It was a show of shame yesterday at the APGA regional office Awka as the Idemili north Local Govt chairman of APGA, Hon Obiora Samuel Chukwunulu was beaten and assaulted by the security details of the state chairman of the party.
AIF Media gathered that the assault on the Hon Chukwunulu was on the order of the state chairman, Barr Ifeatu Obi-Okoye.
Yesterday, the state chairman inaugurated the LG chairmen of APGA in all the 21 local councils of the state at the regional office of the party at Awka.
Trouble began when the state chairman sighted Hon Obiora Samuel Chukwunulu the duly elected party chairman of Idemili north LGA. Recall that the state Chairman Barr Obi-Okoye who is also from Idemili north LGA has refused to recognized Hon Chukwunulu as the elected chairman for the party in his local govt.
During the state congress organized by Dr Obi Ogbolu the Special Adviser to the governor on political matters, Barr Obi-Okoye anointed one Chief Lemmy Ekwo while the party members preferred Hon Chukwunulu.
Prior to the LG congress, 5 members of the party in Idemili north LGA bought the nomination forms to contest for the LG party Chairmanship position. But during the congress, 3 of the aspirants stepped down for Hon Chukwunulu. And he was left with Chief Lemmy Ekwo.
However as the voters were lining up to vote, Hon Lemmy Ekwo who saw that the party members were queuing behind Hon Chukwunulu decided to walked out of the venue. Voting ended peacefully and Chukwunulu was duly elected by the LG congress committee led by Mr Ebuka Onyekwelu. This happened in the presence of Secretary to the stat govt and other leaders of the APGA in Idemili north LGA.
But the state chairman felt insulted that his anointed candidate lost at the congress. So he refused to recognize Hon Chukwunulu or deal with him as the LG party Chairman of APGA in Idemili north despite the fact that it was the name of Hon Chukwunulu that was submitted to the party headquarters, INEC and other institutions.
The impunity of Barr Obi-Okoye came to climax yesterday when he refused to inaugurate Hon Chukwunulu as the party Chairman for Idemili north LGA alongside other party chairmen.
On sighting Hon Chukwunulu at the regional office Awka, he ordered his Ebubeagu security details to bundle him out of the venue.
Hon Chukwunulu was subsequently manhandled, beaten, assaulted and bundled out of the regional office, the venue of the inauguration as can be seen in the video footage below.
This is undemocratic, condemnable and unacceptable. Barr Obi-Okoye can not single handedly remove a LG party chairman who was elected by majority of ndi APGA in Idemili north LGA.
This undemocratic assault is the inherent attitude of PDP Anambra state where Obi-Okoye was once the state state chairman.
Gov Soludo should intervene quickly and restore Hon Chukwunulu. The Special Adviser to the governor on Politics, Dr Alex Obiogbolu should equally help in calling the state chairman to order.
The Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, Friday, signed into law, the Enugu State Electricity Bill, describing it as a major step towards economic growth and making the state the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and living.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Government House, Enugu, Dr. Mbah said the quest by his administration to build Enugu State’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion would translate to a pipe dream without adequate and stable power supply, hence the need for the Electricity Bill, which was transmitted to the House of Assembly about a fortnight ago.
He equally commended the leadership and members the House of Assembly for the expeditious passage of the Bill and for their partnership with the government across party lines for the good of Enugu State.
“As you know, following the Constitutional Amendment and the Electricity Act of 2023, electricity is now on the concurrent list. This will now enable us to play in all the value chain of the electricity industry.
“So, Enugu State has spared no time in making sure that we create our own electricity market. That is the crux of this law.
“We are now able to play in the generation, transmission, and distribution segments of the electricity market.
“We are also, through our regulatory commission, which this Law has given us power to create, going to be able to regulate the activities of these players – the generation, transmission, and distribution companies that will flow from it.
“So, this is a significant and very important Law towards the achievement of the Enugu of our dreams because the development and growth of Enugu will all be predicated on the platter that this law has created. You cannot talk about industry or private sector investment if you don’t have electricity or power.
