Author Archives: News All Around

*Restates call for disbandment of Ebubeagu

The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-Cultural In the Diaspora (AEISCID) has said that it condemns strongly the reported assassination attempt on the life of the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, Prof. Benard Ifeanyi Odoh, describing the attack as ‘cowardly.’

Prof. Odoh’s convoy was attacked while returning from a campaign rally at Ezzaegu community, Ishielu Local Government Area of the state when it was ambushed by an unmarked Sienna bus stationed near the popular Rest House just before the Enugu/Abakaliki Federal Highway.

In the process, the governorship candidate lost his driver who was hit by bullets and the assailants also set ablaze the backup Toyota Hilux vehicle before making away with some valuables.

Reacting to the development through a statement signed by its President General, Amb. Pascal Oluchchukwu, Saturday in Abuja, the association urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to order immediate probe on the assassination attempt on the life of a frontline governorship candidate.

The Ebonyi indigenes also demanded immediate redeployment of the State’s Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba and also the disbandment of the Ebubeagu militia in the state.

According to AEISCID, Ebonyians and indeed Nigerians should hold governor Dave Umahi responsible for whatsoever happens to Professor Odoh or any other governorship candidate of the opposition political parties for that matter in Ebonyi state.

“We at AEISCID vehemently condemn this dastardly and cowardly attack as one now too many. We consequently invite the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba to order an immediate probe this attempt on the life of a frontline Governorship candidate like Odoh. This is about the seventh time we are reading about such unwarranted attacks on Professor Odoh and his teeming supporters just because they have chosen to remain of the APGA and not of Governor Umahi’s APC.

“We recall that his convoy was also fired at in Iboko, Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on October 20th last year by the same Ebubeagu militia. On 24th December, the Party’s supporters were attacked by the same notorious Ebubeagu operatives at Ugwulangwu, Onicha Local Government Area of the State after a campaign visit to the area.

“To that end therefore, this group wants the IGP, Ebonyians and indeed Nigerians to hold Umahi responsible for whatsoever happens to Professor Odoh or any other candidate of the opposition political Parties for that matter.

“While we formally call on the IGP to quickly order an unbiased and uncompromised probe into the attack, we demand the immediate redeployment of the State’s Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba and also the disbandment of the rampaging Ebubeagu militia which has since become a personal vendetta tool in the hands of Governor Umahi against his perceived opponents. The IGP should immediately set up a special crack team to retrieve from the Ebubeagu militia, all weapons and armouries in their possession before they plunge the State into a full-scale war. They cannot be allowed to continue to work as oppressive tools in the hands of the incumbent government in Ebonyi.”

While commiserating with Prof. Odoh and his APGA family, the group warned the state government to desist from desperate politicking capable of plunging the state into anarchy.

“Democracy is and remains about the freedom of the people to make their choice of leaders according to instrumentality of the ballot. The will and choices of Ebonyi people must be respected and no candidate deserves to die or be killed just because he belongs to another political party.

“For if Elechi was that tolerant to have allowed an Umahi he never wanted to succeed him prevail, Umahi should know that Ebonyians are wiser than before and he and his puppet APC candidate, Nwifuru cannot, we repeat can never shoot their way to through the ballot. They should market their ideas, views and governance perspectives to Ebonyi electorates who should be at liberty to accept or reject them at the polls as we are certain they will.”

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No 4 and 5 of the 30 Reasons That Made Me Surrender Myself To Serve As Member House of Representatives

NO 4: 

TO STAND FOR NIGERIANS 

It makes me sad whenever I see video on social media of our lawmakers screaming before camera as if they are helpless and calling for Nigerians to rescue them. And I keep asking myself if our parliamentarians still have the knowledge of their power as vested on the National Assembly by the constitution. 

When elected as a member of House of Representatives, I will always stand for Nigerians, be proactive and ensure the right things are done at the right time. And before situation gets out of control, I will move the motion to invoke the power of the House.

NO 5: 

CONSTITUENCY PROJECTS FOR MY PEOPLE EACH YEAR, FROM MY FIRST YEAR IN THE HOUSE. 

As I have said before, that each member of House of Representatives is allocated N100 million per year as constituency allowance for the purpose of carrying out constituency projects.

When elected into the House of Representatives, I will ensure the money is judiciously utilized to carry out projects that will be very impactful to my people each year. And at different parts of the two Local Governments that make up my constituency.

Also I will directly engage the right people from my constituency in recommendation, implementation and supervision processes of each of the projects.

Watch out for number 6 and 7 of the reasons why I desire to represent you as Honourable member of the House. 

Support Yours Sincerely,

Rev. Emmanuel Sunday Olorunmagba

For House of Representatives,

Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency

Of Kogi State.

