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Tag: Ugwumba Uche Nwosu

  • I can’t leave APC for ADC, Nwosu dispels rumour

    I can’t leave APC for ADC, Nwosu dispels rumour

    Former Imo state governorship candidate and foundation member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, has vowed not to leave the ruling party for the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    He described those spreading the rumour of his carpet crossing as daydreamers, whose dreams were nothing but a mirage.

    The former Chief of Staff to former Governor Rochas Okorocha made this declaration after revalidating his membership of the governing APC at the party’s ongoing e-registration exercise in his ward, Eziama Obaire, Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State.

    In a statement personally signed by Nwosu and issued in Abuja to newsmen on Monday, the APC chieftain said as a founding member of the party, he had no intention of leaving a house he helped to build.

    He also reaffirmed that the former Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, and other members of the Rescue Mission team remain committed members of the APC.

    Dispelling the rumour, Nwosu said, “I remain a committed member of the APC. I will not abandon a house I helped to build,” he reportedly said, reaffirming his loyalty to the ruling party.”

    Accompanied by a large crowd of supporters and party faithful, Nwosu called on his supporters and the people of the area to come out en masse to register with the APC and actively support the party at all levels, from the grassroots to the federal level.

    He emphasized the importance of political participation and awareness, urging citizens to stay informed and involved in shaping their political future.

    Read Also: Why I married my abusive husband – Ngozi Nwosu

    The event drew the presence of several party leaders and stakeholders, including his Ward Chairman and other ward executives, the Ward Councillor, the President General of Eziama Obaire, and the Director General and executives of the Ugwumba Movement.

    Also in attendance were the Eze-elect of Eziama Obaire and former Executive Chairmen from Nkwerre, Orsu, and Isu Local Government Areas.

    The gathering further signalled continued grassroots mobilization efforts within the APC in Imo State ahead of future political activities.

  • Imo shutdown as youths hold solidarity rally for Buhari, Nwosu

    Thousands of Imo youths Friday held a solidarity rally in support of the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari and governorship ambition of former Chief of Staff to the Imo state Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu.

    The youths adorning customized T-shirts embossed with President Buhari and Nwosu’s pictures marched through major streets in the state capital, chanting pro-Buhari slogans.

    Read Also:Police rescue woman’s body from abductors in Imo

    The rally resulted in heavy gridlock along major roads as vehicular and human movement were grounded.

    Receiving the youths at his Campaign Headquarters, Nwosu, who is a fulfilled online governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), assured the them that the APC led administration is doing everything possible to ensure that Nigerian youths are given opportunity to achieve their goals through the provision of sustainable employment.

    He commended the youths particularly for supporting the reelection bid of President Buhari, stating that it is the surest way to Igbo Presidency in 2023.

    The governorship aspirant also promised the youths that if elected governor, his priority will be to create wealth for the teeming youths and women in the state.

    He commended the youths for purchasing his nomination form and expression of interest forms, pledging that he will not disappoint them when he assumes office as governor.

    Nwosu who received intermittent ovation from the mammoth crowd also stated that the APC will retain power in the state in 2019, adding that none of the opposition party has the capacity to unseat APC in the state.

    According to him, “I want to thank the youths for your unflinching support for me and President Buhari and I want to say it again that the reelection of President Buhari is the surest and shortest route to Igbo Presidency”.

    He continued that, “I want to assure that I will not let you down, my administration will create wealth for the youths and women and we will sustain the free education programme which has benefitted our people so much. I want to also appeal to you to extend the support to all other APC aspirants”.

    Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Imo Youth Council, Hon Jeff Nwoha, said that Imo youths have come to thank him (Nwosu) for accepting the clarion call to join the governorship race.

    He said their decision to draft him into the race was influenced by the fact that he will sustain the legacies of the Rochas Okorocha’s administration, which they said has brought unprecedented development to the state.

    According to him, “we want a generational shift in power equation in the state. Imo youths are insisting that it is time a youth governed the state and we have implicit confidence that Ugwumba Uche Nwosu has the vigour, strength and capacity to govern the state and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people”.

    He continued that, “the youths have resolved to resist the reshuffling of the same old politicians that misgoverned the state and managed it like their private estate”.

    Nwoha also said that the youths are fully committed to the reelection project of President Buhari, noting that his achievements, especially in the fight against corruption need to be supported by every Nigerian Youth, “as Igbo youths we are convinced beyond that President Buhiari’s reelection will guarantee Igbo Presidency in 2023 more than any other political permutation”.

