Tag: Imo

  • Promotion: NIMASA makes IMO representative Director

    Promotion: NIMASA makes IMO representative Director

    The Governing Board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has approved the promotion of the Nigerian Alternate Permanent Representative at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Dikko Bala, to Director. Also elevated to the position of Director in the Agency was the Deputy Director, Maritime Labour Services, Mrs. Rita Uruakpa.

    Other beneficiaries of the promotion exercise were Mr Kazir Musa, who was promoted to Deputy Director, and 18 officers, who were elevated to Assistant Directors. Two hundred and thirty six other staff across all grade levels also benefited from the exercise.

    The promotions were ratified at a meeting of the Governing Board of the Agency held in Lagos under the chairmanship of Major General Jonathan India Garba (rtd).

    The Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, congratulated the promoted members of staff and charged them to continue to be committed to the Agency’s vision of taking the Nigerian maritime sector to an enviable height.

    Dakuku stated, “Our determination to continue to motivate the Agency’s workforce remains unwavering. This was a rigorous but fair process, and in this wise, I will like to congratulate the newly promoted staff of the Agency and to say to them that the reward for hard work is more work.

    “On our part as Executive Management, we will continue to ensure that staff are promoted as and when due so that they can remain motivated to give their best in the Agency’s drive to reposition the maritime industry.”

    In their comments, the promoted staff said before now, staff of the Agency stayed very long on one grade level without promotion, but that story changed with the coming of the Dakuku-led Management.

    According to one of the promoted officers, who craved anonymity, “More than ever, NIMASA staff have remained committed to the Agency’s course, knowing full well that every hard work is rewarded by the Agency’s Management. This promotion exercise has clearly shown that the Dr. Dakuku Peterside-led Management is determined to actualise its promise to take the Nigerian maritime sector to the next level by encouraging professionalism.”

    Chairman, Governing Board of the Agency enjoined the newly promoted staff to be more dedicated to their duties, saying the promotions will come with more responsibilities.

    This promotion exercise is the third under the Dakuku management since assuming office about three years ago.

  • INEC issues Certificate of Return to Ihedioha, others in Imo

    INEC issues Certificate of Return to Ihedioha, others in Imo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday issued a Certificate of Return to the governor-elect of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha.

    The state deputy governor-elect, Gerald Irona and 26 out of the 27 House of Assembly members-elect were equally issued their Certificates of Return.

    The issuances of Certificates of Return ceremony which held at the INEC’s office in Owerri, the state capital witnessed large turnout of party faithful.

    The INEC’s supervisory commissioner, representing Imo and Abia States, Okey Ibeanu issued the Certificates of Return to the elected politicians.

    While 26 lawmakers elected received their Certificates of Return, the Member-elect for Ideato North state constituency, Authur Egwim, was omitted.

    The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof Francis Ezeonu, apologized to Egwim over the omission.

    The REC said, “We want to sincerely apologize to Mr Authur Egwim, member-elect for Ideato North state constituency. It was an omission. But I want to assure you that you will receive your Certificate of Return next week. There is no cause for alarm.”

  • JUST IN: Voter apathy, ballot box snatching mar rerun election in Imo

    The rescheduled election in parts of Imo State has been characterised by high rate of apathy, late arrival of voting materials, ballot box snatching and other forms of violence.

    The elections scheduled to hold in five Local Government Areas of Ngor-Okpala, Ikeduru, Oguta, Isu and Orlu, did not commence until 11am.

    In some of the Polling Units monitored by in Ikeduru, electoral officers were waiting for the voters and party agents to arrive before voting commence.

    Meanwhile, there were reported cases of ballot box snatching in Eziama Ikeduru and Alulu in Ngor-Okpala Council Area.

    Details shortly…

  • Imo: Okorocha is finished politically, says Uzodinma

    Imo: Okorocha is finished politically, says Uzodinma

    Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State Senator Hope Uzodinma has pronounced Governor Rochas Okorocha dead politically.

    He said the governor should apologise to Imo indigenes for his misrule rather than looking for scapegoats for his failure.In a statement in Abuja, Uzodinma said Okorocha should hide his face in shame rather than blaming him and the National leadership of the party over his failed plot to install his son in-law as governor of Imo State.