Under the platform of National Rescue Movement (NRM)

…Commends Kyari Led NNPCL Management

Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has thrown its weight behind the clamour for removal of subsidy as the only remedy for recurring fuel Scarcity across the country.

According to the northern based political and socio-cultural organization, the best way for the National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)to make fuel available always is to removed subsidy completely.

The Secretary-General of ACF,Murtala Aliyu, who disclosed this in an interview said ,”For as long as we continue to import fuel, we have to subsidize it and doing so, will certainly make government resources to continue to be limited .

He vehemently kicked against the idea of borrowing money to pay for subsidy, adding that government has been shying away from the issue of subsidy and this is where the problem resides .

He further explained : “We all know that Petrol; diesel , kerosene and gas are all utilities . Like we buy firewoods, pay for water and pay for electricity, if we want to use it, we should pay for petrol too.It will definitely put cost on transportation, and other things but, that is the reality of the situation .

While noting that If subsidy is removed,there would be enough resources to provide for security of lives and property of the citizens; education, health care etc, he expressed strong support for open market for marketers to do the importation and sell freely.

” I am sure if this is done, the rate will crash because ,products will be are available . And certainly, issue of price hikes will be over. Let the market forces of demand and supply determine price of goods and services .” He stated .

Meanwhile ,he urged the Management of Engineer Mele Kyari led Management of National Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to intensify efforts to ensure the recent fuel queues at filling stations across Nigeria disappear .

On the performance of NNPC under Mele Kyari ,the ACF Scribe said ,” If you’re talking about the performance of the NNPCL or the oil sector generally, I think since the Buhari administration came up, we have had less problem with fuel queues until recently .

He therefore urged the leadership of NNPCL to redeem the good image hitherto achieved in recent years as a company with improved performance and ensure that the issue of long queues in the filling stations are addressed immediately.

Fielding question on issue of oil discovery in the north, the ACF Scribe, said there is not exciting the news of about oil discovery in the north .

He explained: In the first place ,the issue of discovering oil should not a competition matter ,but something that the whole country should be happy with .

“I can tell you that if for any reason we discovered oil anywhere Within the country, we should all be happy because, it’s an additional resources that will help provide more jobs ,lead to sustainable growth and development .

“If there is oil in commercial quantity found inland ,it should not be used for export,but processed for internal consumption.

“We can have modular refineries all around to produce the crude oil discovered in Gombe and Bauchi states .And where there is gas, we should use it for generation of energy instead of looking at it from the export dimensions. And if it becomes abundant ,even our neighbours can now benefit.”

While stating that discovery of oil in the north is a positive thing, he advised, “It shouldn’t be about export or 13 per cent derivation,but about the fact that there is enough resources for the country,for the population to enjoy .

“We in the ACF are not expressing undue excitement about oil discovery in the north.”

“People look at things politically ,they think north needs to also measure up because the see you as not producing anything . If you at the Nigerian GDP ,Oil is responsible for less 10 per cent, Which means there is something else keeping the country together like Agriculture.

“Secondly , agriculture provides more employment than any other sector which means they engage the economy more the oil sector .

“I think not just oil any other resources that help could help the teeming masses to more comfortable and wealthier. ,I think government should embark on exploration of such resources.”

As the 2023 general elections draw nearer, supporters of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Monday embarked on a road walk in Lagos state to canvass votes for their presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo and other candidates of the party.

The supporters converged at the SDP secretariat in Yaba at around 8am from where they moved to Ebute meta, Obalende, Iyana Oworo, Maryland, Ikorodu road then to Computer Village in Ikeja, soliciting for votes for their candidates.

Addressing the residents in Obalende and other areas, the Vice Presidential Candidate of SDP, Mr.Yusuf Buhari, urged those who were yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to take advantage of the deadline extension by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do so.

Buhari said the party chose ‘Walk for Democracy’ as part of Lagos Presidential Campaign Rally to reach out to the grassroots and educate voters on why they need to vote SDP as best alternative that would transform Nigeria.

Speaking with journalists, the Deputy Director General for SDP presidential campaign council, Mrs. Khadija Okunnu-Lamidi, said the party is one of the oldest political parties in the country, urging Nigerians to vote for Adebayo as the next president.

Okunnu-Lamidi said “This is the party that gives mandate to Late MKO Abiola. The democracy at that period was truncated. This is thirty years after and we are in 2023, as luck will have it, we now have another candidate who understands the issues, and how to govern. He is very intelligent and well educated. He is very in turn with the reality of the grassroots, that’s what important, most of the candidates we had have been in the system and corrupted by the system, we can’t keep doing same thing and expect different results, this is why it’s important that Prince Adewole Adebayo who is People’s choice should be given chance to govern the country”.

