A former Chief Whip of the Senate, Professor Sola Adeyeye, has said that fairness demands that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should zone its presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections to the South- East.

Speaking in an interview with SATURDAY INDEPENDENT in Abuja, Adeyeye, who said he does not believe in zoning, however, said if the APC decides that the ticket cannot go to the South-East because of the party’s popularity in the region, then the ticket should come to the South-West.

“I have given interviews in the past in which I said I am ardently opposed to zoning. If we are going to zone and it is based on fairness, then it should be zoned to the South-East.

“But I don’t believe in zoning. If my party says even if we zone it to the South-East, we don’t have enough people from the South-East in our party, in that case, then it should be the turn of the South-West.”

The APC chieftain said what Nigeria really needs is competence and getting the best hand from any part of the country to lead the country and not zoning.

“Honestly, beyond the gimmickry of zoning, what I will want is that we identify competent people who can run this republic well and we go for them.

“However, I don’t think that will happen because zoning has become a religion in our country.

Speaktruth88:
If the choice is between Tinubu or Osibanjo then Osibanjo.

However if we want progress they should put forward a Fashola type who’s consistent work we can see.

Harrynight:




You are an enemy of this country if u ever be serious about supporting that aged man to become a president in this 21st century.

If that's the only option u can come up with u deserve buhari regime and worst

JohnSin97:
We understand the game.

Lack of consensus among the major blocs in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is responsible for the delay in fixing a date for the national convention of the party, Daily Independent has gathered.

Stakeholders had predicted that the convention will hold in June, this year, but that date did not materialise and no date has been announced yet even though the congresses are cur­rently ongoing.

Some of the party members had become agitated about the delay in announcing the date of the convention when the opposition Peoples Democrat­ic Party (PDP) which is going through a major leadership crisis announced Friday, Octo­ber 30 and Saturday, October 31, 2021 as the dates of its national convention.

To underscore its serious­ness in conducting the con­vention at the scheduled date, the party also, at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting last week announced Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as Chairman of its 2021 National Convention Organis­ing Committee and his Enugu counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as Chairman of the Zoning Committee.

However, in APC, there is disquiet as some party mem­bers are demanding the resig­nation of the National Care­taker Committee Chairman of the party, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, asking him to resign his position as he can’t supervise the convention.

There has been a sharp division in the ruling party following a Supreme Court judgment that declared Ondo State governor and APC candi­date, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), winner of the state’s governor­ship election held on October 10, 2020.

Even though the court dis­missed the appeal filed by the candidate of the PDP, Eyitayo Jegede, the justices of the apex court reportedly agreed that a sitting governor could not hold the dual elective positions of governor and national chair­man of a political party.

Calls by senior lawyers in the party which included Fes­tus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of State for Labour and Em­ployment; Muiz Banire (SAN), Babatunde Ogala (SAN), two former national legal advisers of the party for the cancelation of the ward congresses held on July 31 were ignored by the APC leadership.

It was also reported that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) believes that there may be trouble in the days ahead for the party if Buni continues to preside over the congresses. His views were also shared by some governors elected on the party’s platform. They were, however, in the minority.

Even though the party has held its ward and local govern­ment area congresses which witnessed parallel exercises in some of the states, however, many members of the party are worried that the exercise may be nullified by the courts due to Buni’s role as the acting nation­al chairman of APC.

Speaking with Daily Inde­pendent, a former governor of the party, who asked that his name be kept private, said there is no way the APC can conduct a national convention in its present state due to lack of unity and cohesion in the party.

According to him, aside the issue of Buni, several blocs in the party, who were formerly in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are suspicious of one another over alleged hijacking of the party.

“There is no way the APC can hold any national conven­tion in its current situation. There are many things they need to put in order before they can organise a convention. As it stands, the party is sitting on a keg of gunpowder which may explode anytime. You can see what is happening now during the ward and local government areas congresses, with parallel exercise in most of the states.

“From Osun, Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Abia, Enugu, Rivers, the story of parallel congresses abound. How can the party now resolve all these and bring all the warring parties under one roof for a national convention?

“Right now, there are still cases in courts which are yet to be resolved. Some members are suing the Buni-led caretak­er committee, claiming that it is illegal. That is the major bone of contention in the party at the moment.

“The crisis that arose over ward and local government congresses are still unresolved. If a court now comes tomorrow and say all those saying Buni’s committee is illegal are right, that means all the efforts put so far in the congresses will be wasted. They are even threaten­ing members to withdraw the cases from court and threaten­ing to sanction them but the members are not answering them.

