Politics

Senate Leaking Roof: Buhari Told Us To Look For Money When We Met Him – Lawan

Published

4 years ago

June 23, 2021

Editor

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday reacted to the leaking roof within the lobby of its White House, saying it had earlier met President Muhammadu Buhari who directed them to look for the money needed for the rehabilitation of the complex.

It also faulted the media over reports on the leakage, saying some media platforms blew the situation out of proportion.

Senate particularly took cognisance of the news outlets that used ‘flood’ to describe the situation that left the National Assembly cleaners battling to control the dripping water on Tuesday.

The Senate further accused the media of misrepresenting Tuesday’s incident, stating that what happened was leaked rainwater into the complex lobby.

Former Senate spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi who came through Order 14 & 15 of the Senate Standing Order, emphatically said, the report on the incident by Channels Television alleging that the leakage disrupted plenary was erroneous and a breach of his right as a Senator.

He noted that while Channels TV’s report on the situation impinges on the privilege of the lawmakers, it was largely incorrect as it further accused the Senate of approving N37 billion for the renovation of the edifice.

He asked the leadership of the Upper Legislative Chamber to as a matter “of privilege, take up the matter immediately.”

Decrying the TV report, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, described the TV report as “irresponsible,” adding that it was aimed at “denigrating the Senate.”

He, however, pointed out that the report did not emanate from journalists at the National Assembly, who he said had demonstrated “patriotism in reporting activities in the parliament.”

He recalled that the leadership of the National Assembly had earlier met with President Muhammadu Buhari when it requested the sum of N37 billion to rehabilitate the edifice.

“But castigation from the media led to the budget being slashed to N9 billion.”

“I remember that myself and the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Hon. Demo Gbajabiamila) met with the President, so that money can be released for the rehabilitation of the building after it was used for 20 years without rehabilitation.

“Mr President told us to go look for money. And I remember that myself, the late Chief of Staff to the President, Kyari, the Speaker and the Finance Minister, went about to look for money,” Lawan said.

He described Tuesday’s incident as a vindication of what the National Assembly foresaw, insisting that they acted as responsible tenants to protect the structure from deteriorating.

He further called on the media to seek and report the truth, and to help develop the country’s democracy.

(DAILY POST)

Politics

Atiku, El-Rufai Coalition Seeks INEC Registration For New Party

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The National Opposition Coalition Group, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has formally applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the registration of a new political party—the All Democratic Alliance.

The application, dated June 19, was acknowledged by INEC on Friday, signalling the coalition’s determination to float a new platform instead of aligning with any existing political party.

The formation of ADA, backed by some other key political heavyweights, including former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Umar Ardo, convener of the League of Northern Democrats and former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeks to capitalise on mounting public dissatisfaction and political realignments to stop President Bola Tinubu at the next poll.

The application comes just a few days after INEC warned political groups that no amount of pressure or public sentiment would override the need for strict compliance with constitutional and electoral guidelines.

The commission reiterated that party registration remains a rigorous constitutional process—not merely a political declaration.

With Thursday’s application, the national opposition coalition has now put an end to weeks of speculation about whether it would revive a dormant political platform or launch a fresh one altogether.

A copy of the application letter, obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, was jointly signed by the association’s Protem National Chairman, Chief Akin A. Rickets, and Protem National Secretary, Abdullahi Elayo.

The letter partly read, “We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission, requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance, as a political party.

“This is a sequel to the decision taken by the Nigerian National Coalition Group to sponsor our association for full registration.

“The name of the party shall be All Democratic Alliance with ADA as our acronym and ‘Justice for All’ as our slogan.”

The coalition also submitted relevant documents, including the party’s constitution, manifesto, logo, and minutes of its foundational meetings.

The party’s symbol prominently features a maize (corn), which the applicants say represents abundance, resilience, and sustenance—core ideals they hope to promote.

“We have further attached our manifesto encompassing details of our party ideology and our constitution providing the legal framework that defines our identity, structures, and organisation,” the letter continued.

Politics

Rivers LG Administrator Appointed By Ibas Resigns

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The administrator of the Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, Goodluck Ihemnacho, has resigned.

Ihemnacho is one of the administrators appointed by the state Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), for the 23 LGAs of the state.

The resignation was contained in a letter dated June 20, 2025, addressed to the state sole administrator and obtained by our correspondent.

In the letter which has flooded the social media space, Ihemnacho said his resignation was informed by his desire to return to the private sector.

The resignation letter partly read, “I humbly write to your noble office to convey to you my resignation as the administrator, Ahoada East LGA.

“My sincere gratitude goes to the government of Rivers State and the good people of Ahoada East for finding me worthy to serve as Ahaoda East LGA from 11th day of April 2025 to 20th day of July 2025.”

Meanwhile there are speculations that Ihemnacho resigned to pave the way for him to contest the forth-coming LG elections in the state, though this has not been verified.

Politics

Why I left Tinubu’s Govt — Former Aide Aliyu Audu Declares

Published

4 days ago

June 16, 2025

Editor

A former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, has revealed that he resigned from the administration in order to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu said his decision was driven by a matter of “principle and conscience,” as he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

“It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, referring to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech where the president claimed to enjoy seeing the opposition in disarray.

“I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him. Collectively, Nigerians will install a leader that will be our chosen, not his chosen. Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”

He also criticised the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government, questioning his loyalty and the legitimacy of such a move.

“What is Wike doing in our government? If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals. The party is what we vote for — not Bola Tinubu but APC; not Atiku but PDP; not Peter Obi but Labour Party.”

Audu’s resignation letter, dated June 8, criticised the APC’s political trajectory and warned against what he described as a deliberate silencing of opposition voices. In a follow-up statement, he clarified that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would not lend himself “as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party state.”

“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he said.