___________________ Awo's political idea was based on the assumption that any town beyond Owo was Igbo or Hausa. Awo was not socialised; he was not a good mixer because he did not have the opportunity, which the secondary school offered. ~TOS Benson, Baba Oba of Lagos Posts: 2644 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Apr 2001
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quote:BREAKING NEWS:Ladoja, Oyo Gov, is impeached, deputy sworn in
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News reaching NVS has confirmed that the Oyo State Governor Rasheed Ladoja has lost his office as the deputy Governor Mr. Chris Adebayo Akala has now been sworn in earlier today in Ibadan. Ladoja was impeached and the new governor sworn in soon after according to witnesses in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Sources said when President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Ibadan yesterday Wednesday he rode with Ladoja and did confirm to him that there was nothing else he could do to save his job. Ladoja, according to sources was asked to honorably resign as at yesterday.
The actaul final circumstances of his Ladoja's impeachment are still being awaited, but sources from Ibadan said Akala has already been sworn in and has appeared on TV and spoken on the State radio promising Oyo State people a better deal.
It would be recalled that the Oyo State Police had taken strategic position at the Agodi State Secretariat in Ibadan in anticipation of the State Assembly meeting which was meant to consider the report of the Impeachment Panel and finalise the impeachment.
Although 18 lawmakers were bent on removing Ladoja with 14 on his side, both meeting separately, it was learnt that 5 of the pro-Ladoja legislators were suspended by the majority of the house including the speaker of the house who belonged to the pro-Ladoja group.
That paved way for the 18 lawmakers to have a 2/3 of the balance of Oyo State Assembly, as 2/3 was required to remove the governor. Altogether there are 32 members of the Oyo State Assembly. The 18 lawmakers are in possesion of the mace and are also being actively supported by the Nigeria Police Force, which has been recongnising the leader of the 18 oyo legislators as "acting speaker." Section 188 subsection 1-11 of the Nigerian Consitution deals with the removal of a state governor.
For instance, according to a Lagos Lawyer Adebisi Adegbuyi, what is happening in Oyo State is far removed from the constituional stipulations.
According to newspaper reports, Adegbuyi noted that “Section 188 Subsection 4 stated that the Chief Judge must put in place a panel of seven members who must be people of unquestionable character and must not be member of any political party. The governor's team have already said three of those seven in the panel constituted by the acting Chief Judge are card carrying members of either the AD or the PDP and are men who are political enemy of the governor."
Besides, he added the "18 lawmakers who are bent on removing Ladoja do not have constitutional power to do so as two-third of 32 member is 20 and not 18”.
He lamented that ‘It was so bad that political thugs could ransack the office of a governor with security agents who are (meant) to provide protection for the governor looking the other way.”
But political observers say this second removal of a governor in Nigeria with the active connivance of federal might is possibly linked to the third term scheme of pro-Obasanjo forces as Ladoja initially belonged to the Atiku group of the ruling Nigerian party PDP. However there are also allegations of financial misappropriation against Ladoja.
Meanwhile only yesterday newspaper reports said Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Bayo Alao Akala, was seen in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, meeting with Governor Bukola Saraki seeking support to save Ladoja's job, according to Thisday.
Thisday said "Akala, spotting a sky blue shirt and jeans trouser, with a fez cap, sneaked into Government House, Ilorin, shortly before the Sallah celebrations in a private Peugeot 504 salon gold colour ed car. Akala had a private meeting with Saraki in his office, lasting about 45 minutes, and immediately left the state. Sources in government circle told THISDAY that Akala might have rushed to Saraki to explore a last minute support to save the job of his principal, banking on Saraki’s closeness to Aso Rock."
Akala is from Ogbomoso where he was formerly Local government chairman before he was picked to join the Ladoja ticket in 2003. Incidentally the State Acting Chief Judge Adeniran also hails from Ogbomosho.
There are now reports that feverish moves are on in Ibadan as the jostling for the position of deputy governor has taken a new turn. Names being mentioned include former military Governor Raji Rasaki. Former Attorney-General Richard Akinjide had earlier denied that he was lobbying for his son to become deputy governor and Chief Lanlehin, an active Obasanjo supporter has also been mentioned.
___________________ Feel me? Ofu onye ana asi unu abia go. - Ednut Igbo-American . www.airamericaradio.com visit her. Posts: 2447 | From: Mother Earth | Registered: Mar 2001
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___________________ Awo's political idea was based on the assumption that any town beyond Owo was Igbo or Hausa. Awo was not socialised; he was not a good mixer because he did not have the opportunity, which the secondary school offered. ~TOS Benson, Baba Oba of Lagos Posts: 2644 | From: United Kingdom | Registered: Apr 2001
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The coalition that unseated Senator Rashidi Ladoja Thursday as governor of Oyo State appears at war with itself already over the choice of the new deputy governor.
This is coming just as the new governor, Otunba Christopher Alao Akala, issued a stern warning to his tough-talking predecessor, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, to keep off the Government House, saying “I’m now in charge.”
Ladoja, who was impeached as governor on Thursday, had Friday vowed to return to the Government House Monday, insisting he remains the governor.
Sunday Sun exclusively gathered that Chief Lamidi Adedibu’s choice of his Personal Assistance (PA), Hazeem Bolarunmi, to become the new deputy governor, has polarised the coalition that comprises Chief Yekeen Adeoja and Governor Akala.
Bolarunmi, who is said to possess only a school certificate, it was gathered, is considered unfit to be deputy governor by Adeojo and some other lieutenants of Adedibu.
