Politics
Even though Gov Bello worked against me, no regret supporting his presidential bid says Senator Adeyemi
The senator representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Smart Adeyemi, has indicated that despite Governor Yahaya Bello’s opposition to his return to the Senate, he has no regret in supporting his presidential bid.
Governor Bello contested for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 general election but lost to Bola Ahmad Tinubu.
Adeyemi lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for Kogi West Senatorial District to Sunday Karimi at the party’s primary held on May 28, 2022, in Kabba, Kogi.
At the end of the election, Hon. Sunday Karimi scored 288 votes while Muyiwa Aina came second with 73 votes.
Senator Smart Adeyemi scored 43 votes while the only woman in the race, Doyin Eshanumi scored 1 vote.
While narrating the irregularities that characterised the inglorious primary election, the lawmaker said he participated in the primary against the advice of the state’s APC chairman, Abdullahi Bello, who, he said, asked him to step down and work fully for the presidential bid of Governor Bello.
He said a closed meeting, called by the state’s party chairman at the instance of the governor, to pressure him to withdraw from the race was deadlocked as he insisted on going ahead.
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“However, the condition for my stepping aside was to take on a position, chief of staff, which was technocratic in nature when my governor eventually emerges as President, and this did not align with my personal goals and aspirations as a journalist and a crusader for the common man.
“I immediately informed Abdullahi, unambiguously that my training as a journalist will not permit me to aspire to this role and as such, there was the need to fine-tune things to accommodate everyone. “The meeting ended inconclusively, and thereafter, events metamorphosed into threats that | must not contest in the primary elections.
“I want to say that I have no regrets in supporting and standing for the Kogi State Government at all given times. I have no regrets supporting the Governor of my State, Yahaya Adoza Bello, it remains the proper thing to do. And we must always endeavour do what is right,” Adeyemi said.
He alleged that the primary was marred by irregularities, saying the delegates were relaced with those not from Kogi West 24 hours to the primary, which, he said, was held in an extremely hostile environment.
“Let me state unequivocally and without ambiguity, that the elections which took place on the 22™ of May, 2022 in Kogi State were neither free nor fair.
“It is on record that the list of delegates was changed twenty-four hours to the elections proper. Furthermore are that individuals who are not from Kogi west were brought in to vote in an extremely hostile environment with militants, armed men, and unidentified thugs in their numbers.
“This was apart from authorised security agents who were present to observe the event and ensure law and order.
“Very crucial is the fact that the returning officer, Bashir Gegu had once aspired to run for this same office, and is a sitting commissioner in Kogi State.
“As soon as he was announced as the returning officer, my ward wrote a formal letter to protest his nomination as it would have been impossible for him to be fair and just.
On the day of the election, he personally compelled people to vote his own choice, with most of the commissioners present in the voting hall.
“Delegates were further made to comply with orders by saying they were unable to write and therefore a designated person commenced voting on their behalf.”
Adeyemi, who chairs the Senate Committee on Aviation, said he had petitioned the APC national body over the “unfair” primary for record purposes.
“The accusation that I had stepped on toes by my position on contemporary national issues constitutes a major part of my many offenses, and I have absolutely no regrets on the matter.
“If the hands of times are turned, I will stand in the same position, speak my mind, the minds of the common man on the streets and project only those values which I believe in,” he added.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of the Ondo State governorship election, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of electoral malpractice, including vote-buying and result manipulation.
This was disclosed during a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State.
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The forum, chaired by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, criticized the conduct of the election, which saw APC’s Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa secure a landslide victory for another four-year term in Alagbaka, Akure.
“We are still reviewing documents from the Ondo election, where the APC openly bought votes and manipulated results,” Mohammed said.
He urged the judiciary to “save Nigerian democracy” and called on the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to prevent what he described as “institutional sabotage of the people’s will.”
The PDP governors also condemned the September governorship election in Edo State, describing it as a “rape of democracy.”
The forum accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the APC to declare its candidate the winner despite claims that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, had secured the majority of lawful votes.
“INEC blatantly manipulated the results in favor of the APC candidate. This undermines the credibility of our electoral process,” Mohammed said.
Beyond electoral grievances, the governors urged the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by February 2025.
They emphasized the need for broader consultations with stakeholders to resolve the party’s internal leadership crisis and strengthen its position as the main opposition party.
The forum reiterated its commitment to democratic values and vowed to push for electoral reforms that would restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Ondo governorship election has sparked a renewed call for transparency in the country’s electoral system, with the PDP vowing to challenge what it views as a subversion of democracy.
Following his observations that ‘the momentum was strong’ Matt Gaetz whom 47th POTUS elect, Donald Trump nominated for Attorney General has withdrawn.
Biztellers reports that this follows his meeting with Senate and the feedback, which included two women, represented by their attorneys, who accused him of having paid for sex.
Consequently, Gaetz placed on record his full commitment to seeing “that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history.”
His withdrawal according his statement on micro-blogging site, X, was based on his conviction that “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle”.
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In is view, “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1”.
Gaetz wrote, “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.
“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”
His backers have promptly encouraged to take his seat in the House of Representatives, having been elected to the house under the flag of the Republicans to represent Florida.
The Executive Governors from Nigeria’s South West have unanimously nominated Senator Ademola Adeleke as the chairman of the zone on the National Economic Council (NEC).
Adeleke is the Executive Governor of Osun State, southwest, Nigeria.
This, according to the Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, transpired on Thursday, at a meeting of the NEC.
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He noted that the meeting reviewed the state of Nigeria’s electricity sector and resolved to engage subnational structures to address current challenges in the sector.
“The meeting particularly sought to build on the devolution of the electricity sector and its movement into the concurrent legislative list which empowers state governments to regulate the sector in their respective areas,” he stated.
Consequently, the NEC, therefore set up an ad hoc committee to review actions in the sector by state governments and explore ways to ramp up activities through coordination, Rasheed highlighted.
The full list of members of NEC’s Ad-hoc Committee on National Electrification:
- Governor of Cross Rivers State, Bassey Out – Chairman, South-South
- Governor of Katsina State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda – Chairman, North-West
- Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya – Chairman, North-East
- Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke – Chairman, South-West
- Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma – Chairman, South-East
- Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang – Chairman, North-Central
- Hon. Minister of Finance, Wale Edun
- Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu
- Special Adviser, NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai
- Special Adviser, Power Minister, Hon. Bolaji Tunji
- MD/CEO Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu
- MD/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije
- Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak
- NEC Secretariat
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