APGA CRISIS: I WILL NOT DUMP UMEH, SAYS OKOROCHA

APGA CRISIS: I WILL NOT DUMP UMEH, SAYS OKOROCHA

 

UMEH

Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha has re-affirmed that the
cordial relationship between him and the national chairman of All
Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Victor Umeh remains intact.

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media (Print), Ebere
Uzoukwa, the governor described the purported report that he had
dumped Umeh as the handiwork of the some political detractors and
mischief-makers whose agenda is to destroy APGA and cause disaffection
between him and the national chairman.

The statement reads “Governor Rochas Okorocha remains loyal to APGA
and its leadership at all levels including Chief Victor Umeh led
National Working Committee (NWC).He has demonstrated high regard for
APGA above personal interest and will ever remain committed in making
the party a formidable platform in the quest to provide good
governance to Imo people and Nigerians through well articulated people
oriented programmes which is the hallmark of APGA”.

“It is however noteworthy to mention that Governor Okorocha neither
discussed APGA and Umeh with any northern governor nor directed his
commissioners and political associates to keep away from the national
chairman”.

The governor’s aide however maintained that Governor Okorocha has no
plans whatsoever to quit APGA rather has demonstrated enough
commitment as a leader to resolve the crisis orchestrated by some
detractors who are already jittery over the growth of the party in the
south east and beyond.

NEWS ITEM: OGUTA ASSEMBLY LAWMAKER DIBIAGWU SWORN IN AT LAST

NEWS ITEM: OGUTA ASSEMBLY LAWMAKER DIBIAGWU SWORN IN AT LAST

 

Eugene Dibiagwu, the duly elected representative for Oguta State constituency has been sworn in at last .

 This ends months of legal and political brouhaha that made the Imo state Assembly look like a plaything of the executives.

Dibiagwu being sworn in

 Performing the Ceremony, Speaker Uwajumogu urged Hon. Dibiagwu to
abide by the rules of the Assembly. The Oath of allegiance and
membership into the Imo State House of Assembly was administered by
the clerk of the House, Chief Barrister Chris Duru in the presence of
the Speaker and all the other Honourable Members, including the press
and of course visitors and well wishers.

Hon. Simeon Iwunze, member for Isiala Mbano State Constituency while
contributing, stated clearly that the inauguration of Hon. Eugene
Dibiagwu has proved that the Imo State House of Assembly follows the
rule of law and infact understands what democracy was all about. He
thanked Speaker Uwajumogu for performing the ceremony. All the other
Honourable members congratulated and welcomed Hon. Dibiagwu to the
House.

In his remark shortly after his inauguration, Dibiagwu thanked God for
making it possible for him to be inaugurated. Hear him, “I also thank
the people of Oguta who gave me their mandate to represent them in the
first place. I equally thank the Rt. Hon. Speaker, my fellow
colleagues and the Executive governor of Imo State for the support and
love they have shown me today.

I thank you”. Hon. Dibiagwu concluded.

NEWS ITEM: PDP INVADES INEC, ARARAUME CASE: OKOROCHA, TINUBU IN SECRET TALKS

NEWS ITEM: PDP INVADES INEC, ARARAUME CASE: OKOROCHA, TINUBU IN SECRET TALKS

 

OKOROCHA

OHAKIM

ARARAUME

There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State may have invaded the case between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, in the 2011 supplementary election in Imo State, Senator Ifeanyi Arararume. 

Reports have it that the PDP candidate in the disputed election and former Governor of Imo State, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim intends to join the matter as an interested party. Ohakim’s PDP came second behind Governor Rochas Okorocha’s APGA who braced the tape of victory at the election.

The calculation in the party’s circles is that if the law Courts cancel the supplementary election, the PDP stands the opportunity of benefiting from such judgement.

 A source in Imo state chapter of the ACN confirmed the intention of the PDP to join the matter.

 Meanwhile local tabloids reported in Owerri that Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha may be seeking for a political solution to the legal war launched against his electoral victory by the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) governorship candidate in the May 6, 2011 Supplementary election, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume.