“Enugu, under our administration, is designed and indeed prepared to be the premier destination for investment and this law is part of the enablers.
“Therefore, we thank members of the Enugu State House of Assembly for the expeditious way they treated this Bill, which has become Law today by this assent”, the governor stated.
The signing was witnessed by the Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ezenta Ezeani; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Kingsley Udeh; the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, among other state functionaries.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi has said that the strong and resolute voices of truth like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s are what are needed to inspire a new Nigeria.
Congratulating the internationally renowned author on her 2023 birthday anniversary, Obi, who described Adichie as “very dear sister”, also celebrated her for following the path of sincerity and integrity in her life’s journey, adding that Adichie’s courageous voice of truth has continued to resonate in Nigeria and beyond.
He encouraged Adichie to remain steadfast in doing the right thing in all circumstances, and prayed God to grant her many more healthy, fruitful and happy years; as she continues to contribute to the growth, development peace and progress of Nigeria through the power of words and ideas.
Police operatives, soldiers and officials of the Department of State Service (DSS), have stormed a camp at Eke-agbebor Isu, Onicha Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State, said to belong to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
This is contained in a press statement issued in Abakaliki on Thursday by SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state police command in the state.Onovwakpoyeya noted that the team also destroyed a shrine at the IPOB camp.
“On Sept. 13, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, tactical team operatives of the Command in a joint operation with the military and the DSS stormed an IPOB/ESN camp at Eke-agbebor Isu in Onicha LGA of Ebonyi state.
“One of the IPOB/ESN members was shot and fatally wounded, while others escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds.
“Two others were, however, arrested. These are Emmanuel Chinedu ‘m’, aka Patho, aged 26, and Paul Ani ‘m’, aka Osah, 38,” the PPRO explained.
In another development, Onovwakpoyeya added that another IPOB member was arrested on Sept. 14 by residents of Agba community in Ishielu local government area of the state. She said that the suspect was arrested while trying to flee the community and was handed over to the police.
“The Commissioner of police is using this opportunity to appeal to all hospitals, traditional medicine homes, chemists and all Ebonyi residents to report any one seeking medical attention with bullet wound injuries to the nearest police station,” she stated.
Any moment from now, the Electoral Tribunal sitting in Enugu shall be delivering its judgment in the case of who was duly elected as the Governor of Enugu State in the last election. As I have stated many times in the past, I believe, based on the facts, the evidence and the law, that Chijioke Edeoga is the winner of that election and that will be eventually confirmed in the cause of this case. I carefully followed the trial of the case. Every assessment and my predictive capacity push toward only that conclusion, and nothing else.
The belief that the outcome of the governorship petition will go in favor of Edeoga was not dented by two recent judicial events. These were: (1) the judgment in the petition Peter Obi file against Bola Tinubu, and (2) the decision two days ago by this same tribunal giving judgment in favor of PDP House of Rep candidates against their Labor Party counterparts. There are clear distinctions between these two cases and the case of Edeoga against Mbah.
DECISION IN OBI V. TINUBU:
If you recall well, you would remember that I had always predicted that Obi would lose at the tribunal. I made that prediction after looking at the grounds Obi raised and the evidence he adduced during trial. The argument over the 25% of Abuja votes was clearly not going to lead to the disqualification of Tinubu. I actually warned against anyone placing so much reliance on that argument. That point was actually the only point that would have led to Obi being declared the winner of the presidential election, if that point was decided in his favor. Since I knew all along that that point was not a winning point, I knew that Obi would lose at the tribunal. It was as simple as ABC. The issue of Tinubu’s educational record was not fully developed to have played a part in the decision of the tribunal. So, based on the case presented by Obi to the tribunal, I had no hesitation in predicting that Tinubu would win. And he won.
