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Tag: Amosun

  • 2019: We’ll stop Amosun, Okorocha from using Buhari’s portrait to campaign for their candidates – Oshiomhole

    2019: We’ll stop Amosun, Okorocha from using Buhari’s portrait to campaign for their candidates – Oshiomhole

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, says the APC will take action against the parties using President Muhammadu Buhari’s photographs for their campaigns.

    Oshiomhole said this on ‘The Platform’, a programme on TVC on Saturday while reacting to the crisis in the party’s chapters in Ogun and Imo states.

    He said the APC would write a letter of complaint to the Independent National Electoral Commission on the matter.

    The governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and his Imo State counterpart, Rochas Okorocha, had said they would continue to support Buhari but would work against the governorship candidates of the APC in their states.

    Both governors were prevented from fielding their preferred candidates in the 2019 governorship elections in their states.

    Although Amosun has remained in the APC, his candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, is contesting on the platform of the Allied People’s Movement while Okorocha’s candidate and son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, is contesting on the platform of Action Alliance.

    Oshiomhole said, “If there is a person, including a governor, who wants to sell a distorted message, the party will stop him. That is the truth. We have also seen some situations which we are trying to draw the attention of INEC to as the regulator of political parties. You cannot have anyone putting the portrait of President Muhammadu Buhari as President and his own portrait as the governorship candidate on the platform of a political party that is not known to the people.”

    The APC chairman also expressed his disgust over the refusal of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, to step down despite defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party.

    He maintained that the APC remained the dominant party in the parliament, but not in control.

    Oshiomhole, however, said removing Saraki and Dogara was no longer the priority of the ruling party.

    Meanwhile, the newly constituted APC caretaker committee in Ogun State has said it will not take issue with Amosun.

    The APC National Working Committee had set up the caretaker committee headed by Chief Yemi Sanusi with Mr Ayobami Olubori the secretary and Mr Tunde Oladunjoye named its publicity secretary.

    The committee will report directly to the NWC led by Oshiomhole.

    The NWC had sacked the party executives in both Imo and Ogun states for alleged anti-party activities.

    Later on Friday, Amosun rejected the caretaker committee and insisted that the executive members of the party in the state would complete their four-year tenure.

    Oladunjoye in a statement, said both the electoral law and the party constitution recognised only one APC.

    According to him, the committee will breathe a new life into the party, promote peace and give its members.

    The statement said, “We are all members of the same house under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, we will renew, realign, and rebuild our party for total victory at the 2019 polls, by God’s grace”.

    Meanwhile, Okorocha has said he does not take the national chairman of the APC seriously again.

    Okorocha, who was reacting to the statements made against him by Oshiomhole during a rally in Owerri on Friday, said he would not be distracted by Oshiomhole from ensuring victory for Buhari in 2019.

    The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, insisted that the governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma, did not have the capacity to garner the kind of support that would make him win the governorship election next year.

  • Dissolution: Amosun dares Oshiomhole, says ‘We fear only God, Buhari, no one else’

    Dissolution: Amosun dares Oshiomhole, says ‘We fear only God, Buhari, no one else’

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on Friday dismissed the announcement of the dissolution of the state executive committee by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The governor who has had a long running battle with the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole over the choice of a governorship flag bearer insisted that he only feared God, President Muhammadu Buhari and no one else.

    Meanwhile, the governor also on Friday received a letter from the Allied People’s Movement (APM) endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its presidential candidate for the February 2019 presidential polls.

    Amosun who took delivery of the endorsement letter from the governorship candidate of APM, Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade, at the APC Secretariat on Abiola Way, Abeokuta, the state capital, for onward transfer to Buhari, declared that the elected executive of the APC led by Chief Derin Adebiyi would serve its four-year term fully.

    Akinlade was accompanied to the APC secretariat by the Director-General of APM Campaign Committee.

    The governor added that he and his loyalists “only fear God and Buhari,” warning those he said were seeking a state to destroy the duo should count Ogun out of it, adding: “We are ready for them.”

    The National Working Committee (NWC) led by Adams Oshiomhole had last Wednesday dissolved the APC executives in Ogun and Imo states, but Adebiyi has since dismissed the dissolution as an exercise in “futility.”

    Amosun assured that the state belongs to President Buhari and that the people would vote massively for him come February 2019.

