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Alaafin: Kingmakers Appeal As Court Strikes Out Case Against Makinde
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
Oyo State High Court sitting in Awe, Oyo State, has struck out a case filed by the Oyo kingmakers ( Oyo Mesi) against the state governor, Seyi Makinde, the state Attorney General and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters on the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo over administrative defect.
The PUNCH reports that the stool became vacant after the death of the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who died at the age of 82 and ruled for 52 years.
The claimants in the suit no HOY/14/2023 are the Bashorun of Oyo, Chief Yusuf Layinka; Lagunna of Oyo, Chief Wakeel Oyedepo; Akinniku of Oyo, Chief Amusa Yusuf; Areago Bashorun, Chief Wahab Oyetunji and the Alapo of Oyo, Chief Gbadebo Mufutau.
They were seeking court injunction restraining Makinde and his agents from overruling their choice on the selected candidate for the vacant stool.
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According to them, “due diligence was followed in the selection/appointment of the candidate for filling the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo duly conducted by the kingmakers of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy.”
While ruling on the notice of preliminary objection as filed by the defendants, on Tuesday, Justice Ladiran Akintola said there was no proof of service to notify the governor of the outcome of the selection process as carried out by the kingmakers.
The failure to serve the notice of the outcome on the governor thereby affects the substantive case, and as such, the case was struck out.
It was stated in the ruling that, “This court found merit in the Notice of Preliminary Objection filed by the defendants/applicants against the claimants/respondents in this case.
“The same succeeds, accordingly all the issues raised for determination of this court by learned counsel on both sides are thereby resolved in favour of the defendants/applicants but against the claimants/respondents.
READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Alaafin: Kingmakers Absent As Court Strikes Out Suit Against Makinde
“Consequently, the suit initiated by the claimants/respondents in this case against the defendants/applicants is thereby struck out.”
In a telephone interview with The PUNCH, on Friday, the lead counsel for the claimants, Kunle Sobaloju (SAN) said a notice of appeal and motion for injunction pending an appeal have been filed at the Court of Appeal and Oyo High Court, respectively.
Commenting on the judgment, Sobaloju said the judgment that was passed, on Tuesday, was on a preliminary objection filed by the defendant which is the Governor of Oyo State, Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
He said, “By that preliminary objection after we filed our case which they challenged against on the ground that we did not comply with the condition precedence of filing an action of that nature.
“According to them, what was the condition precedence, they said the Secretary of the Local Government, Atiba Local Government did not notify the governor of the Oyo Mesi on the selection of Prince Lukman Gbadegesin as the candidate to fill the stool of Alaafin of Oyo.
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“Our response to that objection is to the effect that that duty is imposed on by the law, that is Section 19 of the Chieftancy Law on the Secretary to the Local Government and not on the kingmakers and we exhibited evidence that the kingmakers forwarded their decision to the Secretary of Atiba Local Government.
“We also exhibited a letter from the Secretary of Atiba Local Government acknowledged by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters. That is the only means to which the governor can be involved. You can not go to the governor and serve him directly.
“We also argued that even the issue is an issue of evidence that the governor can only prove whether he was served or not with proof of evidence. It is not the issue that the court can determine by way of preliminary objection.
“However, it is the failure to serve the notice of the decision of the kingmakers on the governor that affects our case, and as such, it was struck out.
“We have filed a notice of appeal and motion for injunction pending an appeal. What was considered on Tuesday was the notice for preliminary objection. The merit of the case is yet to be considered.”
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Otuaro Lauds Tinubu For Backing PAP’s Peacebuilding Process In Niger Delta
Published
4 hours agoon
July 30, 2025By
Editor
The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his huge support for the programme’s peacebuilding process in the Niger Delta.
Otuaro spoke on Wednesday while delivering his remarks at the opening ceremony for the second batch of the Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Media Training organised by the PAP for its stakeholders in collaboration with the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja.
The first batch of the three-day workshop took place from July 16 to July 18, 2025 at the same venue- the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.
Otuaro, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, attributed Tinubu’s firm backing of the programme’s peacebuilding initiative to the president’s strong desire for sustainable peace, stability and development in the region and indeed Nigeria.
Otuaro said the President’s massive support for the PAP stemmed from his concern for a better and assured future for the people of the Niger Delta, stressing that “a better tomorrow for our region must be secured today through a deliberate peace process that is massively supported by the President.”
He told the participants that they were critical partners for peace and stability in the region and that the workshop was aimed at improving their leadership and mediation capacity as peace ambassadors of the programme.
Otuaro, while declaring the worskship open, said, “I am very grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for believing in the peacebuilding initiative undertaken by the PAP in our villages and communities in the Niger Delta.
“Mr President’s support has been tremendous, and it shows his profound commitment and dedication to peace, stability and security for the accelerated development and socio-economic advancement in our region.
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“So, I want Niger Delta people and all stakeholders to thank Mr President for his remarkable support for the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the peace process that my leadership has embarked upon in our region.
“As stakeholders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, you (the participants) are worthy ambassadors in the peacebuilding project in our region, and I want you to know that we all have a responsibility to also support Mr President by working assiduously for sustainable peace in and around our communities.”
He also extended profound gratitude to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his “tireless efforts at providing valuable inputs and interventions in the implementation of the programme’s objectives.”
He assured the participants and other Niger Delta stakeholders of his commitment to his policy of inclusivity, adding that plans were ongoing to empower the region’s women “because they were also casualties in the struggle.”
The PAP helmsman, therefore, urged the participants to shun all forms of distractions and take active part in the training so they could gain vital lessons that would be useful to them in their roles as peace ambassadors.
