COURT AFFIRMS GANDUJE’S SUSPENSION, APC SAYS IT’S A NULLITY
COURT AFFIRMS GANDUJE’S SUSPENSION, APC SAYS IT’S A NULLITY A Kano State High Court has affirmed the suspension of the former governor and current national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. The order is sequel to an exparte motion filed by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani through their counsel Ibrahim Sa’ad. Justice Usman Mallam Na’Abba granted the exparte order on Wednesday, April 17. The court also restrained Ganduje from further parading himself as a member of the party. The plaintiffs, who identified as executive members of APC Ganduje ward, said they brought the motion on behalf of the executive members of the ward. Recall that Gwanjo, who identified as the party’s ward Legal Adviser, had announced the suspension of Ganduje on Monday. Subsequently, the court ordered, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC. Meanwhile, the National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described the court order that affirmed the suspension of the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, as unlawful. Addressing a press conference at the APC Abuja National Secretariat on Wednesday, the National Legal Adviser of the party, Professor Abdulkarim Kana insisted that the court order was a nullity. The press conference followed a courtesy visit to the national chairman by the Ganduje Ward and Local Government exco. “We’re also hearing this afternoon that they used the same document to go to court to obtain an order of the court. We haven’t seen the order, but we have heard about it. “Whatever order that will emanate from such a document, and all of us know – even a 100 level law student will tell you that an order obtained by fraud is an unlawful order – it will not be enforceable, and it will not be recognised and it will not be respected.”Kana insisted that those behind Ganduje’s suspension are not APC members.
GANDUJE, APC CHAIRMAN’S BILLBOARDS PULLED DOWN IN ABUJA
GANDUJE, APC CHAIRMAN’S BILLBOARDS PULLED DOWN IN ABUJA The billboards displaying images of embattled national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Abdullahi Ganduje has been pulled down in Abuja. A video seen by our correspondent showed the moment some individuals were removing the boards at the APC national secretariat. According to the commentator, Ganduje, seated in his vehicle, appeared helpless as the billboards were taken down, unable to intervene. On Monday, Ganduje was suspended by the Legal Adviser of his party ward in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano, Halliru Gwanzo. Gwanzo said the APC ward leadership took the decision given the bribery allegations hanging on Ganduje’s neck. In a swift reaction, the National Working Committee of the ruling party and the Kano State chapter of the party faulted and voided the suspension, saying Gwanzo and the indicted party leaders involved don’t have the locus standi to impeach the national chairman. The ruling party also fingered the NNPP-led government in Kano State as being behind the move. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a decisive step in response to the purported suspension of its National Chairman, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, by submitting a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). In the petition, the APC expressed grave concern over the suspension ”orchestrated by individuals affiliated with senior officials and representatives of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP),” labelling it as a devious act aimed at causing confusion within the party. A statement signed by Felix Morka, APC national publicity secretary, read: ”The purported suspension is downright criminal and of no effect whatsoever. ”The legitimate Executive Committee of the Ganduje Ward has since denounced the action and reaffirmed Dr. Ganduje as a bonafide member of the party in the Ward, and in good standing. ”The party has filed a petition with the Inspector General of Police requesting an expedited investigation of this matter and for the perpetrators and their sponsors to be brought to justice.”We urge our party faithful and the general public to disregard reports of the suspension of the National Chairman, who is, and remains, the National Chairman of our great party.”
29,000 YORUBAS KILLED DURING BUHARI REGINE – GROUP
29,000 YORUBAS KILLED DURING BUHARI REGIME — GROUP A youth movement of indigenous people of southwest Nigeria, known as the Yoruba Nation Youth has claimed that about 29,000 Yoruba people were killed during eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The secessionist group made this known during a global conference attended by prominent Yoruba people living in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. The group lamented the inability of the Nigerian government to curtail violent herders, particularly in Yoruba land, saying it had hampered the growth of the agricultural sector of the country. The group said, “according to an official estimation, as many as 29,000 Yoruba people were killed in the Yoruba homelands under Buhari. Most Yoruba farmers abandoned farms altogether and the traditional Yoruba agricultural economy has been destroyed. “Sadly, even after President Buhari was succeeded as President of Nigeria on May 29, 2023 by one of our own fathers, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Fulani killings, destruction and kidnappings have not decreased. It has escalated. In fact, under President Tinubu, the Fulani’s challenge of peace and security in Nigeria has now reached an intolerable peak.“As a mark of the current confidence in the Fulani challenge to security, the topmost Fulani organisations issued two Fulani declarations of war against the rest of Nigeria on January 24 and 26 (2024) and announced that President Tinubu is not their President and if any Fulani is arrested for any act of Fulani war, the Fulani would burn down everything in Nigeria.”
