Category: Politics and Governance

‎Former Egbeda House Leader Declares for House of Reps Seat.

‎By Adewale Owoade

‎Hon. Dauda Raheem, former leader of Egbeda Local Government Legislative Arm, has officially declared his candidacy for the Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 elections under the APC.

Raheem made the declaration at a carnival-like event in Ibadan, highlighting his legislative experience and past achievements.

Raheem promised to bring dividends of democracy to the grassroots, focusing on empowerment, job creation, and sustainable development.

He vowed to introduce soft loans for women in small-scale businesses, secure jobs for youths, and ensure equitable resource allocation between Egbeda and Ona-Ara Local Governments.

He also pledged to work toward creating separate federal constituencies for the two local governments.

Former Egbeda Local Government Chairman, Hon. Sodiq Akintunde, lauded Raheem’s entry into the race, describing him as an experienced and capable politician.

Akintunde commended Raheem’s past performance, citing his establishment of an ICT Centre, job facilitation for youths, and contributions to community development.

Expressing optimism, Akintunde said the constituency was returning to “the good old ways” of politics and governance, adding that electing Raheem would guarantee better days for the people, especially women.

The event was attended by notable politicians, political associates, women groups, youths, and other well-wishers.

‎Flowerbud News/ The Democratic Front (TDF) has described the proposal by former Labour Party candidate Peter Obi for a single-term presidency to the opposition coalition as a display of sheer desperation to grab power at all costs.
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‎In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mallam Danjuma Muhammad and Secretary, Chief Wale Adedayo, the pro-democracy media group argued that it was a case of deceitful politics
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‎”We believe that Mr. Obi was just being clever by half, in a bid to evade the intricacies of Nigeria’s rotational presidency, as it affects Northern Nigeria in 2031, by putting forward such a hard-sell proposal with disregard to the realities of current economic challenges, both within and outside the country.
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‎”TDF considers it an exhibition of crass ignorance and intellectual underestimation of Nigeria’s socioeconomic and political challenges, for a former governor to assume that there is a magic wand that could solve the enormous problems confronting the nation in four years.
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‎”We wonder why he couldn’t achieve that feat in a smaller Anambra State, with enormous resources, as a two-term governor.
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‎”This psychological turn of events in Peter Obi’s campaign strategy confirms what Governor Charles Soludo said about a psychiatric evaluation for anyone making such a claim because no serious-minded, clear-headed presidential aspirant will present such a ridiculous proposal as a bait for election, given the enormous challenges of the office.
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‎”Like many people have said, more disturbing was his references to the tenure of leaders like Abraham Lincoln, John Kennedy and late Nelson Mandela, without proper context or appreciating that Nigeria of today does not, in any way, have any semblance of deep political or economic challenges those countries, had the time they all served as Presidents.
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‎”This further underlines Obi’s pedestrian knowledge and perception of the Nigerian situation.
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‎”We therefore view his proposal to serve for one term, if elected President, as unrealistic, deceptive, esoteric, and politically Machiavellian.
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‎”It simply reveals that he is selfishly ambitious to a fault, and overly driven by an uncontrollable desire for power,” the statement added.
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‎The group urged Nigerians to distance themselves from Obi’s political antics further.
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‎Flowerbud News/ The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the position of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on the external borrowing plan of the President Bola Tinubu administration as a public display of political gamesmanship.
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‎The opposition party had, through its spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister, questioned loans taken by the government and also sought a forensic audit of all loans taken by the All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2015 including their details, disbursement and utilisation.
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‎But in a statement signed by its Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG wondered why Abdullahi deliberately left out loans taken by the government he served at a time Nigeria had multiple oil booms.
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‎It said: “We noticed that as part of efforts to present itself as a credible alternative to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ADC has decided to raise the issue of external borrowing in the last ten years.
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‎”And just like what it recently said on the issue of refineries, ADC opted to restrict itself to successive APC administrations and demanded a probe of what it described as fiscal vandalism by the last two governments. This is laughable.
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‎”We are left to wonder how a former federal cabinet member like Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC spokesman, could resort to sheer deceit, gimmicky, and political gamesmanship on the issue of external borrowing plans when he claimed that the $21billion, 2024-2026 plan recently approved by the National Assembly would increase the country’s debt profile ‘before the end of the year’.
