NEWS
APC Collapses LP Structure In Enugu As Rep Member, 1000 Others Defect To Party
The member representing Udi/Ezeagu federal constituency in the House of Representatives under the platform of Labour Party (LP), Hon. Sunday Umeha, at the weekend officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Enugu State.
In what seems a historic electoral breakthrough Umeha, announced his defection to APC during a mini-rally at Ibagwa-Aka, in Igboeze South local government area.
Similarly, a business mogul and financier of Labour Party in Igboeze South local government area of the state, Chief Joshua Ogbonna popularly called “Father Father” led more than 1000 members of the party, including the local government structures of the party, into the APC.
Speaking on why he attended the APC rally, which was outside his own constituency of Udi/Ezeagu, Umeha said it was in solidarity with his friend, Chief Ogbonna, disclosing that another rally that would officially usher him into APC would still come up in matter of days in his local government area, Ezeagu.
The lawmaker however announced that he had already resigned from the Labour Party and registered with APC at his Ward, even as he cited the intractable division within the ranks of his former party (LP) at the national and state levels as one of the reasons for his dumping the party for APC.
Umeha, who is now the first APC member to occupy elective position in the state since its inception in 2014, said his decision to join the ruling party was also “because of the need to connect to the centre and bring our people closer because there are a lot of advantages in plugging to the center.”
He said that the APC has served the interest of Igbos better than the PDP at the federal level, citing the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, Enugu-Port-Harcourt Expressway and the 2nd Nigeria Bridge as some of the landmark projects the current ruling party has executed in Igbo land.
Enugu State APC chairman Chief Ugochukwu Agballah speaking while receiving Chief Joshua Ogbonna (Father Father) and more than 1000 other LP members during rally at Ibagwa-Aka in Igboeze South LGA, weekend
The Leader of APC in Enugu state and Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, represented by his governorship running mate during the 2023 general elections, Barr George Ogara, said he was elated by the influx of credible and grassroots persons into the APC in the state.
“It’s indeed time for us to come together to retrieve power from those who have been using it to oppress the people. What is happening here today, the sheer number of defectors has not happened elsewhere in the state before. I urge all of us to remain steadfast because all of us shall be the beneficiaries when victory is achieved,” he said.
Speaking while receiving the defectors, the Enugu State Chairman of APC, Barr Ugochukwu Agballah, said the party was getting primed to take over Enugu’s seat of power, the Lion Building, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2027.
Agballah stated that PDP’s dominance of governance of the state for 26 years has only brought tears, anguish and sorrow to the people with high taxations, land grabbing, and demolitions of people’s means of livelihood for the purpose of building motor parks, which ordinarily should be the responsibility of local governments.
He thanked a chieftain of the party from Nsukka local government area, Barr Peter Okonkwo for donating Enugu North Senatorial Zonal Campaign Office to the party and facilitating the collapse of LP structure in Igboeze South LGA.
“Peter Okonkwo is equipped for the redemption of Enugu state and we will not shy away from that task,” he said.
Agballah noted that the defection was unprecedented in the history of decampment in Enugu state since the 2023 general elections, where an entire LGA and wards executive members led by the LP local government Chairmanship candidate in the last LGA election are all declaring for APC.
“It is a total collapse of structure… today I hand over to you the symbol of our party, our flag; I hand you the broom, which is an insignia of our party and with this broom we are going to sweep in good governance in Enugu state, with this broom we are going to sweep away the reactionary forces that have held our people hostage for 26 years. With this broom we are going to bring back democracy in Enugu state.
“I want to say it here and I want to say it loud and clear to all doubting Thomases, that APC Enugu state is poised to take over the government of Enugu come 2027.
“After the election, I personally started making contacts with our brothers in the Labour Party and other parties; men of goodwill, men of whom we have the same ideological persuasion with, people who believe in good governance.
“And I told them that APC is a purely sanitized party and that this party is going to be the platform for change. APC is the Zion train of Enugu state; it’s the soul train that will take us to our destination.
“We say enough is enough. They are stealing our tomorrow and they tell us tomorrow is here. They have destroyed our businesses, destroyed educational institutions to build motor parks. They have destroyed our economy by excessive taxation.
