Yemimovich: Atiku can't wait for Obasanjo's death.
Why did Obasanjo not wait for his own AGF Bola Ige to die naturally instead of precipitating it in 201, two years before he captured southwest votes to secure his reelection?
Abi you think Baba Iyabo’s reelection would have happened without the bloc vote of the south west after Atiku rejected northern pressure to make Obasanjo honour his one term promise like Mandela? Buhari first asked for the job of president in 2003 and secured the northern votes in bloc.
chino11: You were the governor of Oyo State at the time Chief Ajibola Ige was murdered. What was your experience then?
It was a bitter experience. That very day was a Sunday. It was the day we had our Christmas carol at the Government House. It was a norman Sunday; everything was going on fine. The carol came and went from 4:15 to 6:00pm that day. And then everybody dispersed. As if I got a signal of what was coming, my speech that day was centred on security in Oyo State. I called on the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police to strengthen security in Oyo State because an old school mate, Engineer Adegeebo, had been assassinated near his house in Bodija a week earlier.
Every cleric went home and I retired to Government House. I played for some time. Then I went to my room to treat some files. I was doing that when suddenly the phone rang. It was land line we were using then. The operator said that somebody wanted to speak with me. Then I picked the call and it was a brother to my deputy. He said he was asked to tell me that Chief Bola Ige had been shot by some unknown assassins. I was confused immediately. I didn’t know what to do. But later I regained my strength and quickly went down without telling my wife what was happening. It was 9:55 pm. I sent for my PS because all the ADC and other security staff had gone to their places of abode. I told him to drive me in one of the private cars. Inside the car, I told him that Uncle Bola Ige had been shot by some gunmen, that I was going to check him at Catholic Hospital, Oluyoro. The man who informed said Ige was taken to Oluyoro.
The place I have been treading for over 60 years, I remember that I lost my way. I was just going round and round until I gained my consciousness again. Immediately the gateman saw me, he quickly opened the gate. There, we saw Uncle Dele Ige, who was already rolling on the ground. I went straight to the room where Bola Ige was lying. I saw marks of bullets on his body. He slept with his face up. He was somehow breathing but the breathing was abnormal. I saw where the bullet penetrated on the left side. I saw it myself. Uncle Bola Ige was wearing shirt and trousers. And I saw Muyiwa standing by the side of the bed. He was wailing. He appealed to me, saying: ”Uncle, please tell the doctor to wake up my Daddy. Tell him. The doctor can do it.” Then, I approached the doctor and asked him the situation. The doctor called me to one side and told me that he was dead. He said: “Sir, Your Excellency, Uncle is gone. There is nothing we can do. They shot him straight in the heart. He asked me not to tell Muyiwa.
I almost betrayed my emotion when I got back into the room where Uncle was lying with Muyiwa beside his bed. I just quickly gathered myself and told Muyiwa that I was going to see the head of the hospital. That was how I bolted away. I came back to the Government House to inform Mr. President, who was Obasanjo at that time.
By the time I was going upstairs to my room, to try and tell Operator to phone Mr. President for me, the phone was already ringing. When I got into my room, it was still ringing. I quickly picked it up and it was Obasanjo. He the Operator said the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wants to talk to you. Then I asked him to put him on. The question Obasanjo just asked was: “Is he certified dead?” I said: “Yes sir.” Then he dropped the phone. That was all. That was my experience. I can never forget that experience.
Kobicove: This is the turn of the South to produce the president so Atiku cannot use it to become president.
Let him go and wait till 2031!
Was it the turn of the south in 2011 when Tinubu and Obi supported Jonathan to win the election?
Was it the turn of northerners when Tinubu made Buhari president, four years after calling him expired?
Was it the turn of the south when Obasanjo got a second term because Atiku refused northern pressure to make him respect his one term promise like Mandela? 2003 was the first time that Buhari asked for the job of president and failed.
Meanwhile, do you know what category you are in the three Greek options of the OP below
helinues: It's hypocritical of USA to be accusing Nigeria of having force labour system.
There is no evidence of such system in Nigeria. The Eastern Congo mine, majority of the companies using minor to do force labour are from USA, but they can never see such kind of a thing
Onewazobia: I can't vouch for any of them. We can only bank on the lesser evil—maybe Obi.
Unfortunately, the failed Anambra godfather is too naive to be consequential and his candidacy will only make it easier for Tinubu to be reelected, just as he helped him in 2023!
It should be obvious that Kwankwaso is not focused on next election but on the one in 2031 when the northerners will have a chance, if Tinubu doesn’t get a 3rd term for life president. This is something that Obasanjo failed to achieve in 2007 because Atiku led other democratic heroes to kill the bill in the NASS.
lexylaw40: The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State, Tawfiq Akinwale, [/b]on Wednesday [b]stated that the “President-elect” Bola Tinubu asked popular economist, Prof Pat Utomi to step down for Peter Obi in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.
Akinwale made this revelation while he appeared as a guest on a radio programme on 101.7 YES FM, Ibadan, Oyo State, while alleging that Obi received campaign funds from Utomi, whom he described as Tinubu's "son."
The LP aspirant, who spoke in Yoruba language, said "In the buildup to the 2023 elections, Obi who had purchased the nomination form of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suddenly announced his exit from the party.
"Initially, Pat Utomi had secured the LP's presidential ticket, but when Peter Obi said he resigned from the PDP and joined the LP. Bola Tinubu, a master political strategist, quickly told Utomi, that everyone knows to be his son to step down for Obi.
"The “president-elect” saw in Obi's presidential bid, a good chance to reduce the winning chances of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
"What Peter Obi didn't know is much more that what he knows, he started collecting campaign funds from Utomi, while Tinubu was giving the money to Utomi.
"This went on until Obi's presidential campaign got to a stage it went beyond target. Obi was used without him knowing," Akinwale said after announcing his departure from the party.
Obi defected to the LP after resigning his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and also withdrawing from the presidential race under the party.
