…sets agenda for Ibrahim, permanent rep at UN
The President of the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI), Mr. Olufemi Aduwo, has described attempts to portray recent developments within the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as evidence of exclusion or persecution as unconvincing and misleading. Gbenga Daniel, the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District was reported to have been barred from attending a caucus meeting of the APC on Monday in Ijebu Ode area of the state.
A viral video on X shows the moment the senator’s convoy was denied access to the premises of Adeola Odutola hall in Ijebu Ode, where the meeting was in progress. The former governor, who addressed his supporters from a white bus outside the venue of the event, however said decisions made at the meeting would be invalid. “We are here for our Ogun east APC caucus meeting, but surprisingly, we have been barred.
We are told that we can’t enter, but let it be said that whatever they do here today is null and void,” he said. But Aduwo, who said such claims reflect a selective reading of events and a disregard for the operational realities of party organisation, noted that the controversy surrounding Daniel and the APC caucus meeting in Ijebu-Ode has been overstated. He stressed that what occurred was the routine enforcement of accreditation procedures, not any form of political conspiracy.
“No serious political organisation operates without rules governing access to its internal meetings. Accreditation is essential to order, security and institutional credibility. To present adherence to such procedures as victimisation is to fundamentally misread their purpose,” he stated. He further observed that the APC in Ogun State, like any major political party, accommodates internal competition and disagreement, which do not amount to institutional breakdown but are inherent features of democratic politics.
He referenced the 2023 electoral cycle, noting that allegations regarding Senator Daniel’s political alignment during the governorship contest inevitably influenced internal perceptions, regardless of their substantiation. Despite this, he maintained that the party remained cohesive and electorally successful. “It is a matter of record that Daniel’s senatorial candidacy in 2023 emerged from internal party arrangements and political accommodation, including the decision of a sitting senator to step aside. This underscores the primacy of collective decision-making over individual entitlement,” Aduwo said.
The CCDI boss emphasised that a caucus meeting is not a platform for personal assertion but a regulated forum governed by rules binding on all members. Recasting the enforcement of such procedures as exclusion, he said, is disingenuous. Commenting on political leadership in Ogun State, Aduwo stated that Governor Dapo Abiodun has demonstrated political responsibility by maintaining cohesion amid internal tensions through a balance of firmness and restraint.
He, therefore, advised that it would be more constructive for Daniel to embrace a reflective posture consistent with elder statesmanship, noting that political leaders in the state like former Governors Olusegun Osoba and Ibikunle Amosun have transitioned into roles where influence is exercised through counsel rather than electoral contest. He further noted that political parties are sustained by discipline, not sentiment and cautioned against elevating routine procedural enforcement into narratives of persecution.
In another development, has congratulated Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, describing his appointment as a national assignment of considerable responsibility. In a congratulatory message to Ibrahim, Aduwo stated: “Please accept my warm congratulations on the presentation of your Letter of Credence to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, formally accrediting you as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
This is a distinguished national assignment of considerable responsibility, and it reflects both confidence in your capacity and recognition of your public service trajectory “ In my capacity as Permanent Representative of the Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI) to ECOSOC/United Nations, I also wish to place on record a few reflections on critical institutional challenges presently confronting the United Nations system, which, in my respectful view, require urgent and sustained redress if the organisation is to retain its relevance, credibility and moral authority in a rapidly shifting global order.
“First is the growing deficit in enforcement capacity within the multilateral system. While resolutions remain abundant, compliance mechanisms, particularly in conflict prevention and international security, remain weak and inconsistently applied.
“Second is the question of equitable representation and structural reform of the Security Council, where the current architecture no longer reflects contemporary geopolitical and demographic realities, particularly the marginalisation of Africa and the Global South. “Third is the increasing erosion of multilateral consensus, as major powers increasingly resort to unilateral or blocdriven approaches, thereby weakening collective decision-making.
“Fourth is the persistent gap between Sustainable Development Goals commitments and actual financing, particularly in developing economies where debt burdens continue to constrain developmental progress. “Fifth is the urgent need for institutional reform to improve efficiency, reduce bureaucratic duplication, and strengthen accountability mechanisms within the UN system.”
Noting that the credibility of global governance is increasingly challenged by public distrust, necessitating stronger transparency, communication and demonstrable impact on the lives of ordinary citizens, Aduwo urged Ibrahim to seize the opportunity of his new role to contribute meaningfully to debates on global affairs “Your Excellency, your new role offers a strategic platform to contribute meaningfully to debates at a critical moment in global affairs and I trust that you will bring intellectual rigour and diplomatic balance to the discharge of your responsibilities,” he charged Ibrahim.
