Politics
Jonathan, Lagos PDP Mourn Odumakin
Former President Goodluck Jonathan last Saturday expressed sadness over the death of Afenifere Spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin, describing his death as shocking.
Jonathan in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Ikechukwu Eze, in Abuja, described Odumakin as a courageous patriot and rights crusader who contributed so much to the development of the nation.
In a message titled ‘A Great Voice for Equity is Gone’, the former president said that the deceased “played active roles in the years of activism that birthed and stabilised civil rule in our country.
“I received with sadness the news of the death of Odumakin.
“He was a courageous patriot and rights crusader who gave his all to the struggle for a better Nigeria.
“He was a great asset for just causes whose considerable contributions to the growth of civil society is not in doubt.
“He also acquitted himself as a seasoned journalist and columnist who promoted egalitarianism and social well-being, in his regular essays,” he said.
Jonathan said that Odumakin exited the world with rich democratic credentials, having played active roles in the years of activism that birthed and stabilised civil rule in our country.
“As a cultural enthusiast, Odumakin lived his short life as a force to be reckoned with in propagating and protecting the interest of the Yoruba people in the larger Nigeria social space.
”This is not a time to lose such a strong promoter of the ideals that would progress our nation in the desired direction of a united, just and equitable society,” he said.
Jonathan condoled the wife of the deceased, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, other members of his family, the Afenifere sociocultural association and the entire civil society.
“I pray God to grant the soul of the departed eternal rest and bless Dr Okei-Odumakin with the strength of spirit to bear the loss and sustain the crusade for a just society,” he said.
In its own reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State said the Spokesman of a pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, spoke and fought for the masses.
The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Taofik Gani told newsmen that, Yinka Odumakin lived a fulfilled life, fighting and speaking for the downtrodden, devalued ethnic groups and the nation at large.
“We cannot forget his outspokenness on national issues and fight for equal rights amongst ethnic nationalities. He spoke truth to power”.
The PDP spokesman added that Odumakin surprised the party when he was invited as speaker at a Democracy Day symposium. He honoured the invitation and spoke the truth to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and PDP.
“A rare breed, Odumakin will be missed. We hope the nation can have many of his kind to replace the vacuum created by his death,” Gani said.
Gani, who said that the party commiserated with Afenifere, Odumakin’s immediate family and civil society organisations, prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
Our source reports that Odumakin reportedly died of complications from COVID-19 at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja in the early hours of Saturday.
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
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