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Bola Ahmed Tinubu And Those Who Want Him Dead – Femi Fani-Kayode

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Fani Kayode

Read his article below:

I do not like to delve into matters touching and concerning the APC because I am not a member. However what is happening in the ruling party today transcends partisan politics and should be a concern to us all. At the very least we can learn some very hard lessons from it.
The truth is that the behaviour of Chief John Odige-Oyegun towards the man that single-handedly made him the National Chairman of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is reprehensible.
And neither does this matter begin or end with the way and manner in which the Ondo state governorship  primaries were conducted or its final outcome.
It goes much deeper than that and the Ondo affair is only symptomatic of a much deeper malaise and wider conspiracy to humiliate the National Leader of the APC by forces within his party that are even greater than him.
Those forces represent the hidden hand. They are a small cabal of power-brokers who constitute the leadership of the Buhari-led CPC. These people believe that they were born to rule and that they own Nigeria.
They simply used Tinubu’s old ACN as a compliant and ready piggy-back to catapult their way back to power and once they achieved that they never looked back.
Some of us warned Tinubu at the time about the dangers of riding the tiger and allowing himself to be used by these very dark and sinister forces but he would not listen.
No true student of history could have made such a cataclysmic and monumental error given the terrible experiences of others from the south-west, and indeed the entire south, who collaborated with such ultra-conservative, sectarian and arcane forces with a clear and distinct ethnic and religious agenda in the past.
Such forces can never be comfortable with a well-connected, highly sophisticated, independent-minded, strong, unpredictable, uncontrollable and experienced Yoruba leader and southern gladiator with a June 12th pedigree, a NADECO background, a massive war-chest and a widespread and formidable political base.
They may use him to achieve their objective but they can never trust him or allow him to have control of the party machinery or to wield any real power when it comes to running the affairs of the nation.
Most importantly once they have finished using him it becomes their duty and cardinal objective not just to cut him down to size but also to castrate and render him impotent and eventually destroy him.
That is their way. It is also a classic and vintage Nicollo Machiavelli move. This great writer that has had more influence on political thinking and strategies than perhaps any other author in human history taught us a critical and crucial lesson in his famous 14th century literary masterpiece and treatise on the power game titled “The Prince”. He tells us that the first thing that a Prince must do once he has achieved power is to destroy those that put him there.
And that is precisely what those that seek to do Tinubu in are doing. Worst still they are using his own erstwhile discipiles as a first line of attack against him.
It is not just Odige-Oyegun that has turned his back on him but also his former political protegees and former ACN associates like Tunde Fashola, Ibikunle Amosu, Kayode Fayemi, Biodun Ajimobi, Olorunimbe Mamora, Niyi Adebayo, Rotimi Akeredolu and numerous others.
Pulling the strings from behind the scenes and encouraging and funding the rebellion are hardline Buhari-supporters like my good friend Governor Nasir El Rufai and a number of others.
Their objective is to establish a new political order in the south west which is beholden to them alone, to replace Tinubu as the National Leader of the party and to utterly demystify and crush him in order to prepare the ground for the emergence of a new and more compliant Yoruba running mate for either Buhari himself or El Rufai in 2019.
As a graphic illustration of this interesting and unfolding agenda, the powers that be in the APC, led by Buhari himself, fired six shots at Tinubu inmediately after they formed  government.
The first was the Senate Presidency affair and the Bukola Saraki matter which saw the defeat and humiliation of Tinubu’s prefered candidate for Senate President.
The second shot was the Speaker of the House of Representatives affair and the Yakubu Dogara matter which, again, saw the defeat and humiliation of Tinibu’s prefered candidate for the position of Speaker of the House.
