We are confused in PDP – Kashamu

The Senator representing Ogun East in the Senate, Buruji Kashamu, has advised leadership of the party to stop the scheduled August 17 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to him, the convention will do more harm than good to the former ruling party, which is still struggling to gain its ground.

Kashamu, who stated this in a position paper he submitted to the two factions fighting for control of the party on Tuesday, admitted that there is confusion in PDP.


A faction of the party is being led by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, while Sen. Ahmed Makarfi is the chairman of the party’s national caretaker committee.

Warning that the different court orders and judgments which have yet to be vacated might end up nullifying the outcome of the convention, he said, “Going to Port Harcourt for another national convention on August 17, without addressing the issues that have stuck out like a sore thumb might turn out to be an exercise in futility.

“I appeal to all our leaders to wade into the crisis and resolve the issues.

“If we gloss over the issues and facts and go ahead to hold the proposed convention without resolving them, the perception of PDP as a lawless organisation will sink deeper and ultimately public opinion will be against us.


“An air of confusion pervades our party and the land, with one division of the court saying Makarfi’s appointment is right while another division of the same court says Sheriff is the authentic national chairman of our party.

“We cannot continue like this. Already, the nomination (governorship) processes in Edo and Ondo States are being endangered by the current crisis.

“It is incumbent on all well-meaning leaders and elders of the party to call Senators Sheriff and Makarfi and look for a political solution to this crisis and resolve it, once and for all. Nothing is too much to give, if we truly love the party

posted from Bloggeroid

We are confused in PDP – Kashamu

The Senator representing Ogun East in the Senate, Buruji Kashamu, has advised leadership of the party to stop the scheduled August 17 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to him, the convention will do more harm than good to the former ruling party, which is still struggling to gain its ground.

Kashamu, who stated this in a position paper he submitted to the two factions fighting for control of the party on Tuesday, admitted that there is confusion in PDP.


A faction of the party is being led by Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, while Sen. Ahmed Makarfi is the chairman of the party’s national caretaker committee.

Warning that the different court orders and judgments which have yet to be vacated might end up nullifying the outcome of the convention, he said, “Going to Port Harcourt for another national convention on August 17, without addressing the issues that have stuck out like a sore thumb might turn out to be an exercise in futility.

“I appeal to all our leaders to wade into the crisis and resolve the issues.

“If we gloss over the issues and facts and go ahead to hold the proposed convention without resolving them, the perception of PDP as a lawless organisation will sink deeper and ultimately public opinion will be against us.


“An air of confusion pervades our party and the land, with one division of the court saying Makarfi’s appointment is right while another division of the same court says Sheriff is the authentic national chairman of our party.

“We cannot continue like this. Already, the nomination (governorship) processes in Edo and Ondo States are being endangered by the current crisis.

“It is incumbent on all well-meaning leaders and elders of the party to call Senators Sheriff and Makarfi and look for a political solution to this crisis and resolve it, once and for all. Nothing is too much to give, if we truly love the party

posted from Bloggeroid

Car Bombing in Benghazi Kills 23 People

A Libyan hospital official says 23 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bombing in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The official says that bodies are still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing Tuesday evening in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the al-Qaida affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

posted from Bloggeroid

Car Bombing in Benghazi Kills 23 People

A Libyan hospital official says 23 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bombing in the eastern city of Benghazi.

The official says that bodies are still arriving at the hospital in the aftermath of the bombing Tuesday evening in the al-Qawarsha district on the outskirts of the city. For the past two years, fighting has been raging in Benghazi between forces under the command of Brig. Gen. Khalifa Hifter and Islamic militias.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

A coalition of Islamist militias called the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which includes the al-Qaida affiliate known as Ansar al-Shariah, has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in a statement posted on its Twitter account.

posted from Bloggeroid

Mavin Artiste Dija share Major Throw back

She shared the above picture with a caption "Choi...My neck long since"

posted from Bloggeroid

Mavin Artiste Dija share Major Throw back

She shared the above picture with a caption "Choi...My neck long since"

posted from Bloggeroid

Maximum Respect To This Lady................

Maximum Respect To This Lady................

