Politics
APC, Tinubu Reportedly Reverse Support For Akpabio In 10th NASS Leadership
Yesterday, there were strong indications that the prospects of former Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, in the race for Senate President in the 10th National Assembly may have suffered a setback.
It was reported that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has allegedly withdrawn his support for Akpabio, signaling a potential roadblock in his candidacy.
It is worth noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had previously announced the endorsement of Senator Godswill Akpabio and three other candidates for key positions in the National Assembly.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, hailing from the South-South region, received an endorsement for the position of Senate President, Senator Jubrin Barau, representing the North-West region, was endorsed for the position of Deputy Senate President, Tajudeen Abass, also from the North-West, was endorsed for the role of Speaker in the House of Representatives, while Kanu, representing the South-East region, was endorsed for the position of Deputy Speaker.
The endorsements made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the key positions in the National Assembly have faced criticism and opposition from certain party members, particularly those who have aspirations for the presiding offices in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
As a result of the protests and condemnations that followed the party’s endorsements, senators primarily from the South West region have scheduled a meeting for tomorrow.
During this meeting, they intend to discuss and potentially reconsider their stance on the selection of Senate leadership, indicating a potential shift in their position.
As per a senator from the South West region, the scheduled meeting is primarily intended for senators from that zone to be informed about the outcomes of a crucial meeting among the leading group of senators-elect, which is set to take place on Thursday.
It has been strategically arranged for some members to attend this meeting.
Allegedly, President Bola Tinubu has taken heed of the advice from his trusted political allies and has tacitly withdrawn his support for Senator Godswill Akpabio, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State.
Sources suggest that the President is determined to govern with a focus on eradicating corruption, and he intends to strengthen existing policies and institutions dedicated to anti-corruption efforts in order to achieve this objective.
In his inaugural speech, Tinubu declared pointedly that his government would take” proactive steps such as championing a credit culture to discourage corruption, while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of the various anti-corruption agencies.”
With this statement, the source said ”most of us have come to the full realization of the fact that President Bola Tinubu would not for anything support any senator with myriads of cases of corruption in the anti-graft agencies after declaring before the world that he would strengthen and make them more effective.”
A senator from one of the state in the S-West confided in Vanguard: “We have seen the follies in remaining in this camp, it will not work. We have fixed a meeting for Thursday where we are going to chart our next line of action.”
However, the Director General for the Akpabio/Barau Stability Group, Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno South, said in his reaction to the development yesterday: “It is not surprising that whenever a politically exposed person is contesting elections, some people would be sponsored to raise issues against him or her.
“Don’t forget that President Bola Tinubu was also severally accused when he was campaigning to be president.”
“We are not actually bothered about what the sponsored groups are saying about Akpabio, the anti-graft agencies know what to do. Why are they teaching them what to do?
“They are alleging that some corrupt activities took place under his watch at the NDDC but they did not say he misappropriated funds as governor or as minister.
“Akpabio was not the accounting officer of the NDDC, he only supervised the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
“They also accused him of not constituting the board of the NDDC but that also was not his job. The president of the country is saddled with such responsibility.”
Politics
Nigeria’s Debt Service Ratio Falls To 65% As Tinubu Tackles Economic Woes
In an effort to reduce Nigeria’s debt burden and stabilize the economy, President Bola Tinubu announced on Monday that the country’s debt service-to-revenue ratio has fallen from 97 to 65 percent over the 17 months since he took office.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for seven new ministers at the State House, Abuja, Tinubu emphasized the government’s progress in stabilizing the economy despite challenging conditions.
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“For us, it was a challenge when the nation was servicing its debt with 97 percent of its revenue. It was nothing but the edge of the cliff,” Tinubu said.
“But today, I can report to you that we have brought that down to 65 percent, and we have never defaulted in meeting all obligations, both foreign and domestic.”
His remarks follow Afreximbank’s recent projection that Nigeria’s debt service-to-revenue ratio could reach 110.4 percent by 2024.
Afreximbank’s 2024 Nigeria Country Brief warned of a troubling upward trend in debt servicing, which could see the ratio surge from 33.8 percent in 2017 to a projected 110.4 percent next year.
However, with continued reforms, the report suggested the ratio might decline to 62.6 percent by 2025.
In the first nine months of 2023, debt servicing consumed 66.9 percent (₦5.79 trillion) of Nigeria’s total revenue, a slight improvement from 99.3 percent (₦4.23 trillion) during the same period in 2022.
Tinubu, while optimistic about economic recovery, acknowledged the ongoing struggles faced by Nigerians due to a sharp increase in the cost of living triggered by recent economic reforms.
“We have taken the bull by the horns,” the President asserted. “We have stopped the scavengers. We will fully put an end to the profiteers and smugglers of our resources across the country. We are not shirking our responsibility; we are confronting it head-on.”
He further expressed confidence that Nigeria was on a “good path” toward recovery, emphasizing that the government remains committed to re-engineering the economy.
