Politics
Osinbajo’s Presidential Ambition Tears RCCG Apart As Pastor Calls For Sack of Colleague Who Campaigned For Him
A Youth Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Dr. Oche Otorkpa, has called on the leadership of the church to sack the Head of Politics and Governance, Pastor Timothy Olaniyan, who campaigned for the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) ahead of the 2023 elections.
It will be recalled that Olaniyan openly declared support for Osinbajo at a public event over the weekend according to a report from The Eagle Online.
He said Osinbajo, as a pastor with the RCCG, will fulfil his electoral promise.
But reacting to the comment Olaniyan, Otorkpa demanded for his sack.
He said in the statement: “I was saddened when my attention was drawn to the statement credited to the Head of Politics and Governance of the Redeemed Christian Church, RCCG, ‘Pastor’ Timothy Olaniyan. This act reminds me of the tragedy promoted by many of my colleagues in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, who used the RCCG altar to promote Buhari as the only savior of Nigeria because Osinbajo also a Redeemed Pastor, was his running mate.
“Against all admonition by our father the General Overseer, these pastors choose to ignore an express order and promoted Buhari/Osinbajo using the RCCG pulpit in 2015 and the results are what we see today.
“While I have nothing personal against Osinbajo and those campaigning for him, our father, the General Overseer has made it clear to everyone that the church is a congregation of all parties and all are his children.
“If truly the said ‘Pastor’ Timothy Olaniyan voiced such a one-sided opinion, then he should be ashamed of himself, and the many people who insulted Leke (Adeboye, the son of the General Overseer of the RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye) for calling such people goats should apologize to him because this man’s action has not only ridiculed the mission but also the reputation of our father in the Lord.
“As one of those who fiercely defended the RCCG when concerned Nigerians labeled the newly created Politics and Governance directorate as an Osinbajo campaign arm of the church, I felt I owe it a duty as an ordained minister and someone who has spent close to 3 decades working to help achieve the church’s missionary objectives, to speak out.
“How can a Redeemed Pastor, saddled with the responsibility of promoting all, insist on a public forum that one person is the only child of God that could change the narrative of governance in Nigeria?
“This is someone who says he wants to consolidate Buhari’s legacies, a legacy characterized by banditry, kidnappings, massive killings, corruption, stealing and diversion of crude oil, unfulfilled promises, and borrowings that are about to throw us into a state of bankruptcy as a nation.
“Pastor Olaniyan claimed that politicians will promise heaven and earth, and at the end of the day, you see them giving N1000, N2000 to eligible voters. That was similar to what Osibanjo did the last time with Trader money prior to the elections, jumping from one market to the other.
“When it comes to failed promises, nobody beats Osinbajo and Buhari. They promised three million jobs per year, it is almost 8 years, and those who have jobs before they came to power are now jobless.
“Osinbajo and Buhari promised 20,000 MW of electricity within four years, but today, grid collapse and darkness are what Nigerians are battling.
“When Osinbajo and Buhari came to power on the 29th of May 2015, the naira was exchanged at N199 to the dollar. Today, the naira is exchanging at almost N600 when they promised to make it equal to the dollar.
“As I write this response, our youths and children are at home due to the ongoing ASUU strike, Osinbajo and Buhari had promised to give up to 20 percent of the national budget for the educational sector, they have never exceeded 6% since they took power. Even the foreign scholarship created by Jonathan for First Class students has been canceled by them.
“They promised to clean our electoral system but ended up creating devilish inventions such as the inconclusive elections and the ‘remote control’ in the words of Buhari which they used on the people of Osun state to deny Adeleke his last mandate and Nigerians in the last general elections.
“They promised to reduce the fuel pump price to N40 per liter, this year, the price ranges from 165 to infinity depending on where you are buying. Even diesel that was very available has now disappeared, thanks to the change championed by some of our Pastors.
“Proverbs 12:22 says the LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. When a pastor begins to brand deceptive people as the only ones being capable of changing the narrative of governance in the country, then you know there is a problem.
“While Pastor Olaniyan has the constitutional right to hold a political opinion, he clearly does not understand the sensitive nature of the office he occupies and the diversity of the interest and the people he is meant to manage.
“We therefore humbly call on the church leadership as a matter of urgency to remove ‘Pastor’ Timothy Olaniyan as the Head of Politics and Governance, to enable the unit to discharge its mandate without shamefully taking sides and dancing naked in the market square.
Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo), a member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency, has stated that no official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) congress took place in Rivers State over the weekend.
According to Ugochinyere, what occurred was not a genuine party congress but rather a social event hosted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, who presented it as a congress.
