Okorocha champions the affairs of Ndi Igbo, as Buhari visits Owerri tomorrow

Following the refusal of most Igbos in the south-East to support the change-train of the All Progressive People's Congress(APC) in the presidential election of March 28 which brought in Mohammadu Buhari as President-elect, Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha is currently fighting hard to ensure that the Igbos do not lose out totally.

You would recall that the APC equally didn't win the majority seats in the National Assembly in the state, and may no longer have the seat of the Senate president and speaker of the House of Representa­tives, which is rather a disturbing factor to the Igbo leader Rochas Okorocha who said it's a pitiable situation and disheartening that out of sentiment the Igbos rubbed themselves out. 

But Okorocha the southeast leader is not deterred but is determined to ensure that the South-Eastern states have a firm place in the Scheme of things and particularly to enjoy 'Federal might' which is often easier when a state's ruling party is properly aligned one at the national, Rochas Okorocha who is reputed for always fighting for the cause of the Igbos has finalised move to bring the much- loved President-elect Buhari to the South-East tomorrow, April 7th.

The ever-passionate Imo governor will ensure that when Buhari arrives Owerri tomorrow, the fondly called "People's General" will meet with all stakeholders, use the opportunity to thank all the Igbos, and encourage them to have a rethink by voting APC in next weekend's governorship election.

"There is danger looming for the South-East if urgent steps are not taken to let the Igbos realise why they should vote APC next weekend. Ofcourse, there have always been clarion calls sounded by His Excellency Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha to all Igbos, but our people refused to listen. Now see where we are about to find ourselves in the emerging political equation following the Presidential election last weekend. There is nothing like being part of the government at the centre and fortunately, the Igbos still have one more chance in this election by voting APC in next Saturday's governorship election. They won't say that we didn't warn them," an aide of the governor explains to us.

Buhari's coming back to say thank you to the Ndi Igbo, may be worthy of note and speaks volume as against, PDP's Goodluck Jonathan who never returned to show appreciation despite getting majority votes of the Igbos-1.3million votes in Imo and about 7 million votes in the entire South-East in the last election.

By mediating for a cordial relationship between the president-elect and the Igbos who turned their back against him in last weekend's poll, Rochas Okorocha is also once again as in recent time, demonstrating his significant role in reclaiming the political rights of the Igbo race and her political alignment to the center which voting of APC next weekend will ensure.

Legal suit filed to disqualify Buhari postponed till April 22nd

The consolidated suit filed by a group of lawyers challenging the eligibility of APC Presidential candidate, Gen Buhari has been adjourned to April 22nd. The case which was to be heard yesterday March 24th was adjourned to today and on getting to the Federal High Court in Abuja this morning, the presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola adjourned the case to April 22nd after dismissing applications by two intended parties to join the suit as defendants.

Two 'loitering' Aljazeera journalists restrained by troops in Maiduguri

Press statement from Defence Headquarters below...

Two journalists working for Aljazeera Television who were found to have been loitering around areas where military operations are ongoing in the North East have been restrained in Maiduguri.

The journalists, Ahmed Idris and Mustafa Andy who were noted to have been moving around various locations including restricted areas in Yobe and Borno State were also operating without any protection, accreditation or due clearance.
They were accordingly monitored by military intelligence operatives until they eventually had to be restrained to their hotel in Maiduguri. This followed the increasing suspicion that their activities were aimed at interfering with the ongoing military operations in the area.

The motive, activities and some material in possession of these individuals are now being investigated. It will be recalled that Foreign journalists have earlier been cautioned against unauthorized and unprotected movements around the military operations area. This warning is hereby reiterated until formally reversed or lifted. Appropriate arrangements will however continue to be made to assist duly cleared journalists to cover activities in the mission area within the limits of adequate safety, security & necessary procedures.

Photo: Rivers state PDP, APC & LP governorship candidates laugh & hold hands

Rivers state governorship candidates of PDP - Nyesom Wike, APC - Dakuku Peterside and Labor Party's Tonye Princewill photographed holding hands, talking and laughing during the state's election debate on Monday 23^rd of March 2015.

10-year-old meets death after being raped by top Director in Abia (Photo)

The Director of Administration representing the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in the Board of the Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Mr. Christian Onuoha, has been arrested by the police for  allegedly raping his 10-year-old housemaid to death.

According to reports gathered by the Punch, the victim, Anurika Ngwakwe, was allegedly found unconscious in Onuoha’s car in his house at World Bank Housing Estate, Umuahia, on Tuesday, before she was rushed to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead.


The father of the victim , Mr. Chinenye Ngwakwe, a security man with the state’s Ministry of Finance, said he wanted justice for the death of his daughter.

The 49-year-old said the wife of the accused, Precious, who is also a member of staff of the Ministry of Finance, had been mounting pressure on him to find a housemaid for the family.


He said after much pressure, he finally took the couple to his village at Owoahiafo in the Obingwa Local Government Area of the state on January 2, 2015, where he had intended to recommend a housemaid to them.

Ngwakwe said he decided to entertain the couple in his house before taking them to meet the proposed housemaid.

