Headline

Umahi, Kelechi-Igwe: How Ebonyi Residents Reacted To Sack Of Governor, Deputy

Published

4 years ago

March 8, 2022

Mixed reactions have trailed the removal of Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi and his Deputy, Dr Eric Kelechi-Igwe from office by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

While some residents saw it as a welcome development, others expressed disappointment with the judgement.

Some residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abakaliki described it as a “victory for democracy”.

According to them, the judgement is an indication that the judiciary remains the beacon of democracy and the last hope of the common man.

Mr Basil Igwe, a resident, said the judgement would deepen democracy in the court and curtail the excesses of politicians especially, the elected representatives who jump from one party to another.

“The judgement is a true reflection of the Constitution and Electoral Act. The governor unlawfully defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that sponsored him in the 2015 and 2019 elections.

“The court victory is a vindication of our constitution and it will go a long way in checking the excesses of our politicians who jump from one political party to another without any reasonable cause,” he said.

Another resident, Mr Uchenna Igwe said that the victory was not for the PDP but for every democracy-loving citizen of the country.

He regretted that the nation’s democracy was in grave danger due to the attitude of some of the politicians and their neglect of the provisions of the Constitution.

“The judgement will serve as a deterrent to other elected public officials who would want to leave the party that sponsored them to victory for another party without relinquishing the position.

“I applaud the courage of Justice Enyang Ekwo for the judgement and urge the judiciary to remain alive to their duty,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Godwin Onwe, a lawyer said the governor had an option of appeal and would remain the governor until the last appeal was heard on the matter by the Supreme Court.

“Though the Federal High Court has sacked the governor by its pronouncement. However, Umahi remains the governor of Ebonyi because he has the right of appeal even up to the Supreme Court” he said.

The security situation in the Abakaliki and its environs has remained calm and peaceful in spite of the judgement against the governor.

Recall that the Governor was sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

Mr John Okoro, a resident, told NAN in Abakaliki, that the ruling sacking Umahi was not in the interest of Ebonyi people.

Okoro, a Political Analyst, described Umahi as a good leader and urged the court to reverse the ruling in favour of Umahi.

“Does it mean that we will not have a Governor at this period as the nation is prepping for the 2023 elections?

“I am not happy over the sack. Gov Umahi has done so much good for his people. The sack is not good, especially now that he is getting set to take the presidential position.”

Headline

FULL LIST: US To Review Green Cards From 19 ‘Countries Of Concern’ After Washington Shooting

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it will review the immigration status of all permanent residents, or “Green Card” holders, from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.

U.S. officials identified the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked alongside American forces in Afghanistan.

The individual was granted asylum earlier this year, not permanent residency, according to AfghanEvac, an organisation that assists Afghans resettled in the United States after the Taliban takeover in 2021.

“I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” said Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X.

The review follows a June executive order from President Trump classifying 19 countries as “of Identified Concern.”

The order banned entry for nearly all nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan. The full list of these countries is:

Afghanistan

Myanmar

Chad

Congo-Brazzaville

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Haiti

Iran

Libya

Somalia

Sudan

Yemen

A partial travel ban applies to seven additional countries, though some temporary work visas remain allowed: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Headline

Romanian Defence Minister Quits After Admitting Error In Academic Record

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Romania’s defence minister resigned on Friday after saying he made a “mistake” on his CV about his university education, as controversy swirled over alleged lies on his resume.

Ionut Mosteanu – who has admitted to writing on his CV that he graduated from a university he never attended – said he did not want the row “to distract” the NATO member at a time when it and Europe are “under attack from Russia”.

Romania has repeatedly seen drone fragments fall on its soil since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and reported a number of drone incursions.

On Tuesday, a drone crashed in eastern Romania, which borders Ukraine.

Romania has also accused Moscow of “hybrid attacks”, including meddling in presidential elections last year that were subsequently annulled.

“Today, I resigned from my position as minister of national defence,” Mosteanu said in a Facebook post, adding he wanted the country to be focused on its “difficult mission”.

“Romania and Europe are under attack from Russia. Our national security must be defended at all costs,” he added.

Mosteanu had come under pressure after a media investigation published on Thursday revealed that he wrote in a CV that he graduated from a university which he did not actually attend.

That same day he apologised for what he called “a mistake”.

“In a CV I quickly put together in 2016 using a template I found online, there is a mistake that I admit embarrasses me. I didn’t pay much attention to these details at the time,” he said on Facebook.

Mosteanu was appointed defence minister in June of this year, when a new pro-European government was formed after months of political turmoil.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said in a press release that he would propose economy and tourism minister Radu Miruta take over the defence portfolio in the interim.

AFP

Headline

Russia Insists Ukraine Must Cede Land Or Face Continued Military Push

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he would end his Ukraine offensive if Kyiv withdrew from territory Moscow claims at its own — otherwise his army would take it by force.

The Russian army has been slowly but steadily grinding through eastern Ukraine in costly battles against outnumbered and outgunned Ukrainian forces.

Washington has meanwhile renewed its push to end the nearly four-year war, putting forward a surprise plan that it hopes to finalise through upcoming talks with Moscow and Kyiv.

“If Ukrainian forces leave the territories they hold, then we will stop combat operations,” Putin said during a visit to Kyrgyzstan. “If they don’t, then we will achieve it by military means.”

Russia controls around one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. The issue of occupied land, which Kyiv has said it will never cede, is among the biggest stumbling blocks in the peace process.

Another important issue in the talks are Western security guarantees for Ukraine, which Kyiv says are needed to prevent Moscow from invading again in the future.

Washington’s original plan — drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies — would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

The US pared back the original plan over the weekend following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but has not yet released the new version.

Putin, who has seen the new plan, said it could be a negotiation starter.

“Overall, we agree that it could form the basis for future agreements,” he said of the latest draft, which the US is thought to have shortened to about 20 points.

US negotiator Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow next week to discuss the revised document, Putin said.

US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is meanwhile due to visit Kyiv later this week, Ukraine’s top presidential aide Andriy Yermak said.

– ‘Little can be done’ –

In his remarks Thursday, Putin repeated the claim that Russia had encircled the Ukrainian army in Pokrovsk and Myrnograd in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region — the most fiercely embattled area and a key target for Moscow’s forces.

“Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov are completely surrounded,” he said, using the Russian names for the cities.

Moscow was also advancing in Vovchansk and Siversk, as well as approaching the important logistic hub of Guliaipole, he added.

The Russian offensive “is practically impossible to hold back, so there is little that can be done about it”, Putin said.

Ukraine has denied Pokrovsk and Myrnograd are encircled, insisting its forces continue to hold the enemy along the front line.

Putin also questioned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s legitimacy and said signing any agreement with him would be legally “almost impossible” at the moment, a suggestion that has drawn groans from Kyiv and its allies.

According to data analysed by AFP from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces have conquered an average of 467 square kilometres (180 square miles) each month in 2025 — a step up from 2024.

Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the worst armed conflict in Europe since World War II.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes.