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The Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has been declared winner of the presidential election conducted in Anambra state on Saturday, February 25.
According to the results released by INEC, Obi secured 584, 621 votes to beat PDP’s Atiku Abubakar who secured 9, 036 votes.
Bola Tinubu of the APC secured 5, 111 votes while the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, secured 1967 votes.
Five people, including a People Democratic Party (PDP) leader, were reportedly killed by gunmen in Anambra State.
The killings, said to be cult-related, occurred at Obi Maduka’s compound within Nodu town square, Nodu Okpuno, in Awka South Local Government Area of the State on Monday, January 2, 2023.
The four victims were identified as Onyiebo Okoye – aka Onwa, Kenechukwu Okeke – PDP chairman in the area), Jude Ebenezer and Obinna Maduka.
According to a source, who spoke to The Nigerian Tribune, the gunmen arrived the house in a white tinted Toyota Corolla and shot four people who were seated inside the compound.
The gunmen were said to have driven off immediately after killing the four victims. He said the victims have been conveyed to Amaku mortuary by their families after reporting to the Police who came to inspect the incident scene.
It was later revealed that the gunmen had pursued someone into the compound where these victims were seated, and as they did that, they opened fire on the victims who were seated and being entertained by their host.
Another young man identified simply as Nonso, who recently got married was also shot dead on Monday night, in the same Okpuno.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was not aware of the incident.
“I don’t have any such report before me. I urge the witnesses of the incident or relatives of the victim to come forward with information that will help police to embark on investigation, please.” he added.
The House of Representatives member representing Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Constituency of Anambra State, Chris Azubogu, on Saturday, took time to reflect on the attack on his convoy by gunmen.
Azubogu, while recalling how his driver was killed in the attack on September 30, 2021, at Nnobi, in the Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, said he had shelved an award in his honour by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Saturday.
He expressed sadness that it was the first day at work for the late driver who was brutally killed in the attack.
The lawmaker explained that he shelved the award in his honour by the Anambra State chapter of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Saturday.
He further canvassed greater support for security agencies to enable them to protect lives and property, while commending the government’s onslaught against violent crimes.
He said,
“Exactly a year today, my convoy was viciously attacked by unknown assailants at Nnobi in the Idemili South LGA of Anambra State in a swift operation in which I was believed to be the principal target.
“As God would have it, I was not in the convoy which was coming to pick me from the airport.
Quite unfortunately though, one of the drivers in the convoy, Mr Ikechukwu, was killed in the attack. May his soul continue to rest in peace. Amen!
“The very sad curve for me was that the late Ikechukwu actually resumed work the same day he was brutally killed; after he had reached out to my chief driver who helped him secure the much needed job through which he had planned to fend for his young family.
“It was traumatic each time one remembers that a young man who strives to feed his family from the proceeds of a legitimate job was killed by heartless criminals who take liberty in destroying what they cannot create.
“Each time I mull that attack, I couldn’t help but wonder what could be the gain for people who have developed the penchant to waste human lives they cannot create.’’
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has given an update on the security situation in Anambra state which he governs.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Sunday September 18, the professor of economics and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said his administration has reduced insecurity in the state.
Soludo said;
“Giving where things were when we came, we are not saying that Anambra is 100% secured … but everybody in Anambra – the 8.5 million residents of Anambra can testify to you that insecurity in Anambra has come down to the barest minimum.
“Fifteen camps (run by gunmen) here (have been) decimated. Even yesterday (Saturday), some other places (where) they were gathering were decimated; we have degraded their infrastructure and I don’t think they have the capacity again to come with the kind of ferocity they had in the past.
“Anambra has been relatively quiet and peaceful, and we are pursuing this agenda.“I would dare to say that if we were to have the statistics over the last three months, I think Anambra will compare favourably as one of the safest comparatively.”
On the identities of those arrested in connection with some of the attacks in the state, Soludo said;
The Anambra State Police Command has reacted to an allegation of extortion and unlawful detention which occurred at the Onitsha Central Police Station by ordering an immediate investigation into the matter.
