Why Ekiti People Must Be Patient With Fayemi —Bisi Aloba

Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State and former chairman of Ikere Local Government Area, Chief Bisi Aloba, in this interview by SAM NWAOKO, speaks on Governor Kayode Fayemi’s administration, the APC in Ekiti State and sundry issues. 

On October 16 this year, the second term of Dr Kayode Fayemi clocked one year and there have been various opinions of the government. What is your assessment of the state government so far?


In my opinion, the second coming of Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State is a blessing for the state. As politicians of this generation, we have been clamouring for continuity in governance and some of us feel that the best way to go about this is by ensuring that projects are not abandoned and government policies are maintained.  

Another area is that we have been looking out for those who would carry the young people along for their participation and for patronage. In the past, we had 70-year-olds and so on as commissioners, special advisers, etc. But since the coming of Dr Fayemi, this has been reversed. If you look at the Fayemi government, about 80 per cent of the people there are below 60 years.

 You will see young women there and young men. He came and said he was not going to probe anybody and that he believes in continuity of government policies and projects and he passed a law to that effect. He said there is no need for abandoning of projects.

 I think his coming back in a blessing for Ekiti State.

You are satisfied but some other people are not quite satisfied with his performance, saying that they expected more than what he has done?

If they critically examine what Fayemi has done in Ekiti State, those with contrary opinion will agree with me that he has done well so far. Look at the Ikun Dairy Farm which he has revived in collaboration with the private sector; the Ikogosi bottled water project; the Ikogosi resort; the civic centre in Ado Ekiti. Ekiti is an agrarian state but nobody is going to the farm because the incentives are not there. Fayemi has put life back in this sector so as to make it attractive, and i know that soon, the results would begin to show.

One of the complaints is the allegation by some people that Governor Fayemi is always outside the state and that he allegedly operates like a ‘foreign governor’? how do you react to this allegation?

When I was the chairman of Ikere Local Government, our council owed salaries and sundry debts. After the Joint Accounts and Allocation Committee (JAAC) meetings where allocations are made, we would have to borrow about N500,000 to augment what we had to be able to pay salaries. But I began to make moves to reverse this trend; I began to make trips to Abuja to see what we could do to solve the allocation problems.

 I was always outside the council area. After about nearly four months of constant movement, our efforts yielded results. Our allocations improved and within a year, we were able to clear the arrears, paid leave bonuses and were also able to carry out some projects. 

This was as a result of our efforts, and we could not have achieved this if I had sat down in Ikere without making efforts. Governor Fayemi is the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, the first of its kind in the South West region.

He is the chairman of the 36 governors in the country, both PDP and APC so he is like a president on its own.

Whatever involves the Governors Forum surely involves Dr Fayemi and what this means is that if he has to go to the United Nations, Africa Union, African Development Bank or the World Health Organisation (WHO) and so on, he would have to do that.

 He has to lead the team because he is the chairman.

 In Ekiti, God has given him a team that is dependable and hardworking. His Deputy is there; Chief of Staff, Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, commissioners and others are all working round the clock daily to drive the vision of the government. Work is not halted in any way in Ekiti, so his being in the state isn’t supposed to be a problem. 

Like my case as Ikere chairman then, Fayemi does not need to sit in a place, he has to go to places to get results for Ekiti State. Ekiti is moving forward and I want to believe that soon, the results of his efforts would begin to show more. 

Already, the private sector he brought has begun work at Ikun Dairy and a lot of partnerships are in the offing and the people should just trust his government because the vision is clear and Ekiti will benefit from the experience and knowledge of Fayemi.

There are claims that Ekiti APC is on a low key or quiet, and that appointments and sundry patronages are not properly distributed among party members. What in your opinion is going on?

As far as I am concerned, Ekiti APC is very cohesive and the party is on a strong footing. We are a family. Appointments have been made and boards have been appointed and we are all happy about these. 

The people appointed as commissioners are young and brimming with ideas and they are the people we expected to emerge as commissioners. Like in my town, Ikere, the Commissioner from there, Olumuyiwa Olumilua, is vibrant, visible and is performing well. And that’s also the case with the other commissioners. Everyone like me should accept the appointments made and support the government because it is ours. 

