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How Nine Residents Of Abuja Estate Were Abducted By Gunmen

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

Police in Abuja has confirmed late night abduction of some residents  in an Estate located at the suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT).

Some of the residents of the Grow Homes Estate along Kuchibiyi in the Kubuwa area of the FCT revealed that nine members of the Estate, including children were abducted Friday night by unidentified gunmen.

The gunmen numbering about 20 stormed the Estate around 11:30 pm on Friday.

A resident of the community who identified himself simply as Hassan explained that the victims were captured from two separate apartments in the estate.

Acvording to him, “Yesterday, at about 11:30 pm some gunmen in their large numbers came to carry out an operation at Grow homes estate along Kuchibiyi.

“We heard the sounds of gunshots, there was panic in the entire community as a result of the incident.

“This morning, we went to the Estate and we learnt those gunmen were about 20. They moved from one apartment to the other dispossessing residents of their belongings.

“They also kidnapped at least nine persons including children and women from two apartments in the estate.

“They escaped through the bush which linked the community to Paze village.

The police and the estate security have been searching the bush since morning to see if they can rescue the kidnapped residents.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Abuja Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident.

She added that the Police and the Estate Security are combing the bushes in the area to ensure the victims are rescued.

“Upon receipt of the distress call, we immediately deployed our men to the scene. The suspects however abruptly suspended their operations and took some victims with them into the bush.

“Operatives of the Police and the estate security are still combing the bushes in the area to ensure they are rescued unhurt.”

“We urge the residents to remain calm and assist with useful information that could lead to the swift arrest of these criminals.”

Peter Obi’s Call To Vote LP Candidates In Anambra Assembly Deceitful – Soludo; Threatens Communities

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Peter Obi and Charles Soludo

By Ayodele Oni

The 18th March, 2023, Governorship/House of Assembly election in Anambra state will again be a test of might between Governor Soludo and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, (LP) Peter Obi.

Obi had roundly defeated Soludo in the Presidential/National Assembly election with LP winning about 92 percent of votes and producing most House of Representatives Members and Senators.

On Friday, in continuation of his thank you and solidarity visit with supporters and candidates of the party and a meeting with the Anambra State House of Assembly ticket holders for the March 18, 2023 election, Obi urged them to vote massively for LP Candidates.

The LP standard bearer charged the candidates to give in their best and get the desired victory because a new Nigeria is possible and is indeed here.

Anambra state Governorship election holds differently following a landmark judicial victory by Obi who sought and obtained positive tenure interpretation in 2007, changing the gubernatorial elections in the state at different dates.

Six other States, Edo, Osun, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Kogi, and Imo states were to follow in Anambra pioneered governorship tenure differential.

At the meeting with the flag bearers in his State, strategies were fine-tuned for their victory next Saturday, March 18, 2023.

In a tweet announcing the meeting, Obi said, “This night, I shared great moments with all the candidates of our great party, LP, in Anambra State, both at the Federal and State levels.

“I reminded them that at the center of our campaigns will be a strong desire for service to the people and a firm commitment to nation-building. We must build a better nation for ourselves and future generations.

While congratulating those who already won the National Assembly election on the platform of the party, Obi encouraged those contesting at the State level to give in their best. “I listened to their challenges and wished them well. They shall succeed. A New Nigeria is here”

Earlier in the day he visited Enugu and Abia states to show solidarity with the Governorship and State Assembly candidates in the two states. Hon Barr. Chijioke Edeoga and Dr. Alex Otti are the gubernatorial flagbearers for Enugu and Abia respectively.

But on Saturday, Governor Soludo reacted to the calls by the LP presidential candidate, for the people of the state to vote massively for his party’s House of Assembly candidates.

In a statement signed by his Press secretary, Mr Chris Aburime, Soludo said the call by Obi  was  deceptive, and meant to lay landmines for him.

Said the statement in part: “That call was meant to deceive Anambra people. Obi can not be talking about development in Anambra and also be talking about asking Anambra people to elect lawmakers from the opposition party to work with Soludo.

“He worked with a legislature that was dominated by lawmakers from the PDP, when he first came in as governor, and he knows that it was not easy for him.

“He even suffered impeachment because of that, and we hope it is not the same thing he wants to set Soludo up for.

“Anambra people should go all out next Saturday and vote for APGA, if they want the developmental strides of Mr Governor to continue.

“You can not be talking of development and at the same time talking of electing opposition politicians into the House of Assembly, it is not done. It is deceit.

