EKITI PUNCTURES EX-SENATOR OJUDU AND NATION NEWSPAPER’S MISLEADING STORY

 

The attention of the general public is being drawn to a misleading publication by the Nation Newspapers online with headline “Fayemi’s failed mission to Villa with Giadom”, published in the online edition of the Nation Newspaper on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020.

The falsehood, we gathered reliably, was fabricated by a senior aide of the Presidency and a former Senator, Babafemi Ojudu, and planted in The Nation Newspaper, after it was rejected by some State House Correspondents, who rebuffed the former Senator for the misleading and malicious story.

It is on record that Senator Ojudu, in his desperate bid to rubbish Governor Fayemi, had told his close associates that he would battle Governor Fayemi, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) with falsehood and cheap blackmail in his nefarious attempt to destabilize APC in Ekiti State.

While Ojudu has the right to continue to tread the path of perfidy which has been his lifestyle from time immemorial, we least expected the Nation Newspaper, a leading national daily whose motto is “Truth in Defence of Freedom” to buy into such cheap blackmail in form of an unverifiable report, without due regard to the principles of fairness. This is more so that modern technology has made the business of news gathering and editorial checks a lot easier, especially if the mission is about public good.

For the purpose of clarity, it is important to state that the Nation’s report was clearly a misleading one designed to cast aspersion on the person of Governor Fayemi and create an impression that the NGF Chairman is an unwanted visitor at the Villa. The largely unsubstantiated report was filled with bile, childish and unexplainable fury that signified nothing, just like a tale fit only for the tabloids.

We therefore implore the general public to disregard the highly illogical concoction that was served as an exclusive story.

In setting the record straight, we hereby state unequivocally that Governor Fayemi had no plan nor reason to see Mr President on Tuesday late afternoon as maliciously presented in the Nation’s report. The Governor, had earlier seen Mr President at noon in company of three of his colleagues - Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Simon Lalong (Plateau) and Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa). Also present at that meeting were the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari and Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

Governor Fayemi was in the villa later in the afternoon to see the COS and State Chief of Protocol (SCOP).

The Ekiti State Governor was never denied any opportunity to see President Buhari as he did not ask to see the President and neither did he go with Chief Giadom. 

We are aware of surreptitious efforts to demonise and blackmail Governor Fayemi on account of the challenges the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is undergoing.

We have tried not to join issues with the barrage of falsehood, personality attacks and campaign of calumny against Governor Fayemi on social media in the last two weeks because it is not in Dr Fayemi’s character to engage in unintelligent rabblerousing in the media. As a principled democrat, Dr Fayemi is committed to fighting for the principles of democracy within the political party he laboured with other notable Nigerians to birth. It is normal for political leaders to be in disagreement, but it should not lead to campaigns of calumny based on falsehood.

Governor Fayemi’s position on the APC crisis has been to consistently subsume his views in the position of the Progressives Governors Forum as expressed by the Chairman. He has not spoken on the party crisis in any public forum but continue to urge all members and lovers of the party to exercise restraint and support the leader of the party, President Mohammadu Buhari and other leaders desirous of resolution to give peace a chance.

We implore the Nation Newspaper and other media organisations to be wary of unfounded stories wrapped as “exclusives” by disgruntled elements like the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu who are now masquerading as news sources.

 

Signed

Yinka Oyebode

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ekiti State

24-06-2020

JUST IN: Buhari backs Giadom as APC Acting National Chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has registered his support for the deputy national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Victor Giadom, to preside over the party’s virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting.

Speaking through his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday afternoon, the president said he would attend the NEC meeting because “the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.”

“The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.”

“The President has received very convincing advice on the position of the law as far as the situation in the party is concerned and has determined that the law is on the side of Victor Giadom as Acting National Chairman.

“We urge the media to stop promoting manufactured controversies and to not give any further room for mischievous interpretations of the law on this matter.

“In addition to the President, the Giadom meeting will, hopefully, be attended by our Governors and the leaders of the National Assembly,” Mr Shehu disclosed on his Twitter account. ( Premium Times)

APC members playing opposition role hypocrites - Biodun Akin-Fasae

ADO-EKITI- Pioneer Secretary of Alliance  for Democracy now All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state, Chief Biodun Akin-Fasae has cautioned aggrieved members against blowing the current internal crisis in the party out of proportion .

Fasae, who expressed sadness over  development also bemoaned the approach of the agitators for allegedly plotting to pull the entire  party structure for no just cause.

Speaking with journalists  in Ado-Ekiti, Chief Fasae disclosed that the most disturbing scenario was the ongoing alleged attempt to recruiting innocent members of the party into their selfish agenda.

