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ODSHA Focused On Impeaching Dep Gov Aiyedatiwa

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Contrary to media reports, the Ondo State House of Assembly (ODSHA) is proceeding with the impeachment process against the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

This is despite Chairman, House Committee on Information, Olatunji Oshati, having told the media on Friday, that the House had suspended the impeachment processes because Chief Judge, Ondo State, Justice Olusegun Odusola, had communicated his inability to constitute a panel to investigate the allegation against the deputy governor, citing a court order.

Oshati said, “We have considered the letter (of the CJ) which is everywhere in the public domain and we are halting the impeachment process until the order of the Federal High Court is vacated.

“It is not about being arrogant with power; it is about holding public officers accountable. It also shows that the process of impeachment transcends the monopoly of the legislature as we can see that the judiciary has stalled it.”

In contradiction, the House, through its lawyer, Femi Emodamori, stated again that it had not suspended the process, saying it would pursue it to a logical conclusion.

The legal practitioner issued a statement to this effect on behalf of the Assembly, on Saturday.

The statement partly reads, “Impeachment is a constitutional process clearly outlined in section 188 (1) – (11) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and our Client has meticulously complied with all the stages leading up to the obligation placed on the state chief judge to set up a 7-man panel to investigate the allegations, as stipulated in Section 188(5) of the Constitution.

“The notice of allegations of gross misconduct was signed by 11 members of the House and presented to its speaker on 20th September, 2023 in strict compliance with Section 188(2) of the Constitution, which requires at least one-third of the 26 House members to sign and present the notice to the speaker. That is the first stage in the impeachment process.

“The speaker, in turn, served the notice on the deputy governor on 25th September 2023 and also caused same to be served on all the other members of the House, in strict compliance with the same Section 188(2) of the Constitution which requires him to do so within seven days. That was the second stage.

“The third stage, as stated in Section 188(3) of the Constitution, requires a two-third majority of the members to pass a motion within 14 days after the notice of allegation(s) of gross misconduct was first presented to the speaker, for the investigation of the allegation (s) and request the state chief judge to set up the 7-man panel to investigate same.

“Our client meticulously complied with the said Section 188(3) of the Constitution. 23 out of its 26 members (more than the minimum two-third majority required) passed that motion on the 3rd of October, 2023. Section 188(5) of the Constitution further states that after the motion is passed by the two-third majority, the speaker should formally request the state Chief Judge to set up the seven-man panel.
Emodamori added, “The speaker diligently complied with this on the same 3rd October when the motion was passed. It was at this stage that His Lordship, the Honourable Chief Judge of Ondo State, replied to the House, stating that he received an ex parte Order which the deputy governor secured from the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court on 26th September 2023, ‘restraining’ his lordship from setting up the panel, pending when the court would hear all the parties in the case to determine the merit of the application or the case filed by the deputy governor.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 188(10) of the Constitution clearly states that the proceedings or determination of the House or Panel or any matter relating to such proceedings or determination shall not be questioned or entertained in any court”, and there are too many judgments of the highest courts in Nigeria affirming that no court has the jurisdiction to dabble into an impeachment process, as long as the House of Assembly complies with all the constitutional process.”

“The Honourable Chief Judge himself stated in his widely reported reply to my client, that his lordship was not unmindful of the above provisions of Section 188(10) of the Constitution and even quoted it verbatim.

“His lordship however stated that as a Chief Judge, he would prefer that the ex parte order, which his lordship believes ‘tied his hand’, should first be vacated or set aside. The chief judge prefers to err on the side of caution.”

According to the statement, the position of the Assembly remains that, despite their reservations about in the face of the provisions of “Section 188(10) of the Constitution and the judgments of the appellate courts stating that no court has the power to question or entertain any matter relating to the impeachment, they would, for now, show sufficient understanding of the delicate position the Hon. Chief Judge has found himself, by promptly taking the necessary legal steps to vacate or quash the order and/or the entire suit at the Federal High Court, to untie the hands of his lordship and proceed with the impeachment to a logical conclusion.”

Politics

2027: ‘North Has No Reason to Break Agreement’ — Gov Yusuf Backs Tinubu

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Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, arguing that the North should respect an alleged power-sharing agreement between northern and southern political leaders.

Yusuf made the declaration at the unveiling of the Arewa for Asiwaju (A4A) National Headquarters in Abuja, where he pledged 100 per cent Northern support for Tinubu in the next presidential election.

SEE ALSO: DPRP’s Free Fuel Delivery Expands to Kano, Imo, Nearly 10 More States

The governor cited an alleged agreement reached in 1999 under which the North and South would take turns to produce Nigeria’s president, with the North allowed to serve two consecutive terms.

He referenced the eight years served by former President Muhammadu Buhari, who governed Nigeria for two consecutive terms before Tinubu assumed office in 2023.

According to Yusuf, the North should respect the arrangement rather than seek to produce another presidential candidate in 2027.

“For me, and for every right-thinking Nigerian, especially for us here in the North, we don’t have any reason, we don’t have any cause to now contribute on that premise, even though not constitutionally,” he said.

“Common sense dictates that we have to respect this mutual agreement.”

