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Tag: Successor

  • Successor-predecessor crisis

    Successor-predecessor crisis

    It is not new. It is only rampant in the Fourth Republic. Two key factors tend to fuel the partisan conflict. They are both features of politics. The first is the human nature; the second is the addiction to power, which is alluring and intoxicating.

    When the political romance between the benefactor and the beneficiary ends abruptly, observers are usually taken aback. Then the camp is divided. The impact of the split begins to take its toll, exposing the ruling party to distress.

    A disturbing scenario begins to play out. But it often happens like a comedy of errors which culminates in a melodrama. Sometimes, it ends in a tragedy. The power play between a governor and his successor in the Nigerian political landscape usually throws up avoidable intrigues. A lot of time is wasted in attempting to resolve the crisis it causes.  

    There would appear to be no neutral camp in the imbroglio. While many queue behind the governor, others would back the former governor. Those who were not privy to the secret between the two principal warring actors consequently enlist as combatants in the ensuing war of attrition.

    How to avert a successor-predecessor crisis, which seems to have become an eternal element of Nigerian politics, particularly between the benefactor and his anointed candidate who belongs to the same party, is a big challenge.

    The burden is on those in the business of power, their cohorts, confederates, lackeys, hangers-on and co-travellers.

    Political scientists contend that the outgoing ruling executives often devise a method of exerting influence on their successors after handing over to them. These outgoing rulers could not be expected to be aloof or indifferent to the nature, tendencies, beliefs, principles, dispositions, sentiments, and idiosyncrasies of their would-be successors.

    Two reasons may be responsible. The first is the defence or protection of their legacies, which they expect their preferred candidates to build on in the interest of the state. The second, which appears to be self-serving, is for cover-up.

    While the former lackey and rascally successor-in-waiting or political heir apparent is aware of these conditions, he plays along, only to later renege on an earlier agreement. He may unfold a contrary agenda. In a bid to hurriedly assert personality and be his own man, he adorns the garb of arrogance and severs the chord. It may be a prelude to a personality crisis.

    Though the former governor is outside power, he is never off the radar of influence. As he laments his curious miscalculation, he fights back. The arsenals at his disposal are usually the legislature and the party structure, which may not be under the grip of the new governor.

    The former governor gnashes his teeth over what would now appear to him as an avoidable recruitment error. He tries to resist the gradual or imminent threat to his influence from his defensive position.

    The transition from power to ordinary citizenship may be stressful. As pecks of the exalted office disappear, friends and associates begin to distance themselves from the former man of power. Sources of revenue decrease and the glamour of public protocol diminishes.

    Of course, a few months before the expiration of his tenure, the governor may have become a lame duck. The number of hangers-on sharply decreases as they gravitate to new power centres.

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    Left in the cold, the former governor becomes vulnerable out of the corridor of power. It is the period of accountability. He faces battles on two fronts: from bitter, disloyal, and uncooperative successors, and those from anti-graft bodies. The books are opened and previous deeds, including decisions long forgotten, are laid bare on the day of reckoning. The cost and rigours of litigation, and the burden of public vituperation are heavy.

    The new governor justifies his onslaught by attracting to himself political buddies who have no inkling about how he was catapulted to the seat of power.  In his quest for freedom from an imaginary cage, he seeks a sort of liberation that ultimately lands him in trouble and diverts his attention, no matter how temporarily, from governance as much energy is dissipated on the brewing crisis with his predecessor.

    He incites the public and chides his predecessor for his reluctance or refusal to let go, forgetting that he once adored him as the godfather during the campaigns when he promised a government of continuity.

    The aggrieved godfather replies to the salvos by accusing his former protege of disloyalty, ingratitude, treachery and rebellion to the party.

    In politics, the sin of disloyalty is hardly forgiven and forgotten. Although loyalty can be tested by some circumstances, it is expected that the circumstances should not be beyond the control of the beneficiary of godfatherism. It is debatable.

    If the conflict becomes unmanageable, it can lead to parting of ways. The winner could be either the governor or the former governor – whoever commands the superior levers of power.