The third was the vital issue of Ministerial appointments in which not one single Ministerial nominee of Tinubu’s was accepted and appointed as a Minister by Buhari.
Every single person that he nominated from the south west and elsewhere as Minister was rejected and instead the slots were filled by his political adversaries and/or their nominees.
Many erroneously believe that Mr. Lai Mohammed, who is from Kwara state, was Tinubu’s choice and nominee for Minister of Information but this was not the case.
The person that he nominated for Minister of Information was not Lai Mohammed but Mr. Dele Alake, his former Commissioner of Information in Lagos state.
Again he nominated Mr. Wale Edun, his former Commissioner of Finance in Lagos state, for the position of Minister of Finance but this was rejected and Governor Ibikunle Amosu’s candidate, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, got the job instead.
This went on across the board for every single person that Tinubu nominated and presented for the position of Minister last year and it was a terrible humiliation for him. It was a dirty slap in his face.
The fourth shot was the James Faleke matter in Kogi state where it was agreed by the real landlords of the APC in the core north that Tinubu must not be allowed to gain a foothold in the north central zone by getting his own Yoruba kinsman and candidate to be elected as governor of that state.
Hence Faleke was ruthlessly dropped and shabbily treated and another person was selected to be the gubernatorial candidate of that state. It worked, Faleke went to court and sadly he lost. That was the end of the story.
The fifth shot is the thorough and systematic, though subtle and covert, humiliation and relegation of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a close associate and political protegee of Tinubu and a spiritual son of the reverred Pastor Enoch Adeboye of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), to not just a spare tyre as Vice President but also to a very flat one.
Rather than being allowed to participate in the crucial decision-making processes on vital and critical issues of state and governance as any Vice President should,  Osinbajo has been kept in the dark about virtually everything and he has little or no power to effect anything.
When such decions are to be debated, discussed and made the Vice President is never invited into the room and neither is he even aware that there is such a meeting going on.
Worse still he is constantly being directed to represent the President at official functions all over the country as if he were more his Personal Assistant, Special Advisor or Minister rather than the Vice President of the country. Osinbajo’s crime is simply that he is loyal to Tinubu and he has refused to dump or betray him.
The sixth and perhaps most devastating shot is the fact that the party machinery has not only been taken away from Tinubu with the effective highjacking of Odige-Oyegun but that it has also opted to do the bidding of his mortal enemies and to fight him.
An eloquent testimony to this disturbing fact is the outcome of the Ondo state gubernatorial primaries where Tinubu’s candidate was edged out and cheated of the nomination by the party leadership.
This was the last straw that broke the camels back and predictably Tinubu has reacted in a very loud, aggressive and profound manner by publicly calling for the removal of the National Chairman of the party.
Yet calling for the removal of Odigie-Oyegun is not enough. The whole situation calls for critical thiking, sober reflection and deep retrospection.
The point that needs to be clearly understood when considering these six shots and the unfolding anti-Tinubu agenda within the APC is the fact that, contrary to all pretensions, President Muhammadu Buhari is part and parcel of it and he is in fact the moving spirit behind the whole conspiracy.
Nasir El Rufai and a number of others are simply the strategists and enforcers. Buhari, Mamman Daura and Abba Kyari are the masterminds.
Given all this one thing is clear: these people want Tinubu dead. If he does not realign quickly and fight hard to save his dwindling political fortunes and empire his APC friends and allies will destroy him in a slow, clinical, sadistic and systematic manner. And they will do it with a big, beautiful and friendly smile on their faces.
The fact of the matter is that, right from the outset, Tinubu failed to accept the fact that he was in bed with demons.