NOTHING TO CELEBRATE ABOUT OUR SON’S APPOINTMENT AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AKOKO-EDO UNION TELLS OBASEKI
NOTHING TO CELEBRATE ABOUT OUR SON’S APPOINTMENT AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR, AKOKO-EDO UNION TELLS OBASEKI A group, Akoko-Edo Development Union has said Monday’s appointment of Omobayo Godwins as the new deputy governor of Edo State is a mere placeholder strategy that would not give Akoko-Edo and Edo North any developmental value in the remaining five months of the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration. Its president, Chief Segun Amode, made the assertion in Abuja, in a reaction to Obaseki’s choice of Godwins as his deputy after the impeachment of Philip Shaibu from Etsako West local government area. Godwins, his successor hails from Akoko Edo local government area, which is described as one of the largest councils in Nigeria. But Amode declared that the people of Akoko-Edo would not celebrate the appointment of Godwins as deputy governor because Obaseki was only using it to seek votes from Akoko-Edo in the September 2024 governorship election. Amode further stated that, “Obaseki may have been tired of using roads to deceive Akoko-Edo people each election season. He said, “In every election period, the governor will award our roads and bring bulldozers to the site.” “After the elections, we will not see the bulldozers again until after four years. Now he is using another style by appointing our son for a five-month tenure as Deputy Governor.” “He knows our people are waiting for him to ask about the roads that he awarded eight years and four years ago. Our schools do not have teachers as we speak. Many of us are the ones employing and paying teachers in our schools in Akoko-Edo just to sustain the education of our children. He further stated that Omobayo will only be deputy governor until November this year which will not bring anything to Akoko-Edo or Edo north. “Since Governor Obaseki was always complaining that the APC-led federal government was not cooperating with him to repair our roads, we have made our minds to align with the central government so that our roads and other infrastructure can reach us,” he stated. The Edo State House of Assembly on Monday impeached Shaibu as deputy governor of the state. Obaseki immediately sworn in Mr. Omobayo Godwins to replace Philip Shuaibu.Godwins was a candidate for the House of Representatives during the 2023 general elections under the Labour Party, which he lost.
17 DEPUTY GOVERNORS IMPEACHED SINCE 1999
17 DEPUTY GOVERNORS IMPEACHED SINCE 1999 No fewer than 17 Deputy Governors have been booted out of office in the last 24 years. Phillip Shaibu, sacked Deputy Governor of Edo State, became the 17th to be removed from office since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. For Shaibu, it was a long trek to freedom and a long-drawn battle to remain afloat in Edo’s political space. Over the years, some Deputy Governors have been impeached for political reasons that somehow amount to gross misconduct. Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, provides for the removal of governor or Deputy Governor from office through the process of impeachment. The process consists of a written allegation of gross misconduct against the accused person who has a right to defend himself. If his defence succeeds, he is expected to be left off the hook; if not, he is removed from office. The said section 188 spells out in detail, the procedures and steps to be taken to consummate the process. Here are Deputy Governors that have been impeached since 1999: Femi Pedro (Lagos) Iyiola Omisore (Osun) Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele (Lagos) Chris Ekpenyong (Akwa Ibom) Abiodun Aluko (Ekiti) Biodun Olujinmi (Ekiti) Late Garba Gadi (Bauchi) Peremobowei Elebi (Bayelsa) Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba) Jude Agbaso (Imo) Sunday Onyebuchi (Enugu) Ali Olanusi (Ondo) Eze Madumere (Imo) Simon Achuba (Kogi) Rauf Olaniyan (Oyo) Mahdi Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara) Philip Shaibu (Edo) Among these, only the late Garba Gadi (Bauchi); Peremobowei Elebi (Bayelsa); Sani Abubakar Danladi (Taraba); Sunday Onyebuchi (Enugu); Ali Olanusi (Ondo), Jude Agbaso (Imo); Eze Madumere (Imo); Simon Achuba (Kogi) and Mahdi Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara) had successfully obtained court orders setting aside their impeachments.Unfortunately, none of the removed Deputy Governors could go back to his or her office for some reasons.
WE DON’T WANT PHILIP SHUAIBU IN OUR PARTY – EDO APC
WE DON’T WANT PHILIP SHAIBU IN OUR PARTY – EDO APC A day after his impeachment as deputy governor of Edo State, members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Etsako West Local Government Area, have protested alleged plans to re-admit Philip Shaibu, into the party. The protesters, drawn from the 12 wards of the local government, took their protest to the party secretariat, where they submitted their petition against the alleged plan to re-admit the former deputy governor. Mr. Yakubu Musa, while presenting a communiqué on behalf of the APC stakeholders said Shaibu’s exit from APC in 2020 brought peace and tranquility in the party. He argued that his readmittance into the party would further bring rancour and disunity in the party. “We are protesting over an attempt by the impeached deputy governor Philip Shaibu to jump the boat and defect to APC. The attempt is viewed seriously by members of APC as a calculated plan by Philip Shaibu to bring rancour, disharmony and unprecedented crisis into APC,” Musa said. He appealed to the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Ganduje, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and the State Acting Chairman, Jaret Tenebe, not to admit the impeached deputy governor into APC, saying that he has no political vote to add to APC. “It is on record that Philip Shaibu has not won any election since he left APC to PDP. Philip Shaibu does not possess any electoral value that could warrant his readmittance into our great party.“We call on our national leaders to hear our voice and help us keep the peace we currently enjoy as APC in Edo State. Any attempt to enroll Philip Shaibu into APC is a direct invitation to crisis, fragmentation, disaffection, disenchanting and disintegration”, Musa declared.
