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LG Poll: APC Rejects New Abia Electoral Commission Boss’ Appointment

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The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Abia state, has rejected the appointment of Professor Mkpa Agu Mkpa as the new chairman of Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC).
The party insisted that Mkpa is a card carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and would not conduct transparent election into the seventeen local government areas of Abia state.
Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, had approved the appointment of Professor Mkpa Agu Mkpa as the new chairman of ABSIEC.
Professor Mkpa’s appointment was contained in a press release signed by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere and made available to newsmen in Umuahia, the state capital last week.
On Tuesday, the Abia State House of Assembly screened and confirmed the nomination of Mkpa as chairman.
The screening which took place in the executive session of the Assembly was presided over by the Speaker, Rt Hon Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji.
However, in a press release forwarded to our source on Tuesday night, by the Publicity Secretary of APC in Abia State, Comrade Benedict Godson, the party criticised the state government on the appointment, adding that it had shown the unreadiness of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration to conduct free, fair and credible local government council poll in the state.
He urged well meaning Abians and all serious political parties to join hands to reject what it termed as “obnoxious appointment” which potents nothing good for opposition politics in Abia.
His words, “Abians can see how our state is managed like a vast farmland situated in a desert area bearing no fruit from year to year. So dry that we have become a state for mockery nation wide. You are also aware that the All Progressives Congress(APC), as a party committed towards taking the dividends of democracy to the grassroots, few months ago, called on the Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to organize a local government election. We are glad that the governor has responded and is currently putting plans in place to make it happen.
“However, his recent appointment of the Chairman of ABSIEC shows that someone is not ready for free and fair election in Abia. Amongst all parties. It is on record that Prof. Mkpa is not just a PDP card carrying member, but a Chieftain of the party who by that privilege has served as a Commissioner, a Secretary to the State Government as well as the Vice Chancellor of the Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU).
“But there’s no way blue will replace purple no matter their similarities. We cannot ask for fish and you give us snake. We cannot ask for bread and you give us stone. Prof. Mkpa cannot give Abians a free and fair election because he must dance to the tone of his party, the PDP.
“We don’t have any problem with his personality. The issue lies with his political affiliation and loyalty with the PDP. He’s a card carrying member of the PDP. This is not hidden. They have just started their first rigging process which is what they are known for. We want conduct of LGA election, but the PDP cannot hoodwink all of us into an election where they have painstakingly done all the political arithmetic aimed to theatrically arrogate powers to their people using one of their own”.
Reacting to the APC claims, Mkpa denied allegations that he is a card carrying member of the PDP.
Mkpa, who spoke to newsmen shortly after his screening in the Executive session of the Abia State House of Assembly on Tuesday, challenged those peddling the allegation to come forward with evidence of his being a registered member of any party.
“I am not a card carrying member of any political party even though I have served in various positions in the state. Let me also use this opportunity to assure all Abians that under my watch, we will conduct free and fair elections with utmost transparency. But, we will not tolerate anyone with fake or forged certificate. I want to encourage such people to disqualify themselves now,” Mkpa posited.

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Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

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In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced the commencement of its Zonal and National Public Hearings across the country.

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.

The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.

The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.

It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.

“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.

The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.

 

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Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has stirred fresh political controversy by dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu was highly instrumental to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after the merger of political parties that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC).

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.

He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.

Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.

In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.

According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.

“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.

“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.

“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.

“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.

In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.

“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.

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Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi

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Former Presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has accused Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, of spreading false information about Nigeria’s debt profile, claiming it is deterring foreign investors from the country.

Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.

Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.

“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.

“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.

To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.

“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.

“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.

“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.

 

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