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Edo Guber: Umakhihe Enters Benin In Grand Style After Picking APC Forms

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It was a carnival-like celebration yesterday in Benin Airport as Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant on the forthcoming Edo State election touched ground in the airport after picking his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms.

The former federal Permanent Secretary who was received with singing and dancing by his supporters at the airport thanked them for the warm welcome and unwavering support, promising that when he elected, they would all smile.

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Addressing the large number of supporters who had patiently waited at the airport, Dr Umakhihe, said if given the party’s ticket in the forthcoming primary, and eventually emerge governor of the state, he would leverage on his wealth of experiences and connections to turn the fortune of the people of the state around.

Dr. Umakhihe said if he could use his little connections then as a civil servant to impact on the lives of the people, he would do more if he becomes the governor of the state.

“Why I am the best candidate and the first choice for this position? I have a blue print on what I want to do.

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READ ALSO: Edo 2024: Umakhihe’s Fresh Hope Agenda Best Choice For Governor

“My antecedents spanned various sectors of the Nigerian economy. National Planning and Budgeting, Central Administration, Infrastructure because I was the Permanent Secretary, Works and Housing and of course, agriculture.

“That was the last beat before I retired and in the cause of these works, I have had extensive experience and connections with international development partners, local and I was also secretary to the National Economic Council, (NEC) and in that position, I have interfaced with the 36 governors, and of course, the Vice President and so, I know the workings of the Nigerian economy and dovetailing into the sub-nationals, those are the states and of course, the local governments.

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” In the cause of my stay in the infrastructure ministry like Works and Housing and Agriculture. The aspect of agriculture, there is also rural development in agriculture.So, we had agriculture and rural development. I was able to attract a lot of projects to Edo State in the three senatorial districts whether is borehole, road infrastructure, connecting farms to markets, skill acquisition centers, health facilities, school buildings, empowerment of farmers.

“I have touched a lot of farmers indeed when I was the Minister of Agriculture. We have done a lot to empower women in this state because i had a gender unit which was focused on agriculture for youths and women and we have done a lot across all that.

“The driving force in this aspiration is that, with those positions, I could reach and touch a lot of lives. So, if I am giving a higher opportunity, I will excel and touch the lives of average Edolites in the areas of road infrastructure, education, agriculture, women empowerment, skill acquisitions and every other infrastructural development that the state urgently desires now. That is my driving force. All these things i have mentioned that i did, I didn’t promise anybody .

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READ ALSO: Edo Guber: Give Umakhihe Party Ticket, Group Tasks APC Leaders

“I could have easily stayed away without doing them. I didn’t promise and I did. So, if I now promise that I will do this, certainly I will do it”, Umakhihe said.

Umakhihe added that he is fully in the race and his determination is to win the forthcoming governorship election.

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“I am still in the race fully. And they have been screened to six candidates and I was one of them.

“So, I have bought my form, that is what I could let you people know that I am fully in the race and I am filling it and returning it by next week to the national secretariat”, Umakhihe added.

He urged the party faithful to rally round him for him to be victorious because he is committed to serve them just he has always done adding that the reward for more work, is more work.

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So, my plea to Edo people is, I always say the rewards for hard work, is more work . so edolites, please give me this opportunity for more work”, Umakhihe said.

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VIDEO: How Peter Obi Betrayed Me – Kenneth Okonkwo In New Interview

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Veteran actor and ex-spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of betrayal in the wake of internal party disputes.

In a viral interview with Symfoni which started trending on Saturday, Okonkwo, who officially exited the Labour Party in February 2025, revealed that Obi went against his advice and returned to support the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party, despite alleged warnings.

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According to him, Obi was misled by LP executives who claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had recognised them.

He said, “Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.

READ ALSO: Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments

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“The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them but I told him: ‘Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.’”

He said that despite privately urging Obi not to align with a group he described as “undemocratic” and “agents of the government,” Okonkwo said Obi went ahead to publicly endorse them.

“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him. What they did was absolutely illegal and unconstitutional, I told him that if he went back to them, I wouldn’t join him in doing so.

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“Thereafter, I called all the people that were in the inner circle and told them the same thing about what Obi was trying to do. I told them he wanted to go back with the Abure people and if he did, I wouldn’t go back with him because I do not swallow back my words.

READ ALSO: Teen Who Stood In Front Of Peter Obi’s Convoy Freed After Months In Kirikiri

“And after saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them and while he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them.

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“It was when INEC dissociated itself from Abure that Obi came out to start acting neutral but I told him he could not be neutral and something had to be done,” he added.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with opposing factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.

The Abure-led faction has faced allegations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic practices, which critics say contradict the party’s reformist image.

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Okonkwo, a known loyalist of Obi’s political ideology, cited these irregularities as his reason for quitting the party earlier in the year.

Watch video below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202

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Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst

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Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.

In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.

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People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.

Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.

READ ALSO: I Don’t Want To Join Issues With Children, Amaechi Hits Back At Wike

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While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.

If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.

Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.

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“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.

READ ALSO: Democracy Day: Gov. Mohammed Advocates Unity, Good Governance

He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.

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Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.

The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.

“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.

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Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.

 

Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.

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Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.

But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.

We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

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UNN Best Graduate Wins £33,000 Com

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A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.

Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.

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I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?

READ ALSO: Crisis Brews In UNN As Court Restrains Varsity From Conducting Convocation Election

“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.

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Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.

This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.

 

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