Politics
Stand Up For Your Own In Rivers Crisis, PDP Youth Challenges Atiku, Others
A youth activist and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Tom Fredfish, has condemned the silence of top party leaders over the protracted crisis in Rivers State.
In an interview with journalists in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Fredfish expressed dismay over what he described as “the deafening silence of the national leadership of PDP and key elders and stakeholders of the party,” stressing that “they should speak now or bury their heads in shame.”
“This is when democracy loving Nigerians should no longer keep silent. Hence, the national leadership of the PDP must stand up firmly and take a position in support of their own,” he noted.
“The high point of these crises is orchestrated by attempts made by Wike to continuously hold on to power and the political structure of Rivers State, even after leaving office as governor.
“This has constrained many Nigerians to be concerned about why the PDP and other stakeholders have not taken a firm stand supporting the governor. Are they afraid to speak the truth? Are they scared of Nyesom Wike? Why are they shying away from calling out and condemning Wike’s autocratic cravings?
“I am particularly worried that the chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and PDP’s national chairman, Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagun, have continued to maintain incalculable silence in a matter that directly concerns them, and has serious implications for the future of the PDP.
“It is shameful, pathetic, and a betrayal of trust for these leaders who pride themselves as democrats to remain neutral in the face of challenges in Rivers State, where the governor is one of their own. The actions of PDP leaders contravene the party’s principles and ideals.
“The motto of our party, the PDP, is justice, unity, and progress; as such, the leadership of the PDP has desecrated the very ethos on which the party is built. Where is Justice if 27 persons who publicly defected from the PDP, announcing their defection on the floor of the House, would then make a turnaround to claim that they still belong to the PDP, which they violated?
“Where is unity in the PDP, if the leaders cannot stand firm to say, ‘Enough is enough’ to Wike and his agents and make every necessary move to unify the party? Where is progress if the PDP cannot put its house in order and ensure that it stands firm as the major opposition party in the country?
“To remain silent in the face of intimidating forces who have sworn to frustrate Governor Sim Fubara, a governor under the PDP, is treachery. What is more amazing is that former vice president Atiku Abubakar is in the news criticising the APC-led government every other day but has failed to condemn the undemocratic acts in Rivers State,” he said.
Politics
Why I Won’t Help Tinubu’s Govt Overcome Economic Challenges – Sanusi
The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, says he would not help President Bola Tinubu’s administration to correct the administration’s policies affecting the citizens.
Emir Sanusi spoke on Wednesday in Lagos as the chairman of the 21st Anniversary of Fawehinmiism (Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture 2025).
The emir stated that while there were “a few points” he could offer to explain the trajectory the administration had taken and how such decisions were predictable, he chose not to do so because “they don’t behave like friends.”
He said explaining the government’s policies would help the government, but he did not intend to assist them due to the way they had treated him.
“I can give a few points that are contrary, that explain perhaps what we’re going through and how it was totally predictable, most of it, and maybe avoidable. But I am not going to do that.
“I have chosen not to speak about the economy or the reforms or to even explain anything because if I explain, it would help this government, but I don’t want to help this government,” the emir said while addressing some of the points made by speakers about the economy.
He added: “You know they’re my friends, but if they don’t behave like friends, I don’t behave like a friend. So I watch them being stooges. And they don’t even have people with credibility who can come and explain what they are doing. I am not going to help. I started out helping, but I am not going to help. I am not going to discuss it. Let them come and explain to Nigerians why the policies that are being pursued are being pursued.
“Meanwhile, I’m watching a very nice movie with popcorn in my hands. But I will say one thing: What we are going through today is, at least in part, not totally, but at least in part, a necessary consequence of decades of irresponsible economic management.
“People were told decades ago that if you continue along this path, this is where you’re going to end up, and they refused to open their eyes. Now, is everything being done today correct? No.”
Emir Sanusi, who was deposed as the 14th Emir of Kano in 2020 by then-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the current national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was reinstated as the 16th Emir of Kano in 2024 by the New Nigeria People’s Party-led Kano State Government.
His emirship has faced ongoing challenges from forces believed to be backed by the federal government, including federal officials’ continued recognition of his predecessor, Emir Aminu Ado Bayero.
Last month, the police barricaded his palace, with the state government accusing the federal government of orchestrating the action to stir unrest in the peaceful state.
Politics
Reps Loses Deputy Chief Whip
The Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Oriyomi Onanuga, is dead.
Also known as Ijaya, Rt Hon. Onanuga, who was the member representing Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency, is said to have died following a brief illness.
This was confirmed in a tweet on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday night.
Rt Hon Onanuga, who was born in Hammersmith, London, to Nigerian parents on December 2, 1965, was a politician and entrepreneur. She held the position of Deputy Chief Whip in the Nigerian House of Representatives since 2023.
She contested and won a seat in the House of Representatives under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019. She also served as the Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development.
Politics
Aiyedatiwa Dissolves Cabinet, Retains Finance Commissioner, Attorney-General
Gov. Aiyedatiwa, however, exempted two members of the cabinet from the dissolution due to the critical nature of their duties.
The two commissioners exempted include the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Kayode Ajulo, SAN, and the Commissioner for Finance, Mrs. Omowunmi Isaac.
This was contained in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Mr Adeniyan said in the statement that “All the affected cabinet members are to hand over all government properties in their care to the accounting officers of their respective ministries.
Gov. Aiyedatiwa thanked the executive council members “for their service and contributions to the development of Ondo State under his administration and wished them well in their future endeavours”.
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