What we should rather be talking about now is federal appointments, for which I know he would patronise the party members. 

He will not give that appointments meant for APC members to PDP members. There is hierarchy in the party, whatever is happening in the local government, he will direct you to see the chairman of the local government while if it is something that has to do with the state, he will direct you to see the state chairman of the party.

 It is not a one-man show or an individual show. Come to think of it, appointments that have to do with the party are made by the party.

 For instance, when there are vacancies to be filled, the LG chairmen of the party send list of names and from these names appointments are made.

 And these appointments are made according to the hierarchy of the list. 

So it is not even Fayemi that makes the appointments.

So, what are you telling your people, the people of Ekiti State?

They should be patient with Governor Fayemi because he is a good product and if you have a good product you will market it. He is God-chosen, pride of Ekiti and I believe that he will go beyond Ekiti. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State knows the worth of Dr Fayemi and this much we could infer from what he said about Dr Fayemi recently. That is the kind of governor God has given Ekiti State at this time and we must appreciate him and be patient with him and support him to take the state to greater heights.

Nollytrailers.com To Create Visibility For Movie Industry's Global Consumers

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Nollytrailers.com also publishes Nollywood news and juicy gists on the vibrant industry and its practitioners. Nollywood enthusiasts can find profiles of their favourite actors and get to know them more.

The website Nollytrailers.com is built to arrest interest once visited, and also initializing repeat patronages. Nollytrailers.com crew covers movie premieres and red carpet, with the highlights both still and video photography published on the website. The portal encourages filmmakers, producers and movie directors to promote their upcoming movie releases on the platform. To do so, you can submit your trailers through actions@nollytrailers.com with the following information:

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Kogi guber: Appeal Court constitutes election petition tribunal

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa has constituted Governorship and House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal to handle petitions from Nov. 16, Kogi governorship poll.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the secretary of the tribunal, Mr Umar Abubakar and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lokoja.

According to Abubakar, the mandate of the tribunal is to hear and determine petitions that may arise from Kogi governorship election held on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019.

He said the tribunal will also handle petitions arising from the forthcoming supplementary and re-run election in Kogi West Senate seat and Ajaokuta Federal Constituency scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 30.

Abubakar added that the secretariat of the tribunal was located at FCT High Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja and called on those wishing to file election petitions to approach the secretariat.

Photographer sues Prince estate for copyright infringement

A photographer who collaborated with Prince during the final few years of his life claims that the late musician’s estate has been exploiting her work without licence. Said photographer, Madison Dube, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the estate and its associated companies last week.

The lawsuit states that Dube “is a gifted photographer and artist whose work, in 2013, caught the attention of one of the most talented musicians and entertainers of our time, Prince Rogers Nelson, more commonly referred to as Prince”.

Between 2013 and his death in 2016, Prince “became a mentor and friend to Ms Dube. He also hired her on many occasions during that time to provide freelance work, including photography, graphic design, film/videography, voice and other creative”.

None of those projects involved Dube assigning any of the rights in her photography or designs to the musician, the lawsuit adds, because “throughout his life, Prince maintained a strong edict that an artist should retain control over his or her artistry”.

However, the photographer claims, since Prince’s death his estate has used her images on advertising, merchandise, record releases and other promotional material, all without her permission. And, she adds, they knew they were using her work, because in some cases she has been credited as the photographer, and in others a rep for the estate reached out to try to negotiate a licence.

“Ms Dube now brings this action to assert her rights guaranteed under the Copyright Act”, the lawsuit goes on, “and to preserve the integrity of her work, currently being commercialised by defendants and used for mass-marketing, mass-produced sales and advertising, without her consent and contrary to the intent behind the creation of those works”.

The photographer wants an injunction banning future use of her images by the estate and damages for all past uses.

