Politics
2023: The search for Ugwuanyi’s Successor -By Ozor Eke Joel Chinedu
Introducing Dr. Chris Ede,
Dr Chris Ede, a Russian trained medical doctor hails from Ugbawka, in Nkanu East LGA.
He is the Managing Director/CEO of MAXIVISION Eye Hospital, Lagos. A Specialist Hospital adjudged one of the best in Africa.
I first met him during a medical mission which his hospital organized for Enugu State Government, during the administration of His Excellency Sullivan Chime.
Another opportunity with him came when Ohanaeze Ndi-Igbo Youth Council, conferred on him the position of PATRON. This event took place about eight years ago and he spoke passionately about Governance, politics, and way forward for Enugu State
Hear him: If you ask me about the development of any society in Africa today, I will name three things. Number one Industrialization, number two Industrialization, number three Industrialization.
“Because we have not started and Enugu State has the opportunity. We only need to draw at both human and natural resources that are available, do a proper analysis to be able to have a synergy between what comparative advantages the state has and tailor a programme that will bring in investors and industries that will make use of those comparative advantages for the industrial development of the state.
“The state has opportunity to be an Industrial hub, it has opportunity to be a scientific hub in Nigeria and Africa if there is proper planning and programming. Building scientific and Industrial parks that would make use of the large number of talents that we have among our young people.
“Create conditions that will be attractive to our many specialists that are outside the country making contributions to the development of other countries and societies when we need more of their services.”
Plans for Ogbete Main Market
Ede said there will be no need to relocate the Ogbete Main Market. “I believe Ogbete doesn’t need to be moved, it will stay there but in a different form. In the form of a transformation that will see ultra modern multi floor shopping Mall that will have multi floor underground parking lots to clear the double parking you see on the roads and some flyovers that will relieve the traffic around the market.”
This he said won’t be difficult to do if the correct atmosphere is created to get investors.
Who is Dr. Chris Ede?
He grew up in the village. Went to school at the Community School Obeagu Ugbawka, not far from the railway station then, when rail was still operational.
After his Common Entrance as it was done in those days, Ede was posted to Boys Secondary School Ozoubulu in the old Anambra State.
After his secondary school he traveled to Kano as a little boy looking for job. He started work with the Northern Nigeria Flower Mills as an Accounts Clark with a salary of N250, in 1982.
In the course of those years he became involved in trade union. He eventually travelled to Bulgaria late 1982 on a10-month-Course where he studied Philosophy and Politcial Economy.
On his return, Dr. Ede worked as State Organizing Secretary for the Civil Service Technical Workers Union in Kano.
During that period he still had the urge and desire to further his education. Fortunately, he got a scholarship to study medicine in the then Soviet Union.
The Enugu guber hopeful, studied at the People’s Friendship University of Russia which was then named after Patrice Lumumba and graduated in 1991 just about the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
He was in Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. As it is in life every situation has some opportunities in it. Russia was stepping into market economy and he catched in on the opportunities and opened some businesses as well as trying some efforts in commercial ventures.
He had a company in the area of electricals, lighting fixtures, crystal chandeliers, most of which were in high demand. He was importing his goods from Austria, from Italy and others.
He continued until 2006 when he had a project to build a 60 Megawatts Power Station by the Bayelsa State Government.
After that project, he decided to fully return to Nigeria and set up the hospital. And since then has been both on and off in Russia, in New York. He has also been participating in a whole lot of politcial activities especially in the area of politcial activism.
MAXIVISION Eye Hospital, Lagos
An eye specialist Hospital, among the leading eye care centres in Africa. It has made its mark in the industry.
Patients who have had their sights restored even at some very difficult circumstance and have testified the wonderful records of the hospital.
The hospital has also engaged in some outreach progrmames doing free eye screening in various parts of the country.
In Enugu State it came and did free eye screening in the three Senatorial zones; at Agbani, Nsukka and Udi.