“If you remember, the pres­ident set up a reconciliation committee headed by former governor of Osun State, Bisi Akande, who is also the first national chairman of APC. That committee has achieved nothing since its inaugura­tion. In fact, the crises in the states have doubled now com­pared to when the committee was set up.

“Also, the issue of zoning is another headache for the leadership of the party. The party is sitting on a keg of gun­powder. When they did APC membership registration and revalidation, leaders of the party such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Adams Oshiomhole and Papa Akande said it was not necessary but their advice were ignored.

“Recently, APC member states have been fighting the Federal Government over VAT. Will that augur well for the peace of the government and the party? They know the infraction of having Governors Buni, Sani Bello and Gboyega Oyetola in the membership of that caretaker committee but they are pretending about it”, he said.

Also speaking, Hon. Bosun Oladele, a former member of the House of Reps and chief­tain of the party, said maybe the Buni-led leadership wants to conclude the congresses first before announcing a date for the convention.

He said, “I’m sure the com­mittee has not decided the dates of the state congresses. The state congresses will come before the national convention. I want to believe that the ap­proach of finishing one before we get to another one is even better as long as we keep it up at this tempo.

“I am not the spokesperson of the Buni-led committee but I believe that in the fullness of time, they will tell us the date of the convention. We are done with the local government con­gresses. We will then proceed to the state and zonal congresses and then the national conven­tion.

“I think we may not even have a zonal convention. It is going to be the national convention that will elect the zonal officers, just like we had in 2014. So, we patiently wait for the announcement of the convention date”.

Even though no official declaration has been made by Nigeria’s major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on where it will zone its presidential ticket for the 2023 presidential election to, political analysts believe that it will likely go to the North based on the utterances and body language of many stakeholders in the party.

Many chieftains of the party who have spoken in favour of zoning the ticket to the North have argued that it will be unfair for the South to produce the presidential candidate in 2023 given the fact that since the return of democratic governance to the country in 1999, the South was in power for 13 years out of the 16 years that PDP held sway as the ruling party while the North held sway for just three years.

A breakdown of PDP’s 16 years reign from 1999 to 2015 shows that former president Olusegun Obasanjo was in office for two terms between 1999 to 2007. Upon the completion of his tenure, he handed over to Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in May 2007. Unfortunately, Yar’Adua who was battling ill-health even before his election succumbed to death on May 5 2010. His deputy, Goodluck Jonathan took over and completed their tenure in 2011. Jonathan sought reelection which he won and governed till 2015 when he was defeated by the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

It appears the PDP members from the Southern part of the country are also in sync with this belief. This is because no serious contender for the presidential ticket has been identified so far. However, many chieftains of the party are being tipped to replace Uche Secondus as the national chairman of the party in the convention slated for October. Among prominent PDP members being tipped as national chairman are Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Olabode George, Jimi Agbaje, Gboribiogha John Jonah , Liyel Imoke, Eyitayo Jegede and others.

The general belief among party leaders in the PDP is that if truly the PDP wants to win the 2023 presidential election, its ticket must go to the North and that will give it an advantage over the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). According to them, that was what gave the APC an advantage over the PDP in the 2015 presidential election. Also, the party leaders believe the last President produced by the PDP (Goodluck Jonathan) is from the South and he spent six years in office. Overall, they believe that going by zoning arrangement, the PDP should go to the North in the search for the Presidential flagbearer.

Based on this reality, the likely presidential aspirants in the PDP for the 2023 presidential elections are just four. They are Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President who was the PDP presidential flagbearer in the 2019 presidential election, Bukola Saraki, immediate past Senate President, Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto sate governor and Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor.

Other likely presidential aspirants are Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state; Nyesom Wike of Rivers state; Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia state Governor; Ifeanyi Okowa,Delta state Governor, Peter Obi, former Anambra state governor who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election.

Atiku Abubakar

On account of his age and the fact that he has been given the presidential ticket in the last general elections, Atiku appears the weakest among the four likely northern presidential aspirants. This is because majority of the leaders in the PDP, especially the youth have made their minds not to field Atiku again. They believe he has become a serial aspirant having contested consecutively since 2007. Many of them also believe he abandoned the party immediately after he lost the 2019 election and went out of the country. He did not even attend the court sessions during the hearing of the election petitions filed on his loss of the election both at the tribunal and the appellate courts. They argued that if he had provided leadership, the party will not be in the crisis that it is and would not have lost some of the key members.

