Headlines
How Oluwo of Iwo Beat Up Another Monarch at Peace Meeting
Some royal fathers from Osun West Senatorial District on Friday demanded the suspension of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi.
They accused Oba Akanbi of attacking another monarch, Oba Dhikrullahi Olaniran, the Agbowu of Ogbagbaa at a meeting.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues at the Trauma Centre of Osun State General Hospital, Asubiaro, the Olu of Ileogbo, Oba Habeeb Adetoyese, said Oba Akanbi attacked the said monarch at a meeting held at Zone XI Command of Nigeria Police Force, Osogbo.
Oba Adetoyese, who was flanked by Onigege of Igege, Oba Kazeem Oyediran, and Onifin of Ikonifin, Oba Solomon Ojo, told newsmen they were invited to a meeting in the AIG’s office following a petition against them by the Oluwo of Iwo, who had accused them of selling land in his domain.
He said, “In October last year, the Oluwo wrote a petition against us to the Assistant Inspector General of Police that royal fathers were threatening his life and selling his land.
“Then AIG Oyebade warned that he would not condone any form of trouble from our area. He directed that we should have a meeting and resolve the issue. We also saw the governor and he gave same instruction. A peace meeting was fixed for Iwo Local Government Area secretariat. That day, he (Oluwo) disrupted the meeting. He came with thugs.
“When government observed that the first meeting did not yield good result, another meeting was fixed for 9am today (Friday). Letters were sent, inviting us to the meeting.
At the meeting today, we were asked to introduce ourselves and we all did. When Oluwo was asked to talk, he accused me of selling his land. He raised same allegation against Agbowu of Ogbagbaa, Onigege of Gege. I told the meeting that I did not sell Iwo land.
“The Commissioner (for Local Government) told us that since the matter had to do with land, he could not intervene. He advised that parties should approach the court to decide on the matter or meet the governor.
“AIG was still speaking to us on the position of the commissioner on the matter, when Oluwo started shouting that there would be chaos.
“He suddenly left his seat and pounced on Agbowu. He punched him several times and it was the AIG that rescued him from Oluwo. We were all shocked that a king would behave in that manner. When Agbowu was feeling dizzy, we had to rush him down here in Asubiaro Hospital. He sustained injury on his cheeks. We are demanding that the Osun State governor should immediately suspend Oluwo to prevent reoccurrence of such an incident.”
Commenting on the matter, the counsel for Agbowu, Babajide Siyanbola, said the monarch had briefed him and that appropriate legal action would be taken against Oluwo.
When contacted Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Akanbi, said he only defended himself when Agbowu of Ogbagbaa, Oba Dirkrullahi Olaniran, wanted to attack him.
The monarch confirmed he was invited to the peace meeting.
He said, “At the peace meeting held at the AIG’s office, Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa interrupted me while making my speech and called me unprintable names, pointing his staff of office at me while attempting to stick the staff in my eyes, which was heavily rejected with force which Agbowu could not withstand.
“How could a constable openly insult commissioner of police and make attempt to beat the CP? Can any monarch try such with the Ooni, Alaafin,” Oluwo queried.
The Presidency has dismissed claims that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were directed at the political situation in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional decisions on the matter.
In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Presidency described the reports as a “gross misrepresentation.”
The statement clarified that Vice President Shettima’s remarks at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), were misconstrued by some online platforms and individuals.
“These reports have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” it stated.
“They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him as Borno Governor during the insurgency to falsely link it with current events in Rivers State.”
The Vice President, who spoke at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block in Abuja on Thursday, was said to have referenced the past solely to commend Adoke’s professionalism while in office, and to reflect on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution regarding federal and state relations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.
“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition,” Nkwocha clarified.
The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.
According to the statement, the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.
“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the statement further noted.
Nkwocha also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.
He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.
“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.
The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.
Concluding, the Presidency called on media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.
“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.
Headlines
Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.
In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).
The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.
The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.
The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.
