Politics
NGF Crisis: President Jonathan’s Costly Mistake.
The Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) has grown over the years to become a most potent pressure group comprising democratically elected governors in Nigeria.
Decisions from the forum had always been respected and celebrated across the broad spectrum of political leanings in the country and even outside Nigeria’s shores especially with some dynamic leaderships the forum had witnessed in times past.
Then things fell apart. Some aides and confidants of President Goodluck Jonathan impressed it upon him that Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi was not loyal to the President. That Rotimi was interested in becoming the Vice President on a joint ticket with Suleman Lamido of Jigawa State. That Amaechi has been disrespectful to the First Lady and so on……That the President must do something about Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the NGF that he was leading before both turned out to be the President’s albatross in the year 2015.
Many things were done and attempted to be done against Oluwarotimi. His Rivers State aircraft was grounded, attempted (real or imagined) were made to get him impeached. Governor Akpabio was brought in to head a newly created PDP Governor’s Forum and eventually Governor Rotimi Amaechi was suspended from the political party PDP where he was also a member of the National Working Committee.
Nevertheless, the NGF election was held; then Oluwarotimi scored 19 votes to beat sleeping Jonah Jacobite’s group who had 16 votes. Next was the unfortunate declaration by Jonah Jang that he won the election, his faction opened a new NGF office and visited Jonathan who received Jang and other Governors who had failed to impose Jang, the generally unacceptable leader of the NGF.
The NGF election was instructive in some many respects. It was conducted under a President who covertly was interested in the outcome. It was done by governors in Nigeria who have the electoral mandates and to a very large extent, the electoral minds of their people. The process, though democratic, the result was annulled, 20 years after M.K.O Abiola suffered the same fate.
Many Nigerian leaders are bad students of Nigeria’s Political History. President Jonathan shot himself in the leg and wounded the North more. Before the election, the leader of the Northern Governor’s Forum, Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said emphatically that, Amaechi was their choice and that Jonathan agreed to a single term tenure with the North.
Predictably, what was the result of the 2015 Presidential Election, when Jonathan in PDP forced himself to contest? Obviously, it was 19 States against Jonathan’s 16 States, even if the APC, has not succeeded to gain more States and sitting Governors then. The question then was who are the people fooling the President? What and who will he use for re-election as President? Is it performance on power, security, the country’s corruption index, level of unemployment, Asari Dokunbo or Anenih who cannot win elections in their own States.
Moreover, the man who foisted him on Nigeria has said he had found a replacement after his (Jonathan’s mentor) heart in Lamido. Majority of Tambuwwal’s progressive members in the House of Representatives worked against Jonathan in 2015. While Ibrahim Babangida, Buhari, Tinubu, Okorocha, Kwankwaso and Wamakko openly opposed his ambition.
Whoever advised Jonathan to be interested in the NGF elections or to welcome Jang Caucus in Aso Rock did great damage to the goodluck of Mr. President. Like his predecessor Musa Yaradua was doing, he could have recognized the result of that election, congratulated Amaechi and let the sleeping dog lie.
The former President of Africa’s most populous country could state manly demystify the NGF, later, effectively, if he so wishes.
If the President observed, many of his aides did not defend the visit of Jang’s caucus to the President as they did not when he welcomed Nigerians into a new year with removal of fuel subsidy few years back.
Those Nigerians who Jonathan saw during those protests against the removal of oil subsidy in 2012 waited for the elections in 2015.
Jonathan could ask Babangida that if he had opportunity again, would he annul a validly conducted election in Nigeria or Obasanjo whether he would ever toy with the idea of third term agenda with Nigerians when they say no.
Jonathan finally got his rest after 2015 and Nigeria a change from Ebeleism. With patience, he had goodluck. If I were him then, I will start planning for rest before he was compulsorily rested. The massively angered Nigerians did not buy into the story that he “once had no shoes”.
And the resilience of Nigeria made it survive as a nation after the elections in 2015. Elections was held, it was successful in many parts of Nigeria. However, the sayings of the wise is relevant here “those who make peaceful change impossible, can make violent change inevitable”.
By Idowu Ayodele.
Politics
Oyo Rep, Oseni Pays APC Secretariat Staff Salaries, Donates N10m to Boost Party Operations
House of Representatives member and Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Aderemi Oseni, has fulfilled his pledge to support the welfare of the All Progressives Congress (APC) staff in Oyo State.
In a gesture highlighting his commitment, the lawmaker personally funded the salaries of staff at the APC’s Oke Ado Secretariat in Ibadan, reinforcing his dedication to the smooth operation of the party’s activities in the state.
Representing the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Oseni recently visited the secretariat, where he expressed gratitude to party leaders and members for their contributions.
As a further commitment to the smooth operation of the party’s activities, the lawmaker generously donated ten million naira (N10,000,000) as an allowance to enhance the secretariat’s functions.
In a statement released Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the lawmaker extended appreciation to the secretariat staff, whom he described as the backbone of the party’s daily functions.
He lauded their dedication, noting their essential role in advancing the party’s goals.
“Leadership is about service, and service begins with supporting those who make the party function from within,” Oseni remarked.
“I am proud to honour this commitment to our staff, as they play a crucial role in making our political structures work effectively. This is my way of showing appreciation for their unwavering dedication”, he added.
Politics
Oseni Salutes Senator Folarin’s Decades of Service at 61
Engr. Aderemi Oseni, representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, has paid tribute to former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin, on his 61st birthday, celebrating his decades of dedicated service and contributions to Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, Oseni, who also serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), lauded Folarin’s unwavering commitment to leadership and the well-being of the people.
Highlighting the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial nominee in the 2023 elections for three terms in the Senate, the lawmaker noted that Folarin’s legacy of service continues to be a guiding light for emerging leaders and a source of inspiration for countless individuals across the state.
“Senator Folarin has built an admirable legacy through years of selfless public service, consistently advocating for progress and unity,” remarked Oseni.
Reflecting on Folarin’s role as the Ikolaba Olubadan of Ibadanland, the lawmaker commended his leadership approach, which has bridged divides, fostered coalitions, and promoted initiatives aimed at stabilising democracy.
“Senator Folarin’s career is an example of visionary leadership,” he added, “and his commitment to public service will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
As Senator Folarin marks this milestone, Oseni extended warm wishes for his continued health and success, expressing hope that his exemplary life of service will keep inspiring positive change across the nation.
Politics
Ugandan Court Hands Ex-LRA Commander 40-Year Sentence
In a historic ruling, a Ugandan court on Friday sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison.
This landmark decision, marking the first time a member of the notorious LRA has faced trial for war crimes in a Ugandan court, follows the group’s brutal two-decade insurgency against the Ugandan government.
Kwoyelo, who was convicted in August on 44 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, faced charges including murder, rape, torture, pillaging, abduction, and the destruction of settlements for internally displaced people.
Michael Elubu, lead judge of the case at the International Crimes Division (ICD) of Uganda’s High Court, delivered the sentence in the northern city of Gulu, underscoring a rare moment of accountability in the decades-long history of the LRA’s violence.
Judge Elubu stated that Kwoyelo retains the right to appeal both his conviction and sentence within 14 days.
Kwoyelo, who was abducted by the LRA at the age of 12 and later rose to a low-level command position within the organization, denied all charges brought against him.
The Lord’s Resistance Army, founded by Joseph Kony in the 1980s, sought to establish a regime based on the Ten Commandments. Under Kony’s leadership, the group unleashed widespread terror across Uganda and neighboring regions, resulting in over 100,000 deaths and the abduction of 60,000 children.
The violence eventually spread to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic.
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