TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ebonyi State

  • Eid-el-Maulud: A period of soul-searching and thanksgiving – Umahi

    Eid-el-Maulud: A period of soul-searching and thanksgiving – Umahi

    Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has enjoined Muslims worldwide to use the occasion of Eid-el-Maulud as a period of rejuvenation and revaluation of love and peaceful coexistence among all human beings, noting that it is a period of soul-searching and thanksgiving.

    The governor stated this in a press release through his Special Assistant (Media & Strategy), Chooks Oko.

    According to Umahi, “It is the marking of the birthday of a most great personality that stands for love, peace and tolerance and as such should be a period for us to ask ourselves if we are living according to his dictates.
    As you celebrate, do so in happiness with a resolve to be closer to the Almighty in words and deeds”

    He wished them unmitigated celebrations in strict adherence to the Holy book.

     

  • INEC releases list of candidates for 2023 guber election in Ebonyi

    INEC releases list of candidates for 2023 guber election in Ebonyi

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday in Abakaliki displayed the list of governorship candidates nominated by political parties for the 2023 governorship race in Ebonyi.

    Mr Francis Nwifuru, Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly, candidate of the APC, and Prof. Bernard Odoh, a former Secretary to State Government (SSG) of APGA) made the list.

    Also cleared by the commission to run for the governorship in Ebonyi was Chief Ifeanyichukwuma Odii of PDP,  Chief Edward Nkwegu, LP and Mr Chukwuma Nwandugo of the Action Alliance (AA).

    Other governorship candidates shortlisted by the commission include Dr Sunday Opoke for the Young People’s Party (YPP) and Mr Anthony Usulor of the Nigerian Renaissance Movement (NRM).

    Dr Joseph Chukwu, the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who announced the release to newsmen in his office in Abakaliki, said that the display was in line with Section 32 (1) of the Electoral Act.

    “The law empowers the commission to display the final list of the authentic candidates for any election 150 days to the Election Day,” Chukwu said.

    According to him, 13 political parties fielded governorship candidates and their running mates for the March 2023 gubernatorial election in Ebonyi.

    He said that 15 political parties also fielded 246 candidates for the House of Assembly Election and added that campaigns for the governorship and state assembly elections would commence on Oct. 12.

    He, therefore, advised gubernatorial and the house of assembly candidates against flouting the provisions of electoral law by kicking off their campaigns before the stipulated time.

    “246 candidates across political parties will contest for seats in the 24 state assembly constituencies in Ebonyi.

    “We wish to warn that campaigns for the governorship and house of assembly elections have not started; the campaigns will commence on Oct .12 as provided for in the 2022 electoral law.

    “It’s an offence for political parties or their candidates to embark on campaigns outside the INEC-approved timetable of activities,” Chukwu said.

  • APC: Ebonyi party chairman, Emegha assures Governor Umahi of winning senatorial seat

    APC: Ebonyi party chairman, Emegha assures Governor Umahi of winning senatorial seat

    Ebonyi state All Progressive Congress (APC) chairman, Stanley Okoro Emegha has said that he would do everything within his capacity to ensure that the Governor of the state, David Umahi wins the Ebonyi south senatorial seat in 2023.

    Emegha made this disclosure while addressing pressmen in Abakaliki the Ebonyi state capital on Thursday.

    He heaped praises on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for publishing the name of the governor David Umahi as the party’s authentic  senatorial candidate of the APC for Ebonyi south senatorial zone.

    “There was no time the excos of APC in Ebonyi were panicking about the releases of names of the candidates by INEC because we followed do processes. And as such, those that emerged were the people that the members of the party in their various wards, constituencies and senatorial districts voted for, to go and contest in the forthcoming general election, come 2023.

    “Since due processes were followed, we were not panicking about the commitment of the national leadership of APC to upload the names of those that emerged or that it will go the other way.

    “The governor’s name, David Umahi has finally been enlisted by INEC as the authentic senatorial candidate of APC in Ebonyi south zone. Some people said that the name of the governor was imputed through a Court order. Yes, what that simply means, is that the court mandated that the re-conduction of the Ebonyi south senatorial Primary election by APC that took place at Afikpo North LGA headquarters be obeyed, and that’s why INEC, noted that it is by court order.

    “Court ruled that the party should re-conduct that primary election, it was done and Umahi won. And so, we all can attest that such a ruling came, and we followed the due process. We obeyed that court order. We went back to the venue at the fixed date and re-conducted that election. He said

    Emegha also used the occassion to address the speculations making the rounds that the party used a different delegate list to conduct the re-run senatorial election in the state.

