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Tag: Imo State

  • Imo Assembly suspends four members for alleged misconduct

    The Imo State House of Assembly on Wednesday suspended four of its members for alleged “un-parliamentary” conducts.

    The affected lawmakers were Chiji Collins (Isiala Mbano Council Area) Ifeanyi Nnataraonye, (Mbaitoli Council Area) Uche Oguwuike, (Ikeduru Council Area) and Ikenna Nzeruo  (Oru west Council Area).

    The development further heightened political tension in the state as it was the first plenary after the national convention of All Progressives Congress in Abuja where supporters of the governor and his deputy engaged each other in a free-for -all while president Muhammadu Buhari was addressing the convention.

    Read Also: Gunmen dumps murdered Imo monarch’s body

    The speaker of the state House of Assembly, Acho Ihim ,who presided over the plenary accused the suspended members of engaging in acts that are unbecoming of Lawmakers.

    The speaker immediately appointed Lawman Duruji who represents Ehime Mbano as the Chairman of the Committee that will look into the allegations leveled against the suspended House members.

    Ihim who did not give details of the allegations  announced that the suspension was indefinite, warning  that his leadership would not tolerate acts that would ridicule the Assembly before the members of the public.

  • Gunmen murder Imo monarch, abscond with corpse

    Unknown gunmen suspected to be hired assassins on Sunday afternoon, murdered the traditional ruler of Mgbe community, Eze Bredan Ibekwe in Orlu Council Area of Imo state throwing the sleepy community into turmoil.

    The gunmen after killing the monarch went away with his corpse which was later found where it was dumped along the Orlu -Owerri expressway, a few kilometers from his palace.

    The assailants also made away with the king’s royal bead, wrist band and his phone.

    There was palpable tension in the community when our correspondent visited the palace of the murdered traditional ruler on Monday. Bemused villagers who wore heavy faces refused to comment on the killing.

    However one of the villagers, who claimed to have witnessed the killing, said that the gunmen shot at the monarch severally at close range and hurriedly carried his corpse which was still dripping with blood into their car and zoomed off.

    According to the source that pleaded for anonymity, “the most annoying part of it is the way they dumped his body on the Orlu-Owerri expressway like a common thief .This has never happened before. It is a sacrilege. Igbo culture forbids it and we want the Police to bring the perpetrators to book”.

    Read Also: Gunmen kill APC member in Ekiti

    The Nation findings revealed that the community has been embroiled in communal crisis which has pitched one village against another.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations officer, Andrew Enwerem, confirmed the killing, stating that the state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galandanchi had ordered a thorough investigation into the killing.

    According to him, “We received the information of the killing of the traditional ruler of Mgbe community and immediately mobilized to the scene of crime. So far two people have been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of the monarch. The CP has called for a thorough investigation into the killing and any one found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the law”.

  • ‘Okorocha does not determine what happens in Imo APC’

    Imo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been engulfed in crisis after the state congress. While the party’s National Working Committee, led by the National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, inaugurated Dr. Hillary Eke as the State Chairman, a faction in the state dismissed the National Working Committee’s action as null and void and elected the former Vice Chairman of Owerri Zone, Mr. Chris Oguoma, as the Acting Chairman. In this interview with Correspondent Okodili Ndidi, Oguama insisted that Eke has been suspended and that no congress was held in the state, among other issues. Excerpts

    HOW did you emerge as the acting chairman of the party when there was a court order that status quo should remain?

    My emergence as the Party’s Acting chairman followed all due processes known to law and especially, the Constitution of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). After several invitations had been extended to the suspended Party Chairman (Hillary Eke) and three other officers to come forward with reasons why disciplinary action as stipulated in the Constitution of our Party should not be taken against them failed, more than two third majority of the party’s State Working Committee sat and passed a vote of no confidence on the erring members who include, Dr. Hilary Ekeh, Deputy Chairman of the Party, Mr. Ugochukwu Nzekwe, Organising Secretary, Mr. Clement Anozie and Publicity Secretary, Engr. Ndubueze Oguchienti.

    Their suspension was adequately communicated to the relevant organs of the party, including the National Working Committee. With this suspension, it automatically behooves on me, as the Zonal Chairman of the party for Owerri Zone, to take over as the State Chairman in acting capacity. So, the issue of the party in Imo State being disobedient to court orders does not arise.

