Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has assured the members of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria that his State in particular and Nigeria in general are ready for the forthcoming election.
He gave the assurance at the weekend when he received in audience at the New Executive Chambers, Government House, Owerri a team of European Union Election observers led by Thomas Boserop who paid him a working visit.
Governor Uzodimma assured them that “the State Government and the Federal Government are ready for the election,” and that “adequate preparations have been put in place.”
He told them that the Mock election they just came to observe and the main elections of February 25 and March 11 will surely be smooth.
He thanked them for finding time to visit and wished them the best of luck as they monitor the elections, reminding them that “government owes it a responsibility to ensure a very successful election by providing a conducive environment for her citizens to vote and be voted for.”
Earlier, the leader of the team Thomas Boserop informed the Governor that they are in Nigeria “to observe the elections lined up for February and March,” and that they “thought it wise and proper to pay the courtesy call on the Governor as a way of informing him that Imo State is part of the State they are listed to observe.”
Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential Election is shaping to be an exciting race, with the Labour Party leading with 37%, followed by the PDP with 27% and the APC with 24%, according to the latest poll by Nextier SPD, an African-based international development consulting firm.
The poll, released on Saturday, February 5, 2023, is the second national face-to-face survey conducted by Nextier SPD and shows that a significant percentage of registered voters, 72% have chosen their presidential candidate.
The poll places Peter Obi, the dark horse of the 2023 election, well ahead of his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
According to the most recent Nextier Poll, Peter Obi has the greatest net favorability among the leading presidential contenders. At the same time, among the major political parties, the Labour Party has the greatest net favorability.
According to the firm’s website, Nextier SPD, employs evidence-based research and policy to create and strengthen knowledge and skills for managing society. The organisation released its first poll in November, 2022 and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate emerged as the most preferred. This poll shows Mr Obi has expanded his lead in the race.
In a statement released by the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation, it thanked Nigerians for their continued support leading up to the 2023 Presidential Election.
“It is wonderful to note that the findings of Nextier’s second poll for the 2023 General Elections suggest that the message of hope of our Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is resonating strongly with the Nigerian people,” Dr Tanko Yanusi, the Chief Spokesperson for the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, said in a statement on Sunday, February 5, 2023.
“It demonstrates that the efforts of Nigerians from across the nation to take back their country and reshape its character and fortune to benefit all Nigerians are bearing fruit.
“We are delighted that His Excellency, Mr Peter Obi, who is seen as the burden bearer and hope for true change in Nigeria has the greatest net favorability rating among the leading presidential contenders.
“In addition, our great Party, the Labour Party, which was first mocked by institutional demagogues impeding Nigeria’s road to genuine greatness, has been deemed to have the greatest preference across various religious and non-religious groups in the nation.
“We are particularly pleased by the findings that reveal that 72 per cent of respondents have already decided on who to vote for, and 77 per cent say that they will vote in the forthcoming election.
“This development is a strong indicator that the Nigerian voter is smart, conscious and actively engaged in changing the future of our nation. It also indicates that the Nigerian people have for long anticipated the emergence of a candidate like Peter Obi blessed with the capacity to bring about real change and good governance for all Nigerians,” he added.
The statement also expressed satisfaction that most Nigerians were concerned about tackling the vexing problems of insecurity, joblessness, bad economy, and institutionalised corruption, to which its Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has offered the most straightforward solutions.
The possibility of a runoff between Peter Obi and either Atiku Abubakar or Bola Tinubu as indicated by the Nextier survey was based primarily on the fact that neither contender is projected to achieve the criterion for an outright victory.
According to the survey, only Peter Obi’s Labour Party would be able to accomplish that in 23 states, beating out the PDP and APC.
Other outcomes of the polls were communication channels of choice and the views of Nigerians on the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The study found that radio and the social media tool WhatsApp are the most favoured outlets for political parties ahead of Election Day.
It also revealed that 47% of respondents believed INEC would not tamper with the results, while 29% did not, and 23% were doubtful.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi has proven to be a person who compulsively works excessively hard and for long hours by his recent itinerary on Thursday and Friday
After Thursday’s rallies in two states of Zamfara and Kebbi, Obi had a hectic schedule on Friday in Abia and Ebonyi states, meeting with all critical stakeholders and holding rallies.
