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Ex-governors in political wilderness after 2019 polls

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So also is the nomination of candidates for ministerial slots in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet. But it has been different strokes for different folks with respect to the political class. While many are savouring the joy of victory, others are writhing in the agony of defeat. The latter is particularly the case with former governors who either lost their re-election bids or lost their bids to move to the Senate after spending their mandatory two terms. Below are some of the former governors who may have to remain in political wilderness in the next few years because they were also not lucky enough to secure places in the new Buhari cabinet.

Akinwunmi Ambode

His is a classic instance of the instability of human conditions. Until late last year when words filtered out that former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, had stepped on the banana peel, the conclusion of every pundit was that he was good for a second term as governor, based on the physical structures he had built in the state.

But all that changed with the news that some influential members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state were not happy with the manner he handled the matter of refuse disposal and the alleged poor treatment he meted out to them. The reality of the issue, which began like a piece of unfounded rumour, dawned on his admirers when the party conducted its governorship primaries on October 2 last year and the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, emerged as the party’s flag bearer for the 2019 governorship election.

With the party’s ticket lost and Sanwo-Olu emerging victorious at the governorship poll, the grapevine began to buzz with the rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was considering Ambode as a replacement for the governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, whose tenure was drawing to a close. The rumour became stronger when Ambode successfully brought President Buhari to Lagos in April for the commissioning of some of his administration’s projects. But any hope of Ambode becoming the governor of the apex bank vanished like vapour when President Buhari announced the renewal of Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor on May 2.

With the dream of Ambode becoming the governor of Central Bank also gone, members of his political camp hinged their hope on his appointment into Buhari’s cabinet as Nigerians waited with bated breath for the release of the President’s ministerial list. Admirers of the former governor just could not contemplate the possibility of Ambode not making the list after the initial disappointments, particularly with the ministerial slots increased from the usual 36 to 42. It turned out a huge shock, however, that the list was released without Ambode’s name on it.

Thus the former governor was edged out of a second term, denied the chance to become the governor of the Central Bank and skipped on Buhari’s list of ministers. The question on the lips of his admirers now is where does he go from here?

Abiola Ajimobi

If he had his way, Senator Abiola Ajimobi would by now be wearing the tag of the senator representing Oyo South after two terms as Oyo State governor. That, however, was not to be as Ajimobi who contested the senatorial district’s election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was defeated by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Kola Balogun.

It was one of the shocking outcomes of the 2019 general elections that a sitting governor who had spent eight years in office could not muster the needed influence to win election into the same Senate seat he had occupied before he became governor. His undoing, many people believed, was his face-off with the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, whose chiefs Ajimobi upgraded to Obas in a move interpreted by many as a deliberate ploy to whittle down the power and influence of the monarch.

The move appeared not to have gone down well with many prominent sons and daughters of Ibadan who saw it as a direct invitation to anarchy in the traditional set up of Africa’s second largest city. The PDP in the state did not only make a political capital of the anger the move provoked in the city to win the governorship election, it also saw the candidate of the opposition party winning the senatorial election at Ajimobi’s expense.

Many admirers of the former governor who had thought that President Muhammadu Buhari would compensate him with a ministerial appointment were disappointed to see that his name was conspicuously missing from the list. But Ajimobi himself has said that reclaiming his senatorial mandate through the courts is more important to him than a ministerial appointment. While his admirers are hoping for a positive outcome of the legal battle, Ajimobi will remain in political wilderness until the deed is done.

Abdulaziz Yari

Former Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari’s case was that of a beautiful dream on the verge of reality truncated by a gang of brutal misadventures. He had contested election into the Senate during the 2019 National Assembly elections and won by a wide margin, only for the Supreme Court to declare his election and those of other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state void.

In the unprecedented judicial pronouncement, the apex court awarded the governorship, National Assembly and state assembly elections held in the state to the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because the primaries that produced the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who actually won the highest number of votes at the polls, were deemed a nullity.

