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IMO LG ELECTION: POSTPONEMENT LIKELY AS ISIEC REMAINS INCOMMUNICADO FEW DAYS TO THE SCHEDULED DATE

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Barely one week to the proposed September 21 Chairmanship and Councillorship elections, nothing has been heard from the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission(ISIEC) as regards their preparation/preparedness for the election.

Ideally,within this time in any(every)electioneering period,plans are usually in top gear if not already concluded and the citizens constantly briefed by the electoral body on preparations for the conduct of a credible election.

Such preparations include but not limited to: recruitment and training of adhoc election officers,publishing the list of participating political parties with their candidates,regular interface with leaders of political parties,security agencies,civil society organizations,journalists and other such stakeholders.
As a matter of fact,the publishing of participating political parties with their candidates ought to have been done almost immediately the window for the conduct of primary elections by political parties as scheduled by the electoral body was exhausted.
Particularly,that of the ruling All Progressives Congress is being shrouded in unnecessary controversy as the party says the list being circulated around social media(and other news media) is not official and as such did not emanate from them. Yet,just a week to the election,she has refused to come clean with the much touted official list of their candidates.
And as election adhoc staff have not been recruited let alone being trained,one wonders how ISIEC intends to still go on with the September 21 election as scheduled.

Expectedly,the silence of ISIEC has not only caused an atmosphere of uncertainty and anxiety within the state’s sociopolitical sphere, especially among participating opposition parties and their candidates,it has also occasioned a lot of conspiracy theories.

Some proponents say that the behavior of ISIEC is because there is no intention to conduct council elections in the first place. Another says that ISIEC is an appendage of the 3R Government of Sen. Hope Uzodimma and by extension,the APC.As such,they are walking in the pace of the government/party of the day. A third proponent believes that the election had already been conducted with all the candidates of the ruling party returned as duly elected- that a convenient date is being contemplated for the ritual of name-calling by ISIEC in the guise of an election.
Imo State’s major opposition party;the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has been the most vociferous among the opposition parties in accusing the ruling party of being in bed with the electoral body.

For whatever they are worth,these theories are enlivened by the way the APC conducted her primaries without prior information to supposed aspirants.This is exacerbated by the claims in certain quarters that people who did not buy expression of interest/nomination forms were announced candidates in certain local governments and wards.Also factor in the fact that 80% of the Sole Administrators(SOLADs)- currently superintending over our various LGAs, were declared candidates without them first resigning from their positions as stipulated in our constitution.

Understandably, candidates of the ruling APC(supposedly)are not as much perturbed as their opposition party counterparts.This may not be unconnected with the popular notion that they are ‘Kings-in-waiting’ who are just waiting for the formality of an election to be crowned;any day it may hold.In all fairness,it is necessary to state that candidates of the ruling party in council elections; especially chairmanship positions, are usually declared winners in every state. States like Kogi,Adamawa,Delta,Bayelsa who have conducted Council elections since the Supreme Court verdict, readily come to mind.

In conclusion,all these are a pointer to an election that may be flawed and roundly rejected.
Needless to say that the integrity of ISIEC and her helmsman is at stake.

He can keep mum all he likes.He can pretend all he wants.He may refuse to accept it or even announce it. But the situation on ground suggests he cannot hold this election on September 21.A postponement is his likely escape!

 

LINKING THE DOTS WITH;Iheyinwa Alexandar Emeka(07064795821)

Politics

Imo State Government Announces New Appointments to IROMA

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Owerri, Imo State – The Imo State Government has announced the appointment of new members to the Imo State Road Maintenance Agency (IROMA).

According to a statement signed by Hon Declan Emelumba, Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has approved the appointments.

Ekwutosblog gathered that Barr. Kingsley Ononuju has been appointed as the Chairman of IROMA, while Engr. Egbuka Edwin will serve as the Managing Director. Barr. Chikodi Onyeanwuna has been appointed as the Secretary of the agency.

Other members of the agency include Dr. Emeka Enyinnaya, Engr. Ikenna Anyasodo, Harrison Amaechi Ejianya, Engr. Nwaobi Williams C., and Pascal Ojiaku.

The new appointments are expected to bring fresh perspectives and expertise to the agency, which is responsible for maintaining and improving the state’s road network.

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Jeremiah useini Abachas bossom friend is dead, the iroko of middle belt has fallen

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The news of the passing of General Sani Abacha’s close friend has sent shockwaves throughout the nation. This departed leader was not only a dear friend to General Useni but also a trusted ally and associate of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

General Useni, a renowned military strategist and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has lost a trusted confidant and partner in the corridors of power. The two shared a bond forged in the heat of battle and the intricacies of statecraft.

As a close associate of General Abacha, the late leader played a significant role in shaping the country’s history during a tumultuous period. His counsel and guidance were invaluable to General Abacha, and his passing marks the end of an era.

As the nation mourns the loss of this iconic leader, we offer our condolences to General Jeremiah Useni, his family, and the entire nation. May the soul of the departed rest in peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire future generations.

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EWI-IN-COUNCIL ORDERS SUSPENSION OF SHARI’AH ARBITRATION PANEL IN ADO EKITI

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The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, on Saturday, ordered the dissolution of the Sharia panel set up at the Central Mosque, Ado Ekiti in the interest of peaceful coexistence and law and order in the community.

Adejugbe spoke in Ado Ekiti during a meeting he held with the chiefs and indigenes of the community and the Chief Imam and President of the League of Imams and Alfas in the Southwest, Edo and Delta states, Sheik Jamiu Kewulere; and other Muslim leaders in Ado Ekiti over tension in some quarters over the sharia panel issue.

This came barely two days after the state government said that the existing legal structure in the state did not recognise the Sharia Court or Sharia Arbitration Panel.

The state Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Dayo Apata, (SAN) had spoken in reaction to news reports stipulating the first public sitting of a Shari’ah Panel in the state which resolved two marriage disputes.

He had said that the legal structure in Ekiti State (i.e. Customary Court, Customary Court of Appeal and High Court) had been handling issues relating to Islamic, Christian and traditional marriages and inheritance without any rancour or agitation.

Adejugbe said, “Based on this Sharia issue, I summoned the Chief Imam and his lieutenants, members of the Ewi-in-Council, the president of Ado Progressives Union and Ado sons and daughters to discuss the matter because it is a sensitive issue.

“We all listened and it appears they set up a committee at the Central Mosque with the intention to listen to disputes. According to them, they have good intentions and it was an internal arrangement that has nothing to do with any external person or somebody influencing them.

“I told them the mood of the nation will not allow such to happen now, that they should revert to how the founding fathers of the mosque had been settling disputes in the past without setting up a committee.

“I told them that there is no need for the committee and they should dissolve the committee henceforth. That is the decision of the Ewi-in-Council and that is the position of all Ado sons and daughters.

“The panel stands dissolved. If we should allow such committees, the Christians too will want to set up committees in their various churches, the traditional worshippers too and before you know it, it will lead to crises.”

Speaking earlier, the Chief Imam, Kewulere, who confirmed setting up the committee, which he said had resolved a marriage dispute and adjourned on a second matter, dismissed all insinuations that it was set up for sinister motives.

Kewulere, who said that Muslims and adherents of other religions had been enjoying cordial relationships, said, “Basically, the committee is to look into matters of inheritance in the interest of our members.”

He dismissed insinuations that it was to create crisis and he dismissed any external influence or link.

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