₦airaland Forum

Our attention has been drawn to a self exalting treatise purportedly authored by Barr. Etigwe Uwa, which despite being camouflaged as a harmless congratulatory message to Distinguished Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe on his recent inauguration to the 10th Senate, was consciously slyly embedded with innuendos aimed at lampooning our principal, Prof. Gregory Ibe, Abia State Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 general elections and deliberately published on some WhatsApp group pages to ridicule and embarrass him.

Being a highly disciplined, purpose driven and target focused organization within the APGA family, we would have simply dismissed the tractate as an oozing odour escaping from a perfumed whited sepulchre, or at best another self praising liturgy composed and spewed by a pretentious dis-fellowshipped holier-than-thou monk, but for the patriotic purpose of putting the records straight and by so doing eradicating the possibility of misleading the public with lies and fabrications, we have elected to make the following clarifications;

1. That the victory of our principal Prof. Gregory Ibe in the 29 May 2022 governorship primary election of Abia State APGA and subsequent triumph over his three opponents turned litigants in 22 matters spanning through Magistrate, High, Appeal and Supreme Court cases, was simply a divine act of God.

2. That despite joining the race late as the fourth aspirant, his preference by a majority of the 552 delegates at the aforementioned governorship primary election is an attestation to his political sagacity and apparent public acceptance of the PGI New Abia Manifesto Blueprint, especially in the absence of competing versions of such document from the other three contestants.

3. That contrary to the fallacious and disrespectful allusion of an imagined affliction by a purported "mortal fear of fair competition", as erroneously eluded to by Barr Uwa in his uncharitable missive, Prof Ibe is verifiably a courageous veteran of many just and free contests in the fields of sports, academics, business and politics, where he continues to compete transparently within the milieu of international best practices.

4. That the allegation of "recruiting previous SWC members to write lists and push endorsement of such lists with bribes" maliciously levied against Prof. Ibe as his "modus operandi" is baseless, spurious, and fallacious, and should be totally disregarded by the public since our principal was nowhere near the vicinity of the recently held congresses, having travelled to New York sequel to the March 18 governorship election, where he is currently passionately expanding the scope of his human capacity empowerment programmes globally.

5. That for the avoidance of doubt, Prof. Ibe didn't participate in the recently concluded Congresses of APGA, either directly or by proxy due to his foreign trip and subsequently has maintained neutrality in the outcomes of the process while working with the National Working Committee to resolve contentious issues arising from the exercise.

6. That in a manner tantamount to the proverbial kettle which specializes in calling the pot black, it is this same Barr. Uwa that was purported to have quarantined delegates in different hotels scattered around the state, prior to the Governorship primary election of APGA, where in the company of a notable stalwart, he allegedly attempted to compromise party faithful with monetary inducement in dollars, in order to secure their votes. Not to mention the purported distribution of some 'Greek gifts' in the form of huge amounts of money also by the learned Silk to key party officials in the city of Uyo as a way of enlisting their support. Details of these sharp practices complete with tangible evidence and names of major actors involved in the illicit transactions will be made public, if Barr. Uwa sustains this spate of ill-advised insults on our principal.

7.That while not joining issues with Barr. Uwa on his perceived reasons for APGA's loss in Abia, it is common knowledge that the retrogressive anti-party act of working with his strange bedfellows 'the infamous three musketeers' to partner the PDP in tactically distracting our principal through multiple unwarranted litigations, coupled with barrage of vicious and ferocious media attacks, contributed in no small measure to the overall performance of the party.

8. That APGA members will not be deceived by the fake statesman mien being falsely feigned by Barr. Uwa in his infamous congratulatory message since they cannot forget in a hurry how he ostensibly unashamedly de-marketed the party by personally driving the fallacious narrative of "no guber candidate for APGA" even more than the opposition, to the extent of disgracefully remounting campaign billboards of an ordinary aspirant just few days to the governorship election.
What a travesty!