    The parting of ways can either be temporary or permanent, depending on interests. Anytime their interests align again, they may put the past behind them and work together for the protection of common interest.

    But, if the disagreement between the predecessor and the successor has an ideological connotation, it may result in a permanent political enmity.

    Such was the case in the days of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, former Premier of Old Western Region and Leader of Action Group (AG), and his successor, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola (SLA), who was deputy party leader.

    Awo lost his bid for Prime Minister in 1959. He became the Leader of the Opposition in a hostile Federal Parliament where he faced adjustment difficulties. It contrasted with the time he was both premier and party leader. His deputy in the party and successor as leader of government came with a different style. Awo kicked, saying the party principles, doctrines and ethos were being breached. Akintola’s supporters alleged that Awo did not give SLA a free hand to steer the affairs of the region.

    To SLA, a collaboration between the Western Region and the Central Government was necessary for the Western Region to get cakes from the Centre. Awo disagreed, saying the relations between the two tiers of government should be premised on ideology. There was a split in the AG. The region was polarised. A crisis broke out. Tension enveloped the wild wild Western Region. The rest, as it is said, is history.

    In this dispensation, the scenario has been enacted in Kano, Edo, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states. But the bone of contention is not an ideological difference. It is about self-preservation and the protection of personal interest.

    In Kano, former Governor Rabiu Kwakwanso and his deputy, who took over from him, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, were best of friends who weathered the storm of politics together.

    However, barely a year later, both became foes. So deep was the acrimony that the two leaders could not cohabit in the same political party. Up to now, the prospect of reconciliation is still slim for the two gentlemen.

    In Enugu, former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani and his successor, Sullivan Chime, never saw eye to eye after the former left office, until Chime’s successor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, accorded respect to him and supported his bid for Senate.

    In Edo, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who later became the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, was suspended from the party by his ward. The governor, Godwin Obaseki, and his followers celebrated what they described as the collapse of godfatherism, on which back he rode to power in his first term.

    In Rivers, the eminent politician and elder statesman, Dr. Peter Odili, governor from 1999 to 2007, and his godson, Rotimi Amaechi, did not enjoy cordial relations for long. It is doubtful if the Cold War has ended.

    Former Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and his successor, Gboyega Oyetola, were at loggerheads. What is striking is the weakness of crisis resolution mechanism in the progressive camp. After the change of baton, they went their separate ways. Having failed to reconcile and put their house in order, their party failed to retain power. Today, their feuding supporters are licking the wound.

    Reflecting on life after leaving the Akwa Ibom Government House, where he was governor between 2007 and 2015, Senate President Godswill Akpabio lamented how his successor, Udom Emmanuel, turned against him after he assisted him to become governor.

    At the 60th birthday of Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele in Abuja, Akpabio bemoaned the pattern of acrimony, advising Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who has maintained good relations with his predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, not to join the bandwagon.

    During the inauguration party in Port Harcourt, former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose offered the same advice to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who took over from Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    What Akpabio and Fayose suggested was the deployment of native wisdom in the management of the predecessor by the successor.

    When there is a conflict between successors and predecessors, both may be right or wrong, depending on the circumstances. The two contrasting positions are defended by party colleagues and followers in the two antagonistic camps.

    It is gratifying that President Bola Tinubu has intervened in the Rivers imbroglio. Cracks have appeared on the wall of brotherhood. They should be mended. If the cracks widen, the warriors may be consumed.

    The warriors only know the beginning of a war. They may not be able to accurately predict its short and long-term consequences.

  • Osun poll: Towards a worthy successor

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s media adviser Semiu Okanlawon highlights the importance of continuity in the State of the Living Spring.

    Celebrated English playwright, William Shakespeare once declared ‘’All the world is a stage, and all men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many times.’’

    This is truly apt of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, having been in the saddle for over seven years in Osun and having to relinquish power in line with the dictates of the law of the land come this November.

    Osun shall be experiencing governorship election this year. There are deluge of aspirants from the two major political parties and others. Of course, the signs are visible on the political landscape while the informed electorate are understudying the political climate with rapt.

