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Tag: Enugu State

  • Ugwuanyi coasts to victory in Enugu

    A coalition of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) – accredited foreign and local observers and notable leaders in Enugu State have commended the successful conduct of yesterday’s governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state, describing the exercise as “peaceful, free and fair”.

    This came as results trickling in from polling units across Enugu State indicate the state governor and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and House of Assembly candidates of the party are coasting to victory as the PDP leads with wide margins.

    Ugwuanyi, who voted at exactly 9:35am, after trekking from his residence to the polling unit, said that “in all we do in Enugu State, we give God due glory, honour and adoration and by the special grace of God this election will end in praise.”

    Speaking on behalf of the observers, shortly after Ugwuanyi cast his vote at his Amube Ward II Polling Unit, a foreign observer from Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO), Rotarian Titus A. Alagba, stated that the election was in conformity with the INEC rules and regulations and thanked Gov. Ugwuanyi for “providing the peaceful atmosphere for this free and fair election”.

    Also speaking, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, who spoke to journalists after voting at his polling unit in Ukehe Ward I, disclosed that the election “was very peaceful, very orderly and it typifies the peaceful character of our state.

     

    The former governor of old Anambra State and chieftain of the PDP, Senator Jim Nwobodo, who was accompanied to his polling unit by his wife, Pat, added that the exercise “has been peaceful.” Nwobodo expressed optimism that “PDP will win with a landslide in Enugu State”.

    On his part, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, (Anglican Communion) Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, commended Gov. Ugwuanyi, INEC and the security agencies for the peaceful conduct of the exercise, maintaining it was “orderly, very much peaceful, free and fair”.

  • Eze boycotts guber election in Enugu, alleges foul play

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Enugu State, Senator Ayogu Eze, on Saturday boycotted the governorship/state assembly elections in the state.

    Eze told journalists in his country home at Umuozzi in Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze North council of the state that he was angry that his name was not included among governorship candidates contesting in the state.

    He alleged that INEC published final list of governorship candidates leaving out his name in spite of Appeal Court order reinstating him as the APC governorship candidate.

    “INEC claims to have party logos on the ballot paper so why didn’t they publish only the logos of all the political parties and leave the candidates?’’ Eze complained.

    The APC candidate said that his supporters refused to vote because they were angry that they had not been treated well by INEC.

    He said that he pleaded with them to go and vote but they insisted that he would not vote until INEC created a level playing ground.

    When contacted, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Emeka Ononamadu debunked the allegation saying that the commission included his name on Friday, March 8.

    The REC told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that as soon as it received directive from INEC headquarters in Abuja, he restored his name.

    According to him, at the commencement of work on Friday, March 8, the administrative memo arrived and his name has been inserted back at the appropriate place as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for over 24 hours.

    The REC urged the residents especially the media to get things right by informing the people appropriately on developments at the commission.

    “After this briefing, I will take time to show you the communication from our headquarters in Abuja.

    “And those communications are purely administrative and it is clear that we put back his name on time after the Thursday’s Appeal Court Judgment.

    “I saw the thing, the administrative communications concerning the issue, on Friday, in the morning when I came to work. It was then resolved.

    “However, let me say, that the APC before now has been in the ballot paper.

    “If you go to the polling booth now, you see APC name abbreviated with its logo in the ballot papers,’’ he said.

    Ononamadu explained that INEC is one and the Enugu office is a sub-section of the INEC headquarters, Abuja.

    He added that the INEC Enugu office would always take directives from its national headquarters since it did not have the powers to remove or add any name of candidate or party for election. (NAN)

  • Massive turnout in Enugu, INEC officials arrive early

    The governorship and House of Assembly elections took off as scheduled by INEC in all parts of Enugu state with an early turnout of voters.

