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Lagos Assembly Crisis: Sacked Chief Whip Breaks Silence, Says Obasa Power Drunk

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BREAKING: EFCC Grills Lagos Speaker, Obasa Over Financial Recklessness

…Speaker’s 2023 Senate Ambition, Dictatorial Style Tearing House Apart

By Our Reporter

Erstwhile Chief Whip of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru has broken his silence on his purported sack by his fellow lawmakers, saying that the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa by the act exhibiting signs of being power drunk.

Describing his sack as unconstitutionally and flawed with irregularities, Abiru who spoke to The Punch said he was shocked by the development, adding that the allegations levelled against him and other three members of the House were untrue.

He explained that some of the members who were said to have signed and approved their sack were not in the country as at the day the announcement was made, adding that the Speaker presented was a previous register of a caucus meeting held sometime ago.

“The Assembly was not designed to have a sole administrator; those who designed the parliament know that there are other functions other than the function of the Speaker that should be performed by some other people.

“But since the beginning of the Assembly, he has acted more like a dictator and even a despotic leader; there’s no gainsaying about this. And that is why he has made many blunders in the process of the removal of both senior officers and even the suspended members,” Abiru said.

He expressed sadness that following the announcement of his sack, the Speaker proceeded to give instruction to seal his office and prevent his staff from accessing the Assembly, while he and other affected lawmakers were removed from the WhatsApp platform of the Assembly by Obasa.

Abiru explained: “We have been denied access to the Assembly and there was no way we could reach him because ever since the purported removal and suspension of members, we have since been removed by the Speaker from the group platform of the 9th Assembly which to me is mostly unnecessary.

“Again, from the day some members were suspended, he has put our offices under lock and key and denied our staff members’ access to the Assembly. All these are unconstitutional. I wonder where he derives such powers from.

“For somebody that we already know, we know he is someone who tries to make a show of power before now and what he has done has revealed his level of intelligence and myopic reasoning and these are some of the things we saw in his leadership style from the outset and we were trying to guide him.”

Noting that the crisis in the House was not unconnected to the 2023 ambition of Obasa to move from the House of Assembly to the Senate, Abiru wondered why the Speaker fingered him as a possible stumbling block, noting that he was not in any way standing against his ambition and being tagged as divisive.

“All I can say is that he has ambition to run for Senate in 2023 and 2023 is a long time from now. I don’t belong to Lagos West senatorial district so I wonder what my concern is.

“I’m not standing in his way for anything. I’m not contesting with him in 2023 as senator so I actually don’t know what he means by that because we know what the parliament means to the party in Lagos State. Many of us, as experienced as we are, will do everything that will stabilise where we all represent so I think it is all in the imagination of Mr Speaker,” he said.

He also wondered why Obasa would make any attempt to severe relationship with Senator Bayo Oshinowo, who he said helped the Speaker to attain the position in 2015 and 2019, noting that Oshinowo, once a member of the House, will continue to enjoy respect from him and his colleagues for the fatherly role he has played over the years.

“From what has emerged in the last few days, it is getting obvious that the Speaker had an ulterior motive against the gentleman leader and brother. There was no need for the Speaker to have created an atmosphere in the House of Assembly whereby he would want to separate himself from the leadership of Senator Osinowo. As for me, he is our leader.
“He has been instrumental to our return. As a matter of fact, nine of the 10 members from the district returned to the House so he is a man who has been standing by us. There is no doubt about that. We don’t have a choice but to have his back too and if the Speaker sees that as a problem, that is his headache,” Abiru said.

On the way forward, Abiru said he was waiting on the hierarchy of the party to wade into the crisis and resolve it, adding that the first step to an amicable solution is for the House leadership to correct the anomaly and reverse the suspension which he said was flawed with irregularities.

He said he had appealed for his constituents in Somolu to remain calm, saying that they were irked by the decision to sack him from his position and were only waiting for the intervention of the party leaders before their next line of action.

