Deputy State Chairman Mrs. Kemisola Olaleye has promised party supporters that APC will organise a free, fair and credible primary.

    She said the aspirants were all capable and qualified to be governor.

    The deputy chairman said they are capable of restoring good governance and quality leadership.

  • E11 elects new officers, denies endorsing governorship candidates

    E11 elects new officers, denies endorsing governorship candidates

    A socio-cultural group in Ekiti State, E11 has elected new officers to run the affairs of the group.

    Chief Kola Akosile was elected as Chairman to replace Mr  Femi Ajiniran.

    Others elected at the extra-ordinary meeting of the group on Saturday  are: Mrs Yetunde Fosudo as Vice Chairman, OSKA Seyi Aiyeleso as General Secretary,  Mr Tunde Dada as Social Secretary, Mr Dele Morakinyo as Public Relations Officers and Mr Seyi Oluboba as Treasurer

    The group also inaugurated Political Committee headed by Chief Adetunji Orisalade with Chief Yomi Aluko, Prince Diran Adeleke, and Mrs Funke Owoseni as members

    Messrs Tunji Olatunde and Seyi Oluboba are in the Economic committee, while Women Empowerment Committee is headed by Mrs Funke Owoseni with Mrs Yetunde Fosudo and Mrs Toyin Ajakaiye as members. Youth Committee has OSKA Aiyeleso and Prince Aladesanmi as members.

    Addressing journalists after the meeting, Chief Akosile disclosed that his emergence was to move the group forward noting that Senator Babafemi Ojudu was the first Chairman, while Femi Ajiniran who spent ten years as the Chairman was the second.

    The group in a recent statement signed by the former Deputy Speaker of the State and who is the Chairman of the Political Committee of the Group, Chief Orisalade denied reports that E11 has backed the Gubernatorial ambition of Senator Babafemi Ojudu.

    Chief Orisalade stated that: “though Senator Ojudu is a front line Member of the Association and qualified as per his ambition, he had never informed the Association, at any General Meeting of his Gubernatorial ambition, not to talk of his adoption, promotion and backing by the Association”.

  • 2019: My son not interested in governorship – Saraki

    2019: My son not interested in governorship – Saraki

    President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has ruled out the possibility of his son participating in the governorship race in Kwara in 2019.

    He said at a Forum in Abuja that it was untrue that his son was being groomed as the next governor of the state.

    According to Saraki, the boy is not interested in politics. That is not in the offing at all; I am sure he doesn’t even want to hear politics at all.

    “You know it is not easy for children who are born to politicians, especially in this time, to embrace politics.

    “When I was much younger, we were insulated from some of the political issues, and because we didn’t read the newspapers, we didn’t know what was happening.

    “I reluctantly went into politics, you can go and check. Once or twice, I was given the form to run for House of Representatives, and I remember I just travelled and disappeared for months.

    “After seeing what my father had been through I thought to myself that this is not for me,” he said.

    Saraki, however, said that the most important thing for him in the state was the legacy which had been left and the continuity and good relationship between former and the serving governor.

    He said that his successor had also done a good job in transforming the state by creating an environment for entrepreneurship.

    “In the agricultural sector, we have done a lot of things that drive commercial activities which is not in the blueprint of the country.

    “Even in the universal health coverage which we are now talking about at the national level, I started that when I was governor, and now my governor has continued and built on that.

    “This shows the importance of continuity and stability and today, we thank God that we are one of those states where there is a very good relationship between former governor and current governor.” he said.

    He denied insinuation that pensioners in the state were still being owed arrears dating back to when he was governor.

    “Majority of the amounts still being owed are at the local government level, most of the state level pensions are not outstanding.

    “There might be issues with pensions here and there but I don’t know the details. I know that the arrears and liability are at local government level, not at state government level,” Saraki stated.

  • Hon Akinlade raises his game

    When the stakes are at their highest, success cannot be achieved without a robust groundwork, cooperation and creative risk-taking. For suave politician, Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, this is pretty much the case. He has no choice but to raise his game in the high-stakes of the Ogun governorship tussle which is set to mesmerise everyone as the hopefuls slug it out in the weeks and months leading up to 2019.

