Politics
Osun APC, Assembly Tackle Adeleke Over Executive Orders
The All Progressives Congress and the Osun State House of Assembly have tackled the new Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over the six Executive Orders he signed on Monday.
They condemned the new governor for reversing some appointments and job recruitments made by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola.
In his first official action as governor, Adeleke who was elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform announced the sacking of alleged 12,000 workers employed by his predecessor.
He also deposed three monarchs and allegedly ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return of local council chairmen elected under the APC in the October 15 local government elections conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission.
The decision to withdraw their certificates of return was contained in a statement signed by the OSIEC Executive Secretary, Adedapo Adejumo, in Osogbo on Monday.
It is reported that Justice Nathaniel Ayo-Emmanuel last Friday nullified the council election, citing non-compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act, following a case filed by the PDP against OSIEC, APC and some of its chairmanship candidates.
The court held that the electoral commission did not comply with the provisions of sections 24 of OSIEC Law, 2022 and Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandated it to give a notice of 360 days before the conduct of the election.
Furthermore, the governor abolished the ‘State of Osun’ appellation, which was promulgated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola, froze the state accounts, reversed the appointment of 30 permanent secretaries by Oyetola, while promising to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, and bad policies of the immediate past administration.
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Tesleem Igbalaye, announced the suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan, alongside six members of the Commission with immediate effect.
The suspension was said to have been based on several petitions bordering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission.
The statement read, “The Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan and the following members of the Commission; Mr. Yusuf Oyeniran; . Alhaja Suibat Adubi; Prince Yinka Ajiboye; Mrs. Abosede Omibeku; Mr. Dosu Gidigbi and Mr. Wahab Adewoyin.
“This suspension is sequel to several petitions bothering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission.
“Pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against the suspended chairman and members of the commission, the Secretary to the commission shall hold forth in running the affairs of the commission.”
APC kicks
But the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Isaac Kekemeke faulted Adeleke’s actions, noting that his predecessor’s tenure did not end with the new governor’s electoral victory on July 17.
Kekemeke in a statement on Monday admonished Adeleke to exercise authority with sobriety in order to avoid endless litigation and distractions.
He said, “Governor Adeleke shouldn’t be too excited; government is a continuum and is bound by contractual relationships duly entered into by competent authorities.
‘’One thing he, Adeleke has probably and sadly overlooked is that Oyetola’s administration did not end with the announcement of his victory by the Independent National Electoral commission.
“Oyetola and no other person was still governor between July 17th, and November 26th, 2022. The right to continuously review government programmes and activities must be exercised objectively and with sobriety; as to do otherwise will be courting distractions through endless litigation and agitation.
‘’He (Adeleke) was governor-elect between that period, while Oyetola remained governor with unhindered powers to exercise the functions of that office as he deems fit, albeit legally.”
Also taking up the governor on his actions, the Osun State House Assembly said it rejected the contents of the Executive Orders signed by the new helmsman.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Moshood Akande.
The assembly insisted that the state anthem, crest and flag were all backed by law, adding that their usage remains a matter of law and not optional.
The statement read, “The State of Osun House of Assembly having reviewed the inaugural speech of the governor and the activities of the inauguration hereby resolves as follows:
“The usage of the state anthem, crest and flag is an enactment of law and as such, its usage is a matter of law and not choice. The enactment ‘State of Osun Anthem, Crest and Flag Law, 2012’ assented to on the 18th of December, 2012 contained in Schedule 1, Il, Ill, IV and V, which carefully details every component of this law is not in ambiguity.
“Schedule I is the State Anthem, Schedule I has to do with the state Crest, Schedule III is the symbolic significance of the symbolic significance of the element in the flag. Lastly, while we are aware of a court judgment in effect recognizing “Osun State”, the Assembly, pending the determination and exhaustion of all legal means would not be drawn into this matter.
“However, the state shall and will continue to be described as the State of the Virtuous (Ipinle Omoluabi).”
Adeleke Defends Actions
Explaining further the content of the Executive Order, signed on Monday by Adeleke, his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed in a statement said the six orders assented to by the governor covered the appointment of workers, monarchs, among others.
He also said four committees had been instituted to review and audit appointments/promotions: state assets inventory and recovery committee, contractors, MoUs/agreements review committee, chieftaincy matters/appointment of traditional rulers review committee.
