Nigerian Governors Forum Kicks Against Buhari’s Assent Of PIB
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has kicked against the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that the Nigerian leader signed the controversial bill into law as confirmed in a statement on Monday by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
Defending the President’s action after many criticisms, the Presidency said the new law can still be reviewed and was still open to amendments.
Reacting to the President’s assent to the bill, the governors described the new law as a recipe for disaster which will plunge the country into more woes.
In a letter signed on Tuesday by its Chairman and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, the forum said there are holes in the new law that must be addressed.
Fayemi said the pitfalls identified by the governors are in Sections 9(4) and (5); 33; 53(2), (3); (4); 54 (1) and (2); 55 (1); and 64(c).
The governors said the law will deny states their fair share from the Federation Account because it favours the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which will transform to a limited liability company.
They are unhappy about the provisions for the incorporation of NNPC Limited under the Companies and Allied Matters Act.
The governors, however, hailed the law as good for the oil and gas sector.
Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike has said that he is not aware of Ex-VP, Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 Presidential ambition.
Speaking during a recent interview on AIT, Wike disclosed that the is not aware that Atiku will be contesting the 2023 Presidential elections because the PDP is yet to zone the position.
“I’m not aware of Atiku’s move because the PDP has not yet zoned the presidency.”
Wike also weighed in on the recent crisis rocking the party adding that that it was not out of place for a political party to have internal problems.
“I use to be afraid of possibility of an implosion and that could have been the end of the party. But what I saw on Monday gave me a lot of confidence for the first time.”
He, however praised the Governors of the party for coming together to map out a solution to the issue.
2023: Buhari Will Never Jump The Gun In supporting anyone’s presidential ambition – Presidency
Nigeria’s Presidency on Friday said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the United Kingdom (UK) was not to show support for his presidential ambition in 2023.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television programme, Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said given the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not given the green light for campaigns to start, the President will never break the rules by campaigning.
He said the President may campaign after the Presidential candidate has emerged in the APC.
“The President still has two years, less three months in his tenure of office. So for him to start supporting somebody now will just be jumping the gun”.
“And you know that President Buhari will never do that. Before the 2019 election, people started to campaign for him before INEC blew the whistle of the campaign to start. He was the one who came out to say No, don’t do it!. Don’t jump the gun!.
“So the President himself will dare not jump the gun in terms of supporting one candidate or the other”.
“Also recall that he has said that anybody who wants to be President after him should go out and work. That means the president may not be supporting anybody until maybe when the candidate of the party emerges. Knowing President Buhari, he will never jump the gun.”
The Governor of Osun State, Goyega Oyetola has assured better youths involvement and representation in governance.
He claimed that if reelected, youths will occupy about 30 percent of his cabinet.
Oyetola, while receiving Osun youths at his office after the 20 kilometres march, expressed delight in the youths’ reciprocal gestures, adding that his administration’s prioritisation of the concerns of youths is rooted in his belief in the future of the state.
He also charged youths to embrace peace and pursue developmental objectives in the interest of the state, adding that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any Osun youth.
The governor urged the youths not to allow themselves be used by political jobbers and evildoers, “Let your future be your priority. Your future must be paramount to all of you. Don’t be instruments in the hands of the wicked.”
“Thank you for your support. You really surprised and amazed me. This is not a rally staged by the government, and this is not a rented crowd. You decided to organise these yourselves and the outcome is this massive population of grateful youths.
“This is really surprising and I am highly excited seeing thousands of youths across the State showing their unalloyed support and solidarity for our government.
“Please, don’t relent in your efforts. I want you to remain resolute in your support, don’t be distracted and don’t be deterred. We are committed to your course, and we will do more for you.
“As you all know, we have appointed capable youths among you and they are doing fine. But by the grace of God, if I am re-elected, at least 30 percent of my cabinet will be youths, Oyetola said.
Speaking at the end of the march, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Affairs and Social Mobilisation, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji, described the walk as a token of appreciation for Oyetola’s inclusiveness of youths in governance.
“The International Youth Day affords us the opportunity of assessing our challenges and successes across the globe. In Osun, we have made a holistic review of facts and figures and it is clear that Governor Oyetola, in the history of Osun, has included the highest number of youths in governance, particularly with the recent local government appointments
“Out of 585 caretaker members across the State, the youths who are below 40years are more than 300. This is highly unprecedented and that is why we felt there is need to commend the Governor for ensuring youth inclusion in governance and for breaking the jinx of youth inclusion in the nation’s politics.
“This is to show that we are strongly behind him against internal and external aggression as we are assuring him that those that have been appointed will surely deliver”, Ayantunji said.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has revealed that he considered leaving the opposition party a few weeks ago.
Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television, George said the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC) was running the party like a private business.
George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) added that he was thinking of retiring from politics, but was prevailed upon by some stakeholders and elders of the party.
