Politics

Obi Will Garner Votes In South-East, Umahi Confesses

Published

3 years ago

September 9, 2022

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, on Friday, said the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would garner a significant number of votes from the South-East.

The former presidential aspirant who described himself as a loyal party man rooting for the All Progressive Congress’ win in the 2023 presidential election, said Obi’s political movement would be an effective harbinger for an Igbo presidency.

However, the movement will not “translate into an outright win”. Umahi revealed this to State House Correspondents shortly after a private visit to the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

The visit, he said, is to invite Buhari to commission the new N1.2bn Ebonyi State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja in mid-October.

Feilding a question about his earlier reservations following his loss at the APC presidential primaries and his demand for a president of Southeast extraction in 2023, Umahi described the Obi Movement as an eye opener showing that the South East would not be forgotten in Nigeria’s politics.

The governor said despite the Labour Party’s poise to take a bulk of the Southeast votes, the APC will emerge victorious in next year’s election.

Asked what critical selling points will form the APC’s campaign message in the southeast, he said: “It’s going to be a different ball game altogether. Because when the campaign starts, yes, the interest of our people in terms of the presidency is there, you can’t wish it away. But everyone in the southeast holding the ticket of their party is going to be struggling. You will not tell the guy that has the ticket of the House of Assembly to look at the bigger picture of Igbo presidency. He may not see it but that is not to say that Peter Obi is not going to get substantial votes in the South East.

“But the structure and the spread of APC is such that victory is assured. And I can assure you that some of the disagreements in some states are going to be resolved. A mechanism has been put in place by Mr. President, the candidate of the party, his vice and then the national chairman and leadership of the party, to sort out our differences. And I think we are well prepared for victory in 2023.”

Questioned about the southeast’s readiness to man the presidency, Umahi said: “What happened during the primaries of PDP and APC, were a kind of miscalculation by our people but to say whether they’re ready for the presidency of the country anytime, I think that the movement of Peter Obi is an eye opener.

“That’s why I said, I love what he’s doing. I’m encouraged by what he’s doing. Because if he’s not doing what he’s doing, it means that the South East would have been forgotten.

“So, while my party takes the victory, he would have prepared a very good ground, for the South East Presidency, so that nobody is going to write us off. And you can see the level of his acceptability, which does not translate to victory over APC. I’m sure of that, but it’s a good movement. And it reassures the southeast people and the entire country that we are accepted, you know, that we will one day become the president of this country. It is very important.”

He however argued that there is no direct link between the reduced cases of killings in the southeast and the Obi movement.

Lately, there has been an ongoing narrative that the gory violence prevalent in the Southeast is subsiding due to the prospect of Peter Obi clinching the Presidency in 2023.

He said “You cannot technically assign the reduction in the killings for Igbo presidency, you can see that security generally is improving in the country. And it has nothing to do with the movement of Peter Obi.

“Peter Obi movement is a movement that is anchored on equity, justice and fairness. It may not translate to an outright win because I must defend my party, I must wish my party well and I’m having the ticket of my party.

“But whether what he is doing has meaning there, it is not only in the southeast, it does have meaning. So we must never attribute the killings in the southeast to this kind of movement,” he argued.

Umahi noted that every candidate has a chance to win the elections and he wishes Peter Obi the victory.

“As a party man, I would wish that our party would win. And if God says no, the next person I wish that should win is Peter Obi. Because I believe strongly and I will say it anywhere in this north-south presidency after the north has taken eight years, there is no moral justification for the north to be seeking to take another eight years, it should go to the south. And so, I’m not wishing Peter Obi away.

“Everybody has the chance of winning and chances of losing but you must always have a wish,” he said.

Politics

INEC Has Not Confirmed ADC State Leaders – Party

Published

9 hours ago

September 15, 2025

Editor

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has dismissed a report claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed a list of its state chairmen across Nigeria.

In a statement on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the circulating report titled “Coalition Update: INEC Confirms ADC State Chairmen Nationwide” as “fake news” aimed at creating confusion within the party.

“The Independent National Electoral Commission, to the best of our knowledge and verification, has issued no such confirmation, neither officially nor unofficially,” Abdullahi said.

He explained that choosing and approving state leaders is the party’s internal responsibility, not INEC’s.