The Supreme Court decision affected Governor Yari who had earlier been declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the Zamfara West Senatorial election. Yari had polled 153,626 votes while Lawal Hassan of the PDP scored 69,293 votes. But with the apex court’s ruling, Hassan took over as the senator-elect for Zamfara West Senatorial District.

The development has since truncated Yari’s dream of joining the upper chamber of the National Assembly while he also missed out on President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list.

Muhammed Abubakar

For the immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar, the recent governorship election in the state ended in a triple loss. Abubakar did not only lose the first round of the governorship election in the state, he also lost the supplementary election while his bid to secure victory through the courts also ended in a loss.

The governor, who sought re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had been defeated by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed, who polled 469,512 votes in the March 9 election against his own 465,453 votes.

Abubakar had got a reprieve from the ruling of a federal high court in Abuja which granted his request for suspension of the collation of the remaining results. But that could only delay the reality for a short spell as the court later struck out the governor’s application with the result that in the results that were later announced, the PDP candidate polled 6,376 votes while the governor followed closely with 5,117 votes.

Abubakar had ridden on the back of the Buhari tsunami that swept through the north during the 2015 elections to become the governor of the state, but he was said to have fallen out with many of the state’s stakeholders soon after he assumed office. Many APC stalwarts in the state were also believed to have worked against his re-election because they were aggrieved by the process through which Abubakar emerged as the party’s flag bearer. His failure to pay the pensions and gratuities of retired civil servants in the state was also believed to have contributed to his failure at the poll.

Unfortunately, he was not one of the APC members nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari for ministerial appointment, leaving his supporters to wonder what is next for the former Bauchi governor.

Abdulfatah Ahmed

Before the 2019 elections, the immediate past governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, had his sight set on the Senate seat for Kwara South. Long before the elections, Ahmed’s senatorial election had received the blessings of his political godfather and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, but the loss of a supplementary election in Ahmed’s own Ekiti/Oke Ero/Isin/Irepodun federal constituency by the PDP candidate he backed as governor changed the equation.

The defeat, coming at the height of intense political rivalry between the Saraki-led PDP and former Information Minister Lai Muhammed-led APC in the state, naturally moved Saraki to high dudgeon. Enraged by the defeat of Ahmed’s candidate in the supplementary election and fearing that Ahmed himself might not have the clout to win the senatorial election against the rampaging political machinery of the APC in the state, Saraki withdrew the former governor’s senatorial ticket and gave it to a candidate he felt could win the election and save him and PDP further embarrassment.

Although Ahmed said the decision to withdraw his senatorial ticket had nothing to do with the loss of the by-election, its import is that Ahmed, who was already on the verge of completing his second term as governor, could not retire into the Senate as he had planned to. That coupled with the fact that he has a very little chance of being offered a federal appointment means he is in for a long spell in political wilderness.

Jibrila Bindow

Given the manner the All Progressives Congress (APC) swept the polls in Adamawa State in the 2015 general elections, not many people would imagine that the then governor, Jibrila Bindow, would lose his re-election bid in 2019. But by time the 2019 governorship election ended, Bindow was roundly defeated by Umar Fintiri, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His major undoing, analysts believed, was his concentration of efforts on urban renewal while the rural populace accused the governor of abandoning them as their farm produce were regularly destroyed by criminals. This coupled with Fintiri’s popularity and the internal wrangling within the APC in the state spelt doom for Bindow and APC in the state.

Signs of trouble had emerged a few days to the governorship election when 10 political parties who had earlier entered into a pact with Bindow announced the withdrawal of their support for his re-election bid.

The governorship candidates of the 10 political parties under the auspices of New Generation Governorship Forum (NGGF) told reporters in Yola that they were withdrawing their support for Bindow over his failure to work with their advice and ensure good governance in the state.

At the end of the election, which had to go into a rerun, Fintiri got 9,081 votes to raise his 367,471 in the main election to 375,552, while Bindow could only get 1,391 in the rerun to raise his initial 334,995 votes to 336,386.

