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A federal high court in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sacked the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial district, Bassey Akpan, from the Nigerian Senate. The court in a judgment delivered on Monday ruled that Bassey Etim ( also known as BAFIL), and not Mr. Akpan, was the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 senatorial election in the state. The court said Mr. Akpan vied for the PDP governorship ticket in the state, and not for the party’s senate ticket. The court ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should immediately issue a certificate of return to Mr. Etim, a former member of the Federal House of Representatives, and that the senate should swear him in as the senator representing the district. The court gave Mr. Akpan 90 days to refund all the money he has received as emoluments so far from the national assembly. Mr. Akpan, a former commissioner for finance during the administration of Godswill Akpabio, is th

By Philip Nweze I can't pin down a valentine's day gift that can rival the one Mr Chijioke Uraku received last week. Tuesday February 14, 2017 was indeed a beautiful day for the physically challenged man from Item Amagu community, in Ikwo local government area of Ebonyi state. Recall that he was dehumanised by two soldiers for wearing military camouflage on the streets of Onitsha, Anambra state on 7th of the same month. His abusers gave him the vicious beating of his life. After, he was dragged on asphalt by the power-drunk lunatics in what has remained the highest level of brutality ever meted out to a man on a wheelchair. However, little did he know that fate has some compensation for him for the degrading treatment. In fact it seems God allows bad things to happen to us sometimes so that helpers can locate us. In Chijioke's case, he was located by the number one citizen of Ebonyi state, Governor David Umahi. He became the guest of the governor a week after his ordeal.

  Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has said  that it is not compulsory for all Ebonyi workers to participate in the state’s new pension scheme. He announced this during meeting with the Nigeria Labour Congress and its affiliate bodies over the controversy surrounding the new pension law at  the Government House, Abakaliki on Wednesday. Umahi, who  said  that any civil servant willing to opt out should indicate so  in writing,  added that once  done, the person's name would be expunged outrightly.   "Any worker that doesn't want to participate in this scheme should in writing, not collectively, state that 'I don't want to participate in this pension scheme law.' Such  person will be excluded from the programme," the governor said in a statement on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya. Umahi, who reiterated his commitment to the welfare of workers , said  his administration  would currently afford 5% contribution to the sch

By Monica Ada Chidimma Eze. Few weeks back, we monitored nocturnal meetings in Abuja, Abakaliki and Enugu of major political heavy weights that lost out in the 2015 general elections in Ebonyi State, with those who felt that they are not carried along by the present administration of Governor Dave Umahi and the group that have some political scores to settle with the governor, as well as those who felt that he is going too far in his transformational agenda and must be stopped by any means before he rubbishes their political leanings that Ebonyi is beyond any form of redemption. In all these meetings, the single agenda was strategies to uproot the Umahi from the Government House come 2019. The argument that Ebonyi South, through Umahi, is entitled to a second term as was the case with Senator Sam Egwu from Ebonyi North zone and Chief Martins Elechi from North-Central zone who all spent eight years in office failed on deaf ears, not considering Umahi’s commitment, based on physical and

Ebonyi State Governor David Nweze Umahi on Tuesday lamented the attack on Azuoffia Edda in Abakaliki Local Government Area by people from  three  communities  in Obubra LGA of Cross River State,   warning that no Ebonyian would be killed anymore under his watch. Umahi, in company with security chiefs in the state, including the Commander of Abakaliki Cantonment, Peter Kulawe and Commissioner of Police, Titus Lamorde, described the onslaught on Azuoffia-Edda  people as man’s inhumanity to man. The governor, who was in the  nearly deserted  community to supervise the distribution of relief materials by the  National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons  to the displaced survivors, had earlier been told by the Abakaliki LGA chairman, Peter Nwaogbaga, that   the attackers  killed four people and  kidnapped three others. A  visibly displeased Umahi   said: "Under my watch, no Ebonyi man will be slaughtered again. We will not allow that to happen. The es

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has called  for the   Federal Government intervention in settling the   hostilities   between the people of Azuofia Idda in Izzi Local Government Area of the state   and Ohene in Cross River State. He made the call when the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Enugu, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar, came to brief him on the outcome of the surveillance of the two communities at the Government House, Abakaliki on Saturday evening.  Umahi ,who  noted that lingering boundary dispute  between the two communities  required action and commitment of the Federal Government and the two states,    advocated  security meeting where the military  commanders of both states and heads  other security agents would be in attendance .  He said, " The  problem between Cross River and Ebonyi is quite known  and unfortunately, the problem of boundary in our country is quite funny. Nobody is really taking any definite action. " I believe strong

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has  warned that any Local Government  Area chairman who fails  to recover the agric loan given to farmers in their area would forfeit February allocation. Umahi gave the warning while swearing in   the Caretaker Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Mark Onu and the Vice-Chairman,  Patience Aja at the  Government House, Abakaliki on Wednesday. The governor expressed displeasure over the inability of some council chairmen who  stood as sureties for farmers    but had failed to make them(farmers) repay the loans.    "Any chairman that signed surety for agric loan and has not recovered it for us will  not get allocation  this month,” he said in a statement on Thursday by his spokesman, Emma Anya.   He argued that since the council chiefs voluntarily stood as sureties for the farmers, they  “should be the first to knock at the doors of the beneficiaries after they  harvested." He also spoke on the forthcoming co

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has flagged off his administration's  empowerment programmes for civil servants   and youths in the state.  The beneficiaries of the first phase of the programmes  comprise  8,000 civil servants  and 4,000 youths.    At the ceremony which held at the Abakaliki Township Stadium in Abakaliki, the  governor  noted that a lot of people keyed into the programmes and  expressed his gratitude to them for believing in the initiatives aimed at boosting food production in the state and economic potential  of the people. While he explained that no amount of money would be enough to satisfy the yearnings of the people  in time of economic recession,    Umahi   advised those  profiled for  the schemes  to properly utilise the funds  in order to increase their income.  The governor, according to a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Anya, said,  "I'm very convinced that God wants to use Ebonyi State to set