Q:How did you join politics?
A: We decide to support Sarumi Gradually, I moved from raising funds to getting involved. I brought some money to Nigeria out of my dividends. I was comfortable because my investments in America and London were already yielding dividends.

Why does he feel the strange need to talk about dividends without telling us the exact business yielding it. D man conscience and SE PDP agents don damage im mind finish.

helinues:


What do you gain from hating others for no reason

I don't hate anyone. I'm just a patriot that speaks truth to power

CodeTemplar:


Why does he feel the strange need to talk about dividends without telling us the exact business yielding it. D man conscience and SE PDP agents don damage im mind finish.

Is it news he owned Compass finance Chicago LLC

Fahdiga:
I don't hate anyone. I'm just a patriot that speaks truth to power

The truth that always disappeared from your mouth when the issue of corruption against, Pdp members or any of the SE politicians

Tell me something different

techmo:


Which of his policies milked you

Is it introduction of Bus Rapid Transit System BRT for poor people?

His policy that he was the first to build state owned functional Power Plant

Is it his LASERMA 112 emergency service

ok let me give you one, cost of transportation is high because of his boys (agbero) in the street of Lagos and other neighboring states: and his daughter iyaloja do collect handsome amount of money from market women.

helinues:


Has Tinubu confided in you personally that he would be running for 2023 presidency?

my friend stop fooling ursef.......u think everyone is a dunce like uA well known bullon van crook is what u hyping..Shame on u

iokpebholo:
my friend stop fooling ursef.......u think everyone is a dunce like uA well known bullon van crook is what u hyping..Shame on u

Hyping or stating the obvious about him..

Don't be a bad belle

viyon02:
ok let me give you one, cost of transportation is high because of his boys (agbero) in the street of Lagos and other neighboring states: and his daughter iyaloja do collect handsome amount of money from market women.

So the NURTW people that have been killing themselves for months now in Ebonyi state are also Tinubu's boys?

Following keenly.

viyon02:
ok let me give you one, cost of transportation is high because of his boys (agbero) in the street of Lagos and other neighboring states: and his daughter iyaloja do collect handsome amount of money from market women.

First Agberos are not his boys... Just like every other State.. NURTW (National Union of Transport Workers) collects money unbehalf of their union, and Local Government Transport Levy

Secondly it is the culture in Yoruba Land, all market belong to the King, Tinubu's mother was the then Iyaloja of the whole Yoruba land, and upon her passage the king appointed her Grand daughter... market leaders and market levy are in every single market in Yoruba land, they even get Certificate of office from the government


.

helinues:


So the NURTW people that have been killing themselves for months now in Ebonyi state are also Tinubu's boys?

Tinubu is the Oga of the agberos in Nigeria all money gotten must be given render to him

helinues:


The truth that always disappeared from your mouth when the issue of corruption against, Pdp members or any of the SE politicians

Tell me something different

Lies. I'm a critic of Umahi, Ikpeazu and Obiano. all are from the east regardless of their party. I love my country and must speak the truth when I have to

techmo:


First Agberos are not his boys... Just like every other State.. NURTW (National Union of Transport Workers) collects money unbehalf of their union, and Local Government Transport Levy

Secondly it is the culture in Yoruba Land, all market belong to the King, Tinubu's mother was the then Iyaloja of the whole Yoruba land, and upon her passage the king appointed her Grand daughter... market leaders and market levy are in every single market in Yoruba land, they even get Certificate of office from the government


.

ok Tinubu is a king in Nigeria or in Lagos so that his daughter can collect from market women in lagos, why are you trying to paint black white.

...Continuation...

Q: Did IBB explain to you personally, given your closeness to him?
A: No. In fact, at that time, the military had declared me persona non grata! Everybody, except me, got up when he arrived at Yar’Adua’s compound. He touched my head and said ‘you’! I know Mogaji Abdullai walked after him and said: ‘Senator Tinubu, will you not see off the President?’ I did not stand up. I said he was not my president! I did not know about the annulment then. That was how the crisis started.

Q: You spoke about the greatest crisis after the annulment…
A: After the annulment, everything became hot. The crisis began to offer the possibility of an interim administration coming into place. Prior to that, they started the idea that should there be a constitutional crisis, it would be Ayu that would head the interim government. I wasn’t sure if Ayu would start a debate on that or reject it outright.