“That’s why we said we want change. We are the true sons of the leaders of Wawa people that brought Enugu state of our dreams. We are going to restore the dreams of our founding fathers and APC is the platform.
So I’m happy today that we have credible political Argonauts coming into APC, who will waive the broom and the people will vote. We know what happened in Enugu state; the people who have dominion today did not have dominion from God, they stole power and APC is the only platform that can stop the continuous stealing, the continuous rigging of the mandate of the people of Enugu state. APC will stop it.”
In his remarks on behalf of other defectors from Ibagwa-Aka local government area, Chief Joshua Ogbonna recounted efforts made by opponents to stop them from defecting to APC, including seizing the buses they hired to convey the people to the venue which made them to resort to using commercial motorcyclists.
“We are more than 1000 that defected to APC today. I’m telling you that work begins today in Igboeze South local government area; it will be ward to ward movement. I’m assuring you that Igboeze South will not come last,” he posited.
The United States and Iran said they reached a deal to end
the Middle East war on all fronts including Lebanon, and reopen the vital
Strait of Hormuz, but offered little indication on the thorny question of
Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Washington and Islamabad said the agreement was to be signed on Friday in Switzerland, signalling what would be a major breakthrough to ending months of war that have taken thousands of lives and roiled energy
markets.
Few of the details were made public, but US President Donal Trump said the Strait of Hormuz — a key conduit for global oil supplies — would reopen after the planned signing of the deal on Friday.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is nowcomplete,” US President Donald Trump posted Sunday on social media as he marked his 80th birthday.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!”
Soon after, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said in televised comments that the deal put an “immediate end” to the countries’ war and that they would hold talks within two months to seek a “final agreement.”
Just hours earlier, Tehran had vowed to retaliate against a strike by Israel against Iranian ally Hezbollah in the suburbs of Beirut which threatened to push back an agreement.
But later in the day, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the announcement: “Both sides have declared the immediate and
permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in
Lebanon.”
He added thanks to leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey
for their support in the mediation effort.
Details remain unclear
The content of the agreement, which follows weeks of fraught
negotiations and periodic threats from Trump of fresh hostilities unless Iran
reached a deal, remained unclear.
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that the US would release
$12 billion in frozen assets to Iran before the start of negotiations.
It quoted a 14-point “memorandum of understanding” between
the two nations, which it said stipulated “the release of 24 billion dollars in
frozen Iranian assets during the 60‑day negotiation period” that begins after the MoU is signed.
The Trump administration didn’t immediately comment on the
details of the agreement, which may prove contentious as the US presses its
effort to end Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and deal with its stockpile of highly
enriched uranium — believed to have been buried by US strikes last year.
In an interview with the New York Times on Sunday, Trump
said Washington was still negotiating whether Iran would suspend its enrichment
for 20 years.
The US leader hinted that he might settle for a 15-year
suspension, but said he did not want to negotiate via the press.
‘Seize the moment’
The announcement of the deal was greeted with international
relief and hope for an enduring end to the conflict.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was a
“critical step” toward resolving the war in the Middle East.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy said they were
prepared to lift sanctions imposed on Iran and will work “with the US, Iran and
regional partners to seize this moment, maintain momentum and achieve a
long-term diplomatic settlement.”
The announcement also brought relief at market opening on
Monday. Oil prices plunged more than four percent in Tokyo, and Japan’s Nikkei
stock index jumped three percent.
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has had a worldwide
economic impact, from inflated gas prices that have fueled inflation in the US
and many other countries and congested supply chains for goods like fertiliser
key to food production in areas far beyond the Middle East.
“What we’re going to be able to do is drive down the cost of
energy, not just now but for the long term, and create a real engine of
prosperity in the Middle East,” US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News.
He said that he planned to attend the signing of the peace
deal, which was slated to take place in Geneva, and that it was possible Trump
could also go.
Israeli strike
It was a rollercoaster Sunday, with Trump in the morning
angrily blaming Israel for delaying its signing with the airstrike on Beirut,
which he said had delayed the agreement.
In an expletive-laden phone interview with US news outlet
Axios, Trump had fumed about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying:
“I was so pissed off. I let him know.”
