Jimoh Ibrahim Asks Court To Nullify Ondo APC Governorship Primary

The Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim, has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, to seek the nullification of the primary election that produced Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the forthcoming election in Ondo State.

Ibrahim, in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/588/2024, told the court that the April 20 primary election that produced Aiyedatiwa was marred with a lot of irregularities.

The senator, who participated in the primary election as a governorship aspirant, alleged that the primary was unlawful.

He claimed that Sections 221, and 228 of the 1999 Constitution and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 were grossly violated in the conduct of the primary election.

He alleged that some delegates who could have voted for him at the primary election were not accredited to vote thereby making the primary election liable to be set aside and nullified.

He prayed the court to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting Aiyedatiwa as the APC governorship candidate in the November 16 gubernatorial election in the state.

He also sought an order of perpetual injunction prohibiting Aiyedatiwa from holding himself out or parading himself as the APC governorship candidate.

Ibrahim also asked the court to set aside the purported primary election and compel the APC to conduct a fresh one in compliance with Sections 221, and 228 of the 1999 Constitution and 84 of the Electoral Act 2022.

The senator prayed to the Federal High Court to delist the names of the APC and Aiyedatiwa from the political parties and candidates that would participate in the gubernatorial poll.

The plaintiff further requested that the APC and Aiyedatiwa be relieved of all rights except a fresh primary election is lawfully conducted to nominate a candidate for the governorship election.

At Wednesday’s proceedings, Ibrahim’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), moved an ex-parte application for an order of substituted service of the court process on Aiyedatiwa through any staff of the APC at the national secretariat in Abuja.

The request was granted by Justice Inyang Ekwo, who in a brief ruling, ordered that the process in the suit be served on the Ondo State governor through the APC.

He said, “Leave is granted the plaintiff/applicant to serve the originating summon and all other processes of this court in this suit on the second defendant by substituted means to wit; by delivery of same to any staff at the All Progressives Congress, national headquarters, at No: 40, Blantyre Street, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja, being the political party of the second defendant.

“Service to be effected within two days of this order. Case adjourned till May 14, 2024, for mention.”

While Jimoh Ibrahim is the sole plaintiff in the suit, the APC, Aiyedatiwa and INEC are the first to third defendants respectively.

Aiyedatiwa was declared the winner of the primary election by the chairman of the election committee and the Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo.

Ododo while announcing Aiyedatiwa as the winner had said, “I can confirm that the direct mode of the primary election, adopted in the 2024 Ondo State governorship primary elections held in all 203 electoral wards, in all the 18 LGAs in Ondo State.”

The Ondo State governor won 16 of the 18 local government areas in the state by amassing 48,569 votes to beat his closest rival Mayowa Akinfolarin, who polled 15,343 votes in the election.

Olusola Oke got 14,865 votes which earned him the third position.

Matawalle: A Nigerian Minister whose vision is to see Nigerians sleeping with their eyes closed

By Sola Olugbemiro

There’s no doubt that, the former Zamfara State Governor now the Honourable Minister of State for Defence, His Excellency Bello Mohammed Matawalle is indeed one of the serving Nigeria Minister, who is working hard to realize President Bola Ahmed Tinubu renewed hope agenda, in terms of getting rid of the Nigerian security challenges which has since germinated a reasonable significant progress.

His Excellency the immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle track hardwork records, as the then governor of Zamfara State is without apology fast manifesting positive results for the assignment entrusted him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Defence Minister in both his primary Assignment and protecting political integrity of the President.

More interesting things about the Honourable Minister of State for Defence is that, one can say that he is shouldering two responsibilities at a go, that’s, getting closer positively with his Zamfara State political supporters, reason is that Bello Mohammed Matawalle out of his consideration and sympathy decides to maintain Zamfara APC supporters with a reasonable monthly allowances to cater for their immediate family members and APC supporters in the state especially those who served under his administration from the position of Honourable Commissioners, Special Adviser’s SAs, Director Generals, DGs and Board Chairmen including social media handlers who are promoting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu renewed hope agenda.

