Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that the party had become a beautiful bride for disgruntled and internally displaced politicians seeking refuge, stressing that the party remains a movement driven by young people and women who want real change in Nigeria.

He noted that it was normal for people who are not satisfied with the state of affairs to find a remedy to such dissatisfaction by going to places where they think they could have a platform.

He, however, stressed that the first set of people who are not satisfied and who have chosen the SDP are the poor masses of Nigeria because according to him, “the problems in our governance impact the people more than the elite when you talk of hunger, unemployment, insecurity and rising factor costs, among other social problems.”

He also said the party would prevent those who want to join the party from doing so irrespective of such people’s ambition. He said: “We cannot criticise people’s motives for coming. A political party is a public institution, like a church or a mosque. When somebody’s presence is marked in a mosque and the person wants to pray, you cannot say, where were you last night? Where have you been during your life? Let them pray.

“If you come to a church, you sit at the pew and you say you want to kneel and pray, the pastor cannot say, wait, I saw you at the nightclub last night. He has to allow you to pray. So, coming to the mosque to pray does not mean that you will be made the Chief Imam. Coming to the church to pray doesn’t mean you are going to be anointed as a bishop, but you are free to come because it’s a place that allows everyone to come.”

Adebayo decried a situation where certain individuals try to manipulate the system from the shadows, even as he expressed hope that the political space was already evolving.

“Many of those who worked closely with Professor Mahmoud Yakubu at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in 2023 are no longer there. Integrity is key and the law must take its full course. The SDP’s message is clear, we stand for the people. We are not just another big-name political party; we are a movement driven by young people and women who want real change,” he said.

He further stated that the SDP is well organised and focused, insisting that discipline and integrity are the party’s watchwords. He advised those coming into the party to drop their ego and fall in line with the rules guiding the party.

He said: “If you want to get rid of an incumbent, you have to have more discipline than the incumbent. If you come and start fighting silliness, and any sort of unseriousness, you are creating a gap that the ruling party would readily take advantage of and you can’t blame them.

“So, this is the kind of orientation we have in the SDP. When you come in, leave your ego at the door. Leave your ambition at the door. Leave all your problems at the door,” he said.

He also noted that the SDP as a party does not have any problem with President Tinubu as a person but with the misgovernance that has characterised his administration.

“We don’t have a dispute with Tinubu. We have a dispute with his misgovernance. So, we want to focus on that. We don’t have an issue with anybody in person.

“If you don’t govern well, you are working against Nigerian people, their welfare and their security. You are breaching Chapter 2 of the Constitution, and violating your oath of office and we will tackle you on that basis. So, we don’t want to know your personal affairs,” he said.

Contrary to beliefs that all is now well with the Lagos State House of Assembly following a recent mediation by President Bola Tinubu, Huhuonline.com can report that the situation in the Assembly remains tense and far from over.

On Wednesday, March 12, Tinubu met with the lawmakers, the result being his declaration that the lawmakers should work with Obasa, who had, days earlier, been reinstated by the lawmakers against their collective wishes.

A lawmaker who was at the meeting, told Huhuonline.com that the President was bitter over the situation. According to Tinubu, the Speaker had not handled leadership of the Assembly as he should.

“The President really scolded Obasa and made him realise that he can no longer have a hold on any of us. He categorically told Obasa that he has been demystified and that the legislative arm cannot be the same again.

“He also scolded the Speaker for arriving late to meetings just like he did on the day we met with the President. It was a confirmation of one of our allegations. The President understood that we were genuinely aggrieved but there were reasons he took the decision to support Obasa ahead of us.

“Believe me, Tinubu was not keen about Obasa’s reinstatement because of his love for the Speaker. He was mostly particular about the porousness of the Lagos West senatorial district of the state,” a lawmaker confided in Huhuonline.com

MISTAKE BY LAWMAKERS
The biggest mistake the lawmakers made, according to insider sources, was the elevation of Princess Mojisola Lasbat Meranda to the position of the Speaker after the removal of Obasa on January 13.

Meranda is from the Lagos Central Senatorial district just as the governor. The State’s Deputy Governor is from Lagos East. This creates a vacuum in the Lagos West which is considered the biggest decider in elections.

“In the heat of the tension and to make a mark, we had picked Meranda who was Deputy Speaker to become the Speaker upon Obasa’s removal. But our mistake was that we should have considered the political importance of Lagos West.

