Politics

How Tinubu’s Naira Rain Tears Apart Ondo Monarchs

Published

4 years ago

March 6, 2022

The axiom that money is the root of all evils, was put to litmus test on Friday, March 05 2022, when a frontline leader and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu paid courtesy calls on traditional rulers in the three Senatorial Districts of Ondo State and rained cash gifts on the Obas, which led to a rat race of sorts.

The huge political largesse, as at today, has created a wide gulf between the minority Class A kings and the majority 130 Crowns in the Sunshine State, who belong to the B and C grades.

According to an impeccable source, the presidential aspirant and former governor of Lagos State famous for keeping cash in bullion vans, Asiwaju Tinubu brought sacks of Naira as homage to the royal fathers in their domains.

His entourage’s first point of call was Ondo South Senatorial District, where they met the Obas at an Events Centre in Okitipupa.

After exchanges of pleasantries and declaration of his intention to contest the 2023 Presidential Election, Tinubu’s aides were said to have rolled in millions of Naira notes stacked in Ghana-Must-Go bags, for the kings to share.

A source alleged that N30m was allocated to each of the three political zones.

Whereas things went according to plan under the supervision of HRM Olugbo, what obtained in Central and North Senatorial Districts were outright row and chaos. A cold war indeed!

In Akure, 18 Monarchs met Tinubu in the Palace of the Deji of Akure, but only 3 of them are Grade A while 15 are in B and C categories.

Surprisingly, it was learnt from insiders that only a meagre N5m was doled out to the 15 rulers to share while the chunk was kept by the few three.

To worsen the situation, no information on the actual largesse was said to be given to the second class Obas.

Rage, however, set in and the N5m offered, by a popular politician in Ondo State, was reportedly dumped at the doorstep of the Paramount ruler of Akure land.

The protesting royals later staged a walk out without collecting the money.

Similar ugly incident happened in North Senatorial District meeting held in Owo, where Monarchs converged on the Palace of the new Olowo of Owo. The 7 Grade A Obas present were said to have outsmarted the 26 B and C kings, whom were blocked from knowing what transpired between the August visitor and the royals.

At the end of the day, after Team Tinubu had left, a paltry sum of N5.7m was dished out by the coordinating Grade A Oba Olowo, to the 26 representatives of the lower cadre royals.

Having failed to disclose the total monetary gift from the Lagos frontline politician; anger took the best of the cheated Grade B and C Obas, who politely declined collecting their own ‘share’ of the ‘Tinubu’s cake.’

As at press time and insider said frantic efforts were being made by mediators to settle the matter equitably and fairly, in order to keep the issue off public notice.

The aggrieved Obas, who control majority of communities in the state, were said to be waiting patiently to do the damage to the electoral interest of the ‘chosen candidate’ of the First Class Obas, at the polls.

However, analysts see the visitations by Tinubu to Yoruba Obas in all the states, with huge kolanuts, as a political strategy to mark the South West territorial zone, as a safe haven for himself, in case any other aspirant wants to venture into the presidential race from the region.

Politics

Tinubu Sends Ex-INEC Chair, Former Oyo First Lady, 30 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

Published

17 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, just days after submitting an initial batch of three names.

In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President urged the upper chamber to consider and swiftly confirm 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.

The list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.

Prominent names on the non-career list include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner, Yakubu N. Gambo; and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC, Yakubu K. Musa.

Also nominated are former Plateau senator, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.

Additional nominees include former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator, Grace Bent; former Abia governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo State; and former envoy to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

The career ambassadorial nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

Others include Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Their specific postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.

Recall that President Tinubu, last week, forwarded three ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu said additional ambassadorial nominations will be announced in due course.

Politics

Soludo Visits Tinubu, Goes Into Closed Door Session With President

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR at the State House.

Report by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Chris Aburime stated that President Tinubu received the Anambra State Governor with excitement, describing him as his long standing friend of over 22 years.

Aburime said, “The President used the occasion to further congratulate Governor Soludo on his landslide victory in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election.

“Recall that President Tinubu had earlier issued a congratulatory message to Governor Soludo immediately the governorship election was concluded.”

Governor Soludo was declared winner with 73% of the votes cast by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Other details of the meeting were, however, not disclosed as the press Secretary told DAILY POST that both men went into a closed door meeting after the reception.

Politics

2027: I Will Resign If Tinubu Loses In Edo – Governor Okpebholo

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholor has vowed that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election in Edo State.

Okpebholor in an interview captured in a viral video vowed to resign if the outcome of the 2027 election does not favour the president in Edo State.

According to him, the entire people in Edo State are ready to vote for the president, citing projects that his (Okpebholor) administration executed since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over the state.

He claimed that there is no opposition in the state, stressing that everyone is supporting the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “There is no opposition here in Edo everybody is for Asiwaju in this state.

“Tinubu is more popular than me in Edo state. If he doesn’t win the presidential election in Edo in 2027, I will resign.”