Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra shall join the Coalition of Northern Groups in their Suit No FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2021 and consolidate it with Suit No FHC/EN/CS/103/2019 to demand for Referendum for the Biafrans in Nigeria. It’s action time.
The Northerners have commenced a suit against the National Assembly to stop passing the Bill of Restructuring and commence the process of granting the South East the right to secede from Nigeria. It is possible that the Northern Group is trying to stop the National Assembly from voting for Devolution of Power because judicial function takes precedence over the other two arms of Government. If a matter is brought to the court, every other thing must be suspended. So, the Northerners will succeed in suspending the passing of the bill for Restructuring by Devolution of Power until their case is decided by the Court. This may be a trick by the North.
We are an interested party with an existing case in Court on the same subject matter. We filed our Memorandum in the National Assembly with the hope that the Legislature would grant our prayers so that we would withdraw our case from the Court. We have presented the Biafran case in the National Assembly.
As the Northern Groups have commenced a judicial action on the matter, we shall therefore apply for joinder and consolidation so that the whole dispute between Biafra and Nigeria can be resolved at the same time. This is action time for the use of law and political diplomacy.
“The Eastern Region was one, after the killings in the North and parts of the West. And long before the July 1966 coup, there was one strong and economically viable East. In politics everywhere, there is bound to be opposition. Yes, not all Easterners belonged to the NCNC and not all of them were politicians.
Drs. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Akanu Ibiam, Ozumba Mbadiwe and Eni Njoku, were at the Hope Waddell Institute, Calabar. Martin Elechi attended Mary Knoll Secondary School, Ogoja. Clement Isong and Egbert Udo Udoma passed out from Methodist College, Uzuakoli. Ken Saro-Wiwa, George Tamunoiyowunam Kurubo, Okoi Arikpo and Bassy Ukpong attended Government College Umuahia. The first black Principal of that great institution that produced Chinua Achebe and Vincent Ike was Chief Erekosima .
Today in Government Collage Umuahia and Government Secondary School, Owerri, you have Erekosima Houses. Alfred Diette-Spiff’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, Kombo Igbeta, from Ogbolomabiri, Nembe was Principal of Government College Owerri.
Secretary to Spiff’s Government, Wenike Tienabeso was a product of Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha. Senator Obi Wali was a student of St. Augustine’s Grammar School, Nkwerre. Edet Inyang and Thompson Wakama enjoyed their job as lecturers at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
As Head of State, three of General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s Service Chiefs were from the so called “Eastern minorities”. Kurubo became the first Nigerian Head of the Air Force. Captain Edet Wey led the Navy. Louis Edet was Police Chief. Ironsi’s Navy ADC was an Ijaw subaltern, Dennis Okujagu.
Adaka Boro had no problem with the Igbo, his grouse was with Nigeria. President of Biafra Students Union, Prof. Emeka Enejere, made this clear at the Boro Colloqium, in Yenogoa, four years ago. Boro actually took the Tafawa Balewa government to court over the Federal elections, in 1965.
Not many know that as a chemistry student, Boro became President of the UNN Students Union after defeating two Igbo candidates in the 1964/65 session. His closest rival, Jude Emezie, was backed by the outgoing President, Onyemanze Ejiogu. The other candidate was Francis Okolie, a sophomore. When Boro took the country to court as first plaintiff, the second plaintiff was Emezie.
The creation of 12 States in 1967 was to sow a seed of discord in the East. During the 1967 Pogrom, both Igbo and non-Igbo Easterners were murdered in cold blood.
The political issue between Dr. Azikiwe & Prof Eyo Ita as well as Dr. Michael Okpara’s political issues with the Ibibio and Annang were all resolved before the declaration of Biafra.
It is on record that Gen. Emeka Ojukwu contacted the Eastern Regional Consultative Assembly before he declared Biafra. Of the 335 members, 165 were non-Igbo. One member, Dr. Okoi Arikpo an Ekoi, from Ugep, defected to Nigeria allegedly because he was not appointed minister by Ojukwu. Gowon welcomed him with the job of Nigeria’s External Affairs minister but later. His Biafran counterpart was fellow COR man, Mathew Mbu.
The non-Igbos in Biafra were well recognized. Gen. Philip Effiong was next to Ojukwu. Ntiyong Akpan was Secretary to the Government, Ignatius Kogbara, High Commissioner to the UK. Ekukinam Bassey, Frank Opigo, Emmanuel Aguma,Samuel Cookey and Okokon Ndem, all held enviable positions.
In the military, there were Lt. Col Nsudoh, Maj. Akpan Utuk, Maj. Archibong, Capts. Willie Murray-Bruce and Ibi Brown, Victor Masi and Clement Ebri.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said there are no factions in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), implying that it has recognized the primary election that produced the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Chukwuma Soludo as a candidate.
