Former President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan has dismissed as false his involvement in the fraud that delayed the completion of the Gashua Water project.

In a statement by his special Adviser on media,Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, the office of the immediate past President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan has been drawn to the spurious and unfounded allegations circulating in certain quarters regarding the purported misappropriation of funds meant for the Gashua Water Supply Project.

The statement reads in part:”These claims are nothing but malicious fabrications, deliberately orchestrated by desperate individuals intent on smearing the impeccable reputation of the former Senate President.

“For over 25 years of distinguished service as a Member of the National Assembly, Senator Lawan has maintained an unblemished record of integrity, transparency, and accountability. At no point in his long and illustrious career has he been summoned or investigated by any anti-graft agency in Nigeria. His sterling credentials earned him the rare privilege of serving as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts in both the 6th and 7th Senate under the leadership of the respected former Senate President, Senator David Mark.

“During his tenure as Chairman of this critical oversight committee, Senator Lawan spearheaded rigorous investigations into government expenditures, ensuring judicious use of public funds. Notably, not once was he ever associated with financial impropriety, a fact that underscores the absurdity of these baseless allegations.

“The Gashua Water Supply Project, which has regrettably become the subject of politically motivated falsehoods, was neither executed by Senator Lawan nor was he involved in any way in the disbursement or management of funds for the project. Like any responsive representative, he facilitated the inclusion of the project in the 2021 budget in response to a dire public health emergency — rising cases of kidney diseases in Gashua and surrounding communities, which medical experts linked to contaminated water sources. His intervention was purely in the interest of his constituents, a duty he has always upheld with the utmost sense of responsibility.

“The project in question, which has been successfully completed was commissioned and handed over to the Yobe state government on Tuesday, 6th of May, 2025, by the Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the event.”

Continuing the statement noted , “it is no coincidence that these allegations surface at a time when Senator Lawan’s goodwill and political influence continue to soar. Those threatened by his towering stature and the goodwill he enjoys among his people have resorted to cheap blackmail and character assassination. However, no amount of propaganda can diminish his legacy of service, nor will it distract him from his commitment to the welfare of his people.

“While we are open to accepting genuine criticisms, this office will resist any attempt to defame the character of Senator Ahmad Lawan through libelous publications by mischievous elements. We hereby warn purveyors of falsehood and their sponsors to desist from further spreading these malicious claims.

“Failure to do so will leave us with no choice but to pursue all necessary legal avenues to protect Senator Lawan’s hard-earned reputation from reckless defamation. Enough is enough!

“We urge the media and the general public to disregard these unfounded allegations and instead focus on the facts. Senator Ahmad Lawan remains a lawmaker of high integrity, and no smear campaign can rewrite his outstanding record of service to Nigeria.”

By Our Reporter

Three Labour Party LP members of the House of Representatives have dismissed their purported suspension from the party the embattled former chairman of the party describing it as “laughable” and a desperate attempt by a “dethroned emperor” to cling to power.

Hon Amaobi Ogah

Former LP who was removed by a recent Supreme Court judgment on Thursday announced the suspension of the three House Representatives members of the party comprising  Hon. Afam Victor Ogene, Leader of the Labour Party Caucus in the House of Representatives, Hon. Seyi Sowunmi, Deputy Leader, and Hon. Amobi Ogah, a prominent member of the caucus.

The embattled former chairman had also announced the suspension of the only governor elected on the platform of the party, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti of Abia State, Senator Ireti Kingibe and Senator Darlington Nwokocha, Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party.

In a joint statement titled “Our Former National Chairman Goes Mad Again,” the three LP lawmakers expressed dismay that Abure, instead of working to improve the fortunes of the Labour Party, seemed focused on orchestrating its disintegration to appease external forces driving his actions.

They said further, “From yesterday’s overreach of himself and his band of jesters, it is now evidently clear to everyone who has followed recent events in the Labour Party, that our former national chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, has gone mad again, in a desperate move not to go down alone.

“It’s utterly absurd that Abure, who failed to demonstrate moral integrity during his tenure as national chairman, now claims the authority to sanction party leaders. Only in Abure’s distorted reality can those with questionable character judge others. In the real world, his Supreme Court-nullified leadership status has reduced him to a self-serving shameless impostor driven by personal gain.

“A political party is set up for the specific goal of participating in the democratic process, especially the contestation for power.
Since the Peter Obi effect of 2023, what has Abure and his gang of undertakers done to enhance the fortunes of the party? In fact, we challenge him and his cohorts to name one single individual of note that they have attracted to the party since 2023.

“From Kogi to Bayelsa, Ondo to Edo, what Abure has done is lead the Party to disastrous outcomes.

“All they have excelled in, is run the party as a criminal enterprise, fleecing aspirants of hard-earned cash in exchange for party ticket.

“Even in his native Edo, where he was dragged on the floor like a common felon because of disputations over misappropriated delegate funds, the over-bloated and egoistic Abure couldn’t even win his polling unit for the party.

“Pained of being kicked out of his lucrative position as national chairman, on account of abuse of official malfeasance, Abure and his gang of jesters have resorted to desperate antics in a bid to stay relevant.

“Which self-respecting national chairman of a political party busies himself running around media houses like a press boy? The last time around, it was announcing the sack and replacement of Hon. Ogene as caucus leader, but when that didn’t work, he has resorted to contriving a fake suspension order.

“Abure has appointed himself as a willing undertaker for the destruction of the soul of the Labour Party but ironically, he is only supervising the burial plan of his image and integrity as a public servant and political leader. We wish him well.”

LP presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi

By Our Reporter

Unhappy with the comments of former Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP)Mr Peter Obi in his validatory speech on late elderstatesman, Pa Edwin Clark,the President of the Senate,Godswill Akpabio challenged Mr Obi, telling him to resolve the crisis in his party before he can talk about national issues.

Akpabio’s statement was a direct response to Obi’s earlier comments on the life and times of the late elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark.

Obi, while eulogizing Clark, had deplored the poor quality leadership in the country, saying “the labour of our heroes past had been in vain.”

But Akpabio, while presiding over a valedictory plenary session in honour of the late Chief Clark on Thursday, lambasted Obi, describing his statement as reckless.

According to him, having failed to resolve the leadership crisis in the Labour Party, Obi lacked the moral ground to make such comments about national issues.

While insisting that the labour of Nigeria’s past heroes had not been in vain, Akpabio knocked Obi for “attempting to cause division with his mouth.”

“Those who are aspiring as presidential candidates want to cause division with their mouths using the social media. Tell them to resolve the crisis they have in their small party before they come to talk about the larger Nigeria

“You cannot even resolve the crisis in that Labour Party. Is it the crisis of Boko Haram that you will come and resolve in Nigeria?,” Akpabio said.

The former Akwa Ibom State Governor boasted about what he termed his numerous achievements during his tenure as governor, insinuating that Obi, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, had little to show for his eight years as governor of Anambra State.

“I would like us to be known for what we did when we had the opportunities. As I speak now, I can tell you about the dualized thoroughfares in my city. I can fly over us in my city. I can tell you about the best international hospitals in my city. I can tell you about the monuments of government houses for the governor and deputies.

“I had one of the best digitalised governors’ offices. I can tell you about the free and compulsory education. I can tell you about the unity I brought in religion by sponsoring over 5,800 Muslims, over 12,000 to 15,000 Christians to Rome and to Jerusalem.

“But then those who are aspiring as presidential candidates want to cause division with their mouths using the social media.

“Tell them to resolve the crisis in their small party before they come to talk about the larger Nigeria because the social media in Nigeria is not regulated,” Akpabio said.