“Anambra people supported Obi during the Presidential Election, and besides, Soludo refused to interfere as the people trooped out to vote for Labour Party, and that was even before Soludo made the environment conducive for people to come out and vote.

“We have voted Labour Party in the presidential election, but for the House of Assembly election, we are voting for APGA, and we want Anambra people to know so.”

In a bid to win, Soludo had threatened Communites which will not vote his APGA Candidates on Saturday. He said there will be no development for them all through his tenure as a Governor, because he would never allow the House of Assembly members from another Party to see him to present their Communities’ challenges.

Soludo and Obi have had a running battle on the choice of lawmakers in the next session of the Anambra House of Assembly.

Though there will be no governorship election in the state, Soludo is fighting to have majority, if not all members of the 30-man assembly.

Also, Obi who is the leader of an emerging strong political force in the country, wants to assert himself by using his influence to cause a higher number of lawmakers in the assembly.

For The Next 16 Years, The Igbo Will Never Be On Presidential Seat – Joe Igbokwe; Says Tinubu Will Hand Over To Northerner

By
The Source
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0

By Gideon Njoku

“The Igbo Will still be children of anger and children of hate, and life goes on.” – Igbokwe

An Anambra-born Igbo son, Joe Igbokwe, has said that the Igbo will be nowhere near the Presidential seat for, at least, the next 16 years. To Igbokwe, they shouldn’t even aspire because it would never get to them. Reason according to him: they don’t play nice politics. They are children of hate and children of anger.

Igbokwe, in response to a troll, said that the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, now President-elect, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will be in power for eight years, after which he would hand over to a Northerner. What Igbokwe is saying is that the Presidential seat is now shared between the North and the South-west.

Igbokwe’s position stemmed from a response by a troll, one Ejike, to Igbokwe’s call on the Igbo Community in Lagos to vote en masse for the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on March 18, 2023, the day the Governorship election will hold.

In the appeal to the Igbo to vote for Governor Sanwo-Olu, Igbokwe, who is the Special Adviser to Sanwo-Olu on Drainages said: “President-elect, ASIWAJU BAT is a good friend of the Igbo, and he did his best for prominent Igbo businessmen and women in Lagos, including me.

“This is pay back time, and we should do this by voting for GOV SANWO-OLU  en masse on March 18.

But the troll, Ejike, had in response to that told Igbokwe: “Dash him your wife and daughters and enthrone  him as your family deity. That’ll be adequate pay back.”

An obviously angry Igbokwe, in response to Ejike, submitted that Tinubu will be in power for eight years and handover to a Northerner because the Igbo do not know how to play “nice politics.”

His words: “When I see the level of despicable abuses and calling of names coming from the South-east  young people, I run away with the thinking that we did not do our duties as parents. Shame has enveloped me from head to toes.

“Ejike Akunna, jisieike. Mark my words here: Asiwaju from 2023 to 2031 and another Northerner from 2031 to 2039. We will still be children of anger and children of hate, and life goes on. We will be onlookers because we refused to play politics. Dazzol!!!.”

Ogun Guber: INEC Debunks Claim It Delisted Adebutu, Says He Remains Ogun PDP Candidate

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Oladipupo Adebutu

By Akinwale Kasali

Contrary to reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has delisted Oladipupo Adebutu as the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  Ogun State, the electoral umpire says he remains the Candidate.

The Commission disclosed that Adebutu remains the authentic Candidate of the PDP listed for the March 18, 2023, Governorship Election in the State.

The news that the PDP has no Governorship Candidate to hoist its flag at the Polls on March 18th had gone viral on Social Media, before INEC debunked it.

Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State were alleged to have been circulating the news that INEC has not recognised Adebutu as the Gubernatorial candidate of the party.

But, the Residence Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Ogun State, Niyi Ijalaye dispelled the rumor, describing it as unfounded.

Ijalaye reacted to the rumor while speaking with journalists in Abeokuta, on Saturday.

“It is a rumor that is not founded, that is all”, Ijalaye said.

The INEC REC emphasized that, Adebutu remained the Governorship candidate of the PDP in the State and called on residents of the State to ignore it.

Ijalaye said, Adebutu would be participating in the election as the authentic Governorship candidate of the PDP.

Imo Labour Crisis: Uzodinma Sacks Ozumba, Commissioner For Labour & Productivity

By
The Source
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Chief Ford Ozumba

By Charles Igbo

The misunderstanding between the Imo State Government and the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, has cost the State Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Chief Ford Ozumba, his office.

