Politics
Rivers LGs And Amaechi’s Performance
No one would blame the Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for evaluating last year the performances of various local government chairmen in the state. After the tour of the local government, his finding was that only four out of the 23 chairmen executed projects that had positive impact on their people. Interestingly, within two years of his saddle in the administration of the state, some of his policy implementation at the local government was uncommon and traceable to many completed projects at that tier of governance. It was on record that the state governor took over the payment of primary school teachers salary at the local government level, built more than 250 model primary schools. Again, those critical sectors which the constitution assigns specifically to the local government such as the construction and maintenance of markets and rural roads among others were shouldered by his two year old administration. No wonder that was why he was praised for rolling out the score card on local government chairmen shortly after his tour. According to Governor Amaechi, some of the local government chairmen are very reckless in expenditure. Again, he observed that some of them are not showing the required level of responsibility in regaining the confidence of the electorates that elected them into offices. Barr. Ibimina Kelechi a gubernatorial candidate under the platform of Progressive Party Alliance (PPA) for the April 14, 2007, Election in Rivers State also concurred with Governor Amaechi’s argument as he disclosed that the local government chairmen cannot restore the hope of the electorates because most of the chairmen were handpicked by their hierarchy at the People Democratic Party (PDP), contrary to the spirit of the constitution. He lamented at the low level of performance in the 23 local government areas in Rivers State. He said as a politician, his view may sound harsh but is occasioned by the frustration that many people in Rivers State feel over the stark non-performance of the local governments. According to Kelechi, most of the local government chairmen are mere puppets in power to do the bidding of their political masters. Speaking shortly after a meeting of the Governors’ Forum in Yenagoa last year, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan lamented over the low level of governance at the tier of government. The Vice President blamed no one in particular for this sad state of affairs. But Hon. Ambross Iyagbe a one time member of the House of Assembly in the old Rivers State blamed the local government chairmen for the present rot in the local government. To him, the blame is to be laid squarely at the doorsteps of both the council officials on one hand and the present cream of members in the State Assembly. According to Iyagbe it is the constitutional duty of the members in the Rivers State Assembly to oversee the local government council. He remarked that because the state legislatures is not performing their duty that the local government council get away with their fiscal responsibilities. A situation where only four local government councils performed creditably or meet the performance evaluation chart of the state governor is very sad. Today, he noted, out of the 100 per cent Federated Account Allocation, 48 per cent goes to the Federal, 52 per cent is shared between the states and local governments. But he said, unthinkable as it may sound, many a council chairmen has no idea of the number of communities under his jurisdiction so how can he effectively implement development programme to the total growth of the local government area. Chief Eze Chukwuenuke Eze, Publicity Secretary of Action Congress (AC) in Rivers State also corroborated Hon. Iyagbe’s argument as he vowed that only the Action Congress (AC) can bring total revolution in the local government system. It was no surprise therefore, he too concurred with Hon Iyagbe’s argument, as he lamented that the perpetual state of disrepair of rural roads, while most of the rural roads at the local government council continued to host potholes and gullies, despite millions of the tax payer’s money voted to fix it. Chief Eze said the unfortunate trend under development has gone on for many years at the local government council. But with the constant check and balances initiated by the state governor, most of the local government council would perform well this year. He advised the local government chairmen to improve the socio-economic condition of the rural dwellers. He also supported the proposal of the state governor to the effect that there shall be no longer automatic ticket for serving local government council chairmen. According to Eze the inclination by parties to impose or provide automatic tickets, has made accountability at the tier of governance non-existence. The result he said, was the low level of performance that Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was lamenting. The AC publicity secretary also corroborated the submission of the state governor that the electorate should vote for persons with good track records. To Hon Tonye Brown, a councillor in Ward Three in Andoni, during the botched Third Republic, the sacking of local government chairmen by the State House of Assembly will provide accountability. He recalled that when the Better Life for Rural Dwellers was initiated by the late Maryam Babangida, the rot at the local government had not always been there. There were times when the allocation to the local government council was at near zero level, yet the council chairmen supported the better life for rural dwellers through the implementation of socio-economic programmes to improve their condition. Today, development at the local government councils is sometimes provided based on the party affiliation, noting that this has infiltrated the political system with dangerous definitions of power, nepotism, card carrying and so on. This has become he said, an antiquated stumbling stone on the path to democratic transformation at the local government areas. He argued, only the present monitoring of their performance can produce the needed optimal performance and tall expectation of the people at the local government area.
Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has renamed The Polytechnic, Ibadan as Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan, in honour of a late former governor of the State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo.
Dr Olunloyo, who died on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer Principal of the Polytechnic, Ibadan, while he also served as Governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.
Governor Makinde made the announcement at the state interdenominational funeral service held yesterday in honour of the late former governor at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde said Dr Olunloyo lived an eventful life, adding that his attainment and personality could not be summarised in one sentence.
“He was not a man we could summarise in one sentence. He was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and, above all, a man of deep conviction.
“While giving the exhortation, I was listening to Baba Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu and he said in 1983, Baba became Governor of Oyo State. Though his time in office was brief, his election victory over a popular incumbent remains a powerful testament to the trust people gave him.
