News

Three Anambra Monarchs Strip Ifeanyi Ubah Of Chieftaincy Titles

Published

4 months ago

January 17, 2024

The traditional ruler of Aguluezechukwu in Aguata Local Government Area, Igwe F.E. Ebelendu; traditional ruler of Neni in Anaocha Local Government Area, Igwe Onwuamaeze Damian and the traditional ruler of Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area, Igwe Gerald Mbamalu, have withdrawn the chieftaincy titles they conferred on the Senator representing Anambra South, Ifeanyi Ubah.

This was disclosed in a statement issued by Christian Aburime, the Press Secretary to the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, on Tuesday.

The three monarchs had conferred various chieftaincy titles on Ubah during their respective Ofala and cultural festivals last December.

Ubah, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress, is said to be interested in contesting the 2025 governorship election in the state.

The Anambra State government had through the state Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, earlier suspended the traditional ruler of Neni Kingdom, Igwe Damian Ezeani, following his conferment of the chieftaincy title on the Senator.

In his suspension letter signed by the state Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr Tonycollins Nwabunwanne, and dated January 8, 2024, Ezeani was said to have violated the code of conduct for traditional rulers.

According to Aburime, the action by the three traditional rulers was in direct contravention of the State Traditional Rulers’ code.

The statement read, “It has come to the attention of Anambra State Government that Igwe F.E. Ebelendu of Aguluezechukwu in Aguata Local government Area, Igwe Onwuamaeze Damian Ezeani of Neni in Anaocha Local government area and Igwe Gerald Obunadike Mbamalu of Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area have respectively apologised to Anambra State Government and withdrawn and cancelled the phantom chieftaincy titles conferred on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, as it contravenes the State Traditional Rulers’ law.

“This action by the three traditional rulers was in direct contravention of the State Traditional Rulers’ code, which outlines the rules and regulations regarding the granting and revocation of chieftaincy titles.

“Consequently, the titles of Ikemba Ojoto, Odenjiinji Neni and Dike Eji Eje Ogu earlier bestowed on Senator Ifeanyi Ubah have been withdrawn and cancelled by the three Igwes.

“This was contained in their respective letters of apology to the state government which also confirmed the withdrawal and cancellation of the chieftaincy titles which they variously described as nullity.

“However, it is instructive to note that traditional rulers are kindly advised to adhere strictly to the State Traditional laws and avoid any untoward actions that could contravene the provisions of the law.”

Unah, had earlier slammed the state government for suspending the transitional ruler of Neni, who during the Yuletide, conferred on him the title of ‘Odenjinji’ of Neni, which is similar to the title the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, also holds in his Isuofia community.

The senator, in a statement, said, “The entire game is all about politics. Soludo is frustrated by my rising popularity.

“I am not the only person that received a chieftaincy title. Former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, was honoured within the same period; Vice President Kashim Shettima was also honoured; Mr President was honoured in absentia. Why is my own different?

“The governor is frustrated by my acceptance and popularity; he is jittery about the next governorship election, but I leave him to his conscience.”

News

Labour Party Crisis: Edo Deputy Gov Tackles Akpata

Published

2 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Marvellous Omobayo, has reacted to the allegation of being the sponsor of the crisis rocking the Edo State chapter of Labour Party, LP.

State Youth Leader of the LP, Ken Omusi, alongside some youths of the party had last week Thursday invaded the secretariat of the LP, Benin, declared the state executive sacked and pronounced himself as the acting state chairman of the party.

Reacting to the incident, during a press briefing last Saturday, May 11, 2024, governorship candidate of the LP, Barrister Olumide Akpata, accused the deputy governor of sponsoring the youth leader to cause crisis in the party particularly the invasion of the secretariat.

But reacting to the allegation, the deputy governor in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Victor Adefemi, and made to INFO DAILY, “disclaimed the spurious allegations of the Labour Party governorship candidate.”

According to the statement, the deputy governor has no place for violence and hatred in his style of politics, urging the LP , governorship candidate to go and verify.

“During the run up to the Labour Party Primaries earlier this year, he showed exemplary leadership by refusing to be part of all the violent intrigues and ‘monetary melodramas’ that led to the emergence of Olumide Akpata as LP’s governorship candidate,” the statement added.

Adefemi, while unequivocally stating that the allegations are “unfounded and baseless,” urged Akpata to “show decorum when making public statements.”

“Barrister Olumide Akpata is hereby urged to excuse the Deputy Governor from Labour Party’s crises. Omobayo has no place for violence and hatred in his style of politics, the Labour Party’s candidate should go and verify this,” the statement added.

News

PHOTOS: NECO Releases 2024 Internal Exam Timetable

Published

4 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The 2024 National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) Internal Examinations timetable has been released, the release marked the commencement of a crucial period for secondary school students across Nigeria.

With the release of the schedule, candidates and educators alike are gearing up for the rigorous assessments ahead.

This is disclosed in a Monday post on its X platform, @Neconigeria.

The indigenous examination body disclosed that the exam begins Wednesday, June 19, 2024, and ends Friday, July 26, 2024.

Here are the photos of the NECO 2024 timetable below:

News

VIDEO: Lady Laments As Lagos Issues Demolition Notice Two Months After Property Purchase

Published

5 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

A viral video circulating on social media shows a woman lamenting the demolition notice served on her property in Lagos State allegedly just two months after moving in.

In the video that surfaced online on Monday, the yet-to-be-identified woman cried as she recounted the ordeal. A picture of a demolition notice dated May 7, 2024, was also attached to the video.

She said, “We bought that property in February, and we’ve only been there for two months. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights, everything… If you’re in Lagos, you’ll know how much property in Eti Osa costs.

“Each time my son sees me crying, he will always ask me why I am crying. How do I explain this to our son? What do I tell my children? I’m trying so hard to be strong, but this is very painful.

“I don’t wish for anybody to work so hard and face something like this. I don’t.”

The video, which was shared on X.com on Monday by Spotlight Abby, tweeting with the handle #Spotlight_Abby, has garnered reactions from netizens, with some sympathising with the couple and others criticising the decision to invest in Lagos real estate citing recent incidents of demolitions.

It also raised concerns about the need for thorough due diligence before investing in real estate in the state.

One Nneka Busy Body tweeting as #Nnekabusybody wrote, “While this is sad I’m a bit confused. With the uncertain investment landscape of Lagos and everything we see and read about, you still went and bought property in Lagos in 2024? How? Why?”

Another user tweeting anonymously as #ideniyor wrote, “She and her husband deserve it. They bought a land without lawyers and due diligence. Cry me a river. The seller landed a fast one on them.”

This is not the first time property demolitions in Lagos have sparked controversy.

PUNCH reported last week that residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State decried the demolition of their multimillion-naira houses in the area by the state government while seeking compensation for a new shelter.

Speaking on the incident, the state commissioner for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that the government issued the residents of Mende Villa Estate two demolition notices in 2021 and 2023.

On Wednesday, Wahab, in a post on X.com, also hinted that illegal builders whose houses are demolished may soon be asked to pay for the demolition.

Watch video courtesy The PUNCH

𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨: 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐬 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞
A viral video circulating on social media shows a woman lamenting the demolition notice served on her… pic.twitter.com/ILHxPGgCJV
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) May 13, 2024