Politics

Igbo Presidency: Afenifere blasts Northern Elders, insists position is without apologies

Published

2 years ago

April 14, 2022

Afenifere General Secretary, Chief Sola Ebiseni

The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has lambasted the Northern Elders Forum NEF for condemning its position on the Igbo presidency in 2023, insisting that it has no apology.

Afenifere declared in a statement by its General Secretary, Chief Sola Ebiseni in Akure, Ondo State that the group’s position was in the “interests of fairness, equity and national inclusiveness and without apologies.

Recall that the Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo had canvassed an Igbo Presidency in 2023 for fairness and equity.

In a swift reaction, the Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Dr, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed blasted Adebanjo for canvassing for an Igbo president in 2023.

Ahmed said that ” the real politicians, who know and understand the depth of the Nigerian nation and what it will take to lead it know that it is talk like this from Chief Adebanjo, and not the identity of the next President, that represents threats to our future.

However, Afenifere in its response via a statement entitled” 2023 Presidency: Who Does Baba-Ahmed Speak For? said that ” the current struggle of the Afenifere, its leaders and strategic partners for better Nigeria, through its restructuring along with the foundational federal architecture, is a task in tandem with its ideology, principled tradition and ethos.

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“The guiding insistence of Chief Ayo Adebanjo as Leader of the Afenifere, on Igbo Presidency in the interests of fairness, equity and national inclusiveness, is without apologies to those who have never been credited with any original and positive idea in the nation’s history but thrive on the unfounded divisions amongst the indigenous tribes of Nigeria.

“The stakes of Chief Ayo Adebanjo, veteran Awoist and patriot who for all of his 94 years on earth have been committed to the ideals of peaceful coexistence among the diverse groups of Nigeria, HIS ONLY COUNTRY, cannot be expected to be the same with a 65-year-old man who has another country to which he is indigenous and inevitably more loyal.

“Baba-Ahmed’s unprovoked vituperations on a man, his father’s age mate, is a strange and eloquent testimony of his imported culture. His usual references to and threats of some ill-defined northern interests which determine its voting habits show how much Baba-Ahmed understands Nigeria as a country whose leadership has never been a product of any regional political decision

” Chief Ayo Adebanjo, over the weekend, reiterated his position, shared by the majority of well-meaning citizens, that the next President of Nigeria, after Muhammadu Buhari of the North, should emerge from Southern Nigeria and specifically expressed a preference for a person of South-Eastern origin.

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“It is this patriotic view, expressed within the context of a deep analysis of the country’s political history, that Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in his characteristic uncouth language, dismissed as a laughable threat targeted at the North (his own north) which he said would continue to vote according to the dictates of its interests.

” It is instructive that the same view expressed by Chief Ayo Adebanjo of the Afenifere on the need for power-shift, is shared by the Ohaneze Ndigbo for the South East, PANDEF for the South-South, the Middle Belt Forum which influence straddles the North Central mainly and the substantial parts of the remaining northern zones of North West and East.

“It is therefore clear that Baba-Ahmed and those he claims to speak for are only dwelling in their myopic and minority positions about Nigeria and its politics.

“We are not strange to the kind of tantrums by those who have never been credited with any ideals for Nigeria.

“When Nigeria was in the search of a suitable form of Government, Ayo Adebanjo, now 94 and his Afenifere compatriots, in their youths, after painstaking research and analyses, came up with the idea of federalism.

“We note the laughable crocodile tears of Baba-Ahmed and his group on the current pervasive and intractable state of insecurity in Nigeria and the call for the resignation of President Buhari as if any clear-thinking Nigerian is so impressed.

Ebiseni added that “This volte-face lamentation, is borne out of the poverty of ideas and most hypocritical of those who have resisted all ingredients of true federalism, including the imperative of State Police as a panacea for insecurity.

Related Topics:2023 Afenifere apologies Featured Igbo Presidency northern elders

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Politics

Updated: Rivers crisis worsens as attorney-general, finance commissioner resign

Published

1 hour ago

April 24, 2024

Trends Admin

Updated: Rivers crisis worsens as attorney-general, finance commissioner resign

The power tussle in Rivers State took a new turn on Wednesday as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Zacchaeus Adangor, resigned his appointment and as a member of the state executive council.

This is after the commissioner had rejected his redeployment by Governor Siminalayi Fubara as Commissioner for Special Duties.

Similarly, Isaac Kamalu has resigned as Commissioner of Finance after he was redeployed to the Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment Ministry by the governor.

Zacchaeus on 14 December first resigned his position as the Attorney-General of the state following the face-off between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Zacchaeus and other commissioners who resigned due to the political crisis in the state, however, returned to the government after being reconfirmed by the state House of Assembly.

Fubara, earlier in the week, reshuffled his cabinet and redeployed Zacchaeus as the commissioner for Special Duties (Governor’s Office).

In a letter addressed to the Secretary to the Rivers State government, Zacchaeus rejected his new office.

In his resignation letter, he accused Governor Fubara of interfering with the performance of his duties as the state’s attorney general.

For Kamalu, who served as commissioner for Budget and Economics under former Governor Wike, he forwarded his resignation letter to Governor Fubura and the Secretary to the Government, Tammy Danagogo.

He accused Fubara of lying about the internally generated revenue of Rivers State.

Politics

Just in: Ex-Imo Gov Ihedioha heads for LP, dumps PDP

Published

1 day ago

April 23, 2024

Trends Admin

Emeka Ihedioha

Just in: Ex-Imo Gov Ihedioha heads for LP, dumps PDP

Former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This was contained in a letter dated April 23, 2024 and addressed to the PDP chairman in Mbutu Ward, Aboh Mbaise local government area of Imo State.

The letter reads:

“Since 1998, I have contributed my quota to the development and transformation of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as one of the founding members.

“All these years, I have taken pride in the fact that the PDP is a party that will always look inward for internal reforms and provide credible leadership for the people, whether in power or outside power.

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“I have had the benefit of serving and benefitting from the party at various levels. Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken on a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs.

“Despite my attempt to offer counsel, the party is, sadly no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately.

“While this decision was difficult to take, I, however, believe that it is the right one. Despite this resignation, I will always be available to offer my services towards the deepening of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.”

Just in: Ex-Imo Gov Ihedioha heads for LP, dumps PDP

Politics

Aregbesola, Oyetola’s camps disagree over Osun shares

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Trends Admin

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Gboyega Oyetola

Aregbesola, Oyetola’s camps disagree over Osun shares

Fresh uproar has hit the camp of the former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, over the selling of the shares of Osun State at Omoluabi Bank, to private investors.

A leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijesaland, Adebayo Adedeji, yesterday insisted that Aregbesola sold the shares before leaving office.

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Adedeji said in a statement: “In 2013, the government of Aregbesola went to the Nigerian Stock Exchange in order to increase the company’s share capital by N1.65billion so as to be above the N2.5billion minimum capital requirement set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for mortgage banks in the country.

“Wale Bolorunduro, who was recently nominated as chairman of the bank by Governor Adeleke, was the Commissioner of Finance in the state under Aregbesola. He has knowledge of it.”

Aregbesola, reacting to the claims through his media aide, Sola Fasure, in a terse message said: “It’s between Oyetola and the PDP administration in Osun. We don’t want to be dragged into it. But you may seek clarification from Dr. Wale Bolorunduro. He’s the new chairman of the bank.”