Category: Politics and Governance

Ahead of November 2024 Governorship poll in Ondo State, a socio-political forum, Ondo Elite Group, has warned against any move to tamper with the political structure in Ondo State. (more…)

Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has joined the annual prayer session organized by the Civil Servants of the state to herald the new working year. (more…)

Indigenes of Owo community in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, where the late ex-Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu hailed from, have appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to pick his deputy from the community.

The indigenes, under the aegis of a socio-cultural group, the Imade Development Association, IDA, said with the move, Aiyedatiwa will honour the memory of his late boss.

 

According to the group, picking a deputy from Owo will serve as compensation for the untimely death of their prominent son, Akeredolu, who died a few days ago in Germany after a long battle with prostate cancer.

 

The group, which expressed sadness over the demise of Akeredolu, stated that if the request is neglected, the polarisation of the state along ethnic and political lines might continue to escalate.

 

During a press briefing, the Chairman of IDA, Segun Ogunbadeniyi, the Secretary, Femi Fadaisi, and the Publicity Secretary, Julius Adesola, maintained that the community will not rest until Aiyedatiwa picks an Owo man as deputy.

 

Ogunbadeniyi, who read the communiqué on behalf of the group, stressed that with the passing of Akeredolu, who hails from Owo, it is crucial to safeguard the interests and aspirations of the town.

 

In our opinion, the joint ticket that expires in February 2025 is Owo/Ilaje. We do not understand any calculations outside of it.

 

“Whoever picks the ticket of the APC or PDP next year can therefore decide which zone to produce the Deputy Governor.

 

“Any attempt to erase Owo from the calculation until February 2025 by Aiyedatiwa, in our opinion, is unfair, not equitable, and can cause division in body politics,” he said.

 

The group maintained that there are prominent Owo indigenes that are capable of being deputy governors.

 

The names reeled out that should be considered for the position include Hon. Niran-Sule Akinsuyi, who the group said was in the trenches with Akeredolu during the 2016 elections; the Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly; Hon. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi; Mr. Zach Adetula; and Chief Jamiu Ekungba.

 

“Picking from this list will be a fair deal for all stakeholders. The current situation is a joint ticket between Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa, which they assiduously worked for,” he added.

The immediate past Minister of Interior and ex-Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has told his supporters that before the end of the year 2024, they would know where his interest in Osun politics lies.

 

Aregbesola spoke in Ilesa, Osun State at an end-of-the-year thanksgiving organised by the Omoluabi Caucus, attended by many leaders of the group across the state.

 

A video capturing Aregbesola’s speech at the event was shared on Facebook by one Lekan Arogundade.

 

The ex-governor narrated how his efforts to ensure that the All Progressives Congress approached the 2022 governorship election as a united party was frustrated.

Aregbesola said ahead of the election, which then-Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the APC lost to the Peoples Democratic Party’s Ademola Adeleke, he (Aregbesola) met with representatives of the APC ‘overall leader’ on how appointments should be shared.

 

Aregbesola, however, said the ‘overall leader’ of their party failed to fulfill the agreements.

 

He said he stayed away from the 2022 Osun APC governorship campaign, following the declaration by a leader of the campaign organisation that anyone not invited should not bother to come.

 

Speaking in Yoruba language, Aregbesola further said, “I have not said this before. On August 26, 2021, our overall leader told us to meet two of his representatives in Abuja.

 

Thirty-one people from my group met with the representatives of our overall leader. The meeting started around 10 pm and ended at about 4 a.m. I was not part of the meeting. But they agreed that those pushed out of the party should be reintegrated.

 

“Those at the meeting also agreed that those in government then were more and because of that, in both appointive and elective posts that were still vacant, they should give our own side one-third while they take two-thirds.

 

“The representative of our overall boss was impressed. I told him whatever my people had told them, I agreed to it. But I gave them some conditions that I will not reveal now if they want me to come and campaign during the governorship election. But we never heard anything again about that agreement to date.

 

“The leader of their governorship campaign said on OSBC that anybody who was not invited should not come for the campaign. So, I had to stay away. No true Yoruba man would hear such a declaration and will still go to where he was not invited.

 

“They didn’t stop at that. They went on a campaign of calumny against me. It was after they failed that they started looking for where to lay the blame. They are shameless.

 

“They ate their words. By their second year in office, they said it was because they were relating to me that made them not win on the first ballot during the (2018 governorship) election. In November 2020, they said we had Ebola (to avoid a relationship with us). They said we didn’t pay workers’ salaries and pensions. I wanted to come for the second anniversary (of Oyetola in office), but we were told people didn’t want to see us.”

 

Speaking on his plans regarding politics in the state, he said, “We are unperturbed. God will judge each one of us on the role we play in the matter. I deliberately speak about it today because people are just muddling up issues. But by the grace of God, by this time in 2024, you will know where we are heading. It will be clear to everyone where Osun people are heading.

 

 

 

Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) has expressed gratitude to Nigeria and paid tribute to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Nigeria, for supporting electoral processes and the consolidation of democracy in Liberia.

