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The ‘Return of Obieze’ to Enugu House of Assembly 

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By Petrus Obi
Different headlines have been used by various media houses and online platforms about the turnaround that has returned Hon Chima Obieze to the Enugu State House of Assembly.
Some had captioned it ‘A Twist’, others ‘Surprise,’ but I have decided to use, the ‘Return of Obieze,’ for so many reasons which may not be exhausted in this report.
For starters, the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos sacked Hon. Udefuna Chukwudi of the Labour Party member representing Ezeagu Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly for not being able to meet the constitutional requirements.
The appellate court declared Rt. Hon. Chima Obieze of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP winner of the March 18th election.Obieze had challenged the declaration of Udefuna as the winner of the election on the grounds of invalid nomination; non-qualification and disregard for the 2022 electoral act.

On September 28th, 2023, the National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petitions siting in Enugu state upheld the Labour Party’s candidate, stating that his election followed the electoral act and he had the minimum requirement to contest for the election.

Obieze in his appeal, argued that position of Hon. Justice Adie Attoe led panel on the qualification of the Labour Party’s candidate; Udefuna Chukwudi is not only contrary to the 1999 constitution as amended, it’s also at variance with an existing judgement of the Supreme Court on a similar matter.

The Appeal Court is the last arbiter in this matter, therefore marking the end of litigations and return of the lawmaker to the Enugu House of Assembly.
Why Obieze’s return is remarkable
One, for those who have followed the politics of Enugu, Hon Obieze is one of the youngest actors who has remained vocal, visible, viable, and in touch with the people.
Also, Hon Obieze was among the top candidates penciled down for the position of Speaker in the current Assembly.
Obieze was thus becoming a threat in some quaters. At such a young age he was moving too fast for comfort.
His return marks his third tenure as a legislator, and as a Speaker? That would have raised his stakes; provided more financial muscles, widen his political horizon and empire; and maybe prepared him for something bigger.
There were thus, deliberate attempts to stop his return to the Assembly. This was coming from his own party, the PDP.
The stories surrounding his election and the roles played by some political actors from Ezeagu are better imagined; and would be left for another day.
Initially it appeared they were succeeding following the declaration of the election result by INEC.
Significantly, while Obieze lost at the Election Tribunal, he shockingly spent money to congratulate all PDP candidates that got positive judgement at the tribunals. A rate attribute.
His return is thus, the continuation of a script prepared by destiny. For those who have eyes….
In Reggae Parlance we say “who Jah bless No Man can cause.” And the Appeal Court spoke. And Obieze returns.
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Aide Sacked For Advising President Tinubu To Resign

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An aide attached to the Akwa Ibom State Government has been dismissed from office after publicly suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should “respectfully and honourably resign.”
The dismissal followed a Facebook post by Osborne Ubong Snr, who served as Media Aide to the  Political Adviser to the Akwa Ibom State Governor.

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

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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.

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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.

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Speaker suspended over anti-party activities

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The Jigawa State House of Assembly has suspended the Speaker of Auyo Legislative Council, Haruna Maigari, over alleged anti-party activities that officials say threaten All Progressives Congress unity at the grassroots.

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.

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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.

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He argued that anti-party conduct at the grassroots level could undermine APC’s performance in future elections.

Reacting after the motion was adopted, Speaker of the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Haruna Dangyatin, announced the suspension of the councillor with immediate effect.

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.

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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.

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“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.”

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Nnamani Rejects Suspension Claim, Insists on PDP Governorship Ticket

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Presidency Refutes Claim Tinubu Begged Peter Obi to Withdraw

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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).

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2027 Guber: PDP Candidate Odii Accuses Nwifuru Of Running Ebonyi As Family Business

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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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