The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oshiomhole

  • Oshiomhole knocks govts forborrowing from N11tr pension funds

    Oshiomhole knocks govts forborrowing from N11tr pension funds

    The wrongful application of workers’ contributory pension funds by governors and the federal government is unacceptable, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) said yesterday.

    He knocked the federal and state governments for ignoring commercial bank loans and opting for the funds contributed by workers on their payrolls, owing to the very low interest rate.

    The senator described the practice as a breach of the concept of the contributory pension scheme, which was established to represent a social capital which the workers would fall back on upon retirement.

    Oshiomhole, a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that the funds, currently estimated at over N11 trillion, ought to go into mortgage investments for workers, who upon retirement, are supposed to have a roof over their heads.

    He lamented that the essence of establishing the pension fund have been eroded by the administrators.

    Read Also: Presidency fires Obi over comments on VP’s residence

    Oshiomhole spoke in Abuja yesterday at the 8th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), with the theme: “Trade unionism in the era of economic crisis: Addressing the increasing poverty level of Nigerian workers.”

    The erstwhile Labour leader said: “I know I resisted the idea of contributory pension to be managed by Pension Fund Administrators PFAs. These PFAs are profit seekers, you cannot give me six per cent return on my pension savings and yet path with 25 per cent.

    “In misery I am getting poorer but we are the greatest economists you can ever think of. Nowadays, that pension scheme is over N11 trillion deducted from your wages, if they put up a part of that trillion or more into mass housing, will workers remain homeless? No, because we were told that the reason we don’t have a flourishing mortgage system in Nigeria is that banks don’t give long-term funds.

    “Governors go to borrow these pension funds at a very reduced interest rate for about six per cent, instead of going to the banks which have higher interest rates. Because the banks say they cannot give out customers’ funds to borrowers, especially because some save at maybe two to three months and come and collect, such funds cannot be used as long-term loans.”

    The senator also condemned the brutalisation of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero by thugs, just as faulted the resultant two-day strike which grounded social and economic activities in the country.

    According to him, oftentimes, Labour leaders go seeking implementation of their demands from governments, (the capitalists) with biased positions that are not well articulated, giving the government officials upper hand in their negotiations.

    He said the Labour movement must always approach issues in a united front, even though the capitalists will always find ways to break or fragment them.

    On the removal of petrol subsidy, Oshiomhole urged workers not to lament their sorry situation but to put on their thinking caps and wriggle out of the dire situation.

    Rather than spend time agonising over unfavourable government policies, workers should engage as a united front to press home their demands to those in authority.

    According to him, he successfully engaged former President Olusegun Obasanjo during his days as president of the NLC to make the prices of petroleum products remain at a reasonable level for Nigerians because he was always armed with specific demands from the affiliate unions.

    President of NASU, Makolo Hassan, said state governments were the “biggest beneficiaries of the fuel subsidy removal which has plunged millions of Nigerians into abject poverty, as they continue to grapple with high cost of living.”

    To this end, he asked state governments to replicate the federal government’s wage award to federal employees as an interim measure to cushion the hardship occasioned by the fuel subsidy removal.

    Hassan said: “In view of the fact that all state government workers are equally affected by the same hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy, we call on the remaining state governments to, as a matter of urgency, announce and implement their awards.

    “State governments have no option than to do so because they are the biggest beneficiaries of fuel subsidy removal in view of the quantum of increase in the allocations they are now receiving from the Federation account.”

    Hassan also called on President Bola Tinubu to kick start the processes of reviewing the current national minimum wage Act, as workers were “struggling to survive the harsh economy and an extremely high cost of living which was no longer commensurate with their take home pay.”

    Admitting the economic crisis facing the country, the NASU President lamented that the monetary policies of the immediate past and current government has given rise to an inflation rate of 27.3 per cent, an exchange rate of as high as N1,100 to a dollar as at the time of report, and the high price of pump price of petrol currently at N640 per litre, and as such, was making mockery of the current minimum wage.

    He said: “The call for the review of the National Minimum Wage has become urgent in view of the information given by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its report for October 2023, which stated that the major contributors to the increase in inflation were food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel, clothing and footwear, transport, furnishings, household equipment and maintenance. The continued rise in inflation was attributed to removal of petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the official exchange rate

    “I therefore call on the president to, as a matter of urgency, constitute a National Minimum Wage Negotiating Committee to review the current National Minimum Wage Act.”

  • Oshiomhole carpets FG, Govs for drawing from workers’ N11trn pension funds

    Oshiomhole carpets FG, Govs for drawing from workers’ N11trn pension funds

    Senator Adams Oshiomhole(Edo North) has decried the misappropriation of the contributory pension funds by Governors and the Federal Government, saying both parties were ignoring loans offered by commercial banks and going for the workers fund, owing to the very low interest rate.

    He said this was in breach of the concept establishing the contributory pension scheme designed to represent a social capital which workers would fall back on upon retirement.

    The former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stated that the funds, currently estimated at over N11 trillion, ought to go into mortgage investments for workers, who upon retirement, are supposed to have a roof over their head.