The Commission also dismissed reports that it disqualified the party from participating in the November 6 Anambra State governorship election.
The Chief Jude Okeke-led National Working Committee of the party suspended Soludo.
But the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a telephone chat with The Nation, clarified that “the Commission does not have any position on APGA. As far as INEC is concerned, there are no factions in APGA. The Commission deals with only one National Chairman and one Secretary of the party. Their details are on the INEC website.
“Secondly, the Commission did not and has not said that APGA will not participate in the Anambra Governorship election.”
The list of the Super delegates that will vote on PDP Governorship Primaries on Saturday, June 26, 2021.
The Super delegates are;
Serving and former House of Assembly Members.
Serving and former House of Reps members.
Serving and former senators
Serving and former deputy Governors
Serving and former governors.
Serving and former BOTs
Serving and former NWC
Serving and former SWC
10.Serving and former LGA party chairmen
Former candidates of the party
One physically challenged from each of the 21 LGAs.
The list was released this night at Abuja by the National Organizing Secretary of PDP, Col Austin Akabondu.
Leadership is concentrating on providing solutions and in keeping faith with this principle ,GGM advanced her earlier resolve to provide economic solution to her members by hosting officials of ministry of trade and commerce, anambra state Govt in awka.
The Head of the Anambra State Government delegation expressed happiness for being among the people who want to change the society for better. She explained that her office would offer all the necessary assistance to ensure that the business initiative makes a great difference.
Members took time to seek for some clarifications and at the end of the meeting both parties were excited for the outing .However, it should be noted that cooperative society is designed to serve the interest of common man and to liberate him from the oppression of the economically strong people and organisation.GGM will use this business initiative to organise and empower thousands of the ordinary people of common and mutual economic interest. GGM Co-operative Initiative will eradicate capitalist exploitation and one man business mentality .
Finally, we intend to introduce good governance in all our actions,transactions and relationships ,that way ,we will represent the shinning light .
The All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), loyal to governor Willie Obiano, Wednesday, elected Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo as its gubernatorial candidate for Anambra state 2021 poll.
Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, pooled 740 votes to defeat three other aspirants of the party in a faction primary held at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka.
Other contestants were Hon. Okwudili Ezenwankwo who garnered 41 votes, Mr Damian Okolo 7 votes, and Mr Ibeh (10 votes), kenechukwu Christopher got four votes.
The Chief Returning Officer of the APGA governorship electoral committee panel, Deacon Samson Olalere, said a total of 812 delegates were billed to participate in the election but 795 votes were accredited, while 792 votes were the total votes cast.
Obiano, who is the party’s BoT Chairman, in a speech at the occasion, thanked the party delegates for peaceful conduct during the election, noting that Soludo would win the election all over the 21 local government areas as himself did on 2017 relection bid.
The candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, described his emergence as divine, assuring that his administration would consolidate on Obiano’s achievement to effect good government in the state.
He also offered hands of fellowship to other aspirants, calling them to reunite and join in lifting APGA, as retaining Anambra come November 6 governorship election would be greater for Igbo nation.
APGA had last week disqualified other aspirants of the party namely; Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, Hon. Nonso Smart Okafor, Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji, Hon. Carter Dike Umeh, and Ozoka Odera Ifeanyi due to various reasons including insurbodination to the party’s leadership, certificate mutilation, alteration of forms, among others.
Meanwhile, early Wednesday morning when the Awka factional poll was going on, a faction of APGA led by Chief Jude Okeke, suspended Prof. Soludo.
Acting National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Mr Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, in a press conference at Abuja, said Soludo was suspended due to anti-party activities, and announced that it’s factional primary would hold on July 1.
(After the nomination by APGA Delegates as the Party’s Candidate for the November 6, 2021 Governorship election in Anambra: Primaries held at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka; on Wednesday, 23rd June, 2021)
1. PROTOCOL:
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2. With humility, gratitude, and utter submission to the will of God, I accept your nomination as the gubernatorial candidate of APGA in the November 6, 2021 Anambra governorship election. I thank the Alpha and Omega who, in His infinite wisdom decided that I should come from Anambra State of Nigeria; and who has abundantly blessed me beyond imagination. In gratitude to Him, I will devote every minute of my remaining life on earth to serve Him by working to leave here better than I met it. This moment is God’s time, and God’s time is “the time”!
3. At this moment, I offer nothing but statements of gratitude. First, let me thank you all, our esteemed APGA delegates and thousands of our members whom you represent, for the mandate to fly our flag. I am grateful to our members at the 326 wards, local government and state executives; members of NWC, BOT and NEC. I am particularly grateful to our indefatigable national chairman, Ozonkpu (Dr) Victor Ike Oye and his dear wife who foresaw and worked extremely hard for this day. You have proved to be an uncommon leader.