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‎”For us, there is no way a member of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration which sought and got the approval of the 7th National Assembly for ‘a portfolio of concessionary loans totalling $9.3 billion under its 2012-2014 Medium Term External Borrowing Plan’ could pretend not to be aware of what it entails more than ten years after.
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‎”It is also public knowledge that the same Goodluck administration had, within two months in office, brazenly pushed through an external borrowing plan for World Bank loan facilities totalling $915 million “for urban water and transport, human capacity and power infrastructure projects across the country.”
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‎”So we dare the ADC spokesman to show proof that the government he served in two different cabinet roles collected all the facilities it secured parliamentary approvals for before handing over in 2015.
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‎”This is because, like the Finance ministry had explained about two months ago, an external borrowing plan does not equate to actual borrowing for the period.
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‎”We need to add that contrary to ADC’s mischievous position, a borrowing plan does not mean an automatic increase in a nation’s debt stock and to take a cue from the initial clarification by the finance ministry, projects attached to the 2024-2026 plan approved by the National Assembly have multi-year draw-downs of between 5 – 7 years, which are project-tied loans including the one for the Eastern railway corridor that will transverse South East Nigeria.
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‎”For the avoidance of doubt, the actual borrowing for each year is contained in the annual budget, and in the case of 2025, the external borrowing component is US$1.23 billion. It is an outright falsehood to suggest that $20 billion will be added to the country’s debt by the end of the year.”
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‎TMSG also weighed in on ADC’s demand for an audit of loans collected by Nigeria in the last ten years.
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‎”Sadly, this is nothing but a continuation of the politics of deceit, chicanery, and subterfuge that this political party appeared to have adopted since it came as the preferred platform of failed opposition politicians
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‎”We wonder why ADC is demanding a probe of the loans taken in the last ten years only and not the preceding years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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‎”Like the notable think tank, Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) recently noted in a policy advisory on the nation’s refineries, we believe it would be more ideal to have a more extensive audit that will also cover the 2010 to 2015 period when the administration that Bolaji Abdullahi served as minister presided over a country that earned N51 trillion from crude oil sales alone.
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‎”This is because while the APC administrations’ loans were project-tied with visible outcomes, the same could not be said of the preceding administrations,” it said.
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‎The group argued that ADC’s demand for a forensic audit of the Muhammadu Buhari-era loans is a direct challenge to the late former president’s ministers in the party.
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‎”And for us, if there is any proof of ADC as a motley assembly of strange bedfellows, united in their collective anger over loss of power and privileges, this is it.
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‎”This is because we do not understand how a party spokesman could sign off on a statement that directly questions the roles of senior party members like former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and former Transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi, in external borrowings in eight of the ten years that ADC claimed APC administrations indulged in reckless borrowings.
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‎”Also baffling is that another former minister in the Buhari administration, Rauf Aregbesola is the National Secretary of a party that glibly questioned what a government he served for 8 years did with external borrowings of over $30 billion at a time of declining oil revenue.
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‎”So we are waiting to see how this ill-thought-out statement has triggered some tension in the ranks of an opposition party that is still struggling to survive an internal crisis of legitimacy,” the statement added.
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Gov. Makinde Flags Off PDP Campaign for House of Rep By-Election.

‎By Adewale Owoade

‎Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has rallied residents of Ibadan North Local Government to vote for Hon. Folajimi Oyekunle, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate in the forthcoming House of Representatives by-election scheduled for August 16, 2025.

‎The governor made the call during the official flag-off of the PDP campaign and the presentation of the party’s flag to Oyekunle, held at the Bodija International Market in Ibadan.

Gov Makinde praised Oyekunle’s experience as a former member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and his contributions to the state government as Deputy Chief of Staff, saying these qualities make him the ideal candidate to represent Ibadan North Federal Constituency.

The governor urged residents to mobilize voters to support the PDP candidate.

‎”I want to greet you, the people of Oyo State, especially the people of Ibadan North. You all know that I don’t have a godfather; I only have you, the people.

“Let me tell you that this forthcoming election is very important because we all need to prove a point that Oyo State is a PDP State.

‎”So, henceforth, when you go about campaigning from ward to ward; house to house, and some people are saying there is another party that can win apart from the PDP, please tell them it won’t happen in Oyo State.

“Our candidate that you will vote for on the 16th, who will go and represent the people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency, was once a member of the Oyo State House of Assembly and he did well.

