The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, on Thursday said he had not given a serious thought about becoming the next governor of the state as was already being speculated.

Obasa said his major concern has been to strengthen the party in the state adding that this is why he continues to mobilise more people to support the party at all times, an act which has been misconstrued by ‘political detractors’ to mean that he was chasing a governorship ambition.

The Speaker, who said this in his remarks shortly after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented the state’s 2025 budget size of N3,005,935,198,401, however, maintained that he is not unqualified to be a governor.

He said: “I have made it a personal task to mobilise people on the platform of Mandate, which has been misconstrued by some political detractors as being a selfish aspiration on the ground for me to become governor of the state. There is the need, however, to correct this wrong impression. My concern is about building our party, and whatever we do is mainly for this cause.

“To the blackmailers who have embarked on the mission to distort and redefine our mission, let me state it unequivocally here, our intention is to promote our party on the platform of Mandate.

“Also, becoming governor is secondary; it is something that I have not given serious consideration. Nevertheless, that does not mean I am too young or lack experience to run; whereas, those who have been before me are not better of.”

Earlier, a vote of confidence was passed on the Speaker by all the lawmakers present at plenary.

Sanwo-Olu had said the budget comprised a total revenue of N2,597,034,000,000 and a deficit financing of N408,902,000,000.

The ‘Budget of Sustainability’ which is made of a recurrent expenditure of N1.239 trillion (41%) and capital expenditure of N1.766 trillion (59%), is also to be sourced from a total revenue of N1,970,897,000,000 and total Federal transfers N626,137,000,000.

Reacting, Speaker Obasa noted that the budget was presented at a time complaints by Nigerians about the economy. He, however, appealed to Nigerians to be hopeful as President Bola Tinubu’s administration works to ensure the nation’s economic recovery.

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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to end his 31-year-long bid to be President.

Noting that Atiku’s bid to be President dated back to the year 1993, George said it was high time the former Vice President retired from such a contest, especially in the 2027 election.

Addressing a press conference at his Ikoyi, Lagos office, on Thursday, George urged Atiku to assume the position of an elder in the nation and leave his bid to posterity.

“To Atiku, my advice is this, you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the Almighty Allah, that you serve, to take it easy and leave everything for posterity,” George said.

George decried that the PDP was on the verge of crumbling because people uplifted their personal interest and individual ambition above national interest.

He criticised the “divisive, arrogant, haughty” members of the party romancing the ruling All Progressives Congress yet failed to defect from the PDP, describing them as cowards.

“We are where we are today because of a self-inflicted crisis; we should bury our individual ambitions now and not allow the PDP to crumble, please. Elders of the party should tell some of these funny characters to cool off and think of our national interest instead of their personal interest.

“Nigerians are angry and hungry. Instead of telling the APC the truth, some divisive, arrogant and haughty members are busy romancing the ruling party and they are quick to refer to themselves as elder statesmen. Instead of instigating a crisis in our party, why are they not bold enough to defect to the APC? Do they really fear God at all? No member is big enough to hold the party to ransom,” George added.

The 2023 People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Ogun State, Mr Oladipupo Adebutu, yesterday, urged President Bola Tinubu to call Governor Dapo Abiodun to order, saying that the governor’s conduct in the last one week poses threat to the nation’s democracy.

But in a swift reaction, the Ogun State government described Adebutu’s allegations as “the rantings of a drowning man.”

Adebutu, who stated this at a media parley in Abeokuta, alleged that the state government under Governor Dapo Abiodun has mismanaged at least N214 billion meant for the development of the 20 local government areas in the last five years.

Adebutu alleged that Governor Abiodun is trying to use security agencies to harass and shut him up because he is an advocate of transparency, accountability and good governance at the grassroots.

He said: “President Bola Tinubu should call Governor Abiodun to order because the way the governor has conducted himself in the last week, particularly over the LG poll is quite condemnable.

“If under a Yoruba presidency, the President will sit down and watch his people being killed and maimed because they want to exercise their franchise and vote the candidates of their choice, it will be very sad. The truth is that the governor is destroying whatever goodwill is left of the APC in the Southwest.

“The reason they have been pursuing me and want to shut me up is because they are stealing the local government money. They don’t want the stealing of our patrimony to stop.”