The APC chieftain disclosed  that elders in the party were concerned with events in recent time as regards the party in the last few weeks, assuring that, ” things will change very soon and you will see.”

“Some aggrieved members have taken the fight to the ridiculous level of saying what the opposition could not say against our governor. To me, that is the highest level of hypocrisy. But sitting down in a corner and trying to be the face of opposition in the party, it won’t  be easy” he warned.

“Those who have personal grouse with Fayemi are recruiting innocent members to fight their  cause. Right from  the onset, some of them have vowed to cripple Fayemi’s government. So, it is not surprising today, there is rampaging war against Ekiti. They are behaving like Boko Haram fighters. Agreed, nobody ,knows everything. If you are not invited to government now, it does not make the governor a dictator. Ekiti is a small state. In terms of resources, land and population”, Fasae posited. 

Fasae who is the  Publicity Secretary of Afenifere  in the state said all aggrieved members should explore the laid down internal mechanism of the party in resolving their grievances rather than working for the downfall of the APC.

“We can still employ the windows of opportunity. We should encourage him not to drive rough in the rough political terrain. We must manage our ego in order to jeopardise.

Fasae explained that leadership of the party was aware of some concerns raised by members but assured them that reconciliation moves have begun for all members to be on the same page ahead of the 2022 governorship election.

“The house of this party must not fall , the walls must not  be broken. We will not allow any body to desecrate the office of the governor and government the people of Ekiti brings into power.”

“I want to advise our people and aggrieved members to do less of talking in the public and support the government in giving back to the people of the state. We should not allow the platform of the APC to be weakened. Let everyone who is aggrieved approach the leadership of party to resolve all contending issues.”

He stressed the state governor,Dr Fayemi has been fair to all part members since inception in 2018, saying everybody could not be appointed into government.

He urged the governor as the leader of the party to extend hands of fellowship to the aggrieved by calling an elaborate meeting where all grievances will be discussed.

“We must say this that the governor is doing better now compared to the first term. Every aspects of the state is facing  development, investors are in the state now, except some people are blind. However, we should encourage him to do better, there is room for improvement that is a fact”, he said.

Edo PDP Primaries: Court strikes out suit to stop Obaseki from contesting

Justice Emmanuel Obile of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt has struck out an application by a Governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihiama seeking to stop Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki from participating in the party primaries scheduled for Thursday.

Justice Obile struck out the suit after all the parties in the matter agreed to resolve their issues.

Edo State Peoples Democratic Party Governorship aspirant, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihiama had asked for an out-of-court settlement in his suit to stop Governor Godwin Obaseki from participating in the primaries of the party.

Ogbeide-Ihiama made the application through his Lawyer, Ferdinand Ogbeh SAN, to settle out of court when the matter was heard before Justice Obile of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.

The PDP governorship aspirant had asked the court to restrain Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki from contesting the party primaries after vowing not to step down for him

NSA, IGP, others meet northern govs on insecurity

The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), has led some security chiefs to meet with state governors from the northern part of the country over the spate of insecurity in their states.

Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Monday night.

Matawalle also said the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, among others attended the meeting.

The meeting was held on Monday.

Recall that Monguno had, after a meeting Buhari had with security chiefs last week, told journalists that he was mandated to meet with the governors with a view to ending the nation’s security challenges.

Matawalle said his mission to the Presidential Villa was to meet the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, on the same matter.

He said, “We have discussed extensively about the issue of insecurity in northern Nigeria, not just Zamfara State.

“Today (Monday), we met in the National Security Adviser’s office with northern governors and the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies.

“We discussed seriously on the issue of insecurity and the Chief of Staff invited me to brief him about insecurity in my state, which I did.

“We have discussed about it and understand where we are going. Zamfara State Government and the security are doing their best to ensure we contain insecurity.”

The governor suggested the carrot and stick approach as one of the ways to tackle insecurity.

The Punch

Nigeria records 452 new COVID-19 infection

Nigeria yesterday recorded 452 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 21,371 the number of confirmed cases in the country.

Announcing the new cases yesterday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos recorded 209 new cases, Oyo, 67; Delta, 37; Ogun, 36; Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 22; Abia, 20; Enugu, 16; Bauchi, 15; Kaduna and Ondo, eight each; Osun, seven; Imo and Benue, three each and Borno, one.

Eight deaths were recorded from the virus on Tuesday bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 533.

All the reporting states already had at least a case of the virus.

As of Tuesday, 35 states and the FCT have recorded at least a case of the disease. Only one state, Cross River, is yet to report any case of the virus.