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  • Ekiti PDP: Politics of zoning and endorsement

    Ekiti PDP: Politics of zoning and endorsement

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has endorsed his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, for governor. If he wins the primary, can he defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer at the poll? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the hurdles before the anointed candidate. 

    Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is at the threshold of history. The polarised chapter has a succession hurdle to cross. The way the challenge is resolved will determine its future. How will the PDP governorship flag bearer emerge at the primary? How can the party avert post-primary crisis?

    Eyes are on Governor Ayodele Fayose, the main character in the succession battle. His tenure of office expires on October 15. Initially, he diverted public attention by saying that he was waiting on God for direction. Peeping into the future, he has endorsed his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, son of a grassroots politician from Ikere-Ekiti, Pa Ojo Eleka. Like other aspirants, the anointed candidate was taken aback, since his boss had told him that he will not leave him behind at the Government House.

    Hailing Fayose for the decision, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Kola Oluwawole, described it as an act of God. He said the choice of the accomplished scholar and Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) pastor reflected the wishes of the stakeholders. On why he changed his mind on Olusola, the governor said: “man proposes and God disposes.”

    The decision to anoint the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) don has drawn the ire of co-aspirants, including former Minister of State for Works Prince Dayo Adeyeye from Ise-Ekiti, former Secretary to Government Ambassador Dare Bejide from Ilawe and Senator Biodun Olujimi from Omuo-Ekiti. Threatening fire and brimstone, they said the decision will not stand.

    Other aspirants-Chief Adebisi Omoyeni, former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Owoseni Ajayi, former Deputy Governor Dr. Sikiru Lawal and a businessman, Otunba Segun Adewale, who had shifted his political base from Lagos to Ekiti-are enveloped in anxiety.

    Miffed by Olusola’s endorsement, Olujimi described it as an imposition. She emphasised that it was in bad faith. In retrospect, having worked closely with Fayose, the senator from Ekiti South cannot underrate the governor’s resilience and capacity for maneuvering. Adeyeye, former National Publicity Secretary of the party, was more combative. He said the endorsement was a breach of the party’s constitution. The Ise-Ekiti prince called for a free and fair primary for all aspirants. “PDP as a political party is bigger and larger than an individual, no matter how highly placed he or she may be as to override the rules and regulations of the party, which are sacrosanct in the election of any candidate for elective position,” Adeyeye said.

    The import of the endorsement was not lost on Bejide, the former secretary of the party. He disputed Olusola’s sole candidacy, urging party members to disregard the “comedy.” He vented his anger, saying: “Any caucus of the party can adopt any candidate. Whether the choice of Olusola by his caucus has Fayose’s backing holds no water as no one can impose a candidate on the party.”

    In Ajayi’s view, the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), and not Fayose, will conduct the primary and determine who gets the ticket.

    Despite these reactions, some followers of the aggrieved aspirants have been dumping them and gravitating towards the direction of Olusola, the favoured candidate. They know that reconciliation may be difficult after the poll. Also, although these contenders are united by common threat, they are not ready to pull resources together to confront Fayose. They are sharply divided by personal ambitions. The aspirants have been over-concentrate their efforts on Olusola’s endorsement, instead of concentrating energy on how to get delegates’ votes by selling their manifestos.

    Olusola is a lucky man. He did not vie for the driver’s seat. Obviously, his staying power is that he is not a rival deputy and he has not aspired to the number one position under Fayose. Thus, he has stayed focused as a loyal spare tyre. That his boss had alerted him to the danger of growing wings when he told him categorically that they would vacate office together later became a blessing in disguise. On the day the deputy governor was endorsed by the Fayose camp, Olusola suddenly embraced the reality that he had become a politician. Yet, it is evident that he will leave the succession enterprise to his principal, whose political structure he will inherit.

    His PDP predecessors were not that lucky. In eight years, Fayose, an aggressive politician, had four deputies. Three of them hail from Ikere. Olusola’s kinsman, Biodun Aluko, an architect, was impeached, following a quarrel with the governor. His successor, Omoyeni, a reputable banker, resigned after some months in office. He believed in the prospect of banking portfolio than deputy governor.

    Since he was catapulted to the front burner, Olusola has been up and doing. Although the bulk of the partisan consultation and mobilisation will be done for him by his principal, he has also swung into action, especially in his Ekiti South Senatorial District. He is a silent operator gazing at the seat of power with prayerful hope. Two things are going for him. The deputy governor is perceived as an obedient ally. Also, his candidature is also acceptable to Ikere, his cradle. Even, prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) elders from Ikere have confessed that Fayose has tied their hands by picking an indigene as his successor.

    Fayose had put on his thinking cap since 2014 when he returned to power. Political insiders confided that he had hoped to install a successor whose ascension will not possibly herald a successor-predecessor crisis. His permutation, they said, is to retain “party control” outside power.  If PDP fails to retain power in Ekiti, Fayose may lose a measure of political influence. Although Ado  had agitated for zoning to the state capital, the governor knew that the town could not be divorced from Ekiti Central, which had produced Otunba Niyi Adebayo and himself. But, the call for rotation of the highest office has been stronger in Ekiti South and the people of Ikere are more vociferous. A source said before unfolding his succession plan, Fayose had held consultations with Ado traditional rulers and other highly placed indigenes. He was said to have convinced them to settle for the deputy governor, stressing that Ekiti Central cannot produce his successor.

    Following that understanding, attention shifted from former Works Commissioner Kayode Oso, a native of Ado, who was said to be on the list of likely successors. But, according to a source, Oso is not off the radar. The deputy governor is up for grab. He and Mrs. Tosin Aluko, also from Ado, may now jostle for the running mate. The implication is that, in the perception of the PDP, Ado and Ikere are now permanent factors in pseudo-ethnic balancing in Ekiti politics.

    In particular, Ikere has politically positioned itself as the second most important town in Ekitiland, after Ado, the state capital. It has vibrant, articulate and patriotic indigenes across the professions. Their activities have made the town the beneficiary of an imaginary zoning, although most Ekiti believe that the state is one indivisible zone. One of their leading lights, legal luminary Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has maintained that it is the turn of the town to produce the chief executive. He is devoid of political bias. The eminent lawyer said the onus is on the two main political parties to zone the governorship to the ancient town. Ikere’s greatest blessing, however, is that it hosts a College of Education, which has increased its economic activities and boosted its population. It also benefits from a network of intra-town and intra-state roads. Having produced three deputy governors, it is being perceived as a strategic voting community.