However, the case of Edeoga against Mbah is remarkably much stronger than the case of Obi against Tinubu. While Obi’s petition occurred in a context that involved a third party – PDP – what we have in Enugu is a two-way fight between Edeoga and Mbah. While Atiku stood to benefit from some of the arguments of Obi, if they had succeed, only Edeoga will benefit from the points he raised, if accepted by the court. For instance, if Obi had succeed in disqualifying Tinubu, that would not be enough to make Obi the president because Atiku was declared the second-in-line. So, if Tinubu had been disqualified without a rerun, Atiku would have become the president, not Obi. We don’t have such a situation in Enugu. So, if the tribunal disqualifies Mbah on the ground of his certificate forgery, Edeoga will be declared the winner. Also, if the tribunal cancels the manipulated votes in Nkanu East that led to Mbah being declared the winner, Edeoga will emerge the Governor.
Also, the quality of Edeoga’s performance during the trial was far superior to the performance of Obi during trial. Edeoga’s ability to bring in the NYSC to discredit the certificate of Mbah was a nuclear bomb in that case. It is hard for the court to discountenance the evidence/testimony of the NYSC official. That will lead to a judicial crisis that will never be explained logically. The position of the NYSC on the validity of NYSC discharge certificates is unassailable and incontrovertible. To hold otherwise will mean that the court is now issuing its own NYSC certificates. Also, INEC did not call any witness in the trial. Also, Mbah did not testify. Usually, his failure to testify would not have been held against him. But given the nature of the evidence on the NYSC certificate, only Mbah could explain how he got the certificate he had. So, his personal testimony was necessary if he wanted the court to believe him. Everything in that trial went against Mbah. So, I had no hesitation in calling the trial a victory for Edeoga.
THE RECENT DISQUALIFICATION OF LP HOUSE OF REP MEMBERS:
Another event that has raised concerns about this tribunal was the fact that only two days ago, it ruled against three Labor Party candidates at the House of Representatives. This led to all kinds of speculations and fears. Many became afraid that the tribunal appeared biased against Labor Party, which, by a logical extension, implied that the tribunal would likely decide also in favor of Mbah as PDP candidate. In fact, the rumor was that the tribunal reached its decisions in the cases of the House of Representatives members “because of the amount of money Peter Mbah had pumped out to ensure that PDP would win”. I don’t believe so. Yes, Peter Mbah is more than desperate. He is more than willing to bribe the judges. But I don’t think any of these judges is ready to jeopardize his place in history by basing his judgment on money. At the worst, they could take the money and still do what is right. Mbah will not go after anyone to recover the money he has spent in bribing such a person, assuming he actually bribed anyone.
In my assessment, the problem of the Labor Party candidates had to do with the Labor Party structure or lack thereof. The suddenness with which Labor Party emerged and rose to the frontline was shocking. It is only natural that without a strong and adequate structures in place to vet their candidates and make sure they have done everything right, it would be easy to find many technical violations in their journey to the offices they occupied. I believe that was what made it easy for the tribunal to decide against them. Even if you think the judges were induced, you must acknowledge that it is easier for your opponent to induce the judges if your case is weak or if there are legal technicalities that could be exploited against you.
Chijioke Edeoga does not have such problem. You must recall that for him to become the flagbearer for Labor Party in Enugu, he won that in court. He had already had the baptism of fire even before he could contest election. If there were technicalities that could be exploited against him, that would have been done then. Tested and toughened by the pre-election litigation he went through, Edeoga was free of technical blunders that could have been used against him. Also, looking at Mbah’s defense to Edeoga’s petition, there was really no counter-claim. There was no double edged sword for Edeoga to fear. So, the cases that were decided two days ago by the tribunal is not a negative indicator of what Edeoga should expect. On the contrary, I think the judges are very wise. They have taken a good look at the entire litigation season and will strike a balance somewhere. Some to PDP and now some to Labor.
Finally, you will recall, that much of my prediction is based on what the Supreme Court will do eventually. I am 90% confident that the Supreme Court will decide in favor of Edeoga, while I am 65% confident that this tribunal will decide in favor or Edeoga. Why do I have greater confidence in the Supreme Court than in the tribunal? The reason is that the tribunal judges are more likely to be induced by Mbah, while the Supreme Court Justices are more independent of Mbah’s influence.
We shall now wait and hear the judgement today, tomorrow or early next week.
Emeka Ugwuonye is writing from his home base in Rockville, Maryland, US.