News
BREAKING: Tinubu Appoints New Federal Fire Service Boss
Published
12 hours agoon
July 30, 2025By
Editor
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Adeyemi Olumode, as the new Federal Fire Service, FFS, Controller-General.
The appointment was announced on Wednesday on behalf of the Federal Government by retired Maj.-Gen Abdulmalik Jubril, Secretary of the Civil, Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB.
Jubril said the appointment followed the retirement of the current Controller-General, Abdulganiyu Jaji, on August 13.
Jaji is retiring upon attaining the age of 60 by August 13.
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Jibril further disclosed said that Adeyemi Olumode is qualified for the position, having attended and passed all mandatory in-service training, Command courses as well as other courses within and outside the country.
“He brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having transferred his service from the FCT Fire Service to the Federal Fire Service and grown to the rank of DCG in the Human Resource Directorate of the Service Headquarters.
“He has served in various capacities and is equally a member/fellow of the following professional associations including Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, ANAN, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria.”
News
[OPINION] Northern Amnesia: Governor Sani, The Table Shaker
Published
12 hours agoon
July 30, 2025By
Editor
By Israel Adebiyi
“When truth is buried underground, it grows, it chokes, it gathers such explosive force that on the day it bursts out, it blows up everything with it.”
— Émile Zola
There’s a kind of silence that settles over the land after years of failure. A silence made of shame, denial, and carefully chosen half-truths. In Northern Nigeria, that silence has become an institution — polite, predictable, and profoundly dangerous.
Then came Uba Sani — with words that cut through like harmattan wind.
At a recent citizen engagement summit in Kaduna, Governor Uba Sani did what few northern politicians have ever dared. He faced the region and told it the truth: “We failed our people.” Not they. We. All of us who have held power in the North in the past two decades, he said, must offer the people an apology.
In that single moment, he shattered the convenient forgetfulness the North has grown used to. He didn’t call out Abuja. He didn’t drag the South. He didn’t blame some vague colonial past or “outsiders.” He pointed the finger inward — and included himself.
That is no small thing. That is not politics. That is an act of courage.
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Because what Governor Sani spoke to is not just political miscalculation. It’s a generational betrayal. A betrayal that has left too many Northern children unschooled, too many women dying in childbirth, too many communities in darkness, and too many homes listening for the next gunshot.
Let’s stop for a moment and look at the evidence — not the emotion, but the math.
According to the 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, nine of the ten poorest states in Nigeria are in the North. In Sokoto, over 90% of people live in poverty. Kebbi, Zamfara, Jigawa — same story. We’re not just failing; we’ve normalized failure.
And yet, this is the region that has held the most power in Nigeria since independence. Presidents. Military heads of state. Senators. Generals. Governors. Ministers. National Security Advisers. We’ve produced them all. But not the outcomes.
We’ve built palaces in Abuja, but not a working school in Shinkafi. We’ve padded budgets but abandoned hospitals in Birnin Kebbi. In some states, over 60% of children aged 6–15 have never seen the inside of a classroom. What kind of leadership allows this?
Northern mothers still die in delivery rooms at three times the national average, according to the latest NDHS report. Some rural health centres don’t even have paracetamol. The elites fly abroad. The poor bury their dead.
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Security? Forget it. From Zamfara to Katsina to Niger, bandits have made homes out of forests. Whole villages are ghost towns. And yet, most of the top military chiefs in the last decade came from this region. Who, then, is to blame?
Let’s talk money. The North is land-rich but cash-poor. While Lagos alone contributes over 30% to Nigeria’s GDP, most northern states struggle to hit 1%. But the same northern governors go cap-in-hand for federal allocation and call it development. Where are the industries? Where is the productivity?
This is what Sani is shaking — a region that has grown comfortable with underdevelopment and allergic to self-reflection.
Some elites have pushed back, of course. Former senators and political juggernauts who built their careers on recycled loyalty have tried to downplay his remarks. They say he was too harsh. That he forgot their “service”. That he shouldn’t “wash dirty linen in public.”
But if that linen hasn’t been washed for 40 years, where should it be aired?
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Let’s be honest — it is easier to blame Buhari, or Tinubu, or the South. But Sani refuses the easy route. He says: we, the North, are not victims here. We are architects of our own decline.
He refuses to play the amnesia game.
You can feel the discomfort in the air. He has stepped on toes — and many of those toes wear agbadas. But the truth is not about comfort. It’s about course correction.
This isn’t about just Uba Sani. It’s about whether the North still has the capacity to face its reflection. To see the rot — and clean house. To stop building dynasties and start building schools. To stop naming roads after ancestors and start giving roads to rural farmers.
Too many of our children are stuck in almajiri cycles while the children of the elite occupy UK universities. Too many of our mothers die in labor while wives of past governors set up foundations for photo-ops. Too many old names have stayed too long — and are grooming their sons for the throne.
That is what Governor Sani is fighting: not just silence, but the inheritance of silence.
He says, “Let’s apologise.” But apology alone is not enough. It must be backed with a plan. A Marshall Plan for the North — real investment, not campaign slogans. Functional education, not workshops. Security that protects, not retaliates. Jobs that empower, not enslave.
It must come with the rethinking of what power is: not title, not convoy, not prayer photos — but legacy measured in lives changed, not lives lost.
Governor Sani’s voice may be lonely now. But history listens to such voices. And perhaps, just perhaps, in that lone voice, the North might find a new beginning.
Because silence, when it becomes tradition, is nothing but consent.
And now, one man has dared to shout.
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