Politics
PDP Crisis: Former, current NWC members disagree over N151m returned housing allowance
Former and serving members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are divided over the legality of the N151 million housing allowance recently returned by current members of the NWC.
While some party chieftains insisted that the housing allowance was legitimate, others argued to the contrary.
A former Caretaker Chairman, North-West Zone of the party and former member of the current NWC, Dr. Aminu Taura, said: “As a former member of the current NWC, I know that this matter of housing allowance and even car allowance had been discussed severally.
“It was the National Chairman who had to put his foot down, insisting that there were bigger issues to be addressed first.
“I recall that some of the people returning money today were the most vociferous advocates for these payments to be made. I left the NWC about three months ago.”
Speaking in a similar vein, a former National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, argued that some persons were simply trying to call a dog a bad name to hang it.
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He said: “There is no scandal as some detractors of our party are trying to make Nigerians believe, members of our NWC are not paid salaries. The housing allowance in question was what was discussed and agreed upon before it was released.”
However, another former member of NWC, Diran Odeyemi, disagreed.
he argued that apart from the fact that the funds were taken from money meant to help the party prosecute the 2023 elections campaigns, the payment as well as its timing was suspicious.
Odeyemi said: “I was the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party for four years. I never collected a dime either for transport or housing.
“So, where did this idea of housing allowance come from, why now? It will be in the best interest of our party if our National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, comes clean to clear his name.
“He should come out to clear his reputation because we all know the National Chairman has an approval limit and it’s certainly not this kind of humongous amount we are hearing now.”
Another party chieftain, who pleaded anonymity, expressed sadness that the whole affair was casting the party in a bad light.
He said: “It is disappointing that this is happening more so at this very critical time we are trying to sell our party and candidates to Nigerians.
“How can we convince the populace that our nation’s resources are safe with us if we treat our limited resources like this? They use to taunt us that we are PDP share the money, how do we respond now?’’
There are also indications that some of the aggrieved party members are contemplating writing petitions to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, and the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, if the party leadership does not come clean on the allegations.
A chieftain of the party, Mohammed Jamo, gave this hint when he featured on a Channels Television Political Programme, Politics Today, on Friday. He said he and others who shared his views may opt to involve independent assessors to look into the matter.
Vanguard
Politics
PDP: Sule Lamido blames court for mass resignation from party
PDP: Sule Lamido blames court for mass resignation from party
Former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has revealed why the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is grappling with a gale of resignations from its folds in recent times.
Some notable members of the nation’s leading opposition party have quit the party in recent weeks.
Speaking on the exodus from the party, Lamido blamed the situation on the procedures of the court.
He said the actions of the court and the leadership of the PDP have left the party in a precarious and parlous state.
He added that the PDP mass resignation was as a result of frustration engendered by the leadership of the party and the judiciary.
Speaking during an interview with This Day, Lamido bemoaned the selfish moves of some leaders of the party.
Recall that there has been an ongoing resignation by members of PDP especially in Imo and few other states.
The former governor said if the court did not insist that Senator Samuel Anyanwu was the National Secretary, when he (Anyanwu) went and contested for the Imo State governorship election, the position of National Secretary would have gone to another person from Imo State.
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He also asserted that some persons outside the PDP are influencing what happens in the party.
Lamido said, “Emeka Ihedioha and other chieftains of the PDP that resigned from the party were humiliated and frustrated out. They were humiliated by the leadership of the party, with the help of the judiciary.
“Ministers resigned to contest election. Other government officials and even party officials resigned to contest elective offices. Senator Anyanwu ought to have resigned to contest the governorship election in Imo state.
“What did he (Anyanwu) do. He held to the office of national secretary and contested for the governorship election. You cannot eat your cake and still have it back. You cannot appropriate the two positions. You are the national secretary and the governorship candidate at the same time. This is not done.
“So, when the stakeholders from Imo state complained, the judiciary aided him and affirmed his position as National Secretary when he lost his governorship election.
“So, Ihedioha and his group felt frustrated and humiliated by the action of the leadership of the party by failing to stand up for justice. So, as a person, I don’t blame Ihedioha and his associates. I can understand why he and his associates left. Some external influences are tele-guiding the party.”
he said, “The leadership of the party was extremely unfair to Ihedioha who first asked if Anyanwu will contest for governor and when Anyanwu said yes, Ihedioha left it for him and yet, Anyanwu still did not leave the post of National secretary. It is not fair.”
PDP: Sule Lamido blames court for mass resignation from party
Politics
Aregbesola no longer member of APC, says ex-Osun commissioner
Aregbesola no longer member of APC, says ex-Osun commissioner
The immediate past Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Adebayo Adeleke, has said ex-Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, is not a member of the All Progressives Congress.
Adeleke served as a commissioner in the cabinet of ex-governor Adegboyega Oyetola, currently serving as the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
He spoke at the Osun Central Senatorial meeting of the APC held in Osogbo, Osun State capital.
The APC chieftain said all serious party members in the state were aware that Aregbesola was not currently a member of the party.
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Speaking at the meeting attended by the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, and other party bigwigs from the ten local government areas that made up the senatorial district, Adeleke insisted that the two ex-governors in Osun APC are Chief Bisi Akande and Oyetola.
Adeleke said, “They said in our party in Osun, we have two former governors, we have Chief Bisi Akande and ex-governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
“Someone asked about ex-governor Rauf Aregbesola, and my response is that all members of the APC know that Aregbesola presently is not a member of our party.”
Aregbesola no longer member of APC, says ex-Osun commissioner
Politics
Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement
Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement
The Senate broke into a rowdy session on Tuesday after three senators engaged in a heated argument over arrangement of seats.
Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe Central, and Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara North, expressed displeasure over the seats assigned to them.
They complained to Opeyemi Bamidele, the majority leader.
The Senate is currently using its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.
According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators should sit in order of rank.
The Easter and Sallah recess was postponed to accommodate the completion of the renovation of both chambers of the national assembly.
However, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his welcome address, the heated argument among the three senators began.
It was learnt that Goje and Yau, sitting on the second row on the right side of the aisle, did not like the seats allocated to them by the senate committee on services.
Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west, is chair of the senate services committee.
The four-term senators subsequently insisted that they should have been assigned seats on the front row on the extreme right — opposite the row of the majority leader and the deputy senate president.
After the argument, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano South, called for a “point of order” which was ignored.
Thereafter, Bamidele moved a motion for a closed-session.
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PDP: Sule Lamido blames court for mass resignation from party
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