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Tag: Gov Abiodun

  • Tinubu, Gov Abiodun, Obi mourn Doyin Okupe

    Tinubu, Gov Abiodun, Obi mourn Doyin Okupe

    President Bola Tinubu has extended his heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and associates of Prince Doyin Okupe, a seasoned medical doctor, politician, communicator, and strategist who played a significant role in Nigeria’s political landscape.

    A prominent son of Iperu-Remo in Ogun State, Okupe served as Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan and Special Assistant on Media to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Over his three-decade-long political career, he held key positions, including National Publicity Secretary of the National Republican Convention (NRC), and was actively involved in the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Accord Party, where he was the national leader.

    Most recently, Okupe served as the Director-General of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign for the 2023 election. Beyond politics, he made notable contributions to the medical field as the co-founder of the Royal Cross Medical Centre, Lagos, and publisher of Life Mirror, a health-focused newspaper.

    President Tinubu described Okupe as a bold and articulate advocate for national development, expressing deep sorrow over his passing at a time when his wealth of experience remained invaluable.

    He also sympathised with the government and people of Ogun State, particularly the Iperu-Remo community, acknowledging the void his death leaves behind. Tinubu prayed for the repose of Okupe’s soul and for divine comfort for his loved ones.

    Similarly, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun described Okupe’s death as a personal loss. In a statement issued in Abeokuta by his Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, Abiodun noted that Okupe’s passing came shortly after the demise of the Alaperu of Iperu Remo, Oba Adeleke Idowu-Basibo.

    The governor paid tribute to Okupe’s unwavering service to Nigeria, describing him as a patriotic statesman and a committed member of the progressive political family.

    “Receiving the news of the passing of my elder brother, Dr Doyin Okupe, has left me with a profound sense of personal loss. Without a doubt, his departure leaves a void that will not be easily filled,” Abiodun said.

    Other political figures, including Labour Party’s Peter Obi, also joined in mourning Okupe, recognising his contributions to Nigeria’s political and medical sectors.

  • Gov Abiodun, groups oppose Shari’a in S-West

    Gov Abiodun, groups oppose Shari’a in S-West

    ADO-EKITI — THE inauguration of the Independent Shari’ah Arbitration Panel in Ado-Ekiti last week has continued to elicit reactions in Ekiti State as a group under the auspices of Yoruba Regional Alliance, YRA, in collaboration with all Yoruba self-determination organisations, yesterday, took to the street to protest against the panel.

    This came as Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State warned against any attempt to establish a Sharia Court in the state.

    Displaying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters gathered at a hotel in the Adebayo area of Ado Ekiti at about 9 am on Tuesday, from where they planned to move around the state capital.

    Some of the inscriptions on their various placards read ‘No to Sharia in Yorubaland’, ‘Sharia will cause war’, ‘Sharia is constitutional blunder’, and ‘We reject Sharia’, among others.

    However, they were prevented from moving around the streets as planned by the police to avoid hijack and possible crisis.

    It’s an attempt to cause chaos

    Addressing journalists, the leader of Yoruba Regional Alliance Worldwide, Opeoluwa Akinola alleged that the struggle to introduce Sharia into Yoruba land is an attempt to cause chaos and disharmony saying the practice does not represent her values.

    Akinola noted that the Yoruba people, irrespective of their religions, have co-existed peacefully for generations without the Sharia penal code wondering what the Sharia law introduction is going to achieve that the existing penal codes and legal systems operative in Yoruba land cannot.

    Also speaking, the chairman of Yoruba Nation Religious Council, YONAREC, Mr Oluwafemi Edafemi and others, said the group is opposed to the introduction of the Islamic legal system known as Sharia into Yoruba land.

    No group can bring Sharia through backdoor — Gov Abiodun

    On his part, Governor Dapo Abiodun has warned against any attempt to establish a Sharia Court in Ogun State.

    The governor, in a statement, noted that Sharia Courts cannot be legally constituted by individuals or groups without legal backing.

    The government, while reacting to a notice announcing the launch of a Sharia Court in the state, said Ogun State only recognizes courts established through the legal framework of the Nigerian Constitution, adding that a Sharia Court does not form part of the legal framework operating in the state.

    The statement reads: “The Ogun State government has noted the circulation of a digital notice announcing the launch of a Shari’ah Court in Ogun State.

    “No Sharia Court is authorised to operate within Ogun State. The courts that are legally empowered to adjudicate disputes arising within Ogun State are those established by the Constitution of Nigeria or by State Laws, which are: Magistrates’ Courts, High Court, Customary Courts, Customary Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, National Industrial Court, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.

    “No law operating in Ogun State has established a Sharia Court, and Sharia law does not form part of the legal framework by which the Ogun State government administers and governs society.

    “The Ogun State government upholds and protects the rights of individuals to practice the religion of their choice, or to subscribe to no religion, and recognizes the freedom of individuals to apply their faith in their personal and private matters.

    “However, this freedom does not extend to the formation of unauthorized assemblies or institutions. No individual or group is legally permitted to constitute a court or present themselves to the public as a court without legal backing. Those behind that notice have no legal backing. They cannot set up a court or administer justice by fiat or public notice.

    “The Ogun State government, hereby, directs that all persons involved in the creation or operation of this unauthorised court must immediately cease all related activities and disband the illegal entity and all its apparatus.

