News
Lai Mohammed’s claims about funding Kwara elections wicked, false: APC scribe

Insists Minister is a divisive, dictatorial leader
By Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Claims by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that he funded the 2019 general elections in Kwara State are “false and self-serving”, Secretary of the State All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mustapha Ishowo has said.
Addressing a news conference on Thursday in Ilorin, the party scribe, who was also a principal officer of the party in 2019, condemned what he called the minister’s dictatorial and divisive tendencies and said it was uncharitable of him to have claimed funding the election campaign of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazak.
Berating the Minister for his penchant for baseless self-promotion through outright lies and falsehood, Ishowo described the minister as a dictator who does not tolerate any opposing views, saying the Governor’s crime since the campaign period was his insistence on mutual respect, equity, and transparent use of campaign funds.
“As a party elder, one would have been quiet because it is always important to give room for peace and reconciliation, no matter the situation. However, silence in the face of tyranny and naked falsehood may be interpreted as agreement or consent. Having read the interview of Alhaji Lai, the impression is that he has not changed one bit from his old self. Alhaji Lai Mohammed is egocentric and always economical with the truth. He is always given to self-promotion and clout chasing,” Ishowo said.
According to the party chieftain, the claims in the interview by the minister were self-serving and not representative of the truth.
“Alhaji Lai had for long taken advantage of the governor’s coolheaded nature. Maybe it is time to really open the can of worms for the world to better know Alhaji Lai for who he is. Alhaji Lai is divisive, territorial, dictatorial, and is never a team player. His claim of funding elections is bogus and typical of his lies. He was nowhere to be found during our campaigns which he not only boycotted but also directed all his hirelings to also boycott,” he said.
“The then governorship candidate ran and led his own campaign across the state, day and night. This was heavily bankrolled by the candidate himself. He also donated hugely to the campaigns of other candidates, even when he had his own election to run. This is the fact, and any claim to contrary by Alhaji Lai and his followers is synonymous with his widely acclaimed epithet: lie.”
Ishowo also narrated that the minister was always promoting factions with his notorious Lai Mohammed Campaign Organisation (LAMCO) which he has refused to disband after many years of contesting and losing elections.
“Alhaji Lai Mohammed is an extremely divisive figure who hides under his position to discriminate against and oppress other party elders and members alike. He does not tolerate dissent under any guise. He is notorious for promoting tendencies, especially placing people from his Lai Mohammed Campaign Organisation, aka LAMCO, above every other person. Whether in Kwara South, North or Central, this has been his problem with other party elders and chieftains alike.
“His habit of promoting tendencies and wanting to dominate others are at the roots of why he sought to remote-control the then governorship candidate Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. When the candidate sensed this danger and sought to work on the basis of equity, mutual respect and understanding, Alhaji Lai directed the former party chairman, BOB and other party executives, to boycott the campaign of the governorship candidate. So, except on three occasions or thereabouts after the presidential election had been won, you cannot see either Alhaji Lai Mohammed or BOB or anyone who aligned with him joining the campaign of the governorship candidate. A few of us who chose to join the candidate to campaign were blacklisted. These people are still alive. The governorship candidate led his own campaign to every corner of the state, many times sleeping in far-flung communities. Videos and other records are available.
“Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s claim that he funded the APC election campaign in 2019 is a fallacy. Anyone who knows Alhaji Lai Mohammed knows he cannot part with his kobo. The claim that he bankrolled the governor’s campaign is an empty boast that every serious party member and elder knows to be false. If anything, he was simply cornering party funds for personal promotion and use. The motorcycles he was talking about were donations to the party which he was forced to share after a tug of war and subtle threats of reporting him to the party’s national secretariat and the donors. Indeed, rather than warehouse such donated items at the party secretariats, they were kept at his LAMCO office. This shows his nature as a sectional and maximum ruler.
“I urge people to be wary of Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Not only does he lie so effortlessly, he is a tyrant who does not care if heaven falls for as long as his agenda is served. Our disagreement with him started when we asked him to account for the humongous donations made to the party for campaign. They refused to be accountable. They outlawed anyone who asked them question. Is that the person boasting to the whole world?”
News
The Academic Staff Union of Universities chapter at Taraba State University has issued a final warning to the Taraba State Government, calling on Governor Agbu Kefas to immediately implement the 2025 Federal Government–ASUU agreement or risk an indefinite strike.
In a statement signed by the chapter chairman, Joshua Garba Mbaver, the union accused the state government of repeatedly failing to honour agreements reached with its members, describing the situation as a threat to staff welfare and the future of the institution.
Declaring that lecturers had exhausted their patience, the union stated:
“Enough of empty promises is enough.”
ASUU said its outstanding demands include the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government–ASUU negotiated agreement, payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), Professorial Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and all outstanding arrears owed to academic staff.
According to the union, these issues have been discussed and documented through several engagements with the state government, but no concrete action has been taken.
“Instead of taking concrete action, our union has been met with silence and neglect by the Taraba State Government,” the statement said.
The union argued that the 2025 agreement was designed to improve staff welfare, strengthen university funding, revitalize public universities, and enhance conditions of service.