He refused to appreciate the fact that he was sleeping with beasts that are hell bent on eating his flesh, driniking his blood and ruthlessly implementing an ancient ethnic and religious agenda.
He gave them his all, caused them to win an election and trusted them to honor their word and treat him with respect and decorum.
He failed to appreciate the fact that you cannot make a deal with snakes and expect them to honor their word.
He forgot that you cannot wine and dine with cancerous lepers and hungry tigers without ending up being served as the final dish in a long, blood-curdling and Byzantian satanic feast.
Yet if the truth is to be told, no matter what mistakes he may have made, Tinubu does not deserve to be treated in this way.
Up until the Presidential elections were conducted last year he led and held together the south-western wing of the APC with an iron fist and he was the undisputed leader of the APC in that zone.
All four APC governors from the south west and virtually every single party leader waited on his every word and he called all the shots.
Sadly today, just over one year later, he is a caricature of his former self. Today Tinubu can only boast of having the ear and the full support of only two of those govermors, namely Rauf Aregbesola of Osun state, who will NEVER betray him no matter what, and Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos state who will also stand firmly behind him until the very end.
The truth is that Tinubu has lost much ground and political mileage in recent times and, as more daggers are pulled out over the next few months and years it is bound to get worse for him.
Yet that does not mean that he is finished. I say this because he is a tried and tested fighter and a formidable adversary who is quite capable of pulling the whole APC house down.
It would be a fatal error for any of his adversaries, including President Buhari, Vice President Atiku Abubakar or Senate President Bukola Saraki, to underestimate him or dismiss his ability to fight back.
In July 2016, just after my release from detention and during the course of an interview with Channels Television (which can still be viewed on Youtube) Mr. Seun Okinbaloye asked me whether I could ever contemplate going back to the APC and how I thought the ruling party would fare into the future.
I told him that I would NEVER go back to the APC under ANY circumstances. I also told him that in any case by 2019 there would not be an APC, as it is presently constituted, left because the party would have spilt up into three separate and distinct political entities.
I told him that the Tinubu group comprising of men like Baba Bisi Akande, Rauf Aregbesola, Akinwummi Ambode and others would establish one party, the Atiku Abubakar group comprising of men like Bukola Saraki, Rabiu Kwakwanso and many of the former PDP leaders and governors that had left for the APC when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power would establish another and that the Buhari group comprising of men like Nasir El Rufai, Bello Masari, Aminu Tambuwal, Rotimi Amaechi, Rochas Okorocha, Chris Ngige, Ogbonaya Onu, Adams Oshiomole and virtually the entire structure of the old CPC leadership in the core north would constitute yet another. I stand by this prediction.
These three strong and equally forceful factions can be likened to the proverbial three blind yet ravenous wolves.
They cannot stay in the same cage or remain on the same platform for long without tearing each other to pieces.
Eventually they will all go their separate ways and, hopefully, contend with a newly-branded  and reinvigotated PDP in the field of battle in 2019.
What we are witnessing today in the ranks of the APC is the beginning of that bitter separation and messy divorce and it is going to get far worse.
It will be loud, bitter, acrimonious and rancorous and many political empires, careers and aspirations will be destroyed as a consequence of it.
My hope and prayer is that the PDP, which is also going through its own rigorous process of redefinition and reinvigoration, can get its act together before then, take advantage of the situation, pick up the pieces and win the presidential election in 2019. I am sure that we will.
Meanwhile my advise to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is to watch his back, consolidate his base, fight his enemies, reach out to new friends, accept the fact that he is at war and sleep with one eye wide open. The truth is that it will get far worse before it gets any better.