Ibrahim Dankwambo

After two terms in office as the governor of Gombe State, having won the elections on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Dankwambo sought to push his luck further in the 2019 elections for a seat in the Senate to represent Gombe North. His ambition was, however, halted by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Saidu Alkali.

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost in four of the local government areas in the senatorial district in the National Assembly elections conducted on February 23, with Alkali scoring 152,546 votes while Dankwambo garnered 88,016.

Dankwambo was first elected Gombe governor in 2011 and won re-election in 2015. He contested in the primary election for the PDP’s presidential ticket in 2018 but finished in the fifth position as Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the PDP in the last presidential election clinched the ticket.

With his fine run of form halted by Alkali, Dankwambo is guaranteed a place in political wilderness in the next few years.

THE NATION

 

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Adeleke slams Aregbesola Over 2026 guber threat, Says A man who left a legacy of huge state debt And his tenure worst in Osun history

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Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has fired back at the National Secretary of the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC) and former governor of the state, Rauf Aregbesola, over his vow to unseat him in the 2026 governorship election scheduled for August 8.

Aregbesola, during a homecoming event on Sunday, had criticised Adeleke’s leadership style and declared that the ADC would reclaim power in the next election.

Reacting in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke described Aregbesola’s administration as the worst in Osun’s history, citing policies such as half salary payments, uncompleted projects, and the failed education tablet initiative (Opon Imo).

He accused Aregbesola of inflicting “inhumane maladministration” on Osun residents and condemned his recent comments as “the empty boast of a troubled mind haunted by his failures.”

Adeleke added that his government has made significant progress in repairing the damage left behind, including the payment of 28 months of outstanding half salaries and nearly ₦60 billion in pension debts, both inherited from Aregbesola’s tenure.

 

“Workers, pensioners, and the general public are not praying for a return to the evil days of a bad administrator,” he stated.

 

The governor also highlighted that under his leadership, Osun State has reduced the debt burden left by Aregbesola by 40 percent, according to the Debt Management Office, without borrowing for infrastructure projects.

“Within less than three years, Governor Adeleke has surpassed the eight-year record of Mr Aregbesola without borrowing a kobo,” the statement concluded.

“Mr Aregbesola is invited to note that Governor Adeleke has constructed about 200 Kilometers of roads, rehabilitated over 200 schools and health centers, placed over 30, 000 pensioners on free health insurance care, provided critical medical surgeries to over 60,000 Osun residents, Completed several abandoned projects at Osun State University, made University of Ilesa a reality among several others.

“If Mr Aregbesola is to accuse Governor Adeleke of non-performance, we await his review of the dualisation of the palace to brewery junction at Ilesa, which he failed to achieve while in office. He should check out the flyover projects at Ile Ife and Osogbo, and the dualisation projects ongoing at Iwo, among others.
Osun people know their present and past governors. Our people are smart enough to know that the worst era for Osun state is that of Mr Aregbesola, under whom many pensioners lost their lives, thousands of lives were disrupted, and the state plunged into unsustainable debt that is still hurting the state to date. No voter in Osun is ready for a return to the dark days.

 

“We therefore dismiss Mr Aregbesola’s boast as a blurry vision of another world other than Osun, where Governor Adeleke has received accolades and awards for delivering on good governance and where Osun people have appreciated the local content policy, the non-borrowing policy, and the people’s first style of the current governor.

 

“Mr Aregbesola is a shrew (Asin ti o mo pe ohun unrun) who does not know that he is smelling. 2026 is a payback time when Osun people will punish the former Governor and his new party for wilfully inflicting pains and suffering on Osun people throughout his eight years’ rule”, the statement concluded.

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2027 Elections: Controversy Rocks Coalition as Bode George Slams Atiku, Obi — “You Can’t Serve Two Masters”

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Formet Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and other promoters of the coalition under African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday came under further attacks for what a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, called seeking to serve two masters.

George, a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, accused Atiku and other party members of moving into ADC without resigning from the party.