A press statement by the state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, on Saturday, stated that the police have vowed to uncover and punish the operatives involved in such “ignominious act”.
A human rights activist and Coordinator of Behind Bars Human Rights Foundation, Harrison Gwamnishu, had narrated an incident of arrest, extortion and unlawful detention, carried out by the operatives of the Anambra State Police command, on his social media handle.
Gwamnishu said a man identified as Chidiebere was on July 4, arrested after he left ShopRite Mall, where he had gone to make purchases.
He said the policemen involved, including one Harrison Emerenini, saw him with an iPhone and arrested him.
According to him, the victim was later extorted to the tune of N600,500, after he was threatened to be labelled as an IPOB member.
The human rights activists said Chidiebere was arrested at 7:45pm, thrown into the cell and was released at about 2am, after paying the said amount.
He added that after the intervention by his group, the victim was paid the extorted money in full.
He urged the police commissioner to look into their complaint, investigate and prosecute the officers involved.
Reacting to the allegation, Ikenga said the commissioner of police, Echeng Echeng, has ordered an investigation into the matter.
He said, “The attention of Anambra State Police Command has been drawn to a trending report from social media on extorted but recovered money from a policeman in the Command.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of X-Squad to investigate and unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The CP, who frowned at such an act, reiterated that the command under his watch will not tolerate any form of unprofessional conduct by police personnel.
“He also urged the citizens to report any police alterations/misconducts to X Squad and Public Complaints Bureau PCB of the Command.”
A yet to be identified vandal suspect was electrocuted in the early hours of Sunday.
DAILY POST learnt that the incident occurred while he was vandalising Umuezerimpi 500KVA Distribution Substation, property of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC), located at Umuatuegwu Okija, Anambra State.
The incident came a few days after four other persons were also nabbed for vandalizing EEDC installations at different locations.
These developments were confirmed by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, in Enugu.
According to Ezeh, the deceased was not operating alone, as other members of his gang took to their heels immediately he was electrocuted, leaving behind his lifeless body and their tools at the scene of the incident.
Ezeh confirmed that a formal report on this development has been lodged at the Okija Police Division, for detailed investigation.
The tools used by the electrocuted vandal and his fleeing colleagues were also recovered and his corpse deposited at the Okija General Hospital Mortuary,” he said.
“Just imagine how this young man has cut his life short over nothing.
“It is hoped that this will serve as a deterrent to others engaging in this dastardly act,” he added.
Meanwhile, only a few days ago, a young man identified as Wisdom Kalu Onu, an indigene of Abia State was apprehended by the security personnel of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, for vandalizing electrical installations located within the Campus premises, belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC).
The suspect, along with the vandalized materials, has been handed over to Nsukka Urban Police Station for proper investigation and possible prosecution.
Ezeh, who narrated the ugly experience the company had been going through in the hands of vandals, reiterated the company’s resolve to continue working with critical stakeholders to ensure that these elements perpetrating this dastardly act are apprehended and brought to book.
He said that there was no day that passed without the company receiving a report of an electrical installation that had been attacked.
“It has gone so bad that the vandals now go as far as draining transformer oil, even after carting away with the armoured cables”, a situation he described as disheartening.
According to the company’s spokesman, well over twenty transformers have been attacked by vandals across the company’s network in the past three weeks, with four of the vandals apprehended.
“On Monday, at Ndibe, in Afikpo North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, a suspect identified as Ogbonnia Otu, was apprehended by the President General of the community with the support of his team, in possession of 150mm2 upriser cable believed to have been carted from a distribution substation belonging to EEDC.
“Similarly, on Sunday, a suspected vandal, Tochukwu Onumaegbulam was arrested by the Electricity Committee Task Force of Umuloola Community, Orlu, Imo State, for vandalizing the distribution substation serving the community.
“In Abatete, Anambra State, Ndubuisi Okuogba was arrested by members of Vigilante Group in Abatete, for vandalizing a 500KVA distribution substation serving the area. The suspect was apprehended while in possession of four intermediate armoured cables stolen from the substation, which he had burnt for the purpose of extracting the copper, before his arrest.