The former governor consequently joined the race for the party’s presidential ticket, while Professor Pat Utomi, in June 2022 stepped down for him to emerge as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, unopposed in Asaba, Delta State.
ElevationD: Now, note the true story as we all knew in 1999. This is from the book of the late Chief Tony Anenih. A well publicized, documented and undisputed by Atiku. The late Chief Tony Anenih was known as Mr. Fix it. He completely truncated and totally destroyed the plan of Atiku to run for the Presidency in 2003. Atiku in his capacity as the chairman of the NPC and NEC, had unfettered access to the whole governors and actually controlled them. His attempt to use his advantage the night before the primaries in 2003 was dislodged by Anenih, while pulled the governors back to OBJ’s side.
If you want to look into history of the events of 2003, you must commence from 1999, when Atiku was elevated from the governor elect of Adamawa state to the VP candidate, with other prominent northerners on the list for the position. This is the story as we all knew that year in 1999. If you were young, look through history. We witnessed it personally. “How I made Atiku VP in 1999 —Anenih PUBLISHED BY TribuneWeb 10 YEARS AGO Former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has revealed how he made former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the running mate to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1999 election.
Anenih, in his 257-page book: “My Life and Nigerian Politics,” released on November 26, said he suggested Atiku’s name to Obasanjo as someone who would guarantee that he “sleeps with two eyes closed” as president. According to Anenih, a former national chairman of the PDP, the late Solomon Lar, had nominated three prospective running mates to Obasanjo, a day after the party’s primary. Lar, according to him, had handed an envelope to Obasanjo at a meeting in which he had the three names including Alhaji Abubakar Rimi; Adamu Ciroma and Professor Jerry Gana. He stated, however, that Obasanjo was not comfortable with Solomon Lar’s tone, which he said, attempted to restrict the former president to the choice of Rimi as the only one who could guarantee victory for the PDP in the North. Anenih stated that he suggested the name of Atiku to Obasanjo when they left the venue of the meeting with Solomon Lar as the choice of running mate who could guarantee that he “sleeps with two eyes closed.” He said Obasanjo accepted the choice after they had sought legal opinion on the possible legal encumbrance as Atiku had just won election as governor of Adamawa State. Anenih wrote: “ As Solomon Lar arrived to meet us, he handed over an envelope to Chief Obasanjo who read it and passed it on to me to read also. In that document, Chief Lar had recommended three persons for consideration as running mate to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The first on the list was Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, the second was Adamu Ciroma and the third was Professor Jerry Gana in that order. I gave the letter back to Chief Obasanjo who then told Chief Lar: I have finished reading your letter.” He said Chief Lar told Obasanjo repeatedly that Rimi was the main candidate and that the other two were just additions and that Rimi was the candidate who could guarantee PDP’s victory in the North. He said Obasanjo felt he was being restricted to only one choice and that he intervened by asking the parties sleep over the choice of candidates, after which he took Obasanjo back to his accommodation in Jos. “On reaching there, I asked Obasanjo whether he would want a vice-president that would give him absolute confidence and allow him to sleep with his two eyes closed, or whether he would want a vice-president he does not trust to the extent of keeping one eye open while asleep. “He answered that he would like to sleep with his two eyes closed. It was at this point that I asked him: “what of Atiku?” Chief Obasanjo’s answer was that Atiku had just won his governorship election, and that the law might not allow him to come on board as his running mate.” He said they agreed to seek legal opinion and that the lawyer they asked agreed that nothing in the Constitution stopped Atiku from being Obasanjo’s running mate, especially as he had not been sworn-in as governor. He added that the lawyer advised that Atiku would only need to resign his position as governor-elect of Adamawa State. On the battle for 2003 presidency, Anenih said he frustrated Atiku’s plans to succeed Obasanjo all the way and that the former vice-president fought back by getting him sacked as Minister of Works. Anenih wrote: “There was no other way I could have offended former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar other than that I prevented him from being the PDP presidential candidate in the 2003 election. He erroneously believed that he was the politician at the Villa, and that he was better qualified than the president. I was well ahead of him in all his plans to prevent Chief Obasanjo from running. The only thing that could be done as punishment for my firm support for Obasanjo’s second tenure was to demand for my removal as Minister of Works and Housing.” He, however, said his removal only gave him ample time to perfect his plans for Obasanjo’s re-election”.
Does it make sense that Atiku would make Obasanjo would sack Anenih as minister, after he claimed to have worked on frustrating Atiku’s attempts to replace Obasanjo in 2003?
Does that make sense to you? How much influence would Atiku have over Obasanjo after 2003, if he sabotaged his reelection rather than helping him? Anenih was just being a revisionist to fit the narrative of Obasanjo after Atiku led other democracy heroes to kill the bill of his 3rd term agenda for life president.
What is clear is that northerners wanted power to rotate back to them after Obasanjo’s first term but Atiku resisted that idea, which confirms the loyalty that Anenih referred to in sleeping with two eyes closed, concerning Obasanjo’s pre-1999 benefactor.
Was 2003 not the first time that Buhari ran for president and secured substantial votes in the north
SHOCKER: Atiku ‘saved Obasanjo from near bankruptcy’ before 1999
In the book, a copy of which was obtained by TheCable, the authors told of how Obasanjo beat late Alex Ekwueme to the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 1999 election. > > Atiku was reportedly asked to join a team to Ogun to inform Obasanjo that he was going to run for the highest office in the land.
According to the book, “when Atiku and Obasanjo discussed the call to serve as president, Obasanjo said he could not be president because he was a nearly bankrupt ex-convict. Atiku, through General [Aliyu] Gusau, paid money into Obasanjo’s account to begin his financial rehabilitation.
“Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar helped out by granting him an unconditional pardon. Atiku put everything he had at his disposal to support Obasanjo’s emergence as the PDP presidential candidate and, when he joined the ticket as the vice-presidential nominee, continued to make his assets available to Obasanjo and the campaign.
