Politics
Court adjourns Okonkwo’s suit to November 16 as fear grips Soludo, others
The shocker suit filed by Anambra born politician and activist Ifeanyi Okonkwo has thrown the camps of the affected guber candidates in fear.
This is even as the Awka Federal High Court adjourned the case to November 16.
The case which came up Tuesday was adjourned to give time for all parties to be served.
The suit which is challenging the nomination of the for leading candidates may go a long way in deciding the next governor of Anambra.
Okonkwo is seeking to disqualify four politcial parties and their candidates from participating in the November 6 guber elections.
Those dragged to court include APGA and its candidate Chukwuma Soludo, APC and Andy Uba, YPP and Senator Ifeanyi Uba as well as PDP and Chief Valentine Ozigbo.
Also joined in the suit are the Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner as wellp as0 the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC.
In the matter with Suit No: Fhc/Awk/Cs//71/2021 Okonkwo, a former Governoship candidate is seeking an order disqualifying the four candidates from contesting the November 6, 2021 Anambra Governoship election.
He is also seeking an order of mandatory injunction mandating INEC to delist the defendants and bar them from presentmemt and participation in the November 6 electiion.
“An order of declaration that the information contained in the affidavit presented by the four candidates to INEC Form CF 001 and other details on the nomination is false and misrepresentation of facts about their personal particulars or information of candidates.
The plaintiff is further seeking an order pursuant to Section 31(6) of the Electoral Act, 2010(as ammended) disqualifying the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th Defendants as candidates from contesting the Anambra election.
Okonkwo, a registered voter says he is aggrieved by “the flagrant violations of the Electoral Act (2010) (as ammended) and the Nigerian constitution by the defendants.
In his statement of Claim, Okonkwo faulted the extension to the tenure of the Buni led APC Caretaker Committee after the first six months as it was not done by the NWC.
“It is on record that the appointing body, the APC National Worling Committee never met again to extend the tenure of the caretaker. And acts carried out by the body has not been determined by any court.
“That the APC acting National Chairman, Mai Buni, is aware that as Executive Governor of Yobe State, he shall not during his current period in office hold any other executive office or paid employment in any capacity.
“But he sat at the helm of affairs of the APC Anambra guber primary that purportedly took place on 26/6/2021.
“That the Governor/National Chairman of APC submitted and signed the nomination of Senator Andy Uba as APC candidate for the November 6 Anambra election.
“That INEC in its report stated that APC did not hold Governoship primary election on 26/6/2021 at the date, venues and time it notified the Commission.
‘That INEC failed to comply with the Electoral Act when it Published Senator Andy Uba and the APC among the list of candidates notwithstanding the INEC report against the APC.
“That both APC and Andy Uba are unfit legally and constitutionally to participate further in the process of the November 6 Anambra Governoship election.”
For APGA, Okonkwo noted that the party did not hold special Congress in each of the Local Government Areas as stipulated by the Electoral Act.
“The party rather gathered all the four aspirants at the Late Dora Akunyili Women Development Center, Awka, in their illegal and unconstitutional party Governoship primary.”
He also argued that as a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, Prof Chukwuma Soludo ought to have resigned his appointment.
He described the Council as a statutory tenured position recorgnized under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 151 (1).
“As a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council Prof Soludo is a public officer up till the 23/6/2021 when he contested as the winner of APGA, Anambra State Governoship candidate.”
For Ifeanyi Ubah and YPP, Okonkwo argued that a Lawmaker at the state or National Assembly seeking nomination for governor ought to resign or take leave of absence.
“That a member of the National Assembly aspiring to contest in party primary election for Governoship candidate, a statutory office tenured as the membership of State National and State Assemblies, which is constructively and constitutionally different from standing for re election in National or State Assemblies is mandatorily required to either resign, withdraw or retire from such parliamentary positions; or take leave of absence without pay at least 30 days before standing for the party Governoship primary.”
Ifeanyi Okonkwo is also challenging PDP’s nomination process which threw up Chief Valentine Ozigbo insisting that the process contravenes sections of the Electoral Law.
In the now-controversial post shared on his social media page, Osborne wrote: “In a sane clime president Bola Ahmed Tinubu would’ve respectfully and honourably resigned. I’m of APC but truth be told.”
The comment quickly generated reactions online before the Akwa Ibom State Government moved to terminate his appointment.
In a letter dated June 2, 2026, the Office of the Political Adviser to the Governor announced his immediate disengagement.
The termination letter, signed by the Political Adviser to the Governor, Prince Godwin Ntuk Udeh, stated that Osborne Ubong Okon had been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.Politics
According to the letter, the decision was taken over actions the office described as disloyal.
“You are hereby relieved of your engagement as a Media Aide to the Political Adviser to His Excellency the Governor, with immediate effect and from today, 2nd June 2026,” the memo read.
The letter further cited “actions bordering on disloyalty” and the need to keep the office “purified” as reasons for the dismissal.
The office also issued a warning to members of the public and government officials regarding future dealings with the former aide.
“Any person having dealings with the above-mentioned former Media Aide in relation to this office of his former engagement does so on his/her own peril,” the statement added.
The development has sparked fresh conversations about the limits of political expression for government appointees and the expectations of loyalty within public service, particularly when comments are directed at the presidency.
Neither Osborne nor the Presidency had publicly responded to the development as of the time of filing this report.
The decision was taken during plenary on Tuesday at the Assembly complex in Dutse, the state capital, as the party continues to deal with the fallout from recent primaries.
The action comes amid a wave of suspensions across Jigawa APC following the recently conducted primary election.