    “The Ogun State government also advises members of the public to disregard any summons, documents, or persons associated with the illegal Sharia Court. Such occurrences should be promptly reported to the State.

    “The Ogun State government will uphold the rule of law, ensure respect for the legal and judicial framework within the State, and prevent a breakdown of law and order.

  • Ogun CUPP accuses Gov Abiodun of nepotism in appointments

    Ogun CUPP accuses Gov Abiodun of nepotism in appointments

    …..petitions President Tinubu, raises alarm over alleged threats by Ogun gov

    ….they are illegal, irritant body, trades on propaganda, blackmail – Oladunjoye

    By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

    The Ogun State chapter of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has accused the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led government in the State of nepotism, saying that he favours only Ogun East in key appointments.

    The State Chairman of CUPP, Otunba Femi Sholuade stated this at a press conference in Abeokuta, stressing that indigenes of the Ogun East Senatorial District were given key positions in his government, at the expense of Ogun Central and Ogun West Senatorial Districts.

    It also condemned the appointment of an Ondo State indigene as the governor’s Special Adviser on Information and Media, describing it as an affront to Ogun State professionals.

    The group said it has petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accusing the Governor Abiodun, Secretary to the State Government, and Special Adviser on Media, Hon. Kayode Akinmade of orchestrating threats against its executive members.

    The CUPP claimed that its demand for transparency in the State government’s housing projects had sparked intimidation tactics, including calls for its members to appear before the Department of State Services (DSS) under conflicting pretenses.

    Recall that the CUPP had given the state government a seven-day ultimatum to disclose the beneficiaries of its housing scheme and contracts since it’s inception.

    The coalition had pointed to alleged irregularities in the state’s housing project awards, which it claims were executed without open bidding or adherence to due process.

    It also demanded the Ogun State government release information about these projects under the Freedom of Information Act.

    Sholuade, alongside the Secretary, Engr. Samson Okusanya, highlighted the imminent threats against members including Alhaji Moshood Adesina, Comrade Ashade Michael, and Chief Sola Coker.

    “We have been trailed by vehicles with covered plates and intimidated by road union leaders, allegedly loyal to the governor. These developments point to an orchestrated effort to silence our voices,” the statement reads.

    “The lives of CUPP members, including myself, Engr. Samson Okusanya, Alhaji Moshood Adesina, Comrade Ashade Michael, and Chief Sola Coker, are under imminent threat due to our demand for transparency and accountability in the Ogun State government’s housing projects.

    “These projects, awarded to construction companies without open bidding and due process, have raised concerns about governance and the misuse of state resources.

    “These threats have escalated to include intimidation by officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ogun State.

    “On January 20, 2025, a DSS officer by the name of Emmanuel Abua called Alhaji Moshood Adesina, informing him that all CUPP officers must report on January 24, 2025, for a routine interaction with the Ogun State DSS Director.

    However, on January 21, 2025, another DSS official, Kunle Dealer, contacted me, as the State Chairman of CUPP, directing all CUPP officers involved in a recent press conference to report to the DSS office, based on a petition from the Ogun State government”.

    “The conflicting messages from the same organization raise suspicions that Governor Dapo Abiodun is targeting us with the intention to harm our lives and those of our families”.

    “We now live in constant fear of potential assassination, especially given the involvement of powerful and ruthless road union leaders loyal to the Governor, who are capable of carrying out violent orders.”

    “Instead of addressing these issues, the governor has chosen to target us through threats and harassment,” the coalition added.

    It warned that any harm to its members would be attributed directly to Governor Abiodun and his administration.

    CUPP called on President Tinubu to intervene urgently, emphasizing its resolve to uphold transparency despite the alleged witch-hunt.

    Reacting to the allegations, the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tunde Oladunjoye described the CUPP as attention seekers, who are not known to media in the State.

    He said, the CUPP in the State remains an illegal, irritant body that trades on propaganda, blackmail.

    Oladunjoye in a statement stated that “the integral principle of natural justice resides in the maxim: “He who calls for equity must come with clean hands”.

    “The case of so-called Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) in Ogun State is pathetic, as it is laughable; it is a confirmation of a group’s agitation spurred by pecuniary gains”.

    “For clarity, CUPP is simply the union of deregistered political parties in Ogun State, who were sent out of the political space by the electoral umpire as a result of their redundancy, unpopularity, inaction and rejection in the political environment”.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) considered this group of political jobbers as dangerous parasites in the political climate, hence, their ignominious exit from political environment to entrench sanity in the system”.

    “The recent virtuperations of the illegal association called CUPP in Ogun State about Governor Dapo Abiodun and other senior officials in his government is practically an aberration, considering the antecedents of those individuals that constitute the illegal group”.

    “Without mincing words, the society must be very wary of these individuals who are perpetually jobless as well as covetous; they are serious threat to decency and seriousness in the political arena”.

    “These individuals need to be educated that Prince Dapo Abiodun is beyond a personality that can be blackmailed into submission; thinking the Governor can be emasculated to dole out cash to help their terrible economic conditions”.

    “As far as Ogun State and the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun is concerned, the State is geometrically on the path of development and sustained growth with remarkable projects of indelible legacies”.

    “On a final note, the crop of elements in CUPP must immediately refrain from their illegal activities and get engaged in productive activities rather than their present nude dance at the market square”.