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Tag: Imo State

  • Imo Assembly Deputy Speaker declared wanted for N785m fraud

    Imo Assembly Deputy Speaker declared wanted for N785m fraud

    The Deputy Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Amarachi Iwuanyanwu, was on Friday, declared wanted by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over his alleged involvement in a N785 million fraud.

    The court issued a warrant of arrest for his arrest and ordered Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, Nigerian Immigration Services and the Interpol to arrest the lawmaker on sight, “anywhere he is sighted in Nigeria or outside Nigeria and produce him before this honourable court or to the EFCC headquarters, Abuja”.

    It was learnt that the order for Iwuanyawu’s arrest was a sequel to an ex-parte application dated November 14, which the EFCC brought before the court through its lawyer, Mr. Olanrewaju Adeola.

    EFCC told the court in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2124/2024, that it got intelligence that the lawmaker had since escaped from the country and was hiding in the United States of America.

    The agency maintained that the Respondent refused to make himself available to respond to a petition that was lodged against him and his company, Sun Gold Estate Limited.

    A firm, Hakiz Investment Company Limited, had in the petition that was signed by its lawyer, Mr. A. A Malik, SAN, and addressed to its Chairman alleged that sometime in 2012, it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Iwuanyanwu’s company.

    The agreement was for it to develop an estate comprising 14 units of 4 bedroom terrace and one block of six flats on the petitioner’s land situated at Mabuchi Abuja, according to the EFCC.

    It told the court that the agreement was that upon the completion of the estate by the Respondent, the complainant, who is the owner of the land, would take 40% of the property, while the Respondent, being the developer, would take 60% of the property.

    However, the anti-graft agency alleged that its investigations revealed that “upon completion of the estate, the Respondent sold all the buildings and criminally diverted the funds without the knowledge of the Complainant”.

    “That the market value of 40% of the buildings is about N785 million. That investigation is still ongoing and all invitations extended to both Iwuanyanwu and his company proved abortive.

    “That a lawyer to the Respondent had on one of the occasions, received a copy of the invitation on his behalf and made promises that he would be available for questioning. That there is an intelligence report that the Respondent is in the USA.

    “That without the suspect being apprehended or voluntarily coming to state their side of the story, the investigation will be incomplete.

    “That in the light of the calculated effort by the suspect to remain evasive, there is a need to place the suspect on watch list of the Commission, the police and any other law enforcement,” EFCC averred in an affidavit that was deposed to by one of its officials, Ufuoma Ezire.

    EFCC maintained that it would be in the interest of justice for the court to issue an arrest warrant against the Respondent.

    It predicated the application for an arrest warrant to be issued against the Respondent on section 35(1) (c) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, sections 3, 37 and 39(1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, as well as sections 6, 7, 13 and 41 of the EFCC (Establishment Act) 2004.

    The Commission told the court that it had since written of its investigative activities to the Corporate Affairs Commission, banks, and other relevant agencies.

  • Ignore Uzodimma at your own peril – Tinubu to South-East leaders

    Ignore Uzodimma at your own peril – Tinubu to South-East leaders

    Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu, has told business and political leaders in the South-East to ignore Imo’s Gov. Hope Uzodimma at their own peril.

    Tinubu spoke in Owerri on Thursday at a town hall meeting with South-East private sector drivers, including manufacturers, investors, traders, entrepreneurs and artisans.

    He expressed delight over Uzodimma’s developmental strides and called on Nigerians to join hands with him and the APC to bring prosperity and renewed hope to the country.

    Tinubu called on all people of goodwill to vote for progress and to be part of the nation’s golden future and never to allow those who put the country backwards to come back again.

    Tinubu emphasised that Nigerians had the resources and the capacity to move forward as against incessant lamentation.

    ”I am coming to serve the people and not to be their boss. I brought progressive governance and forward-looking government and not the type that will take Nigerians backwards, ” he said.

    Tinubu encouraged the business community to continue to support him, adding that if elected president, he would create an enabling environment that would make their businesses more prosperous.

    “We will develop a code that when activated, will make their goods and services easy on the roads of Nigeria,” he said.