  • Imo eats new yam

    Eating the new yam or iri ji, is usually a thrill in Mbaise comprising three local government areas in Imo State. This year’s edition was all the more spectacular because a prized son of the soil, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu was honoured. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    The annual Iri-iji Mbaise festival celebrated by the three Local Government Areas of Ezinihitte, Ahiazu and Aboh-Mbaise council areas of Imo State, otherwise known as the Mbaise nation, is usually attended by a colourful display of culture, fanfare, affluence, brotherhood and communal spirit.

    It is one of the few festivals that have attained global acclaim in Igboland. It is a time the people of Mbaise from home and abroad converges to celebrate the yam as the ‘chief crop’.

    Visitors and tourists that grace the festival are never disappointed as they are treated to rare cultural display and uncommon hospitality.

    This year’s edition was no exemption; it took a more colourful and intriguing dimension as the traditional rulers of the ‘Mbaise nation’ took the opportunity to confer one of the highest titles in the land on the youthful Chief of Staff to the Imo State Governor, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu.

    Nwosu was crowned the ‘Ugwumba Oha Nile Mbaise’ by the monarchs who further brightened the occasion with their glittering royal apparels.

    The attendance was unprecedented in the history of the Iri Iji Mbaise festival. As early as 6am that fateful day, all the roads leading to Mbaise was jam-packed with vehicles conveying supporters and associates of Nwosu including government functionaries.

    The atmosphere was charged as thousands of youths waited eagerly for the Chieftaincy coronation to commence. Hundreds of traditional rulers from within and outside Mbaise nation, filed out in large number at the Central School Itu in Ezinihhite Council Area where this year’s iri iji festival was held.

    At last the arrival of Nwosu and his delectable wife, Uloma, in a convoy of exotic vehicles threw the waiting crowd into frenzy. The youths danced, the women broke into singing and the monarchs watched with admiration as their August visitor drove into the arena. Security operatives had a hectic time controlling the ecstatic crowd.

    The presentation of the kola nut, which was accompanied by rich tradition that depicts love and hospitality, held the visitors bound. It was followed by oration laced with proverbs and innuendos which the Igbo are reputed.

    Also the traditional cutting of yam was no less entertaining. A gigantic roasted tuber of yam was cut by the Chairman of the Mbaise Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Leo Nwokocha.

    Thereafter, the monarchs filed out in order of seniority and take a piece of yam soaked in red palm oil and chew reflectively. With that action, every Mbaise ‘man’ can now eat the new yam.

    That done, the conferment of the Chieftaincy title on Nwosu who was described as a special friend and son of Mbaise nation commenced in earnest.

    Presenting the recipient to the crowd shortly before performing the coronation proper, Eze Nwokocha, said that Nwosu was chosen for the rare honour because of his contributions to the development of the state and empowerment of youths.

    He added that the monarchs and Mbaise nation had also observed his character of respect for the traditional institution and the customs of the people.

    He said that the title, Ugwumba Oha Nile Mbaise, was conferred on Nwosu with the hope that it will further spur him to continue with the service to humanity, which he has been dutifully committed to.

    Conferring the revered title, Eze Nwokocha noted further that Nwosu has become “both a friend and a son to Mbaise people”.

    He charged him never to forget Mbaise people at any given time.

    He also explained that they had considered a lot of factors before they decided to honour Nwosu with such a befitting Chieftaincy title, adding that “it was done in the interest of Imo State and Mbaise people in particular”.

    The monarch expressed delight that Nwosu accepted the offer.

    In his response, Nwosu said he lacked the appropriate words to describe the honour done him by the Mbaise people with the Chieftaincy title.

    According to Nwosu who was flanked by his wife, “for the people of Mbaise to honour me with such a wonderful title of ”Ugwumba Oha Nile” shows how Mbaise people take me”.

    He said, he has accepted to be both friend and son to Mbaise people and assured that he would never forget them either now or in the future.

    Commenting of the title, Chief Chidi Ibe, an engineer and indigene of Mbaise, described it as befitting and a departure from the culture of honouring people with questionable characters with titles.

    He commended the traditional rulers for their thoughtfulness, adding that the choice of Nwosu for the revered title has further given credence to Chieftaincy title conferment in Mbaise nation.

    According to him, “Nwosu is eminently qualified for such honour considering his contributions to the development and empowerment of youths across the state and beyond. I think this will encourage him and others to do more in that regards”.

    Another Mbaise indigene, Mathew Dike, stated that, “we are happy with the monarchs because they have done Mbaise proud unlike in many other places where the traditional rulers collect money from criminal elements and confer them with Chieftaincy titles. They have proved that Mbaise nation is different. It is impossible to buy our titles with money. You must be deserving of it by your antecedents”.