It described the government’s continued failure to implement the agreement as “unacceptable, provocative and dangerous,” warning that it undermines collective bargaining and demonstrates a lack of commitment to the survival of the university.
ASUU emphasized that it was not seeking preferential treatment but simply demanding the implementation of agreements already reached.
“We are demanding what is due to our members. We demand respect for labour, fairness, and the comprehensive implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.”
The union further warned that unless the Taraba State Government addresses its demands within the shortest possible time, it will have no option but to embark on an indefinite strike, a move that could significantly disrupt academic activities at Taraba State University.
News
Ex- AGF Aondoakaa, SAN condemns killings in Benue
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for the 2027 Benue State election, Chief Michael Aondoakaa,SAN on Wednesday strongly condemned the current wave of attacks in parts of the state, which have led to the killing of many innocent people and the displacement of thousands of others.
Aondoakaa, in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, James Ian, and made available to Our correspondent in Abuja said one of the unfortunate incidents was the recent killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ardo Risku Muhammed, describing the murder as reprehensible and unacceptable.
He urged security agencies to find the killers of the MACBAN leader.
Similarly, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice condemned today’s attack on Saai Community in Mbajir Ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, which claimed the lives of scores of innocent people and left many others with varying degrees of injuries.
Chief Aondoakaa SAN said he received the tragic news with immense shock and deep sorrow, describing the massacre as another painful reminder of the worsening security situation in Benue State.
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, the people of Saai Community, Mbajir Ward and the entire Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, while praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the attack.
He also condemned similar attacks on Benue communities in Agatu, Guma, Gwer West, Kwande and other parts of the state.
While condemning the barbaric assault in Katsina-Ala, Chief Aondoakaa, SAN insisted that the primary responsibility of every government is the protection of lives and property, as clearly provided under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He therefore called on the Benue State Government to rise to its constitutional responsibility by taking proactive and practical measures to secure the lives of the people instead of allowing communities to remain vulnerable to terrorists, bandits and armed invaders.
He noted that the Benue State Government has no justification whatsoever for failing the people on security, especially when unprecedented funds have been accruing to it following the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu to enable states to have the necessary support and resources to confront security challenges within their territories.
According to him, it is both unfortunate and unacceptable that despite the enormous resources available to the present government, many Benue communities have continued to suffer relentless attacks with little evidence of a coordinated state response.
He demanded that the Benue State Government explain what it is doing with the huge monthly security votes appropriated for the protection of lives and property when communities are repeatedly attacked, thousands of people are displaced from their ancestral homes, and innocent men, women and children continue to lose their lives.
He maintained that security votes must translate into visible support for security agencies, improved intelligence gathering, rapid emergency response and concrete measures capable of preventing attacks, rather than becoming mere budgetary figures without corresponding results.
He urged security agencies to carry out a thorough investigation, apprehend those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted in accordance with the law, stressing that every life is sacred and that justice must be served irrespective of the identity of the victim.
He further expressed concern over the deplorable condition and abandonment of rural roads across Benue State, warning that the collapse of critical road infrastructure has continued to undermine security operations by delaying the movement of troops and emergency responders to distressed communities.
According to him, accessible rural roads are not merely development projects but strategic security assets that enable security personnel to respond swiftly to distress calls, pursue criminal elements and protect vulnerable populations.
He called on the military, the police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and all other security agencies to intensify ongoing operations, bring the perpetrators of the Katsina-Ala massacre and other violent crimes to justice, and ensure that no part of Benue State remains under the control or threat of criminal elements.
Aondoakaa prayed for the peaceful repose of the souls of those who lost their lives in the attacks, including the MACBAN Chairman, Alhaji Ardo Risku Muhammed, those who were killed in Saai, as well as all other victims of attacks in the state, asking that God grant comfort to their families and healing to the injured.
News
RMAFC Chairman Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Corrupt Enrichment
The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Transparency and Accountability (CCGTA) has accused the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, OFR of corrupt enrichment
The coalition, an umbrella body of Nigerian civil society organisations focused on anti-corruption and good governance, has written to the RMAFC chairman seeking clarification over what it describes as discrepancies between the assets he declared in his 2020 Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) asset declaration and his current traceable wealth.
In a letter dated 29th June 2026 and signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Bashir Kurfi, a copy of which seen by our correspondent, the coalition stated that it was concerned about an “inexplicable gap” between the financial assets, personal properties and other interests declared by Dr. Shehu upon his appointment as Secretary of the Commission in 2020 and his present wealth profile.
According to the letter, “we are first of all genuinely concerned with the inconsistencies observed in the 2020 asset declaration. However, that is not our immediate focus at the moment. What’s paramount at the moment is the sudden unexplained wealth.
“Our action is not vindictive but a standard accountability procedure employed by CCGTA, which gives public individuals the opportunity to respond to allegations before further steps are taken.
“Any further action by us, including the decision to organise public protests, petition anti-corruption agencies, institute legal proceedings or publicly campaign on the matter would depend on the outcome of the clarification sought from the Chairman”
The coalition gave Dr. Shehu three days ultimatum to respond to the issues raised and threatened” “to invoke all legal means within its power to pursue the matter to logical conclusion if their request is not adequately addressed”.
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