The Ondo State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress have clashed over alleged misappropriation of public funds by the government of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

While the opposition party alleged that Aiyedatiwa stole a significant amount of money belonging to the Ondo people, the ruling party kicked, denying the accusation.

PDP believed that the governor squandered the public funds on frivolous activities during his 10 months in office.

The party therefore asked the people of the state to scold the governor by refusing to vote for him as APC gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

The PDP, in a statement released by its state’s PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei, on Monday, titled, ‘Ondo State is Not Lucky with Aiyedatiwa (7)’, claimed that billions of naira earmarked for state government projects were diverted into private accounts by Aiyedatiwa.

The statement noted that having understudied the governor in the last ten months as governor vis a vis his activities, it was discovered that humongous amounts of money belonging to the state have been diverted in the name of road construction projects.

It claimed that on July 22, 2024, more than N35 billion was approved for asphalt overlay of roads in four Akoko Local Government Areas, Ose, Owo, Ilaje, Idanre, Ondo, and Akure regions adding that three months later, these roads remain in the same condition as before the contracts were awarded.

The party then concluded that the substantial sums must have vanished into private pockets, “as contractors are not on site, citing non-payment.”

The PDP further alleged that a substantial amount of money was allocated for the renovation of the deputy governor’s lodge in 2022, yet the project remains incomplete.

According to the opposition party, the deputy governor, Mr Olayide Adelami, has been staying in a hotel since assuming office.

However, the Ondo State APC has dismissed the PDP’s allegations describing it as baseless and untrue.

Responding, the Director of Publicity of the APC in the state, Mr Steve Otaloro, dismissed the PDP’s allegations as baseless and aimed at undermining Governor Aiyedatiwa’s achievements.

In a counter statement, Otaloro said the PDP’s allegations are filled with inaccuracies, speculations, and misinformation, adding that during their 12-year reign in Ondo State, they achieved nothing of note.

He said the opposition party’s inability to offer a credible alternative to Governor Aiyedatiwa’s accomplishments has led them to resort to false accusations and lies.

The internal crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) is yet to abate despite the recognition of Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The factionalisation in the party was intensified following the removal of Abure by the party leaders.

Trouble resurfaced in the party after a meeting was facilitated by Peter Obi, Presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general elections, and Alex Otti, Abia State Governor, at the Government House, Umuahia.

Tagged: LP’s NEC/ extended Stakeholders’ meeting, Abure avoided the gathering.

However, Nigeria’s former finance minister, Nenadi Usman, emerged at the meeting as the chairperson of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee.

The emergence of the caretaker committee consequently ended Abure’s and others’ reign as party executives.

The 29-member committee was mandated to organise ward, local government, state congresses and national convention of the party within 90 days.

Dissociating himself from the meeting. Obiora Ifoh, the spokesperson of the Abure-led factional executives, declared the outcome of the Umuahia meeting as “illegal.”

Abure, who had declared Obi as the LP flag bearer for the forthcoming presidential election recounted, announcing that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2027 general election is now open to all qualified Nigerians to contest.

After holding its factional national executive committee meeting in Abuja, the embattled national chairman disclosed that the names of Alex Otti and Peter Obi had been deleted from the list of people contesting for party tickets.

“The more the merrier: The more people (aspirants) we have, the better for the party and even the candidates themselves because if they emerge from a competitive process, it gives more confidence and shows you are the best,” Abure had declared.

However, Obi explained that Abure was removed by the party’s constitution, as his tenure elapsed, clarifying that Abure was not removed by any governor.

Obi, who was represented by his 2023 running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, gave the clarification at the inaugural meeting of the LP caretaker committee held in Abuja recently.

He appealed to Abure and his supporters to sheathe their swords and join hands with the caretaker committee to rebuild the party.

Meanwhile, more trouble visited the party after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja affirmed Abure as the substantive National Chairman of LP.

The court had declared the 2024 Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, which reelected Abure, valid, stating that the convention was in line with all laid-down laws in Nigeria.

But, the Independent National Electoral Commission has recognised Abure’s leadership of LP following the court order compelling it to do so.

INEC’s recognition was contained in a letter addressed to Abure and the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, by the Secretary of the Commission, Rose Oriaran- Anthony, inviting the Labour Party to the fourth consultative meeting with the political parties.

After the meeting with INEC, Ibrahim said though the party was unjustly excluded from previous engagements, he was satisfied that INEC has obeyed the court order and that the party has now resumed its seat amongst the other 18 political parties.

He extended hands of fellowship to all aggrieved chieftains, urging them to rally behind LP ahead of the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election as announced by the electoral umpire.

Reacting, Obi stated that he had met with Governor Otti along with the Caretaker Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party.

In a post on his X handle, the former governor of Anambra State said the goal is to emerge stronger and more unified, standing together as one united front.

The politician urged all members of the Labour Party to remain calm and patient as they continue to engage in discussions and consultations.

He said: “Governor Alex Otti and I, along with the Caretaker Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party, convened to discuss and review recent developments, including the judgment delivered by an Abuja High Court on the same day.

“I urge all members of the Labour Party to remain calm and patient as we continue to engage in discussions and consultations.

“Our goal is to emerge stronger and more unified, standing together as one united front. We must not allow this to divert us from addressing the pressing issues affecting our people today.

“We have always known that the task of creating a new Nigeria that is possible will not come without challenges.”

The fate of the party in future elections hangs in the balance as Obi’s faction is yet to accept Abure’s Hands of fellowship.

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has berated President Bola Tinubu’s government after the country’s national grid collapsed twice in less than 24 hours.

The former Anambra State Governor reacted via a lengthy statement on his official X handle on Tuesday, October 15.

Obi blamed the persistent collapse on the failure of leadership and the policies implemented by the federal government.

He called for urgent and comprehensive reforms, saying Nigerians deserve a government that prioritizes measurable indices of development

He said, “For the umpteenth time, the national grid has collapsed, plunging a huge part of the nation into darkness and exposing the fragility of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.

“This recurring disaster is a national shame and a glaring testament to the failure of leadership and policy implementation at the highest levels. How long must Nigerians endure a system that fails to provide one of the critical necessities for a productive society?

“This latest power grid collapse is emblematic of a leadership and government that have consistently failed to prioritize the welfare and economic well-being of the people.

“We all know the immense importance of power supply to the transformation of our economy. Its support to SMEs, which are the engine of job creation and a major contributor to our GDP, is immeasurable.

“Today, we are the fourth largest economy in Africa, having fallen from the number one position due to leadership failure over the years, including the persistent power crisis, which is critical when compared to smaller economies.

“South Africa, which is now the largest economy in Africa with a GDP of about $400 billion and 30% of our population, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts of electricity.

“Secondly, Egypt, the second largest economy with a GDP of about $350 billion and half of our population, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts.

“Algeria, the third largest economy, with about 300B GDP and 20% of our population, generates and distributes over 50,000 megawatts of electricity.

“Nigeria, with less GDP but with more population than the 3 countries combined, generates and distributes less than 10,000 megawatts, and even that is riddled with frequent collapses and crises of failure.

“This disparity in power generation is a reflection of the deep-rooted governance deficit that continue to hold back our growth and potential. It is time for urgent, comprehensive reform. Nigerians deserve a government that prioritizes measurable indices of development.”

Investors King reported that the national grid partially collapsed on Tuesday morning, marking the second collapse in less than 24 hours after the first collapse on Monday.