“The process of constituting and ratifying state leadership within any political party lies squarely within the party’s constitutional prerogative. INEC only recognizes what the party submits through the appropriate channels after due process,” he added.

Abdullahi urged ADC members and the public to ignore the fake list and wait for official communication.

“We therefore urge our members and stakeholders to remain calm, vigilant, and guided by official communication from the national leadership of the ADC,” he said.

He reassured supporters that the ADC remains committed to discipline, structure, and internal democracy, adding that any genuine updates on party leadership will be shared through verified platforms.

Politics

How Bello Deceitfully Assured Me Of Kogi Guber Ticket For 4 Years — Onoja

Published

19 hours ago

September 14, 2025

Editor

Former deputy governor of Kogi State, Edward David Onoja, has revealed that his former principal, Yahaya Bello, assured him for four years that he would succeed him as governor, only to change his decision a day before the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election.

Onoja made the disclosure during an interview on MIC ON Podcast published on Saturday night, where he recounted his political journey and his relationship with former Governor Bello.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Onoja had served as Chief of State for about four years before becoming deputy governor under Bello until their tenure elapsed.

“For four years before 2023, he (Yahaya Bello) was the one who called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned, I worked, and when it was time, he gave all of us the opportunity (to contest),” Onoja said.

According to him, about seven cabinet members at the time, including himself, picked up the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination forms on Bello’s directive, but in the end, Bello’s support was with the current governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

“At the end of the day, his heart and his choice was with the current governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo,” he said.

Onoja revealed that Bello broke the news to him just a day before the party primaries, a decision he respected despite his disappointment.

“When he broke the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him, ‘You are the boss, you are over me, what you see is what I see, so let’s go get the job done, but I hope you are not making a mistake.’ There were no issues, and then we went to the field and did our best for our candidate,” he stated.

Onoja, who is now a board member of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), emphasised that despite the turn of events, he remained committed to ensuring victory for the party’s eventual candidate and winner of the last Kogi State governorship election, Ododo, who went on to succeed Bello.

Politics

Alleged Infidelity: Soludo’s Wife Issues Senator Ekwunife Ultimatum To Apologize

Published

19 hours ago

September 14, 2025

Editor

Mrs. Nonye Soludo

…dares her for fidelity oath, paternal DNA test challenge

The wife of Anambra State governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, has issued Senator Uche Ekwunife 72 hours ultimatum to withdraw claims of Infidelity against her and tender a public apology, or face legal action.

She also challenged the senator for both of them to swear an oath of fidelity before the Blessed Virgin Mary or subject their children to DNA tests.

The challenge followed claims by Ekwunife, deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2025 Anambra governorship election, who alleged that Mrs Soludo was once close to former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju.

In a statement issued on Friday, Nonye Soludo accused the former fenale lawmaker of fabricating allegations and dragging her children into political disputes.

She described Ekwunife’s comments as malicious and said: “Since Uche Ekwunife claims to be a converted Catholic, I challenge her for both of us to swear an oath of fidelity and chastity at any cathedral in front of the Blessed Sacrament and the Bible.

“I will swear (with my children) that in my 55 years on earth, I have known only one man—Chukwuma Soludo. On your part, you should also swear (with your children or your political ambitions) that since you got married, you have never cheated on your husband,” she declared.

Soludo’s wife also invited Ekwunife to scientific verification through DNA testing.

“I challenge you, Uche Ekwunife, for us to subject our children to paternity tests in three reputable hospitals in London. I will pay all the expenses, including travel for you and your family. If the results confirm that your husband fathered all your children, I will not only congratulate you but also present a cash award,” she added.

The governor’s wife emphasised her Christian upbringing and marital fidelity.

“I married him as a virgin and my fidelity to him in 33 years of marriage and for life is ironclad,” she said.

Declaring that her life has never depended on government patronage, even as First Lady, Mrs. Soludo vowed to sustain her defence “with decency, character, and grace.”

“My weapons are decency, character, and grace. I am a long-distance runner, and I welcome you to the marathon,” she stated.

The confrontation stemmed from Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s earlier questions over Senator Ekwunife’s academic qualifications. The APC deputy governorship candidate responded with sharp criticisms, prompting the governor’s wife to step into the feud.