₦airaland Forum

The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has said that Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu of Enugu and Abia States should be respectively held responsible should the south east fail to produce the next president of Nigeria after President Muhammadu Buhari.

The youths who premised their outburst on the reported endorsement of the presidential aspiration of Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers State by the two south east governors also accused them of sabotaging the project.

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike in a statement made available to Journalists described the action of the two South-East governors as anti-Igbo agenda.

He said “We observed with rude shock the unfortunate steps by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu with regards to the much important Nigeria President of Igbo extraction.

“At a time we are making efforts to see an Igbo man succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, it is incredible that two prominent Igbo men are the very ones sabotaging the project.

“Ugwuanyi had within the week accompanied Wike to Ebonyi State where he went to meet with the members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“The Enugu Governor was absent as former Governor Peter Obi, also a PDP presidential aspirant visited Enugu State days earlier.

“This is even more worrisome and most annoying considering that Wike had severally told whoever cares to listen that he is not an Igbo man. We then ask: whose interest is Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu serving?”

“Should the Igbo presidency project fail, the two governors would be held responsible.

“We won’t take this for granted; the entire Igbo youths are enraged and the only option for them is to retrace their steps”.

fergie001:
Nah.....It was an interview with Azaiki.

He won't run!

fergie001:
Tribunal, oya mechie the case

vicdom AAA593 kahal29 penguin2 indispensable85 ejimatic garfield1 Agbegbaorogboye

The Supreme Court has voided the participation of Andy Uba in the last governorship election in Anambra State as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A five-member panel of the court, held in a judgment on Tuesday, that the APC breach its guidelines for the conduct of primaries and thus, failed to conduct valid primary from which Uba emerged as the party’s candidate in the Anambra governorship election.

The Supreme Court affirmed the February 23, 2022 judgment of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the December 20,2021 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

garfield1:
No,various rulings have stated that a political appointee isnt a public officer

fergie001:
Is a Political Appointee a Public Officer?

A Previous Court Ruling says YES.

fergie001:
The rulings said: A political appointee is a Public Servant not employed in the Service of the Federation or State.

However, I think the NA should have stated the Offices involved like: Ministers, Commissioners, et al. Why I said so is this:
Is the HoS a political appointee or a Civil Servant?
Is the Accountant-General of the Federation a political appointee or a Civil Servant?

MyMouth:
That was because buhari was still contesting and he still had enormous goodwill, not this time around, they all know he is going, he doesn't have that kind of loyalty he had then

BeardGangJnr1:
This makes me wonder Wen will the North wise up
I mean how could they so much adore failure like dis....they would've worshipped him be daht nah... assuming he did well as a president.....
As far as humanity is concern, buhari is synonymous to failure

Gozac:
Very good analysis, some candidates feel with their money and contacts they can bamboozle and whittle down PMBs influence
I foresee a situation where PMB will bring the President while PGF will bring the VP. PMB's men in PGF will push for that at the end of the day, they will come up with a unity list
Even if they do elections, their candidates will scale through since it's already arranged
PMB leads governors follow especially northern governors

BeardGangJnr1:
Is buhari God??

SpatialKing:
Anyone Buhari endorses is a waste

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sacked Yakubu Dogara from the House of Representatives and declared his seat vacant.

Mr Dogara, who represents Bogoro/Dass Federal constituency of Bauchi State, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019.

The judge, D.U. Okorowo, on Friday, ruled that Mr Dogara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was wrong and meant he should vacate the legislative seat.

Mr Dogara defected to the APC after winning his re-election under the PDP in 2019

His frosty relationship with his state governor, Bala Mohammed, was one of the main reasons he ditched the PDP which he joined less than five years ago.

Details later…

Presidential aspirant Bola Tinubu has remained adamant with his claim that the Permanent Voters Card issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission can expire.

Mr Tinubu, while addressing supporters in Onikan Lagos on Saturday, reasserted his position, urging his supporters to revalidate their PVCs.

“If you have no PVC, if you have no revalidation of that PVC, you don’t know whether it has expired.

"Don’t forget that there is an expiry date on even your cash. So go and revalidate your card,” Mr Tinubu said.

