Abuja, Nigeria: Bukola Saraki, the Nigeria Senate President is the next person dumping the ruling party -All Progressives Congress.
Saraki announced the shocking news via his twitter timeline, and will join other senators that have dumped APC for their previous party, PDP.
Abia State, Nigeria: The Federal high court in Abuja, preceded by Justice Okon Abang has removed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu from the office after he was discovered to have presented a fake tax clearance. The judge has asked that the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria to give the certificate of return to the opponent of Ikpeazu to Uche Ogah, his opponent in the December 2014 gubernatorial election.
The judge said that Ikpeazu was never qualified to run in the primaries, and should have never qualified as the state flag bearer for the People Democratic Party (PDP).
The people democratic party, Kwara state chapter has released a statement that said they are behind the sudden probe of Toyin Saraki EFCC probe. Toyin Saraki, wife to the senate president, Bukola Saraki, was recently invited by the anti-graft agency for questionings.
In a statement released by the PDP, Kwara chapter, spokesperson, Rex Olawoye said :
It has become imperative to inform the members of the public that we have every reason to believe that a petition recently submitted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kwara state chapter is largely responsible for the invitation and eventual criminal prosecution of the former Kwara First Lady and wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki
It will be recalled that our party had sometime early this year discreetly submitted a petition to the EFCC detailing how certain individuals in high places under the past administration of Dr. Bukola Saraki milked the state dry and left the people more impoverished than they met them.
In the said petition, we carefully chronicled how state officials, including former First Lady, Toyin Saraki, former Special Adviser to the Governor on MDGs, Mr. Ope Saraki, Personal Assistant (PA) to ex-Governor Bukola Saraki, one Mr. Abdul Adama from Kogi State, a former Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tunji Morounfoye, all working in a ring, got enmeshed in a cesspool of corruption unprecedented in the history of Kwara state or any other state of the federal for that matter!
Although, we believe that the arrest and prosecution of Mrs. Toyin Saraki is long overdue, we nevertheless take solace under the fact that the long arm of the law seems to have finally caught up with her and her cronies. We are particularly delighted that our painstaking efforts at chronicling the monumental heist that defined the eight years, almost uneventful rule of former Governor Bukola Saraki in Kwara, has not gone unnoticed.
Read: Corruption: EFCC Invites Bukola Saraki Wife, And Former President Musa Yar'adua Daughter On Corruption Charges
We, therefore, commend the EFCC for its resourcefulness and painstakingness. We pledge our cooperation with the EFCC and all other relevant anti-graft agencies to ensure that all those who knowingly looted our collective patrimony, but now walking the streets of Kwara free with their ill-gotten wealth, do not go unpunished.
We urge the anti-graft agency not to buckle in to pressure or blackmail that is already being mounted by political jobbers over Mrs. Saraki’s invitation by the EFCC. Instead of sponsoring paid activist-for-hire to stampede the EFCC out of the prosecution, one would have thought that the most moral thing for Toyin Saraki and her handlers to do now is to allow the law to take its cause. Since the duo of Ope Saraki and Tunji Morounfoye are already standing trial for their crimes, one would expect Mrs. Saraki too to seize the moment and clear her name, instead of playing to the gallery.
For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate that the offences Mrs. Saraki is being accused of are criminal in nature and such offenses are not known to be statute-barred. Therefore, the fact that it took over five years after Mrs. Saraki left office as Kwara First Lady before she is eventually brought before the law does not matter.
What matters is that justice is ultimately served, especially for the sake of the hard-working Kwara civil servants, poor Kwara farmers and the promising children of Kwara who were and are still being subjected to all manners of deprivations as a result of the rapaciousness of a privileged few who could not contain the temptations to stare clear the cookie jar.
Nigerians have pointed accusing fingers to APC leader,Bola Ahmed Tinubu for instigating the EFCC to launch against the wife of Bukola Saraki for his last minute game play in winning the Senate presidency, a move that almost splits the APC into 2 different halves.
Read : Bukola Saraki Emerges Senate President, Shunned Meeting With President Muhammadu Buhari
The emergence of Senate President, Bukola Saraki came as a surprise to all All progressive Congress member, and that includes the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari. The party leaders had chosen a candidate, Femi Gbajabiamila to represent the party at the senate president level, but this was a plan of the party, Bukola Saraki had his own plan, he wanted to be senate president, and will do anything to reach his goals, this includes conniving with the opposition party members of the PDP to seek vote to get to the post of senate leader.
Bukola Saraki had refused to meet the President, Muhammadu Buhari, instead went ahead to seek votes at the time he was called, and also refuses to meet with Vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo, instead said he won't meet with a "mere commissioner", referring to Osinbajo former political post at Lagos state.
Since Bukola Saraki emergence, all efforts of him to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari had proved abortive, he had also wanted to follow the president to his Hometown, Daura in Katsina state to take part in the commencement of the Ramadan, but the president rejected the move.
Bukola Saraki sensing danger in the air, planned a silent visit to the vice-president to apologize for the "mere commissioner" statement he made in the heat of the pre-election.