    In PDP, the coast may be clear for Olusola. So strong and influential is the Fayose structure that its members have resolved never to have any dealing with other contenders. During the Christmas period, some potential delegates even shunned the gifts offered to them by other contenders. They reiterated their loyalty to Fayose and Olusola. In the Fayose camp are the majority of statutory delegates, who rose to political stardom as state and federal lawmakers, commissioners, special advisers, special assistants, council chairmen, councillors and supervisors. Also loyal to the governor are party officers at the state, local and ward levels. Among the populace, Fayose has managed to remain relevant. His gospel of stomach infrastructure is captivating to rural dwellers. Among the artisans and peasants, he is popular.

    However, the gulf between the Fayose administration and highly educated indigenes of Ekiti has become more widened. Thus, while the ordinary people have not rejected Fayose’s government for obvious reasons, it carries the burden of predictable elitist onslaught, which Olusola can only avert by embracing the eclectic styles of populism and elitism. Therefore, the envisaged difference between Fayose’s government and any administration that may be presided over by Olusola is that the latter should have a direct touch of scholarship. This is in the enlightened interest of the aggrieved elite.

    But, will the primary be a walk over for Olusola? His rivals are sharpening their arrows which can either be deflected by Fayose’s power of incumbency or resisted by the governor’s his war chest. A party source said the PDP may not be able to avert primary crisis, owing to the stubborn nature of Ekiti politicians. “They will prefer to fight to finish, but the governor will have a upper hand,” he said. Predictably, scores of light weight PDP chieftains may defect from the party to the APC.  Olusola’s co-aspirants may be in a dilemma. While Olujimi may take solace in the fact that he will still be in the Senate till 2019, others may wallow in self-pity as they may not be able to successfully subvert or undermine the platform during the election.

    If Olusola becomes the PDP candidate, can he defeat the APC candidate? There are over 50 aspirants in the opposition party. But, the acting chairman, Mrs. Kemi Olaleye, disclosed that only 25 have indicated their interest at the party secretariat on the Ado-Ikere Road. The contenders include Femi Bamisile, Yinka Akerele, Dr. Wole Oluleye, Kola Alabi, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Chief Segun Oni, Senator Ayo Arise, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, Ishola Fapounda, Dr Adebayo Orire, and Muyiwa Olumilua. There are indications that Dr. Kayode Fayemi, former governor, who is Minister of Solid Minerals and Steel Development, will declare his ambition next month. Out of the lot, Ojudu said only four are serious contenders.

    Ekiti APC is a wounded lion. Members of the party have not recovered from their electoral defeat in the 2014 election. Then, the PDP was the ruling party. Thus, the federal might was deployed. After the poll, there were startling revelations. But, since the Appeal Court did not upturn the poll, observers said they paled into a conjecture. Ahead of the election, APC chieftains have said that Fayose and Olusola are day dreaming. In their view, the governor has performed below expectation.

    Will the APC-Federal Government deploy its might during the Ekiti poll? In all the post-2015 polls, President Muhammadu Buhari has maintained the profile of a statesman ready to defend the integrity of the ballot box. Unlike his predecessors, the president has always frowned at electoral manipulation and deployment of troops to the advantage of his party.

    While the PDP is divided in Ekiti, the APC is also polarised. The opposition party is not considering zoning because it is not in its constitution. The battle for the ticket may escalate the tension in the opposition camp, ahead of the poll. According to observers, if the APC gladiators fail to put their house in order, the mistake of 2014 may be repeated to the advantage of Fayose’s candidate.

  • Enter the year of politics, sports

    It’s a new dawn and new challenges over the next 12 months. Deputy Editor (News) ADENIYI ADESINA examines the issues that are likely to shape the world this year.

    Welcome to the year of politics and sports.

    There will continue to be diplomatic tussle on the world stage for economic and military superiority. There will be scientific discoveries; climate change will still be dominant as usual in spite of the United States (U.S.) pulling out of the Paris Agreement but politics and sports will take the centre stage this year.

     

    North Korea

    North Korea and its eccentric leader Kim Jong Un will remain on the front burner. The ‘Rocket Man’ is believed to be getting set to fire another missile this month in spite of protestation from all including its ally, China.

    From Hockey World Cup in India to the Commonwealth Games in Australia, the winter Olympics in South Korea – amid the fear of the North Korean nuclear threat – to the football World Cup, the single largest sport fiesta, holding in summer in Russia, sport is it.

     

    Sports

    The June World Cup will be one of the two important events holding in Russia this year. The second is the general election in March. President Vladimir Putin will get another six-year term on completion of which he will become the longest ruler in Russia’s modern history.

    It’s a new dawn in Liberia. Former World’s best footballer George Weah, will take office as President after a landslide victory in a second round ballot against Vice President Joseph Boakai.

    Nigeria will be full of action because the politicking for the 2019 elections will take place this year. The elections are billed for next year’s February and March.

    Party primaries to pick candidates and the stumping will happen this year as the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after regaining its groove with a relatively successful convention, gears up to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from Aso Villa.

     

    Ekiti, Osun governorship polls

    Governorship elections are billed for mid-year in two south west states – Ekiti and Osun.

    Governors Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun) are ineligible to contest. A grueling battle for the top positions is predicted. The governors won’t find it easy to instal successor.

    No doubt, the elections will be rancorous and the two major parties will be stretched thin. Already, the scramble to be standard bearers is fully on course.

     

    Cuba

    History will be made in Cuba where power will change hands from a Castro to another person for the first time in 58 years.

    After two unsuccessful attempts, Fidel Castro, supported by his brother Raul and other radicals, took over the reins after President Fulgencio Batista fled the country in 1959.

    Many Cubans never knew any other ruler than a Castro because revolutionary leader Fidel Castro loomed so large until he was bedridden and had to vacate office in 2008 for his brother and long-standing deputy, Raul.

    Raul was head of the armed forces and defence minister before he became Fidel’s deputy and successor-designate.

    It is to Raul’s credit that socialism was reformed and there was a thaw in the frosty relationship between Cuba and the U.S. to the extent that they have restored diplomatic relationship.

    The 86-year old is stepping down after two terms of 10 years.

     

    Trump

    President Donald Trump will know how much he has impacted his people with his’ America First’ and ‘Make America Great’ slogans,  when the mid-term elections are held in the United States in November. It will be a referendum on his presidency.

    Many senatorial and House seats will be up for contest as well as some governorship seats. The teaser to what is to come is Trump’s Republican loss of an Alabama senate seat to the Democrats for the first time in 25 years.

     

    South America

    South American countries will get new leaders after elections across the major countries of that continent.