    What is your reaction on the controversies trailing the congresses in the state and subsequent swearing in of Dr. Hilary Ekeh as the State Chairman of the party?

    There was no congress in Imo State. Congresses are not conducted in hiding or in a hurry. It is supposed to be a very open process, where everyone, not just party members, can come out and say, this is what happened. Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police and other security agencies and journalists are supposed to observe and monitor the process, but this didn’t happen.

    The Ward Congresses of the party, which was supposed to give birth to all the other congresses, were botched.

    The Hilary Ekeh you said was sworn-in, where is his office? Where is his secretariat? They cannot claim that anybody is harassing them. If they are sure that they are doing what is right and their actions are within the law, then, they should not be hiding like common criminals or juvenile gangsters. They should carry out their actions in the open, like various chapters of our party are doing. Congresses, inauguration and all such things are big occasions and people should know about it when it is happening.

    But there is report that they are being harassed?

    They cannot claim that they are being harassed. Nobody is harassing any law abiding citizen. If you are doing what is right within the law, you should not be afraid because the governor has sworn to uphold the law of the land and defend the Constitution and that is what he is doing. PDP, APGA, SDP and all the other opposition parties have their party secretariats in the state and nobody is harassing them. If nothing else, the administration of Owelle Rochas Okorocha is renowned for its tolerance and accommodation of opposition and that is the character of our party. This party does not believe in muscling opposition because we were an opposition party, yet, it will be the height of irresponsibility for the government to look on, while any form of illegality is being perpetrated by any group or individual, no matter how highly placed.

    Is it true that the State Working Committee which you chair owes its allegiance to the state governor alone?

    Governor Rochas Okorocha is the leader of the party in the state and of course in the entire Southeast. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply being mischievous. These people from other Southeast states had the opportunity to produce APC governors in their own states, but they couldn’t because they are not popular among their people. When Governor Okorocha took up this party and began to market it in this part of the country, he was insulted and given all kinds of aliases by the same people who are today running from one office in Abuja to the other trying to hijack the same party.

    Okorocha has portrayed the image of our party well before the people. The people of Imo State love the APC because of Okorocha and they will vote for the APC over and over again and that is why those people are desperate to hijack the party, because Governor Okorocha has done so well that getting the ticket of the party is as good as winning the main election. If the governor hasn’t done well, these people won’t be running around wanting to be part of the party.

    As a party, we support the governor and we are proud of him because he has represented the party well with the mandate given to him on behalf of the party. However, the governor does not determine what happens in the party. The party is run differently from the state and if we need the assistance or advice of the governor in anything, we will go to him and seek his advice. That does not mean that he controls the party.

    Has the party endorsed Uche Nwosu as its governorship candidate?

    Uche Nwosu is a member of the party; he is an adult, he is not an ex-convict, and neither is he a lunatic. There is nothing that disqualifies him from contesting for and emerging the governor of Imo State. Instead, that young man possesses attributes any political party will be proud that he is associating with them. We are proud of his achievements, his commitment to the party is awesome and I think he enjoys massive goodwill from the people of Imo State. But he won’t emerge as an automatic candidate of our party. He is eligible, just like many other aspirants who have declared interest to vie for the governorship under our party’s platform. When the time comes, all of them will go through the processes and anybody who emerges will be assured of the party’s full support in the general election.

    Can you tell us about the Imo APC coalition?

    There is nothing like that in Imo State. There cannot be an authority, on top of another authority. We have one APC in Imo State and every other interest within the APC must subsume itself into the party and if any group of people feels they have become more powerful than the party or that they have the clout to win elections without the party, then, it is a problem.

    What is the current relationship between the state chapter of the party and the national leadership?

    There is no problem at all. I may not like how the National Chairman and some other national officers of the party had handled issues concerning the party in Imo State and other parts of the country, but they remain our officials till they are removed from the party. If there is any need, I shall communicate with my national chairman and other national officers of the party without hindrance. As long as the overriding interest of the party is concerned, I will cooperate with the party leadership and other members of the NWC, at least till the 25th of this month when most of them are expected to vacate office.