It has also done same in three Federal Universities, University of Ibadan, in Lagos, in Akwa Ibom as part of our corporate social responsibility and also as a way of giving back to the society.
The federal universities are UNN and Othman Danfodio University, Sokoto.
Similar progrmames were also carried out in various places in Lagos-Ikeja, Ikorodu and the lsat one at the palace of the Oba of Lagos.
There have also had progrmames with the International Women Federation for Peace. They brought in widows and the hospital offered treatment free of charge.
It has also in conjunction with some other corporate organizations engaged in some free eye Servics. Both for their staff and some localities that we jointly carry out with them.
A man who values human capital development Dr. Ede has also been focused on training young people in various fields.
He has trained 21 persons in various Russian Institutions, various professions some of them up to PhD levels, some up to masters level.
He rehabilitated one of the major roads that leads to his village, Akpaa. “The last time I saw that road graded was as a little boy in primary school.
“So when I came back one of the yeras, in 2011 precisely I tried to go through that road it was not possible. I had to go back, go through another circuitous routes. From that day I took a decision and started doing that road. It took me four months to complete the work and as if it was God that sent me, after doing that road, the only other road connecting the two Communities, the bridge collapsed.
“So when the bridge collapsed it was the road I just finished that became the only link both in and out for the two Communities there was no other. And I thank God that He made it possible for me to do it at that particular time.”
Ede has also tried his best in helping some other categories in the social strata, the widows, orphans, currently he just cleared a place he is preparing for a Health Centre for the village.
He has also embarked on a rural electrification progrmame in a deliberate effort to bring electricity to his Community. All poles for the project have already been erected. NDI ENUGU, BETTER DAYS ARE HERE WITH DR EDE CHRIS.
Ozor Eke Joel Chinedu
Ozor Okedinchi wrote from Enugu
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld a Federal High Court judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising state congresses conducted by committees appointed by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a split decision of two to one, the three-member panel affirmed the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court, holding that the congresses organised under the caretaker committee violated an existing court order.
Justice Okon Abang, who delivered the lead judgment, ruled that there was no basis to set aside the restraining order issued by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on April 29.
The appellate court also upheld the lower court’s decision barring the caretaker leadership from interfering with the functions and tenure of the party’s duly elected state executive committees.
According to the court, the ADC Constitution vests the responsibility for conducting state congresses in the elected state executive committees, not the national caretaker leadership.
Justice Donatus Okorowo concurred with the lead judgment, while Justice Abba Mohammed dissented, arguing that the matter was an internal affair of the political party and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The suit was filed by aggrieved members of the ADC, who challenged the legality of committees established by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership to conduct state congresses. They argued that the appointments breached the party’s constitution, insisting that only duly elected party organs had the authority to organise state congresses.
In its earlier ruling, the Federal High Court held that the four-year tenure of the ADC’s State Working Committees and State Executive Committees remained valid until fresh congresses and a national convention were properly conducted.
Justice Abdulmalik further ruled that neither the 1999 Constitution nor the ADC Constitution empowered the caretaker committee to appoint committees to conduct state congresses.
While noting that courts generally refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, the judge held that judicial intervention is justified where constitutional or statutory provisions are alleged to have been breached.
Affirming the lower court’s decision, the Court of Appeal declared the state congresses and national convention conducted by the David Mark-led caretaker leadership null and void for being carried out in defiance of an existing court order.
The appellate court stressed that once a dispute raises constitutional issues, it ceases to be merely an internal party matter and becomes subject to judicial review.
Consequently, the court dismissed the ADC’s appeal, upheld all the orders of the Federal High Court, and awarded ₦10 million in costs against the party.
By Chinedu Sabastine
A pro-Yoruba women group, operating under the banner of Yoruba Women in Politics (YWIP), has applauded the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye, for strengthening the party across the Southern part of Nigeria barely three months he assumed office.
They said: “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is a very honest and open person. He has done considerably well,” the group said.
