fkelly:
He will plead not guilty, and his lawyer will apply for bail.

The Kaduna State House of Assembly has set up a committee to probe the administration of the former governor, Nasir el-Rufai.

The committee has been tasked with the responsibility of looking at loans, grants, and projects implementation between 2015 to 2023.

The Kebbi State House of Assembly has suspended the member representing Birnin Kebbi North Constituency, Hassan Umar.

Umar was suspended over alleged unguarded utterances against the assembly leadership.

Clerk of the House, Suleiman Shamaki, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday, April 15.

The House noted that the suspension was a result of “unguarded utterances” and “instigation” of some members against the leadership of the house.

It read: “I Suleiman Shamaki, the Clerk of Kebbi State House of Assembly, has been directed to inform the general public that the assembly, its Executive Session held on Friday, April12, 2024, unanimously resolved and suspended Hassan Umar, member representing Birnin Kebbi North constituency, as a result of his unguarded utterances.”


The statement further listed the lawmaker’s other offences to include, “Instigation of some members against the leadership of the House and causing disharmony between the Executive and the legislature in the House.”

Reports indicate that the camp led by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is encountering challenges in maintaining unity as the crucial National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party draws nearer.

Sources suggest that a prominent member of the G-5 faction, also a serving governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has decided to distance himself from the group.

The governor, who has experienced strained relations with the faction lately, is reportedly aligning with voices advocating for a change in the party’s status quo.

While the Wike-led camp is rooting for Ambassador Illiya Damagum to retain his seat as the PDP national chairman, the other camp, led by former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar are pushing for the emergence of Senator Gabriel Suswam.

The NEC meeting, scheduled for this Thursday, will be preceded by other strategic meetings starting today, including the PDP governors’ forum meeting, the PDP Caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT).

Ahead of the Edo governorship election, former governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has assured President Bola Tinubu that the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is “united and good to go.”


Oshiomhole disclosed this to journalists yesterday after paying Sallah homage to Tinubu in Lagos.

Oshiomhole, who also represents Edo North in the Senate, expressed confidence in the chances of the APC winning the upcoming Edo State governorship election.


“We are due for elections. We are happy, and we are perfecting all the arrangements to ensure that this coming election we will win because our house is united; we sorted out all the issues arising from primaries 100 per cent.

“Our opponents have one crisis or the other; even the Labour Party has their crisis, so at least APC is not in any form of crisis.

“[b]We are all waiting for INEC on April 24 to get started. So, I briefed him on all of that. We are happy, and he is there for us as a father, but we are not going to sleep believing the father will do it for us because he is not going to come to Edo to vote,” [/b]Oshiomhole said.

The former APC national chairman also said the party will have to do the “voting” and “mobilisation” to capture the “campaign message that captures the imagination and Edo people can relate to.”

AllenSpencer:


Allen Spencer!

AllenSpencer:
Fubara should enjoy his term cos it will be the first and last.

Our whole powers will descend in coming election. We will condemn and bastardize his image across the state-in person & online. Hook him up with propagandas he won’t be able to get out of.

He messed up with the wrong dude, and he is not a match.

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has sounded a note of warning to the local government chairmen in the State, declaring that those disrespecting him as governor of the state have already dug their pit and will soon fall into it.

Fubara made the declaration on Thursday while speaking at the commissioning of Comprehensive Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Ndoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, which was built and donated to the state government by former Governor Peter Odili.

The governor specifically berated some local government chairmen in the state for refusing to participate in state government activities because their loyalty lies elsewhere.

He said: “I am surprised that I saw the local government chairman of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni here. I am very surprised because I know that for a very long time, any event that has to do with the state government, all the local government chairmen, as it were, do not participate. I hope when he leaves leave here, they are not going to sack him.

“I know you are not loyal to me. Are they not going to sack you? Or when you leave here, you will grant a press interview that it was not you. That it was your shadow.

“Let me say it here; every one of you who thinks he is disrespecting me, you have already dug your pit, you will fall inside it. Siminalayi Fubara, like a river, will flow in a direction that there is no resistance. One way or the other, we will get to our destination and we will go with our people.