    Let me however state it clearly that the National Chairman of the party failed woefully, especially, on the issue of party administration and ensuring that every member of the party is adequately carried along.

  • Police parade man for impersonating Kogi Governor

    The Imo State Police Command on Tuesday paraded an internet fraudster who defrauded unsuspecting members of the public of millions of naira, posing as Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello.

    The suspect Nwafor Kenneth Obinna, 23, an indigene of Umuebo Ezumoha in Isiala Mbano Council Area of Imo State, was nabbed after a petition was filed from the office of the Kogi state governor that a fraudster was posing as the governor to scam Kogi indigenes using the ongoing SMEs Loan Scheme.

    The State Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, who paraded the suspected scammer alongside other suspected criminals, stated that, “following a petition from the office of the Kogi State Government of an internet fraudster impersonating Kogi State Governor His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello on fake SMEs loan on 09/03/2018, operatives of the FSARS quickly swung into action”.

    Read Also: Police Salary Slash: IG orders AIG Account to rectify problems

    He continued that, “through diligent investigation, the suspect named above was arrested on 14/3/2018. Suspect has confessed to the crime stating that he designed a website of Kogi State Governor and used it to dupe unsuspecting members of Kogi State”.

    Also paraded were 24 suspected armed robbers, 12 kidnap suspects, eight suspected cultists, one suspected child trafficker, as well as 11 held for illegal possession of firearms.

    Galadanchi who was holding his maiden press briefing, revealed further that “five kidnap victims were rescued, six stolen vehicles were recovered, among other valuables.

  • Mbadiwe drums support for Super Eagles

    A football enthusiast and former member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Eddie Mbadiwe of Imo State, has said that African teams in the FIFA World Cup have bright chances of going far in the mundial.

    Africa is being represented by Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

    Although, Mbadiwe, who spoke with sports writers in Enugu yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with the recent results of Super Eagles friendly matches, he was optimistic the team could improve if they put their acts together, especially in the defense and the attack.

    He stated that with star players like Iwobi and Victor Moses, Nigeria has all it takes to shake the world in football, adding that what the team needs now was prayers and the total mobilization and support of Nigerians.

    Read Also: Super Eagles are unbeatable without Messi – Rojo

    Nigeria had previously defeated Argentina and Poland in friendly matches which fueled his confidence.

    Mbadiwe, former governor of Rotary International District 9140, however, tipped Egypt and Morocco as favourites to progress to the group stage in the 2018 world cup, because according to him “they have strong team character and they appear to be more coordinated, having recently featured in the Africa cup of Nations, which Cameroun won.”

    He charged African teams to go ahead and break the quarter-finals record set by Cameroun, Senegal and Ghana and hit semi-finals, pointing out that the players should believe in themselves that nothing is impossible.

     

  • Imo APC crisis: Any end in sight?

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, examines the latest developments in Imo State All Progressives Congress after the recent swearing-in of Dr. Hilary Eke as the authentic chairman of the party and asks if the end of the crisis in the state chapter of the party is at hand

    ALTHOUGH the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday, concluded the swearing-in of Dr. Hilary Eke as the authentic Imo State Chairman of the party in Abuja, recent developments in Imo show that the official ceremony may only be the beginning of the final showdown in the intricate disagreement amongst the top leaders of the state chapter of the party.

    It would be recalled that within the period the National Working Committee of the party had to take the final decision on who should be sworn-in as the state chairman, the state secretariat of the party was set ablaze in very controversial circumstances. Although the concerned parties are still blaming each other over the mysterious fire, we learnt that the tension within the party in the state has become even hotter after the swearing in of Eke and his other executives.

    Taking cognizance of the  temper of all the leading stakeholders, some insiders told The Nation they were not surprised when the factional chairman, Chris Oguoma, refused to vacate the party’s state secretariat, after Eke’s swearing-in, as he insisted that the matter was not yet resolved.

    Oguoma also accused Odigie-Oyegun and Eke of contempt of court, alleging that they disobeyed an interim order of a Federal High Court, which said the status quo should remain.

    Oguoma, who introduced himself to newsmen as the ‘Acting Chairman’ of the party, said his group would drag Eke to court afresh over his action, which he described as “contemptuous.”

