Ogun State governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun has warned that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is on a mission to kill the party even as he described the party boss as a liar over his account of the controversies trailing the party’s gubernatorial primaries in the state.
While describing Oshiomhole’s account as nothing but a pack of lies aimed at confusing members of the public, Amosun insisted that Oshiomhole’s version of the event was a grand fraud presented as a fact.
Speaking through his Senior Special Assistant (Media), Mr. Opeyemi Soyombo, Governor Amosun urged members of the public to disregard statement being credited to Oshiomhole through the acting national publicity secretary of APC, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu where the APC national chairman insisted that gubernatorial primaries took place in the state.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we state for the umpteenth time that there was no gubernatorial primaries in Ogun State other than the one held on October 2 that produced Hon. Adekunle Akinlade as governorship candidate. The attempt by Mr Issa-Onilu to confuse the issues is therefore belittling of someone holding a position of publicity secretary of a reputable political party’,” Amosun declared.
The governor further refuted another claim reportedly made by Issa-Onilu that there was a court injunction restraining Ogun State executive committee of the party from participating in the conduct of the primaries, saying that it was a fabrication to defraud the people of Ogun State.
“Which court gave the injunction and when? Who are the parties in the case? If at all there is, did the national secretariat bring it to the attention of the state executive committee of the party? Was the injunction given at a weekend or on the public holiday of October 1 because the national secretariat engaged the state executive of the party on the primaries all through the weekend leading to the October 2 primaries,” the governor added.
While saying that the imbroglio over the party’s gubernatorial primaries in Ogun State has brought to the fore the danger APC faces in the hands of Oshiomhole and a few members of the party’s National Working Committee like Issa Onilu who are in cahoots with the chairman, Amosun vowed that “the people of Ogun State will not allow willing tools in the party’s national secretariat to hand over the state to some expansionist adventurers who are in desperate search for additional territories for their insatiable economic exploitation.”
Calling on leaders of the party to call Oshiomhole to order before he put the chances of the party in the 2019 elections in jeopardy, Amosun however restated his commitment to work for the second term election of President Buhari adding that no provocation by Oshiomhole and his co-travellers who he claimed are working against the interest of President Buhari and the overall interest of the party will make him change his mind
Tag: Amosun
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Oshiomhole on a mission to kill APC, harm Buhari’s re-election – Amosun
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2019: Oshiomhole, Tinubu, Osoba behind political crises in Ogun – Amosun
Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, on Monday, accused the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former governor of the state, Aremo Olusegun Osoba of allegedly masterminding the political chaos in the state.
The governor said the aforementioned party leaders are plotting to foist Dapo Abiodun on the party in the state, as its governorship candidate in the 2019 election.
Amosun alleged that the trio of Oshiomhole, Tinubu and Osoba wrote a fake result showing Abiodun as the winner of the party’s primary election and thus its governorship candidate.
He had alleged that the duo of Tinubu and Osoba had played roles in what he termed ‘electoral fraud’, adding that their silence over the matter smacked of complicity.
The governor made the allegation in an interview shortly after swearing-in the new Chief Judge of the state, Mosunmola Dipeolu.
The event held at the Governor’s office Chamber in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He said, “The President already knows there was no election in Ogun State. He knows that they just went to Lagos, wrote all results and that what they did is fraud.
“If the National Working Committee or the National Chairman said there was an election in Ogun State, it’s all fraud. That is what I said.”
The governor insisted that the National Working Committee panel of the party sent to the state didn’t conduct a genuine primary election. He argued that the only authentic primary was the one which produced Adekunle Akinlade as governorship candidate.
He added, “Mr President already knows, there was no election in Ogun State, other than the one we held.
“The issue of Chief Osoba and Asiwaju and co, what we said was that there was a definite silence from their end, and silence means consent. You can record me and publish it in your newspapers.
“We have not heard one word from any of them. Was there any election in Ogun State? Yes or No? They should come out.
“People at this level should be courageous enough to take a position, to come out, to come and tell us whether there was an election.
“The one governorship election that we had, there was live telecast, people even witnessed it.” -
2019: Aisha Buhari’s brother, Amosun, Ribadu, others lose at APC Appeals Panel
Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, Senator Magnus Abe and President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife’s brother are among the big losers as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Appeals Panel submitted its report on Thursday.
Also, Niger Delta Affairs Minister Usani Uguru Usani failed to upturn the outcome of the Cross River State governorship primary.
Mrs Buhari’s brother Mahmoud Halilu (aka Modi) and President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Bala Bobboi Kaigama also lost the opportunity to have their candidates returned as party standard bearers.
There was tension at the national headquarters of APC as aspirants for the Senate and House of Representatives sought information on who- is-who on the list being taken to the INEC.
The party’s Director of Organisation, Alhaji Abubakar Kari, at about 2pm, led some officials in a branded APC bus to submit the list of candidates to INEC.