Speaking at the dedication of an Information and Technology (IT) Workspace for NEC staff in Monrovia, officiated by Prof. Yakubu at the weekend, NEC Chairperson, Madam Davidetta Browne-Lansanah acknowledged the critical technical support provided by Nigeria to NEC Liberia, facilitated by INEC and Prof. Yakubu, including for the establishment of the IT Workspace.

She expressed NEC Liberia’s profound gratitude for “the indispensable contributions made by Prof. Yakubu and INEC Nigeria in sustaining Liberia’s democratic journey.”

The NEC Chairperson recalled Prof. Yakubu’s role as President of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) 2017-2019, which resulted in the repositioning of the Network, and his advocacy for resource-sharing among regional Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs).

She recalled that INEC dispatched technical experts to assist NEC with critical preparations for Liberia’s Presidential election in 2017, the 2020 Constitutional Referendum and the implementation of biometric registration ahead of the successful October/November 2023 Elections.

The ECOWAS Commission, UNDP, and Ambassador Babatunde Ajisomo also played key roles in support of NEC Liberia, during his tour as Special Representative of the ECOWAS Commission’s President in Liberia.

Nigeria has also provided election logistics and technical assistance on request to other ECOWAS EMBs such as Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, facilitated by INEC.

Madam Browne-Lansanah, who has served as ECONEC First Vice-President thanked Prof Yakubu for his steadfast support of NEC-Liberia in various regional endeavours.

In his response, Prof. Yakubu expressed his heartfelt appreciation to NEC-Liberia for acknowledging INEC Nigeria’s contributions and honouring him with the dedication of the IT Workspace.

He emphasized the value of sharing resources, information, and experiences, toward enhancing the operational capabilities of EMBs with IT facilities.

Prof Yakubu emphasized the significance of inter-EMB collaboration in addressing the complexity of election management and called for prioritizing of peer support given the limited resources and escalating election costs.

Dignitaries that graced the dedication ceremony included the UN Resident Coordinator in Liberia, Christine N. Umutoni; Charge d’ Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in Liberia, Mr Manir Ibrahim; a Representative of the Liberian Bar Association, Co-Chairperson, NEC Board of Commissioners, senior government officials, and staff of NEC Liberia. (Flowerbudnews)

The Ondo State House of Assembly has passed the 2024 Appropriation bill of N 395, 257,000,000.

The passage was consequent upon the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, presented by its Chairman, Mr. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, during the plenary session. (more…)

By Alaba Olusola Oke

Ondo State House of Assembly on Friday passed the 2024 Appropriation bill of N395.2 billion.

The passage followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, presented by its Chairman, Mr Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, during the plenary session.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that Acting Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa recently presented a N385 billion Appropriation Bill to the Assembly.

NAN reports that the proposed budget comprised Capital Expenditure of N222.2 billion with the Recurrent Expenditure of N172.9 billion.

Ogunmolasuyi, who represents Owo Constituency 1/APC, said that the estimate passed by the assembly was higher than what the governor presented by over N10.7 billion.

“The committee after an interface with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for defense of their estimates, amended the original bill and recommended N395 billion.

“The state government should take necessary steps to ensure that internally generated revenue is sustained and improved and that the budget meets the needs of Ondo State people.

“The Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget and Ministry of Finance, in conjunction with the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service, should ensure that they boost revenue of the state with details of extant laws,” he said.

The lawmakers unanimously adopted the report thereafter.

The bill was read for the third time by the Clerk of the House, Mr Benjamin Jayeola, as directed by the Speaker, Chief Olamide Oladiji.

Commenting on the bill, Oladiji said that if signed into law, it would turn around the state and trigger development and growth.

He said that with the bill, the governor would be well equipped to serve people of the state and deliver dividends of democracy.

Oladiji prayed that God would grant the state governor wisdom and wherewithal to steer the state to a destination of fulfilment.

He commended the committee for its promptness and timeliness as regards the bill and extended the appreciation to the state Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget for a job well done.

The lawmakers also passed the N6 billion Appropriation Bill for the services of the Ondo State Internal Revenue Service (ODIRS) for 2024.

The ODIRS Bill has N5.4 billion for the Recurrent Expenditure while N855.4 million is for the Capital Expenditure.

The lawmakers earlier paid tribute to late Governor of the state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who died on Wednesday.

Mr Olatunji Oshati (APC/Ose) said that late Akeredolu was a unifying personality with honesty, asking all especially politicians to toe the path of the former governor to ensure good governance.

Similarly, the speaker said that the news of the demise of the late governor was devastating, describing him as a fighter for justice and humanitarian services.

He said that he would be remembered for good legacies, having stood for fairness and equity.

According to him, late Akeredolu was a visionary leader, saying that his massive projects cut across the state.

He was able to reduce the bar of poverty in the state through increase of revenue of the state to embark on projects that could touch lives of the masses.

Oladiji prayed that God would grant the deceased eternal rest and comfort his immediate family and the state.

There was a minute silence observed in honour of the late governor and the lawmakers before the parliarment went on a recess for 28 days.

NAN