ElevationD: As of today, Atiku has failed to tell us his own side of the story of his well published betrayal of OBJ and the calculated effort to become the President in 2003. He needs to tell us if the story is true or false. It’s 23 years gone. If he was sure of himself, why did he go to OBJ in Otta to reconcile?
The story of how Atiku rejected northern pressure to make Obasanjo a one term president in 2003 has been told by different actors in the drama.
2003 was the first time that Buhari asked for the job of president but failed to get it, only for Tinubu to beg him to make Jonathan a one term president in 2015, four years after calling him expired.
aieromon: According to sources available to us that time, Obasanjo said he will do a single term but after that, he decided to go for second term. I was physically present at Rivers state Governor’s Lodge when the heat became too much and Obasanjo in the presence of all of us knelt down in front of Atiku begging him to allow him do a second term. I think that was how Atiku missed the opportunity by agreeing to Obasanjo’s plea. His thought was that at least, if Obasanjo completes his second term, he will hand over to him but you all know the story of Third Term Agenda and that was how they fell apart. Atiku had the best opportunity to become president in 2003 and lost it. He had the support of PDP governors then.
Around November 2002, 15 of the 21 Governors from the PDP including me, had an ad hoc meeting at my lodge in Abuja to decide who should be nominated by the Governors Committee for election by PDP as the presidential nominee for the 2003 Election.
The Governors Committee decided almost unanimously to get a new candidate instead of President Obasanjo as the Committee was of the view that because of his military background, he was intolerant of dissent and had displayed very dictatorial and vindictive tendencies against those he perceived to be independent-minded and disloyal to him.
Immediately after the Governors meeting, I led the delegation of Governors to meet the then PDP Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at his residence around 2 am.
As the leader of the delegation, I spoke and communicated the views of the Governors to the Chairman, which was that the Governors had decided not to support President Obasanjo as PDPs nominee for the 2003 General Election.
The party chairman tried to persuade us to review our decision but when he saw our resolve, he told us that he would inform the President. I was later informed by Chief Audu Ogbeh that after we left his house he put an urgent call to the President and informed him of our decision.
What then followed were intense consultations before the PDP annual convention which took place in January 2003. Two days before the party convention, the Governors had a breakfast meeting with President Obasanjo.
I recall that at that meeting, the then Vice President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku told the President in the presence of the Governors that he was known to be very dictatorial, vindictive and unforgiving. The President appealed to the Governors to support him and assured both the Governors and the party leadership that if he was allowed to continue for the second term, he would adopt a more democratic approach.
On the basis of the President's assurance, given at that breakfast meeting, I led the move for the Governors to support his presidential nomination for the second term. However, notwithstanding my support for President Obasanjo's nomination for a second term, the President after the nomination, acted very shabbily towards me.
When I met him soon after the convention, he told me that he had learned that I had put forward the view that he was unsellable, unmarketable and unelectable. He then vowed that he was going to make sure that I was unsellable, unmarketable and unelectable.
Atiku Camp - Visit Wikileaks and type the following in the search bar NIGERIA: DID VP ATIKU OUTFOX BABANGIDA AND OBASANJO DURING THE PDP CONVENTION?
According to Adesanya, Atiku met the governors the first day of the convention; they urged him to leave Obasanjo and seek the nomination himself. Atiku demurred; he also deflected the suggestion that he join Ekwueme. Finally, Atiku arranged a meeting between Obasanjo and the now irate governors. The governors railed that Obasanjo was hypocritically pursuing them for corruption, while turning a blind eye to corrupt politicians within his own Administration. Atiku supported the governor's position, telling Obasanjo that significant corruption was not the exclusive ambit of the governors and that serious transgressions occurred in the executive branch: he said it would be unjust to focus exclusively on gubernatorial excesses. Assuming the role of mediator, Atiku then asked both sides to affirm their mutual support and cease the antagonism being fueled by elements that wanted to destroy the PDP. The governors agreed to bury the hatchet, if Obasanjo would shelve the dossiers. Having demonstrated his influence with the governors, Atiku continued to play coy with Obasanjo.
In the end, Atiku extracted an extraordinary concession from the President. Obasanjo agreed to relinquish the entire domestic agenda to Atiku, including the appointment of key economic policy-makers. Since Obasanjo focused on the world arena during his first term and aspired for recognition as an international statesman, Atiku said that is where he would like Obasanjo's attentions to remain. Obasanjo would serve the role of a "super Foreign Minister" and ceremonial Head of State. As Adesanya understood the agreement, Atiku would be allowed to direct domestic economic policy while Obasanjo busied himself with debt relief, NEPAD, conflict resolution and other measures to shore up Nigeria's image abroad.
OBJ camp - visit Wikileaks and type the following in the search bar NIGERIA: DIFFERENT INSIDER VIEWS ON THE PDP CONVENTION
The President was dazed, Abayomi recalled. Jarred by the unexpected possibility of defeat, the usually know-it-all Obasanjo eagerly solicited counsel on how to escape the closing vise. Early that day, the dominant theme was to seek a court injunction postponing the convention. Proponents suggested the delay to afford Obasanjo time to marshal support and undermine Ekwueme's momentum. However, this idea was ultimately discarded, partially because of apprehension over the public's reaction. More importantly, the push for an injunction became less urgent when the President's advisors began to sense their man was regaining ground by the hour.
The President owed much of his recovery to his own tenacity and, at times, shamelessness. He pulled out virtually all the stops to clinch the nomination, according to Abayomi. For most of that day, the President's diet consisted of liberal portions of humble pie. The President pleaded and cajoled; on at least two occasions his eyes welled with emotion as he pursued fence-sitting delegates and governors. However, Obasanjo saved his best to keep Vice President Atiku from defecting.
