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Why I Couldn’t Implement 2014 Confab Report – Jonathan

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Jonathan Denies Working With Wike, Other Governors Over PDP Crisis

The then existing political atmosphere was among the factors that did not allow former President Goodluck Jonathan to implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference report.

Jonathan explained that the political climate did not warrant his then government to implement the report.

He noted that Nigeria was on the verge of the 2015 general election; hence it was impossible to review the constitution, which would have allowed his administration to implement the report.

The former president disclosed this at the public presentation of a book on the 2014 National Conference in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Represented by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, Jonathan noted that defections among past lawmakers in the National Assembly contributed to his inability to implement the conference report.

Jonathan said his administration could not implement the report because the then legislature was anti-government.

READ ALSO: National Conference Revisited As Jonathan, Anyim, INEC Chair, Others Meet For Book Presentation

He said: “Those familiar with the process of constitutional review will know that to implement the confab report, a number of alterations will be made in the constitution, which will require the involvement of the National and State Assemblies.

“Such an elaborate review will be termed impossible at the time because at the time the report was submitted in August 2014, we were already on the verge of the 2015 election.

“It is also important to point out that at that time, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who was a member of my party, the PDP had already moved out with some members to join the opposition.

“That meant that a reasonable part of the legislature was already anti-government. When you know that your parliament is under that kind of situation, it would have been impudent on my part to take such a precious document, which I considered crucial for development, to a parliament that would not take it into consideration.”

Jonathan also noted that his administration could not implement the recommendations from the report because Nigerians were suspicious of his government.

“There was no way that could have been done. We were also fully aware that a segment of our population were already suspicious of the actions of government,” he added.

 

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BREAKING: Fresh Tension In Rivers As Fubara Is Locked Out Of Assembly Complex

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Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara

Signalling worsening relations between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state lawmakers, the former was locked out on Wednesday as he arrived at the State House of Assembly Complex .

Security personnel at the complex locked the gates when the governor’s convoy arrived at the complex.

The action of the security personnel was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the Assembly.

However, Fubara said he communicated his coming to Speaker Martins Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday.

Fubara had said he would fully implement the February 28, 2025 judgment of the apex court and directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to come up with modalities for the fresh election.

The electoral commission fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government poll in the state.

Also, the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, in a letter dated March 7, 2025, sought a meeting with the lawmakers for March 10, 2025, to discuss the re-presentation of the 2025 budget and a peace talk.

However, the Assembly had asked the governor to channel his invitation properly.

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BREAKING: PDP Wins, Clears All 30 Councils In Osun Poll

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday emerged the winner for  the election for all the chairmanship and councillorship seats in all the 30 local government areas of Osun State.

The election was held on Saturday.

The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, announced the results at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital on Saturday evening.

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Bisi Akande Drags Obasanjo Into Bola Ige’s Murder

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By John Michael Ojo

Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State, has alleged that the administration of  former President Olusegun Obasanjo was responsible for the brutal killing of erstwhile Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.

Akande stated this while appearing  on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affairs, where he also claimed that a friend Oluwole Rotimi, had given a hint on the impending danger if the deceased resigned from President Obasanjo’s government.

When asked to speak on the incident, the former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said: “One evening, he (Ige) called me and said he was going to resign from this government tomorrow. It was sudden, and I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you.’ I called Oluwole Rotimi, and said this is what your friend told me: that he was going to resign from Obasanjo’s government tomorrow.

READ ALSO: South-West Governors, Tinubu, Akande, Akinrinade, Others To Meet Over State Of The Nation

“He asked me to advise him not to resign because if he does, he is likely going to die—he said that to me on the phone. I called Uncle (Ige) and begged him not to resign.

“He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu, and both of them said he should resign. But I said, ‘Don’t. You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about, and if he doesn’t want you anymore, here is your letter.’”

Akande who also claimed that Ige,  a Second Republic Governor of  Oyo State had issues bordering on trust with the then President said “Since he was resigning from his government, I think he stopped trusting him.”

However, Akande who was the governor of a neighbouring state when Ige was assassinated in Oyo State on the 23rd of December 2001, failed to provide names of those he felt were directly involved in the murder case.

“I don’t know. He was killed in Oyo State while I was ruling in Osun State. The government killed him (Bola Ige). It was a state murder.

“Lam Adesina, who was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State then, went to court, and Ladoja withdrew the case from court. He might know more and be able to tell you.

READ ALSO: Adebanjo Wants EFCC To Probe  Sources Of Wealth Of Tinubu, Akande

“It was the government that killed him, and the government can kill anybody.

“Obasanjo wasn’t keen about Ige’s death; he was more interested in the stability of himself,” Akande maintained.

 

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