Mohammed Shosanya

Nollywood legend,Pete Edochie,says he lost hope in Nigerian electoral system after the June 12,1993 presidential election by Late Bashorun MKO Abiola,was annulled by the military ruler,Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida.

He also lamented that the untoward circumstances surrounding Nigerian politics which has continue to draw the country back gives him no hope that Nigeria would be free from the hawks

He bares his mind with the host of the viral TV show #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo.

Lamenting the country’s electoral malaise and politicians’ inordinate ambition to perpetuate themselves in power,the actor said:“A lot of people say that history repeats itself because we learn nothing from history itself. History offers us a lot of lessons, but we prefer to ignore those lessons and keep repeating our mistakes. Each time we have an election, there’s always chaos – consequent upon it, because somehow there is this element of criminal ingenuity in our constitution. We want to find a quick fix for something which is not necessarily right.

“You find old politicians (septuagenarian, octogenarian politicians), who have little, or nothing left to offer the country, but they want to remain there till infinity. That’s not in the interest of the country. Make way for youngsters so they can introduce some changes.

“I have adult children, when it comes to manipulating the smartphone, they do all these things for me. I mean I can’t bring myself to keep staring at phones, so they make it easy for me. That is what life should be generally. You play your part, you move out, and let the youngsters take over. The youths of this country have been insulted, their sensitivity is brutalized, and their aspirations asphyxiated”

On the 2023 elections,be said:”So, they said, “come 2023, we shall show them that we’re not too young to run, we’re not lazy”. 2023 comes and what do you see? You have to pay a hundred million to purchase a declaration of intent form. How many youngsters are going to come out and do that just so they can take part in politics? Again, it is the hand of the octogenarian political journeyman that we see in play and that’s not very good”

0n the presidential ambition of Peter Obi,he said:“It was the situation that gave birth to Peter Obi. Peter seized that opportunity to detach himself from the old politicians who’ve been recycling themselves and Peter was publicized by people who thought they were denigrating his person, saying, “he is very frugal in terms of spending, he’s very stingy, he’s very parsimonious”, and all that sort of nonsense.

“Then, Peter comes out and the youth of the country see him as a kind of messiah. They thought ‘since we know that this man knows how to handle money, he must make our lives relevant and useful’. So, they flocked towards him. All the people who follow Peter around, that obstreperous number you see following him, nobody gives them a kobo. I know Peter. Peter was my governor. Peter was the classmate of one of my younger brothers in CKC.

“He leads the life of a Trappist monk. Peter is not a loud person, he never does anything so that you can applaud him in society. You can walk into Peter’s house, and he looks at you, gets a bottle of beer, and you split it. I mean, he’s a very rich man, he makes donations to bodies that require assistance – bodies like motherless babies’ homes and all that – and he does it quietly. You will not know.

“So, he comes out and all the youths of the country says, “this is the man who we will give our votes to” and they followed him. Then election comes. Again, that ingredient of criminal ingenuity in our constitution comes into play and the entire thing is ruffled and we are going to court. I gave up on our electoral system after Abiola’s election was canceled. That election was the freest and the best election we have had in this country.

” I am 76, so, if I’m not saying it with fear of contradiction, I am saying it with plenty of authority and with plenty of conviction. During that election, you didn’t see people snatching ballot boxes, creating problems, shooting around and scaring people. No, it was called ‘option A4’.

“It was Professor Humphrey Nwosu, who by the way got a first class in political science, who came up with something as smart as that. That election was canceled, and I lost hope. Ever since, we have never had a free and fair election.I don’t discuss politics because it hasn’t given me hope and it doesn’t give me hope,”he added.

Mohammed Shosanya

Tijani Bosun, a ministerial nominee from Ogun State,has said that frustration was responsible for most of his uncharitable comments about NIgeria in most of his tweets.

The tech guru,who revealed this when he appeared before the Senate for screening,recalled the frustration he encountered while he was seeking a Chinese visa which though was meant to take two days to process seeing that he was a Britain Citizen, but dragged to over two weeks when the authorities discovered his Nigerian affiliation.

He lamented that he was subjected to thorough and special checks as a result of this.

Insisting that the tweet in circulation was in two parts, with the second part reading “for us to lift this country, we must correct our image and project positive images to the world,” Buhari explained his passion for Nigeria, pointing out that he is recognized for the work he has done in the past as he has no Godfather in politics.

He emphasized that he has hosted world renowned tech-innovators such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg who visited the country.

Tijanni,had in a recent tweet referred Nigerian Senators as morons.

He also published other tweets where he said that he does not appreciate the Nigerian passport, and that he does not also appreciate being a Nigerian, also emerged.

Tijani Bosun, holds a Bachelor degree in Economics from University of Jos.

He also has a Masters degree in Information Systems and Technology, and a Doctorate degree in Innovation and Economic Development from university of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

Senator Abdufatai Buhari (APC, Oyo North) who reviewed the nominee’s resume,disclosed that Tijjani on his social media handle (Twitter) describes being a Nigerian as an “Expensive Tag” that closes doors of opportunities.

Senator Buhari who added that some of the tweets were published on the 29 July 2019, wondered if the nominee still believes in a Nigeria which he considers as a bad omen.

This development made matters worse as efforts by the Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele who referred to him as an end SARS protester , who believes he can join hands with the government to build the country was fruitless

Senator Abbo Elisha said “sometimes when people tweet their frustrations online, they do so for the love of the country.”

He added that the nominee was qualified and should be allowed to apologize for any wrong tweet of the past.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, urged the lawmakers to “forgive” the nominee over the remarks.

Mohammed Shosanya

Osun state governor,Ademola Adeleke has disclosed the reason he supported the ministerial appointment of the former governor of the state, Adegboyega Oyetola

He disclosed this to newsmen after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.

He said he gave his immediate predecessor the support on account of his commitment to the overall interest of Osun and her indigenes irrespective of political affiliations for his support for Oyetola’s Ministerial screening at the Senate.

He said the election process is over and that it is time for all Osun people to join hands for the development of the state.

He added: “I told our Senators to support Mr Oyetola. There is no need to embarrass him by withdrawing the support of the three PDP senators. We have a state to develop and my focus on that goal is total.

“Political maturity is needed to build the Osun of our dreams. Poverty knows no party difference. So we must support each other at all levels as long as Osun’s interest is at the center stage”, the Osun Governor told the journalists.”

Speaking on his plans for Osun state,the governor disclosed that he just unveiled the Osun Business Growth Initiative, noting:”Our administration is working hard to develop the state business sector. So we need new partnerships with several federal and international agencies.

“I have the sense of urgency to change this label of civil service state. We want our industrial sector to grow. So we have to develop the abandoned free zone. This will drive inflow of investment. We hope to get the SME industrial clusters off the ground. We need mini-industrial parks all over the Senatorial district. We are reviewing the Omoluabi economic zone to make it truly functional.

“With the state cabinet in place, I seek to quicken the pace of our delivery.That is why we are hosting several delegations locally and internationally. That is why we are targetting national and global agencies.”