Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has urged the people of the South-East to make bold political decisions and adopt a different approach if they hope to secure greater benefits from the Federal Government.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

He called on the region to abandon its reliance on opposition politics and embrace dialogue and negotiations with President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Uzodimma made the appeal on Friday while addressing South-East stakeholders at a high-level meeting held at the Imo State Government House in Owerri.

The governor said the region must move beyond repeatedly expressing concerns about political marginalisation and instead build stronger relationships with other parts of the country to advance its interests.

He stressed that Nigeria’s collective interests were greater than those of any individual or region, adding that the South-East needed to cooperate with the Federal Government to achieve its objectives.

Speaking at the meeting, Uzodimma said: “We need results, we must change our style, we must agree on how to sit down with the man in power and negotiate our interest. We must forget about local competitions. We as Igbo people must take bold decisions.”

He further stated that South-East governors could not independently achieve the region’s political aspirations without the cooperation and participation of other stakeholders.

“The South-East governors are merely servants, power and sovereignty belongs to the people. We cannot work alone. We must work with stakeholders. The politics of opposition should not continue to be in place,” he said.

Uzodimma also compared the region’s political engagement with that of other geopolitical zones, observing that leaders from the South-South, Middle Belt and North-East had held meetings with President Tinubu to present their interests.

He expressed concern that while other regions were engaging the Federal Government through discussions, the South-East continued to focus on complaints of marginalisation.

The governor consequently urged regional stakeholders to develop a comprehensive document outlining the South-East’s needs, supported by relevant facts and figures, for submission to President Tinubu.

According to him, the document would serve as a foundation for discussions and negotiations with the President on issues affecting the region.

The names of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, remain on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal despite reports that the commission had removed them following a court ruling on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leadership crisis.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

INEC clarified that it had yet to take any decision on the matter because it had not received an official copy of the Federal High Court judgement delivered in Abuja on Thursday.

Atiku is the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections, while Amaechi is his running mate.

The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, provided the clarification during an interview with Daily Trust on Friday.

He was responding to reports circulating on social media claiming that INEC had implemented the court ruling by removing the names of Atiku and Amaechi from its portal.

Haruna questioned the origin of the reports, maintaining that the commission had not received the judgement.

“I don’t know where that statement came from. Somebody just forwarded it to me. We haven’t received the judgement yet,” he said.

He explained that obtaining a Certified True Copy (CTC) of a court judgement could take some time, noting that INEC could not be expected to act on a ruling that had not been officially delivered to it.

“Usually, it takes about a week for you to get a CTC of the tribunal,” Haruna added.

The INEC commissioner further disclosed that the commission had not held any meeting to deliberate on the judgement, stressing that its eventual position would be determined by the established judicial process.

A check of INEC’s portal by journalists on Friday also showed that Atiku and Amaechi’s names were still listed, contradicting claims that they had been removed.

The clarification followed Thursday’s ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which removed the David Mark-led leadership of the ADC.

The court also nullified decisions taken by the disputed leadership, including the process that produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

The judgement followed a suit instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former ADC Deputy National Chairman, North-East, who challenged the emergence of the Mark-led leadership.

Justice Lifu held that the process through which the leadership emerged failed to comply with the requirements for democratic elections under the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

Consequently, the court invalidated actions taken by the leadership, including the nomination of candidates submitted to INEC for the 2027 elections.

However, the ADC has rejected the ruling, describing it as legally indefensible and indicating its intention to challenge the decision at a higher court.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) vice-presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has vowed to resign if Nigeria fails to experience significant improvements within one year of an Atiku Abubakar-led administration.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Amaechi made the declaration during an interview on NewsCentral TV on Friday.

The former Rivers State governor said he would not hesitate to leave office if he failed to fulfil his responsibilities as vice-president under an administration led by Atiku.

He maintained that Atiku and other leaders of the party understood his personality and knew he would not remain in government if he was unable to deliver on his mandate.

Speaking during the interview, Amaechi said: “I’m sure the president knows my character, the presidential candidate (Atiku Abubakar) knows my character, that if I’m not performing, I may likely leave government. Of course. I’m not joking.

“But the way the situation is and the way I know Atiku, our first year in office, he will be hailed as a hero. Atiku will be hailed as a hero. Nigerians will regret not voting for him earlier.

“What we’re introducing is what we’ll call a production subsidy. If you don’t bring down the price, because the subsidy is aimed at bringing down the price, if you don’t do that, then you don’t get the subsidy. You either get the subsidy and bring down the price, or you buy at the international market rate.

“We must review the agricultural policy. We must encourage Nigerian farmers. We will not be importing food. Agriculture will create wealth, will create employment. Employment will reduce insecurity.

“If Nigeria does not begin to change, one year after we have come to office, come to me, I will resign.”

Amaechi expressed confidence that an Atiku-led government would make a significant difference within its first year in office, pointing to proposed policies on production subsidies and agriculture as key measures for reducing living costs, creating jobs and addressing insecurity.