“The suspects were handed over to the respective Police Stations for proper investigation and possible prosecution,” he disclosed.
While calling on customers to be more involved in securing these installations that are serving them, Ezeh commended the efforts of the Security Personnel, Vigilante Groups, as well as the President General and his team, in apprehending the suspects.
“There is a need for our customers to be more vigilant in ensuring that electricity installations sited within their neighborhoods are protected against attacks by these criminal elements in the society,” he added.
Ezeh reiterated that these vandals were capitalizing on the poor availability occasioned by the drop in quantum of power generation experienced in the sector in recent times, which has adversely affected the company’s daily energy allocation.
“We keep committing millions of Naira restoring vandalized installations and this is no longer sustainable, considering our current financial state,” he lamented.
Anambra has witnessed some of the worst attacks in the South-east. The government blames IPOB for the attacks.
Gunmen have killed another man in Nkwelle-Ezunaka community in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.
The incident happened in the early hours of Monday at a popular junction in the area.
A resident of the area, Arinze Ajaezu, told PREMIUM TIMES what happened.
He said the gunmen, who stormed the area through Nkwelle Road, zoomed off through Onitsha Road, a different route, after killing the victim.
“We don’t know the identity of the guy. But some (people) are suspecting that he could be a security agent,” he said.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement.
He identified the victim as Ikechukwu Udeozor.
Mr Ikenga said the victim was abducted from his residence on Thursday by gunmen and killed on Monday, four days after.
“Today, May 13, at about 10:20 a.m., police operatives recovered a lifeless body at the roadside by Y- Junction, Nkwelle-Ezunaka. The victim was later identified as Ikechukwu Udeozor,” Mr Ikenga said.
The spokesperson said the police were investigating the incident and that the killers would be arrested.
Security in Nigeria’s South-east has deteriorated with frequent attacks by armed persons in the region.
Anambra State has witnessed some of the worst attacks in the region. The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
The latest attack occurred barely 48 hours after gunmen killed a youth leader of the All Progressive Grand Alliance in Utuh, a community in Nnewi South Local Government Area of the state.
Also, last month, gunmen abducted and then beheaded Okechukwu Okoye, a lawmaker representing Aguata 2 Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly.
Mr Okoye was killed on May 21 with his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, six days after they were abducted along Aguluzigbo Road, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.
The Nigerian government has accused outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible for some of the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
The leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for terrorism.
A 21-year-old Mr Chinedu Eziuzo, who hails from Adazi-Enu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra state has been apprehended by the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) with the help of the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and Violence Against Persons, Prohibition Implementation.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the suspect had earlier been engaged in an alleged rape incident that occurred last year involving his 13-year-old younger sister, in their hometown in Adazi-Enu.
It was gathered that Mr Chinedu, who was tracked and captured has allegedly been involved in notorious activities around their neighbourhood which included attempting to rape a young girl at Neni, but was arrested by the vigilante group and subsequently released because of his father’s pleas, beating women including mothers, drug abuse and stealing among others.
It further revealed that anytime he was apprehended, his parents would bail him but after this particular incident, the issue was made public by some of his family members and since then has been at large. He was later apprehended and brought to Awka.
His victim who was treated at Paul Iloghalu Hospital Adazi-Enu is said to be having some medical complications even after treatments.
The State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo who spoke on the issue, cautioned parents against aiding and abetting crimes.
She frowned at the evil meted on the innocent girl, assuring that justice will take its full course. She commended the NAPTIP for their efforts and support in apprehending the perpetrators.
The Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed Mr. Christian Aburime as his Chief Press Secretary.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Paul Nwosu, confirmed the appointment in a statement on Tuesday in Awka.
He said the governor had appointed Mr. Chukwuemeka Agbata as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the state’s Information and Communication Technology Agency while Mr. Chike Anyaonu would head the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation.
Mr. Joe Anatune was appointed the MD/CEO of Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agency.