    In most areas visited INEC officials and materials were already at voting centres just as voters continued to troop into polling units.
    In what appears a response to the call by INEC majority of voters have continued to arrive voting centres Saturday morning where commendable INEC officials were already on ground.
    Enugu is expecting a free and fair exercise just as was recorded during the Presidential and National Assembly polls.
    Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, contesting for reelection was at his polling booth, Amaube ward 1and 2, Orba where he cast his vote at exactly 9.35am.
    Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Emeka Ononamadu had called the bluff of APC leadership in the state who protested Thursday calling for postponement of the exercise.
    APC was however a lone voice as 70 other political parties in the state passed a vote of confidence on the REC and urged INEC to disregard whatever distribution and go ahead with the exercise.
    The REC who assured parties of a free and fair exercise in the state said he will not be intimidated insisting that the exercise would go on as planned.
    Addressing newsmen Friday in Enugu the REC assured that all arrangements has been put in place to ensure a hitch free excercise.
    He said that both sensitive and non sensitive materials had been distributed to various locations stressing that nothing will stop the conduct of the election.
    Ononamadu called on the peace loving people of Enugu to ignore all distractions and turn out enmasse to vote for candidates of their choice.

  • My name not yet on INEC list in Enugu – Ayogu Eze

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Enugu State, Sen. Ayogu Eze has urged the INEC to include his name in the Saturday governorship elections as directed by an Abuja Appeal Court.

    Briefing journalists in Enugu on Friday, Eze alleged that barely eight hours to the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had yet to include his name in the race.

    Eze alleged that the removal of his name from the INEC final list of governorship candidates for the election a few days before the election was a calculated attempt to punish him and create room for INEC’s preferred candidate and party.

    “Even after the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal overturned the decision of the Federal High Court which formed the basis for INEC’s action, the commission has bluntly refused to retune my name to the final list on the INEC official portal 24 hours after they were served the order of the court,’’.

    He wondered why INEC was taking an apparently partisan position on a matter where they would otherwise have been impartial.

    According to him, INEC is colluding with unknown forces to rob me of my victory on the Saturday March 9 election.

    He alleged that the whole plan was designed to discourage his supporters and deny him victory.

    Eze said that barely eight hours to the election his supporters were still confused whether they would participate in the election or not because of the development.

    Meanwhile, efforts to reach Dr Emeka Ononamadu, the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner in Enugu State for reaction failed as his mobile phone was unreachable and he did not respond to messages sent to him.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday ruled that Sen. Eze remains the true governorship candidate of the APC in Enugu State.

    The court affirmed the APC gubernatorial candidate barely two days to the elections.

    In His ruling over the substantive suit by Eze challenging his removal by Federal High Court, the panel of judges led by Justice Abdul Aboki upheld the prayers of Eze in which he prayed that he was the duly elected candidate of the party.

    The appellate court ruled that “what happened at the lower court was a miscarriage of justice as Mr George Ogara has no case in the first place.”

    He stated that “Ogara filed after 14 days of the result being published as allowed by law, so the lower court had no jurisdiction to entertain his case.”

    Justice Aboki directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to immediately restore the name of Sen. Ayogu Eze as the candidate of the party.

  • 43 govs, 310 House of Assembly candidates tango in Enugu

    Forty three candidates are contesting the governorship of Enugu state the 24 seats of the House of Assembly have 310 contenders.

    But among the plethora of gubernatorial candidates, only two are actually in contention – the incumbent governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who is flying the flag of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator Ayogu Eze, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The APC had on Thursday demanded postponement of the governorship election in Enugu on the grounds that their candidate did not campaign enough due to litigations.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Emeka Ononamadu, however, told reporters on Friday that there was no way the election would be postponed.

    He said the demand by the APC would not succeed because there was never a time the party was delisted from the ballot box.

    He explained the only issue the APC had was the omission of the name of their candidate as a result of a court order but added that the issue had been resolved and the name of the candidate restored.

    Read Also: Enugu: Election and its aftermath

    The REC said there was no strong reason like natural disaster or court order for the Election to be postponed and advised eligible voters to come out and cast their votes.

    He used the opportunity to dismiss rumours of shortage of any electoral material, assuring that about 84 percent of sensitive and non -sensitive materials have been distributed to the various Registration Area Centers (RAC).

    Ononamadu also disclosed the commission will conduct a refresher training for its adhoc staff in the RAC in Enugu State.

    He warned the era of writing results in INEC offices was over, adding that the ballot belongs to the people hence the need for people to cast their votes

  • Observer hails INEC, security agencies’ preparedness for guber polls

    An accredited election observer group has commended the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies for Saturday’s governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections in Enugu state.