    It is not unusual for an incumbent governor in the Nigerian polity to be deeply involved in who next flies the flag of the ruling party and indeed, who takes the baton from him. By Nigeria’s political configuration, it would look odd for an incumbent to be indifferent to who takes over from him most especially where the labour of the ending tenure should not be allowed to go in ruins.

    The need for democratic consolidation often drives the incumbent towards ensuring that a worthy successor takes over so that all the democratic dividends being enjoyed by the citizens are not frittered away by a clueless successor. Definitely, Osun is in need of a worthy political successor to Governor Rauf Aregbesola simply on the basis of the need to consolidate on the gains of the eight years that will be ending in November this year.

    Beyond personal adventurism of  the aspirants, the incumbent Aregbesola is duty bound to ensure the continued survival of the giant developmental strides recorded by his administration, hence the need to make input into the emergence process of the All Progressives Congress candidate in this forthcoming gubernatorial election. In the Yoruba proverbial saying, ‘’if a mad man is allowed to bury his mother, he might probably roast it for dinner.’

    Flowing from the above, Michael Braton’s postulation that ‘’elections do not in and of themselves constitute a consolidated democracy, they remain fundamental not only for installing democratic governments, but as a requisite for broader democratic consolidation underscores the point being canvassed here.

    Further flowing from the above is the fact that election is not restricted to one day ritual of voting and subsequent vote counting and result declaration. Rather, it includes an array of processes that includes but not limited to candidate nomination and registration with the electoral umpire.

    It is trite that the Aregbesola era has introduced progressivism and dynamism to governance; a radical departure from the old order. It would therefore be in the interest of the well-being of the state that the political tendency whose modus operandi is nothing but progressivism need to succeed him otherwise, there would be an unpardonable detour to the grim political failure which includes but not limited to corruption, ineptitude, social injustice and inequality captured in Achebe’s ‘’The Trouble with Nigeria’’ engendered by failed leadership.

    Lest we forget, the celebrated author, Achebe, hinted that “the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership….there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian character, there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian land or climate or water or air or anything less.’’  Osun had its experience of this failure of leadership before the current revolution hit the ground running.

    Undeniably, loyalty is a key factor in politics and by extension, governance. It is a moral component of any political relationship, hence loyalty is morality. The presence of loyalty among all strata of the political class will not only strengthen the polity but also guarantee the needed conducive atmosphere for consolidation of democratic dividends. No one in Osun would wish for the state, the type of ‘wars’ between successors and predecesors that have characterised some other political environments in Nigeria.

    Given the steady progress being recorded, who needs such tense political atmosphere in Osun to throw spanners in the wheel of advancements? Thus loyalty to the ideals, tenets and principles of the current political tendency should be one of the most important considerations for Osun political succession. The sustainable development in Lagos State offers us a good illustration here. No one would deny the smooth sail of Lagos from what used to be a jumbled metropolitan settlement to a megacity where there is order, glamour and glitz. Lagos is prosperous today and looks even much more with greater potential.

    No one also needs to be told as well that this has been due to an uninterrupted progressive political tendency and ideology that holds sway in the state since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

    Oftentimes, commentators misconstrue loyalty to be a blind, dogmatic compliance and adherence to the rules of the game set by a political ‘benefactor’ or the incumbent who facilitates the emergence of his successor. This is wrong! Loyalty, to me, represents a religious adherence to that path created by an incumbent which has been benefitting the people and which, if followed, would achieve greater good for the people.

    Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu expected loyalty from his successor. This was because he had created a path to be followed. That Babatunde Fashola followed that path made him another superstar in the administration of Lagos. That Akinwumi Ambode has followed that path as well has enriched Lagos. It is beginning to appear like other political parties have surrendered to the APC given the unprecedented infrastructure revolution the state is witnessing.

    Already, the people of Osun dream of the picture of another 8 years with equal zeal, determination and clear vision as brought by Aregbesola.

