Politics
Group tells APC critical stakeholders in Edo to discountenance Gen Cecil’s report

***says the report stinks as it is motivated by stomach infrastructure
The General Cecil Esekhaigbe report on Edo Central Senatorial district concerning the forthcoming guber election should be disregarded as it does not reflect anything positive for the people of the district, a group under the aegis of Concerned Esan Indigenes for Good Governance has indicated.
The convener of the group Monday Isibor in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday said it is disturbed by the number of governorship aspirants from the zone.
The statement reads,
“Concerned about the high number of governorship aspirants from Edo Central Senatorial District (Esan Land) some groups and individuals have, for months now, been appealing that some aspirants should step down in favour of stronger aspirants.
“This is in order to boost the chances of Esan persons getting their respective political party ticket and emerging as governor in 2024. Presumably to this end, General Cecil Esekhaigbe (Rtd), who is the leader of APC Edo Central, convened a screening exercise on 30th and 31st October in Abuja.
“At the end of the exercise, he promised to communicate the decision to the aspirants but surprisingly, the following morning the media was awash with conflicting lists of the report of the screening exercise.
“Initially, the General issued a disclaimer but when he eventually released his report about three weeks later it more or less tallied with a list that had been in circulation but which he denied.
“The list contained six names which were in the following order:
1.Rt. Hon. Festus Ebea
2.Senator Monday Okpebholo
3.Col. David Imuse Rtd
4.Hon. Victor Eboigbe
5.Rt. Hon. Thomas Okosun
6.Senator (Prof.) Oserheimen Osunbor.
“At a meeting he convened in Benin on Sunday 26 November 2023, he further reduced the number to three which he read out in his order of ranking, namely:
1.Hon. Festus Ebea
2.Senator Monday Okpebholo and
3.Col. David Imuse (Rtd).
“The other aspirants, he announced were disqualified by him. That report has been widely received with disquiet and outrage by keen observers.
“The public is advised to disregard the Gen. Cecil’s report in its entirety as a complete waste of time for the following reasons, among many others.
“By virtue of the APC Guidelines for the Nomination of Candidates, the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress, the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Gen. Cecil lacks the power to screen aspirants, much less disqualify anyone.
“The panel members that conducted the screening were handpicked by the General without any input from the recognized organs of the party from the Ward, LGA, State, Zonal or National. He singlehandedly selected the members and made himself the Chairman.
“He wrote the report and handed it down to the select stakeholders that he personally invited to the meeting in Benin on 26th November.
“When members demanded that the report be debated, as is standard practice at political meetings, he bluntly refused. Many retired Generals and other military officers have proved to be outstanding politicians but this General has showed that he is yet to imbibe the tenets of democracy.
“In a move that defies explanation, he invited Dr. Washington Osa-Osifo, a governorship aspirant from Edo South to screen Edo Central aspirants and he participated actively in the exercise.
“Another member of the panel was Hon. Patrick Agwinede, who is a known supporter and spokesman for Hon. Dekeri Anamero (Danco), a governorship aspirant from Edo North.
“General Cecil has up till now failed to explain the criteria he used for the screening which made Hon. Festus Ebea, a former Deputy Speaker, to defeat Hon. Thomas Okosun, a former Speaker, former Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of Nigeria and former State Chairman of ACN.
“The same Hon. Ebea was rated higher than Prof. Osunbor, a respected national figure, a First-Class scholar, Professor of Law, two-term Senator and past governor of Edo State.
“In like manner, Sen. Monday Okpebholo who has spent only five months in the Senate was ranked second, beating Osunbor to sixth position. The question on everyone’s lips is how did General Cecil arrive at this bizarre result?
“Unless he provides credible answers to these questions the public may be left to believe the insinuations making the rounds, that the exercise was marred by monetary inducements by one of the aspirants who is said to have bank-rolled the entire exercise.
“Or it could be that the General merely used the exercise as a smokescreen to promote his own ambition by trading-off the popular clamour for a governor of Esan extraction in order to become a deputy to an aspirant from Edo North or Edo South.
“The public is strongly implored to disregard this senseless and shameful report purportedly coming from Edo Central. It is a blunder, useless and should be consigned as trash to the dustbin of history.
“The good people of Edo State deserve to be commended for the consensus which has emerged that the governorship should rotate to Edo Central this time.
“They should not allow self-serving individuals with a history of anti-party activities to change their patriotic resolve that the next governor should come from Edo Central.
“That Gen. Cecil report is a disservice to Esan people and the desire of Edo State people for power rotation as has become established at the national level and in many States.”
Politics
Obi did received N850m from Abure, Tanko clarifies