Nigeria Football Federation unveil new Nike jerseys for football team

Nigeria Football Federation unveil new Nike jerseys for football team

Nigeria Football Federation unveil new Nike jerseys for football team

Nigeria Football Federation unveil new Nike jerseys for football team

Dr Sid and wife Simi Esiri celebrate their second wedding anniversary

Dr Sid and wife Simi Esiri celebrate their second wedding anniversary

Singer Dr. Sid and wife Simi are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today. The couple wedded on August 2nd and are blessed with a beautiful daughter. Simi shared their wedding photo on social media with the caption: 

"Ain't nobody in the world but you & I...I remember our first dance like it was yesterday... Happy 2nd wedding anniversary baby! Couldn't imagine my life without you in it... I look back today and I'm thankful!"

Dr Sid and wife Simi Esiri celebrate their second wedding anniversary

Dr Sid and wife Simi Esiri celebrate their second wedding anniversary

Singer Dr. Sid and wife Simi are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today. The couple wedded on August 2nd and are blessed with a beautiful daughter. Simi shared their wedding photo on social media with the caption: 

"Ain't nobody in the world but you & I...I remember our first dance like it was yesterday... Happy 2nd wedding anniversary baby! Couldn't imagine my life without you in it... I look back today and I'm thankful!"

Four To Die By Firing Squad

A High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital has sentenced four members of an armed robbery gang to death by firing squad.

The convicts who were said to specialise in hijacking petroleum tankers at gun point are Abdurahman Yinusa, Maliki Sanni, Ajayi Saliu and Mohammed Jimoh.

Before their arrest in December, 2009, the four convicts and one other person at large had robbed many people several times on Isua/Idoani expressway in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.



According to the prosecution counsel, Mr. John Olowokere, the convicts hijacked a DAF truck with registration number number, XN 810 ABC , loaded with 33,000 litres of petrol on the same road but were later apprehended by the men of the state police command.

According him, three of the accused drove the truck away to dispense the content while the other two led the driver and the conductor into the bush where they were tied until the following day.

The convicts stood trial on four charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, murder and illegal possession of fire arms contrary to contrary to section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions)Act R11, Laws of Federation 2004.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice D.I. Kolawole of the Special Criminal High Ccurt within Olokuta Medium Security Prison, said the prosecution counsel was able to substantiate the case against the accused.

He said the accused persons were guilty of some of the charges and then ordered that they should die by firing 

Four To Die By Firing Squad

A High Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital has sentenced four members of an armed robbery gang to death by firing squad.

The convicts who were said to specialise in hijacking petroleum tankers at gun point are Abdurahman Yinusa, Maliki Sanni, Ajayi Saliu and Mohammed Jimoh.

Before their arrest in December, 2009, the four convicts and one other person at large had robbed many people several times on Isua/Idoani expressway in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State.



According to the prosecution counsel, Mr. John Olowokere, the convicts hijacked a DAF truck with registration number number, XN 810 ABC , loaded with 33,000 litres of petrol on the same road but were later apprehended by the men of the state police command.

According him, three of the accused drove the truck away to dispense the content while the other two led the driver and the conductor into the bush where they were tied until the following day.

The convicts stood trial on four charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, murder and illegal possession of fire arms contrary to contrary to section 6(b) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions)Act R11, Laws of Federation 2004.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Justice D.I. Kolawole of the Special Criminal High Ccurt within Olokuta Medium Security Prison, said the prosecution counsel was able to substantiate the case against the accused.

He said the accused persons were guilty of some of the charges and then ordered that they should die by firing 

WTF! IPhone Explodes Inside a Man's Pocket Leaving him With Severe Burns (PHOTOS)