The two petitions against the governorship primaries in Rivers by Senator Abe and Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs were not upheld. The petition from Delta State by Prof. Pat Utomi was dismissed and tagged “overtaken by event”.
From Borno, there were four petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary. The committee recommended that a consensus option be explored to be driven by the National Chairman in consultation with the President.
It was also gathered that majority of the petitions against the conduct of the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were not upheld for various reasons, ranging from lack of merit and lack of proof to lack of time for fresh primaries. No reasons were adduced for not upholding some others.
Similarly, some petitions were upheld and some of the petitioners declared as candidates of the party either because they actually won the primaries and were substituted or for other reasons ranging from lack of clearance and others that were not adduced by the committee.
A summary of the report indicated that all petitions on the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were rejected by the panel.
Also rejected were those from Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross River states.
In Delta State, eight petitions were upheld because the petitioners won the primaries, but their names substituted. Seven were rejected. The three petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary in Akwa Ibom State was rejected alongside eight House of Representatives seat. Five were upheld.
From Kaduna State, six petitions were treated on the senatorial primaries. Five of them were rejected. The one by Shehu Sani was upheld.
Two petitions each were received against the governorship primaries in Sokoto and Jigawa states. They were rejected. Three House of Representatives and three senatorial petitions were rejected from the two states.
Petitions from Kebbi and Katsina states were also rejected. The two against the conduct of the governorship primary were referred to the National Working Committee.
The petitions from Kano were either upheld or referred to the party’s national secretariat.
From Taraba State, 10 petitions were received against the conduct of the governorship primary, four against the Senate primary and nine against the House of Representatives primaries, with all petitions rejected, a similar situation with Adamawa and Bauchi states, with only one senatorial and one House of Representatives seat in Bauchi upheld.
The situation is not different from the southwest zone, with six petitions treated from Ekiti against the conduct of the National Assembly primaries and rejected. Three House of Representatives petitions from Osun were also rejected.
From Ondo State, the panel upheld three petitions for Senate, referred one to the NWC, rejected two and upheld the five petitions for House of Representatives, saying that they won the primary and were substituted.
Of the two petitions received from Lagos, one was rejected for the Senate. The one for the House of Representatives was upheld. The panel also rejected two Senatorial petitions from Ogun and recommended that the third petitioner be adopted as the candidate saying stakeholder of the party in the areas agreed to adopt him as a sole candidate.
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Amosun declares support for Buhari, debunks defection rumours
The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has debunked the rumours making the rounds that he plans to defect from the ruling All Progressives Congress to another party over the recent controversial primaries held in the state.
Amosun also declared support for President Muhammadu Buhari re-election.
He debunked the rumours on Tuesday in a press statement written and signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Otunba Adedayo Adeneye.
He described the news report in a section of the media as a figment of the imagination of the writer(s).
The governor wondered how he could be expected to quit a house he jointly built with other patriots.
The statement reads in part, “It is true that enormous pressure was brought to bear on Governor Amosun to move to another party, because of the glaring injustice meted out to some party members at the recent primaries.
“But the governor maintained his stand that he would not decamp, especially on account of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose judgment and sense of justice, as the leader of the party, he cherishes and values immensely.
“For those who know Amosun over the years, his struggles are usually not about his own person but equity, justice and fairness for all, especially the downtrodden.
“President Buhari represents this spirit and Amosun will stand by him and with him in any party at all times and at all costs.”
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Buhari meets Governors Ganduje, Amosun, Yari in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari again on Friday met with three state governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The President’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, disclosed this on his Twitter handle, @BashirAhmaad.
Ahmad listed the governors who met with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to include Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara).
“President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon, met with Governors of Kano, Ogun and Zamfara States at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,” he wrote.
Although the president’s aide did not disclose the purpose of the meeting, it is believed to be part of ongoing efforts to resolve the post-primaries crises that erupted in the ruling party in some states.
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Just in: Gov Amosun, loyalists may dump APC
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and his loyalists in the All Progressives Congress (APC) will dump the ruling party.
Their imminent exit from the APC was as a result of the alleged refusal of the party’s national leadership to uphold the candidacy of the governor’s preferred candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, for the 2019 governorship election.
According to a report published in New Telegraph, a meeting conducted in preparatory to Amosun’s defection was held on Wednesday night at his private residence located at Ibara GRA, Abeokuta.
In attendance at the meeting were APC members from the 20 local government areas of the state, who were loyal to the governor, as well as top government functionaries in the state.
The state chapter of APC had been engulfed in crisis following the adoption of an oil magnate, Prince Dapo Abiodun, as the party’s gubernatorial candidate for 2019 as against Amosun’s choice.
A highly placed source, who was present at the meeting on Wednesday night, confirmed the plan to pull out of the APC.
According to the source, Amosun briefed his loyalists on the outcome of his meetings with President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, which were not favourable.
The source said the governor informed his loyalists that rather than address the pending issue, the party leadership in Abuja asked him to share the National and State Assembly tickets with certain individuals in the state who never participated in the just concluded governorship and legislative primaries.