“Even when we attended a meeting with the GAC (Governance Advisory Council), nobody from the Lagos West was interested in the Speakership. Everyone was just emphatic on the removal of Obasa and our stand to support Meranda against all odds. But after that meeting, we began to understand where we had made a mistake. Lagos West is very important to our party if we must succeed.

“Maybe if we had picked a person from Lagos West, it would have helped,” a ranking lawmaker explained.

THE RAUF AREGBESOLA FACTOR
One of the major concerns of Tinubu about the crisis at the Lagos State House of Assembly is the lost love that exists between the President and Rauf Aregbesola, his former ally and Ex-Minister in the Muhammadu Buhari administration. At the twilight of the Buhari administration, the relationship between Tinubu and Aregbesola went sour, a situation that affected the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos during the presidential election.

To prove his hold on the Lagos West, Aregbesola stormed Lagos just before the governorship election, campaigned and delivered the domain to the APC. However, the frosty relationship led to Aregbesola’s sack from the APC recently leading to fears that he would puncture the success of the party in future elections.

“Aregbesola currently has the local government chairmen in all the councils in Alimosho and you know that Alimosho is the biggest part of Lagos West. Even after his expulsion from the party, he has continued to make inroads into other areas of Lagos West through his Mandate Group.

Obasa, on the other hand, has been making efforts to take over the district from Aregbesola. He started the battle while trying to contest for Senate during the 2023 election just before he was asked to return to the House of Assembly. However, it has been very difficult for him.

“After the election, he started his own faction of The Mandate Movement to wrestle power from Aregbesola and to create a formidable structure for himself ahead of a possible governorship election in 2027. He already concluded that he was better positioned for the seat from Lagos West hoping that it would be zoned to the area. He won Asiwaju’s heart by arguing that Lagos West will fall into the hands of the President’s political enemies if he is not allowed a place of importance. And with this, he was able to buy Tinubu’s attention,” our source said.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION
With the local government elections in Lagos fast approaching and the President now in Abuja, there has been palpable fear about the outcome. The President, it was learnt, was not ready to see a crisis-ridden party going into the election. Ordinarily, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state is currently in disarray. However, the Labour Party is evolving and currently building a block. The Social Democratic Party, which recently had new entrants from the APC has also become a course of study.

Aregbesola’s loyalists in the APC are said to be watching keenly his body language. The former Governor of Osun currently has over 90 percent of the political structure in Alimosho alone.

“Let me tell you. The senator representing Lagos West is not strong even though she was deputy governor at a time. Governor Sanwo-Olu can withstand political adversaries using his financial muscles, but there is a concern that he could refuse to play roles that would ensure the success of the APC during the election. This is his second and last term and you know that the outcome of the election also has a way of influencing the general elections. That was another reason the President settled for Obasa.

Furthermore, the leadership of the party has always tried to use the legislative arm to cbeckmate the executive. The President doesn’t want a new person as Speaker especially as Governor Sanwo-Olu tenure is about to start winding down.

ANGER IN LAGOS APC
It is learnt that despite the President’s mediation, the lawmakers continue to distance themselves from the Speaker. “We held a parliamentary session on Monday where the Speaker continued to plead with us to forgive him. We currently doubt every of his move. The staff are also disillusioned since his return. Nobody is truly associating with him except two or three of our colleagues,” a lawmaker told this medium.

Within the GAC, a central advisory body in the state, there is division. Some of the members are concerned that the way the tussle went has given an impression of the body’s powerlessness. For example, it was gathered that not all the GAC members attended the recent Ramadan lecture organised by the party in the state recently. The Speaker, who was a special guest at the event, did not also attend.

CASE STILL IN LAW COURT

Despite reports that President Tinubu instructed that the legal matter the Speaker instituted in court be withdrawn, the case has continued.

The Speaker is contesting his removal from office by his colleagues. He continues to describe his removal as illegal saying the House Rules were not followed.

The matter came up in court on Monday again and to the surprise of many including journalists detailed to cover the hearing, the matter was adjourned with the reserving judgement.

“It is part of what we do not understand. He is battling us in court and coming to apologise and appeal for forgiveness. Does that sound like there is any change?

“We have been pressured to drop our decision and action. But our nerves are still frayed and it will be difficult for us all to return to how it used to be,” a ranking member said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, citing the protracted political crisis that has been rocking the oil-rich state since September 2023.

In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, Tinubu announced the suspension of Governor Sim Fubara, his deputy, and all elected members of the state House of Assembly for an initial period of six months. …Continue Reading.

To oversee the state during the emergency rule, the President appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibokette Ibas (retd.), as the administrator

The 1999 Constitution, under Section 305, empowers the President to declare a state of emergency under specific conditions.

