₦airaland Forum

tunwumi:
What a shame! The pulpit is now a political campaign group.

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has adjusted its presidential campaign timetable to accommodate more programmes ahead of next year’s general election.

In a document sighted by Vanguard, the party will on Sunday, November 27 have a fundraising dinner in Lagos where it would also launch its “crowd sourcing app”.

On Wednesday of that week, the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu would meet with Southwest leaders before engaging in a parley with the organized labour in Lagos the following Friday and holding the Lagos state rally and Southwest Stakeholders meeting the next day.

Tinubu’s international engagements would now hold as from December 4-12, while the Abuja Youth rally would hold on December 17.

The campaign council would then go in a break from December 23, 2022 to January 3, 2023. While most of the remaining days would be used to hold town hall meetings and rallies across some of the states, February 15, 2023 has now been slated for the grand finale in Lagos.

Equally, the PCC would use the period between February 16 and 24 for “election planning”.

Doyin died in the early hours of Sunday, 13 November, 2022 in Lagos.

She gave birth to their second child in London a few months back and was reported to have returned to Nigeria 24 hours before her sudden death.

Circumstances leading to her death are still sketchy as at the time of filing this report.

Confirming the development, the Lagos State government in a statement on Sunday night said: “The families of Ayinde and Ojora are deeply saddened to announce the sudden death of their daughter, sister and wife, Princess Adedoyin Raliat Ayinde Nee Ojora, which sad event occurred on Sunday 13th November, 2022. She was aged 36.

“The late Princess Adedoyin died after a brief illness.

“Princess Adedoyin lived a fulfilling life, having impacted positively on the people that came in contact with her during her lifetime.

“Adedoyin’s heart desires was to see a world where every human being regardless of status, religion or gender is treated with love and affection.

“We appreciate everyone for their condolence calls, messages and prayers but will and seek the public understanding that the families be allowed to mourn in private.

“We ask that you continue to pray for the repose of our dearly departed Adedoyin’s soul.

“She is survived by husband and children.

“Funeral arrangements will be kept within the family,” the statement said.

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has summoned 63 institutions of the Federal Government for implementing budgets not presented by the President and passed by the National Assembly, leading to illegal spending totalling over N2 trillion.

Chairman of the committee, Oluwole Oke, also had written a letter to the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, to demand evidence of appropriation by the National Assembly.

The President is expected to transmit budgetary proposals of MDAs to the National Assembly, while the clerk transmits passed budgets to the Presidency for implementation.

However, Buhari, while laying the 2023 Appropriation Bill before a joint session of the National Assembly on October 7, 2022, slammed committees of the parliament who were bypassing him and approving budgets for Government-Owned Enterprises without his approval.

The President had said, “Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members, you may recall that we earlier integrated the budget of Government-Owned Enterprises into the FGN’s 2019 budget submission. This has helped to enhance the comprehensiveness and transparency of the FGN budget. It has, however, come to my attention that Government-Owned Enterprises liaise directly with relevant NASS committees to have their budget passed and issued to them directly.

“I would like to implore the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that the budget I lay here today, which includes those of the GOEs, be returned to the Presidency when passed.  The current practice where some committees of the National Assembly purport to pass budgets for GOEs, which are at variance with the budgets sanctioned by me, and communicate such directly to the MDAs, is against the rules and needs to stop.”

The committee, in the letter dated November 8, 2022, with Reference Number: HR/PAC/SCO5/9NASS/QUE.60/97, which was received at the Budget Office of the Federation on November 10, 2022, noted that the query was based on the alarm raised by the President.

The letter was titled, ‘Re-Request for Information/Documents with Respect to Allegations of Illegal Approvals of Budgets and Extra-Constitutional Expenditure by Some Government Owned Enterprises and Non-Treasury Funded Agencies.’

It partly read, “In pursuance of the power conferred on the National Assembly (Assembly) by Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as altered) (Constitution), Standing Rules of the House of Representatives, and based on Section 2 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act 2017, the Public Accounts Committee is conducting investigation into the allegation made by President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR (Mr. President), during the presentation of the 2023 Appropriation Bill before a joint session of the National Assembly.