Reacting, the state government described Adebutu’s allegations as “the rantings of a drowning man.”

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said it was not surprised by the antics of the PDP chieftain.

Akinmade, in a statement, said: “We do not find it shocking that a man who aspired to govern Ogun State but was roundly rejected by voters would claim that a governor who is not a signatory to local government accounts squandered council funds amounting to N214bn in five years.

“That means, conceptually, that the said local governments did not pay any salaries and did not execute any projects in those five years, and it says a lot about a governorship candidate whose own running mate described him as a complete disaster.

“The fact is that at no time did Governor Abiodun touch a dime of LG funds in Ogun State, but Adebutu has to entertain his crowd.”

Read the original article on Vanguard.

Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Independent Electoral National Electoral Commission, INEC, to immediately comply with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution by declaring vacant the seat of Chris Nkwonta, the representative of Ukwa East/Ukwa West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

The call by the PDP was in response to Nkwonta’s defection from the PDP to the APC on the floor of the House on Wednesday.

A statement released by Jude Ndukwe, Media Adviser to the PDP Caretaker Committee in Abia, also asked INEC to conduct a new election within the constitutionally stipulated time to replace the defected member.

Ndukwe in the statement said: “This call on INEC is for the electoral body to comply with the provisions of Section 68(1)(g) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) since Hon. Nkwonta’s defection did not meet the conditions precedent to the defection of a federal lawmaker as provided for by our laws.”

Ndukwe said that there was no faction in the PDP either at the federal or state level, insisting that Nkwonta’s defection was illegal.

However, a former Chief of Staff to the Governor of Abia State, Don Ubani, who is a member of PDP from the Ukwa-East and Ukwa-West Federal constituency, defended the defection of their son, saying that “we mandated him to join APC”.

Leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, on Wednesday, marched to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Benin to protest against the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in the state.

INEC declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, winner of the election.

The electoral body said Okpebholo polled 291,667 to defeat the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes.

But the PDP has since rejected the poll results, which it alleged were manipulated.

On Wednesday, PDP members and leaders took to the streets of Benin bearing banners with inscriptions such as “INEC sack Edo REC”; “INEC give us our mandate,” among others.

Some of them were heard chanting:“Oshiomhole, Tinubu give us our mandate.”

However, security agencies were on guard to ensure the protesters did not get too close to INEC office at Aduwawa, Benin.

But the Publicity Secretary of the Edo APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie,in an interview with our correspondent, mocked the PDP, saying no amount of protest could change the outcome of the poll.

“The PDP can protest as much as they want but that cannot change the result of the election. They can only approach the tribunal with evidence if they think their mandate has been taken from them.

“Edo people, who do not want the continuation of a PDP government passed a referendum with their voter cards and gave the APC the mandate to govern the state as from November 12.

“It is not about calling on President Bola Tinubu and Senator Adams Oshiomhole to give their mandate back to them. The gentlemen have nothing to do with their mandate. They can approach the tribunal to ventilate their grievances,” Uwadiae-Igbinigie.

Monday’s protest by the PDP was led by the Cchairman of the Edo State chapter of the party, Tony Aziegbemi; the Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Management Council, Mathew Iduoriyekewen; and the Deputy Director General (Media and Publicity), Olu Martins.

Addressing the protesters, Aziegbemi called on INEC to declare Ighodalo the winner of the election, alleging that INEC manipulated the results of some of the local government areas.

He said: “We thank you all for coming out today on a journey to reclaim the mandate taken away from us.

“If we had lost this election in a free and fair contest, we would have congratulated them but, because they stole our mandate, we can’t congratulate them.

“Go and sleep, as we are going to reclaim the mandate stolen from us. We are calling on the judiciary to look at our submission and be truthful in their judgement. This is Nigeria and we can’t be robbed of our victory as we are sure of reclaiming our stolen mandate as we will present overwhelming evidence.

“We are sure that we will recover our mandate as the preliminary analysis we have done shows that this election was won clearly by Ighodalo. We will present the case to the tribunal.

“We believe that the tribunal is made up of men and women of integrity; they will look at the evidence before them and conclude that PDP won the election. We are going to the tribunal with an open mind.

“PDP is a very peaceful party, as it always preaches peace, and all along our protest, it has been violence-free and it will continue to be so.”

