The senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, Kola Balogun, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This is contained in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Dapo Falade, on Monday in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Balogun, a younger brother of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Lekan Balogun, is the Vice-Chairman of, the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development.
NAN reports that Mr. Balogun’s resignation was coming a few days after he was denied a return ticket.
The ticket had been handed to Chief Joseph Tegbe, who recently defected to the PDP from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr. Balogun’s resignation from the PDP was contained in a letter dated April 28 and addressed to the chairman of the party in Ward 12, Ibadan North-East Local Government Area.
He said the letter was received and acknowledged by the PDP Ward Chairman, Tijani Wasiu, on April 29.
He thanked the party for giving him the opportunity in the ninth Senate, saying his resignation took effect from April 28.
Mr. Balogun said he enjoyed the cooperation of the PDP leadership and its members throughout the month of April and wished the party the best of luck.
“I, Sen. Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the ninth Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, hereby tender my membership resignation from PDP with effect from April 28.
“I thank the party for giving me the opportunity to serve my people in the capacity of a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and your cooperation which I enjoyed till the month of April 2022.
“I wish the party the best of luck. I thank you,” Mr. Balogun said in the letter.
Mr. Balogun was the only PDP senator from the state in the ninth senate until his resignation.
NAN reports that Mr. Balogun’s resignation from the PDP is coming less than 48 hours after scores of PDP and ADC leaders defected to the APC in the state.
The Executive Governor of Ondo State and Chairman of South West Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to take a position on zoning ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Akeredolu, who made the call in a statement on Tuesday said the issue of zoning must not throw the party into another round of crisis.
Recall that the APC Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja last week, told reporters that the party had not taken a stance on zoning.
“I am today privileged to be the chairman of the party. The party is greater than me. The party has not made a decision and I cannot preempt what the party decision will be,” he had said.
Akeredolu said; “Our party, the All Progressives Congress, has started the process which will eventually culminate in the presentation of elected political leaders, who must steer the affairs of the country for another term. We have been able to hold the party’s Convention successfully. New officers of the party have emerged in a process that is widely acknowledged as rancor-free. The level of understanding and maturity displayed by all and sundry has been commendable. Known adversaries have been forced to accept the emerging fact that our party is formidable and ready for the next general elections.”
“The current socio-economic crises are surmountable. It is commendable that the Government is addressing these issues without drama. The Federal Government and leadership of our great party will come out stronger. We cannot, therefore, afford any internal bickering which holds the potential promise of causing distrust and militating against cohesion, harmony, and the zeal to achieve set objectives.
“The current democratic dispensation is anchored on the unwritten convention driven by a principle of Equity. Political expediency dictates, more appealingly, that while adhering to the spirit and letters of the laws guiding the conduct of elections and succession to political offices, we must do nothing which is capable of tilting the delicate balance against the established arrangement which guarantees peace and promotes trust.
“Our party just elected officers on the established principle of giving every part of the country an important stake in the political calculus. The focus has now shifted to the process which will culminate in the participation of our party in the general elections scheduled for next year. All lovers of peace and freedom must do everything to eschew tendencies that may predispose them to make decisions that promote distrust and lead to a crisis, the end of which nobody may be able to predict.
“The leadership of the party ensured that the principle of rotational representation guided its decision at the just-concluded Convention. The party Chairmanship position has gone to the North. All other offices have been filled on this understanding. This is the time the leaders of the party must make a categorical statement, devoid of equivocation, on the pattern of succession.
“It is the turn of the Southern part of the country to produce the next President. The party leadership should have no difficulty in making pronouncements on this very important issue, just as it has fixed various fees for the purchase of forms. This must be done without delay.”
Ralf Rangnick has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo will be staying at Manchester United next season despite plans to sign two new strikers this summer.
Rangnick is set to make way for incoming head coach Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford once the season is complete.
And Ten Hag’s impending arrival has cast doubts over the futures of several first-team players, including Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old only sealed an emotional return to United last year, snubbing interest from Pep Guard’s Manchester City
Though he has produced a return of 24 goals in 37 appearances, one of which came in Monday’s 3-0 win over Brentford, Ronaldo’s off-the-ball work has been scrutinized regularly throughout the campaign.
Many believe he will not suit Ten Hag’s modern philosophy, which consists of intense pressing high up the pitch.