Despite the opposition, Adedibu is said to have stuck to his guns, claiming that his choice of Bolarunmi was to ensure religious and ethnic balance. The current governor is a Christian from Ogbomoso while Bolarunmi is a Muslim from Ibadan.
A meeting that was called to iron out the differences at the weekend, Sunday Sun learnt, ended in a fiasco with Adeojo reportedly walking out of the meeting which a source said “was stormy and rancorous.”
A subsequent meeting that was scheduled for the residence of the National Vice-Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, could also not hold.
Adedibu, who is expected to submit a list of nominees for political appointments to President Olusegun Obasanjo, is also said to have nominated his son, Hakeem to oversee the Justice Ministry. While it could not be ascertained whether Hakeem has a degree in Law, the acclaimed strongman of Ibadan politics is said to have ruled out any objection to his son’s nomination.
Other nominees of Adedibu include the parallel secretary of the PDP in Oyo, Ashimiyu Ado. He wants Ado to head the Works Ministry.
Addressing a news gathering in Ibadan yesterday, Governor Akala warned Ladoja that he would be “playing with fire” if he makes good his threat of showing up for work at the Agodi Government House tomorrow.
His words: “Anybody coming to work on Monday or going about his or her lawful duty will be protected. So, I am appealing to everybody to come to work. There is nothing. I don't want to join issues with anybody. We will see who is on the ground. You can see who is in charge. I just want to tell you that I am in charge. If there is anybody who wants to play nonsense, he will be dealt with according to the law of the land.”
In another development, two local government councils’ chairmen who were loyal to former governor Ladoja have been removed from office by their councillors. They are Ademola Akeem Ige and Gbolagade Basiru Abiade of Ibadan South-East and Ibadan South-West respectively.
Ige's impeachment was announced yesterday through a letter dated 13 January 2006, signed by eight of the 12 councillors in the council area and copied to the Speaker Oyo State House of Assembly. According to the councillors, Akeem was guilty of “various allegations of misconduct and mismanagement of public funds.”
The council's legislative arm, therefore, directed that the Vice-Chairman of the council, Hon. Femi Adebisi, be sworn in “as Executive Chairman of Ibadan South-East Local Government with immediate effect.”
Contacted, Ige dismissed the development, saying that it was far from the truth. "It (impeachment) did not happened at all. No meeting was held yesterday. You can talk to my honourable members including the Majority Leader. All the councillors were with me throughout yesterday. The Clerk of the House was not there.
"They used Baba's (Chief Lamidi Adedibu) name to go and impeach me but I have talked with Baba and he said he did not say anything like that. The Chairman, House Committee on Information, has also dismissed their claim of impeachment.”
Published: 2006/1/21 - Read 253 times Article Rated: 0.00
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By Idowu Akinrosoye, Akin Farinto & Demola Adejuyigbe, Ibadan
‘‘The prosecution counsel came to demand for N250,000 from me and assured me that Tokyo will be freed this morning, instead he asked for adjournment. This is not acceptable. I will make sure we have a new Chief Judge by Monday.’’
Attempts by the new administration in Oyo State led by Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala to free the former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola a.k.a. Tokyo from detention was this morning frustrated by an Ibadan High Court.
The presiding judge, Justice I. S. Yerima (Mrs.), in her ruling on application for bail, ordered Tokyo back to the Agodi Prisons and adjourned the case till 6 February. The prosecution counsel, I. A. Adegbite, had asked for adjournment pending the determination of an appeal on stay of proceeding earlier filed by it. Adegbite argued that further hearing by Justice Yerima on the substantive suit would pre-empt the decision of the Court of Appeal on the matter.
In his own argument, the defence counsel, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), argued that the application at the Appeal Court had no direct relevance in substance to the case before the court and asked for bail for the accused. But in her ruling, Justice Yerimah said: “I am not used to granting adjournments and I am constrained to grant a bail. I don’t want to be seen to be supporting the government but the prosecution appears not willing to continue with the case and I don’t want to shut them out. I hereby give them only two weeks to prepare for a definite hearing in this matter.”
She then adjourned the matter till 6 February. Tokyo was immediately taken back to Agodi Prisons, Ibadan. Following this court ruling, the mass rally planned for Ibadan this morning by Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and his supporters who had been assured that the former NURTW boss would be released today, was cancelled.
Thousands of PDP supporters, NURTW members loyal to Tokyo, Adedibu’s loyalists, bandsmen who had gathered at the Molete residence of the Ibadan politician as early as 8 a.m. for the rally were disappointed over the non-release of Tokyo and were dispersed. They were seen looking sullen and sad. Alhaji Adedibu too was angry at the development. He was heard complaining to aides that the prosecuting counsel, Adegbite, allegedly collected N250,000 from him yesterday after assuring him that Tokyo would be freed this morning. He was heard giving directive to an aide to meet the state’s new helmsman, Otunba Alao-Akala to swear in a new Chief judge, loyal to him, on Monday to perfect the bail for Tokyo.
He also directed another aide to swear to an affidavit that the prosecuting counsel, Adegbite, collected N250,000 from him (Adedibu), adding that the case should be taken away from him by Monday. Those present at Adedibu’s residence when he was giving the directives were Lekan Latinwo, former Attorney-General of the state, Brigadier Gen. Raji Rasaki (retd.) former military administrator of Lagos State and other PDP chieftains and supporters.
Tokyo, who is standing trial for multiple murders during a leadership crisis which rocked the union in 2003, was arrested and charged to court by the Ladoja administration. P.M.News investigations revealed that the new administration wanted Tokyo freed in order to boost its support base and counter moves by human rights activists and pro-democracy forces to remove it from office. Tokyo, an ardent supporter of Adedibu, is popular among commercial vehicle drivers in the state.
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