News
Abia assembly holds parallel sittings as rift depends
The rift and supremacy battle rocking the Abia State House of Assembly deepened Wednesday, as the two camps in the opprobrium held parallel sittings in different locations.
While the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji and those loyal to him reportedly sat at the Assembly complex amid tight security; the parallel Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chukwudi Apugo, and lawmakers in his camp, met at an undisclosed location in Umuahia.
Recall that some lawmakers had Tuesday met outside the assembly chambers and impeached the Speaker, accusing him of insensitivity over the welfare of the members.
But the Speaker held a sitting in the House and impeached the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ifeanyi Uchendu who presided over his purported impeachment.
He also suspended nine of the lawmakers who participated in the sitting where he was purportedly removed, dismissing the impeachment as a nullity.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, member representing Aba South state constituency, Hon Obinna Ichita (APGA), who is in Apugo’s camp, denied insinuations in some quarters that the lawmakers opposed to Orji were being sponsored by the Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu.
He said it would be strange for him to be bought over by the Governor who he had had frosty relationship with following his critical stance on his administrative style.
” It’s easy for people to engage in propaganda. Are we sponsored by the Governor to do what?
” If somebody tells you that the Governor is sponsoring me won’t you be surprised? You know how my relationship with the Executive has been, and if you hear that the Governor is sponsoring me – Obinna Ichita, won’t you be shocked? To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing like the Governor sponsoring us.”
The opposition lawmaker explained that the reason behind Orji’s impeachment was because of his refusal to convene the House which had been under lock and key for four months.
” Which House of Assembly in Nigeria has been under lock and key for four months? It’s not proper for you to lock the House of Assembly for the past four months. So, for the past four months, the House hasn’t sat, and that’s not appropriate.
“The Judiciary has collapsed and you want the legislative arm to also collapse. And we have a struggling Executive arm.”
The opposition lawmaker further said there were some burning issues of urgent importance that the House needed to attend to, hence, it made no sense not reconvening the House.
“We have a lot of businesses to treat. We have heard so much. Members felt the former Speaker needed to convene the House so we can demand answers to the following questions:
” Why should Abia workers not be paid even when the state receives statutory allocations?
” Why Board of Internal Revenue reported N6.2 billion in the first quarter of this year. If we have this kind of money why can’t we pay workers?
” Why is it that we are reading a planned local government election in the state on the pages of newspapers? We heard that Commissioners have been appointed into the Abia State Independent Electoral Commission, ABSIEC, and the House never screaned person in accordance with the law.
” We also heard that the Executive has secured a loan of 50 million US dollars. Who gave the approval for such a facility? From which institution was the facility secured? What are the implications to Abians?
” So, there are lots of questions that needed to be answered and it made no sense locking the House when you have such issues to tackle.
” This is as transition period. Shouldn’t we make sure that things are in order for the in-coming administration to have a seamless take off?”
Hon. Ichita also spoke on some of the far-reaching decisions taken by the lawmakers led by Hon. Apugo when they met at the plenary.
” We met today ( Wednesday) and changed the Majority Leader, Hon. Solomon Akpulono. He was also suspended.
” The impeached Speaker and all seven of them who met yesterday were suspended.
” We suspended them for engaging in a purported plenary yesterday. They didn’t have the quorum. They were only seven.
” The new Speaker has also dissolved all the standing committees of the House, and reconstituted the following committees:
” Committee to review the activities of the House in the past four years headed by the Speaker of the sixth Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chikwendu Kanu; Committee on Appropriation chaired by Kennedy Njoku; and the Committee on Anti-Corruption and Public Accounts headed by myself, Ichita.
” We are swinging into action immediately because we have two weeks to review what happened”.
Asked where the lawmakers loyal to Apugo met, and why they chose to sit outside the House of Assembly, Ichita said the venue of meeting for lawmakers did not matter.
” Section 92 of the Constitution that talks about the impeachment of the Speaker did not make mention of the venue. It’s silent about that.
” It’s just like the election petition tribunal that has relocated from Abia to Abuja. Does that in anyway invalidate any pronouncement of the tribunal? The law is silent on the venue. What the law emphasises is quorum. We are 16 lawmakers on our side and we are not joking.”
Asked if they had a mace which is the symbol of authority in their sitting, the lawmaker said:”If Hon. Orji says he is not happy with his impeachment what he should do is to approach the courts, and not to say he doesn’t accept it”.
Prodded further to disclosed the venue of their meeting, saying that they were advised by security agencies to keep it secret.
