LG funds controversy: Ogun council chairmen prostrate to beg Abiodun – Newstrends
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LG funds controversy: Ogun council chairmen prostrate to beg Abiodun

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LG funds controversy: Ogun council chairmen prostrate to beg Abiodun

There was a mild drama on Tuesday when Council Chairmen in Ogun State prostrated and begged Governor Dapo Abiodun for forgiveness over a petition written by one of them.

The Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo, had accused the governor of withholding the LGs’ allocations.

Adedayo lamented that LG chairmen had been unable to execute projects in the last two years, and asked former Governor Olusegun Osoba to urgently wade in, and convince Abiodun to allow “the statutory Federal Allocation to Local Governments in Ogun State to reach each of them as envisaged by the 1999 Constitution.

The Council boss elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) like Abiodun, also petitioned the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), calling for the investigation of the governor over alleged diversion of local government funds.

According to him, Abiodun has not paid a dime to Local government accounts as Federal allocation in the last two years.

The council boss in the petition, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent on Tuesday also accused the governor of denying the local government chairmen of the Ecological fund and other entitlements due to them.

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“Revenue sources, which the local governments should benefit from have mostly been taken over by the State Government. Motor Parks and attendant dues which should go to each local government are being centrally managed by the State Government. Primary school administration and control have been taken over too. There are many others. But, what I crave is for you to assist in helping our people. Why have they taken over revenue sources of the local government? How do they want the grassroots to breathe?

“In Ijebu East Local Government Area, we a complete rural section. Our people need roads, especially in the interior. They need water. The Health Centres are nothing to write home about. The primary schools are something else. It is a crying shame that, in 2023 some of our people still depend on water from the stream to drink!

“Be assured that I am readily available to answer any question about what I have written here,” he said.

But the governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, on Tuesday, said he had never tampered with local government funds.

He wondered how adding to the funds allocated to the local councils to enable them to meet their obligations amounted to hijacking their funds.

Abiodun said that funds meant for local governments in the state are being handled by the constitutionally recognised Joint Account and Allocation Committee (JAAC).

The governor said that JAAC members ensure that the third tier of government gets the required allocations for optimal performance.

However, there was twist and the council chairmen led by the ALGON Chairman, Babatunde Emilola-Gazal, stormed the governor’s office in Abeokuta, and begged for forgiveness.

Adedayo who is in Centre of the controversy was in attendance.

A short clip of the meeting which has gone viral showed the ALGON begging for forgiveness on behalf of his colleagues and in particular, Adedayo, who raised the allegations.

“Your Excellency, we have come here to beg you as a father that you are, as a father of all in the state, we want you to forgive us.

“Your Excellency, if you don’t forgive us, who do we run to? So, on behalf of all of us, I am tendering this apology and in particular , on behalf of Wale Adedayo,” Emilola-Gazal said, and subsequent prostrated alongside others, before the governor.

LG funds controversy: Ogun council chairmen prostrate to beg Abiodun

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Wike: My fallout with Secondus was his opposition to Fubara

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Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike

Wike: My fallout with Secondus was his opposition to Fubara

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has shed light on his role in the removal of Uche Secondus as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking at a PDP gathering in Rivers State, Wike explained that his decision was fueled by Secondus’ opposition to Siminalayi Fubara’s governorship ambition in 2023.

According to Wike, Secondus had pushed for his cousin, Tele Ikuru, to secure the PDP ticket for the governorship position, a move Wike said he could not support. This, he revealed, was the primary reason he championed Secondus’ ouster from the party’s leadership.

Reflecting on the ongoing tensions between himself and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Wike accused Secondus and former Rivers Governor Celestine Omehia of hypocrisy. He alleged that the duo only began backing Fubara after benefiting personally from the relationship.

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Wike, who was once a close ally of Fubara, claimed that Secondus and Omehia were the true enemies of the governor, not him. He criticized their actions, arguing that their newfound loyalty to Fubara was insincere.

“I heard Secondus recently in Bori, saying I awarded the Bori Internal Road as governor. I paid 50% with the hope that we had a governor we all supported to continue the projects,” Wike said.

He continued, “Secondus claimed his enemies are the governor’s enemies. But who are the enemies of the governor? Secondus, who initially opposed him becoming governor and wanted his cousin, Tele Ikuru, to get the position?

“I orchestrated Secondus’ removal as PDP National Chairman when he tried to impose his cousin as governor. Now he calls himself the governor’s friend while labeling me the enemy. To God be the glory,” Wike declared.

 

Wike: My fallout with Secondus was his opposition to Fubara

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APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

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APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state has dismissed claims by former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) will significantly reduce APC’s votes in Kano State during the 2027 elections.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Abdullahi Abass, chairman of the state chapter of the party said Kwankwaso’s assertion is laughable and nothing but a mere daydream. Abass called on Kwankwaso to focus on reclaiming his membership in the NNPP rather than making unfounded claims.

The APC described Kwankwaso as a political refugee clinging to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in a futile attempt to regain relevance. They warned Kwankwaso that the APC would not allow a repeat of the alleged vote manipulation and allocation that created the impression of NNPP’s influence in Kano State during the 2023 general election.

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“Our teeming supporters in the APC have no cause to worry about Kwankwaso, who has been booted out of the NNPP due to his cluelessness and self-centredness. We expect Kwankwaso to keep wondering why he has become a wanderer in the political terrain,” the party chair said.

“He ran away from APC because he couldn’t fit into our progressive ideals. His overbloated ego and domineering posture forced him to abandon the PDP, and he has now become a political refugee because the NNPP refused to accommodate him.”

Kwankwaso had on Wednesday received some political decampees at his residence. During the event, he claimed that the NNPP was now formidable enough to diminish APC’s influence in the state.

“If the PDP could struggle to receive 15, 000 votes in the 2023 Presidential elections in Kano, APC would not only receive below expectations but would receive the most embarrassing votes in the 2027 elections in Kano,” he stated

“NNPP achieved tremendous success in the presidential and governorship elections despite being a new political platform with a late start to its campaign. APC will be diminished in Kano in 2027,” he added.

 

APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

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Kwankwaso: APC will struggle to get 15,000 votes in Kano

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Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Kwankwaso: APC will struggle to get 15,000 votes in Kano

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said his party would work tirelessly to ensure that the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC, struggle to secure less than 15,000 votes in Kano State.

The APC, has, meanwhile, asked Kwankwaso to channel his energies towards reclaiming his membership in the NNPP not day dreaming over claims to relegate the APC in the state.

Kwankwaso while receiving delegates of the NNPP from the Kano North senatorial district at his Miller Road Mansion in Kano, acknowledged the hard work of the party during the 2023 elections, which resulted in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, struggling to secure only 15,000 votes in Kano.

He said: “Now, it’s turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano by 2027.”

He encouraged his supporters to remain focused on delivering results that would secure the party’s success in future elections.

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The leader of the delegates, Abdul Bichi, told journalists that the visit was to renew their loyalty to the national leader of the NNPP, Kwankwaso and to distance themselves from former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi.

Abdul said they had parted ways with Bichi since his removal from office.

“It is true we are supporters of the former SSG, and we are from the same constituency as Dr. Bichi, but we have decided to distance ourselves from him since he is no longer with the government.

“We have come here to see our national leader and founder of Kwankwaso in solidarity and to renew our total loyalty to him. We have come to say we are not leaving our party. We are not going with the SSG,” Abdul said.

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