No going back on our rejection of IPPIS – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said on Wednesday there is no going back on its rejection of the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) said on Wednesday there is no going back on its rejection of the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

“ASUU once said that the policies of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Nigeria will make the people poorer, increase misery, want as well as compound our economic crisis. This was disclosed about 30 years ago. “Today, we are have seen the manifestation of these crises and therefore, IPPIS is an aberration. It does not apply to universities because there is no university anywhere in the world where IPPIS is applied. “Even in Ghana where they have something similar to the IPPIS, they went ahead to exclude the universities and that is why we are saying our own cannot be different.” According to him, the world over, people keep advocating for internalisation so as to bring in experts from around the globe to work in a system, whether on a long or short term basis and such persons are normally subjected to the rules of the civil service. He insisted that IPPIS is designed for civil servants and not for the universities, noting that universities should be governed according to their laws.

Social Media Bill: Protesters storm National Assembly

Protesters in large number have stormed the National Assembly in protest to the anti social media bill, currently before the lawmakers. The protesters, chanting solidarity songs displayed various placards with inscriptions at the first gate of National Assembly.


Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Say no to Social Media Bill”, ” Only the Repressive Regime Muzzles the Media” and “A freedom Given up is not so easy regained”.

Our correspondent says the protest was peaceful but saw Policemen on alert, taking positions in case of break down of law and order.

However, it has not affected vehicles going in and out of the National Assembly.

Court fixes ex-Lagos Speaker, Ikuforiji’s re-arraignment for Dec. 11

The Federal High Court in Lagos State has fixed December 11 for the re-arraignment of a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi.

Ikuforiji and Atoyebi are facing amended 54 counts of money laundering.

Justice Mohammed Liman fixed December 11, 2019, for their re-arraignment on Wednesday after the defence counsel, Mr Tunde Akinrinmisi, prayed for an adjournment.

The prosecuting counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, while grudgingly conceding to the adjournment, lamented that “This is a case that the prosecution has given evidence and closed its case but Justice Ibrahim Buba discharged the defendants on no-case submission, which travelled from here up to the Supreme Court. Here we are five years after.”

Buhari takes major decision in Aviation sector

President Muhammadu Buhari has ratified the Protocol to Amend the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft (Hague Convention of 1971) (Beijing Protocol 2010).

Buhari also ratified the Protocol to Amend the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Civil Aviation (The Montreal Convention of 1971) (Beijing Protocol 2010).

A statement signed and forwarded to DAILY POST on Wednesday by Buhari’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu disclosed that the President ratified the instruments on November 22, 2019.

The statement reads: ‘According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Beijing Protocol supplements the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft, done at The Hague on 16 December 1970 (The Hague Convention, 1970).

“To this end, the Protocol expands the scope of The Hague Convention to cover different forms of aircraft hijackings, including through modern technological means.

“President Buhari also ratified the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft (Montreal Protocol 2014) as well as the protocol to Amend Article (50a) and Article 56 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention of December 1944) (Montreal Protocol 2016).

“The President also ratified the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“With the execution of these Instruments, it is expected that Nigeria’s aviation links with the UAE will improve significantly.

“The Federal Executive Council had at its meeting of October 16, 2019, approved the ratification and the preparation of the requisite Instruments of Ratification of the aforementioned treaties and conventions. “

Group Commends Fayemi For Reviving Yoruba Culture

The Supreme Council of Yoruba Youths (SCYY) has commended the efforts of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in reviving the cultural heritage of Yoruba nation.

National acting president of the Supreme Council of Yoruba Youths, Comrade Femi Awogboro, in a press statement released to journalists in Ibadan recently affirmed that the Ekiti State Festival of Arts and Culture will showcase the Yoruba culture and traditions.

The statement further identifies the significance of the festival which include boosting the cultural,  social and economic indices of the Yoruba not only in Ekiti but across the federation.

“The EKIFEST 2019 is a clear indication that we have a Governor with foresight and has keyed into the diversification programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration.

“Such programme will project the image of the Yorubas and showcase our culture to the world especially at a time when the world is yearning for well cultured Africans,” Awogboro stated.

Using the opportunity to intimate the people of the vision and mission of the SCYY, Awogboro asserted that the group stands to promote the Yoruba culture and traditions at all levels.

While commending Ojo-Lanre, the Director-General of Ekiti State Council for Arts and Culture who led the Ekiti State cultural team that performed excellently well at the recently concluded Edo State cultural festival.

Awogboro said his presence as brought about the revitalisation of Yoruba arts and culture in Ekiti State within the short period of time he took over.

