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Edo 2020: Oshiomhole dumps Odubu, Backs Ize-Iyamu

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Ahead of the Septem­ber 19, 2020 gover­norship election in Edo State, the hope of a former deputy governor of the state, Pius Odubu; a former Minister of State for Works, Engr. Chris Ogiem­wonyi, and Maj.-Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd.) to become the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Con­gress (APC) appears to have been dashed as the party prepares for the governor­ship primary slated for next month.

A credible source in the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) told Dai­ly Independent that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, had settled for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a former gover­norship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who formally joined the APC in December 2019, as his preferred choice.

It would be recalled that a mock primary was organ­ised by the four aspirants few days ago to select a con­sensus candidate who will face incumbent governor, Godwin Obaseki, in the pri­mary.

However, thugs alleged­ly sponsored by one of the hopefuls invaded the venue and dispersed those in at­tendance while the voting exercise was going on.

According to our source, having realised that the as­pirants had failed to agree among themselves on who becomes the consensus can­didate, Oshiomhole, who fa­cilitated Ize-Iyamu’s return to the APC, settled for his emergence and would likely face Obaseki at the primary billed to hold on June 22.

“As it stands, Pastor Osa­gie Ize-Iyamu is confirmed for Edo APC. Oshiomhole has already made up his mind on that.

“Since he has given the four of them the privilege to pick a consensus candidate but they have failed to do so, with time ticking out, he has settled for Ize-Iyamu.

“Don’t forget that Osh­iomhole masterminded his return to the APC despite the fact that the likes of Odubu, Ogiemwonyi, Airhiavbere and others are strong candi­dates in their own right.

“The earlier the other aspirants queue behind Ize- Iyamu, the better for them”.

“Based on Oshiomhole’s plans, I foresee a situation where Ize-Iyamu will emerge the candidate.

“At this stage, only Pres­ident Muhammadu Buhari can change that because all the Abuja forces loyal to Oshiomhole have agreed on that,” the source revealed.

Another party source said except President Buhari in­tervenes, Governor Obaseki may be walking a tightrope as Oshiomhole would use his position as national chair­man to his advantage in se­lecting the candidate.

“The Oshiomhole camp will attempt to disqualify Obaseki at the screening level before the primaries.

“Don’t forget what hap­pened in Kogi where many strong aspirants who were seen as threats to Governor Yahaya Bello were screened out,” he said.

Our correspondent also gathered that Governor Obaseki is already in Abuja and would meet President Buhari today on the contro­versy surrounding the mode of primary to be adopted by the party.

While Edo APC led by Anselm Ojezua said it was adopting the indirect prima­ry method, which involves only accredited delegates, the NWC, led by Oshiom­hole, said it had adopted the direct primary option, which involves all card-car­rying members of the party.

However, Governor Obaseki said as the chief security officer of the state, he was opposed to the idea of direct primary now because of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

The governor, who spoke through Crusoe Osagie, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strat­egy, said as an extremely popular candidate, he was not afraid of any mode of primary and would defeat any aspirant who slugged it out with him for the APC ticket.

According to him, gath­ering together over 500,000 party members in the name of primary may trigger the number of COVID-19 cases already in the state, a situa­tion he said would put more lives at risk.

“The governor of Edo State and leader of the APC in the state, Governor God­win Obaseki, is an extreme­ly popular candidate who will defeat any aspirant that contests the party’s ticket in whatever means of primary that is used.

“The question we should ask is, ‘Is direct primary the better alternative now in the midst of this COVID-19 pan­demic?

“Governor Obaseki, as a responsible citizen and chief security officer of Edo State, will not take any action that will put the health and safety of the good people of the state at risk.

“That is why we are op­posed to the idea of direct primary at this period,” Osa­gie said.

Also speaking, Hon. Paul Ohonbamu, the Edo State Commissioner for Communi­cation and Orientation, said it was erroneous for some people to claim that Gover­nor Obaseki was unpopular which explains why he was opposed to the direct prima­ry method.

