society
Stand Down Or Face Impeachment, Tinubu’s Camp Threatens Ambode
As high-wired intrigues continue to play out in Lagos State over the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode’s re-election bid, competent sources saturday revealed that a key segment of the party led by the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked the governor to stand down his second term bid or face impeachment. The threat to impeach the governor is an escalation of pressure being piled on him to drop his quest for second term.
A competent party source sympathetic to the governor, who demanded annonimity since he was not authorised to speak on the intrigues and power play currently playing out informed THISDAY yesterday, “they are threatening to impeach him should he refused to bow to their demand to withdraw. The incumbent governor, who is traditionally entitled to another term is being harassed and intimidated by Tinubu’s political machine to withdraw for their new man, even though the governor had agreed to subject himself to primary. They are boasting that they will direct the State House of Assembly to immediatly begin impeachment proceedings against him.”
The APC had initially insisted on conducting direct primary election to select its governorship candidate in the spirit of democracy. But it suddenly reversed itself, directing Ambode to withdraw from the contest to enable the party present Sanwo-Olu as the consensus candidate.
It also emerged yesterday via a statement from the Vice President’s office denying endorsing Sanwo-Olu. “It was while he was coming out of the GAC meeting that Mr. Sanwo-Olu and Mr. Hamzat took advantage of the VP’S presence to take the photos which are now being falsely paraded as proof of endorsement.
“The VP did not go there to endorse Sanwo-Olu., they only took advantage of his presence,” a source at the meeting confirmed last night.”
Rather, sources at the GAC meetings hinted that Prof Osinbajo, who is believed to be supportive of a second term bid for Ambode, conveyed the view of the Buhari presidency that there should be a level playing field in the overall conduct of the primaries.
Party chieftains spoke with THISDAY yesterday in confidence on the drama that took place at the meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) held Friday night. They disclosed that the APC leader threatened to impeach Ambode if the governor refused “to step down for Sanwo-Olu.” Ambode was said to have looked him squarely in the face and refused.
But Ambode Mandate Support Group condemned the call for the governor’s withdrawal as undemocratic. The group also reacted to the postponement of the APC governorship primary in the state, which has now been scheduled for October 1, saying they were confident that Ambode would fly the party’s flag in 2019 election as it has received overwhelming support from several quarters for him.
There has been uncertainty about governor’s re-election after Sanwo-Olu, currently the managing director of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), and former commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, declared their intention to challenge the governor in a primary contest.
As a result, the Mandate Movement, a powerful political machine of Tinubu, endorsed Sanwo-Olu for the governorship contest, heating up the state’s political climate ahead of the primary election.
Ambode’s travails had attracted the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari; former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF); and the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). They all tried to persuade Tinubu to make up with Ambode.
With the presidential intervention, Tinubu decided to consult the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the state’s highest advisory political organ, comprising 22 APC chieftains across the three senatorial districts. But in its resolution, the GAC directed Ambode and two other aspirants to face the direct primary election.
At the GAC meeting held at Tinubu’s residence, Bourdillion, Ikoyi, Friday night, one of the party chieftains explained how Ambode addressed the leaders of the GAC, justifying point by point the reasons he decided to seek re-election in 2019.
Specifically, according to the chieftain, Ambode hinged his re-election bid on the need to complete various infrastructure projects and urban renewal programmes that his administration initiated in the last three years.
Despite his justifying his re-election bid, the party chieftain stated that Lagos Central APC leader, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, asked the governor “to step down for Sanwo-Olu. He claimed that the GAC had already endorsed Sanwo-Olu as the party’s consensus candidate.”
Another party chieftain revealed that a member of the GAC, Prof. Tunde Samuel, interrupted Olusi while he was telling Ambode to withdraw from the race, observing that Olusi’s statement did not reflect a common position of all GAC members that all aspirants should face primary contest.
In response to Olusi, however, the party chieftain claimed that Ambode simply told the meeting that he “will not step down for any governorship aspirants on the ground that it is undemocratic. He also said he stood by the earlier position of the GAC that all aspirants should face direct primary contest to foster democracy in the country.
The source stated, at this point, Tinubu, who chaired the GAC meeting, became angry and quickly interjected, threatening Ambode with impeachment, if he failed to stand down for Sanwo-Olu before the primary election earlier scheduled to hold today which was later postponed till tomorrow by the APC national secretariat.