He said it was bad enough that Atiku and Mark in particular had to abandon the PDP to its fate after precipitating the crisis that has turned the party into a shadow of its former self.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the anti-Tinubu coalition as a political distraction which is bound to fail.

Chief George, speaking on Channels Television, said: “You can’t serve two masters, as stated in the Holy Book. You either serve A or you serve B. But to say you are in A and B is a fallacy.”

 

He alleged that Mark and Atiku were some of the architects of the crisis rocking the PDP.

 

Continuing, he said: “It is nothing but existential imbecility. Or sometimes what is called existential docility. What is it that they are all going there?

“This is your father’s house. The house made you, brought you into the limelight. You gain every laurel and recognition from this same house. And because there is a little crisis, is leaving the cultural thing to do? No, you sit in there.

 

“If you have a house that is leaking, do you run out? No, you are the landlord.

 

“Do they have a concept? What is the strategy they have? That is a classless strategy.

“When we had the last convention, General Buhari had just finished eight years. Then Atiku Abubakar wanted to compete (but) we said no; a northerner had just finished eight years. We had (Peter) Obi in the South. This was the beginning of the crisis.

 

“David Mark was the chairman of that convention and Iyorchia Ayu was the chairman of the party. Of course, you cannot do things like that and get away with it. I warned against it at that point.”

 

Leave LP now, join Obi in ADC, Abure tells Gov Otti

Abure in a statement yesterday asked Otti to stop deceiving the public that he has not joined the other faction’s Caretaker Committee in the coalition party.

The leadership of the LP, according to him, is in a hurry to recalibrate the party ahead of 2027.

Abure said the LP would not fall for Otti’s deception again.

“How can he be in the Labour Party when recently he conducted the local government election in Abia State with Zenith Labour Party as his party?” he wondered.

He added: “He should not think that every Nigerian is bereft of knowledge. He formed and is funding the illegal caretaker committee that has formally joined the ADC.

 

“The icing on the cake was the Wednesday unveiling of the coalition where every member of the caretaker committee formally joined the ADC.

 

“We are shocked that Otti is paradoxically trying to mislead members of the Labour Party to say that he is still a member of the Labour Party. In any event, we had earlier suspended him indefinitely from the party because of his anti-party activities.

“Labour Party is on the move again. We have the best brand in Nigeria, and we are eager to engage young Nigerians who have the interest of the nation at heart.

 

“We are therefore willing to let go of everyone, no matter how high, whose interest in Nigeria is self-driven, opportunistic politicians who are not principled.

 

“Labour Party is not and cannot be in any coalition because coalitions of political parties are ideologically bereft. It is a marriage of political strange fellows whose only agenda is power-grabbing.

“It is selfish in nature, and no true democrat will agree to such an amalgam. Labour Party is therefore in a hurry to sanitise itself of people without character.”

 

Sanwo-Olu: Anti-Tinubu coalition will fail

 

Governor Sanwo-Olu told a group of journalists and politicians in Lagos Nigerians would support President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the gains of his bold reforms are fully realised.

He described the ADC as nothing but a mere distraction which President Tinubu should ignore.

“Nigerians will never go back to Egypt,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel. But President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait.”

 

In Sanwo-Olu’s view, President Tinubu’s track record, achievements and reform agenda are strong enough to stand above any narrative being crafted to derail his administration or his prospects for re-election.

He cited the stability in the foreign exchange market, students loan scheme, massive infrastructural projects, more revenue for states  after the removal of fuel subsidy, tax reforms, increased oil production and the national minimum wage, among others.

 

“President Tinubu is not only a builder of men but a visionary leader whose impact is evident across the nation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

Asked if the President and his All Progressives Congress (APC) were bothered about ADC and its promoters, Sanwo-Olu said: “No one should be concerned or distracted by what ADC or any other group is attempting to orchestrate. The truth is clear, the people can see the difference, and history is on his side.

“They have nothing but bitterness to offer; they are bound together by their illogical resentment against President Tinubu, not by any edifying ideology. They will run out of steam.