According to him, it is un­fair for Oshiomhole to preside over the selection of the par­ty’s governorship candidate, having publicly shown that he was desperate for Governor Obaseki not to be re-elected.

He said: “The governor of Edo State is not afraid of di­rect primary. He is ready for any form of primary.

“The constitution allows for either direct, indirect, or consensus, which was used to bring Oshiomhole back for his second term.

“But this time, they are saying consensus is undem­ocratic but when it was used for Oshiomhole, it was not undemocratic.

“Now that it is Obaseki’s turn, it becomes undemocrat­ic. You can see how they are propagating two moralities.

“Few days ago, the NWC, led by Oshiomhole, said they had granted a waiver to Ize- Iyamu.

“However, the APC con­stitution said waiver can be granted subject to the approv­al of the National Executive Committee (NEC).

“The question now is, when did NEC meet to ap­prove that waiver that was granted to Ize-Iyamu?

“In 2018, the NEC of the party said the mode of pri­mary will be determined by the state.

“I don’t see anywhere NEC has met again to change that position. But Oshiomhole is trying to force his position on the state.

“Aside that, the general question in Edo right now is, how do you gather all the party members in the state to­gether for primary, consider­ing the dreaded coronavirus in this country and the need to observe social distancing?

“Other states are doing all they can to stem the tide of the virus and Edo shouldn’t be acting differently?”

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Investors Affirm Support For Fidelity Bank Plc With 238% Oversubscription In The First Phase Of Equity Capital Raise

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Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced the successful conclusion of the first tranche of its equity capital raise through its Public Offer and Rights Issue (the Combined Offer) following the completion of the capital verification exercise conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and approval of the Basis of Allotment by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A total of 108,046 applications for 23,791,687,463 Ordinary Shares totaling ₦231,968,952,764.25 were received on the Public Offer. Out of these, 107,588 applications for 23,768,724,000 Ordinary Shares totaling ₦231,745,059,000.00 were found to be valid based on the terms of the Offer and the CBN’s verification. However, 458 invalid applications for 22,765,143 Ordinary Shares totaling ₦221,960,144.25 were rejected, while 548 applications which included odd lots amounting to 198,320 Ordinary Shares (i.e. ₦1,933,620.00) were also rejected. The Public Offer was 237% subscribed and 150% allotted.

With respect to the Rights Issue, 7,559 applications for 4,430,290,237 Ordinary Shares totaling ₦40,980,184,692.25 were received of which 656 applications for 23,037,442 Ordinary Shares totaling ₦213,096,338.50 were invalid based on the terms of the Rights Issue. The Rights Issue was 137.73% subscribed and 100% allotted.

“We are delighted to announce the successful completion of the first phase of our capital raising initiatives through a Public Offer and Rights Issue. The positive result recorded in our Combined Offer is a testament to the strength of the Fidelity Bank franchise in the capital market. It is both gratifying and humbling to note this level of investor confidence in our Bank. We extend sincere gratitude to our investors for their continued confidence in the Bank, as evidenced by the 237.92% and 137.73% oversubscription of our Public Offer and Rights Issue respectively. As we go into the next phase of our capital raising drive, we reaffirm our commitment to providing cutting-edge financial solutions to our customers and sustainable returns to our stakeholders”, commented Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, OON, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc.

The funds realised from this initial phase of capital raising will be deployed to local and international business expansion, enhancement of technology infrastructure and deepening customer service initiatives.

With the successful conclusion of the first phase of capital raising, the Board of Directors recently obtained the approval of shareholders to commence the second phase and is confident of meeting the new regulatory capital for banks with international authorisation before the CBN’s deadline of March 31, 2026.

Following the CBN’s publication of the revised minimum capital requirement for banks in March 2024, Fidelity Bank with its combined offer of June 2024, became the first financial institution undertake a public offer on the Nigerian Exchange Group.