EFCC denies dropping corruption charges against Diezani, ex-bank chief, others

The anti-graft agency, EFCC, has denied dropping money laundering charges against a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and her co-accused.

The EFCC in 2018 filed the charges against Mrs Alison-Madueke and others, including Dauda Lawal, a former executive director of First Bank.

They were accused of laundering about $153 million public funds in the build up to the 2015 presidential election.

Apart from this trial, Mrs Alison-Madueke has also been indicted in several other corruption cases and has forfeited properties worth billions of naira to the Nigerian government.

She is, however, yet to formally face trial as she is believed to be in the UK where she is also being investigated for money laundering.

In a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC said it decided to split the money laundering charges and arraign the suspects separately in order to end the delay the trial has suffered.

“In more than four times that the matter was called for arraignment, it was either that Lanre Adesanya was sick and bedridden in a London Hospital or Nnamdi Okonkwo was hypertensive and on admission in a hospital or StanleyLawson had had a domestic accident and could not appear in court.

“It was clear that these recurring excuses were ploys to frustrate the arraignment.

“To get around this, the Commission took a deliberate decision, which was disclosed in open court, to separately prosecute the defendants in different courts,” Mr Uwujaren said.

The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to reports currently circulating in the social media, purporting that the Commission had dropped the criminal charge against a former minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke and other persons indicted for money laundering.

The Commission enjoins members of the public to disregard the report which is false and misleading. At no time did the Commission withdraw the charge, which is still before Justice Muslim Hassan of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

The only development was that the Commission took a prosecutorial decision to split the initial 14-count charge to enable separate arraignment of the defendants following a spate of adjournments that prevented the arraignment of the defendants more than one year after the case was listed.

The charges were first filed on November 28, 2018. Since then, every attempt to arraign the defendants had been frustrated by one excuse or the other. In more than four times that the matter was called for arraignment, it was either that Lanre Adesanya was sick and bedridden in a London Hospital or Nnamdi Okonkwo was hypertensive and on admission in a hospital or StanleyLawson had had a domestic accident and could not appear in court.

It was clear that these recurring excuses were ploys to frustrate the arraignment. To get around this, the Commission took a deliberate decision, which was disclosed in open court, to separately prosecute the defendants in different courts. This explains why the four count amended charge brought against Dauda Lawal, a former executive director of First Bank, did not include other defendants, except the two who are at large( Diezani Alison-Madueke and Ben Otti). And the ingredients of the offence stated therein only pertains to Lawal’s involvement in the alleged crime, which is the receipt of $25million from the $153million 2015 Peoples Democratic Party presidential election slush fund.

The non-inclusion of other defendants in the original charge in the amended four count charge does not mean that have been exonerated by the Commission of any criminal allegation.

Ondo Senators Kick Against Hate Speech Bill

Two senators from Ondo State have opposed the bill seeking to regulate social media and curb hate speech in Nigeria.  

Senator Nicholas Tofowomo (Ondo South) and Senator Ajayi Boroffice (Ondo North) kicked against the bill in their different reactions.  

Recall that the Senate Deputy Chief Whip, Sabi Abdullahi, had introduced the bill on the floor of the Senate on November 12. 

Abdullahi had proposed the establishment of the National Commission for the Prohibition of Hate Speech, which will also handle offenders. 

According to the bill, anybody, who commits an offence deemed as hate speech, will be liable to life imprisonment.

Where the act causes any loss of life, the person shall also be punished with death by hanging, the bill proposed.

Reacting to the development, Tofowomo described the bill as a "duplication of existing law for Nigerians".

He noted that the objectives of the new bill have already been addressed by the Cybercrime Act 2015 signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The lawmaker stated that Nigerians should feel free to air their views and opinions on the bill. 

He said, "The Cybercrime Act which was signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan has addressed Internet usage and safety with regards to prevention, prohibition, combating cybercrimes. It also prescribes the punishment cybercrime offenders should face in Nigeria.

”The Nigerian constitution which also guaranteed freedom of expression as a fundamental right also made relevant provisions for the restrictions and derogation from such rights. 

"So, the objectives of this new bill have already been addressed by both the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Cybercrime Act 2015.

