Politics

Buhari Appoints Four New Perm Secs

Published

4 years ago

March 28, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of four new Permanent Secretaries, including the Solicitor General of the Federation/Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice in the Federal Civil Service following the recently conducted selection process.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, made this known on Friday in Abuja, even though the selection process of the Permanent Secretaries is being challenged at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria by some aggrieved directors.
Yemi-Esan announced the appointment in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations in her office, Mohammed Ahmed Abdullahi, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
According to the statement, the appointed Federal Permanent Secretaries and their states of origin, where applicable, are as follows: Ogbe Mary Ada, Benue; Shehu Ibrahim, Jigawa; Daju Kachallom Shangti; Plateau and Jedy-Agba Beatrice Ejodamen, Solicitor General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice.
The Head of Service indicated that a date for the swearing-in and deployment of the new appointees would be announced in due course.
Recall that the National Industrial Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja had fixed May 30, 2022, for hearing of court contempt charges against the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, over the selection process of new Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service.
About 17 directors were disqualified by the screening committee from taking the permanent secretary written examination which was held on February 21, 2022 on grounds that they were “ghost” workers.
Worried by the development, the aggrieved directors approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria before Her Lordship, Hon. Justice O.A Obaseki-Osaghae in suit No.NICN/ABJ/47/2022 with motion ex-parte seeking to be allowed to participate in the permanent secretary selection process as well as carry out the other processes.
Lawyers to the aggrieved directors also sue the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, for charges of contempt of court, on the grounds that she and the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System Consultant refused to comply with earlier court orders to open the IPPIS Portal for participating directors to update their records as well as participate in the processes for the selection of Permanent Secretaries.
Most of the affected directors claimed that they have been working with the Federal Service for over 30 years and receiving their salaries regularly but alleged that they were denied the opportunity to update their records on the IPPIS platform in order to print the IPPIS information slip.
When the matter came up on Thursday last week, before Her Lordship, Hon. Justice O.A Obaseki-Osaghae in suit No.NICN/ABJ/47/2022, the Court adjourned till further date so that all the motions in the suit could be heard at once and decided accordingly.
Counsels to the defendants, the Head of Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretary Selection Committee and Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who was later joined in the suit and represented by the Ministry of Justice, filed multiple applications challenging the jurisdiction of the Court to hear the matter.

Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, however, asked the parties to take a date for a hearing of all the motions based on
merits.

The Counsel to the aggrieved directors, Bemdoo Hassan, from Municipal Solicitors, told newsmen that they were in Court to challenge the process of selection of the new Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service that was just concluded.

He said: “We were in court today to move some of our motions but the defendants in this suit have filed several motions and most of them are not ripe for hearing because we were just served.

“So, the matter was adjourned till further date so that all the motions in the suit can be heard at once and decided accordingly.”

Hassan added that the three defendants were represented by two lawyers, the second and third represented by the Ministry of Justice while the first defendant was represented by a private lawyer.

“Both filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court and counter-affidavit to our pending motions before the court.

“We are just served and we are within time to respond, so we took a date for all the applications to be heard on merit before the court”.

Politics

LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A former National Organising Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Clement Ojukwu, has expressed regret that the several legal cases brought against the party since the 2023 general elections have impacted the party’s performance.

Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.

“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”

The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.

“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.

“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.

“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”

Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.

He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”

He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.

“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”

Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.

“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.

Politics

2027: NIGERIANS FAULT INEC ON DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP REGISTER DIRECTIVE

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A number of Nigerians have strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its directive to all political parties in the country to submit digitalized membership register within 32 days.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following it’s reversed timetable, directed all political parties in the country to submit their digitalized membership registers within 32 days.

Speaking on the reversed timetable in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, respondents said the directive amounted to disqualifying opposition political parties from fielding candidates in all the elections next year.

They said if the directives by the commission is implemented, only the All Progressives Congress (APC) would participate in the elections since it started it’s digital membership registration since February, last year.

Responding, an elder statesman in Rivers State, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said the revised timetable was okay, but the timeframe for submission of digital membership register was being made at the wrong time.

Chief Chukumele said, for the past two years, all opposition political parties have been battling various issues in court, adding that they did not have the time to embark on membership drive, talk less of digitalizing their membership registers.

“My reaction is that the only issue with this revised timetable is the timeframe given by INEC for parties to submit digitalize memberships register in all the states of the federation, while giving notice of Congresses and convention. That is not possible”, he said.

He said only the ruling APC is likely to meet up with the directive, since it began its registration since last year.

Chief Chukumele, who is also the National Coordinator of Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought (CORSLOT), alleged that the directive of the electoral body may have been targeted to prevent other parties from fielding candidates for the elections next year.

“When you say all the parties should submit digitalized registers of membership in 32 days, how will that be possible to conclude it in 32 days”, he queried.

He noted that “APC used one year ago to do, so APC has one year in the kitty plus 30 days. This is highly regrettable”.

The CORSLOT national leader urged the election umpire to do away with stringent conditions that will make it hard for opposition political parties to field candidates in the elections.

Also speaking, Mr Jacob Enware from Edo State queried the rationale behind the directive, especially when some opposition political parties are still having cases in court.

In his words, ”What opposition political parties are you talking about, is Labour Party not in court or PDP that is yet to resolve their issues?

”For me, INEC should provide a level playing field for all, because aside the APC, no party can meet up this criteria.”

In his own response, Mr Nathaniel Ebere said he was not prepared to vote for anybody whether INEC provides a level playing field or not.

He alleged that his vote would not count, “so I will not waste my time”.

By: John Bibor

Politics

IT’S A LIE, G-5 GOVS DIDN’T WIN ELECTION FOR TINUBU – SOWUNMI

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has expressed reservations about the political stance of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, while calling for reconciliation among key party figures.

Otunba Sowunmi made the remarks during a television interview on Saturday, when asked about the relationship between Gov. Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

He said, “I don’t believe Seyi Makinde. Because I know them all. I’ve been in this party since it was registered. And I’ve been loyal, faithful, diligent with this party from the get-go, and I’ve never left.”

He underscored his longstanding commitment to the PDP, referencing prominent figures who had exited the party at different times: “I’ve had the grace, and the honor, and the dignity of watching even my father, Obasanjo, shed his card. As much as I love him, I didn’t leave the party”.

He added, “I’ve had the privilege of watching my beloved senior brother, Governor Gbenga Daniel, leave the party a few times. As much as I respect his vision and his ideas, I’ve never left. I’ve watched my former principal, Atiku Abubakar, leave a few times. I’ve never left.”

Otunba Sowunmi stressed that his comments were rooted in deep involvement with the party: “So when I talk about PDP, I’m not talking as an outsider, I’m talking as one of their totems, who was actually carrying them.”

He disclosed that he wrote to Makinde during the governor’s last birthday, urging reconciliation among a bloc of five governors who had formed a movement during the 2023 elections.

“At Governor Seyi Makinde’s last birthday, I wrote him a letter where I tried to say, look, you guys, the five of you, succeeded to the extent of creating a movement of your own”, he said.

He added, “And you fought very hard to make a point in the 2023 election. Although I don’t believe you won the election for the president, that’s a lie. They contributed, but I hate when people take the glory of other people’s work.”

Otunba Sowunmi warned that unresolved differences among the group could weaken the party: “You guys, you must go back to your four friends, your five friends, and you guys go and sort it out. Because not sorting it out with your five friends is going to leave the party worse off.”

He added, “But now that you’re fighting, or you’re not agreeing with yourselves, why don’t you go back to that same energy that allowed you to agree, so that you can use that energy inside to agree, and then we can lead the party.”