
Politics
Peter Obi’s movement anchored on God’s will, equity, justice — APC Gov, Umahi

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja met behind closed door with Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi.
Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Umahi said he was in the State House to invite the president to inaugurate new Ebonyi State Governor’s Lodge, recently completed by his administration.
According to him, the president has accepted the invitation and the project will be inaugurated in October.
Speaking about the relevance of the new governor’s lodge recently built by his administration, the governor said:
“I build mind-blowing projects to let, first and foremost, our brothers and sisters in the Southeast know Ebonyi State has come of age.
”So, if I have achieved nothing, it’s to instill confidence in our people because even when we talk about marginalization of Southeast, you come to Southeast, we talk about the marginalization of Ebonyi people.
“So, I built that project for people like you, to assure you that we went to the same school, that we have the same brain and that we’ve come of age and that nobody should neglect Ebonyi State again.
”And to some people, we use it to punish them, those who neglect us are being punished by this gigantic project and my projects are projects you can’t find anywhere in Southeast.
“You can crosscheck that. So, it’s for punishment.
”The benefit is to instill confidence in our people, to make our people number one in everything we do.
”That’s why when you are going to marry, you don’t wear tattered dress, and you ask yourself, what is the economic benefit of the beautiful dress you are putting on? It’s to instill confidence and make your bride to accept,” he said.
On politics, Umahi predicted victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 Presidential election.

Mr. Peter Obi, Labour Party Presidential Candidate
He, however, picked the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi as his second favourite.
The governor also said the current political movement projecting Peter Obi would go a long way to prepare the ground for the realization of an Igbo president in the future.
According to him, the presidential contest in 2023 should be an all-South affair, saying he has been fascinated by the momentum created by the Obi movement.
He believed that the movement was awakening an awareness about the people of the Southeast and their political relevance.
“What happened during the primaries of PDP and APC were a kind of miscalculation by our people, but to say whether they’re ready for the presidency of the country anytime, I think that the movement of Peter Obi is an eye opener and that’s why I said I love what he’s doing.
”I’m encouraged by what he’s doing because if he’s not doing what he’s doing, it means that Southeast would have been forgotten.
”So, while my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground for the Southeast presidency, so that nobody is going to write us off and you can see the level of his acceptability, which does not translate to victory over APC. I’m sure of that,” he said.
The governor described Obi’s movement as ”a good movement” for the realization of Igbo presidency in future.
He said: ”It reassures the Southeast people and the entire country that we’re accepted and that we’ll one day become the President of this country. It’s very important.
”Peter Obi’s movement, and all the movements, are anchored on God’s will, it’s only God who knows who will win, but there must be a wish.
”As a party man, I would wish that our party wins and if God says no, the next person I’ll wish that should win is Peter Obi because I believe strongly, and I will say it anywhere, in this north/south presidency.
“After the North has taken eight years, there is no moral justification to be seeking to take another eight years, it should go to the South.
”So, I’m not wishing Peter Obi away. God has the final say and He has the power and gives to whomever He wishes.”
Politics
Enugu APC commends Gov. Mbah over road Infrastructure, Smart Schools, Health Centres

