Aisha Buhari, Obasanjo lead in 2016 top 10 ‘blasts’ by prominent Nigerians...

The outgoing year, 2016, was defined by many notable events and outbursts. There were sour clashes featuring prominent Nigerians.

Here are the 10 most memorable with the first couple taking the lead.

Buhari Vs Aisha

I won’t support you for second term if ……..Aisha Buhari

In October, President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, claimed, among other things, that a cabal had hijacked her husband’s government.

She also said she may not support the president’s re-election in 2019 unless he overhauled his cabinet.

“As a person, I have my right to say how I feel about something. If it continues like this, me I am not going to be part of any movement again…..”she said in the interview with BBC.

You belong to my kitchen – Buhari

Speaking from Germany, Mr. Buhari denied that his government had been hijacked by a cabal.

“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room,” he said.

“So I claim superior knowledge over her and the rest of the opposition because in the end I have succeeded. It’s not easy to satisfy the whole Nigerian opposition parties or to participate in the government.”

Obasanjo Vs National Assembly

You lawmakers are a gang of armed robbers – Obasanjo

In November, former President Olusegun Obasanjo lampooned the National Assembly, saying it was largely an assemblage of looters and thieves.

He said the federal legislature was “a den of corruption” controlled by “a gang of unarmed robbers.”

It was the second time in the year Mr. Obasanjo would be carpeting the federal lawmakers for alleged corruption.

You’re the most corrupt Nigerian – House

The House of Representatives, in the reaction, said Mr. Obasanjo was the “most corrupt” Nigerian on the record.

The lawmakers said the “greatly corrupt” and “morally bankrupt” former leader was plotting to derail Buhari administration in the same manner he allegedly did to successive presidents since 1979.

“It is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of bringing down governments,” House spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas, said in a statement.

Bola Tinubu Vs Oyegun

You are anti-change and must go –Tinubu

In September, a national leader of the APC and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, publicly demanded the resignation of the party’s chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, over the party’s primary election in Ondo.

He alleged that they sought to turn the APC into a factory of the very political malpractices the people rejected in the past.

“Oyegun’s transgressions are a warning. He is but the mercenary of forces that seek to return the nation to the old ways….On the chopping block, lies the future of the political party in which the majority of voters had placed their confidence. To rescue the party, Oyegun must go.”

You can’t remove me on the pages of newspapers – Oyegun

In his initial reaction to the call by Mr. Tinubu on him to resign, Mr. Odigie-Oyegun said his removal could not be done on the pages of newspapers.

“The methods of getting rid of a national chairman if that is what I will call it, are spelt out in the constitution. They don’t take place on the pages of newspapers,” he said.

He was to make more elaborate response in a statement early October, describing Mr. Tinubu’s allegation as “reckless and baseless.”

Atiku Vs El-Rufai

You’re a betrayer – Atiku

In November, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, had in an interview with Zero Tolerance, published by the EFCC, recounted how Mr. El-Rufai and a former of the Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, betrayed him.

“You also forgot that it was the same El-Rufai and Nuhu that my boss used in cooking up the indictment that was eventually thrown out.

“So, where is the evidence of corruption? It’s just not fair for you to say somebody is corrupt without substantiation…..”

You’re a liar, I dare you to go to the US – El-Rufai

In his response, the Kaduna governor, said the former VP had “a record of spewing outright lies and innuendo against my person”.

Mr. El-Rufai said not even Mr. Abubakar’s expertise “in the dark arts of damaging other people through a campaign of lies from him and his media machine” was capable of returning the country to its past.

The governor also accused Mr. Abubakar of corruption, saying the former vice president had not gone to the U.S. for fear of being arrested.

Ganduje Vs Kwankwaso

I’ll expose your shoddy deals – Ganduje

In March, the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, accused his predecessor, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, of perpetrating shoddy deals while in office and threatened to expose him.

“Some works done (by Mr. Kwankwaso) were done with hell lots of misdeeds and betrayals which I will soon expose for people to know the calibre of person my predecessor was,” he said.

“Kano people will always resist any attempt by anyone to shortchange them – which Kwankwaso did. Yes we knew the genuine projects including the shoddy ones which I will not tolerate by exposing them for people to judge his action.