    The former Edo Governor lamented that the essence of establishing the pension fund has been eroded by the administrators.

    Oshiomhole spoke at the 8th Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) with the theme ” Trade unionism in the era of economic crisis: Addressing the increasing poverty level of Nigerian Workers,” on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Oshiomhole said: “I know I resisted the idea of contributory pension to be managed by Pension Fund Administrators PFAs. These PFAs are profit seekers, you cannot give me 6% return on my pension savings and yet path with 25% .

    Read Also; EFCC laments zero release of 2023 capital budget, seeks upward review of 2024 allocation

    “In misery I am getting poorer but we are the greatest economists you can ever think of. Nowadays, that pension scheme is over N11 trillion Naira deducted from your wages, if they put up a part of that trillion or more into mass housing, will workers remain homeless? No, because we were told that the reason we don’t have a flourishing mortgage system in Nigeria is that Nigeria banks don’t give long term funds.

    “Governors go to borrow these pension funds at a very reduced interest rate for about 6 percent, instead of going to the banks which have higher interest rates. Because the banks say they cannot give out customers’ funds to borrowers, especially because some save at maybe two to three months and come and collect, such funds cannot be used for long term loans.”

    The senator condemned in strong terms the brutalisation of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Joe Ajaero by thugs allegedly hired by Imo state government.

    He also faulted the strike which temporarily grounded social and economic activities in the country for two days.

    According to him, oftentimes Labour leaders go seeking implementation of their demands from governments, (the capitalists) with biased positions that are not well articulated, giving the government officials upper hand in their negotiations.

    He said the labour movement must always approach issues in a united front, even though the capitalists will always find ways to break or fragment them.

    While commenting on the fuel subsidy policy of the government, Oshiomhole urged workers not to lament their sorry situation but to put on their thinking cap and wriggle out of the dire situation.

    He said rather than spend time agonising over government policies that are not working in their favour, they should engage as a united front to press home their demands to those in authority.

  • Oshiomhole right on Imo, Ajaero and NLC strike

    Oshiomhole right on Imo, Ajaero and NLC strike

    For two harrowing days last week, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) subjected Nigerians to a national strike called mainly to protest the brutalisation of their president, Joe Ajaero. They were disturbed by the federal government’s nonchalance in dealing with the hoodlums who beat up the NLC president weeks ago in Imo State. Before the national strike, the unions had first plunged Imo State into darkness by cutting electricity supply to the state. They also promised to sustain the punishment until certain conditions were met. They held the state by its jugular. When those conditions were not met, the unions escalated the crisis to the national level by punishing the entire country for two days over issues completely unrelated to the other 35 states. Union leaders were unanimous over the issue of the brutalisation of their president, and everyone who disagreed with them or commented on the crisis had first prefaced their disagreement or comment with a condemnation of the attack on Mr Ajaero.

    This writer refused to join the bandwagon last week of assuaging the unions. He commented on the NLC/TUC strike decision without first pouring libation at the unions’ shrine. Mr Ajaero was intemperate and his judgement poor, the writer had concluded. And by brazenly displaying partisanship and believing himself to be the embodiment of the union, the writer also argued, Mr Ajaero had attracted the insults and assault by the state’s homegrown enforcers. There was no dignity to his statements regarding the dispute between some public sector workers in the state and the government, nor was his boisterous and unguarded action in trying to arm-twist the state to achieve partisan ends defensible. Fortunately, even before the unions called off their strike, which lasted only two undignified and reckless days, Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North – APC) had staked his reputation and legacy by denouncing the unions for elevating local and even personal issues to a national problem. The senator did his best to smother his unease with the unions’ misjudgement. He didn’t quite succeed, for, unlike many of his dissembling colleagues and the pussyfooting federal government, it was clear where he stood.

    Last Thursday Sen. Oshiomhole was on Channels Television to speak on the strike issue again, especially because he had raised a few eyebrows in his earlier stance a day or two before. Having been president of the NLC between 1999 and 2007, the Edo senator was naturally expected to be sympathetic to the unions’ position. But if he disagreed with their strike response, they thought he should be loth to oppose his former comrades publicly. However, on Channels Tv, the senator denounced the strike, deplored the trivialisation of the sacred instrument of trade union activism, and wondered why Mr Aajero was so unabashedly partisan to the point of even equating himself with the NLC. Leadership, the senator counseled, involved the capacity to sacrifice personal comforts and operate magisterially above the common level and routine indignity. He then delved into the beginnings of the Imo stalemate and explained that as a matter of fact, the fracture in the Imo NLC leadership, which the state exploited, was traceable to Mr Ajaero’s obtruding personality and refusal to let the state chapter order their own affairs.

