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Makinde has qualities to unseat Tinubu in 2027 – PDP
Hon. Abiodun Awoleye, a former member of the House of Representatives and a senior figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has stated that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde possesses the necessary political influence and managerial skills to guide the PDP in wresting the presidency from President Bola Tinubu by 2027.
In an interaction with reporters at his home in Bashorun, Ibadan, during the festivities for Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day, Awoleye characterized Makinde as a modest political figure, a reliable organizer at the community level, and an executive with exceptional abilities.
READ ALSO: Makinde returns from leave for Olubadan coronation
“Governor Makinde has shown rare political will and administrative strength. I strongly believe he has what it takes to reposition our great party and ensure we take back power at the national level,” Awoleye said.
The PDP leader went on to note that Makinde’s achievements in bringing together the party’s branch in Oyo State and operating a government that includes diverse voices demonstrate his potential to reorganize the PDP on a broader scale.
His comments resonated with Makinde’s recent statement at the PDP’s state congress in Ibadan, where the governor promised supporters that the time of aggressive, rival gatherings had ended, and emphasized that the framework of harmony and member participation developed in Oyo could be extended across the country.
Awoleye also commended Makinde’s track record in leadership, especially his reliability in disbursing wages, retirement benefits, and lump-sum payments, viewing it as a key element in maintaining balance during the country’s financial difficulties.
“Even the late Alaafin of Oyo once remarked that he was amazed at how Governor Makinde has managed governance seamlessly without owing workers a single month,” he recalled.
He credited Makinde’s consistent and timely disbursements of employee compensation, end-of-service benefits, and retiree allowances as drivers of social and economic steadiness, as well as consistent development in the state, labeling the governor a brilliant strategist whose methods for handling national fiscal pressures deserve examination as a blueprint for broader renewal.
He portrayed Makinde as someone endowed with innovative thinking for tackling challenges and voiced his respect for the governor’s expertise in navigating conflicts, while appealing to party supporters to keep Makinde in their daily thoughts and supplications.
Separately, contributors at Awoleye’s birthday event observed that the ex-lawmaker’s faith in Makinde’s capacity to overhaul the party matches the governor’s vision for a more unified, orderly, and progressive PDP ready to steer Nigeria toward financial rebound and overall steadiness.
Ademiyiwa Mustapha, the PDP Chairman for Ibadan North, who brought along executives from the local government and ward levels to the event, depicted Awoleye as a calm individual with a notable history in politics.
He called on party members to stay committed, foster sincere relationships among themselves, and collaborate harmoniously for the PDP’s collective advancement.
Wrapping up, Hon. Awoleye disclosed that he shares a birthdate with Alhaja Mutiat Ladoja, the state’s former First Lady, and that his spouse shares hers with the current Olubadan of Ibadan, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja Arusa I.
He viewed this alignment as a delightful link to Ibadan’s traditions in royalty and leadership.
In his address, a senior party member, Pastor Gbenro, called the gathering a combined festivity, given its overlap with Nigeria’s 65th Independence milestone.
He highlighted Awoleye’s past service as interim head that facilitated the PDP’s establishment in Ogun State, terming it a point of honor for Ibadan North.
Hon. Awoleye continues to stand out as one of the most approachable politicians, boasting extensive knowledge in political affairs and public administration.
“He is humble, accessible, and a blessing to this generation,” Gbenro said, extending blessings to the honoree and his loved ones.
Additional participants at the function lauded Awoleye’s career in politics and his personal qualities. One fellow PDP leader called him a direct and trustworthy community organizer whom emerging politicians regard as an example to emulate.
The PDP Youth Leader for Ibadan North mentioned that he has never second-guessed his admiration for Awoleye, referring to him as a leading political voice marked by remarkable modesty.
Nevertheless, party affiliates voiced confidence in the PDP’s prospects at the local level in Ibadan North, statewide in Oyo, and nationally by 2027.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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