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President Bola Tinubu in Crucial Meeting Over Senate President, Speaker

Published

3 years ago

June 7, 2023

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has turned his attention to a smooth take-off of the 10th National Assembly, with strike threat by Labour as an aftermath of petrol subsidy removal over.
Tinubu is expected to issue a proclamation giving effect to the commencement of a new legislative cycle next week, and also hold talks with All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) today on preparations for the election of presiding officers, which is the first activity after the inauguration.

Tomorrow, the President will meet with APC National Assembly members-elect.

Yesterday, the President took a concrete step to unite the APC National Assembly members-elect for the purpose of arriving at a joint decision on the zoning of the principal offices.

He met with contestants for the post of Speaker who are challenging the party’s choice, Tajudeen Abbas.

Also yesterday, governors of Osun, Oyo and Rivers joined their other 23 colleagues to drum support for the APC’s preferred candidates for Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

Former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who said the Southsouth should produce the next Senate President, pointed out that anti-zoning campaigners in APC are laying a stumbling block for Tinubu.

Among the House of Representatives Speaker contenders at the meeting with President Tinubu, which started around 7 pm at the State House are Yusuf Gagdi (Pankshin/Kanke/Constituency); Sada Soli (Jibia /Kaita Constituency); Miriam Onuoha (Okigwe North Constituency); and Muktar Betara (Biu/Bayo/Shani/Kwayar Kusar Constituency).

The President earlier met separately with Deputy Speaker Idris Wase.

The meeting was attended by the APC’s National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

A Senator, who is attending the meeting with the President today, said the parley became necessary to put the house in order before the inauguration.

He said: “The President will be meeting with the APC senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect tomorrow (today) to make a final appeal. APC governors and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are expected at the meeting.”

The APC governors, who have repeatedly said they would support the party’s nominees for presiding officer positions are expected to join the president in persuading those challenging party’s position.

The intention is to arrive at a consensus to prevent election on the floor on inauguration day, it was learnt last night.

Tinubu pleads with Betara, Wase, Gagdi to step down for Abbas

President Tinubu pleaded with the aspirants for the Speaker to step down for Abbas.

He said his plea was in the interest of national cohesion and unity.

But the aggrieved aspirants, especially a leading aspirant, Aliyu Betara, promised to consult their supporters and get back to the President through Senator Iyiola Omisore, who led them to the meeting.

It was learnt that some of the aspirants may withdraw for Abbas in deference to the President.

Although none of the aspirants spoke with reporters, it was gathered that the President was willing to involve them.

A source said: “The President made a deft move to prevail on those aspiring to be the Speaker to step down for Abbas. He urged them to allow a seamless takeoff of the 10th House of Representatives.

“The session was a follow-up to the interaction he had with Betara on Monday.

“Tinubu brokered a no-winner, no vanquished situation. These aspirants will be accommodated in the power-sharing in the House.

“He has also granted the request of the candidates to consult with their supporters.”

A source said the ruling party is not comfortable with how a contestant for Senate President “has monetised and bastardised the process.”

The source said: “The aspirant has involved traditional rulers in the campaigns. His billboards are all over the place. He is engaged in all manner of propaganda. He is carrying on as if he is contesting a general election.”

The source said the supporters of the aspirant have hired a former Senate President as a consultant in a bid to repeat the 2015 scenario.

Predicting that the plot will fail, the source added: “The aspirant is not a ranking member, and the essence of ranking is that those who have legislative experience in the Senate should be presiding officers.”

25 governors support Akpabio/Jibrin ticket

The 25 governors are mobilising senators-elect across APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).

They include governors of Kwara, Nasarawa, Benue, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Rivers, Cross River, Kaduna, Borno, Ebonyi and Ondo states.

The governors, the majority of whom are from APC-controlled states, have maintained that they will uphold the unanimous zoning decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

The governors, it was learnt, added that the NWC has made profound decisions that will promote institutional stability and the peaceful conduct of legislative proceedings in the 10th Assembly.

Wike chides anti-zoning lawmakers

Wike accused opponents of zoning of the Senate Presidency to the Southsouth of laying a stumbling block for Tinubu in the National Assembly.

He insisted that those who love the unity of the country and want the Tinubu-led government to succeed would work to ensure the emergence of the next Senate President from the Southsouth as already determined by the President and the APC leadership.

A statement by Wike’s media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, said the former governor spoke in Port Harcourt.

He said: “My position is that the (Senate) presidency should come to the Southsouth.

“If you agree that (Senate) presidency should go to the south, tell me the truth, where should it go? It can’t be in the Southwest. It can’t be in the Southeast.

“Southsouth has only produced one Senate president, far back in 1979, Joseph Wayas. Southeast has produced over seven.”

Wike said those who earlier fought against Tinubu’s presidential ambition were still hellbent on laying a stumbling block for him at the National Assembly through their opposition to Akpabio, his preferred choice for Senate President.