    In his remarks, Uzodimma said the reason for the town hall meeting was for the business leaders to interrogate some of the challenges and issues they were facing in their businesses, for provisions to be made in the APC candidate’s manifesto.

    Also, the National Chairman of APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, said he came as a witness to what the stakeholders meeting of businessmen and women with their presidential candidate in the South-East would do with the interface.

    He described the meeting as strategic, adding that it was “organized for a unique people, the business group who are the major drivers of the nation’s economy”.

    newsmen reports that the meeting was also attended by Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau and his Ebonyi colleague, among others.

  • 2023: I am coming to serve Nigerians, not to be a boss – Tinubu

    2023: I am coming to serve Nigerians, not to be a boss – Tinubu

    Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu has said if elected president in 2023 he will serve Nigerians and not be a boss.

    Tinubu stated this in Owerri on Thursday at a town hall meeting with South-East private sector drivers, including manufacturers, investors, traders, entrepreneurs and artisans.

    He told business and political leaders in the  South-East to ignore Imo’s Gov. Hope Uzodimma at their own peril while expressing delight over Uzodimma’s developmental strides and called on Nigerians to join hands with him and the APC to bring prosperity and renewed hope to the country.

    Tinubu called on all people of goodwill to vote for progress and to be part of the nation’s golden future and never to allow those who put the country backwards to come back again.

    Tinubu emphasised that Nigerians had the resources and the capacity to move forward as against incessant lamentation.

    ”I am coming to serve the people and not to be their boss. I brought progressive governance and forward-looking government and not the type that will take Nigerians backwards, ” he said.

    Tinubu encouraged the business community to continue to support him, adding that if elected president, he would create an enabling environment that would make their businesses more prosperous.

    “We will develop a code that when activated, will make their goods and services easy on the roads of Nigeria,” he said.

    In his remarks, Uzodimma said the reason for the town hall meeting was for the business leaders to interrogate some of the challenges and issues they were facing in their businesses, for provisions to be made in the APC candidate’s manifesto.

    Also, National Chairman of APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, said he came as a witness to what the stakeholders meeting of businessmen and women with their presidential candidate in the South-East would do with the interface.

    He described the meeting as strategic, adding that it was “organized for a unique people, the business group who are the major drivers of the nation’s economy”.

    The meeting was also attended by Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau and his Ebonyi colleague, among others.

  • PDP stakeholders reject Atiku/Okowa presidential list for Imo

    PDP stakeholders reject Atiku/Okowa presidential list for Imo

    Some stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo have rejected an Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign council list constituted for the state ahead of the 2023 elections.

    The party faithful expressed  dissatisfaction shortly after they staged a workout from a stakeholders’ meeting of the party on Monday in Owerri.

    Addressing newsmen, former chairman, Okigwe Local Government Area of the state, Mr Ngozi Ogbu said the presidential campaign council list was compiled without due consultation.

    Ogbu said they were summoned for the day’s meeting to discuss the composition of the presidential campaign council and management council.

    “But to our surprise and chagrin, the secretary of the party proceeded to read out a list of members of the council which led to fracas.

    “Majority of the stakeholders opposed the announcement due to lack of consultation and undue imposition of members,” he said.

    He claimed that the foisted list was an attempt by former Gov. Emeka Ihedioha to use the presidential council as an extension of his re-election campaign council.

    Also speaking, Mr Gozie Nwachukwu, an aspirant for the Abor-Mbaise state House of Assembly at the last primaries of the party, said a petition had earlier been written to express dissatisfaction.

    “When this meeting was called, we had expected that we will nominate members of the committee only for the secretary of the party to read a fictitious document naming it presidential campaign list.

    “If Emeka Ihedioha wants to run for governor, he is free to do so, but to try to scrumptiously convert and camouflage a presidential campaign council to now become an Ihedioha re-election campaign council, it will not work and we reject it in clear terms,” he said.

    Contributing, a gubernatorial aspirant and chieftain of the party, Mr Mike Ikoku said the imposition of the list was capable of jeopardizing the party’s lot in the state.

