Politics

Osun: Thugs Attack PDP Members, Monarch Fumes, Rains Curse

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2022

Editor

Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, on Tuesday placed a curse on those orchestrating attacks on people hiding behind politics in the town.

Oba Oyetunji, spoke when the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, visited him in his palace.

Before the arrival of Adeleke at Ataoja’s palace, it was learnt some members of the party were attacked by suspected hoodlums around Isale-Osun area of Osogbo, Osun state.

The visibly angry Ataoja also warned the chairman of Olorunda local government chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Kazeem Oyewale, also known as Asiri Eniba, against orchestrating violence in the town.

Ataoja who spoke in Yoruba language in the video clip of the incident obtained by The PUNCH could be seen being restrained from speaking further by some of his chiefs.

However, he declared that action would be taken to stop violence in his domain.

He said, “Anybody who wants to cause violence in Osogbo will not know peace.

“Let Asiri Eniba (Kazeem Oyewale) know this fact. Not after bagging the Chieftaincy title of Ataoja, you will now be acting with impunity.

“I will take action to prevent violence in Osogbo. Oyetola and APC came to the palace, PDP did not disturb nor waylay them. Be careful, it is the PDP that installed me as a monarch. Leave me, let me talk.”

When contacted for more clarification on the attack referred to by the monarch, the Director, Media and Strategy of Osun PDP, Oladele Oluwabamiji, said some members of the party, heading to Ataoja’s palace to receive Adeleke were attacked around Isale Osun area of Osogbo.

According to him, APC orchestrated the attack to scare supporters of the party and prevented them from receiving Adeleke, who was visiting the Ataoja.

He further alleged, “The APC thugs attacked our supporters on their way to the palace of Ataoja of Osogbo around Isale-Osun area. We don’t know how many people got injured yet.

“Whenever APC is involved in any kind of criminal act, they will always want to put up alibi and create scenes.

“I have seen the video (of an attack) they were trying to push. If you subject it to Google verification, I am sure APC will be defeated in that argument.

“Our campaigns have been so lively, there is no brigandage, but what APC wants to present is the ugly scenario with which they were received when they entered into the palace of Ataoja, the last time the Governor visited the place.

“They know Adeleke will always pull a crowd and they don’t want that to happen.”

But while reacting to Oluwabamiji’s claim, Special Adviser to Osun state governor on Political Affairs, Sunday Akere, blamed the attack on factions in the group of hoodlums working for the PDP.

He then called on security agents to probe the said attack and stop PDP from unleashing more attacks on the masses before the July 16 governorship poll.

He said, “We are aware that the PDP created factions among the hoodlums working for them when they gave a particular group money at the detriment of the group that has been with them for a long time. No one does that and expects peace.

“Also, their governorship candidate openly declared ‘fire for fire’ mantra and this is an attestation that they are ready to unleash violence on the masses.”

Related Topics:Ademola Adeleke Osun 2022 Oyetola

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Politics

Enugu Gov Mbah Set to Dump PDP

Published

22 hours ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, next week.

National Chairman and Deputy National Chairman, South-East, of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and Emma Eneukwu, respectively, broke the news in Abuja on Friday.

The APC national leadership revealed Mbah’s imminent defection to the ruling party while swearing in the newly inaugurated members of the Enugu State caretaker committee, led by former state chairman, Ben Nwoye, at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

The governor is expected to announce his defection at an event schedule to hold in the state next week.

Chairman of the newly inaugurated caretaker committee, Nwoye, who confirmed the development, said the governor will join the ruling party alongside all his appointees.

There are speculations that Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is also set to join APC.

Politics

Makinde Calls Out Umahi Over Coastal Highway Cost Analysis

Published

1 day ago

October 10, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has weighed in on the cost of the controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project that was approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Makinde, who spoke at an event in a viral video on Friday, said there was no need for the Minister of Works, David Umahi, to be “dancing around the cost” of the project.

The governor was reacting to a heated exchange that unfolded live on television between Umahi and Arise TV presenter Rufai Oseni on Tuesday.

Oseni had requested the minister to analyse the cost of the project, kilometre by kilometre.

The request didn’t sit well with Umahi, who declared himself “professor” of practice in engineering while elaborating that the costs of the road in kilometres are not the same and would be too complicated for the journalist to understand.

He said, “These are elementary questions. And it makes no sense (sic). A process is ongoing, payment has been made, and you are saying, ‘how has this money been utilised?. The money is meant for the project, and it will be paid according to the work done.