The last time Israel hit the Beirut suburbs, it sparked one
of the strongest jolts yet to a ceasefire that has largely held since April,
with Iran firing off a retaliatory missile barrage and Israel responding with
strikes.
Tehran has long demanded that any agreement to halt the war
must include the parallel conflict in Lebanon, where Israel has been pursuing a
campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The House of Representatives has officially named Bayelsa lawmaker Fred Agbedi as its Minority Leader, ending weeks of intense lobbying and consultations among opposition members.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen made the announcement on Thursday at the start of plenary, also confirming Sokoto’s Abdusamad Dasuki as Deputy Minority Leader and Bauchi’s Mansur Manu Soro as Minority Chief Whip.
Agbedi, who represents the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will lead the minority caucus alongside Dasuki of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Soro of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The appointments follow heated disputes over the leadership position, with some lawmakers previously staging protests in the chamber.
Notably, Ikenga Ugochinyere of Imo State and his allies had opposed the process, chanting “No announcement, No sitting” during an earlier session.
With Thursday’s announcement, the House appears to have settled the leadership tussle, paving the way for opposition lawmakers to focus on legislative business under Agbedi’s leadership.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has issued a stern warning to front-end enrolment partners of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), stating that involvement in fraudulent National Identification Number (NIN) registrations could result in a seven-year prison sentence upon conviction.
The warning was delivered on Thursday in Abuja during a security briefing organised by NIMC for its enrolment partners in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and other security agencies.
Assistant Director at the ICPC, Mark Faison, emphasised that enrolment agents must strictly adhere to the terms of their engagement, describing any deviation as an abuse of office and an act of corruption.
“If you abuse the privilege you have been given, that amounts to abuse of office because you are operating on behalf of NIMC to register Nigerians. And if you do otherwise, you are abusing the trust that has been placed in you, and you will be punished for it if you are caught,” Faison said.
He added: “Seven years’ imprisonment is the punishment for that kind of offence. So I urge you, please, for the sake of the safety of our country, do the little you can do in your own corner.”
Faison particularly flagged the registration of non-Nigerians as citizens, noting that such actions constitute a serious national security threat.
He revealed that security agencies have arrested individuals who obtained NINs through some enrolment centres only to be discovered as foreigners by immigration officers.
The NIMC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, explained that the briefing was necessary due to the expanding role of digital identity in government services, finance, telecommunications, healthcare, education, and social interventions.
She stressed the need for stronger security controls and system integrity, warning that only NIMC-approved and certified software would be permitted in the ecosystem.
The commission plans to intensify audits of enrolment partners to prevent data leakages and ensure compliance.
Other speakers, including NIMC’s Head of IT and Identity Data Department, Suleiman Falade, and a representative from the Office of the National Security Adviser, Kayode Oni, reinforced the call for diligence, warning that violations would attract sanctions.
The 12th Prosecution Witness (PW12) Christopher Odofin, in the ongoing trial of the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Wednesday, told Justice S.C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory, High Court, Abuja, how Sirika allegedly passed off an aircraft belonging to Ethiopian Airline as that of the promised Nigeria Air by the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The decoy aircraft, adorned with the livery of the promised Nigeria Air, found its way on the tarmac of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on May 27, 2023, being three days to the expiration of the tenure of the Buhari government and was flown back to Addis Ababa in the morning of May 29, 2023, being the handover date to the successor government.
Hadi Sirika is facing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on amended six-count, bordering on alleged abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of over N2 billion.
He is being tried alongside his daughter, Fatima Hadi Sirika, son-in-law, Hamma Jalal Sule, and Al Buraq Global Investment Limited.
The contract for the setting up of Nigeria Air was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited, belonging to Gabriel Tilmann, a close associate and friend of the former minister.
Reading from a portion of contract agreement with Ethiopian Airline, the witness, an investigator with the EFCC said, “The aircraft will depart from Addis Ababa (ADD) late evening of May 26, 2023 for it to be positioned early morning of May 27, 2023 at the Abuja (ABV) airport.