But I told him: ‘Don’t ever think it would be you.’ Eventually, he agreed. There was suspicion in the public space that he and Shehu Yar’Adua had consented to the annulment. The suspicion pervaded the party. The public was fed all sorts of information. I knew that I approached Ayu that there was no way they would have made him the interim head of government. We knew for sure that Yar’Adua was angry because Atiku Abubakar was not made Abiola’s running mate.

It became clear to Ayu that there was deception.
Shonekan was eventually announced as the Head of the Interim National Government. We also learnt that the military had promised Shehu Yar’Adua that they would unban the old politicians and that he would have the opportunity to run six months after Shonekan.

They were also touting Obasanjo’s name, but suddenly Shonekan’s name was announced. I remember that I went to Ayu and he said he had been invited and I said: ‘Didn’t I tell you that they would not make you the interim head of government?’ I advised him that the best thing was to challenge them. We were in his house playing and I told Yar’Adua that there was no way the military would make him anything.

I advised him that he would have built a great structure to succeed Abiola after his four-year term, and that he would only be 54 years then. I pleaded with Yar’Adua not to abandon the ship. I took my mother, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, to Abuja to appeal to IBB and there is a picture where she removed her head-tie, using her grey hair to plead with IBB to restore Abiola’s mandate.

It was on the front cover of Newswatch. I mobilised them to go and appeal to IBB. On the day Shonekan was to be sworn in, I was in Ayu’s house to pin him down, so as to prevent him from attending the ceremony. They left the chair reserved for him for a while, before inviting Joseph Wayas to sit. They claimed he was Senate President, whether past or present.

There was a disagreement within our group. They offered me a ministerial position, which I rejected. They offered Sarumi a ministerial position and he said he would accept. We were in the hotel room on the day he said so. He is still alive to confirm or deny what I have said. I begged him and told him point-blank that it would be the end of our relationship because we should not betray the cause we started. I told him I gave up the senate presidency for Abiola to contest as president.

I told him that was not acceptable and I begged Yar’Adua, too. I fell out with Shehu on the matter and I told them that none of us could predict the end of the game. I pleaded with him to be consistent and stand firm. He said I had no guns and tanks and that I was incapable of facing the military.

The floor of the Senate was very hot. There was a sharp division in the National Assembly. Thereafter, Ayu was removed as Senate President; I was almost killed. There was a plan to assassinate me, but luckily, Akintola Benson and my late driver, Mustapha, walked into a discussion where the plot was being hatched to terminate my life.

That was unknown to the people planning the assassination. I was to be taken out of the hotel. The assistant head of security at the hotel brought a chef uniform to dress me up as a chef, while he asked a driver to wait for me. I escaped and headed for Lagos in the chef uniform.

Abiola travelled to the United Kingdom to start the campaign for the de-annulment of the election and restoration of his mandate and Kingibe was there as deputy to continue to coordinate the rest of us at home. I had a choice to go back to my job, because I was on a leave of absence. People advised me to abandon the struggle because of the risk involved. They advised me to go back to my work.

TO BE CONTINUE...

viyon02:
Tinubu is the Oga of the agberos in Nigeria all money gotten must be given render to him

Then he must be powerful to be controlling the Agbero's in Nigeria most especially in SE.

Then why are you people denying how influential Tinubu is in Nigeria

Fahdiga:
Lies. I'm a critic of Umahi, Ikpeazu and Obiano. all are from the east regardless of their party. I love my country and must speak the truth when I have to

Did you check the moniker you are telling this lies to ?

viyon02:
ok Tinubu is a king in Nigeria or in Lagos so that his daughter can collect from market women in lagos, why are you trying to paint black white.

I am giving you proper information on the subject so you don't end up hating someone who did nothing to you thereby bringing bad karma to yourself

techmo:


I am giving you proper information on the subject so you don't end up hating someone who did nothing to you thereby bringing bad karma to yourself

am sorry for you I bet you don't live in Lagos don't you?

helinues:


Did you check the moniker you are telling this lies to ?

Just because I'm not a propagandist like you I know you won't believe me but many nairalanders supports what I'm saying

Fahdiga:
Just because I'm not a propagandist like you I know you won't believe me but many nairalanders supports what I'm saying

When the NL's themselves are aware of resident wailing wailers on NL...

helinues:


When the NL's themselves are aware of resident wailing wailers on NL...