    What probably upset Sen. Oshiomhole the most was Mr Ajaero’s flagrant partisanship and absolute lack of moderation and restraint. The elections were over, he said, and commonsense required that everyone and every union, particularly the NLC which advocates better living conditions for workers, needed to support the efforts to revivify the country’s distressed economy. Many analysts, including this writer, had told the unreflective NLC president this truth many times, but he has remained intransigent. This is where Sen. Oshiomhole’s public rebuke of the NLC leaders becomes relevant. If Mr Ajaero and the TUC president who cried more than the bereaved last week still have the humility to profit from good advice, they should reflect on what their former president said last week. It is now more urgent than before that the unions must take responsibility for electing sound leaders. It is not enough to just elect fiery rhetoricians and hell-raisers; they also need to diligently assess candidates for leadership, men and women of sound judgement able to decipher the most complex of issues pertaining to labour and their wellbeing.

    Sen. Oshiomhole has done the unions a great service by opposing their excesses from within, both as a friend and committed unionist. The unions should not wait for their enemies to undermine them. Outsiders could be more merciless. By denouncing the unions’ methods and rationalisations publicly and eloquently, the Edo senator showed why he was a successful union leader, engaging politician, and governor for two terms; and he is well on the way to becoming one of Nigeria’s highly impactful senators. He has done well as a unionist and politician, and from all indications, he will continue to do impressively well in anything he does. Sen. Oshiomhole is of course not a theoretician, and his ideological leaning, which seems left of centre, is more practical and eclectic than theoretical. But he has often effortlessly come to conclusions which far more educated public servants and politicians come to laboriously and without certainty. Not only does he speak very well and with self-assured panache, and is capable of sustaining his logic and coherence of thought over the distance, he is also principled, thoughtful and admirably consistent.

    Read Also: Fed Govt seeks more lands for irrigation farming in states

    His private ethics may be a different thing altogether, and he is also probably generous in his dalliances; but he is not alone when his principles are juxtaposed with the private scruples of his colleagues in the other arms of government. Sen. Oshiomhole will not throw the first stone knowing what his house is made of. And when it comes to such arcane matters as developing the next generation of leaders for his state or promoting a successor, he may exhibit weak knees and flustered hands. In fact, he may come across as less strategic and futuristic than his otherwise brilliant qualities would presuppose. But as far as public service is concerned, whether as union leader, or party leader, or governor, there are not many as gifted as he is. Even the self-satisfied Godwin Obaseki, the current Edo governor, cannot hold the candle to him. Indeed, whether the senator is deferential or not, he seems exactly the kind of man, party leader or politician who should have the president’s or senate president’s ear.

    But will Mr Ajaero listen to Sen. Oshiomhole on how not to mix politics with unionism? It is doubtful. The NLC president will have to be compelled by union executives to clean up his act. He will not do it willingly; nay, he cannot do it because he does not have it in him to paddle the union canoe with the moderation and intellect it deserves and demands. He meddled in the Imo chapter of the NLC, caused disaffection in the state chapter as a result of preferring one over the other, and has begun in recent weeks to feel megalomaniacally competent to build or to demolish anything that catches his fancy. After the Labour Party suffered a crushing defeat in the February presidential poll despite exploitating regional and religious sentiments and expectations, Mr Ajaero took leave of his senses and began to whoop hysterically. His party’s candidate, Peter Obi, ever the rational trader, briefly abandoned reason too but quickly reminded himself that there was a future to consider, and that such a future could not be built on the parsimony that formed the core of his cynical politics. Mr Obi’s running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, for reasons unclear to both politics and science, has disturbingly walked the entire gamut of extremism.

    Mr Ajaero is unlikely to moderate anytime soon, assuming he has the poise. He claimed not to hold a party card. He is just being disingenuous. He is as partisan as they come. He is a dyed-in-the-wool LP patron, and would as soon commit a felony for the sake of LP as foment a rebellion for his favoured candidates within the NLC. TUC’s Festus Usifo had always seemed a stoical and reflective union leader, especially in the early weeks of the Bola Tinubu presidency when the LP and Mr Ajaero, instigated by shadowy characters, tried to instigate street revolt against the new administration and democracy. Mr Usifo was unconvinced that the right thing to do was subvert democracy so early in the life of a new administration. But when he took up the gauntlet and led last week’s fight to redress Mr Ajaero’s battered body and image, it was thought that he was propelled by nobility. But when told that the National Industrial Court (NIC) order prohibiting the unions from protesting was still subsisting, he insinuated that the order could be disobeyed because the federal government was itself serially disobedient. It takes one small act or statement to take the measure of a leader. Mr Usifo has determined who he is. He may not be as recalcitrant as Mr Ajaero or as dismissive and conspiratorial, but it is impossible to imbue him with more than his ambition.

    With more gifted and courageous polemicists like Sen. Oshiomhole, there is yet hope that in the cut and thrust of Nigerian politics, there will always be enough men and women who can be counted to be the conscience of the nation. He was short on tactics and strategies when he led his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he is not short on sound judgement when it counts, nor devoid of the chutzpah required to give counsels that resonate on the national scene. He has rebuked and counseled the unions under Mr Ajaero; it is up to them to listen and take corrections. If they will not, it will not dampen the enthusiasm of the senator, nor vitiate the import of his reproofs; it will, however, be on record that someone spoke up in good faith as the unions careened into the abyss.  

