Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, deputy majority leader of the senate, has denied the allegation by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) that drugs were found in his home.

Ashiru’s denial followed the NDLEA’s claim that the senator representing Kwara south was “bad mouthing” the agency due to the alleged drug discovery.

Last week, Ashiru referred to the NDLEA as the “most corrupt and compromised government agency,” prompting the agency to make the claim.

In a statement on Monday, Ashiru, through his legislative aide Olaitan Adeyanju, questioned why the agency did not file charges if drugs were indeed found in his home.

Ashiru stated, “As a matter of fact, Senator Ashiru never employed any aid bearing Ibrahim Mohammed and Mohammd Yahaya as bandied by NDLEA.”

He also mentioned that the NDLEA had searched his Ilorin house and found nothing incriminating, adding, “If any drugs were found on certain persons mentioned by the NDLEA, it is rational to ask at which court of law were the culprits charged?”

Furthermore, the senator clarified that none of the individuals mentioned by the agency have any association with him, and called on the NDLEA to address its internal issues rather than engaging in media trials.

Ashiru concluded by urging the NDLEA to “fish out bad eggs rather than seeking cheap publicity.”

Controversial crossdresser, Okuneye Idris, otherwise known as Bobrisky, is currently in detention at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos State, where he spent the night in a cell at the police facility.

A source confirmed the development, stating that further directives were being awaited regarding Okuneye’s case. He was taken to the FCID for safekeeping following his arrest by officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service during his attempt to exit the country through the Seme border.

“Bobrisky was brought to the FCID, Alagbon, around 10 p.m. on Monday. Immigration arrested him at Seme Boarder and brought him for safekeeping. “He is in detention at the FCID, Alagbon. He was arrested on Sunday, detained overnight, and taken to the FCID, Alagbon, around 10 pm on Monday. He is still at the FCID.”

Confirming Okuneye’s detention, the spokesperson for the FCID, Lagos, Mayegun Aminat, said, “He is detained at FCID Alagbon. He is with us and we are to get a remand to keep him in custody today.”

It was earlier reported that the spokesperson for the NIS, Kenneth Udo, described Okuneye as a person of interest over recent issues of public concern.

“In keeping with its commitment to securing the borders, Nigeria Immigration Service intercepted Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, otherwise known as Bobrisky at the Seme Border over an attempt to exit the country. “He is undergoing interrogation and will be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action. The Service assures the public that it will continue to be civil and professional in its statutory responsibility of manning the country’s borders,” Udo said.

More to come…

There’s a new development in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that suggests top leaders may be turning their backs on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in favor of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

This move comes just a week after PDP governors brokered peace among party factions. Despite calls to maintain the status quo, Nyesom Wike’s loyalists on the PDP National Working Committee are now backing Makinde for the 2027 presidential election.

It appears that Wike and other party chieftains are still unhappy with Atiku’s candidacy, citing concerns about his ability to win and his handling of party dynamics.

The logic, according to multiple sources, is to truncate the ambition of Atiku and stop the party from conceding the ticket to the former VP, who they complained has become a ‘serial contestant.’

According to The Punch, some party chieftains who spoke under anonymity admitted that they were yet to forgive the former PDP presidential candidate for bungling their biggest chance to return to power in 2023.

Wike and Makinde, alongside Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, former governors of Benue, Enugu and Abia states respectively, had worked against Atiku’s election in 2023.

A few members of the NWC, who did not want to be identified, also felt Atiku was always seeking to experiment with the PDP and had not shown enough zeal to win it.

They also feared that he may no longer be a sellable candidate in 2027 because of his age, hence the need for a younger and more vibrant candidate like Makinde.

Makinde has openly declared that he is qualified to contest and would push for the 2027 presidential election agenda when the time is right.

The governor stated that “he is old enough to speak for himself on any issue without fear or intimidation,” adding that he would do so publicly if he had anything to say about his political future.

The governor also cautioned Nigerians against allowing the country to slide into a one-party state.

Efforts to get the reaction of the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and the deputy spokesman, Abdullahi Ibrahim, were unsuccessful.

When contacted, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, declined to comment on the intrigue.

But the former VP’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said that they were not under any form of pressure over the choice of Makinde as was being speculated.