Igbo Corner
Minister Onyejeocha deployed by APC to destabilize our party, Labour Party cries out
The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has raised alarm over a perceived unholy alliance between the Minister of State for Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha and some expelled members of the party led by Chief Lamidi Apapa, accusing them of destabilizing the party.
This was contained in a statement signed the Labour Party National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, dated October 25, 2023, saying their sole purpose is to ensure that crisis is sustained perpetually in the party.
In the statement entitled “Minister Nkiruka Onyejeocha, a conduit deployed by APC to destabilize our party – Labour Party“, Prince Ahanotu wonder what connects Nkiruka Onyejeocha and the Labour Party that she will go at length to instigate and fund crisis within the party.
“We are, however, aware that the former lawmaker is fighting a personal and proxy war against the party,” Prince Ahanotu said.
He noted that Onyejeocha has been in the National Assembly since 2007 until the February 25 general election when she was defeated by Hon. Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party with a very wide margin.
According to Ahanotu, her loss to Amobi Ogah was a pill too hard to swallow, hence, she has vowed to use all her connections to ensure that the election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is upturned in her favour.
He stated further: “Her political ambition was to be the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. She has also boasted that powers that be in Aso Rock has promised her the speakership, a position she contested in 2019 but lost to Femi Gbajabiamila, who now is the Chief of Staff in the Tinubu administration.
“Onyejeocha believes that the Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency is her fiefdom, however, the result of that election altered all the plans and permutation for Onyejeocha who saw her ambition drifting.
“For her to be the Speaker she must first win the seat at the Reps and Amobi Ogah was the only stumbling block. Therefore, he must go at all cost.
“Onyejeocha, with strong support from the Presidency, plotted to be part of the 10th NASS using the instrument of Tribunal.
“She had worked tirelessly to ensure that the tribunal pronounced her the duly elected member by turning the rules of the election on the head.
“With her limitless access to funds, it wasn’t difficult for her to get Amobi Ogah sacked by the Tribunal. Not because he lost the election but the trial judge canceled all the votes of the Labour Party on the grounds of his membership of the party.
“Of course, the electoral law has been interpreted by even the Supreme Court to suggest that only a political party has the powers to determine its membership.
“Nigerians are still wondering what motivated such judgement but the answer is not far-fetched. She simply deployed her huge financial war-chest and bought the judgement.
“Not satisfied with the slow pace of the Tribunal route to the National Assembly, Onyejeocha went for the ‘Killer Punch” by using a Federal High Court in Kano to attempt to sack all elected political office holders from Abia State, the governor inclusive.
“The Kano judgement rattled and quaked the entire political space.
“Onyejeocha, who connived with some expelled members of the Labour Party led by Lamidi Apapa had applied to be a Joiner in the case but was refused by the judge for filling out of time.
“However, most of her pleading before the Court were granted even when the court lacked the locus. It took the ululation from the general public before the matter was upturned by the appellate court.
“Not done, Hon Onyejeocha after the ruling of the Tribunal was appealed against and the venue of the sitting moved to Lagos, also initiated a crisis by using her Aso Rock connections to bully officials of INEC into committing a mortal mistake of pitching two Senior Advocates and legal luminaries, J.O Asoluka (SAN) and Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) against each other in an open court on who holds authority to represent INEC.
“Specifically on the 11th of October, 2023, the INEC Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony in a letter titled LETTER OF INSTRUCTION conveyed the appointment of John Asoluka (SAN) by INEC to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, on behalf of the Commission against the decision of the Abia State National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal in No. EPT/AB/HR/8/2023 — HON. NKEIRUKA CHIDUBEM ONYEJEOCHA & ANOR VS. INEC & 2 ORS.
“But in a twist of event, INEC went further to engage the services of Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) on the same matter before the Appeal Court.
“We sincerely believe that INEC was anything but independent as the commission acted helplessly and as a body being dictated to by unseen forces. However, Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) on the 17th of October in a letter to the Commission wrote to withdraw his representation in the two appeals before the Court of Appeal on the ground that “the Commission had already briefed another law firm to represent/or defend it.”
“On the following day at the commencement of the matter before the Appeal Court, a lawyer from the firm of Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) unknown to the Senior Counsel surfaced even when the Asoluka and his team were already seated to represent the INEC.
“The desperation by the lawyers from the firm of Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) to insist on representing INEC even when the firm had already written to INEC withdrawing its services stoke our curiousness, even as the embarrassed Ustaz Usman completely distanced himself from actions not known to him.
“On further investigation, we realized that INEC failed to release this letter written on the 17th by the firm of Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN) withdrawing from the case.
“The letter only surfaced after the unfortunate incident at the Appeal Court. So we are wondering if there was any threat from high places against officials of the INEC preventing them from making the letter public.