9.That while enjoining Senator Abaribe in particular, Abia APGA family and the general public to discountenance the deceptive content of the said publication, Barr. Uwa is hereby advised to present tangible proofs of the litany of frivolous and unfounded allegations contained therein, including but not limited to Prof Ibe's deployment of the methodology of recruiting "previous SWC members to write lists for him and push endorsement of such lists with bribes", and the allusion to the presence of "professors of criminality, rigging and forgery in our midst", or be prepared to meet us in court since our lawyers have been properly briefed to commence preparations for legal proceedings in order to establish a case of libellous defamation of character against our principal.

- Sleek Ogwo, ANIPR
(Director, Media and Publicity, Prof. Gregory Ibe Campaign Organization)

Member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Presidential Advisory Council and Abia State Governorship Candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) Prof. Gregory Ibe has felicitated the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, for issuing the proclamation that led to successful election of principal officers and subsequent inauguration of members of the 8th Abia House of Assembly.
Speaking against the backdrop of emergence of the member representing Aba South State Constituency, Emmanuel Emeruwa and that of Umuahia East, Augustine Meregini as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, Prof. Ibe implored the 8th Assembly to patriotically partner the executive by initiating and enacting laws that will revive and rejuvenate the economy of the ailing state, thereby according the people new lease of life, and subsequently restoring their confidence in government.

In the same vein, Prof. Ibe has congratulated members of the 10th National Assembly on their successful inauguration. Speaking on the heels of the ceremony marking the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, which culminated in election of key officers and statutory administering of the oath of office on members, Prof. Ibe charged both chambers to prioritize National healing, inclusiveness and unity, as they commence their legislative duties.
He enjoined the Senator Godswill Akpabio led Senate and the House of Representive under the helmsmanship of Hon. Tajudeen Abbas to urgently enact laws that would promote inclusiveness, while leveraging the statutory performance of legislative oversight to ensure formation and implementation of policies geared towards uniting the Nation.

Reacting to his earlier call requesting the ruling APC to zone the President of the 10th Senate to the South East, Prof. Ibe enjoined President Tinubu to give the Igbos a sense of belonging in his administration through appointment, into other critical National positions. Decrying a perceived imbalance in the composition of both elected and appointed officials at the federal level, Prof. Ibe urged the President to recalibrate the existing administrative architecture of his government to encourage tribal and religious equilibrium, stressing that the nation can only prosper in an atmosphere of fairness,peace, equity and justice.

Prof. Ibe specially paid glowing tribute to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe for achieving the unique feat of recording five successful inaugurations at the Nigerian Senate. Asserting that the feat is a public attestation to his credible performance in the red chamber, Prof. Ibe enjoined Senator Abaribe to sustain the tradition of delivering tangible value addition to the Nation by constantly speaking truth to power, emphasizing that he must remain a worthy Ambassador and shining light of his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA).
He commended the member for Bende Federal Constituency, Hon. Ben Kalu for his emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, urging him to use his privileged position to attract dividends of democracy to Abia in the spirit of 'Akuruoulo'.

In conclusion, Prof. Ibe sued for an impactful 8th Abia House of Assembly and a vibrantly proactive 10th National Assembly, praying that the two institutions will continue to epitomize legislative excellence, with immense prospect of return on investment, stressing that the expectation of Abians and Nigerians is very high.

Elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, has accused the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, of spending state resources on the campaign of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday, Clark claimed Okowa betrayed the South Governors by his emergence as Atiku’s running mate for the 2023 presidential election.

He described Okowa as a traitor and a very crafty man after the 17 southern governors had, ahead of the 2023 presidential election, resolved to oppose any party that presented a northern presidential candidate in their primaries.

He said: “Let me tell you the reason why the whole of southern Nigeria regards Okowa as a traitor. Let me tell you, he is a betrayer. Okowa volunteered to host a meeting of the 17 governors of the south. He provided accommodation for every one of them.

He provided his secretariat, I know the person who was the secretary to the government at the time. They were there, they drafted the communique supervised by him and gave it to Akeredolu to read. He read it, then they all went to Lagos to confirm it, they went to Enugu to confirm it, not knowing that the same Okowa was spending our money for Atiku. I asked him in my letter to answer it.

