Author: Editor

By Zainab Suleiman Okino  Until last week or so, citizens observing political developments in Nigeria had given up on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a party that was in power for the first 16 years of this republic. The party was so decimated that within the last two years, when the ruling APC under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu took charge, about 140 prominent opposition members have defected to the APC, based on statistics given by Bamidele Atoyebi, Convener of BAT Ideological Group. Among them are governors of Akwa Ibom and Delta states, the entire Edo state lawmakers, 27…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia No fewer than 224 athletes from over 20 countries are expected to participate in the 2025 International and All-African Para-Badminton Championships to be hosted by Abia State. Deputy Governor Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu disclosed this during a press conference on Tuesday in Umuahia, saying the state was fully prepared to host the global tournaments. According to him, the championships are scheduled to take place from September 30 to October 12, 2025, in Umuahia, the state capital. He said the tournaments already had the endorsement of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA). Emetu…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; and the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, have condemned the arrest and detention of former Sokoto State Governor and past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Tambuwal, a serving senator and key member of the opposition coalition, was reportedly picked up by EFCC operatives on Monday over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023. In a statement on Tuesday, Atiku alleged that Tambuwal’s arrest was politically motivated, describing it as part of the Tinubu…

Our Reporter, Abuja  The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticised the treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson by Ibom Air and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), describing the lifetime flight ban imposed on her as “heavy-handed, unlawful, and a grave affront to the rule of law and human dignity.” In a statement issued on Tuesday, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, and General Secretary Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara condemned the August 10 incident aboard an Ibom Air flight, where Emmanson was allegedly forcibly removed from the aircraft without justification or fair hearing, subjected to public humiliation, and later banned for…

Our Reporter, Abuja The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of being used by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to harass and discredit opposition figures through what it described as “choreographed media trials.” In a statement issued Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that the EFCC’s recent actions — including the detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and the investigation of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha — were politically motivated. The ADC questioned the timing of the probes, noting that the…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Abia State Government has explained why it embarked on the demolition of unauthorized structures built at the premises of the old site of Umuahia Main Market. This was contained in a statement issued by the General Manager of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Mr. Kingsley Agomoh. According to the statement, the action was in line with the “government’s vision to transform Umuahia into a modern city and befitting capital.” The statement noted that the former market space was allocated to a private investor by the previous administration for the purpose of building an event centre…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Renowned legal scholar and former United Nations Special Rapporteur, Professor Joy Ezeilo, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the altercation between an Ibom Air crew members and a passenger, Ms. Comfort Bob, describing it as a mirror reflecting deeper societal inequalities. In a statement shared on her Facebook social media platform, Prof. Ezeilo noted that the 26-year-old passenger, now facing both a lifetime flight ban and criminal charges for alleged assault, is “more like nobody’s daughter” caught in a difficult situation. She argued that the swift prosecution of Comfort contrasted sharply with other high-profile incidents, where…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Babachir Lawal, has made a stunning claim that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, actually won the 2023 election, but had his mandate “stolen” by the APC. Lawal, who recently dumped the APC for the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the revelation on Monday night during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Tonight. According to him, based on the facts available, it was Obi—not President Bola Tinubu—who won the presidential poll. He insisted that the results…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has again criticised the handling of the recent altercation involving a female passenger on an Ibom Air flight, describing the airline’s lifetime ban on the passenger as “systemically wrong and unjust.” In an X post on Tuesday, Obi, who hinted that he had earlier apologised to the airline and its crew over the incident, said he was shocked to learn that the passenger, identified as Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a woman in her twenties, had been barred from flying with the airline for life. “This morning, I woke up to…

By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been great at expressing appreciation to those who taught, mentored, or inspired me. It’s something I carry quietly—and sometimes with regret. I’m especially ashamed that I’ve lost touch with some teachers who helped shape the person I’ve become. The current pattern of waiting to scream, “Eayeah, O’ my God, she was a nice woman, he was a great teacher,” and then type RIP whenever the news of a teacher’s transition reaches me is agonizing, for lack of a better word. It always feels like an insufficient gesture of…