    Ikoku urged the national leadership of the party to jettison the list  for one  that would depict the general interest of the majority.

    However, in his reaction, the state Secretary of the party, Mr Ray Emeana said the presidential campaign council list captured the majority of the people’s interest.

    Emeana said: “It is normal that when decision is taken by the party, it will not go down well with everybody.

    “What is important is that we captured majority of the people’s interest and the process followed was the process that was approved by the given authority.

    “The national party sent us the criteria for the presidential campaign council for every state including Imo,  for selecting who becomes a member of the council.

    “The guidelines say people with positions or former positions should be identified which we did and filled in their names appropriately.

    “In addition, we asked every local government area to sort the names of their leaders which they did and went on to ask the candidates to make submissions which all of them did,” he said.

    According to him, the National Secretary of the PDP, Sen. Samuel Anyawu was asked to make submission which he did,; the list is a product of very wide consultation.

    Emeana said the list was later confirmed and signed by the director of administration of the presidential council after due consultation.

    “If anybody has any grouse, such should be forwarded to the presidential council and the National Working Committee,” Emeana said.

  • Revisit original intentions of NDDC birth – Gov. Uzodimma

    Revisit original intentions of NDDC birth – Gov. Uzodimma

    Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo has urged the leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC ) to revisit the original intentions for the setting up of the orgsanisation.

    The governor gave the advice when he received in audience the Acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr Emmanuel Audu -Ohwavborua.

    This is contained in a statement release d on Saturday in Owerri by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Oguwike Nwachuku.

    Uzodimma noted that the past NDDC leadership resorted to maintenance approach to solving problems affecting the member-states, as opposed to projects conception and implementation.

    He expressed regrets that in the area of interventions, some of the states such as Imo, as a critical stakeholder in oil and gas sesctor, had not been treated fairly.

    According to him, during the Covid-19 pandemic when the commission was expected to come to the aid of the state, it was nowhere to be seen even though it featured prominently in the other NDDC states.

    He urged Audu-Ohwavboua that in commission’s emergency programme, ahead of the Yuletide, there was the need to intervene immediately in the Elele-Owerri corridor of the old Owerri-Port Harcourt Road, as well as the Mgbidi-Awomama axis of Owerri-Onitsha Road.

    He also solicited the intervention of the NDDC in the flood-ravaged communities of Imo such as Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta, as a way of further cushioning the effects of their hardships.

    He expressed delight over the appointment of Audu-Ohwavboua, describing him as “able, capable and possessing a good knowledge of the terrain”.

    He urged him to bring his wealth of experience to bear in solving the problems of the NDDC, an organisation he described as a “child of circumstance set up to alleviate the sufferings of the oil producing states.”

    “What is good for the goose is good for the gander. Go back to the original intention of setting up the commission so that the impact will be felt by our people.

    “We have observed marginalisation. None of the oil producing states should be marginalised. We must get justice, we must get equity, we must get even distribution of amenities. You should address marginalisation in the NDDC.

    “Each time they say we are a member, why is intervention not coming to Imo but going to other states? Repair Elele to Owerri Road and repair the bad sections from Mgbidi to Awommama under your emergency programme “, Uzodimma advised.

    Speaking, Audu-Ohwavboua said it was an auspicious moment to be in Imo, especially with the ravaging floods.

    He agreed with the governor that there were problems yet unsolved.

    He, however, assured the governor that under his leadership, such problems would be effectively addressed.

    “We are technocrats. We don’t make promises we are not ready to honour. Rest assured that the marginalisation has ended.”

    The high point of the visit was the handing over of some drugs to the governor, for people affected by the recent flooding of some riverine areas.

  • BREAKING: INEC fixes date for Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa Gov polls

    BREAKING: INEC fixes date for Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa Gov polls

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi governorship polls for November 11, 2023.

    The Commission approved the timetable at its weekly meeting on Tuesday.

    It fixed primary elections by parties for March 27 to April 17, 2023.

    According to a statement by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye: “This decision is in fulfillment of the requirement of Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 which mandates the Commission to publish the Notice of Election not later than 360 days before the date fixed for the elections.

