News
Jonathan shuts door on Atiku’s face *How ex-VP humiliated ex-President – Wike
It seems old stories are crawing out from their shells, in the Peoples Demcratic Party (PDP), indicating that the crisis within the former ruling party, might have deeper roots buried in its past, particularly in the days it struggled to retain power under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Recent revelations, indicate that Jonathan, who was ousted in 2015, by a number of factors, including a gang-up by members of his cabinet, particularly from the North, is not forgetting the humiliation in a hurry.
Even with the former President washing his hand of the current crisis in which a major wedge is being driven into the wheel of the PDP presidential campaign, with five governors, two of them former members of his cabinet, feelers show that he might not be lending a helping hand to the former VP, said to be desperately in need of it to stem the tide against him.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, seemed to have let the cat out of the bag when he recalled on Tuesday, how Atiku humiliated Jonathan in 2015, indicating that it might actually be a payback time for the Waziri Adamawa.
Revealing how Jonathan as sitting President, who was the candidate of the party, went to Dorchester Hotel in London and begged Atiku to return to the party to support him in the 2015 election and how the latter humiliated him, Wike, said the ex-VP, must learn the lesson inherent in his own treachery.
Coming against the backdrop of the latest visit of Atiku to Jonathan at his home in Abuja, the second since the PDP crisis started with the five governors, led by Wike, said on Tuesday: “Atiku gave Jonathan a condition that he must relinquish the ticket of the party. I wonder why people forget history easily.”
TheCable, quoting sources, also reports that attempts by the former VP to get a reprieve, to enlist the him in resolving the party’s crisis have hit a brickwall, adding that Atiku, in company with Ifeanyi Okowa, his running mate, had visited Jonathan at his Abuja home on the night of November 17 on a “peace mission” following his lukewarm attitude to the PDP crisis and the presidential campaign in general.
Atiku, was said to have told his host that he was worried that he was not been participating in the affairs of the PDP as the presidential election drew nearer and implored him to intervene in the face-off with G-5 governors, now known as Integrity Group, which included Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Uguwanyi (Enugu).
The group has insisted that the irreducible minimum condition for it to team up with Atiku was the ouster of Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of PDP in accordance with the promise made my Atiku himself.
But the former President, who was said to have regretted the fact that the PDP, particularly Atiku, had not shown him any respect, was said to have cited several instances, including being not being invited for meetings and snubbing the candidates he nominated for the party’s presidential council.
“Dr Jonathan has never been invited to the meeting of the Board of Trustees. The party has never accorded him the respect of involving him in its activities. Now that presidential election is close by, Dr Jonathan has suddenly become important.”
Jonathan reportedly reminded Atiku that he supported him fully in his presidential bid in 2019 but the candidate stopped picking his calls after getting the ticket.
“More so, those nominated by Dr Jonathan into the 2019 presidential campaign council were not appointed. Not a single nominee of his was picked,” adding that Atiku reportedly said he was not aware of Jonathan’s complaints and that he would raise them with the party leadership.
The presidential candidate was also reminded of the role he played in getting the PDP ousted from power by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.
Atiku had teamed up with five PDP governors to storm out of the PDP national convention in November 2013 and later joined three opposition parties to found APC.
The governors were Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers).
“Atiku is facing a similar rebellion now and he now wants the same Dr Jonathan who was a victim of his own machination to help him resolve the crisis,” the source.
Jonathan had met with Atiku at the Dorchester Hotel, London, in 2014 to solicit his help in ending the PDP crisis but, ironically, Atiku reportedly said the only condition for peace was for Jonathan to withdraw from the presidential race.
“The opinion of Dr Jonathan’s associates is that he should rather support Obi, who has always treated him with respect, than Atiku. President Muhammadu Buhari has treated Dr Jonathan with more respect than Atiku, despite going after his wife and his former ministers,” the source said.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.
Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
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