According to him, the governor has also reversed all appointments in the service of Osun State government made into any capacity in all the ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, boards and parastatals after July 17.
He also stated that all appointments of traditional rulers made by the immediate past administration after July 17 would be reviewed.
The governor specifically asked the Aree of Iree, Akinrun of Ikirun and Owa of Igbajo to vacate their palaces.
The statement noted, “Executive Governor of Osun state, Senator Ademola Adeleke has issued six executive orders to take immediate effect. The orders signed this morning by His Excellency covered chieftaincy matters, appointments issues, setting up of review panel, staff audit and employment matters.’’
PDP Backs Governor
However, the PDP has thrown its weight behind the governor, stating that all his decisions were in order.
Speaking with journalists, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba said Adeleke, having prioritized his programmes, chose to correct the “illegalities” perpetrated by the previous administration.
He said, “We don’t want to elevate his (Kekemeke’s) comments to a point of national discourse. When a government comes on, it has its priority and part of the obligation of PDP government from our mission statement is that we want to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.
“Osun state was in the jugular of reckless and irresponsible government for eight years. A new government is now in place and it is settling down to correct the mistakes of old. If there are illegalities, they should be corrected.
“One of such is the irresponsible and reckless renaming of Osun state as State of Osun which is completely unconstitutional because we are conscious of the constitutionality of our process.
“For us, we are a rule of law party, we follow the process and if there are actions that have been taken that are unconstitutional, any responsible governor which Senator Adeleke represents must reverse that.’’
“Another thing is the unconstitutional conduct of elections to the local government. They were advised but because the APC is run by people who are not interested in the rule of law and believe in impunity; they went ahead to conduct an illegal election which of a court of competent jurisdiction has set aside,” he said
Ologunagba argued further that the governor simply obeyed the court order by dissolving the elected council executives.
He added, “When the APC makes a comment from afar, you disregard it because it is not worth it. So the governor has obeyed the court order by dissolving that charade.
‘’The people are happy with his decision because of the madness of this APC in the last eight years. No tangible project was established but corruption and recklessness were the order of the day.’’
LG Chairmen React
But reacting to the withdrawal of Certificates of Return issued to the elected council officials, the Chairman of Irepodun Local Government, Adegoke Ogunsola, said having studied the decision, the affected officials have valid grounds to approach the court for redress.
Ogunsola, a lawyer, explained that after the court judgment last Friday, the affected parties filed a notice of appeal and duly served the PDP, a development which ought to have put to rest all issues concerning local government elections until the relevant court decides the matter.
Besides, Ogunsola said the OSIEC secretary, a career civil servant, could not be used to withdraw the certificates issued to them by the commission, except the court ruled that it should be withdrawn.
He stated, “There are so many issues. They got a judgment against us on Friday on the procedures of the elections. Immediately after the judgment was delivered, we filed a notice of appeal and stay of execution.
“The All Progressive Congress and some of us who are parties to the case and we served them (the PDP). That is why he (Adeleke) could not pronounce on it in his inaugural address.
“After that, he directed the most senior career officers to take over from us which is illegal in the sense that once you file a notice of appeal and stay of execution and you serve your opponent who wants to execute the judgment, you are not supposed to do anything on the matter any longer. You have to respect that until the court gives its ruling.
“Furthermore, this afternoon, the OSIEC executive secretary made a release that they will not appeal the judgment and that our certificate should be withdrawn. We are still studying the situation to know what next to do because he doesn’t have that power. It is the court that can withdraw the certificate that has been issued.’’
“The party has taken a position. The secretary of the party called and asked me to study the relevant laws and get back to him and I told him that the next thing is to challenge the decision of the executive secretary of OSIEC in court,” Ogunsola concluded.
One of the monarchs affected by the executive order, the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri, said he had directed his chiefs to vacate the palace.
He said, “I don’t have issue with the fact that the government wants to set up a committee to review the process that produced me as monarch. The process that made me a monarch is perfect and I don’t think I have engaged in any manipulation. I have ordered the chiefs to move out of the palace to allow the government do its job.”
Meanwhile, the reversal of appointments into the civil service ordered by the governor may affect thousands of the workers recruited after Oyetola had lost his re-election.
Findings indicate that about 3,000 new teachers were recruited into various public primary schools in the state between mid-July and November.