“We have been advised by various security heads in the state to ensure that we don’t take any action that might lead to the break down of law and order. We understand that some of the suspended lawmakers have hired thugs, and we don’t want our supporters and their own supporters to clash.”
He said there were no going back on the resolutions of the House.
“The House is an Honourable institution, and once it takes a decision, it’s only the courts that can reverse it. But unfortunately, the judiciary in Abia is on a total lockdown.”
When contacted the Speaker denied locking up the House for four months, explaning that it was the collective decision of the lawmakers to go on break.
The Speaker who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jude Ndukwe, said the splinter lawmakers were only looking for excuses to justify their unlawful actions.
He insisted that he remains the Speaker of the Assembly describing his “purported impeachment and suspension by suspended lawmakers” as ridiculous.
” The action is neither recognized by law nor convention. You cannot sit in somebody’s parlour or dinning room and say that you are holding a plenary while plenary is holding in the Assembly complex.
” If they say what they are doing is legal let them come to the Assembly complex and not in a hiding.”
On not convening the House he said: “It was an agreement among them not to convene the House. Realise that these people just ran election and some of them failed and traveled on vacation. Some are still abroad where they went on vacation.
” If they said they were pressuring the Speaker and he refused to convene the House, why didn’t they call a press conference to tell the world than embark on illegality. They just want to give a dog a bad name in order to kill it”
The Speaker equally said that eight and not seven members attended the plenary he presided over on Tuesday where the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Uchendu was impeached and the nine lawmakers in Apugo’s camp suspended.
He insisted that a quorum was formed, maintaining that every decision taken at the plenary was binding.
The Speaker also said that he presided over another plenary at the Assembly complex on Wednesday where the House confirmed the newly appointed Auditor General of Local Governments.
Asked who he suspected was sponsoring the fued in the House, he said he would not speculate.
” The sponsor is in the realm of speculation and I wouldn’t like to speculate.
” But the Speaker said today that there are people behaving as if they are the Governor or Assistant Governor.
” It’s possible that they are the people sponsoring the unrest in the House but such sponsors have failed woefully”.
Meanwhile, Ifeanyi Umere, the Chief Liaison Officer to the Speaker’s father, Senator Theodore Orji, had earlier quoted the Speaker as saying that:” will not be part of those plotting to add landmines to the incoming government that will take power come May 29th, 2023″.
Son of the late head of state and former Minister of Defence, Chief Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, in a letter of remembrance and solidarity written on behalf of the Aguiyi-Ironsi family to the Fajuyi family, marking the 60th anniversary of his death, said July 29, 2026, will be a solemn occasion to honour a soldier they described as “a war hero who offered himself as a sacrificial lamb for the unity and integrity of the nation.”
The family recalled that Lt Col Fajuyi, then Military Governor of the Western Region, made the ultimate sacrifice in 1966 when mutinous soldiers abducted him alongside Maj Gen Aguiyi-Ironsi in Ibadan during the military counter-coup.
They stated that Fajuyi, in a defining moment of conscience, chose honour over personal safety and refused to abandon his guest and superior, a decision the family said reflected the highest ideals of loyalty, integrity, and military brotherhood.
According to the statement, his action transformed him into a national martyr whose legacy continued to inspire unity, courage, and selfless service.
The Aguiyi-Ironsi family also expressed sympathy with the Fajuyi family, acknowledging the enduring pain of their loss, while praying for continued strength, comfort, and peace.
The statement further stated, “He did not run. He did not hide. He chose to stand. In that sacrificial decision lay the essence of his greatness.”
The family called on government institutions, military authorities, and custodians of national memory to ensure sustained recognition and support for the Fajuyi family, stressing that his sacrifice remained a national responsibility to remember and honour.
It urged Nigerians to draw inspiration from his life and death, noting that his legacy continues to challenge the nation to uphold unity, courage, honour, and selfless service.
Fajuyi was killed on July 29, 1966, during the military counter-coup in Ibadan alongside Aguiyi-Ironsi.
By Okey Maduforo Awka
The emergence of Chief Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere as the Minority Leader of the Federal House of Representatives has been described as a vindication of the fact that the Action People’s Party (APP ) represents the collective interests of the Nigerian masses.
Recall that recently, Ugochinyere was elected as the Minority Leader of the party in a keenly contested election of the Federal House of Representatives.
According to a statement by the Chairman Anambra state chapter of the APP Chief Chijioke Okeke, Ugochinyere had been consistent in offering himself as the voice of the people and that of the voiceless.
