I Will Not Apologize To Igbos For My Comment, I Am A Yoruba Man Before Nigerian – Tinubu’s aide
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<p>Spokesman of the President-elect, Bayo Onanuga, has said that he owes nobody an apology over his comment on Igbos interference in politics. Naija News recalls that Onanuga had in a tweet advised Igbos not to ever interfere in Lagos governorship election. “Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics. Let there […]</p>
<p>This article was originally published on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a></p>
Spokesman of the President-elect, Bayo Onanuga, has said that he owes nobody an apology over his comment on Igbos interference in politics.
Naija News recalls that Onanuga had in a tweet advised Igbos not to ever interfere in Lagos governorship election.
“Let 2023 be the last time of Igbo interference in Lagos politics. Let there be no repeat in 2027. Lagos is like Anambra, Imo, any Nigerian state. It is not No Man’s Land, not Federal Capital Territory. It is Yoruba land. Mind your business,” he tweeted.
Speaking further on his stand, Onanuga explained that his comment only addressed the existential threats to Yoruba people in Lagos State.
Restating his warning, Onanuga tweeted: “Let me make myself abundantly clear: the views I express on Twitter are my personal views.
“I don’t owe anyone any apology for addressing the existential threats of our people. I am after all, first of all a Yoruba, before being a Nigerian.”
This article was originally published on Naija News
<p><img width="700" height="400" src="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tony-okocha.png" class="attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="Follow Proper Channel If You Want To Decamp To APC - Okocha Slams Secondus, Other PDP Leaders In Rivers State" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tony-okocha.png 700w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tony-okocha-300x171.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<h2>The chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caretaker committee in Rivers State, <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/topic/tony-okocha/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tony Okocha</a>, has knocked some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state over their recent declaration of support for President Bola Tinubu and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.</h2>
<p>Okocha in a statement on Friday in Abuja, warned the PDP leaders that they can't join the APC through the backdoor.</p>
<p>His submission comes as a direct reaction to a press conference on Thursday by former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, the former minister of transportation, Abiye Sekibo, former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Opara; Celestine Omehia, former deputy governor of Rivers State, Tele Ikuru; Senator Lee Maeba; and former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Gabriel Pidomson, among others who <strong><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/28/breaking-ex-pdp-chairman-secondus-sekibo-others-declare-support-for-tinubu-fubara/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared their support</a></strong> for Tinubu and Fubara.</p>
<p>But Okocha, in his reaction, questioned their sudden love for President Tinubu, adding that the doors of the APC are open to them for defection, but they must follow the proper channels.</p>
<p>He also faulted their declaration of support for President Tinubu, saying they are the ones giving Governor Fubara the confidence to challenge the resolution of President Tinubu on the political crisis rocking Rivers State.</p>
<p>He also told the PDP leaders to withdraw their suit in court challenging the powers of the President to intervene in the Rivers State crisis if they truly are in support of his government.</p>
<p>According to Okocha, <em>“If the mid-night pseudo lovers of Mr President as shown in the text under critique, now are convinced that President is abundantly fit and proper to preside over Nigeria and that his ten months in office has provided Renewed Hope for an eldorado for Nigerians and choose to recant their hitherto unsavoury and unprintable toxics against President, they should follow the proper channels allowed for porting or decamping to a new party.</em></p>
<p><em>“This approach of brow-beating and blackmailing they intend to use is not fashionable at all.</em></p>
<p><em>“No sane host tolerates a Guest who attempts to enter his/her house, through the window when the door is open.</em></p>
<p><em>“When have they repented and withdrawn their suits in court, challenging the Powers of the President to mediate in the political crisis in Rivers State?</em></p>
<p><em>“Have they repented from emboldening Governor Fubara to disrespect Mr. President by refusing to implement all the indices on the 8-point Presidential Proclamation, as panacea to the political crisis in Rivers State, which by their actions, they have continued to fuel?”</em></p>
<p>On Governor Fubara, Okocha challenged him to conduct local government elections if he truly wants to test his popularity among the people of Rivers State.</p>
<p><em>“He (Fubura) should go and conduct local government elections if he knows he is popular with the people. He should go and test the waters to see if the crowd they have been carrying are not related. We know he doesn’t have the people.”</em></p>
<p>Okocha lamented that, <em>“under Governor Fubara “Rivers state is more than drifting to a pariah state, to atrophying into abysmal oblivion, to say the least.”</em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/29/follow-proper-channel-if-you-want-to-decamp-to-apc-okocha-slams-secondus-other-pdp-leaders-in-rivers-state/">Follow Proper Channel If You Want To Decamp To APC – Okocha Slams Secondus, Other PDP Leaders In Rivers State</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>
<p><img width="700" height="400" src="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Senate-meeting.png" class="attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="BREAKING: Senate, Wike, FCT Police Commissioner In Closed-door Meeting Over Insecurity" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Senate-meeting.png 700w, https://www.naijanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Senate-meeting-300x171.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></p>
<h2>The 51 Senators from the 17 southern states on Wednesday elected Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru (APC – Lagos East) as the new chairman of the forum alongside four other executive members.</h2>
<p><strong>Naija News</strong> understands that Abiru takes over as chairman from Senate leader <strong><a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/13/senators-got-n500-million-for-constituency-projects-bamidele-admits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Opeyemi Bamidele</a></strong> (APC – Ekiti Central).</p>
<p>The Vice Chairman of the Forum is Senator Victor Umeh (LP – Anambra Central); the Secretary is Mpigi Barinada (PDP – Rivers South East); the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the forum is Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC – Cross River South); while Kenneth Eze (APC – Ebonyi Central) emerged as the treasurer of the forum.</p>
<p>The election was held by the 51 senators in the Conference Room of the Senate leader.</p>
<p>Briefing journalists during the meeting, Senator Bamidele, who served as chairman of the forum during the 9th Senate, said his current position as leader of the 10th Senate prevented him from providing the required leadership, necessitating a change of leadership.</p>
<p>He said: “<em>What is happening here today is not new as both the Southern and Northern Senators’ fora existed even before this 10th Senate.</em></p>
<p><em>“At this meeting of the Southern Senators, new executive members will be announced to steer the affairs of the forum."</em></p>
<p>He disclosed that Abiru, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions, emerged as the chairman of the Southern Senators’ Forum.</p>
<p>After he emerged as chairman, Abiru expressed a desire to partner with the Northern Senators forum to move the country forward.</p>
<p>Abiru said: “<em>The Southern Senators’ Forum is to champion the cause of Nigeria and Nigerians. We have our Northern brothers with the Northern Senators’ Forum. We will work together with the Northern Senators’ Forum to move the country forward.”</em></p>
<p>"<em>The last leadership has transferred power to us. We’ve been running the forum as if we don’t exist. The present leader of the Senate was the leader of the Southern Senators’ Forum. He was too engaged on other issues, but we now have new leadership, which is headed by me</em>," he added.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/13/just-in-51-southern-senators-elect-forum-chairman-executives/">Just In: 51 Southern Senators Elect Forum Chairman, Executives</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>