    The issue of disloyalty has been part of our political fabric for so long. This is echoed in a lecture titled ‘’Mending a Socioporous Nation before the Third Republic’’ delivered by Prof. B.I.C Ijomah on 4th April, 1986 wherein he asserted that ‘’There is no morality. People swear by and lie by the Bible and Koran……the sacred has been profaned, the profane has been sanctified and immorality and corruption have been tagged the order of the day.’’ There is a need to sound a caveat that the loyalty of successor to predecessor being envisaged here is not the one that will turn democracy to kleptocracy typical of some emerging democracies in Africa.

    Next which is of utmost importance is charisma. Ours is an African democracy wherein the head of the executive which is the governor or president as the case may be occupies a central space in the scheme of things usually with an alluring character, doggedness, empathy, unblemished integrity, confidence, inspiration to others, commitment and passion, decision making capabilities, tact and diplomacy, astuteness and accountability.

    Do you find these lacking in Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Osun? No! It would therefore not be a sin for him to identify and support a candidate who best typifies those ideals that would ensure the flame keeps burning.

    To Theodore Roosevelt, ‘’In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing’’. When the moment of decision comes, Aregbesola must do the right thing. He cannot afford to do nothing.

  • Okorocha endorses son-in-law as successor

    Okorocha endorses son-in-law as successor

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has named his Chief of Staff, Uche Nwosu, as his successor in 2019.

    Nwosu is Okorocha’s son-in-law.

    The governor, at a meeting with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Owerri Municipal Council Area, said his decision to support Nwosu is derived from the fact that Nwosu has “the qualities of an ideal leader”.

    The governor, however, said Nwosu is yet to inform him if he is nursing any governorship ambition.

    He said: “The monumental achievements of my administration will not be left in the hand of any how person. The Chief of Staff has not told me he wants to run for the governorship but if he does signify, I will support him.

    “Uche Nwosu is hardworking and never gets tired. He is a very humble young man; not proud; not arrogant. So, Power won’t enter his head. Despite the position he occupies, you can’t see him quarrelling or maltreating anybody. He does not segregate against anybody. I have checked him in and out and I have not found him wanting.”

    The governor called on the people not to repeat the mistake of 2015, stressing that the Igbo must vote for APC and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 because according to him, “the Igbo need the North for political survival”.

  • Osun 2018: Quest for Aregbesola’s successor

    Osun 2018: Quest for Aregbesola’s successor

    In this piece, LANRE AMINU highlights the qualities the next governor of Osun State should posses so that he can continue the people-oriented programmes of the Aregbesola administration.

    It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws”- Aristotle

    Edmund Burke also says: “A state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation”. There is no gainsaying that the outgoing governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is bearing the travail of a reformer.

    At the risk of being label a sycophant, spin-doctor or worst still a paid image maker, I make bold to say the man, Aregbesola in the captain’s seat of the ship called Osun state would have match, if not surpass Chief Awolowo’s land mark achievements in the old Western region if he had not being hampered by the wasteful expensive presidential system of government we have being practicing and bad leadership in the state of Osun nay the centre.

    It bears repeating that he is bearing the scars of the woeful failures of most of his predecessors with the exception of the civilian administration of Bisi Akande. Governor Aregbesola deserves commendation for his laudable developmental giant strides in the state. He is a man who works quietly while positively impacting on the lives of his people. Before he came on board, many people in the state had looked on with gloom concerning the state of affairs in that land. Indeed, people were not happy at all with the administrations of most of his predecessors, especially, Oyinlola led PDP administration, whose twin legacies are profligacy and ineptitude. Aregbesola became popular in Osun mostly because of the incompetence, greed and cluelessness of some of his predecessors.

    However, all that has changed now. The people of the state are now proud to associate themselves with the affairs of the state. There is no gainsaying that Ogbeni Aregbesola has taken governance beyond the pedestrian mark of paying salaries and constructing roads.