    He also hinted that he would soon flag off his senatorial campaign for the Ogun Central senatorial seat.

    Amosun said: “You know me by now. For me, I fear God and I respect people. So, it won’t be because we are afraid or we don’t want to talk.

    “Where we are now, what we should concentrate in doing is to let them know that here in Ogun State, this is the home of President Buhari and we must vote massively for him.

    “This is the home of APC. We must let them know that come February 16, 2019, by the benevolence of the Almighty Lord…

    “We are human. We are no God, and that is why we are telling them that in this coming election, in this Ogun State, it is whoever all of you (people) decide to back that will win the election.

    “So, the best way to answer them is through our action. And what is the action? We will use our votes to let them know who owns this Ogun State.

    “So, if they are looking for states to destroy them, they should not think of Ogun State. We are ready for them.

    “We don’t fear them. All of them put together, we don’t fear anybody. We fear God and we fear President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We have decided to let them be for the sake of President Buhari. If not for the President, we know what to do.

    “Just ignore them. Don’t engage them for anything. Let us be focussed and redouble our efforts so that in the coming election, we are going to answer them with our votes.

    “I want to assure you that this executive that God has used you to put together, the executive will be there for the next four years. They will serve their term.”

    Meanwhile, the national body of APC has appointed a three-man caretaker committee for the party in Ogun State. They include Yemi Sanusi (Chairman), Ayo Olubori (Secretary) and Tunde Oladunjoye (Publicity Secretary).

  • Amosun shuns S/West APC reconciliation meeting

    Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun was conspicuously missing at the reconciliation meeting in Lagos to placate aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to pave way for the party’s victory in next year’s general elections.

    Amosun has been aggrieved that his anointed candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade was dropped by the APC in favour of Prince Dapo Abiodun. Most of Amosun’s supporters had defected to the Allied People’s Movement (APM), where Akinlade is now the governorship candidate.

    Amosun had made it clear that he would work against Dapo Abiodun and the APC in the governorship election, but that he would work for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election.

    However, at the meeting held at the State House, Marina, on Wednesday, APC members in Lagos, Ogun and some other states were present.

    At the meeting, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his Borno State counterpart, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, called on aspirants from Lagos and Ogun States to unite and work for the party’s victory at all levels during the 2019 elections.

    Ambode and Shettima, who had earlier met with aggrieved aspirants in Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo States, said it was important for members of the party in the Southwest to accept the outcome of the primaries and the party’s supremacy in order to approach the general elections with a united front.

    The two Governors, who are both members of the National Peace and Reconciliation Committee set up by the APC to pacify aggrieved party members in the Southwest, said those aggrieved should consider making the necessary sacrifice no matter how difficult it is, in the overall interest of the party.

    Speaking at the meeting held at Lagos House, Marina, Ambode said while it was gratifying that there was no issue in Lagos largely due to the personal sacrifice made, the same could not be said of Ogun, and thereby urged concerned party members to do the needful to ensure peace.

    “More significantly, we can see from the reflection of those here and I can declare that we do not have any issue in Lagos State and that we are one family. But again that is not to say that there is no platform for reconciliation; we do not know whether there are some aspirants in the crowd who are aggrieved but we can say affirmatively as a party that we are one family in Lagos State.

    “This is not, however, to create any prejudice to whatever is happening in Ogun State. Without the setting up of this Committee, it is very clear that things are not the same in Ogun State like we have in Lagos State and we do recognize that. That is why this Committee is more or less anxious to see whatever it is that we can use as ingredients in creating peace in Ogun State.

    “Whatever happens in Ogun is a reflection of what is happening in the whole of the Southwest and we are ready to make sure that this our Committee brings everybody back into one family fold. So, we have come with open mind and even when closures have been made, the feelings and input here is what we are taking to Abuja tomorrow and also making sure that NWC (National Working Committee) get a very clear picture of how you feel and ultimately if there is a need to let the highest organ of the party intervene in a way that everything that is happening in Ogun State reflects what is happening in Lagos State, we would be very happy to do it and we are committed to making sure that every representation is taken to party headquarters for redress and whatever it is that can be done,” mbode said.

    While emphasising the need for the party to forge a common ground to prosecute the next year’s elections, Governor Ambode encouraged aggrieved members to embrace genuine reconciliation, saying only such could bring about compensation at the end of the day when the party emerge victorious.