Mr Tinubu first made this claim January 18, while addressing a group of women leaders who paid him a visit in Abuja.

“In case they do not announce to you on time, the PVC you have has expired.

“Take one family member, two family members, knock on all doors and make sure that the new registration… Because they may not announce to you on time. The PVCs you have expired. Yes!” Mr Tinubu had said.

At the time, INEC swiftly debunked Mr Tinubu’s claims and asked Nigerians to disregard the misinformation.

The electoral body said the voter’s card is permanent and can be used for future elections without needing revalidation.

“This information is not correct. The PVC issued to all previously registered voters remains valid.

“This kind of statement will certainly push eligible voters to register more than once, thereby creating the problem of double and multiple registrations,” Chief Technical Adviser to the Chairman of INEC, Bolade Eyinla, said.

Mr Tinubu had apologised for the misinformation through his media aide, Tunde Rahman, after INEC fact checked his statement to be incorrect.

However, despite INEC’s refutal and Mr Tinubu’s apology, the former governor aspiring to be Nigeria’s president has remained adamant in his claim.

The Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has rebutted claims of the endorsement of an All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 elections.

The rebuttal comes after media reports (Not PUNCH) claimed that the Warri monarch endorsed Tinubu when a delegation of the South West Agenda for Asiwaju and Delta State for Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited him at his palace on Thursday.

According to the statement signed by the Head, Back Office Operations, Office of the Ogiame Atuwatse III, Oriiz U. Onuwaje, the reports were taken out of context to suit a narrative.

Onuwaje noted that the Olu of Warri had no political affiliation to any party or candidate vying for any office in the forthcoming elections, accusing the writer of contravening the Palace’s non-partisan status.

The statement reads, “On the instructions of His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Olu of Warri; firmly rebut the statement claiming Ogiame’s endorsement of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and restates that Ogiame has no political affiliation or preferred political candidate for any office in the forthcoming 2023 elections be it at the regional, sub-national or national level.

“Ogiame is a father figure to all and has no personal favourite or special interests in any candidate or political party vying for any office in the forthcoming elections one way or another and will therefore not endorse or discredit any candidate to the detriment or advantage of others.

“The headlines credited to Ogiame in the referenced quotes have been taken out of context and reworked to suit a specific narrative. They cannot be further from the truth. For an unclear motive, the writer contravenes the Palace’s avowed role of non-partisanship.”

“Ogiame is a father figure to all who have a genuine interest in advancing the course of development of our nation. Ogiame is duty-bound to receive and proffer advice and blessings to all those who seek his audience and counsel.

“Therefore, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III – The Olu of Warri is using this medium to make this important clarification for the avoidance of doubt and further requesting that in the future, any queries and clarifications on Palace communications should be directed to the Palace media office.”

Tinubuadvocate:
The man should just go and get lawyer.

Ahead of his declaration for presidency in 2023, which is likely expected this week, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will meet with the 22 governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) under the aegis of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) in Abuja on Sunday.
The meeting, THISDAY learnt, is part of his consultations with critical stakeholders ahead of his declaration to contest for the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the ruling APC, which he is expected to announce this week.
This is coming as the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, on Saturday declared his ambition to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the APC.
Presidency sources told THISDAY that Osinbajo’s meeting with the APC governors would hold at the Akinola Aguda official residence of the Vice President located within the precincts of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The meeting billed for 7p.m. will also serve as fast breaking for the governors as adherents of Christianity and Islam, the two major religions, are currently observing fasting as prescribed in the Holy Books.
THISDAY learnt that the vice president would use the forum to intimate the APC governors led by Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State of his intention to contest for the APC’s presidential ticket in the forthcoming presidential primaries of the party.
According to the sources, the meeting with the governors is a continuation of series of consultations being held by Osinbajo with critical stakeholders in the ruling party about his desire to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2023.
The presidency sources also told THISDAY that all is set for the vice president to publicly declare his intention to contest for the APC ticket this week.
THISDAY gathered that the ceremony will take place in Abuja with governors, federal and state legislators, ministers and other APC top shots already invited for the grand ceremony which may take place either on Monday or Tuesday.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has cautioned against the vilification of Igbo political leaders.