”I, therefore enjoin Nigerians to follow the due process by attending the public hearing of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to present their petitions and air their views in the appropriate place where their voices could be heard instead of complaining on social media.”

On his part, Senator Boroffice said there was no cause for public anxiety over the bill. 

He noted that the bill cannot take away the inalienable rights being enjoyed by citizens of the country under section 39 of Nigeria's constitution. 

He said, "The fundamental right enriched in section 39 of the constitution of the Federal Republic is sacred and sacrosanct. No bill can overthrow it. 

"The bill will go through public hearing and Nigerians will decide. No cause for anxiety."

Adamawa's Debt Burden Hits N125bn

Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has revealed that the debt burden of the state has risen to N125bn.

The governor made the revelation on Monday while inaugurating 23 commissioners including Adamu Atiku, eldest son of Nigeria’ former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Fintiri charged the commissioners to brace up, stressing that the state was grappling with heavy debt burden.

He said, “This task has been made more difficult by the heavy debt burden and liabilities inherited by this administration totalling N125,052,051,284.61.

“Out of this amount, N41,836,204,499 make up the liabilities in contractors’ arrears, pension and gratuity, salary arrears and other staff claims.

"N53,768,539,392.70 was the outstanding domestic loans while external debt stood at N29,447,307,392.61, out which N1.008bn is deducted monthly from state’s federal allocation.

"The government has therefore been compelled to take decisive action to clear the mess which it inherited.”

‘Why Arik, Aero can’t be national carrier’

As the debate over the modality for the proposed national carrier gathers momentum, aviation analyst and former spokesman of the defunct Nigeria Airways, Mr. Chris Aligbe has added his voice to recent call for the conversion of Arik Air and Aero Contractors to a national airline. Both Arik and Aero are under receivership currently after they were taken over by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

Recently AMCON Managing Director, Ahmed Kuru stirred the debate when he suggested that Arik or Aero can be converted to national carrier, saying they are now positioned for profitability.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika however rejected the suggestion, saying neither Arik nor Aero is a perfect fit for the kind of national carrier the government plans for.

But adding to the debate, Aligbe of Belujane Konzult urged the Federal Government to reject AMCON’s suggestion. He said the impression that government owns Arik and Aero is erroneous.

He said, “There are still a few who believe that Aero and Arik are airlines that belong to the government. It is not true. If they were, they would be under Aviation not AMCON that has no statutory responsibility on aviation but rather on debt collection. “Any attempt to move outside this statute will occasion international litigation that could be unresolved for many years. This is because both the original owners and creditors will head to court to challenge the Federal Government.” 


According to Aligbe, both Arik and Aero Contractors were never in the picture when the Nigeria Air project started. He said bringing in the two airlines into the national carrier project would only amount to distraction. He said, “Even the idea of merging two airlines which the proponents have acknowledged “are not doing well” to form a new national carrier is fraught with so many intractable challenges that will make the product a disaster abinitio. 

Some of those include, but not limited to the following pertinent questions. “Can any healthy and virile establishment be founded on the back of unhealthy and struggling entities? Will any sensible investor invest in such establishment? “Where no investors come, such a national carrier will exist on 100% government equity, just like the liquidated Nigeria Airways. Have we so soon forgotten the bane of Nigeria Airways? “Can AMCON’s liabilities from Aero and Arik, vicariously or inferentially, be assigned simplicter to the Federal Government? Ditto the assets? If not, then the argument of Federal Government owning two airlines – Aero and Arik fails to sail.

 Have AMCON and Supporter – Proponents stopped to consider the “Outline Business Case” (OBC) of its proposition on the use of Aero-Arik merger to float a national carrier? “I ask this because in our present dispensation, all such Proposals/Promoters must first submit an OBC to the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Council (ICRC) for evaluation, guidance and approval. For those who are not aware, the Nigeria Air national carrier project had gone through this process, passed two to three approvals by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), successfully concluded the Development stage and was at the Procurement stage in compliance with ICRC approvals and guidance.”

 Aligbe noted that though the current leaderships of Arik and Aero are doing their best, both airlines are not fit for national carrier. “My simple advice to the Minister of Aviation is to just ignore Kuru and his AMCON and move on. 