Also, Atiku does not meet the requirements set by former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in his recent interview with Arise Television which received commendation with politicians on all sides of the political divides.
IBB in the interview had said individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians as potential presidential candidates in the 2023 presidential election. This resonated well with many people in the country especially with the young Nigerians who are tired of the older generation and are yearning for a new breed of leaders.

In IBB’s words “I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with. That is a person, who is very verse in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his 60s”.

Many analysts believed that even though he never mentioned any name, IBB has ruled out Atiku as a potential presidential aspirant as he would be 76 years in 2023.

Bala Mohammed

Bala Mohammed who is currently in his first term had claimed that many of his loyalists are mounting pressure on him to contest for the presidency in 2023. However, many stakeholders in the party believe he should go for second term and work to reinforce the party in his state and the entire North east zone, especially given the fact that the APC is doing all it can to reclaim back the state. It is also believed that Bala Mohammed aside being popular in some parts of the North does not have a national appeal in the Southern part of the country.

Aminu Tambuwal

The Sokoto state governor contested the 2019 presidential primaries of the PDP where he came second after Atiku Abubakar, the eventual winner. Many believed that he stands a good chance now given his position as chairman of the PDP Governors Forum. Aside the fact that Tambuwal has age on his side (57 years in 2023), analysts believed that he has network of friends across the country given his position as a former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Bukola Saraki

Saraki, a former two-time governor of Kwara state and former Senate President has a huge followership of youths as shown on his social media handles and many of them have been clamouring for him to run as president in 2023. He also has a vast network of contacts in Nigeria and beyond, . His leadership of the 8th National Assembly between 2015 and 2019 is still a reference point among many Nigerians today who see the current 9th Assembly as ‘rubber stamp’ lawmakers. Many Nigerians see him as a bold and courageous leader who stood firm and served out his term as Senate President when many had thought he won’t last up to six months in the position.

Saraki also has a strong political base especially in his home state of Kwara and across the country. His position as a former Senate President and former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) also gave him an edge as many of his colleagues, both former and serving still hold him in high esteem across the country .

Another advantage Saraki has is that he has no baggage hanging around his neck. The Supreme Court in 2018 discharged and acquitted him of all criminal charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Many Nigerians, including elder statesman, Tanko Yakassai were indignant few days ago when the anti-graft agency invited him and later turned around to claimed he was detained, ostensibly to paint a bad image of him. Yakassai bluntly said the EFCC was targeting him because of the 2023 presidential election.

In conclusion, political analysts believe that the 2023 presidential ticket of the PDP may be a straight fight between Tambuwal and Saraki, even though Atiku can still pull a magic just like he did in 2018 presidential primaries of the PDP. They also argued that if it is about geo-political factor and the core- North origin, Tambuwal is favoured because he is from North- West while Saraki is from North Central. However, if it is about competence, capability, capacity and courage, the 4Cs, then Saraki may just be the right man for the PDP and Nigeria in 2023.

Nigerians who are disenchanted with the performance of the APC since coming to power in 2015 see the PDP as an alternative in 2023. However, it remains to be seen if the PDP is ready for the huge tasks ahead given its current leadership crisis and how best it conducts it national convention. Most importantly, the candidate it fields as its flagbearer for the presidential election will be the ultimate decider in its quest to regain the power it lost in 2015.

kokoloyds:
The just need to sit down in Jagaban's parlor and all their problems are gone. Any decision he makes for them is final, they'll respect him as their leader

SportsHD:
Ben bruce is enjoying his retirement on an estate in Minnesota. The "common sense theif" senator is just another episode of another rich politician.

Chief Olabode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in this interview with TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI, speaks on the controversy trailing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and how to overcome challenges in the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections. Excerpts:

The last is yet to be heard on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) now known as Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Some stakeholders in the oil-producing areas have vowed to take President Muhammadu Buhari to court over the issue. How best do you think this can be resolved?

Actually, I haven’t read the bill but I saw the screaming headline that the crisis in the oil has been resolved. If you regard that as a solution without carrying those who live in the oil-producing area along, then you haven’t found any solution. You must carry the people along so that there will be a lasting solution. Yes, it is a natural resource for this country but that doesn’t mean that you owe it all. These people in the oil-producing areas suffer the brunt, so you must carry them along. Look at what is done in other parts of the world. All their oil fields are not controlled by the federal government. So, even though I haven’t read the content of the PIA, I believe that anything done without the consent of those people will not work. You must get involved; they must be part and parcel of the networking so that they can get a sense of belonging. They live there, so they will protect. But if you neglect them and appropriate everything to government, someday another government will come and it will reverse it. We must do things that are perpetual and long lasting. That’s the way I believe that things should be done.