She said that the party would get rid of poverty in the country, saying that if poverty was eradicated, other issues like unemployment, insecurity and other challenges facing the country would be a thing of the past.

Okunnu-Lamidi said “Our campaign is all around farewell to poverty. This farewell to poverty is the same theme that MKO Abiola had but guest what thirty years later, poverty is getting worse, insecurity is now has grand-child called kidnaping and all metric you can use to measure poverty have increased. The number of people and the level of poverty itself also increased.

” We are here to eradicate poverty and insecurity, all these things once we take care of them, it solves the whole issues, it solves healthcare problem,it give dignity back to the citizens. Where there is dignity of lives, our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will increase, we have the number, we just need to get productivity out of them, a hungry man can’t work and strategize and these are the things to fix in order to boost productivity and boost the economic status of everyone.

” I urge Nigerians not to sell their votes or but vote their conscience and presidential candidate that would assist in reposing confidence on Nigerians”.

She added “We expect Nigerians to make a choice devoid of money as you know the money that is being spent in politics, most of the politicians are not spending their money rather they spend your money to campaign to you to continue doing the same things. I expect Nigerians to listen to issues and stop getting sway by the theatre they are bringing into it.

” They are not talking about poverty, they are not talking about how to address the problem of out of school children, they are not talking about finding lasting solutions to the flooding in Nigeria, they are not talking about availability of portable water, good healthcare. What they are talking about is to keep dancing keep thinking that politics is a game or theatre or a clown show. No, it is real because it affects your lives.

” I am glad that we are finally getting to the issues and we are finally leaving that nonsense behind and bringing someone Prince Adewole Adebayo who is young. Our candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo is 51 years old and he is capable to turn things for better in Nigeria “.

The walk was led by the Presidential candidate of SDP, Prince Adewole Adebayo, his Vice Presidential candidate, Mr. Yusuf Buhari, the Deputy Director General of SDP Presidential campaign Council, Mrs. Khadija Okunu- Lamidi and other Chieftains.

The Presidential and National Assembly elections will be held on February 25 while the Governorship and State Assembly elections will be held March 11.

*Says judgement compromised

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Friday, described the majority judgement of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that purportedly sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke as highly compromised.

Frank in a statement in reaction to the judgement said the verdict fell short of expectations and does not reflect the will of the majority of the people of Osun who freely elected Senator Adeleke as Governor.

He called on the National Judicial Council to urgently cause a probe of the verdict with a view to restoring Adeleke’s mandate as well as penalizing any of the tribunal members found to have compromised on integrity.

He also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently investigate the judges who wrote the majority judgement and prosecute those found to have based their decision on other considerations rather than the true facts canvassed during the hearing of the case.

He also called on the United States of America to place a visa ban on the Osun tribunal judges found to have used their highly exalted position as arbiters to derail and frustrate the growth of democracy in the country.

He commended the judge who wrote the minority judgement for sticking to the truth and siding with the wishes and aspirations of Osun people that elected Adeleke during the last governorship election.

He however, urged the people of Osun to remain calm and law abiding with the certainty that the mandate they freely gave to Adeleke would be retrieved at the appellate court.

He vowed that Nigerians will not fold their arms and watch any attempt to use the judiciary to again steal Adeleke’s mandate through the backdoor.

…Says No ‘Political Prostitute’ Can Stop Tinubu/Shettima Combination as Best Option For Nigeria

….

National Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Network (TSN) ,Engineer (Dr.) Kailani Muhammad has described Hajiya Naja’atu Muhammad as a ‘Political Prostitute’,who was sponsored by the People’s Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate to blackmail the All Progressives Congress Presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Hajia Naja’atu Muhammad resigned last Saturday from the APC’s Presidential Campaign Council, saying her conscience would not allow her to continue as member.

She had also said the party’s standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was too sick and possibly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease as he could not hold a teacup when she visited him in London some time ago.

But Kailani in a reaction to Naja’atu’s ,said her statements are not only contradictory,but absolutely fallacious.

The TSN National Coordinator, who briefed supporters on the journey so far about the group’s mobilisation drive for Tinubu/Shettima as President and running mate , said Hajiya Naja’atu is a complete disappointment , failure and should not be taken seriously.

He explained: “This was a woman, who was with us in ANPP; CPC and later APC.She ran away to PDP and returned to APC ,today she has ran away again .what she said in the social media yesterday is contradictory and fallacious.

“It was blunt lies to say she went to London to meet Tinubu and discovered he was sick .

“We know she has been sponsored by PDP and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,because she has been working for them.”

