TheNewsGuru

Tag: Victor Umeh

  • Immortalise: It is about people not been fair to Humphrey Nwosu – Umeh

    Immortalise: It is about people not been fair to Humphrey Nwosu – Umeh

    The Senator representing Anambra Central at the Senate, Victor Umeh, has reacted at Wednesday’s rejection of a motion seeking to immortalise late Prof. Humphrey Nwosu by the Senate.

    The motion, raised under matters of urgent public importance by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and co-sponsored by members of the minority caucus primarily from the South-East, aimed to recognise Professor’s Nwosu’s contributions and courageous defense of the democratic electoral process during the 1993 presidential elections.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, who was presiding over the session, noted that the motion was a contentious one, citing divided public opinion on Prof. Nwosu’s role in the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election.

    When the motion was eventually put to a voice vote, the ‘nays’ had the day, effectively rejecting the proposal.

    But appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Senator Umeh described what happened at the red chamber as very undemocratic.

    He said, “I think it is a question of people not been fair to a man who has done so well and instead of giving him accolade, we want to be uncharitable to him even unto death. This motion came today at the most timely moment because he will buried buried on Friday, two day way.

    “So, there is no way we cannot talk about his contributions in the parliament, those who have opposing views will say that the man should not be immortalised, those who say that he should be immortalized should say their views. Shutting down the motion the way it was done this morning is very undemocratic.”

    Senator Umeh argued that the Senate leadership should have allowed the lawmakers to debate on the motion, saying that such motions are debated every other day at the Senate irrespective of how anyone feels about the motion.

    He said the rejection of the motion is unfair to the late Prof. Nwosu whom he said gave his all for Nigeria.

    Prof. Nwosu was the Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, which conducted the June, 1993 presidential election that produced late MKO Abiola as winner, and was adjudged by many as the most credible election conducted in Nigeria.

  • Top Nigerian senator speaks on receiving $10,000 to support Tinubu’s emergency rule In Rivers

    Top Nigerian senator speaks on receiving $10,000 to support Tinubu’s emergency rule In Rivers

    Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, has dismissed allegations that he, amongst other senators received dollars to support the State of Emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that a viral report alleged that senators collected bribes amounting to $10,000 to approve the president’s decision to suspend the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.

    Speaking, Umeh, in a statement on Friday distanced himself from the allegation, clarifying that he was not among the 42 senators who collected $10,000 the previous day before the senators passed the state of emergency resolution.

    The senator further stressed that, he was absent at the alleged meeting on Wednesday where $10,000 was allegedly shared to 42 senators, let alone one of the key figures that organised the event.

    “I did not receive any money to support the state of emergency in Rivers State. I was not at any meeting where such payments were allegedly made,” Umeh stated.

    Umeh explained that on the evening of Tuesday, he attended the traditional IFTAR (Breaking of Fasting) gathering at the Senate Guest House with their Muslim brothers and sisters, where he was asked to say the Christian prayers after Senator Adamu Aliero said the Muslim prayers after the IFTAR.

    ”I prayed for God to grant peace to all parts of Nigeria and reconciliation to all the warring parties in Rivers State.

    “I prayed for love and for all Nigerians to embrace one another, for the good of our nation.”

    “We did not discuss the State of Emergency in Rivers State at the IFTAR.”

    “There were other Labour Party Senators at the IFTAR.”

    Dismissing the allegations as backmail, the senator, assured his constituents that such reports would not distract him from providing good Representation, adding that the aim of the detractors was to create disaffection between him and the people and impugn his reputation.

    He vowed that “I will not be distracted by their false reports, and I will continue to serve my constituents with dignity and integrity.”

  • Court of Appeal affirms Umeh as LP candidate for Anambra Central

    Court of Appeal affirms Umeh as LP candidate for Anambra Central

    The Court of Appeal, Awka has affirmed Sen. Victor Umeh as the candidate of the Labour Party for Anambra Central Senatorial District of Anambra.

    The Court in its judgment held that the suit which supposedly disqualified Umeh at the Federal High Court, Awka was statute barred and lacked locus.

    Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, who read the judgment via zoom allowed the two appeals by the Labour Party and  Umeh to stand.

    Umeh was dragged to a federal high court by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Mrs Uche Ekwunife, the senatorial candidate of the PDP on the grounds that he did not resign from the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, before picking the ticket on LP.

    The court presided over by Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa in a judgment on Jan. 27 granted the prayer and disqualified Umeh.

    The LP and Umeh through their counsel, Chief Alex Ejesieme, SAN, and Patrick Ikwetoh respectively appealed the judgment for lack of locus by the respondents and prayed the court to set aside the judgement.

    Reacting to the judgment, Chief Beluolisa Nwofor, SAN, counsel to Ekwunife said he will appeal the  judgment.

  • Sen. Umeh appeals disqualification

    Sen. Umeh appeals disqualification

    The Court of Appeal, sitting in Awka, has granted Victor Umeh, Anambra Central Senatorial Candidate of the Labour Party, the permission to serve his Notice of Appeal on Sen. Uche Ekwunife of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through substituted means.

