POLITICS
Oyo: Folarin Rebukes Makinde over Impeachment of Deputy
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Folarin has described as unlawful the impeachment of Rauf Olaniyan as the state’s Deputy Governor, saying that those behind the action lacked respect for the rule of law.
He said APC would not relent in providing alternative to the unruly and undemocratic acts of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration in the state.
Folarin in a statement on Monday, said the committee set up by the Chief Judge of the state to investigate the deputy governor also showed it lacked integrity.
He queried why the commitee would give the deputy governor just 15 minutes to appear before it, adding that the Chief Judge breached his oath of office by ignoring the service of notice of appeal and application for injunction pending appeal when he proceeded to constitute the investigation committee.
According to Folarin, despite the intervention of the legal adviser to the deputy governor that he needed time to prepare himself for the allegations leveled against him, the Chief Judge set up committee to carry out his bidding.
He said the illegal impeachment does not stop the court of appeal and by extension the Supreme to do their job in days to come.
The statement read, “The investigation by the committee set up by the Honorable Chief Judge is a charade that cannot stand the test of time.
“In the first instance, the Honorable Chief Judge, with respect, breached his oath of office by ignoring the service of notice of appeal and application for injunction pending appeal when he proceeded to constitute the investigation committee.
“This is against established law and practice. On the part of the panel, they were appointed and paid to do job, which must be contrary to good conscience.
“We are vindicated that Makinde lacks experience in leading a sophisticated state like Oyo state. He took the decision without considering the implications. We cannot blame Makinde alone but the toothless bulldogs in the state of Assembly that refused to do their job.
“They served the Deputy Governor on Friday around 10:45 am and asked him to appear at 11.am. We wrote to inform them that His Excellency needed time to prepare for his defence, but in their desperation to do the job for which they were paid, they rejected the letter, sat on Saturday and completed their task the same day.
“Where is the fairness here? The members of the committee are supposed to be men above board. You have a Reverend father, a Jerusalem Pilgrim, and an Alhaji among them. This is a clear evidence that we are not yet ripe for democratic practice. This is a wake up call for the good people of Oyo State to elect men and women of integrity to represent them in 2023.”
Nasarawa Lawmaker Dumps APC, Joins AA
Mr Abdulaziz Danladi, member representing Keffi East Constituency at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, has officially resigned from All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Speaker of the State’s House of Assembly made this known while reading Abdulaziz resignation letter during the House siting on Monday in Lafia.
The speaker said that based on the letter, Abdulaziz had joined Action Alliance (AA).
“This is a letter from Hon Abdulaziz Danladi, member representing Keffi East Constituency, informing the house on his resignation from APC.
“The letter reads as thus : Notice of change of party. I wish to formally inform the house of my resignation from All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This is due to internal party issues which the party has yet to resolve.
“I, therefore, resign from APC and join Action Alliance (AA),” he said.(NAN)
Okei-Odumakin Urges Adeleke to Deliver Democracy Dividends to Osun People
Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, says the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun reflected the will of the majority the electees.
Okei-Odumakin made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
She reacted to the winning of Osun governorship election by an opposition party.
The Peoples Democratic Party Candidate, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, defeated incumbent Gov. Gboyega Oyetola to emerge the winner of the election.
Okei-Odumakin, a rights activist, said that the electorate had spoken loud and clear on who should lead the state in the next four years.
“We must recognise that the outcomes of many elections are credited to the electorate, and that is one reality witnessed in this election.
“The outcome of the Osun election is, no doubt, the decision of the people..
Okei-Odumakin congratulated the Osun governor-elect, and urged him to deliver dividends of democracy to the people.
NAN reports that Adeleke polled 403,371 votes to defeat Oyetola, the candidate of All Progressives Congress, who secured 375,027 votes.
Adeleke won in 17 local government areas of the state while Oyetola won in 13. (NAN)
By David Torough, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the removal of petrol subsidy, accusing the administration of worsening economic hardship while retaining what he described as opaque costs in the petroleum sector.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu was wrong to describe his proposed petroleum-sector intervention as economically ignorant.
Atiku argued that the economic conditions that existed before Tinubu assumed office had changed significantly following the removal of fuel subsidy, the floating of the naira and rising inflation.