  • You can’t arrest democracy, Oshiomhole faults timing of NLC’s Imo protest

    You can’t arrest democracy, Oshiomhole faults timing of NLC’s Imo protest

    • By Emmanuel Badejo, Assistant Editor and Adedamola Mustapha

    Senator Adams Oshiomhole of Edo North spoke against the protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Imo State two weeks ago.

    The protestst, led by the NLC  President, Joe Ajaero, triggered a series of events that culminated in the national strike by organised Labour. The strike was called off yesterday.

    Oshiomhole, a former NLC president, who appeared on a television programme, faulted Ajaero’s involvement in the election of the NLC chairman in the South-eastern state, in the build-up to the governorship election.

    Ajaero was arrested on November 1, in the middle of a protest and strike action by the NLC in the state and released hours later with visible bruises, prompting allegations of torture against the Imo State Police Command.

    Oshiomhole noted that as a result, the NLC president banned flights out of the state.

    The senator said: “He ordered… no transport out of Imo [and that] Imo must be grounded. And not a few people wondered about the timing.

    “If you don’t want the governor, the more reason you should allow the people to go and vote — and vote him out — if your opinion is shared by a majority of the people. But you cannot arrest democracy.”

    “Why declare a strike a few days before the election in the state where the people of the state would have either removed or re-affirmed confidence in the present governor.”

    Oshimohole pointed out that the incumbent NLC president is from Imo State, adding that “this is the second time they are having a showdown with the governor — and the issues are never really clear”.

    Read Also: Oshiomhole to Ajaero, Osifo: strike is misplaced priority

    According to him, the first instance was over a dispute about the workers’ preference in the election of the chairman of the NLC in Imo State Council.

    “The one that was allegedly favoured by many people, the president of the NLC coming from Imo didn’t like the person,” Oshiomhole argued.

    He added: “They did their election; it was nullified and a caretaker was appointed and some of the workers felt that the man appointed was the person favoured by the president.”

    In the Senator’s view, the NLC president must be seen to be above board and must not “drag himself into the little issues,” particularly when they are dealing with their own state.

    “Now, those issues about who is the chairman, who is not the chairman, led to a declaration of strike and the mother union of the NLC president is the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) which controls the power supply and they put off the power in Imo State,” Oshiomhole narrated.

    “This latest one, about nine or 10 days to the last election: Again, the NLC president went to Imo State over allegations of all sorts of things, but they are never specific. No wages, etc. and at the end of the day, we saw pictures of him being arrested,” Oshiomhole said.

    According to the former labour leader, the strike should have been limited to Imo State, adding that NLC could call for a strike on a national issue.

    He said: “Whereas I condemn in strong terms whoever is involved in the attack on the NLC president, I do not think that in itself is enough to call for a national strike.

    “Before you call for a national strike, the issue must be national in nature.

    “If it is about solidarity, the person with whom you are showing sympathy must first be allowed to fight for his or her rights.

    “When I was the NLC president, we went to supervise a strike in a state and that was limited to that state.

    “To run a national organisation, you must tackle a national issue.  Ajaero is not the president of Imo workers; he is the president of NLC.

    “A strike with a national appeal would have made much sense to Nigerians.

    “My advice to NLC is this: labour has the legitimate responsibility to defend the living standard of working families.

    “And the good news is that even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu agrees that the withdrawal of subsidy has triggered some unintended consequences, particularly on the high cost of living and he is ready to deal with it.

    Oshiomhole added: “So, NLC demanding for adjustment and compensation and other suggestions that they have made to cushion the effect of the removal is legitimate.

    “I am advising the NLC to get its priorities right.

    “There is no Nigerian worker whose wages has not been adjusted since the withdrawal of fuel subsidy.

    “I am in pain that even as we know that N30,000 minimum wage is no longer realistic, it is unfortunate that some state governors are not paying that amount, yet, the workers are not asked to go on strike.

    “NLC should deal with any employer who violates basic workers’ rights, not concentrate on the state that the NLC president comes from.

    “If I were Ajaero, I would move the NLC to push for the payment of the additional N35,000 wage award, which the federal and state governments agreed with workers a few months ago. That for me will be my priority.”

  • Uzodimma’s landmarks earned him re-election, says Oshiomhole

    Uzodimma’s landmarks earned him re-election, says Oshiomhole

    Former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Senator Adams Oshiomhole has explained what accounted for the re-election of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma in the November 11 off-cycle election.

    He said the performance of the governor endeared him to the hearts of the electorate who returned at the poll.

    “The people chose based on the performance of the governor in the last four years,” Oshiomhole  told State House reporters in Abuja yesterday after a meeting with Vice President Kashim Shettima.

    According to him, most analysis of how the people made choices in the inner recesses of the states, especially in the media, were based on wrong indices, which did not represent the realities of the voters across the states.

