POLITICS
2023: Ebonyi Indigenes Reject Umahi

….Say Nigeria will Collapse in One Week under his Presidency
By Jude OPARA, Abuja
Less than 48 hours after he declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election, the Association of Ebonyi Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has warned Nigerians against giving Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state the opportunity to govern the country, saying the country will not survive a week under the “dictatorship style of Governor Umahi” as president.
AESID said instead of dreaming to become the President, Umahi should rather give account of his stewardship in the past seven years.
Recall that Umahi had on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa where he also announced his intention to succeed the president.
But in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, AESID President Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, who said Umahi has the constitutional right to contest, nevertheless argued that the governor has failed to secure Ebonyi State and wondered how he will be able to manage a more complex nation like Nigeria.
Oluchukwu said; “As we speak, thousands who were displaced by communal war in Effium, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state are yet to return to their ancestral homes, needless to speak of receiving any succour whatsoever from the Umahi administration.
“The thousands of victims who were also displaced in three communities in Ezza north LGA where he is lavishing public funds in building an International Cargo Airport remain displaced as they are yet to be duly compensated by the Umahi administration. Hunger and poverty has been weaponized by his government such that all might come to beg for crumbs on his table.
“Any wonder Ebonyi is now officially rated the poverty capital of the entire Southern Nigeria by the National Bureau of Statistics.”
In opposing Umahi’s presidential ambition, the group added: “With the way and manner he has handled the State’s House of Assembly which is ordinarily a separate arm of government, are we not certain that a National Assembly under an Umahi Presidency would be worse than the current rubber-stamp legislative arm that we have in Nigeria?
“Will Nigeria truly survive just a one-week reign of a Dictator like Umahi?
“AESID would wish to ask; which impact and mark has Governor Umahi made in Ebonyi’s critical sectors such as, Education- given we are classified as Educationally-Less-Developed, Health- given our poor maternal mortality rate and Agriculture-given our rich potentials in this sector? What about the State’s Civil service he has left in its shadows, including Lecturers in our State-owned tertiary institutions whose salaries he has withheld and pays any pittance he feels like? Is it the retirees some of who have died in their pains and agonies over non-payment of their due entitlements or their sorrowing relatives that would drum support for Umahi’s touted 2023 Presidential ambition?
“Mysterious deaths such as the sudden ‘disappearance’ of some five NELAN contractors sometime in November last year among other cases of suspicious demises all points to alleged diabolic and wicked extent the government has gone in its dealings with the now beleaguered Ebonyi masses.
“Rather than provide jobs for our teeming populace, what the Umahi government specializes on is to appoint, through proxies, our vibrant youths who daily sing it’s praises on the Social media for some pittance.”
While the Ebonyi group regretted that the Igbos have not been fairly treated on the issue of Nigeria’s presidency, they insisted that only credible people with the right qualification should dream of occupying the coveted seat.
“Drawing reference from the age-long cliché that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, we are not in any doubt that a more absolute power for an Umahi could mean arming a man who has ran amok with a knife to enter the market place.”
POLITICS
2027: APC Governors Endorse Tinubu

The Progressive Governors Forum on Thursday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit held in Abuja endorsed President Bola Tinubu as sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement, which was moved by Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the forum Chairman, was seconded by Gov.
Uba Sani of Kaduna State.Uzodimma, who spoke on behalf of the forum, emphasised commitment to mobilising resources and ensuring victory for Tinubu in their respective states.
The governors expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and reforms, promising to deliver their states in the upcoming elections.
This endorsement follows similar moves by other APC regional leaders, including the North Central governors who recently passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu’s administration, praising his developmental strides and inclusive governance approach.
(NAN)POLITICS
Senate Passes Bill Establishing FMC Adikpo into Law

By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday passed into law a bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Center, Adikpo in Benue state.
The bill which was sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North East) was read for the third and final time during plenary with an unanimous approval by the legislatures when it was committed to the Committee of the whole.
The bill, according to Udende, seeks to establish a federal medical center in Adikpo which will not only cater for the health needs of the people of Benue North East senatorial zone but Benue state and Nigeria in general and beyond.
“The bill awaiting presidential assent seeks to bring medical care closer to the people, especially in times of emergency.
The distance between Adikpo , a Nigerian boarder town and Makurdi, Benue State capital where a Federal Medical Center exists is over 300 kilometers, so patients who need medical care within the Adikpo axis are on a danger line, hence my resolve to use the instrumentality of the parliament to address the troubling health challenge”, senator Udende said.He explained that the people of Kwande who share boundaries with the Republic of Cameroon most often are required to seek medical attention outside their country and in most cases are frustrated or cannot afford the cost.
According to senator Udende, the strategic location of the health facility will provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange, giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.
He stressed that the Federal Medical Centre will also trigger infrastructure development, healthcare and open up the locality in terms of education while expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town has grossly caused underdevelopment.
The senator however commended the senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions for conducting a public hearing which gave rise to the final parliamentary journey of the bill.
NEWS
NASC: Senate Confirms Nnanna Uzor Kalu as Commissioner For S/east

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu as a commissioner in the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to represent the South-East geopolitical zone.
The confirmation followed the presentation and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, chaired by Sen.
Cyril Fasuyi, during plenary.Kalu’s confirmation was previously stepped down in March due to a petition filed against him.
At the time, the senate had confirmed 12 out of 13 nominees for the NASC, withholding only the nomination from the South-East pending resolution of the matter.
Presenting the report, Fasuyi explained that the petition had been thoroughly investigated and dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
The committee found no grounds to disqualify the nominee.
“In line with the findings and recommendations of the relevant committees, the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service recommends the confirmation of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu,” Fasuyi said.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio thanked both committees for handling the issue with diligence and fairness.
He congratulated Kalu on his confirmation and urged him to serve with integrity.
“I urge the newly confirmed commissioner to uphold equity, fairness, and constitutional values while representing the South-East in the commission,” Akpabio said.(NAN)