    “On May 18, an interim injunction restraining APC from conducting congress in Imo State was issued by an Owerri Federal High Court. It ruled that the status quo should remain and that is the reason I am still the acting party chairman.

    “What happened in Abuja on Monday, where Hilary Eke was sworn in was a clear violation of an order of the court. Eke should be responsible for whatever happens to him.

    “The next adjourned date is June 22. But, we will not be waiting till that date. We will be going to court for contempt. The swearing in was illegal. I will remain on seat as the Acting Chairman until the order is vacated,” he said, adding that neither Oyegun nor the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had the power to determine who should be the party’s chairman in the state.

    Uneasy calm

    A top APC member in the state, who probably has sympathy for Governor Rochas Okorocha, told The Nation that the situation in Owerri today “is explosive” notwithstanding what he described as “outward easy calm.” As he puts it, “Everywhere is calm, but we all know that no one is compromising anything. You must know that the governor is in firm control of the state party machinery. His influence within the party is as high as it has always been. Right now, the state Acting Chairman, Chris Oguoma, who the governor recognizes is in charge at the secretariat where they are busy selling forms to numerous aspirants for the July 14 council election. But from the coalition, I can tell you that we cannot see them operating in the state. After the swearing of Eke in Abuja, they all came back here but have since dispersed. No one can be sure of where they are operating from but we all know that the coalition is made up of people with similar ambition either to be the governor or other important positions like the senate seat or House of Representatives. They seem to be lying low now because of the general feeling of insecurity. They are afraid that the governor’s supporters may be violent. There is calm here, but that does not reflect the hidden fear in the minds of all. We all hope this matter will be resolved amicably.”

    The controversies

    But given the raging controversies caused by rumours and claims of impeachment, most of the people who spoke to us during the week said there is tension. One of the allegations that may have caused the tension is the claim that the fire at the secretariat may have been a signal of the likely violence that may trail elections in the state if there is any attempt to wrest power from Okorocha. Responding in defence of his faction, Oguoma denied the speculation that thugs loyal to him set the party secretariat ablaze for him to gain access into the building.

    “As of the time the secretariat was set ablaze, Hilary Eke was still the chairman of the party. A day before the date this secretariat was set ablaze, Eke was in this office and since after the secretariat was set ablaze nobody has seen Hilary Ekeh.

    “I am the authentic chairman of the party in Imo state. You don’t have to say that I am using state government influence to gain access into this secretariat. APC is the ruling party in Imo state, there is nothing wrong if am using the state power.”

    Another source of the tension today is allegation of attempt to impeach the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere.

    Recent unconfirmed reports within Imo State said Madumere was accused of absconding from duty for 90 days. The allegation is that this move may have originated from the Government House in an alleged grand plot to impeach Madumere. Although this latest allegation and the general rumour that there have been moves to initiate an impeachment procedure for the Deputy Governor are yet to be officially implemented at the Imo State House of Assembly, insiders said it is part of the causes of the current tension in the state party.

    The tension has degenerated so much that some supporters of the coalition during the week alleged that some aides of the governor’s choice for the party’s gubernatorial ticket, Chief Uche Nwosu, had, after a crucial meeting in a hotel (Name withheld) around Works Layout in Owerri, threatened that any attempt to support the other group will lead to violence. Following such rumours, there is clear tension in Imo that even the process of selecting candidates for the July council election may witness violence.

    Last Sunday, The Nation had reported that the leadership of APC and other stakeholders were worried by the disagreement currently threatening the Imo State chapter of the party over the recently held congresses and the choice of the party’s governorship candidate in 2019. Such stakeholders in Imo and Abuja had made moves to reconcile the warring factions.

    But investigation conducted by The Nation confirmed that all efforts so far made towards reconciling Okorocha and the group called APC Restoration Coalition, are deadlocked.

    A source in Owerri, who pleaded not to be named, had told The Nation that one of the concerned stakeholders that have made desperate efforts to reconcile the governor and the coalition group was Okorocha’s younger brother, named Jude Okorocha, a lawyer.

    “Though he is the governor’s younger sibling, Jude has tried desperately to help resolve the matter. But his efforts have so far amounted to nothing, as none of the contending forces is ready to listen to any advice that would require making the needed sacrifice,” he said.