“My people are agitated; they are not happy because unfortunately, in the entire Somolu, we do not have a single commissioner or an SA in the cabinet of the governor of Lagos State despite our brilliant contribution to the success of the party in the state. We had the third highest number of votes that brought the government to power.

“This is the only office that the people of Somolu think they have and again the purported taking of the office is reaching them. But we have asked them to be calm since the party has said they are looking into it,” he said.

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Despite NLC’s Opposition, Abure Re-Elected As LP National Chairman

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The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Julius Abure, has been re-elected for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates.

His election took place despite opposition from the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

The Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Mr Ikechukwu Emetu, declared Abure the winner during the party’s national convention that held on Wednesday in Nnewi, Anambra State.


Abure has been having a running battle with the NLC leadership led by Joe Ajaero.

The NLC has called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organise a legitimate and all-inclusive national convention for the party.

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ThePledge Big Story: Why Can’t Wike Be Expelled By PDP?

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By Augustine Akhilomen

Former Governor of Rivers State and now, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesson Wike never hid his preference on who to support for a few weeks to last year’s presidential election. Rather than being implicit, Wike was loud and clear that he will support the ambition of the All Progressive Congress’s (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.



He indeed called the bluff of the leadership of his party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who had picked former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate and former Delta State governor, Okowa as his running mate. This open defiance by Wike against the PDP establishment did not go unnoticed by political observers. Hence, many of whom were looking forward to the punishment that PDP will give the recalcitrant Rivers political strongman.



Eight months into the administration of Tinubu and the many sins of Wike, the main opposition party and its members still lacked the boldness to call the former governor to order talk-less of punishing him for engaging in anti-party activities. Why is the PDP finding it difficult to punish Wike? Is he bigger than the party and is the party aware that his continued presence in their ranks will be inimical to the growth and future of PDP? Are there no mechanisms for dealing with members like this, who are doing everything to put the party in disrepute? These are some of the pertinent questions that readily come to the minds of observers.



Even as the PDP is trying to put its house in order ahead of the next general elections, Wike has been carrying on as if nothing was amiss. He has indeed made a bold claims that he remains a bonafide member of the opposition party.



Besides, the FCT minister has been absent from major meetings of the party and has not been seen campaigning for them in recent off-cycle elections and he does not show any regret for his actions.



Just last week, Wike again reaffirmed his commitment to the opposition party, to further brush aside any attempt of expelling him from the party. His words: “I am a member of the PDP,” Wike said.



“Have you ever seen me change anything? The one I supported before, what happened? I have decided to take a break. As you see me now, everybody should carry their cross.



“I was in PDP and I did not hide it: I told them I was not going to support their presidential candidate. Is it that I spoke or acted in a way people did not understand? Discipline me for what? That I did what? I am an advocate of the party’s constitution. Assuming we lost the governorship election, will they be talking about Rivers as a PDP state?



“Now is the time for governance. Now is the time to do your assignment. The president has given me an assignment and I am busy carrying out my assignment. When the time for politics comes, we would know who is where and who is not where.”



This is the second time that the outspoken former governor will be making this bold statement. On August 31st, 2023, he asserted that he had yet to see any leader in the PDP who had the authority to expel him from the party.



“Who will discipline me? I should be the one calling for the discipline of these people who violated the party constitution,” the minister said.



In the buildup to the 2023 presidential election, Wike had lost the presidential ticket of the PDP to Atiku and the party’s vice presidential ticket to Okowa of Delta State, and became inconsolable.



He then led a group of five former PDP governors, who rebelled against Atiku. Not a few people were in doubt of the contributions Wike made to the victory of Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the APC. For sure, the rebellion led by Wike was said to have contributed to Atiku’s loss.



Meanwhile, former chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, Capt Tunji Shelle, has given reasons why it’s difficult to suspend or expel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike from the PDP.



“The PDP is ready to work together and speak with one voice but the likes of the Federal Capital Territory minister who puts one leg in PDP and the other leg in APC is an issue,” Shelle said.



“How do you reconcile a party in that way? And he is still influencing individuals who are within the PDP. He is still influencing some individuals within the National Working Committee of the PDP.