***describes claim as malicious
The Obi – Datti Chief Spokesman, Dr Yunusa Tanko has clarriffied insinuation by one Mr Calistus Okafofor that the National Chairman of Labour Party Barrester Julius Abure, gave the Presidential Candidate of the party, Peter Obi eight hundred and fifty million Naira, (N850million) to prosecute the 2023 election.
Dr Tanko while debunking the clai said Obi did not collect any funds from the party describing the claim as false, adding that the reverse is the case.
He noted that it was Obi who actually gave money to the party severally.
He challenged Okafor to produce evidence, if actually the chairman told him that he gave Obi money for the purpose of campaign during the election.
“His Exellency has been exemplary in his financial conduct in both his private and public life.
“infact he always matain and always demand for Accountability and Transparency from anybody around
him.
He maintaned that anybody around him should not collect any money from anyone that he or she can not account for.
Dr Tanko declared that he was in the forefront of the campaign and privy to most of the expenses during the campaign and to the best of his knowledge, the party never provided any money directly to Obi to support his campaign rallies across the country.
The Campaign spokesman further stressed that Obi and his supporters were quite aware of all the campaign of calumny being orchestrated of recent from various quarters against the LP leader just to paint him in bad faith by those scared of his rising acceptance by the Nigerian people.
“We are aware that people are already scheming for 2027 and it is unfortunate that certain individuals have chosen to divert attention from the high rate of insecurity and poverty that are currently threatening the very existence of our nation by constantly attacking the personality of Peter Obi.
“Those are the enemy of Nigeria and Nigerians but l know that God will disappoint them and rescue our country from their grips whether they believe it or not’.
Politics
Ondo 2024: Over 250 political structures join forces with Omoluabi Coalition Group

Some political groups and structures of governorship aspirants in Ondo State numbering over 250 have joined forces with the Omoluabi Coalition Group ahead of November Governorship elections in Ondo State.
This took place on Monday 27th of May 2024 at an expanded Exco’ meeting held in Ore, where the President of the Yoruba Council- YCW; the apex umbrella body for all Yoruba socio cultural groups Aare Barr. Oladotun Hassan received the groups executives from all the 18 local governments across the sunshine state.
Aare Hassan in his welcome address admonished them to remain steadfast, and always imbibe Omoluabi ethos in their conducts.
He stressed the need for the remaining political structures in the state to join forces with Omoluabi Coalition to decide who will govern the State for the next four years, as this governorship election “is not about political party but the candidates”.
The DG Omoluabi Coalition Group Tunji Balogun emphasized the importance of voters card, as he urged those yet to collect theirs to go to INEC offices in their respective local governments for collections.
He said the groups’ target across the state is 200,000 votes. whereas the compilation of registered voters cards at the moment is still 124,678 which is far below target.
He therefore mandated the new members to register their voters cards on the group’s portal for proper documentation.
The woman leader, Yeye Atunluse Oodua Alhaja Tawakalitu while welcoming the new affiliated groups explained that Omoluabi Coalition Group is an independent apolitical and sociocultural group in Yoruba land committed to good governance, aimed at strengthening the democratic process.
She also gave her admonition and assurances that come November governorship election in Ondo state, the choice of Omoluabi Coalition would emerged as governor.
Other speakers included the youth leaders, and state commanders who also corroborated the statements earlier made by the group leaders.
In his closing remarks, the DG Omoluabi coalition advised all members to remain focused and loyal, stressing that the leaders are in consultation with leaders of thought and stakeholders in the State with assurances that “we shall come up with the right choice in the interest of our dear state”.
Omoluabi souvenirs were freely distributed to new members, while the inauguration of streets captains in all 203 wards would come up at a later date.
Politics
I withdrew suit against APC, Aiyedatiwa after Tinubu’s intervention, says Jimoh Ibrahim

The Senator Jimoh Ibrahim representing Ondo South said he has withdrawn his suit against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa after President Bola Tinubu intervened.
Senator Ibrahim had dragged the APC candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the State Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the party before the Federal High Court Abuja where he challenged the gubernatorial primary election of the APC held recently in Ondo state.
Ibrahim had alleged that there was no voting in his Senatorial district and a larger part of the State.
Following the suit, the executives of the APC in Igbotako Ward II, Okitipupa local government area of Ondo State, suspended Ibrahim from the party over alleged anti-party activities and insubordination.
However, Ibrahim at a briefing at the Senate on Tuesday, said he withdrew the suit in deference to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who waded in the issue.
Ibrahim in his statement in Abuja titled: “Presidential intervention and notice of withdrawal suit No.
FHC /ABJ/ CS/588/2024,”said: “The suit is now withdrawn due to the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
“The President called me, had a meeting with me, and assured me that he will as the leader of the party improve on internal democracy within our party, and i will need to withdraw the case to enable him to chart a way forward.
“The Governor of Ondo state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, earlier visited my Asokoro residence for several hours after another unsuccessful visit to my hotel room in Akure.
“I cannot disobey the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the issue am fighting for is not personal.
“It is simply to improve internal democracy to which the President has promised improvement. My respect for the President is absolute!
“Let me use this opportunity to thank Mr. President for the words of wisdom and encouragement during my meeting with him which lasted over one hour and his various interactions with me on the telephone during which he emphasized his commitment to internal democracy over and over again. Thank you, Mr. President.
“The withdrawal of this legendary suit coincides with the first anniversary of Mr. President’s incredible performance in office, and this is my gift of the ‘cake’ of the first anniversary”
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