    Chief Alex Ejesieme, counsel to the appellant in a motion experte with Appeal No. CA/AW/24/2023, told the court that the bailiff had made several efforts to serve Ekwunife directly without success.

    He accompanied the motion with a 13-paragraph affidavit to support his argument, as well as a bailiff affidavit of attempted service.

    Ejesieme described the trial court judgment as “rather unfortunate“ in the light of the numerous decisions of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court on the subject matter.

    Justice Hannatu Sankey, Presiding Judge of the Appeal Court, granted that the Notice of Appeal should be posted at the entrance gate of Ekwunife’s Campaign Office situated at the Uche Ekwunife Event Centre, Awka.

    Nigerian standard recalls that Ekwunife and PDP had gone to the Federal High Court, Awka, to contest the validity of Umeh’s nomination in the Labour Party.

  • Court disqualifies Victor Umeh from Feb 25 Senate election

    Court disqualifies Victor Umeh from Feb 25 Senate election

    The Federal High Court 1, Awka presided over by Hon Justice H. A. Nganjiwa this afternoon disqualified Chief Victor Umeh from contesting in the fast approaching Feb 25, 2023, Senatorial election for Anambra Central.

    The court, in a 3- hour judgment which was described by legal practitioners as “erudite”, disqualified Umeh on the grounds of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act as it concern the membership status of one to contest a party primary.

    The court noted that there was no evidence that the resignation letter by Chief Umeh to the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance(APGA) was actually received by the party. Hence his name was still in the register of members of APGA as at Sept 30, 2022, when he was said to have contested the party’s primary. And that his(Umeh’s) name was not in the register of members of Labour party as at June 3, 2022, date of primary of LP.

    The court, therefore, declared as null and void the publication of Umeh’s name as a candidate earlier by the Independent National Electoral Commission, as he failed to comply with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and the LP constitution.

    The court, therefore, declared the publication as null and void and of no effect.

    Court also issued an injunction restraining Umeh from parading himself as Senatorial candidate of LP. The injunction also prevented the LP from accepting or presenting Umeh as her candidate.

  • My presence at Soludo’s inauguration stopped escalation of Bianca, Ebelechukwu fight – Sen. Umeh

    My presence at Soludo’s inauguration stopped escalation of Bianca, Ebelechukwu fight – Sen. Umeh

    Former national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, Senator Victor Umeh, has said his presence at the inauguration of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as the new governor of the Anambra State, stopped the escalation of the fight between former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu and the immediate past first lady of Anambra State, Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano.

    He said: “I was on ground. I stepped in quickly to arrest the situation. Thank God that normalcy returned immediately through my intervention.”

     

    Both women had engaged in a brawl at the inauguration of Soludo on Thursday, during which Bianca slapped Obiano’s wife after the latter appeared to nudge her on the shoulder.

     

    Fielding questions from newsmen during the 80th birthday celebration of foremost Nigerian philosopher and President General of Alaigbo Development Foundation, Prof. Uzodimma Nwala in Enugu at the weekend, Umeh said he knew that such a situation would arise and quickly stepped in to prevent it from escalating.

     

    It was gathered that dignitaries including Obiano were already seated when Mrs Obiano stepped in and moved to the front row where the widow of Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu was seated before the fight began.

     

    The action drew the attention of security agents and some personalities who pulled Mrs Obiano off the hold of Bianca who was visibly shocked at the action.

     

    Mrs Obiano was later taken away and shortly afterward, her husband left the venue since the incident happened after the new governor had been sworn in.

  • INEC declares APGA’s former Chair, Victor Umeh winner of Anambra Central Senatorial re-run

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has declared a former National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and candidate of the party in Saturday’s Senatorial rerun, Chief Victor Umeh as the winner of the Anambra Central Senatorial re-run election.

    The senatorial election took place in seven local governments of Anambra including Njikoka, Awka North, Idemili South, Dunukofia, Awka South, Anaocha and Idemili North.

    APGA won in the seven council areas in the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) early Sunday morning.

    Announcing the final result, Prof Charles Esimone, the returning officer said Umeh having scored the highest number of votes with 64, 878 was the winner of the contest and returned elected.

    Esimone who is Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka said the total number of registered voters in the seven local government areas were 745, 828 out of which 67, 872 were accredited.

    “I Prof. Charles Esimone certify that I am the returning officer for the Anambra Central Senatorial rerun election.

    “I, hereby, declare that Chief Victor Umeh, having satisfied the conditions of the election and scored the highest number of votes is declared winner and returned elected,” he said.

    The APC candidate was second with 975 votes while Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) came third with 116 votes.

    Other parties that got votes were the Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), 111 votes; Labour Party (LP), 95; National Conscience Party (NCP), 72; Alliance for Democratic Congress (ADC), 57; United Progressives Party (UPP), 55; Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), 48 and Action Congress for Democrats (ACD), 33.

    Votes were however cancelled in four polling units in Awka South where there were cases of over voting and in Agulu, Anaocha council where people where accredited manually.

    Also in Idemili South over voting was recorded in two polling units.

    Earlier in his remark, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Anambra, thanked all stakeholders, including the electorate, poll officials, observers and journalists for contributing to the success and peaceful conduct of the election.