Metro
Nov 6 Election: The 4 Classes of Defectors in Anambra and Why It Matters
By Ginika O. Nweke
In Anambra, there have been several defections in the past few weeks from various political parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC). A closer look at the situation reveals that there are four classes of defectors. Each class has different motivations and expectations from the other. What they all share in common is that none of them is decamping to APC because they feel it is a good party that is good for Anambra and has the interest of Nigerians at heart, or that APC as a party can improve the lot of Anambrarians, and promote economic prosperity and better standards of living for Anambrarians. None of them believe any of this, rather they are all decamping for personal reasons.
Here are the 4 Classes of defectors in Anambra:
1. The Corrupt Who Are Prisoners In Waiting
A large proportion of the people decamping from other political parties to the APC have corruption cases and are being intimidated and threatened by the government to join their party or get jailed. As far as political strategies go, the All Progressives Congress (APC) under President Muhammadu Buhari has been pathetic in its drive for power. They silence political opponents, threaten, blackmail, and intimidate them all to have them defect to the ruling party. As soon as said politicians join the ruling party, their corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) magically disappear.
APC and President Muhammadu Buhari are extremely corrupt and have damaged the fabric of decency in Nigeria. Many people decamping to APC in Anambra are victims of President Muhammadu Buhari’s reign of intimidation and fear. Take for instance Senator Stella Oduah, she is facing corruption and money laundering cases that are wearing her out because she was being intimidated and victimised by President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC goons. She decided to take the magic pill and decamp to APC to quiet the noises and calm the troubled waters. She is now a puppy of APC willing to do their bidding, including turning Anambra into a Fulani enclave where innocent men and women are killed, and their villages taken by Fulani terrorists.
Some other politicians who are members of the Anambra State house of assembly who were elected on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who recently decamped to APC did so because they are corrupt and were being threatened and blackmailed by APC goons to either join the APC or be jailed. They include Hon. Timothy Ifedioramma representing Njikoka 1, Hon Cater D. N. Umeoduagu representing Aguata 1, Hon Lawrence Ezeudu representing Dumekofia, Hon Arthur Chiekwu representing Idemili North, and Hon Edward Ibuzo representing Onitsha North. These lawmakers are hoping to avoid harassment and intimidation by EFCC because they believe they have financial misappropriation cases and in some instances, money laundering cases hanging over their heads and they are pre-emptively hoping to avoid the harassment and intimidation from APC goons, and in the process avoid accountability and prosecution by EFCC.
All Anambrarians and all Anambra voters need to ask themselves if these are the sort of people that should be allowed power. The answer is NO. Handing over Anambra state to sellouts who are prepared to do the bidding of the Fulani expansion agenda is suicidal for Anambrarians.
2. The Sore Losers
This class of defectors did so because they lost their primaries in other political parties or they were disqualified outright by their parties. Since they do not have good sportsmanship and do not understand that in politics you do not serve your agenda, and in a democracy, you serve the people and allow the people to choose their leaders, they felt the best option was to decamp to the ruling party.
One of such people is Hon. Nonso Okafor representing Nnewi North. He was a governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before the party disqualified him. He felt betrayed by the party when he was disqualified from contesting and decided to throw a tantrum and break all his toys in the pram. Then he gave a long-winded incoherent statement to explain his defection. A percentage of defectors belong to this sore loser camp, and they are hoping that since the ruling party is so corrupt and criminal, they will be given crumbs in some form.
3. The Broke and Money Hungry
Mr. Andy Ubah, the Anambra gubernatorial candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform has gotten a lot of broke politicians to decamp from their parties to APC by giving some of them money, and because he is now broke himself, he has been making promises to give each one hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins. A large number of defectors did so based on a promise of receiving huge sums of money. Mr. Uba has promised some people N500 million and some others N300 million. Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu falls under this category. She has been promised hundreds of millions by Mr. Uba and that is why she decamped from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to APC. Hon. Douglas Egbuna also a former member of the PDP defected to APC because Mr. Andy Ubah promised him hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins the governorship election on November 6.
All of this is already a putrid affair because it becomes clear that none of these people are defecting because of principles or political ideology. It also makes apparent the issue that Mr. Andy Uba is planning to raid the Anambra treasury to settle people and pay debts should he win the election. If he wins no doubt, he will raid the treasury for his personal use but there is no guaranty he will pay the people he is giving promissory notes to decamp to APC. Decades of his track record show that he does not pay his debts or meet his financial obligations.
4. The Coat Tail Riders
Another class of defectors in Anambra are those who are decamping because they feel that Mr. Andy Uba is a master rigger. They are basing their assumption on the rigging Mr. Andy Ubah unleased when he ran and became governor for 17 days back in 2007. They assume he will use the same apparatus to rig and win, and so they are hedging their bets by defecting from other political parties to Mr. Andy Ubah’s party, the APC. They are not strategic, they are pathetic.
The problem with their assumption is that things are different now. First of all, Mr. Andy Ubah is broke and cannot inject money into his campaign the way money was injected into his campaign back then. Secondly, it has been 14 years since then and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) now has better processes to ensure free and fair elections, and to ensure that the votes of Anambrarians will count come November 6. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of election results are some of the innovations and initiatives that now ensure that Mr. Andy Uba’s rigging of 14 years ago is a thing of the past that will never happen in Anambra again.
Ginika O. Nweke is a legal practitioner and public affairs commentator. She writes from Enugu
The Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, has acknowledged growing complexities in the effort to revamp Nigeria’s state-owned refineries.