    We also gathered that some traditional rulers in Imo State have advised both the governor and the members of the coalition to reconcile their differences. But a source said the coalition members insisted that there was nothing to discuss until the governor drops the idea of imposing his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as the party’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming election. “But the governor would not hear of this, leading to the current stalemate,” said an aide to one of the traditional rulers in Imo.

    Just like in Imo, efforts made to resolve the matter in Abuja also to have yielded little even after Okorocha took the matter to President Muhammadu Buhari, first in his country home Daura, and later in Abuja, with former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

    Buhari’s position, our source had said, was for the matter to be resolved amicably as a family affair, even as the president was said to have insisted he would not want to intervene ‘unnecessarily’ to developments in the affairs of the political party in states.

    Earlier, according to our findings, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had also led the initiative to reconcile the Imo APC impasse amicably. But a stakeholder confided that his efforts also suffered rejection because some of the aggrieved members, who are part of the coalition said issues like lack of compensation for demolished properties and allegation of land grabbing have combined to put APC on the defensive. According to a source, “we felt that Oyegun’s reconciliation moves will achieve very little except he has concrete answers to these worrisome questions.

    Reacting, Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, however dissociated himself from reports on the ongoing reconciliation moves.

    In a press statement signed by his media aide, Uche Onwuchekwa, Madumere said he was surprised to hear “the rumour of ongoing reconciliation, adding that he only got to know about the “purported reconciliation through barrage of calls and text messages by concerned Imo citizens.” According to him, there was nothing on the table to call for such reconciliation.

    Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, Governor Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, reacting to the matter said “Imo APC is intact with Governor Okorocha in charge. The coalition folks are ten in number. They are based in Abuja. They have no claim to make in Imo APC. They don’t vote. Those who vote are with us.”

    Their responses confirm that the major stakeholders in Imo APC seem determined to fight to the very end. There is confusion because of the swearing in of Eke and his executives in Abuja, while the faction loyal to Okorocha is still in possession of the party’s state secretariat, where there are busy selling forms for the forthcoming local government elections, notwithstanding Eke’s warning that anybody dealing with the group now at the secretariat is doing so at his own risk. The confusion is even more because some aspects of the matter is still hanging in the court.

    As a result of the confusion, observers are asking whether the crisis in the state chapter of the party will end before 2019 and what will be the fate of the party and the stakeholders if they fail to reconcile their differences and fight the general elections as a family?

  • ‘Oyegun’s action on Imo APC null and void’

    …We won’t recognize Eke

    The Acting Chairman of the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recognized by the governor Rochas Okorocha’s camp, Chris Oguoma, on Friday described the swearing-in of the ‘suspended’ former Chairman of the party, Hillary Eke as the new state Chairman by the outgoing National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun as “null and void and of no consequence” .

    Oguoma, who briefed journalists in his office at the party secretariat in Owerri, contended that Oyegun defied a valid Court Order that restrained the party from recognizing any list from the purported State Congress in Imo State.

    Oguoma who until his emergence as the State Chairman was the Vice Chairman Owerri Zone, noted that “the outgoing National Chairman, John Oyegun, acted illegally and as far as we are concerned in Imo APC, that action is null and void and of no effect. The reason is that we have a subsisting Court Order and he was advised by the National Legal Adviser of the party not to go in that direction but on his own, he knows what is driving him but that is not our business we are still doing our normal business here. In its totality it does not in any way affect what we are doing here”.

    Read Also: I wasn’t intimidated out of APC race, says Oyegun

    According to him, “in the first place there was no Ward or Local Government Congresses anywhere in the state so where did the list that Oyegun inaugurated emanate from. The only legitimate APC Executive in Imo State is the one am heading”.

    Condemning Oyegun’s action further, Oguoma, stated that the former Chairman was suspended by the State Working Committee of the party for brazen violation of the party’s constitution.

    He narrated that, “on May 5 we all waited in all our various Wards to conduct the Congress but nothing happened, there were no result sheets and we concluded that the exercise did not hold and we advised our members to go home and await further directives but the following day, Eke came out from nowhere and announced that the Congress was conducted. Based on this, the SWC of the party met and suspended him and that action has not been vacated”.