“We also took special note of the presence of Apapa-led splinter group who attempted to hijack the representation of the party at the court.
“How did this splinter group come into the scenario, who got them involved and for what purpose. The same group engaged by Onyejeocha to shop for judgement in a Kano court.
“It is a known fact that this group have evolved as meddlesome interlopers and have severally worked against the larger interest of the Labour Party even when Supreme Court has refused them recognition.
“Labour Party and its candidate are in the Appeal Court to ask it to reject the judgement by the Abia State National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal and which cancelled the victory of the party and its candidate, Amobi Ogah relying on the results generated and tendered by the Petitioner, the APC candidate, as against the result generated by the INEC. How can that be possible?” Ahanotu wondered.
He, therefore, called on INEC to defend the resulted it generated from the election, adding that Asoluka (SAN) has the brief to defend INEC’s result.
“Labour Party is also aware of the proxy war engaged by Onyejeocha for her principals who benefit bountifully from the artificial crisis in the party. Labour Party bruised the ego of the ruling party in the last general election and it was believed in their cycle that a divided Labour Party will be weak to stage a claim to their mandate.
“Onyejeocha was allegedly chosen by the APC leader in the South East and the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodinma as a conduit to fund the dissidents. The party is also not unaware of her roles in denying Labour Party her victory in Enugu state through her kinsmen who served as Electoral Officer and the Returning Officer in Enugu state.
“We are worried that millions of Naira was allegedly budgeted by Onyejeocha to sustain the crisis in the Labour Party by funding Apapa and his cohorts, and particularly to ensure that Amobi Ogah is removed from the House of Representatives.
“These monies which ought to be channeled to help alleviate scorching poverty in her Constituency is been thrown around all in her inordinate quest for power.
“The question that has not been answered is, why the obsession for power. It is practically impossible for Onyejeocha to be speaker again at least under this 10th Assembly as offices have since been distributed. What does she hope to gain in ensuring and sustaining crisis in Labour Party by massively funding Apapa and his gang,” Ahanotu added.
He, thereby, called on the present government to relieve Onyejeocha of her ministerial role as she has lost focus, and since she has refused to concentrate on the assignment given to her.
He also urged security agencies including Police, DSS, EFCC and ICPC to invite Onyejeocha for questioning over her role in funding insurrection in the Labour Party, bullying of INEC staffers, manipulating the judiciary and also helping to stoke political crisis in Nigeria. Read more.
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©Copyright 2023 News Band
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There’s something about persecution that does two things to a people: it either breaks them, or it makes them beasts of survival.
For centuries the Jews… they were hunted, hated, and humiliated by empires. But they didn’t vanish.
They evolved. They adapted. And today, the Jews are arguably the most powerful tribe in the world economically, intellectually, and politically. Ruthless when necessary.
They are unapologetic about their survival. Now, look at the Igbo. A tribe known for industry, resilience, and brilliance.
A people who just want to live, do business, and thrive. But Nigeria doesn’t want that. Nigeria wants control.
Nigeria wants submission. And the one thing the Igbo have never known how to do is bow. And that’s the real issue.
So what does Nigeria do? It sidelines them. Isolates them. Provokes them. Bombs their villages under the guise of security.
Locks up their agitators. Shuts down their businesses. Mocks their pain. Ignores their history. Prevent them from voting. Play politics with their education. Sponsored bigotry on them.
And then Nigeria pretends to be surprised that there’s growing radicalization in the East?
Let me be clear: The Igbo didn’t start this fire. Nigeria did.
And history, the very same history we keep refusing to learn from, has shown us that when you keep pushing a tribe that knows how to survive, they evolve into something stronger, something unstoppable.
It’s happened before. With the Jews. Europe tried to exterminate them. Instead, they became the backbone of global finance, media, tech, and diplomacy.
You don’t touch a Jew today without consequences. You don’t push them to the wall and expect them to stay quiet.
Now Nigeria is doing the same to the Igbo, pushing, prodding, provoking.
But here’s the warning: when you push an animal to the wall, it doesn’t stay calm. It fights back. It bites. And this time, when it bites, don’t act shocked.
But this isn’t just about the Igbo solely. Nigeria has perfected the art of creating monsters, then acting surprised when they bite.
The Niger Delta? Radicalized. The region was exploited for oil, polluted beyond repair, and ignored until their youths picked up arms.
The Fulani terrorists? Radicalized. Left behind by the same government that claimed to represent them, now manipulated by religion and resentment.
The Almajiri? Radicalized. Abandoned by an elite that used their poverty as a vote bank and then left them to rot.
The Agbero? Radicalized. Uneducated, weaponized, and unleashed as tools of political chaos.
