Mallam Isa Yuguda dumps PDP

Not many Nigerians except those who experience amnesia would be surprised with the recent report that the former minister of transport and immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Truly, Yuguda appears to be on his familiar political terrain, considering that this is not the first time he is defecting from one political party to another. It would be recalled that after leaving the financial sector, where he cut his teeth, Yuguda started his national political career following his appointment as Minister of Transport during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Ahead of the 2007 general elections, he tried to contest the Bauchi governorship seat on the PDP platform but was frustrated out by his once dependable ally and governor of the State, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. Yuguda quickly defected to the now defunct, All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), contested the governorship poll and won. His party also won majority of the elective seats in the State to the surprise of many PDP faithful and political observers.

In what looked like a marriage of defection, Yuguda in January 24, 2009 married the daughter of then President of the country, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar Adua, Hajiya Nasifa Yar’ Adua.

Just typical of Nigerian politicians, not quite long after the marital vow, Yuguda started perfecting moves to defect to the ruling PDP invariably to please his father-in-law and become influential in the presidency.

Yuguda’s defection moves pitched him against his deputy, Alhaji Mohammed Garba Gadi who strongly opposed the move. For his refusal to defect to the PDP with him, Yuguda allegedly masterminded the illegal impeachment of Gadi. Illegal because the court later reversed the impeachment and ordered Yuguda to pay Gadi N215 million as his entitlements.

During the 2015 polls, Yuguda and his party, PDP, just like his predecessor, lost all the elective seats in the state including the senatorial seat Yuguda contested to the All Progressive Congress (APC).

After hibernating for a while, Yuguda, just like the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, recently dumped the PDP, but failed to disclose his next political destination. Nigerians will not be surprised to see him in APC before 2019.
2016 Budget Impasse: Buhari Meets NASS Leaders

After weeks of intrigues, politics, and power play between the National Assembly and the Presidency over the controversial 2016 budget, President Muhammadu Buhari recently met with the leaders of the National Assembly to resolve the lingering impasse. This was after the President had consulted with former Senate President, Ken Nnamani and former Speaker, House of Representatives and governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Aminu Masari on the matter.

With feelers from the meeting, it is believed that barring any other clash of interest between the two arms of government, the budget after clearing the grey areas will be ready for the president’s assent next week.

There is no doubt that the budget delay has virtually grounded the country’s economy. So there is need to avoid such pitfalls and avoidable delays in preparing and passing subsequent budgets. The presidency, and the National Assembly in line with the APC-government’s change mantra should adopt a more pragmatic and realistic approach in handling the country’s budget subsequently. It is hoped that both arms of government has learnt some lessons from the controversies that dogged this year’s budget.

I Will Contest 2019 Presidency, Says Lamido

Even though the timing is still far and anything can happen before then, the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, who is facing trial alongside his two sons over alleged corrupt charges, has announced his intention to contest 2019 presidency on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lamido said: “If my party finds me worthy of the party’s presidential ticket to serve Nigeria, I will thank God and oblige.

“Although there are issues in the party that we are all working to resolve, we hope to have success soon and come out united. As I’m talking to you, we are working silently to resolve our differences and bring back to our fold those that left the party for APC.”

Lest we forget that it was in the news ahead of the 2015 PDP presidential primaries that Lamido would contest for the ticket against the then President Goodluck Jonathan, but when the chips were down Lamido chickened out. This was after he and his Niger State counterpart, Muazu Babangida Aliyu, refused to defect to the APC with their breakaway new PDP governors.

Maybe PDP’s earlier zoning of the 2019 presidential ticket to the North will work in Lamido’s favour when the time comes. But that may be dependent on the outcome of his trial and other unforeseen political factors from now till then, majorly the present zoning impasse in the party ahead of its forthcoming national convention.