    Oshiomhole said: “Particularly for Imo State, there have been a lot of forces working to undermine security in the state, and they’ve resorted to measures that are adding tension in Imo and some people even want to plunge the state into darkness, believing that when it is dark, the people cannot vote.

    “But, my take away from the Imo election is that these forgotten majority of people who are voiceless, who can’t even have access to you, have the power of the ballot.

    “That it is not what sponsored commentators say on television or sponsored writers write in newspapers that will inform their judgment, their judgments will be formed by what they have seen the governor doing, and those aspect of what the governor is doing that touch them.

    Read Also: First Lady’s RHI lifts 1,709 fallen heroes’ families with N427.7m

    “For example, when the governor constructs a road to the village, a village that was not accessible before and you tell those villagers that the governor is bad. They’ll say ‘he may be bad for you o, but he’s good for me’.

    “When I saw the governor commissioning a very modern hospital in a remote area and you go on television to say ‘that Governor Hope is a bad man,’they’ll say ‘he’s bad to you, but he gave us hospital. We are going to give him our votes’.

    “For me, that is the beauty of democracy and it also put on notice, commentators that they shouldn’t sit in the comfort of state capitals and comment almost with managerial confidence about the goings on in the state when they have never even visited that state.

    “The worst mistake you can make is to rely on sampling people in Abuja whom we call ward 17. They don’t exist in the states but they are very vocal. They are the ones you will find being hosted by TV anchors, but those voiceless guys, they are potent.

    “They are actually the ones that vote, while the commentators asking whether people have started fighting? I think that what has happened in Imo shows that this democracy cannot be arrested by urban elites.”

  • Obaseki remains my friend in spite of our political differences – Oshiomhole

    Obaseki remains my friend in spite of our political differences – Oshiomhole

    Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo North Senatorial District and former Governor of Edo, says the incumbent governor of the state, Godwin Obaseki, remains his friend in spite of their political and party differences.

    Oshiomhole spoke while giving his goodwill message at the ongoing 2023 Alaghodaro Summit in Benin.

    The summit has as its theme, “The Edo Story: Creating Shared Opportunities into the Future.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Alaghodaro summit is held yearly by the Edo Government, in partnership with the private sector, to mark the anniversary of Obaseki in office.

    The state government usually avail itself of the opportunity to showcase the progress being recorded in transforming the state into an investment haven.

    Oshiomhole, who thanked Obaseki for hosting the Alaghodaro summit and inviting him, noted that the world should know that he and Obaseki were friends not enemies.

    Read Also; JUST IN: Gunmen kill five persons in Rivers

    According to him, being friends doesn’t mean we can’t disagree or have different opinions; but we must treat ourselves with love and care.

    “Regardless of what people say, we should not give the impression that different options translate to war.

    “People don’t need the tears of leaders joining them to lament but taking bold steps to solve the problem facing the people.

    “Having the privilege as a governor, I have high regard for the Office of the Governor and for the governor himself.

    “To have all the civilian governors elected in the state present here today speaks volumes.

    “We definitely belong to different political parties but the sum total of those parties is not equal to Edo State.

    “What this means to me is that we can politic differently but never have doubt about the shared commitment to the citizens of the state that should be the greatest in Nigeria.

    “The language of leaders matters to followers. What defines democracy is that of ideology, even if we share the same destination but the route to get there may differ, it should not be a matter of war.

    “I thought the world should know that Godwin is my friend. It doesn’t matter; being friends does not mean we cannot debate or disagree but being friends means we treat ourselves with love and care and bring our followers together.

    “I am happy that with all the challenges in Nigeria, Nigeria is greater than the challenges,” he said.

    Earlier, Obaseki said his government had, in the past seven years, reengineered Edo for growth and development, and consciously laid a solid foundation for the state’s future.

    The governor noted that the government focused on six thematic pillars, including institutional reforms, economic revolution, social welfare, infrastructure development, environmental sustainability and arts and culture.

    Obaseki noted that the bold reforms had positively impacted the lives of millions of Edo people, placing the state on the path of sustainable and accelerated growth and development.

    NAN reports that two former governors of the state, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Chief Lucky Igbinedion, were also present at the event.

    Though they spoke at different times during the programme, both former governors commended Obaseki’s lofty achievements and visionary leadership.

    (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

  • Oshiomhole, Ihonvbere win at election tribunal

    Oshiomhole, Ihonvbere win at election tribunal

    The National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin, has upheld the victory of Senator Adams Oshiomhole in the February 25 Edo North Senatorial District election declared by INEC.

    The tribunal also upheld the election of Rep Ihonvbere Julius of the APC, representing Owan Federal Constituency.

    The three-man tribunal, led by Justice O.A. Chuioke, dismissed the petition filed by a former Senator, Francis Alimikhena, of the PDP for lack of merit.

    Alimikhena, through his counsel, Mr Rasak Isenalume, had petitioned against the former governor of the state, Sen Oshiomhole, alongside INEC and APC, in the suit NO: EPT/ED/SEN/02/2023.

    The 1st petitioner Alimikhena, in his petition, asked the tribunal to declare null and void the election of Oshiomhole over noncompliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 as required by law and declare him the winner of the election.