“It did not come to us as a surprise that our great leader High Chief Ugochinyere became the Minority leader of the Federal House of Representatives because he has always been consistent and focus towards providing himself as the only vent for the masses at the Green Chambers”
“We know his pedegre as a politician as well as a leader and he has remained focus in ensuring that the voiceless are heard and this is also a vindication of our party’s unflinching desire to provide a veritable platform in a democratic process”
Okeke further stated that the fifth columnists who had attempted to deregister the party have been put to shame adding that the party shall continue to champion the interests of the Nigerian people.
“They made failed attempt at deregistering our great party but they lost sight of the fact that the APP is firmely rooted on ground and has all that it takes to drive the wishes and aspirations of the Nigerian populace and with this recent development our traducers have been put to shame and our party is on the path of further greatness “. Okeke noted .
By Okey Maduforo Awka
Six members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB have been declared wanted by the Nigerian Police .
The six persons led by Mr Chukwuebuka Ohaechesi, include Emma Okonkwo, Jude Uwa, Gentle Okoro, Uchenna Dike, and Emmanuel Nwankwo who are said to be at large.
The were said to have fled to neighboring states in the South East hence signaling the other four Police Commands in the geopolitical zone to assist in the manhunt for them
The Police accused them of executing protests against the detaintion of the leader of IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who is currently serving jail terms in Sokoto Correction Center.
According to a statement issued by the Abia Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP Eguavon Omokaro, the individuals are suspected members of IPOB who have allegedly participated in protests at various times and locations within the state.
The statement alleged that the protests were organised in connection with the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and demands for justice through the judicial process.
The Police Command further stated that these protests have allegedly resulted in breaches of peace and disruptions to law and order in Abia State. Consequently, the Police Intelligence Department reportedly concluded that the named individuals were among the principal organisers and coordinators of the demonstrations.
The statement further alleged that; ;
“It should be noted that on every 30th day of May, these men and their cohorts convene for the so-called remembrance of Biafra, holding clandestine meetings at various locations in the name of the emancipation of the Biafran Republic and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.”
According to the police, the six individuals were invited on several occasions for questioning in relation to the allegations against them.
The statement indicated that the first invitation was issued on 18 December 2025, followed by a second invitation on 7 February 2026, and a third invitation on 3 March 2026.
The police alleged that the individuals failed to honour all three invitations.
The statement further asserted:
“These individuals were invited by the police on several occasions. Firstly, on 18 December 2025, they failed to honour the invitation. Again, they were invited on 7th February 2026 and failed to appear. Finally, they were invited on 3 March 2026, and they also failed to present themselves before the police.” It stated.
As a result, the Abia State Police Command announced that all six individuals had been formally declared wanted.
The police appealed to members of the public to provide any reliable information that could lead to their arrest and prosecution, stating that informants would be suitably rewarded.
The declaration of the six individuals as wanted persons is linked to allegations of their participation in pro-Biafra activities, demonstrations concerning the detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and their alleged association with IPOB, an organisation that has been the subject of extensive scrutiny and security operations by Nigerian authorities.
In a statement shared on social media, VeryDarkMan argued that Wike may not fully understand the pain and trauma experienced by parents of abducted children and affected teachers. He claimed that the minister’s children were educated abroad, away from the security challenges facing many Nigerian families.Nigerian entertainment news
The activist stated that insecurity, kidnapping, and attacks on schools remain serious national concerns and should not be dismissed or reduced to political issues. He stressed that the fears and frustrations of parents whose children face security threats deserve greater attention from public officials.
VeryDarkMan further warned that political power is temporary, urging leaders to remain accountable to the people and sensitive to the challenges confronting ordinary Nigerians.
-
Crime4 days agoOyo abduction: Teachers begin strike as Tinubu sends 1,000 forest guards to rescue victims
-
Education4 days agoEnugu East Chairman Celebrates Children’s Day with St. Ann’s College, Reaffirms Commitment to Education
-
News4 days agoDSS Detains Novelist Okey Ndibe at Lagos Airport, Awaits Clearance from Abuja
-
Crime4 days agoUS Announces $3.5m Religious Freedom Initiative, Questions Nigeria’s Response to Attacks
-
EverydayNews Telescope5 days agoThree Years On the Saddle : The Governor Peter Mbah score card that is a tall order
-
Crime4 days ago2 Police Officers Shot Dead as Gunmen Attack Anambra Chief of Staff’s Convoy
-
News2 days agoPower Doesn’t Last Forever, It Has Expiry Date — VeryDarkMan Warns Wike
-
Crime3 days agoAbducted Army General: Gunmen Make Demands, Contact Family