It said such campaigns of calumny or casting of aspersions on Igbo presidential hopefuls will not be condoned especially when it comes from another Igbo.

Ohanaeze, which reacted to what it described as ‘verbal diarrhea and vituperative predispositions’ of Joe Igbokwe against Transport Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, alleged it was to advance some people’s ambition other than Igbo presidency.

In a statement by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Ohanaeze said Igbokwe’s unprovoked onslaught aimed at the Minister of Transport should be investigated.

Parts of it read: “For the records, Chibuike Amaechi is a registered member of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the Rivers state chapter since 2000, as well as a bonafide member of ime obi (the apex decision making organ in Ohanaeze) based on his position as former Governor and current Minister from Ikwerre, Igbo speaking area of Rivers State since 2015.

"This is our verdict, Chibuike Amaechi is a bonafide Igbo man and there is no reason why anyone would incite crisis just for cheap political goals, the issue raised on abandoned properties in Rivers state after Biafra war is a hoax and diversionary, as based on the facts before us, there is no record of any Ikwerre man or woman that benefited from the obnoxious policy and nobody should blackmail an Ikwerre with the abandoned property saga.

“We applaud the Minister of Transport for his bravery and heroism exhibited in the line of duty to calm the nerves of families and friends who lost the lives of their beloved ones in that ill-fated Abuja – Kaduna train”.

“Chibuike Amaechi, Ndigbo are proud to announce that you are one of the leading lights of the Igbo Nation, we are wishing him and other Igbo presidential hopefuls successful primaries, we expect that no Igbo should be a clog in the wheel of progress, as far as we concerned.

“Joe Igbokwe should have spoken out when Igbos we’re deported from Lagos in 2014, he should have denounced the threats for Igbo to jump into the lagoon in 2015 or when Igbo traders were threatened at Alaba International market.

“Amaechi is more Igbo than anyone who was silent when his kinsmen were forced into political slavery”.

“Ohanaeze will not join issues with a nonregistered organization with faceless leadership which was sponsored by politicians for the first time to discredit the workaholic Minister of Transport.”

Terrorists locally known as bandits have reportedly kidnapped an unspecified number of residents in Danjanku village, Musawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Katsina State.

According to residents who escaped the incident, the bandits stormed the community in the early hours of Friday, and operated for many hours.

In their account, they claimed the bandits arrived in the village on motorcycles and started shooting indiscriminately. They abducted some locals and escaped with them into the forest, Politics Nigeria reports.
Barely a week ago, five persons were killed by gunmen suspected to be bandits in Yantumaki, Danmusa Local Government Area of the state.
Danmusa, which is on the boundary of Rugu Forest, is one of the main hideouts for gunmen commonly referred to as bandits.
Katsina, despite being the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, has witnessed sporadic attacks by bandits and kidnappers that have claimed the lives of many.
Over 700 people have been reportedly killed by the gunmen in Jibia, Kankara, Dutsinma, Musawa, Danmusa and Safana local government areas of the state in the last five months.

There was visible but subdued jubilation in Owerri and some of the adjoining communities yesterday, when the news that the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, has struck out eight of the 15 criminal charges, levelled against the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, rented the social media.

Although all the markets, schools, banks, government offices and commercial activities were closed in Owerri, some restaurants and beer parlours were, however, seen playing host to scores of jubilant youths, who were relishing what they called “the preliminary victory of the IPOB leader”.

All the jubilant youths who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, on strict grounds of anonymity, were of the opinion that “this is the beginning of victory”.

In World Bank Housing Estate, New Owerri, a number of people wearing cheerful looks, were spotted in clusters, discussing the outcome of yesterday’s court ruling.

For Chukwuka: “We are cheerfully discussing the outcome of today’s (yesterday’s) outing, in Justice Nyako’s court. I have every cause to believe what I read on social media.

“Truth is constant and no matter how anybody or group of people try to suffocate it, it will survive the onslaught.

“I just wish the government will see reason and release this prisoner of conscience. He has had more than his fair share of suffering in detention. In this instance, I’ll say, to God be all the glory and praise.”

