Lekan Emmanuel Blog

Former governor of Lagos state and  All Progressives Congress (APC)  national leader  Bola Tinubu  has released a statement on the party’s primary elections for a gubernatorial candidate in the state. Tinubu stated that the current administration, led by  Akinwunmi Ambode  has deviated from the state’s masterplan for economicdevelopment. “Whenever a government departed from this plan without compelling reason, the state and its people have borne the painful consequence of the improper departure. To ignore this blueprint for progress in order to replace it with ad-hoc schemes of a materially inferior quality contravenes the spirit of progressive governance and of our party,” Tinubu wrote in the statement released on Sunday. Tinubu’s statement can also be said to be an endorsement of Ambode’s main rival  Jide Sanwoolu . “I am encouraged by the emergence of a candidate in this primary who h...

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Sunday, tasked the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure that the Governorship Primaries scheduled to hold on Monday, October 1 in the state is free, fair and credible. Ambode, who gave the charge while addressing a world press conference at the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja, said that since the party had agreed to adopt direct primaries for the governorship candidate to emerge, it behooves on them to follow due process to ensure that every aspirant gets a fair chance to contest for the ticket in a credible democratic process. “The party constitution allows us to do direct and indirect primaries. The Lagos State APC has agreed to go with direct primaries and in that wise it is open to all contestants and so it is very clear that during direct primaries, I am also eligible to participate in the primaries. What we want is a very clean board to allow everybody to partake in it. “We believe that it...

Alhassan resignation letter as the Minister for women affairs and social development has been accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari who also have appointed Aisha Abubakar to take over the Ministry left by Aisha Alhassan. President Muhammadu Buhari who just returned to the country a few hours ago after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York United States of America with wife Mrs. Aisha Buhari, accepted the resignation letter of Aisha Alhassan, while also thanking her for her service. The President while accepting the resignation of Sen Aisha Alhassan said: “I have received your letter offering your resignation as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I accept your resignation with immediate effect. On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I thank you for your past services to the nation.” Senator Aisha Alhassan who resigned her position as minister only a few days ago, also dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the United...

As high-wired intrigues continue to play out in Lagos State over the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode’s re-election bid, competent sources saturday revealed that a key segment of the party led by the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked the governor to stand down his second term bid or face impeachment. The threat to impeach the governor is an escalation of pressure being piled on him to drop his quest for second term. A competent party source sympathetic to the governor, who demanded annonimity since he was not authorised to speak on the intrigues and power play currently playing out informed THISDAY yesterday, “they are threatening to impeach him should he refused to bow to their demand to withdraw. The incumbent governor, who is traditionally entitled to another term is being harassed and intimidated by Tinubu’s political machine to withdraw for their new man, even though the governor had agreed to subject himself to primary. They...

Dr Obafemi Hamzat, one of the major contenders for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Lagos, on Saturday, stepped down for Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Hamzat’s withdrawal leaves Sanwo-Olu and the incumbent governor, Akinwumi Ambode as the only contenders for the party’s ticket in its primaries scheduled for Sept. Oct 1 Hamzat, also a governorship aspirant of the APC in 2015, was a Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in Lagos. Addressing newsmen in company of Sanwo-Olu and some supporters in Lagos, Hamzat urged his supporters to vote for Sanwo-Olu in the party’s primaries. Explaining his reasons for stepping down, Hamzat said that it was borne out of the greater good for Lagos than the benefit of an individual. “After due consultation with my numerous supporters and in deference to the wise counsel of those I consider my political mentors, I resolved to step down from the governorship race. “Apart from the fact that I can vouch for hi...

The signatures of 36 out of 40 lawmakers that endorsed Babajide Plus ola Sanwo Olu as the APC gubernatorial flag bearer.

The Lagos state chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has postponed the primaries to Monday October 1. The spokesman of the party, Joe Igbokwe confirmed this in a telephone chat. He failed to provide reason but said the postponement was “timely so that we can go to church”. The APC primary was supposed to have held today Saturday before it was shifted to Sunday and now Monday. The horse-trading continues as the two parties try to outsmart each other with a view to cash in on the fallouts.

The Lagos State governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress is slipping out of the hands of incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as 36 of the 40 members of the state House of Assembly have resolved to support the governorship ambition of his rival, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu. This was disclosed in statement on Saturday by Musbau Rasaq, media aide to the House Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa. According to him, the decision to desert Ambode was taken after a parliamentary meeting held on Saturday. “After a parliamentary meeting held on September 29, 2018 at the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, members do hereby unanimously resolve to support the position of the leadership of All Progressives Congress and the Governor’s Advisory Council in Lagos State on the endorsement of Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu as the APC gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 election. “The meeting was attended by 36 out of the 40 honourable members in the House of Assembly,” the statement partly read.

A quite sensational strike from Sturridge caps a brilliant match at Stamford Bridge - and ensures both of these sides remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season

A member of the House of Representatives representing Irepodun Isin/Ekiti/Oke Ero Federal Constituency of Kwara State, Ms. Funke Adedoyin, has passed on. Our correspondent gathered that she died in a hospital in Abuja on Friday. It was further learnt that she had undergone treatment abroad for cancer. A sister to the late lawmaker, Mrs. Omolola Olobayo confirmed the death of her sister in a telephone interview. Olobayo who is a former Chairman of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Kwara and Kogi chapter said her sister died in an Abuja hospital after returning from treatment abroad. Ms Adedoyin was a daughter of Nigerian industrialist Samuel Adedoyin.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has confirmed the death of one of its pilots in the crash that occurred in Abuja on Friday. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, made the confirmation in a statement on Friday. Two NAF jets had crashed a few metres from each other in Katampe hill, along Kubwa express way in Abuja on Friday. They were part of those being used for the aerial display rehearsal ahead of Nigeria’s 58th Independence Day celebration on October 1. One of the pilots involved in the crash had successfully ejected from the F-7Ni aircraft, but eventually died. The statement read: “It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully announce that one of the pilots who successfully ejected from one of the F-7Ni aircraft that crashed earlier today has passed on. May his soul RIP. Additional details on the incident will be communicated later. Thank you.” However, according to an eyewitness, Abu Sodiq, who was also part o...