A baby suspected to be a day old has been found dead at a market in Ndiakwu Otolo Nnewi community in Nnewi North LGA of Anambra state.
President General of Ndiakwu Otolo Nnewi, Mr. Izuchukwu Nwanokwu, who confirmed, lamented and described the situation as unfortunate, said the baby was discovered in the early hours of Friday.
He wondered why nature still allows people who have no human feeling to walk freely on earth.
On their part, security men on night duty at the market said that they did not notice anyone in the act, suspecting that the baby could have been dropped at the early hours of the morning.
Some indigenes of Ndiakwu Otolo Nnewi community who spoke anonymously wondered why anyone in his or her right sense would commit such atrocity when many are still looking for babies.
They suspected that someone from outside the community must have dropped the dead baby, as according to them, Ndiakwu community as a whole values human life.
Credit: Anderson Okafor
A cross section of road users plying the Enugu-Onitsha expressway has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to prevail on the contractor handling the Umunya, Oyi LGA axis of the road to urgently fix the bad portion at the popular Odumodu junction in order to reduce number of deaths at the spot.
The road users, including a driver – Chinedu Nworie, passengers – Joy Ume, Obiora Ike and Tony Onwuama, made the call in reaction to the death of five passengers of a commercial bus who lost their lives when a fully loaded container fell on a commercial bus they were in at the Odumodu junction.
Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Spokesperson in Anambra State, RC Margaret Onabe, explained that the latest crash, which occured at about 7:30am on Friday, involved a Mistubishi L300 (commercial bus) with registration number: XE245AWK, and a DAF/Leyland (commercial) truck with registration number: T-19094LA.
She attributed the incident to bad road, adding that five female adults died in the crash, two male adults and two female adults sustained different degrees of injuries, while one male adult was rescued unhurt.
“The probable cause of the fatal crash was attributed to failed portion of the Road. According to eyewitness, the two vehicles were enroute different locations —one to Awka, and the other to Onitsha. The two vehicles got to the spot at same time, and due to the weight of the truck, the container fell on the bus and crashed,” she said.
Continuing, the FRSC Spokesperson said “FRSC rescue team from RS5.33 Nteje took the injured victims to the Divine Care Hospital, Umunya, for medical attention, while the dead victims were taken to the Chira Hospital for doctor’s confirmation before deposition at the New Jerusalem Mortuary, Nteje.
Meanwhile, the Anambra State FRSC Sector Commander, Corps Commander Adeoye Irelewuyi has sympathized with the families of the dead victims and wished the injured victims quick recovery, urging motorists to always drive with caution, and be observant of the their environment when driving.
Recall that at plenary sometime ago, the Anambra State House of Assembly passed a resolution urging Governor Soludo to put speed breakers at visual sites at the Odumodu junction and other intersection roads, all aimed at reducing casualties on Anambra roads.
The traditional ruler of Nimo,Igwe Maximus Ike Oliobi has responded to allegations levelled against him by his subjects, saying that the sale of Owa land in his community was a decision of the entire town reached during its national assembly meeting.
Some Nimo indigenes had staged a protest at Government House Awka over what they claimed to be the illegal sale of Owa land by the Igwe and some stakeholders in the community.
Igwe Oliobi, who went down memory lane on how the Owa land, now known as Obodo Oma, was acquired by conquest by Nimo people many years ago, made it known that Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the member representing Nimo community in the Anambra State House of Assembly were already on the land issue.
He explained that his subjects were free to cultivate on the said land, and stated that past committees set up for the land preserved it for development, dividing into two phases – A and B.
The royal father further disclosed that during their Nimo Town Development Union, NTDU, National Assembly, they reached an agreement on how the Owa land would be used, pointing out that all the money NTDU generated from the sale of some portions of the land went into NTDU purse.
He explained that as the custodian of culture, he has no business in selling any part of the community land or has hand in the money realized, pointing out that the Phase Two of the Owa land, which he said expanded to Oraukwu, was still reserved for Ndi Nimo.
He advised his subjects to exercise patience as the matter was being looked into by the appropriate authorities for a way forward.