    The three-term member of the House of Representatives has been watering his governorship ambition like a patient gardener. The consummate politician who represented Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency has been building up his grassroots base and consulting with those who hold the keys of the door to the governorship seat, including the incumbent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

    Indeed, despite not being in office, the Baba Adinni of Yewaland is making himself felt in the political circles of the state. Coming from the Ogun West senatorial zone, Akinlade is banking on the total support of the people in a zone that has enjoyed little in terms of political appointments in the state since inception. Coupled with his anticipated move to the ruling APC to take advantage of a more robust political structure and the might of incumbency, Akinlade’s campaign is already generating massive excitement.

  • How Adebayo inspired my governorship dream, by Ajimobi

    How Adebayo inspired my governorship dream, by Ajimobi

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State moved his audience to an emotional applause last week when he revealed how a 1967 contact with the late Military Governor of Western State, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, inspired the dream of becoming a governor in him.

    Ajimobi also recalled in the history, how he ended up marrying the then young girl that presented a flower bouquet to the governor, who is today Mrs Florence Ajimobi.

    He was giving tributes on behalf of the governors of the six Southwest states at the ‘day of tributes’ ceremony which was one of the week-long activities for the final burial of the late military governor.

    At the event which was held at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan were Senate President, Bukola Saraki, state governors, senators, traditional rulers, top military and para-military officers and other eminent Nigerians.

    Ajimobi recalled that Adebayo, while serving as military governor at the time, visited Bodija International School, Ibadan where he was given a state welcome.

    He recalled that the special honour accorded the visitor so much inspired him to dream of attaining the same position so he could be so honoured in the society.

    According to him, he immediately prayed God to make him governor some day, using Adebayo as a point of contact.

    The governor recalled with nostalgia, how Adebayo conducted himself and lived his life with utmost dignity which he said was impressive enough to inspire people to aim high in life.

    Expressing gratitude to God for answering his prayers, Ajimobi said God crowned the answer to his prayer by giving him  the then young girl that presented the welcome flower bouquet to Adebayo in the 1967 event as  wife. She is Mrs Florence Ajimobi.

    The audience was moved to an emotional applause on hearing the story.

    The governor urged the audience to embrace the habit of using successful people as a point of contact in their prayers if the wish to succeed like them.

    He emphasized that the dignity and effectiveness that marked out the late Iyin-Ekiti-born hero made it difficult for him to survive in partisan politics when he joined the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) after his retirement from the Nigerian Army.

  • ADP strategises for Ekiti governorship poll

    The National Publicity Secretary of Action Democratic Party (ADP), Hon. Akeem Jimoh, has called on members of the party to work for success in the 2019 general elections.

    Jimoh, made the remarks at a meeting of the political association in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, when its supporters from the 16 local governments met to discuss the way forward. The association has applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registration.

    He promised that the party would emerge victorious in the next general election. He said: “We are the mega party that would sweep away the inefficient and uncoordinated leadership in the country due to bad leadership.”

    The ADP has scaled through the hurdles of registration by INEC and is currently waiting to get the nod of the commission to participate in future elections.

    The Ekiti State Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Abegunde, has advised members to be conscious in the choice of the candidates. He described some of the politicians as political harlots who will pretend to be a member of a party only to divulge the secret of the party to other parties.

    Abegunde noted that other political parties are cracked walls and their members would want to take advantage of the “mega party”.

    He said ADP  members must practice what  they preach, which is openness and love, saying only members who have a better understanding of their people, including the sufferings they are passing through at the moment, would be given an opportunity to contest on the platform of the ADP.

    Its  Publicity Secretary, Chief Eniola Eponlaye, said only like-mindeda people who have a burning desire to rescue the sinking Nigerian ship from the present rudderless, clueless, self-serving and deceitful cabals should be rejected during theelections.

    He said: “These cabals have destroyed our national ethics and values as virtually all our national prides have been eroded by the deceitful and wicked cabals marauding themselves as politicians. He said through the collusion of the political elite “there have been massive lootings of the treasury, unemployment, kidnapping, terrorism, armed-robbery, brain-drain, human-trafficking and the collapse of both social and economic infrastructures in a country that used to be the giant of Africa”.

    Some of the members of the ADP who spoke at the meeting commended INEC for taking the wisest decision so far to get the party registered.