“Mr. President alleged that some Government Owned Enterprises have been submitting their budget and getting it passed through some committees of the National Assembly outside of the process prescribed in Section 81(1) of the Constitution.

“In view of the above and in line with Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, I hereby request that the Budget Office of the Federation furnish the committee with the approved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) budget of the following parastatals for the period 2015-2022.

“Please kindly submit a soft copy and 15 hard copies of the above documents/information to Suite 4.23 House of Representatives Building, National Assembly, on or before the close of work on Friday 16th November, 2022.”

Giving more details on the matter, Oke said, “Over N2tn was spent illegally. Mr President has never presented or assented to these budgets. They are to tell Nigerians why they are operating illegal budgets; budgets that have not gone through the due process of law-making. Mr President never presented them to the parliament. Neither the Speaker nor the Senate president sighted or read them on the floor. All the agencies fingered have all been invited.”

The Labour Party LP, has asked the All Progressives Congress, APC, to look within its ranks for those responsible for the alleged forgery of the letterhead of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

In a telephone interview with Vanguard, in Abuja, on Sunday, the opposition party said it was depressing that a party whose candidate has issues with records has the effrontery to accuse innocent people of doing the same.


Chief spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, warned the APC Campaign to desist from dragging it into its sinking campaign with baseless allegations.

He said, “It is on record that our presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has never falsified any record about his age, his academic credentials, or had cause to deny his place or birth or his parents.

“It is inconceivable for a presidential campaign whose candidate has been unable to come clean about his background to accuse us of conniving with another opposition party to falsify documents.

“Our advice to the APC is for it to face issues and stop diverting attention

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to enhance the empowerment of women and youths if given the mandate in the 2023 general elections.

Atiku made this remark during the unveiling of his ‘Recovery Nigeria’ a strategic presidential brand for the presidential campaign on Friday in Abuja.

 The presidential candidate, while responding to questions from the audience at the event, said, “If we are serious about increased prosperity, we must increase empowerment of women.”

 He said further that the Recovery Nigeria message must be taken to the women and youths.

 “If we are to recover Nigeria from its current mess that the APC has put us through, we must begin that recovery from the demography that is most hit by the failure of the APC, which are the women and youth.

“The records are there to compare the performance of the PDP and the APC and the upcoming election should be a referendum on the performance of the APC.

 “Nigerians have had a taste of the two parties, and I am not saying this for myself, but we should be proud of the records that the PDP offered,”Atiku added.

Sola Ebiseni, the Secretary General of Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere, claimed in an interview with Arise TV, which was monitored by SEGUN ADEWOLE, that Afenifere remains one despite its most recent troubles

Akure meeting not an Afenifere meeting

The meeting in Akure was not an Afenifere meeting, but it was a blessing to both Afenifere and Pa Fasoranti. I’ll tell you this: in Pa Fasoranti’s house, we have a tradition. When an important guest is to visit Fasoranti, he will call some of us, his immediate political children, some of us who are residents in Ondo State. I have been there several times.

My links with the Fasoranti family

By the way, I am almost like a member of the Fasoranti family. He trained my children, and they lived in his house. My children went to his school, and the boarding house for his school is just a gate that separates it from his residence. My children lived with him. I know the inner workings of Pa Fasoranti’s house. When there was an important guest to visit Baba, he would call some of us around. The normal faces we see are Chief Olu Falae, Bashorun Olugbafa, Chief Korede Duyile, and some of us within the place; we will welcome the guest. That does not translate to an Afenifere meeting.

Akure meeting a blessing in disguise

Why do I say it is a blessing in disguise? Pa Fasoranti was appointed leader of Afenifere in November 2008, on the death of Abraham Adesanya. It was in that same year that those who went to Fasoranti today separated from Afenfiere and formed what they call the Afenifere Renewal Group and never had anything to do with Pa Fasoranti throughout his reign from November 2008 to March 16, 2021. They never had anything to do with him, as a matter of fact; they set up several dissident organisations to supplant his leadership. How is that a blessing?

