Politics
Tinubu, Atiku Dispute Over Fuel Scarcity, Anti-Poll Plot
On Thursday, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council engaged in another dispute over Tinubu’s claim that the PDP is planning to disrupt the upcoming February election.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, has accused the PDP of misusing $16bn earmarked for the power sector.
Meanwhile, the Atiku-Okowa campaign council has called on the Department of State Services and other agencies to investigate Tinubu for allegedly plotting to destabilize the country through a violent revolution and riots.
Addressing a large crowd of supporters in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State on Thursday, Tinubu said that his previous statements about fuel scarcity and currency redesign had been misunderstood.
He emphasized that what he meant was that the PDP had neglected the oil industry and had given oil blocs to themselves and their allies.
He said, “They (PDP) met good oil prices for 16 good years, they didn’t remember gas pipelines. They are what I called saboteurs yesterday. They gave PMS licences to their supporters and sympathisers. They are the ones who started creating fake queues. PDP, enough is enough.”
He also stated that the $16bn reportedly invested in the power sector was allegedly distributed among PDP leaders and their allies in Abuja.
Tinubu promised to establish student loan programs and provide hope to Nigerians, especially internally displaced persons in the state and workers who he said were not being paid their salary arrears.
Earlier, the leader of the party in the state and the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. George Akume, said that the Muslim/Muslim ticket was not a bad thing. He added that Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, had the qualifications to rebuild Nigeria if given the chance.
However, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) responded to Tinubu’s accusation that the PDP was responsible for the ongoing fuel scarcity in order to disrupt the elections.
PCC stated that Tinubu’s statement at the APC’s presidential rally in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, on Wednesday was an indication of the violence he was planning.
Recall that Tinubu, while addressing the crowd at Abeokuta, Tinubu almost proclaimed himself as the winner of an election that is still 29 days away, using the same sense of entitlement that he used to coerce his party members into giving him the ticket for the general election.
The PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) cited Tinubu’s statement that the upcoming election is a revolution and argued that Tinubu should be questioned by security agencies, as he has no immunity from prosecution.
It stated, “Tinubu is not too big and he has no immunity neither is he above the law of the land to be interrogated by the Department of State Services or by the Nigeria Police.
To avoid bloodshed in the coming election, the APC standard bearer’s comments must not be waved aside. For clarity, in political science, a revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favour of a new system.”
The media aide of the People’s Democratic Party, further alleged that “from the information available to us, Tinubu has begun releasing money to some of his quack activists to stage protests in some strategic locations in the country, especially in Abuja, to cause violence ahead of the polls which he will lose.
Shaibu further argued that Tinubu’s claim that the PDP was responsible for the current petrol scarcity and shortage of new naira notes was a ridiculous accusation, considering that the PDP has not been in power for the past eight years.
In response, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said that Tinubu’s allegations against the opposition party indicated that “he has lost his mind.”
He added, “All this underscores the unstableness and unsoundness of mind of the APC presidential candidate. He cannot stand on an issue. He is unsteady and he cannot decipher the issues. I am not sure he is aware of where he is.
“He is saying today that the PDP is sabotaging and encouraging fuel shortages when the Minister of Petroleum is the President of the government that he boasted of installing and he turns around to blame the PDP.
‘’That goes to show whether indeed this man has the soundness of mind to aspire to be the president of this country. He is not aware of his environment. It is sad and terrible.’’
Meanwhile, PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, once again emphasized his support for restructuring as called for by southern states in the country.
He stated on Thursday that his administration would undertake the restructuring of the country if he becomes president.
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.
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.
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.”
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