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Lagos PDP Chairman, Salvador Defects To APC With 15,000 Members; Accuses Bode George Of Destroying Party

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The chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Moshood Salvador has dumped the opposition party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Salvador, who expressed displeasure over the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party towards affairs of Lagos PDP, said former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George, is on a mission to destabilize the party in the state.

His words: “I am not happy to abandon the work I started because I began the journey with the full determination of winning Lagos, but when you are confronted with a leadership that doesn’t appreciate and encourage you, then you have to take your work to another place it would be appreciated.

“Today (yesterday), the Chairman of Board of Trustees (BOT) of PDP called me and I told him he should let me consult with the party members. The National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, also called me today (yesterday) for the first time after my travail. He never called since I was put in jail, up till I came out two weeks ago; he was calling on Monday just to ask me why I want to leave.

“I told him it is not possible for me to be in the same party with Bode George. The national chairman of PDP should be more serious. We have over 8.5 million registered voters in Lagos State and yet they allow Bode George to destabilize the party.

“Bode George also cooked up things to put me in jail in the murder case of late Aborishade. Enough is enough. I am leaving the party with my supporters and I am taking them to APC, where they would be recognised and appreciated,” he said.

Speaking further, Salvador said: “I want the whole world to know that Bode George is the problem of PDP in Lagos. I have handed over to my deputy over a month ago. Immediately I was detained, I called my deputy and handed over to him. I wrote a letter to the national secretariat notifying the party that I’m handing over to my deputy.

“It’s not far fetching, in the last election, APC defeated PDP with about 100,000 votes, and that was why I mobilized heavily to beat the gap, PDP had 44.96 percent of the vote while APC had 51.96 percent. All the other parties put together had 1.08 percent.

I have to take my people to where they can get a life, where they can get jobs, and enjoy dividend of democracy, therefore we are going to APC.”

The embattled PDP chairman alongside 10 other party members was recently arrested and arraigned by the police on two charges of conspiracy and unlawful killing of the Apapa Local Government chairman of the party, Adeniyi Aborishade.

Aborishade was murdered on Saturday, July 21, during the PDP’s “visitation meeting” that held at Igbosuku Village, Eti-Osa Local Government Area. Salvador was final discharged based on advice by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution.

But, addressing the media earlier yesterday, Chief George; the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) member, Dr. Remi Akitoye; former Lagos State deputy governor, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and wife of late Aborishade, Silifat, among others fingered Salvador in the death of Aborishade, calling on the Inspector General Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris and the Attorney General of the Federation to probe Aborishade’s killing.

At the conference, with the title: “Who Killed My Husband? Aborishade’s wife cries out,” which took place in Ikoyi, where a video clip of what led to the killing of Aborishade was played, George said Nigeria is a society of law and order, adding that protecting lives of individuals must be sacrosanct else life would be short and brutish like Hobessian State of anarchy.

He said: “The family of Aborishade has justifiably internationalized this issue. The United Nations Human Rights Commission is being notified. The International Criminal Court at The Hague is equally being addressed to help keep a proper watch on the proceedings.

“This cannot continue. The rule of law is the very pivotal balance of the justice system. It is the primary anchor that holds democracy together. Alas, see what they did to a peacemaker! He was murdered by evil men with premeditated devilry in their hearts. In a cruel, horrible coincidence, Aborishade was murdered exactly 12 years after the Omoluabi Eko, Funsho Williams was equally murdered on July 26th, 2006. The killers of Williams are still unknown. But they can never hide forever. The law of karma may be slow, but sooner Justice always catches up. Who brought the thugs to the scene? Who took them away after the murderous evil?”

George, while saying that he agreed with the DPP that the police should continue their investigation to unearth the murderers of Aborishade, however, noted sadly that “the police in Lagos State Command is not the fit and proper organization to carry out any conclusive, unbiased investigation in this issue.”