It was also learnt that last Wednesday, 100 letters of appointment were taken to Osun State Polytechnic, Iree for distribution to those newly employed.
Over 1,000 workers were also reportedly employed through the State Hospital Management Development Board between July and November, while about 61 freelance staff that have worked with Osun State Broadcasting Corporation for many years were also absorbed into full-time service of the station.
Sources also said 1,500 teachers were recruited to secondary schools across the state after the July 16 elections.
But Oyetola’s spokesperson, Ismail Omipidan, dismissed as false the reports that his principal employed 12, 000 into the civil service.
He challenged the government to publish the list of the purported 12, 000 workers, asking, “What is the entire workforce of the state?”
PUNCH
It was a plethora of pleasantries in Osogbo on Thursday, when Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke was named 2024 Governor of the year and endorsed for second tenure in office by the top management of the Leadership Newspaper.
The newspaper’s team was on a courtesy call on Gov Adeleke, Biztellers reports.
Receiving them at the Government House, Gov Adeleke noted that his administration had reduced the infra deficit by over 40 percent.
He added that his administration had also bridged access to primary health care, with an ambition to expand health access at medium and tertiary levels.
He said, “Osun State is constantly getting recognitions for what outsiders and even opposition members regard as our commendable performance.
“In the last one year, our government has been conferred with several awards across the sectors. Aside from reputable newspapers like the leadership stable, we have received accolades from several federal agencies and non-governmental bodies. The consensus from those reviewing our performance and service delivery is that we are true agents of good governance.
“In all these positive ratings, my response has always been to task my team to double their efforts. In the face of overwhelming positive reviews and high approval ratings, I am compelled to drive my team harder. When recently, some opposition figures confessed to our positive ratings, I still believe we have a lot of grounds to cover.
“I am not allowing the praises to enter my head. While it may be true that I have delivered a four-year task in under two years, I am propelled to do more because Osun has been left behind on many fronts. As I have reduced the infra deficit by over 40 percent, my real target Is higher. As I have bridged access to primary health care, my ambition is to also expand health access at medium and tertiary levels. While our records across the sectors are laudable as your newspaper has acknowledged, the ultimate goal is to accelerate infra upgrade alongside the boosting of soft investment for the well-being of our people.
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“I appreciate your candid endorsement of our performance. It is important to note that your yardstick for recognizing us correlates with similar reasons adduced by others. Our huge governance records are undeniable facts especially in workers’ welfare, infrastructure delivery, educational expansion, health care access improvement, solid mineral sector reforms, digital economy initiatives, agricultural mechanisation among others.
“I want to assure the public that our administration is not slowing down. Very soon, I will flag off ongoing remodeling of Osogbo stadium to assume international standard. Prior to the ongoing stadium project, we have engineered the creation of Osun Sport Commission and Osun Sport Fund through appropriate legal and policy framework.
“Very soon, I will be flagging off the dualisation of phase one of Odoori – Post office road at Iwo. The contractor for Iwo -Osogbo road has mobilized to site. We plan to complete the two projects within the life of this administration. Meanwhile, the dualisation project at Ilesa is progressing while the flyover bridge at Ile Ife is ongoing with appreciable progress. 2025 is billed to be a year of further expansion of good governance for the good of man and humanity.
On his part, the Vice Chairman of Leadership Group Mike Okpere, noted that the recognition is in order to give Gov Adeleke an insight and encouragement to do a second term.
“Your excellency you will see that, we didn’t just come down here, we had a meeting before the award and that is why we are here, so this trip is to notify you formally for this award and we personally invite you on the 8th of April at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Asokoro where this award will be handed on over to you.
“Our Reputable Person of the Year is Aliko Dangote, you all are aware of the investment he just concluded, by bringing fuel production into Nigeria, because of that and many other things, we chose him as our person of the year.
“Other person’s that would be sharing the merit are other governors that have touched people’s lives, among them is the Governor from Akwa Ibom State, the Governor of Enugu State, the Governor of Jigawa State and the Governor of Kano State.
“We didn’t call this Leadership Governor of the year, we call it Governor of the year, in other words, what we are saying is that, this recognition will give you an insight and encouragement to do a second term.
“As a newspaper company, we don’t endorse Governors but when we see something we say it, your Excellency sir, I therefore want to present this notification and official invitation”, he added.