Fasoranti the rejected cornerstone

On Saturday thereabout, they now came to the same Fasoranti they never accepted as a leader. They worshipped at his altar, removed their caps, and allowed him to place his hands on them in repentance. What they have come to do is repentance. What they have come to do is admit that they erred. Normally, Fasoranti invited some of the people that sat with him. It was not an Afenifere meeting. How is it therefore a blessing to Afenfiere? Before now, the impression had been created that Afenifere was not relevant in the scheme of things; Afenifere could not dictate for Yoruba; Afenifere could not do this or that. However, surreptitiously, they are going through the background to seek the face of the same Afenfiere because they know that the soul of the Yoruba nation resides in Afenifere.

How Fasoranti handed over to Adebanjo

In 2015, Pa Fasoranti wrote to resign. It was this same group of people that harassed the old man to the point of giving up. Fasoranti is an old, retired principal who mentored so many people, and he has the appeal of a Pope; he cannot hurt anyone. It got to a stage where he could no longer take the nonsense from these people who (later) came to him in recompense, and he said he was giving it up. He tendered his letter of resignation, saying he could not have it any longer. It was Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Olaniwun Ajayi, and co. that came around and said, “No, you are our leader, stay. Don’t allow these dissidents to force you out of office. His resignation was never accepted by his lieutenants.

How Fasoranti chose Adebanjo

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On March 16, 2021, Chief Fasoranti invited all of us to a general meeting of Afenifere, which would have been held on the 30th of March, being the last Tuesday. We were all there. Everybody was shocked. Baba started reading a prepared speech to us, and towards the end, if I could quote him right, he said Chief Ayo Adebanjo stood out because of his efforts as a staunch member of the Afenifere, whose name is now virtually synonymous with Afenifere, a defender of the Yoruba course, and an avatar of the Awolowo school of thought. He (then) set a task before us. Baba (Fasoranti) mentioned why a section of the country from the north would consistently want to monopolise power, against the south, which had been resisting.

 At 95, I am unable to continue. To that end, I have found a man who has been in the trenches all his life. Chief Ayo Adebanjo now takes over from me, and he will be assisted by a deputy, Oba Olaitan. He charged us, saying, “Please, give them more support, as you have given me. But I remain Afenifere for life.

How decision-making works in Afenifere

Baba never said I would remain the Afenifere leader, or whatever else they are quoting now. And since then, the structure of Afenifere has been that decisions are taken at three major levels. The national executive committee that prepares the agenda for the national caucus, and then the general meeting of Afenifere, which is its congress. From that day on, all meetings shifted to Ayo Adebanjo, at whose instance those meetings were held, and he presided over those meetings in his house.

Fasoranti didn’t change meeting venue

A lot of statements were credited to Baba, and while they were going viral, in order not to destroy Afenifere, Baba now issued a statement through his Personal Assistant, whom we regard as his son. The statement said it had come to the attention of Baba that some statements credited to him were appearing in a section of the media, particularly on social media. Baba wishes to say that he never said Chief Ayo Adebanjo is no longer the acting leader of Afenifere, nor did he say meetings should come back to Akure.

Akure parley wasn’t an Afenifere meeting

As I told you, the meeting that was held was not an Afenifere meeting. The notice of that meeting was issued in the name of a WhatsApp group, Conscience of Yoruba Nation. Those who expressed political inclination at any time were gathered in the WhatsApp group and my brother, Kola Omololu, said he was the Director General. He issued a meeting and told people that we are going to hold a meeting in respect of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidency, and Pa Fasoranti has agreed to preside over the meeting. The duration of that meeting was 11am to 1pm, two hours. My brother, I told you here that there was one that was debated from July 29, 2021, to September 27, 2022; 14 months of debate compared to two hours of jamboree. Is that an endorsement? Baba has the power to bless anyone. I give you an example. In 2019, Afenifere endorsed Atiku Abubakar. Several others still came and Baba prayed for them.

Why Afenifere endorsed Peter Obi

Fasoranti, in his handover speech, said one of the tasks confronting us is to stop a section of the country from dominating Nigeria. Look at the domination from Shehu Shagari, Yar’adua to Buhari. Can’t you see a section of the country? And if you come to the south, you see it from Shonekan, Obasanjo, and professor Osinbajo down the line, and you now say Yoruba lo kan? How do you run a country like that?