The proclamation must be published in the government gazette and transmitted to the National Assembly for approval.

A two-thirds majority of the National Assembly is required to validate the declaration, ensuring a system of checks and balances to prevent abuse of executive powers.

Since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, Tinubu’s action marks the fourth time a state of emergency has been declared by a sitting President.

Here are other notable instances:

1. Plateau State (2004)

In May 2004, President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State following a surge in ethno-religious violence that led to widespread killings and destruction. The governor and state assembly were suspended, and Major General Chris Alli (retd.) was appointed administrator to restore order.

2. Ekiti State (2006)

A leadership crisis in Ekiti State prompted Obasanjo to impose emergency rule in October 2006.

The crisis stemmed from the controversial impeachment of Governor Ayo Fayose, which plunged the state into chaos. Brigadier General Adetunji Olurin (retd.) was appointed administrator until the situation stabilized.

3. Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States (2013)
Amid escalating Boko Haram insurgency, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states on May 14, 2013.

Unlike previous instances, governors and state assemblies were not suspended; instead, the federal government deployed more troops and imposed curfews to curb insurgent activities.

Punch

As the countdown to the 2027 presidential election continues, the political landscape is intensifying, with the possibility of either reelecting or replacing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu looming large.

Former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, is openly pursuing his goal to prevent Tinubu from securing another term.

Bombshell: Two governors to be impeached this year as new prophecy emerges

Recently, he left the All Progressives Congress to join the Social Democratic Party, positioning himself as a challenger to the current president. …Read more.

El-Rufai has been vocal in his criticism of Tinubu’s administration, particularly regarding allegations of selling ministerial positions. It’s worth noting that he was previously denied a ministerial role by the National Assembly, which many Nigerians viewed as an unfair treatment, especially given his support for Tinubu’s 2023 campaign.

His transition to the SDP has sparked discussions in political circles about his credibility and popularity in comparison to Tinubu. Additionally, two former governors from the Southwest, who were rumored to join him in the SDP, have opted to remain with their current party, maintaining a strategic position.

A source within the SDP, who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that the party is unlikely to endorse an Osinbajo/El-Rufai ticket, favoring instead the more seasoned and ambitious Adewole Adebayo, who has been actively leading the party.

“There’s a crisis already, the ticket will not fly if El-Rufai wants Southerner to run as President against Tinubu in 2027, and that will be Adebayo/El-Rufai not otherwise. It will not happen, I can tell you that. There are rumour about Osinbajo which is not possible. The party will reject Osinbajo outrightly.”

Bombshell: Two governors to be impeached this year as new prophecy emerges

Men walk with bitter kola over missing male pen!s, full details emerge

The situation escalated when the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, announced his decision to switch his political affiliation to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after departing from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

This move is part of his pursuit of a presidential candidacy for the 2027 election, but the sitting presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party in the 2023 elections Prince Adewole Adebayo is unlikely to accommodate the aspiration of the former APC chieftain to become the 2027 presidential candidate along with Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

Adebayo acknowledged El-Rufai’s intellectual capacity while hinting at potential future disagreements.

Adebayo reiterated his stance against the APC, labeling it a coalition of individuals more interested in power than governance. However, he clarified that this does not mean the party lacks intellectuals, citing El-Rufai as one of the few with whom meaningful discussions can take place.

A reliable insider from Adebayo’s inner circle has revealed that the seasoned attorney is firmly unwilling to relinquish control of the party’s organizational framework to any individual who has recently switched allegiance from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This stance remains unchanged regardless of the defectors’ prominence or influence within the political landscape. Adebayo’s commitment to maintaining the integrity and leadership of his party reflects his determination to safeguard its principles and direction from external influences, particularly those seeking to capitalize on political transitions.

The source said: “There are issues that need to be ironed out between El-Rufai and Adebayo; he has said it that he will welcome anybody, but he won’t hand over the party structure. And that could be a major issue because these guys coming would want to have the party structure so that they can operate at their own pace, but Adebayo knows the risk and danger in doing that.”

He emphasized that El-Rufai’s entry into the SDP was not a rushed decision but the result of extensive ideological discussions. Despite this, he acknowledged that differences in perspectives remain, stating, “Don’t be surprised if, in two weeks or two months, we disagree on an issue within the SDP.”

Adebayo maintained that while El-Rufai’s experience and expertise are welcome, the SDP remains committed to its core principles, including social intervention and government-led development, which will shape future engagements within the party.