News
Yoruba group seeks end to bitter campaigns among Osinbajo, Tinubu’s supporters
The Yoruba Leadership and Peace Initiative (TYLPI) has expressed concern over the current campaign of calumny emanating from the support groups of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, both of who have indicated interest in the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election, which they observe will not augur well for the Yoruba and Nigeria as a whole.
Allegations and counter allegations of betrayal, greed and perceived heavy moral burden have been going back and forth among the supporters of the two foremost contenders for the presidential slot since the duo declared interest in the ticket.
Rising from a roundtable which examined the issues concerning Yorubaland and the 2023 polls, the group, in a statement, warned that the bitterness fuelling the mudslinging by the supporters of both aspirants portends grave danger for the social and political health of the region.
TYLPI, in the statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Mr. Tunde Ipinmisho, while noting that both Osinbajo and Tinubu were once allies, said the tempo of the campaign of hate from the two sides could trigger chaos unless urgent steps were taken to put an end to it.
It therefore urged both parties to cease hostilities in the interest of Yoruba land and the nation as a whole.
The group also appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders and all leaders of opinion in Yorubaland to rise to the occasion and call those behind the campaigns to order.
According to the statement, the current bitter exchanges would, if unchecked, raise the political temperature in the South West and could degenerate into the kind of civil disorder experienced in the defunct Western Region in the 1960s.
TYLPI, a think tank of Yoruba professionals, entrepreneurs and intellectuals, lamented that the ongoing brickbats were diverting attention from the significant issues that were of current concern to the Yoruba race.
Such issues as restructuring, devolution of power, state police, resource control, justice, fairness and equity in the Nigerian state, the statement noted, had been swept under the carpet in the current diatribe between the supporters of the two contenders.
The group said the Yoruba race and indeed the Nigerian nation were experiencing serious existential challenges and implored men and women of goodwill to do all in their powers to stave off anything that could create further tension in the polity.
It said both Osinbajo and Tinubu were eminently qualified to contest for the presidency and that their decision to go for it should not cause rancour among their supporters.
TYLPI further appealed to the two politicians to rein in their supporters and allow peace to reign in the land.
It urged Osinbajo and Tinubu to refocus their campaign on issues that would bring about positive development in the country, restore peace, activate economic turnaround and generate solutions that would improve the lot of the common man in the country.
TYLPI also called for improved security in the country ahead of the the general elections, scheduled for early next year.
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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