    “This is a peace and reconciliation session and just like the Chairman (Shettima) has said, there is no clearer example of how peace can be attained than the steps that I have taken personally to make sure that the APC family is united in Lagos and you can just imagine if we are having the same reflection of what is happening in Ogun in Lagos, it would be totally unmanageable and so it takes a lot of sacrifice and selflessness for us to attain what we want and the ultimate which is to win the 2019 elections.

    “It is when we win the election that we can create a larger platform to move away from reconciliation to compensation and I think that is the message that we have come to send here. If you are able to submit yourself to the overriding interest of the party, even where reconciliation cannot actually meet your innermost feeling, there is still a platform for compensation,” Ambode said.

    Also speaking, Shettima said the meeting in Lagos was the last for the Committee in the South West after similar meetings were held in Ekiti and Ibadan earlier in the week, saying that the recommendations and solutions gathered from the interaction with the aggrieved aspirants would be collated and sent to the National Working Committee for further actions.

    He, however, reiterated his appeal to aggrieved aspirants to take a cue from Governor Ambode and forget the past and begin to galvanize support for the party to ensure total victory at the polls, assuring that the everyone would be better for it at the end of the day.

    Aside members of the Committee – Professor Modupe Adelabu (former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State), Bar Saida Sa’ad-Bugaje, others at the meeting were APC Governorship Candidate in Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu; APC chairmen in Lagos and Ogun – Alhaji Tunde Balogun and Chief Derin Adebiyi; Senator Anthony Adefuye, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Prince Biodun Ogunleye, Cardinal James Odumbaku, Hon Wasiu Eshinlokun, Chief Suraj Adekunbi, Chief Bode Mustapha, Mr. Patrick Ogunde, among others.

  • 2019: Amosun’s chief of staff, seven other aides resign

    No fewer than eight aides of the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, have tendered their resignation letters as the 2019 elections approach.

    Those who tendered their resignation letters were; Amosun’s Chief of Staff, Tolu Odebiyi, and the State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Afolabi Afuape.

    Others who resigned from their appointments were Special Assistants to the governor – Lanre Edun, Tola Banjo, Bolanle Gbeleyi, Muse Lamidi, Bayo Adeyemi, Sunday Bamiwola, Dewunmi Onanuga and Sola Arobieke.

    The governor, in a statement by the Director of Administration and Supplies, Bureau of Political Affairs and Administration, Office of the Governor, Mr. Samuel Oluwasanmi, said he had accepted the notice of disengagement from all of them.

    Odebiyi, in a statement he personally signed, said his resignation was to pursue his senatorial ambition.

    However, it was reliably gathered that Odebiyi reportedly disagreed with his former boss, who was said to have advised him to defect from the APC to the Allied People’s Movement.

    Odebiyi was, however, advised to resign so as not to heat up the polity as many of the loyalists had defected to APM.

    In the statement, Odebiyi expressed deep appreciation to Amosun for the opportunity given him to serve the people of the state.

    Meanwhile, as the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the substitution of governorship, deputy governorship and state House of Assembly candidates ends tomorrow, Amosun and his loyalists may have perfected plans to defect to the APM.

  • APC crisis deepens as Okorocha, Amosun move their men to other parties

    More drama has ensued on the primary elections crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Adekunle Akinlade and Uche Nwosu, anointed governorship choices of governors of Ogun and Imo states, Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha, respectively, announced their defection from the ruling party to pursue their political ambitions elsewhere.

    In Imo, Nwosu, son-in-law of Okorocha, defected to the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) while Amosun’s preferred candidate, Akinlade, a member of the House of Representatives, announced his movement to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), having lost the battle to wrest the ticket from Prince Dapo Abiodun.

    Primaries in Imo and Ogun states, which were arguably the most controversial witnessed by the APC, had pitted Amosun and Okorocha against the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, who they claimed worked against their interests.

    However, the two governors, who are also holding senatorial tickets of the APC, have stated that they would remain in the party and work for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The defections of Nwosu and Akinlade, which ended weeks of speculations by party faithful over what was likely to be the outcome of the controversy in both states, has thrown up fresh hurdles for the APC, as observers wonder how the party would run coherent campaigns in the two states.

    Nwosu, who lost to Senator Hope Uzodinma, and was assured of the DPP ticket following the visit
    of its national chairman to the state, would formally declare today alongside the governor’s loyalists who lost out either in the House of Assembly of National Assembly race.