Several special advisers and special assistants have already been suspended statewide over alleged anti-party activities from state level down to local government level.
Maigari, who doubles as the councillor representing Auyo Ward, was suspended after the House considered a motion by the Majority Leader, Lawan Dansure.
The motion sought disciplinary action against the lawmaker for conduct deemed harmful to party cohesion.
Moving the motion during the Assembly’s plenary session on Tuesday, Dansure urged members to support the suspension.
He said the House must act to protect the integrity of the ruling party ahead of 2027.
According to him, the actions of the Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
“His actions are detrimental to the unity, stability, and progress of the All Progressives Congress,” Dansure told the House.
He argued that anti-party conduct at the grassroots level could undermine APC’s performance in future elections.
He said the House could not fold its arms while party discipline was being tested.
“Hon. Haruna Maigari is hereby suspended as Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council over alleged anti-party activities,” Dangyatin announced during plenary.
The Speaker also said the House remains committed to party discipline at all levels of governance in the state.
Dangyatin then constituted an investigative committee to look into the matter and report back within two weeks.
“The committee is expected to establish facts and recommend further action based on its findings,” he said.
The Speaker also directed the suspended lawmaker to hand over all official documents in his possession to the Deputy Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council.
He said the handover must be done immediately to ensure continuity of council business.
Meanwhile, the House also received a formal notification from Governor Umar Namadi regarding an official trip.
“The governor is billed to attend a two-day West African Rice Investment Roundtable in Accra, Ghana,” the Speaker said during the plenary session of the Assembly.
Dangyatin, who explained that the governor’s foreign engagement will hold between June 2 and June 3, 2026, added that “the governor’s participation is aimed at attracting investment to Jigawa’s rice value chain.”
By Chinedu Sabastine
Mr. Samson Chukwu Nnamani has declared that he remains the authentic governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State ahead of the 2027 election.
Nnamani made this known on Friday during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Enugu.
Reacting to allegations that he was suspended from the party before the PDP governorship primary election, Nnamani dismissed the claim, questioning how a supposedly suspended aspirant could participate in the exercise and secure votes.
“The purported claim that I was suspended is very funny. If I was suspended as they claim, how can they attribute votes for me during their kangaroo primary,” Nnamani questioned.
Represented by his Media Director, Dr. Buchi Nnaji, the PDP chieftain said his authenticity derives from the present recognition of the Abdulrahman-led faction of the PDP by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of which he is a member.
The clarification followed the emergence of multiple claimants to the PDP governorship ticket in Enugu State.
Nnamani insisted that the party was no longer factionalised following INEC’s recognition of the Abdulrahman-led PDP leadership, noting that the panel which declared him winner where sent from their headquaters, Abuja.
Nnamani expressed gratitude to PDP leaders and supporters whom he said turned out massively on Sunday, May 24, 2026, to elect him as the party’s governorship candidate.
He pledged to reposition Enugu State through infrastructure development, job creation and people-oriented policies.
“As the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Enugu State, I remain committed to the ideals of good governance, inclusive leadership, economic development, youth empowerment, quality education, improved healthcare and enhanced security for all residents,” he said.
He added that his aspiration was to build “a greater Enugu State where opportunities abound for every citizen, irrespective of political affiliation, religion or social status.”
According to him, his administration would prioritise infrastructure development, industrialisation, support for small businesses and welfare programmes aimed at improving the lives of the people.
“We shall also review and remove policies and practices that are truncating the wellbeing, economic survival and social advancement of the citizens,” he stated.
Nnamani further called on stakeholders, party faithful, youths, women, traditional rulers and the people of Enugu State to join hands in building “a united, peaceful and progressive state.”
“Together, we can achieve the Enugu of our dreams,” he added.
The Presidency has reacted following the circulation of an alleged WhatsApp voice note in which President Bola Tinubu reportedly claims he begged opposition figure Peter Obi to step down ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The reaction came on Wednesday from Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President.
Onanuga condemned the audio file, labeling it a fabrication and called for legal action against popular social media critic VeryDarkMan who shared it.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform.,” Onanuga tweeted.
In the viral video, VeryDarkMan used the alleged leaked audio to urge Nigerians to vote against President Tinubu’s reelection bid in the upcoming 2027 polls.
Recall that just days ago, on Saturday, May 23, 2026, President Tinubu secured the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a landslide nationwide direct primary election.
During that contest, Tinubu faced a lone challenger, Edo State businessman and APC chieftain Stanley Osifo. The President won with 10,999,162 votes from the 12,643,306 registered party members, while Osifo secured 16,503 votes.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 election, is widely expected to fly the flag for the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC). Both Obi and Tinubu hail from the southern region of Nigeria and are set to face last year’s runner-up, Atiku Abubakar, who is expected to lead the ticket for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi State, Ifeanyichukwuma Odii, has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of running the state like a personal family business.
Odii made the remark shortly after emerging as the PDP governorship candidate for the 2027 election following the party’s primary election conducted across the 13 local government areas of the state.
Speaking to party supporters in Abakaliki, Odii said the 2027 election would be about rescuing Ebonyi from poor governance and restoring economic growth and public welfare.
“Ebonyi can never be consumed. Ebonyi can never be conquered. Ebonyi can never become a personal family business, and we are here for the rescue of our dear state,” he stated.
The PDP flag bearer pledged to improve the welfare of civil servants and teachers while promising policies aimed at reviving the state’s economy.
Odii also dismissed fears over political opposition ahead of the election, insisting that his focus remained the development and progress of Ebonyi State.
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