    Some contestants  were edged out as a result of the delegation list used for the re-run senatorial election.

    According to him: “It is not the national leadership of the APC that approves the delegate list. The only thing that the national leadership of APC does is to give you forms. The delegates were 3 by wards and 5 per local government area. When the form is given to you, you pay it directly to the national leadership of APC. The delegates didn’t purchase the form and then paid it to the state account, they paid it to the national account.

    “The national constituted a committee that came to Ebonyi and conducted the delegates’ election, and then the committee reported back to the national, those delegates that won during the congresses, were the names of people that the committee gave to us.

    “The allegation that we used a different delegate list, is false. Nobody can say that we used a different delegate list to conduct our primary election. The woman who is opposing the election, why didn’t she come? She backed out from the primary election of the APC, even when she knew that the court has ordered that Ebonyi south senatorial primary election be re-conducted.

    “She wanted to scuttle the Ebonyi south senatorial primary election by trying to get court injection but it didn’t work for her. And now, she is coming back to say that a different delegate list was used.

    “The court said that we should go and re-conducted the Ebonyi south senatorial primary election. It didn’t say ‘go and change the delegates list’. It wasn’t me that conducted the primary election, the national leadership of APC had to send the people that came and re-conducted the Ebonyi south senatorial zone primary election. The people that came to re-conduct the election, came with the delegates list” he stressed

  • RALLY: Ebonyi police disperse, teargas supporters of Peter Obi [VIDEO]

    RALLY: Ebonyi police disperse, teargas supporters of Peter Obi [VIDEO]

    Police officers in Ebonyi State have dispersed and teargassed supporters of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who embarked on a rally in the state.

    Supporters of Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who embarked on a rally in Ebonyi state today September 17, were reportedly teargassed by the police.

    TheNewsGuru.com gathered that the supporters of Peter Obi, who are also known as “Obidients”, had gathered along Mile 50 for the rally before being teargassed by policemen who stopped them from going to the streets.

    An “Obidients” supporter simply identified as Nwali Ikechukwu explained that some persons were injured after security operatives stormed the take-off point with teargas.

    The Ebonyi state police command is however yet to react to the incident.

    Ebonyi, a state controlled by ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, is administered by Governor Dave Umahi.

    Ebonyi police disperse, teargas supporters of Peter Obi [VIDEO]

    Recall that last week, it was reported that Umahi said though “Peter Obi movement” is one built on equity, justice, and fairness, “it may not translate to outright win”.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission had said campaigns for next year’s polls would begin on September 28.

    In Enugu State, on September 10th, 2022, last week Saturday, supporters of Peter Obi held a solidarity march in Enugu and Ondo states.

    The supporters, who were largely young people, held the march on Saturday as they rally more Nigerians to back the former Anambra State governor’s presidential bid.

    In Enugu State, the youths embarked on what they called a “One Million-Man March” to show their solidarity for Obi. The supporters, who are known as “Obidients”, took off from Mike Opara Square in Enugu, and marched through the major streets in the town.

    They called on residents of the town to get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) so as to vote for a “new Nigeria” and “take back their country”.

    Watch video below:

     

     

  • 2023: How Ifeanyi Odii emerged victorious at Supreme Court

    2023: How Ifeanyi Odii emerged victorious at Supreme Court

    The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, declared Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as the validly elected candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 Ebonyi governorship election.

    Justice Lawal Garba, in a lead judgment of a five-member panel, held that Sen. Joseph Obinna Ogba, who represents Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone, lacked legal right to have filed an appeal in the court below.

    He said the Abuja Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have entertained the suit in the first instance since Ogba was not a party in the entire proceedings conducted by the trial court (a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki).

    The judge said that the entire proceedings conducted by the appellant court was found to be without jurisdiction. He described it as an exercise in futility.

    “You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand; it will definitely collapse,” Garba said. The judge, therefore, said he found merit in the appeal filed by Odii and was hereby upheld

    Garba consequently set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal delivered on June 19, declaring Ogba as the validly elected candidate of the party.

    He also said that the appeal filed by Ogba, the 1st respondent, before the appellant court was done without legal backing.

    Justice Amina Augie and other justices in the panel also backed Garba’s judgment, describing the decision as meritorious.

    Mr Odii and Sen. Ogba were engaged in a legal battle over who was validly elected as the party’s candidate for the 2023 poll in the party’s primaries that took place at different occasions in the state.