THISDAY learnt that it was resolved at the meeting that a stakeholders’ meeting should be held on Saturday at the party secretariat, Acme road, Ogba. It was expected that Tinubu would come to the meeting to endorse Sanwo-Olu. To their surprise however, thousands of Ambode’s supporters thronged the venue chanting Ambode solidarity songs and raining curses on national leader: Tinubu ole Tinubu ole.
Eventually, Tinubu was forced to stay away.
When THISDAY contacted Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Tunde Rahman, for his reaction to the threat to impeach the governor by Tinubu’s camp, he responded, saying he did not “have any comment to make.”
Rather than attending as originally planned, Tinubu delegated a GAC leader, Senator Anthony Adefuye, to represent him.
At the stakeholders’ meeting, Adefuye acknowledged that there was another GAC meeting, which held by 10 am on Saturday,
society
Seyi Tinubu, Yinka Tinubu, Noella Foundation, and Associates Lead Humanitarian Response to Maiduguri Flooding Crisis
Seyi Tinubu, Yinka Tinubu, Noella Foundation, and Associates Lead Humanitarian Response to Maiduguri Flooding Crisis
In response to the recent devastating floods in Maiduguri, Borno State, two of President Bola Tinubu’s children, Seyi Tinubu and Yinka Tinubu, in collaboration with the Noella Foundation, their associates, and some private sector partners, mobilised significant humanitarian aid to support those affected. This was made known during their visit to Borno state where they met the Governor of the State and the Shehu of Borno. The ST Noella Relief initiative, spearheaded by Seyi and Yinka Tinubu, alongside Seyi’s wife, Layal Tinubu, and their Noella Foundation, aims to bring much-needed assistance to displaced persons and flood victims.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Maiduguri earlier this week, where he called for private sector involvement in flood relief efforts, Seyi Tinubu and his family quickly rallied friends, associates, and organisations within their private circle to mobilise substantial resources to deliver vital food, non-food, and medical supplies to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the floods.
Seyi Tinubu, speaking on behalf of the team, said: “We are here today, united in the belief that when our people are in need, we respond with action. These contributions are just the beginning, and we will continue to support Maiduguri and Borno State as they recover from this tragedy.”
Further speaking, Seyi Tinubu said that this initiative is a sustained effort, with more aid and resources expected in the coming weeks to ensure that no family is left behind in the recovery process. The relief drive is part of a larger commitment by the Noella Foundation to strengthen communities and provide relief in times of crisis.
Governor Babagana Zulum expressed his gratitude for the swift response and assured that the resources would be distributed efficiently to meet the needs of the affected populations.
The generous donation includes 1,000 cartons each of spaghetti, tomato paste, and groundnut oil, along with 200 bags of maize flour and 500 bags of 25kg rice, to provide essential sustenance. Additionally, 10,000 loaves of bread were donated to help address basic food needs. The donation also includes seasoning, such as 200 cartons of Maggi, 1,000 bags of salt, and 100 cartons of sugar, to enhance the nutritional value of the meals.
Beyond food, the relief package included essential non-food items to help displaced families maintain dignity and improve their living conditions. These items include 5,000 mosquito nets to prevent the spread of malaria, 1,000 mattresses for comfort, and 4,000 blankets for warmth. Personal hygiene was also addressed with the distribution of 4,000 wash kits and buckets, sanitary wares, along with 4,000 kettles for daily use. Furthermore, 4,000 wrappers and 10,000 mats were provided, ensuring that families have basic provisions to cover their needs.
The medical aspect of this intervention was equally robust, with a range of medications and supplies aimed at addressing the immediate health concerns of the displaced population. The donated medical items include 26,000 packs of antimalarial drugs, 3,500 boxes of analgesics, 3,000 boxes of anti-ulcer medications, and 35,000 packs of antihypertensive drugs. Additional items include 50 cartons of antidiabetic medication, 110 cartons of antidiarrheal drugs, and 9,650 boxes of antibiotics and antifungal treatments. To further bolster health care efforts, 3,500 cartons of antiparasitic drugs, 1,500 cartons of medical infusions, and 4,500 boxes of medical consumables were donated.
In addition to these, 50medical doctors within the network of friends were mobilised and are already on ground to provide additional support to the State Ministry of Health for the next few days under this initiative.
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