“The Council of Obas has decided that Governor Aiyedatiwa is our candidate,” Oba Adeleye stated, pledging their support for Aiyedatiwa’s election campaign.
Politics
I left APC in 2019, Onochie tells Senate
Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Mrs Lauretta Onochie, on Thursday denied her membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) three times.
This was during her grilling by senators to determine her suitability for appointment as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Onochie, who appeared before the Senate Committee on INEC, said she parted ways with the APC and stopped her volunteer work with the Buhari Support Organisation (BSO) in 2019.
She said those opposed to her nomination were after her because of her “due process stance” and belief in the rule of law.
President Muhammad Buhari had, on October 12, 2020, nominated Onochie (Delta), Professor Muhammad Sani Kallah (Katsina), Professor Kunle Cornelius Ajayi (Ekiti), Saidu Babura Ahmad (Jigawa), Prof. Sani Muhammad Adam (Northcentral) and Dr. Baba Bila (Northeast) as National Commissioners of INEC.
The presidential aide said she was aware of petitions against her, especially those about her membership of the APC and the fact that someone from her state was already on INEC’s board.
She admitted being part of the Buhari campaign organisation in 2015 before her appointment as Special Assistant on Social Media.
Onochie also admitted to having sworn to an affidavit at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja that she was a member of the APC.
The presidential aide claimed she stopped being a member of the party after the 2019 polls.
She said, “I have learnt over the years to stand with the constitution and due process but not on partisanship or sentiments.
“Since 2019, I have not had anything to do with any political organisation, including Buhari support groups. When APC was doing re-validation of party members, I did not take part in the exercise.
“As I’m sitting down here, I’m not a member of any political party in this country. I’ve no partisanship in my blood.”
On the petitions urging the Senate not to clear her for the job, Onochie said, “I have seen many petitions against my nomination, not only from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but also from some APC members.
“I’m not partisan; they know. It is about the law. No one has any reason to fear for my nomination as INEC commissioner representing Delta.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m Madam Due Process. That’s why all the attacks. I follow due process, I follow the law.”
But an affidavit she swore to at an FCT High Court, dated June 30, 2021, and attached to one of the petitions against her, contradicted her claims.
Read Also: PDP storms NASS, protests Onochie’s nomination as INEC Commissioner
She deposed to the affidavit at the High Court of the FCT in a case involving her as plaintiff and Emeka Ugwuonye (defendant).
Paragraph three of Onochie’s witness statement on oath reads: “That I am also engaged in active politics and a member of Neighbourhood Watch and has also contested the local government elections under the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom.
“I am also a member of the APC and a volunteer at the Buhari Support Organisation.”
Onochie further told the committee that Mrs May Agbamuche, a serving INEC National Commissioner from Delta State, is actually representing Cross River on the board of the electoral umpire.
Opposition Senators Ifeanyi Ubah, Seriake Dickson, Istifanus Gyang and Ike Ekeweremadu, separately asked her again to confirm her membership of the APC.
Onochie, three times denied her membership of the ruling APC, telling the committee that she stopped being a card-carrying member of the party in 2019 (two years ago) as soon as Buhari was re-elected for a second term in office.
But a suggestion by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele that Onochie be put on oath after she denied her membership of the APC was supported by Senator Lawal Gumau (Bauchi South).
Ekewremadu and Dickson opposed the move, saying the Senate Rules did not support any nominee being placed on oath during screening.
Committee Chairman Kabiru Gaya overruled the suggestion to avoid breaching the provisions of the Senate Standings Orders on screening of nominees.
Gaya said the panel’s report would be submitted to the Senate at plenary next week for consideration and possible approval after he adjourned sitting.
Politics
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.
In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”
Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.
During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.
Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.
“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.
“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.
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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”
He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.
“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.
Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.
“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.
“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.
“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”
Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”
PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.
In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.
Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore
Politics
Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group
Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group
The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.
The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.
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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.
“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.
He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.
Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group
Politics
Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov
Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov
Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.
Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.
Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.
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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.
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