Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
The factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has opened up on the power play behind his alleged removal from office by the party’s governors.
Mr. Sheriff, who was reportedly removed over a week ago by PDP Governors at the National Convention of the PDP in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and replaced by a caretaker national chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said that all the excuses being given by the Governors as reason for their plot to remove him were laughable and lack any common sense.
In the aftermath of his purported removal, some of the governors said they decided to withdraw their support for Sheriff after it emerged that he was “playing” them by offering the 2019 vice presidential ticket to five of the PDP Governors in the South.
Denying the claim, the former Borno State Governor said he never mentioned to anybody that he wants to be President in 2019 and could not have offered the vice presidential slot to Ayodele Fayose, because he was familiar with the Ekiti State Governor’s antecedents and character.
Denying the claim, the former Borno State Governor said he never mentioned to anybody that he wants to be President in 2019 and could not have offered the vice presidential slot to Ayodele Fayose, because he was familiar with the Ekiti State Governor’s antecedents and character.
According to him, “I am eminently qualified to seek for the presidency of Nigeria, but I have never told anybody I want to be President, but even if I want to be I cannot offer such a sensitive position to a character like Ayo Fayose, who has exhibited gross disrespect for others”.
Sheriff insisted that he did not make promises to any of the Governors, rather, he tried to tolerate them as stakeholders, knowing that none of them can manipulate, bribe or dominate him to do only their biddings in a party as big as the PDP, with so many big names on parade.
Challenging any of the Governors, who alleged that he made promises to come up with evidence, the ousted PDP chair stressed that he is by far their senior, adding “I have done all these things they think they cannot do in the party, but I do not deserve the type of treatment they want to mete out to me”.
Mr. Sheriff further said he is “too experienced” to serve as anybody’s Man Friday, or hatchet man, rather, he was being humble because that is the only way he can win back the confidence of people in the party, as he was only interested in returning the opposition to its former glory.
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