He said: “The party (APC) and the President appear to have a soft spot for Akpabio. I would have thought that people will say, look, allow this administration to start on a very good foundation, so nobody gives us excuses that why this administration could not start on good footing is because of the rancour between the executive and the legislature.”

The former governor maintained that if there is no cordial relationship between the leadership of the National Assembly and the presidency, the country will be distracted by the unnecessary power conflict between the executive and National Assembly.

He added: “If Mr President doesn’t have a smooth administration, at the end of the day, who suffers? Is it not Nigerians? Let us believe that we are all one, let us give everyone a sense of belonging.”

Wike disclosed that President Tinubu and the APC national leadership preference for Akpabio, who is a Christian, is part of a deliberate strategy aimed at dispersing the misconception generated by the choice of Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, as the president’s running mate.

The former Rivers governor stressed that by backing Akpabio and appointing a former Benue State governor, George Akume, as Secretary to the Federation, President Tinubu had demonstrated his sincerity to balance the faith question.

He said: “Muslim-Muslim ticket was a problem, coupled with the abysmal performance of the last government, it was a double jeopardy. PDP campaigned against it that this country can’t have a President as a Muslim and Vice President as a Muslim.

“Somehow, by the president’s own luck, God being by his side, and his doggedness, he was able to make it.

“Mind you, a lot of booty traps were set for Mr. President not to emerge as President. A lot of booty traps were set even by people in his own party. It is correct. There is no government in this world which is a ruling party that can bring up policies that will make your party be unpopular during an election period.

“Within that period of election, you brought the issue of Naira redesign and brought the issue of there was no fuel – two things that affected the masses. You will know it was a booty trap set against Asiwaju not to emerge. Nobody can deceive me that that policy was not targeted at him.”

Wike dismissed the insinuation that his recent visit to the Presidential Villa was in connection to speculation that he was being offered a ministerial position.

He said Tinubu had never during any of their meetings made such an offer to him as was being speculated in the media.

“Every week, you see people reeling out different lists. What is my business? Mr President has not called me one day to say look this is what I want you to do, for me to say yes or no. But, you see people churning out lists. I’m sure this week another list will come out,” he said

Wike commended President Tinubu for his courage to end the fuel subsidy regime in the country.

He argued that the decision clearly distinguished the President as a man determined and prepared for leadership.

He said: “What President did was to tell Nigerians, I am prepared for this job, and that is why some of us we say give him a chance.”

Group: Zone Senate President to Southeast

The Forum of APC Support Groups rejected the zoning arrangement announced by the leadership of the party.

The group, which stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanded that the party leadership should correct the “lop-sidedness and imbalance decision” of the zoning arrangement.

Its National Publicity Secretary Adamu Isa’ah, urged the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) to come up with an arrangement that would be fair, equitable and just.

News

FG Engages CCECC To Build N545bn New Carter Bridge in Lagos

The decision to reconstruct the bridge became necessary after years of alarming structural investigations revealed worsening defects beneath both the Carter Bridge and the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

Published

2 hours ago

May 12, 2026

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The federal government has officially handed over the construction of a brand-new Carter Bridge in Lagos to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lagos, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said that the decision to reconstruct the bridge became necessary after years of alarming structural investigations revealed worsening defects beneath both the Carter Bridge and the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

According to the minister, investigations into the underwater structural elements of the bridges began as far back as 2013, with another assessment carried out in 2019.

The reports, he said, showed that the defects were increasing at what experts described as “geometrical progression.”

Experts, according to him, advised that repairing the Carter Bridge would cost almost twice the amount required to build a completely new structure. Following detailed technical analysis, the federal government, he said, approved the construction of a new modern bridge.

News

Federal High Court posts new Judges across divisions

All the affected Judges are expected to resume at their respective duty stations on May 13, following the recent appointment of 14 new Judges, and the transfer of three serving Judges to different divisions of the court.

Published

2 hours ago

May 12, 2026

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The Federal High Court has unveiled a new nationwide posting schedule affecting recently appointed Judges and some serving judicial officers, as part of efforts to strengthen the administration of justice across its divisions.

The redeployment, approved by the Chief Judge of the Court, Hon. Justice John Tsoho, followed recommendations made by the National Judicial Council, and was formally announced in a statement issued in Abuja by the Court’s Director of Information, Catherine-Oby Christopher.

Under the new arrangement, Justices Salim Olasupo Ibrahim and Onah Chigozie Sergius were assigned to the Abuja Division, while Justice Hassan Dikko was posted to the Gusau Division in Zamfara State, and Justice Sulaiman Amida Hassan to the Osogbo Division in Osun State.

Other appointments include Justice Muhammad Saidu to Minna, Justice Igboko Conchita to Akure, Justice Onuegbu Angela to Yenagoa and Justice Galumje Edingah to Abakaliki, alongside Justice Ibrahim Eneabo who will serve in the Gombe Division.

The posting schedule also deployed Justice Abubakar Usman to Ado-Ekiti, Justice Salihu Yunusa to Damaturu, Justice Ikpeme Bassey to Uyo, Justice Shehu Adamu to Maiduguri, and Justice Mohammed Buba to the Dutse Division in Jigawa State.

