I do my best to avoid political takes but Mr.Ozigbo’s recent outing woke me up like a loud neighbor.

As a student of strategy, I’d argue that Mr. Val’s defection from the Labour Party (LP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was indeed a highly miscalculated move,

One that could very well have been orchestrated or at least capitalized on by the ruling party to dilute his influence ahead of the Anambra governorship election in November…..allegedly.

For someone that has a strong corporate track record which marks him a genius, his political moves raise eyebrows.

A charismatic figure with a strong grassroots following just seemed to squander his momentum by abandoning the Labour party (LP), a party whose ticket he would have comfortably won and still remained on the ballot and with Peter Obi’s populist appeal, he had higher chances of the odds being in his favour this time.

Instead he went for the APC which struggles to resonate in the South-East particularly Anambra, due to its national reputation and limited regional foothold.

Their trick? Welcome him in, promise him the big prize of being their candidate, then let him flop in the primaries… 67 votes for him as against Dr. Nicholas’ 1455 votes.

Ouch! The APC didn’t just edge him out,they quietly shrank his influence,leaving his ‘Obidient supporters’ highly disappointed at his move.

A master stroke by the APC if you ask me…alas he would be compensated with a federal appointment.

In the coming Anambra election, the battleground will be shaped by perception and credibility.

The electorate, now more politically aware, will be watching closely not just for party manifestos, but for authenticity, consistency, and grassroots alignment.

With the APGA still commanding strong loyalty in various parts of the state, and APC struggling to connect with the average voter, the fragmentation of the opposition may ironically hand APGA an edge if they play their cards right.

Now, Governor Soludo is chilling in the APGA driver’s seat, counting his money and watching the mess.

Unless Ozigbo recalibrates quickly and rebuilds trust across both the elite and grassroots structures, his momentum may stall. In this election, optics and timing will be everything.

Soludo’s probably going to win unless the others are smart enough, but Dr. Ozigbo’s slip-up handed the APC a softer landing and lesser forces to deal with. They’re probably somewhere laughing while he’s left kicking dirt.

Politics is a wild game, and Ozigbo just traded his gold for a lump of coal.

The lessons are there for you to pick

Let me know what you think about it in the comments.

Cheers to a glorious week

A reliable source disclosed to Ekwutosblog that two former south-eastern governors, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu, have been screened for the role.

The source added that Shehu Sani, who recently joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former presidential aide Reno Omokri, are among the nominees who have also been screened.

The source also confirmed that former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro and former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, have already gone through the screening process and have been cleared for their prospective national assignments.

It would be recalled that in September 2023, President Bola Tinubu recalled all Nigerian ambassadors, both career and non-career.

A senior advisor to US President Donald Trump said dozens of countries have contacted the White House seeking to renegotiate new US tariffs. Chip-making Taiwan says it wants to cut tariffs to zero.

Trump adviser: White House inundated with calls seeking fresh trade talks EU ready with “proportionate countermeasures,” says von der Leyen Netanyahu will urge Trump to cut tariffs on Israel during talks next week Chip leader Taiwan says it will seek zero-tariff deal with US

Here are the latest developments following the new round of Trump tariffs on Sunday, April 6:

EU’s von der Leyen warns bloc will ‘defend its interests’

European Union chief Ursula Von der Leyen said the bloc is prepared to “defend its interests with proportionate countermeasures” against Trump’s tariffs and will work with partners towards this end.

Von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, issued a statement following a call with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose country has been hit by 10% tariffs.

The president also reaffirmed the EU’s “commitment to engaging in negotiations with the US.”

The Commission, which also coordinates the bloc’s trade policy, is due to propose to EU states on Monday a list of US products, worth $28 billion (€25.6 billion), to hit with extra duties.

The imports targeted include US meat, cereals, wine, wood and clothing, among other goods.

Those retaliatory measures are in response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs rather than the broader reciprocal levies announced last week.

The 27-nation EU faces 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum and car exports and “reciprocal” tariffs of 20% from Wednesday for almost all other goods.

The new US tariffs will cover more than two-thirds of EU exports to the US.

On Monday, Luxembourg will host the first meeting of EU trade ministers since Trump’s sweeping tariffs were announced, where ministers are expected to push for a unified response.

Trump adviser: More than 50 countries want to renegotiate trade

Dozens of countries have so far reached out to renegotiate tariffs with the United States, a senior economic advisor to US President Donald Trump said.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told ABC News that Trump’s tariffs had so far driven “more than 50” countries to contact the White House to begin trade talks.

Hassett also denied that Trump hoped the new tariffs would crash financial markets to pressure the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

He insisted there would be no “political coercion” of the US central bank.

In a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump shared a video that suggested his tariffs aimed to hammer the stock market on purpose in a bid to force lower interest rates.

US stocks tumbled by around 10% on Thursday and Friday, after Trump announced a new global tariff regime that was more aggressive than investors had been anticipating.

Welcome to our coverage

Thank you for joining us as we bring you the latest developments on US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff plan, that has sent shockwaves around the world.

As nations digest the impact of the punitive new levies, several leaders have spoken about the desire to cut their own tariffs on imports from the US.

Investors, meanwhile, are nervously awaiting the opening of financial markets on Monday, after large falls in stock prices late last week, following the announcement.