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Court Bars PDP NEC, BoT from Removing Damagun as Acting National Chair

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Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the acting National Chairman of the party.

The court ordered that no other person must be recognised as PDP national chairman other than Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.

Justice Lifu issued the restraining order against the PDP NEC, BoT, and others while delivering judgment in a suit instituted against them by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina.

The judge held that in line with Articles 42, 47, and 67 of PDP, it is only at the national convention of the party that national officers can be elected.

In the suit, Justice Lifu said that PDP members are bound by the constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law

The plaintiff, who claimed to be chairman of PDP in Yobe State, had instituted the suit against PDP and eight others alleging that some stakeholders of the party have been holding clandestine meetings to forcefully remove Damagum from office in gross violation of the party’s constitution.

He said that a former deputy governor of Kogi State, Phillip Salawu, was being pushed forward as a replacement for Damagun by the stakeholders.

Maina claimed that upon becoming aware of the plan, two separate letters complaining against the clandestine meetings were delivered to the national secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, and that despite the acknowledgment of the two letters, the national secretary and BoT members have never deemed it fit to act on the letters and their claims.

In the suit instituted on his behalf by Joshua Musa who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the plaintiff therefore prayed the court to invoke articles 45, 47, and 67 of the PDP Constitution to stop the move to replace Damagum as the acting national chairman.

The plaintiff specifically asked the court to declare that the national chairmanship of the PDP is rotated between the north and south regions and not through any other procedure not enshrined in the PDP’s Constitution.

In his judgment after perusing the PDP’s Constitution and exhibits, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff that Damagum can only be replaced at the national convention of PDP or through an order of a court.

Justice Lifu also held that any attempt to truncate the un-exhausted four-year tenure of the northern region without the national convention of the party would amount to an affront to the Constitution of the PDP.

Earlier, the judge had dismissed the opposition of the defendants to the suit on the grounds that the plaintiff had no locus standi to bring out the case and that the court lacked jurisdiction.

Justice Lifu held that the plaintiff predicated his suit on the protection of the PDP Constitution from being violated and the northern region where he hailed from being shortchanged from the four-year tenure.

Justice Lifu said that the plaintiff having displayed his PDP membership card before the court and having raised the fundamental issue of protection of PDP’s Constitution had sufficient interest and justiciable cause to institute the case.

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Public Expenditure: Financial Discipline Our Watchword – Osun Govt

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The Osun State Government has debunked repeated fake information from the opposition operatives, and an online platform which accused the government of recklessness in public expenditure. It described the news as false and a misrepresentation of facts, to be corrected by direct fact checking.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the State Government fingered such false reports with headlines as Adeleke blew N38bn in 21 months; splashed N8bn on vehicles in 2024; zero funding for gratuity, pension arrears; N38 billion spent on Governor’s Office; N8.09 billion on vehicle purchase; 500 million plus on entertainment among others.

Before puncturing the fake news, let me reiterate that the Osun State Government took a significant step towards fiscal accountability and transparency by making its budget implementation report accessible to the public on its official website as part of efforts to promote sustainability and Open Governance.

“The public release of the document is a clear confirmation that the government has nothing to hide and that all details provided in terms of expenditure are public spirited with high sense financial prudence and discipline.

On the allegation of huge expenses on vehicle purchase, the public is first reminded of how the Oyetola team carted away all government vehicles in 2022, making it imperative for the government to purchase vehicles for statewide operations.

This N8 billion figure represents the cumulative procurement of vehicles by the Bureau of General Services for all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to replace those carted away by the previous administration whose worth was ₦4,384,838,696.39 as at then and which ordinarily would have costed ₦18,488,312,413.88 to replace given the current value of the naira.

On pension and gratuity arrears, the current administration inherited a huge sum of ₦35bn pension and gratuity arrears from the previous administration and within just two years, the Adeleke Administration had cleared four years’ worth of ₦16.2bn pension and gratuity arrears spanning 2017 to 2020.

The public is invited to note that the  immediate past administration ruled between 2019 and 2022 and the total pension paid within the period was N11b plus compared to Adeleke’s N16 billion plus under two years.

On expenditure in Governor’s office, a review of expenditure within Governor’s office between 2019 to 2022 when Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola governed the state showed a humongous amount running into several billions of naira.

While Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola spent ₦9,615,519,767.34 between 20I9 to 2020 when the average exchange rate was about ₦300 per Dollar, the current government expended the sum of 26,185,980,555.14 from 2022 to date, when the average exchange rate was ₦1,300 per Dollar, as capital and overhead expenditure in the Governor’s office.

It is however noteworthy to add that Office the Governor comprises several agencies and units including the Governor’s personal office as an infinitesimal portion. It is disingenuous to put legitimate expenditure of statutory agencies and units on the head of the governor.

