TheNewsGuru

Tag: Anambra

  • Anambra Guber: ‘Give me another chance, don’t let Ojukwu’s APGA die,’ Obiano woos electorate

    Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, yesterday, kicked off his re-election campaign in Awka by begging his people to give him another chance to sustain the good works he had already commenced in the state.

    Obiano, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), urged the people not to allow the only Igbo party left in their care by the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, to die.

    Addressing a mammoth crowd that gathered at the Alex Ekwueme Square, the governor said for the good works he has on ground to be sustained, the people should give him another chance.

    He said that he has in the past three and half years worked tirelessly to ensure that the condition, which he met on ground is improved and that given another chance, excellence would be a habit as he had already set the pace.

    Obiano said APGA has in the past 11 years impacted the state positively, adding: “APGA was handed over to us by our late leader, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu but the person it was handed over to by our leader ran away from the party. Ojukwu had given us the mandate to keep the light of the party shining, but the person jumped ship into an opposition party.

    The governor who was flanked by APG National Chairman, Chief Victor Oye; his campaign Director-Governor, Chief Victor Umeh; his wife, Ebelechukwu; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Rita Maduagwu, late Ojukwu’s wife, Bianca; former Anambra State governor, Dame Virgy Etiaba and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, among other party faithful, while reeling out his achievements in the last three years on security, agriculture, employment and increase of workers’ salaries, observed that if past leaders had adopted the strategy of letting all the communities to choose their project for government to finance it, the state would have been more developed.

    Earlier in his speech, Umeh, commended party faithful for turning out en mass to show support for the governor, saying that the large turnout is a clear testimony of what the people want. “It is left for the Federal Government and Nigeria to respect the wishes of Anambra people.

    We are by this crowd putting other political parties on notice that we are the party to beat. APGA is the peoples’ choice and we won’t allow the torch handed over to us to go off in our hands.”

  • Anambra 2017: APC about to kiss poll bye By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Unless respect for due process, equity and fair play guides its arbitration, what’s about to happen to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November governorship election in Anambra State is what history teaches those that do not learn from history: A bitter lesson!

    The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja is treading a similar path that caused the APC the July 8 Osun West senatorial bye-election that was almost in its bag for keeps.

    A flashback to that election indicates that the screening and appeals committees for the primaries had disqualified Senator Mudashiru Hussain, a former commissioner in the cabinet of Governor Rauf Aregbesola, for allegedly failing to resign his appointment 30 days before seeking to represent the APC at the election.

    However, the screening committee cleared Chief Ademola Adeleke, a brother to the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, whose sudden death in March created the void for the bye-election.

    Recall that during this period, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was asphyxiating due to each of its two factions’ desire to choose an acceptable candidate that the party members would back for the district balloting.

    Meanwhile, at an emergency meeting in Abuja on June 12, the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC reversed the Hussain disqualification, thus incurring widespread disapproval from the party members in the senatorial district, and across the state.

    With the APC effectively bungling its own affairs just weeks to the actual polling, Chief Adeleke sought refuge in the PDP, which received him with pomp and ceremony, knowing that the prevailing sentiments in Osun after the demise of Senator Adeleke would swing the votes in its favour. And it did: the PDP prevailed, thanks to the lifeline thrown to it by the APC.

    Back to the Anambra State gubernatorial contest in November. History is about to be repeated, as the APC conducted what was pronounced as the freest and fairest primaries by any political party in the annals of the state.

    Party primaries, being the major determinants of who fly the flags at an election, are always contentious due to intrigues that attend canvassing for the delegates, the voting and its aftermath.

    Perhaps, the Anambra APC primaries on August 26/27 in Awka, the capital city, were no less wired, from whatever angle you may look at it: grassroots popularity, use of money, manipulation of delegates’ list, intimidation of delegates and preference by the party heavyweights.

    However, owing principally to the seeming transparency displayed by both the APC Screening and Primaries Committees, the election of the candidate, Dr. Tony Nwoye, received instant acclaim from the committees, contestants, delegates and party members.

    Of the 4,333 votes cast by the expected 5,000 plus delegates for the 11 aspirants for the ticket, Nwoye, a member of the House of Representatives, scored 2,146, to defeat his closest rival, Senator Andy Uba, who got 931 votes, according to the Chief Returning Officer and Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima.

    Poll over, the Chairman of the Anambra APC Election Planning and Strategy Committee and a former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo; Governor Shettima; the party leaders in Anambra; and APC’s chieftain and former governor of Abia State, Dr. Uzor Orji Kalu, hailed the conduct of the primaries.

    But as things stand today, the November election may be far from Dr. Nwoye’s mind, as he fights to extricate himself from a web of scheming aimed at denying him the ticket he overwhelmingly won.