“The way they were managing the party fell short of seriousness. So as a concerned member, I was thinking that I should leave the party and go home and rest because I won’t join any party after PDP,” he said.
George blamed the National Chairman of the party, Uche Secodnus, for the internal wrangling that rocked the PDP for some few weeks.
He noted that some party members who called for the resignation of Secondus as national chairman are right to do so, adding that the platform of the party was wobbling.
George, however, appreciated the party stakeholders who met in Abuja and proposed that the National Convention earlier scheduled for December will take place in October.
He said the party has woken up from its slumber and is ready to wrestle power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
He said: “As an elder, as a leader of this party, and as somebody who served for ten years at the NWC, I saw the platform of our party wobbling. You cannot do anything meaningful when your party is not stable,” he said.
“What I will tell Nigerians is this: today is a special day in the annals of the PDP’s history.
“That the elders, having considered, having seen what is going on in the party, decided to save the party because the founding fathers have a certain mission and that mission is so vital for the Nigerian state. We have been giving very adequate solid issues on national matters and we did it.
“It (PDP) became so petty and so rowdy. When you disregard the ground norm, the constitution of the party, then what are you doing? You are translating it as if it is your private company.
“We saw this and I won’t like to go further into the debris and filth.”
Human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju, has condemned in its totality the endorsement of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State for the presidency in 2023.
Recently, some presidential campaign posters of the Kogi State governor were sighted in some states including designated areas in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Naija News reports.
However, the governor is yet to officially declare his intentions to run for the presidency in 2023.
A Christian group that has its identity as, Christian Youth Leadership Network had hailed Governor Bello as the right candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Apostle Faith Eches, the convener of the network, said a youth like Governor Bello could change the country’s narratives through effective leadership and governance.
“Governor Yahaya Bello, considering his leadership strides in Kogi State, fits in perfectly for such a role.
“We the youths of this country under the umbrella of Christian Youth Leadership Network represented from the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT have gladly, confidently and most assuredly bestowed upon His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello our choice endorsement to be the next President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023 by the special Grace of God,” Eches said.
Reacting to the endorsement, Adeyanju in a social media post on Monday said Bello should not be allowed to govern even hell fire, let alone Nigeria.
The Abuja-based activist and convener of Concerned Nigerian described Bello as a complete failure.
According to Adeyanju, the Kogi State Governor is the worst in Nigeria since 1999.
Adeyanju tweeted: “The Christian group that said Yahaya Bello is the best for Nigeria are from hellfire. Yahaya Bello should not be allowed to govern even hellfire.”
“He is the reason why old people will never trust the youth with power. A complete failure and the worst Governor in Nigeria since 1999,” he added.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has asked the embattled National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, to immediately resign from his position.
It was earlier reported that seven members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party resigned last week in protest against alleged poor leadership.
The seven deputy national officers accused Secondus of not carrying other NWC members along in the scheme of things, adding that they are not comfortable with Secondus sequel to the recent gale of defections of members from the party.
Reacting in a statement last week, Secondus said that those plotting his removal were doing so to hijack the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
But in a statement issued on Sunday and jointly signed by the PDP caucus leader and deputy leader respectively, Kingsley Chinda and Chukwuka Onyema, the lawmakers asked Secondus to leave his position to allow peace reign in the party.
The PDP lawmakers said Secondus’ stay in office “will do grave injustice to the party and put us in a precarious situation as every hour should matter now”.
The lawmakers accused Secondus of a “lax and bedroom managerial attitude” which has resulted in the defection of members from the party.
The statement reads: “To many, the national chairman seems much more contented with occupying the office and therefore preoccupied with holding onto his position rather than preparing for next elections; this explains for his inexplicably missing endless opportunities that ought to have been utilized for consolidating a viable opposition; skewing party congresses to favour personal future ambition and frustrating genuine party members across states which have resulted in the mass exit of party members at the national assembly.
“There is no clear road map, blueprint or policy programme for the PDP by the Chairman, thus the party is allowed to flow with the tide, only showing up with weak press releases once in a while without commensurate sustainable action.
“The lax and bedroom managerial attitude of the Chairman who runs the party from his home and only surfaces in the party office for meetings, coupled with several promises without commensurate action has led to inept management of complaints, despondency amongst members and consequently an exodus of members of the party at all levels, including a member of the Board of Trustee of the party.
“Whilst these misfortunes befell the party and concerned party members are busy trying to stem the tide, the party chairman has carried on as if all is well and does not appear to see the caldron awaiting the party if it continues on that trajectory.
“While the PDP National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus contributed notably to the party in the past, cogent accusations currently being levelled against his leadership far transcend personal issues as there is an established consistent and persistent pattern of inadequate consultations, even with members of the PDP House Caucus, thereby giving rise to hitherto unspoken feelings of intra-party alienation in several quarters including in his NWC.