    The lawmaker, who was reacting to the comment by Okorocha that the APC failed to win the Imo governorship election due to the candidacy of Uzodinma, reminded the governor that even as “a sitting governor he failed to win a senatorial election and got a Returning Officer to announce him winner under duress.

    “I thought by now Okorocha should be hiding his face in shame after he lost his bid to install his son in-law and win his senatorial election.

    “Despite all the billions he spent to stop me and the APC in the state from the results from the polling units I won the election and we will prove it.

    “But Okorocha has lost his deposit and he is finished politically. He is an expert in running people down but God has punished him today.

    “This same man worked against the APC and he has the gut to speak about others. I challenge Okorocha for a walk in the streets of Owerri if Imo people will not stone him.

    “Thank God all his conspiracy against us has ended and he has buried himself politically.“I expect by now he should be apologising to the people of Imo State for the crime against God and humanity he committed.“I will reclaim my mandate which Okorocha and Ihedioha stole last weekend and then i will have something to tell Okorocha,” he said.

  • BREAKING: INEC declares PDP’s Ihedioha winner of Imo governorship poll

    BREAKING: INEC declares PDP’s Ihedioha winner of Imo governorship poll

    A former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, has been declared winner of the governorship election in Imo State.

    He polled 273,404 ahead of his closest rival and candidate of the Action Alliance, Uche Nwosu, who polled a total of 190,364.

    Nwosu is the son in-law of Governor Rochas Okorocha who strongly backed his candidacy.

    The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Ifeanyi Ararume came third ahead of Hope Uzondima of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former polled 114, 676 while the latter polled 96,458.

    The candidate of Accord and Okorocha’s predecessor, Ikedi Ohakim, came distant fifth on the log with 6,846 votes.

    Announcing the results of the election at about 12 midnight on Monday, the state’s returning officer and Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Umundike, Abia State, Francis Atunta, gave the total registered voters across the state’s 27 local government areas as
    2,221,008 and the total accredited voters as 823,743.

    He said a total of 25,130 votes were cancelled across the state with total valid votes as 714,355 while the total votes cast is 739,485.

    A total of 70 candidates representing various political parties took part in the election.

    Ahead of the official announcement of the result, tension had heightened across the state with the supporters of AA and PDP threatening to unleash violence on the state if their candidates do not win.

  • 184,678 voters to participate in Imo supplementary elections

    184,678 voters to participate in Imo supplementary elections

    No fewer than 184,678 voters will be participating in Saturday’s supplementary elections in two federal and one senatorial constituencies where elections were declared inconclusive in Imo State.

    The election will be held along with that of governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner, Francis Chukwuemeka Ezeonu, who disclosed this at a briefing in Owerri on Monday, said that elections will be conducted in 149 polling units of Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma federal constituency, 153 polling units of Isiala Mbano federal constituency and in 302 polling units of Imo North senatorial district.

  • Okorocha’s suspension well deserved – Imo APC

    Okorocha’s suspension well deserved – Imo APC

    Some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo have described Gov. Rochas Okorocha’s suspension by the party’s National Working Committee(NWC) as well deserved.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the development on Saturday, a party chieftain, Dr Jude Agu, said Okorocha had been engaged in anti party activities in his pursuit to making his son in-law succeed him as governor.

    Agu said Okorocha would have been suspended long ago to check his bad influence in the party.

    He said the NWC of the APC should equally suspend Okorocha’s allies in the party whom he said were also involved in anti party activities.

    Recall that the NWC on Friday suspended Okorocha for anti party activities.

    But Okorocha in his reaction to the suspension through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, said some APC leaders were after him over 2023 politics.

    He also said the suspension was meant to stop him from holding a critical position in the senate, adding that the suspension would eventually fail.

    Mr John Anyanwu, a former commissioner in Imo, said with the suspension of Okorocha, APC had better chances of winning the state’s governorship election.

    He said if Okorocha was allowed, he would definitely work against the APC candidate in the state.

    An APC woman leader in Obowo Local Government Area, Mrs Rose Ibeawuchi, said Okorocha”s suspension had restored confidence in the party.

    “We were all in dark days during the imposition of the governor’s son in-law on the party.