The delegates of the PDP primary, who did they vote for? Did they vote for Wike or Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom? They all voted for Atiku. So, he deceived his colleagues that we should produce the president from the south only to team up with Atiku to betray us. All the governors know about that. He is a man who is very ambitious, quiet and gives a wrong impression about himself that he is a very good man. Very crafty man.”

The Abia State House of Assembly has witnessed a remarkable shift in leadership as Emmanuel Ihuoma Emeruwa, a member of the Labour Party, assumes the position of Speaker — an office that has traditionally been occupied by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The development has ignited discussions within political circles as Emeruwa, 57, emerged as Speaker of the 8th Abia House of Assembly against the wish of members elected on the platform of the then ruling PDP.

Emeruwa is the lawmaker representing Aba South State Constituency.

Following the inauguration of the 8th Abia Assembly on Wednesday, the lawmakers also elected Austine Okezie, the member representing Umuahia East State Constituency, as Deputy Speaker. Austin Okezie is also of the Labour party.

The Abia state Governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) in the 2023 general elections, Prof. Gregory Ibe has lamented the death of former Senator Annie Okonkwo.

Speaking in reaction to the recent announcement of the death of Senator Okonkwo, who represented Anambra Central Senatorial Zone in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011, Prof. Ibe bemoaned the untimely loss of the foremost industrialist turned politician.
According to Prof. Ibe," I received with rude shock, the sad news conveying the unexpected death of my brother, Senator Annie Okonkwo.
It was really heartbreaking and devastating to come to terms with the horrifying reality of the death of 'Agunaechemba', as we fondly called him. Without any doubt, the unfortunate situation portends a colossal loss, first to the Okonkwo family of Ojoto town in Idemili North LGA of Anambra state, the business community and the Nigerian political fraternity at large".

Continuing he said, " I am still in a state of shock and bewilderment, especially in view of the fact that we just celebrated his 63rd birthday on the 23rd of May, only to hear of his death two weeks later, but we cannot question God".
While commiserating with members of the deceased family, Prof. Ibe enjoined both federal and Anambra state governments to immortalize the former Senator by naming some public edifice after him.

In his words, "It is therefore against the backdrop of abundance of impactful legacies bequeathed to humanity by the former Senator that I encourage the Okonkwo family to bear his death with equanimity, while requesting both federal and Anambra state governments to take steps to immortalize his memory by naming a strategic public edifice after him".

According to a family source, Senator Okonkwo died in the United States of America after a prolonged illness.

It is no longer news that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended Godwin Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with immediate effect.

His suspension was announced on Friday by the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in a statement signed by the Director of Information, SGF office, Willie Bassey.

According to him, the suspension is sequel to an ongoing investigation of Emefiele’s office.

Politics Nigeria reports that following his suspension from office, Emefiele was quickly taken into custody by Nigeria’s secret police, the State Security Service (SSS).

This news outlet also gathered that the DSS had assembled a team of crack interrogators to quiz Emefiele on wide ranging issues:

Here are some of the issues the investigators will quiz the former CBN governor about:

1. Issues relating to loans worth billions of naira given to farmers under the Fadama scheme
2. The controversial sale of Polaris Bank,
3. Terrorism: Financing of the Indigenous People of Biafra
4. Allegations bordering on forex fraud.
CBN fiscal policies – including the handling of the naira redesign policy.

Many Nigerians believe that Emefiele’s time as governor was wrought with numerous misdeeds and missteps which made him a very unpopular governor.

President Bola Tinubu has suspended the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Emefiele has been directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the Central Bank Governor pending the conclusion of investigation and the reforms.

A statement from the Federal Ministry of Information reads:

PRESIDENT TINUBU SUSPENDS EMEFIELE FROM OFFICE AS CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has suspended the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, CFR, from office with immediate effect.

This is sequel to the ongoing investigation of his office and the planned reforms in the financial sector of the economy.

Mr Emefiele has been directed to immediately hand over the affairs of his office to the Deputy Governor (Operations Directorate), who will act as the Central Bank Governor pending the conclusion of investigation and the reforms.