Speaking in the same vein, Iduoriyekewen said the PDP won the election and would continue the protest until the mandate is given Ighodalo.

Reacting, the state publicity secretary of the APC, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, said no amount of protest would change the result of the election, urging the PDP to approach the tribunal if they have convincing evidence.

Ahead of the submission of the report of the 10-member inter-ministerial committee on the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on Local Government Areas autonomy next week, state governors have begun fresh lobbying against the enforcement of the verdict.

The panel, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has concluded its assignment and is expected to submit its report on or before October 13, according to PUNCH findings.

Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit issued a regulation, effective from June 1, 2019, banning transactions on State and Local Governments Joint Accounts. Funds were sent directly to the accounts of the local governments. It also limited cash withdrawals from local governments accounts to a maximum amount of N500,000 per day with penalties for banks that failed to comply.

However, state governors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, kicked against this regulation and the NFIU eventually capitulated.

In May, the Federal Government, represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, filed a lawsuit to challenge the governors’ authority to receive and withhold federal allocations meant for Local Government Areas.

The suit sought to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government councils and establishing caretaker committees. The AGF argued that the constitution mandated a democratically elected local government system and did not allow alternative governance structures.

The Supreme Court, on July 11, 2024, gave a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of the 774 LGs in the country and ruled that governors could no longer control funds meant for the councils.

The seven-member Supreme Court panel, led by Justice Garba Lawal, ruled that it was illegal and unconstitutional for governors to manage and withhold LG funds.

The apex court also directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay LG allocations directly to their accounts, as it declared the non-remittance of funds by the 36 states unconstitutional.

Also, on August 20, the Federal Government instituted a 10-member inter-ministerial committee to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy.

The committee members include the Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN; Minister of Budget & Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; Accountant-General of the Federation; Oluwatoyin Madein and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso.

Others are the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Lydia Jafiya, the Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation & Fiscal Commission, Mohammed Shehu, and representatives of state governors and the local governments.

The committee’s primary goal is to ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments.

In his broadcast marking Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary on Tuesday, President Tinubu pledged that his administration would uphold the financial autonomy of local governments, as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

The President said, “As part of our efforts to re-engineer our political economy, we are resolute in our determination to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy of local governments.”

About three officials, including a source in the Presidency, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the issue, told The PUNCH that governors were pressuring top officials to soft-pedal on the implementation of the apex court judgment.

The Presidency official, however, stressed that the President was committed to implementing the Supreme Court ruling.

He stated, “The process is on and governors are already lobbying to stall the implementation of the apex court ruling as the panel prepares to submit its report next week.

“The implementation will start any moment now. The ministries of finance and justice are working to finalise details of implementation.”

Speaking to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the National President, National Union of Local Government Employees, Hakeem Ambali, confirmed that the inter-ministerial committee would submit its report by October 11.

“A technical committee was set up under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and it is expected that implementation kicks off on or before October 11 as mandated by the Supreme Court.

“The President’s speech has also given us more reassurance that this is already a done deal. NULGE has also submitted its report to the committee,’’ he stated.

Reacting to the governors’ plot to hinder the enforcement of the Supreme Court verdict, civil society groups, including the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership and the United Global Resolve for Peace, called on the Federal Government to accelerate the implementation of the autonomy.

Chairman, CACOL, Debo Adeniran, faulted the governors’ “self-serving nature” and their “stranglehold on the local governments.”

He stated, “We know that they didn’t like what the President did by asking the Supreme Court to adjudicate on the matter. They are actually mounting pressure, not just lobbying, mounting pressure on all forces to ensure that the implementation of that order doesn’t come.

“That lobby is unnecessary, it’s unwarranted and the President should not allow it to work. If the President insists, then they will not succeed because the rule of law must prevail; the Supreme Court has ruled, it is just for them to implement, so nothing must stop it, otherwise, we would have put the rule of law in jeopardy and that’s not good for us.”

The Executive Director, UGRP, Olaseni Shalom, called on the President to sponsor a bill in the National Assembly to enforce the autonomy.

Shalom urged the governors to support local governments in pursuing fiscal autonomy.

“The position of the law is clear regarding the implementation of the LG autonomy. But we should also note that this law is not new. It is an existing law already and it was taken to the Supreme Court for interpretation,” Shalom stated.