Our biggest thanks go to our national leader/BOT Chairman and ably working governor of Anambra, Chief (Sir) Willie Maduaburochukwu Obiano and his amiable and supportive wife. Akpokuedike! You have shown exemplary leadership and statesmanship. I deeply treasure your belief, courage, iron-clad commitment and leadership on this project. Under you and our national chairman, APGA is stronger as Nigeria’s third largest political party and a clear leader in several ways. We shall have a more auspicious time to celebrate you!
I want to thank my wife and children for their love. I understand your concerns and sacrifices, and appreciate your understanding and prayers. Our God is on the throne!
4. Let me also thank all the 31 self-funding support groups with over 200,000 members (ASSG, U-AYA/U-AWA), as well as the millions of Ndi Anambra who have been praying and demanding that I should step out to serve— especially at these challenging times in Nigeria. I am deeply grateful to the clergy, the traditional rulers, ASATU, ASMATA, various youth and women organizations, trade and professional associations, CSOs, NGOs, etc who have rallied behind us. We thank all Nigerians from other states who have also urged and supported us. Let me particularly thank the INEC, under the sterling leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for its professionalism, especially in monitoring today’s primaries. APGA is a law abiding party that is thorough about due process. It has never neglected or breached due process/electoral law: not now, not in the future! We also appreciate the Security agencies.
5. To the gallant co-aspirants, I salute your courage and participation in the democratic process. Let me offer my hand of fellowship, and look forward to a partnership with all of you for greater APGA and for greater Anambra.
6. To the millions of Ndi Anambra, I say: This is your moment, seize it! The November election is a very consequential election for the state. It will determine in which direction and speed of our march towards progress or retrogression. We are a unique state, richly blessed with exceptionally productive human capital scattered all over the world but struggling to build a livable and prosperous homeland. Past governors tried their best. Gov. Mbadinuju established Anambra State University; Governor Ngige built some strategic roads; while Gov Peter Obi as an APGA governor built more roads and in compliance to APGA manifesto, touched other sectors. Our current governor and leader of APGA, has taken it to the next level by combining both the micro and macro dimensions of governance: unprecedented security, Light up Anambra, 17 bridges and roads, community choose your projects; institutionalization of governance; and now the Anambra international cargo/passenger airport, international conference centre, Awka township stadium, etc. A fundamental summary measure of APGA government’s impact on the welfare of the people is the poverty incidence. According to the NBS, poverty incidence in Anambra declined from 53% in 2010 to 14.78% in 2020. There is no state government with comparable revenue that is doing better. So, partisan politics aside, APGA is serving the people better, and Ndi Anambra don’t want to go back to Egypt!
7. Of course, the road to Anambra becoming a middle to upper income, livable and prosperous homeland will remain a work-in-progress for a while. The government over the next four years will have to lay the foundation for the Anambra Vision 2070. Ours is a land of infinite possibilities and opportunities. We need continuity, consolidation, and transformation to build on the existing foundation and maximize our potentials. We need to unite and mobilize the creative energies and capital of our people all over the world as well as other investors to live out the essence of our motto: “Light of the Nation”. We shall unveil our manifesto at the launch of the campaign in August.
8. To our beloved people of Anambra, here I come! I am a poor boy whom God has lifted and gifted to serve. To the glory of God, I reached the peak of my professional career in my 30’s; had the privilege of living in Ethiopia, U.K, USA, and travelled to 45 other countries as itinerant scholar and consultant to 20 international development and financial institutions before I was called to serve the FGN in 2003. Until 2009, I served as Chief Economic Adviser to President Obasanjo; CEO of National Planning Commission; Governor of Central Bank; Chairman of Nigerian Mint; founding Chairman of AFC; and chair or member of over 25 committees. To the glory of God, I have also been decorated with over 200 national/international awards including variously Nigeria’s Man of the Year, Nigeria’s third highest national honour (CFR), global and African best governor of central bank, one of most influential Africans; etc. Currently, I serve as a member of Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
9. At this stage, I believe it is time to serve my people. As a poor village boy who has been especially blessed by God (Charlie nwa Mgbafor), I desire to give back to society through selfless public service. If you employ me as your Chief Servant come November, I hope to deploy all the global and national experiences and networks as well as local knowledge/experience as a village boy to make you proud. This is even more so at this peculiar moment in our history as Nigeria grapples with transition to post oil and post covid world as well as insecurity, and ethno-religious agitations. I am a Pan-Africanist, and hope to work with leaders in the South East and Nigeria to create that next Nigeria that will be the pride of the black race.