With rumor swirling that Atiku would opt to run with Ekwueme, Obasanjo wasted no time visiting the Vice President's residence. Obasanjo begged, declaring he would not leave Atiku's home unless the Vice President accompanied him to win back the delegates and governors. The performance had the desired effect. Atiku joined Obasanjo in publicly lobbying the conventioneers. While it might not have been Obasanjo's finest hour it was the defining moment of the convention. What had been a suspenseful contest would now turn into a rout.
Onewazobia: The truth is, we still have a long way to go. Maybe we may get it right in another decade or two, but for now, they all have baggage and divided loyalties to our motherland.
Does Atiku have more baggage than Tinubu or vice versa
Saturnalia: The curse OBJ uttered against Atiku in 2003 for his betrayal and most especially for shaming OBJ in the presence of some PDP stalwarts when he (OBJ) prostrated to Atiku in 2003 to allow him second term in office CAN NEVER EVER be washed away by any Man, God or Spirit. OBJ Madt gidi gan. Atiku is just wasting his time. Even if he gathers all the marabouts on Earth to pray for him, he still will never rule Nigeria. OBJ is not a saint and I don’t like him one bit but the only thing I share with OBJ is that his vindictive spirit. People must always learn never to take things & people for granted. Law number 19 of the 48 Laws of Power clearly states: “Know Who You're Dealing With—Do Not Offend the Wrong Person." Robert Greene had OBJ in mind when he wrote that law. If you offend OBJ and he tells you he has forgiven you, my friend, you better go and climb Mount Kilimanjaro and start 70 days prayers nakked. Atiku is a Judas and e no get sense at all.
How can Atiku be your Judas if Obasanjo is not your Jesus
The fact remains that Atiku was magnanimous in 2003 not to make Obasanjo a one term president despite northern pressure, like Tinubu made Jonathan in 2015 to favour the Fulani old soldier who he called expired four years earlier.
2003 was the first time Buhari asked for the job of president and he failed.
aieromon: According to sources available to us that time, Obasanjo said he will do a single term but after that, he decided to go for second term. I was physically present at Rivers state Governor’s Lodge when the heat became too much and Obasanjo in the presence of all of us knelt down in front of Atiku begging him to allow him do a second term. I think that was how Atiku missed the opportunity by agreeing to Obasanjo’s plea. His thought was that at least, if Obasanjo completes his second term, he will hand over to him but you all know the story of Third Term Agenda and that was how they fell apart. Atiku had the best opportunity to become president in 2003 and lost it. He had the support of PDP governors then.
Around November 2002, 15 of the 21 Governors from the PDP including me, had an ad hoc meeting at my lodge in Abuja to decide who should be nominated by the Governors Committee for election by PDP as the presidential nominee for the 2003 Election.
The Governors Committee decided almost unanimously to get a new candidate instead of President Obasanjo as the Committee was of the view that because of his military background, he was intolerant of dissent and had displayed very dictatorial and vindictive tendencies against those he perceived to be independent-minded and disloyal to him.
Immediately after the Governors meeting, I led the delegation of Governors to meet the then PDP Chairman, Chief Audu Ogbeh, at his residence around 2 am.
As the leader of the delegation, I spoke and communicated the views of the Governors to the Chairman, which was that the Governors had decided not to support President Obasanjo as PDPs nominee for the 2003 General Election.
The party chairman tried to persuade us to review our decision but when he saw our resolve, he told us that he would inform the President. I was later informed by Chief Audu Ogbeh that after we left his house he put an urgent call to the President and informed him of our decision.
What then followed were intense consultations before the PDP annual convention which took place in January 2003. Two days before the party convention, the Governors had a breakfast meeting with President Obasanjo.
I recall that at that meeting, the then Vice President Alhaji Abubakar Atiku told the President in the presence of the Governors that he was known to be very dictatorial, vindictive and unforgiving. The President appealed to the Governors to support him and assured both the Governors and the party leadership that if he was allowed to continue for the second term, he would adopt a more democratic approach.
On the basis of the President's assurance, given at that breakfast meeting, I led the move for the Governors to support his presidential nomination for the second term. However, notwithstanding my support for President Obasanjo's nomination for a second term, the President after the nomination, acted very shabbily towards me.
When I met him soon after the convention, he told me that he had learned that I had put forward the view that he was unsellable, unmarketable and unelectable. He then vowed that he was going to make sure that I was unsellable, unmarketable and unelectable.
Atiku Camp - Visit Wikileaks and type the following in the search bar NIGERIA: DID VP ATIKU OUTFOX BABANGIDA AND OBASANJO DURING THE PDP CONVENTION?
According to Adesanya, Atiku met the governors the first day of the convention; they urged him to leave Obasanjo and seek the nomination himself. Atiku demurred; he also deflected the suggestion that he join Ekwueme. Finally, Atiku arranged a meeting between Obasanjo and the now irate governors. The governors railed that Obasanjo was hypocritically pursuing them for corruption, while turning a blind eye to corrupt politicians within his own Administration. Atiku supported the governor's position, telling Obasanjo that significant corruption was not the exclusive ambit of the governors and that serious transgressions occurred in the executive branch: he said it would be unjust to focus exclusively on gubernatorial excesses. Assuming the role of mediator, Atiku then asked both sides to affirm their mutual support and cease the antagonism being fueled by elements that wanted to destroy the PDP. The governors agreed to bury the hatchet, if Obasanjo would shelve the dossiers. Having demonstrated his influence with the governors, Atiku continued to play coy with Obasanjo.
In the end, Atiku extracted an extraordinary concession from the President. Obasanjo agreed to relinquish the entire domestic agenda to Atiku, including the appointment of key economic policy-makers. Since Obasanjo focused on the world arena during his first term and aspired for recognition as an international statesman, Atiku said that is where he would like Obasanjo's attentions to remain. Obasanjo would serve the role of a "super Foreign Minister" and ceremonial Head of State. As Adesanya understood the agreement, Atiku would be allowed to direct domestic economic policy while Obasanjo busied himself with debt relief, NEPAD, conflict resolution and other measures to shore up Nigeria's image abroad.