A man has been left with third-degree burns after his iPhone exploded in his pocket. Gareth Clear, 36, was riding his mountain bike alone through Manly Dam on Sunday afternoon with his phone in his back pocket when his foot missed the pedal as he was beginning to move. The resulting fall was tiny, and Mr Clear only received a few small grazes. Just moments after that, he noticed smoke pouring from his rear and felt a searing sensation on the right side of his buttocks.
 'I suddenly saw this incredible plume of smoke,' he said. 'And there was a searing pain that went along with it - as though someone had pushed a huge block of ice against my leg. 'It was pretty freaking painful.' 
 When Mr Clear turned around, he saw his thick biking shorts and the Skins he was wearing underneath were melting. 
 'The phone was stuck to my leg having melted through both my shorts and my Skins,' he said. 'It had to have been more than 100 degrees.' 
As he tried desperately to remove the melting pants and the exploded phone, he burned his fingers, and instead used his fist to punch the phone off his burning skin. 
 The phone dislodged with a huge metallic bang before falling on the ground where smoke continued to pour out.  Mr Clear was alone at the time, with nobody around to help. 
 'I was on my own, writhing on the ground in agony,' he said. However, knowing that the exploded, bent phone could do more damage to someone else if he left it, he waited for the device to cool so he could take it back with him as he walked back to Manly, alone. 
'I basically sat there for about 20 minutes because I wanted to take the phone with me.' he said. 'I used two bits of wood to pick the phone up, and by the time I walked back to Manly with the phone and my bike - so probably another 30 minutes - it had finally cooled down.'
 Mr Clear's burns were so bad that he was sent to the Royal North Shore burns unit for a skin graft, and will now spend the next six days attached to a machine which sits inside the graft, vacuuming out the dead, charred skin and encouraging healthy skin to grow in its place. 
 He said his initial concern was that the lithium from the exploded phone had tainted his blood. 'I thought I'd been poisoned,' he said.
'When I got to hospital though, that was the least of my concerns. They told me I'd lost three layers of skin. 'I said 'oh. Okay. Guess we'd better do something about that then.'
 The accident has not deterred him from getting back on his bike, he says, but he'll never carry his iPhone with him again.  He wants his accident to be an eye opener to other active people who carry their phones with them. 'It's a tragedy waiting to happen,' he said. 
'A mini bomb. Every iPhone is the same - if it happens to one, it will happen to another one. I was just lucky I was wearing pretty thick clothing and it was on my lower body. 
 'It could hurt someone else much more than it did me.' Apple has contacted Mr Clear to say they are looking into the issue but have not provided any further comment.

WTF! IPhone Explodes Inside a Man's Pocket Leaving him With Severe Burns (PHOTOS)

A man has been left with third-degree burns after his iPhone exploded in his pocket. Gareth Clear, 36, was riding his mountain bike alone through Manly Dam on Sunday afternoon with his phone in his back pocket when his foot missed the pedal as he was beginning to move. The resulting fall was tiny, and Mr Clear only received a few small grazes. Just moments after that, he noticed smoke pouring from his rear and felt a searing sensation on the right side of his buttocks.
 'I suddenly saw this incredible plume of smoke,' he said. 'And there was a searing pain that went along with it - as though someone had pushed a huge block of ice against my leg. 'It was pretty freaking painful.' 
 When Mr Clear turned around, he saw his thick biking shorts and the Skins he was wearing underneath were melting. 
 'The phone was stuck to my leg having melted through both my shorts and my Skins,' he said. 'It had to have been more than 100 degrees.' 
As he tried desperately to remove the melting pants and the exploded phone, he burned his fingers, and instead used his fist to punch the phone off his burning skin. 
 The phone dislodged with a huge metallic bang before falling on the ground where smoke continued to pour out.  Mr Clear was alone at the time, with nobody around to help. 
 'I was on my own, writhing on the ground in agony,' he said. However, knowing that the exploded, bent phone could do more damage to someone else if he left it, he waited for the device to cool so he could take it back with him as he walked back to Manly, alone. 
'I basically sat there for about 20 minutes because I wanted to take the phone with me.' he said. 'I used two bits of wood to pick the phone up, and by the time I walked back to Manly with the phone and my bike - so probably another 30 minutes - it had finally cooled down.'
 Mr Clear's burns were so bad that he was sent to the Royal North Shore burns unit for a skin graft, and will now spend the next six days attached to a machine which sits inside the graft, vacuuming out the dead, charred skin and encouraging healthy skin to grow in its place. 
 He said his initial concern was that the lithium from the exploded phone had tainted his blood. 'I thought I'd been poisoned,' he said.
'When I got to hospital though, that was the least of my concerns. They told me I'd lost three layers of skin. 'I said 'oh. Okay. Guess we'd better do something about that then.'
 The accident has not deterred him from getting back on his bike, he says, but he'll never carry his iPhone with him again.  He wants his accident to be an eye opener to other active people who carry their phones with them. 'It's a tragedy waiting to happen,' he said. 
'A mini bomb. Every iPhone is the same - if it happens to one, it will happen to another one. I was just lucky I was wearing pretty thick clothing and it was on my lower body. 
 'It could hurt someone else much more than it did me.' Apple has contacted Mr Clear to say they are looking into the issue but have not provided any further comment.