They know who's a wailer and a patriot between us

...Continuation.

Q: When were you arrested?
A: I said we would continue to struggle until we had democracy. We had a group of 30 senators called the G-30. The G-30 was determined to actualise the mandate on the floor of the Senate. Suddenly, Abacha came and General Oladipupo Diya and Babagana Kingibe were also running around. Diya was one of the most respected and credible military officers then, and he later approached us that there might be change in government.

Abiola was around. General Chris Alli met us and said there would be a change of government, which would be in favour of June 12, because they were tired of the shenanigans of the ING. That night, Abacha changed the government. He outsmarted everybody. They met with me, Dele Alake, Segun Babatope and Doyin Abiola. We were asked to write the terms and conditions, which they would broadcast after a change of government. We wrote it and gave it to Diya. They are all alive.

On the night the government was to be changed, Abacha outsmarted everyone and installed himself. These people I mentioned are all alive to testify to what I have said. I can say categorically that I was even called to leave my office because, as they claimed, that night was a dangerous night for them and that everyone’s life might be in danger. Abiola was told not sleep at home until the broadcast had been made. We were all fooled! Big time deception.

When we heard the broadcast the next day, there was no mention of June 12 and no proclamation of Abiola. I was mad, but was still determined. I rushed to Diya and he was still saying that there was no problem and that they were planning to announce the cabinet containing eminent June 12 people. Abiola said what? I said no, announce Abiola’s victory.

Diya told me that I didn’t know the military and that things were not done like that in the military. But I insisted that it was deception. I said I know the military.
I called Okadigbo to my office in Lagos and I put the plan before him that we had to confront the military and we had to declare Abacha himself illegal. I got members of our group together; we wrote the script declaring Abacha’s government illegal. Since we could not get to the National Assembly, we opted to hold our session at the Tafawa Balewa Square. We had gotten Dele Alake to be the media coordinator. We told him to get the CNN and other foreign media ready. I put the coat of arms on a rod! That was the mace. We created our own mace.
We reconvened the Senate here in Lagos and declared Abacha illegal before the international media and others.

My colleagues had scattered. After we assembled, and having drafted the resolution, they still didn’t know where we would hold the session. I told them to relax, this is Lagos. After the broadcast, everybody took off, because the SSS and other security agents were combing everywhere for us.

I went underground, using the 090 mobile phone. I was still granting press interviews to foreign media. The military people were mad. I became a thorn in their flesh and they arrested some of my colleagues, including Abu Ibrahim, the late Polycarp Nwite, Ameh Ebute and Okoroafor. I was still underground, holding press conferences. The military declared me wanted.

Suddenly they granted bail to the arrested senators. I thought I would be a beneficiary, but I was not.
Then, there was a manhunt for me by the police and the SSS. Meanwhile, my late uncle, K.O Tinubu and the present Oba of Lagos, Oba Akiolu, who was then a police officer, were pressuring me to disclose where I was. My uncle called to ask where exactly I was. I did not disclose my whereabouts. I told Akiolu that even though he is my relative, I would still not tell him where I was since he was a police officer! He said: ‘Ha!’

My uncle advised that the military would kill me if they found me underground and no one would be able to locate my whereabouts. He said it was better I surrendered myself because he wanted me to be alive. I told him that I would call him back, that I was to hold a press conference at the time. And he shouted in amazement: ‘You are holding press conference when your life is in danger.’ I told him I would surrender, but would not tell him when.

I disguised perfectly, dressed like a malam, and went to the police at Alagbon. The officers didn’t even know me when they saw me. I went in, deposited my phone and my charger. Senator Abu Ibrahim was with us. The officers were wondering why I, a Mallam, could not speak Hausa! I removed my turban, showed up at the front desk and declared that I had come to surrender. And there was pandemonium among the officers, as to how I got there.

The AIG then was very nice and they put me in the cell. They poured water into the cell room and said, ‘sleep there’. That was the nastiest experience I had within first 48 hours that I was there. It was on a weekend. I told them I would embark on a hunger strike. The late Anthony Enahoro was on the stairway and Beko Ransome-Kuti was at another angle on the stairway.