“The aircraft will stay in ABV airport for static display of Nigeria Air livery until May 28, 2023. The aircraft will leave ABV airport early morning on May, 29, 2023. The chartered flight will be operated by the Ethiopian Airline crew in Ethiopian Airline uniform.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria and Nigeria Air may put together local models who will be in Nigeria Air uniforms to pose for ceremonial pictures. The models may come to Addis Ababa so they may fly with the chartered flight to ABV.”
The witness told the court that the display of the aircraft in Abuja International Airport was deliberately planned to coincide with the end of the first defendant’s tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development on May 29, 2023 and to pass the aircraft off as the actualization of his promise of the return of Nigeria Air.
After the less than 72 hours display of the aircraft, he stated that the Nigeria Air logo was removed from the aircraft and flown back to Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa.
The witness further disclosed that the investigating team was also able to ascertain that Ethiopian Airlines entered into a charter arrangement for the static display of the Nigeria Air livery for a duration of just three days, beginning from May 27 to May 29, 2023 based on information and documents received from the airline following a letter from it, dated June 12, 2023, in response to the EFCC’s request for information regarding Nigeria Air.
Though the purpose of the contract was for the establishment of Nigeria Air, the charter agreement with Ethiopian Airlines was entered on May 24, 2023, five days to the expiration of the defendant’s tenure for just a static display of the Nigeria Air logo on an aircraft.
All the documents tendered in evidence by the prosecution were shown to have been duly signed, authorized, and accompanied by certificates of identification and were not objected to by any of the counsels to the four defendants.
Among the exhibits is a compact disk containing a voice note from the first defendant, Hadi Sirika, marked Exhibit 37, which the prosecution counsel applied to be played in the court at the next adjourned date.
Further in his testimony, the witness told the court told that though the contract for the start-up of Nigeria Air, which was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited for over N299 million on April 4, 2022, saw a contract extension award to the company on October 17, 2022, to a sum, exceeding N599 million on the instructions and directives of the first defendant, based on his relationship with the company’s alter ego.
According to him, “The investigating team arrived at this position when the phone of one Enitan Muyiwa Abel, who was a Permanent Secretary in the first defendant’s ministry was analysed, showing a voice note sent to the Permanent Secretary while the first defendant was in Spain instructing him to ensure that the contract was awarded to Tianaero Nigeria Limited.”
Justice Oriji adjourned the matter till next week June 17, 2026 for the continuation of the trial.
Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has given political appointees in his administration a stark choice: defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or resign their positions immediately.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, the government directed all political office holders who have declared allegiance to or defected to other political parties to submit their resignation letters to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government within 48 hours.
The directive aims to maintain loyalty, discipline, and the integrity of public service. According to the statement, appointees are expected to fully support the policies, programmes, and political direction of the current administration.
“Continued service by persons who have aligned with another party poses a clear risk of sabotage, information leakage, and obstruction of policy implementation and party strategy,” the statement read.
It further warned that failure to comply within the stipulated time would lead to immediate termination of appointments, stoppage of salaries and entitlements, and additional administrative actions.
The Office of the Secretary to the State Government and the Head of Service have been tasked with compiling a list of affected appointees for monitoring.
The move comes after Governor Fintiri defected to the APC, while many of his appointees remained in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or joined other parties, reportedly working against the APC in the state.
Governor Fintiri emphasised that public office is held in trust and must align with the vision and mandate of the administration, adding that divided loyalty would not be tolerated.
US and Iran Strike Peace Deal, Agree to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
Police Foil N50m Kidnap Plot Against Chinese National, Arrest Suspects
2027: Kwankwaso Meets Igbo Leaders, Gains Support for Obi Partnership
Reps Confirm Fred Agbedi as House Minority Leader
Wike Opens Up: How Road Construction Stress Landed Me in Hospital
Seven-Year Jail Term for Fake NIN Registration, ICPC Warns
APC to Deploy 4.4 Million Polling Agents for Tinubu’s 2027 Bid, Uzodinma Says
‘Busted’: Sirika Accused of Renting Plane for Fake Nigeria Air Launch
Adamawa Gov Gives Appointees ‘Join APC or Resign’ Ultimatum
Senate Directs Arrest of Ex-NNPC GMD Mele Kyari Over N210tn Missing Funds
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