    Decrying continued attacks on the Imo governor by section of the party, the Acting Chairman, noted that “none of those maligning the governor, has the clout or will power to drive the party in the zone”.

    “Okorocha is the undisputable leader of the party in the state and the entire Southeast zone and he is the only one that can drive the process. So the APC needs his support to succeed in the state and zone”.

  • Broken bridge brings Imo lawmakers to rural community

    The agony of a farming community in Imo State following its damaged bridge has forced members of the state House of Assembly to the bridge site, promising to bring the community’s pain to an end. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    The sight of lawmakers visiting rustic communities as a group is rare. They usually debate issues in their hallowed chambers, sometimes fight one another, and collect their salaries and allowances and go home.

    In Imo State things seem to be changing. Members of the state House of Assembly have set foot on Amaruru, a farming community in Orsu Local Government Area of the state, thanks to their broken bridge, the settlement’s only access to other communities, and more importantly to Nnewi, Anambra State’s commercial town, where the farmers sell most of their produce.

    Amaruru is cut off from other parts of the state and beyond because their link bridge is no more. It gave way under the weight of heavy-duty vehicles.

    The long bridge believed to have been constructed over 60 years ago through communal effort, finally caved in, after several years of disrepair. The bridge, according to the villagers, has been giving signs of imminent collapse, but all efforts to get the requisite authorities to intervene, were all abortive.

    Nze Cornel Isiuzo, a farmer, narrated that all adults in the community are made to pay monthly levies with which the bridge is maintained, adding that even though it is old, it has continued to serve the people until heavy-duty vehicles conveying petroleum products and cement, among other articles, started using the bridge to bypass a failed portion of the major road.

    Isiuzo, who said he was barely nine years when the bridge was constructed, lamented that the community union may not be able to raise the required amount of money to fix the bridge on time, adding, “It is a big challenge as it is, we are trapped, we can’t take our farm produce to the market and most of our women trade at the Nnewi market and now they cannot cross the bridge”.

    Speaking further, he said, “The entire community is at a loss over how to go about it because we have written several letters to the state government but nothing tangible came out of it. Now that the bridge has finally collapsed, we hope the state government will come to our aid”.

    Another community leader, Chief Stanley Ukammor described the collapse of the bridge as a major disaster. He noted that it has exposed the villagers to untold hardship as all economic activities have nosedived in the last two weeks since the unfortunate incident.

    He said, “We do not know how to go about it and the money needed to fix it or build another bridge is enormous and beyond the capacity of the villagers, who are mostly peasant farmers and retirees. We are appealing to the state governor Rochas Okorocha to order immediate palliative repairs on the bridge to free us from the current plight”.

    He also lamented that the community is facing another imminent danger of flooding as the Orashi River is already overflowing its banks since the collapse of the bridge.

    He said, “We are also confronted by another challenge that need to be quickly addressed, the Orashi River is overflowing the banks and the implication is that our farmlands will be flooded and our entire crops will be destroyed. Something need to be done and urgently too”.

    But there seems to be a ray of hope for Amaruru community as the Imo State House of Assembly adjourned sitting last week Thursday presided to visit the site of the collapsed bridge to have on-the-spot assessment of the level of damage on the ancient bridge.

    Led by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ugonna Ozurigbo who presided over the plenary, the lawmakers, who embarked on the visit based on the motion sponsored by the member representing Orsu State Constituency, Mr. Francis Uche Agabige, assured the people the attention of the state government will be drawn to the plight of the people, adding that urgent steps will be taken to address the issue.

    Agabige, while underlining the importance of the broken bridge to the community, noted, “It was the closest link to Anambra for people who do business in Nnewi, the commercial city. So it is of high economic importance to the people”.

    An engineer in the Ministry of Works, Godwin Ihegboro, said that the Ministry has visited the site for evaluation and assessment.

    Savouring the visit of the lawmakers is not enough. Amaruru residents are expecting action, which the lawmakers promised.

     

  • 2019: I’m still in Imo guber race -Nwosu 

    …Says my ambition is divine

     

    The Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, has described as unfounded and baseless, reports that he has suspended his governorship ambition over the opposition mounted by the ‘Coalition Group’.

    Nwosu stated that rather, his ambition has been strengthened by the activities of the opposition, which he affirmed has prepared him for the task ahead, stressing that cheap blackmail and propaganda can’t stop his ambition.