You were a delegate to the 2014 national conference. Do you think the implementation of that report will address some of these contentious issues?

I have said it severally that I am appealing to the president that he should take the report and send it to the National Assembly. Let them examine the details, add or subtract and it will be a beautiful starting point for this country. What we are doing today is not working and it will never work. For us to wait, get all those major resources all the way to Abuja every 30 days and we redistribute there? No! That is why we take two steps ahead and 10 backwards. We have been talking about Petroleum. Now by 2030, petrol engines will no longer be manufactured. Then, what are we going to do? Have we started thinking? If we don’t have petrol engines and no spare parts to manufacture, what do we do? By 2030, we think it is still far but before you know it, it is here. I get worried about our nation and we think that report if implemented will greatly help in addressing our challenges.

Former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) clocked 80 last week. What can you say about his contribution to Nigeria’s present state?

I don’t want to sound bias. I also worked briefly with oga (IBB) and I respect his camaraderie. He is a completely detribalised Nigerian. He touched my life and I can never forget him. You can’t play God but if we have to put him on a pedestal to judge, he made more friends in every nook and cranny of this nation. That is why I couldn’t believe he is 80. He is still as razor-sharp as he is when he was much younger. It’s a gift from Almighty God. Success or failure of a leader will always be on the pages of history. That is why at his 80th birthday anniversary, you saw how many people are still struggling to attend the ceremony. We felt left out but when I saw the analysis of those who made presentations, I said it wasn’t complete. So, it shows you that even at that age, people will still honour him. Of course, he is not God and being a human, he made mistakes. But if you add the mistakes he made plus the goodness that he did for the nation, the difference is clear. He will go to any corner of this nation and he will be welcomed.

People are saying that the South-West has not forgiven him because of the June 12 debacle. Do you think he will be welcomed in the region like you said?

He will be welcomed even in the South-West. On the issue of June 12, there are arguments for and against. Everybody will have their own opinion but like I said, take the good sides and the bad sides, he is still way above the average Nigerian. But I insist that if he goes to any corner of the country today, they will still welcome him with open hands. He will still be welcomed here.

Ahead of the national convention of the PDP scheduled for October, some stakeholders have listed your name as one of the aspirants for the position of national chairman. Given your experience in 2017, is that a challenge you will be willing to accept?

I think if you are a committed member of any organisation and they need your support at a critical time like this, then you should be willing to assist. If I am asked to come and help the PDP, a party I love so much, why not? Between now and the next election, we need all the right minds to come to the table and stabilise our platform and prepare our party for the elections. If they ask me to come, I will serve, at least effectively until after the general elections. I have thought about it and I said ‘look, I am tired’. But if the party leaders now think I should go for the position of national chairman, I will offer them my service. As long as there is life, there is hope. All we need now are men who have proven integrity and capacity to manage the affairs of the party. Dedicated and committed men who will be fair, just and equitable. Those three tripods are the main tenets that our party requires now. I am happy that all our people are now saying the current leaders managing the affairs of the party should take a step aside and let’s bring in the best of brains to help the party. I will appeal to our people; we must have all hands on deck to save our party. It is not a personal issue now. The party platform is wobbling very badly and we must be able to stabilise it and allow it to get itself ready to contest against those in government now.

Former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu has said Nigeria must amend its constitution to deal with political prostitution that is prevalent in the country.

Speaking in an interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT, Aliyu said the situation in the country whereby a politician elected on a platform of a political party but decamps to another after messing up the party that gave him the mandate should be discouraged.

He argued that any elected politician that wants to decamp from his political party to another must resign as he cannot take the mandate of one party and gave it to another.

Also speaking on the manner the PDP resolved its leadership crisis involving the national chairman, Uche Secondus, Aliyu said: “In a way the PDP, having been in government for 16 years, you can say that it has more solid ways of solving problems. But in terms of ideology, I don’t know because what we need in terms of difference is the ideological underpinning of the parties.

“So that wherever you find yourself whether in the APC or PDP, one can say I am a welfarist, liberal democrat or labour. People should be able to pin you down and say this is exactly what you are.

“This issue of somebody just decamping to APC tomorrow with the mandate of PDP or decamping to PDP with the mandate of APC, I think we must amend our constitution to say if you have been elected under a particular mandate, and you want to leave for another party, then you must resign your position.

