POLITICS
Mona Audu Warns APC Against Giving Party’s Ticket to Gov.Yahaya Bello

A leading aspirant for the November 16 Kogi governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress[ APC], Prince Mona Mustapha Audu has warned that his party stands the risk of losing the state in the coming election if it should, for any reason, field the incumbent governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for the polls.
Mona, whose father late Prince Abubakar Audu had governed Kogi state and was on the verge of being declared winner of the 2015 governorship election for which Bello profited from his death as a result of highly political and judicial decisions , said in an interview that if the APC should field Governor Bello, “either accidentally ,or by miracle or by whatever means, the APC would lose Kogi state.”
Prince Mona added:”Bello is an epitome of bad leadership, and his governorship is at variance with what APC stands for.
Under the present leadership, workers have been owned salaries for 40 months; poor health delivery, infrasctural decay, and suicide among our people, the highest ever recorded in the history of the state have become the order in the state.”Prince Mona, the sixth child of the former governor of Kogi state, and his fifth male child promised to reverse the trend and deliver the state to APC with good governance if he is given the mandate to govern the state. Apart from this, he said:” the only way the APC can win in Kogi state is if I am the flag bearer .Kogi state has an unfulfilled destiny and social contract between the APC and the people which is also unfulfilled. When I become the flag bearer, and the governor , these promises would be fulfiiled.”
The 2005 graduate of Software Engineering from Glasgow University, Scotland said although his late father “distinguished himself as the greatest ever politician and leader in Kogi” ,he too has made his mark in various fields, and would bring to bear what he learnt from his father to the table of administration of the Confluence State.
According to the governorship aspirant: “I have distinguished myself among my peers since my father’s time as the governor of the state; I leant a lot from his political tutelage for about 15 years. He built a great foundation for me and not to take advantage of what he did for me will be negative. If he [Prince Abubakar Audu] was the greatest leader ever in Kogi state then it means I, his son, would have elements of his greatness. However, we are working tirelessly to achieve our goal, knowing that it would not be easy.” He said over the years, he has also worked tirelessly to make the required marks in real estate, agriculture, mining, sports and other spheres.
He said he is throwing his cap in the ring because of the fate of youths in the state and the country as a whole which may be in jeopardy because of the poor governance of the present leader in Kogi.
According to Prince Mona:”If we don’t get it right with the youths in Kogi state, no Nigerian youth can ever aspire for leadership position in this country because they will use Kogi state as the reference point for his failure. That is why we are coming in to rescue the state …A lot rests on our shoulder and the APC is aware.”
POLITICS
APC Upholds MacDonald’s Exco in Imo

By Jude Opara, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday upheld the MacDonald Ebere led State Executive Committee in Imo state.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yakubu Ajaka told newsmen after a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party.
Recall that on the 15th of June, a letter earlier written by the Deputy Secretary, Festus Fonta recognized the leadership of Hon.
Dan Nwafor.Ajaka said; “The National Working Committee NWC just finished a meeting now and in their decision rescind that letter.
“So the status quo in Imo remains that the MacDonald Ebere led state Committee remains the substantive Chairman of the party in Imo state.
“There is no change of leadership, so what happened was just a mere mistake. The Supreme Court judgement was very clear, the current executive of MacDonald was a product of Congress.
“The Congress that produced Nwafor’s group has just elapsed by decision of NEC in 2022. So the current Exco there now is the only recognized leadership in Imo.
“This is the decision of the NWC today”.
When asked why the National Secretary was not in the meeting, Ajaka said that the Deputy Secretary who signed was present at the NWC meeting.
POLITICS
NPC Commissioner reaffirmed Plans for a Paperless Census in 2023

The federal commissioner representing Nasarawa state at the National Population Commission Abuja, Silas Ali Agara, has reaffirmed the commission’s plans to conduct a paperless population census using tablets during the 2023 census.
He disclosed this while touring the training centers of enumerators of the trial census across the Karu Local government area, Tuesday.
The Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission NPC, representing Nasarawa state, Silas Agara, visited the training centers which include, Karu Local government Secretariat, Government secondary schools Karshi, and that of Pyanko as well as government secondary school Uke among others.
Addressing the enumerators, Silas Agara, said the paperless census is necessary for Nigeria just as other countries like Ghana and South Africa have already adopted it, calling on the trainees to make sure they understand the practical aspect of the training, stressing that at the end of it, some of them would be supervisors and enumerators depending on the recommendations by the facilitators while those with less performance will be on the reserve list.
Agara told them that the paperless work does not matter the qualifications of an individual but how one can handle the machine, urging them to use the opportunity to improve their skills based on the technicality involved in the work and assured them of adequate security and welfare throughout the twelve days training of the enumerators.
He said those that did not receive text messages but their names were captured in the Master list of Five thousand one hundred and ninety-nine names to be reassured that they are part of the program, admonishing them to cooperate with their facilitators to achieve success.
Some facilitators and enumerators interviewed, Amanda Litini Apatak and Felix Ajuda, applauded the National population commission for allowing them to serve, saying that they have learned a lot with two days of their training.
POLITICS
2023: Umahi’s Deputy Governor, Igwe speaks on his Defection from APC to LP

Godwin Okeh, Abakaliki
Ebonyi state deputy governor, Chief Kelechi Eric Igwe has few months to the 2023 general election speaks on his alleged defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the Labour Party, LP.
DAILY ASSET reports that, there are rumours making the rounds in the state, that Igwe allegedly dumped APC to LP, to protest the denial of his senatorial ambition by the leadership of the party in the state.
Igwe, in a statement signed and made available to journalists in Abakaliki through his chief Press Secretary, Mr. Monday Uzor, said he has no intention to dump APC for LP, and that, in no account will he (Igwe) abandon his boss, David Umahi at the pick of the expiration of their 8yrs tenure.
He called on the people of the state to ignore the rumours, and warned his rivals to stay clear from heating up the polity in the state, especially as the gubernatorial candidates of PDP and APC struggles to takeover governance from Umahi.
He said: “The attention of the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Eric Kelechi Igwe has been drawn to a social media post alleging that the Deputy Governor is planning to dump All Progressive Congress APC for Labour party.
“The report is not only false but a deliberate attempt to smear the office and personality of the Deputy Governor. It is a deliberate attempt to heat up the polity through dangerous speculations capable of undermining the peace in the State.
“The deputy governor remains a strong and bonafide member of the All Progressives Congress APC and has no intention of dumping the party whether now or later.
“The Deputy Governor has enormous responsibilities occupying his time especially, how to assist the Governor David Umahi to successfully anchor the transition programme.
“The general public and in particular members of our great party should disregard such unfounded rumour being peddled by those who are envious of the the progress the party is making” he stated.