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‘Constitution does not stop me’ — Wase joins speakership race

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Idris Wase, a member of the house of representatives, has declared his intention to run for the speaker of the 10th assembly.

Wase, who is the deputy speaker of the house, declared his speakership bid on Friday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Wase said the north-central deserves to produce the next speaker of the lower legislative chamber because it has not done so since 1999.

The deputy speaker said he is competent and has the legislative experience to lead the house of representatives.

“What we need is a deliberate choice to poach for the right people with fervent patriotism, energy of the spirit, commitment, competence and focus, to lead the charge in our determined journey to national redemption,” he said.

“Indeed, the task before us is to overcome all the tribulations that threaten our heritage of honour, hard work, enterprise and development in the context of Nigeria’s leadership in Africa and her prime place in world affairs.

“Since the campaigns for the speakership of the house of representatives began, many of my colleagues have signified their intentions to seek the votes of members to be elected as speaker.

“This is a positive development in the dispensation of democratic governance. Honestly, I cannot single out any one of them that is not capable of leading the house.

“However, it must be noted that in the wisdom of party leadership and by the sheer authority of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, how top national offices shall be shared among the federating units in the country has been explicitly stated in section 14 sub-section 3 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic as amended.

“Flowing from this, therefore, the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria has strengthened my resolve to aspire to the speakership of the house of representatives as a Nigerian from the north-central geo-political zone of the country, to lend my vision, competencies, patriotism and loyalty to the nation’s constitution and my party’s ideals in the collective mission to build a prosperous nation founded on the pedestals of justice and equality.

“Fellow Nigerians, Nigeria is built on the supremacy of the law and the sacredness of the constitution for justice to reign and to keep the peace in the country.

“It is on the strength of this that I offer myself to contest and serve as the speaker of the house of representatives in the 10th assembly in clear deference to Nigerian constitutional provision and with your full support and understanding of Nigerians so that the journey we began together a long time ago can continue to prosper.

“As speaker, I hope to build a solid coalition of interests of national importance to achieve a common goal.

“While the primacy of national interest will be of utmost importance, I shall be guided by the six-point agenda of my party (APC) while also actively supporting most honestly the opposition parties as they strife to support legislations that seek to address the concerns of their constituents and other Nigerians in general. Our legislative agenda will always address other matters of interest.

“Generally speaking, my conduct will be motivated by an avowed commitment to national integration to build a society where justice reigns.

“We need to build on the successes recorded so far within the context of national laws and support Nigerian international commitments that seek to promote the national interest and welfare of all Nigerian citizens.”

Mukhtar Betara, Sada Soli, Mariam Onouha, and Yusuf Gagdi were among the speakership hopefuls that attended Wase’s declaration.

Politics

‘It’s ridiculous’ — LP debunks claim of working for Tinubu ahead of 2027

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The Labour Party (LP) has denied allegations of working for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

The party is reacting to a viral video in which Deji Adeyanju, a human rights lawyer, alleged that the LP is working for the president.

In a statement issued on Friday, Obiora Ifoh, national publicity secretary of the LP, said the party has no plans to support Tinubu.

“As a matter of fact, the Labour Party is the most visible opposition party as of today, and our national chairman, Barrister Abure, is the leading voice in the opposition camp and has been most critical of the present government,” the statement reads.

“After the 2023 general election, it continued to interrogate the system’s failure and has been very visible playing the role of the opposition, continuously critiquing the policies, proffering solutions, and advising the government.

“It is on record that the Labour Party has on several occasions spiritedly debunked the allegations that it has an unholy understanding with the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, to collaborate ahead of the 2027 general election.

“Recently, the party, under the able leadership of Mr. Julius Abure, came up with a series of programmes, including the creation of the electoral reform committee.

“With it, we hope to enthrone credible, fair, and transparent processes, leading to the selection of leadership in the country, with the Labour Party being a major victim in the 2023 general election.

”All these efforts to reposition the party for someone to be demarketing such a party in such an unguarded and callous manner is most ridiculous and unfortunate.

“We are, therefore, challenging Deji Adeyanju and any other person to come up with facts and proofs that either the party leadership or Mr. Abure intends to work for President Bola Tinubu or his party, the APC, in 2027.

“Adeyanju’s assertion, which is presently trending globally, has caused the Labour Party enormous harm, and we are demanding that he refrain from causing the party further harm.

“As a political party, we view Deji Adeyanju’s now-viral comments as criminal defamation, a clearly motivated ploy to ridicule our hard-earned reputation.

“We are therefore calling on Mr. Adeyanju, who ought to know the grave consequences of a defamatory act, to without delay provide facts and evidence to prove that the Labour Party has been ‘bought’ over by President Tinubu.

“He also has a choice to withdraw his ill assertions and apologise to the leadership and millions of members of the Labour Party for the great harm he has caused the party.”

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‘Absolutely ridiculous’ — APC chieftain faults Daniel Bwala’s appointment

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Jesutega Onokpasa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has faulted the appointment of Daniel Bwala as special adviser on policy communication to President Bola Tinubu.

Onokpasa’s remarks come amid controversy surrounding Bwala’s past criticism of the president.

Bwala, who served as the spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2023 presidential campaign, was vocal in his allegations against Tinubu.

He called for the president’s arrest and prosecution over alleged corruption, including accusations related to drug proceeds forfeited in the United States.

At the time, Bwala also called on Nigerian law enforcement agencies to take action against Tinubu.

Speaking on ‘News Night,’ an Arise TV programme, Onokpasa criticised the president’s decision to appoint Bwala, describing it as a betrayal to the president’s supporters.

“Our dear and beloved President stabbed all of us, his staunch supporters, in the back with this absolutely ridiculous, meaningless and just inexplicable appointment,” Onokpasa said.

“I am a Tinubu supporter and not a sycophant; his apologists are calling his appointment of Bwala strategy, but I think it is stupidity.”

Onokpasa, who identifies as a loyal supporter of Tinubu, also expressed frustration at what he perceived as the president’s disregard for his base.

“Not all his supporters want an appointment. It’s just the insult that our president seems to take us (his supporters) for granted,” Onokpasa added.

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Enugu LGA chairman appoints aides on garden egg, pepper, yam

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Eric Odo, chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA of Enugu state, has appointed Ezeugwu Ogbonna as senior special assistant on agriculture (yam and pepper).

The appointment is contained in a letter dated November 1 and addressed to Ogbonna.

“I am pleased to inform you that the executive chairman Igbo Etiti LGA has approved your appointment as senior special assistant to the local government chairman on agriculture (yam and pepper),” the letter reads.

“You should report to the executive chairman Igbo Etiti LGA, Ogbede, for briefing and deployment.

“It is pertinent to note that this is not a career civil service appointment but a temporary appointment which you hold at the pleasure of the executive chairman of Igbo Etiti LGA.”

Odo also appointed Nwodo Ugonna as special adviser on garden egg and pepper.

The council chairman did not outline the specific duties of the appointees.

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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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