    But Obinna Mbata, APC candidate for Owerri Federal constituency and the current deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly and candidate for Nkwerre/Isu/ Njaba/Nwangele, Ugonna Ozuruigbo, have refused to join Nwosu “except the governor himself joins them.”

    Also, the party’s candidate for Owerri Senatorial zone, Emma Ojineri, has decided to remain in the APC.

    As Akinlade was announcing his defection on the floor of the House of Representatives, Majority Leader of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Yinka Mafe, Idowu Olowofuja, Tunde Sanusi and Ganiyu Oyedeji, also announced their defection on the floor of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

    The lawmakers representing Sagamu State Constituency 1, Abeokuta South State Constituency 2, Obafemi-Owode State Constituency and Ifo State Constituency 2, respectively, announced their defection in letters submitted to the Speaker, Suraj Adekunbi, during a plenary.

    They attributed their defection to “irreconcilable differences” arising from the legislative primaries conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

    According to them, the primaries, which was conducted by the election panel of the NWC and beamed live by national television stations, produced them as winners in their respective state constituencies.

    They said they were shocked to discover that their names had been substituted with another set of candidates and subsequently submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The lawmakers, however, stated that their decision to defect to APM, to realise their political aspirations, was taken after due consultations with their various constituencies.

    However, the defection of Akinlade was not devoid of drama. After reading notices of defection of three other members, Speaker Yakubu Dogara was about to read that of Akinlade when Femi Gbajabiamila raised point of order.

    “Mr Speaker, Akinlade cannot go. Akinlade cannot go,” he shouted.

    Regardless, Dogara continued to read the defection notice. As soon as Dogara was done, Akinlade got up, bowed to the chair, shook hands with the Minority Leader, Leo Ogor and proceeded to where the majority leader was seated. As he stretched out his hand to hand over his APC band to Gbajabiamila, the House leader rebuffed him.

    The Ogun lawmaker hung the hand band on Gbajabiamila’s microphone, bowed and returned to his seat.

    The House leader took the band, walked up to the Speaker and handed it over to him, with latter saying he had accepted the band on behalf of the APC leader.

    Subsequent effort by the House leader to protest the defection was unsuccessful as he was heckled by other lawmakers.

    Meanwhile, the reconciliatory committee the APC set up to look into the grievances in Imo State, yesterday, revealed that the decision of the party would be made known after an indoor discussion with parties concerned.

    Chairman of the committee, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who addressed party members at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC), assured that the first task of their mission, which is to ensure Governor Okorocha remained in the party had been completed, emphasising that the second phase of discussion which he said would be indoors would be favourable to APC members in the state.

    However, Governor Okorocha insisted the crisis was irreconcilable considering various steps he had taken to address the situation.

    “There shouldn’t have been crisis in the party because of the affinity of the members, we are like one big family. When we came in 2011, it was a miracle, the who is who in Imo politics were against us but we won that election. We moved from APGA to APC because of the name of President Muhammadu Buhari, which is synonymous with integrity. I am a foundation member of the APC. I suggested the name APC.

    “When we started, we were called names, we were made to look like aliens in our state, this is the only state you have elected office holders that are of the APC extraction. Those Oshiomole gave the tickets were not APC members, the worst political injustice in the history of Nigeria happened in Imo.

    “The only reason these people are here is because of Buhari, not because they have benefitted. The issue we have is with Adams Oshiomole, he stole the mandate of the people and gave it away for reasons best known to him. The people here are concerned because the name of the person on APC ticket is not the candidate of their choice. The situation at hand has gone beyond what we can manage.”

  • BREAKING: Amosun’s candidate, three lawmakers defect to other parties

    Adekunle Akinlade, the preferred governorship candidate of Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Allied People’s Movement (APM).

    Mr Akinlade, who lost to Dapo Abiodun at the recently conducted APC governorship primary in Ogun State, defected alongside three other members.

    The other members are Rabiu Kaugama (Jigawa) who moved from the PDP to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mohammed Ajanah (Kogi) from APC to PDP and Salisu Koko (Kebbi) from APC to SDP.

    Mr Akinlade’s defection is coming few days to Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline of governorship candidates’ substitution.

  • EFCC re-arraigns former Chief of Air Staff, Amosu

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday re-arraigned a former Chief of Air Staff, retired Air Marshall Adesola Amosu, before a Federal High Court in Lagos, over alleged N21.4 billion fraud.