    “Similarly, Sections 178(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 mandates the Commission to conduct such elections not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of the term of the last holder of the office”.

    It added: “The tenure of the incumbent Governor of Imo State ends on 14th January 2024 while those of Kogi and Beyelsa States end on 26th January 2024 and 13th February 2024 respectively.

    “Accordingly, the Commission has decided to conduct the three elections on Saturday 11th November 2023.

    “The statutory Notice for the elections will be published in the three States on 14th November 2022. Party primaries will be held from 27th March to 17th April 2023, while the online portal for the submission of nomination forms (EC9 and EC9B) by political parties opens at 9.00am on 24th April 2023 and closes at 6.00pm on 5th May 2023.

    “The final list of candidates will be published on 9th June 2023 while campaign by political parties commences on 14th June 2023 and ends at midnight on 9th November 2023.

    “The full Timetable and Schedule of Activities has been uploaded to the Commission’s website and social media platforms”.

  • Nnamdi Kanu: Ihedioha distances self from viral voice note

    Nnamdi Kanu: Ihedioha distances self from viral voice note

    Former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha has denied being responsible for the viral voice note purporting a threat and a letter from him to the Minister of Justice, asking him not to release Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

    Ihedioha made the revelation via a statement he personally signed and released where he claimed that the voice note was “criminally” forged, saying those behind it were aiming at putting him at daggers drawn with the people.

    The Imo-born Politician has now called on security operatives to thoroughly investigate those impersonating him and forging his signature for documents that did not emanate from him.

    Ihedioha added that  he chose to remain silent since January 14, 2020, when the Supreme Court nullified his election as governor of the State.

    “I consciously yielded to the maxim that silence is golden, so as not to inflame passion in our dear state. But there comes a time when silence is no longer golden. That time is now. It appears that some people are not satisfied with their stolen mandate.

    “They have forged documents, concocted voice messages, perjured and maximised the social media in throwing mud to see if anyone sticks. They use issues that are very dear to our people in this nefarious project,” the statement added.

  • BREAKING: Former Deputy Gov of Imo, Ebere Udeagu is dead

    BREAKING: Former Deputy Gov of Imo, Ebere Udeagu is dead

    A former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Ebere Udeagu has died at the age of 79. Ikedi Ohakim, a former governor of the State disclosed this, describing the death of Udeagu as saddening.

    Ohakim said in a brief statement released on Monday in Owerri by one of his assistants, Emmanuel Chukwu, that the Okigwe zone, Imo State, and Nigeria as a whole have lost a classic elder statesman who was dedicated to a better society.

    Between 1999 to 2007, Udeagu, a former vice presidential candidate for the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), assisted former governor Achike Udenwa in his duties as governor.

    Udeagu an educated water engineer from Ihube in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, passed away early on Monday in Owerri.

  • I am sorry for being misunderstood as calling Igbo people saboteurs – Ihedioha

    I am sorry for being misunderstood as calling Igbo people saboteurs – Ihedioha

    Former Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has apologised to the entire Igbo people over his alleged reference to them as saboteurs, saying the context was misunderstood.

    He stated this on Friday Night when he appeared on Sunrise Daily on Channels Television.

    He said his comments at the 2022 New Yam festival ceremony of the Mbaise People living in Ghana was referring to what the PDP had done for them and the need for the Igbo to support the party to reclaim power again in 2023.

    The former Governor, had in in a viral video that has continued to generate millions of comments, allegedly called people who are supporting the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, as saboteurs.

    Ihedioha said his speech in Ghana was misconstrued and blown out of proportion.

    He noted that the word “saboteur” he used during his speech was not referred to the supporters of the LP presidential candidate but to his kinsmen whom he said were PDP members and were sabotaging the efforts of his party to reclaim power in Imo State in 2024.

    Ihedioha added that he was sorry and that it was not in his character to be rude, arrogant, or to use uncultured words on people whom he doesn’t share the same political beliefs with.