    Brazil, which has been bedeviled by political crises and allegations of graft against its political class, will elect a president in October following Mexico’s presidential poll in July.

    How do you handle Trump? That question will dominate the campaign. The U.S. President is insistent on building a wall on the United States border with Mexico, with a warning that Mexico will pick the bill, without saying how.

    Mexicans will elect a leader who can best handle the matter in Mexico’s overriding national interest.

    Columbia will in May hold its first presidential election since the armistice with the FARC rebels. The end of one of the longest running wars will determine the economic situation of the country.

    European countries Sweden and Italy are also due to pick new parliament and prime ministers. While the Catalonia Independence bid in Spain will dominate headlines in the year.

    The result of the election called by Madrid after sacking the government in the rich region in which the separatists carried the day, is a slap in the face of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

     

    Congo DRC

    Congo will also be able to shake off the Kabila dominance which started in 1997 when Laurent Kabila overthrew dictator Mobutu Sese Seko and assumed leadership.

    His son Joseph took over in January 2001 after Laurent was assassinated by one of his bodyguards.

    President Joseph Kabila had to be pressured by the International community to allow election which will hold later this year.

    Kabila completed his constitutional two terms and kept the country in abeyance thereafter.

    He neither set a date for election nor sought constitutional amendment for tenure elongation. He only said there was no money to conduct an election.

    The opposition which saw this as tenure elongation by subterfuge picked up the gauntlet.

    When the vast country with the second highest population on the African continent was becoming ungovernable, the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) intervened and a date for election set. Will Kabila respect it?

     

    South Africa

    South Africa will also politick a lot this year although the general election to pick President Jacob Zuma’s replacement is next year.

    However, there is a possibility that Zuma may be ousted before he is due to exit.

    The president’s hold on the African National Congress (ANC) is ebbing.

    Zuma supported his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for the party’s leadership position but Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, with whom he is estranged, was elected. Ramaphosa, one of the ANC leaders that the late President Nelson Mandela pushed to boost the Black men in business and who enjoys the confidence of the business community, is poised to become the next President of the Republic.

    Britain will know its fate and its new economic direction as the Brexit negotiations get to a critical point.

    The world’s attention will also be glued to the UK in May when Prince Harry takes American Meghan Merkel to the altar in a marriage that will shatter many royal traditions.

     

    Russia 2018

    While Nigeria will be nominally represented at the Winter Olympics, the same cannot be said of the World Cup in June in Russia.

    The Super Eagles, carrying Nigeria’s flag in the same group with Croatia, Iceland and Argentina, are expected to put up a great performance and break the country’s World Cup Performance record.

    This will be Nigeria’s sixth appearance since 1994’s debut, but the country has never progressed beyond the second round. A quarter final place, and a defeat of Argentina, which defeated the Eagles in the last five editions will bring smile to the faces of soccer-loving Nigerians.

  • Issues that will shape politics in 2018

    Issues that will shape politics in 2018

    Last year, the agitation for restructuring and the threat of secession dominated public discourse.  Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the issues and events that will shape Nigeria’s politics this year. 

    The political events of last year will linger in the memories of Nigerians. It was a year that economic recession, the agitation for restructuring and President Muhammadu Buhari’s health took the centre stage in public debate. Against the background of the secessionist move by some elements in the Southeast, many had thought that the country will disintegrate. But, the country has remained intact. Despite the economic recession caused by the fall in oil price in the international market and the mismanagement of the oil wind fall in the past, Nigeria was able to get out from the quagmire.

    Given the number of events lined up, this year promises to be full of political activities. Being the year that precedes the 2019 general elections, full electioneering campaigns will start and they may overshadow governance. Some of the events are: Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) convention, conclusion of the constitution amendment bid, restructuring, post-convention litigation in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), federal cabinet reshuffle, presidential primaries, budget passage, new parties,  Anambra Central senatorial election,  the anti-corruption fight, anti terrorist battle and Saraki’s Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) re-trial.

     

    Governorship elections

    The governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states will hold this year. Already, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed July 14 for the  election in Ekiti State. The Ekiti people will elect a new governor to replace Mr Ayo Fayose, whose tenure will expire in October.

    The election will be a straight fight between the ruling PDP and the APC. In 2014, Fayose defeated Governor Kayode Fayemi of the APC.  He won in all the local governments.

    The 2018 poll will provide Fayose the opportunity to prove that his landslide victory of 2014 was not a fluke; that his popularity among the people won the election for him.  Can Fayose who rode to power on the crest of federal might under former President Goodluck Jonathan win the election for his anointed candidate? Can he count on the support of the civil servants, especially the teachers that are owed arrears of salaries?

    INEC has fixed April 5 for the commencement of the Ekiti governorship election campaign. Fayose believes his performance, especially the provision of infrastructural facilities like roads and bridges across the state and stomach infrastructure, would endear the PDP to Ekiti people and that they will not hesitate to return the party back to power. Contrary to the time table released by INEC, which stipulates that primaries for  the election will hold between April 15 and May 14, Fayose had anointed his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as the PDP candidate; a decision that has been challenged by other PDP leaders, including Senator Abiodun Olujimi and Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who are also eyeing the PDP ticket. However, the PDP national secretariat has overruled Fayose’s choice, saying the party’s governorship candidate will emerge from the primary.

    But, a stalwart of the APC, Chief Babatunde Fagbemi, has ruled out PDP’s victory in the poll. He said it is wishful thinking for Fayose and the PDP to expect victory in the July  election.  He said Fayose is a dictator who he does not believe in the separation of powers as he combines the functions of the legislature with that of the executive. Fagbemi added: “The people of Ekiti have not forgotten how the PDP controlled Federal Government in 2014 deployed huge sum of money and military personnel to rig election for Fayose. If Fayose and his co-travellers in the PDP are planning of another short cut to victory this time around, they will meet their waterloo at the poll.

    “Fayose’s tenure in Ekiti is a monumental disaster; the PDP administration in the state personified by Fayose is the worst thing that has happened to Ekiti State. How many developmental projects did he execute? It has been contract inflation and shoddy jobs paid for by government. The state internally generated revenue (IGR) had dropped drastically from what Fayose inherited from Fayemi. All this will work against PDP in Ekiti State.

    Analysts believe that the APC stands a better chance of winning, only if it is able to manage its primary in a transparent manner, given the number of aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket. Besides, they advise the party to handle post-primary complaints with care such that there would be no last minute defection by aggrieved aspirants.