    The arrows are coming from the camp of Senator Uba, who has filed a petition before the APC appeals committee, alleging that Dr. Nwoye imported students, “who acted as thugs, damaged vehicles at the venue of the primaries and drove away delegates and voted in the place of the authentic delegates.”

    The question to ask: Was there any protest(s) in this regard lodged by Senator Uba and/or any other aspirant(s) before, during and immediately after the primaries?

    Yet, several so-called civil society organisations, previously heard or unheard of, including a Concerned Anambra APC Youths, are parroting the Uba petition, and praying the appeals panel to replace Nwoye with Uba, who they credited with having the “experience, maturity and political sagacity on his side,” which they said Nwoye lacks, to defeat the incumbent Governor Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    Will any unbiased watcher classify Mr. Nwoye, a medical doctor, and a member of the National Assembly, who had won the usually fiercely contested presidency of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as not sufficiently grounded in the political nuances of Anambra to vie for the governorship again, as does Uba?

    The schism in the Anambra APC is like a replay of the 2013 governorship election that brought the APGA to power. Then, Dr. Nwoye and Senator Uba, both of the PDP, couldn’t harmonise for a single primary contest.

    Instead, they held two factional primaries, and the party headquarters in Abuja, on account of a court ruling, belatedly endorsed Nwoye a few days to the election, which the PDP lost, placing second to the APGA.

    Interestingly, Nwoye, who appeared last week before the appeals committee to rebut the allegations, said that despite his entreaties, Senator Uba had refused to recognise him as the duly nominated candidate for the election.

    The reason for that is now obvious, against Chief Nwobodo’s timely reminder “for all the aspirants to keep to their promise to support the winner of the primaries.”

    Will the NWC of the APC, as it did in the Osun West bye-election, reject the candidate with the wider appeal among the party faithful, and who won the primaries with a margin of 1,215 votes, and hand over the party ticket to an aspirant that came a distant second?

    From the experiences of the PDP primaries of the 2013 election, and those of the APC in August, in which Dr. Nwoye consecutively prevailed over Senator Uba, who will the party credit with having the grassroots supports to run on its behalf?

    That decision is for the NWC to make, either for good or for ill!

     

    Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

  • No postponement of Anambra governorship election – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday said the Anambra State governorship election would hold on November 18 as scheduled.

    The commission said it would not allow any shift of date, adding that to do so would adversely affect the cost of running the election.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who stated this in a meeting with the executive members of Inter-party Advisory Council in the state, said the commission would resist any attempt to truncate the electoral process.

    He said, “We want the election to hold as scheduled. We have 58 days to the election and we are on top of the preparations. There would not be any need for postponement.

    “Any attempt to shift the date would be a waste of resources. We need to conclude the election as scheduled so as to focus on the 2019 general elections.”

  • No hiding place for IPOB members in Anambra – Obiano

    The Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, on Sunday said his government had aligned itself completely with the decisions of the Southeast governors in the proscription of the activities of the Indigenous People Biafra.

    The governor who spoke in a statement by his Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Tony Nnacheta, said there would be no hiding place for mischief makers and anyone who would wish to distort the prevailing peace in the state.

    Obiano maintained that he would implement the decisions of the southeast governors to the letter in Anambra State.

    He enjoined the people of the state to be vigilant, adding that the security and welfare of the people the area were paramount to his government.

    The governor said maximum security cover would be provided for places of worship of all faiths; for housing settlements of non-indigenes, motor parks and all other public places to guarantee the peace and safety of all.

    The statement read in part,”Sequel to the decision of the South East Governors forum which met on the 15th of September , 2017, at Enugu, where amongst other decisions, was the proscription of the activities of Indigenous People of Biafra, the Government of Anambra State wishes to state as follows: Government aligns itself with the clarion call from the South East Governors advising all persons with grievances and anxiety to transmit their position through prescribed channels of elected representatives to the forum.

    “Government is also firmly in support of the restructuring agenda as announced by the Governors Forum and encourages Ndi Anambra to articulate their thoughts to follow through on this issue.

    “The safety of Ndi Anambra and all residents in Anambra, the security of their lives, properties and environment are cardinal priorities of the Willie Obiano Administration which has ensured that everyone goes about freely within our environment without let or hindrance.”

  • Anambra 2017: PDP Appeal Panel upholds Obaze’s candidature

    The National Caretaker Committee (NCC), Peoples Democratic People (PDP), has upheld the Primary Election that produced Mr Oseloka Obaze as the party’s flag bearer for the Anambra governorship election scheduled for Nov. 18.

    The PDP Head of Publicity Division, Chinwe Nnorom, disclosed this in a statement issued on behalf of the Caretaker Appeal Panel, on Saturday in Abuja.