“These are the things APC is doing, planting bombs inside another party. So some people in the PDP might have compromised somewhere. Some people are working with him even within the party. Until a position is taken to suspend or expel him from the party, nothing will work but I am sure some people are already working on this.”



Again, the Acting Chairman of PDP, Umar Damagum, has said the National Working Committee under his leadership will not suspend or dismiss any ‘disloyal’ member.



“They are always telling you these people are not doing the right thing. But when you are in a position of leadership, you are bound by a set of rules, and these rules, even though they are itching you, you don’t apply them—not because of anything, but so that you don’t destroy the house.



“If I said we should start suspension, I will end up suspending many people because they were involved in anti-party activities. So, please bear with us. We intend to keep this party together and to manage it. This is my mandate.”



Many observers are also of the opinion that PDP’s inability to suspend or expel Wike could be due to his financial power and the large followers he commands, which portend so much strength for the party.



Considering the fact that the ruling party are waiting in the wings to bring the former Rivers Governor into their camp if the expected happens, PDP therefore knows they have lots to lose if they decide to take that bold step.



As it is, PDP may be taking its time not to overreact by expelling Wike, but the party must take a concrete decision on his membership or they will risk losing face. Time is running out for the party to deal with the Wike issue once and for all. That would serve as a warning to others or if they should continue to prevaricate over the matter, it would only be inimical to their chances of reclaiming Aso Villa.



“No person should be bigger than the party. Nigerians are watching and waiting to see how this Wike matter is resolved by the PDP. Because it will make or mar their chances in subsequent elections in the country”, says Demola Olusegun, a Lagos based political analyst.

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LP Dares NLC, Insists On Wednesday Convention

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The leadership of the Labour Party said it won’t rescind the decision to hold its contentious national convention on Wednesday as planned.

The development comes two days after the party formally petitioned relevant government institutions requesting an urgent intervention to protect the party against further aggression from the Nigeria Labour Congress.

In the four separate letters written to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Ministry of Labour and Employment and Registrar of Trade Unions, Falonipe Amos, the party also called for disciplinary action to be taken against the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and other union leaders who spearheaded the alleged vandalisation of its properties.

The ongoing conflict over the control of the party escalated last Wednesday when members of the union acting on the directive of NLC leadership picketed LP secretariats across the country.


The move was to press home their demand for Abure’s resignation.

The protesting workers had laid siege to LP national headquarters in Abuja chanting solidarity songs and demanding Abure’s resignation.

They were however prevented from gaining access to the party secretariat by security operatives posted to the area to maintain order.


But 24 hours after the invasion, the embattled chairman released a press statement claiming the union members broke into their offices, vandalised properties worth millions of naira and made away with some staff salaries.

On Saturday, news filtered in that the Presidential Candidate of LP, Peter Obi, had been frantically making efforts to broker peace between both camps

Obi was also said to have advised the party to shift the national convention to a later date until a lasting solution is sought.

But the party backtracked on Sunday and insisted there was no going back on its planned convention.

The National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, said that Abure, the National Working Committee of the party and delegates would gather in Umuahia, Abia State capital.

He said, “Who told you we have cancelled the convention? That is not true. Anything that didn’t come from me or the chairman is not from the party. There is no going back.

“If not that, tomorrow is the usual ‘sit-at-home’ exercise (in the East), delegates will start arriving from tomorrow. But from Tuesday, all of us will assemble in Umuahia for the convention.”


Reacting, the NLC spokesman, Benson Upah, fumed, saying Abure would not dare the congress by going ahead with the planned convention.

Upah also warned that any conference or convention held under the leadership of the embattled chairman would amount to a jamboree in futility.

He said, “What does not exist cannot be said to have held. It is an exercise in futility, no matter where, when or how it is done. As long as it is superintended by Abure, it is nullity.

“I can assure you that we have no deal. And I want to tell you whatever they do will amount to nothing more than a useless and hopeless jamboree. Please quote me. It is a nullity and has no recognition even before it is done.

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