OBJ camp - visit Wikileaks and type the following in the search bar NIGERIA: DIFFERENT INSIDER VIEWS ON THE PDP CONVENTION
The President was dazed, Abayomi recalled. Jarred by the unexpected possibility of defeat, the usually know-it-all Obasanjo eagerly solicited counsel on how to escape the closing vise. Early that day, the dominant theme was to seek a court injunction postponing the convention. Proponents suggested the delay to afford Obasanjo time to marshal support and undermine Ekwueme's momentum. However, this idea was ultimately discarded, partially because of apprehension over the public's reaction. More importantly, the push for an injunction became less urgent when the President's advisors began to sense their man was regaining ground by the hour.
The President owed much of his recovery to his own tenacity and, at times, shamelessness. He pulled out virtually all the stops to clinch the nomination, according to Abayomi. For most of that day, the President's diet consisted of liberal portions of humble pie. The President pleaded and cajoled; on at least two occasions his eyes welled with emotion as he pursued fence-sitting delegates and governors. However, Obasanjo saved his best to keep Vice President Atiku from defecting.
With rumor swirling that Atiku would opt to run with Ekwueme, Obasanjo wasted no time visiting the Vice President's residence. Obasanjo begged, declaring he would not leave Atiku's home unless the Vice President accompanied him to win back the delegates and governors. The performance had the desired effect. Atiku joined Obasanjo in publicly lobbying the conventioneers. While it might not have been Obasanjo's finest hour it was the defining moment of the convention. What had been a suspenseful contest would now turn into a rout.
dequir: If you opt to remain in Atiku's loserswagon, it is your choice bro.
Meanwhile, I am not in Tinubu's bandwagon, I never like him. But I am simply a Yoruba Rights Activist. Meaning it is presently the right of the Yorubas to rule Nigeria for eight years. And since Tinubu is fortunate to represent our clan, then he MUST complete his terms, no matter what your own individual wish is.
Your tribalistic mindset is to use zoning and rotation to share the national cake of corruption, not so?
Are you aware that Jagaban of Borgu may be a northerner, (a descendant of those Tapa Nupe people that were given Oshodi) rather than a Yoruba person? Have you seen how he betrays Yorubas several times for his own selfish gains
anonimi: How we foiled Jonathan’s effort to make Mulika Adeola Speaker, Akande reveals
AS president in 2011, Goodluck Jonathan did all he could to ensure South West grabbed the country’s number four seat, including lobbying then opposition leaders from the zone, to no avail. The North West eventually grabbed the seat, supported by South West leaders in opposition to then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Former Governor of Osun State and now statesman, Chief Bisi Akande, made this revelation in his autobiography, “My Participations” which is currently dominating political and national dis- course.
Aminu Tambuwal, now Sokoto State governor, won the seat, against the preferred pick of his party, Mrs Mulikat Adeola Akande, from the South-West. Defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, then a fledging opposition, which had Akande and his soulmate, former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, as front- line leaders, openly asked its elected members of the House of Representatives, mostly from the South-West, to work against their region and back Tambuwal from North-West.
The opposition party’s support carried Tambuwal through the contest against Akande, then ruling party’s favourite for the speakership seat.
In his book, Chief Akande revealed that former president then as incumbent, personally reached out to Tinubu, who is now believed to be nursing presidential aspiration in 2023 and himself, but couldn’t convince them.
He wrote, “President Jonathan, immediately after the meeting (with political parties), called Bola Tinubu aside into a lobby to broach the matter of ACN support for a choice of who would become the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“That same day, President Jonathan talked to me on phone about the same matter. He disclosed that PDP had zoned the position to the South-West but that only one Muraina and another Mulika won elections on PDP ticket from the zone into the House of Representatives.
anonimi: My dad, victim of complex conspiracy – Kola Abiola
What role did Bola Tinubu play in all of these?
At the very beginning, he was part of the Yar’Adua PF group from Jos. He was a senator then, and as far as the group went, we related. The crisis started post-election. When Abacha came, one of the things he wanted to do was to be the administrator for Lagos.
That is Tinubu?
Yes. I am sure you have seen pictures of him and my dad. He was hoping that there would be civilian administrators like we had under IBB but Abacha said no, that he was going to have military administrators. So he (Tinubu) said okay, in that case, can I be a deputy administrator? But Abacha said that there wouldn’t be deputies. Then he wanted the post of a commissioner.
He wanted to be a commissioner?
Yes. Then it was a choice between him and someone very close to Jakande who has passed on now. I can’t remember his name, but because Babagana was already in the government, that guy was picked as commissioner. But really, Senator Tinubu had lost out already.
Was Tinubu very close to MKO?
Yes, he was close enough. He and Adeniyi Adele, a very good guy, were close to my father. In fact, Adeniyi was closer to my father and more dedicated to the process than anyone of them. When my documentary comes out, you will see Tinubu’s take on issues. So once he lost out, automatically, he became a NADECO member and Adeniyi was incarcerated.
MIKOLOWISKA: Just collecting salary for Unproductive work is awoof
Is that how your teachers made you an illiterate?
how many gutters do you see being cleaned? Can be cleaned by citizens Does traffic look wardened? Can be replaced by lights What road maintenance Are you in Nigeria?
So why pay taxes to local, state and federal governments, if they can't employ workers for these basic common services?
Meanwhile why should a country of extreme poverty paupers with serious unemployment issues, spend unavailable foreign exchange to import and maintain traffic lights instead of employing traffic wardens to do the job
smallsmall: It is called UNBRIDDLED AMBITION, that is another name for Over-Ambition! Ambition is good, but you have to let it play-out in its own time.
Atiku dreams of being President but his impatience is what is (has) killed that Ambition. If he had patiently supported OBJ with all his heart, l am certain that OBJ would have picked him in 2007, instead of Yar Ardua. You cant be openly undermining and challenging your Principal, and hope he will not fight back or do everything to scuttle that your ambition. Most incumbents will pick their VP's, if they have the confidence of that VP.
