Headline

Obaseki Lashes Out at Oshiomhole, Threatens to Deal with Ex-Gov

Published

5 years ago

January 30, 2020

Eric

The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress in Edo State took a new dimension on Wednesday when the state Governor Godwin Obaseki threatened to deal with his predecessor and the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, if he (Oshiomhole) continued to violate his order banning political rallies in the state.

Obaseki, who spoke at a meeting he had with the 18 APC local government chairmen in the state, said he would show Oshiomhole that he (Obaseki) is the governor of the state.

He said, “I am the governor of Edo State. If anyone comes to your ward or local government to do things outside what the party has agreed, I hereby authorise you to deal with that person seriously.

“We are warning the suspended national chairman. If he continues his activities in Edo State, I will show him that I am the governor of the state.

“When he was the governor, he will never tolerate a fraction of the misdemeanour and misbehaviour he is undertaking today. I have declared that if Oshiomhole comes to Edo State to say he wants to disrupt the activities of the state and the party, we will deal with him the way we know how best to do it.

“Oshiomhole stands suspended from the party. In due course, we will expel him if he does not behave. The party does not belong to him; it belongs to all of us. We are following the wish of our people.

“Our next step is to make sure we convince more people to join our party so that all of us can move this state to the next level.”

The governor regretted that the state chapter of the APC elevated Oshiomhole without knowing the kind of a person he was.

He claimed that Oshiomhole did not build the APC as there was no party structure in place when he became the governor.

He added, “This is not a party man. Look at the dump he kept the party as a secretariat. With all the resources we had, he could not support the party until the landlord evicted us.

“You are governor or chairman based on the platform that elevated you. That is why I looked for one of the most beautiful buildings along Airport Road and said this is the secretariat of the party.”

However, a former member of the House of Representatives, Pally Iriase, described Obaseki’s comments as unfortunate.

Iriase said the APC ought to be built and run on democratic principles, adding that “there is no provision for jackboot tactics” in the APC constitution.

The former lawmaker stated that receiving defectors did not amount to anti-party activities.

He said, “Ever since we left the military, we have not seen this kind of repressive administration that gags political opinion. By now, Obaseki should be pointing out to projects in my local government and several others and not this jackboot tactics.

“Obaseki has not performed; that is what he should know. In the first nine months, Obaseki earned N57bn, what he would have achieved with that amount will be obvious to the eyes and loud to the ears.

“How does growing the party and swelling its ranks become anti-party activities? We should be getting kudos. Obaseki is trying to scare people away. This jackboot democracy in Edo will not work.”

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to Oshiomhole, Mr Simon Ebegbulem, refused to comment on the threat by the governor.

He simply told one of our correspondents that, “I have no comment.”

The Punch

Headline

For Condemning Tinubu’s Emergency Rule in Rivers, Presidency Dismisses Atiku, Peter Obi, Amaechi, Others As Disgruntled Politicians

Published

1 hour ago

March 21, 2025

Eric

The Presidency, on Thursday, described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, the former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi as disgruntled politicians that don’t have the interest of the masses at heart.

Reacting to the recent regrouping of some politicians including the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, who reportedly formed a coalition against President Bola Tinubu in 2027, the Presidency described them as “a frustrated lot”.”

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said President Tinubu is focused on governance to build a prosperous country.

According to him: “He (Tinubu) is on the way to achieving this. Two months to his midterm, he has many solid achievements to showcase. Intractable problems are being tackled headlong.

“He cannot be distracted by the so-called coalition of politicians. They are not politicians after the public Good. It’s all about their self-interest.

“They are disgruntled. They are a frustrated lot. The leaders are sore losers. The coalition is an amalgam of Tinubu haters. Their agenda is to stop Tinubu.”

Headline

Senate Approves Tinubu’s Emergency Rule in Rivers, Sack of Governor, Elected Officers

Published

19 hours ago

March 20, 2025

Eric

Like the House of Representatives, the Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s proclamation of a state of emergency in Rivers State, invoking its constitutional powers under the amended 1999 Constitution.

The approval grants President Tinubu the authority to enforce emergency measures while mandating a review of the situation at any time, but no later than six months.

Per the Constitution, the National Assembly has also imposed a joint committee of both chambers to oversee the administration of affairs in Rivers State during the emergency period.

Additionally, the Senate has resolved to establish a mediation committee consisting of eminent Nigerians to help resolve the state’s political crisis.

Just like the Senate, the House of Representatives had earlier approved Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.

In a voice vote, the lawmakers backed Tinubu’s decision, two days after President Tinubu made the move.

Two hundred and forty House of Representative members attended the preliminary which was presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

While deliberating on the decision, the House made some amendments including that a committee of eminent Nigerians will set up to mediate on the matter.

They also noted that the National Assembly is empowered to make law for a state where its house of assembly is unable to perform its functions as against the Federal Government’s plan for the Federal Executive Council to take up that duty.

President Bola Tinubu during the swearing-in of Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as sole administrator for Rivers State in Abuja on March 19, 2025

On Tuesday, President Tinubu wielded the big hammer in Rivers State, declaring a state of emergency in the state. He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months and appointed a sole administrator to take charge of the state in a move that has triggered a wave of criticisms.

Legal experts, governors, and prominent Nigerians like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi to name a few have condemned the proclamation, demanding a reversal.

However, the Federal Government has doubled down on Tinubu’s decision and argued that it was needed to bring peace to the oil-rich state.

Headline

Resist Tinubu’s Emergency Rule in Rivers, Atiku Tells Nigerians

Published

23 hours ago

March 20, 2025

Eric

A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to stand up and defend the country’s democracy by resisting the state of emergency imposed in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

Atiku made the remarks during a press conference of concerned political leaders, on Thursday in Abuja.

He said it is not only the responsibility of the opposition parties to defend democracy but the duty of everyone to reject the “brazen assault” on the elected government in Rivers.