Big Giant Crococdile turned Into Pepper Soup in Imo State Nigeria

Big Giant Crococdile turned Into Pepper Soup in Imo State Nigeria

Tension In House Of Reps Over Plot To Remove Speaker, Yakubu Dogara

Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin.
 
According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown.
Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.
 
It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence.

Quote

“This group circulated a text message among members, giving the impression that there would be a leadership change in the House. “They attempted to re-open the old Dogara-Gbajabiamila rivalry and create mayhem,”

a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday.
 
It read, �

Quote

Plot to destabilise the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the Transparency Group, who recently met with Tinubu’s wife, will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as the Deputy.

“This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House won’t be anybody’s rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them,” the message read.
 
It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal.
 
Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members. 
 
It read in part,

Quote

“Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution that I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it.
“I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us.

“Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange text making the rounds among members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of for the good of the House.

“The speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious, but I have worked hard to heal the wounds, some of which still fester among members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring together all tendencies in the House and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other principal officers in the interest of the institution and the country.

“The text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilise the House, is a throwback and echoes our dark post-speakership election history. The resurfacing of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House, and let me quickly add that it will fail.
 “My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole.
 “I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock or lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government.”

 
On Jibrin’s budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations.
 
 He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty.

Quote

“It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform. Allegations have been made, but I strongly believe that judgment should not be passed based on allegations. “We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. “This should be our guide. I plead with all members; the mudslinging must stop,”

Speaker, Yakubu Dogara might be in serious trouble as members of the House of Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin.

 

According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown.

Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.

 

It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence.

Quote

“This group circulated a text message among members, giving the impression that there would be a leadership change in the House. “They attempted to re-open the old Dogara-Gbajabiamila rivalry and create mayhem,”

a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday.

 

It read, �

Quote

Plot to destabilise the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the Transparency Group, who recently met with Tinubu’s wife, will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as the Deputy.

“This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House won’t be anybody’s rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them,” the message read.

 

It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal.

 

Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members. 

 

It read in part,

Quote

“Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution that I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it.

“I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us.

“Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange text making the rounds among members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of for the good of the House.

“The speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious, but I have worked hard to heal the wounds, some of which still fester among members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring together all tendencies in the House and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other principal officers in the interest of the institution and the country.

“The text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilise the House, is a throwback and echoes our dark post-speakership election history. The resurfacing of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House, and let me quickly add that it will fail.

 “My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole.

 “I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock or lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government.”

 

On Jibrin’s budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations.

 

 He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty.

Quote

“It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform. Allegations have been made, but I strongly believe that judgment should not be passed based on allegations. “We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. “This should be our guide. I plead with all members; the mudslinging must stop,”

Gbajabiamila added.

 

As the crisis continues, Jibrin on Monday submitted copies of his petition against Dogara to the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS.

Tension In House Of Reps Over Plot To Remove Speaker, Yakubu Dogara

Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin.
 
According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown.
Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.
 
It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence.

Quote

“This group circulated a text message among members, giving the impression that there would be a leadership change in the House. “They attempted to re-open the old Dogara-Gbajabiamila rivalry and create mayhem,”

a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday.
 
It read, �

Quote

Plot to destabilise the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the Transparency Group, who recently met with Tinubu’s wife, will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as the Deputy.

“This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House won’t be anybody’s rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them,” the message read.
 
It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal.
 
Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members. 
 
It read in part,

Quote

“Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution that I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it.
“I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us.

“Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange text making the rounds among members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of for the good of the House.

“The speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious, but I have worked hard to heal the wounds, some of which still fester among members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring together all tendencies in the House and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other principal officers in the interest of the institution and the country.

“The text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilise the House, is a throwback and echoes our dark post-speakership election history. The resurfacing of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House, and let me quickly add that it will fail.
 “My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole.
 “I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock or lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government.”

 
On Jibrin’s budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations.
 
 He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty.