“I talked about preserving and digitising his library yesterday [Wednesday] as a mark of honour to Baba Olunloyo.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.”
Earlier in his sermon, a retired Methodist Archbishop of Ilesa and Ibadan, Ayo Ladigbolu, described the late Olunloyo as a role model with intellectual inspiration and unassailable integrity.
The cleric said the deceased also demonstrated leadership in most superior quality during his lifetime.
In attendance were the state Deputy Governor, Chief Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal; wife of a former Military Governor of the old Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Jemibewon; wife of a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; and former Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarumi.
Others were the member representing Ibadan North-East/South-East Federal Constituency, Hon Abass Adigun Agboworin; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Otunba Segun Ogunwuyi; Oyo State Exco members; Chairman of Oyo State Elders’ Council, Dr Saka Balogun; Chairman of All Local Government Chairmen in Oyo State, Hon Sikiru Sanda; President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Chief Adeniyi Ajewole; religious leaders and family members, among other dignitaries.
Ten members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) have countered the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, on the reinstatement of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary.
The dissenting members, led by the Deputy National Chairman ( South), Taofeek Arapaja, in a joint statement, said no organ of the opposition party could overturn the decision of the 99th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC).
The dissenting NWC members include Arapaja; Setonji Koshoedo, Deputy National Secretary; Okechukwu Obiechina-Daniel, National Auditor; Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary; Ologunagba; Woyengikuro Daniel, National Financial Secretary and Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Treasurer.
Others are Chief Ali Odefa, National Vice Chairman (South East); Emmanuel Ogidi, Caretaker Committee Chairman (South South); Mrs. Amina Darasimi D. Bryhm, National Woman Leader and Ajisafe Kamoru Toyese, National Vice Chairman (South West).
The group also insisted that contrary to the position of the acting National Chairman, the 100th NEC meeting of the party would be held on June 30 as earlier scheduled.
The statement read: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to a press briefing by the acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, today Wednesday, June 25, wherein he attempted to overturn the resolution of the 99th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting which scheduled the 100th NEC meeting for Monday, June 30.
“The acting National Chairman in the said press briefing also reportedly announced that Senator Samuel Anyanwu has been asked to resume as National Secretary of the party contrary to the resolution of the 99th NEC meeting, which referred all matters relating to the office of the National Secretary to the 100th NEC meeting.
“The pronouncements by the acting National Chairman have no foundation as no organ of the party (including the NWC), individual or group has the power to cancel, overrule, veto or vary the resolution of the National Executive Committee (NEC) under the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NEC is the highest decision-making organ of the party, second only to the National Convention. By virtue of Section 31 (3) of the PDP Constitution, the resolution of the NEC to hold its 100th meeting on Monday June 30, is binding on all organs, officers, chapters and members of the party and no organ, group or individual can vary or veto this resolution of NEC.
“Furthermore, the claim by Damagum that Sen Anyanwu has been asked to resume office as the National Secretary of the party is, therefore, misleading being contrary to the resolution of NEC.
“In the light of the foregoing, the 100th NEC meeting as scheduled for Monday, June 30, has not been canceled or postponed.”
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has fired back at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, following the latter’s scathing criticism of President Tinubu’s administration and his 2027 re-election prospects.
In an interview on live television, Mallam El-Rufai said it would take a “miracle” for President Tinubu to be re-elected in 2027, citing an internal poll that purportedly shows a 91 percent disapproval rating for the president across key regions in the country, including the South-East and the North. He also claimed that President Tinubu’s disapproval rating in Lagos stood at 78 percent.
Reacting on Wednesday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Onanuga took a swipe at the ex-governor, quoting a harsh assessment of Mallam El-Rufai’s character from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s memoir, My Watch.
“Nasir’s penchant for reputation savaging is almost pathological,” Mr Onanuga wrote, citing Chief Obasanjo’s words. “Why does he do it? Very early in my interaction with him, I appreciated his talent. At the same time, I recognised his weaknesses; the worst being his inability to be loyal to anybody or any issue consistently for long, but only to Nasir El-Rufai.”
The presidential adviser emphasised Chief Obasanjo’s remarks that Mallam El-Rufai often tries to elevate himself by diminishing others. “He lied brazenly, which he did to me, against his colleagues and so-called friends,” Mr Onanuga continued, quoting the former President. “I have heard of how he ruthlessly savaged the reputation of his uncle, a man who, in an African setting, was like a foster father to him.”
Chief Obasanjo, who appointed Mallam El-Rufai as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory between 2003 and 2007, did not mince words in the memoir, describing Mallam El-Rufai as suffering from “small man syndrome.”
Mr Onanuga’s post is seen as a direct rebuttal to Mallam El-Rufai’s recent criticism and growing opposition role. The former governor is reportedly playing a central role in forming a new coalition to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
In March 2025, El-Rufai officially dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), intensifying speculations about his 2027 political ambitions.
As the political rift deepens, Mallam El-Rufai remains one of the most vocal critics of the Tinubu administration, while Mr Onanuga and other presidential allies continue to push back against what they describe as “reckless” opposition rhetoric.