Congratulations to the Urhobo Council President at one year in office...Comrade Wale Nice.
"Comrade Festus Otesiri Igherebuo" is a dynamic person, he is dedicated, a Philanthropist to the call, a promoter of Peace and a man who love to reach his goal.
On this day I join all Urhobo youths worldwide to congratulate you. I wish you Continuous success, prosperity and grace to carry the Urhobo youths to a greater height. You deserve an accolade because of the roles you've been playing in ensuring that there is Continuous peace in Urhoboland and Delta State at large.
I can remember vividly when there was a fight between Agbassa and Alder's Town, I personally called you and explained the situation on ground and you called your friend's and brother's, INYC President, Comrade Weyinmi Agbateyiniro, the Itsekiri youth Council President and you came into action to put an end to the fight that would have taken more lives and properties. I can remember you and the Itsekiri Council President paid the hospital bills and you went ahead giving some huge amounts of money. All you wanted was peace.
Sir, I don't think I'll ever be able to list all your achievement's in a year being in office in this post. Today, the Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh crisis is over by the grace of God, I'm aware of how you and the Izon youth Council put heads together and with the help of our state Governor "Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa" the crisis is now history.
You took the time with other executives to visit all the Urhobo political elected and appointees to advice them to support the youths in Urhoboland by empowering and employing them.
With the little funds available, you have given empowerment and employment to some youths in urhoboland.
On this note, i want to say a big Thank you and Congratulation. We hope You will continue with your quest and drive for peace and development in Urhoboland. We look forward to celebrating more anniversaries with you..
... INEC, parties ignore threat
By Vincent Ujumadu and Omezia Ajayi
The position of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that those hoping to vote in next Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State will die was yesterday dismissed by the Igbo socio-political group, Ohanaeze – Ndigbo. Ohanaeze-Ndigbo said the election must hold, pointing out that those calling for the boycott were enemies of the people.
IPOB members on solidarity march
The police also had strong words for IPOB, saying it had no authority to issue any statement as it remained proscribed.
On its part, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it would go ahead with the poll.
Political parties preparing to participate in the election brushed aside the IPOB call as they intensified their campaigns in different parts of the state.
Some members of the proscribed group campaigning for the separation of the Igbo from Nigeria had marched through some streets of Onitsha, on Friday, insisting that no election would hold in the South-East beginning with the Anambra election”,
They waved IPOB flags and distributed leaflets to warn residents against participating in the Saturday election. The group members asked voters to stay indoors on the day of the election. The Chairman of Ohanaeze – Ndigbo in Anambra State, Chief Okeke Ogene, in a response to the threat, yesterday, said those calling for the boycott of the election in the state were enemies of the people.
“ Anambra people have agreed that there will be election in the state. If there is any group saying there won’t be election, we want to put it to that group that the election must hold,,”Okeke Ogene said.
“Anybody insisting that there won’t be election in Anambra State is an enemy of the people. If such a group succeeds in creating confusion here, it will only be preparing a fertile ground for our enemies to penetrate our territory. And if such a thing happens, the next likely thing to happen is a state of emergency, which will not be in the interest of our people.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Umar, on his part, warned that anybody operating as a member of IPOB was testing the might of the law, reminding the people that the governors of the South-East had proscribed the group.
The CP said:”IPOB is a proscribed organization and I had earlier warned the people of Anambra State to desist from associating with the organization and its activities. By circulating leaflets and directing people not to come out for the Anambra governorship election, these people want to sabotage the Federal Government’s efforts to maintain peace in the country.
“INEC and the security agencies have been preparing for a successful election on November 18, but this illegal group is determined to continue to cause confusion in the country.
Only last week, the police in Onitsha arrested two persons, Elochukwu Okolosi and Udeagha Ebubechukwu, at the printing press where they were allegedly working on IPOB documents meant for circulation.
“We wish to urge Anambra people to ignore these saboteurs by coming out to vote as the police is ready to provide adequate security during the election. The two persons will face the consequences of their action because they do not mean well for the people of Anambra State,” the CP said.
Umar also urged the people of the state to assist the police in tracking those whose objective was to scuttle the governorship election.
INEC assured, yesterday, that the Anambra will go on as scheduled.
Speaking with Sunday Vanguard in Abuja, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the law is clear on situations that could warrant the postponement of an election, saying once a date has been fixed for an election, the exercise must go on as scheduled.