    He also urged the tribunal to nullify the election of the former APC National Chairman on alleged non-transmission of election results through the use of a BIVAS machine to the IREV Portal

    Alimikhena, on the alternative, prayed the tribunal to order a rerun of the election owing to non-substantial compliance with the law.

    But in their separate responses, counsels to the respondents urged the tribunal to dismiss the case of the petitioners for lack of merit.

    Delivering the unanimous judgement on behalf of the tribunal, its chairman, Justice Alero Akeredolu, held that the petitioners failed woefully to prove their case, adding that they could not rely on the weakness or strength of the respondents to prove their cases against Oshiomhole.

    Justice Akeredolu also held that the petitioners failed to tender before the tribunal any relevant document to prove a case of non-compliance as contained in their petitions.

    The Tribunal, therefore, dismissed the petition against Oshiomhole in its entirety

    Reacting to the judgement, counsel to the petitioners, Rasak Isenalume, expressed appreciation of the conduct of the case, disclosing that the tribunal had concluded that the petition had no merit and dismissed the case with reasons.

    Responding also, counsel to Oshiomhole, represented by Famous Osawaru, said that “they (petitioners) were not able to establish non-compliance and the judges were able to cover all the areas.

    “They called just one witness and closed their case and we didn’t bother to overburden the court but to argue on the point of law. It is a victory for democracy. ”

    Earlier, the tribunal also dismissed the petition filed by Jimoh Iruokhaime Ijiegbai Ojeiu and PDP, against the INEC declaration of Ihonvbere as winner of the Owan Federal Constituency.

    The tribunal also agreed with the argument of the lead counsel to Ihonvbere Mr Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) that Ojeiu’s petition failed in its entirety.

    Ojeiu and the PDP are 1st and 2nd petitioners in the petition marked EPT/ED/HR/03/2023.

    Reacting to the two-hour judgement, Counsel to the 1st petitioners, Rasak Isenalume, Esq, told NAN that: “As lawyers, our duty is to present the case as it is and back it up with relevant laws.

    “So, it is for the tribunal to decide; you know we cannot change the law. All sides must have their positions and we canvassed ours eloquently. But the tribunal has come with its decision.

    “Well, like I told the tribunal, we will await further instructions from our clients as there is a further step to go.

    “Most of these cases we are citing today, they were cases done at the tribunal and reversed at the Court of Appeal and affirmed by the Supreme Court.”

    But counsel to Prof. Ihonvbere, 2nd Respondent, Famous Osawaru, who held brief for West-Idahosa, SAN, described the judgement as a master class, meticulously written, articulately delivered and a victory for the people of Owan Federal Constituency

    Read Also: Wike’s appointment into FCT Ministry offers hope for Nigerians, says Oshiomhole

    He maintained that the tribunal dismissed the petition following the inability of the petitioners to prove the issues of overvoting as alleged in their petition.

    He said: “They could not prove the elements to establish overvotes in the election.”

    But counsel to the respondent, the APC, Mr Victor Asumwan, said: “We are glad with the judgement and it is a reaffirmation of the decision of the electorate in Owan East and West Constituency when they voted massively for APC.

    “The tribunal has affirmed the position of the law that for one to prove overvoting, there are certain requirements of the law you must meet.

    “The petitioners obviously woefully failed to meet those provisions.”

    (NAN)

  • Obaseki or Oshiomhole: Whose side were you?

    Sir: Over the past week, most Nigerians and indeed Edo people were shell-shocked at the rapprochement that took place between former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole and the incumbent, Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki. In times past, the duo were political friends and acquaintances – the one seen more as a political godfather to the other. Obaseki was economic adviser to Adams Oshiomhole and formed part of his inner caucus. Therefore, when it was time for Oshiomhole to make a choice in a successor between his deputy of eight years, and his economic adviser, he went for the latter.

    Therefore, when things fell apart between the duo, most Edo people and particularly members of the political class pitched their tents on their preferred divide. One divide argued that the choice of Obaseki as Oshiomhole’s successor ordinarily should suggest that in the whole of his lifetime, Obaseki should be grateful to Oshiomhole, and do all he can to pamper and cultivate his benefactor. They hold that in having any kind of rift with his ‘benefactor’, Oshiomhole’s political son has been biting the finger that fed him. They say that even though Obaseki is deft with the management of men and materials, he alienated the political elite by refusing to give them money.

    For those on the side of Obaseki, their traducers have no inkling of the crucial role Obaseki played in the Oshiomhole admin in boosting the Edo financial base in the face-off between Oshiomhole and the Goodluck Jonathan administration. They describe their man as one whose palm kernels were not cracked for him by the benevolence of Oshiomhole. They say that their man is his own man, and who is good at the management of men and materials. One such supporter referred this author to an Amsterdam magazine, The Voice. It said of Obaseki that for seven years in the administration of Oshiomhole, he was voluntary chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team as well as chairman of Tax Review Committee for the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, TARC and the committee on micro, small and medium enterprises’.

