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Anti-Party: Fayose Protests As Ekiti PDP Recommends Expulsion
The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has recommended the expulsion of former Governor, Ayodele Fayose, from the party.
The recommendation was submitted by the party’s caretaker committee chairman, Dare Adeleke, before the Chief Tom Ikimi-led PDP disciplinary committee.
The party accused the former governor of anti-party activities, especially his declared support for the second-term bid of Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
Fayose had, in an interview last week, said he would support Oyebanji for a second term in office, though he did not belong to the same party as the governor.
The former governor, while inaugurating the Dehead/Faglo Road and electrification project recently completed by Oyebanji in Ado Ekiti, reiterated his support for the second term bid of the governor who belonged to the All Progressives Congress.
Speaking on the recommendation for expulsion, Fayose said he was not bothered, adding that Adeleke lacked such power to recommend him (Fayose) for expulsion.
Speaking through his aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor dismissed the activities of the CTC chairman.
“We will soon know between him (Adeleke) and Fayose who owns the politics of Ekiti. He will be the one that will come to Ekiti from Ibadan to vote for PDP in 2026 and 2027”.
He said, “Does he (Adeleke) have that kind of power? No, he does not. His position as CTC chairman is being challenged in court. I am aware of three or four court cases saying he ought not to be CTC chairman.
“If your authority to operate is being challenged, where will you have such power to say you are recommending someone for expulsion?
“He is just like that. He makes noise. We are not bothered. He can continue, he should go to Abuja to suspend Fayose.
“I am aware of various utterances of the person who is parading himself as the CTC chairman. In the last meeting they held, he said that he had removed Fayose from the party and the party is now free for him.
“If he said he does not want Fayose – is it wrong for the person you said you don’t want in your house to go to another person’s house?”
In his recommendation, Adeleke had said Fayose’s “public declarations and serial endorsements of the opposition are a direct affront to the values and unity of our great party, hence the step.”
Adeleke, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, said Fayose’s actions were misleading to the public, “giving a distorted and false image of what the PDP stands for”.
He said, “The PDP has set up a disciplinary committee headed by Chief Tom Ikimi. We (CTC) have met with the committee. Our position is that Ayo Fayose must be expelled from the party.”
Speaking of the former governor’s comments, Adeleke said, “My reply is very simple, that Fayose is not a member of PDP anymore. So, whatever he says is being said to soothe or massage the ego of his boss, Oyebanji. Oyebanji is his boss now.
“If a man (Fayose) shouts on top of the roof that Oyebanji came to his house 18 times in two years – what is he (the governor) doing there? Sharing Ekiti’s money, going to Fayose to give him Ekiti’s money! What is the governor doing there?
“Fayose is a person who wants everything for himself. If Fayose is now telling the whole world he can do this, he can do that, it is because he wants another money from Oyebanji and Oyebanji will surely give it to him. He needs to say something sweet. He knows that he is doing it for something.”
The PDP CTC chairman wondered the basis upon which anybody could express support for Oyebanji who, he said, had failed Ekiti State in the last two years in the areas of infrastructure, health, security, education and others.
He said, “Where is the infrastructure here in Ekiti? I have not seen much infrastructure in the state, the roads are in a state of decadence, and the health sector is bad.
“We must confront the reality of the past two years under the present administration of Governor Oyebanji. It is regrettable that this period has been marked by a glaring lack of progress, with many areas of development and governance left unattended.”
The PDP CTC chairman condemned Fayose’s actions and encouraged him “to take the bold and honest step of officially defecting rather than openly aligning himself with an opposing party and misleading others into his self-serving interests.
“Our focus is on strengthening Ekiti PDP. Fayose’s behaviour only serves to weaken our collective efforts. As we continue this journey of rebuilding, I urge all party members to remain focused and avoid any form of distraction that could derail our progress.
“Together, we can achieve a renewed and vibrant PDP that serves the people of Ekiti with integrity and purpose.”
He asked the people to reject the cycle of neglect and choose leadership that genuinely prioritizes our collective well-being and development,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.