The only and major success of AMCON as an institution has been to give the banks a debt-clean slate. Since CBN and NDIC can do this better, AMCON is an unnecessary and poor duplication. It should be wound up,” he added.

Court bars EFCC from prosecuting ex-Customs boss, Dikko

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been barred from prosecuting a former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko. The order was given on Monday by a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba while delivering judgement in a suit instituted by Dikko. 

Justice Dimgba held that the non-prosecution agreement entered into between the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and the plaintiff, was binding on EFCC.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been barred from prosecuting a former Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko. The order was given on Monday by a Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba while delivering judgement in a suit instituted by Dikko.

Justice Dimgba held that the non-prosecution agreement entered into between the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, and the plaintiff, was binding on EFCC. 

The agreement was said to have been based on the return of N1.5billion proceeds of alleged crimes he committed while in office to the coffers of the federal government. 

The judge held that the AGF being the chief law officer of the federation has powers and discretion on prosecution matters by virtue of the provisions of Section 174 of the Constitution. Justice Dimgba further held that the claim by the EFCC that it acted on an anonymous petition to commence its investigations “cannot override the discretionary powers conferred on the Attorney-Genreral of the Federation by virtue of section 174 of the Constitution”. 

The AGF, the Department of State Services, the EFCC and its chairman were the defendants in the suit instituted by Dikko. Malami did not oppose the suit, a development which the judge held indicated that he subscribed to Dikko’s case. In reference to the conflicting positions of the AGF and the EFCC on the case, Justice Dimgba admonished government agents and agencies joined as defendants in a suit on the need to be on the same page. 

Untold story of APC’s NEC meeting and how Oshiomhole survived ouster plot

By the time the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) ended last Friday in Abuja, it became obvious that the party’s leaders did not buy into the impeachment plot hatched against the party’s national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole. It was gathered that Oshiomhole’s saving grace came from President Muhammadu Buhari, who did not accede to the quest of aggrieved APC chieftains to remove the party’s national chairman.

Sensing that their major reason for insisting on the NEC meeting was ripe for execution, Zamfara State chairman, Lawal Liman, was signaled to move a motion of impeachment, only for the meeting to be brought to an abrupt end at the instance of Oshiomhole, who was said to have called instead for an adjournment motion.

Sources within the contentious NEC meeting confided in The Guardian that President Buhari, being conscious of the fact that the event could turn rowdy, took his leave to the consternation of anti-Oshiomhole forces led by Governors Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) amongst others who had warmed up for a showdown with Oshiomhole.

At the end of the inconclusive NEC meeting, such salient issues such as the need to reconcile Oshiomhole and Obaseki, filling existing vacant positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) were not ratified during the NEC as a result of the development. However, Buhari, who had been inundated with allegations of high-handedness against Oshiomhole prior to the meeting, reminded his party stalwarts of the need to ensure cohesion, just as he called for concerted efforts to ensure that APC does not “collapse” even before the end of his second term tenure in 2023.

Also, aside from the quest by Obaseki and Akeredolu to secure their second term tickets on the APC platform next year, the renewed push for Oshiomhole’s removal was seen as their last joker, particularly as the national chairman is widely seen as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s man Friday.

Those who want to control the party machinery even before the buildup to the 2023 politics are also battling Oshiomhole. Prior to the NEC parley, the APC National Secretariat turned out as a battleground in the early hours of Friday as a pro and anti-Oshiomhole supporters brandishing stones, cutlasses, and sticks engaged in a free-for-all clash forcing passersby to seek alterative routes. It took the intervention of heavily armed security personnel, who fired several canisters of teargas, to restore peace before the NEC parley commenced at about 4.00 pm on Saturday.

Battle for 2023 presidency
WHAT could not be mistaken in the brouhaha was the fact that the battle for who succeeds Buhari when he completes his final term in 2023 has begun in earnest and the ruling party was receiving the impact.

Notable in the ensuing division among members of APC’s NEC is the struggle between forces loyal to the former Lagos State governor, Tinubu, and those stoutly opposed to him, particularly the forum of state governors elected on the party’s platform who have an axe to grind with Oshiomhole.