    On September 22, the people of Osun State will go to poll to elect a new governor that will succeed Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is about to complete his second term in office. Analysts said Osun would have been a walk-over for the APC but for the problems it had in the selection of the senatorial candidate for Osun West. A public affairs commentator, Comrade Jimi Afolabi, said the failure of APC leaders to pander to the yearnings of the people by presenting a popular candidate robbed it of the senatorial seat.

    Afolabi cautioned the leadership of the party to learn a lesson from the Osun West mistake. He said: “Now that many aspirants have sprung off from the APC, Aregbesola should create a level-playing field for them to test their popularity. Fielding a preferred candidate will be too costly for the party. There is no doubt that Aregbesola’s performance has made APC the party to beat in the state, but a popular candidate should emerge through due process.”

     

    APC convention

    The APC has failed to hold its biennial convention as stipulated in its constitution. The last time it held convention was in 2015 from where President Muhammadu Buhari emerged as APC presidential candidate for the last general elections. Party chieftains have advanced different reasons for this. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State said that the party was broke. The party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, attributed it to the absence of President Buhari, who spent three months in the United Kingdom for medical treatment. The President returned four months ago and his health has improved tremendously. There is no excuse for the APC not to hold its convention this year. As a ruling party, the APC should comply with the provision of its constitution.

     

    Constitution amendment

    The stage is set for the Houses of Assembly to exercise their powers on constitution amendment. The National Assembly have transmitted the adopted proposals to the various Houses of Assembly for consideration and concurrence. Any proposal that meets the approval of at least 24 Houses of Assembly will be processed and transmitted to the President for assent.

    It is hoped that the constitution amendment will be on the priority list of Houses of Assembly, because there are many proposals which are critical to restructuring and reforms and the strengthening of critical institutions of democracy to promote efficacy, transparency, accountability, and checks and balances.  The proposed amendments that are related to the powers and functions of the INEC, especially the proposal that empowers the electoral commission to de-register any political party that fails to meet some criteria, including failure to win at least one elected seat from councillorship to presidential after a general election and the issue independent candidates for election, must be decided this year, because the general elections have been fixed for February and March next year.

     

    Restructuring

    Agitations for restructuring have remained on the front burner of the national conversation, amid cries of marginalisation by some ethnic groups. The controversy often pitches the South against the North, with southerners seeing the current structure as highly problematic and therefore, unworkable. The deadlock has been blamed for the secessionist campaign by the Igbo dominated Southeast.

    Restructuring means different things to different geo-political zones. To the Southsouth region, restructuring is all about resource control. To the Southwest, restructuring is synonymous with regionalism, devolution of power and true federalism. The Igbos believe that restructuring will guarantee their age-long secession bid.

    Analysts are of the opinion that there is tension and agitation in the country, because it is not operating true federalism. They say federalism is an arrangement whereby powers within a multi-national country are shared between a federal or central authority and a number of regional or state governments in such a way that each unit, including the central authority, exists as a government separately and independently from the others.

    One of such analysts said: “In a federation, each government enjoys autonomy, a separate existence and independence of the control of any other government. Each government exists, not as an appendage of another government, but as an autonomous entity in the sense of being able to exercise its own will on the conduct of its affairs free from direction by any government.”

    Going by the above definition, it is crystal clear that Nigeria is not a federation, but unitary state. A heterogeneous society like Nigeria should not and cannot be administered in a highly over centralised unitary manner. The local people must have a degree of control and autonomy over the basic things that affect their lives. There is need to decentralise economic, security, political and otherwise federal powers to the various localities of Nigeria.

    Now that President Buhari has passed the buck to the National Assembly to form the modalities for the restructuring debate, but rejected any break-up of the country, it is expected that the National Assembly will come up with a template on restructuring in the course of the year.

    But, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, blamed members of the National Assembly for voting against devolution of power bill during the constitution amendment exercise. He argued that true federalism would not be achieved in Nigeria without the devolution of power. He said: “Power must devolve. We should decentralise if all agitations must stop.”

    Similarly, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmed, said the decision of the federal legislators on devolution of power was surprising. He said when the Association of Speakers met with members of the National Assembly Committee on Constitution Amendment in Lagos, they struck an agreement that some powers must be ceded to the states. But, unfortunately, during voting, they did otherwise. He said: “Although majority of them voted in favour, their number was not up to two-thirds required to pass the bill. It is not the end of the day, as we at the state level will re-strategise on how to build consensus and mobilise support for devolution of power”.

     

    Presidential primaries

    INEC has fixed the presidential election for February 19, 2019. Presidential primaries are likely to be held during the last six months of the year. Parties planning to field candidates for next year’s presidential election must organise primaries that would be monitored by INEC officials. The registered parties must conduct primaries from which their presidential candidates would emerge, at least three months before the election.

    In the APC, the President is yet to make a formal declaration that he will seek re-election. But, the APC governors under the aegis of “progressive governors” have endorsed him for a second term. But, party stalwarts, including Senator Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande, have said there is no automatic ticket for Buhari.

    Tinubu explained that Buhari  will not accept automatic ticket, but will subject himself to the due process. He said Buhari is a democrat and would prefer to emerge through democratic process. The APC, he said, would not imbibe the culture of imposition. All aspirants would go through normal process that will be open and transparent; there will be level playing field for all aspirants just as it was done in 2015.

    The PDP is still battling to restore order within its fold after the national convention. The parties has set up a committee to brainstorm on the choice of its presidential candidate. The question is whether the PDP will just present a candidate without primary, as it did in 2015 when it printed only one form for former President Jonathan. Observers said the imposition of Dr. Jonathan contributed to the party’s defeat in 2015, because aggrieved members, particularly from the North worked against the party.

    As for the smaller parties, they hardly, conduct primaries. Members would just converge on an event place and raise up the hand of a member as party’s flag bearer. Nigerians are not keen on the process through which their presidential candidates emerge because they play inconsequential role in politics and stand no chance of winning election. A political analyst, Dr Friday Ibok, said INEC should monitor the smaller parties especially the convention through which they pick their candidates. The electoral commission, he said, should put all political parties on the same scale to avoid double standard.

     

    PDP convention

    It seems the last has not been heard about the PDP convention. A former chairmanship aspirant, Professor Taoheed Adedoja, has filed a suit before a Federal High Court, Abuja seeking for the sack of the winner, Prince Uche Secondus, and the nullification of the convention.

    Adedoja, who scored zero, said he was not contesting the result of the convention, but the error in his name on the ballot paper. He stated that the declaration of a zero credited to him embarrassed and maligned him and brought great ridicule to his political career built over the years.