Ronaldo has therefore been linked with a move away from United in recent months, however, Rangnick does not expect him to depart anytime soon.
After their final home game of the season against Brentford, the German was asked if Ronaldo’s lap of honour was a ‘wave of goodbye’.
“I don’t think why it should be a wave of goodbye,” Rangnick told Stadium Astro. “He’s got another year of the contract and as far as I know he will be here next season again.”
Despite his claim that Ronaldo is staying put, Rangnick indicated before Monday’s win over Brentford that United will look to add two or three new strikers to their ranks in the summer.
The interim boss, who will take up a consultancy role at the club when Ten Hag arrives, says minor changes will not be enough to propel them up the table next season.
He told Sky Sports: “There should be two or three new strikers next season, it’s pretty obvious.”
Rivers United captain, Austine Festus insists the team is still in a good position to win a first Nigeria Professional Football League title despite Sunday’s defeat at Kwara United.
Stanley Eguma’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat against their hosts at the Kwara Sports Complex.
Rivers United took the lead through diminutive midfielder Nelson Esor in the third minute.
Kwara United however fought back after the break with Samad Kadiri and Jide Fatokun getting the goals for the Ilorin club.
The Port Harcourt Dwellers missed the chance to establish a seven-point lead over second-placed Plateau United following the defeat.
Festus is however adamant his team is not disturbed by the loss and is ready to move on.
“We are still in a good position on the table and we can’t dwell too much on what happened in Ilorin,” Festus told Completesports.com in an exclusive chat.
“The good thing for us is that Plateau United didn’t win either. The next game is our target now. Hopefully, we will win and improve on our advantage.
“Our target is to win the league this season. We have worked so hard to get to this stage and we are still in a good position to achieve our objective.”
River United will be back in action in the NPFL at Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt on Sunday.
A senator from President Paul Biya’s ruling party has been kidnapped along with her driver in Cameroon’s troubled anglophone northwest, military and administrative sources said Monday.
“Elizabeth Regina Mundi was kidnapped late Saturday morning by terrorists in Bamenda,” capital of the northwest, a senior official with the region’s governor told AFP.
He said two wings of the separatist Ambazonian Defence Forces (ADF) had claimed responsibility for the abduction. Ambazonia is the republic the rebels would like to proclaim after independence.
One called for the release of some of its detainees, the other sought a ransom, he added, asking to remain anonymous.
“The senator was going from Bamenda to her village for a funeral, the separatists kidnapped her and her driver on the road” said a regional army official, confirming both demands.
A video on social media, dated Saturday and verified by the senior regional official, shows Regina Mundi clearly forced to read a statement in English calling for the independence of the Ambazonia republic.
She is from the northwest and is a member of the politburo of Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC).
The “Ambazonians” carry out frequent kidnappings, usually of civil servants, and some are killed. Church leaders and politicians have also been aducted, but mostly later freed.
In January, the bullet-riddled body of opposition senator and lawyer Henry Kemende was found in Bamenda.
The authorities accused the separatists of his murder but no one claimed responsibility.
Cameroon’s northwest and southwest are populated mainly by the anglophone minority in the predominantly French-speaking country.
The country has been ruled with an iron fist for nearly 40 years by 89-year-old Biya, who has cracked down on the rebellion.
In the past five years, after the repression of peaceful demonstrations accusing Yaounde of ostracising English speakers, armed separatists, and the military have clashed repeatedly.
Civilians have suffered abuses committed by both sides, according to international NGOs and the UN.
The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced around a million, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday said he supports the agitation by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) but not the violence associated with the group.
Wike, a frontline presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“I support the agitations in the South-East, whether anybody likes it or not, I do,” Wike said. “We should sit down at the round table and discuss it.
“But again what do I do wrong when you have not gone to say ‘bomb everything there.’ I am a governor and you are telling me what has never happened and I should accept? Do you need to kill everybody in my area simply for me to say I am with you? And I say no, I won’t do that.”
The governor also faulted critics who shaded him for saying he wasn’t supporting IPOB. He wondered where they were when he publicly supported the cause of their agitation against injustice in the region.
According to Wike, there is injustice and division in the country. He, however, insisted that the best way to protest against injustice isn’t by killing innocent souls in the country.