What will happen in 2023

Let me tell you what will happen in 2023. If the presidential candidate of the PDP wins, you will have created an impression in this country that, notwithstanding your feelings, a person of northern extraction can be president of Nigeria no matter what anybody says. If the presidential candidate of the APC wins, you will now have a trajectory of rotation between the Yoruba and the Fulani. Peter Obi’s candidacy is a revolution to change Nigeria. It is part of the restructuring that Nigeria will be restructured in such a way that every ethnic nationality will have a sense of belonging.

Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has again defended his absence from Sunday night’s presidential town hall meeting organized by Arise Television in conjunction with the Centre for Democracy and Development CDD, saying he won’t be railroaded into making media appearances.

Describing the town hall as “poorly organized”, Tinubu also berated the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and that of the Labour Party LP, Mr Peter Obi whose presidential ambitions he said were dead on arrival.

In a late Monday statement titled “PDP and LP are confused” and signed by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC, Tinubu said he already has his campaign plans which he does not intend to alter.

The statement reads; “We read with amusement the ridiculous position of Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council and that of Labour Party/Peter Obi on the absence of our presidential candidate, Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, from the poorly organized Town Hall debate session by Arise TV.

“The separate press releases from these two dead-on-arrival presidential campaign offices sought to make an issue out of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s well-thought-out decision to follow his own campaign plan.

“The more absurd of the two positions was the one canvassed by the spokesperson of Atiku/Okowa campaign. The PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar didn’t also attend Arise News Town Hall Meeting.

“Yet his spokesman, out of joblessness and lack of productive venture attacked our candidate, perhaps in pursuit of a media mileage that their campaign badly needs to divert attention from their failing presidential bid.

“We believe that even a palace jester should have a moment of self introspection. If this had been done, the statement would have been unnecessary.

“Instead of PDP to tell Nigerians why its presidential candidate has not returned to Nigeria after their purposeless visit to United States where he and his other 15 peripatetic adults were given a cold shoulder by US senior officials, the spokesperson is busy chasing shadows.

“We want to state again for the attention of both PDP and LP, that Asiwaju Tinubu will not be railroaded into media appearances and debates.

“Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima have their campaign schedule that they are following and they have been holding conversations with Nigerians at Town Hall meetings and other fora.

“The Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council has clearly made its position on debates known in a statement issued by our Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN and that position remains.

“We recognize that both PDP and LP have to use Asiwaju Tinubu’s name with the hope that their floundering campaign will gain some traction. Nigerians witnessed the show of shame and despicable exchange on live television between, Mr. Peter Obi, the candidate of LP and Dino Melaye, one of Atiku-Okowa’s palace jesters.

“Nigerians will certainly not vote for candidates and political parties that cannot maintain decorum and basic decency on national television

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, has raised the alarm over the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress in Kano State, warning that the ruling party may lose the presidential election in the state in 2023.

Ado-Doguwa, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, observed that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had left the APC structure in Kano in the hands of those who were disorganising the party.

According to him, while the governor has governed the state well administratively, those he left to manage the party have frustrated loyal members out of it.

The lawmaker, who is representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency in Kano State, questioned the loyalty of a former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Murtala Garo, an in-law to the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

Ado-Doguwa said, “It is my hope and it is the hope of the APC people in Nigeria that Bola can be able to discharge his duties; that Bola can be able to consolidate the gains earlier laid down by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I want to say today without any fear of contraction; without any fear of intimidation; without any fear of any quarter or any authority anywhere that there is fire on the mountain as far as the APC is concerned in Kano State. There is fire on the mountain – I repeat, there is fire on the mountain. This is the right time to say it because we have been going through a silent crisis especially in the area of party administration and politicking with a lot of intrigues and exclusion of members.

“Management and administration of the party is being done exclusively by a few members of the party who are, by all standing, not supposed to handle what they are handling in the APC. I want to say for the purpose of clarification that I am talking about party politics in Kano; in our party, the APC.