    Amosu was re-arraigned alongside AVM Jacob Adigun and Air Commodore Olugbenga Gbadebo, on a 13-count charge.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trio was first arraigned in June 2016, alongside some companies before Justice Mohammed Idris.

    Their re-arraignment before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on Tuesday followed the elevation of Justice Idris to the Court of Appeal.

    They pleaded not guilty to the charges while the court allowed them to continue with the bail granted by the previous judge.

    NAN also reports that as a result of Justice Idris’ elevation, Amosu’s trial which has lasted over two years in court is beginning afresh before Aneke.

    In the amended charge, the EFCC dropped the names of the companies which were joined as accused in the earlier charge.

    The companies are: Delfina Oil and Gas Ltd, Mcallan Oil and Gas Ltd, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Ltd, Trapezites BDC, Fonds and Pricey Ltd and Solomon healthcare Ltd.

    Prior to their re-arraignment on Tuesday, Justice Aneke, had in a ruling rejected the prayer by the defence that the companies whose names were removed from the charge be first pronounced discharged and acquitted before any further action.

    But Justice Aneke in his ruling faulted the argument of the defence and directed that the amended charges be read to the accused.

    In the first count, the EFCC alleged that the accused conspired to covert a total sum of N21.4 billion property of the Nigerian Air Force which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of a criminal breach of trust.

    The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons diverted the sums using several companies.

    The prosecution said that the accused committed the offences on March 5, 2014.

    It said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011

    Aneke adjourned the case until Nov. 14 for continuation of trial.

    NAN

  • Obaseki backs Oshiomhole against Amosun, Okorocha, says ‘Nobody is above the law’

    Obaseki backs Oshiomhole against Amosun, Okorocha, says ‘Nobody is above the law’

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Sunday reacted to the feud between the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole’s quarrel and some governors after the recently concluded controversial primaries held across the country.

    He said some governors were opposed to Oshiomhole because of the change the chairman was introducing to the party.

    “What Oshiomhole is doing is to institute a regime of change where nobody is above the law,” he said.

    Obaseki, who spoke in Benin City at the Church of God Mission during a thanksgiving service to mark his second year in office, did not name any governor, but Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha have been locked in a bitter row with Oshiomhole over the party’s primaries.

    Many Nigerians under the Buhari-led administration are now afraid to commit crimes because of the repercussion, Obaseki said.

    The governor said Nigerians would soon begin to feel the impact of “the fundamental changes” President Buhari was making.

    “Some of the fundamental changes started by Buhari/ Osinbajo will manifest shortly. For the first time people are now afraid to do wrong,” he said.

    Speaking on his style, Obaseki said instead of dashing people money he would rather invest massively in infrastructure. The governor said he would also support people to grow their businesses.

    He said his administration had commenced the training of 4,000 youths to boost security in the state, adding that a new security architecture would soon be unveiled.

    He said: “One key element is that whatever we do must affect the people. We are stretching our limited resources to work for the people. We will spend money to work for the people.”

    Recall that Oshiomhole has been at loggerheads with Okorocha, who is pushing for his son in-law to be the party’s governorship candidate.

    Amosun is also not pleased that his candidate for the party’s ticket did not get the prize.

    Oshiomhole said he would not help Okorocha to build a political dynasty. He pdescribed Amosun as an “emperor” for initially choosing candidates for various offices in disrespect to the primaries supervised by the National Working Committee (NWC).

  • 2019: Okorocha, Amosun are embarrassments to APC – Oshiomhole

    2019: Okorocha, Amosun are embarrassments to APC – Oshiomhole

    …submits governorship list to INEC

    The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Friday blasted governors of Imo and Ogun states, Rochas Okorocha and Ibukunle Amosun describing them as embarrassments to the ruling party.

    This came barely 24 hours after the two governors renewed their attacks on the APC chairman.

    While Okorocha claimed on Thursday that the fortunes of the APC had witnessed a downturn since Oshiomhole took over as national chairman, Amosun alleged that the party chairman and his cohorts were working towards handing over Ogun to “a gang of expansionists.”

    In an apparent response to the two governors, Oshiomhole described their personal attacks on his person as a direct result of their failure to foist undemocratic processes on the party.