    The observer group under the aegis of Congress of Civil Society Organisation in Nigeria, hailed the level of preparation by INEC towards ensuring a credible and transparent election in the state.

    The group disclosed this in a statement issued by its Chairman, Moses Ebahor and its Secretary, Chidi Chielo, in Abuja on Friday.

    It also commended the readiness of electorate in the state for the elections particularly in voters awareness and the number of permanent voters card (PVC) issued by INEC.

    The statement reads: “As INEC Accredited Election Observers we were able to ascertain the level of the preparedness of INEC towards ensuring credible and transparent election in Enugu State especially in providing a level playing ground for all political parties to participate.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is resolute, transparent and committed in conducting credible, free and fair election in Enugu State, hence providing a level playing ground for all political parties in Enugu State. They are seriously disseminating information that will lead to credible election across the Local Government Areas in Enugu State.

    Read Also: INEC distributes sensitive materials to LGs in Ekiti

    “The level of voters awareness and mobilization by INEC for the election is very encouraging as they are seriously committed to voters education. The electorates in Enugu State are fully ready for the election as over 70% have collected their PVCS and wish to use same for the election.

    “We were also able to ascertain the security situation in the state ahead of the elections. The various security agencies in Enugu State should put more effort in ensuring that area boys or political thugs are not found within the polling centres.

    “The state Government and the various security agencies in Eungu State have been able to set a formidable security structure that guarantees the safety of lives and property during and after the election in Eungu State.

    “Hence, it is our earnest advice that they should be professionals in the discharge of their duties.

    “It is indeed very remarkable to conclude that INEC is fully ready for the election in Enugu State comes 9th March, 2019.”

  • Musing on Ethnic Tension

    Given the tension that enveloped last Saturday’s election in some parts of Lagos, I am supposed to hate the Igbo. Right?

    I am sure my father, who died almost 45 years ago, would turn in his grave the day I nursed that evil thought. I never saw him hate anyone, his heart was consumed by love to all irrespective of where they came from.

    He demonstrated this by deliberately sending his first surviving child – my now late older brother – to school in Warri. The young man would have travelled all the way to Sokoto had the admission to the Federal Government College in that Fulani city pulled through.

    At the time my brother left Lagos for Federal Government College, Warri in January 1970, the civil war had just ended. But my father had no qualms sending his son near the just ended theatre a 30-month war. My brother returned home on his first holiday to tell us how the students lost count of corpses in FCC Warri’s vast compound. But that did not deter my dad from sending him back until he completed his five-year programme.

    I would have travelled outside Lagos for secondary education too, but my mother cried to all who could pile pressure on her husband to dissuade him. She could not have her two children faraway from Lagos at the same time.

    When it was time to get married, my brother chose a damsel from Urhoboland who he met while on audit assignment in Port Harcourt. The first time I led our family members from Lagos to Owhrode on the outskirt of Warri for my brother’s traditional marriage, there were complaints right from Ijebu-Ode that we were going too far. Each time I was asked if we were almost at our destination, I would respond with a mumbled “Yes!”. Even as we couldn’t achieve our mission as my brother’s father-in-law insisted that he would not go ahead with the ceremony on account of a minor hitch, my brother still got us to do the visit again a year after.

    My people, not being good travellers, had drummed it into my ears all the way to Warri and back that I must choose a wife from our ethnic region. My father didn’t groom me to limit my options on anything, even marriage.

    Perhaps I would have been married to a charming Igbo young woman who I met in Ilorin and who remained my best female friend even to the envy of the woman I later tied the knots with. Anyone who knew me in Ilorin knew my girlfriend from Abia State. I also got to know her parents in their village. I had been sent on assignment to the newly created Abia State in 1991 and took time to deliver my her message to her parents. We couldn’t deliver on marriage, but she remained my very good friend until one of the saddest days in my life – January 6, 2003. She died. Years later, the pains remain.

    I am supposed to hate the Igbo and perhaps other ethnic groups. My first job as a reporter (at The Guardian) was influenced and delivered by non-Yoruba at a time the newspapers had a Yoruba MD and deputy. Ayogu Eze who would later become a Senator and now a governorship candidate in Enugu State, Emeka Izeze, Tom Odemwingie and Amma Ogan were the arrowheads of those who believed I had done well enough as a freelance reporter and fought the long-drawn battle to have me employed at the Flagship.