A member of APC NEC, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian: “The whole issue revolves around the race for the presidency in 2023. All those who want to run for president have the feeling that he (Oshiomhole) is a Bola Tinubu’s man.

“And coming from ACN (defunct Action Congress of Nigeria), they believe that Tinubu’s wings had to be clipped before the race actually starts. Now all the power blocs who see Tinubu as a serious threat feel like ‘okay, let us combine now to deal with Tinubu’s man before our fight later.’”

It was also gathered that state governors angling for the presidency have also been split into various power blocs with the Ekiti State helmsman, who is also the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, with key allies like Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) on the one side. Fayemi, who edged out Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai in the race for NGF chairman, was said to have settled for Mr. Atiku Bagudu as his possible running mate in the event he achieves his goal.

The Ekiti State governor, who is serving second term also enjoys the support of Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State, while the group, led by el-Rufai, has Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Simon Lalong (Plateau) to his side in the plot to succeed President Buhari in 2023.

But the pro-Tinubu group boasts of governors of Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Kano, Katsina and Kwara States, majority of chairmen in the 36 states, members of National Assembly, NEC members as well as NWC and non-NWC members.

In the unfolding stratification, there are also the governors from Gombe, Yobe and Nasarawa States, who for strategic reasons prefer to be seen as the ‘unaligned governors’ pending where the pendulum swings to a particular group. Sources explained that the plot to unseat Oshiomhole was the backlash from the outcome of the governorship primaries in Zamfara, Ogun and Ondo States, particularly the ongoing schemes preceding the governorship primary for the Edo State governorship poll next year.

It was gathered that the emergence of David Lyon as Bayelsa State Governor-elect was also part of the trouble that the Oshiomhole-led NWC faced during the riotous NEC meeting.

A source summarized the power play thus: “The plot was supposed to succeed on Friday if it was not doomed to fail. You can see the whole issue for over six months; now they have been calling for his removal. Lawal Shuaibu sent that letter, ‘let’s go to NEC, now we have gone to NEC and nothing happened.’

“All these machinations have nothing to do with Oshiomhole as chairman. Of course, he has his own problems, because, yes, he is autocratic coming from the labour background. Running the party to him is like a fight, as every enemy has to be crushed. So, he is not diplomatic.

“So that is not the issue. He is not new on the political turf having served as chairman of NLC and governor for eight years. He has not changed anything about his character. I think the Bagudu-led Progressive Governors’ group thought they had control of the situation, but when NEC convened, they found out really they don’t have the numbers.

“Of all the NWC members, majority knows the imperfection of the chairman, but like Buhari said, constitutionally how do you just say you have removed the chairman of the party because there are set down rules and regulations. For now, it has to be back to the drawing board.

“What they actually wanted to do was to take control of NWC. You know Lawan Shuaibu, the Deputy National Chairman (North), was suspended. They wanted to start the fight from there if he were denied entry into the venue. They decided to let the NEC take place. What can they do?

“So, he was allowed to enter. They thought if they moved and the chairman is removed, in the absence of the chairman, the deputy national chairman should act, but he has to come from the zone that produces the chairman. The Deputy National Chairman (South) Niyi Adebayo, is now a minister.”

The source hinted that since the position of Deputy National Chairman (South) is vacant, the plotters reasoned that the next in line was the Deputy National Vice Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu.

“So the question was, how can you have him in that position?” the source added. “That was why they fixed another meeting in Jos, Plateau State on Monday in the name of APC Governors’ retreat with President Buhari in attendance so that after the coup, Lawal Shuaibu would be in Jos as APC National Chairman.”

Expatiating further on the failed impeachment, the source stated: “The idea is for Fayemi to have control of the NWC with Shauibu as chairman, but the scheme was countered, because while they had signatories of 33 members, the Oshiomhole camp was able to corner 87 members, excluding NWC members, governors, and National Assembly members.

“It was in realisation of the fact that they could not move the motion for a no-confidence vote on Oshiomhole that a counter-motion was readily moved by the Enugu State Chairman, who had an overwhelming number of supporters.

“The Bayelsa State election brought up another challenge. The Bagudu camp seems to have already promised to assist Lokpobiri Heineken to add up to their number. So, the governor of Jigawa actually led the meeting to plead with Oshiomhole that David Lyon should not be allowed to emerge because he is a militant apart from not being uneducated.