The governor was said to have berated those who manipulated the primary election to produce Abiodun as against the consensus governorship candidate of the party, Akinlade.
Amosun, the source added, made it clear that he could not work with Abiodun because he lacked the wherewithal to win elections.
According to him, Abiodun who could not win a senatorial district election in 2015 will be unable to win the whole of Ogun State in 2019.
The governor was said to have maintained his stance that he would bid APC goodbye rather than accept Abiodun’s candidacy.
He, however, did not disclose the particular political party he and his loyalists would consider.
Asked about the growing speculation that the governor is likely to defect to Accord Party, the source insisted that the governor was silent on his choice but only declared that his next sanctuary would not be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). -
2019: Osinbajo, Amosun meet inside Aso Villa over controvercial primaries
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday evening met behind closed doors with Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Recall that both Osinbajo and Amosun are from Ogun State.
The state is among those where the ruling All Progressives Congress is experiencing rancorous primaries.
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Dankwambo lambasts Amosun during visit to Obasanjo, says ‘there are no potholes in Gombe…’
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State attacked his Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun when he visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday.
Dankwambo, a presidential aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in the state to consult with the former Nigerian leader on his ambition.
Recall that Dankwambo served as Accountant-General of the Federation under the administration of Obasanjo before his election as governor of the Gombe State.
He declined to give details of the meeting which took place at the private residence of the former president within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
At the end of the meeting which lasted over an hour, the governor met some PDP members and addressed them on his presidential ambition.
He said if elected, he will declare war on poverty and injustice in Nigeria, stressing that such a fight should be the number one priority of a leader in order to ensure the happiness of citizens.
“Nobody can do it alone, but when you understand the people you want to serve you are going to give them the best.
“I didn’t know there are potholes in Ogun State because there are no potholes in Gombe State. But anyways, victory in 2019 is coming to our party PDP.
“We were all shouting we want change, but we didn’t ask how he wanted to change the whole thing from negative to positive. Is he even qualified to make the change,” he said in an allusion to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I have been a governor for seven years now. We have provided leadership before and we are still going to do more of it. We have developed economic blueprint, we will share it. I will provide the leadership Nigerians want.”
He described the event as a ” family meeting” with the party stakeholders, stressing “the ability to identify people that can do the work is what we should look after.”
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Ambode, Amosun, Dangote others attend late Deji Tinubu’s burial
The remains of Deji Tinubu, Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Commerce and Industry was buried on Tuesday at the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Recall that Tinubu slumped and died last Thursday while playing a novelty football match in Epe, during the retreat of the Lagos State Executive Council.
Earlier, a funeral service was held for him at the City of David parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Victoria Island.
At the church service were Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos; Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, wife of the Vice President, Dolapo Osinbajo; a former Governor of Anambra, Peter Obi and members of the State Executive Council, among others.
At the Vaults and Gardens where Tinubu was buried, well-wishers, friends and others were in tears as the late sports icon was laid to rest.
Amosun eulogised Tinubu and lamented that he died on his birthday.
Also speaking, Dangote said late Tinubu would “surely be missed.”
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Gov. Amosun Signs 2018 Budget into law
The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has signed into law the state’s 2018 Appropriation Bill of N343.9 Billion naira for the 2018 Budget.
This is N1.4 billion naira less than the 345.4 billion naira earlier presented to the House by the governor.
Amosun signed the bill into law at the Governor’s office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, after it was presented to him by Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Honourable Suraj Adekunbi.
He thanked the leadership of the House for the speedy passage of the bill and the cooperation given the Executive.
Amosun assured that his government would execute more developmental projects that will surpass previous years for the people to enjoy more dividends of Democracy in 2018.
While presenting the bill, the Speaker said the House of Assembly had done a thorough job on the budget.
The Ogun State House of Assembly had earlier issued a statement where it confirmed that it had passed the budget.
According to the statement, the passage of the over N343bn budget had recurrent expenditure of nine agencies adjusted, just as four agencies also had their capital expenditures reviewed.The revenue targets of the nine agencies including proposed external loans were also adjusted.
The statement read further, “The passage of the bill was sequel to the presentation of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation led by Akanbi Bankole, who thereafter moved the motion for its adoption.
“It was seconded by Israel Jolaoso and supported by the whole House through a voice vote.
“Capital expenditure was slashed from N223.721bn to N222.881bn resulting in a difference of N840m, while the total revenue target was moved from over N345.418bn to over N343.983bn giving a reduction of over N1.434bn.
“The bill was thereafter read clause-by-clause before the members by the Speaker, Suraju Adekunbi, while the Minority Leader, Olawale Alausa, moved the motion for the third reading, which was seconded by Jimi Otukoya and the Clerk of the House, Lanre Bisiriyu, did the third reading of the bill.”
The Speaker commended his colleagues and the entire members of staff for their support and dedication to duty which led to the speedy passage of the appropriation bill and later directed that the clean copy of the bill be sent to the governor for his assent.