“They say we are clueless. If providing quality education to our people is being clueless, I agree with them; I accept it. They say we are clueless. If providing quality healthcare services to our dear people, is being clueless, then we agree with that. It is the truth; they say we are clueless.

“If targeting critical projects, like this road we have awarded, the Elele-Egbeda-Omoku road; if they say is being clueless, then, we agree. But, we will no go and do road to our farm because we want to please somebody politically.

“We will do those things that our people want and will benefit from. If that one means being clueless, then, we are clueless. In fact, I will change my name to ‘clueless’.”

The Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo, Emperor Jaret Tenebe, has assured the impeached deputy governor of the state, Philip Shaibu, that he would not be abandoned.


He spoke yesterday when he paid Shiabu a solidarity visit in his Abuja residence, describing his impeachment as a sham and urged the former deputy governor to use all legal means to upturn it.


Tenebe told Shaibu: “I am here to pay you this solidarity visit because I still regard you as the deputy governor of Edo State because that sham they did in the Edo State House of Assembly is a disgrace to the governor and it is an aberration to our democracy which I know the court will not allow to stand.

“You are somebody who stood out. The price you paid is the price of loyalty. You were loyal even to the detriment of the people you started with. You paid that price.

“We just celebrated Easter, and we know the price Jesus Christ paid. He died for our sins, and what happened is a replica of what Jesus Christ did for humanity.

“Today, they have removed you as the deputy governor but we still regard you as the deputy governor. It is the price that you have paid to ensure that Obaseki and his semblance are rooted out of Edo State. I can tell you that we will not allow you to walk alone. We are with you in spirit.

“You are a strong man, and I am here as the chairman of APC in Edo State, and I am also an Uzairue indigene where we both come from. We should be strong. I implore you to continue to pursue this matter in court, and we will be with you all through, and God is your strength.

“When one door is closed, many more are opened, and many are opened for you from today. That is what the detractors don’t know. Be strong, and we will match on together.”

The visit comes barely 24 hours after some APC faithful in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State protested against the alleged planned return of Shaibu to the party.

More confusion in PDP chairmanship race as Nasarawa stakeholders demand for position

Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa have kick-started their advocacy for the national chairmanship position of the party to be moved to the state.

In a statement released by Mustapha Ibrahim Umaisha and shared with reporters on Tuesday, the stakeholders said Nasarawa’s representation at the national level is long overdue.

They highlighted the absence of the state’s leadership in the upper echelons of the PDP as untenable, saying:

“In the spirit of inclusivity, it is time for Nasarawa to take a prominent role in the leadership of the PDP, a position we have been conspicuously absent from.”

The group lamented the situation preceding the 2023 election when Nasarawa’s sole advisory position within the party, held by elder statesman Sen. Walid Jibrin as BOT Chairman, was relinquished amidst internal discord.

They argued that Nasarawa’s selflessness in that instance deserves recognition from party members nationwide.

“We have witnessed neighboring states like Benue, Kwara, Kogi, and Plateau enjoying the chairmanship position, while positions zoned to the North Central have consistently been occupied by our counterparts in other states.

It is time for Nasarawa to be duly acknowledged. It is crucial to acknowledge Nasarawa’s steadfastness in both national and state politics,” the group stated.

The stakeholders argued that Nasarawa presents highly qualified and distinguished individuals as potential candidates for the national chairmanship position, particularly Dr. David Emmanuel Ombugadu, the party’s last gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 governorship poll.

“David Ombugadu embodies the essence of effective leadership, commanding admiration and respect both locally and nationally,” the group stated.

Engr KB Mohammed from Keffi echoed the sentiments, emphasizing that anything short of considering Nasarawa for a leadership position at the national level would be unjust.

“As the call for representation grows louder, all eyes are on the PDP caucus to heed the call for inclusivity and fairness within the party’s ranks, and Ombugadu is the answer,” he added.

Edo State House of Assembly has formally accused Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu of committing impeachable offences, including the leakage of confidential government information and perjury. These allegations were presented during the inaugural session of a seven-member panel established to investigate Shaibu’s actions.


