News
Ebonyi Speaker accused of destroying campaign billboards belonging to PDP candidates
• Ebonyi Speaker Nwifuru
Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Francis Nwifuru, has been accused of sending thugs to destroy the billboards of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in his Izzi local government area.
The campaign posters destroyed, it was learnt, include those of the governorship candidate of the party, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Ọdịi, and that of the senatorial candidate of the party for Ebonyi North, Senator Sam Egwu.
Others are the campaign posters of the House of Representatives candidate for Izzi/Abakaliki constituency, Barnabas Ofoke, and that of the Izzi East State Constituency candidate, Jerome Elom.
The party made the accusation yesterday in a statement by its spokesperson, Chika Nwoba.
Mr Nwoba in the statement said the thugs were led by one of the protocol officers of the Speaker (names withheld).
He said the thugs were in the Speaker’s convoy when they spotted Mr Elom and his supporters at Nwezenyi Primary school.
He said they pulled out of the convoy and went to accost Mr Elom and to disperse the meeting.
Nwobasaid: “I got information that the convoy of Francis Nwifuru had a brief stopover at the Nwezenyi Primary School where a PDP House of Assembly candidate for Izzi, Jerome Elom was interfacing with his supporters and ordered his protocol officer identified as Jango to go disperse them.
“The Jango did exactly that and even collected Barr Jerome’s phone and headed towards the position of a billboard showcasing PDP candidates, used dagger and tore it round and packed the pieces into the bush. He left with the candidate’s phone till this moment”, he alleged.
Mr Jerome Elom, in an interview with our reporter corroborated Mr Nwoba’s statement.
According to him, “I went to Nwezenyi to mounting billboards. And after I successfully mounted billboards, I decided to entertain some of my supporter around that area.
“So why we were there, three Sienna cars came, I recognized one of them which was branded with APC logo. It is owned by one of speakers protocol officer, Felix Okemini aka Jango.
“They asked why should I mount billboards of Anyuchuks'(Odii) billboards in Izzi local government, that his billboards and poster should not be seen anywhere in the local government.
“I said no, that this is politics, they should allow everybody to campaign. They said no that I should remove it and I refused. They climbed and removed the billboards themselves”.
“They were so many and I could do anything. I tried to record what they were doing and they came and started dragging my phone. I say okay, take the phone. They collected it and left”, he said.
Elom said the thugs managed to unlock his phone on Thursday and logged into his social media handles and posted an apology to the APC over the incident.
“Today, I found out that they have managed to unlock my phone and used my account to post an apology purportedly from me.
“How can I be apologizing to APC when they are the ones that wronged me. They should be the ones apologizing to me,” he said.
But the Speaker, Mr Francis Nwifụrụ, denied sending anybody to destroy any billboards in the area.
Nwifuru’s Media Aide, Leo Oketa, described the allegation as pathetic.
“The Speaker did not send anybody to go and destroy any billboard. The allegation is pathetic and untrue.
“They should get serious with their campaign and not to make such pathetic allegations. We have gone beyond such.
“You know Mr Speaker very well, he is a very peaceful man and there have never been any time he has told any of his supporters to do such a thing,” Mr Oketa said.
Gunmen on Thursday night ambushed and beheaded a 30-year-old man, Elisha Abbas Saku, at Riwhie-Chwo in Nzharuvo, Miango District of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred around 10 pm when the gunmen stormed the community, throwing residents into panic and confusion.
A statement issued on Friday by the Irigwe Youth Movement described the killing as a brutal ambush.
The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Joseph Yonkpa, who signed the statement, prayed for the repose of the deceased’s soul while calling for divine comfort for the entire Irigwe Nation.
“Yesterday night, 16th April 2026, gunmen ambushed and beheaded Mr. Elisha Abbas Saku, 30 years old, at Riwhie-Chwo, Nzharuvo, Miango District of Bassa LGA, Plateau State,” the report stated. “May his soul rest in peace, and may God comfort the entire Irigwe Nation.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the release of results for 632,788 candidates who participated in the first day of the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), held on Thursday.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Board’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, on Friday.
According to the Board, candidates can now access their results by sending “UTMERESULT” via SMS to either 55019 or 66019, using the same phone number registered during the examination process.
At this stage, only result viewing is available, as printing of result slips has not yet been enabled.
JAMB emphasised that the UTME exercise is still ongoing, adding that additional batches of results will be released progressively as marking and processing continue.
The Board also issued a stern warning against any attempts to manipulate or falsify results.
It cautioned candidates against altering SMS messages received from its official platforms to misrepresent their scores to others, including parents and guardians.
JAMB Releases Results of 632,788 Candidates from Day One of the 2026 UTME
The results of candidates who sat the 2026 UTME on Thursday, 16 April 2026, have been released and are now available for viewing.
To check their results, candidates should send UTMERESULT via SMS to 55019…
— Fabian Benjamin (@FabianB58246501) April 17, 2026
Describing such actions as a serious criminal offence, JAMB disclosed that it has already taken action against offenders. “Two candidates and one parent are currently in custody for engaging in result falsification using AI and other electronic means,” the statement revealed.
The Board reiterated that anyone found guilty of such misconduct would face the full weight of the law.
JAMB urged candidates to adhere strictly to official channels and maintain integrity throughout the examination process, as it continues efforts to ensure a credible and transparent admissions system in Nigeria.
The Arewa APC Forum, Kano State chapter, has announced the withdrawal of its support for the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing concerns over governance and leadership direction.
In a statement dated April 17, 2026, the forum said its decision followed “extensive consultations and careful reflection” on the state of affairs at the federal level.
The group stated that it could no longer, “in good conscience,” continue to support the current administration, which it criticised over alleged issues including nepotism, incompetence, and corruption.
“We believe that leadership must inspire confidence, uphold fairness, and demonstrate a sincere commitment to national unity, institutional integrity, and responsible governance,” the statement read.
It added that where such values are persistently undermined, “silence becomes complicity.”
The forum further declared that its confidence in the current political direction has been withdrawn, urging its members to align with this position in future political engagements.
The statement was signed by Sallah Hakilu Kibiya, chairman of the forum in Kano State.
The development signals potential cracks within support structures linked to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in the northern region, as political alignments begin to shift ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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