Politics

Imo Govt, PDP Clash Over Buhari’s Visit

Published

3 years ago

September 12, 2022

The Imo State government and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party have clashed over the visit of the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to the state on Tuesday.

Buhari, during his visit, will inaugurate the rebuilt State House of Assembly complex, the first phase of the Owerri- Okigwe Road, and the Owerri- Orlu Road, according to an update given by the state’s Commissioner for information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.

PDP, in a statement on Monday issued by its spokesperson, Collins Opurozor, alleged that state governor, Hope Uzodimma, was luring Buhari to the state to inaugurate uncompleted projects.

The main opposition, which stated that the governor had ditched the state into a financial mess, contended that the Assembly complex was built over 30 years ago by a former state governor, Sam Mbakwe.

PDP’s statement partly read, “Our party, therefore, condemns the move to bring President Buhari to Imo State to re-commission a 30-year-old repainted complex and the uncompleted Owerri-Okigwe Road. The President should not bow to self-serving pressures from Uzodinma to lend his exalted office for such caricature. We challenge Uzodinma to take President Buhari through the road set for commissioning to prove that it is truly in existence.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Imo State House of Assembly Complex, the best in Nigeria, was built and commissioned by Chief Sam Mbakwe in 1983. The project was handled by an indigenous firm, Okigwe Construction Company, owned by Chief John Enyogasi.

“For Imo PDP, therefore, Uzodinma’s attempt to take credit for Mbakwe’s landmark project is an intolerable dimension to his insult and disrespect to Mbakwe, and it is the most audacious attack on the memory of the late respected leader.

“What makes the issue more outrageous is that President Mohammadu Buhari, who Uzodinma has concluded plans to bring for the festival of shame, has always been known for his abiding disdain for the progress and development of Imo State. Recall that in 1983, the military regime of Buhari put our hero, Dee Sam Mbakwe, in prison for daring to develop Imo.

“In 2020, the regime of President Buhari again stopped the progress of Imo State by terminating the tenure of the duly elected Governor, the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and installing the unelected and unelectable Hope Uzodinma. Now in 2022, he is being invited to re-commission one of the signature projects of Chief Mbakwe so as to fully participate in the ridiculing of the late quintessential leader. The spirit of Dee Sam will rise to fight these unrepentant enemies.”

But in a statement, the state government said that the PDP in the state was suffering from political frustration.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Print Media, Modestus Nwamkpa, said that PDP was crying because Uzodimma was building projects the PDP’s past administrations in the state abandoned for over a decade.

Responding, the governor’s aide said, “There is nothing political frustration cannot cause the fast decaying Imo PDP. In the first place, the projects the president is coming to commission like the completely dualized 35km Owerri to Orlu road with street lights, the first phase of the 48 km Owerri to Okigwe road, and the remodeled ultra modern Imo House of Assembly complex which was abandoned to rot away for so many years throughout the PDP era already generating global commendation, and that is why Imo PDP is urinating in their pants.

“They are panicking because they know Uzodimma has opened Imo people’s eyes to what real good governance is. They are now afraid that with what Uzodimma has achieved in under two years, they might be stoned if they ever come out tomorrow to ask for votes again from the Imo people.

“It is shameful for Imo PDP to agree that a complex that was built 40 years ago by Sam Mbakwe was allowed to collapse completely until Uzodimma came to completely remodel, rehabilitate and reconstruct the complex with the latest state of the Art gadgets, the best currently in not Nigeria but arguably the best in Africa. The question is: What did they (PDP) do when they were in office except expanding the personal village and Owerri houses of their Governor?

“By the way, PDP did not tell the world that the same Governor Uzodimma is today equally renovating the village House of the former Sam Mbakwe.”

PUNCH

Politics

Tinubu Sends Ex-INEC Chair, Former Oyo First Lady, 30 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, just days after submitting an initial batch of three names.

In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President urged the upper chamber to consider and swiftly confirm 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.

The list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.

Prominent names on the non-career list include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner, Yakubu N. Gambo; and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC, Yakubu K. Musa.

Also nominated are former Plateau senator, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.

Additional nominees include former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator, Grace Bent; former Abia governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo State; and former envoy to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

The career ambassadorial nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

Others include Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Their specific postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.

Recall that President Tinubu, last week, forwarded three ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu said additional ambassadorial nominations will be announced in due course.

Politics

Soludo Visits Tinubu, Goes Into Closed Door Session With President

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR at the State House.

Report by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Chris Aburime stated that President Tinubu received the Anambra State Governor with excitement, describing him as his long standing friend of over 22 years.

Aburime said, “The President used the occasion to further congratulate Governor Soludo on his landslide victory in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election.

“Recall that President Tinubu had earlier issued a congratulatory message to Governor Soludo immediately the governorship election was concluded.”

Governor Soludo was declared winner with 73% of the votes cast by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Other details of the meeting were, however, not disclosed as the press Secretary told DAILY POST that both men went into a closed door meeting after the reception.

Politics

2027: I Will Resign If Tinubu Loses In Edo – Governor Okpebholo

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholor has vowed that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election in Edo State.

Okpebholor in an interview captured in a viral video vowed to resign if the outcome of the 2027 election does not favour the president in Edo State.

According to him, the entire people in Edo State are ready to vote for the president, citing projects that his (Okpebholor) administration executed since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over the state.

He claimed that there is no opposition in the state, stressing that everyone is supporting the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “There is no opposition here in Edo everybody is for Asiwaju in this state.

“Tinubu is more popular than me in Edo state. If he doesn’t win the presidential election in Edo in 2027, I will resign.”