Quote

“It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform. Allegations have been made, but I strongly believe that judgment should not be passed based on allegations. “We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. “This should be our guide. I plead with all members; the mudslinging must stop,”

Speaker, Yakubu Dogara might be in serious trouble as members of the House of Representatives have become divided over his involvement in the alleged budget padding. There was obvious tension in the House of Representatives on Monday over an alleged plot to remove the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara for his involvement in the budget padding allegations made by a former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Mr. Abdulmumin Jibrin.

 

According to reporters, members on vacation were forced to rush from their vacation spots to meetings in Abuja where the alleged plot was discussed. Even after the Majority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila had urged members to calm down while urging members to have faith in the leadership of the House under Dogara, there is still palpable fear of the unknown.

Gbajabiamila had since maintained a sealed lips over the budget brouhaha since it started on July 21. Gbajabiamila had refused to speak openly in support of Jibrin or Dogara, and the three other principal officers whom Jibrin had accused of padding the 2016 Budget. The others are the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun; the Chief Whip, Mr. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the Minority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor.

 

It was learnt that some persons in the House in a text message that members of the House received on Monday accused Gbajabiamila of siding with Jibrin to remove Dogara because of his silence.

Quote

“This group circulated a text message among members, giving the impression that there would be a leadership change in the House. “They attempted to re-open the old Dogara-Gbajabiamila rivalry and create mayhem,”

a senior legislative official told us in Abuja on Monday.

 

It read, �

Quote

Plot to destabilise the leadership of the House of Reps has taken a new dimension as the Attorney-General of the Federation, working with Gbajabiamila, Jibrin and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has drafted charges to arraign and detain principal officers of the House so that the Transparency Group, who recently met with Tinubu’s wife, will effect a leadership change with Gbajabiamila as Speaker and Jibrin as the Deputy.

“This is why Jibrin did not mention Femi (Gbajabiamila) in his allegations. The 8th House won’t be anybody’s rubber stamp. We will resist them like the Senate resisted them,” the message read.

 

It was the message being circulated that prompted Gbajabiamila to write members to calm them, urging them to disregard the text. He also explained that he had kept silent to avoid his comments being mistaken for taking sides. Gbajabiamila told members that he chose to break his silence because the text message gave the wrong signal.

 

Gbajabiamila however sent a text message to other members. 

 

It read in part,

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“Since the budget controversy that engulfed the House about a week ago, I have pointedly maintained a dignified silence. I did this for the sake of the institution that I represent and which I have laboured hard to grow and protect, knowing that whatever I say could be impactful both within the House and outside it.

“I was determined to keep in place the glue that holds an otherwise fragmented House, protect its integrity and at same time avoid eroding the little confidence and vestiges of hope Nigerians have in us.

“Unfortunately, the controversy has now taken a different turn following the rather strange text making the rounds among members about my complicity in this rather sordid matter. I am being dragged into an arena I tried very hard to stay out of for the good of the House.

“The speakership election has come and gone. The election was divisive and acrimonious, but I have worked hard to heal the wounds, some of which still fester among members on both sides. It is my responsibility to bring together all tendencies in the House and I have worked well with the Speaker and all other principal officers in the interest of the institution and the country.

“The text message, which desperately seeks to finger me in some macabre plot to destabilise the House, is a throwback and echoes our dark post-speakership election history. The resurfacing of the faceless text messengers will not help us as a House, and let me quickly add that it will fail.

 “My strongest critics and biggest political adversaries in the House cannot deny the fact that my commitment has always been to strengthen the legislature and its processes and our democracy as a whole.

 “I consider everyone a friend and colleague and urge that as we collectively work towards a stronger legislature and strive to deepen our democracy, we do not pull back the hands of the clock or lose sight of the enormous responsibility placed upon us by providence as members of a critical arm of government.”

 

On Jibrin’s budget padding allegations, Gbajabiamila noted that judgment could not be passed on any official based on mere allegations.

 

 He stressed that before the law, an accused remained innocent until proven guilty.

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“It is clear that our budget process needs radical reform. Allegations have been made, but I strongly believe that judgment should not be passed based on allegations. “We operate a constitutional democracy and we must at all times submit to its dictates and ethos. All parties are innocent until otherwise proven. “This should be our guide. I plead with all members; the mudslinging must stop,”

Gbajabiamila added.

 

As the crisis continues, Jibrin on Monday submitted copies of his petition against Dogara to the EFCC, ICPC and the DSS.