    Recently when the duo got together, they embraced and smiled at the cameras. One of them blamed the press, who most politicians refer to as jourliticians, as responsible for the festering rift. ‘We are brothers’, Oshiomhole said.

    One wondered if the rift and the support it generated on both divide ever improved the living conditions of the supporters of both ‘brothers’. How many live in the kinds of mansions that we all saw at the venue of the rapprochement of the brothers?  Did the rift put more food on the tables on those vociferously championing this as against the other divide? If it did then it means that those who benefitted from the rift between both brothers are carpetbaggers and political mercenaries. Did power supply normalize or did it help to tar the failed portions of some of the roads in Edo state?

    The supreme lesson for those for and against the rift between both men is this: it is better to stand up and take the case for the people of Edo State rather than pitching tents in favour or against politicians. These supporters must realize that most politicians have two faces, two mouths, four ears and are nocturnal. Their interest – to better their lot and that of their families, is paramount and permanent. There are no permanent friends and enemies in the game of thrones. Instead, there are frenemies. The alliances politicians forge are fickle.  As they shake hands with you, they prepare the other hand to box your ears.

    One encourages both brothers to fight a different kind of fight now: to improve on the welfare of the people they represent. Enough of the mundane and the banal.

     

    • Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku,

    Civil Empowerment & Rule of Law Support Initiative, Abuja.

  • Oshiomhole taught us to fight godfathers, serve people with resources – Obaseki

    Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has vowed that there would be no going back on the crusade against godfathers in the state.

    The governor noted that fight against godfathers in the state was the path that his predecessor and current National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, taught him and others and there would be no going back on it.

    He alleged that the crisis rocking the state House of Assembly was the handiwork of somebody who wanted to use the lawmakers to control him.

    Obaseki who spoke through his deputy, Philip Shaibu, said the 7th Edo Assembly followed due process for the inauguration.

    Speaking in Benin City when the House of Representatives ad hoc committee set up to look into the Edo Assembly crisis visited the state, Obaseki said the other lawmakers-elect decided to remain in Abuja and make themselves unavailable for inauguration.

    The governor said the current crisis was history repeating itself as 15 PDP lawmakers also cried to the National Assembly in 2010 for a possible take over.

    He said he was following the path Comrade Adams Oshiomhole taught them to fight godfathers and use the money to work for the people.

    Obaseki who insisted that there was no going back on the crusade against godfathers said some demands of the lawmakers-elect could only be resolved if they were sworn-in.

    According to him, “What we have here is somebody trying to use the House to control the executive. We feel that we have fought godfather. Oshiomhole led us to a strong fight to rescue the state from the hands of godfathers in 2006.

    Read Also: Edo Speaker appoints ex-lawmaker Chief of Staff

    ”We have joined the crusade Oshiomhole started in 2007. We will not go back on the crusade because it is helping Edo people. We can now galvanise the people because they can see roads, they can see schools and infrastructure. This is because the money that used to go the godfathers now go to the people.

    ”Oshiomhole has taught us to follow the path of the people. He told us to do the needful and make sure we fight the godfathers and take the money back to the people. That is what he taught us and we will not depart from it.

    ”Those ones have not been sworn in and they decided to abscond. I have contacted them and some of them told me certain things. I said we will deal with them. I said they must be members of the Assembly first before the discussion will take place.

    ”Somebody is interested in derailing them and the reality on ground. They are not elected to serve in Abuja. They should come to be sworn in first. I can assure you that I will bridge the gap between the governor and the legislature. We need peace because we want to turn Edo to investment hub.”

    At the House of Assembly where the committee met with the Speaker,  Frank Okiye and other lawmakers, Clerk of the Assembly, Alhaji Yayaha Audu Omogbai, said 11 lawmakers-elect had not presented relevant documents.

    Omogbai said the inauguration took place at 3:30pm and not 9pm as alleged.

    The Assembly clerk  said he decided to carry out the inauguration because of the tension in the state.

    He said it was nine members that presented themselves for swearing in despite the fact that he sent messages to 13 of them that were ready.

    Chairman of the Committee, Abdulrazak Namdas (APC Adamawa) said there was hope that the issues would be resolved.

    ”We have spoken to relevant people involved in this crisis and all of them are willing and have given us their support. They are willing to sit down and say these things should come to an end.”

    Benin Monarch, Oba Ewuare II, informed the committee that he intervened in the feud between Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Governor Godwin Obaseki but the crisis escalated.

    Oba Ewuare II spoke when he received members of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee set up to look into the Edo Assembly crisis.

  • Oshiomhole and dynamics of Edo politics

    The national chairman of All Progressives Congress, (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, is a factor in the politics of Nigeria and Edo State in particular. The classification of his political factor- whether positive or negative – will naturally be dependent upon the orientation, interest of the participant or the observer of Edo politics.