He also said Mr. Kwankwaso was planning to campaign to replace President Muhammadu Buhari “while there is no vacancy for that position.”

You’re a weak governor – Kwankwaso

In his response, the camp of Mr. Kwankwaso denied the allegations and warned Mr. Ganduje to desist from dragging the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to cover for his administration’s “obvious weaknesses”.

El-Rufai Vs Sani

You’re an ant I will match and crush – El-Rufai

In June, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, reportedly described his political traducers, including Senator Shehu Sani, as “ants” that he would “match and crush.”

The governor spoke during a Town Hall meeting in Giwa Local Government Area of the state.

You’ll be held responsible if I die – Sani

Mr. Sani, in response accused Mr. El-Rufai, of making a speech constituting a threat to his life.

“We hold Governor Nasir El-Rufai personally responsible for any harm done on Senator Sani,” statement by his aide, Suleiman Ahmed, said.

Dogara Vs Rep Jibrin

You’re padded 2016 budget with N30 billion – Jibrin

In June, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumuni Jibrin said the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers of the House, padded the 2016 budget with about N30 billion and should therefore resign their positions.

He said in a statement, “The four of them met and took that decision…..“My inability to admit into the budget almost 30 billion personal requests from Mr. Speaker and the 3 other principal officers also became an issue. I have every documented evidence to this effect.”

I don’t respond to jokes – Dogara

The Speaker, in response, described the allegations of high-level corruption leveled by Mr. Jibrin against him and other principal officers, as “jokes.”

“I won’t respond to jokes. I’m not a mud wrestler,” Mr. Dogara said in response to a tweet from a Twitter user, Comrade Abdallah.

Makarfi Vs Sheriff

APC is using you to destabilise PDP – Makarfi

In July, the national caretaker committee of the PDP accused the factional national chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff, of being sponsored by the APC to destabilize it and also to scuttle its chances in the Edo State governorship election.

“The All progressive Congress, APC, has contracted Sheriff and his cohorts to scuttle the chances of the PDP in the Edo governorship elections,” the spokesperson for the Makarfi committee, Dayo Adeyeye, said.

I’m too big to be used – Sheriff

Mr. Sheriff, in a reaction by his media aide, Inuwa Bwala, said he was too big to be used.

“Senator Ali Sheriff is too big to be used by anybody, least of all the APC, to destroy a party he is trying to and weaning from the milk of impunity and rebuilding to give Nigerians a credible alternative.”

Melaye Vs Remi Tinubu

I don’t prostrate to your husband in Bourdillon – Melaye

In July, Senators Dino Melaye and Oluremi Tinubu engaged in verbal punches, which began in a closed-door session of the senate to discuss alleged forgery case against Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

He said during the debate that Mrs. Tinubu called him a dog and that made him to react angrily, saying he was not one of those senators who normally come to prostrate to them in Bourdillon.

He denied threatening to impregnate Mrs. Tinubu, wife of APC national leader, Bola Tinubu.

You behave as if it is a pride to denigrate a woman – Tinubu

Mrs. Tinubu wrote separate petitions on the matter.

She said, “Senator Melaye hurled foul and vulgar language at me. What he said should never be heard in any public institution let alone the floor of the Senate.

“Denigrating me as a woman, Senator Melaye threatened to beat me on the floor of the Senate just because I dared to express my opinion different from his.”

Oyegun Vs Frank

You’re disloyal – Odigie-Oyegun

In May, the National Chairman of the ruling APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, said the party’s deputy spokesperson, Timi Frank, did not have the qualities needed to replace the former spokesperson, Lai Mohmmed.

He alleged that Mr. Frank was not only disloyal to the party, was also not from the north central zone to which the position was zoned.

“He is a nice young man but unfortunately, he has interest which goes beyond the party. And if you have that you can’t speak for the party. We want somebody who is totally loyal to the party,” he said.

You’re incompetent – Timi Frank

Mr. Frank, an indigene of Bayelsa State, immediately fired back accusing Mr. Odigie-Oyegun of incompetence.

“Again, it boils down to my national chairman. If the chairman truly has the capacity I bet you we would have created the right development.”

“You can’t say because I am not from the North Central I cannot fit into the position of acting spokesperson. It is laughable. That shows we have a chairman that does not have the will to put the party together. That is a very big failure on his part.”