Okorocha was reported by a local tabloid in Owerri of visiting ACN national leader, Bola Tinubu at his Bourdillion Avenue residence in Ikoyi, Lagos before he flew out of the country a fortnight ago.

Details of the meeting were sketchy as at press time, but it was speculated in the local media that the meeting centered on the case which comes up on October 4. 2012 at an Abuja Federal High Court.    

NEWS ITEM: CATHOLIC WORSHIPPERS SURRENDER FETISH ITEMS IN OWERRI

NEWS ITEM: CATHOLIC WORSHIPPERS SURRENDER FETISH ITEMS IN OWERRI

 

Parishioners and worshipers at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church , Orji Urattta in Owerri North Local Government Area were shocked to their bone marrows on Sunday 23/09/2012 when some faithful and some parishioners made a volte face about their satanic acts and decided to turn a new leaf.
After listening to a sermon spearheaded by the Assistant Parish Priest of the Church, Rev Fr. Ezekiel Opara during the normal Sunday Service of the church, some parishioners believed to be involved in idolatry were touched and went home to bring out several fetish items while the priest with the help of church workers went to the houses of the repentant to remove some of the satanic and dreadful items Some items brought out were calabash, kettles, crucifix, fetish containers, lockets and tied keys, mirrors, small caskets with human images tied to it.
 On a visit to the parish by our reporter, a motley crowd was spotted clustering around the demonic objects with surprises shown on their faces as they were shocked that their fellow Christians and parishioners could be harbouring such potential and deadly while receiving holy communion. The items said to have been recovered from Catholics from the surrounding villages were displayed in front of the church.
 Attempts to speak to Rev Fr. Opara proved futile as he was said to have travelled outside the parish for another Mass. However, the catechist in charge of the church, Sir Tony Williams (KSM), confirmed the incident, adding that the parishioners are grateful to God for using Fr. Opara to liberate some of the Catholic faithful involved in fetish practices.

Fetish Items relinquinshed by repented Catholic Faithful

Imo Trumpeta

NEWS ITEM: COLD WAR IN IMO: PRO IHEDIOHA, IHEANACHO GROUPS FIGHT DIRTY

NEWS ITEM: COLD WAR IN IMO: PRO IHEDIOHA, IHEANACHO GROUPS FIGHT DIRTY

 

The arrest, detention and subsequent release of Capt Emmanuel Iheanacho over a stolen vessel carrying oil found in his Integrated Oil and Gas Company, has set up a fierce political war in Imo State as various interest groups loyal to the duo have cast aspersions on their respective principals. This blog observed that since Ihenacho’s arrest and subsequent release, his political followers have pointed accusing fingers at the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
 They accuse the Mbaise born Deputy Speaker for masterminding Ihenacho’s present ordeal. This allegation coincided with newspaper reports that youths from Ihenacho’s village, Emekuku in Owerri North Local Government Area took to the streets to protest the arrest of the sailor. The youths in their numbers who had barricaded the Owerri- Umuahia road were said to have pointed accusing fingers at Ihedioha describing him as the architect of Ihenacho’s problem. Ihedioha’s political followers are not taking the allegations lightly as they have fired salvos at the Emekuku born politician and former Minister of Interior.

IHEANACHO

 A group which called itself One Good Term Deserves Another Campaign Organization in a statement signed one Okere Nwachuzuo condemned the incessant allegations and falsehood peddled by Capt Ihenacho and his group against the Deputy Speaker.
 The statement made available to newsmen in Owerri said no amount or volume of blackmail against Ihedioha will be further tolerated.

