Headlines
Edo Dep Gov, Shaibu, Denies Rift with Obaseki, Mute on Dumping PDP
Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, has denied having any rift with his principal, Governor Godwin Obaseki.
While featuring as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, he denied any disagreement between him and the governor and restated his unalloyed loyalty to the latter.
“I am happy with my governor; I don’t have any problem with my governor,” said the deputy governor who is rumoured of planning to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“So, the issue of not being happy with my governor is not there. I remain absolutely loyal to my governor.”
When asked what went wrong with the PDP on whose platform he was re-elected into office, Shaibu admitted there were some issues within the ruling party in the state.
“There are issues we need to resolve over PDP,” he said, although he did not categorically state whether he would leave the party or not.
The deputy governor’s remarks come amid reports that he had purportedly concluded arrangements to dump the PDP for an undisclosed party, as a result of a rift over matters bothering on the running of the state.
He was said to have held a series of meetings with some party bigwigs outside the country last week where the supposed plans were finalised.
But the Chief Press Secretary of the deputy governor, Ebomhiana Musa, denied the reports in a statement on Monday, saying they were mere speculations.
According to Musa, claims that Shaibu plans to leave the PDP are complete falsehood and the figment of the authors’ imagination.
Governor Obaseki, with Shaibu as the running mate, first contested the governorship election in the state on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and won, defeating Mr Osagia Ize-Iyamu who was the PDP candidate at the time.
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The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Hon. Abubakar Gummi from the House of Representatives after he left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress.
The lawmaker represented the Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu delivered the ruling, holding that Gummi’s defection breached the Constitution.
The court said the seat does not belong to any politician but to the political party that sponsored the election.
According to the judgment, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, is barred from recognising Gummi “as a member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency.”
The judge also instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to “conduct a fresh election” for the vacant seat within 30 days.
The case was instituted by the PDP and its Zamfara chairman, who insisted that Gummi’s move to the APC had no legal justification. They argued that there was no division in the PDP to support his defection, as required by Section 68(1)(g) of the Constitution.
Gummi, through his counsel, claimed he left the PDP due to internal crises which he said made it “impossible” to serve his constituents effectively. The judge, however, dismissed his arguments and granted all the reliefs requested by the plaintiffs.
Justice Egwuatu, in a firm comment, warned politicians against what he described as reckless party hopping.
“Political prostitution must not be rewarded,” he declared, adding that lawmakers must not transfer votes won on one party’s platform to another party.
The court also ordered Gummi to refund all salaries and allowances received from October 30, 2024, until the date of judgment. He is also barred from earning any further benefits as a member of the House.
Additionally, the judge imposed a N500,000 cost against the defendants in favour of the PDP.