After a debilitating electioneering day in Abia and Ebonyi states earlier in the day on Friday, the LP flag bearer was at the International Christian Ecumenical center in Abuja late evening addressing a meeting of some Christian eggheads under the umbrella of the Nigerian National Council NNC, declaring to them emphatically that Nigeria can be secured and people made to live in peace.
My interactions with some Security Chiefs are showing me that the enemies are no longer formidable, they can be overcome.
Obi told his guests that the situation has been bad in the country due to successive failure of leadership, but noted that a new Nigeria is possible because the enemies are surmountable.
According to the former Anambra state Governor, this country can be secured and our people can be pulled out of poverty but it requires all hands to be on deck, including non-politicians like his audience.
He said that since certain good things were done in the past by Nigerians, they can still be done. We cannot continue to leave our country, and our future in the hands of criminals.
Obi recalled that the regime of the first Prime Minister, late Tafawa Belewa borrowed $82m from the World Bank to build the Kainji Dam; noting that 62 years later we still benefit from the dam.
‘But today, we owe a debt that could build 160 Kainji Dams but where are the dams”? He queried.
The Presidential candidate expressed regret that over time successive Nigerian governments have not invested in regenerative projects.
He assured the people that if elected President he and his Vice Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmad will change the narrative, assuring that they have the capacity and the capabilities to do what is contained in their manifesto.
No fewer than six farmers, traders and passengers have been murdered in the last two weeks at Arimogija and Molege axis of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo state.
Narrating the ordeal, a community leader, Mr. Owolafe Folorunsho said the recent attack was triggered by effort by farmers to repel the continued wanton destruction of their crops by the herdsmen.
According to him, “the herders have continued to invade our farmlands at night, harvest our crops to feed their Cows and in many occasions, they will come during the day, forced us to uproot the Cassava by ourselves at gunpoint, command us to cut them into pieces to feed their cows.
“In order not to take laws into our hands, we reported this act of economic sabotage to the appropriate authority who took prompt action to chase them out of the farming areas only for the Fulanis to come back and attacked us with AK-47, Pump Action, Axes, Cutlasses and killed our people at night.
“In a broad daylight, the terrorists laid ambush, attacked some traders coming from Akure and killed all the occupants before taking their money and set the car ablaze.
Several houses, cars and motorcycles were burnt during the attack while the families of the victims killed some cows to fight back.
Confirming the incidence, the Onimoru, Oba Rotimi Obamuwagun lamented the atrocities of the Fulanis in the area.
Expressing his disgust about the criminal activities of the herdsmen in his domain, the first class monarch narrated how Fulanis completely destroyed four hectares of Cassava farm belonging to one of his subject that borrowed money from a commercial bank to finance farm.
This was corroborated by the Odibiado of Ijagba, Oba Andrew Ikioya Ilevare who said that the bandits have now resulted to harvesting plantains and bringing them to market to sell.
The royal fathers, wondered why should federal government allow herdsmen to go about with AK-47 rifles to terrorize innocent people.
They praised the Governor of Ondo state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN for the establishment of the Southwest Security Network popularly known as Amotekun to checkmate the excesses of the herders especially in the area.
The Chairman of Ose government, Adekunle Dennis expressed the worries of Governor, Akeredolu SAN over the security situation in Ose saying, something will be done urgently to checkmate the excesses of the herdsmen.
“The council is meeting with the relevant authorities and stakeholders with the aim of redesigning the security architecture of all the flashpoints to nip the challenges in the bud.”
While calling on the community leaders and youth organizations to be more security conscious, the council boss charged them to improve on intelligence information gathering that will enable them useful information to the security agencies as government cannot do it all alone.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has been described as a a ‘political prostitute’ by the Spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Festus Keyamo, SAN.
Keyamo said this in response to Dogara’s dismissal of the endorsement of APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in Nasarawa State by President Muhammadu Buhari, as a satire.
“I know that PMB loves to crack jokes but I didn’t know he would escalate it to the level of satire. Asiwaju’ll give his best to Nigeria, really? Fake certificates, fake parentage, golden triangle escapades, racketeering. No, PMB, Nigeria does not deserve his best but we get the satire,” Dogara said in his tweet.