According to him, while the couple were in his house, his daughter came out from her room to welcome them, adding that the couple suddenly developed interest in her.

He said, “

They said they liked her and would prefer to take her. When my wife and I asked Anurika whether she would like to follow them, she said yes.”

He said he was shocked that his daughter died in mysterious circumstances less than three months after she was handed over to the couple, who he said, had promised to train her.

The father of the victim said he was contacted on the phone on the fateful day by the wife of the suspect.

“Immediately I got to their house, I was told that my daughter had been rushed to a hospital. When I got to the hospital, I saw my daughter on oxygen mask lying naked on the bed and bleeding from the mouth and her private  part.
“When I asked them what happened to her, I was told that she locked up herself in the man’s car and was found bleeding with bruises in parts of her body. While I was there, the man told me that he was going back to his house and I said I would stay with her because she was my daughter.
“The man bought dry gin and gave me to drink, but I rejected the drink and threw it inside the hospital’s dustbin. He left us and went back to his house.
“Later in the night, she was removed from the oxygen, but blood kept coming from her private parts with whitish substance.
“A nurse, who also observed it, shouted, ‘What did they do to this girl?’ At that point, the doctor called Onuoha on the phone to explain what happened to my daughter.”

Ngwakwe explained that when finally the accused showed up the following day, the doctor asked him to take the girl to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, saying he could no longer handle the case.

It was learnt that when the girl was finally brought to the FMC, doctors at the hospital insisted on having the medical report of the doctor that attended to her at the first hospital.

The father of the victim stated that before the doctor’s report was brought, the authorities of the FMC invited the police, who arrested the suspect.

The father called on the government to prevail on the accused to “explain what happened to my daughter”.
He added that the suspect’s wife had boasted at the hospital that money would be used to “settle the matter”.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Geoffrey Ogbonna, said the suspect was still being detained, adding that investigations into the matter had commenced.
Ogbonna said that,

 “It is not clear whether rape or ritual killing was the cause, but the autopsy result will guide the police in their investigations.
“The car, in which the victim’s body was discovered, is owned by another person. The owner will be arrested. The matter cannot be swept under the carpet.”

Meanwhile, the state government has ordered the immediate removal of the suspect from ASOPADEC board.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dr. Anthony Agbazuere, who announced  this at a press briefing on Thursday, said the measure was taken “given the nature of his alleged crime”.

He said that the state Civil Service Commission had also been directed to “take necessary action.”

Blessing Okagbare apologizes for negative comments on GEJ's contribution to sports

Blessing Okagbare who recently scolded the campaign team of President Goodluck Jonathan for unlawful use of her image and footage in an advertorial for his re-election campaigns seems to have taken back her words.

  

The African track queen initially complained of lack of support from the government, and said that, "Now, I am here struggling on my own to pay my coach, nutritionist, doctor and others to make sure I am in good shape for the All African Games and the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China."

It however appears that many waters might have passed under the bridge as Okagbare recently expressed her die hard love for the president. She further praised him for his immense contribution to Nigeria sports but maintained that the unlawful usage of her image and footage remains unpardonable.

In her words, “I heard that some opposition parties are using that against Jonathan’s campaign. It shouldn’t be so. I don’t want anyone or opposition parties to get it twisted. I am a die hard fan of the president. He has inspired me so much and I appreciate everything and the changes he brought into Nigerian sports.

Like I said, I am in support of Jonathan’s re-election bid, But I want to say that what Good House Nigeria did in that advertorial by using my image and footage without seeking my consent was totally wrong and unprofessional.”

Fr Mbaka still insisting GEJ is after his life. Releases statement

Controversial Enugu-based Reverend father, Fr Mbaka is still insisting that the president and his wife want him dead. He's now accusing Enugu police of not taking the threat seriously and claiming that some men packed in a Hilux bus came to look for him recently at his Paris bu didn't find him. Below is a statement he released via his Media Officer, Ike Maximus Ugwuoke..

"It is with a deep sense of concern that we are constrained to make this statement on the continued threat to the life of Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka over his 2015 New Year message titled “From Good Luck to Bad Luck. The Enugu State Police Command has refuted claims by Fr. Mbaka that his life is in danger. It dismissed Fr. Mbaka’s outcry over threat to his life as baseless.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amarizu , DSP, was quoted as saying, “We do not have any report by Fr. Mbaka over threat to his life. We have not received any complaint from him”.
On the backdrop of the above, one begins to wonder whether the alarm raised by Fr. Mbaka on an alleged plot to kill him was a mere rhetoric as the police had made it to appear merely because there has not been an official report to the police over it. 

Absence of a formal report on threat to one’s life doesn’t negate the reality of such threat more so when the victim had made a public outcry on this issue.

To argue otherwise is akin to denying the fact of death in the face of a man’s corpse merely because there is no certificate certifying his death…

Yesterday (Wednesday) strange hoodlums in a black Hilux besieged his parish compound but they left disappointed when they could not see him.

"Wherever and whoever this threat is coming from, we state that there are strong and compelling circumstances pointing towards the fact that Fr. Mbaka’s latest attacks were stemming from his said 2015 New Year message, which was not favourable to the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.”