‎“He didn’t disappoint you. I chose him as my Deputy Chief of Staff because of his good track record and antecedents.

‎”Based on what he has been able to do as my DCoS, we know he would deliver if he goes to Abuja to represent us. That is why we are supporting him.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director-General of the Campaign and former chairman of Ibadan North Local Government, Mr Ademola Omotosho, thanked Governor Makinde for his leadership and support for the PDP candidate and the party.

Other PDP leaders and chieftains, including former Deputy Governor Hazeem Gbolarumi and former Member of the House of Representatives Dada Abiodun Awoleye, also rallied support for the party’s candidate.

The event was attended by several dignitaries, including the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr Bayo Lawal, and other party officials. (NAN)

Flowerbud News/ The Social Advancement Forum SAF has said that there is no basis for comparison between the so-called African Democratic Congress coalition and the merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This, according to it, is because the personalities behind the APC merger were strong politicians with resilient party structures behind them.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Ibrahim Tahir, the group argued that the wobbling ADC ‘coalition’ is a gathering of individuals without full control of any political party structure but mere busybodies clutching and punching air.

“For us, the so-called 2025 coalition talks are so much farther apart from the 2013 merger movement that birthed the ruling APC.

“In APC’s case, it had two formidable leaders who were forging a partnership that had long been in the works. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the leader and partner of the movement, and Muhammadu Buhari was the anointed flagbearer and partner of the movement.

Both men were seen as totally in control of the two legacy parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Political Change (CPC)

“We are aware that even when some elements joined the merger process to hijack it at the primary stage, the partnership had a firm grip on the proceedings, and Muhammadu Buhari was unveiled.

“There is also the Buhari persona who, had a traditional 12 million votes from a cult-like followership in the north, was a formidable candidate that needed further support to succeed, while the other leader, Tinubu, made sure this success came to fruition by providing the spread and cohesion that Buhari’s presidential bid had lacked.

“Today, we do not have another Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s politics to sway voters massively. We also do not have another cooperative ally who is willing to sacrifice his ambition like Tinubu did”.

The group insisted that the ADC ‘coalition’ does not have the same clout as the APC when it emerged.

“The present coalition does not share the solidity of political robustness and camaraderie that existed between stakeholders of the 2015 merger.

“This coalition is filled with mutual suspicion and several vaulting ambitions. No one wants to support and relinquish leadership to another because they all want to be president.

They consist of persons from the immediate past administration, and the populace can easily see behind the facade of their movements. People in the present-day government are not jumping ship and joining the gang-up.

“For us, the coalition is building its foundation on thin air, grabbing a party and annexing its offices and positions illegally. This is so because the entire leadership of the ADC from all the states of the federation have taken them to court for the illegal and wrongful bid to take over their party from persons who are unknown to the ADC, and whose tenures as leaders have expired,” it added.

The group urged Nigerians to be wary of the attempt by the major stakeholders to present themselves as a viable option to the incumbent administration.

Southwest Governors Seek Solutions to Regional Challenges

 

By Adewale Owoade

 

Governors in Nigeria’s Southwest region are working together to address pressing issues affecting the area, including food insecurity, infrastructure development, economic integration, and regional security.

 

This was disclosed by Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun during a private visit to his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, in Ibadan.

 

Governor Abiodun emphasised the need for state executives to collaborate in finding lasting solutions to common challenges.

 

He stressed that this collective approach would pave the way for all-round development and improve the lives of citizens in the region.

 

“Today have come to discuss such matters of mutual interest and importance with my brother, Gov Makinde, you can see that every day in our sub regions we continue to host major investors, and because of the contiguousness of our states, Ogun state is contiguous to Oyo on so many fronts.

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‎“At a time like this, which has presented itself for us to look at how to strengthen that economy relationships that we have especially in the Agric sector, as we are all striving for food security and sovereignty.

 

“Our discussion is centered about how we can further collaborate to ensure we eat what grow and we grow what we eat, and we turn our region into the Bread basket of this country.

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‎“Oyo State is doing a lot in Fashola farm and we also doing a lot in Odeda, and those areas are better areas.

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‎“We come also to discuss security issues as well; I know how both states and other states in the Southwest were championing the issue of Amotekun which had been very helpful.

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“To gather and provide intelligence for our people, strengthen our security architecture,” Abiodun said

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