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Tinubu Moves To Form Govt Of National Unity, Pacify South East With Senate Presidency

… Gbajabiamila May Be Tinubu’s Chief Of Staff
… Gov. El-Rufai/Gov. Ganduje As SGF
Ahead of Monday meeting with the National Assembly members-elect slated at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has moved to form a government of national unity, Vanguard reveals.
Coming after the presidential election whose outcome is perceived in some quarters as controversial, the moves were ultimately initiated to calm frayed nerves around the country and reunite the people.
It was learnt that already, the President-Elect is freely disposed to the zoning of the senate presidency of the incoming 10th National Assembly to the South East to assuage the feeling of real or perceived disparity among the people.
A reliable source who craved anonymity told Vanguard that Tinubu has vowed to leave no stone unturned at ensuring that all parts of the country were embraced in his new government regardless of their political inclinations in the last elections.
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The source who is a long standing associate of Tinubu further revealed that Tinubu’s cabinet will be devoid of lopsidedness or ethnic discrimination.
He added that it was one of the agenda to be discussed at the meeting with the members-elect of the national assembly.
He said that Tinubu was said to have already informed some of his proteges among the elected senators to start shopping for anyone from the Southeast as the next Senate President.
It will recalled that despite the Labour Party’s “Obidient” wave in the south east, the zone produced six senators from the ruling APC, thereby placing it in prime position for the office.
The source said that Tinubu’s preference for a South East Senate President may be made known on Monday’s closed door meeting of the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima; APC Senators and Members of the House of Representatives elect at the State House in Abuja.
“For balance of Power, our President elect understands that to have a rancor free administration, every region must be carried along and the South East is very paramount to him.
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“He has confined in us his commitment to support the emergence of a Senate President from the Southeast for the sake of equity, fairness and justice, thus maintaining the balance of power and a sense of inclusion.
“In 2015, the Southeast were told to blame themselves for not voting for APC which could have given them the Senate Presidency. In 2019, they said the Southeast has no ranking Senator but in 2023, there’s no excuse because the Southeast despite the massive votes they gave to the Labour Party still voted for six APC Senators, some of whom are ranking lawmakers.
“Tinubu is fully committed a Senate President of Southeast extraction. I can confirm because he believes it is the right thing to do and the move will also calm frayed nerves in the South-East. He also wants to prevent unnecessary spending, bad blood lobbying which might culminate to hijacking of the National Assembly like it happened in 2015” the source disclosed.
According to the source, the President elect’s preferential candidate may be the Chief Whip and returning Senator, Orji Uzor Kalu who he said was a close ally to Tinubu.
Reps’ Speakership
Another issue the meeting is also expected to discuss is the zoning of the speakership of the 10th House.
According to the source, many ranking members of the House had already shown interests.
He stressed that there was a need to provide an acceptable zoning direction that will be sensitive to the religious affinity of the incoming administration in that Tinubu and the Vice President-Elect, Senator, Kashim Shetima are of the Islamic faith.
Vanguard gathered that at the moment, 5 lawmakers are jostling for the position of the speaker without recourse to either religious sentiment or geopolitical zones.
Amongst the lot are Hon. Aliyu Betara representing Biu/Kwaya federal constituency of Borno State; Aminu Sani Jaji, a former chairman of the House of Representatives committee on National Security and intelligence in the 8th Assembly who has been reelected to represent Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara state; the current deputy speaker, Hon. Idris Wase from Plateau State; the current spokesman of the House, Hon. Ben Kalu and the majority leader of the 9th House, Hon. Ado Doguwa.
Gbajabiamila may be Tinubu’s Chief of Staff
Another source also told Vanguard that the current Speaker of the 9th House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, a protege of the President-elect representing Surulere 1 federal constituency of Lagos State is most likely to relinquish his seat in the next assembly for the position of Chief of Staff (CoS) to Tinubu.
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Gbajabiamila was initially considered alongside the Minister of Works and Housing and former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola who may be assigned another portfolio in Tinubu’s government.
Gov. el-Rufai/Gov. Ganduje as SGF
Similarly, Vanguard gathered that the Kaduna State Governor, Governor Nasir el-Rufai is being considered for the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
The choice of el-Rufai is however being weighed with that of Kano State governor, Umar Ganduje.