Willie Bassey
Director, Information
For: Secretary to the Government of the Federation

Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has said he would not hesitate to slap his predecessor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, if given the opportunity, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Kwankwaso also met with President Bola Tinubu at Aso Rock on Friday.

When questioned by State House reporters about the security situation in Kano State following the demolition carried out by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s administration, Ganduje expressed his displeasure.

Although he acknowledged that Kwankwaso was present in the building, he said that they had not crossed paths.

Ganduje brazenly declared, “Probably if we met, maybe I could have slapped him.”

Ganduje vehemently criticised the demolition exercise, citing the lack of proper investigation or prior notice as required by the Land Use Act.

According to the former Kano Governor, during his discussion with the president, he extensively addressed the matter and submitted a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba. The petition, he said, included video evidence of the looting and vandalism that ensued as a result of the demolition.

Ganduje went on to describe the current governor as a “stooge” of Kwankwaso and attributed his recent unhappiness to the widespread condemnation received for the demolitions.

Recall that the present state governor had defended the exercise, stating that it was part of his commitment to “restore” the city’s urban development masterplan. He also emphasised that the demolitions were not driven by any personal vendetta against the previous administration led by Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, hinting that more demolitions could be expected in the future.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, a former Minority Leader in the Senate, has alleged that some elements in the democratic setup deliberately manipulated the just-concluded presidential results to sway victory for their favoured candidate, blaming it on the so-called glitches.

Speaking in Umuahia on Wednesday, Abaribe maintained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was either switched off or that the wrong code was given by some anti-democratic elements as the election was ongoing.

He explained that the Senate enacted a beautiful law that ought to be fraud-proof in terms of putting in place a technology-based system whose aim is to give the people their choice candidates as winners, but regretted that in their good intentions of giving the country the best, the lawmakers did not consider that some evil forces would compromise the system.

We trusted INEC to do the job. We had the best intentions in making the law, but we didn’t consider the fact that INEC will behave the way it did. Somebody deliberately switched off the system for the presidential election, leaving the Senate and House of Reps. INEC says it doesn’t know what happened, that it was a glitch, but they declared the wrong results. Surprisingly, nobody has been arrested till and punished today,” he lamented.

On the new governor of Abia State, Senator Abaribe warned him to beware of sycophants that may surround his administration, pointing out sycophants were the ones who initiated the quarrel between him and his former boss, Orji Uzor Kalu when he (Kalu) was governor and Abaribe as his deputy from 1999 to 2001.

“My problem with Kalu started the day we were sworn in as Governor and Deputy Governor respectively. The outgoing Military Administrator, Col Anthony Obi had given me an official convoy as the deputy governor. After the swearing-in, I came down with my wife to board my official vehicle, but didn’t see it. I was stranded."

Somebody had instructed that the vehicle be taken to Government House. I had to board a vehicle provided by one of my relations to Government House. When I found out what happened, I confronted Kalu over it and he said he really didn’t know that the convoy belonged to me. That he thought it was for his wife.

“Of course, sycophants went to work, asking the governor who was actually in charge, whether it was him or me. Another incident was when we attended an event with him. He made some grammatical errors and when it was my time to speak, I didn’t make any. They told him all sorts of things about me and my education,” he revealed.

He, therefore, advised Otti to expand the cities of Aba and Umuahia to decongest them, even as he lauded the governor for so far clearing the huge debris that literarily took over the two cities before now in the recent past.

source: Daily Independent

The gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in the 18th March 2023 election, Jonathan Asake on Tuesday asked the Election Petition Tribunal to nullify the governorship election conducted in Kaduna State.

Uba Sani of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), had been declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party claimed the election was marred by irregularities and did not comply with the electoral act.

The Labour Party (LP), candidate, Jonathan Asake and the LP, lead counsel, Abah Ejembi and two of his colleagues told the court during pre-hearing that there were massive vote buying and corruption, asking the court to invalidate the entire process of the election.

Ejembi in an interview with newsmen at the end of the tribunal’s sitting on Wednesday said the governorship candidate and the Labour Party, in the petition, with Ref. No. EPT/KD/Gov/2/2023, before the Governorship tribunal “is asking for the nullification of the 18th March 2023 governorship election, in Kaduna State”.

