Politics
Sycophancy elevated under Buhari govt – Shehu Sani
Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, Senator Shehu Sani, has said sycophancy under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has been elevated to historic levels.
Sani, who represents Kaduna Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, stated this while airing his thought over the undue emphasis of pro- and anti-Buhari cliques within the federal legislature.
Buttressing his point with the recent issue of re-ordering election sequence, Senator Shehu Sani told NewTelegraph newspaper: “The mood in the National Assembly is that the majority of lawmakers are not happy with the President vetoing the election sequence bill, and when the majority is not happy, you can predict what the outcome is going to be.
“The idea that the Senate is trampling upon the duties and rights of INEC is not true. Nobody is stopping INEC from fixing dates; all that we are saying is for it to rearrange the order of elections. And unfortunately, in Nigeria today, everything is now interpreted on the basis of whether you are for Buhari or against Buhari.
“You can imagine senators who have won elections on the platform of APC and have worked for Buhari to succeed as a President, simply because we have a different view with regard to others, and then they will be tagged as being ‘anti-Buhari’.
“We have reached a point whereby in the National Assembly today, if you are supposed to eat rice and then you go ahead to eat beans, if Buhari loves to eat rice, they will say that you are anti-Buhari. So, the pro and anti-Buhari formula is now applying to people who are simply exercising their constitutional rights as legislators.
“The only time you are not going to be considered anti-Buhari is when you agree with everything the Presidency says, and even go ahead to be sycophantic about it. Then that is when you will be termed as pro-Buhari or else, any view, any position or anything you do, you are most likely going to be anti-Buhari.
“In fact, even if you wear clothes nowadays that doesn’t look like that of Buhari; they will say that you are anti-Buhari. So, I don’t know how our President from our party will now be our enemy simply because we say that we don’t agree with him on one issue, we become anti-Buhari. Now, Buhari that vetoed the position of the Senate, is he going to be addressed as “anti-Senate or is he anti-National Assembly? The people who are currently in detention contrary to court orders, is Buhari going to be called anti-democracy for that? No.
“We have just elevated sycophancy in our system, up to the position of even undermining the duties of people to defend democratic institutions. As far as I am concerned, that is my position on that.
“The only way is that you will be altruistic in Nigeria for people to understand this re-ordering of elections is for the National Assembly to come up with a law and say nobody in the National Assembly should contest election; only people who love Buhari should contest. Then they will say that National Assembly is altruistic. Otherwise, any action you take is certainly going to be suspicious.
“Nigerians have been raising issues of its elections, and this re-ordering is an opportunity for them to elect legislators they like and also de-elect those they don’t like; and the only way to go about it is to reorder the sequence of our elections and see how we can do the elections in peace. If president Buhari is popular with the people, even if you make his election the last, he is certainly going to win.
“But all that the members of the National Assembly are saying is elect us or elect us out. This new order will prevent mass conviction or what they call the bandwagon effect, whereby people will be elected because Buhari has been elected, and not those they are the right candidates.”
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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.
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.
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.
(FILES) Thomas Kwoyelo a commander of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebellion blamed for brutal civilian murders during a 20-year war in the north of the country is brought into a courthouse in the northern Ugandan town of Gulu on July 25, 2011. – A Ugandan court on October 25, 2024 sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of terror. The sentence against Kwoyelo, who was convicted on 44 counts of crimes against humanity in August, was announced by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case at the court in the northern city of Gulu. (Photo by MICHELE SIBOLINI / AFP)
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.
(FILES) Suspected LRA (Lords Resistance Army) member Thomas Kwoyelo is pictured during a pre-trial session at the High Court in Kampala on Februay 1, 2017. – A Ugandan court on October 25, 2024 sentenced former Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years in prison after a landmark war crimes trial over his role in the group’s two-decade reign of terror. The sentence against Kwoyelo, who was convicted on 44 counts of crimes against humanity in August, was announced by Michael Elubu, the lead judge in the case at the court in the northern city of Gulu. (Photo by GAEL GRILHOT / AFP)
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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