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Delta monarch declared wanted over murder of army personnel turns himself in

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Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe, monarch of Ewu-Urhobo kingdom in Delta, has reported to the police, hours after the military named him as one of the wanted persons for the murder of 17 army personnel in Okuama.

Bright Edafe, Delta state police spokesperson, confirmed Oghenerukevwe’s surrender to newsmen on Friday.

Edafe said the monarch turned himself in on Thursday.

“We have already handed him over to the military, they were the ones that declared him wanted,” the spokesperson said.

The Defence Headquarters had on Thursday declared Oghenerukevwe among eight persons wanted in connection to the murder of the army personnel.

Among those declared wanted are Ekpekpo Arthur, a professor of physics at the Delta State University; Akeywiru Omotegbono, Andaowei Bakrikri, Igoli Ebi, a lady; Akata David, Sinclear Oliki, and Reuben Baru.

Before turning himself in, the monarch released a statement to plead his innocence.

“I am very surprised that my name as the monarch of the kingdom will appear in the list of wanted persons. I have no hand in the killings, I have no hand in encouraging anybody to kill anybody, it is against my philosophy as a human being and my faith as a Catholic,” he said.

“It is a serious crime against humanity and they need to look at the appropriate places and do thorough investigation to know all those who have committed this and bring them to book and let justice prevail.

“I am not a party to this and like I have said earlier, the state government is aware of the turbulence I have been going through and as I speak, an arrangement was made by the government to invite the opponents recently just before this happenings.”

After the killing of the army personnel, President Bola Tinubu and the military high command promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

Speaking during the burial ceremony of the late personnel, Taoreed Lagbaja, chief of army staff (COAS), said it was “highly demoralising” that the soldiers were killed by those they were equipped to protect.

The army chief added that it took over 72 hours of search to recover the vital organs of some of the deceased soldiers.

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Bus conveying 46 passengers crashes in South Africa – 8-year-old is sole survivor

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Forty-five passengers died on Thursday when a bus conveying them crashed through a barrier of a bridge in South Africa.

Only an eight-year-old child survived accident with multiple injuries.

The bus was said to have caught fire after it fell off a bridge approximately 300km north of Johannesburg in the north-eastern Limpopo province.

BBC reports that the passengers were pilgrims travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria.

The vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, according to South African public broadcaster SABC.

Speaking with reporters after visiting the scene, Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s minister of transportation, said the government will carry out an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time,” Chikunga said.

We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”

In his Easter message to South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on citizens to “do our best to make this a safe Easter”.

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KFC apologises to Gbenga Daniel’s son over discriminatory treatment

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Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Nigeria, an international fast food restaurant chain, has issued an apology to Adebola Daniel, son of Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun state, over discriminatory treatment.

In a statement on its X page on Thursday, the fast-food chain expressed deep regret for the distress experienced by the customer and pledged swift action to address the issue.

On March 27, Daniel posted on his official X page about his experience at the KFC outlet at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) branch.

According to Daniel, the restaurant had stopped him and his family from entering, stating that “no wheelchairs were allowed”.

Following his statement, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on March 28, said it had shut down KFC over discrimination against Daniel.

FAAN instructed KFC management to tender an unreserved apology, in writing, to Daniel, and a policy statement of non-discrimination be written and pasted conspicuously at its door post at MMIA before it resumed operation.

Reacting to the accusation, KFC reiterated its commitment to opposing bias or discrimination in any shape or form, with inclusivity and respect as fundamental principles of its values.

“KFC is unwavering in our stance against bias or discrimination in any form, with inclusivity and respect as non-negotiable pillars of our values,” the company said.

“However, this recent incident has underscored the pressing need for immediate action. We have embarked on efforts to address the situation.

“We deeply regret the frustration and distress experienced by our guest and extend sincere apologies to those affected.

“In response, we are urgently implementing inclusion training for all our employees. This incident is not reflective of our standards, and we will act swiftly to rectify it.

“We are actively exploring actions to equip our team members and restaurants better to ensure that every guest feels genuinely welcomed and that we deliver empathetic customer service that proactively addresses the diverse needs of each guest.”

‘FCCPC CONDEMNS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CONSUMERS’

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) condemned the discrimination against Daniel.

In a statement on Thursday, Adamu Abdullahi, FCCPC’s acting executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer (CEO), said the commission strongly condemns any form of discrimination against consumers, especially those based on disability.

Abdullahi said the commission would work with relevant authorities to ensure appropriate redress for the aggrieved consumer.

He said the commission would also ensure KFC took full responsibility for its actions.

The EVC said section 17 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) emphasises the obligation to eliminate practices detrimental to competition and consumer welfare to safeguard consumer interests.

Abdullahi said discriminatory actions, such as those witnessed at the KFC outlet, undermined their principles and would not be tolerated.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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