“You know, he is in charge of the contract for overseeing pipelines and they are of the opinion that he too is a typical militant. So they felt he is not educated and felt he was a militant and so Lokpobiri should be assisted to become governor so that he could add up to their number. And unfortunately, the primaries were conducted.

“The governor of Yobe, who was sent to conduct the primaries, was neither here nor there. While Timipre Sylva’s thought he was with him, Bagudu’s group thought he was with them. In the end, Lyon emerged. So that is also part of their real fight with the chairman. That is the emergence of the Bayelsa governor.

“Because you can see that the most vocal critic of the chairman happens to come from Zamfara. They are still bitter he didn’t allow them to have their way. The truth is, the constitution of the party is very clear. States can only conduct primaries in respect of local government councilors and chairmen. Any other election is the duty and responsibility of NWC. I think Abdulaziz Yari was desperate. He wanted somebody to take over from him to cover up his tracks.”

Battle postponed
However, Liman vowed that his group comprising states chapter chairmen like Arc. Bala Kangiwa (Kebbi), Habibi Sara (Jigawa) Ade Adetimeli (Ondo) Abdullahi Abbas (Kano), Abba Yaro, Omotosin Paul (Ekiti), Mohammed Jibril Iman (Niger) Anslem Ojezua (Edo), Philips Shekwo (Nasarawa), Rtd Air Com Ikeda (Kaduna), Lakep Dabah (Plateau), Shitu Shitu (Katsina), Isah Sadiq Acida (Sokoto) will not back down on their demand for the removal of Oshiomhole.

It is possible that by quickly adjourning the NEC meeting Oshiomhole merely postponed the battle for the soul of APC. His accusers alleged that the national chairman was ignoring President Buhari’s admonition that the party’s organs at the state, local councils and ward levels be strengthened and accorded due respect in accordance with the powers and responsibilities conferred on them by the party’s constitution. They also alleged that the tenets of internal democratic practices has taken a downturn, principally due to the dictatorial and despotic tendencies of Oshiomhole, who they said has usurped the powers of APC’s NEC.

In their words: “Most, unfortunately, the facade conducted by the National Chairman today, the 22nd of November 2019, at a NEC meeting, leaves much to be desired. He completely ignored Mr. President’s advice and rather defied all known rules for meetings by precluding contributions from members and ending the meeting abruptly without achieving anything. This is most unfortunate and undesirable.

“Arising from the foregoing and having regards to the huge responsibilities bestowed on us as officers of the party and in the overriding interest of our members, we are left with no option but to demand that Comrade Adams Oshiomhoie resign his position, as national chairman in other to stem the slide and provide an enabling environment for genuine healing, reconciliation and the practice of true democracy within the party across the country.”

But in a swift reaction, the chairman of the Forum of States’ Chairmen of APC, Mr. Ali Bukar Dalori, alongside Mr. Nelson Alapa (Chairman Forum of Non-NWC NEC members) disowned the Lawal-led group, stressing that the NEC meeting held successfully.

While insisting that there was no iota of truth that the NEC meeting ended abruptly as everybody who wanted to contribute was given the opportunity to air their views, the forum expressed confidence in the Oshiomhole-led NWC, even as it admonished the Liman group to change their ways and allow peace reign in the party.

Governor el-Rufai, who bared his mind on the outcome of the NEC meeting, denied that there was a plot to remove Oshiomhole from office, saying: “There is nothing that was discussed in the meeting about pro and anti-Oshiomhole. You have to understand that leading a national party is a risky exercise.

“You will have your supporters and you will have your adversaries and this is normal and what is important is that in the political party there must be expressions of various views; there must be the accommodation of tendencies, but what should never be allowed is to engage in anti-party activities. We didn’t even discuss that because it is not yet a major issue for the attention of NEC.

“The meeting discussed the audited account and the draft budget of the party and referred both of them to the finance committee to consider and bring back to the next NEC meeting for approval. That was essentially the biggest thing discussed.”

APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who acknowledged that the NEC meeting was the shortest ever held since the formation of the party in 2014, maintained that it was peacefully conducted without any form of rancour.