The Honourable Minister has kept good faith with the party, the APC. Even close observers tell story of how the ex governor have many a time, taken it upon himself to support different notable causes in the state and in the party.

“The man has remained selfless in many aspects of human consideration and assistance to uplifting the lives of many party members in the state, and he has remained non-tribal and accessible to all party members,” said a top member of the party who chose to remain anonymous.

Tinubu-Shettima supporters vow to expose appointees plotting against President’s 2027 interests

Some members of the All Progressives Congress under the umbrella of Southwest Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Supporters Movement have called on President Bola Tinubu not to delay in sacking some of his appointees who have allegedly been plotting his political downfall for their selfish interests.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday in Lagos, the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential supporters condemned, in its entirety, the development which they described as “satanic agenda”, and called on President Tinubu and the APC leadership to immediately arrest the situation and ensure that the party is not hijacked by a disloyal few.

They also vowed to expose those scheming to succeed Tinubu in 2027, with the notion that he might not be able to contest.

According to the supporters, allegations by a prominent member of the ruling APC, Jesutega Onokpasa, about those around the president already planning to succeed him possibly before he completes his first term in office, ought not to be taken with levity.

Onokpasa, a former member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had in a video clip, alleged the ongoing drama around the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s allegations against former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, and the continued attack on former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, were part of plans by these individuals against the President.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Femi Bode-Banjoko, APC Chieftain and Coordinator, Southwest Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Supporters Movement said, although Onokpasa didn’t mention names, “it is not difficult to make an educated guess as to those involved in such satanic plot to be scheming for Asiwaju’s untimely departure for their own selfish political ambitions.”

Bode-Banjoko added, “These characters have been using their positions as appointees of the president to pursue their personal agendas rather than concentrate on the assignments of their offices.

“Because of that, their performances in office have been woeful till date. Rather than assist the president to improve on the country’s security and economy, they are busy chasing their perceived political enemies all around the country whilst the country suffers. They continue to give our Party a bad name among Nigerians because they are not justifying their appointments whatsoever but concentrating on alienating those who worked hard for the success of our Party in the last presidential election from the president.

“For instance, former Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Ganduje of Kano were in the forefront of Northern Governors who gave one hundred percent support and loyalty with tireless hard work to ensure Asiwaju’s victory to emerge as our Party’s Presidential candidate and eventually as the President and Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria last year.

“Nasir El-Rufai and former Governor Yahaya Bello were the ones who went to Court to bail out the country from the satanic plot of the Naira redesign policy that threw many Nigerians into pains and penury.

“These retrogressive political opportunists made sure that El-Rufai was frustrated out of the Ministerial appointment through flimsy petitions and are now instigating his successor against him. Former Governors El-Rufai, and Yahaya Bello delivered their states to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 through unprecedented hard work, dedication and Party loyalty whilst these ones who are reaping from where they didn’t sow lost their states and couldn’t even deliver any significant electoral value to the Party’s ticket. But they are now exploiting their positions to go after those who delivered for the ticket.

“They wouldn’t allow our Party’s national chairman to rest by sponsoring proxy wars against him. They have succeeded in alienating former Governor El-Rufai from the president and the Party and still going after him using his successor. They are after the life of former Governor Yahaya Bello who worked so hard to win his state for the President and the Party at the governorship election whilst they achieved zero for the Party. The offices they occupy are failing in their mandate as there have been no noticeable improvement in the country’s security and so forth.”

The Coordinator of the support group, therefore, urged the president to fire all incompetent and disloyal members of his cabinet and replace them with those who can help him secure the country better among other development indicators.

“All those paying marabouts millions of Naira and dollars to pray for the President to be sick or even die will receive the arrow of death before they achieve their aim,” he said.

Bode-Banjoko restated the group’s undivided loyalty to President Tinubu and the party, assuring that “He (Tinubu) will complete his first term and win his second with even greater electoral success by God’s grace.”