Politics
Ondo PDP Leaders Send SOS To Secondus
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State have sent a Save our Soul message to National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In the message, the Ondo PDP leaders asked Secondus to urgently intervene in the affairs of the party in the state to avoid it sinking further
They urged the PDP National Chairman to call its party’s governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, to order.
The Ondo PDP leaders who spoke under the auspices of the Ondo PDP Unity Group accused Jegede of creating factions in the party by sponsoring social media attack on party chieftains.
In the message signed by Coordinator, Omosanya Omolere and Secretary, Comrade Ayomikun Adeleke, the group also called for resignation of the state executive of the party led by Hon Fatai Adams.
According to the group, “Mr Chairman, we are sorry to say that Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) hasn’t learnt any lesson since 2016 till date. In 2016, we lost the governorship election due to imposition, internal wrangling and his (Jegede) inability to reconcile all the warring factions within the PDP.
“Again, in October 2020, we lost the election due to internal wrangling and unnecessary factions created by Eyitayo Jegede and his group and his inability to unify the party via genuine reconciliation after winning the ticket of the party.
“Mr Chairman, as we write, the core values of the PDP and the chances of winning future election in Ondo State are under serious threat due to Jegede’s undemocratic practices, where people loyal to him now take to the social media on daily basis to attack respected leaders of our party without any word of caution by Jegede and Adams, the state chairman of the PDP in Ondo State who has also compromised his office for presenting himself as the factional leader of Jegede’s camp rather than being the PDP state chairman and acting in like manner.
“During the 2020 governorship election, we lost many of our foremost leaders in Ondo State to opposition parties because the Emperor and candidate of the party was busy pursuing a personal vendetta against leaders who do not support his aspiration during the last party’s primary election.
“It is no more news in Ondo State that the PDP has now become a laughing stock on several APC’s platforms and the social media as people loyal to Jegede now carry out daily attacks on party leaders mostly on Facebook and Whatsapp in their quest to diminish and pull down party leaders who are obstacles to their 2023 agenda in Ondo State.
“It is our resolve to bring this to your attention to as a matter of urgency, call Eyitayo Jegede to order before he destroys the PDP in Ondo State ahead of the 2023 general election.”
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.