In reaction, Keyamo tweeted that Dogara is a wanderer and back-stabber.
He wrote: “My brother and Law school mate, @YakubDogara, this tweet is beneath you. You are actually pained by the support of PMB for @officialABAT, two leaders who have stayed true to their beliefs and causes, unlike the political prostitute, wanderer and back-stabber that you’ve always been.”
Dogara was first in PDP, defected to APC, defected to PDP again, then moved back to APC, and is back, again, to the PDP.
Exactly a week after Eight persons lost their lives at Ojuelegba where a Container fell on a Mini Bus another tragedy has struck Lagos.
Six Persons are alleged to have lost their lives in a Ship mishap at the Atlas Cove.
The accident happened in a vessel at the Atlas Cove Jetty as the yet to be identified deceased persons were working on the tanker of the vessel identified as MT Halima.
In a statement, the Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT said a distress call was received from the ship through the Western Region Control Centre of the Falcon Eye, a Navy’s Maritime Domain Awareness facility.
A rescue party was dispatched from the NNS BEECROFT’s taskforce at Atlas Cove which took off from Takwa jetty.
The victims were evacuated to Mekwe Jetty, Victoria Island, where the owner of the vessel moved them to the Military Hospital in Ikoyi for medical treatment.”
The Commander NNS BEECROFT, Rear Admiral Abdul-Rasheed Haruna, urged mariners to embrace the highest level of safety while operating at sea in line with international best practices.
He also assured the public of the unwavering commitment of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, to ensuring safety and security of lives within the nation’s maritime space.
Due to the exit of some top officers from the force, the Police Service Commission, (PSC) has approved the appointment of three Assistant Inspectors General of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, Aji Janga, and Adeleke Bode, to the rank of Deputy Inspectors General of Police.
The new DIGs are expected to fill the vacant duty posts created by the retirements of three DIGs representing the North-Central, North-East and the North-West geopolitical zones.
The Spokesperson for the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
The statement added that PSC noted that the approval of the appointments of the new DIGs has also ensured that the defined succession policy in the Nigerian police is sustained.
The Force Secretary, Hafiz Inuwa, will be replacing retired DIG Mustapha Dan-Daura for the North-West slot. Dan- Daura retired on January 15 this year.
Aji Janga from the North-East will replace DIG Zanna Ibrahim who retired on November 26, 2022, while Adeleke Bode of North-Central will replace DIG Sanusi Lemu who retired on January 31 this year.
It explained that new appointments were part of the decisions of the reconvened 18th plenary of the commission, which held in Abuja on Thursday, 2nd and Friday 3rd February, 2023 and chaired by Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, Acting Chairperson of the PSC.
Meanwhile, the Commission has suspended the promotion of eight Commissioners of Police to the rank of Assistant Inspectors General, (AIG) and 11 Deputy Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Commissioners due to their failure to appear before it for the mandatory promotion interview.
“The PSC had sent invitations to the officers to appear before it for the usual interaction to ascertain their suitability and capability for the new offices.
“The Commission expressed surprise at their failure to honour the invitation especially as the 2023 General Election is just days away.”
The Commission also approved the promotion of 10 Assistant Commissioners of Police to the next rank of Deputy Commissioners; 17 Chief Superintendents of Police to Assistant Commissioners and 301 Superintendents of Police to Chief Superintendents.
Fourty seven skipped Deputy Superintendents of Police from previous recommendations to the commission were also promoted to Superintendents of Police while 665 Assistant Superintendents of Police were promoted to Deputy Superintendents of Police.
The recommendations for ACP Nwamanna Nelson, SP Iliyas Casmir and SP Alheri Mamman were also endorsed and the officers promoted to their next ranks after they were absolved of any pending disciplinary matter.
Justice Ogunbiyi congratulated and wished the officers success, while charging the newly-promoted officers to give their best to the service of the nation especially now that Nigeria will be going to the polls to elect new leaders.
The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has thrown his weight behind currency redesign but wants the banks to expedite action to reduce the pains and discomforts small depositors and the unbanked are going through.
According to Obi In a statement on Sunday to share in the pains of Nigerians, “the currency redesign is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is an exercise that comes with some inconveniences and pains, but it has significant longterm economic and social benefits.”