    Read Also: Doctrine of necessity for Nigerian Football

    When I decided to switch from journalism to public relations, two Nigerians outside my ethic area made that happen – Nnemeka Maduegbuna and Mike Obiajulu Meze. And they provided me the push and encouragement to learn as much as I could.

    Because she is Igbo, I am supposed to hate Chineze Amanfo, who gave me courage to dare and some briefs while she worked with a telecoms company. She was only my colleague at one of the PR agencies I had worked.

    I am supposed to hate Emma Okere, my best friend in my Ilorin years who himself got married to a Yoruba woman from the Kwara State capital. It was in Emma’s community in Ngor Okpala that I had the best of Ugba during my three-day visit to him in 1991.

    I am supposed to hate Emeka Ozumba who had stayed in my house in Lagos a few times when in transit, just as I had been his guest. His wife too had been to my home, and recently when I had official trip to Enugu, Mrs Ozumba checked on me at the hotel I stayed, and I had to return the gesture by checking on the Ozumbas before returning to Lagos.

    I am supposed to hate James Eze, who, like Emeka, works with the Anambra State Governor and travelled from Awka to check on me the night I arrived Enugu during the said trip. He came back the next morning to spend quality time with me and deliver a gift I never expected.

    Because he is Igbo, I should have no dealing with Okwy Onyia, who visited my wife and I few years ago to announce his wedding to us and asked us to be the godparents.

    I am supposed to hate Isaac Umunna and Maureen Chigbo, who gave my son the opportunity to practice journalism just because of me.

    I may not like his way, but MC Oluomo impressed me by inspiring a peace dialogue between the Igbo and the Yoruba communities in Oshodi on Thursday. Real name Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya, MC Oluomu is a leader of the road transport workers in Oshodi and his members had been notorious for provoking violence.

    We cannot make progress as a nation if we continue to nurse grudges a lot of which we inherited. We need each other and it is important we embrace the spirit of accommodation.

    Muyiwa Akintunde is a public relations consultant in Lagos.

     

  • APC rejects election in Enugu, calls for cancellation

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the conducted of the election held Saturday in Enugu describing it as an aberration.

    The party called for the cancellation of the election in Enugu even before the release of the result.

    At the conference were the standard bearer of the party in the state, Senator Ayogu Eze, the Enugu east senator candidate, Prince Lawrence Eze, the Enugu west senatorial candidate, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu and the candidate of Enugu north, Hon Eugene Odoh.

    The state chairman of the party, Dr Ben Nwoye who addressed reporters in Enugu yesterday alleged among other things that there were imported election officials that conducted the election in the state.

    He as well alleged that the INEC officials compromised with the evidence that the collated results by the he officials were higher than the accredited voters.

    In addition, he said that there were evidence of financial inducements and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepared meals for the voters in each polling centres.

    Read Also: APC, PDP in tight race in Edo

    Nwoye also accused the NYSC in the election conduct of being involved in financial inducements.

    He did not spare the security agencies. According to him, the Divisional Police Officers (DPO’s) in the local councils compromised and collaborated in the election malpractice.

    “The election in Enugu state is an aberration and we are calling for total cancellation of the election.

    “It is evident during voting that there were some manipulations going on in the election.

    “We cannot accept the result,” Nwoye declared.

  • 2019: ‘Security agencies open joint security control room in Enugu’

    The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr Balarabe Suleiman, says that security agencies operating in the state have opened a joint security control room for the general elections.

    “The purpose of the joint security control room is for effective security co-ordination in the general elections,’’ Suleiman told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Saturday.

    NAN reports that security agencies in the state included: Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police and Department of State Security Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Others are Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Prisons Service, Federal Fire Service and State Vigilant Services.

    Suleiman noted that all security agencies in the state are involved in the election security, although, the Nigeria Police remain the lead agency for election security.

    “It has been the directive of the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, for every command to have a joint security control room for the elections.

    “The joint security control room is fully furnished; for all heads of security agencies or their representatives to be there as long as possible.