The NLC, led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, National President, had declared a strike action in the State over alleged interference in their election. The Union claims that their Congress was disrupted by Security operatives on the orders of the State Government, and in the process, some workers were injured.

But the Government vehemently denied any such interference and said that Security men were there to maintain peace when a serious misunderstanding broke out between the two contestants to the office of the Chairman of the State NLC.

This led to the declaration of a strike action, without notice, for which the Government accuses Ajaero of ulterior motives.

However, this medium gathered that while the crisis brewed, and almost boiled over, Ozumba was away to Abuja where he accompanied the Senator – elect for Imo West,  Osita Izunaso, for the collection of his Certificate of Return.

No reason was, however, given for the sack of the Commissioner. But in a statement, on Saturday, the Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, confirmed Ozumba’s removal.

The terse statement reads:

“Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has approved the immediate removal of Chief Ford Ozumba, the State Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, from office.

“Accordingly, His Excellency further directs that Chief Ozumba hands over to the  Permanent Secretary of his Ministry with immediate effect.”

Hold INEC Chairman, Not President Buhari, Accountable If Crisis Erupts Over 2023 General Elections

By
The Source
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Chief Willy Ezugwu

Conference Of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has said that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, not President Muhammadu Buhari, should be held responsible if anything go wrong in the country following its alleged inability to follow its own guidelines for the 2023 general elections.

The CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted that President Buhari has done everything humanly possible to ensure a free, fair, and credible general elections but the failure of INEC to follow its electoral guidelines.

The CNPP spoke while reacting to the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Abuja granting approval to INEC to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the governorship and state house of assembly elections and the eventual postponement of the state elections earlier scheduled for March 11, 2023.

The CNPP noted that “if INEC ends up tampering with the information in the BVAS machines or erases evidence of what actually transpired during the now contentious presidential election, it may lead to a disaster the country should not be allowed to happen to Nigeria and Nigerians.”

According to the CNPP, “INEC should have foreseen the fact that since it the introduced technology in the conduct of the 2023 general elections, litigants would always apply for the inspection of materials used in the conduct of elections.

“For INEC to seek an order of the Court to reconfigure the BVAS machines without due inspection of their raw data and certified true copies (CTC) of them issued to parties wishing to obtain the information is a recipe for avoidable crisis.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has not blame if anything goes wrong as a result of the move by INEC. The chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu should be solely held responsible.

“It is strange that INEC, which failed to upload election results from the polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would seek to reconfigure the BVAS while litigations are being initiated by disputing political parties that felt cheated by virtue of the failure of the Commission to upload results of the elections in real-time from the polling units”.

On the postponed governorship and state legislative elections, the CNPP wondered why INEC rushed to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections “knowing that it will be unable to upload the results from the polling units.

“We call on Nigerians and the International Community to hold INEC to account for whatever crisis that may emanate from its actions and/or inactions as President Buhari did his part by signing the amended electoral 2022 and deploying all the security agencies to ensure that we held the elections in peaceful environment.

“INEC Chairman’s CHATHAM House lecture expressly assured Nigerians and the International Community of the Commission’s readiness to ensure a free, fair and credible elections but the same INEC has continued to create doubts about its lack of adequate preparations for the 2023 general elections.

“Unfortunately, INEC failed to halt the collation of results of the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections even when Nigerians complained that the result were not being uploaded to the INEC IREV portal in real-time. The commission went ahead to manually collate and announce the results and took a whole week to slowly upload many mutilated results, creating wide suspension that the outcomes were doctored. And to make matters worse, INEC sought to reconfigure the BVAS amid allegations of rigging”, the CNPP stated.

Abia Governorship: Obi Has No Agreement With Governor Ikpeazu

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The Source
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Peter Obi and Okezie Ikpeazu

By Charles Igbo

The Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, has no agreement whatsoever to support Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s handpicked Candidate for the Governorship Election scheduled for March 18, 2023.

In the wake of the trouncing of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-east at the Presidential election of 25th February, 2023, reports emerged that in Abia, Obi had an agreement with Governor Ikpeazu to support him at the Presidential Polls while Obi would reciprocate by supporting the PDP Governorship Candidate. If that is true, it means that Obi would abandon the LP Candidate, Alex Otti, in support of Okey Ahiwe of the PDP.

But not true, said Otti, who emphasised that there was no such agreement between  Ikpeazu and Obi. Otti described Obi as a man of honour who would never enter into such an agreement with anybody.

He went on to mock Ikpeazu for his electoral woes, and asked him how he could claim that he delivered Obi in Abia when he was not capable of delivering himself in his Senatorial Zone.