    The state Governor Rochas Okorocha who also attended the ‘Iri Iji’ festival, thanked the monarchs and people of Mbaise, for finding Nwosu worthy of the honour.

    He stated that recognizing the efforts by individuals to develop the society will encourage others to do same.

    The governor recalled that the people of Mbaise love him and voted for him in 2011 and 2015 elections respectively.

    He however regretted that the few political cabal in the area sat somewhere and manipulated the results of the elections.

    The governor whose arrival elicited thunderous ovation, added that he loves Mbaise people particularly for their unity and love for education.

    In his words “the name you hear about Imo State today in America, Canada, Uk, Abuja and all over the world, fifty percent of them are contributions of Mbaise people wherever they are found.

    “Imo State is proud of Mbaise people and that is the reason my administration has done much to develop Mbaise including citing the Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala University of Agriculture and Veternary Medicine, the Ahiara Mbaise Polytechnic, the Resin Paint Industry which my government repurchased and handed over to a Foreign Company, the Sky Run, among other projects”.

  • 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”.

  • ‘Nobody can stop me from succeeding Okorocha’

    The Chief of Staff, Imo State Government House, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, is a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His endorsement by Governor Rochas Okorocha has stirred controversy. In this interview with correspondent OKODILI NDIDI, Nwosu says the gang up of co-aspirats cannot stop him from succeeding his boss in next year’s election.

    The APC Coalition Group in Imo State are against the governor because of his support for your governorship ambition. Are you under any pressure to pull out of the governorship race?

    Not at all. I am not under any kind of pressure. In fact, I am even more determined to become the governor of the state by 2019. These are groups we have been defeating since 2011 and we shall also defeat them in 2019. If anything, the gang up has made me stronger and ready for the battle ahead.

    Does it means that you are more determined now, despite the stiff opposition?

    Of course. What their action is telling me is that what I am looking for in 2019 has already signed and sealed. Whatever that will succeed does not come easy. Once you have challenges in your businesses, in your private work, what it shows is that you are getting to the end of the tunnel. I think I see what they are doing as part of the journey we are making, just like when you are writing a story, when you have to put coma, but that is not the full stop and the full stop will be when we have won the election.

    There is this insinuation that, following the controversy that marred the APC congresses in the state, you are considering going to another party to actualise your ambition…

    Not all. Rather, the group you see will soon leave the party, you can quote me. You cannot talk about the APC in Imo State and even in the Southeast  without Owelle Rochas Okorocha. You can remember in 2015 when Owelle Rochas Okorocha brought the APC to the Southeast, the same people called him names like Okoro-Hausa, Alhaji in Government House, they said he has aligned with President Muhammadu Buhari to Islamize the Southeast. They same group of people sold the message to the Churches and they were criticizing and abusing Rochas Okorocha, these are the same people who made the allegations, so they have come today to join Rochas to Islamize the Southeast, that is the question I want to ask them. Without Owelle Rochas Okorocha, there is no APC in Imo State and they know that very well. Owelle cannot go to another party. Rather, they should leave the party and go and join any other party, or they humble themselves and Join Owelle in the course. We are in APC, the party belong to the members and the founding fathers. So, whoever wants to come to the APC must humble himself and join the queue.

    There is this allegation that the Coalition Group is asking the governor to renounce his open endorsement of your ambition as the only condition for peace to reign in the party.

    Our condition for them also is that they should all drop their ambitions too because they are all politicians that are of no value to Imolites. It is not about dropping ambition, rather it is about what you can offer to Imolites. If my becoming a governor is a headache to them, then they will have migraine very soon. So, my ambition is an ordained ambition and God has made it and there is nothing you can do about it. It is only God that makes a King, so if God has made it that one day I, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, will be the Governor of Imo State, there is nothing any man can do about it, except you want to stop what God say will be and that will amount to playing with fire. Even, Owelle Rochas Okorocha knows that there is divine hand in my ambition.

    Some people are of the opinion that the power play in Imo APC may destroy it before the election. Do you see the party coming out in one piece?

    I believe the APC will be coming out stronger, it is all about political interests and intrigues. It is everywhere, I don’t think that there is any political party survives without any kind of intra party politics. So, I don’t think it is any problem, so at the end everybody will come back together, they are all members of the APC but being a member of the APC does not mean that you should, destroy the party. At the end, the party will certainly come back stronger because Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a governor that has tolerated a lot from some of these people that have gone to play dirty politics and being a leader of the party in the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha that I know will after this come them together and then make.ggg sure that the party moves forward.