Although the Port Harcourt refinery began processing crude oil again on November 26, it was later shut down in May for maintenance.
Meanwhile, rehabilitation work is still ongoing at the Warri and Kaduna refineries.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the 9th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, Austria, Ojulari said NNPC is in the process of reassessing its refinery strategies, with plans to conclude the review by the end of the year.
“So refineries, we made quite a lot of investment over the last several years and brought in a lot of technologies. We’ve been challenged,” he said.
“Some of those technologies have not worked as we expected so far. But also, as you know, when you’re refining a very old refinery that has been abandoned for some time, what we’re finding is that it’s becoming a little bit more complicated.
“So we’re reviewing all our refinery strategies now. We hope before the end of the year, we’ll be able to conclude that review. That review may lead to us doing things slightly differently.”
When asked whether the review could result in selling the refineries, Ojulari said a sale remains a possibility.
“But what we’re saying is that sale is not out of the question. All the options are on the table, to be frank, but that decision will be based on the outcome of the reviews we’re doing now,” he said.
Ojulari also addressed the cost of oil production in Nigeria, stating that operating expenses range between $20 and $30 per barrel.
“For the cost of crude production, there’s a capital cost and there are the operating costs,” he said.
“The operating cost right now in Nigeria is hovering over $20 per barrel, which is quite high.
“Part of that is because of the investment we’ve had to make in terms of security of our pipelines, which as you know, today we have 100 percent availability of our pipelines. That came out of significant investment.
“So we believe with time, with stability, that cost will start going down, but for now it’s somewhere between $25 and $30 a barrel.”
Looking ahead, Ojulari said NNPC aims to increase Nigeria’s oil output to 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year.
By Eric Elezuo
A group, Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), has called on the governor of Ekiti State, Abiodun Oyebanji, and other well meaning Nigerians, to come to the aid of a female inmate at the Ibara Custodial Centre, Rashidat Abdul, who is reported to be in critical health condition, and needs urgent medical attention.
The deteriorating health of the said inmate, was reported by officers at the Custodial Centre to the Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation (CJMR), a grassroots organization focusing on human rights and access to justice for those deprived of their rights on death row and in detention.
Speaking with The Boss, the Coordinator of the group, Hezekiah Deboboye Olujobi said, “Upon seeing the woman’s health condition during our visit to Ibara, we pleaded that she be transferred to a hospital where she could receive the necessary medical care. Despite concerns about the financial burden, we took this step of faith to save her life. She is now admitted to Ogun State Hospital, Abeokuta.”
Narrating the genesis of the inmate’s ordeal, Olujobi added that “Rashidat Abdul was sentenced to death by the Ado Ekiti State High Court. She appealed the judgment, but her appeal was unsuccessful. The court convicted the entire family based solely on the testimony of one individual relying on third-party information, without the presence of the alleged witness in court. It is also important to note that her son had just sat for his WAEC examination before their arrest.
“We submitted appeals to the Ekiti State Board of Mercy in September last year and again in March 2025, but these pleas have yet to receive the attention of the Ekiti State Governor. We have conducted a thorough review of the court records, including the brief of argument before the Court of Appeal, and we can see the innocence of this woman and her husband. While the appeal is still pending before the Supreme Court, we are appealing to the human and Christian conscience of the Attorney General of Ekiti State, Hon. Dayo Apata, to look into this case. God delights in true justice and mercy; God hates oppression, so must we.
“The critical state of this woman’s health calls for urgent attention from concerned individuals in Nigeria and abroad. The officer in the prison maintains transparency in this matter, and we are committed to doing the same.
“This morning, 9/7/2025, I received a message from the officer informing us that the funds we deposited have been exhausted. There is an urgent need to purchase injections costing ₦10,000 each daily, conduct X-rays and a series of tests from time to time, engage a caregiver and physiotherapist, provide feeding, and buy supplements to aid her recovery. Additionally, payment for the hospital bed space is required, along with a stipend for transportation for the security personnel on guard and other logistics.”
The group therefore, is appealing to the governor of Ekiti State, Oyebanji and other well meaning Nigerians to come to the woman’s aid so as to preserve her life.
“We kindly ask for your support to respond to this urgent call. Although Rashidat is a Muslim, our service to humanity transcends religion.
“We understand that some who have been deceived in the past may find it difficult to trust those genuinely committed to serving others, and those involved in fraudulent activities may be reluctant to support genuine efforts.
“However, this is the very mission our Lord Jesus Christ has called us to fulfill. We earnestly seek your support.
“Thank you for your kindness and generosity,” Olujobi pleaded on behalf of Rashidat and the group.
For donations and more information, please visit the website: [https://www.cjmr.com.ng](https://www.cjmr.com.ng)
Account Details:
Centre for Justice Mercy and Reconciliation
Zenith Bank
Account Number: 1012189729
Phone: 08030488093
During the price hike, marketers stated that the product was sold at N960 and N980 in the far north because of the distance.
However, as crude prices fell below $70 last week, the pump prices of PMS also declined. Crude prices had crashed because Israel and Iran stopped bombing each other, alleviating fears of a supply disruption in the Middle East.
As of Tuesday, many filling stations sold petrol below N900 per litre in Lagos and Ogun States.
PUNCH Online reports that the filling stations sold petrol at rates ranging from N875 to N890 a litre.
A marginal drop is expected in the price of the product at the pumps.