    Specifically, he described governor Okorocha as “an embarrassment” to the APC with his failed attempt to elicit APC’s support to help him build “a political dynasty” as well as his needless personal feud with the institution of the church in his state.

    Oshiomhole spoke at a media briefing in Abuja, on Friday.

    He said for the avoidance of doubt, the party’s National Working Committee had met and upheld the outcome of the party primaries conducted by the Ahmed Gulak-led panel sent to the state by the NWC to conduct the exercise.

    The national chairman said, “Governor Rochas Okorocha, the chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum is a beneficiary of the court process, we rescued him. The primary conducted by my predecessor completely swept governor Okorocha out of the system-from ward, local government to the state.

    “What I am not able to do for Governor Okorocha is to assist him with the instrument of the APC to help him to build a political dynasty.”

    Consequently, he said, “We have prepared the name of Sen. Hope Uzodinma and submitted to the INEC.

    “If governor Rochas chose to relocate to the Villa and use the grounds of Villa to try to intimidate me to create a dynasty, I won’t accept it. I will uphold the truth in the best interest of the APC members and indeed of the APC people in Imo State. The truth does not require a supporters’ club to stand, it has its own legs, and it can stand.”

    In the case of Ogun State, the APC national chairman said the state governor was trying to act like an emperor. He said the APC under his leadership did not have a place for emperors.

    He accused the governor of attempting to lord it over the majority of party members in the state by brazenly imposing candidates for virtually all elective positions in the state.

    According to Oshiomhole, the governor held a stakeholders meeting as required by the APC National Executive Committee but went on to do the bizarre.

    Oshiomhole said, “At the meeting, this is no secret, I expect that some of your media houses will have video clips of what transpired at that meeting because it wasn’t a closed-door meeting, it was an open meeting. Governor Amosun in his wisdom decided to introduce ‘third element’ which didn’t feature in the resolutions of the National Executive Council.

    “He announced that Ogun State was going to adopt consensus and he proceeded to define what in his view constitute a consensus.

    “And having defined it to mean the pronouncement of the governor, he went on to announce what, according to him, represents a consensus candidate. He announced one Akinlade as the next governor. He proceeded to announce another gentleman, whom he said would be the deputy governor, consensus!

    “He went on to proclaim himself as the next senator through consensus and he says the current senator in his own Senatorial zone, Senator Tejuoso, will step aside so that he, Ibikunle Amosun, at the end of his tenure as governor of Ogun State, will proceed to the Senate. According to him, this is his own consensus.

    “He went on to also announce that the second Senator also, from Ogun State will step aside and another gentleman will come in place of that senator. And according to him, this pronouncement is a consensus.”

    Oshiomhole further said, “Not done, governor Amosun went on to announce a particular gentleman, who will be the next Speaker. He went on to announce another one who will be the next deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly.

    “Governor Amosun, according to his own definition of consensus, also unilaterally pronounced that of the eight seats of House of Representatives members, seven will not return according to him, only one will return. This he claimed is a consensus.

    “He went on to list other members of the House of Assembly who will seek re-election and those who will not seek re-election. All through, he announced about 40 names which according to him constitute consensus.”

    The APC chairman described Amosun’s actions as “undemocratic, immoral and an abuse of power.”

    He also said, “Our constitution does not recognise emperors. There are not emperors in the APC, if anybody attempts to invent himself as an emperor, it will be an enterprise in futility.

    “Based on our rules, we have since conducted primaries and submitted the name of the winner, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to INEC for the purpose of the forthcoming governorship election that for me has concluded that matter.”

    On the Supreme Court judgment with respect to Rivers State, he said “As a political party we respect the judiciary, we also appreciate the truth and the facts. Democracy is basically about the celebration of the rule of law not the rule of might. If it is rule of might people like me, who both vertically and horizontally challenged, cannot survive. So, as a party we believe in the rule of law.

    “And based on this commitment, which is not really a choice, we are obliged to respect the rule of law. And at the heart of that is total obedience to the letter and to the spirit of judicial findings. And judicial findings are not meant to be convenient. “In a democracy, they are orders which are meant to be obeyed. Therefore, the judgment by the supreme court in which from the first to the last page of the judgment is very clear that the Supreme Court has nullified the ward, local and state congresses that were done by my predecessor in Rivers State.

    “It also nullified the state and the local government congresses that were done because according to the findings by the Supreme Court, those congresses were done in spite of a subsisting Court Order.