He was also praised for displaying high democratic ideals and delivering electoral victories for the ruling party in Southern Nigeria.
Chairperson of the women group Mrs. Dorothy Akinyele, in a statement issued in Akure, the Ondo state capital on Saturday applauded Nwoye “for his loyalty, strength of character, and consistency of purpose to the cause of democracy.”
They expressed delight and satisfaction “with the high degree of determination so far exhibited by Nwoye to applying the principle of fair play in treating all party members and asserting independence and neutrality in most cases.”
The highly revered South West women body also commended Nwoye “for deepening the party’s structures in the South-west, South-South and South-East, empowering women and youth and building a stronger APC and a more inclusive future for Nigeria.”
In particular, the women lauded Nwoye “for mobilizing support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election, preserving the progressive ideals upon which the APC was built and curtailing the abuse of democratic norms in the ruling party.”
According to them, “Dr. Benjamin Obi Nwoye is level headed, has milk of human kindness flowing in his veins and committed to the success of President Tinubu and the party in 2027 and beyond,” YWIP said.
It therefore, described Dr. Nwoye as “the influential exponent of national unity,” extolling him for ensuring a smooth internal
Democratic process in his home state Enugu, the coal city state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has dismissed a public debate challenge from the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, saying the minister must first become a presidential candidate before seeking such an engagement.
Obi made the remark during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, where he responded to Umahi’s challenge following his criticism of the condition of Nigerian road.
The former Anambra State governor argued that presidential debates are reserved for candidates seeking the nation’s highest office, insisting that Umahi does not fit that category.
According to Obi, the controversy over the poor state of the roads had already produced results, noting that his criticism prompted repairs.
“If he is inviting me to a debate as a presidential candidate, then he has to become a presidential candidate first,” Obi said.
Drawing an analogy with international football, the NDC presidential flagbearer likened Umahi’s challenge to a team that failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup inviting a qualified team to a match.“The World Cup is going on now. You cannot stay outside and invite a team that qualified for the World Cup to come and play against you simply because you think you are good. No. There is a qualification process,” he added.
Obi maintained that leadership should be measured by performance rather than rhetoric, suggesting that the repairs carried out after his criticism underscored the importance of holding public officials accountable.
His response comes days after Umahi declared that Obi posed no political threat to President Bola Tinubu or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while challenging him to a public debate over the state of federal roads and infrastructure across the country.
Ada Ogbu, who made the clarification in a statement posted on her official X account on Saturday, was responding to Keyamo’s ultimatum demanding that Obi apologise to airport officials, pay a ₦25,000 parking fine or face action by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).Executive Branch
Ogbu, who described herself as an eyewitness, maintained that she was among those who accompanied Obi to the airport on Saturday, July 4, and categorically denied the minister’s claim that the politician was driven by a police officer.
“As a member of the team that accompanied His Excellency @PeterObi to the Abuja airport on Saturday, July 4, I can state categorically that he does not have a police officer as his driver in Abuja. Therefore, if airport CCTV captured a police officer entering the driver’s seat of a vehicle, that vehicle could not have been Mr. Obi’s,” she stated.
She further argued that the incident highlighted by Keyamo was different from the one Obi narrated during his interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo.
According to her, Obi’s frequent travels across the country have exposed him and his aides to repeated hostile treatment by airport personnel.Government
“It is also important to note that Mr. Obi travels through as many as ten Nigerian airports every week. Over time, there have been several acts of hostility directed at him and members of his team by airport personnel across different locations,” Ogbu said.
She concluded that the aviation minister had referenced an entirely separate incident.
“Based on the account shared by the Honourable Minister, it is clear that the incident Mr. Obi referenced during his interview with @Chude did not occur on the date or at the airport cited by the Minister. They are plainly two different incidents.”
Her reaction comes hours after Keyamo released CCTV-based findings from an internal inquiry into the airport incident, insisting Obi must publicly apologise to airport workers and pay the prescribed parking fine within one week or risk further action by FAAN.