All the issues, Vanguard gathered are expected to be tabled and discussed at the meeting with the aim of securing the commitment of everyone to form a common front before the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June.
VANGUARD
News
Edo Gives Estate Developers Ultimatum To Register

The Edo State Government on Friday issued a final two-week ultimatum to all estate developers operating within the state to register and obtain formal approval for their estate layout plans or face decisive enforcement actions.
The directive, announced by the Ministry of Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development, aligns with the state’s ambitious urban renewal campaign under “Project Shine” and the 30-Year Benin City Master Plan.
According to a statement signed by the Functioning Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Arc. Kate A. Isokpunwu, this move follows a recent stakeholders’ engagement session, where the government emphasized the urgent need for compliance, sustainable development, and orderly urban growth.
READ ALSO:Edo deputy gov warns MOWAA Against encroachment
“All estate layouts must be duly documented and regularized with the Ministry to align with the state’s long-term spatial and environmental objectives,” the statement said.
“From October 2025, the Ministry will begin a comprehensive enforcement operation targeting illegal developments, especially those encroaching on government-designated forest reserves and protected areas.
The statement further added that “Unapproved estate layouts will be sealed off, and violators prosecuted under existing laws. The government reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on unlawful developments, including land grabbing, unregulated construction, and distortion of urban planning frameworks.
READ ALSO:Edo deputy gov warns MOWAA Against encroachment
“This measure is not punitive but corrective,” Arc. Isokpunwu stressed. “It is designed to ensure that development in Edo State remains sustainable, orderly, and consistent with our collective vision for a modern, well-planned city.”
The PS urged developers to visit the ministry without delay to complete the necessary registration and approval processes to avoid stiff sanctions.
News
Don Pushes For More University Funding

The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, Edo State, Prof. Eunice Omonzejie, has called on the Nigerian government, multinational agencies, and other stakeholders to collaborate in increasing investment in education to enhance the global relevance of Nigerian graduates.
Omonzejie made the call while receiving the national leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), led by its President, Olushola Oladoja, at the university’s premises in Ekpoma.
She emphasized that the country’s educational system requires urgent attention, from primary to tertiary levels.
READ ALSO:
The VC, who expressed appreciation to the Edo State, Monday Okpebholo for his commitment to transforming the university, noted that the governor’s multifaceted interventions had restored hope and rejuvenated the institution.
She also called on the leadership of NANS to support local students’ union governments in their crusades for a better and more conducive learning environment.
Omonzejie assured the students’ union leadership of her administration’s collaboration, promising to run an open-door policy while being firm when necessary.
“You can be sure that you have a mother in me,” she said.
READ ALSO:
In his remarks, president NANS acknowledged the struggles faced by Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma, noting that the institution had been impacted by past government policies.
He commended the state governor’s intervention in addressing these challenges.
Oladoja also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing the NELFund scheme, a zero-interest fund for education purposes.
He urged Nigerian students to take advantage of this opportunity, encouraging them to key into the program.
News
OPINION: Iyaloja-General At Oba Of Benin’s Palace

Festus Adedayo
The earliest example of personal rule gone awry in the world was given in the biblical account of Eli, the prophet. Personal rule has become prevalent in Africa and other Third World countries. In the account, Eli was High Priest and Judge of Israel in the city of Shiloh. Kind-hearted to the troubled and oppressed, the prophet’s renown for kindness became weightier in the narrative of his comforting words to Hannah, one of the hitherto barren wives of Elkanah. When Hannah eventually gave birth to a son named Samuel, Eli extended his affable disposition to Samuel’s upbringing at the tabernacle. Powerful man of God that he was, Eli was however irredeemably lax in the upbringing of his two children, Hophni and Phinehas, who served as priests at the Tabernacle. The children were corrupt, wicked, greedy and morally bankrupt. They abused their father’s priestly office and authority at the sanctuary.
Hophni and Phinehas deployed their positions for personal gains and in the process, were embroiled in acts of adultery with women who served in the sanctuary. Again, whenever sacrificial offerings of meat were being offered to God, even before the fat was burned, Eli’s sons stormed the venue, forcefully appropriating the best portions of the meats for themselves. In Israel of the time, this was a profound contempt for God’s law and a grave sin. Eli’s rebuke of his sons was tepid and weak. In His wrath against this selfish use of personal rule, God’s judgment on Eli was fierce. Hophni and Phinehas were both killed in battle. When he heard the news, Eli fell headlong from his chair and died. Worse still, his lineage was forever de-linked from priestly reign.
Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal’s first president from 1960 to 1980, co-founder of the Negritude movement, poet and cultural theorist, gave an apt definition of personal rule. According to him, it “is not… the art of governing the State for the public welfare in the general framework of laws and regulations. It is (a) question of politician politics: the struggle… to place well oneself, one’s relatives, and one’s clients in the cursus honorum, that is, the race for (benefits)”.
Personal rule, otherwise known as presidential monarchy, is a plague in Africa. It is another variant of despotism. It operates where institutions are replaced with persons and systems with individuals. Arising from another plague called the Big Man syndrome, the state is ruled by a strong man who informally distributes offices to friends, relatives and associates, according to the dictates of his whims. The state is then informally captured by patronage and a distribution networks of spoils of office. Individuals who are not formally recognized take over the formal functions of the state. What we then have is widespread corruption, impunity and abuse. This leads to the atrophy of public institutions, thus severely limiting the ability of public officials to make policies in the general interest of the people.
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In Nigeria’s 65 years of self-rule, either under military or civilian, personal rule has been very prevalent. In it, government is run like a monarchy or, in the lingo of lawyers, as chattels personal. Personal rule has little or no demarcation of private and public domains, or even purses. Apart from giving official responsibilities to cronies and family members, being relative of the Big Man opens doors, vaults and commands attention.
The first publicly known instance of the familial brand of personal rule in Nigeria was under General Sani Abacha. Before him, little was known in the interface of the families of military despot leaders and the public. For instance, little was known about the excesses of families of Yakubu Gowon, Murtala Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari or even Ibrahim Babangida. Under Abacha, however, familial impunity reigned. It came in the form of usage of Nigeria’s presidential aircraft by children of the military leader. On January 17, 1996, for instance, Ibrahim, son of the late despot, was on a jolly ride in the Nigerian Air Force presidential Falcon jet. He was headed to a party and private family engagement in Kano. Lagos being his departure, he was flying with 14 other friends, including his Yoruba girlfriend, Funmi; Bello, younger brother of Aliko Dangote and a wealthy young man called Dan Princewill. The jet was almost landing in Kano when it mysteriously exploded mid-air, swallowing all and their dreams.
Obasanjo was particularly loath to this deployment of public assets for personal use. So also were there no public examples of such deployment during Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan’s time in office. Perhaps taking a cue from their parents’ personal rule disposition, children of successive Nigerian presidents have made this a pastime. Deploying public asset and office for private advantage resurfaced in 2020. Late President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hanan, flew the presidential jet on a private photography trip to Bauchi State. By convention, only the president of Nigeria, the First Lady, Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria, ex-presidents and a presidential delegation are authorized to use the presidential jet. The convention does not grant the president any powers to transfer his right of usage of the presidential jet to any of his children.
Hanan had then recently graduated with a first-class in photography from Ravensbourne University, London. She was in Bauchi on the invitation of the Emir, Rilwanu Adamu, as special guest of honour. Photographs, which Nigerians considered presidential obscenities, showed Hanan disembarking from the presidential aircraft and being welcomed by Bauchi State government officials. The Buhari government justified Hanan’s action. Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said the shameful act received the blessing of Buhari. Shehu turned logic and protocol on their head to accommodate this perverse usage of a common wealth.
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Following in these footsteps, in October 2023, First Son, Seyi Tinubu, flew the presidential aircraft to attend polo games in Kano State. Before him, children, spouses of Nigerian leaders and top government officials who should have no business with the aircraft, had become forerunners of this aberration. This provoked the question: is this an endemic problem that should bother us as a people, or it is a mere frivolity that we have allowed to detain us overtime? Why do Nigerian public officials always fail to see the divide between the public and the private?
Of particular interest has been the two children of the current Nigerian president, Seyi and Folasade Tinubu-Ojo. In a May 4, 2025 piece I entitled Tinubu’s Ajantala son, I articulated how, if indeed all those democratic flowery words ascribed to the Nigerian president are not cosmetic, Seyi Tinubu must be a pain in the neck of his father, as he is to responsible parenting. I wrote, “In Nigeria’s history, I am not aware of any president’s child who has threatened public peace, public decency and the public space as Seyi. His name has come out in every socially distasteful national issue.” I also wrote further: “You will recollect that this same young man was one who, but for his father’s peremptory scold, would probably have been attending Executive Council meetings with ministers. Seyi has no precis in illicit behaviour, so much that he outperforms himself in irresponsible public acts. He is reputed to have nominated ministers and behaves in socially anomalous manner that baffles… He causes so much stir with his long convoys of glittering automobiles and is chaperoned to occasions by Nigerian security apparatuses.”