Yusuf subsequently declared his support for Tinubu on behalf of the northern states and what he described as patriotic Northerners.

“I therefore, on behalf of all the northern states, on behalf of all Democrats, on behalf of all patriotic northern states, indigenous, we want to assure His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu of our full support one hundred percent,” the governor said.

He also urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to openly support the president and work together towards victory in the 2027 election.

“We have all agreed we are members of the APC, and therefore we must work together to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice president emerge victorious,” Yusuf said.

The governor further called on party members to extend similar support to members of the National Assembly, state governors and members of state assemblies.

He congratulated the organisers of the event and wished participants well.

 

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‘Nigeria Is Doomed Under Tinubu’ — Kenneth Okonkwo Backs Atiku for 2027

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Kenneth Okonkwo has declared that Nigeria is “doomed under Tinubu” while urging Nigerians to support former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2027 presidential election.

Okonkwo made the remarks in a statement shared on X on Saturday, October 17, in which he criticised President Bola Tinubu’s performance, citing the proposed 12-state presidential campaign tour, the country’s corruption ranking and the Federal Government’s debt-servicing costs.

He described Tinubu’s planned campaign coverage as an “F” performance, noting that the President would campaign in only 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

SEE ALSO: 2027: ADC Chieftain Warns Kenneth Okonkwo Against ‘Insulting’ Remarks on Amaechi

“This is about 30% coverage of the entire Nigeria. This is an ‘F’ performance by Tinubu,” he said.

Okonkwo also criticised Tinubu for allegedly failing to grant regular interviews to independent media organisations or participate in a national debate with opposition candidates.

He argued that the President had not adequately engaged Nigerians directly to explain his plans and policies, describing him as an “absentee President” and questioning his suitability for re-election.

The former spokesperson for the Labour Party presidential campaign also cited Nigeria’s position in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, stating that the country ranked 142nd out of 182 countries, with a score of 26 out of 100.

He described the ranking as another “F” performance under Tinubu’s administration.

On the economy, Okonkwo claimed that Nigeria was “technically bankrupt,” citing figures he said showed that the Federal Government spent ₦7.7 trillion on interest payments in the first half of 2026, compared with total revenue of ₦6.2 trillion.

According to him, interest payments exceeded government revenue by ₦1.5 trillion during the period.

Okonkwo further accused Tinubu of failing to achieve 30 per cent in his administration’s undertakings, describing the government as an “F” government.

He urged Nigerians to support Atiku in the 2027 presidential election, crediting the former vice president’s time in office with helping Nigeria exit its international debt through what he described as prudent management of national resources.

Okonkwo also defended Atiku’s position on fuel subsidies, arguing that the former vice president’s government had maintained fuel subsidies that made life more affordable for Nigerians.

He said Atiku had promised to restore a production-based petroleum subsidy to reduce the cost of refining fuel and make refined petroleum products more affordable.

The statement comes amid preparations for the 2027 presidential election, with political parties and opposition figures intensifying their criticism of the Tinubu administration.

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‘The Entire North Has Made Up Its Mind for Tinubu’ — APC Chieftain

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All zones in Northern Nigeria have made up their minds to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, according to All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Sola Ebiseni.

Ebiseni made the claim during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he argued that Northern political interests were already looking beyond the 2027 election towards 2031.

According to him, the North has effectively conceded the next presidential election to Tinubu and is looking ahead to the possibility of power returning to the region in 2031.

SEE MORE: ‘Tinubu Has Procured Proxies’ — Sam Amadi on President’s 2027 Campaign Strategy

“As I tell you from our own research, every zone of the North is looking forward to 2031. They’ve conceded 2027 to Tinubu, the Southwest, of course,” Ebiseni said.

When asked about the basis of his assertion, Ebiseni maintained that the North had settled on supporting the President.

“The entire North has made up its mind for Tinubu,” he said.

During the discussion, Ebiseni was confronted with a contrasting projection that at least 10 of the 19 Northern states would support Tinubu, but he maintained that the entire North had made up its mind in favour of the President.

Ebiseni defended his position, saying it was based on research conducted by organisations to which he belonged, although he did not provide specific details of the research during the interview.

He also argued that Northern Nigeria should not be treated as a politically uniform region, pointing to differences between the Middle Belt, Northwest and Northeast.

“The destiny of the Middle Belt is different from the destiny of the Northwest. It’s different from the destiny of the Northeast, where the current Vice President comes from. And that is going to play out in 2027,” he said.

Ebiseni identified security as a major consideration for voters in Northern Nigeria, arguing that the establishment of state police would strengthen internal security arrangements.

He acknowledged that security efforts under the Tinubu administration could never be sufficient on their own, but maintained that state police would give individual states greater capacity to address security challenges.

“One of the efforts is state police, so that each state will have the capacity for internal security,” he said.

He also questioned the positions of other presidential aspirants on state police, asking how many had openly expressed support for the proposal.

Ebiseni further criticised proposals to restore fuel subsidies, questioning the economic implications of returning to the policy.

His comments come amid political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election, with parties and political figures seeking to consolidate support across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.

 

 

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