Politics
‘PDP’ll Take Over Three More States In S’West’
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Biodun Olujimi, has vowed to work with other stakeholders in the southwest at ensuring her party wins three more states on or before the 2023 general elections.
Senator Olujimi, who represents Ekiti South at the National Assembly, hinted this after the 2021 PDP national convention in Abuja.
PDP in the southwest has been enmeshed with internal crisis which culminated in an unresolved tussle between former military Governor of Osun State, Col. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and a former House of Representatives member from Oyo State, Hon. Taofek Arapaja, for the position of National Deputy Chairmanship at the Saturday convention.
All efforts by the only PDP Governor from the region, Mr. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and other stakeholders to also unite the umbrella family aftermath of the Zonal Convention early this year, proved abortive.
But Senator Olujimi, one of the principal actors in the affairs of the party in the region, and Minority Leader of the 8th Nigerian Senate, argued that too much intelligence was responsible for the crisis in the region, expressing disappointment that the only Governor from the region was not being respected.
“The problem of the South West is that, we have too many educated people and we have too many people who are extremely intelligent, and you know when you have intelligent people, you will definitely must have problems and they don’t find it necessary to line up behind their only Governor in the zone and that is a thing that hunts all of us.
“Because we have been in that situation before and we lined up behind the only known Governor we had in the zone. I believe after this convention, we will be able to throw everything down again on the table.
“What has happened to us is what happens to people that know too much and do not believe in God, because when you believe in God, you must know that all these things will come to an end one day.
“So, I believe going forward, the South West, the Governor will have to be the father and forget everything that has been done to him, and bring us all back together”, she said.
Speaking further on what to do to capture more states for PDP in the region, Senator Olujimi, who chaired the protocol subcommittee of the national convention, said the leaders of the party would need to mend more fences and kill the “cobra” that is inhabiting the cracked walls.
She said, “fences are really many, I don’t lie to myself. Some of them, we have snakes and cobras living in them and you know before you mend such fences, you must first kill the cobra and the black mamba and the scorpions and then you can now mend fences.
“But I know that God, being with us, will be able to also forge the unity that the North has shown us, that, that zone is formidable enough to be able to say go and sit down, this is where we are going and everyone will go there and that’s the way to go in Nigeria.
“We should be able to balance issues, we should be able to balance power and except we balance power, we won’t be able to move forward. I believe we will be able to work as a team if we keep working, it is work in progress.
“We are expecting that we will do very well. At least, we are expecting 3 additional states to be won for PDP in South West”.
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.