Obi said that “ even though there are improvements that can be made, I urge Nigerians to bear with the CBN and Federal Government with the hope that the general populace and Nigeria will harvest the gains that will come with the reforms.
He implored the CBN and the banks “to expedite efforts to make the new currency available to small depositors and the unbanked in order to reduce the pains of my fellow Nigerians, especially the underprivileged and those living far away from banks in the rural areas.
I don’t know if the Primate of All Nigeria, Anglican Communion, His Grace, The Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba has seen the viral video of the unexplainable behavior of one of his Bishops, His Lordship, The Rt. Rev. Christian Onyia, the Bishop of Nike Diocese, Enugu State. I ask this in case he didn’t quite take notice of the baffling incident that happened before him.
His Grace was present at the Church Service. But as you know, he may have, at the time, been sitting right inside the Alter, and may have been, inadvertently, blocked from the incident by dozens of Priests at the Church Service. When His Grace is present at a Church Service, it is flooded by Priests, including Bishops from nearby Dioceses. It is, usually, a big do. And this very Church Service of the Sunday of January 29, 2023, was special and high profile.
Professor Chinedu Nebo, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, former Minister for Power under President Goodluck Jonathan, and on top of all that, an Archdeacon in the Anglican Church, was having a triple celebration. So, the Thanksgiving Service was in his honour.
It was his 70th birthday, his retirement from Service in the Lord’s Vineyard after 40 years of meritorious service, and his 45th wedding anniversary. So, you can imagine the caliber of dignitaries present. That’s what makes this incident confounding and strange.
And it is why I think the Primate needs to urgently watch the viral video so as not to miss anything. When he does, His Grace owes the Church an urgent duty. I have watched it for over seven times. And, at each new time, I become more embarrassed than before.
The Primate, given his office, especially, in a very stressed Country, which has over-stressed millions of his flock, is a very busy man. He does not need distractions. He needs to concentrate on the number of people who look up to him for hope, for words of comfort, for assurance that tomorrow will be better, and that God does not abandon His people. Yet, he needs to perform this urgent duty to retain the dignity of the office of Anglican Bishops (no less).
I am conscious of the injunction: “touch not my anointed”. And to tell you the truth, dear readers, this is difficult for me to write. But when an anointed person reduces himself to the level of the unanoited, and basically desecrates the House of God, for our sanity, it should be pointed out. And in the instant case, there is no better person to call His Lordship to order, and restore our sanity and faith and the dignity of the Clergy than the Primate – the overall Leader of the Anglican Church, Nigeria.
Here’s what this is all about.
The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Peter Mbah, a calm, brilliant young man, was at that Thanksgiving Service. He needed to. Aside from the fact that Nebo is his Party man, election is near. Politicians, even of Mbah’s unobtrusive type, usually need such crowd.
They need the prayers of the children of God and God’s blessings to realise their ambition. And for that day, to get the blessings of the Primate and other members of the Clergy in one fell swoop, is a bumper harvest of blessings.
But, perhaps, Mbah arrived late and did the most sensible thing any decent person should do.
He quietly sat down somewhere among other worshippers.
A quiet operator, Mbah has no airs about him. He does not flaunt his status and/or accomplishments. Which is why he did not behave like a typical Nigerian big man. You know, a typical Nigerian big man would arrive late to a Church Service, and instead of sitting quietly, somewhere, to commune with his God, he would disrupt the Church Service and distract the worshippers. He would walk straight to a front row seat. If no space is available, he would expect somebody to stand up for him, or beckon to Church ushers who would quickly arrange a seat for him to squeeze in. The Nigerian big man takes this as a right, and with the support of the leadership of the Church, forgets that before God, and in His House, everybody is equal.
But Bishop Onyia thought differently. He wouldn’t allow Mbah his quiet moment with God. He wouldn’t allow him concentrate and enjoy the beautiful hymn that was being rendered at the time.
He wanted Mbah to be the typical Nigerian big man.
So, along with a Priest and one other dignitary, Bishop Onyia went to Mbah and asked him to leave his seat for the front row. But Mbah felt that would be inappropriate. For one, the Primate was present. For another, he would disrupt the Service and distract the congregation. But Bishop Onyia insisted. Mbah pleaded with him to leave it alone. Onyia held Mbah’s hand and made to “uproot” him. Mbah still said no.
