Politics

Presidency, Opposition Exchange Words Over Tinubu’s Overseas Trips

Published

1 year ago

November 30, 2024

Editor

Major opposition parties have faulted President Bola Tinubu’s frequent travel abroad.

According to them, the president is more interested in globetrotting than addressing pressing issues in the country.

But the presidency said a leader who sought to bring foreign investments couldn’t afford to sit back when the harvest was out there.

In the past 18 months in office, Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have embarked on 43 trips across 28 countries.

The PUNCH analysis has shown that the president has visited 17 countries on 30 foreign trips.

The President is currently in France for a state visit.

Commenting on the trips, the National Deputy Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Timothy Osadolor, described Tinubu as a globetrotting president.

He said, “He believes more than ever before that being a president is only an exercise by how much you travel across the world. He’s busy globetrotting rather than sitting down to cut waste and develop the country’s economy. Foreign trips are good for investment attraction.

“But why do you have ministers of trade and investments as well as foreign ambassadors in this country? Also, these are several international business platforms the government should explore on one hand.”

Osadolor wondered why the funds spent on such trips could not be put to good use to salvage thousands of jobless Nigerian youths.

“The humongous taxpayer’s money being used on these contingents would be more than enough to set up more than 20 small-scale industries that could take over 10,000 youths off the streets of joblessness, and our production would have increased,” the youth leader added.

Speaking on the matter, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Ladipo Johnson, expressed reservations about the president’s frequent travels abroad.

According to Johnson, the trend is becoming worrisome.

He said, “It is not looking good. We don’t know the resultant effects of his globetrotting. At the moment, they tell us it will yield investments, but we haven’t seen it. How will investors come in when the economy doesn’t seem to be turning around? Then we also have the security issues to contend with.

“At the end of the day, we will see his scorecard when they mark his papers by May next year, which will be the mid-term of his four years. Then we can see the result of what he has invested so much in travelling and what has come out of it.”

Meanwhile, the presidential spokesman, Sunday Dare, who spoke in an interview with TVC, on Friday, explained that Tinubu as the ‘chief marketer’ of Nigeria couldn’t afford to sit back.

He said, “I think that for a country looking for direct investment and trying to pursue a new trajectory when it comes to the critical sector of the economy, there is a need for the new president to quickly make sure that he interacts with other presidents, investors and big international organisations who are present at most of these meetings they attend.

“Yes, there is work for the president at home, but he cannot be a sit-at-home president. He must go out there and speak for this country. He needs to make a strong pitch. The president is the number one spokesperson for his administration. These trips aren’t junkets. They are critical for the country’s development.”
PUNCH

Politics

Adebayo Adedamola Wins Osun PDP Governorship Primary

Published

16 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as FRYO, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the August 8, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

The primary election took place in Osogbo on Tuesday amid heavy security presence.

Announcing the result, chairman of the primary election committee, Humphrey Abba, stated that Adebayo secured 919 votes out of 957 accredited ballots, giving him a clear victory in the contest.

Explaining that there were 20 void votes following the withdrawal of one of the candidates, believed to be Governor Ademola Adeleke, Abba added, “The candidate that got the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes and he stands elected and returned.”

DAILY POST reports that despite announcing his resignation from the party, Adeleke’s name appeared on the ballot paper for the PDP governorship primary.

Party officials said the exercise was conducted in accordance with established guidelines, with accredited delegates participating in the voting process.

Adeleke announced his resignation in a letter dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the PDP leadership at his ward.

On Monday, Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, had announced that the governorship primary slated for Tuesday, December 2, 2025, has been postponed due to leadership crisis at the national level.

But a faction of the party went ahead with the exercise in Osogbo on Tuesday.

Politics

Gov Adeleke Resigns From PDP

Published

1 day ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2026 gubernatorial primaries of the party.

Adeleke’s resignation letter, dated November 4, 2025, sighted by Tribune Online was addressed to the PDP ward chairman for Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, Ede, Osun State.

According to the letter, the governor’s resignation was based on “the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).”

According to the letter, titled: “Resignation of my membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’ read, “Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my Membership of the People’s Democratic Party with immediate effect.

“I thank the People’s Democratic Party for the opportunities given to me for my elections as a Senator (Represented Osun West) and as Governor of Osun State under the People’s Democratic Party.”

Politics

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

Published

4 days 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.