He, therefore, called on Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation to set up an impartial Special Investigation panel to probe into the circumstances and the culprits and their sponsors that killed Aborishade, even as noted that the family of the slain PDP chieftain had justifiably internationalized the issue.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State chapter of the party has described Salvador’s defection as good riddance to bad rubbish. The party described its former chairman as an unstable politician whose inordinate ambition and penchant for falsehood will soon be discovered by the APC.

While playing down the claim by Salvador that he left the PDP because of George, the party said: “Salvador is economical with the truth as Chief Bode George is rather his benefactor who once ‘made’ him a senatorial candidate and now state chairman.

“The problem with Salvador is that he is not a team player and too ambitious, interested in all opportunities. He will very soon show the APC he belongs to. We will not be demoralised by his defection. He has never been a winner for the party. We are likely to feel concerned if some names touted go with him but for Salvador, he is just a loudspeaker politician.”

BIG STORY

Court Remands Woman For Allegedly Stabbing Husband To Death In Ibadan

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An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court yesterday ordered the remand of a housewife, Olajumoke Olalere, 33, at Agodi Correctional facility, Ibadan, for allegedly stabbing her husband to death.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi, who did not take the defendant’s plea for lack of jurisdiction, ordered her remand pending the legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

She, thereafter, adjourned the case until March 5, 2025 for mention.

According to The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the police charged Olalere with a count of murder.

The prosecutor, Cpl. Akeem Akinloye, had told the court that the defendant on October 30, at 9.00 p.m. allegedly caused the death of her 39-year-old husband, Oluwasegun Tinubu.

Akinloye said the defendant allegedly stabbed her husband with a knife during a disagreement at their house, at Zone 5, Gbelu, Iyana – Agbala, Ibadan.

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BIG STORY

UPDATE: EFCC Grants Former Delta Governor Okowa Bail Over Alleged N1.3trn Fraud

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The Port Harcourt zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted administrative bail to Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, a former governor of Delta State, over allegations of diverting N1.3 trillion in 13% derivation funds from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

Okowa was arrested on Monday, November 4, 2024, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after reporting to the Port Harcourt Directorate of the EFCC at the invitation of investigators handling his case.

Sources confirmed that the former governor left the EFCC facility around 9 pm on Wednesday night.

A source under anonymity stated: “He left the facility at about 9 pm yesterday (Wednesday).”

“Okowa is expected to return soon to provide documents and answer more questions before the matter will be charged to court.”

The former governor is accused of failing to account for the 13% derivation funds, as well as an additional N40 billion, which he allegedly claimed to have used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

Specifically, Okowa is said to have purchased N40 billion worth of shares in one of the country’s major banks, representing an 8% equity stake in the offshore LNG venture.

The funds are also alleged to have been diverted for other purposes, including acquiring properties in Abuja and Asaba, Delta State.

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BIG STORY

Oil Marketers Respond To Dangote Refinery Claims, Say SON, NMDPRA Certify Imported Petrol

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The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) certify the imported Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, that is imported into Nigeria, oil marketers have said.

They disclosed this on Thursday in response to claims by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery that off-spec petroleum products were imported into the country by dealers.

On Tuesday, the refinery informed Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited and other oil marketers that the deregulation of the downstream oil sector should not be used as a justification for the importation of off-spec petroleum products or the undermining of Nigeria’s national interests.

Oil marketers denied this claim on Thursday, with the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, Robert Dickerman, revealing that his firm signed a 13-year agreement with the Dangote refinery to distribute the refinery’s petroleum products through pipelines.

Dickerman pointed out that independent inspectors, NMDPRA, and SON, among others, “inspect our products, so we can’t bring in off-spec products into this country.”

His position was confirmed by SON, as an impeccable source at the agency told one of our correspondents that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria was involved in the testing of imported petroleum products.

The official added that the organisation operates its own laboratory facility to check if the commodities are off-spec or not.

