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Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle

The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, has welcomed Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, to the ruling party.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that‎ Matawalle dumped opposition Peoples Democratic Party for APC.

Reacting in a letter he signed and made available to journalists through his media aide, Victor Oshioke on Saturday, the former Edo State governor said it is with great pleasure, relief and deep sense of personal satisfaction that he welcomes Matawalle to the APC.

The letter partly read, “It is with great pleasure, relief and a deep sense of personal satisfaction that I welcome you to our party, the All Progressives Congress.

“I have for long looked forward to this day when you will reunite with the APC, your original party so that the good works and impressive performance which the people of Zamfara state enjoy under your administration will be accurately documented as legacies of APC.

“It takes a man of courage, conscience, principles and honour to make this long-awaited move which not many politicians in our clime would have the audacity to undertake.

“I am delighted that your coming to the APC with your legion of supporters is not only a boost for our great party in terms of numbers, but brings onboard our platform, a sound mind, accomplished administrator and proven performer who has won the admiration of the Zamfara people by virtue of your exceptional leadership.

“I have absolute confidence that all APC stakeholders in the state will welcome you with open arms and accord you the well-earned respect that you richly deserve.”

Lai Mohammed

Members of the Kwara State House of Assembly have described as baseless and unfounded a claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that he funded the election of members of the ninth legislature in the state.

The members said the only Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq supported them during their campaigns.

The Speaker of the House, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, spoke on behalf of the members at a press conference in Ilorin, the state capital.

He clarified that reiterated that the Minister did not in any form support the then APC House of Assembly candidates during the campaigns and election.

Danladi-Salihu, who spoke through the Deputy Speaker of the House, Raphael Olanrewaju Adetiba, a member representing Oke-Ero Constituency, explained that Mohammed’s claim is farther from the truth.

“We ordinarily should have ignored the Minister and took it as another lie from Lai Mohammed but for the unsuspecting members of the public and posterity, the record needs to be set straight,” he said, flanked by several members of the Assembly.

The speaker said the briefing is jointly held on behalf of 21 of the 24 members of the Assembly, whom he said were convinced that Kwara can no longer be brought under any godfather or slave driver.

He said, “Lai Mohammed did not give any support in any form to members of the ninth legislature during the campaign and election; if he did, he should name who and what he gave out.

“Lai Mohammed did not participate in any of our election campaigns and did not also contribute financially to it.”

“Apart from the governorship candidate, the other support was the sum of N500,000 each that we received from the national headquarters of our party. Other than that, it was the governor who funded our expenses including logistics, souvenirs, posters and other campaign materials. Even so, at no time did the Governor go about telling anyone that he funded our campaign.

“It is also laughable that Lai Mohammed could claim to have personally raised money to finance the 2019 general elections in Kwara State.”

The lawmakers advised the minister not to drag them into any fuss he may be having with the Governor and leader of the part in the state.

Okowa

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of mortgaging the future of the state following the recent approval of his N4bn loan request by the House of Assembly.

Recall, the Assembly had on Tuesday, June 29, approved the governor’s N4 billion requests for a credit facility from Zenith Bank.

In his letter to the House, Okowa explained that the loan was to enable his administration complete ongoing people orientated projects.

However, the opposition APC, in a statement signed by its state caretaker Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonin, said, “The N4bn loan was not only approved hastily but was done in a commando style without any due diligence or questioning by the House of Assembly of the sincerity and purpose of the loan.

“Delta APC and most Deltans are worried because the said approved loan was not tied to any specific project (s)

“The projects to be funded with the loan were not mentioned, yet the ‘Honourable members’, without raising eyebrows and ensuring that they act in the best interest of Deltans, quickly approved the same. What an amalgam of people! A rubber stamp legislature at best.

“Information at the disposal of Delta APC is that the approved loan is to be used to fund the buying of utility vehicles, and financial inducements to some politically unstable Deltans that the PDP led-government of the State wants in the PDP at all costs.”

The APC further said, “The future of Deltans and generations yet unborn cannot continue to be mortgaged because of the greed of a few in Government circles.”

Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

Lai Mohammed

Members of the Kwara State House of Assembly have described as baseless and unfounded a claim by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that he funded the election of members of the ninth legislature in the state.

The members said the only Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq supported them during their campaigns.

The Speaker of the House, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, spoke on behalf of the members at a press conference in Ilorin, the state capital.

He clarified that reiterated that the Minister did not in any form support the then APC House of Assembly candidates during the campaigns and election.

Danladi-Salihu, who spoke through the Deputy Speaker of the House, Raphael Olanrewaju Adetiba, a member representing Oke-Ero Constituency, explained that Mohammed’s claim is farther from the truth.

“We ordinarily should have ignored the Minister and took it as another lie from Lai Mohammed but for the unsuspecting members of the public and posterity, the record needs to be set straight,” he said, flanked by several members of the Assembly.

The speaker said the briefing is jointly held on behalf of 21 of the 24 members of the Assembly, whom he said were convinced that Kwara can no longer be brought under any godfather or slave driver.

He said, “Lai Mohammed did not give any support in any form to members of the ninth legislature during the campaign and election; if he did, he should name who and what he gave out.

“Lai Mohammed did not participate in any of our election campaigns and did not also contribute financially to it.”

“Apart from the governorship candidate, the other support was the sum of N500,000 each that we received from the national headquarters of our party. Other than that, it was the governor who funded our expenses including logistics, souvenirs, posters and other campaign materials. Even so, at no time did the Governor go about telling anyone that he funded our campaign.

“It is also laughable that Lai Mohammed could claim to have personally raised money to finance the 2019 general elections in Kwara State.”

The lawmakers advised the minister not to drag them into any fuss he may be having with the Governor and leader of the part in the state.

Okowa

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of mortgaging the future of the state following the recent approval of his N4bn loan request by the House of Assembly.

Recall, the Assembly had on Tuesday, June 29, approved the governor’s N4 billion requests for a credit facility from Zenith Bank.

In his letter to the House, Okowa explained that the loan was to enable his administration complete ongoing people orientated projects.

However, the opposition APC, in a statement signed by its state caretaker Publicity Secretary, Sylvester Imonin, said, “The N4bn loan was not only approved hastily but was done in a commando style without any due diligence or questioning by the House of Assembly of the sincerity and purpose of the loan.

“Delta APC and most Deltans are worried because the said approved loan was not tied to any specific project (s)

“The projects to be funded with the loan were not mentioned, yet the ‘Honourable members’, without raising eyebrows and ensuring that they act in the best interest of Deltans, quickly approved the same. What an amalgam of people! A rubber stamp legislature at best.

“Information at the disposal of Delta APC is that the approved loan is to be used to fund the buying of utility vehicles, and financial inducements to some politically unstable Deltans that the PDP led-government of the State wants in the PDP at all costs.”

The APC further said, “The future of Deltans and generations yet unborn cannot continue to be mortgaged because of the greed of a few in Government circles.”

Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle

IN what many believe to be a move to implement an agreement with the All Progressives Congress, the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, on Sunday, sacked all but one of his Special Advisers.

Only the SA on Security Matters survived the purge. The sack was contained in a statement by the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe.

The statement read in part, “This decision is in line with the recent decamping to the APC and to allow for an in-depth search of more but competent hands in the administration of the State, irrespective of political affiliations.

“Accordingly, all the affected Special Advisers should hand over affairs of their respective offices, and Government properties under them to their Directors General and/or Accounting officers.

“The Governor appreciated their contributions in running the government while in office. The decision takes immediate effect.”

It was gathered that as part of conditions given to the governor prior to his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to join the APC, the governor agreed to share appointive positions with other party leaders.

Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle

IN what many believe to be a move to implement an agreement with the All Progressives Congress, the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, on Sunday, sacked all but one of his Special Advisers.

Only the SA on Security Matters survived the purge. The sack was contained in a statement by the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe.

The statement read in part, “This decision is in line with the recent decamping to the APC and to allow for an in-depth search of more but competent hands in the administration of the State, irrespective of political affiliations.

