The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State has faulted the suspension of chairmen in the 18 local governments of the state by the House of Assembly.

In a statement by the state PDP Chairman, Anthony Aziegbemi on Tuesday in Benin, the party described the action as unconstitutional, null and void.

Aziegbemi explained that the suspension disregarded the recent ruling of the Chief Judge of Edo State, Justice Daniel Okungbowa.

According to him, the suspension was a blatant violation of the Supreme Court’s decision, which affirmed the autonomy and independence of local governments, as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“How can a governor direct the State Assembly to suspend democratically elected chairmen of the 18 local councils for insubordination when these officials enjoy autonomy and independence as enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to building on the legacy structure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said this in tribute to Buhari on his 82nd birthday.

He said: “I will continue to build on the infrastructure legacy you bequeathed to our nation as the leader of our country’s first All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.”

In a tribute, Tinubu commended Buhari for his dedicated service and leadership, which have profoundly influenced Nigeria’s trajectory.

He highlighted Buhari’s resilience in pursuing presidential elections over the years.

Tinubu wished Buhari joy and good health, acknowledging his enduring legacy in guiding Nigeria towards prosperity and stability.

In a tribute titled: “President Tinubu Releases Birthday Tribute to Former President Buhari at 82”, he said:

Dear President Muhammadu Buhari,

On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to you on your 82nd Birthday.

As you celebrate this remarkable milestone in Daura, we reflect on your years of dedicated service and leadership, which have significantly shaped the course of our nation.

Your steadfast commitment to Nigeria’s advancement and unity inspires many, and your enduring legacy continues to guide our nation’s journey towards prosperity and stability.

Your doggedness and resilience in contesting presidential elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011 before winning them in 2015 and 2019 also inspire us never to give up.

I will continue to build on the infrastructure legacy you bequeathed to our nation as the leader of our country’s first All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

On this special day, may you be surrounded by the love of your family and friends and continue to enjoy good health, happiness, and fulfilment in all your endeavours, now and in the future.

Happy Birthday, and thank you for your services to Nigeria.

A former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Lukman has called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to rally some former leaders of the country to unite the opposition in forming a new political party to challenge President Bola Tinubu and APC ahead of the 2027 general election.

Lukman was reacting to an interview, where Obasanjo was quoted to have said that ‘a leader made by Satan is bound to fail, while God’s chosen one will thrive’.

The former APC stalwart said to produce godly leaders without satanic genotypes, Obasanjo and other past leaders like Generals Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida Abdulsalami Abubakar and former President Goodluck Jonathan have a huge moral obligation of engaging all opposition political leaders in the country to unite in order to produce a functional political party.

In the open letter to Obasanjo, Lukman said; “Everything must be done to put Nigeria on the roadmap of producing Godly leaders.

“Leaders such as Your Excellency, together with Gen. Gowon, Gen. Babangida, Gen. Abdulsalam, former President Jonathan and former President Buhari have the huge moral obligation of engaging all opposition political leaders in the country to unite in order to produce a functional political party that can serve as the harbinger for the emergence of Godly leaders in the country.

“It is not enough to lament about the fact of Satanic leadership in the country. So long as Your Excellency and other past leaders fail to assert their moral authority in ways that can lead to the emergence of Godly leaders, it is as good as working for the second term of President Tinubu and his team of failed leaders at all levels with all the problems they created.

“Of course, it simply means preference for Satanic leaders.”

According to him, so long as politics and governance are being diminished to the status of assemblage of cheerleaders, Satanic genotype will continue to be Nigeria’s leadership makeup.

Lukman added, “With such makeup, acts of impunity will continue to drive politics and even if we produce new parties with different names, such parties will at best be PDP and APC cloned.

“That is exactly what destroyed APC with all the potentials it had in 2015. How can we as a nation change that? Is there any prospect that within the shortest time possible the process of political re-engineering to produce a functional party that can be activated to serve as the harbinger for the emergence of leaders with Godly genotype?

“Your Excellency, this is the crux of this open letter. I believe that within the shortest time possible the process of producing a functional political party, which can be the harbinger for the emergence of leaders with Godly genotype is possible.

“In fact, it has already commenced. However, there are risk factors that if left on their own can pollute the process and take us back to square one and end up with another cloned PDP/APC.

“Once that is the case, we may end up with worse leaders based on the Satanic logic. The biggest risk factor is the failure to humble all opposition political leaders and get them to unite under one political platform.”