IHEDIOHA

The statement reads in part ‘we want to categorically express our regret over vituperations by a person of the calibre of Capt Iheanacho simply because he cannot match the firebrand of Hon. Ihedioha for the quest of Imo Governor 2015. Without sounding immodest, one million Capt Ihenacho and his Owerri people cannot stop Hon. Emeka Ihedioha from been the Governor of Imo State. It is either Emeka Ihedioha or no Imo State’

 It was observed that the race for the Imo Governorship seat is the bone of contention between Ihedioha and Iheanacho. Both of them are members of the PDP and hail from Owerri geo political zone, a zone that is agitating for the Imo governorship come 2015.
 Ihenacho was reported to have told local journalists in Owerri recently that he is under pressure to run for the governorship seat, while Ihedioha is yet to publicly announce his intention.

NEWS ITEM: SUPPLEMENTARY ELECTION IN IMO; ABUJA FED COURT HEARS CASE OCT 4

NEWS ITEM: SUPPLEMENTARY ELECTION IN IMO; ABUJA FED COURT HEARS CASE OCT 4

 

JEGA

ARARAUME

The May 6, 2011 supplementary election which catapulted Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to Government House, Owerri will come under scrutiny on October 4, 2012 when an Abuja Federal Court hears the case brought before it by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate in the election, Senator Ifeanyi Arararume.

Araraume is challenging the validity of the election on the basis that the word supplementary is alien to the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He contends that INEC erred by conducting the polls on that basis  as there was no provision of a supplementary election contained in the nation’s electoral books.

The case, which legal pundits have described as dicey is coming up barely months the Supreme Court struck out the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State challenging the victory of Governor Okorocha at the polls.

READER'S COMMENT: HON BETHEL AMADI's PERFORMANCE AS A LEGISLATOR IS SUPERLATIVE

READER'S COMMENT: HON BETHEL AMADI's PERFORMANCE AS A LEGISLATOR IS SUPERLATIVE

 

HON. BETHEL AMADI’S PERFORMANCE AS A LEGISLATOR IS SUPERLATIVE
BY OLU IBEKWE 

The President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and Member representing Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, His Excellency Hon. Bethel Nnaemeka Amadi has been widely acknowledged as an outstanding Legislator whose superlative performance is recognized and appreciated even beyond the shores of Nigeria.

A press release by Engr. Oluchukwu Ibekwe from the Office of Honourable Bethel Amadi described as baseless, a story which appeared in the Thursday September 13, 2012 edition of the Imo Trumpeta with the caption “Group Blasts Bethel Amadi over Non Performance” in which an unknown group which called itself Concerned Citizens of Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru for Good Governance made frivolous and baseless allegations against Hon. Bethel Amadi. Amongst the allegations are that Hon. Amadi is yet to make his mark in his constituency; that when the Honourable Member was “elected into the Pan African Parliament (PAP), the people had hoped that it would improve their lot, instead, Amadi has been busy flying over Africa while his constituency suffers”; that Hon. Amadi is yet to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the Ekemele Akabo bad spot of the Owerri – Okigwe highway and that Hon. Amadi does not hold constituency briefings.
 According to the release from the Hon. Members Office, it is untrue that Hon. Bethel Amadi has not been able to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the Ekemele Akabo bad spot on the Owerri – Okigwe Highway. It noted that on Thursday August 9, 2012, His Excellency, Hon. Bethel Amadi visited the Head Office of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in Abuja and had a closed door meeting with the top management of the Agency led by the Chairman of the Board, Engr. Ezekiel Olajide Adeniji (PhD), the Managing Director, Engr. Amuchi and the Executive Director (Operations), Engr. Ikpowen after which they assured Hon. Amadi of FERMA’s commitment to rehabilitate that Ekemele bad spot and other damaged spots, promising that FERMA will carry out a comprehensive repair to avoid future flooding. According to FERMA Management, they had made previous attempt to effect repairs on that portion but withdrew when the Imo State Government moved in and took over the site.

