He will not fade in the blurred ink of politics nor does he intend to
fizzle out in the dying flicker of his spent political era; all things
being equal, Ibrahim Mantu intends to be in our faces for the long haul,
masterminding theatrics and lending his voice to the affray of familiar
candidates. Having attained notoriety via his failed bid to actualise former
President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s third term bid, Mantu, a former deputy
Senate President, gradually fizzled out from public consciousness and
the political arena.
Following his failure with former President Obasanjo’s third term bid,
he lent his weight to perpetuating late President Musa Yar’Adua in
office despite the latter’s ill health and inability to continue in
office as President; to this end, he formed the splinter Northern Elders
Forum and championed the cause to perpetuate the late President
Yar’Adua in office.
In bid to gain favour from the late President Yar’Adua’s family, Mantu
mobilized influential figures under his aegis and got them to throw
their weight behind his propagandist scheme claiming the indiposed
president was actually hale and hearty enough to resume in office. Under
the banner of his unpopular Northern Elders Forum, Mantu collected
several millions of Naira from the sister of the ailing President to
organise a World press conference.
He actually did at the Shehu Musa Yaradua centre Abuja in 2008 where he
warned Nigerians, particularly Northerners not to permit Jonathan who
was then the Vice President, VP, to the late Yar’Adua to assume office.
Eventually, Mantu failed in his plot and he suffered for the ignoble
role he played at election time; his constituency refused to retain him
as their representative in the nation’s Senate and another candidate was
elected in, in his place.
Today, Mantu is at it again, he has started warming his way back into
the mainstream politics by courting the favour of the incumbent
President, Goodluck Jonathan, via his PDP Reloaded forum. To reward him
for his loyalty, President Jonathan nominated him as federal delegate to
the ongoing National Conference.
Sources close to the Benson& Hedges chain smoker revealed that he
is warming up to replace former Governor Joshua Dariye in the Senate.
Mantu allegedly told his campaign manager in confidence that he has
been able to win the heart of President Jonathan and the latter has e
allegedly told his campaign manager that President Jonathan has assured
him that he would be made the Senate President no sooner than he is
re-elected into the National Assembly. These are indeed interesting
times for Nigeria and promising days for Ibrahim Mantu.
Cecilia Ibru in the News Again
Her femininity is sturdy enough to withstand anything; even
desolateness and ruined careers. But for all the misery she has had to
endure, Cecilia Ibru, former Managing Director of defunct Oceanic Bank,
has waded out of the sinking sands of disgrace and grief with well
healed scratches and scars of defeat. Cecilia has smothered the agony
and disappointment of her damaged reputation and banking career to
chance on joy; rather than mope and wallow eternally in self-pity, she
has chosen to rediscover happiness and contentment by reclaiming her
seized properties.
Cecilia Ibru, in a fresh suit, is asking the court to
help retrieve all her properties seized by the federal government but
in a swift reaction, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON)
has objected to her plea. It would be recalled that Cecilia Ibru was
convicted of gross acts of financial fraud in October 2010 by a federal
high court after a plea bargain. Consequently, she forfeited personal
assets worth N191billion comprising 94 properties spread across the
United States, Dubai and Nigeria. She was sentenced to six months
imprisonment after her conviction.
Fairy Tales from the household of Nigeria’s number one cop
Babies do more to men than make fathers of them; indeed, the
anticipation of a new born thrusts an expectant father into a riotous
whirl of joyousness and rebirth. Going by his current state, you may be
forgiven if you think that Nigeria’s number one law enforcer is
experiencing pangs of rebirth as he anticipates the birth of his new
child. As you read, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, Nigeria’s Inspector-General
of Police is ecstatic with joy as he impatiently counts down to the
d-day when his ravishing heartthrob, Zara Bunu, will put to bed. Zarah
Bunu, whom he married last year, is heavy with her first child for
Abubakar and this indicates glad tidings for the expectant mother and
father no doubt; sources close to the family acknowledge that the birth
of their new child would bring greater joy into the family that’s still
savouring the good fortune of their breadwinner the nation’s I.G.
Abubakar and Zarah got married last year 19 months after losing his
first wife, Maryam. The wedding generated great buzz as it attracted the
crème of Nigeria’s high society.
Grace Ihonvbere Goes Low Profile
Many celebrities who make it big often go through a period in which it
seems like they are invincible; and very few celebrities perhaps
understand this instructive reality better than Grace Ihonvbere. The
stylish wife of former Edo state governorship aspirant, Professor Julius
Ihonvbere currently lives her life like one who has been schooled about
the transience of fame, money, power and respect. Having suffered
neglect and desertion by their closest friends and political associates
immediately after her husband left the employ former President Olusegun
Obasanjo as a Special Adviser, Grace has learnt to keep a low profile
hence in the wake of her husband’s second chance at fame and power,
Grace makes a conscious and very successful attempt to shun the
limelight. Even though her husband is the current Secretary of State to
the Edo State Government, Grace manages to avoid the spotlight and the
high societal demands that accompany such elevated office.
