Politics

APC planning to attack tribunal, Osun PDP alleges

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2023

The Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, on Thursday, accused the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress of planning an attack on the venue of the Tribunal hearing petition against the victory of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke.

Earlier, the APC had demanded improved security within the premises of the State High Court, the venue of the sitting of the Tribunal panel hearing its petition on the July 16 governorship polls, to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The parties in the matter are expected to present their final written addresses before the Justice Tetsea Kume-led panel on Friday.

The demand for more security was contained in a statement issued by the state Acting Chairman of the APC, Mr. Tajudeen Lawal, who asked the state police command and other security agencies to act with a view to nipping in the bud violence by those he referred to as “disgruntled politicians.”

Lawal also challenged the assigned security officers at the Tribunal venue to discharge their duties without fear or favour with the exhibition of civility during the course of performing their official responsibilities.

The APC statement partly read, “Let me appeal to the Osun State Police Command and other sister security agencies in the state that they should not treat the issue of security in and outside the tribunal with levity.

“The members of our party should continue their usual culture of decorum no matter the provocation from any quarters in order to be active partakers in watching the imminent light at the end of the tunnel.”

In a reaction to the Osun APC’s call for security beef-up around the Tribunal sitting venue and alarm over a planned attack on the sitting, the PDP, in a statement signed by its acting chairman, Adekunle Akindele, called on the police to invite the Osun APC chairman, Lawal, and his media adviser, Kola Olabisi, for questioning, adding that the opposition party only adopted a “subterfuge of levelling allegations on a plot it has perfected.”

“The members of the public will recall that few months ago, two APC members were arrested with loaded guns at the entrance of the State High Court while the Tribunal proceedings were ongoing. Only the prompt intervention of vigilant members of the public saved the situation on that day.

“When the APC now raises an alarm about a planned attack, we are apprehensive. We have the feeling that the APC has a sinister plot to launch an attack on the Tribunal sitting. Aware of its very bad case at the Tribunal, the APC is scheming to create mayhem to disrupt the sitting.

“We consequently call on the Commissioner of Police to invite the acting chairman of APC and the media adviser for questioning. The duo probably have insight into the alleged plot to disrupt the Tribunal. Their testimonies will assist the Police in the maintenance of law and order.

“We also use this opportunity to reassure the public that the state government is on top of the situation. No opposition party will be allowed to turn Osun into a battleground. The sitting tomorrow will be peaceful and we are convinced that the Tribunal will eventually validate and confirm the election of Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Governor of Osun State,” Akindele concluded.

Reacting to the allegation by the PDP in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH Thursday evening, the Osun APC spokesperson, Olabisi, said the PDP should be disregarded, as the allegation was a figment of the imagination of the party.

He said, “They (the PDP) should be disregarded. The allegation is the figment of their imagination. There is nothing like that.”

Politics

Rivers crisis: Why I won’t make peace with Fubara – Wike

Published

14 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Seyi Babalola

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

Published

18 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Sunday Osanyintuyi

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

Published

22 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Seyi Babalola

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.