“Accordingly, all the affected Special Advisers should hand over affairs of their respective offices, and Government properties under them to their Directors General and/or Accounting officers.

“The Governor appreciated their contributions in running the government while in office. The decision takes immediate effect.”

It was gathered that as part of conditions given to the governor prior to his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to join the APC, the governor agreed to share appointive positions with other party leaders.

Copyright PUNCH.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

An Ekiti State member of the House of Representatives, Femi Bamisile, on Sunday, harped on the need for the All Progressives Congress, to strengthen its internal democracy and ensure credible primaries to elect party leaders at the Ward, Local Government and State levels.

This, he said, was necessary in order to pave way for the election of a credible standard bearer for the 2022 Ekiti Governorship poll.

Bamisile, who also serves as Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, urged the party leadership to take steps to avoid the pitfalls of the 2018 primary which almost destroyed the party in the state.

He spoke in an interview with journalists in Ado Ekiti. Bamisile said, “I have made myself clear that the processes for the ward, local government and state congresses must be democratic. The idea of someone staying somewhere and concocting the list by proxy won’t work. Democracy should be allowed.

“We shouldn’t allow anything that can cause some people to be an operating faction which may cause unnecessary litigation. We have to avert a repeat of what happened in Zamfara in 2019 where APC lost all positions it had won due to perceived illegalities and factional crisis.”

The federal lawmaker further said, “We held a stakeholders’ meeting on Friday, July 2, 2021, where our leader, Governor Kayode Fayemi, assured that everybody would be involved in the coming congresses.”

An Ekiti State member of the House of Representatives, Femi Bamisile, on Sunday, harped on the need for the All Progressives Congress, to strengthen its internal democracy and ensure credible primaries to elect party leaders at the Ward, Local Government and State levels.

This, he said, was necessary in order to pave way for the election of a credible standard bearer for the 2022 Ekiti Governorship poll.

Bamisile, who also serves as Chairman, House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, urged the party leadership to take steps to avoid the pitfalls of the 2018 primary which almost destroyed the party in the state.

He spoke in an interview with journalists in Ado Ekiti. Bamisile said, “I have made myself clear that the processes for the ward, local government and state congresses must be democratic. The idea of someone staying somewhere and concocting the list by proxy won’t work. Democracy should be allowed.

“We shouldn’t allow anything that can cause some people to be an operating faction which may cause unnecessary litigation. We have to avert a repeat of what happened in Zamfara in 2019 where APC lost all positions it had won due to perceived illegalities and factional crisis.”

The federal lawmaker further said, “We held a stakeholders’ meeting on Friday, July 2, 2021, where our leader, Governor Kayode Fayemi, assured that everybody would be involved in the coming congresses.”

The Chairman, Kwara North Stakeholders Consultative Forum, Abdullahi Lade, has said that it would be the turn of the zone to produce the next governor of the state in 2023.

He said this while addressing journalists, in Ilorin over the weekend, after a peace meeting of members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Central Senatorial District, led by Oba Ajara.

Lade said, “Already, the journey has started and we have begun consultations to politicians across all divides in the state so as to achieve the goal.

“The people of Kwara North Senatorial District have paid their dues to the people of other two senatorial and this is the time they should be allowed to lead the state.”

Lade, who insisted on equity, justice and fairness noted that Kwara North is pleading for understanding from the two other senatorial districts to produce the next governor, quoting the Yoruba adage that three stones should not throw away the soup pot.

He said, “We don’t want to be left behind in the power equation. It has to do with grabbing political power. By calculation Kwara central got its first four years through the late Mohammed Lawal, then eight years from Dr Bukola Saraki, so the central had twelve years and Kwara south had eight years through Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed.

“The Yorubas say three stones do not throw away pot soup, we are three in number, they should allow us in Kwara north. We realised that if we don’t cry out that they should think about equity, justice and fairness and allow Kwara north to produce the next governor irrespective of party affiliation.”

Earlier, the chairman, Kwara central senatorial of PDP, Oba Ajara told the forum to be watchful in their demand so that those that are not part of them would spoil their agitation.

He said, “It is a normal agitation but the agitation would need to pass due process before it can be achieved.”