When asked if IPOB poses a threat to him, the governor neither affirmed nor denied it.
He said, “Why will they be a threat to me? It is because of the division in this country today that we have never had this country being divided this way.
“What pains me is that people take politics to think that I want to use this opportunity to fight this person. There came a time IPOB was singing praises about Wike. This Nnamdi Kanu was singing praises (that) Wike is our son.”
Some of the abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train in a recent-picture released by their-captors
Some of the abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train in a recent-picture released by their-captors
President Muhammadu Buhari says the use of the captives of the Kaduna train attack as shields by bandits is making rescue operations difficult.
He said this while receiving residents of the Federal Capital Territory on Sallah homage at the State House, Abuja.
Terrorists had on March 28 attacked the AK9 Abuja-Kaduna train, killing at least nine people, wounding several others and abducting many others.
Buhari said the government would explore every opportunity to rescue the captives alive and unhurt.
He directed security agencies and the Nigerian Railway Corporation to provide more regular and detailed information to the victims’ families.
“As we celebrate this occasion with joy amidst friends and family members, we’re fully conscious of the fact that many families in our country are in a state of fear and anxiety on account of the many captives held by terrorists against their will, including those taken away after the tragic bombing of the Abuja – Kaduna train.
“I’ve directed security agencies to ensure quick and safe recovery of all victims of kidnapping. I urge the railway management to immediately set up a situation room for the coordination of the rescue mission and for a minute by minute engagement with the families of the captives.
“This should ease their pain and anxiety as we push the military to finding a safe return to their families. My aim is to see all those in captivity safely rescued.
“Let me assure Nigerians that the bandits are just pushing their luck, but this is only for a while before they’re finally crushed. They’re using civilians as human shields, thereby making it difficult to confront them directly,” he said.
He noted that bandits and terrorists, do not respect the rules of engagement and could resort to harming hostages when attacked.
“They don’t care about killing their hostages if they come under attack. It’s a delicate situation that requires wisdom, caution and also patience. Any rescue operation that results in the death of any hostage cannot be deemed a success.
“The government doesn’t want this kind of tragic outcome. It’s a complex situation that demands proper handling. The primary objective of any rescue operation is to free the hostages safely, unharmed and alive.
“Let me make it clear, however, that defeating the terrorists and bandits requires more than weapons; we also need human intelligence which is necessary to frustrate terrorist plans. The people and community leaders should help our security officials with information about the activities or movements of criminal groups,” he added.
Buhari urged Nigerians to create a hostile environment for criminals hiding in communities.
He said a stronger synergy between security agencies and communities would make a huge difference in defeating banditry and terrorism in the country.
He allayed the fears that bandits would grow to yet another big challenge as faced by the Boko Haram threat, saying his administration would not allow such to happen.
In a related development, Buhari has challenged the heads of military and other security formations in the country to eliminate them.
He spoke Monday after joining other Muslims to observe Eid-el-Fitr prayers at the parade ground, Mambilla Barrack, Abuja.
Buhari, while fielding questions as he returned to the Presidential Villa after the prayers, told them to rise up to their responsibilities.
He expressed the commitment of his administration to working towards making the country safe for Nigerians.
According to him, it is important to make the country safe, especially as the rains had started coming.
He said farmers must be assured of their safety as they returned to the farms, thereby securing the country’s food production.
“We’ll continue to make the environment secure, especially when the rainy season is coming, so that farmers can go back to their farms and we wouldn’t have problem of food security.
“Heads of the services; Army, Navy, Air Force, the Inspector-General of Police and so on are very much aware of the situation. It’s their duties to know where the terrorists are and eliminate them”, he said.
The president, while speaking on the forthcoming general elections, restated the commitment of his administration to free, fair and transparent process.
In his message during the Eid service, the acting Chief Imam of Mambila Barracks, Dahiru Shua Mohammed, stressed the need for genuine repentance from sin by all, love for one another, forgiveness, tolerance and constant prayers to Allah as the weapon against all adversities of life.
Ahead of the May 30 presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a group of Nigerian Women, have pledged support for the aspiration of Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, one of the aspirants jostling to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, the women under the aegis of Dolapo Osinbajo Friends and Fans (DOFF), said that one of the reasons for their support for Osinbajo was his unquestionable loyalty to Nigerians in the past seven and a half years.