“Yes, We are involved in the testing of petroleum products when they come into the country. We are involved in that. We have our laboratory facility where these tests are conducted. It’s to ensure if the commodities meet regulatory standards or off-spec,” the official said.

A major marketer also kicked against the claim that dealers import off-spec products into the country, particularly since the downstream oil sector was deregulated by the Federal Government.

“I once told you what we went through when we brought in our imported cargo of petrol. The product underwent a lot of laboratory tests. I know the NMDPRA carries out tests on imported products. They took a sample of our recent import when it was still in the mother vessel at Atlas Cove before it was moved to Apapa.

“At the point of discharge, they took the sample again before allowing us to put it in our tanks. The NMDPRA has certified laboratories that they use. We have our laboratory, but the NMDPRA will not allow you to do your test without them certifying the product by themselves.

“The testing is in three stages, the one in Atlas Cove when the vessel lands in Nigeria. When the product moves to your point of discharge, they will do another test before they allow it into your tanks and aside from that, the day you want to start loading they will carry another test,” the marketer, who spoke in confidence due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, stated.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos on Thursday, Dickerman said the clarification became necessary to debunk the statement from the Dangote refinery, which accused Pinnacle of plans to blend substandard petrol in Nigeria.

The Dangote refinery had also said the Pinnacle MD approached it, pleading with the refinery to extend pipelines to its tank farms in order to blend substandard imported petroleum products with its ‘high-quality’ ones.

Reacting, Dickerman described the statement as defamatory, inaccurate, and intentionally misleading.

The managing director said it proposed and invested in pipelines to distribute petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery, saying pipeline transfer is far less costly than distribution by ship or trucking across the country.

According to him, when the project was proposed to Dangote, it wholeheartedly agreed and signed a 13-year interconnection agreement with Pinnacle Oil.

“On November 5, Dangote issued a Press Release titled, ’Pinnacle Oil and Gas FZE: Our Stand’. It is unfortunate and deeply concerning that this release contained several statements that are defamatory, inaccurate and intentionally misleading. Further, it advocated a national policy that would cause severe economic damage to Nigerians by raising the cost of petrol above global market prices and higher than they are today.

“In our effort to further enhance distribution efficiency, we proposed and invested in pipelines to distribute petroleum products from the Dangote Refinery, as pipeline transfer is far less costly than distribution by ship or trucking across the country. When we proposed this project to Dangote, they wholeheartedly agreed and signed a 13-year interconnection agreement with us.

“In addition, Dangote facilitated our process of achieving regulatory approval by writing two Letters of No Objection to the regulator to enable our project to proceed. The agreement to allow us to interconnect our pipeline to them was agreed actually in 2022 and I think it was signed in early 2023. So it was about two years ago that we actually reached this agreement, and it was done very comprehensively, from a commercial and a legal standpoint,” Dickerman stated.

He narrated that a lot of processes had gone into the project since it was signed, including the engineering design for the pipelines, surveying, getting the right of way, and letters of no objections from anyone who could be affected by the pipeline.

“There’s a whole bunch of stages to a project. This is not unlike any other construction project. It’s a very simple and straightforward process. This was done first. There was never a hint that this was not a good deal for both parties ever. So, it’s just not true that they opposed it. It’s simply not true that they opposed it. They supported it,“ the Pinnacle boss stated.

This came as the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited denied a video clip that claimed the oil firm was selling dirty fuel from an NNPC Retail outlet at Keffi Flyover.

“We have carried out spot checks at all our outlets and found this claim to be false. The product was not, and could not have been bought from any NNPC Retail outlet as the company does not dispense petroleum products into bottles or jerrycans as displayed in the video,” it said in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

It added, “NNPC Retail Ltd does not deal in adulterated products as it adheres to rigorous standards and quality control measures at every stage in its operations to ensure that only high quality, safe, and reliable petroleum products are available at its stations nationwide.

“Members of the public should discountenance the spurious claims made in the video and be wary of selfish and unpatriotic elements pushing such a narrative as they do not mean well for the country.”

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