    Political observers are worried about the suit coming after the leadership of the party has set up a committee headed by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State to reconcile aggrieved party members. One of them interpreted the court action as failure of the reconciliation mechanism or that the litigation is a ploy to distract the new executive from planning for the 2019 general elections.

    However, it is hoped that the court will give the suit accelerated hearing because it may drag on to the Supreme Court.

     

    Budget passage

    While presenting the 2018 budget to the joint sitting of the National Assembly, President Buhari pleaded with the lawmakers to ensure early passage, so that the implementation would start from January. From all indications, the National Assembly may not meet this deadline as various committees are still busy scrutinising the budget.

    An economist, Dr Isiah Danbaba,  pleaded with members of the National Assembly not to waste time on the passage of the budget. He said the late passage of the Appropriation Bill have tremendous effects on the economy. He said the 2017 budget, which was passed in  July, was responsible for its slow implementation and cash crunch in the economic system. Government could neither release funds for the existing projects nor award new contracts.

    Danbaba urged the lawmakers to always put the interest of the people they represent above personal gains. He said it is the common people that feel the heat most when the budget is not given prompt attention.

     

    Cabinet reshuffle

    President Buhari has announced plans to expand the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by appointing more ministers. He disclosed this in his address to the National Executive Council of the APC when he explained that the compressed FEC will be expanded to bring in more supporters at federal level, with fresh ideas to be injected into the government.

    A reliable source said President Buhari is considering a tentative proposal to restructure some of the ministries, appoint eight new ministers to his cabinet and reshuffle the cabinet in the New Year. He said: “The plan is to appoint eight new ministers who will all be politicians, to accommodate the yearnings of his party members and at the same time position APC for the 2019 general elections.

    “To accommodate the eight new ministers into the cabinet, the president plans to split the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing into three ministries that will be manned by substantive ministers, and separate the aviation and marine transport units from the Ministry of Aviation. What this will translate to is that a minister will man Aviation while another will head Marine Transportation.

    “In the proposal being considered by the president for the appointment of eight new ministers, one will represent each of the six geo-political zones in the country one each from Lagos and Kano States. The preferential treatment for Lagos and Kano is to ensure the two most populous states are delivered to APC in 2019.”

     

    New political parties

    With the registration of 21 new parties by the INEC, the number of registered parties is 67. Despite the number, 80 new associations had applied to the commission seeking to be registered as political parties ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu said the commission would continue to register new political parties, pending the deadline stipulated in the Electoral Act for closure of the registration process.

    He said: “As it stands today, 80 more groups are seeking registration as political parties. We will continue to register them until the time scheduled by the Electoral Act for us to stop. The issue of independence candidacy is there too. Right now, we are thinking of how to design our ballot papers for the 2019 polls to accommodate all the registered political parties.”

     

    Anambra Central rerun

    Following the Court of Appeal judgment, INEC has fixed January 13 for the Anambra Central senatorial district re-run. The seat became vacant, following the nullification of the 2015 election is by an election tribunal.

    The Court of Appeal had ordered INEC to conduct the re-run within 90 days of the judgment.. As the commission was preparing for the election, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the commission to issue certificate of return to the PDP candidate, Obiora Okonkwo, who the court declared as the authentic candidate of the party for Anambra Central District.

    Okonkwo had instituted a court action against the PDP, its former National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, INEC and Mrs Uche Ekwunife, challenging the emergence of Ekwunife as the PDP candidate for the 2015 election. The commission said it is studying the judgement and promised to make its position known very soon.

     

    Anti-corruption fight

    President Buhari has assured Nigerians that he would not disappoint them in the fight against corruption; that the anti-graft agencies would be given adequate support in waging war against corruption and prosecuting the suspects. The anti-graft war had ushered in a new era of accountability and responsibility. This policy has paid off. Corrupt practices in high places that have been exposed by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the looted public funds recovered by the agency.

    The trial of high profile corruption cases will resume this year. This includes the trial of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and former Sokoto State Governor Attahiru Baffarawa, former Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, former Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba Kusa, over the misappropriation of $2.1 billion meant for the procurement of arms for the troops fighting Boko Haram insurgents.

    Others before the court are former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, former Petroleum Minister, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke, former Senate President, Senator David Mark, former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim Pius.

    All eyes are on the judiciary in ensuring quick dispensation of justice. It is expected that the cases will not suffer similar fate like those before them. Cases involving big men have always dragged for long as a result of frequent adjournments and frivolous injunctions to frustrate speedy trials. Also, cases struck out on technical grounds. The Chief Justice of the Federation should make good his promise to set up special courts to handle corruption cases when he expressed the judiciary support for the fight against corruption of President Buhari.

     

    Fight against terrorism

    President Buhari’s commitment to the anti-terror war is not in doubt. He has taken the campaign against terrorism beyond the Nigerian shores. At a summit attended by world leaders in Jordan on counter-terrorism, Buhari told his colleagues that Nigeria is ready to lead the battle against terrorism in the West African sub-region.

    He reiterated the commitment of Nigeria playing a leading role in bringing together countries of the West African sub-region in a collective security arrarngement. He said with what Nigeria had gone through, it was ready to share the experience with a view to fashioning out comprehensive action plans in tackling the sourge of violent extremism in the region.

    The President lamented that insurgents were able to attract members in their fold because of the insidious preaching of extremist clerics and called for an action plan to halt the trend. He added that all nations irrespective of religion should partner effectively in implementing national, regional and global action plans to counter violent extremism.

    At the end of the summit, participants resolved to come up with concrete action plans that would change the narrative of violent extremism in the West African sub-region at a follow up meeting to be hosted by Nigeria.

    The Nigerian Governors Forum has approved the withdrawal of one billion dollars from the Excess Crude Account by the Federal Government to be used in the on-ging fight against Boko Haram insurgents.

    Although the government had proclaimed victory in the eight-year long battle against insurgency, the Federal Government said a substantial amount of budge was still required to tackle pockets of terrorists in the northeast. Besides, the government explained that the money is not intended for anti Boko Haram efforts alone but will also be spent on security issues in the state including policing in the state, community policing and all security challenges in the country.

     

    Saraki’s CCT re-trial

    The re-trial of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, will start this year. The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has sent Saraki back to the CCT to face charges of false declaration of asset. The Federal Government had appealed the acquittal of Saraki by the tribunal in early 2017.

    The CCT had dismissed the 18-count allegations of false and anticipatory declaration of asset by the Senate President. However, the Court of Appeal ruled that Saraki did not sufficiently answer three of the charges.