Edo Gov. Poll: Between Oshiomhole
And His Deputy, Odubu

The storm is truly gathering in Edo Government House ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in the State. In the ruling APC the stake is very high as the list of aspirants grow in leaps and bounds ahead of the party’s primaries.

Already in the eye of the storm is the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, who has not hidden his ambition to succeed his boss, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

An ambition many believed is too tall to be achieved, considering that most governors in Nigeria since 1999 never liked supporting their deputies to succeed them in office, with the exception of Zamfara State where former governor of the State, now Senator Sani Ahmed supported his deputy, Alhaji Mahmud Shinkafi to succeed him in 2007.

Odubu has been telling anybody who cares to listen recently that he didn’t plot to kill his boss as being alleged.

Clearly, the timing of the allegation against Odubu is as suspicious as the allegation itself. How true is the allegation and who are those behind it? Is it all about struggle for power or a sign of what will befall APC in the State as aspirants desperately engage in fierce battle for the party’s ticket?

Soyinka Blasts Buhari Over Herdsmen Killings

True to his bluntness, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government over its inability to quickly find a lasting solution to the incessant killings by herdsmen in the country.

Soyinka’s outburst should be a wakeup call to the Buhari-led government to quickly find a lasting solution to the menace that is already threatening the security of the country. Before now, several prominent Nigerians including Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Sule-Ibrahim Gambari, Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko, Bishop of Anglican Diocese Enugu, Bishop Innocent Chukwuma have called on the APC-led government to, as a matter of urgency, address the incessant herdsmen menace before it gets out of control.

Buhari Orders Crackdown On Rampaging Herdsmen

To forestall further loss of lives and property, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security chiefs to hunt down those who perpetrated the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Council area of Enugu State on Monday.

President Buhari gave the order in an address delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the public presentation of a book, entitled: “Who will Love My Country: Ideas for Building the Nigeria of our Dream”, written by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in Abuja on Wednesday.

The President used the occasion to condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the attack perpetrated on the Ukpabi Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu State on Monday. “I deeply sympathise with all those who lost dear ones, as well as those who lost their properties in the attack,” President Buhari said.
Buhari said that he has directed the Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police to secure all communities under attacks by herdsmen, and to go after all the groups terrorizing innocent people all over the country. This government will not allow these attacks to continue,” he stated.

The people of Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Council told Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, that policemen who were officially posted to protect them from the Fulani herdsmen disappeared shortly before the attackers arrived and killed over 20 people. Spokesperson of the community, Dr George Ajogwu, who made this known, told Arase that the Fulani attackers were led by a police corporal serving at Adani Police Station in the local council.

According to him, it was, however, the arrival of another police team from the Area Commander’s office that minimised the level of destruction as the new team challenged the attackers frontally. Ajogwu’s account of the incident was, however, disputed by the transition committee chairman of the Local Council, Cornell Onwubuya, who disrupted the speaker, leading to an uproar.

However, Ajogwu, who insisted that he must be allowed to speak as he was a member of the community, complained that the policemen posted to the community left, despite the fact that they pleaded with them to stay till those who would relieve them arrived.

Immediately they moved out that morning, the Fulani herdsmen struck. If the policemen had listened to them, the incident would have been nipped in the bud.

It was only the Area Commander’s men from Nsukka that responded. Could there have been elements of connivance in this whole tragedy, moreso when community members were giving conflicting reports?

Metuh Slumps At PDP Event

Saying that this is not the best of times for the once vibrant publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, is like stating the obvious.

From his party’s loss of the presidency in 2015 polls to his failure to stop his ongoing trial over alleged corruption and slumping at a PDP event in Abuja, is trouble too many for him.

Metuh, who can best be described as a doyen of the PDP politics, having served consistently as the party’s national officer in the last 16 years, has never been encumbered like this before.

It has been observed that since Metuh was arraigned over allegations of corruption, the PDP appeared to have lost its voice as an opposition party. Not even Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose or Femi Fani-Kayode have been able to fit into Metuh’s shoes.