“Other appointments are – Mr. Okey Ezeobi, GM/CEO, Anambra State Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr .Tochukwu Nweke, Special Adviser, Legal, and Dr. Nelson Omenugha, Special Adviser on Youth Empowerment Programme,” the commissioner added.
The Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has directed all markets in the state to stop observing the sit-at-home order currently in place in the South-East.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had in 2021 ordered markets and other business outlets in the South-East to stay at home every Monday in a bid to force the Federal Government to release its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
Soludo, who issued the directive at a meeting with leaders of 91 markets and transport unions in the state, said a preliminary survey revealed that the state loses N19.6 billion every Monday due to the closure of businesses.
He stressed that the time has come for the people to stop observing the sit-at-home order because of its negative impacts on the economy in the state and South-East as a whole.
The governor said: “In the next three months, we will put in caretaker committees in markets with leadership problems, but in about one year, we will conduct fresh elections in all the markets.
“When the election will be held, we will adopt ‘option A4’ so that proper people will take up leadership positions.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Thursday ruled out the possibility of engaging the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN), ahead of the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission will not “go out of its way to engage with an organisation that had been declared as illegal by the Federal Government.
Okoye, who stated these when he featured in a programme on Arise TV, said INEC would only engage the political parties, people of the state, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, and clerics on the election.
There have been growing concerns over the safety of voters as the election draws near.
The INEC spokesman said: “For the security agencies, we have had meetings with them at both the national level and also at the state and local government levels.
“We have also interacted and interfaced with the leadership of the various political parties and the consensus is that everything possible should be done to make sure that the elections are scheduled.
Constitutionally and legally, the mandate and remit of INEC are to organize, undertake, and supervise elections. The issue of national security is left for the security agencies and the Nigerian Police Force is the lead agency in terms of election security.
“We are engaging with all the critical stakeholders. We are engaging with civil society groups and organisations, and we are engaging with traditional rulers. Within the commission’s realm, we recognize the political parties, we recognize the people of Anambra State, we recognize civil society organizations, we recognize the traditional institutions and the clergy, so if they are part of civil society groups and organizations and they attend our program we will tell them.
“In terms of IPOB, the commission will not go out of its way to go and engage with an organisation that the Federal Government has declared as illegal so we won’t do that. But the civil society group and organizations that want to attend our programme, are welcome.”
At least six persons were reportedly killed and several others injured in a gun duel between security agents and suspected criminals at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship campaign rally in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State on Tuesday.
An eyewitness told journalists that gunmen stormed the Odoata Primary School venue of the rally on three vehicles and various motorcycles but were repelled by security agents.
He said the state Governor, Willie Obiano, was also trapped in the ensuing melee.
“The governor’s convoy was held for about one hour while gunshots were booming everywhere in the area. They did not attack the convoy but security men.
During the gun duel, some security operatives were felled and some gunmen were equally killed. We know those who were killed would be more than six,” he said.
The spokesman of the state police command, Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident.
He said one AK 47 rifle, 30 rounds of ammunition, two magazines, and four vehicles were recovered from the hoodlums.
The spokesman was however silent on the number of casualties of the attack.
Meanwhile, the state government has dismissed the report that Governor Obiano’s convoy was attacked by the gunmen.
In a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, James Eze, the government urged the people of the state to disregard the report.
The statement read: “We wish to inform the general public that the report is a blatant lie without a shred of truth in it. The fact is that when some gunmen engaged security operatives in a shootout in Ihiala today, Governor Obiano was attending a pre-scheduled political rally in Ogbaru Local Government Area along with Prof Chukwuma Soludo, the standard-bearer of the All progressives Grand Alliance in the November 6, 2021, gubernatorial election in the state.
“The Ogbaru campaign was highly successful with a large turn of party members and supporters who came to reassure Prof Soludo and APGA of their support in the coming election. There was not a single incident of violence in the campaign venue and its surroundings and Governor Obiano and his fellow party men and women all went home peacefully after the rally.
The report that Governor Obiano’s convoy was attacked is obviously false and should be disregarded by well-meaning members of the society.