  • Mohammed: I’m quitting politics

    Mohammed: I’m quitting politics

    Former Militiary Head of State Gen. Muritala Mohammed’s first son, Abba Risqua, has quit politics to enable him concentrate on his business.

    Riqua, who was a running-mate to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2015 election in Kano State, Alhaji Sagir Salihu Takai, said his decision to step aside from politics, will not end his service to the state and Nigeria.

    Addressing his supporters at the Kano Foundation House, Riqua said his intention was not informed by any pressure or frustration from any quarters, but purely on his personal decision to build on his business empire.

    He said: “I am taking a break  from politics so that I can concentrate on developing my business. The last time I came to contest in Kano, most of the resources I used came from my private pocket; and when I went back to my business, my business was not doing very well; and I thought it is the time for me to concentrate on my business and take a break from politics.  Then later on, once things have improved, I can now see how best to proceed further.”

    Explaining that he was not forced to move out from politics, he added: “You know I am not somebody who is sponsored by anybody, I am self-made man, so I don’t refer on anybody for my decision. This is something I have decided out of my conviction to serve my state, and to serve my nation.

    “If I go into public office without having a business that will sustain me and my family, I go into public office to enrich myself. That is not the kind of background I come from, I come from a background to serve our country, to serve my country, to serve my nation, to serve my state.”

    He said that he would sustain the Murtala Mohammed Foundation, adding that, “the fact that I am taking a break from politics does not mean that I am not going to contribute towards the development of my state and the people of my state.”

    Riqua stressed: “I have told my people and my supporters that I am going to strengthen the activities of the Murtala Mohammed Foundation in Kano. I will encourage social intervention for my supporters and the indigenes of Kano state.

    “For now, I am taking a break from politics to concentrate on my business. I am not frustrated and I never give up from any battle. I am ready to face any battle. I am dropping politics because I want to concentrate on developing my business.

    Self-sustenance is very important for anybody so that you don’t have to depend on anybody or any office to have a good living.”

  • 2019: Politics of defection in Oyo

    2019: Politics of defection in Oyo

    An unprecedented defection rally was held at the historic Mapo Hall, Ibadan last week to welcome former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin and other notable politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). BISI OLADELE examines the implications of the defections for the 2019 elections in the state.

    The last time the historic Mapo Hall witnessed such a huge crowd was in 2015 during the preparations for the general elections. Without any election coming soon, the All Progressives Congress (APC) pulled a surprise, not only on other political parties, but on observers and residents across Oyo State.

    The event was to celebrate the 68th birthday of the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. But, the celebrator and the party leadership used the occasion to make a point. The rally shook Ibadan and the entire state.

    Astute politician and APC stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu led top leaders in the state and some national officers to a rousing welcome at Mapo that afternoon. He is a man party faithful and ordinary folks love to see and hear at such rallies. His presence and that of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola accentuated the pull.

    The defectors, who are notable politicians in the state, also pulled crowds of supporters from across the state.

    Coming at a time the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) just succeeded in regaining its feet in Oyo State, the December 16 rally has forced it and other parties back to the drawing board.

    Those who left PDP, Labour Party (LP) and Accord include Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Teslim Folarin, Alao-Akala’s deputy while in office, Taofeek Arapaja, the only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member of the House of Representatives from the state, Hon. Dokun Odebunmi, former Secretary to Government, Ayodele Adigun, the immediate past PDP Chairman, Yinka Taiwo, and Accord party members in the House of Assembly.

    Others are former permanent secretary, Rauf Olaniyan; former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ashimiyu Alarape; a former member of the House of Representatives, Kamil Akinlabi; a former Chairman of Oluyole Local Government, Kehinde Olaosebikan; Senator Brimo Yussuf; former PDP woman leader Mrs. Olanrewaju Otiti, Folake Olunloyo, Lukeman Oorelope and Kemi Jaiyeoba-Olorunsogo.

    Addressing the crowd of party supporters and others who  defied the scorching sun to catch the fun of the event, Tinubu assured them that the party has all it takes to accommodate all the poltical heavyweights joining its fold.

    With the calibre of new members, Tinubu and Ajimobi said the opposition was dead in the state.

    Tinubu said the APC has “a stainless kitchen” that is large enough to accommodate as many cooks as possible.

    Allaying fears on how to manage the political differences of the heavyweights joining the party, Tinubu noted that the APC has a variety of menu in the political kitchen for the future of the country.

    He said: “We have a stainless kitchen and we can accommodate as many cooks as possible and because we have a variety of menu in the political kitchen of planning this future, we love those bigwigs and we can accommodate them all. It is in the same forest that you find a hippo that you find an elephant and you will find a rabbit. In political platforms, you must look for the addition not the minus.

    “You can see that the opposition is dead in Oyo State.  Today is important for us because it is the birthday of the Governor Ajimobi and things that have never happened in the history of Oyo State have started happening. Thank God for my friend Alao-Akala and the others for seeing the light. All of you that joined will also join in building the party. The APC house is great for all of us. We are proud of you for joining us. APC is the only progressive party in NIgeria and Africa.”

    He pointed out that it has become very clear that APC would win in 2019.

    The rally was attended by Aregbesola and his Ondo State counterpart, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Chief Pius Akinyelure and his Northeast counterpart. Also in attendance was the Deputy National Chairman (South), Segun Oni.

     

    How the defection will change the game

    In the 2011 and 2015 elections, the three key players in the governorship race in Oyo State were Ajimobi, Alao-Akala and a former governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja. The three candidates garnered about 80 per cent of the total votes cast in the two elections. The situation has not changed with regard to their support base.

    While Ajimobi and Alao-Akala now cohabit in the APC, Ladoja, who ran on the platform of Accord in the last two elections, has returned to his former party, PDP, as the leader.

    But, the defection has altered their support base and influence.

     

    Ajimobi

    With Alao-Akala in the APC, Ajimobi is now further confirmed as the most significant politician in Oyo State today. He won the last two elections convincingly, defeating both Alao-Akala and Ladoja. Now that Alao-Akala has come into the APC with his followers, Ogbomoso zone is now added to the kitty for the leading party. In the 2011 election, Ajimobi won in Ibadan, Oyo and Ibarapa zones while Alao-Akala won in Ogbomoso and Oke-Ogun zones.

    In the 2015 election, the governor had added Oke-Ogun Zone by reasons of his performance.

    Now that Akala cohabits with him along with his supporters in the APC, the party clearly has stronger support base across the state.

    Though Ladoja had his best outings only in Ibadan in the last two elections, Ajimobi defeated him in the  city.

    Aside building political profile for himself, the defection has put the APC in a more comfortable position for the 2019 elections.

     

    Alao-Akala

    After losing twice, Akala’s defection to the APC will strengthen his relevance in Oyo politics. His lieutenants will gain patronage while he will remain highly influential, both in Oyo and national politics.

    He will retain his hold on Ogbomoso and parts of Oke-Ogun while wining and dining with national political figures. For him, the defection will mark the beginning of the revival of his political relevance.

     

    Ladoja

    Although Ladoja is now the leader of the PDP in Oyo State, the fortunes of the party had plummeted since 2011 due to implosion. The top party leaders in Ibadan moved against Alao-Akala, who was then the governor. Some of them worked against his candidature in the 2011 election without leaving the party. Since then, the PDP has been unable to regain its strength in Oyo State. The same crisis made Ladoja abandoned the PDP for Accord.

    But the party’s dissenting voices recently come together on the calculation that their coalescence would produce a majority over the APC. They argued that Ajimobi won the last election by scoring only 35 per cent of the total votes. Their thinking was that combining forces together would help send the APC packing in 2019.

    But with Alao-Akala and Folarin out of the PDP, the permutation of the leaders may have been punctured from the start. Several followers of Ladoja who also refused to join PDP are also in the APC now. Some members of the House of Assembly as well as Mr Ademola Ojo, who was a staunch Ladoja’s supporter in Ibarapa, are now in the APC.

    With the defections and the APC at the federal level, Ladoja and PDP will struggle hard to wrest power from the APC in 2019. They will need several policy somersaults by Ajimobi and the rejection for the APC at the national level to spring a surprise.

    Although Ibadan may remain highly divided as experienced in 2015, the APC will most likely coast into victory in other zones to defeat other parties. The APC will require divine wisdom to manage the various interests in the enlarged party to prevent what has afflicted the PDP since 2007.

  • Politics of Buhari’s endorsement

    SIR: Phenomenal victory of the All Progressive Congress, APC, at the 2015 presidential polls will remain a marvel to our generation and generations yet unborn.

    It is the narrative of how a massive rudderless popularity of one man was ably harnessed by three and a half minor parties to yank power from a complacent largest political party in Africa.

    The party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, became so perplexed that it initially broke into two parallel entities. It took the intervention of the nation’s Supreme Court to agglutinate it.

    And, according to the APC, the behemoth PDP of yesteryears has contracted from being the largest party in Africa into a regional Nigerian party that can now boast of any meaningful influence only in the South-east and South-south of Nigeria.

    But the giant-wrecker APC has not brought its power-wrestling wizardry into national governance. People say just as General Muhammadu Buhari had not been able to turn his inalienable huge popularity into electoral victory in three previous outings, so has he been puerile in governmental matters.

    He was unable to assemble his cabinet in six months – a task which some more sagacious leaders can accomplish in two weeks. The Boko Haram, which he promised to annihilate once he gained power is still with us, 30 months after, more boisterous, more daring and more deadly.

    The Fulani herders have taken over the countryside, murdering entire communities for fodder and space, without deterrence from the federal government. Expectedly, the economy is in disarray and in doldrums. The Naira that exchanged at about N150 to the Dollar before him, once rose to N500 under him and we now rejoice that the dollar is available at about N400.

    We now procure every commodity at double the price it used to sell for. There is untold suffering in the land. The most unfortunate part of it all is that there is no iota of hope that things will improve before May 29, 2019.

    That is why it sounded as if not much concern for the citizenry was deployed when recently, the governor of Imo State said he and all Nigerian governors, safe for two, have decided to endorse the president for a second term.

    Okorocha said he personally found Buhari credible, and he still has a four-year term.

    This looks to me as if it does not matter whether the president is able to perform the functions of his office or not. So long as he can win elections for the party; national development that comes with able leadership may go to blazes!

    But the concerns of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu ,the National Leader of the APC are from a different perspective. He has drawn Okorocha’s attention to the fact that all party candidates should be ready to submit themselves to the due process of party primaries in the spirit of the constitution.

    It is also instructive that it was only soon after the Chairman of APC Governors’ Forum made his pronouncement about Buhari’s adoption that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar,made his exit from the APC.

    Of course, it might be coincidental. But it must be appreciated that at least three stalwarts of the APC, duly qualified by the APC zoning formula are seriously eyeing the presidential ticket – Atiku Abubakar, Musa Kwankwaso and Bukola Saraki.

    To publicly endorse Buhari as Okorocha did, claiming he speaks for governors is to close the door to the other northern contenders, who may not be able to contest again on the APC’s platform in the next 12 years, after the South would have taken its turn.

    Furthermore, Okorocha’s manner of endorsement would have shut the door against thousands of APC delegates, who might have contrary opinions concerning whether “Sai Baba” should be empowered to carry on or be retired to his farm at Daura.

     

    • Ola Amupitan,

    Oke Afa, Isolo,  Lagos State.

  • Trustees seek roles for women in politics

    WOMEN have been enjoined to take up challenging political appointments like their male counterparts in order to be more active in nation building.

    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adamakin Investment and Works Limited Chief Akindele Afolabi, made the call in Lagos at a memorial service held in honour Iyalode Efunroye Tinubu.

    Afolabi, who spoke on behalf of The Registered Trustees of Iyalode Efunroye Tinubu Estate at the event, challenged women to emulate Madam Tinubu, who was renowned for her aggressiveness in business and political astuteness during the colonial era.

    He said: “In this present day, women have a lot of roles to play in governance. Mama was a beacon of light to many women around the world. She successfully carried out trade between the British and even the Portuguese at a time when security was a major challenge.

    “As it were, women should not have any excuse whatsoever not to rise above the challenges despite male dominance in politics and business in the society.

    “Mama did all these and even more in an era where there were no social amenities like we have now.  She was an industrious woman who left a lasting legacy for generations that even came after her.”

    Chief Afolabi stressed the need for women and youths in the society to be proactive and industrious.

    “We decided to use this annual medium to laud the diversities and industrious attributes of a black woman who single handedly acquired land all over what we now have as Lagos State.

    He said Iyalode Efunroye Tinubu was a bold and courageous woman who braved all odds to make a name for herself.

  • Abia’s politics of commerce

    Abia’s politics of commerce

    The Scottish philosopher, Adam Smith (1723 and 1790), posited in his book: The Wealth of Nations that “No Society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable”. His postulations can be equated to the vision Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu whose determined effort to make a difference in governance has not waned despite the legal obstacle mounted by his foes shortly after his election.

