News

Alleged N1.7b Fraud: Enugu APC Chairman, Guber Candidate Dragged To Court

Published

3 years ago

February 7, 2023

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Mr. Adolphus Ude has dragged the party’s chairman, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah to court over alleged N1.7 billion fraud.

Also joined in the suit as defendant is the governorship candidate of the APC in Enugu State, Chief Uche Nnaji.

Ude, in suit No. E/47/2023, filed a criminal complaint against the duo before an Enugu State High Court.

The plaintiff is accusing Agballah and Nnaji of misappropriating party funds and lack of accountability.

Ude, who is the pioneer deputy chairman of the party in Enugu State, alleged in the suit that the Enugu State chapter of the party realized N786 million from the sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, which the defendants were yet to account for.

He also alleged that the APC, Enugu State, realized an additional $1,351,000 from consultations and logistics from presidential aspirants, but that Agballah and Nnaji had refused to account for the monies despite agitations and protests by members of the party in the state.

“Since the third defendant (Nnaji) was nominated as the (governorship) candidate of the party, he has connived with the second defendant (Agballah) to misappropriate the funds of the party and run the affairs of the party with impunity.

“The second and third defendants misappropriated the $1.5 million given to the APC, Enugu State, as delegates’ allowances and failed to pay the money to the delegates. The second and third defendants appropriated the money for themselves instead,” he stated in the suit.

He is, therefore, seeking an order of the court directing Agballah and Nnaji to “render and publish a detailed account of the amount realised by the APC in Enugu State from the issuance and purchase of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms by the aspirants in the APC for the governorship position in Enugu State in the 2023 general election.”

The plaintiff is also pressing for an order of court directing Agballah and Nnaji to render and publish a detailed account of the use and proof of disbursement of the sum of $1.5 million released by the first defendant (APC) for the payment of allowances of the first defendant’s delegates from Enugu State to the National Convention and presidential primary election of the first defendant.”

He further averred that, “By a letter dated August 19, 2022, the second defendant’s ward, the Udi/Agbudu Ward in Udi Local Government Area suspended the second defendant from being a member of the Ward and expelled him from the Ward and debarred him from holding party office in APC.

“This was as a result of the corruption and impunity perpetrated by the second defendant in handling the affairs and funds of the APC, Enugu State. Notwithstanding his suspension and expulsion from APC in his Ward, the second defendant continued to parade himself as the chairman of APC, Enugu State and to meddle in the affairs of the party with impunity and without authority.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

Rcall that earlier in January, Ude led a protest of aggrieved Enugu APC members against Agballah and Nnaji at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

News

Trump’s Airstrikes: Halt Military Cooperation With US Immediately – Sheikh Gumi Tells Tinubu Govt

Published

10 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has called on the Federal Government to immediately halt all military cooperation with the United States following reported US airstrikes.

Gumi warned that American involvement could worsen Nigeria’s security challenges and undermine national sovereignty.

Gumi made the call in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Friday.

He said while Islam permits the fight against terrorism, such actions should only be carried out by what he described as “clean hands,” arguing that the United States lacks the moral authority to lead such efforts because of its global military record.

According to the cleric, Nigeria made a mistake by allowing foreign powers to play a role in its counterterrorism operations, insisting that “terrorists do not truly fight terrorists” and that such interventions often result in civilian casualties and hidden political motives.

Gumi warned that allowing Nigeria to become a theatre of war would attract anti-US forces into the country, further destabilising it.

He also cautioned that US involvement, particularly under claims of protecting Christians, could polarise the country along religious lines.

The cleric further argued that airstrikes alone cannot defeat terrorism, stressing that effective counterterrorism requires strong ground operations, which he said Nigeria has enough personnel to carry out if properly organised.

“This is the mistake Nigeria has made. Terrorists don’t fight terrorists in truth; they may only kill innocent people and have ulterior motives behind the drama of fighting ‘terror’.

“As a principle, no nation should allow its land to be a theater of war. And no nation should allow its neighbors to be their enemies.

“If Nigeria wants military assistance, China, Turkey, and Pakistan can do the job effectively,” part of his statement reads.

News

Shehu Sani Reacts To Trump’s Military Strikes In Nigeria

Published

10 hours ago

December 26, 2025

Editor

Former lawmaker, senator Shehu Sani, has reacted to reports of United States military strikes on terrorist targets in Nigeria’s North-West, saying foreign powers cannot permanently handle the country’s security challenges.

Sani made the remarks on Friday via his X handle while responding to a post by the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, which indicated that the strikes were carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

According to him, if the reported strikes were indeed a joint operation with Nigerian security agencies, then such action was justifiable, given the threat posed by terrorist groups in the region.

He described terrorists operating in parts of northern Nigeria as “cancerous cells,” stressing that they survive through violence and should be confronted decisively.

Sani also dismissed narratives suggesting that terrorist attacks target only one religious group, describing such claims as false and misleading.

He said: “If actually, the military strikes against the terrorists targets in the North Western part of Nigeria were a joint operation with the ‘Nigerian Authorities’ as posted by the US AFRICOM on their verified X handle, then it’s a conscionable action.

“Terrorists have become cancerous cells in our part of the country.They live by the sword.The narrative that the evil terrorists only targets one faith, remains absolutely false and misleading.

“Again, the ultimate security and peace in our country lies with ourselves and not with the US or any foreign power. They can complimentarily or unilaterally strike, but they can’t eternally fight our battles.”