Will T-Pain pick Shettima, if he rules till 2031? Your guess is as good as mine.
So Buhari failed to pick Osinbajo because he had no faith in the pastor and law professor, who told horrible lies to sustain their maladministration?
Is that not interesting
Meanwhile, Atiku patiently supported Obasanjo in 2003 instead of ceding to northern pressure to make him a one term president like Tinubu did to Jonathan in 2015 in favour of Buhari whom he called expired four years earlier. So find another lie to tell.
gabydaniels: Aug 25, 2016 The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that the federal government has so far saved the sum of N1.4 trillion for not paying oil subsidy.
He also assured Nigerians that very soon, the foreign exchange market would stabilise going by some radical policies already introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The vice president who spoke in Kano yesterday during the third day of the 15th Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development meeting, urged Nigerians to restore confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, insisting that soonest, the current economic problems would become a thing of the past.
“With the deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector, there has been a significant increase in the availability of petrol throughout the country for the savings of N1.4 trillion on subsidy payments alone,” he said.
“Also, a more flexible exchange rate regime, we will have to decrease the pressure on the external reserve. In the short run of course, there should be consequences for inflation. We expect that with greater priority we have seen in the implementation of the policy by the CBN, the foreign exchange market will stabilise and confidence will be restored.
haajhi: And did he not get his reward as VP, which by the way is way bigger in hierarchy than being a governor? Why not play his VP position in peace, then later contest the presidency after his boss is through just like Osinbajo?
Is Osinbajo president after Buhari?
How many deputy governors became governor at the end of their boss's term
October1960: The incompetence of the present administration at the federal level is why there is insecurity. They control the military and police and yet disorganized and corrupt.
Large Convoys of car is part of the waste and stealing of public funds. They buy hundreds of cars at inflated amounts and pocket the difference. The African so called leader is a disgusting person.
Is it just about incompetence? Or this is also about wickedness of the worst rogue politicians in Oshiomole's Assembly of Past Criminals, APC
The wickedness of playing politics with our wellbeing and security in APC's fight for power, to grab it and run with it cluelessly like a headless pig?
nothingspoil70: You can not compare the security situation in Ghana with that of Nigeria. The Nigerian leader just like his American counterpart needs more protection than that of Ghana
Do Nigerians need water supply in houses like Americans?
Have you (and those who liked your post) heard about Stockholm syndrome?
500 gallons of water go for N20k. Multiply by 4 in a month, that's N80k. By extrapolation, that's N960k in a year on water alone. Why? Because the governor believes that clean and accessible water is the least of his worries. Yet they prance around like Enugu is Abuja even though the red muddy soil will have residents looking like they went tomb-raiding at night.
But then, considering where it was before Peter Mba, one can understand the accolades being that he moved the town from 16th Century to 17th Century but not anywhere near 20th Century. 21st Century is a stretch. EEDC? The worst of all.
The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources in Lagos State, Mahmood Adegbite, has said that people drilling borehole in the Lekki axis of the state is probably drinking ‘’shit water.”
While speaking at a stakeholders meeting in the state recently, Adegbite noted that contaminated boreholes in Lekki pose health risk and added that treatment of waste water would eradicate any form of disease that may arise from it.
He said, “On waste water treatment, I will say that everyone digging borehole within the Lekki axis is probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water.’
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun made this known at the end of the inaugural Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. Mr. Edun said that the benefit of the subsidy removal will be plough back into various sectors to improve business environment for local and foreign investment. He added that with the increased revenue from subsidy removal, various palliatives have been made available to cushion its effect on a short, medium and long-term basis.
Ofunaofu: Report: Current Govt Added More Debt in Two Years Than Nigeria Accumulated in 55 Years
• Decries Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio
•Urges FG to declare fiscal emergency
A new policy brief has warned that Nigeria’s worsening debt profile and weak revenue generation have pushed the country into a dangerous fiscal position, with the current administration accumulating more debt in two years than Nigeria recorded during its first 55 years after independence.
The report, released by the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics LTD/GTE, a Nigerian policy think tank, argued that the country’s debt crisis has evolved into a governance and revenue emergency, as debt servicing obligations now exceed the federal government’s retained earnings. > > According to the think tank, Nigeria’s public debt rose sharply from N87.38 trillion in June 2023 to N159.28 trillion by the end of 2025, with President Bola Tinubu’s administration accounting for about N65.9 trillion of the increase within its first two years in office.
The organisation in the brief titled: “Nigeria Is Borrowing to Breathe—and the Clock Is Ticking”, noted that Nigeria accumulated only about N12.06 trillion in debt from independence in 1960 up to 2015, meaning the current administration added more than five times that amount in just 24 months.
The report stated that while previous governments also contributed significantly to the country’s rising debt burden, the speed of accumulation under the current administration had intensified concerns over fiscal sustainability.
“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has added a further N65.9 trillion in just two years. To put that in perspective: it took Nigeria’s first 55 years of independence to accumulate N12 trillion in debt. The current administration has added more than five times that amount in 24 months,” it argued.
It recalled that Nigeria briefly became almost debt-free externally after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo secured an $18 billion Paris Club debt relief package in 2005 and paid $12 billion to extinguish about $30 billion in external obligations.
So why did he fail to pay full salary to workers and why did he owe pensions to retired civil servants, despite failing to employ enough teacher for the free education of children in government primary and secondary schools?
What did he do with Osun money then? Did he send everything to Bourdillon in bullion vans for eight years?
Gingerly: APC don scam this one, the way they are scamming Nigerians.
Na so o.
Hopefully this is a sign that God is ready for a divine intervention in Nigeria, starting with Adeleke's reelection next month. APC and Tinubu's balablu bulaba scamming of Nigerians must stop NOW!!!