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja had, recently, declared Ogba as the governorship candidate of the party in the state, while setting aside the judgment of the trial court sitting in Abakaliki that pronounced Odii as PDP candidate.

    But Odii, unsatisfied with the court decision, filed an appeal marked: SC/CV/ 939/2022 at the apex court.

    In the suit, Odii sued Ogba, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd respondent.

  • 20-year-old mother, lover arrested for selling baby for N500,000

    20-year-old mother, lover arrested for selling baby for N500,000

    The Police in Ebonyi have arrested a 20-year-old mother of a baby boy and her lover who sold their baby to a maternity home operator for N500,000.

    The mother, Ola China, 20, of Amangwu Edda in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi was impregnated out of wedlock by Jonah Ogbuagu, a bricklayer in August 2021.

    Ola gave birth to the baby in April 2022 at Obigbo, Rivers, where she went to hibernate at her aunt’s residence during the pregnancy.

    After giving birth, she conspired with Ogbuagu and sold the baby.

    Police spokesman in Ebonyi, SP Chris Anyanwu, stated on Tuesday in Abakaliki that the maternity home owner, popularly known as “Mummy Abigail’’ was arrested at Ovima, also in Afikpo North Local Government Area.

    “Mummy Abigail runs a maternity home which she uses as a cover for her illicit trade.

    “The suspects have been handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons for necessary actions and prosecution,’’ SP Anyanwu stated.

    He added that police in Ebonyi also arrested a two-man syndicate of child traffickers, who specialise in stealing, abducting, kidnapping and selling of children.

    Anyawu gave their details as Otuu Chizaram, 24, from Ndukwe Akpoha and Agbi Precious, 20, of Evuma Road both in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi.

    “Each of them confessed to the crime of stealing a baby,’’ Anyanwu added.

  • You can’t appoint caretaker Cttees for Ebonyi LGAs, Court tells Umahi

    You can’t appoint caretaker Cttees for Ebonyi LGAs, Court tells Umahi

    A Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, has restrained the State Governor, David Umahi from appointing new caretaker committees to run the affairs of the 13 Local Government Areas in the State.

    Justice Fatun Riman in the suit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022, ruled that the INEC is not a rubber stamp agency and is not under any duty whatsoever to release the Register of Voters to Ebonyi State Independent National Electoral Commission for purposes of using same in the conduct of Local Government Elections in the 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State.

    The trial judge also stated in his ruling that the tenure of office of Local Government Area Chairmen in Ebonyi State remains three (3) years and that the tenure of the current chairmen will expire in August, 2023.

    Also Read

    The Court judgement signed and issued to newsmen by the court registrar, Chigbu Stephen reads in a part, “That the tenure of office of Local Government Chairmen and Councilors in Ebonyi State is three years and that the tenure of the present crop of Chairmen and Councilors in Ebonyi State will expire in August, 2023.

    “That the 3rd defendant (Ebonyi State government) lacks the vires, authority, enablement etc to appoint Caretakers. Caretaker Committees and/or anybody or persons by whatsoever name or nomenclature called that are unelected democratically to run, manage, superintend, etc, the affairs of the 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State.

    “That the Independent National Electoral Commission is not a rubber stamp agency and is not under any duty whatsoever to release the Register of Voters to Ebonyi State Independent National Electoral Commission for purposes of using same in the conduct of Local Government Elections in the 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, without availing the plaintiffs and members of the public with the extant Law or Laws, if any meant to regulate the said exercise.

    “That the Independent National Electoral Commission for itself, its agents, servants,workmen etc are restrained from releasing the Register of Voters in Ebonyi State to the Ebonyi State Government and Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission for purposes of using same for the proposed Local Government Elections in the 13 Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, pending the release and publication of the extant Law, etc meant to regulate the conduct of the said exercise to the plaintiffs and members of the public.”

    Some citizens of the State; Otu Collins Eleri, Nelson Eze and three (3) others had dragged the Independent National electoral commission (INEC), the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) and the Ebonyi State government to the Court, challenging the outcome of the local government election conducted on 30th July, 2022.

  • Court nullifies Ebonyi LGA polls

    Court nullifies Ebonyi LGA polls

    A Federal High Court in Abakaliki Thursday nullified the July 30 Local Government Area (LGA) Elections in Ebonyi.

    The exercise, which was swept by the All Progressive Party (APC), was conducted by the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC).

    It took place in the 13 LGAs and 171 wards in the state.