President Bola Tinubu on Friday formally retained Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
This was as political parties made last-minute moves to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission’s deadline for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates.
The ruling All Progressives Congress presented the nomination forms of Tinubu and Shettima to its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Abuja for onward transmission to INEC, effectively ending months of speculation that the President could replace his deputy with a northern Christian.
The development came as INEC confirmed that it had received the presidential and vice-presidential nominations of the African Democratic Congress, Nigeria Democratic Congress, Social Democratic Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, Peoples Redemption Party and Young Progressives Party.
Meanwhile, several other political parties continued uploading the names of their candidates ahead of the commission’s Saturday midnight deadline.
The electoral commission had fixed July 11, 2026, as the deadline for political parties to upload the nomination forms of their presidential and National Assembly candidates through its online nomination portal in accordance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The submission exercise, which commenced on June 27, covers Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E for presidential, vice-presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
According to the timetable released by the commission, political parties are expected to begin uploading the names of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates from July 18, with the exercise ending on August 8.
INEC is scheduled to publish the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates on August 1, while those of governorship and state assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29 to allow members of the public raise objections where necessary.
The commission also fixed August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal and substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state assembly candidates have until September 19 for withdrawal or replacement in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
The July 11 deadline marks one of the most critical stages in the build-up to the 2027 general elections, as only candidates validly nominated by political parties through primaries monitored by INEC are eligible for submission.
The commission had repeatedly warned political parties against submitting the names of candidates different from those who emerged from duly monitored primaries, insisting that any nomination outside the provisions of the Electoral Act and its regulations would be rejected.
Against this backdrop, the APC used Friday’s presentation ceremony to publicly affirm its presidential ticket, signalling that it would head into the 2027 contest without altering the Muslim-Muslim ticket that secured victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Following President Tinubu’s emergence as the APC’s presidential candidate during the party’s convention, political discussions had intensified over whether the President would retain Shettima or opt for another running mate to broaden the party’s electoral appeal.
Those speculations gathered momentum in recent months amid reports that the ruling party was considering a northern Christian as vice-presidential candidate to address concerns over religious balancing.
Friday’s submission, however, ended the uncertainty, with the APC formally presenting Tinubu and Shettima as its flag bearers for the 2027 election.
The nomination documents were presented on behalf of the President by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, during a ceremony attended by members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, the National Assembly, the Federal Executive Council, the APC National Working Committee, state chairmen of the party and APC governorship candidates.
Earlier, the APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, described the event as the formal presentation of the duly completed nomination forms of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
Argungu noted that President Tinubu had earlier secured the party’s presidential ticket through what he described as a transparent primary election, and urged party members to remain united ahead of the 2027 polls.
He also commended the President for what he described as the achievements of his administration before formally handing over the nomination documents to the APC National Chairman for onward submission to INEC.
Speaking on behalf of APC governors, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, reaffirmed the governors’ support for President Tinubu and the party leadership.
“We are delighted that this event is coming after a well-organised and thoroughly supervised primary process. We reiterate our commitment to continue supporting President Tinubu and the party,” he said.
Uzodimma said the APC remained committed to internal democracy and inclusiveness, adding that the governors would continue mobilising support for the President across the country.
“We will continue to support him in the larger interest of Nigerians and to take the country to greater heights. To the National Working Committee, we reaffirm our support. Together, we are going to deliver victory for President Tinubu and ensure the party wins all elective positions, including the National and State Assemblies,” he added.
Receiving the nomination forms, APC National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, described the event as a reflection of the confidence reposed in President Tinubu by millions of party members across the country.
According to him, the President’s endorsement by members of the party demonstrated widespread support for his administration and its policies.
He stated, “Today is a reflection of the wishes of over 12 million members of the APC who overwhelmingly voted for Mr. President as the party’s candidate for the 2027 presidential election. We are proud that APC members across the country cast over 12 million votes for Mr. President and overwhelmingly endorsed him.
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