Ikpeazu had aspired to be a Senator, but he failed woefully at the Polls, and took a distant third position  behind the Candidates of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and that of the LP.

Otti who spoke on Arise Television, Friday morning, warned those carrying and spreading such tales to desist from such as Obi was already set to come to Abia to lead his (Otti’s) Governorship rally.

Otti: “I know for a certainty that there was no such agreement, and I know Peter  Obi very well. I have known him for decades, and I know him as a man of honour and he cannot enter into a fraudulent agreement.

“Let’s assume, without conceding that there was such an agreement with Okezie Ikpeazu, the question to ask is: how well did he implement the agreement because for you to deliver somebody, you must deliver  yourself first. And, in that election he (Ikpeazu) failed. He came third in his Senatorial race. Abaribe came first, my Candidate, Chinedu, came second. By the result declared by INEC, Okezie came a distant third.

“So, if he could not deliver himself, how can he claim that he was the one that delivered Peter Obi? Mr Peter Obi was delivered by Labour Party and the Obidients In Abia. Barring all problems that have to do with his litigations, he will be in Abia and he will campaign for us.

“So, there was no such agreement. Let me ask them, Okezie is a member of the G5, what happened to their leader, (Nyesom Wike) in Rivers State, who he supported. My understanding is that the G5 supported the APC Candidate (Bola Tinubu). So, to that extent, he cannot come to reap where he did not sow.”

All through the Presidential Campaign period, Ikpeazu never uttered a word of support or encouragement for Obi.

“I Will Fight And Bleed To Death ”, Obi did not say so

By
The Source
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Peter Obi in Lagos

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi  has again called on the “Obidient” family and all men and women of goodwill to remain calm, prayerful and alert to the events in the country.

Speaking through his Media Adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, Obi urged Nigerians to ignore the news being circulated where he was quoted as saying that he never lost an election; that he would fight and “bleed to death until” his mandate is restored; that he would drag “INEC until there will be no life left in them”;  that he was “looking forward to jailing  all that partook in this scam and fraud called election”, among others.

Obi described the news as not only false, but also mischievous, misleading and out of character.

Obi said that insofar as he believed that the election was gravely flawed,  as being attested to by everybody that was part of the process, that he would continue to pursue the recovery of the stolen mandate through the legal process.

“I have worked through similar paths in the past and was successful. I shall follow the same path without endangering the relative peace in the country, which is actually what those election riggers are striving desperately to upset”, Obi said.

AFCON Under-20: Flying Eagles Defeat Tunisia To Win Bronze

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0

By Akinwale Kasali

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria ended the Under-20 African Youth Championship in Egypt with a Third Place Match win over the Junior Carthage Eagles of Tunisia to claim Bronze at the continental showpiece.

Having lost its semi final match to Gambia, the Coach Ladan Bosso-led Team knew that it won’t be palatable returning home without a Medal. They  went all out to annihilate the Tunisians 4-0.

Ibrahim Muhammad opening the scoring for the Flying Eagles in the 26th minute after tapping in a cross from David Bameyi to give the Nigerian side the lead.

All through the first half, the Flying Eagles dictated the pace and flow of the match, as it failed to convert its chances.

As at the 30th minute of the encounter, the Tunisians had made two substitutions as it was unable to curtail the pressure mounted by the West African nation.

The first half ended 1-0. As the center referee signaled the commencement of the second half, within 30 seconds of resumption, striker, Ahmed Abdullahi added the second goal with a sublime finish to give the Seven Time AFCON Under-20 Champions a two goal advantage.

Three minutes later, a solo run from Jude Sunday gave the Flying Eagles the third goal to take the match beyond the Tunisians who were depleted after coming two goals in quick succession.

After the third goal, the Flying Eagles decided to keep possession of the ball, making the Tunisians chase the ball.

Late in the game, a good interplay by the midfielders gave Jude Sunday is brace of the match to seal the game at 4-0.

With the victory, Nigeria has won the Bronze and qualified for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup slated for Indonesia in few months time.

Senegal and Gambia will jostle for the coveted trophy when they trade tackles at the AFCON Under-20 grand finale slated for tomorrow.

The teams that will hoist the continents flag at the World Youth Tournament are; Nigeria, Gambia, Senegal and Tunisia.

Traders Protest Against NLC President, Ajaero For Inflicting More Hardship On Imo Citizens

By
The Source
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0
Imo Market Women Protest against Ajaero

Market men and women operating under the umbrella of Imo State Amalgamated Market and Traders Association (ISAMATA) have  embarked on a protest against the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero, lamenting that the Labour Leader is unmindful of the hardship they are currently facing by calling for a strike in Imo State.