    Through hardwork, Dr Ikpeazu is rewriting the history of Abia, and his ultimate desire is to make it second to none in the country. To make Abia great, he has revived moribund industry and he is also leading the crusade on the recognition of Aba made goods as durable and reliable. Just over two years in office, he has opened new frontiers in the emancipation, renaissance and development of the state. The renewal of Abia in over 24 months has become talk of the town. It is all of the governor’s making that the state is today a major exporter of manufactured goods.

    Since May 29, 2015, Abia has taken some positive steps and entered into a new level of socio-economic development similar to that of the Asian Tigers.Besides consolidating on the gains of the previous administration, Ikpeazu has made the provision of infrastructure his  priority by ensuring that all senatorial zones of the state are beneficiaries of infrastructural overflow. Abia is looking more beautiful by the day.  Roads have been built in the 17 local government areas of the state,  dilapidated water schemes rehabilitated, bridges constructed. For the first time, the state has a flyover bridge and it took Ikpeazu for the miracle to happen at Osisioma. The governor also remodelled Enyimba city, the South East’s commercial nerve-centre, to serve as Africa’s industrial hub.

    Health centres and clinics now dot Umuahia, the state capital, and other towns, giving the people a relief. People do not have to travel to ‘’big cities’’ in order to attend to their health. The farmers too have been receiving help from government. They got agricultural inputs to aid their work. The higher institutions are not left out in the remaking of the state. They have been given grant to aid their research works.

    The Ikpeazu administration is creating a brand anchored on service and performance. The brand is centered on delivery of dividends of democracy to the people. This is part of his campaign promise, which has formed his covenant with the people. This is propelling the government to provide more services despite limited resources.

    Through delivery of the dividends of democracy, the government has lessened the burden of the prevailing economic depression, confirming the assertion of Sithu U Thant (1909 to 1974), Burmese Secretary General of the United Nations, that “the world will not live in harmony so long as two-third of its habitants has difficulty in living at all.”

    The governor has demolished the character of self defeat and encouraged the spirit of self confidence as a formidable means of self actualisation. Today, Aba made products are seen as a brand, which is as reliable as products made in Italy, Britain, Germany, United States, China, Japan and others. The visionary government also established the Aba industrial clusters for Abia’s industrial growth.

    Undeniably, Ikpeazu’s courage in redefining Aba and its products is in line with the contention of former American President Andrew Jackson that “one man with courage makes a majority”. For now, the governor is the Chief Brand Ambassador of made in Aba goods. He has not only embarked on an aggressive promotion of the products, but has created the Aba Urban Renewal Agency as well as a regulatory board to encourage traders and entrepreneurs to produce more quality products and market them abroad with ease.

    The Rural Transformation Agenda (RTA), which he kick started was climaxed by the setting up of a five-man development team in each of the 184 wards of the state to assist in identifying the pressing needs of each village and community in the ward under the Abia State Rural Infrastructural Development Initiative, (ASRIDI).

    Equally, youths are being empowered under the structural development of the state to start businesses of their own. In addition, two youths from each of the 17 local governments of the state are to travel to China to undergo training in shoe and leather manufacturing. On Ikpeazu’s assumption of office, some youths were selected and trained on the modern techniques of farming under the    Youth for Agriculture Employment Scheme (YAES). The Ikpeazu administration also introduced a youth empowerment and development concept called Education for Employment Programme (E4E). Its aim is to develop and empower Abia youths and imbue them with the virtue of self reliant. To ensure sanity on the road, the government established the Traffic Management Agency (TMA),  which employed many,  reducing youth unemployment in the state. To observers, what the governor, who they refer to as the ‘’Moses of our time’’ deserves is another term to enable him consolidate on the gains so far made. The state, they argued, deserves the best and ‘’our governor has shown that he is the best and that he will always give his best to the state.’’

  • Women are essential in politics – Ogun Speaker

    Women are essential in politics – Ogun Speaker

    The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraju Ishola Adekunbi, has said the participation of women in the process of governance is essential in achieving national development. Adekunbi said this during his visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) women leaders in Ogun East Senatorial district, at Ago-Iwoye. The Speaker thanked the women for contributing positively to the development of the party.

    Adekunbi acknowledged the support of women, particularly in the area of policy formulation and implementation, to the Senator Ibikunle Amosun led administration in the state, since its  inception, while soliciting more support from the women leaders at ensuring the sustainability of the legacies of the present administration.

    The Speaker, who was in company of Honourables Adebowale Ojuri and Olayiwola Ojodu and other party stalwarts, added that it is in recognition of the essence of women in politics and public administration that the current administration in the state has allocated of 35 percent of positions to womenfolk. He called on them to mobilize themselves for more political participation at all levels of government.

    While urging the women to throw their support behind the quest of Ogun West senatorial district to produce the next governor of the state, Adekunbi did not mice words in telling the party leaders that he is the most qualified person to continue the good work currently being done by Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the ruling APC, in the nooks and crannies of the state.

    Party faithfuls present at the event include, the General Manager, Ogun State Printing Corporation, Mrs. Oyinkansola Cole, Hon. Aderounke Soyoye and Alhaja W. O. Quadri, among other female party leaders in the senatorial district. They canvassed for more appointments for women in government to enhance good governance. They equally lauded the Amosun-led government for including more women in his cabinet.

  • ‘No Atiku factor in Edo politics’

    ‘No Atiku factor in Edo politics’

    Deputy Chief Whip of House of Representatives Pally Iriase (Owan) has debunked speculations that some members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo State will join Atiku Abubakar to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The lawmaker said no member of Edo APC would defect to PDP because “there is no Atiku factor in Edo politics”.

    Iriase, who addressed reporters yesterday at his Otuo home in Owan East, said the former Vice President was unfair to Nigerians when he left the APC because of failed promises of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government.

    His words: “What Atiku said does not make sense to me, but when campaigns for 2019 resumes, you will see that there will be no Atiku factor in Edo State or Nigeria. This APC government is actually taking Nigeria on the right path; it is just that the rot, which needs to be cleaned before we see light at the end of the tunnel, is so humongous.

    “We, as human beings by nature, want a quick fix but it is impossible to do that. Even as at now, you are talking about predicating our budget on $45 bench mark, all throughout the last administration, we were talking about $90 to $98 per barrel.

    “Can we talk about that kind of money now? People have to be reasonable. You had a wonderful opportunity but you filtered it away. Somebody had the ill luck to take over, when the damage had been done, and he is trying his best to correct the ills and put you on a path of sustainable development.I don’t want to start playing politics now but I can say out right there is no Atiku factor in Edo politics.”