    Politics in any part of the world is broadly categorized into idealism or realism. Some of the greatest African scholars and politicians, such as late Kwame Nkrumah, (former president of Ghana) and late Nelson Mandela, (former president of South Africa) have taught the world the gains of the admixture of political idealism and political realism. The dynamics of politics is understood and defined on the basis of the admixture of political idealism and political realism.

    The dynamics of Edo State politics share in the universal framework of the admixture of political idealism and political realism. Adams Oshiomhole should be commended for his ability to separate the good aspects of political idealism and political realism and combine the good sides of both in Edo politics.

    Late Chief Humphrey Omo-Osagie, (B2) and late Chief Tony Anenih were other illustrious sons of Edo land reputed for positive political factors in the dynamics of politics in Nigeria and Edo State in particular. A study of the political behaviour of the duo and Oshiomhole show glaring similarities in defending the interest of their people and working hard to extend their influence beyond their immediate community, senatorial district and the state.

    The late Omo-Osagie, (B2) was a patriotic Benin politician. He had time for Benin people, defended their individual and collective interests and worked hard to extend his political influence beyond Benin. Same with Anenih; he was a patriotic Esan politician. He had time for his people, defended their individual and collective interest and worked so hard to extend his influence beyond Esan, (Edo Central Senatorial Distinct). Oshiomhole is doing so well in his patriotic actions to identify and defend the individual and collective interest of his people-Afemai (Edo North Senatorial District), spreading his political influence to other senatorial districts in Edo State and Nigeria in general.

    It is laughable for any Benin man or woman to blame Oshiomhole over the inability of a sitting governor, Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to have influence over the House of Assembly members elected on the platform of his political party and with majority of them from his own senatorial district. Where were these “Benin Patriots” when the same sitting governor – Obaseki failed to deliver his Ward 04 in the last general election to his political party?

    The unending political theatrics of blaming others for incompetence and political failure of a leader from their senatorial district should discontinue. Before now, it was late Chief Anenih that was responsible for all the political problems in Benin, (Edo South Senatorial District). Now, it is Oshiomhole that is the political distraction to Governor Obaseki. People should not forget that the offices that have been held by late Chief Anenih, the one held and currently being held by Oshiomhole have equally been occupied by Benin sons. The performance in any office depends upon the character of the office holder, not the tribe or the senatorial district.

    The calls by some politicians for support for the illegal inauguration of Edo State House of Assembly because a Benin man, Governor Obaseki is the governor of Edo State and the new efforts to shut out the intervention of Oshiomhole to the illegal and immoral inauguration of the assembly can only qualify for opportunistic and selfish politics. These opportunists refuse to understand that majority of the elected members prevented from the inauguration are equally from Benin, (Edo South Senatorial district).

    Political influence is a permanent feature in politics all over the world .Former presidents Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama of USA are not godfathers, but their influences are still pervasive in the Democratic Party and in the politics and policies of USA. Efforts to deceitfully erase the political influence of Oshiomhole from Edo State politics and government policies will end up in futility. It is only a failed leader that has no capacity to intervene in the politics or policies of government of his state or country on behalf of the right of the people after leaving office.

    Oshiomhole, typical of a dynamic and positive politician was influential and pivotal in the mobilization and support for the emergence of Obaseki as governor of Edo State in 2016. Adams Oshiomhole is continuously involved in the internal politics of APC and active relationship with the political actors in Edo State, while Governor Obaseki prefers the role of “Mr Technocrat”, distancing himself from the actors and internal politics of APC. You can’t influence people without active and mutual connection. The sustainable support these new “Benin Patriots” can give to Obaseki is to organize a closer relationship of the governor with his people and get him to be active in the internal politics of his political party.

    Oshiomhole’s position against the illegal and immoral inauguration of Edo State House of Assembly should be praised by all reasonable Benin sons and daughters in particular and Nigerians in general . For Nigeria to have a sustainable democracy, the principles of internal democracy, free and fair general elections and rule of law must be embraced by all.

    The inauguration of Edo State House of Assembly failed the principle of internal democracy because the elected members that were excluded from the inauguration are members of the same APC. The inauguration violated free and fair elections because you cannot have a Speaker with a minority vote of the total members elected into the House of Assembly. The inauguration violated the rule of law because the midnight inauguration is alien to the House of Assembly rules and a clear violation of the procedures outlined by the constitution for the inauguration of a state House of Assembly.

    Adams Oshiomhole’s condemnation of the illegal inauguration is defending the interest of the majority of Edo people; his actions explain the dynamics of politics in Edo State. He is focused on protecting the image of his political party, the All Progressives Congress and the rule law in Nigeria. It is not a conflict between him and Governor Obaseki , It is not a conflict between Oshiomhole and John Odigie-Oyegun and it is not a conflict between the Afemai and Benin people. The questions of Benin, Esan, Afemai and reference to god-fatherism will not substitute the relevance of the rule of law in a democracy. There should be a proper and legal inauguration of Edo State House of Assembly because the parliament is not the property of the governor or the APC, but an institution that is collectively owned by the people of Edo State.

     

    • Dr. Osifo is a university teacher and co-ordinator Nigeria Grassroots Patriots.