“Otherwise, we will be creating political prostitutes in the nation. Today we have a situation where politicians mess up in one party and move to another. That is not right and should be discouraged.”

The interview by former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Arise Television where he said individuals in their 60s should be the focus of Nigerians as potential presidential candidates in 2023 resonated well with many people in the country especially with the young Nigerians who are tired of the older and are yearning for a new breed of leaders.

According to IBB, the few individuals in their 60s, who have the capacity to become president and could effectively run the country, have contacts across the nation and have been traversing the geo-political zones marketing their acceptability and capacity.

“I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with. That is a person, who is very verse in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already in his 60s. I do believe in the future of Nigeria, but Nigerians don’t believe in the future of their country; they created and they destroyed.”

While the former head of state who will be 80 years tomorrow did mention any names, political analysts believe that politicians who fall into the category at the moment are the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Bukola Saraki; former Senate President; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state; Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transport; Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing; Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun state and Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate who just defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

If there is any candidate best qualified to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, then it is Osinbajo, a loyal, sound legal expert with versed knowledge of economic matters. Many youths in the country are rooting for Osinbajo because of his age (he will be 66 in 2023). Others also believe that having understudied the president in the last six years, he has a clear vision of the programmes of the administration and will continue with it if he becomes president.

However, two factors militating against Osinbajo is the fact that he has no political base. But for the controversy over a Muslim-Muslim ticket in APC in 2015, he couldn’t have been considered as Buhari’s running mate then. With the likelihood of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his benefactor running in 2023, Osinbajo stands no chance at all because it is likely that the Presidency may not endorse him. Analysts believe that the cabals are yet to forgive him for ‘taking the shine off the President when he acted on his behalf. It is also believe that he is yet to be forgiven for sacking the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS) , Lawal Daura in 2018 following the invasion of the National Assembly.

Bukola Saraki

Highly charismatic, brilliant with vast network in Nigeria and beyond, Saraki, a former two-time governor of Kwara state and former Senate President also fits IBB’s description perfectly. He has a huge followership of youths as shown on his social media handles and many of them have been clamouring for him to run as president in 2023. His leadership of the 8th National Assembly between 2015 and 2019 is still a reference point among many Nigerians today who see the current 9th Assembly as ‘rubber stamp’ lawmakers. Many Nigerians see him as a bold and courageous leader who stood firm and served out his term as Senate President when many had thought he won’t last up to six months in the position.

Analysts say unlike Osinbajo, Saraki has a strong political base especially in his home state of Kwara and across the country. His position as a former Senate President and former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) also gave him an edge as many of his colleagues, both former and serving still hold him in high esteem across the country .

Another advantage Saraki has is that he has no baggage hanging around his neck. The Supreme Court in 2018 discharged and acquitted him of all criminal charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Many Nigerians, including elder statesman, Tanko Yakassai were indignant a fortnight ago when the anti-graft invited him and later turned around to claimed he was detained, ostensibly to paint a bad image of him. Yakassai bluntly said the EFCC was targeting him because of the 2023 presidential election.

However, one factor militating against Saraki is the issue of identity crisis. Even though he is from the North-Central state of Kwara, many people don’t see him as a core northerner while some believe he is more of South-West. His loyalists however believed that it is an added advantage for him in the 2023 political calculations. Saraki will be 60 in 2023.

Kayode Fayemi

Fayemi is another leader who has the capacity to lead the country in 2023. The Ekiti state governor who is serving out his second term also has a huge followership among Nigerian youths. When he lost his reelection in 2014, he was handed the task conducting the presidential primary of the APC where he served as the Chairman of the APC National Convention Committee. He received accolades over the seamless manner in which the primary which produced President Muhammadu Buhari as the candidate was conducted. The President later appointed him as Minister of Mines and Steel Development, a position he resigned from in 2018 to contest for the Ekiti governorship election.

However, some of Fayemi’s critics especially in the APC believed that his position as the current chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum has gotten into his head, making him challenge some leaders of the party who made him who he is today. Also, he is facing a herculean task of reconciling the APC factions in his home state of Ekiti, many of whom are plotting to stop him from installing a successor in next year’s governorship election.

Rotimi Amaechi

Analysts believe that Amaechi, a former two-time Speaker, two-time governor and current Minister of Transport is another force to reckon with when looking for likely presidential materials in 2023. Others also believe that Amaechi, a former chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum also has the needed experience to continue from where President Buhari will stop in 2023, especially on his achievements in the rail sector, a critical programme the current administration has pursued vigorously.