He explained, “Our complaint before the court is of non-compliance with the electoral act and massive vote buying. In our petition, we asked the court to invalidate the entire process.”

Ejembi said the court sitting was for pre-hearing and dealt with the processes and procedures that would guide the entire process, in terms of filing applications, what is required and the time that will be used or needed during the hearing of the case in the court.

The matter was adjourned to Thursday, 15th June 2023, by the Chairman of the panel, Justice Victor O. Oviawe, for the hearing of all the applications that have been filed.

Other members of the panel are Justice D.A Damulak and Justice N. Nonye.

Former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed his remorse and sought forgiveness from former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and others who may have been offended by his actions during his tenure.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Aregbesola, who served as the Governor of Osun State from 2010 to 2018, handed over the reins to Oyetola, his former Chief of Staff, after winning the 2018 governorship election.

The former Minister has been critical of Oyetola’s re-election and has voiced his disapproval of the party elders for not reprimanding Oyetola for overturning his policies.

Seeking to mend fences, Aregbesola visited the palaces of Oba Gabriel Aromolaran, the Owa Obokun, and Oba Jimoh Olanipekun, the Ataoja of Osogbo, before addressing his supporters at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in the capital of Osun State.

During his address, delivered in Yoruba, Aregbesola praised former President Muhammadu Buhari for providing him with the opportunity to serve as Minister.

He also thanked President Bola Tinubu for being instrumental in his political journey and entrusting him with power.

In his own words, Aregbesola stated, “I have returned to Osun not out of animosity or bitterness, but to reconcile our party. Today, I humbly ask for forgiveness from anyone I have offended. The reason why people are applauding my achievements in Osun today is because of the great work I did when I was in government. Those who have now turned against me were once my colleagues in government.”

He went on to acknowledge the role played by President Tinubu in his political success, saying, “I thank God for elevating me from Lagos, with the help of President Bola Tinubu, who is the architect of my success. I spent eight years as a commissioner in Lagos. In 2004, during a meeting in Badagry, we discussed how we could reclaim our states from the opposition party. President Tinubu and other Yoruba elders directed me to come and take over Osun State from the opposition.”

Aregbesola also reflected on his time as Governor, saying, “With God’s help and the support of Asiwaju, I was able to excel in my role for eight years, although it was not without its challenges, including those who have now become my adversaries for the past four years.”

He recalled an incident after the Supreme Court ruling in 2019, where he met with the person he handed power over to. Aregbesola explained, “I advised him that I had fulfilled my part and handed over to the person I supported. However, I emphasised the importance of promoting unity within the party. If that were accomplished, I would then serve as a mentor. Unfortunately, they misinterpreted my intentions. When he was in power, I never sought anything from them.”

The Chairman of Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria, Reverend Joseph Hayab, has said the state’s immediate past governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is unfit to hold public office.

The CAN chairman was reacting to a viral video on social media where El-Rufai was alleged to have said that the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the Kaduna governorship election would be sustained beyond 20 years in the state.

In the video, the former governor, who spoke in Hausa, also claimed that Muslim domination was being replicated at the national level.

The ex-governor’s also said the Muslim/Muslim ticket and the victory of President Bola Tinubu silenced his critics and CAN

But reacting to El-Rufai’s comment while featuring on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Wednesday, Hayab said the ex governor’s remarks were a ploy and divisive tendency aimed to further his (El-Rufai’s) alleged presidential ambition.

He implored Nigerians to ignore El-Rufai as he was just seeking relevance and playing to the gallery to rile up unsuspecting Nigerians.

He said, “You know, since he (El-Rufai) is up to something, he is playing a game and what he would do is to confuse people and set up Christians against Muslims; set up Christians against the present government, and then he would stand to benefit from it tomorrow. Unfortunately, I will say to him, he has failed from the onset.

“With this, he has actually proved to Nigerians that he is not in the first place fit to be a leader and I think that is one of the problems in Nigeria. We give people power without testing their emotional stability whether they are mentally alright to lead.”