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JUST IN: PDP NEC Member says Wike No Longer a Member of the Party
The immediate-past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is no longer a member of the party, given his conduct before, during and after the 2023 general elections.
This is according to a member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Executive Committee, Timothy Osadolor, who said Wike’s recent public outings wherein he appeared to be leaning towards the All Progressives Congress, give him away as a man in perpetual craving for the spotlight at all times and regardless of the cost to his image as an opposition political leader.
He said, “The PDP has ignored Wike because the man is no longer himself. There are more ways to deal with people apart from sanctioning them. You can keep someone in isolation. He (Wike) can boast that he is the one that stayed away but is it not better to stay away than come to party activities and nobody wants to associate with you? He has been given a cold treatment because he went to court to procure a judgment that says he cannot be suspended but there is no judgment that says he cannot be avoided.
That is what the PDP has been doing to him and technically, if Wike wants to say the truth, he will tell you that he is no longer a member of the PDP. No PDP leader or member behaves the way he does.”
But in a swift reaction, a chieftain of the PDP and immediate past Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chris Finebone, said Wike remained a bona fide member of the opposition party.
Describing Osadolor’s comments as wishful thinking, Finebone said he does not have any power to speak for the party.
He stated, “We can’t identify who he represents, but I think it is wishful thinking. It is wishful thinking and the man who is said to have said that is inconsequential as far as we are concerned.
“And so, whatever he has said is of no effect. His Excellency, the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is 110 per cent a member of PDP and nothing has changed. And nothing can change it.”
On the accusation that Wike has been hobnobbing with Tinubu, he said it was petty and frivolous.
News
JUST IN: Fire Outbreak Reported at Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, Lagos
Emergency responders are currently battling a fire outbreak at the Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, located in the Mile 2 area of Lagos State.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident and stated that its teams are actively attending to the scene. In an official alert issued earlier today, the service emphasized that the situation is under control.
“We’re assuring the public that we’re currently on top of the situation as the public need not to exercise fear,” the statement read.
The alert was signed by Margaret Adeseye, Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service.
Reports from witnesses and social media indicate a significant blaze, with thick smoke visible in the area and videos showing emergency efforts underway. One account suggested the fire may involve an industrial facility specializing in recycling, though official details on the exact cause, origin, or any potential damage or casualties have not yet been released.
Authorities continue to urge residents and nearby businesses to remain calm while operations proceed to fully contain the incident.
Further updates are expected as the response progresses.
News
Olubadan Ladoja tables top three national priorities for Tinubu to defeat
The visit, which took place less than four months after Ladoja’s installation as the 44th Olubadan, was the monarch’s first official meeting with the president since he ascended the throne.
•Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, and President Bola Tinubu / State House Photo
The traditional ruler of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, but warned that insecurity remains Nigeria’s most urgent national challenge.
The Olubadan was hosted today by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The visit, which took place less than four months after Ladoja’s installation as the 44th Olubadan, was the monarch’s first official meeting with the president since he ascended the throne.
It also came a day after Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde was received by Tinubu at the State House.
Oba Ladoja told President Tinubu that farmers are increasingly afraid to go to their farms, describing the spread of insecurity as a growing threat to livelihoods and food security, including in southern Nigeria.
While praising the President’s track record and governance style, the Monarch stressed that restoring safety, improving healthcare, and addressing food shortages must remain top priorities.
He, however expresses hope that current reforms will deliver tangible results by 2031.
Before he ascended the Olubadan throne, Ladoja served as the Governor of Oyo State between May 2003 and January 2006 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Oba Ladoja became Olubadan in September 2025 following the death of his predecessor, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who died in July after a short reign.
His emergence followed Ibadan’s traditional succession arrangement, which rotates the stool between the civil (Egbe Agba) and military (Balogun) lines. Olakulehin hailed from the Balogun line, making Ladoja’s succession from the civil line consistent with established custom.
Before he became the Olubadan, Ladoja occupied the position of Otun Olubadan, a role he assumed in August 2024 and which placed him next in line to the throne.
News
Reps minority caucus confirms authentic version of tax laws passed by NASS were altered
This is a clear case of the Executive undermining legislative powers by illegally altering an already passed law to drag more taxpayers into the net,” the report read.
The House of Representatives Minority Caucus said that its investigation has confirmed that the tax federal government’s tax reform laws were altered after they had been passed by the National Assembly.
“This is a clear case of the Executive undermining legislative powers by illegally altering an already passed law to drag more taxpayers into the net,” the Cacus said, warning that the actions amount to a direct assault on the constitutional authority of the National Assembly and a threat to democratic governance.
In an interim report, released on Friday the Cacus, under the leadership of Kingsley Chinda, said that it set up a 7-man Fact-finding Committee on January 2nd “to get to the root of the scandal” after public outrage over allegations of discrepancies in the passed and gazetted tax.
The ad-hoc committee set up by the caucus is independent of the committee set up by the House leadership.
It is led by Afam Victor Ogene. Other members of the committee include Aliyu Garu – Bauchi, Stanley Adedeji – Oyo, Ibe Osonwa – Abia, Hon. Marie Ebikake – Bayelsa, MB Shehu Fagge – Kano and Gaza Gbefwi Jonathan – Nasarawa.
The Cacus said that as part of its investigations, it’s Ad-hoc committee compared the Certified True Copies of the Acts released officially by the House of Representatives as directed by the Speaker, with the already gazetted version already in circulation before the alarm was raised by the House, and confirmed that there were some alterations as alleged by Dasuki on the floor of the House of Representatives, especially in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025;
The Cacus also confirmed that there were three different versions of the documents in circulation, particularly the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025.
According to the interim report by the caucus, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, has a number of discrepancies from the version passed by the National Assembly and the version earlier published in the official gazette. These discrepancies are obvious, going by the released Certified True Copies (CTCs) by the House referenced earlier.
..i. Section 29(1): On Reporting Thresholds: While the NASS Certified version provided for a tax compliance reporting threshold of N50 million for individuals and N100 million for companies, the gazetted version lowered the reporting thresholds for individuals to (N25 million from N50 million) and (N100 million from N250 million) for companies.
ii. Section 41: Introducing new subsections (8) and (9) prescribing a mandatory 20% Deposit for Appeals:The gazetted version introduced new subsections 41(8) and 41(9), which required taxpayers to deposit 20% of the disputed tax amount as a condition for appealing Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) decisions to the High Court.
These sections were not in the authentic version passed by NASS.
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