Politics

No one can displace me in Osun APC, says Aregbesola

Published

4 years ago

February 22, 2021

former Governor of Osun State and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, says that no one can displace him from the All Progressives Congress in the state.

He said his pedigree would be difficult for anyone to achieve and warned the leadership of the party not to allow just anyone who just registered with the APC to ascend mantle of leadership of the party.

A statement issued by the minister’s spokesperson, Sola Fasure, stated that the Aregbesola while addressing party members after revalidating his membership in Ilesa at the weekend, said since his emergence as the governorship candidate in the state about 17 years ago, he had consolidated on progressives ideals.

He acknowledged the rights of every Nigerian to register as member of the APC and cautioned the party leadership in the state not give sensitive roles to those with questionable character so as not to derail the party from its achieving its objectives.

Aregbesola said, “It will be difficult for those who lack my pedigree to displace me in the party in the state. Since my emergence in Osun on the Oranmiyan platform 17 years ago, and with others, we fought the agents of darkness and regression and firmly consolidated the party in the state.

“This effort has produced two successive progressive administrations in the state and also won presidential and national legislative elections thrice.

“It is part of the democratic process for all kinds of people, especially from the PDP and other parties, even those with questionable and unedifying past, to cross into the progressive, people-centred party.”

He also said, “However members have a moral duty to ensure that such elements do not occupy leadership positions and use it to subvert and derail the party. We must take into cognisance the concept of internal democracy in the party.

“You all remember that our leader, late Chief Bola Ige led all his life for a compassionate government, commitment to the good of the majority and ideas that would bring the good life, happiness, progress and security to the people.

“You must be conscious of those who continue to dance on Ige’s grave and avoid anything that would dishonour the late stateman’s memory. “I will continue to work towards greater success of the party and I remain more committed to progressive ideals.”

Aregbesola, whose two sons and his wife also revalidated their membership, said President Muhammadu Buhari had resolved to tackle the problems facing the nation, especially insecurity.

He added that President Buhari and the Federal Executive Council were working hard to curtail the myriad of challenges in the country.

Politics

Breaking: Supreme Court affirms Sly Ezeokenwa as APGA National Chairman

Published

5 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Sly Ezeokenwa

Breaking: Supreme Court affirms Sly Ezeokenwa as APGA National Chairman

The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, affirmed Mr. Sly Ezeokenwa as the authentic National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.

A five-member panel of the apex court, in two unanimous judgements, invalidated Chief Edozie Njoku’s claim to the national leadership position in the party.

It held that its earlier verdict on the appeal marked: SC/CV/687/2021, delivered on October 14, 2021 and corrected on March 24, 2023, which Chief Njoku purportedly relied on to lay claim to APGA Chairmanship, did not confer any enforceable rights on him.

In the lead decision that was read by Justice Stephen Adah, the apex court stressed that the reliefs it granted on the protracted APGA leadership tussle, in 2021, were only declaratory and not executory.

The court noted that it particularly held that that issue of leadership or who becomes the Chairman of a political party, was an internal matter that is not justiciable.

Justice Adah held that it was wrong for Njoku to have gone before the lower court to enforce a judgement that had nothing to be enforced as no executory relief was granted to him.

He faulted the lower courts for wrongly relying on the previous decision of the Supreme Court to declare Njoku as the National Chairman of APGA.

Politics

Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

Published

1 day ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

IIiya Umar Damagum

Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

Few days after governors on the platform of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) handed down an ultimatum for things to change in the party, the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagun has moved against the FCT Minister and his loyal lawmakers, the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Damagun in a letter addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated 13th November 2024 and released on Sunday by the spokesperson of the Opposition Lawmakers Coalition, Ikenga Ugochinyere urged the electoral umpire to conduct a bye-election to fill up the 27 seats, they vacated to join the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike has been accused of being behind the crisis in the PDP over his disagreement with the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, his successor.

The crisis which started over control of resources divided the party in the state with 27 lawmakers in the state assembly siding Wike and defected to the APC following Wike’s acceptance to serve in the government of the APC.

He has also been accused of working in cahoots with Damagun to damage the PDP by not organising the National Executive Committee which would lead to the acting Chairman’s ouster.

After a series of agitation, the latest being from the PDP Governors’ Forum over the weekend, Damagun has demanded that INEC conduct elections as soon as possible, apparently moving against the FCT minister.

He argued in letter titled, ‘DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE CONDUCT OF FRESH ELECTION IN 27 STATE CONSTITUENCIES OF RIVERS STATE WHICH HAVE BECOME VACANT PURSUANT TO SECTION 109(1)(g) OF THE CONSTITUTION’ that it’s “unlawful” for the 27 members to defect.

Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

Politics

Nigeria would have been better under Peter Obi, too much nepotism under Tinubu – Senator Abaribe

Published

2 days ago

November 26, 2024

Trends Admin

Nigeria would have been better under Peter Obi, too much nepotism under Tinubu – Senator Abaribe

Nigeria would have been better than what it is currently if Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), had won the 2023 elections, the senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said.

Abaribe, who spoke on ‘Politics Today,’ a Channels Television programme, on Monday, said Obi would not have been as nepotistic as the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“Number one, he would not be as nepotistic as this government; he won’t; it’s not in him. That is just who we are; we feel for the other people.”

The lawmaker called attention to Tinubu’s appointment of four ministers from Ogun alone, noting that many other states have just one.

“I say it, and I don’t think so. We are seeing it everyday. I just gave you one example. How can Ogun state have four ministers? Why does he favour Ogun state? Oyo state has only one minister,” Abaribe said.

”The nepotism of Buhari, which nobody followed, has now deepened under President Tinubu because Buhari did it, and nobody said much. I was the only person shouting.”

He said that rather than waiting for presidents to be fair to the people of the south-east, it is high time people of the zone went back to revamp it, make it more livable, better, and more cohesive.

“It’s obvious that if we continue to look at whoever becomes president, they will look at us and do us right. Apart from Obasanjo and maybe Jonathan, I do not think that we have seen that same type of fairness,” he said.