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun made this known at the end of the inaugural Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. Mr. Edun said that the benefit of the subsidy removal will be plough back into various sectors to improve business environment for local and foreign investment. He added that with the increased revenue from subsidy removal, various palliatives have been made available to cushion its effect on a short, medium and long-term basis.
Ofunaofu: Report: Current Govt Added More Debt in Two Years Than Nigeria Accumulated in 55 Years
• Decries Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio
•Urges FG to declare fiscal emergency
A new policy brief has warned that Nigeria’s worsening debt profile and weak revenue generation have pushed the country into a dangerous fiscal position, with the current administration accumulating more debt in two years than Nigeria recorded during its first 55 years after independence.
The report, released by the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics LTD/GTE, a Nigerian policy think tank, argued that the country’s debt crisis has evolved into a governance and revenue emergency, as debt servicing obligations now exceed the federal government’s retained earnings. > > According to the think tank, Nigeria’s public debt rose sharply from N87.38 trillion in June 2023 to N159.28 trillion by the end of 2025, with President Bola Tinubu’s administration accounting for about N65.9 trillion of the increase within its first two years in office.
The organisation in the brief titled: “Nigeria Is Borrowing to Breathe—and the Clock Is Ticking”, noted that Nigeria accumulated only about N12.06 trillion in debt from independence in 1960 up to 2015, meaning the current administration added more than five times that amount in just 24 months.
The report stated that while previous governments also contributed significantly to the country’s rising debt burden, the speed of accumulation under the current administration had intensified concerns over fiscal sustainability.
“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has added a further N65.9 trillion in just two years. To put that in perspective: it took Nigeria’s first 55 years of independence to accumulate N12 trillion in debt. The current administration has added more than five times that amount in 24 months,” it argued.
It recalled that Nigeria briefly became almost debt-free externally after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo secured an $18 billion Paris Club debt relief package in 2005 and paid $12 billion to extinguish about $30 billion in external obligations.
dequir: Tell your master Atiku (another rogue polithiefcian, courtesy of Obasanjo) to dislodge him, if he could. If he cannot, you have better join the bandwagon.
Why would I want to join your bandwagon with the worst rogue politician when I am not a rogue person
keemsleek: Tribalistic what? I'm from Edo state first of all. I don't have any prefer candidate but I state the obvious, it's either tinubu or obi....
Nigeria's public debt is high because the government has consistently borrowed to cover spending that exceeds its revenue. Several factors have contributed: Low government revenue: Nigeria earns relatively little in taxes compared with the size of its economy. Tax collection is weak, and many people and businesses operate outside the formal tax system. Heavy dependence on oil: Oil has long been Nigeria's main source of government income. When oil prices fall or oil production is disrupted by theft or pipeline vandalism, government revenue drops sharply, but spending obligations remain. Budget deficits: For many years, federal budgets have spent more than the government collects. The gap has been financed by borrowing, causing debt to accumulate. Infrastructure needs: Nigeria has borrowed to finance roads, railways, power projects, and other infrastructure that the government argues are needed for long-term economic growth. COVID-19 pandemic: During the pandemic, government revenue declined while spending on healthcare and economic support increased, leading to additional borrowing. Naira depreciation: A weaker naira increases the value of foreign-currency debt when measured in naira, making the debt stock appear much larger. High debt servicing costs: A significant portion of government revenue now goes toward paying interest on existing debt. This can force the government to borrow even more to fund other priorities. Is Nigeria's debt itself the biggest problem? Many economists argue that the size of the debt is not the main issue. Instead, the bigger concern is that government revenue is too low. Countries with much larger debts can manage them if they have strong and reliable revenue. Nigeria's challenge is that debt repayments consume a large share of government income. In recent years, the government has tried to improve revenue by reforming tax administration, removing fuel subsidies, and attracting more investment, but it still faces significant fiscal challenges.
Most especially the point of naira depriciation keep that in mind.....
I told someone what kind of money does tinubu wants to steal that he doesn't have? Is it 2 billion or what? He was already made before becoming a president unlike, buhari, Jonathan, obj. Say something else. Atiku will not see Presidency
How can you shamelessly talk about low revenue when Tinubu has removed subsidy and bragged about hitting revenue targets in August to stop borrowing?
Who depreciated the Naira massively despite borrowing $3.3 billion SPV loan from Afreximbank, secured with future oil revenues to defend the currency?
Does Tinubu have money because he is stealing trillions from Lagosians instead of employing workers to make water available to them
By the way, do you know what Stockholm syndrome means?
delzbaba: Federal government needs to step into this ongoing trend before they give the country a bad name.
The federal government of APC's Buhari and Tinubu has given us the worst name already, with useless propaganda lies to give false renewed hope while destroying the prosperity, peace and security with cheap petrol, cheap dollars, low debt etc handed over by PDP in 2015.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun made this known at the end of the inaugural Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja. Mr. Edun said that the benefit of the subsidy removal will be plough back into various sectors to improve business environment for local and foreign investment. He added that with the increased revenue from subsidy removal, various palliatives have been made available to cushion its effect on a short, medium and long-term basis.
Ofunaofu: Report: Current Govt Added More Debt in Two Years Than Nigeria Accumulated in 55 Years
• Decries Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio
•Urges FG to declare fiscal emergency
A new policy brief has warned that Nigeria’s worsening debt profile and weak revenue generation have pushed the country into a dangerous fiscal position, with the current administration accumulating more debt in two years than Nigeria recorded during its first 55 years after independence.
The report, released by the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics LTD/GTE, a Nigerian policy think tank, argued that the country’s debt crisis has evolved into a governance and revenue emergency, as debt servicing obligations now exceed the federal government’s retained earnings. > > According to the think tank, Nigeria’s public debt rose sharply from N87.38 trillion in June 2023 to N159.28 trillion by the end of 2025, with President Bola Tinubu’s administration accounting for about N65.9 trillion of the increase within its first two years in office.