Though President Buhari might have agreed to the victory of the senate president, Bukola Saraki, he had not shown any public validation since the emergence of Bukola Saraki as senate president. A source of Sahara reporters claimed that Mr Bukola Saraki is a corrupt person and might be the problem with the new government fighting corruption.
Bukola Saraki still trying to find a way in meeting President Muhammadu Buhari had gone to meet the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, a close friend of Muhammadu Buhari to help settle the rift between the senate president and the presidency.
The president is not happy with how Bukola Saraki won the senate president election, using the back door, and if he could use this method to gain power, what is the loyalty of Bukola Saraki to the APC government, all is it all about winning anytime he wants to, and what will stop him from working backdoor with other political parties to get the president impeached?
Two of the APC staunch member, Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara have been adopted by PDP as Senate president and speaker of the house of representatives. The move haS happened after PDP might have sensed trouble in the paradise of the All progressive congress after the embattled individuals walked out of the mock election that happened at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Bukola Saraki who was one of the members that see to the election of APC presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari is not happy with the party arrangement of using Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the leadership of the National Assembly.
PDP has urged his senators and house of rep members-elect in the National Assembly to act accordingly, by voting Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as their adopted candidate.
The information was contained in a letter signed by the PDP publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh.
What could these disagreements in less than a month mean to the organization of the APC? .
In a meeting called by the vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to offer a truce, senator Saraki boycotted the meeting and said he he Could Not Be Summoned To A Meeting By A ‘Commissioner’, referring to the vice-president who was a commissioner of Justice in Lagos state, when he (Saraki) was a governor in Kwara state. Saraki then became a senator while Professor Osinbajo is not the vice-president.
Following the snub and statement of Bukola Saraki, Professor Osinbajo did not attend the meeting, but the party met with is lawmakers and other Saraki earlier supporters joining the meeting.
The National Working Committee of APC has declared their support for any candidates chosen during Saturday’s mock primaries of the party.
The PDP, Lagos chapter had scored the APC led administration under Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and have termed it a complete failure. The statement was released by the PDP publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani.
The People Democratic Party then advised the new governor, Akinwunmi Ambode to rule the state with the fear of God in order to move the state from its "make-belief" situation. The party also advised the governor against godfathers to be able to move the state forward.
Statement released by PDP:
It is, however our wish that the state prospers and so we admonish Ambode to get close to God and jettison ‘godfatherism’ in order to make any appreciable success. By upholding this tenet, Mr. Ambode will implement policies for the people and not continue in the manner that (suggests) the state economy is in the hands of a godfather.
With monthly internally generated revenue of at least N27bn, no governor should fail in Lagos State. But former Governor Fashola left office leaving the state with the highest local and international debt profile in the federation.
The former governor failed because of his overdependence on a godfather and his own self believe. So many projects have been abandoned by the governor.
Such include, lack of affordable low-cost housing, balkanised civil service with no minimum wage, unresolved Lagos State University crisis, economic and human rights violations. Others are shortage of road networks, hostile business environment, inability to bring down cost of living in the state, poor primary and secondary education standard, to mention a few.
The April 11, 2015 governorship poll is currently in the tribunal and the party is expressing confidence that is candidate will be declared winner in the election.
The PDP board of trustees chairman, Tony Anenih as tendered his resignation letter as chairman of the board. This is coming few hours after the PDP chairman, Adamu Mu'azu also resigned as the PDP chairman.
Tony Anenih in his letter said that he is resigning as the BoT chairman to allow the outgoing president to take over as the chairman or appoint anyone competent and also citing the current situation of the party as the reason for his resignation. In a letter written to the presidency, Tony Anenih said :
Notice of my decision to step down as Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party
Your Excellency will recall that in a conversation I had with you a few weeks ago, I had offered to step down from the office of the Chairman of our party’s Board of Trustees and proposed to hand over to you as its new Chairman in a ceremony that would have taken place on the 23rd of May, 2015. I had also repeated this position in our subsequent meetings.
As a follow up to the above proposal and in view of the current state of affairs in our party, I have decided to formally put my offer in writing to enable you effectively assume the Chairmanship of Board of Trustees or approve a process that will enable any other member of the BoT who is considered competent, to assume the position
Kindly accept therefore, this letter as notice of my decision to step down from the position of Chairman of the BoT of our party with effect from today, the 20th of May, 2015.
I am happy to inform you that, I remain a loyal foundation member of our great party and will continue to pray for the prosperity of Nigeria, our party, and for you and your family.
Your Excellency, kindly accept the expression of my highest regards.
The PDP amended their constitution in 2012 convention to allow members to be the BoT chairman, the BoT was a position only held by past president, a constitution Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo had amended when he was the president of the country under the party.
A lot of political disagreement had rocked the biggest party in Africa, PDP(People Democratic Party), after they lost the presidential election to the APC (All Progressive Congress). The crisis in the party has taken a bad turn after the chairman of the party, Adamu Mu'azu resigns as the chairman of the party.
His resignation has taken immediate effect.
President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the immediate resignation of the chairman of the board of trustees(BoT), Chief Tony Anenih, though it is not known whether Anenih has accepted to resign or not.