• We’ve seen good governance in Enugu – Ex-Speaker, Odo

THE major stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu North Senatorial Zone of Enugu state, have commended the state Governor Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, for embarking on massive road infrastructure, building of smart green schools and health centres across the 260 wards in the state.
This is just as the group appealed to the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to extend federal appointments to members of the party from Enugu North Senatorial zone.
Addressing journalists in Nsukka after a stakeholders meeting of APC members from the zone, the leader of the group Brigadier-General J. O. J. Okoloagu (retd), praised Governor Mbah for building durable roads in several parts of the state, especially in Enugu North senatorial zone which includes Nsukka and its environs.
He said: “I make bold to state that the present government in Enugu state is doing well. I don’t care what anybody says. We had our son there as governor for eight years, and I couldn’t come home because the roads were not there. But today, the roads are there.
“I went to a market in Nsukka, and honestly I couldn’t believe I was in Nsukka because of the changes that had taken place there.
“We commend Governor Mbah, and ask him, please, not to change his attitude towards Nsukka people.”
The retired Brigadier-General who is also a member of the APC Board of Trustees(BoT), lamented that the leadership of the party in Enugu state had been hijacked by people he described as charlatans.
He pleaded with the national leadership of the party to redress the situation, saying if nothing is done in that regard, the party would perform woefully in future elections in the state.
“I make bold to say that when this party was formed, the so-called party chairman today Barrister Ugo Agballah, was not even a member of the party. He was first in PDP, and later defected to APGA. And when he came into APC, he started suspending people who built the party, and who were there before him. I won’t be surprised if tomorrow those who call themselves members of APC in Enugu state, suspend or expel a BoT member, forgetting that a BoT member is a life-time appointment,” said Okoloagu.
He called on the national leadership of the party to institute a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party in the state prior to the 2027 general elections.
He reminded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the bulk of the votes he got in Enugu state during the last presidential election came from Enugu North senatorial zone, urging him to reward APC members from the zone with federal appointments.
Also, speaking to journalists, the former Speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odo, thanked Governor Mbah for extending the dividends of democracy to Enugu North senatorial zone.
“We strongly commend the governor of Enugu state for his giant strides especially in Enugu North senatorial zone. For us, we believe he exceeded our expectations, and we pray and urge him not to relent in the dividends of democracy he is giving the people of Enugu North.
“We’re not just doing politics for the sake of doing politics, rather we’re doing politics for the sake of occasioning good governance, and we have seen such good governance in Enugu state, in terms of infrastructure, and our people have benefited in one way or the other…
“There is the dualisation of Opi-Nsukka road, and suffice it to say that we have relatively a catchment advantage.
“The smart school system that is being constructed in every ward and the type C hospital in every ward engenders a comparative advantage for the Enugu North senatorial zone. While we have 260 wards in Enugu state, Enugu North alone has 102 wards. That means that we have 102 type C hospitals, and also 102 smart schools. The remaining two senatorial zones are sharing 158. That, of course, we commend Governor Mbah, and we believe that this is what actually APC would have done if they are in power, and even more,” said the ex-lawmaker.
He advised Barrister Ugo Agballah, to desist from parading himself as the state chairman of APC, saying that “the court has suspended him through an injunction,” and the “injunction has not been vacated.”
Odo, a lawyer and two tenure speaker, Enugu state House of Assembly, accused Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, and the Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji of spearheading the leadership crisis in Enugu APC.
“…Enugu state is not a colony of Imo state, and so Governor Uzodinma should leave Enugu state alone. He has actually spoiled the party in Enugu state.
“In my interview on December 29, I described Governor Uzodinma as somebody who is handling Enugu state as if he is a headmaster or a divisional police officer. The South-East is an egalitarian society founded on Republicanism. So, 10,000 Hope’s cannot impose wrong leadership on Enugu APC.”
The meeting was well-attended by chieftains of the party including the zonal chairman, Idoko Emmanuel, Barr Ejike Ugwu, Mr. Anayo Ugwu, and members of the state executive of the party.
Politics
Former Delta Gov, Ifeanyi Okowa, defects to APC


Former Governor of Delta State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okowa confirmed the news of his defection to ARISE NEWS on Wednesday following the announcement of the current governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who also defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday.
The development was disclosed by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at Government House, Asaba.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the sweeping political shift, attributing the decision to the need for renewed direction and enhanced governance in the state.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state,” he said.
Aniagwu added that the move aimed to sustain progress in law, security, and welfare, likening the PDP to a “palm wine whose taste has changed,” necessitating a change in “drinking party”.
He further indicated that the defection was unanimously agreed upon by key PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state, with a formal public declaration expected on Monday.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
The mass defection represents a dramatic realignment in Delta State’s political landscape and could significantly alter party dynamics in the broader South-South region, historically a PDP stronghold.
Okowa will be received on Monday by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside Governor Oborevwori.
Politics
2027: Obi could be President under PDP, says Sowunmi


However, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), has dismissed moves by some political actors to form a coalition with the aim of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, describing them as content creators.
Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, left the PDP in June 2022, citing inability to make “constructive contributions.”
In an interview with the ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, the PDP chief said, “Obi needs a bigger platform” going forward.
“Looking ahead to 2027, the PDP of Nigeria will open its processes, announce when the forms are available, and anyone who feels confident enough to contest should step forward and do so.
“If I were Peter Obi, I would return to the PDP and make a strong case for the presidential ticket. I believe he should come back to the party. This party was originally conceived in the bedroom of (the late) Alex Ekwueme; so, I don’t understand why the Igbo, along with southern leaders and other influential figures within the PDP, can’t come together and say, ‘Alright, we recognise this – here’s the ticket.”
He noted that if Obi could secure over six million votes on his own, without governors or major support, just imagine what he could achieve with 12 governors and a solid grassroots infrastructure.
“We’ve covered every region, but we have not gone to the South East yet. Still, Obi is free to make his own decisions. If his numbers and the animated energy that is following him were to follow him into the PDP and he is the presidential candidate, I can guarantee you he would take the South East, South South, the Christian North and North Central,” he added.
The PDP stalwart clarified that he was only speaking hypothetically in response to a question about possible political alignments ahead of 2027.
RECENTLY, some political heavyweights in the opposition, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, broached talks for a coalition that would oust the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, capital, yesterday, where the APC caucus in the state met to endorse the President for a second term, Adaramodu explained that Tinubu, in less than two years, initiated programmes and policies impacting positively on the citizens.
He lauded the President for his decisive economic reforms that revitalised the country’s economy as well as his comprehensive security strategies that, according to him, addressed insecurity in the country.
The Senate spokesman said APC was not disturbed about the movement of the opposition figures, describing it as a political entertainment that would not affect the expected victory of Tinubu.
He appealed to Nigerians not to take the promoters of the coalition for 2027 seriously, but remain committed and continue their support for Tinubu in his quest to deliver his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country.
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