“Immediately the Supreme Court interpreted it, what I expected was for the Presidency to sponsor a bill that will rid it of all ambiguity and make it as clear as possible. Instead, they set up a 10-man committee.

“The LG autonomy should also be a period for restructuring advocacy that has been on for a while now so that state governments can also control their resources, you know, have fiscal autonomy. And this is why there is a tussle between the state governments and the Presidency as regards the enforcement of this law. It is very important for both parties to sit down and negotiate.”

During a recent gathering, the National Secretary, Coalition of United Political Parties, Peter Ahmeh, called on the Federal Government to take immediate action on the matter.

Ahmeh emphasised that the Supreme Court’s ruling should have been put into effect without any delay.

He stated, “The judgment that the courts have passed affects the financial autonomy of local government. It does not affect the administrative autonomy of local government.

“The financial autonomy of local government is captured in section 162 of the Constitution, while the administrative autonomy of local government pertains to the administration of elections, such as those conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commissions for local governments in Nigeria.

“In each of the states, there is one electoral commission, meaning we have 36 independent electoral commissions at the state level, plus one at the national level. Thus, we have 37 independent electoral commissions in total—one national and 36 state.

“For us, I think it is perplexing that the Federal Government feels the need to enter into an agreement with state governments before starting the implementation of a valid court judgment from a competent authority, such as the Supreme Court.”

The CUPP scribe called on the Federal Government to actively oppose efforts by the governors to delay the enforcement of the judgment on the autonomy.

He added, “The Federal Government does not need to establish a committee and announce that they will begin the process soon. There is simply no need for that.

“It is very important and urgent for the financial autonomy to be enacted so that local people can hold their local government accountable for the finances that accrue to each local government’s account. The criminality and embezzlement that occur at the local government level are a direct result of a lack of independence. These are the issues we are facing in local government.

“The implementation should occur immediately and without hesitation. Any attempts by the governors to stall this process should be resisted.”

Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has dismissed insinuations that he is against local government autonomy.

Reacting to reports that he was not in support of the LG autonomy, Makinde said he had no issues with elected officials performing their constitutional duties but would continue to speak against a lacuna created where none existed.

He spoke during the official unveiling of the newly-built Local Government House and Staff Training School inside the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, on Wednesday.

He said, “This building is a start of the renovation of the buildings within the secretariat and turning our secretariat into where productivity will reign supreme.

“What I will refer to as an irony is the fact that it is the same local government that people are going around town saying Seyi Makinde is trying to destroy. Is it not ironic that this building we are commissioning is the first modern building for the LG family to stay in?

”Is this how to destroy something? Well, if that is the way to destroy something, we will continue to do this kind of things so that they will not have anything to say again around town.

“Let me say this, in a country where there is a trust deficit between the leaders and the led, it is no wonder that some people will always take advantage of situations to fan the flames of disunity or choose to push unintended narratives and perceptions.

“As I said in my last state broadcast, we must always remember who our real enemies are so that we do not turn against our friends.”

Promising to ensure that the councils performed their constitutional roles, the governor added, “Here in Oyo State under my watch, we will continue to make decisions that will bring the full benefit of democracy to the good people of Oyo State and we are aware of the role that the local government authorities have to play in ensuring that democracy and its dividends reach people at the grassroots.

“In design, this is supposed to be the function of the Local Government Areas but in practice, there have been several factors that have militated against Local Government Areas achieving this goal.”

Meanwhile, Chairman of Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State, Dr Ahmed Wali, says plans are in motion for LGs to receive FG allocation directly.

He said, “We are hoping to receive the allocation in October as plans are in the pipeline to open accounts for local governments with CBN. They (FG) will pay the money, they are in the process. We were made to understand that it will be the next arrangement.”

Also, the new Chairman of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State, Mallam Adam Rufai, said the council had not been notified about payment of the allocation.

“We don’t know yet because we were just elected into the council. We have no information on whether the allocation is going to be paid directly to the council by the Federal Government. No one has given us such information,” he said.

A senior local government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said after the Supreme Court landmark judgment, all the LGs in the state were made to open new accounts with a commercial bank, where their allocation would be paid.

“But I am not sure we are receiving allocation through it yet. We are receiving our salaries for September already but I doubt it if we are getting direct allocation from the Federal Government yet,” the official said.