Other members of the Leadership Newspaper team includes, Abraham Nda Isaiah, Director, Leadership Group, Ibidiran Ayokunle, Head Southern Operations, Joshua Dada, Osun State.
The Cross River State House of Assembly has initiated the process to amend the Local Government Law 2007, introducing provisions to expand political appointments and enhance local government administration across the state.
The bill, sponsored by Rt. Hon. Davies Etta, representing Abi State Constituency, was debated on Tuesday in Calabar.
It proposes increasing the number of appointees in each Local Government Area (LGA) to 50. Among the new roles are 16 Special Adviser positions and a cadre of officials known as Ward Relation Officers.
According to the bill, “The Chairman of Council may appoint such a number of Special Advisers to assist him in the discharge of his duties, provided that appointments, when added to other statutory appointments, shall not exceed a total number of 50.”
The proposed Ward Relation Officers will hold ranks equivalent to Special Advisers and will report directly to the Chairmen of their respective LGAs.
This move, the Assembly says, is aimed at fostering grassroots engagement and improving governance at the local level.
Another key provision of the bill seeks to elevate the office of the Head of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) to the status of a Permanent Secretary within the state public service.
The amendment stipulates that HOLGAs will enjoy all the rights, privileges, and entitlements of Permanent Secretaries, including pensions.
“The office of the HOLGA shall be equivalent to the office of a Permanent Secretary of the State Public Service and shall enjoy all rights and privileges of the Permanent Secretary, including pensions,” the bill states.
It also specifies that appointments to the HOLGA position must be made exclusively from within the local government service in the state.
The bill, which has passed its first and second readings, has been referred to a joint committee on Local Government Affairs, Judiciary, and Public Accounts for further review and consultations with stakeholders.
Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, underscored the importance of the proposed amendment, noting that it would strengthen local government administration and improve service delivery to the grassroots.
The Assembly is expected to hold further deliberations before making a final decision on the proposed amendments.
Donald Trump has completed his return to the White House with his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States (POTUS).
Trump’s historic return, on account of adverse weather conditions, happened with a remarkable ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda, on Monday.
In his inaugural address, President Trump outlined a bold agenda for his administration, touching on issues of gender, race, border control, economic reforms, and energy policies.
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President Trump asserted that his administration would recognise only two genders — male and female — effectively dismissing identities such as transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer.
President Trump asserted, “This week, I will end the government policy of engineering race and gender into every aspect of public and private life. Henceforth, it will be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female.”
He unveiled plans to overhaul the trade system, introducing an “External Revenue Service” to collect tariffs from foreign countries, promising to shift the economic burden away from U.S. taxpayers.
“I will immediately begin the overhaul of our trade system to protect American workers and families. Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” Trump stated.
The POTUS vowed to make America a “manufacturing nation” again by leveraging the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
“America will be a manufacturing nation once again. We will use our liquid gold — oil and gas — to bring prices down, fill our reserves, and export energy worldwide. We will end the Green New Deal and revoke the electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto industry,” he said.
On border control, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and announced measures to combat illegal immigration.
“All illegal entry will be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions of criminal aliens. The Remain in Mexico policy will be reinstated, and catch-and-release practices will end. Troops will secure our borders to repel this invasion,” he announced.
He also pledged to designate cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to combat criminal networks.
The POTUS announced the formation of a Department of Government Efficiency and outlined measures to tackle inflation and high costs.
He also promised an aggressive crackdown on crime, leveraging federal and state resources to eliminate gang activity.
“As commander-in-chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions,” President Trump added.
He recounted an assassination attempt during his campaign, framing his survival as a divine sign of his purpose to “make America great again.”
In addition, President Trump criticised America’s healthcare and education systems, promising significant reforms to address inadequacies exposed by recent natural disasters.
The event, attended by lawmakers, distinguished guests, and family members, marked the beginning of President Trump’s second term. Vice President JD Vance was also sworn in, taking the oath of office in a ceremony presided over by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
It was gathered that earlier in the day, President Trump and Melania Trump met with outgoing President Joe Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden, continuing the tradition of a handover meeting between administrations.
At a pre-inauguration rally, President Trump addressed supporters, promising to pardon January 6 defendants and issuing executive orders on his first day in office.
Despite freezing temperatures, the ceremony proceeded with President Trump expressing confidence in his administration’s vision and America’s future.
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