He said his proposal was not a return to the previous open-ended subsidy regime but a targeted, capped, budgeted and time-bound production-support mechanism that would be independently audited and linked to domestic production.
According to him, the government removed the benefit of subsidy from consumers while allegedly retaining substantial petroleum-sector under-recoveries and energy-security costs.
The statement cited figures from NNPC’s audited accounts, claiming approximately ₦17.5 trillion in energy-security costs and petroleum under-recoveries, including about ₦7.13 trillion classified as energy security and ₦8.67 trillion in under-recoveries.
“If subsidy is dead, why are under-recoveries alive?” Atiku asked, arguing that Nigerians had been left with higher costs while questions about government expenditure remained unresolved.
He also rejected the Presidency’s argument that increased Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to states represented a major benefit of subsidy removal.
Atiku said higher allocations to state governments should not be celebrated if they came at the expense of household purchasing power, citing rising transport costs, food prices and production expenses.
He further argued that increased FAAC allocations could encourage states to depend on federal transfers instead of expanding their productive economies, attracting investment and broadening their internally generated revenues.
The former vice president also demanded explanations for what he described as approximately ₦30 trillion in Federation Account revenues, deductions, savings and transfers, as well as ₦12.8 trillion allocated to the Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 budget.
Atiku said the administration should provide greater transparency over its finances rather than dismissing criticism of its economic policies.
He maintained that the success of economic reform should not be measured solely by rising government revenues while citizens experience declining purchasing power.
“The real ignorance is believing suffering is economic policy,” Atiku said.
He accused the Tinubu administration of transferring the burden of fiscal adjustment to ordinary Nigerians and warned against subjecting the country to another four years of what he called a failed economic experiment.
The statement was signed by Shaibu on behalf of Atiku, the 1999–2007 vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has cautioned Nigerian youths against being used for political violence, misinformation and digital intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections across the country.
Disu gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja during the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue organised by the Nigeria Police Force to commemorate the 2026 International Youth Day celebration.
According to him, as we approach the 2027 electoral cycle, I urge you to remember a very simple, but profound reality that politicians contest elections, but you leave with consequences thereafter.
”He said that political actors often reconciled after elections, in spite of fierce campaigns, and might later become allies and guests of one another when political disagreements were resolved amicably over time.
Disu said the Nigeria Police Force recognised and respected the rights of youths to participate in politics, support parties, express opinions and campaign freely for candidates of their choice.
“Our responsibility is to create a security environment in which these democratic rights can be experienced freely and safely.
“We will protect citizens, facilitate peaceful campaigns, secure candidates, campaign venues and public spaces within the law.
“We will protect the integrity of the electoral environment, but will not protect violence, tolerate the recruitment or mobilisation of young Nigerians for political violence.
“I therefore appeal to everybody to be cautious as we approach the 2027 electoral process,” Disu said, urging collective responsibility in safeguarding peace and democratic values across Nigeria.
The police chief also urged youths to become drivers of national transformation rather than instruments of destruction through the spread of false information and harmful online content.
According to him, every young Nigerian using a smartphone should recognise that digital activities leave permanent records that could influence opportunities and shape future prospects significantly.
“You know now, the moment you go to the embassies for your visa, they are checking you on social media to see what and what you are doing.
“So, your footprints are very important, so before you forward a message, verify it and before you publish or circulate, establish the facts,” he advised youths nationwide.
The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) has called for immediate prosecution of all those found to have committed electoral crimes during last Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
The organisation, in a statement by its Executive Secretary, Dr Yemisi Bamgbose in Abuja on Thursday, said that the prosecution would serve as a deterrent to others.
Bamgbose also congratulated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of a transparent, free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.
According to him, INEC, under Prof.
Joash Amupitan, has passed the real litmus test in Osun.He said that the outcome of the election, if improved upon, could serve as a model for subsequent elections in the country.
“INEC deserves commendation for deploying all that was required to ensure the realisation of a free and fair election,” he said.
Bamgbose also commended security agencies for providing adequate security which, he said, helped to minimise tension and criminality during the election.
“It is imperative that INEC ensures the prosecution of all persons who perpetrated electoral crimes to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We therefore call on INEC and other relevant agencies to ensure strict enforcement of electoral laws and prosecution of all offenders,” Bamgbose said.
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