Politics
Ikenga Ugochinyere Sacked by Court, as Court seeks Rerun in four Wards between APC and Labour Party.

Published
2 years agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog
…orders INEC to conduct supplementary poll within 90 days
ABUJA– The Imo Sate National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has sacked a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
In a unanimous decision on Sunday, a three-member panel of the tribunal which conducted its proceedings in Nasarawa State, held that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election that held on February 25.
Consequently, it ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to within 90 days, conduct a supplementary election in the constituency.
The tribunal, in its lead judgement that was delivered by its Chairman, Justice Anthony Olotu Akpovi, specifically directed the electoral body to conduct the supplementary poll in 55 polling units where elections did not hold on February 25.
It held that the PDP and its candidate should be excluded from the supplementary election.
The judgement followed a petition that was lodged before the tribunal by candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Abazu Chika Benson.
Cited as 1st to 5th respondents in the petition marked: EPT/IM/HR/10/2023, were; INEC, Ugochinyere, PDP, candidate of the Labour Party, Obi Paschal Chigozie and his party, the LP.
It will be recalled that INEC had declared the PDP candidate, Ugochinyere, as winner of the election with a total of 13, 026 votes.
Whereas the candidate of the LP, Chigozie, came second with 5,696 votes, the petitioner who was sponsored by the APC, came third with a total of 2, 368 votes.
However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, the APC candidate filed a petition wherein he contended that Ugochinyere was not qualified to participate in the House of Reps contest.
The petitioner, among other things, argued that all the votes that were credited to the PDP candidate, amounted to wasted votes.
He told the tribunal that contrary to the express provision of the Electoral Act, the PDP, conducted its primary election in a venue that was outside the constituency.
In its judgement, the tribunal stressed that documentary and oral evidence that was laid before it, established that the primary election the PDP conducted on May 25, 2022, which produced Ugochinyere as its candidate, was held at Aladinma Shopping Mall, a location that was outside Ideato North/South Federal Constituency.
Relying on the provision of section 84 (5) (c)of the Electoral Act 2022, the tribunal held that PDP’s primary election was invalid.
It held that a valid candidate could not have emerged from an invalid primary election.
“Failure of the 3rd respondent (PDP) to abide by the sacrosanct provision of the Electoral Act invalidated its sponsorship of the 2nd respondent,” Justice Akpovi held.
The tribunal maintained that for a primary election to be valid, it must be done in compliance with section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act.
It held that in view of the fact that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated, he was, therefore, not qualified as at the time the House of Reps election held.
More so, the tribunal held that owing to the principle of margin of lead, candidate of the LP, Chigozie, could but be declared the winner of the seat, since INEC admitted that it could not hold election in 55 polling units in the constituency, owing to activities of unknown gunmen.
It, therefore, directed INEC to conduct supplementary poll in the remaining polling units with a the parties participating, except the PDP.
Other members of the panel that concurred with the lead judgement, were; Justices Usman Kudu and Ibrahim Mohammed.
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Politics
Impeachment: Rivers State House of Assembly Serves Gross Misconduct Allegation Notice On Fubara, Deputy Gov

Published
19 hours agoon
March 17, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
The Rivers State House of Assembly has served a notice of alleged misconduct against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu.
According to the notice, the lawmakers claimed the action was in line with the Nigerian Constitution.
“In compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws, we the undersigned members of the Rivers State House of Assembly hereby forward to you a Notice of Gross Misconduct by the Deputy Governor of Rivers State in the performance of the functions of her office,” the notice read…
Credit: Blaze 91.5 FM
Politics
Ukraine: US and Russia’s top diplomats discuss ‘next steps’