Igwe Oliobi added that the commercial site would be developed by non-indigenes and stated categorically that he had never sold any land that belonged to the community.
He said it was purely the duty of Nimo Town Development Union, which, he said, sold some percentage of the land for infrastructural development, with the money generated going to the NTDU purse.
He also debunked the allegation that he was using security personnel to intimidate his subjects.
The judge of United States District Court for the Northern District, Jeffrey Gilbert presiding over a subpoena application for Nigerian’s president, Bola Tinubu’s records has reserved judgement after learning that the politician’s college transcript, which he used to gain admission into Chicago State University (CSU) in 1977, indicated it belonged to a female.
The judge, according to the People Gazette had earlier scheduled September 12, to rule on the matter, but said he needed additional time to digest his decision after learning that there was a transcript bearing Bola A. Tinubu released by CSU under a separate court subpoena that carried the owner’s gender as female.
Trying to demonstrate the frivolity of the case, Tinubu’s lawyer, Christopher Carmichael, raised the female issue, dismissing it as a fishing expedition based entirely on a conspiracy theory being peddled in Nigeria by Tinubu’s political detractors.
It is like Donald Trump coming up in 2010 to claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States,” Carmichael said.
But lawyer to plaintiff Atiku Abubakar, Alexandre de Gramont quickly informed the court that the possibility of Bola Tinubu, who attended CSU in the same 1970s, being a woman was first revealed in records produced by the school itself.
The school had, in mid-2022, submitted Tinubu’s records in its possession while complying with a state court subpoena.
The records, handed over to Nigerian civil rights lawyer Mike Enahoro-Ebah, showed that Bola A. Tinubu was admitted into CSU in 1977 based on a transcript from Southwest College Chicago that was marked as belonging to a female.
Judge Gilbert became confused after CSU lawyer Michael Hayes confirmed that the school had indeed turned in records to Enahoro-Ebah in 2022, but insisted that the Nigerian president, Tinubu was the one who attended and graduated from the school.
Hayes, however, said he could not explain the contradictions, and the school’s administrators would not be able to state under oath that the certificate Tinubu has been parading was genuine or otherwise.
“Is the diploma authentic or is it a forgery? My client can’t answer yes to either of those questions,” Hayes said of Tinubu’s certificate that he submitted to be Nigeria’s president.
Consequently, a confused Judge Gilbert said he would need additional time to process the confusion, especially given Hayes’ confirmation of the records released last year by CSU.
“I will have to take this matter under advisement,” the judge said, adding that his court would communicate a new judgement or hearing date with counsel to all parties.
The judge said additional documents or clarification about already submitted documents may be required from the parties.(Gistnja)
The Primate, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba has recommended new constitution for the country.
In his address at the 14th General Synod of the Anglican Communion held at St Mark’s Anglican Church, Nnewi, the Primate said the new constitution will help to reinforce true federalism as the foundation for a stronger future for Nigeria.
He asked the Tinubu administration to spell out its policies aimed at addressing the “Jakpaa syndrome”, and other challenges facing Nigeria in security, economy, health, education, technology and sticking to the rule of law.
On the coup in Niger Republic, Archbishop Ndukuba advocated the exploration of diplomatuc solutions to resolve the crisis as any military intervention in Niger considered by many as an extension of North Western Nigeria will stir up emotions.
On his part, the Archbishop of the Province of the Niger and Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev. Alexander Ibezim decried the loss of strong moral values in the society, and said that there is the need for everyone to rise and build all that has been broken.
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo at the event asked churches of all denominations in Nigeria to help uplift the poor in this trying period of the country’s history.
He reminded the people that in building the society everyone can be proud of, the church, as a major stakeholder, has the power to mobilize the people to play their respective roles in the journey.
Earlier at the synod that had as its theme, “Arise and build: God’s mandate for God’s people in broken world”, the President of the Christian Council of Nigeria, Most Rev. David Onuoha explained that the church faces a broad spectrum of challenges, especially in the Northern part of the country, saying that the priority of the Council is centered on how to relaunch Christianity in the North.
Credit: Ejike Abana