“Such has manifested into, or encouraged or fueled the exit of many prominent and highly-experienced party members with many more at the brink of leaving if nothing is done fast”.
“We want Secondus to consider making the necessary personal sacrifice worthy of a leader in the party’s current and future interest with a firm assurance of honourable regard and appreciation by the party leadership now and in years to come, by honourably resigning his position as party chairman immediately, to allow the party an early start”.
“We also advised the board of trustees (BOT) and governors elected under the party to ensure immediate and firm resolution of current challenges to enable a re-engineering, re-focusing process that would restore party members and millions of other Nigerians’ hope and confidence in the PDP”.
The Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde, has called on clerics to join politics, if they want Nigeria to progress, Newspremises reports.
Makinde made this call during a thanksgiving service of the Christ Revival Miracle Church, Molete, Ibadan, shepherded by Reverend P.F Owa, On Sunday, August 8, 2021.
Makinde, while addressing the congregation noted that it is when men of God participate in politics that the desired changes can occur in the country.
He maintained that only the participation of men and women of faith can give Nigeria a perfect and complete nation.
Makinde, while speaking further, charged professionals to participate in politics.
He added that this will enhance good governance and promote sanity in the political system.
The governor, while speaking on the 2023 election, said that he has not made up his mind whether to seek reelection or not.
He added that he did not know if he would seek reelection or not.
“One of the pastors, while praying, talked about the first and second tenure.
“Well, I came out in 2019 to tell the people that I wanted to become the governor but I prayed to God that only His will should be done.
“And now, I don’t even know if it is the will of God for me to even seek or push out for a second tenure.
“The only prayer I want you to be praying is that God’s will alone should be done in my life.
“On a final note, let us participate in politics and governance as children of God.”
Nigeria’s former military president, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida has declared that corruption under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is worse than what happened when he was in power.
According to IBB, corrupt people under his own administration can pass as saints when compared to the wave of corruption prevalent under the Buhari administration.
Babangida made the submission on Friday during an interview with Arise TV where he spoke on several national issues.
The former military leader said he tackled corrupt officials during his own time but corrupt officials in the government of President Buhari are walking about freely.
Babangida said, “But what’s happening now is worse… you can’t compare it with the facts on the ground now. You can say it. From what I read, from analysis, I think we are saints when compared to what is happening under a democratic dispensation.
“I sacked a governor for misappropriating less than three hundred and thirteen thousand.
“Today, those who have stolen billions and are in courts and are now parading themselves on the streets. Who else is better in fighting corruption?.. we are saints when compared with that.”
Despite the submission, IBB said he has a good relationship with Buhari.
Supreme Court Affirms Buni, Others as APC Caretaker Committee
The Supreme Court has affirmed the appointment of the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, as Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Careraker-National Convention Planning Committee.
A seven-man panel of the apex court headed Justice Emmanuel Agim, in its verdict, held that Buni’s position in the ruling party was not contrary to the provision of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution because it is on a temporary basis which is not akin to Executive office or paid employment as envisaged by Section.
Controversies and perceived misinterpretations of the judgement over Governor Buni’s headship of the APC have trailed the recently delivered Supreme Court judgement affirming Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s second term victory wherein his nomination under the party’s Caretaker Committee was challenged.
Naija News reports that extracts from the certified true copy of the judgement in the case against Akeredolu’s re-election, which was made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday by the Legal Adviser of the APC, Prof. Tahir Mamman, quoted the apex court as saying that the Committee headed by Buni “is on firm ground to proceed with its mandate as given by the National Executive Committee of the APC.”
It reads in part: “The law is and still remain that the provisions that govern sponsorship and nomination of candidates in an election are: Sections 31 and 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.
“That there is no provisions in the Electoral Act prescribing any form for forwarding or submission of the sponsored candidate of a political party in an election.
“Sections 177 and 182 of the CFRN which make provisions for qualifications and disqualification of candidates for Governorship election are exhaustive and leave no room for any addition.
“That no other Law/Act can be relied upon to disqualify a candidate in an election save for the provisions of Section 182 of the CFRN.
“That non-compliance with INEC directives (regulations, guidelines or manuals) for the purpose of election, but which is not contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act shall not of itself be a ground in an election petition.
“Paragraph 17 (a) of the First Supplementary to Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections cannot be relied upon as a ground to question the return of a candidate in an election.
“That sponsorship of a candidate in an election is that of the party and not the individual Officer of the party forwarding the name of the candidate.
“That the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party is empowered to create, elect and appoint Committees (including the instant CECPC) or any other committee it may deem necessary to act in any capacity.
“On the strength of all the above position of the Supreme Court in the instant case and other earlier decided cases cited in support, it is our opinion that the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni is on firm ground to proceed with its mandate as given by the National Executive Committee of the APC.”