Published
20 hours agoon
March 17, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Indicating a thaw in US-Russia relations, Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov spoke about further efforts to ending the war in Ukraine as overnight aerial strikes continue.
US-Russia top diplomats Rubio and Lavrov, discuss ‘next steps’ on Ukraine Trump limits Kellogg’s role as special envoy to Ukraine Military meeting set for next week to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia Both Ukraine and Russia report overnight aerial strikes
Here’s the latest regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine on Sunday, March 16.
Russia reiterates demand that Ukraine not join NATO
Moscow will demand guarantees that NATO countries will exclude Ukraine from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral in any peace agreement, a Russian official said in an interview with the Russian media outlet Izvestia.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.
“Part of these guarantees should be Ukraine’s neutral status, the refusal of NATO countries to accept it into the alliance,” he added.
Grushko also reiterated Russia’s opposition to the involvement of peacekeeping forces from NATO member states in Ukraine in any quality.
NATO states sending peacekeepers to Ukraine ‘means war,’ says Medvedev
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has issued a scathing rebuke of a plan by European countries to deploy peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Britain and France have both said they could send peacekeepers to Ukraine as a security guarantee for Kyiv in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.
In a post on X, Medvedev accused French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of “playing dumb.”
“Time and again they are told that peacekeepers must be from non-NATO states,” he wrote.
Deploying peacekeepers from NATO member countries, for Russia, “means war with NATO,” he added.
Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea of soldiers from countries belonging to the NATO alliance being stationed in Ukraine, even if not formally sent as a part of a NATO mission.
Medvedev’s comments came after Macron told French regional newspapers that any peacekeeping force would consist of “a few thousand troops per country.”
He also said the question of whether to station troops in Ukraine was for Kyiv to decide, not Moscow.
Ukraine likely to give up territory under deal with Russia — Trump adviser
Michael Waltz, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, suggested that Ukraine would likely have to cede some territory to Russia while also giving up its wish to join the NATO military alliance.
Asked about speculation that a deal might require Ukraine to cede its eastern Donbas region and drop its NATO hopes, Waltz replied: “This is going to be some type of territory-for-future-security guarantees (deal) — the future status of Ukraine.”
“A permanent pathway into NATO, or permanent membership into NATO for Ukraine, is incredibly unlikely,” he said in comments made in an interview with the ABC News broadcaster.
What is Ukraine’s Donbas region?
Ukraine’s eastern Donbas is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, large swathes of which are controlled by Russian forces. Moscow claims to have annexed both regions in their entirety, alongside Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south, and has demanded that Kyiv recognize the annexation as part of any peace deal.
Moscow has long described Ukraine joining NATO as a red line, while Kyiv has ruled out making any territorial concessions.
The United States proposed a 30 cease-fire in the war between Russia and Ukraine after talks in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, with Kyiv accepting the proposal.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not given a clear response to the US proposal, instead listing a number of conditions.
US officials have also strongly hinted that Ukraine will likely have to make some major concessions if a deal is to be reached.
As Europe rearms, will it turn away from Asia?
A few years ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that the EU wanted to “take a more active role in the Indo-Pacific.”
However, the future of this commitment is in doubt, as the United States under President Donald Trump has loudly mused about withdrawing security guarantees, potentially leaving European states to shoulder the burden of an uncertain ceasefire in Ukraine.
DW took a look at EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy: As Europe rearms, will it turn away from Asia?
Zelenskyy appoints new chief of staff
After a series of military setbacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed a new Chief of General Staff, General Andriy Hnatov. He was previously Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
The previous chief of staff, Anatoly Barhylevych, will become the new Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense.
No official reason was given for the need for the changes. However, Ukrainian forces have suffered significant setbacks in their fight against the Russian army in recent weeks, including a retreat in the western Russian region of Kursk.
How much will Trump White House back Ukraine?
US President Donald Trump is currently fighting on many (partly home-made) fronts at the same time: looming trade wars with China and Europe, tariff disputes with neighbors Canada and Mexico, the war in Gaza, plummeting stock markets.
Amid these crises, will the US let Ukraine fall? It seems only a matter of time before it is answered with a “yes.”
Read more here: How much will Trump White House back Ukraine?
Erdogan says he supports Trump’s peace initiatives on Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his US counterpart Donald Trump that he stood behind Trump’s initiatives to bring peace to Ukraine, his office said.
According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdogan told Trump in a phone call that he “supported determined and decisive efforts by American President Trump to put an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
Erdogan said he backed “a just and durable peace since the start of the war and will continue to do so,” the statement said.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, Turkey, a NATO member, has twice hosted direct talks aimed at ending the conflict, while seeking to retain good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow.
While Turkey has condemned Russia’s invasion and has provided Kyiv with military aid, it has not imposed sanctions on Russia.
Continued aerial attacks show Russia does not want to end the war, says Zelenskyy
Ukraine’s PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said the ongoing barrage of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities shows that Moscow is not interested in ending the fighting in his country.
“Those who want the war to end as soon as possible do not act this way,” Zelenskyy wrote on the platform X, an allusion to recent comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin that seemed to suggest he supported the idea of a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy said that Russian forces had ” launched over 1,020 attack drones, nearly 1,360 guided aerial bombs, and more than 10 missiles of various types” over the past week.
He called on Ukraine’s international allies to continue providing air-defense systems and urged Europe and the US to exert unified pressure on Russia to end the war and work toward a just, lasting peace.