    There is also this speculation that the national leadership of the party is conspiring against the  governor because of his open support for your ambition.

    That is not true. The conspiracy is just between two persons, the National Organising Secretary and the National Chairman of the party. And the conspiracy is because the governor asked, that the issue of tenure elongation be stopped and lets go for congress because in the APC Constitution, there is no provision for tenure elongation. It simply means that if we admit this tenure elongation, after we have won the elections and somebody from PDP or APGA takes the matter to court and it is found out that we don’t have tenure elongation in our constitution, at the end the Court will tell us that everything we did from the House of Assembly members to Senators, to Governors and even the President is a nullity, that means that other parties will take over what we labored for and the President understood what the governor said, so those of them that want their tenures elongated so that they will remain in office, it was a bad omen for them, so they started fighting. I don’t think Rochas Okorocha had any issue with the national chairman before the issue of the tenure elongation, Osita Izunation, it was Owelle Rochas Okorocha that made him the National Organizing Secretary from the Southeast. If you remember vividly,  Owelle Rochas Okorocha came from the APGA extraction and that faction was asked to bring the National Organizing Secretary, Deputy National Woman leader and the rest and it fell on the shoulders of Owelle Rochas Okorocha as the only governor from the Southeast to produce these people.

    There was hostility against the governor during the botched APC Congresses by men who were very close to him. Are you not worried by that?

    In every twelve disciples, there must be a Judas. For you to be a political guru and claim to know the political arithmetic, you must ask God to help you know the end from the beginning. Simply put, in politics, you do not put 100 percent trust in any person because politics is all about interest. Probably, anybody that decides to go to another person may have his reasons. But, maybe, when you have hundred persons and two decide to leave, you still have 98. It is normal in politics. It is not new. So, it is not a problem, you can decide to pitch your tent wherever you think will favour you. We had similar scenario in 2015 and Owelle Rochas Okorocha still won.

    The gang up against you by the political giants is real. How do you hope to surmount the challenge?

    In 2011, for instance, Senator Arthur Nzeribe , Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Ifeanyi Araraume, Hope Uzodinma, Emeka Ihedioha, Kema Chike, Ikedi Ohakim among other big names were not with us, but we came out victorious and in 2015, we had a sitting President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that was against us and then, in the state, all the political gladiators were not with us and we won. Power does not come by displaying your muscle or affluence or money. Power comes from God. I, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu, and Owelle Rochas Okorocha who is our leader, we are nothing seeing anyone among them that can even defeat the smallest among us, so we are not afraid of them, we are not intimidated at all, there is no cause for alarm, the same thing that happened in 2011 and 2015 will repeat itself in 2019.

    Supposing at this time the governor asks you to drop your ambition, will you obey?

    Of course, that is my leader and if my leader says Ugwumba Uche Nwosu I don’t want you to continue as a governor, which I know the governor will say, because he has already made up his mind and you know it is a divine project and of course you know that before Owelle Rochas Okorocha came openly to support my ambition he must have been convinced that it is divine, because the Owelle I know believes so much in prayers. I know he has consulted exhaustively with his God before he said that it will be Ugwumba Uche Nwosu. So, the issue of him coming back to say that I don’t want you to continue with your ambition will not arise at all.

    With what happened in the APC during the Congresses across the Federation, people are wondering if the party believes in internal democracy at all…

    There is no problem in APC. The ability for people to disagree and agree makes the party stronger. There is no political party or organization that people do not disagree over interests. We are one family but everybody has his interest. When you have an organisation, where everything is moving on and no one is complaining, you need to watch it. Also, if you are travelling on a busy road for more than one hour and there is no single vehicle from the opposite direction, you have to stop and check if there are no armed robbers on the way. It is normal in politics, but what is most important is the ability of the party, to after this, call all the warring factions together and forge ahead to 2019. Let the party reconcile those states where there were parallel congresses and in those places where the Congresses never held, it should be conducted and the party will be stronger before 2019.

    People say Governor Okorocha wants Adams Oshiomole to emerge as the national chairman of the party or he will leave the party…

    Owelle Rochas Okorocha is a serious stakeholder in the APC. So, Oshiomole or no Oshiomole, Okorocha has a stake in APC so the issue of relying on Oshiomole does not arise. So Oshiomole coming as national chairman of the party, does not mean that he is coming to install Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Owelle does not need another person to make him a stakeholder in APC, he is already one. If you are inside a house already, you don’t need someone outside to ask you to come inside the house.