However, being a blunt and fearless politician who says his mind without caring whose ox is gored, others believe he lacks the temperament needed of a leader of a country like Nigeria.

Babatunde Fashola

The current Minister of Works and Housing is also another potential presidential material. Well-read, articulate and broad-minded, Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria shone brilliantly during his tenure as governor of Lagos state between 2007 to 2015. It was believed that President Buhari desired him as a running mate in 2015 but since that was not possible due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket controversy; he made him the most important minister in his cabinet with three portfolios as Minister of Power, Works and Housing. The President only removed the Power ministry from him because many believed the challenges in the power sector alone is enormous for one man to handle.


Fashola’s weakness, like Osinbajo is that he has no political base. His approval ratings also dropped drastically as many youths who were hitherto his fans also felt betrayed over his role in the Lekki Toll gate incident where he discovered a hidden camera. Also, nobody is rooting for him as Asiwaju’s ambition has beclouded that of other politicians in the Lagos APC. Fashola will be 60 years in 2023.

Ibikunle Amosun

Former two-time governor of Ogun state, Amosun who currently represents Ogun Central in the National Assembly enjoys the privilege of being the closest to President Muhammadu Buhari in the South- West. This has however pitched him against his colleagues in the Senate and former governors who believe that he is too aloof. His failure to install a successor in his home state is another albatross as Governor Dapo Abiodun also controls the APC structure in the state as witnessed in the just concluded local government elections in the state. Amosun will clock 65 years in 2023.

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim

Olawepo-Hashim was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Trust in the 2019 presidential election. Highly cerebral with huge youth followership, he recently defected to the ruling APC where he hopes to contest the 2023 presidential election.

The former President, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, on Friday said President Muhammadu Buhari is not motivating Nigerian doctors to stay at home and practice due to his love for foreign medical trips.

Enabulele, who is a member of, Executive Committee of the World Medical Association stated this while featuring as a guest on Channels Television monitored by DAILY INDEPENDENT.

Lamenting the high cases of brain waves in the country, Enabulele said based on the depleting numbers of healthcare workers in the country, one doctor is currently attending to 4, 000 Nigerians as against the ratio of the WHO which recommends one doctor to 600 population.

He said given President Buhari’s penchant for foreign medical treatment, many Nigerians who are at home here will feel less valued and will be desperate to travel abroad so that they can have the opportunity to treat their President.

To the issue of brain drain, it is not enough to say that you are investing in training. Beyond training, how are you investing in the retention mechanism? Because the issue of health workforce is about production, retention and of course, motivation. So, the issue of production is there, we are not producing enough.

“So, how are we investing in the health production capacity in terms of institutional framework for producing a health personnel? Today in the health sector, we need over 250,000 medical doctors to meet with the ratio of one doctor to 600 population prescribed by the World body.


Nigeria today is revolving around one doctor to 4, 000 population. That cannot impact useful health outcomes. That cannot drive useful health outcomes. So, how are we producing? Even those that are produced, how are we training and retraining them? How are we retaining them?


Look at what is happening now that has prompted this industrial action. People even want to come into the health system but the recruitment process is so defective. People can’t even employ because you have to apply for waivers. Such bureaucratic red-tapism and administrative shenanigans is not helping the development of medical manpower in our country.

“So, what motivational mechanism do we have on the ground? As I speak to you now, the environment is so defective largely. The working conditions are very pitiable and of course, buoyed by the issue of insecurity which affects all Nigerians.


Nobody needs to spend time going through a very rigorous profession like medicine only to come tomorrow and you are kidnapped and all your little savings are released to kidnappers.


Once you are free from the stranglehold of the kidnappers, the next thing you think of is how to survive. And there are people who have alluring mechanisms coming into Nigeria to attract those healthcare workers. So, the push and pull factors need to be engaged by the government. There are factors that are pushing our doctors, including the working conditions, the poor uncompetitive wages, the insecurity issues and of course, the attractive pull factors from other places.

“Even in the midst of COVID, you saw the UK government emplacing very attractive programmes for healthcare workers all over the world in the phase of Brexit. Who will not get attracted to that?

"For those of us who are even straining ourselves to remain in our country, I think we should be appreciated. But that is not even being done because rather than patronizing Nigerian health professionals, our government is patronizing those abroad".


"It further tells me that I am not even valued in my own country. So perhaps the best place to be valued is to go abroad where I will have the opportunity to treat my President because that also gives you some level of professional esteem,” he said.