    However, some members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) boycotted the polls due to the N1 million and N200,000 nomination fees for the chairmanship and councillorship seats, respectively.

    The group, thereafter, approached the court in a suit No. FHC/AI/CS/151/2022 to nullify the outcome of the polls.

    In a judgment, Justice Fatun Riman, declared the elections “null and void.”

    Riman described the exercise as undemocratic and unlawful.

    Speaking with newsmen after the judgment, the Counsel for the petitioner, Mr Mudi Erhenedi, hailed the court for its “sound judgment”.

    Erhenedi said that it was unlawful to conduct the LGA elections “without availing the petitioner with the exact laws meant to regulate the exercise”.

    He said: “There are a lot of other issues that are not in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 as Amended.

    “The Act says, ‘the procedures for conducting elections into the local government areas by state electoral commissions must comply with that procedure for the election’.

    “My position now is that my clients demanded to be availed with this law.

    “We wrote to EBSIEC, the House of Assembly and INEC but they refused to provide us with the extant law.

    “The law can guide any of the contestants to know when going within or against it during such election,” Erhenedi said.

    The Defence Counsel, Mr Roy Nweze, could not be reached for his reaction to the judgement.

    Meanwhile, in a reaction to the judgment, Gov. David Umahi urged the law-abiding residents of the state to remain calm and go about their businesses peacefully.

    The reaction is contained in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mr Chooks Oko, and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki.

    “Our lawyers will study the judgement to determine the best way forward.

    “My belief in the judiciary as the bastion of justice and equity remains unshaken,” the statement added.

  • PDP kicks as APC sweeps Ebonyi LG elections

    PDP kicks as APC sweeps Ebonyi LG elections

    The Ebonyi State Electoral Commission has declared the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners of all the chairmanship and councillorship seats in the local government elections held on Saturday.

    The Commission said the ruling party won the polls in all the 13 local government areas of the state. The Chairman of the state Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC), Mr Jossy Eze made the announcement in Abakaliki on Sunday at the commission’s Headquarters.

    According to Eze, APC won all the 13 local government chairmanship seats and the 171 councillorship seats. He commended the electorate for ensuring that the polls were free and peaceful.

    “By the power vested in me by the law, I hereby declare the results of the Chairmanship of each of the 13 local government as follows.

    “One, Abakaliki Local Government, Mr Ebere Nwogba of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the majority of valid votes cast at the election, is hereby returned as duly elected.

    “Other elected APC Chairmen included Chinedu Uburu, Ebonyi LGA; Chidiebere Uzor, Onicha LGA; Chinonso Ajah, Ohaozara LGA; Ibiam Nnajiofor, Afikpo North and Ekuma-Nkama Chima, Afikpo South.

    “This Commission has received, considered, validated and adopted the results of each of the 171 councillorship of the wards. That is to say that APC has won in all the wards,” he added.

    Recall that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and other political parties in the state boycotted the LG polls.

    Mr Ricky Okorouka, state Chairman of the Party, had said that their decision not to participate in the elections was due to the refusal of the electoral body to reduce the N1 million and N200,000 nomination fees imposed for Chairmanship and Cancillorship.

    Mr Chika Nwoba, Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi described the elections as “one man-show”.

    According to Nwoba, PDP is not part of the elections held on Saturday.

    Mr Uburu Chinedu, Chairman-elect, Ebonyi Local Government Area, commended the electoral commission and pledged he would focus more on human capital development.

  • Gov Umahi’s brother, Austin Umahi rejects Buhari’s appointment

    Gov Umahi’s brother, Austin Umahi rejects Buhari’s appointment

    Chief Austin Umahi has declined his appointment as the secretary of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

    Chief Umahi, who is the younger brother of Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi, in a statement on Thursday in Abakaliki, however, appreciated those who congratulated him on the appointment.

    “I am honestly humbled by this show of love but regret to inform you that I declined the appointment. This is because it is best for job seekers, retired civil servants or anyone who loves the job.

    “I am also convinced that at my age and work experience, it is not in doubt that I know what I want in life.

    “Anyone interested in the position should not hesitate to approach our indefatigable governor to do the needful. This is because to my knowledge, the position is still vacant,” Umahi said.

    Recall that Umahi won the All Progressives Congress (APC)  primary for Ebonyi South Senatorial District held on May 28, 2022.

    He was reported to have relinquished his senatorial candidacy to the governor who failed to clinch the party’s presidential ticket.

    The party has however fixed a re-run of the primary for July 31 in compliance with a Federal High Court ruling that the governor could not hold the ticket.