He cited the introduction of a new minimum wage as one measure aimed at mitigating rising living costs.
Monday’s ceremony also saw the swearing-in of seven new ministers, part of a recent cabinet reshuffle.
In two batches, ministers including Idi Maiha (Livestock Development) and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade, and Investment) took their oaths.
The reshuffle, which saw 10 ministers reassigned, five discharged, and seven new appointments confirmed by the Senate, reflects Tinubu’s stated commitment to reshaping his cabinet to meet Nigeria’s evolving challenges.
As the administration continues to implement reforms, President Tinubu emphasized a long-term vision for economic sustainability, not only for the current generation but also for future ones.
“Despite the challenges, we must undertake the job of re-engineering and retooling this country’s economic path,” he said.
Politics
Edo Deputy Gov, Omobayo Ordered To Court Over Refusal To Vacate Office
A Federal High Court in Abuja has mandated that Godwins Omobayo, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, appear in person on November 26, 2024, following allegations of contempt of court stemming from his failure to comply with a previous ruling.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Monday, asserting that Omobayo, described as the alleged contemnor, must be afforded a fair hearing in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
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The court action was initiated by Philip Shaibu, who was reinstated as Deputy Governor after the court invalidated his impeachment by the Edo State House of Assembly on July 17.
Justice Omotosho ruled that the impeachment proceedings lacked due process and that the grounds for Shaibu’s removal did not constitute gross misconduct.
Shaibu’s suit targets several parties, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Edo State House of Assembly, seeking enforcement of the court’s judgment and demanding that Omobayo vacate the deputy governorship position.
Omobayo assumed office on April 8, following Shaibu’s impeachment.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Omobayo was served legal documents but failed to appear.
In response, Shaibu’s attorney, Ayotunde Ogunleye, SAN, urged the court to compel Omobayo’s attendance, citing the need to uphold judicial authority.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Omotosho adjourned the case until November 26 for further proceedings.
He directed that hearing notices be served to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th defendants involved in the charge.
“In the interest of justice and to provide the alleged contemnor with an opportunity to defend himself and receive a fair hearing, in accordance with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), I hereby order that the alleged contemnor appear in court in person on November 26, 2024,” the judge stated.
It is noteworthy that the current tenure of the state government is set to conclude on November 12.
Politics
Presidency Fires Back At Atiku
On the heels of the salvo fired by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria’s 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, signalling what might be a long-drawn hot exchange of words, the Presidency has made what it called ‘our initial response to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’.
This was contained in a statement put out on micro-blogging site, X, Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President (Information and Strategy), Bayo Onanuga.
The former vice president had detailed the shortcomings of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, making efforts to detail what he would have done differently, that would have better results for Nigeria.
In a swift response, the Presidency countered that Atiku and his ideas “were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll”, based on his antecedents.
The statement reads, “OUR INITIAL RESPONSE TO ALHAJI ATIKU ABUBAKAR
“We have just read a statement credited to former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in which he tried to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform programmes while pushing his untested agenda as a better alternative.
“First, Alhaji Atiku’s ideas, which lacked details, were rejected by Nigerians in the 2023 poll.
“If he had won the election, we believe he would have plunged Nigeria into a worse situation or run a regime of cronyism.
“Abubakar lost the election partly because he vowed to sell the NNPC and other assets to his friends. Nigerians have not forgotten this, nor would they be comforted by Atiku’s antecedents when he ran the economy in the first term of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government between 1999 and 2003.
“As vice president, Atiku supervised a questionable privatisation programme. He and his boss demonstrated a lack of faith in our educational system, and both went to establish their universities while they allowed ours to flounder.
“Talk is cheap. It is easy to pontificate and deride a rival’s programmes even when there are irrefutable indices that the economic reforms yield positives despite the temporary difficulties.
“Despite the futile attempt to hoodwink Nigerians again in his statement, it is gratifying that the former Vice President could not repudiate the economic reforms pursued by the Tinubu administration because they are the right things to do.
“His advocacy for a gradualist approach only showed that he was not in tune with the enormity of problems inherited by President Tinubu.
“It is so easy to paint a flowery to-do list. It is expected of an election loser.
“President Tinubu met a country facing several grave challenges. Fuel subsidies were siphoning away enormous resources we could ill afford, and there was criminal arbitrage in the forex market.
“No leader worth his name will allow these two economic disorders to persist without moving to end them surgically.
“While advocating for gradual reforms may sound appealing, Tinubu took measures that should have been taken decades ago by Alhaji Abubakar and his boss when they had the opportunity.
“Alhaji Abubakar calls for empathy and a human face to reforms. We have no problem with this as it resonates well with our administration’s focus. President Tinubu has consistently emphasised the need for compassion and protection of the most vulnerable.
“The administration has prioritised social safety nets and targeted support for those affected by recent economic transitions.”