Politics
Enugu: Enough of your ‘madness,’ former Speaker blasts APC Chair, Agballa
Former Speaker of the Enugu House of Assembly, Barr Eugene Odo has lambasted the State APC Chairman Ugochukwu Agballa over comments he made during a recent campaign tour of Opi, in Nsukka LGA.
The party Chairman reportedly maligned Nsukka APC leaders including the former Speaker.
Agballa accused the APC leaders in the zone of working against the party; “that they are working for the PDP…that they are agents of PDP in APC…’
Hear the Speaker:
Before Ugo Agballa came in, the party was booming; almost everybody in the party was struggling for membership, of course the membership was very robust with high quality people.
Each time we want to have meeting at Nza
street you see the likes of Ken Nnamani, Gbazuagu, Sullivan, IK Ugwuegde, Ayogu Eze, almost every stakeholder in APC.
And we decided to share positions. That this positions will make every part of the state to get a sense of belonging in what is acruable to the party.
We zoned the Governoship position to Enugu East senatorial zone, we zoned secretary of the party to Enugu East Zone.
For Enugu West we zoned the Chairmanship of the party and then Speaker of the House of Assembly, if we win election.
In Enugu North, we zoned whatever national office of the party that will be coming to the state to Enugu North Senatorial zone which is Nsukka.
We also zoned the Deputy Governorship candidate to Enugu North.
But since Ugo Agballa came in, it’s quite unfortunate that he couldn’t harness what he met on the ground.
He has been there raining abuses on the party people, he has been raining abuses even to members of his executive.
Of course you would have seen how he has been insulting Ken Nnamani, Sullivan Chime and anybody he cares to insult.
So we feel that as party people we should tag on until we realized there is no seriousness in what he is doing as party Chairman.
As I speak to you the National office that was zoned to Nsukka, when it eventually came it was given to Emma Enukwu who is from Enugu West senatorial zone.
Not just Enugu West but the same Local Government with Ugo Agballa. Also, the Deputy Governoship candidate zoned to Enugu North, as I speak to you, the state secretary remains in INEC as the deputy governor.
So I was wondering the kind of conscience and shamelessness that will drag Ugo Agballa to any part of Nsukka zone to campaign.
Are you campaigning to people whose position you have jettisoned? Are you campaigning to them as fools? Or are you campaining to them as people who have no sense of history?
The way he has carried on is with impunity.
You met Ken Nnamani in the party you are not working with him; you met Sullivan Chime in the party you are not working with him; you met Onyemuche Nnamani, Gen Ugwu who is ambassador in Poland, Ben Nwoye, Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu, Ben Eche, Timothy Ama, Val Nnaedozie, Joe Mammel, the Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Osita Okechuukwu, Ibekaku, Eugene Odo, Ayogu Eze, you met all these people in the party, you are not working with them.
And he cannot mention one person he is working with.
You are parading a Deputy Governorship candidate who you are more or less deceiving.
What kind of Chairman will run an election where the governor and deputy will come from the same senatorial zone as it’s presently in INEC.
What kind of Chairman will run an election where there is no manifesto for the Governoship candidate up till today. What kind of Chairman will superintendent an election with no single campaign Council.
You have a DG who is from the same Constituency with the governor. There is no single Campaign Council perhaps the DG is the sole administrator.
And in all that we felt we can select people who are serious and support, certainly not people who are not serious and allowed Ugochukwu Agballa with his malfeasance.
He, with his cohorts superintended the denial of Enugu North their rightful position that was written, signed under agreement.
As if it wasn’t enough, he had the temerity to come to the same Enugu North to insult the leaders, just because they left you.
We understand that he is relatively a ‘mad’ person, but this madness has been taken a little too far and needs to be cautioned.
It’s unfortunate that in his senses he should be coming to Enugu North to campaign.
We understand that he is not cordinated in reasoning but he should not take the madness too far. He has ridiculed the party.
Have you ever seen a party Chairman who has taken the place of a Director General?
And even if you go for campaign you can never say anything about PDP, you can never say anything about Labour Party, you are there maligning leaders who were there before you.
Is he the only frustrated person?
Having left office since 1999 and he had opportunity of being a Chairman, it would have been an avenue to redeem his image which is battered.
He has never won any election. Not even Councillorship position. Frlom where is the experience of even engineering an election come from?
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.
-
Crime4 days ago
Oyo 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
-
EverydayNews Telescope5 days agoThree Years On the Saddle : The Governor Peter Mbah score card that is a tall order
-
Crime4 days agoUS Announces $3.5m Religious Freedom Initiative, Questions Nigeria’s Response to Attacks
-
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
-
Politics2 days ago
Speaker suspended over anti-party activities