The traders have therefore vowed to resist any attempt by the Ajaero-led Labour or any other group for that matter that wants to worsen the excruciating hardship they are passing through as a result of high cost of fuel, cash crunch due to the Naira redesign, lack of power supply, among others.

Leading their members to protest to Governor Hope Uzodimma at the Government House in Owerri on Friday, President of ISAMATA, Comrade Ezeanochie Emmanuel, said that Ajaero was unreasonable to have called for strike in Imo when there was no need for such, insisting that their members would resist any plan to truncate the peace in the State.

Governor Uzodimma who was unavoidably absent but was represented by his deputy, Prof. Placid Njoku, assured the leadership and members of ISAMATA of standing with them in their move towards resisting man-made difficulties they are facing in the State currently that make live unbearable for their members.

The Deputy Governor reminded the traders that “the Government of Senator Uzodimma  has the welfare of the people as its primary business and will not stand by to see anybody come to Imo State to impose hardship on her citizens.”

He said that: “The 3R administration is a government that likes to see hardworking people such as ISAMATA get benefit for their hard work. The government will be happy that genuine traders make gains from their businesses, that civil servants get their salaries and entitlements at the end of the month and in the same manner pensioners get their full month pensions at the end of every month.”

Prof Njoku added that the government has been sensitive to the need of the people, reiterating that Governor Uzodimma had asked him to inform ISAMATA that “his government will stand up to resist any directive or order coming from anywhere that will impinge on the freedom and welfare and even livelihood of Imo citizens.”

Prof. Njoku said it was “regrettable and unfortunate that the recent directive for workers to go on strike, that electricity should be cut off from Imo people and that even filling stations should close their business to make things unbearable for Imo people, is coming from an Imo son who stays somewhere and dished out offensive directives.”

He, therefore, warned that wherever Joe Ajero may be hiding, he should be made to understand that there is a Government in Imo State and that Imo people have suffered enough from the time of Covid-19 to End#SARS# to banditry and unknown gunmen and now to the present circumstances, “and as a matter of fact nobody will be allowed to come to Imo State to add more harm to Imo people.”

The Deputy Governor urged the traders to go back to their work and businesses, reminding them that “some of the problems such as the high price of fuel and the Naira redesign were not caused by the Imo State Government, rather by prevailing circumstances all over the federation.”

He urged them to go back and be sure  that Government will protect them.

Presenting their case earlier, the President of ISAMATA in Imo State, Comrade Ezeanochie Emmanuel said that “it is unreasonable for Joe Ajero to come to Imo State to inflict more difficulties on Imo people, especially the traders when he asked the Electricity Regulators to shut businesses and has equally directed Filling Stations to close shop.”

According to him, the “Imo traders are suffering so much and incurring a lot of loses in their businesses, starting with the high cost of fuel, that is above N350 in Imo State, the Naira re-design where people buy their own money and now, no light and even the filling stations have been asked to also close down.”

He told the Government that they are “ready to resist Joe Ajero and his cohorts to any level and even meet with him in the court of law.”

Adding their voices, the ISAMATA Chairmen for Orlu zone,  Comrade Mgbemere Udoka, that of Owerri zone, Comrade Okoko David and that of Okigwe zone,  Comrade Ezeigwe Chikwendu, the leader of Hausa Traders, Abdul Ibrahim and the Secretary of ISAMATA Imo State,  Comrade Don Chris Okere, all corroborated what their Chairman said and added that “government should stop Ajaero from playing dirty politics with Imo people because they are ready to resist his antics at all levels.”

They acknowledged that Imo State is peaceful, hence they will not allow anybody to come to the State and cause unnecessary trouble.

Emphatically, they decried that the shutting down of electricity in the last two days in Imo State has led to untold damages to their perishable goods such as fish, tomatoes, onions and all such goods that require electricity for preservation.

The protesters carried and displayed varying posters that read:

“We need Peace in Imo State.”

“Nigeria is Ours, Imo State is ours.”

“We can’t die from this organized sufferings.”  “The Traders say EDDC should give us Light.” “NLC please don’t add to our sufferings.”

“Imo Traders say No to Ajero’s Evil Intentions.”

“Traders say no to Economic Strangulations in Imo State,” among others.

The Hon. Commissioner for Information and Strategy,  Declan Mbadiwe Emelumba joined the Deputy governor to receive the protesting traders.

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