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Makinde not at war with FG, any agency, Oyo PDP replies APC
A statement signed by the PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Engr. Akeem Olatunji, described the Oyo APC as a group of frustrated individuals with unabated desperation to destabilise the peace and tranquility in the state following a well-articulated economic plan introduced by Governor Makinde, which it said is fast erasing the memory of APC’s existence in Oyo State.
The statement reads in part: “Governor Makinde or the Oyo State government is not in a face-off with the Federal Government or any of its agencies. The face-off APC advertised exists only in their crude imaginations.
“The position that Makinde holds the office of the President in low esteem was a falsehood from the pit of hell and it justified our earlier position that Oyo APC is playing out an orchestrated plan to heat up the polity with a view to achieving their primary objective of ‘bringing down Makinde at all cost.’
“The Oyo APC’s penchant for telling chronic lies in the name of playing politics is not only unrivalled but unprecedented. The accusation that Makinde does not exchange communication with the Presidency is actually too childish. If the governor communicates with the Presidency, is he expected to advertise it? The APC has very poor understanding of governance; this is the reason it wasted public funds on advertising eight years of monumental failure.
“The Office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is not one that governors should write love letters to on a daily basis, so if there is no need to engage with the Presidency, Makinde would not because he wanted to please some misguided souls in APC begin to bombard the Presidency with ‘Please Call Me’ or ‘Please Notice Me’ text messages for publicity stunts.
“It is heart-warming that the APC actually conceded that Makinde is not opposed to all federal agencies but they should add anti-graft bodies like EFCC, ICPC and probably Ministry of Interior, which controls the Correctional Facilities to the list of organisations in Makinde’s good book, because that is where APC leaders who ran Oyo State aground, with nothing tangible to show for billions of Naira accrued to the state in eight years, will end up.
“It should be pointed out that Makinde has the highest regard for all federal agencies and the Federal Government but he will not shy away from his responsibility as governor of Oyo State because he wants to impress some group of disgruntled elements constituting themselves as opposition where in actual fact, they are mere agents of destabilization.
“First, the APC made reference to Oyo State government having issues with Nigeria Railway Corporation over landed properties, but that is just its usual way of advertising its folly. APC should not be dabbling in issues they know nothing about as it will amount to dancing naked in the market square.
“Second, the Oyo State government appreciated the Federal Government for donating 1,800 bags of rice and when it was found out that the rice were not safe for consumption, the government rejected them and asked for better ones. But if the Oyo APC, because it wants to continue to be in some people’s good books or because it wants to continue to justify the favours it is receiving from some quarters, thinks the government should not have rejected the spoilt rice, they can come to the Secretariat to collect the rejected rice and eat them.”
The PDP, which commended the Makinde-led government on the way it has handled the fight against COVID-19 so far, called on the people of the state not to pay attention to APC, which “seems to be more interested in seeing Oyo State suffer during this trying period.”
“On the management of Coronavirus in the state, available evidence has shown that the state government is getting things right. Unfortunately, the APC and its leaders are sad, because they revel in seeing Oyo State people in sorrow just because they voted for Makinde. The APC craves for deaths in hundreds in Oyo State; their leaders like Teslim Folarin cry about that the state should be locked down so that the people can suffer.
“But Makinde has been focused on stopping the virus and in doing that, he has collaborated with all necessary agencies. The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) was in Ibadan recently and it gave credit to the state government for the good job it did in setting up the Infectious Disease Centre, Olodo, which it described as world class.
“The governor had equally commended the Minister of Health on the job the ministry is doing nationally on COVID-19. So, we wonder where the Oyo APC got the twisted logic that Makinde was fighting federal health institutions from? We know that their utmost prayer is to see Makinde fail, that is why they are trying to impugn him by insinuating that he is fighting the UCH. But for their information, the UCH and the Oyo State are now collaborating on many fronts. If the APC is sad about this, they should go into mourning.
“Makinde has, in close to 12 months, redefined good governance in Oyo State: It is about putting the interest and wellbeing of the people of Oyo State first and not about docility or subservience to the Federal Government. The fact that Makinde is a PDP governor does not make him an enemy of the Federal Government and he has made this clear in different ways.
“However, the APC in Oyo State has the undying ambition to derail Makinde’s govt and so they will do anything including trying to incite APC leaders at the federal level against the Oyo State government. The APC’s statement should be clear and undisguised; it is another attempt to make sure the people of Oyo State suffer for voting their party out of office after eight years of woeful performance.”
The Kano State House of Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo over allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, and breach of public trust.
The notice was presented yesterday during plenary by the Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Dala, who said the action follows Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Dala said the allegations stem from Abdussalam’s tenure as Commissioner for Local Government (2023–2024) and his current role as deputy governor. He accused the deputy governor of diverting funds meant for the 44 local government councils.
According to the majority leader, Abdussalam allegedly received N1.5 million monthly from each council between June 2023 and January 2024, totaling N462 million. Between February and July 2024, he allegedly collected N3.255 million monthly from each council under the guise of special assignments, amounting to N726 million.
Dala also accused the deputy governor of abuse of office, claiming he facilitated payments of N10 million from each council to NovoMed Pharmaceuticals Limited, totaling N440 million, in violation of state procurement laws.
“The misuse of official capacity to confer undue advantage constitutes abuse of power and undermines public trust,” Dala told lawmakers, adding that the allegations amount to gross misconduct under the Constitution.
The impeachment notice was reportedly endorsed by 38 lawmakers, meeting the constitutional threshold to proceed. The Speaker has acknowledged receipt, and the House is expected to serve the allegations on the deputy governor.
If approved, a panel may be constituted by the state Chief Judge to investigate the claims.
As of filing, Abdussalam had yet to respond publicly to the allegations.
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he had joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the announcement during a media briefing in Abuja, attributing his decision to what he described as irreconcilable differences within the PDP.
The lawmaker said the emergence of the NDC would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system by providing a credible opposition platform.
According to him, the party recently received its certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress and our symbol is victory, the victory sign.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.”
Dickson noted that although the party’s registration took longer than expected, its eventual approval was a welcome development for the country’s democratic landscape.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it started some years or months back. We don’t control INEC and their processes; they delayed. We don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.
The senator also stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must not slide into a one-party system, insisting that political diversity remained vital for national stability.
“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state.
“We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.
“So anyone or any party promoting one-party rule in Nigeria is mistaken. We build political parties and get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our personal benefit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced the registration of two new political parties.
The parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
The announcement was made by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.
According to him, the Democratic Leadership Alliance completed the required verification process, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
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