An
instructive case to note occurred few weeks ago, when women from Afemai
ethnic group in Edo State paid her husband a solidarity visit, urging
him to consider taking a shot at the Edo North Senatorial District as
their preferred candidate, Grace was conspicuously absent; she was not
around to receive the women. For a woman erstwhile renowned for her love
of pageantry and obsession with the limelight, her refusal to see the
women, astonished the visitors and other people who were in attendance
at the State House at the time of the visit.
Gbenga Ogunniya Sets the Record Straight
In a swift reaction, Senator Gbenga Ogunniya has dismissed news of his
presumed disappearance and loss of relevance in the political scene of
Ondo State as incorrect. Ogunniya who rose to eminence during the regime
of late Governor Segun Agagu, disagreed with the report that he was not
as visible as he used to be in Ondo social and political scenes,
stating that he was still relevant in the State’s politics. According to
him, he has contributed his quota to Ondo State politics. “I am still
the only Yoruba person that had third term in the Senate,” he said,
explaining that he had to slow down because he is aging. Ogunniya will
clock 65 in September. “I need to slow down and allow younger
politicians too,” he said, debunking the rumour that he was planning to
leave the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). “I’m still a PDP Chieftain,”
he said claiming that he was working with other top-shots in Ondo
political space to bring back the glorious days of PDP in the State.
Yanju Lipede Latest Moves
Do you still remember Prince Yanju Lipede, the urbane Egba Alake Prince
who was a three term executive chairman of Abeokuta South Local
Government Area of Ogun State? The gist about Yanju this time around is
not about the indelible achievements he recorded as the boss of the
premier Local Government of Egbaland. Many residents of Abeokuta
township and it’s environ today can’t still forget the free
transportation system he provided for students of primary and secondary
schools with several indelible achievements during his tenure. The new
story on Yanju who is the highly respected Redeemed Christian Church of
God (RCCG) pastor is that he is now one of the 2015 Guber hopefuls of
Labour Party. We gathered that some eggheads in the party who believe
the party can only win the 2015 Guber election in Ogun State have
finally succeeded in dragging the Egba Alake Prince into the 2015
governorship race after so many pleas.
We gathered that this Labour
Party Think-Tanks believe that the party needs a man with Yanju’s type
of integrity and acceptability in Egbaland to win the 2015 guber poll.
In just few weeks that stories hit town that Prince Yanju has finally
agreed to run for 2015 governorship on Labour Party platform, the
political equation in the Gateway State is beginning to change and so
many politicians is PDP and APC have started embracing Labour Party
simply because of Yanju. Aside from acceptability in all quarters of
Egbaland, Yanju is also acceptable to over 800, 000 RCCG worshippers in
Ogun State and he also enjoys chummy relationship with Ogun Muslim
community.
Why Gbenga James Deserted Ayo Fayose?
There is something instructive about the relationship between Gbenga
James and his friend, Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State. A
cursory look at their case may inspire feelings of disillusionment
amongst political hopeful, thus you may be forgiven for thinking that
real politics has little to do with ideas, values, and imagination; and
everything to do with maneuvers, intrigues, plots, paranoia, betrayals, a
great deal of calculation, no little cynicism, and every kind of con
game. Such was the hallmark of the relationship between Gbenga James and
Ayo Fayose that the latter’s recent bid to contest the gubernatorial
seat of Ekiti State does not interest Gbenga James.
Back in the days when both men were chummy, Gbenga James would have
supported Ayo Fayose’s bid to occupy the Ekiti State governorship seat
for the second time; more importantly, he would have teamed up with him
to ensure that the dream was not stillborn. Reality however, proves that
today, Gbenga nurtures a much different dream from Fayose’s; he would
not be seen anywhere close to his friend and former governor of Ekiti
State. This has been attributed to the duo’s inability to mend fences in
the aftermath of what is described in political and social circles as
Gbenga’s unconscionable betrayal of Fayose.
Gbenga, owner of Biological Concept and former business partner of the
former governor of Ekiti, Fayose, was implicated in the corruption
allegation levelled against Fayose. The intrigues of the incident led to
the ouster of Fayose as Ekiti governor. Rumour has it that Gbenga
betrayed Fayose and gave him up to the EFCC even though Fayose only
sought to help him by awarding him a poultry contract. Gbenga allegedly
admitted his guilt stressing that he had to give up his friend as the
pressure mounted on him by the EFCC had become unbearable. Gbenga was
eventually let off the hook by the anti-corruption agency and he has
since withdrawn from the social and political circuits.
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