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Oyo LG Tussle: APC Calls For Buhari, NASS Intervention, Accuses Makinde Of Impunity
The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly, under Senator Ahmed Lawan and Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, to prevail on Governor Oluseyi Makinde to desist from further actions capable of impeding smooth operation of democracy and general administration of the third tier of government in the state.
Oyo APC’s call came on the heel of Engr. Makinde’s announcement, last week, that he would appoint his party members as Caretaker Chairmen and Sole Administrators into the 33 local government councils and 35 local council development areas across the state respectively following a lull occasioned by the prevention of the elected officials to perform their responsibilities by the new PDP administration.
In a statement issued in Ibadan and made available to journalists on Monday by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Prince Ayobami Adejumo, Oyo APC described the latest plans by Makinde to foist his loyalists and PDP members on the people at the local government level as not only an affront against the Judiciary but also a shameful decision aimed at positioning some lackeys for a possible hatchet job in view of his imminent sack from office.
“In the history of our dear country, there has never been anywhere in all the 36 States and the FCT where the executive offices in all the local government councils were locked for more than six months simply because a governor would order the sack of elected officials. But this happened in our own Oyo State when the PDP Governor began to manifest flagrant disregard to the Oath of Office he swore to right from the day of his inauguration. Gov. Makinde ordered a prospective appointee to announce the withdrawal of the mandate of hundreds of validly elected council officials and this was without any reasonable justification.
“Without mincing words, the whole word is aware of a subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court which frowns at the actions being taken by Makinde as it declared as illegal, null and void, any dissolution of elected local government councils by any state governor and/or state House of Assembly. “The governor is fully aware of this and the specific judgement of the Oyo State High Court, which called attention to the Apex Court’s incontrovertible verdict and thus restrained the Oyo State governor and House of Assembly from dissolving local governments.
“Gov. Makinde did not only deliberately flout these subsisting court orders/judgements, he also took other dangerous steps by illegally dissolving OYSIEC, a constitutional body with a specified tenure provided by our constitution. Meanwhile, Gov. Makinde made public his incompetence and poor understanding of the concept of constitutional democracy when he covertly sought to bribe the entire members of the State Independent Electoral Commission through a bait of upfront payment of their salaries for the whole of their five-year tenure which had not run to two years as at the time he claimed to have dissolved the statutory Commission. This action alone raises both moral and legal questions as to why the reckless use of tax payers’ money for illegal, selfish and partisan ends?
“At this juncture, it is imperative to draw the attention of the Presidency to the executive rascality and political heists being witnessed in Oyo State in the hands of some desperate political players who would stop at nothing to subject the nation’s judiciary to a ridicule and also desecrate the institution of democracy and the rule of law. How would a governor ground the activities of the third tier of government when he can never wish for the President to use the federal might on him? It is time President Buhari called Gov. Makinde to order before the situation gets out of hand.
“In the same vein, both the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Abuja have a role to play on this matter if it just only to safeguard the sanctity of the judiciary and forestall possible breakdown of law and order in Oyo state which is an integral part of the country. A man who left his duty post in Oyo in company of some violent elements to disturb the peaceful conduct of elections in far away Kogi State cannot be ignored when it comes to attempts to set the whole nation on fire for selfish reasons.” Oyo APC stated.
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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