“Governor Obiano deeply regrets the shootout at Ihiala today and the attendant loss of lives. He calls on all the politicians involved in the ongoing electioneering campaign in the state to join hands with him in calming the political temperature of the state in order to ensure a peaceful and fair election on November 6, 2021.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has approved the posting of Echeng Echeng to Anambra as the new Commissioner of Police in the state.
He replaced Tony Olofu, who has been redeployed to the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the IGP also ordered the deployment of a detachment of Special Forces to boost the ongoing peace-building efforts in Anambra State.
The deployment of the Special Police Force was aimed at checking the rising cases of violence ahead of next month’s governorship election in the state.
The statement read: “The IGP, who is particularly concerned by the renewed incidents of attacks on innocent individuals and symbol of state authority in the state, ordered the new commissioner of police to mobilize both kinetic and non-kinetic law enforcement and crime-fighting approaches to reverse the negative trend, reclaim public spaces from hoodlums and restore public peace in the state.
The IGP charged the new police commissioner to work with other stakeholders and patriotic forces in Anambra State to restore law and order in the state.
“He also urged the Ndi-Anambra to support and cooperate with the new CP in his task of protecting the lives and property of all.
“The posting is with immediate effect.”
Gunmen on Sunday set ablaze the Department of State Services (DSS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) offices in Nnewi, Anambra State.
An eyewitness told journalists the gunmen stormed the town in four Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and operated for several hours.
He added two persons who tried to make a video recording of the event were killed by the hoodlums.
“A man, who attempted to do a video recording of the unknown gunmen was said to be shot dead at Eme Court junction area of Nnewi, while another man was said to have been killed at Traffic junction area of the town,” the eyewitness added.
The spokesman of the state police command, Toochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack in a statement in Awka.
He, however, said it was a case of fire incident.
He said: “At about 2:00 p.m., on October 3, 2021, the command received a distress call of a fire incident in Nnewi.
“The police operatives are currently on ground and the area has since been cordoned off. Further details shall be communicated.”
The Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Anambra State, Obiora Agbasimelo, has been declared missing.
The candidate’s disappearance has fuelled speculations that he has been kidnapped.
The emergence of Agbasimelo as LP’s governorship candidate in the November 6 governorship election in Anambra followed the crisis in the party.
The crisis threw up a faction in the LP while one of the leading aspirants at the beginning of the governorship race, Nnamdi Nnoruka, was allegedly kidnapped by unknown persons and forced to withdraw from the contest.
The state police command has not issued an official statement on the matter.
The Independent Corruption Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered a warehouse where grinding machines, sewing machines, driers, clippers, and other empowerment items for youths and women were kept in Oyi/Anayamelum Federal Constituency in Anambra State.
The commission discovered the warehouse allegedly owned by a lawmaker from the area during its Projects Tracking Exercise in the state.
The ICPC officials, who took part in the project tracking exercise, told journalists that the items were bought in 2019 and 2020 for distribution to unemployed youths and indigent women in the constituency.
According to the officials, many of those listed as beneficiaries of the empowerment programme, confirmed that they had not received the items.
They said efforts to access the warehouse were frustrated by the lawmaker’s agents.
“We have the list of the intended beneficiaries but those we called said they did not receive the items,” one of the officials said.
The ICPC team also visited other areas including the Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Orumba North and South as well as Anambra North where they got varying tales about the handling of empowerment programmes in the state.
Students of Bubendorff Memorial Grammar School, Adazi-Nnukwu in Anambra state resumed for the new session in a remarkable way.
They wore a native Igbo attire known as Isiagu and were captured looking amazing during the first assembly.
A Facebook user, Theo Ekwem shared photos of the students as they resumed the new academic session.
The photos have gone viral and has elicited massive reactions.
See more pictures:
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved ₦38.4 billion for the completion of road projects in five states in the country.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who disclosed this to State House Correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, said the projects were inherited from past administrations in the country.
He added that the five states are Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Imo, and Nasarawa.
Fashola said: “They are not new projects. They are projects we inherited and we are trying to complete. So essentially, they relate to cost revision because of the ages of the contracts and the prices of goods that had changed.