From an offer price of N9.75 per share for the Public Offer and N9.25 per share for the Rights Issue in June 2024, the Bank’s shares traded at a high of N21.15 on February 7, 2025, a growth rate of over 116%, the highest for any financial institution in the banking industry.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 8.5 million customers through digital banking channels, its 251 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the Export Finance Bank of the Year at the 2023 BusinessDay Awards; the Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023; and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. It was also recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023 and the Best Domestic Private Bank in Nigeria by the Euromoney Global Private Banking Awards 2023.

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Video: I Won’t Apologise For Your ‘Forgetfulness’ – Naja’atu Muhammad dares Ribadu

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Founder and Chairman board of trustees of the Northern Star Youth Initiatives, Hajia Naja’atu Muhammad, has reacted to reports of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, demanding apology over her viral TikTok video.

Naja’atu, in a recent video sighted by our correspondent, dared the NSA to go to court if he has issues with her statement, saying she’s not ready to apologise for his ‘forgetfulness’.

Meanwhile, Hajia Muhammad, in the viral TikTok video, claimed that the current NSA is serving in President Bola Tinubu’s government, whom he had criticised as ‘corrupt’ when he was the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

However, Tribune Online reports that the NSA Ribadu, through his lawyer, Dr Ahmed Raji (SAN), said he never publicly or privately accused Tinubu of being a corrupt government official.

The NSA therefore urged Naja’atu Muhammad to tender an unreserved apology, noting that the damage had been done to his reputation.

But Naja’atu Muhammad, while responding, said she stood by her original statement and would never be intimidated by those she referred to as “attack dogs” from the NSA.

She said, “There’s no retreat. No surrender. No apologies to Nuhu Ribadu. I’m speaking in response to the recent threats and intimidation by Nuhu Ribadu using his attack dogs and his lawyer, Ahmed Raji and Co.

“Regarding my statement that the then chairman of the EFCC had publicly accused the then Governor of Lagos State, Ahmed Bola Tinubu of being and I quote ‘a corrupt government official who will not escape justice’.”

Continuing, she noted her acknowledgment of the possibility of Nuhu Ribadu to have forgotten or retracted his past comment, but stated that her words accurately reflected her views on the matter already in public domain.

“While I acknowledged that Nuhu Ribadu might have forgotten or chosen to retract his comment from the past, I stand by my statement and do not believe an apology is warranted. Apology to whom exactly? To President Tinubu for the earlier comments made by his now National Security Advisor? Or apology to Nuhu Ribadu for his forgetfulness and master-serving mindset.

“I stand by my original statement and will not be retracting it. My words accurately reflect my views on the matter based on what is already in the public domain. And I do not believe an apology or retraction is necessary,” Naja’atu Muhammad added.

The Northern Star Youth Initiative leader urged the NSA to approach the court as he has threatened, saying, “I will not compromise my position to appease Nuhu Ribadu and his attack dogs. I will not retract my statement nor will I apologize for speaking the truth as I see it. You have issues, as you’ve threatened; please go straight to the court. But nothing will silence me.”

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Speaker Mojisola Meranda Calls For United Action To End Female Genital Mutilation

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Lagos Speaker Mojisola Lasbat Meranda has reaffirmed commitment to ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), calling for a united front against the practice.

In a statement marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Meranda condemned the violation of human rights that affects millions of girls and women worldwide.

Meranda emphasised the need for accelerated efforts to end FGM, stressing that it’s a responsibility that goes beyond governments to every individual. She vowed to push for policies that raise awareness and protect potential victims, ensuring the health, dignity, and rights of young girls are safeguarded.

She said: “This year’s theme, #StepUpThePace, is a call to action. We must accelerate efforts to end this barbaric practice once and for all. It is not just the responsibility of government but of every individual – whether you are a legislator, a healthcare worker, a professional or simply a concerned human being.

“We must unite to protect the future of our daughters and ensure their health, dignity and rights are safeguarded. I commit to pushing for policies that protect girls, raise awareness and put an end to this atrocity.”

The Speaker urged everyone to take action in their respective capacities to put an end to FGM, emphasizing that together, a world free of this harmful practice is possible.

 

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