    The Chief of Staff and former Commissioner for Lands, who was reacting to a publication in one of the national newspapers that he may have jettisoned his push for the Imo State governorship, following the outcome of the party’s congresses, confirmed that his support base across the state has continued to swell by the day, which he said is rattling his opponents.

    He maintained that he is not disturbed by the political intrigues and controversies that arose during the course of the contentious APC Congresses in the state, noting that his ambition is “divine and cannot be truncated by any man”.

    Read Also:2019: Imo Deputy Gov rejects Okorocha’s Senate offer

    According to him, those behind the report of his purported withdrawal from the race are those who are already losing sleep over his growing acceptance among the Imo electorate, adding that, “no amount of cheap blackmail or sponsored falsehood in the media can distract him or derail God’s plan for Imolites through his mandate”.

    He said, “there is nothing that can be farther from the truth than such report that I have suspended my ambition. It is those in the opposition that have suspended their governorship aspirations because of the fear of Ugwumba Uche Nwosu. They are afraid because they know that they don’t stand a chance against the will of God and the people.

    “We are very focused on the goal and we cannot be distracted. If you observe correctly, you will discover that we are not resting on our oars, we are moving and taking our message to the nooks and crannies of the state, while the so called Coalition Group are running around in hotels in Abuja looking for ways to subvert the will of the people, they are not on ground and none of them can win any election in Imo”.

    Nwosu who urged his supporters and the APC to disregard the malicious rumour, stated that what transpired during the botched APC Congresses in the state has revealed the plans of the opposition parties to infiltrate the APC with the intention of introducing crisis that will mar the chances of the party during the 2019 election.

    He said, “those same people who fought Governor Rochas Okorocha and even called him all sort of uncomplimentary names, some even went as far as selling the falsehood that he was working with President Muhammadu Buhari to Islamize the Southeast when he was building the APC, are the same people who are pretending to love the party. We know their plans and their sponsors but just like we defeated them in 2011 and 2015, we will also defeat them in 2019 and President Muhammadu Buhari will have landslide victory in Imo and other Southeast states”.

  • Black Wednesday in Aba as residents accuse army of killings

    “We didn’t kill him”, says Army

    It was indeed a black Wednesday for residents of Chigbu Street off Uratta junction by Port Harcourt road in Aba South local government area of Abia State as a boy in his late twenties simply identified as Nnamdi was allegedly killed by yet-to-be identified soldiers.

    Nnamdi, an indigene of Mbano in Imo State according to some of the residents was said to have been killed by a stray bullet from the soldiers said to be on patrol in the area during the Wednesday sit-at-home protest by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in remembrance of their fallen heroes.

    The soldiers, it was learnt were chasing after some hoodlums believed to have wanted to take advantage of the sit-at-home to cause unrest in the commercial city as they were said to be harassing innocent passersby and motorists.

    The residents claimed that the soldiers after killing Nnmadi who they said to be in his late twenties dragged his body away and deposited it at a yet-to-be identified location.

    A resident of Chigbu Street who claimed to have witnessed the incident in a Press conference said “early this morning, some boys were like stopping vehicles asking them to go back. To me, they are more of touts and rough guys.

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    “Suddenly we started hearing gunshots and men on army uniform with their hilux van parked around Onyike were the ones shooting and coming down to Uratta Junction.

    “On getting here, we all were watching from our house when their bullet hit a boy called Nnamdi from Chigbu Street. When they saw he was down, they started shouting at everyone to run and sit at home.

    “Before you know it, they dragged the dead guy towards their van. We got the pictures, but we took it from afar. They later came back to harass people in the street which made most of the boys to run away.”

    Our reporter couldn’t reach the army spokesman in the state for comments, but senior army personnel in the command who spoke anonymously with our reporter denied the involvement of the military in the death of Nnamdi.

    According to the source, “Our troops at Asa General Area got information that there is a shootout along Port Harcourt road of Aba South LGA. When the troops moved to ascertain the situation, on reaching there, a group of boys suspected to be hoodlums on seeing the soldiers took off and abandoned the body of the deceased.

    “The body of the deceased was recovered and handed over to the police for identification.”