So, the first one was the contract for a 13.5-kilometre spur of the road from Onitsha-Owerri Road through Okija-Ihembosi-For Ugbor to Ezinifite in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“That contract was awarded in 2011 but was not funded until this administration came in so the contractor is asking us to revise the contract by ₦488,980,891 and an additional completion period of six months. The council approved that review of price and the extended completion period.”
The minister revealed that the second contract was for the completion of a 20-kilometre road in Bayelsa State.
He added: “The second one is the 20-kilometre dualisation of Yenagoa road junction to Kolo and Otuoke and Bayelsa Palm in Bayelsa State. That contract was awarded in December 2014 on the eve of the tenure of the last administration and it couldn’t even take off because of militancy issues at the time and also very limited budget provisions.
“It is one of the contracts that we have since activated with the Sukuk Bond. So, the dualization is progressing but there is some additional work that needs to be done. There are also results of further investigations that support a revision of the contract by ₦7.947 billion and this was approved by the council.”
The third one is the 74-kilometre Nasarawa to Loko Road. That is the road that was awarded, I believe, in 2006. So it’s 15 years today, 74 kilometres and it has not been completed. This road links the Loko-Oweto Bridge which we inherited and had completed. The Loko-Oweto Bridge links Nasarawa to Benue across the River Benue and also connects the Oweto to Oshogbedo Road which we also inherited and had completed.
“The complete lane from Otukpo to Nasarawa ought to be facilitated by this 74-kilometre road. The contractor has struggled with just about five kilometres of it since 2006, and a small bridge.
So, what we have proposed was that instead of going through the long process of termination and all of that, we proposed and council agreed that the contractor who finished the bridge and the contractor who finished the road, because they were all awarded to different contractors before we came, should join this contractor and take up the remainder.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recognised the former Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Plc, Valentine Ozigbo, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
The INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the decision was taken at the commission’s meeting in Abuja where several issues including a court order and the general preparations for the November 6 poll were discussed.
Okoye said: “The commission was served with two judgments of the Court of Appeal, Awka Judicial Division, in respect of the candidature of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Anambra governorship election.
The court has ordered the commission to recognise and publish the name of Mr. Valentine Ozigbo as the governorship candidate. Earlier, the party had substituted its deputy governorship candidate within the deadline provided by law.
“Accordingly, the governorship and deputy governorship candidates of the PDP are as follows – (Governorship) Candidate: Valentine Chineto Ozigbo, Age: 50, Gender: Male, PWD: None, Qualification: FSLC, SSCE, WAEC, BSc., MBA. (Deputy Governorship) Candidate: Lilian Azuka Enemo, Age: 64, Gender: Female, PWD: None, Qualification: FSLC, WASC, BSc.”
He revealed that the final list of candidates for the election would be published on October 7.
The Court of Appeal had last Friday declared Ozigbo as the validly elected PDP candidate for the election.
A three-member panel of the appellate court led by Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem held that the appeal filed by Ozigbo on the judgment which barred him from parading himself as the PDP candidate had merit.
The Nigerian Navy on Tuesday described as false reports that two of its personnel were killed by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Nnewi, Anambra State.
Some online platforms had reported that two Naval officers were killed by IPOB members in a gun duel at Awkuzu area of Anambra on Monday night.
But the Commanding Officer of the Naval Outpost, Onitsha, Adekunle Okeniyi, who reacted to the report in a statement, said six suspected IPOB members were killed in the operation.
The statement read: “The attention of the Naval Outpost, Onitsha, has been drawn to some false publications that on the 9th August 2001, two naval personnel were killed at Awkuzu during a gun duel with suspected Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) members in Anambra State.
The Naval Outpost, Onitsha, clearly refutes this fake news and wishes to state categorically that none of own personnel suffered any casualty during the gun duel.
“Rather, the troops fought gallantly and were able to repel the attack which resulted in the loss of six suspected IPOB members while others suffered serious injuries.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Naval Outpost, Onitsha, calls for an immediate halt to the circulation of this fake news and wishes to advise the general public to disregard this fake news.”