The Director General of DOFF, Mrs. Bolanle Kaji-Hausa, who said Osinbajo is ‘The best aspirant’, in the race to the presidency, said the organisation was birthed long before the vice president declared interest to vie for the highest elective office.
Kaji-Hausa said, “Not long before Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo declared to run for the 2023 presidential election on the platform of our great party, the APC, fate beckoned on me to create and run this support group.”
The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has reacted to the request by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA that aspirants for various elective offices ahead of its forthcoming primary elections be made to undergo a drug test.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Barr. Felix Morka who confirmed that the party has received the letter, however stated that its contents have not been tabled for discussion by the National Working Committee NWC.
“We haven’t taken a position on it. We haven’t met on it”, Morka told correspondents.
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) had last week written the APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, requesting that officials of the NDLEA be given access to conduct drug integrity tests for politicians seeking political offices in the country.
Marwa said when it is the turn of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP and others to conduct their party primaries, he would also write their national chairmen and request that operatives of NDLEA be allowed to conduct drug integrity tests on politicians aspiring for higher offices.
Although, APC has not deliberated on the matter, an official of the party who did not want his name mentioned in this report as he was not authorized to speak to the media, described the NDLEA’s position as illegal.
“Marwa is a respected member of this party but on this matter, we believe he has not been briefed appropriately, because if he was properly briefed, he would have known the set of laws guiding political party operations and understood that he cannot make such requests.
“I can hazard a guess that the letter is dead on arrival. I don’t even expect the party hierarchy to start meeting on the issue”, he stated.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s intervention in the disagreement between the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria and the Okagwe Community in Ohafia Local Government Area over the siting of the Hope Waddel University in the community has finally led to an amicable resolution of the issues on Thursday.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
The community had in the past 15 years been locked in a major crisis with the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria over some issues surrounding the siting of the proposed Hope Waddel University, owned by the Church, in the community.
This crisis has stalled the development of the University for these number of years.
Fully aware of the negative economic effects and attendant losses that are synonymous with losing the University to some other state, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu decided to personally wade into the matter and at his instance, Onyebuchi Ememanka, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor says in a statement.
He said an initial meeting was held last week at the Governor’s Lodge Aba between the topmost echelon of the church led by the Prelate and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Nzie Nsi Eke and the representatives of the Okagwe Community led by their Paramount Chief, Ezeogo Achi Uka Okoji.
His Eminence, Nzie Nsi Eke
The Governor personally moderated the proceedings of the meeting and heard from both sides. He made several undertakings both in his personal capacity and as Governor, especially to assuage the pains of the Community, all in a bid to ensure that peace reigns.
The statement further read, “Last night at the Governor’s Lodge Aba, the Governor again presided over the final settlement of the dispute and signing of the peace agreement between the parties which has now put to an end, the long drawn crisis that had stalled the development of the University which the Governor described as the biggest catalyst of development for the Community and for the benefit of our state.
“The Governor challenged the parties to work harmoniously henceforth and avoid anything that will cause any form of distraction. He tasked the church to see the Community as key stakeholders in the project having willingly given up100 hectares of their ancestral land to them for the University. He also told the Community leaders to see the church as their partners who have brought them positive development that will change the trajectory of their community forever.
“The Governor restated his commitment to building a new Secondary School for the Community as well as personally ensuring that the some compensation is given to the Community.
“When the Community Leaders raised the issue of a lingering court case and one of their sons who died in the course of the crisis and who is yet to be buried, Governor Ikpeazu undertook to speak to the parties in court and if need be, to ask the State Attorney General to request the Court to allow him arbitrate in the matter. He also promised to personally contribute to the expenses for the burial of the dead person and see how his dependants can get some level of assistance.
“The high point of the meeting was the signing of the document that signals the end of the crisis and the beginning of a new era of peace, harmony and cooperation between the Okagwe Community and the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.
“The Governor stated that his intervention was deliberate because he understood clearly what that University would mean to the Community in the nearest future.
“The Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Olugu Kalu Ugba played a very prominent role in the resolution of this matter.
“Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Aba Branch, Uche S Awa, SAN who is a member of the Church also took part in the meeting.”