    The records of his achievements in all sectors are on ground and verifiable. He has won many laurels for his trail-blazing feat in Osun nay Nigeria. He has redefined development in Osun state by investing in policies and prorammes which we and our children children’s will benefit from. Rauf Aregbesola is that “miser” very much hated by the vampires of Osun politics and the beneficiaries of the old other for his uncompromising refusal to throw the usual party, where money belonging to the state is shared out in Ghana- must- go bags. Rather, he “stubbornly” and against the usual practice, invested in education, healthcare, infrastructure, human resources, youth empowerment, thereby, preparing to bequeathing citizens and unborn citizens of the state, so much to live for today and so much to hope for tomorrow. If there is one major challenge that has faced Osun nay Nigeria in more than half a century of her existence as an independent nation, it is incompetent, clueless and corrupt leadership. Before the advent of the corrective regime of Aregbesola, the leadership deficit that assails us in Osun is so legendary that from all indications, the state has continued to lag behind in an emerging world other that emphasizes clear-headed and able leadership. Since the creation of the state in 1991, Osun has been struck by a string of incompetent and corrupt leaders who have being gradually running the state aground before Aregbesola came on a rescue mission.

    The first civilian administration in the state headed by late Isiaka Adeleke and Aregbesola’s immediate predecessor in office, Oyinlola led PDP administration are the worst culprits. It is on record that Adeleke and Oyinlola’s watch, humongous amount were voted for projects without execution. The level of rot and decadence and N18 billion suffocating loan Aregbesola met on ground constitute a cog in the wheel of redemption and progress of the state.

    In view of the above, it should be glaring to any discerning mind that Aregbesola is bearing the scars of the woeful failures of his predecessors in office and that of the profligate Jonathan led PDP government who robbed the states of its share of billions of naira of statutory allocation. The foregoing explains why most states, with the exception of Lagos and Ogun can no longer pay its workers salaries and pensions as at when due.

    With the above revelations, it is patently clear that the burden of inability to pay full salary to some categories of workers as at when due would have been minimal if Aregbesola’s predecessors had done the job they were elected to do during their era. There is no gainsaying that the mess of Oyinlola led PDP government better forgotten years cannot be cleared by four generation of successors. If Osun must stay on its current course of rebirth and renewal, if there is a need to sustain the momentum and build on the solid foundations of Aregbesola led APC government, then, we must not make the mistake of allowing our state to go to a wrong hand after Aregbesola’s purposeful administration. There is nothing harder to bear than the reverse of fortunes.

    I strongly believe we the people of Osun are not prepared to move backward. We have poised to be on the move until we get to the promised land. Osun people are too wise to succumb to the promises of a new beginning. It is common knowledge that Nigeria still remains a potentially great nation because of inept, clueless and corrupt leadership it has being inflicted with and lack of continuity of programmes.

    Developmental programmes are better sustained if allow to strive and endure over time. The antics of political hirelings, rudderless opposition, professional bootlickers, paid image makers, crumb grazers and unconscionable trumpet blowers must be forestalled by the electorate. The point must not be lost on us that 2018 represents our water shed year, a year will must take our destiny in our own hands, a year that will determine whether we will continue to make progress as a people or bear the reverse of fortunes, God forbid! This time around however, the brilliant and the highly politically sophisticated people of Osun must not, shall not allow ourselves to be hoodwinked as we were in 2003.

    The greatest mistake any one would be making at this point is to suggest that the state be give to just any one to manage come 2018. Yes, Osun may appear too weak and fragile now to attract quality minds, it should not be thrown to the dogs. Its journey back from Golgotha must be smooth, steady and assured. It will however, will be too stretchy for a short- distant runner and too cranky for the faint-hearted to drive.

  • God to choose my successor, says Fayose

    God to choose my successor, says Fayose

    Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has said he is discussing with Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) potential aspirants “to allow me seek God’s consent” on the choice of a successor.

    He said since aspirants have the right to aspire for the No. 1 seat, he (Fayose) also has the right to support whoever God asks him to support for the 2018 governorship race.

    Fayose said he invited aspirants like his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola; former Commissioner for Works, Mr. Kayode Oso; and former Wema Bank Group Managing Director, Mr. Adebisi Omoyeni to allow him seek the face of God on his successor.

    The governor spoke yesterday at his Afao-Ekiti home at a meeting with PDP aspirants and leaders from Ikole, Ijero and Ise/Orun councils.

    His alleged opposition to the governorship ambition of Deputy Senate Minority Whip Biodun Olujimi; former Deputy Governor Abiodun Aluko and the party’s national spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has been causing tension in the party.