While urging electorate to disregard her statements, he however described Naja’atu as a political prostitute,who moved from one place to another. adding “No serious and principled politician will do that.

“We have been in one party for over 20 years and never shifted post .When you believe in something ,you stand by it and that’s what we have done.”

On issue of the forthcoming general elections, Kailani disclosed that the Tinubu/Shettima Network as a group has been able to register over 15 thousand support group members and still working to recruiting more to prosecute the February 25 ,2023 presidential election.

“We are the option B for APC, we did that for President Muhammadu Buhari with the National Votes Guard and Awareness of President Muhammadu Buhari group and we are going to do it again for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

” We have enemies of progress in Nigeria , those propagandists that have been saying all sorts of things against Tinubu. Unfortunately they do so with no facts ,just the normal Nigerian factor.

“Some said he’s sick but we saw him dancing yesterday in Kano .How can someone who is unhealthy be dancing life on stage during campaigns for almost two hours while he addressed mammoth crowd of clerics and leaders .

“Governance is about intelligence and those that know how to turn around the economy just like he did in Lagos over years .

“It is on record that Tinubu turned the economy of Lagos with a record of high sustainable IGR generation . Today the economy of Lagos is bigger than that of the entire West Africa.

“That is what we want him to come and do for Nigeria .We need a leader that can coordinate resources for greater Nigeria.

“As contained in the renewed Hope Manifesto which places emphasis on health,education, infrastructure and several sectors of the economy. We believe by the time Nigerians vote for Tinubu/ Shettima most of our problems would be solved.”

On issues of allegations of narcotics and source of wealth,Kailani said,people have questioned it and IMF and several international bodies have investigated him and found nothing indicting .

“Tinubu is a businessman, who has capacity to turn one Kobo to one naira and to millions and he said it categorically that people are enving him .

He therefore, urged Nigerians to shun the the cock-and-bull stories about Tinubu.

“Just yesterday we saw some vehicles with banners of APC at PDP secretariat ,is about propaganda by enemies of progress and they want to cause confusion.”

The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has told Simon Ekpa to return the money he collected from his paymasters to destroy Peter Obi’s chances in the 2023 general elections and rescind his planned sit-at-home order during the February 25th presidential election.

The pan Igbo organisation had placed a $50,000 bounty on Ekpa to stop him from carrying out his dastard plans against Peter Obi and the Ndigbo. Then he started commissioning people to intervene and plead on his behalf, but Ohanaeze has said to withdraw the bounty and leave him be, Simon Ekpa must pay back all the money he has collected from his paymasters to carry out his nefarious activities, stop his killer squad in Southeastern Nigeria, repent and apologize for the agonies and inconveniences caused by his activities and crooked falsehoods.

A statement signed by the Secretary-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro on Tuesday said, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has cautioned one Simon Ifeanyi Njoku Ekpa to return the funds he collected with the evil intent to destroy the prospects of the Labour Party to win the 2023 presidential elections on 25th February 2023. Intelligence reports have it that Simon Ekpa became frightened that his secrets have been uncovered and he quickly retreated and withdrew his response to the $50,000 bounty place on him.

“He has been begging Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the last 24 hours through third parties to reconsider and review the sanctions as well drop the bounty placed on him. Ndigbo’s response to Simon Ekpa’s plea is that he should return the $1 million to the unfavoured and unpopular presidential candidate in order to destroy the support base of Peter Obi through his old-fashioned mantra of NO ELECTION IN BIAFRA LAND and rescind his intentions to declare a four days sit-at-home from 22nd to 26th of February 2023 in the view to disrupt the 2023 presidential elections in the Southeast.

“Ndigbo will resist attempts by Simon Ekpa to scare away voters in the Southeast and South-South through his planned four days sit-at-home, our suspicion was reinforced after Ekpa was asking for forgiveness and we knew that his plans to stop the elections in Southeastern Nigeria were to stop Obedient devotees from voting for Peter Obi and lessen the strength of the presidential candidate in the Southeast.

“The 2023 presidential elections must hold in the Southeast, and Ndigbo must vote for whoever is their choice at the polls. Simon Ekpa must pay back all that he has amassed from the enemies of Ndigbo, stop his killer squad in Southeastern Nigeria, show remorseful repentance and apologize for the inconveniences caused by his rantings and crooked falsehoods to Ndigbo.

“Except he abides by this conditions, Ndigbo will smoke him out of his hideouts in Finland and Europe, as Ndigbo and Nigerians in Finland and Europe have responded positively to the $50,000 bounty placed on him. It’s a matter of time, Simon Ifeanyi Njoku Ekpa will be apprehended, and his extradition to Nigeria will happen shortly so that he can answer to all the crimes and killings he instigated in the Southeast,” Isiguzoro said.