    “Now that he has been suspended, we will have another opportunity to tell our supporters who the APC governorship candidate really is,” she said.

  • Suspension: Oshiomhole has outlived his usefulness in our party – Imo APC

    …demands his immediate resignation

    The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday called on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to tender his resignation letter for suspending the governors of Imo and Ogun states.

    At a press conference in Owerri, the APC chairman in the state, Daniel Nwafor, said that the suspension of Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun was null and void.

    Nwafor said that since Oshiomhole emerged the national chairman of the ruling party, he had been disregarding the constitution of the ruling party.

    Saying that the state chapter of the APC would not honour the “purported suspension” of Okorocha from APC, Nwafor said that the former governor of Edo state had outlived his usefulness in APC.

    Describing Oshiomhole as a man who had no respect for the rule of law, Nwafor said that the APC national chairman was known for not obeying court orders and judgments.

    According to Nwafor, the suspension of Okorocha did not follow due process.

    He said that according to the APC constitution, the suspension of any member starts from the ward level and not from the National working committee.

    Nwafor said “I am here with the APC chairman from Ogboko ward where the governor hails from. There was no letter from the NWC to him to query the governor for any offence. The truth is that Oshiomhole is a man who has no respect for rule of law. He has a penchant for disobeying valid court judgments and orders.

    We demand his immediate resignation from APC. Adams Oshiomhole has outlived his usefulness in APC. As a party, we will not honour that purported suspension. It is null and void and of no effect. Governor Rochas Okorocha remains the leader of APC in Imo state.”

    The state chairman said that APC in the state had no governorship candidate, even as he maintained that the APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma, was not known by the party.

    He said that available records by the party showed that Uzodinma was not a registered member of APC in his ward in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.

     

  • Thugs set INEC office ablaze in Imo

    Political thugs on Sunday night set ablaze the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State.

    According to reports, the thugs working for one of the strong politicians in the area accused INEC officials of collaborating with people to manipulate the collation of results.

    The setting ablaze of the INEC office occurred shortly after the collated results from the Isiala Mbano LGA for Okigwe North federal constituency election had been moved out of the electoral commission’s office to Owerri, the state capital, by security men in company of party agents and chieftains.

    An eyewitness said the presence of heavily armed security agents did not deter the thugs from committing the mayhem.

    The source said, “Thugs belonging to one of the candidates accused INEC officials of altering the results of polling units at the collation centre. In anger, they set the INEC office ablaze.”

    The place has however been cordoned off by security men.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, who confirmed the incident to our Correspondent said that investigation into the case of arson had commenced.

    According to the CP, those who carried out the dastardly act would be arrested and prosecuted.

  • BREAKING: Gunmen assassinate APC chairman in Imo

    Unknown gunmen on Tuesday assassinated the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Logara/Umuohiagu Ward in Ngor Okpala Council Area of Imo state, Ifeanyi Ozoemena.

    He was murdered on Tuesday night shortly after presiding over a meeting of the party in the ward.

    The development sparked off fear in the state ahead of Saturday’s rescheduled presidential and National Assembly election.

    The suspected hired assassins were said to have murdered him in his house right before his family members.

    A community leader, Chief Martin Opara, who confirmed the killing to our correspondent, said the community had been thrown into panic and mourning.

    According to him, the community had never witnessed such political killing, urging security agencies to fish out the killers of the APC chieftain without any delay.

    Opara said the Eze-in-Council in conjunction with the community’s town union had met and sent a delegation to Divisional Police Officer requesting masterminds of the dastardly act should be arrested without any hesitation.

    He said: “This killing is strange to our community. Report says that he was shot severally in his house until he died.

    We have met with the Eze-in-council and have sent a delegation to the DPO requesting that the killers should be arrested immediately.

    Logara community is known for peace and we won’t jeopardise peace among us.

    The deceased finished hosting a meeting of APC members in his ward after which gunmen operating in a jeep came and requested to see him. On sighting him, they shot him severally before they left.”

    Commissioner of Police Dasuki Galadanchi confirmed the killing to our correspondent in a telephone conversation.

    He said the police have evacuated the corpse.

    According to the CP, the gunmen who killed the APC chieftain operated in an SUV jeep.