On the issue of security votes , we insist that the state governor is not drawing any security vote but the state government spent money on security services and operations and emergencies in the state which are processed within the compass of due process and financial regulations.

On a report by an online news medium that Osun state spent over Five Hundred Million Naira on entertainment, we educate the medium that Osun Government in the last one year or so has hosted several high profile national events bordering on beneficial policy meetings, hosting of ministers, Governors and even top state officials from the Presidency.

The medium is invited to note that hosting states spent fund on transportation,  accommodation and event organisation, all which were conducted under shoestring budget and within the context of hyper inflation plaguing the country.

The state benefited immensely as several developmental projects are attracted into the state while Osun state is gradually assuming the position of event hub of the South West, boosting the agenda of the administration on the cultural, creative and tourism industry.

We notice deliberate endeavour of the opposition to dent the image of the current government by misinterpreting, misrepresenting and fabricating financial conjectures especially after it has become overwhelmed by current good governance delivery. It is however gratifying to note that Osun people understand the gimmick of the unelectable opposition and are not falling for surveyors of fake news who failed miserably when they had opportunities to govern the state.

The public is aware through fact check that the increment in federal allocation to Osun state are being channeled to workers’ welfare, infrastructure upgrade, social sector renewal, small business financial supports as well as phased and liquidation of billions of naira in pension and salary debt inherited from the former administration.

We urge the public to ignore agents of fake news and to further fact check the preceding submissions from the state government to reaffirm that the current administration has shown exceptional prudence in resource management, outperforming its predecessor despite today’s challenging global economic landscape.

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Mass Demolition of Homes: Wike Must Go Protest Rocks Abuja

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The recent demolition of homes in the Ruga settlement along Airport Road in Abuja has sparked public outcry, as residents took to the streets on Friday, demanding that Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike be held accountable for the destruction of their community.

The protesters led by lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju, accused Wike’s task force, known as “Operation Sweep,” of heavy-handed tactics that have left scores of residents homeless.

Adeyanju condemned the demolition, highlighting that homes were burned and property worth millions was destroyed.

“There is no justification for this demolition. We appeal to President Bola Tinubu to consider the plight of the displaced residents, who are barely surviving,” Adeyanju said.

Several of those affected, he explained, have already been forced out of their homes in northern states such as Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe due to insecurity, leaving them in a precarious situation.

“These demolitions are excessive,” he continued, “and Mr. President needs to act to prevent further harassment of the people. We are sounding a warning to those in government that peace is only achievable if the poor are allowed to live peacefully. When the poor cannot sleep, it affects everyone.”

Vincent Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, joined the protests and criticised the government for ignoring the needs of the less fortunate.

“This is strange,” he remarked. “The repercussions of this will have a heavy toll on Abuja. These people have been rendered homeless amid the ongoing hardship in the country. They are evicting these people without compensating them. It is sad that the elite think the poor are not part of society.”

The protesters urged President Tinubu to halt further demolition and prevent land reallocation that would favour the wealthy.

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Assault: Bolt Driver Apologises to Abia Lawmaker, Loses Services of Lawyers

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Lawyers representing Mr. Stephen Abuwatseye, an Abuja-based Bolt driver who was allegedly assaulted by a member of the House of Representatives, Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, have withdrawn from his case.

The withdrawal came barely 24 hours after the driver made a volte farce by tendering an apology to his alleged assaulter who has since been docked in court by the police over his action.

Ikwechegh was arraigned after he had admitted that he manhandled the e-hailing cab driver and apologized for his unbecoming conduct.

However, in view of the recent turn of events in the matter, Abuwatseye’s lawyers said they were no longer ready to offer legal services to him.

A statement dated November 8, and signed by Zainab M. Otega of Deji Adeyanju & Partners and titled: “PUBLIC STATEMENT ON THE ALLEGED ASSAULT OF MR. STEPHEN ABUWATSEYE: WITHDRAWAL OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION,” read:

“We wish to formally announce the withdrawal of our legal representation in the case involving the alleged assault of Mr. Stephen Abuwatseye.

“On October 28, 2024, Mr. Stephen Abuwatseye walked into our law firm, visibly distressed, and sought redress over an alleged assault. Following his complaint, and having verified his claim, we took steps to protect Mr. Stephen Abuwatseye’s rights, on pro bono basis, culminating in the arraignment of the alleged assaulter.

“However, in view of recent developments and after careful consideration, we have made the decision to withdraw our legal representation in other to protect our professional integrity and maintain the highest ethical standard in the legal profession.

“We wish Mr. Stephen Abuwatseye the very best, while we assure the general public of our continuous commitment towards protecting the rights of the oppressed and indigent members of the society.”

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