Politics
Edo Guber 2024: 4 more APC aspirants screened out of primary election

Ahead of the February 17, 2024 governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Edo State governorship election, four aspirants that were screened out by the Hon. Julius Ihonvbere-led committee said they have accepted the outcome of the screening in good faith.
Gatekeeper reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has slated the off-cycle governorship election in Edo State for September 21, 2024.
It was learnt that the party had set up the committee as an internal mechanism to screen and prune down the number of aspirants to a manageable level, and also to ensure a rancour free primary election.
Those that were screened out, and accepted the outcome, are Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and Prince Kassim Afegbua, former commissioner for Information and Orientation.
Others are Mrs Victoria Amu and Hon. Victor Otaigbe Eboigbe.
In their separate reactions, they noted that no individual was bigger than the party.
They explained that since they subscribed to the setting up of the committee, they abide by its decisions.
In his statement to supporters, Afolabi said, “It’s with all sense of gratitude that I inform you all that the journey we started together has come to a temporary end last night.
“This is so because my great party, the APC, has zoned the governorship out of Edo North. It is still victory for us, as in less than three weeks, we made so much incursion into the political space of Edo State.
“We will definitely be rewarded in due time. Inform your groups, friends, and our fans, please.”
On his part, Eboigbe, an aspirant from Edo Central, in his statement titled, ‘Everyone can’t be governor at the same time’, urged his supporters to accept the outcome of the screening.
He noted that the decision of the party is more important than the ambition of individual members.
Also speaking, Amu who said she will abide by the party’s decision, as her ambition is not bigger than the party.
Amu, who underscored the importance of party unity and cohesion, emphasized that the success of the APC in Edo State is paramount.
“While I am passionate about the prospect of serving the good people of Edo State as their governor, I want to make it unequivocally clear that my ambition is not greater than the supremacy of our party.
“The APC’s collective goals and the well-being of the people of Edo State are of utmost importance to me. I am fully aligned with the party’s vision and principles,” she stated.
Afegbua, who said he was screened out of the primary, noted that he accepted the party’s decision because to him, “politics is not a do or die affair”.
Recall that the committee had earlier pruned the numbers of aspirants from 29 to 10 aspirants, and subsequently to six, with two aspirants from each of the three senatorial districts.
It further pruned the list to four with two each from Edo Central and Edo South senatorial districts, thereby screening those from Edo North senatorial district out.
The four recommended aspirants for the primary election are Senator Monday Okpebholo, Col David Imuse, from Edo Central, and Chief Lucky Imasuen and Hon. Dennis Idahosa, from Edo South.
Politics
Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has revealed one of the reasons he can’t make peace with Governor Similayi Fubara of Rivers State.
Wike accused Fubara of removing a chief in his family and went ahead to make another person a chief.
The FCT Minister stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions from journalists at a media parley in Abuja.
According to reports, the statement comes amid the ongoing political crisis in the State, with Wike and Governor Similayi Fubara at the center of the feud.
“Sometimes when you people talk about this peace, you don’t take everything. You don’t just sit outside to talk.
“Look at me, a former governor, Minister of of the FCT, Governor (Fubara) had the temerity, the audacity, because he has money from federation account, because he has more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), will enter my own family to remove a chief and make another person a chief,” Wike said.
News
Lagos HoA Crisis: Let Obasa Stay, Tinubu Tells Lawmakers

President Bola Tinubu has instructed lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the impeached and reinstated Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, to continue leading the house.
The President made this position known when he met with the lawmakers at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday.
As reported earlier, this is the first time President Tinubu is meeting the lawmakers since the crisis began in the house January 13, 2025.
One of the lawmakers told newsmen that ” Obasa is staying. We will obey the president. What we had was a family meeting. The President condenmed Obasa’s actions but blamed us for not carring him (Tinubu) along during the impeachement execrise”.
However, the lawmaker said President Tinubu warned Obasa to carry everyone along.
” He also warned him (Obasa) that if there were any future complaints from any quarters, he would be gone. “The President said he should let peace reign; and so based on that, we have accepted.”
On the pending matter in court, the source said: “The President has instructed him to withdraw it.”
Politics
Fubara not sincere, playing to gallery – Rivers Assembly

The Rivers State House of Assembly has disagreed with the claims by the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, that he was blocked from entering the House to re-present his 2025 Appropriation Bill.
The House said it never received any official communication from the governor indicating his interest to bring his appropriation bill to the floor of the House.
Spokesperson of the House and Chairman, House Committee on Information, Enemi George, described the claims of the governor as a mere comedy skit scripted to paint the House in bad light.
George recalled that on March 3, the House of Assembly wrote to the governor requesting him to bring his 2025 appropriation bill to the lawmakers following the judgement of the Supreme Court.
He said: “We were the ones, who immediately after that judgement appealed to the governor to bring his appropriation bill. We acted immediately because we have the interest of the state at heart and didn’t want Rivers people to suffer any harm.
“Despite withholding our entitlements for over a year and demolishing our chambers, we still wanted him to hasten up the presentation in the interest of the progress of Rivers.
“We indicated our intentions in that letter and even gave him a timeframe because of the urgency of the matter. To regularise his appointments, we also urged him during our subsequent sitting to submit the names of his nominees for the positions of commissioners and some boards’ membership for screening and confirmation.
“But, the governor rebuffed our pleas. We sent employees of the Assembly to deliver these resolutions to him. But, as usual, they turned them down at the gate and even brutalized them. We resorted to engaging the services of a courier company.
“But, he still did not heed our call forgetting that there are essential services like hospitals, schools and others to be funded. Our intention was to finish everything about the budget on March 15, so that we could send necessary information and documents to relevant agencies of the government to allow the release of Rivers allocations at the end of March. But, with what he is doing, we don’t know what he wants to achieve.
“How can he turn around to claim that we blocked him from re-presenting his budget? This is the height of insincerity. We even need the budget to be passed because the governor has been owing us our entitlements for more than a year and without the budget, we can’t get our entitlements.
“The governor and his team simply and deliberately acted Wednesday’s drama with a singular motive to tarnish the image of the Assembly. The governor is simply playing to the gallery to whip up unnecessary sentiments. But, it has backfired because the truth has come out”.
Besides, George insisted that the letter the governor claimed that he sent to the Speaker never got to him, adding that it was after the Wednesday’s sitting that the lawmakers saw the letter flying on social media.
He said: “But, even the letter trending on social media was dated March 11. Does it mean that the governor purportedly sent a letter on Tuesday God knows when, and immediately mobilised to the Assembly Quarters on Wednesday morning, claiming he came to present his budget?
“That alone vitiates the claimed purpose. It is procedurally trite that after writing to the Assembly, the governor ought to wait for the letter to be acknowledged by the lawmakers, who will then invite him to appear before them and make his presentation. Governor Fubara ought to know this if he is sincere.
“But, all we know is that this Assembly will continue to uphold the rule of law and will remain committed to promoting the interest of Rivers State. We urge him to do the needful so that Rivers people can breathe. He is toying with the lives and livelihood of Rivers people.
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