Also affected by the reshuffle are Justice Binjin-Eigegbe Nendelmum Judith, posted to Lokoja, while Justices Usoro Uduak and Nwoye Osinachi Donatus were assigned to the Lagos Division, with the Court confirming that the new postings take immediate effect.

News

‎”I Warned Them The Coup Would Fail” — Islamic Cleric’s Video Confession Played in Court

‎‎In a ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness and admissibility of both the written and video statements of all six defendants.

Published

12 hours ago

May 11, 2026

OCHEFA

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‎A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday viewed a video recording containing the alleged confession of the sixth defendant in the ongoing trial of persons accused of conspiring to plot a coup.

In the video, defendant Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir told investigators that he had warned the alleged plotters the plan would fail and that they would eventually be exposed.‎‎

The video was played during the continuation of trial proceedings, with the fourth prosecution witness, identified as PW4, still in the witness box.‎‎In the recording previewed before the court, Abdulkadir, who described himself as an Islamic cleric, said he knew the alleged ringleader, Colonel Maaji, for less than a year.

He testified that he was approached through a man identified as Sanda for prayers concerning the alleged coup plot.‎‎

According to Abdulkadir, Sanda informed him that his “oga” intended to stage a coup and needed spiritual prayers and divination regarding its success.‎‎

Abdulkadir told investigators that after conducting prayers, he informed them the operation would fail and that two persons would eventually betray those involved.‎‎

He said a message was later relayed back to him through Sanda, requesting further prayers so that the two individuals would not betray the group.‎‎

The defendant further stated that money was subsequently sent to him for prayers and charity, while names of individuals allegedly involved in the plot were also forwarded to him for inclusion in the prayers.‎‎

He said shortly after the prayers commenced, Sanda informed him that Colonel Maaji had not been seen for four days, adding that he later learned through media reports that arrests had been made over an alleged coup plot.‎‎In the video, Abdulkadir maintained that the funds transferred to him were not payments for supporting a coup but were meant for prayers.‎‎

He also told investigators that he never reported the alleged plot because he did not know who to report to, despite admitting that he understood a coup to mean a military overthrow of government.‎‎

The defendant narrated that he was eventually arrested after visiting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over restrictions placed on his bank account.‎‎

According to him, he had gone to withdraw the money transferred to him when he discovered that his account had been flagged.‎‎

He said after contacting an EFCC deputy director, he was invited to the commission’s office, where he explained that the money was meant for prayers.‎

Abdulkadir insisted in the recording that he did not make any statement relating to a coup while in EFCC custody.‎‎

Before the video ended, the defendant also stated that nobody assaulted or tortured him and that his statements were made voluntarily.‎‎

Following the playback, the prosecution sought to tender the extra-judicial statements allegedly made by the first to fifth defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities, as well as the sixth defendant’s statement made before military police investigators.‎‎

However, counsel to all six defendants separately objected to the admissibility of the statements and accompanying video recordings.‎‎

The lawyers to the defendants argued that the statements were either not voluntarily made or were obtained in violation of provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).‎‎

Counsel to the first defendant argued that the written statement sought to be tendered did not correspond with what was shown in the video evidence regarding voluntariness.‎‎

The second defendant’s lawyer contended that his client was neither informed of his right to legal representation nor provided access to counsel before the statement was recorded, adding that the video shown in court was not a recording of the making of the written statement sought to be tendered.‎‎

The third defendant equally challenged the admissibility of the statement, arguing that the contents of the video differed from the written extra-judicial statement.‎‎

Counsel to the fourth defendant argued that the video and statement contravened Sections 15 and 17 of the ACJA, which provide for the presence of legal representation during statement-taking.‎‎

He further alleged that his client was coerced into making the statement and argued that the recording failed to show whether the defendant’s legs were free at the time the video was made.‎‎

The fifth defendant’s lawyer also opposed the admissibility of the statements on grounds of alleged inducement, torture, and non-compliance with provisions of the ACJA and the Evidence Act.‎‎

He further argued that since there were multiple defendants in the matter, the court ought to conduct separate trial-within-trial proceedings for each disputed statement rather than a joint exercise.‎‎

Counsel to the sixth defendant similarly objected to the admissibility of both the written and video statements credited to Abdulkadir, insisting they were obtained through inducement and were not voluntarily made.

‎‎The matter was subsequently adjourned until May 12 at 12 noon for the continuation of proceedings.

‎‎Responding, the prosecution urged the court to reject the defence arguments and order a single trial-within-trial proceeding for all the disputed statements.‎‎

The prosecution argued that the law did not require separate proceedings for each defendant and maintained that the trial judge retained discretion over how evidence is received.

‎‎In a ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness and admissibility of both the written and video statements of all six defendants.

‎‎The matter was subsequently adjourned until May 12 at 12 noon for the continuation of proceedings.