At the nearby Egbu community, a 35-year old lady, who simply identified herself as Ngozika, said: “I am very happy with the news that filtered into Owerri, from Abuja Federal High Court. It calls for jubilation and I have every reason to be happy. I thank the lawyers for doing a good job so far.

“You can see how free drinks are flowing almost endlessly. You can also hear the views of the jubilant youths. I am truly short of words to describe how happy we are, over the news.”

As of the time of going to press, vehicular traffic had resumed and a passenger in one of the commuter buses said: “We need to go and celebrate Nnamdi Kanu wherever we can have fun. This is another great day in this struggle.”

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, struck out eight out of the 15-count treasonable felony charge the Federal Government preferred against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Specifically, the court, in a ruling that was delivered by trial Justice Binta Nyako, struck out counts 6,7,9,10,11,12,13 and 14 of the charge.

The ruling followed an application Kanu filed to quash the entire charge against him.

Kanu, in the application he filed through his team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN), maintained that the charge against him was legally defective.

He argued that the court lacked the jurisdiction to try him on the strenght of an incompetent charge.

Ozekhome told the court that his client was “unlawfully, brutally and extraordinarily renditioned from Kenya without his consent”.

He argued that since some of the allegations FG levelled against Kanu, were purportedly committed outside the country, the high court, therefore, lack the jurisdiction to entertain the charge.

“The charges appears to give this court a global jurisdiction over offences that were allegedly committed by the Defendant, without specifying the location or date the said offences were committed”.

He argued that under the Federal High Court Act, such charge must disclose specific location where the offence was committed.

More so, Ozekhome contended that Kanu could not be charged with belonging to an unlawful organization since the action of FG, in proscribing the IPOB, is still subject of legal dispute at the Court of Appeal and therefore subjudice.

Consequently, Ozekhome urged the court to dismiss the charge, as well as to discharge and acquit the Defendant of the entire 15-count charge pending against him.

“This case is hollow, there is nothing in it. It is dead on arrival. Elements constituting the offence must occur within the jurisdiction of this court,” he argued.

However, FG’s lawyer, Mr. Shuaibu Labaran, prayed the court to strike out Kanu’s application and order the Prosecution to open its defence.

He argued that the application would touch the substance of the case that is yet to be heard.

“The position as at now is that the IPOB is a proscribed organization which was duly proscribed through the due process of law”.

He argued that Section 32 of the Terrorism Prevention Act imbued the court with the requisite jurisdiction to handle the trial.

“We urged my lord to refuse the application to pave way for commencement of the trial in ernest.

“This is a matter that has been pending for over five years now,” the prosecution counsel added.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out eight of the 15 counts against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

The 15 charges which bordered on terrorism were filed against Kanu by the Federal Government.

When the case resumed on Friday at the court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Binta Nyako struck out eight of the charges while delivering a ruling on the validity of the charges.

She held that in the instant preliminary objection application, counts six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, and 14 have not disclosed any offence by the defendant.

The judge, however, acknowledged that counts one, two, three, four, five, 13, and 15 showed some allegations against the IPOB leader, saying the trial of the defendant would proceed on those counts.

According to her, rendition for the purpose of criminal investigation is allowed and in the instant case, there is a bench warrant on the defendant, suffice to say he is a fugitive before the court.

On the issue of the proscription of IPOB, the judge held that the case was pending before the appeal court and as such, the order proscribing the organisation was subsisting until it was vacated.

More to follow…

FinestWine:
Anytime one gets on here nowadays, it is Peter Obi this Igbo presidency that. Why is it so. Why do they keep saying Igbo presidency, is it only Igbos are in Nigeria (The tribalism stinks).

Peter Obi has been accused of money laundering in the Pandora papers and everyone is pretending and making him look like a saint.

The issue is, Igbos with their tribalistic nature are not just promoting Igbo presidency(which is tribalistic, we are one nation), but they're doing so by insulting prominent Yoruba sons like Tinubu.

They're always on social media pretending to be righteous. Fools and idiots.

Totilopussylick:
Mischievous makers on the loose ends

Has this men declared their interest to run for president in 2023 general election in Nigeria .