    Nnorom said the committee upheld Oseloka’s candidacy having critically examined all the petitions validly filed before it.

    She said appeals for the Aug. 28, governorship primaries were heard on Sept. 12, at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja, by the Panel chaired by its National Chairman, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi.

    “To this end, the Leadership enjoins all party members and supporters in Anambra, especially the aspirants, to put the issues regarding the Primary Election before, during and after behind them.

    “We should work together as one indivisible family ahead of the Nov. 18 governorship election,” he said.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that some of the aspirants on the primary election day staged a protest at the venue of the party’s primaries in Anambra over alleged unwillingness of the party to listen to their complaints.

    Some of the aspirants were Chairman, Capital Oil, Ifeanyi Uba, Sen. Stella Oduah, former Minister of Aviation, Mr John Emeka and a member of the House of Representatives, Lynda Ikpeazu.

    Oduah, who withdrew from the primary election cited imposition of candidates on the party for her action.

     

     

    NAN

  • Nnamdi Kanu insistence on election boycott in Anambra is a ploy to enthrone APC – Uwazuruike

    …says IPOB leader is comprised, receiving bribes from FG

    The founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has said the insistence of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, is a plough by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to illegally edge the incumbent governor, Chief Willie Obiano out of office.

    Uwarizuke also explained that the IPOB leader has been compromised insisting that the Federal Government has bought mansions for him in London.

    Uwazuruike said this in a chat with The Interview, a monthly magazine.

    The MASSOB founder said Kanu had been secretly recruited by the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to destroy the Biafran movement from within.

    He said, “Apparently they saw Nnamdi Kanu as someone of high value for use. They heard him shouting on radio and approached him and he accepted. Naturally, only a strong, principled man can say no because they will give you irresistible offers.

    “I know the mansions Nnamdi Kanu and people like him have abroad, given to them by the same government, – the same security agencies. Don’t worry, the truth will emerge soon.”

    Uwazuruike said Kanu’s insistence “on the boycott of the Anambra State governorship election in November is a ploy to ensure that the All Progressives Congress takes over in the state.”

    He added, “All things playing out today, including the so-called ‘no election’ in Anambra State is nothing but a smokescreen. The ‘no election’ is aimed at favouring the APC to edge out Governor (Willie) Obiano; that’s the only thing.”

    Uwazuruike said the IPOB leader was a mere rabble-rouser as he had no clue about how to attain Biafra.

    He said for instance, Kanu lacked an understanding of the process of a referendum.

    The MASSOB leader said, “Let him tell you his own agenda. What does he know about Biafra? Somebody who doesn’t know the difference between an election and a referendum; that there is no difference between election and referendum.

    “He says ‘give me Biafra or give me a date for referendum.’ So, what is the difference between the two? All the materials you use in a referendum are the same you use in an election. The only difference is that in an election, you may have many political parties while in a referendum, you vote yes or no.”

    Uwazuruike slammed Kanu for using hate speech to promote his message.

    He said Igbo people were known as a decent and respectful people but Kanu’s tactics was changing the mindset of the people.

    He said it was such hateful rhetoric that caused the Arewa youths to issue a quit notice on Igbo living in the North.

    The MASSOB founder said innocent Igbo living in the North might lose their lives because of Kanu’s misinformed utterances.

    Uwazuruike said even though he was detained for over two years by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he never insulted the ex-President because he respected the office of the President.

    He said the best way to attain freedom was to use a decent and non-violent approach like Martin Luther King (Jnr.) and Mahatma Gandhi.

    The MASSOB founder added, “Ndigbo must make sure they bring up their children well. Nnamdi Kanu is a bad example of what an Igbo child should be. He insulted the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

    “Even if there is Biafra and you are the President, what type of Biafra are you leading? If the Biafra we are talking about cannot be better than Nigeria, we better stay in Nigeria.”

    Uwazuruike lambasted Obasanjo and Buhari for marginalising Igbo, accusing them of hating people of the South-East.

    He said Igbo knew that Buhari did not like them and that was why they voted massively against him in 2015. He added that Buhari’s attitude towards them was expected.

  • Anambra 2017: Buhari has no anointed candidate – APC

    The All Progressives Congress, APC, has assured candidates in the 2017 Anambra Governorship race of fair play stating that the party’s leader, President Muhammadu Buhari does not have an anointed candidate.

    This was revealed on Friday by the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima.

    The governor assured that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary slated for Saturday would be free and fair.

    Meanwhile, the Chairman of Joint Security Agencies in the state and the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Garba Baba Umar, has told the aspirants that the joint security team would not hesitate to deal with anybody that tries to cause trouble during the primary election.