    Read Also: Security experts counsel on violence-free polls

    “It is also well furnished with all sorts of communication and information gadgets and stand-by operation vehicles attached to it.

    “This is for security issues during the elections to be attended to with speed in a most coordinated manner,’’ he said.

    According to him, the joint security control room, which is domiciled at the police headquarters in Enugu, will operate 24/7 this elections season.

    NAN reports that the Enugu Police Command distress numbers are: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202 and 08098880172.

    Its social media platforms are: twitter @policeNG_Enugu and Facebook @nigeriapoliceforceenugustatecommand.

    NAN

  • APC supporter shot dead in Nsukka

    An uneasy calm now pervades Eha Alumona, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State as a strong supporter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Chukwuemeka Ishienyi, was shot dead on Wednesday.

    The deceased was said to have been shot dead while returning from a meeting allegedly organised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at Eha Uno Ward in Nsukka.

    Ishienyi, 24, and the only son of his mother, a Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited the community learnt, was a strong supporter of the PDP before he joined the over 100 youths that decamped to APC a month ago.

    However, the Enugu State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, said he had not been informed about the incident, adding:  “I will find out”.

    The journalists had earlier visited the Nigeria Police Divisional Headquarters, Umuabor Ehalumona, where they were referred to the PPRO for comment on the incident.

    But the Chairman, Eha Uno Ward of APC, Mr Lawrence Alumona, told the two newsmen at the deceased compound that before his death, Ishienyi came to him about a month ago and informed him about how he and his friends were disenchanted with PDP and wanted to join APC.

    “He came to me one day and said that they did not like what PDP was doing and that they want to switch over to APC,” he said.

    Read also: Police confirm attack on Osinbajo’s campaign train in Ilorin

    According to the ward chairman, ever since the late Ishienyi and his group joined the APC, the deceased had been receiving death threats.

    “They have been threatening me and warning me to be careful. Since then, I have not been sleeping in my community. I didn’t know that this could lead to death and now see what has happened,” Alumona lamented as he narrated what Ishienyi had told him.

    Alumona said that one the day that he died, Ishienyi had told him that the PDP invited him for a meeting and he never returned from the meeting alive.

    “The PDP invited him to know why he decamped and to persuade him to rejoin the party and when he was coming back, he was shot dead,” he alleged.

    Another supporter of APC in the area, Mr Okwudili Ugwu, said that on the evening he was killed, the deceased was with him and they drank till 8 p.m. but only to hear in the morning on Wednesday that he was dead.

    Ugwu said that the youth that took his dead body to the hospital were singing an ominous song that portends danger of a possible breakdown of law and order.

    He said that his body was deposited at a local hospital at Umuabor, called Daughters of Divine Love (DDL) Hospital.

    The aged grandmother of the slain youth, Mrs Veronica Ishienyi, narrated how the news of his death was broken to her.

    “On Wednesday in the morning, some members of my church came to me and were asking me why I did not come for morning mass.  I told them that I had pain in my legs and that was why I could not come.

    “After some time, they told me without beating about the bush that Chukwuemeka was dead. I asked which Chukwuemeka and they said my grandson. I wept but I know that will not bring him back to life. Now his body is deposited in the hospital,” she lamented.

    His older sister who came down from Enugu, Ifeanyi, said she was shocked to hear that her younger brother and the only brother was dead.

    “At first, they told me that it was an accident but I later discovered that he was shot dead,” she said, noting that she never knew he was involved in active politics.

    According to her, he was in Ghana at a time doing business and only came home recently.

    A source close to the family disclosed that the deceased was supposed  to travel outside Nigeria in March and that his Visa was ready for the travel before tragedy struck.

    However, the PDP Ward Chairman for Eha Uno Ward, Austin Odo, said that he did not call Chukwuemeka for any meeting.

    He claimed that there had been series of support group meetings going on here and there and that he might have attended one of the meetings before his death.

    “I am aware of the incident but I did not call for any meeting. There has been series of meetings of party support groups.

    “He may have attended one of them before the incident happened. He was one of our strong supporters before,” Odo told newsmen.

    He explained that he was a tanker driver and that he was not around when the incident happened but heard about it when he returned. (NAN)