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Ihedioha apologises to Igbo over ‘saboteur’ comment, says intention misconstrued
Fomer Governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, on Friday apologised to Igbo people over his comments at the 2022 New Yam festival ceremony of the Mbaise People living in Ghana.
Ihedioha in a viral video that had generated millions of comments allegedly called people who are supporting the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, saboteurs.
Appearing on Channels TV Sunrise Daily programme which was monitored by our correspondent, Ihedioha said that his speech in Ghana was misconstrued and blown out of proportion.
Apologising to the Igbo people, Ihedioha said that the word “saboteur” he used during his speech was not referred to the supporters of the LP presidential candidate but to his kinsmen whom he said were PDP members and were sabotaging the efforts of his party to reclaim power in Imo State in 2024.
Saying that he was sorry, Ihedioha added that it was not in his character to be rude, arrogant, or to use uncultured words on people whom he doesn’t share the same political beliefs with.
He said ” I went to Ghana on the invitation of my people for the New Yam festival who are predominantly PDP members. Knowing where we are coming from as a people and knowing where PDP left our people, the promises made by APC who were surging to take over power. They promised us everything. They promised water, they promised light, they promised free education, promised free housing, they promised prosperity, they promised stabilisation of the naira and currency. You know that all those things were myriads of deceitful, fraudulent promises that have not come to pass.
“So when you talk about the future of our country, you see people who are worried about being deceived into believing that you just wished it happened. So the desire for me for a PDP administration that has internal mechanisms of good governance cannot be overemphasized. So I spoke to our people consciously within the PDP to express the need for them not to sabotage our efforts in reclaiming power in 2023 so that Nigerians can see good governance.
“So give it to the Peoples Democratic Party. One thing about us is that there could be issues you expect in any human conflagration but we have ways of resolving those issues. We disagree among ourselves and we deal with them among ourselves. So incidentally the issues have been put in a different context and some persons and majority of whom love me, majority of whom believe in me, majority of whom have confidence in me, majority of whom have very huge expectations from me.
“I never called any South Easterner or indeed any Nigerian who doesn’t vote for my party a saboteur. That is not me. It is not in my character. I believe in decent even from my own immediate nuclear family.
“My position was very simple, I was speaking to our people. I am an Mbaise man and the PDP has been very faithful to us. PDP has given us support, PDP gave us the opportunity to produce governor in our state and I said to them we have an opportunity and I called that they should not sabotage our efforts to reclaim power and that was it.
“That was the context. And if listen carefully and I have found out from a number of persons have made calls and either to my person, my family, friends and associates and I have not had the privilege to watch the tape but if you do you will see the context. It is being blown out of proportion but I am responsible to people who show you love, people who show you confidence, people who believe in you and you also need to respect their feelings and so to all those millions of Nigerians, particularly from South East extraction who feel hurt by my use of language, I am sorry about it.
“I do not mean to hurt anybody and they have a right to obviously express their political opinions in any way, form or shape and of course, I have my friends who belong to other political parties and we still relate and we will continue to relate.
“It is my considered view that people should take me for whom I am. People should accept me for whom I am and know that I am not a rude person. I am not a disrespectful person and I don’t use words that are uncultured. I thank the privilege of my upbringing and that has guided me. I believe this should be able to assuage them.”
Speaking further, Ihedioha said that he was certain that PDP was going to win the 2023 presidential election.
He said that though Obi’s support base was growing in the South East region the PDP was going to win the zone.
By IHECHINYERE CHIGEMERI-UWOM
Gov. Alex Otti of Abia has expressed deep shock and sorrow over the death of a U.S.-based Nigerian physician, Dr Uzoma Nwaubani, who was in the state for a medical mission.
Otti, in a condolence message signed by him and issued on Friday in Umuahia, said that he received the news of her passing with shock, describing her as a dedicated and compassionate medical practitioner.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the State Government in collaboration with the Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) organised a five-day free medical outreach that held from April 13 to April 17.
The governor noted that the late Nwaubani was a member of the association and had returned to Nigeria with her husband and daughter, a final-year medical student in the United States, to provide free medical services to residents of Abia.
He said that while participating in the ongoing medical outreach, she developed a medical emergency and was immediately taken to a hospital.
According to him, a team of ANPA and local medical experts worked together to provide urgent critical care in a bid to save her life.
“Despite the gallant efforts of the highly skilled medical team to resuscitate her, she could not make it,” Otti said.
The governor extended his condolences to the family of the deceased, her loved ones, and members of ANPA, adding that the state government was already in communication with her family and the leadership of the association.
He promised that the government would provide the necessary support to the bereaved family and ANPA during the period of mourning.
Otti also commended the family of the late doctor and ANPA for allowing the medical mission to continue in spite of the loss.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritising the health and well-being of residents and visitors to the state.
The governor prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and for strength for her family to bear the loss. (NAN)
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.
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