“Yes, INEC is going ahead with the Anambra governorship election. Once a date has been fixed for an election, the law is very clear on the conditions for shifting the date. So, INEC cannot just shift the date unless the conditions stipulated in the law play out, for example, if there is a major natural disaster like massive flooding”, he said.
The spokesperson, however, urged aggrieved groups in Anambra to refrain from any activity that could jeopardise the electoral progress of the state.
Though officials of political parties warming up to participate in the election declined to comment on the IPOB threat, yesterday, their body language indicated that it was a non-issue. While some of the governorship candidates were in some radio stations selling their programmes, some communities hosted some of the candidates and attendance at the rallies was heavy. For instance, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, had a political gathering at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka, while the All Progressives Congress, APC, held a mega rally at Alor, the home town of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also had programmes in Awka and Onitsha.
Meanwhile, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife, said it would be unfortunate if outsiders were making plans to scuttle the Anambra State governorship election.
Ikedife told Sunday Vanguard, last night, that it was the right of a people to choose who would rule them, adding that the continued threat by IPOB was becoming worrisome. He explained that it was obvious that most Anambra people want to participate in the election, adding that there were strong indications that all the people causing the trouble in the state were not from Anambra State.
… I escaped being killed — Gov
…They threatened to shoot me — Minister
…Police says minor trafic incident
BY Jimitota Onoyume
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, yesterday, took their battle for supremacy to the street of Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Both men gave conflicting accounts of the incident which occurred at Trans Amadi Road, by Nwanja Junction.
Wike called the confrontation a bid to assassinate him.
Scene of the attack on the convoy of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike by soldiers and SARS Personnel attached to the Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi on Saturday at Wanja junction on the Trans-Amadi road in Port Harcourt
Amaechi, on his part, said he was nearly shot by the governor’s security aides.
Since Wike succeeded Amaechi in 2015 as governor of Rivers, both men had engaged in political war.
In the governor’s account of yesterday’s incident, he claimed to have escaped assassination attempt as soldiers and men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, allegedly in the convoy of Amaechi, attacked his convoy.
A statement by his media aide, Mr Simeon Nwakaudu, immediately after the clash, said the incident happened when the governor was inspecting ongoing road construction job at Trans Amadi Road.
The statement alleged that the governor’s outrider was hit by the Minister’s convoy and the policemen in the pilot car attacked.
Wike, according to the statement, was not hurt, as he continued with his inspection of the road project after the incident.
Amaechi’s account of the clash, which came later at night, detailed in a statement entitled, ‘Wike’s security men pull guns on Amaechi, vandalise his car’, described the incident as a blatant show of naked raw power.
According to the statement, the Minister narrowly escaped being shot by security men attached to Wike. “His car wasn’t that lucky though. The car was vandalized with a broken side mirror”, the statement said.“The statement went on: “The incident occurred in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, along Trans-Amadi road, Nwaja axis.
The Minister had arrived Port Harcourt this afternoon.““Accompanied by cars of many of his supporters, the Minister’s black jeep was intercepted and blocked at the junction by the security motorcycle outrider attached to Wike after two cars had passed through.
One of the two cars had security men assigned to protect the minister in Port Harcourt. Suddenly, gun-toting security men attached to Wike’s convoy surrounded the Minister’s car, threatening to shoot him. They hit the car, tried to smash the windscreens, back and side windows and broke a side mirror.
All through this attack, Amaechi remained calm, inside the fortified Jeep. While the attacked occurred, Wike remained inside his vehicle.““The Minister eventually passed through after the intervention of the security team on ground to protect him in Port Harcourt. ““This is a crass show of high handedness, arbitrary behaviour and abuse of public office by a State governor who has no care for the safety of Rivers people”.
Efforts to get the spokesman for the 6 Division, Nigerian Army in Port-Harcourt, Colonel Aminu Ilyasu, and the police to comment on the incident were futile. At press time, Ilyasu did not respond to a text message from our correspondent to him.
But the spokesperson for the police in Rivers State, DSP Omoni Nnamdi, told Sunday Vanguard he was waiting for information on the incident, promising to get back. He never did. “I will get back to you please”, he said in a text message.
Yesterday’s incident was not the first time Wike and Amaechi would confront each other on Port-Harcourt street. The two men almost clashed at the Mile One Police Station in March last year when a female staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mrs Ekwi Adebisa, deployed to Ward 10, PHALGA, was taken to the station over allegations bordering on attempt to tamper with then election process.
It took efforts of security men at the station to calm the supporters of both men. They have also been locked severally in war of words, throwing weighty allegations at each other, some touching on sponsorship of political violence.“