“Decisive measures are needed, including sanctions that must be not only maintained but also continuously strengthened,” he added.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 against which Kyiv’s forces have been fighting ever since with considerable assistance from the West.
Finnish President Stubb calls chances of Putin’s agreeing to ceasefire ‘abysmal’
Finnish President Alexander Stubb has said there is extremely little chance of Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling the likelihood of his doing so “abysmal.”
“Putin doesn’t want peace,” Stubb said during an interview with British broadcaster BBC aired on Sunday.
He said Putin had not changed his long-held view that Ukraine should “cease to exist.”
According to Stubb, imposing more sanctions on Moscow, using frozen Russian assets to purchase military equipment for Kyiv and “militarizing Ukraine to the teeth” were the best ways to end the Russian invasion.
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (833-mile) border with Russia and became a NATO member almost two years ago in the face of Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine.
Turkey condemns Russian annexation of Crimea
Turkey again condemned Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, saying it is a violation of international law.
“We reiterate that [Turkey] does not recognize the de facto situation in Crimea, which constitutes a violation of international law, and that we support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
It released the statement to mark the anniversary of an internationally panned referendum held by Russia in Crimea on March 16, 2014.
Despite the lack of international recognition, the peninsula’s majority ethnic Russian population voted in favor of joining Russia, and Moscow took control of Crimea.
“We will continue to closely monitor developments in Crimea, particularly the situation of the Crimean Tatar Turks, the indigenous people of the peninsula, and we will keep them on the agenda of the international community.”
Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority indigenous to Crimea, have been resisting Russian occupation, with some of them fighting in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Crimean Tatar belongs to the Turkic language family, making it a close relative of Turkish.
Steve Witkoff says he expects Trump-Putin talks this week
Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff has said he expects the US president to hold “really good and positive” talks this week with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, about ending the war in Ukraine.
“I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” he told US broadcaster CNN.
Witkoff himself held talks with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, describing them as “positive” and saying he was optimistic that there would be real progress on ending the conflict.
Witkoff said that although the situation was very complicated, “We’re bridging the gap between two sides.”
Russia evacuates hundreds of people from Kursk
Russia announced it has evacuated 371 civilians from areas it regained from Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region.
Kursk is part of western Russia that borders the Sumy region of Ukraine. The Russian military has regained control over several towns in Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces had held after a surprise incursion into Russian territory last August.
However, fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops is ongoing.
Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein wrote on the Telegram messaging app, “371 people have been moved, including 14 children,” from the region since Wednesday.
He added 220 of the civilians had been placed in temporary accommodation, while the rest were staying with relatives.
Russia, Ukraine trade strikes; Injuries reported in Belgorod
Both Russia and Ukraine launched aerial strikes on one another from Saturday into Sunday.
Ukraine’s air defense units shot down 47 of 90 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack, the air force said.
Damage was reported in four regions, but the air force didn’t provide details.
Separately, Russia’s defense ministry said its air defense destroyed 31 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, including 16 in Voronezh, nine in Belgorod, and the rest in Rostov and Kursk regions.
In Belgorod, three people were injured in the attack, including a 7-year-old, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Trump narrows responsibilities of special envoy Kellogg to Ukraine
After reported complaints from Russia, US President Donald Trump has narrowed the role of Keith Kellogg, who will now serve solely as his special envoy on Ukraine.
Kellogg has previously been described as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
“I am pleased to inform you that General Keith Kellogg has been appointed Special Envoy to Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
A former national security adviser during Trump’s first term, Kellogg was excluded from recent talks in Saudi Arabia on ending the war.
He was also not involved in the talks with Russia that followed, with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff visiting Moscow instead to discuss a possible ceasefire.
US broadcaster NBC, citing a senior Russian official, reported that the Kremlin had put pressure on Trump because President Vladimir Putin considered Kellogg pro-Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report, telling reporters on Friday Moscow has no intention of interfering.
Rubio and Lavrov discuss ‘next steps’ on Ukraine
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke on Saturday about ending the war in Ukraine.
The US State Department said the top diplomats “discussed next steps” after the two countries’ meetings in Saudi Arabia and “agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia.”
Despite recent tensions between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyiv has agreed to a US-brokered 30-day ceasefire if Moscow halts its attacks, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has set conditions beyond the US-Ukraine agreement.
The State Department gave no details on when the next round of US-Russia talks would begin.
Rubio also updated Lavrov on military activity in the Middle East, where US forces carried out strikes against Houthi rebels Yemen.
Politics
Budget Presentation: Fresh Twist As Rivers Assembly Adjourns Indefinitely.

Published
20 hours agoon
March 17, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Hours after Governor Similanayi Fubara made another request to the Rivers State House of Assembly to present 2025 Appropriation Bill, the House on Friday adjourned plenary indefinitely.
The adjournment came a few hours after the governor said he had sent a second letter to the House for the presentation of the state’s 2025 budget.
The decision to adjourn indefinitely was reached at the Assembly’s plenary on Friday presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule.
Our reporter could not ascertain if the letter sent by the governor was received by the Speaker.
Governor Fubara had in the letter addressed to the speaker informed the House of his intention to present the budget on March 19, 2025.
In the letter he urged the House to also choose any convenient date other than March 19 for the presentation of the budget.
After he failed to meet a 48-hour ultimatum given by the lawmakers, Fubara had gone to the Assembly complex on Wednesday to present the budget, but the gate was locked.
The adjournment of plenary has thrown a spanner in the works as the governor tries to reconcile with 27 lawmakers loyal to his estranged successor, former governor Nyesom Wike, following the Supreme Court ruling.

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