Asked what advice he had for the President, the governor said:”Simple. The President should stay the course. Millions of well-meaning Nigerians across party lines and compatriots who understand what it takes to govern the most populous black nation on earth and revive a troubled economy are behind him and trust his leadership.”

“We know how far we’ve come under President Tinubu’s leadership. The focus should remain on delivering results, deepening reforms and building a stronger Nigeria. Any attempt to shake that foundation will be futile.”

Coalition proof Tinubu’s policies ended business as usual, says Lloyd

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Chidi Lloyd, said that the ongoing coalition against President Bola Tinubu is a proof that the President’s policies are working, effective and no longer business as usual.

 

Lloyd, former Emohua Local Government Chairman in Rivers State, said the coalition would only compel many Nigerians to believe in the administration of Tinubu because his policies had displaced established politicians.

 

He said the fact that most individuals, who had held various offices in the country without making significant positive impact, were forced out of their comfort zone for a coalition, was an indication that the country was getting it right.

Describing the coalition as dead on arrival, Lloyd said all members of the group were not foreigners but known old politicians who have been in the corridors of power since 1999.

 

He said Nigerians were wiser now and would not allow same people that foisted a system that never worked on them to return to power.

 

He took a swipe at some individual members of the coalition, saying they lacked moral rectitude to preach to Nigerians about a better country.

Lloyd said: “The coalition is dead on arrival. We didn’t see any foreigner. If the coalition were formed by citizens of America or Britain, we would have been worried. The coalition still has the same faces, the same old faces since 1999.

 

“I agree that what we have is a gathering of displaced politicians. We have a former vice-president; we have someone that was a Senate President for eight years. He was in a position to change Nigeria. His daughter won an election under an opposition party. It means his own political party is not popular in his federal constituency. “

 

 ADA Registration: Northern groups tackle El-Rufai, Amaechi over comments on INEC

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and the Northern Awareness Network (NAN), yesterday faulted former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of frustrating the registration of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

The AYCF in a statement by its President-General, Yerima Shettima, said Nigeria’s electoral process is governed by clear rules and procedures meant to uphold transparency, fairness and accountability, insisting that Amaechi’s claims of deliberate obstruction by INEC were not only baseless but also reflected a poor understanding of the registration framework.

 

“INEC’s requirements, such as submission of office addresses and proper identification of party officers, are standard protocols that all parties must meet to be duly registered,” Shettima noted.

 

“It is critical that all political entities, including the ADA, comply with these guidelines to preserve the integrity of our democracy.”

The AYCF leader described as “disheartening” the resort by Amaechi and El-Rufai to what he termed sensational claims, instead of focusing on addressing the substantive compliance issues facing their new party.

 

“The ADA’s struggles to meet INEC’s clear requirements should not be twisted into tales of bias or conspiracy by the commission,” Shettima stressed.

 

“What we see here is a need for diligent preparation on the part of political actors.”

On his part, Chairman of NAN, Salihu Suleiman, warned that expecting INEC to compromise its standards for ADA would be unrealistic and a dangerous subversion of democratic principles.

 

Suleiman said El-Rufai’s skepticism over INEC’s willingness to register the ADA typified a growing habit among some political leaders to question electoral institutions instead of engaging them constructively. He cautioned that such rhetoric could undermine trust in the electoral process and disenfranchise voters.

 

Both groups urged Amaechi, El-Rufai and other political actors to exercise restraint in their public statements, build trust in democratic institutions and approach their political ambitions within the framework of established laws. They reiterated their commitment to supporting a fair, transparent and credible electoral process in Nigeria

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Breaking : APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, Resigns

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Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, cited health reasons for his resignation, stating that he needs to “focus on his well-being.”

Mr. Ganduje’s time as APC chairman has been fraught with controversy and internal challenges.

While his resignation letter attributes his decision to health-related concerns, sources close to the situation suggest that mounting political tensions within the party may have influenced his move to step aside.

There have also been allegations of financial misconduct tied to his leadership, with some party members reportedly protesting against what they described as “excessive financial demands” from his office

 

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