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Politics

2023: Don’t Repeat What Rivers Did To Igbos After Biafra War, Group Warns Jonathan

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Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has warned former President Goodluck Jonathan to shelve the plans of entering the race for the 2023 presidency.

There are growing rumours that the former President has yet to declare his interest because he was yet to receive the assurance from the All Progressives Congress, APC, that he would run as the party’s consensus candidate.

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Other rumours say that Goodluck Jonathan is seeking the blessing or approval of President Muhammadu Buhari to join the APC and grab the party’s sole ticket uncontested.

Addressing his supporters in Abuja a few weeks ago, Jonathan did not deny nursing the intention to run for the 2023 presidency as he told them to watch out.

Jonathan stated categorically that the political process regarding his decision to contest for president in 2023 was ongoing.

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Many Nigerians believe that Jonathan was being used as a tool by Northern APC chieftains, to reduce the number of years the South will stay in power, having served four years as an elected Southern president already.

Jonathan became the first victim of the merger of some political parties and political bigwigs under the umbrella of the APC in 2014, as he, in 2015, became the first democratically elected President of Nigeria to be defeated in an election and removed from office by a new administration.

With the current administration having allegedly failed in all areas of governance and left the country almost in a state of beyond repair, it is understood that some Northern APC chieftains see Jonathan as the best candidate to sell to Nigerians, who they would welcome with a warm embrace.

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But HURIWA is warning the Old Rivers-State-born politician to avoid such a move, adding that contesting the election would be seen as reversing what happened to the Igbo in River State after the Nigerian-Biafra war.

DAILY POST quoted the group as saying: “Our parents who had houses in the State lost all houses during the war. But my father had so many houses in the North, but they were all taken care of by a Northerner,” HURIWA’s Emmanuel Onwubiko said in a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

READ ALSO: 2023 Presidency: Sule Lamido Threatens Jonathan Over Defection To APC

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“After the 30-month-old war, my father came back and collected the old rent and he got all his houses back. But River State took all the housing assets belonging to Igbo people in Rivers.

“So, Goodluck Jonathan should not replay that hatred that they showed to the Igbo after the war because if he accepts to be candidate of APC and become the president, it means he has short-changed the Igbo who gave him their all.

“If he does that, the South-South and the South-East will never have peace or trust each other for life. Because what happened to us after the war in the 60s, when we lost so many housing assets, they have not been forgotten.

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“So, if he tried a second betrayer by accepting APC’s enticement to become President for only four years, he is doing it because he wants to short-change the Igbos,” he said.

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Politics

CSO, PDP Bicker Over Fagbemi’s Stand On Osun LG Crisis

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An Osun-based civil society group, The Osun Masterminds, has urged the State Government to respect the opinion of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, regarding the leadership crisis rocking local government areas in the state.

The group said Fagbemi, being the number one law officer of the federation, his opinions on issues relating to law are not just official, but are also binding.

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This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, while speaking with journalists at the monthly media briefing of the organisation held in Osogbo on Friday.

READ ALSO:Osun APC, PDP In War Of Words After Adeleke, Tinubu’s Meeting

Oyedokun-Alli, who said accused the state government of disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, adding that the group has studied several legal positions on the Osun local government disputes and came to the conclusion that the government was swimming against the tide of clear court pronouncements.

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We are to point out, however, that the utter disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, by the Osun State Government is a matter of grave concern. Where we understand that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, is the number one Law Officer of the Federation, we must realise that his opinions are not just official, they are also binding.

“We have studied several legal positions on this matter, especially from highly revered silks who have dissected the pronouncements of the Court, and one thing remains obvious – the Osun State Government is swimming against the tide of clear Court pronouncements.

READ ALSO:IG Squads Occupy Secretariats As Osun LG Poll Crisis Rages

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“The question that begs answers, however, is why the Osun State Government is so unwilling to work with Local Government Chairmen elected under a different political platform. Where we respect the principles of separation of powers, should we not be willing to work together even if the political parties are not the same? Has the APC-led Federal Government refused to work with the Adeleke Government because it is of the PDP?”, Oyedokun-Alli said.

Calling on the stakeholders to prevail on the Osun State Government to end the LG crisis, Oyedokun-Alli, however, urged the residents, regardless of party affiliation, to cohabitate in peace.

Responding to issues raised by the group, the spokesperson for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Oladele Bamiji, said TOM was a partisan organisation that has consistently supported the All Progressives Congress in the state.

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READ ALSO:Osun LG Crisis: Council Boss, PDP Trade Accusations

Bamiji further said, “Their so-called ‘civil society’ posturing has long collapsed under the weight of its hypocrisy and shameless servitude to the dictates of APC in Osun and beyond, and it is sad they are dead to their dented image out there.

“TOM has again confirmed to the people of Osun that it is nothing but a busy body propaganda irritant of the APC, issuing monthly rankings, not out of civic concern but to earn its monthly stipend from its political sponsors.

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“We find it laughable and frankly disturbing that any group claiming to possess civic literacy would hold binding the personal opinion of a political appointee like the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over and above the ruling of a competent court of law.”
(PUNCH)

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BREAKING: Confusion As APC Chair, Ganduje Resigns

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National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has resigned from his position, Saturday Vanguard has learned.

Although the exact circumstances surrounding his resignation remain unclear as of press time, a senior party official confirmed the development, stating simply, “Yes, it is true. He has resigned.”

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READ ALSO: FCT Polls: APC Releases Names Of Primary Election Committee Members

Sources revealed that Ganduje’s personal belongings were earlier moved from his office at the APC national secretariat, further fueling speculation.

The development has thrown the party’s headquarters into confusion, with staff and visitors visibly shocked by the unexpected news.

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‘Peace Has Returned To Rivers’ — Wike, Fubara Speak After Meeting Tinubu

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After months of political tension and division in Rivers State, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, have publicly declared an end to their rift, assuring residents that peace has finally returned.

The truce followed a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Thursday night, where both leaders, along with other stakeholders, reached a resolution to work together for the state’s progress.

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Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, expressed gratitude to God for the breakthrough.

READ ALSO: Fubara Exonerates Self From Pipeline Vandalism, Blames Wike For Crisis In Rivers

Wike said, “I want to give God the glory that today is the 26th of June 2025, that peace has finally returned to the state. We all agreed to work together with the governor, and the governor also agreed to work together with all of us. We are members of the same political family.”

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He acknowledged that disagreements are part of politics but emphasised that the resolution marked a fresh start for the state.

He said, “Just like humans, you have disagreements, and then you also have a time to also settle your disagreements, and that has been finally concluded today, and we have come to report to Mr President that is what we have agreed.

READ ALSO: Wike Revokes 4,794 Land Titles Over Non-payment Of Ground Rent In FCT

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“So for me, everything is over, and I enjoin everybody to work together with everybody. There is no more acrimony; there is nothing to say. We have disagreed; we have all agreed on everything, so thank God. For me, it’s a day we have to thank almighty God.”

Governor Fubara, who also spoke to journalists, said the return of peace is crucial to the state’s development.

He said, “For me, it’s very important that this day has come to be. What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace, and by the special grace of God this night, with the help of Mr President and the agreement of the leaders of the state, peace has returned to Rivers State.”

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Fubara pledged to do everything within his power to sustain the peace, describing it as a step toward lasting stability and governance in the oil-rich state.

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