    The police commissioner said he was aware that some of the aspirants had imported or planned to import hoodlums to the state, adding that security operatives are equal to the task of ensuring hitch-free exercise.

    “This APC primary is family affair. We have enough security personnel to deal with anybody or group and anybody who has thugs should make sure they stay 200-300 meters away from the designated centers of the primary,” he said.

  • Anambra 2017: Oduah threatens to withdraw from race over irregularities

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Anambra State, Senator Stella Oduah, has threatened to withdraw from the race over irregularities in the party build-up to the primary election.

    Oduah spoke at press briefing on Friday in Abuja.

    She said that the Ward congress of the party held on Wednesday to elect three delegates per ward was fraught with “irregularities and sabotage.”

    The ex-Minister of Aviation said as if the case of hijacking was not enough, the ultimate result of the ward congress which was submitted by the Secretary of the panel was switched for a doctored result.

    “The exercise violated all known principles of democratic practice. Several complaints have continued to trail the exercise as most party faithful are disgruntled and agitated,’’ Oduah said.

    Oduah said she had petitioned the Chairman of the party National Caretaker Committee, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, over the matter and threatened to withdraw from the primary if the party fails to address the problem.

    “Based on the above, I wrote to notify the chairman of my protest and intention to withdraw from the 2017 gubernatorial primaries in Anambra if the party fails to address the issues presented.

    “This is because the approach employed for the party primary is not aimed at winning election.

    “The implication of this is to subject loyal party faithful to stressful and rancorous primary to weaken and sap the strength of candidate that will emerge from the exercise.

    “It should be recalled that this has been the reason our party has been losing gubernatorial elections in Anambra,’’ she said.

    The senator claimed that only her and few other members of the party in state remained faithful during the turbulence in the party that led to litigations at the national level.

    “There is no doubt that our party has undergone a torturous battle. Along the line, some wavered and many of our members dropped and a lot others left the mainstream party.

    “To the glory of God, some faithful members remained loyal and determined to see to the end of the crisis.

    “While some states were hard hit, the impact on others was light. In many states, members of the party were abandoned to their fate like orphans,” she added.

     

    NAN

     

  • Yul Edochie secures party nomination

     

    Nollywood actor and Anambra State governorship aspirant, Yul Edochie has scaled the high hurdle of securing party nomination. The enthusiastic actor took to his Instagram to reveal that he has secured nomination to run for Governor of Anambra under the banner of the Democratic People’s Congress (DPC).

     

    The gubernatorial aspirant reiterated his need for support and vowed to wipe away the sorrows of the masses.

    According to him:” I cannot thank God enough. Join me in thanking Jehovah Almighty as I picked my nomination form yesterday in Abuja to run for Governor of Anambra State 2017, under the platform of the DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S CONGRESS. DPC. I cannot do it alone. I need the support of every well-meaning Nigerian who is tired of the old ways.

    “It’s a wakeup call for the youths, for the masses. I provide myself as a humble servant to wipe away the sorrows of the masses. The revolution has begun.The problems of the people have come to THE LAST BUS STOP!!! www.yuledochieforgovernor.com

    “I’m a good man, with a good heart, with integrity who is touched by the suffering of the masses.

    I cannot do it alone. I need the support and prayers of every well meaning Nigerian who is tired of the old ways, who wants a better life for the people. Old ways will never open new doors”.

     

    The next hurdle the amiable actor will have to scale will be to secure the votes of the electorate.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHakdMFAUc/?taken-by=yuledochie

    See photos and videos below

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHe30XF6JI/?taken-by=yuledochie

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYIz6ttFjR_/?taken-by=yuledochie

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHakdMFAUc/?taken-by=yuledochie

  • Anambra election won’t hold, IPOB insists

    Mr. Darlington Chukwubuikem Okolie, the media aide to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has denied a report that IPOB has withdrawn its threat to stop the governorship election scheduled to hold in Anambra State in November.

    There was a report that the leader of Alaigbo Foundation, Uzodinma Nwala, disclosed after a meeting with Kanu that negotiation with IPOB was ongoing on other matters.

    Refuting the report, Okolie stated that IPOB had not changed its initial position of boycotting the Anambra election on November 18.

    In a statement made available to newsmen, Okolie said, “Whoever said that [there has been a shift in IPOB’s position] is telling lies. The media is fond of spreading falsehood about us. Kanu can never go back on his word.

    “There will be no election in Anambra. There is nothing anybody can do about this. Any media that is reporting that Kanu has withdrawn his call to boycott Anambra election is simply publishing false reportage.”

    Kanu’s media aide also revealed that there would be a mass rally on August 19, adding that Kanu would use the event to openly declare his position that the governorship election must be boycotted.