Then, His Lordship, The Rt. Rev. Christian Onyia, did the unbelievable. The Bishop knelt down before Mbah, knelt down for Mbah, to plead with him to relocate. This was in the House of God! Strange. Disheartening.
Obviously embarrassed and taken aback, Mbah quickly went down on his knees, too, before the Bishop. In Mbah’s shoes, I would do the same. I would think the Bishop was placing a curse on me by kneeling down for me. God forbid. I would have collapsed, almost. What was the big deal?
I have thought about the Bishop’s strange behavior, and my conclusion is that Bishop Onyia seems to have, please forgive me, desecrated the House of God by kneeling down for Mbah. My conclusion is that he disrespected the House of God. My conclusion is that His Lordship ridiculed himself and his office as a Bishop. My conclusion is that by so doing, he, also, ridiculed his brother-Bishops, and demeaned the Clergy. I am not judging him, but this incident shakes the faith, and weakens the spirit.
I know Bishops are trained to be humble. That’s what the Holy Book teaches. And most Bishops are. But it should not be to the extent of ridiculing oneself. At that level, one’s dignity must be intact. To many of us, our Bishops are our ultimate. They are the representatives of God that we see here. We run to them in times of pain and sorrow and helplessness.. We find succor in their words. They comfort us. And scold us when we go wrong and/or fall below their expectations.
Now, tell me, Bishop Onyia, having knelt down before Mbah in public, and in the presence of his Parishioners, how will he correct him if he becomes Governor? Can he, then, publicly and fearlessly preach against any bad policy of Mbah’s Government. Having knelt down for him, as a Candidate, will Bishop Onyia lie flat on the ground for him if/when he becomes the Governor?
Bishop Onyia (right) and Peter Mbah (left)
That is part of the problem we have in Nigeria. A number of institutions we should look up to have been compromised. The Church is not an exception. It has been infiltrated and corrupted by Politicians. Many Church Leaders can no longer look our Political leaders in the face and tell them the truth. And, the sad thing: we know why.
I don’t know how His Grace intends to handle this situation since he was present at the Church Service. But I recommend the behavior of the late Bishop of Lagos West Diocese, His Lordship, The Rt. Rev. Peter A. Adebiyi, to His Lordship, The Rt. Rev. Christian Onyia of Nike Diocese.
During his first tenure as Governor of Ekiti State, former Governor Ayo Fayose encountered Bishop Adebiyi in Church.
Newly sworn into office, Fayose’s uncle, who worships at Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, booked a Thanksgiving Service for him. Wrong day!
The Church Service had gone more than half-way when Fayose sauntered in with his security details and more.
Instead of sitting quietly at the back of the Church until called up for his Thanksgiving, he and his entourage walked straight to the front, the whole length of the Cathedral, and disrupted the Service. Not a few eyes were focused on the young, new, Governor who defeated an incumbent. And Adebiyi hit the roof, literally.
As Fayose sat down, Adebiyi descended on him. He asked him what and/or who gave him the temerity to disrupt the Church Service by walking straight to the front when he came late. Next time, he told him, keep off. And, turning to the Governor’s uncle, Adebiyi told him: “Don’t arrange any more Thanksgiving for him here in future if he would come late. This is the House of God.”
Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who has not been too sure of himself, politically, has bounced back.
Chief Okey Ahiwe, his immediate past Chief of Staff, has won the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Primary election of the State
The Primary was conducted on Saturday, February 4, at Umuahia by the National Leadership of the Party.
The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki was the Chairman of the Governorship Primary Committee.
The Governorship Candidate’s slot became vacant after the death, recently, of Prof. Uche Ikonne, the party’s flag bearer in the March 11, 2023 Governorship election. According to his son, Dr Uche, the Candidate, a Professor of Optometry, died of a massive heart attack at the National Hospital Abuja, after a medical trip to the United Kingdom.
Ahaiwe won in a landslide, polling a total number of 469 votes to beat the Deputy Governor of the State, Ude Oko-Chukwu and Lucky Igbokwe both of whom scored 12 votes each. A former House of Assembly member, Sampson Orji scored 11 votes, while a former Chairman of tye Party, Emma Nwaka, scored zero.
