News
2027: Ex-Governor Chime endorses Tinubu, says APC best option for S’East
…Says “The President has done well”
Former Governor of Enugu State, Barr. Sullivan Chime, has thrown his weight behind last weekend’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office by South East governors, as well as leaders and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in the South East, saying the President has done well.
Chime, who declared that he was part of the endorsement ab initio, said he nursed no doubt that Tinubu and the APC would sweep the polls in the South East come 2027.
Chime spoke in Udi during the flag-off of the APC e-registration exercise in Enugu West Senatorial District on Tuesday, saying the few naysayers in the region would soon see the light and embrace reality.
“I am part of the South East. So, you can take it for granted that I was part of that endorsement. That is our decision and we all stand by it. It is easily achievable.
“The President has done well. I believe he has done well. Whatever is happening in Nigeria is global and certainly in Africa. It is all over the place. He is doing well, given the circumstances,” he stated.
The former governor said he would speak more on 2027 in the coming months.
“Elections are coming up next year. He will do well. When the time for campaign comes, we will talk,” he stated.
Expressing his joy at the excitement with which the South East, and Enugu State in particular, were embracing the APC, he maintained that his decision to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2015 election was now justified.
He said APC leaders in Enugu State were committed to surpassing the two-million membership benchmark set for them in the ongoing electronic membership registration exercise by the governor and leader of the party in the state, Dr. Peter Mbah.
“We are here first of all to thank our people. You can see how excited people are to join the APC. APC is now the only party available in Enugu State.
“Ten years ago, when I joined the APC, we saw tomorrow. We knew PDP was going down. It is now obvious that APC is the only party available. So, the two-million mark, to me, is actually just there. We are going beyond that in Enugu State.
“So, it is exciting to see how people are happy being part of APC, and I am happy APC is back in Enugu State. Those who are still skeptical have no choice. APC is still the way to go,” he concluded.
Speaking, the host chairman and Chairman of Udi LGA, Hon. Hyginus Agu; Chairman of Aninri LGA, Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku; Chairman of Awgu LGA, Hon. Uchenna Okoko; Chairman of Ezeagu LGA, Dr. Vita Ndu; and Chairman of Oji River LGA, Hon. Greg Anyaegbudike, said they were ready to mobilise to the grassroots and from ward to ward to register more than two million members.
“The truth is that our governor has done so well. We have multiple projects in every political ward to brag about. The people are happy and, as far as they are concerned, Governor Mbah is their political party. He has chosen APC, and the people stand solidly with him and our dear President,” Hon. Agu said.
It is recalled that Governor Mbah of Enugu State, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi as well as other APC leaders and stakeholders of the South East region at the weekend adopted Tinubu as their sole candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
President Bola Tinubu has restated that his government is committed to addressing the country’s main problems, including economic difficulties, power shortages and safety issues.
Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Tinubu stated that his government is still focused on policies aimed at helping the poorest and most at-risk Nigerians.
He said: “We won’t stop moving forward, and we’ll keep looking for ways to help those who are struggling.
“This is a government that really cares.”
He noted that having steady power supply is very important for development, stressing that industrial growth and learning new skills mostly rely on having dependable electricity.
“You can’t have industrial growth, learning new skills, or people gaining strength without having enough power.
“I promise Nigerians that we will provide electricity to support our country’s development,” he said.
The president also thanked Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, for the way he leads the state.
“Diri has shown the strength of leading with a clear purpose, and I am here today making a promise that the challenges we face, along with the legacy of those who led this country, including the battles and difficulties of ensuring security, will be met with hard work to properly equip and train our men and women in the Armed Forces. We will defeat terrorism and banditry.”
The Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Dr Peter Chukwu is dead.
A source said the Bishop died where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
Meanwhile, a social media influencer, Nwoba Chika Nwoba, in a post on his Facebook page, mourned the demise of the Bishop.
He wrote, “A very bad one for us in Ebonyi State. The loss of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abakaliki, Dr Peter Chukwu is a terrible loss.
“This loss is huge. God knows why, but it’s painful losing him in his 50s. A refined man and Associate Professor. This loss is beyond Ezza’s loss. It’s well. We can’t take war to God’s place. Kidney transplant issue. NCN.”
The authorities of the Catholic Church is expected to issue an official statement announcing the demise of the Bishop.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced former senatorial candidate in Borno State, Babagana Habeeb, to 10 years’ imprisonment for aiding terrorism through the sale of petroleum products to insurgents.
The trial judge, Peter Lifu, convicted Habeeb on a one-count charge of aiding and abetting terrorism filed by the Federal Government.
Habeeb, a fuel dealer based in Maiduguri, had pleaded guilty to the charge upon arraignment, admitting that he sold fuel to members of the Boko Haram operating in the North-East.
The convict, however, claimed that the transactions might have been carried out by attendants at his filling station.
During the proceedings, Habeeb appealed for leniency, kneeling in the dock as he urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
He told the court that he had two wives and six children and had been in detention for over 10 years without contact with his family.
Counsel to the Federal Government, David Kaswe, opposed the plea, arguing that the support provided to the terrorist group had serious consequences.
Kaswe submitted that the supply of fuel enabled the insurgents to power motorcycles used in attacks, leading to loss of lives and displacement of communities.
He urged the court to impose a stiffer penalty, noting that although the defendant had spent over a decade in custody, a 20-year sentence would be appropriate.
In his judgment, Justice Lifu held that there was no evidence establishing that the defendant was a member of Boko Haram or had undergone weapons training.
He, however, ruled that the admission of selling fuel to the insurgents was sufficient to sustain the charge of aiding terrorism.
The judge also noted that the prosecution did not challenge the defendant’s claim of prolonged detention.
Justice Lifu consequently sentenced Habeeb to 10 years’ imprisonment.
He ordered that the sentence should take effect from the date of the convict’s arrest and detention.
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