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    ”I went to Ghana on the invitation of my people for the New Yam festival who are predominantly PDP members. Knowing where we are coming from as a people and knowing where PDP left our people, the promises made by APC who were surging to take over power. They promised us everything. They promised water, they promised light, they promised free education, promised free housing, they promised prosperity, they promised stabilisation of the naira and currency. You know that all those things were myriads of deceitful, fraudulent promises that have not come to pass.

    “So when you talk about the future of our country, you see people who are worried about being deceived into believing that you just wished it happened. So the desire for me for a PDP administration that has internal mechanisms of good governance cannot be overemphasized. So I spoke to our people consciously within the PDP to express the need for them not to sabotage our efforts in reclaiming power in 2023 so that Nigerians can see good governance.

    “So give it to the Peoples Democratic Party. One thing about us is that there could be issues you expect in any human conflagration but we have ways of resolving those issues. We disagree among ourselves and we deal with them among ourselves. So incidentally the issues have been put in a different context and some persons and majority of whom love me, majority of whom believe in me, majority of whom have confidence in me, majority of whom have very huge expectations from me.

    “I never called any South Easterner or indeed any Nigerian who doesn’t vote for my party a saboteur. That is not me. It is not in my character. I believe in decency even from my own immediate nuclear family.

    “My position was very simple, I was speaking to our people. I am an Mbaise man and the PDP has been very faithful to us. PDP has given us support, PDP gave us the opportunity to produce governor in our state and I said to them we have an opportunity and I called that they should not sabotage our efforts to reclaim power and that was it.

    “That was the context. And if listen carefully and I have found out from a number of persons have made calls and either to my person, my family, friends and associates and I have not had the privilege to watch the tape but if you do you will see the context. It is being blown out of proportion but I am responsible to people who show you love, people who show you confidence, people who believe in you and you also need to respect their feelings and so to all those millions of Nigerians, particularly from South East extraction who feel hurt by my use of language, I am sorry about it.

    “I do not mean to hurt anybody and they have a right to obviously express their political opinions in any way, form or shape and of course, I have my friends who belong to other political parties and we still relate and we will continue to relate.

    “It is my considered view that people should take me for whom I am. People should accept me for whom I am and know that I am not a rude person. I am not a disrespectful person and I don’t use words that are uncultured. I thank the privilege of my upbringing and that has guided me. I believe this should be able to assuage them.”

    He stressed that he was certain that PDP was going to win the 2023 presidential election.

    Ihedioha noted that though Obi’s support base was growing in the South East region the PDP was going to win the zone.

    Reacting to the crisis rocking PDP, Ihedioha said that the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has the capacity to resolve it before the next year’s general elections.

    He said his seven months reign as the governor of Imo state was “satisfactory” to the people of the state, beaming optimism that his party would sack the All Progressives Congress-led administration in the state in the next governorship election in the state.

  • Imo Assembly gets fourth Speaker in 4 years

    Imo Assembly gets fourth Speaker in 4 years

    The Imo State House of Assembly elected its fourth Speaker in four years on Monday in Owerri, the State Capital.

    The new speaker is Mr Emeka Nduka (APC-Ehime Mbano) who replaced Mr Kennedy Ibe (APC-Obowo), who resigned from the position earlier.

    Ibe’s two predecessors were impeached in 2020 and in 2021, respectively.

    Ibe was sworn on as speaker on Nov. 8, 2021 following the impeachment of Mr Paul Emeziem (APC-Onuimo) for forgery and highhandedness.

    Emeziem took over from Dr Collins Chiji (APC-Isiala Mbano) in November 2020 after he was impeached for unparliamentarily conduct and gross misconduct.

    Chiji, however, appealed to the House to have his impeachment expunged from the legislative records and recorded as resignation, a request which was approved.

    The fourth speaker, Nduka was elected on Monday at a closed-door special sitting presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Amarachi Iwuanyanwu (APC-Nwangele) who called for nominations after reading Ibe’s letter of resignation.

    The Majority Leader, Mr Kanayo Onyemaechi (APC-Owerri West) nominated Nduka, a nomination seconded by Dr Uju Onwudiwe (APC-Njaba).

    No reason was given for Ibe’s resignation.