The state congresses of the main opposition party took place over the weekend and faced several complaints from various states, including Rivers, Benue, Katsina, and Kogi.
In Rivers State, the congress proceeded despite a court order prohibiting it. This situation has created a conflict between the National Working Committee (NWC), which authorized the congress, and the PDP Governors Forum, which believes Governor Siminalayi Fubara should continue as the party leader in the state.
Wike and his faction are also asserting control over the party structure following a congress that was boycotted by the state governor and his supporters. The PDP has indicated that the process will be reviewed by the party’s organs.
In a statement on Saturday, Ugochinyere, spokesperson for the G-60 federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives, dismissed the event organized by Wike’s faction as merely a social gathering masquerading as a party congress.
Ugochinyere stated that no official PDP congress took place in Rivers State. Instead, he described Wike’s event as a desperate attempt to impress his diminishing followers, calling it an “owambe party” rather than a genuine congress.
He highlighted that an interim court order had been issued in July by Justice Charles Wali of the Port Harcourt State High Court, prohibiting the PDP from holding congresses in the state. According to Ugochinyere, the so-called congress organized by Wike and his associates was a futile exercise and a blatant disregard of the court’s order.
He concluded, “The purported congress is invalid and meaningless as it defies the existing court order. Such gatherings, which attempt to pass off as PDP congresses, are nothing more than futile exercises.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has criticized the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) for questioning the state government’s recent tractor purchase.
According to DAILY POST, the state government acquired several tractors in August, intended to support agricultural development in Osun State.
In a statement on Sunday, James Bamgbose, Deputy Director of Media and Publicity for the PDP, accused the APC of misunderstanding basic government functions. He suggested that the APC’s criticism reflects its rejection by Osun voters.
The PDP reaffirmed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s commitment to his five-point campaign agenda, asserting that progress is evident across various sectors in the state.
Bamgbose noted, “During their 12 years in office, the APC did not add any new tractors to the state’s inventory and sold off those purchased by the previous PDP administration. Effective democracy relies on constructive criticism from opposition parties, but it’s challenging for those who failed to discuss success, let alone offer advice on achieving it.”
He criticized the APC for not recognizing that its 12-year tenure in Osun State is a lasting example of poor governance and its consequences.
Addressing concerns about budget allocations, Bamgbose clarified that the government is open to supplementary funding if needed. He refuted claims that the N10 billion announced by the governor for agriculture had already been spent, calling the APC’s statement ignorant.
The Osun APC, in a statement by its state Chairman Tajudeen Lawal, had urged residents to scrutinize the state government’s tractor purchase, noting that only 32 tractors were unveiled instead of the 72 announced. The APC also questioned the N10 billion allocated for tractors and farming inputs versus the N3.7 billion budgeted for agriculture in 2024.
Lawal expressed disappointment over the discrepancy in the number of tractors and alleged that the government may have only facilitated a business deal for farmers to purchase tractors on installment, rather than making a direct purchase. He called for clarification on these issues given the budget allocation.
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Ahead of the September 28 Anambra State local government council elections, the state governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has sealed offices of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Victor Umeh, and that of Chief Edozie Njoku’s faction of the state-ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state.
Some officials of the state government, accompanied by persons dressed in military uniforms, heavily armed, sealed off the offices located in Udoka Housing Estate, Awka yesterday.
The state government agents who sealed off the offices claimed that the offices were located in residential areas and not business areas.
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP gathered that Soludo also had his campaign office in the Housing Estate in 2010 when he ran for governor against Mr. Peter Obi’s re-election bid.
However, secretary of the Labour Party in the state, Chief C. J. Okoli-Akirika, in a swift reaction, condemned the sealing off of the political parties offices, and that of the LP’s Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial zone of the state.
Okoli-Akirika, a lawyer, described the action of the government as “unfortunate, bizarre, and brazen.” He said his party would initiate action in the Court to challenge the sealing off of the LP office.
He stated that the government did not serve his party any prior notice before sealing off the offices, but carried the action in a “maniacal, frenzied, and, frenetic commando-like operation”.
The sealing off of Chief Edozie Njoku’s factional office of the APGA which is the ruling party in the state was seen as attempt by Soludo to muzzle down the faction following its recent recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) based on Appeal Court ruling as against the Mr. Sly Ezeokenwa faction which is loyal to the state governor.
The sealing off of the party offices is also seen as attempt by Soludo to muzzle down the parties ahead of the coming local government council elections slated by the state Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) to hold on September 28 for purposes of election chairman and councillors in the 12 LGs and 326 wards of the state.
CREDIT: LEADERSHIP NEWS
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