They brought me out repeatedly for interrogation. They asked me to renounce but I said no, I would not recognise Abacha. They took me and my colleagues to court. People who were supposed to meet their bail conditions were stopped from doing so immediately they saw me. They cancelled everybody’s bail because they could not isolate me.

They gave an order that we should be taken out of court, but kept in the police custody at Alagbon. They kept about eight of us in a photocopying room, an eight-by-eight room. We were sleeping across one another. It was a matter of the first to sleep would maintain the position. If your head was this way, your leg would be there and so on. It was a nasty experience.

There were a lot of interrogations, with a lot of carrot and stick. I can never forget the role and determination and sincerity of a compatriot at that particular time. They made an exception to uphold the earlier bail granted to Senator Abu Ibrahim. He was asked to go. He was the only Hausa-Fulani man with us. The late Hassan Katsina had intervened. But Senator Ibrahim said he would rather stay, except every one of us was granted the same bail conditions. He said he would not leave his colleagues behind.

He is a courageous and a detribalised Nigerian, who had a vision of what Nigeria should be. He refused to accept an isolated bail. They started sending emissaries to us in detention, offering us all sorts of appointments and opportunities to renounce our positions, but we refused. The judiciary was still very courageous then. We went to the Court of Appeal. An incident occurred at the lower court. Market women turned out hugely to support us when we were brought to the court. The day they refused my bail, some of the market women appeared naked and so they stopped taking us to the court. The court sessions were usually interesting for us because of the scenes. At Alagbon, we bathed in the open between 4 and 5 a.m.

The condition started improving when they began to bring officials of the failed banks. Those ones contributed money to repair the generating set at Alagbon and we started enjoying electricity a little longer than we used to. It was during the time that the protest became intense. Nigeria was playing at the World Cup then. Italy defeated Nigeria and the security people lied to us that it was otherwise. Eventually, the Court of Appeal courageously granted us bail in enforcement of our fundamental human rights. Our passports were confiscated and deposited with the court. Later, the High Court ruled that our passports be released to us. That night, they finally announced our bail and conditions attached to it. The presiding judge then is today the Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari. We heard that they put so much pressure on him (Clement Akpamgbo was the Attorney-General) not to release us, but he ordered our release. They were going to re-arrest me and I suddenly went underground to continue my protest.

They would throw bombs and say it was us. Mobil called me to come back to my job, but I refused. They bombed my house, but luckily, my wife and children had been evacuated. I would not want to reveal how they were evacuated because there was a diplomatic involvement. They told me that my life and those of my family were in clear danger.

Suddenly, they announced that I was wanted again. They alleged that I was going to bomb the NNPC depot at Ejigbo. Ah! I was still being tried for treason, which carries a sentence of life imprisonment, and I was again accused of trying to bomb an NNPC depot. I couldn’t go back because my photograph was all over the place that I was wanted. A diplomatic source advised me that I should leave the country if I wanted to continue the struggle. Dan Suleiman, Alani Akinrinade were in danger. We asked Bolaji Akinyemi to leave the country and promote the struggle at the international level.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Fahdiga:
They know who's a wailer and a patriot between us

Hahahah.. Do you know the big difference between a wailer and a patriot

helinues:



Hahahah.. Do you know the big difference between a wailer and a patriot

I am a patriot while you are a wailer

Fahdiga:
I am a patriot while you are a wailer

Then your definition of who is a patriot is wrong...

Patriots always support and defend the country ,the constitution and the government not the other way round

helinues:


Then your definition of who is a patriot is wrong...

Patriots always support and defend the country ,the constitution and the government not the other way round

My posts so far shows that I'm a patriot according to the way you defined it

Fahdiga:
My posts so far shows that I'm a patriot according to the way you defined it

You need new dictionary.. Patriots don't seek/demand for breaking of of their country..

Only wailers do

Op abeg continue.... Interesting

helinues:


You need new dictionary.. Patriots don't seek/demand for breaking of of their country..

Only wailers do

I support self determination of anyone or any tribe which is also part of human rights and also part of our constitution. does that not make me a patriot ?

Fahdiga:
I support self determination of anyone or any tribe which is also part of human rights and also part of our constitution. does that not make me a patriot ?

You see the reason why I said you need a new dictionary...

Patriots instead unite the aggrieved people together instead of talking about secession..