    Fayose said: “Followers need not create a wedge between me and governorship aspirants. As much as aspirants have the right to aspire, I also reserve the right to support whoever God asks me to support.

    “If I were asked to pick a candidate to succeed me, I would have picked Kayode Oso. But I have called him and asked him to allow me seek God’s consent concerning it.

    “I have called my deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola; I have also called Bisi Omoyeni and asked him to allow me seek God’s consent. Whoever God chooses, we will support among the aspirants. Whoever that is not the one, the spirit of sportsmanship should be embraced.

    “I have nothing against Prince Adedayo Adeyeye. I have respect for him: from ministerial appointment to chairmanship (of the governing council) at Ekiti State University, and his recommendation to the party at the national level.

    “I have always stood by him. I wouldn’t have done that for someone I don’t love. So, mischief makers had better look elsewhere to play their game.”

    The governor advised party members to downplay personal agenda and ensure the party’s interest is placed on the front burner.

    He said: “Never will any candidate be imposed on the people. We won’t allow anybody to destroy the goodwill enjoyed by the PDP because there is no doubt about our party’s popularity in Ekiti today.

    “I want to assure you nobody will impose anybody on you. With me here, you will all get justice. Those we imposed in the past disappointed us. The system should be allowed to run its course.”

    At the meeting with party members from Ijero Ekiti, Fayose directed that about 23 members, hitherto suspended from the party, be forgiven and reabsorbed.

  • Gaidam: I will leave Yobe for a credible successor

    Gaidam: I will leave Yobe for a credible successor

    Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has re-echoed his resolve to produce a credible successor.

    The governor, who spoke in Damaturu, at the defection party of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), vowed to ensure that he is succeeded by a responsible person.

    “God gives power to whoever he wishes, but I assure you we will handover to credible successors who would continue with the good work we have started, not drunkards and smokers who would lead our party and people astray,” Gaidam said.

    Some chieftains of the PDP, including a former Minister of State Foreign Affairs, Jibril Maigeri, former commissioners Mohammed Saleh and Sani Choromari, last week defected to the APC, citing Governor Gaidam’s openness and commitment to moving the state forward as reasons for joining the party.

    Governor Gaidam, who described their return to APC as “home coming and a journey to where they rightly belong”, urged them to work hard to achieve the party’s ideals.

    His words: “Based on the achievements which our administration has recorded since its inception in 2009, it is clear that the APC is the only party that could emancipate the common man from the clutches of deprivation, poverty, insecurity, marginalisation and injustice.

    “The country has witnessed nothing but misrule, deterioration of living condition, diminishing power supply, crises in supply of petroleum products, corruption, unemployment, insecurity, insurgency and militancy.

    “I am glad to state, without fear of contradiction, that all these are now being effectively and efficiently addressed.”

    Gaidam promised to keep to his campaign promises till his last day in office, and even called on political officer holders to justify the people’s confidence in them.

  • Ekiti 2018: Fayose grooms ex-commissioner as successor

    Ekiti 2018: Fayose grooms ex-commissioner as successor

    Indications have emerged that Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose is grooming former Commissioner for Works and Transport, Kayode Oso, to take over when his tenure expires on October 15, 2018.

    Oso, an indigene of Ado-Ekiti, served as Fayose’s Chief of Staff and later Commissioner for Works and Transport during his first tenure, which ended abruptly with impeachment on October 16, 2006.

    He narrowly escaped arrest while following his boss for an overseas trip at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos in July 2006 when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested some aides of the governor for alleged N1.4 billion poultry scam at the time.

    After Fayose’s dramatic comeback to power on October 16 2014, Oso was reappointed Commissioner for Works and Transport but quit on April 6, 2016 under controversial circumstances.

    The administration claimed Oso resigned on “health grounds” while Oso travelled to London shortly before returning towards the end of the year.

    The ex-commissioner holds chairmanship of key committees coordinating many activities in the Ado-Ekiti Government House.

    One of the committees holds regular interface with interest

    groups like artisans, labour unions, market women, students, youths and ethnic nationalities, serving as Fayose’s contact person.

    Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) governorship aspirants include former Minister of State for Works and spokesperson of the National Caretaker Committee, Prince Dayo Adeyeye; former High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Dare Bejide, and former Deputy Governor, Chief Abiodun Aluko.

    They declined to drop their ambition for Fayose or his protégé.

     

  • Stakeholders ‘ll determine my successor, says Amosun

    Stakeholders ‘ll determine my successor, says Amosun

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has said that stakeholders, representing major sectors in the state, would determine his successor.

    Speaking at the Ramadan Iftar with members of the national assembly, representing Ogun state and members of the House of Assembly, at the Government House, Abeokuta, Amosun promised to support any candidate from Ogun West Senatorial District, adding however that stakeholders, including traditional rulers and traders, would play key roles in picking the candidate.

    Amosun noted that no individual could do it all alone and appealed for the support of all to move the state forward.

    The governor attributed the success recorded since the inception of his administration to the cooperation of the lawmakers.

    He thanked the lawmakers for complementing the efforts of his government.

    Hon. Isiaka Ibrahim, representing Ifo/Ewekoro Federal constituency in the House of Representatives, moved the motion for a vote of confidence on the governor, seconded by Hon. Yetunde Sogbein.

    The federal and state legislators unanimously commended the Amosun administration for its lofty programmes and projects, while also pledging their unflinching support for the governor.

    They acknowledged the government for the completed and ongoing infrastructural development across the state in the last six years.

  • AREGBESOLA: I’VE NOT ENDORSED ANYONE AS MY SUCCESSOR

    AREGBESOLA: I’VE NOT ENDORSED ANYONE AS MY SUCCESSOR

    Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State says he has not endorsed anyone to succeed him ahead of next year’s election in the state. Aregbesola, speaking during an all night interactive programme tagged: ‘Ogbeni Till Daybreak’ in Osogbo, dismissed suggestions that effort to choose his successor was threatening his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
    He described the APC as solid, strong and effective as any party could be. “There is no aspect of our party’s organisation and management that has suffered in any form in respect of who will be my successor. We are united, connected and working so well for the progress of the party. We are the most cohesive political party in the state,” he said.
    The governor insisted that none of the opposition parties in the state could withstand the APC in the 2018 governorship election. “If the only opposition party we have in the state is disorganised, dismembered, then where is the fear for 2018 election? the governor asked. On the speculation that he was planning to contest for Lagos West Senatorial election in 2019, Aregbesola said there was no such dream yet.
    The APC Chairman in the State, Gboyega Famodun, who the governor also asked to speak on 2018 election in the state, said that the party had not chosen anyone as its candidate. “There is no governorship aspirant in the party as far as I know. The insubordination of few members of the party does not mean that the party is being threatened ahead of 2018 governorship election. We have a very strong structure in the state,” he said.

  • Mimiko prays for good successor

    Mimiko prays for good successor

    •Governor warns Ondo electorate

    Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko yesterday prayed to God to bring a man after his heart to continue “the good work” he is doing.

    The governor assured the people that the state would “never go back to Egypt”.

    He spoke at the thanksgiving service of the 15th Annual Convention of the Riches in Christ Evangelical Mission in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

    Mimiko noted that God who made his “re-election the most peaceful one, will make the November 26 gubernatorial election in Ondo State very peaceful”.

    The governor, who said the church is richly blessed by God with the celebration despite economic challenges facing Nigeria, prayed to God to heal the land and put an end to security challenges in facing the nation”.

    Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, who was also attended the event, urged the Ondo people to vote for the continuity of the good legacy of Mimiko at the governorship poll.

    He warned the people not to repeat the mistake Nigerians made during the last presidential election.

    His words: “The people of Ondo State must not make the mistake we made during the last presidential election in Nigeria. My advice is that you don’t allow yourselves to be carried away by repeating the mistakes of last year that we are paying seriously for now.”

    He advised the electorate not to allow themselves to be misled by voting wrongly, saying that it would be a big mistake on their part if they make the mistake of voting for opposition parties.

    Fayose hailed Mimiko for identifying with people of Ondo State across strata.