Politics

Impeachment: Ondo Deputy Governor Not Ready For Genuine Reconciliation – Speaker

Published

3 years ago

November 3, 2023

The Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Olamide Oladiji, said this weekend, that the embattled deputy governor of the state, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was not ready for genuine reconciliation to stop his impeachment.

Recall that the assembly had served the deputy governor impeachment notice, for alleged gross misconduct.

But Aiyedatiwa had approached the court to halt the impeachment process just as the national leadership of the party, set up a reconciliation committee to resolve the crisis.

The national leadership of the party, at a peace meeting with the parties in Abuja, directed them to sheath their sword and allow for an amicable settlement of the crisis.

But speaking in Akure, the state capital, on the outcome of the peace meeting in Abuja, with the leadership of the party, the Speaker, Rt Hon Oladiji, said that the deputy governor was not ready for genuine reconciliation.

Oladiji said that during the reconciliation meeting, the assembly members and the deputy governor were asked to withdraw all cases in court.

According to him, ”We met the National Chairman, and he specifically asked me how do we commence reconciliation.

“I told him that the reconciliation process has to start from the deputy governor, the deputy governor has to start the reconciliation. He is the one that took us to court, we cannot be reconciling ourselves when we have cases in the court.

“Let him go to the court, withdraw all these cases, then we would know that we are now in for genuine reconciliation.

“But the deputy governor has not done that as he has appealed some of the rulings of the lower court.

“But in the process where those cases have not been withdrawn from the court, the court cases are still on, and we are telling ourselves that we are doing genuine reconciliation. Is that one genuine?.

“As far as the House of Assembly is concerned, we are not doing anything. The cases are in the court and we would follow due process. We believe in the court, as far as we are concerned, the matter is the court.

“He appealed some cases again, so we are in court, either favorable or unfavorable, then we will know what to do next. As far as we’re concerned now, we are doing nothing, we are following up the cases in the court.”

On the alleged division amongst the assembly members,the speaker said: ”I want to use this opportunity to inform the general public that the House of Assembly is intact. About three days ago, we had our parliamentary meeting here(House 11 legislative quarters, Alagbaka, Akure,) because of the protest of this Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN).

“We had about 23 members in attendance. We did so many things together here, if not because of this strike, which is not peculiar to Ondo State alone, it is nationwide, we would have continued our legislative businesses.

“I have been treating files since morning, and our members have been coming, if you go to the speaker’s lodge now, you would see about 15 members there, we are together.

“At times, when there’s a political tussle like this, there can be insinuations, rumours, but in the House of Assembly, we are together. We told ourselves that it is an institution, and the institution must be protected. So, we are together.

“To the public, most of these bloggers want to feed fat on the issues on ground. They are the one deceiving the public, telling all sort of stories that the House is this, it’s that. As far as I am concerned, we are together.”

Oladiji, also, dismissed the allegation that the state has shut down and nothing is functioning as a result of the absence of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the state.

He said staffers of the state government are being paid their salaries and the workers are going about their duties unhindered.

“As far as I am concerned, I will not subscribe to that because, if you are telling the public that the state is stagnant, yesterday people just received their salary. The impress would be coming any moment from now.

“It is not a new thing for head of Administration to man a local government, most especially when the state government is planning to conduct an election. Instead of bringing in another set of people, what they do is that, they instruct the head of Administration to take over the government, pending the time we would conduct our election.

“So, it is not a new thing. the state is not stagnant, if you go to most of our construction sites, the Ministry of Works, they are working. All our commissioners are working, they are distributing Palliatives in the 18 Local Governments, we are doing well.

“I don’t know where they get that from, there can be political tussle somewhere, that does not destroy the operation of governance, that does not hinder governance, people are getting their salary, they are getting their impress and the civil servants are doing their work,” he said.

The Speaker denied that the impeachment of the deputy governor was initiated by him and members of the assembly.

“Some people are now tracing the impeachment thing to House of Assembly, Mr. Speaker, honorable.

“It did not originate from the House of Assembly, the letter must come from the executive to the House of Assembly. By the time it comes to the House of Assembly, then we ask ourselves, what does the Constitution say? And that’s what we are doing.

“If we are setting up any panel, it would have to come from the executive. If they can get the 2/3 of the members of the executive, fine, and they would write us.”

He said that: “By the time they write us, it is then we can now start working on it. Just like the one we did, as far as that of Deputy Governor is concerned, the executive wrote us, and we acted on that letter that they wrote us.”

Politics

2027: NDC Unveils Electoral Committee Members For Primaries

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has released list of Electoral Committee Members to Conduct primary election.

The exercise is for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and Presidential Primaries across all States in Nigeria and the FCT.

This was contained in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Thursday.

The party had provided updates concerning its upcoming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries.

According to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas,
and Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, National Secretary, the primaries are confirmed to take place across the nation on May 29, 2026, adhering to the previously established timetable of May 28 and 29.

Politics

APC: Fubara Has Been Treated Badly, It’s Dangerous For Tinubu – Otubanjo

Published

3 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said the treatment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in the just concluded All Progressives Congress’, APC, primary poses political danger to President Bola Tinubu.

Otubanjo stated this on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he also criticised the role being played by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in the political affairs of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the handling of Fubara’s political crisis remains one of the most surprising developments in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Otubanjo further argued that Wike, who is not a member of the APC, appears to be dictating political activities within the ruling party in Rivers State.The research director warned that the current political arrangement in Rivers State could negatively affect Tinubu politically, insisting that Wike was pursuing his personal agenda rather than that of the president.

He said: “The treatment of Fubara must be one of the American wonders of Nigerian politics. Fubara has been badly treated. We have a situation in which Nyesom Wike who is not even in the APC is taking the primary decision in the APC. I hope the tactical team of President Bola Tinubu is not sleeping.

“The reality is that what they have done is very dangerous for Tinubu. What has emerged in Rivers today is that Wike is pursuing his own agenda, not Tinubu’s agenda inspite of PBAT and all of that combination.”

“If Wike really wants to pursue Tinubu’s agenda, he must retain Fubara.”

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

23 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.