10. Let me at this moment wish other political parties success in their primaries and look forward to professional and issue-based campaigns. Opinion polls also show that majority of other party members say they will support Soludo if APGA nominates him. To them I say, here I am, APGA has nominated Soludo! We can understand the desperation of some opposition elements who believe that the only way to stop Soludo from winning is to stop him from being a candidate. Now that I am eventually a candidate, let’s now allow the people to choose in a free and fair election.
11. To our hundreds of thousands of supporters, the real work begins soon. Yes, APGA is our own, and Anambra is APGA, kpomkwem! At the last elections, APGA won 21 out of 21 local governments and 80% of State Assembly seats. But we won’t take any vote for granted: we will work hard to earn every vote. We will triple our efforts and campaign everywhere and reach everyone. Our target is not only 21/21 LGAs, but 326 out of 326 wards and breaking the one million votes mark in a free, fair, and transparent election.
12. Once again, thanks for this overwhelming mandate. The battle belongs to God, and who can battle with the Lord?
Prof Soludo arriving at the venue of APGA primary election in Awka, capital of Anambra state!!!
Delegates ready to begin accreditations!!!
…Join the SOLUDO MOVING TRAIN for a greater Anambra!!!!
It’s SOLUDO all the Way!!!!
Full story coming…!!!
Christian Aburime
INEC at APGA primary election venue in awka
To all APGA delegates, the entire world , Black Africa, Ndigbo both home and abroad, and especially Ndi Anambra congratulate you all for the privilege and opportunity to be part of history today in confirmation of the divine commission of transformation of our past chequred era into the renaissance of hope, genuine love, humanity equity, justice, practical egalitarianism and human capital development of mankind society and environment beginning with Anambra State through the universally expected and aspired nomination of Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo to fly the flag of APGA in the oncoming November 2021 governorship election.
Congratulations for the singular privilege and no our for being part of the historic political milestone today’s APGA primaries portend in the annals of profound peaceful , silent and most impactful political statement and switch over to politics for the good and general well being of all as epitomized in Prof Cee Cee Soludo versus Black Africa’s and most especially, Nigeria ‘s pervasive politics of greed, selfishness and imponderable wickedness of the highest order.
Senator Victor Umeh with APGA Gubernatorial Aspirants
APGA delegates today need not be reminded of what the unversal expectation is, for when in our political has the entire population of Ndi Anambra rise up and voluntarily decided in themselves to incentivize the emergence and all the dynamics for the actualization of the election of their genuine leading leader they truly trust that has work and mission to do in Government house Agu Awka as is with the unprecedented case of Prof Cee Cee Soludo.
Infact, Prof Cee Cee Soludo political phenomenon and movement this time around is globally been monitored and calibrated for what it rightly but pleasantly qualify to be Guinness book of records in the rare category of political populism.
APGA delegates , please please,don’t let Igbo nation, black Africa and Ndi Anambra down. Waste no vote at all even if our political wolves offer you the world or normal peanuts. With Prof Cee Cee Soludo, every Onye Anambra will be able to live out his or her life dreams.
God bless you all mightily and abundantly as you step in to make history by letting us have ODENIGBO Agluata as our flag bearer today.
Today, Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, will hold its primary election to determine who becomes its flag-bearer for the November 6, governorship election
Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has demonstrated to Ndi Anambra that he is the most READY and fully PREPARED for this daunting task of building on the gains of Obiano’s administration and taking Anambra State to another greater level
For the records, let’s evaluate the following salient facts:
His coming into the gubernatorial race virtually changed the entire politicking in Anambra state
His candidacy popularized the new concept of ‘political stake-holding and collective ownership’ by the people
Cee Cee Soludo is the only APGA aspirant that embarked on consultation tours/visits to LGAs and Wards across the length and breadth of Anambra state, familiarising and presenting himself to party members and the great people of Anambra
He is the only known aspirant that received open endorsements from key APGA party leaders in tandem with the demand of majority of Anambra people
He is the only candidate with known and verifiable self-funding Support Groups numbering more than 30, who have been clamouring and demanding that he contest the governorship election for the past two years
Most independent and online opinion polls showed that Cee Cee Soludo is the most popular and preferred aspirant of all other aspirants put together
Cee Cee Soludo has also shown LOYALTY and FAITHFULNESS to the extreme, to the APGA party. He has remained a dedicated and irrevocably committed BoT member of the great party for years
He has also contributed immensely to the growth of APGA by committing his energy, time and resources in building the party for the past decade
Political pundits have also argued that for APGA to retain Anambra state and win the November 6 governorship election effortlessly, they need to field a strong candidate like Cee Cee Soludo based on popular demand and open acceptability by the vast majority of Ndi Anambra
His candidacy has also drawn the entire focus of the global community to Nigeria and by extension Anambra State; as they watch for his emergence as the next governor of Anambra state !
*Therefore, to OUR DEAR DELEGATES, the hour has come, and the man is Ready! Let’s do the NEEDFUL!!!*