The organisation in the brief titled: “Nigeria Is Borrowing to Breathe—and the Clock Is Ticking”, noted that Nigeria accumulated only about N12.06 trillion in debt from independence in 1960 up to 2015, meaning the current administration added more than five times that amount in just 24 months.
The report stated that while previous governments also contributed significantly to the country’s rising debt burden, the speed of accumulation under the current administration had intensified concerns over fiscal sustainability.
“President Bola Tinubu’s administration has added a further N65.9 trillion in just two years. To put that in perspective: it took Nigeria’s first 55 years of independence to accumulate N12 trillion in debt. The current administration has added more than five times that amount in 24 months,” it argued.
It recalled that Nigeria briefly became almost debt-free externally after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo secured an $18 billion Paris Club debt relief package in 2005 and paid $12 billion to extinguish about $30 billion in external obligations.
keemsleek: Subsidy is rife with corruption; I was a sales manager at one of the biggest depots, and I know the fraud committed with subsidy and Pef. PDP had the highest revenue cos crude was at its highest point. Who told u pdd didn't borrow? Una lies again. Okonji said the PDP were borrowing to pay salary, Nigeria reserved went down; they were subsidising the naira; fraud in the FX market. Every regime will have its own good and bad side; that's life. Even Obama couldn't solve the problems of America.
I'm not holding brief for Tinubu; he will have his own good and bad areas, so as Obi if he becomes president, but you see Atiku, he will never sit on that throne. Those fake maraba that told him he will become president, he will curse them last last. Nigeria has a long way to redemption, but not with Atiku. I see people like Bianca Ojukwu, Iwela, Soludo, better off than Kwankwaso, Shetima, before the Yoruba will see another person like OBJ, and Tinubu will go a long way; the North will always throw in another one just to be there.
Don't ever compare Atiku to Tinubu it's like comparing Pomo to goat meat.
In all this tribalistic ponmo comment, you failed to say why Tinubu is not the worst looter, and why he is borrowing more than PDP presidents despite removing subsidy. Are you able and willing to answer the simple question
Obakoolex: Don't mind him, they will just be sharing beer parlour gist. Makinde cannot even win Tinubu in Ibadan let alone the whole of Oyo state that he has sworn enemies in every corner
Sworn enemies in every corner, because you care less about governance outcomes than you care about tribalistic politics of zoning and rotating to share the national cake of corruption
Abi what governor has done better than Makinde in services and utilities since 1999 in Oyo state?
anonimi: NUT commends Oyo over recruitment of 19,500 teachers
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, Oyo State, has commended Governor Seyi Makinde-led government for recruiting 19,500 teachers in five years.
The union, in a statement signed by the NUT Chairman, Oladimeji Raji and the Secretary, Salami Olukayode, noted that the appointment of 5,000 teachers in his first term and 14,500 since the inception of his second term into the state primary and secondary schools was noteworthy.
The union said the ripple effects of the recruitment were that it would address the problems of inadequate manpower in the education sector and promote teaching and learning.
The statement read, “Your disposition towards turning the tide of the education system of Oyo State remains unprecedented and unmatched not only in the annals of recruitment history of our dear state in recent times but also across the entire 36 states of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory.
“Your Excellency Sir, your achievements in the education sector since assumption of office particularly, on the successful recruitment of over 14,000 qualified teaching professionals and about 3,500 non- teaching personnel, aside from an appreciative number of caregivers is a clear cut and a perfect reflection of your results-oriented style of leadership aimed at providing free, qualitative and quantitative education to the amiable citizens of Oyo State. This gesture shall, without doubt, have a significant touch in our classroom and as well enhance educational service delivery to our school children.”
From dams to households, Oyo State continues to expand access to safe water — keeping the promise of sustainability and service. Watch this documentary about the progress made so far by the Water Corporation of Oyo State under Omituntun 2.0. pic.twitter.com/bz6TAcFwM1
dequir: There is no entire SW voting for Makinde; no one knows him, or his party , except in Ibadan. SW politicians stand only on Tinubu's unlimited financial strength mandate. And in the same manner the rest of the voters also stand on Tinubu's dibosebe (vote for money)'s mandate.
Why are you stuck with the worst rogue politician in Nigeria
NaijaRoyalty: …Says Buhari doesn’t have my kind of money
However, Buhari doesn’t have the kind of money I can steal neither does he have the money I can collect. He doesn’t even have the money for Lagos votes. So, whatever I promise, it’s for real and is coming from my pocket. It’s not until I go to Alausa before I get money to give you.”
Addressing APC supporters on the need to deliver votes, Tinubu said handsome cash rewards await those who can deliver votes for the party.
He said he would not make mistakes of the past where people would collect money in advance and not deliver on election day.
Tinubu added, “Those of you that say you come to Bourdillon for mobilisation, it is mobilisation that we are doing here or don’t you understand? Definitely, if you know people in your neighbourhood, our members, how we used to do.
Is there no Rivers state university for Wike's children to attend? Or LASU for Tinubu's children to attend?
Is it a big deal that those who make the most balablu bulaba noise of being patriotic are the worst enemies of Nigeria
thewinning101: PANDORA PAPERS: Buhari visited Tinubu in corruption-tainted London villa acquired by Oyetola
Governor Oyetola, a relative of Mr Tinubu, may have sabotaged his own country by buying the exotic property as Nigeria made to seize it.
ByNicholas IbekweandTaiwo-Hassan Adebayo October 7, 2021 in Headline Stories, Pandora Papers Reading Time: 8 mins read
It was a meeting of two of Nigeria’s most influential politicians in London – President Muhammadu Buhari was visiting political kingmaker and senior member of his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
In July, the presidency announced that Mr Buhari was heading to London for an education summit. The office also added that the president would also see his doctors for “medical check-up”.
Coincidentally, Mr Tinubu, who had travelled to London earlier, was also receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in the British capital. So, a perfect setting for both men to meet was created.
Politics › Re: The Grave Is Not A Witness Box — Atiku Replies Obasanjo by anonimi: 4:09am On Jul 25
