The Enugu State Government has strongly debunked the report by some online media accusing the Ministry of Justice of demanding the payment of N50,000 review fee as a condition for accepting a petition.

The government demanded immediate retraction of the misleading publication, describing it as wicked, unfounded, as “the Ministry only requires practitioners applying for certified true copies (CTC) of public documents, fiats and related reviews to pay the statutory/approved processing fees to the prescribed public coffers, as obtained in other public institutions, including the courts in Nigeria.”

The clarification was made on Friday in a statement by the Director of Information at the Enugu State Ministry of Information and Communication, Chukwuemeka Nebo.

The government further explained that statutory processing fees do not apply to “crime victims and practitioners acting pro-bono.”

“These processing fees are not new, but have always existed. They are not taxes. They do not also go into private pockets, certainly not under Mbah Administration,” the government explained.

The statement continued, “The Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s office do not charge for the submission or review of petitions, complaints, or requests by victims or ordinary citizens seeking redress or assistance.

“These publications are nothing but sinister smear campaign by those opposed to accountability and excellence. These allegations are unfounded and misguided and masterminded by people who are threatened by the towering successes and achievements of the administration of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, especially in the justice sector.

“They also ignore the reform-oriented agenda that the Honourable Attorney General has pursued with integrity and dedication, earning recognition as a figure of probity and excellence in public service.

“It is sad that the instigators of the sinister publication, including its arrowhead, who is a lawyer, only relied on hearsay from a dispatch rider as they claimed, without contacting fellow lawyers in the Ministry of Justice or the Attorney General for a redress or response before sponsoring the wicked propaganda.

“Enugu State Government therefore demands the immediate retraction of the false, malicious, and defamatory publications.”

The statement described the Attorney General, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN, as a man “known for his impeccable character and uncompromising integrity in the discharge of his duties.”

“He remains committed to ensuring that justice in Enugu State is accessible, free to those who need it, administered with excellence, delivered promptly, and carried out with transparency and fairness. The Attorney General’s office is open to all during visiting days/hours, where he continues to attend to citizens on various issues of justice and rights.

“The present administration takes the matters of justice and rights in Enugu State seriously and does not hesitate to address any such matters brought to its notice,” the government added.

It went on to list the accomplishments of the justice sector as led by Dr. Udeh under Dr. Mbah-led administration.

“The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice has recorded enormous successes in the justice sector. The administration has driven a focused mission of justice-sector reform that has delivered visible results.

“Key justice achievements include: the digitalisation and automation across the Judiciary and Ministry of Justice, including e-filing, virtual hearing and an integrated case-management system; onboarding and capacity-building for judges and court staff on digital court processes; the expansion and functional strengthening of Multi-Door Courthouse and the Citizens’ Rights and Mediation Centres across the Local Government Areas; establishment of the Witness Support Fund and other victim assistance mechanisms; and the introduction of multiple e-services to speed up justice administration and improve transparency.

“All complaints and petitions are treated 100% free of charge and expeditiously. Service delivery that previously took weeks or months are now conclusively treated within days. These reforms have been publicly acknowledged and commended by stakeholders and covered in the media as the central pillars of the administration’s agenda to make justice accessible, efficient, transparent, and investor friendly,” the statement concluded.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives and former Governor of Katsina State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari has lamented the yawning gap between campaign promises by politicians and realities of governance on the ground.

Delivering the Keynote Address at the 9th Annual Conference of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) in Lagos, Masari, who spoke on the theme: Reconciling Campaign Promises with Governance Realities: Challenges and Prospects, listed four conditions to bridge such gaps in the interest of democracy.

To Masari, political actors must campaign with responsibility, insisting that such campaign promises should be realistic, costed and achievable within the available resources.

“Unrealistic pledges made merely to capture the mood of the electorate should be challenged and exposed. Only then can we begin to elevate our political culture and make sure that the process justifies the end. Second, governance must be anchored on strong institutions. With capable institutions, policies can be implemented more consistently and transparently.”

According to him, the third leg must imbibe honest communication with citizens by political leaders. He tasked leaders to explain the trade-offs — why certain promises may take longer, why resources must be reallocated and how progress will be measured.

“Fourth, citizens themselves, including civil society and the media, must understand realities and properly communicate those realities in addition to holding leaders accountable. They should track promises, and demand transparency instead of creating sensational headlines to attract followers, especially now that the number of followers translates into monetary gain.”

Looking at the challenges before political leaders in fulfilling campaign promises, the former Katsina State governor named limited resources, competing demands and unexpected crises.

“Many manifestos are aspirational documents, not grounded in the reality of available resources or institutional capacity. Fiscal constraints are also a big factor. Campaign promises hinge on the resources available to any country. In many African nations — and more specifically in our case — budgets are still heavily dependent on a single commodity: oil. Yet, as we all know, the price of oil is beyond our control. It is volatile, shaped by global market forces, geopolitical tensions, and other complex and unpredictable factors.”

He said beyond resource volatility, there are also unforeseen emergencies that force governments to reorder their priorities with COVID-19 as a vivid example. He said such emergencies consume time, energy and resources and compel governments to suspend plans and promises across all sectors, resulting in campaign promises suffering in the long run.

“Here in Nigeria, insecurity remains a persistent challenge. It undermines production, disrupts livelihoods and reduces national revenues. It compels government to divert enormous resources toward security operations. Another major issue is weak institutions. Even when funds are available, corruption, bureaucracy and inefficiency can derail delivery.”

He concluded that reconciling campaign promises with governance realities is not just about avoiding embarrassment for politicians but about protecting the integrity of democracy itself.

The keynote speaker warned that if citizens repeatedly see promises made and broken, they lose faith in the system.

“But if they see even modest progress explained honestly and delivered consistently, they will continue to believe in the promise of democracy. Let our promises be realistic, our expectations be modest, our governance transparent and our accountability strong. In doing so, we can transform hope into progress, and democracy into a vehicle of real change.”

He commended the EXCO and members of GOCOP on its 9th anniversary and consistently creating platforms for the people to have honest conversations about the future of our democracy.

“This is where journalism at its best, and more specifically GOCOP in this digital age, becomes indispensable. You and your profession are the bridges between the leaders and the people. You shape narratives, hold leaders accountable and track progress.”

The governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This was confirmed by the Enugu APC Caretaker Chairman, Dr Ben Nwoye, while speaking to journalists on Friday.

According to him, Mbah will officially defect to the ruling party on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, in Enugu, alongside federal and state lawmakers, the state executive council members, and ward and local government leaders across Enugu State.

The APC National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday dissolved the Enugu State Working Committee (SWC) over unresolved differences, appointing a seven-member caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party.

The wave of defections from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to grow.

A few months ago, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno and his Delta State counterpart, Sheriff Oborevwori, both left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.

During the defection ceremonies held in Uyo and Asaba, the former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, revealed that more opposition governors and top party leaders were preparing to cross over to the ruling party.

On October 8, Kelvin Chukwu, the Senator representing Enugu East, also announced his defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the APC.

His move raised the number of APC senators to 73, giving the party a two-thirds majority in the 109-member Senate — a threshold that allows it to easily pass major decisions and legislation.

At the moment, the Senate’s composition stands as follows: APC, 73 senators; PDP, 28; LP, four; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), two; and one each from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).