This panel, led by retired Justice S.A. Omonuwa, was constituted by the Edo State Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, following the Assembly’s initiation of impeachment proceedings on March 5. The proceedings stem from a petition accusing the Deputy Governor of serious breaches, including leaking state secrets and committing perjury.


The rift between Shaibu and Governor Godwin Obaseki, which has been growing since Shaibu announced his intentions to run in the upcoming Edo governorship race, is believed to be at the heart of the impeachment move.

Joe Ohaifa, the Deputy Clerk of the Assembly, detailed the accusations against Shaibu, particularly focusing on his affidavit in support of a lawsuit in Abuja, where he allegedly disclosed details from the State Executive Council meetings, in violation of the Oath of Secrecy as outlined in Schedule 7 of the 1999 Constitution.

The panel adjourned until Thursday, allowing Shaibu the opportunity to present his defense.

In a preceding development, Shaibu’s legal counsel, Prof. Oladoyin Awoyale (SAN), exited the hearing after the panel dismissed his request to suspend the proceedings until the conclusion of a related Federal High Court case in Abuja, which is scheduled for April 8. This case seeks an interlocutory injunction to stop the impeachment process.

Awoyale argued that the constitutional provision cited by the Deputy Clerk, Section 188 (10) of the 1999 Constitution, which ostensibly bars court intervention in impeachment processes, should not preclude the court’s order. However, the panel, siding with Ohaifa, ruled to proceed with the impeachment investigation.


Following the panel’s decision, Awoyale announced that his client would not participate further in the investigation, emphasizing the importance of adhering to the upcoming court session.

Despite his departure, Awoyale clarified that this did not imply a waiver of Shaibu’s right to defense but underscored the necessity of respecting the judicial process set for early April.

kettykin:
The governor needs consulting to help them put this beautiful airport into very good use exporting food products to Europe and America. Ebonyi is an agricultural hub and has a beautiful airport, but lacks the entrepreneurial mindset and business acumen to make the airport a successful commerce business.


Alternatively, Abia state should leade the airport to achieve their economic empire chase.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has denied influencing the Rivers State House of Assembly in its ongoing political battle against the State Governor, Sim Fubara.

But he also said he and Fubara are now in different political camps even though they both still belong to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Wike who was speaking on Tuesday in a live media chat held in Abuja, said, he was focused on the assignment given to him by President Bola Tinubu and remain unbothered about the conflict between Fubara and the state lawmakers.

He said: “You know I have decided not to bother myself about politics but on the assignment President Bola Tinubu gave to me. I didn’t go home for Easter. Why do you people think I have a hold on the assembly?

But Wike said the reason Fubara’s problem lingered with the State House of Assembly was that he did not keep to the agreements he had with them when Tinubu intervened to resolve their differences.

He said all Fubara had to do was to “comply with the law, comply with the agreement you made with them, with the president.”

He wondered why Fubara refused to re-present the 2024 budget after the court had invalidated an earlier budget he presented.

He asked rhetorically: “What is it in the budget that you don’t want to present?”

Wike also said he would not intervene in the crisis since Fubara did not come to him to request his assistance.

Wike further hinted that some persons within the state who were seen as elder statesmen actually lacked integrity. He said they were the ones now close to the Rivers State Governor.

“Rotimi Amaechi and (Celestine) Omehia are cousins. It was Amaechi who removed his (Omehia’s) picture. When I became a governor, I put his picture there. But all of them teamed up to support Atiku. Of course, what happened? They couldn’t give Atiku 10 percent votes (in Rivers). We flogged them mercilessly.

“They are the same people who said this governor (Fubara) was a neophyte. They wrote a petition when this governor was to collect his certificate. They told Iyorcha Ayu that he was being looked for by the EFCC.”

Wike said those people did not support Fubara initially but started frolicking with him. He said they should also also take up the responsibility to resolve the conflict between Fubara and the House of Assembly.

The FCT minister said he would not abandon his political base in Rivers just because he had a job to do in Abuja. He said: “Am I from where? Am I from Abuja? I should not oil my political machinery?”

CodeTemplar:
Indeed wisdom kosi.

A colossal waste. Today, where are the paid agents defending the waste when it was just commissioned?