Around the time when he paid “official visits” to northern states early this year to donate billions of Naira to victims of Nigeria’s social malady, an allegation by the NANS President that Seyi ordered him tortured, beaten and his nude pictures taken for his voyeuristic pleasure took over the stratosphere. There are allegations that he will be put forth as the next governor of Lagos
The president’s daughter, Tinubu-Ojo, who christened herself ‘Iyaloja-General of Nigeria’ – whatever that means – is another sore thumb pointing at the evil of deploying personal rule for familial advantage. The eldest daughter of Nigeria’s president, from inception of her father’s presidency in 2023, Tinubu-Ojo has positioned herself as ‘godmother’ of Nigerian open-air markets. Immediately her father came into office, in a baffling manifestation of an inflated hubris, she was said to have updated her Twitter bio with the title, “First Daughter of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN)”. She thereafter sent tongues wagging when a viral video of hers, with Nigerian flags flying behind her, positioned her as addressing what looked like a national broadcast. It was seen as pointing at a desire to appropriate all the perks from her father’s presidency.
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Capitalizing on the low capacity to stick to rules that is Nigeria, Folasade catapulted herself from Lagos market headship where she made herself Iyaloja. That position was appropriated by her after the passage of Mama Abibatu Mogaji who occupied same position. After this, she then made herself the market godmother of the whole of Nigeria. She was apparently yielding to an earlier call for an Hobbesian flee after power by her father in that famous counsel, to “fight for it, grab it, snatch it and run with it.” Folasade has made a pastime of positioning her representatives in various markets across Nigeria. The ultimate aim, it is said, is to protect her personal financial interests. In a Nigeria where genuflection before public office is widespread and public officials are like god, the president’s daughter, with the panoply of power and wealth at her disposal, is dreaded and worshiped.
Edo State, it will seem, will prove a fatal limitation of this hubris. In 2024, Folasade was said to have begun an attempt to impose an “Iyaloja of Edo State markets” on the ancient city of Benin. Last Tuesday when she visited the palace of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, the president’s daughter however met her match in the impregnable culture of the Edo people. She must have assumed that, like other states, Edo palace bows before ineptitude dressed in the garment of political power. Either out of stiff-necked resistance or inability to mentally penetrate, appreciate and understand the ancient culture of the Benin, the president’s daughter had continued in her imposition gambit which seems to have become a familial trait. At the palace, she told Oba Ewuare 11 that a Pastor Josephine Ivbazebule would be her surrogate for all markets in Edo State.
After she was done talking, the palace taught her a lesson with words that were harmless on the surface but lacerating in deed. Not only was she taught that she couldn’t recreate her power drunkenness in Edo, she was told in plain terms that the cultural and historical foundations of market leadership in Edo State were far different from what obtains elsewhere in the country. Speaking through an interpreter as he does whenever he considers it demeaning to exchange verbal reply with a guest, Oba Ewuare told Folasade that in Benin culture, market leadership is not a political creation nor is it an external imposition. It is the product of tradition and which is under the suzerainty of the Oba of Benin.
If Nigeria’s No 1 citizen is not embarrassed by the activities of his children, parents all over the world are. The Yoruba, deploring this grotty descent in character of the First Family, say when an elephant trumpets, its child should not, too. They also counsel that, if one’s barn posts a bountiful yam harvest, a wise man would cover it from prying eyes. Apart from the raw power to browbeat and be kowtowed to, as well as illicit funds and majesty associated with being the president’s children, Nigerians will be glad to harvest what these ones’ parents planted inside their skulls for national benefit. Certainly not the cunning that produces quick wealth and unearned advantage. Folasade Tinubu-Ojo could have attracted more umbrage from the people of Edo State for her audacity if not for the decency of the palace. Let the little darts from the Bini palace remind the president’s daughter that it is the over-ripe orange that invites throwing of stones at the mother tree.
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