WE REGRET VOTING TINUBU IN 2023 – NORTHERN ELDERS
WE REGRET VOTING TINUBU IN 2023 – NORTHERN ELDERS The Northern Elders Forum has registered the region’s regret for pitching a tent with President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections. It said the mistake of voting for the then-candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taught the North a lesson. The forum recently came hard on the President when it lamented the growing insecurity across the country. The elders said the recent abduction of Kuriga school children in Kaduna indicated that the current administration “has failed to protect Nigerians just a few months in office.” In a chat, spokesperson for the group, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said going forward, the region will now prioritise unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the land. Recall that in the 2023 general elections, Tinubu polled 8,794,726 total votes to be declared President. North West, North East and North Central gave the President a combined ballot of 5.4 million. Responding to a question on the recent visit and donation by former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi to northern communities, Suleiman stated “The North made a mistake in voting Bola Tinubu to the presidency in 2023, and it is unlikely that they will repeat the same error in the future. “They have learned from their past misstep and will strive to select a candidate, who can unite the country and govern in the best interests of all Nigerians. “Moving forward, the North will be more cautious in selecting a candidate for the presidency.“They will prioritise someone, who is seen as more inclusive, less controversial and more aligned with the interests of all regions of the country. The mistake of supporting Tinubu in 2023 has taught them the importance of unity and consensus in selecting a candidate for the highest office in the land.”
Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- April 9, 2024
- 84 views
US BREAKING APART? SURVEY SHOWS 50% IN 25 STATES IN SUPPORT
US BREAKING APART? SURVEY SHOWS 50% IN 25 STATES IN SUPPORT A leading Texas independence campaigner has said the United States is “breaking apart,” with over 50 percent of the population in 25 states ready to secede based on his interpretation of two recent surveys by the polling company YouGov. Questions about the integrity of the U.S. have increased in the face of fiercely partisan politics in Congress and the contested 2020 presidential election. In February 2023, House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene sparked controversy after calling for a “national divorce” between “red states and blue states.” Between February 2 and 5, YouGov asked 35,000 Americans whether they would support their state seceding from the union and becoming an independent nation. The results varied considerably—from highs of 36 percent in Alaska, 31 percent in Texas and 29 percent in California to a low of 13 percent in Minnesota. Across the U.S., the survey found that 23 percent of Americans wanted their state to become independent, with 51 percent opposed and 27 percent unsure. Miller argued that in the survey, support for independence was lower than it should be because “polling companies have no idea how to poll the issue of secession or withdrawing from the union.” To support this argument, Miller referenced a separate YouGov survey conducted in February for the Independent California Institute. The survey of 500 Californian adults found that 58 percent believed Californians “would be better off than they are now in a scenario where California peacefully becomes an independent country with a friendly relationship with the U.S.” Miller said the question more accurately calculated support for secession, as it specified that it would be peaceful and focused on whether individuals thought they would personally be better off. Miller said there was a 29-point difference between the two surveys—with 29 percent of Californians saying they would support independence in the first, while 58 percent said independence would make them better off in the second. Rounding this figure to 30 percent, then extrapolating it across the U.S., Miller concluded that in 25 states the independence campaign would win a hypothetical independence referendum. An analysis by Newsweek found that there were 23 states in which you could produce a majority for independence if you added 30 percent to the figure supporting independence in the initial YouGov poll. Newsweek does not endorse these figures, and the 29 percent discrepancy between the two Californian figures can be explained by any number of factors, which means it cannot be extrapolated across the nation. Moreover, the second California poll was on whether residents thought independence would make them better off, not on whether they supported it. In his podcast, Miller added: “The United States is breaking apart. Some people think that Texas is the only state with one foot out the door, but there are actually other states where support for secession is surging and ready to hit the tipping point.” “The United States is flying apart,” he continued. “States are ready to withdraw and in larger numbers than I think the public is generally aware.” Speaking to Newsweek, Professor Matt Qvortrup, a political scientist and the author of I Want to Break Free: A Practical Guide to Making a New Country, argued that support for independence often increased during referendum campaigns. He said: “In independence referendums, you often see that those who want to secede win over the campaign. In Scotland, the SNP (the Scottish National Party) came from 29 percent at the beginning of the campaign and ended on 45 percent. “In Catalonia, Quebec, and in Scotland, support for independence was in the twenties when the issue was first discussed. This has in all cases moved within touching distance of independence.”Newsweek is committed to challenging…