Amadi

 The news of Hon. Amadi’s meeting with FERMA was also aired on Heartland 100.5 FM News as well as the local tabloids including the Imo Trumpeta. An enquiring mind would want to know if “Barr. Linus Nwachukwu and Chief AnslemOnyema” are indeed bona fide indigenes of Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency and live in Imo State and whether they listen to news on their radio and read local papers? Or has FERMA ceased to be a Federal Agency? May God help us all.
 On the second allegation of not meeting with his constituents , it is on record that Hon. Bethel Amadi meets with his constituents regularly, and the last meeting was even as recently as Sunday, August 19, 2012 (just last month), during which he launched an economic empowerment and poverty alleviation programme.
This programme is intended to enable the beneficiaries acquire skills that would allow them start their own businesses. The first phase of that programme resulted in the empowerment of twenty four (24) individuals from each of the 24 wards in the Federal Constituency selected through an open ballot system of shortlisted candidates. The second and third phase will entail the empowerment of an additional one hundred (100) individuals. Interestingly, the news story on this event was carried by Heartland 100.5 FM as well as some of the local tabloids. It is the likes of “Barr. Linus Nwachukwu and Chief AnslemOnyema” and their fictitious organization that appear to be out of touch with the people they purport to speak for.
 On the benefits of Hon. Amadi’s position as the President of the continental Parliament, the release noted that Nigeria is one of most populous nations in Africa and if integration of the African continent is achieved, Nigerians and Ndi Igbo in particular stand to benefit immensely from an economically integrated Africa. Igbo people have the highest level of migration in Africa and most of our brothers and sisters in those African countries are illegal immigrants which should not be. Hon. Bethel Amadi believes that Nigerians should not need visa to travel to fellow African Countries and that no African should be treated as an alien in Africa. We have a lot of unemployed graduates in the five Southeast States of Nigeria and an economically integrated Africa will enhance employment opportunities because in some Africa countries today, even manual labourers are hired from Asia.
Indeed, there are countries in Africa where skilled teachers are lacking and we have enough skilled teachers in the Southeast who can take advantage of such employment opportunities in other African countries. A situation where youths from the Southeast in particular suffer or even die trying to cross the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean sea to Europe in search of greener pastures and even when they get there once their travel documents expire, they are sent to prison should no longer be acceptable.
 In the area of trade, intra African trade stands at about 12% and an additional 2% trade among African countries will spiral into more than $200 billion annually, an amount which is five times what Africa receives as foreign aid from development partners. Hon. Amadi believes that Africans are better off trading with each other to improve their economies than depending on hand-outs from donor countries, and no sane African can quarrel with this. Ibekwe is the Media Assitant to Hon Bethel Amadi

NEWS ITEM: APGA MAY BACK OUT OF OPPOSITION PARTIES MEGER

NEWS ITEM: APGA MAY BACK OUT OF OPPOSITION PARTIES MEGER

 

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) may not be part of the proposed merger or alliance of opposition political parties in Nigeria.

Reason? The party is said to be disposed towards availing its platform to President Goodluck Jonthan in the event the President decides to run for the presidency for a second time in 2015. The party had in 2011 adopted Jonathan as its presidential candidate, a move which swayed votes for the President in the South East during that year’s presidential election.

It will be recalled that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, one of the South East Governor elected on the platform of APGA had urged Igbos to adopt Jonathan for the presidency in 2015.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, another Governor elected on the platform of APGA, had declared his desire to aspire for the presidency. He also announced his decision to foreclose plans to return to the PDP.  

  However, a top chieftain of the APGA denied plans of such move.

 He said ‘2015 is three years away, how can the party decide to adopt a candidate that has not declared to contest. Such reports are the figment of the imagination of detractors’

This blog observed that APGA has been conspicuously absent at meetings of opposition political parties made up of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress  For Progressive Change (CPC), and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). 

The alliance/ merger talks were initiated by the ANPP national Chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu early this year. It was learnt that talks to seal the alliance has reached an advanced stage. 

Top officials of the CPC and ANPP who spoke to this blog revealed that the alliance will go on, despite what he described as ‘the sloppy attitude of some other opposition parties towards the merger/alliance’ 

He did not mention which of the political parties is sloppy towards the merger, but maintained that the alliance/ merger will go on unhindered.

 This blog observed that the festering leadership crisis rocking APGA may be responsible for the lukewarm attitude of the party towards the merger/alliance.