“When a certificate is generated, and it is approved through a process in the Ministry of Works, it will then be given to the funders, who will, in turn, check if the works were done. How can you be asking for cost of kilometre? The prices are different. The next kilometre is different from the next kilometre.

“Keep quiet and stop saying what you don’t know. I’m a professor in this field. You don’t understand anything. I understand engineering very well. You have no knowledge of what you ask. You have no knowledge of what you’re asking.”

Oseni, who also refused to back down, responded, “Minister, it’s alright, keep dignifying yourself, and let the world know who you truly are.”

However, justifying the journalist’s question to the minister, Makinde said, “They asked a minister how much is the coastal road is, and then you (Umahi) are dancing around and going to say that no, the next kilometre is different from the next kilometres. Then what is the average cost?

“When we did the Oyo to Iseyin road then, it was about N9.99 billion, almost N10 billion. About 34 or 35 kilometres, average cost is about N238 million per kilometre.

“But when we did Iseyin to Ogbomoso, that was 76 kilometres, it was about N43 billion, average cost is about N500 million per kilometre. And we had two bridges, one over the Ogun river and then one at Ogbomoso end.”

The PUNCH reports that last year, the Federal Government announced the commencement of construction work on the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which spans nine states and includes two spurs leading to the northern states.

Umahi made the announcement during the official handover of the first phase of the project, made up of 47.47 kilometers of dual carriageway, to Hitech Construction Company Limited, and which is to be constructed in concrete pavement.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser (Media), Uchenna Orji.

According to him, the Minister who was in company with the Federal Ministry of Works’ Controller in charge of Lagos State, Mrs O. I. Kesha, emphasised the need for all contractors handling Federal Government’s road projects to deliver within a record time, noting that the government would not allow variation arising from delays or slow pace of work once mobilisation had been done.

Politics

2027: Oyo Gov, Makinde Speaks On Successor

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2025

Editor

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the choice of who would succeed him in 2027 rests solely with the people of the state, not with political godfathers or entitlement claims.

Makinde said this on Thursday in Ibadan while flagging off the zonal stakeholders’ consultative forum and engagement meeting on the 2026 Budget.

According to the governor, the decision of who becomes the next governor of Oyo state rests on all eligible voters in the state.

“Oyo State has gone beyond the era of politics based on entitlement or propaganda.

“Rather, the people of the state are now more politically enlightened and they will only support leaders who present credible plans and demonstrate capacity for development,” he said.

Makinde, while reflecting on his own experience before coming into office in 2019, noted that leadership must be about accountability, not entitlement.

He recalled that many people doubted his capability when he first sought the governorship position, because he had not held any political office.

“In 2018, when I was consulting to become governor, there was no yardstick to measure me. I had never been a councillor or a local government chairman, but I asked the people to trust me and judge me by my actions,” he said.

The governor urged political leaders to focus on policies and projects that directly impact the lives of citizens rather than engaging in political theatrics.

He said his administration’s approach to challenges has been to present a clear roadmap for Oyo State’s development, “one that people can read, evaluate, and hold us accountable to.”

Makinde expressed optimism that the people of the state would continue to support leaders who prioritise progress, inclusivity, and the well-being of citizens over personal ambition.

Speaking at the 7th Stakeholders Consultative Forum, the governor said that his administration would continue to consult and engage with residents of the state on the making of the state’s annual budgets, with a view to knowing their aspirations and prioritising their needs.

He maintained that the stakeholders’ engagement was to enable his government to serve the residents of the state better through a bottom-up approach to development, noting that his administration began the tradition in 2019.

According to him, his government first separated the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning from the Ministry of Finance in order to ensure better management of the state’s resources and to avoid discrepancies.

He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement had resulted in better budget performances and economic development of the state.

Makinde reiterated that his government would continue to serve the interests of the people of the state by putting in place institutions that would ensure that the environment was safe and ready to attract investments.

He added that the state was growing rapidly and that this development had stopped rural-urban migration with the construction of Moniya-Iseyin Road, Iseyin-Ogbomoso Road, Oyo-Iseyin Road, among other infrastructural projects, which have opened rural communities.

Makinde is currently serving as governor for the second time.

The governor, whose term ends in 2027, had earlier this month advocated a single term of five or six years for elected political office holders across all levels of government in Nigeria, against the current double term of four years each.

He said a single term of five or six years is enough for any government to focus and serve the people and deliver on its mandate.

(NAN)