    “What is important is that, as things stand, the highest court of the land has pronounced that those congresses did not meet the requirements of the law. And therefore they are not valid.

    He added, “As a law-abiding party, we have accepted the decision of the Supreme Court, and we will call a meeting in no distant future of all the stakeholders in Rivers State to prepare them and to put the necessary machinery in place to conduct fresh ward congresses across all the wards in Rivers State, and of course, thereafter conduct the state executive congress in line with the provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress. These, we have to do in full obedience of the judgment of the Supreme Court.”

    Oshiomhole also apologised to the judiciary for the attack on the High Court in Port-Harcourt but said the thugs who took part in the attack were neither members of the APC nor did they enjoy the party’s support.

    The APC national chairman, however, assured Nigerians that his party would defeat the candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party in the next year presidential election.

     

  • 2019: Amosun’s defection plan thickens as top aides move to dump APC for ADP, others

    2019: Amosun’s defection plan thickens as top aides move to dump APC for ADP, others

    Indications emerged on Sunday that Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State may have perfected his defection plans despite holding peace meetings with President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders last week.
    Baring any last minute change of plans, some close associates of the governor might likely defect this week as a precursor to the governor’s impending defection.
     
    They are aggrieved by the rejection of the nomination of Amosun’s anointed governorship candidate, Mr. Adekunle Akinlade and a few others by the national leadership of the party.
     
    It was gathered that the governor’s loyalists have already cut deals with other political parties, including the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP), ahead of their defection from the APC.
     
    It was learnt as well that a serving commissioner in Amosun’s government co-ordinated discussions with the DPP while one of the three vice chairmen of the APC in the state handled the deal with the ADP.
     
    Sources said the first move by the Amosun camp to leave the APC was made as soon as the APC national secretariat refused to accept the result of the primaries that produced Akinlade as governorship candidate.
     
    The move has the full backing of the governor although he himself has vowed to stay on in the APC.
     
    One of the governor’s allies involved in the deal said: “It is a move serious politicians should expect.
     
    “We know we are the popular ones across the state. APC cannot win in Ogun State without Amosun and his people.
     
    “But we can do it alone if APC refuses to recognize our worth. We saw the treachery going on and we thought of pre-empting the situation. What you are seeing playing out didn’t just happen. We saw the need and we acted.”
     
    The group was locked in a strategic meeting at press time to determine which of the two platforms -DPP and ADP- is best placed to help Akinlade in realizing his governorship ambition.
     
    Another source in the group said the affected associates, aides and supporters of the governor will announce their defection from the APC in a matter of days.
     
    The source said: “They will also announce their new political party. Many of them will emerge as substitute candidates of the chosen party upon their official defection during the week.
     
    “All is set for Amosun’s people to call the bluff of the APC and its national leaders.”
     
    On Amosun’s continued membership of the APC, the source said: “That is one of the issues that delayed the move till now.
     
    “While some of our leaders see the need for Amosun to remain in the APC for strategic reasons, some others are of the opinion that it is better and more effective for him to lead his camp out of the APC.
     
    “Before now, there was the fear that even Amosun might be denied the Ogun Central Senatorial ticket. But he got it and two of our people also got the other senatorial tickets.
     
    “There is need to decide whether they should hold on to the tickets or drop them and pick the tickets of the party to be adopted. All these will be ironed out at the meeting today. But one thing is sure; our group will not stay in the APC and work for Dapo Abiodun.
     
    “Already, we have our people as candidates of both the DPP and ADP across the state. The deals with the party will be ready to substitute the names they submitted to INEC with the names of our people once we join their party. While DPP submitted the names of people who gave them to stand in for our real candidates across the state, the ADP assured us that once we choose their party, our candidates will be forwarded as substitutes.”
     
    Some prominent aides and associates of Amosun have already been named as candidates of the DPP in the list of National Assembly candidates released last week by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
     
    The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye; a Senior Special Assistant to Amosun, Alhaji Bola Adeyemi and the Governor’s Special Adviser on Energy, Chief Taiwo Fagbemi, are named as DPP’s senatorial candidates for Ogun East, Central and West district respectively.
     
    Also, former APC chairman for Egbado South Local Government, Odebiyi Safiu Abiodun, is DPP’s House of Representatives candidate for Egbado South /Ipokia Federal constituency, a younger brother