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Former Anambra Governor Ezeife, Predicts Victory for Peter Obi Barring Rigging
A former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has predicted a total victory for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, ahead of the February 25 general election.
Ezeife said only rigging can stop Obi from becoming the next president of the country.
He stated this on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s rally by the Labour Party candidate and his running mate, Senator Ahmed Datti, adding that he is of a firm belief that Nigerians know Obi is the best among all the candidates as far as this election is concerned.
He said, “I am earnestly looking forward to the day Obi will be sworn in as Nigeria’s President. That day will mark the beginning of Nigeria’s return to the part of the glory.
“Apart from rigging, I would say that nobody else is contesting this election with Obi, inasmuch as I know that some other candidates have so much money at their disposal.
“All powers belong to God. And our God can stop every rigging and I see the hands of God in the ‘Obidient movement’ and I thank all Nigerians for thinking right this time around and I must say that all glory is to our God.
“By God’s grace, there will be an election this February. There will be no interim government and the result of the election is predictable.
“In fact, I can’t wait for that day, May 29, this year when Obi will be sworn in. But if I had my way, why not bring the swearing-in date down to March or April, instead of waiting till May which is three months far away from the February election.”
Obi, who will be in the state as part of the continuation of his nationwide rally, is expected to meet with the traditional rulers at the Government House, Awka.
According to the Head, Media and Publicity for the Labour Party Campaign Council, Mr Titus Obasi, over 180 support groups have concluded arrangements to carry out a solidarity match in Onitsha for the rally.
Obasi said, “The activities include three town hall meetings at the Government House, Awka where he would meet with traditional rulers and then another town hall meeting with the student community.
“There would also be another town hall meeting with Anambra women at the All Saints Anglican Church hall which would be presided over by the wife of the presidential candidate, Mrs Margaret Obi and then the main rally proper at the All Saints Anglican church field Onitsha.”
The Leader of Peter Obi Express Media, Mr Ceasar Obidile, said about five million supporters would be coming to Anambra.
“We are ready and we are in full spirit because this is his home and all the support groups have mobilized enough and we made enough arrangements for welfare and security,” he said.
Also speaking Director Obi/Datti Campaign Council in the state, Mr Geomartins Uzodike, noted that the rally is part of the consultations and awareness campaign for the candidate and his running mate.
“It is going to be the mother of all rallies and this one is that the candidate is coming home to talk to his people and we have made all the necessary arrangements to ensure a hitch-free campaign rally in Anambra State.
“The meetings with the respective bodies are part of the process and our candidate has great respect for the youths who are represented by the Nigerian students as well as the traditional institution represented by the Anambra Council of Traditional Rulers,” he said.
The Punch
Three Nigerian secondary schools are in the ring for the grand prize of N5m in the ongoing Glo Innov8 National STEM competition for girls in Senior Secondary Schools across the country.
The three top finalists were selected for their originality and innovation in the different entries for the competition. A total of 20 secondary schools were picked from over 200 schools which registered for the competition. After a series of considerations, 10 of them made it to the semifinal from which three; Ephraim High School, Isolo Campus, Lagos; Regina Pacis International School, Onitsha, Anambra State; and Peakfield Academy, Jos, Plateau State eventually coasted home to the finals.
Schools from Plateau, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Borno, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Oyo, Anambra, FCT, Delta, Kaduna and Adamawa states had signified intentions to participate following a call for entries by Glo Foundation, Globacom’s corporate social responsibility arm as part of its celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child.
Glo Innov8, a STEM-driven challenge, has scheduled prizes worth N5 million to the three schools in the finals. The competition “is geared at inspiring young girls to Compete, Innovate and Win, while also strengthening their confidence and expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects”, Glo Foundation explained.
The eventual overall winning school will go home with a cash prize of N2,000,000 while the 2 students representing the school will each get a laptop. The Teacher/Mentor/STEM Coordinator also gets N200,000.
The schools that come second and third places and their Teachers/Mentors/STEM Coordinators will also receive mouth-watering consolation prizes.
The three female judges of the virtual phase of selection of the top 20 schools said they were excited by the quality of presentations by the competing schools. One of them, Tosin Olabode said: “I was particularly impressed by the prototype presentations from some schools. They demonstrated that they had done their homework”.
In the same vein, Amina Gabriel disclosed that she was thrilled by the variety of ideas that the schools came up with. “The schools presented innovative solutions tackling issues in agriculture, security, waste management, and firefighting. The top 10 schools showcased outstanding prototypes, from apps to robots, making the judging process truly competitive. I’m grateful to Glo Foundation for the opportunity to serve and support young girls in STEM”, she said.
According to Sharon Ibejih, the third judge, “This competition has showcased a highly competitive next generation of women leaders in STEM. This was an excellent exercise and a means to encourage more students in STEM to develop problem-solving and innovative thinking skills”.
The overall winning school will emerge at an event set to hold later this year at the Mike Adenuga Centre (Alliance Française), Ikoyi, Lagos.
The leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a motion to stop the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his trial for alleged terrorism.
Justice James Omotosho, on November 7, fixed November 20 for judgment on the case.
The judge fixed the date after Kanu’s defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law.
However, in the motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he personally filed, the IPoB leader sought seven reliefs.
In the application dated November 10 and filed same date, Kanu sought an order arresting the delivery of judgment in charge no: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015.
The document was made public on Tuesday.
In it, he alleged that the proceedings were conducted under a repealed and non-existent statute and in disobedience to the Supreme Court’s directive contrary to Section 287(1) CFRN 1999.”
He sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 287(1) CFRN, the trial court was constitutionally bound to give effect to the Supreme Court’s finding that count 15 (now count 7) “does not exist in law,” and its failure rendered all subsequent proceedings null and void.
He also sought a declaration that the court’s failure to take judicial notice of the repeal of the 2013 Terrorism Act, contrary to Section 122 Evidence Act 2011, vitiates all steps taken thereunder.
The IPOB leader equally sought a declaration that by virtue of Section 76(1)(d)(iii) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to try him in the absence of proof that the alleged conduct constituted an offence under Kenyan law or of any Kenyan judicial validation or extradition order.
Besides, Kanu sought “a declaration that the plea purportedly taken on March 29, under a repealed and non-existent statute and in violation of Section 220 ACJA 2015 is void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction.
President Bola Tinubu has dispatched a strong delegation to London to address the situation of Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who has been imprisoned in the UK since March 2023.
The delegation includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi.
The team arrived in London on Monday and held discussions with officials from the UK’s Ministry of Justice.
Alkasim Abdulkadir, spokesperson for Tuggar, said on Tuesday that the presidential delegation was in London to engage with UK authorities to consider the possibility of Ekweremadu serving the remainder of his prison sentence in Nigeria.
The London Metropolitan Police detained the Ekweremadus in June 2022 after a man was deceitfully presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free Hospital in London as a relative of their daughter Sonia, in what turned out to be a failed attempt to convince medical professionals to perform an £80,000 transplant.
The 21-year-old man, who had allegedly been promised employment in the UK, reported the incident to the police in May of that year, saying that he had been brought to the country for an organ transplant.
In March 2023, the former presiding officer of Nigeria’s Senate was convicted of organ trafficking by a UK court. Beatrice, his wife, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor connected to the case, were also found guilty.
This verdict marked the first of its kind under the UK Modern Slavery Act.
On May 5, 2023, Ekweremadu received a nine-year and eight-month prison sentence, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months, and Obeta was given a ten-year prison sentence.
In his ruling, Judge Jeremy Johnson determined that Beatrice should serve half of her sentence in custody and be supervised for the remainder. However, she was released from prison in January and has since returned to Nigeria.
