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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

Serbia Indicts Ex-minister, 12 Others Over Train Station Tragedy

Published

11 hours ago

September 16, 2025

Editor

Serbian prosecutors filed an updated indictment on Tuesday against 13 people, including a former minister, over a fatal railway station roof collapse that has triggered a wave of anti-government protests.

The prosecution said all those indicted, among them former construction minister Goran Vesic, face charges of “serious crimes against public safety” over the tragedy that killed 16 people last November.

“The indictment proposes that the Higher Court in Novi Sad order custody for all the defendants,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The roof collapse at the newly renovated station in Serbia’s second-largest city, Novi Sad, became a symbol of entrenched corruption and sparked almost daily protests.

Protesters first demanded a transparent investigation, but their calls soon escalated into demands for early elections.

The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad initially filed an indictment at the end of December, but judges returned it in April, requesting more information.

The accused were released or placed under house arrest following the decision.

The prosecutor’s office said it had complied with the judge’s request and had now completed the supplementary investigation.

The prosecutor specialising in organised crime and corruption in Belgrade is leading a separate, independent investigation into the tragedy.

That investigation is focused on 13 people, including Vesic and another former minister, Tomislav Momirovic, who headed the Construction Ministry before him.

In March, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) launched a third, separate investigation into the possible misuse of EU funds for the station’s reconstruction.

AFP

Headline

Kazakhstan Bans Forced Marriage, Bride Kidnapping

Published

11 hours ago

September 16, 2025

Editor

Kazakhstan has banned forced marriages and bride kidnappings through a law that came into effect Tuesday in the Central Asian country, where the practice persists despite new attention being paid to women’s rights.

Forcing someone to marry is now punishable by up to 10 years in prison, Kazakh police said in a statement.

“These changes are aimed at preventing forced marriages and protecting vulnerable categories of citizens, especially women and adolescents,” it added.

Bride kidnappings have also been outlawed.

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“Previously, a person who voluntarily released a kidnapped person could expect to be released from criminal liability. Now this possibility has been eliminated,” the police said.

There are no reliable statistics of forced marriage cases across the country, with no separate article in the criminal code prohibiting it until now.

A Kazakh lawmaker said earlier this year that the police had received 214 such complaints over the past three years.

The custom is also present in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, where it mostly goes unpunished due to indifferent law enforcement and stigma surrounding whistleblowers.

The issue of women’s rights in Kazakhstan gained media attention in 2023 following the murder of a woman by her husband, a former minister, a case that shocked Kazakh society and prompted President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to react.

“Some people hide behind so-called traditions and try to impose the practice of wife stealing. This blatant obscurantism cannot be justified,” Tokayev said last year.

AFP

Headline

Russia Arrests Woman For Detonating Bomb On Railway

Published

11 hours ago

September 16, 2025

Editor

Russia’s FSB security service said on Tuesday it had arrested a woman in her fifties accused of detonating explosives in a bid to sabotage the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The suspect was allegedly working on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence, the FSB said, in the latest incident of alleged covert activity during the countries’ conflict.

“In August 2025, following the instructions provided by the adversary, the suspect manufactured a homemade explosive device from publicly available components, placed it on the railway tracks and triggered it,” the Russian agency said.

“She recorded the moment of the explosion on her mobile phone camera and sent the footage as a report to the handler to receive a reward.”

The statement did not name the suspect but said she was born in 1974 and carried out the alleged attack in eastern Siberia’s Zabaikalsky region.

The FSB warned Russians that it was monitoring social networks and online messenger services such as Telegram and WhatsApp for evidence of Ukrainian services recruiting Russians to carry out sabotage.

Separately, the agency told state news agency TASS that a man had been sentenced to 18 years and six months for transporting explosives on behalf of a “pro-Ukrainian” group.

A resident of the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, had, the FSB said, established contact through the Telegram app with a banned “terrorist organisation”.

He allegedly retrieved explosives from a cache on the orders of this group before waiting for “further instructions”, according to the same source cited by TASS.

He was jailed by a military tribunal.

AFP