LAWMAKERS PROTEST ALLEGED MOVE TO LEGALIZE LG CHAIRMEN’S TENURE IN RIVERS
LAWMAKERS PROTEST ALLEGED MOVE TO LEGALISE LG CHAIRMEN’S TENURE IN RIVERS Members of the 10th Senate and House of Representatives belonging to opposition political parties have raised the alarm over alleged move to use Federal High Court to legalise what they called illegal extension of Local Government chairmen’s tenure in Rivers State, including freezing their accounts. The lawmakers numbering about 60, in a statement issued in Abuja by its spokesperson, Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, stated that they’ve received credible intelligence of a plot to use the Federal High Court to secure a secret exparte order that will attempt to legalise the extension of the about-to-expire tenure of LGA Chairmen in Rivers state. The lawmakers said that this plot was being perpetrated by former members of the State House of Assembly, who have lost legitimacy as lawmakers the very moment they decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC), after they illegally amended Sections of the Law No. 5 of 2018 extending the tenure of elected Local Government chairmen in Rivers State. They also said they were raising the alarm in view of the legitimacy of the desperate move, which if not halted, can lead to anarchy and collapse of constitutional governance. They warned that the opposition lawmakers will not take lightly any move to extend the tenure of the about-to-be expired LGA chairmen under any guise or method, adding that the monthly allocations of Rivers State LGAs can’t be stolen using a court order. The federal lawmakers, therefore, called on the eminent judges of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to beware of the alleged plot, saying that allowing such will throw Rivers into crisis. They also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a NADECO member and democrat to call those pursuing their selfish and greedy ambition by illegally using his name to destabilise constitutional activities in Rivers State to order. The statement reads, “We have received credible intelligence of a plot to use the Federal High court to secure a secret exparte that will attempt to legalise the illegal extension of the about to expire tenure of LGA Chairmen in Rivers state which was carried out by the former members of the state assembly who has lost legitimacy as lawmakers the very moment they decamped to APC knowing fully well that there was no crisis in PDP hence their seat as lawmakers became vacant immediately the remaining legitimate members declared the seats vacant. “We are raising this alarm in view of the legitimacy of the desperate move which if not halted can lead to anarchy and collapse of constitutional governance. We want to call on the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice Omotasho and other eminent judges to be aware of these plots that those behind it are already celebrating that the exparte order is in thier pocket awaiting release to the media even when the case have not been heard. “To our respected Chief Judge, Hon Justice John Terhemba Tsoho. We are compelled to publicly bring this shocking developments to your attention for the interest of justice and preservation of the image of our nations judiciary. “Few days ago we received credible intelligence that a suit filled on behalf of Abuja based former house of assembly members in rivers whose seats have been declared vacant over their decampment to apc even when there was no crisis in pdp but still parading as lawmakers and changing laws in the middle of the night from the corner of the hotel rooms in Abuja and emoha LGA were they are gathered and made to make legislative announcement without the legitimacy or due process to do so. “Our Dear Chief Judge Hon Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, we wish to inform you that this strange suit…
PHILIP SHUAIBU REJECTS IMPEACHMENT AS EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SAYS IT’S ILLEGAL
PHILIP SHUAIBU REJECTS HIS IMPEACHMENT AS EDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SAYS IT’S ILLEGAL The embattled Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu has rejected his impeachment by the state House of Assembly, describing it as illegal. The assembly impeached Shaibu on Monday following reports by Justice S.A.Omonua,- led seven-man panel investigating the impeachment petition against the deputy governor. The panel in its reports said the allegation of perjury was not proven beyond reasonable doubt by the complainant against the Deputy governor while that of disclosure of government official documents was proven beyond reasonable doubt against the Deputy Governor. Reacting to his impeachment, Shaibu in a broadcast shared on his official X handle, vowed to seek redress, saying “We will fight this injustice with every strength in us for the sake of Edo State and the future of Democracy”. He said, “I denounce in the strongest terms the illegal impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly. This is not just an attack on me as an individual but on our very democratic principles. “It is a threat to the foundation of our democracy. Let it be clear that this impeachment came because of my ambition to contest the 2023 Edo State Governorship election under the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. “An ambition that is a legal right to all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “It is a sad reality that those in power seem to silence opposition through illegitimate means. I have dedicated my love to serving the good people of Edo State with integrity and honesty”. The former Deputy Governor alleged that the members of the State Assembly had “chosen to forsake their oath of office and participated” in his impeachment.He said history “will judge you harshly for your betrayal of people who elected you to represent them”.