Even the middle class is slowly being radicalized, not with guns, but with hopelessness. That, too, is a ticking time bomb.
A nation cannot continue to marginalize its most brilliant tribe and expect peace.
The Igbo are not docile. They are not quiet. They are not forgetful. They are survivors, and survivors don’t beg for space forever. At some point, they take it.
The Igbo didn’t set out to be radicals. They were made into one by a country that won’t stop seeing their confidence as a threat.
You can’t keep pretending unity means silence. You can’t keep preaching peace while planting injustice.
The Igbo are not asking for too much, they just want to live, build, and grow.
But if you insist on turning their dignity into defiance, their enterprise into enmity, and their survival into sedition, then you are creating a monster.
And if history has taught us anything, it’s this: when a persecuted people decide that survival is no longer enough, when they decide to stop running and start resisting, they don’t just fight back. They win.
Nigeria must understand this: you cannot keep pushing people into a corner and expect submission.
When you back a lion into a wall, don’t expect it to purr. It will roar. It will claw. It will tear through anything standing between it and freedom.
So here’s the final warning, for those who still care to listen: Nigeria is radicalizing the Igbo.
But worse, Nigeria is radicalizing everyone. And it won’t end well.
When the fire spreads, when the rebellion multiplies, when the beast we created begins to fight back, don’t act shocked; no tribe will be left untouched.
Don’t pretend it wasn’t preventable. We all made it happen. You don’t corner a lion and expect peace.
Abolaji Rasaq is a public affairs analyst.
Palpable crisis is brewing in Nnewi over the election of the President General of Uruagu Community in the industrial town of Anambra State, with a business mogul and owner of Organiser Plc., Chief Innocent Okoli, accused of upsetting the apple cart.
The crisis has led to protests and resignation of members of the Board of Trustees (BoT).
One of the resignation letters sighted by News Band was from a legal practitioner, J. N. Obi, Esq.
Barrister Obi, until his resignation served as the Secretary of the Executive Committee and member, Uruagu Board of Trustees.
Tendering his resignation letter, Obi cited brazen violation of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union.
The letter was referenced OB/03 /296/2025, dated May 8, 2025, and addressed to His Highness. Obi A. C. Obi (Ogidi IV).
In the letter entitled “Letter of resignation as member, Board of Trustees (B.O. T) Uruagu Nnewi. Obi announced his resignation based on the following reasons:
- Article 8. 9 (a) of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union. 2022 (As Amended) states and I quote:
“The Board shall “Ensure the observance of this Constitution”. - Article 14.4 of the Constitution of Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union 2022 (As Amended) states and I quote:
“Each ward shall submit a list of the Electors In writing to the Secretary General of the Union, one month before any election.
“The submission of the list of the Electors shall be done by the Ward Chairman In consultation with the Ward’s Obi.” - “The election sought to be conducted on Saturday, 10th day of May 2025, did not comply with the above provisious as it was on the Union’s general meeting of the I3th day of April 2025 that the expiration of the tenure of the Executives was announced.”
The legal pratictioner, however, noted that the election to be held on May 10 will not be up to one month.
He, therefore, resigned his membership of B. 0. T for failure to abide by the above provisions of the Constitution as stated above.
On his part, the former President General of Uruagu Nnewi, Chief Ambassador Charles Nwonye, decried series of illegalities in the proposed election championed by Chief Okoli.
He recalled the efforts of past and present stakeholders to ensure that Uruagu Nnewi Community Development Union is recognised as a legal and responsible entity in the state.
He, however, speaking in a voice note obtained by Diaspora Digital Media (DDM), regretted:
“It’s very, very unfortunate that those counsels that instituted Uruagu Development Union are no longer alive.
“They were the ones who were known for speaking out the truth. But at the same time, we will not all keep quiet.
“I, hereby, wish to bring the following to the attention of all Uruagu indigenes, scattered all over Nigeria and in the diaspora that four years ago, a similar thing happened.
“Uruagu Nnewi Constitution was also flagrantly violated four years ago.
“At the end, a lot of stakeholders asked the former Executive Committee to resign and leave en masse.
“The Constitution, however, allowed them to recontest.
“The Executive Committee then honourably resigned and no one of us recontested, ushering in a new Executive Committee.
“They argued that following the election, the Constitution will be amended to correct all the flaws and ensure no such flagrant abused repeats itself.
“They went for the election and what happened there was the same illegality we’re talking about.
“Some of our youths went and connived with mischief makers, disrupted the election and declared the present Executive Committee members winners.
“The youths stood by them in their misguided thoughts that the Executive Committee members enjoy special gains in the office.
“They disrupted the election and ensured that the present crop of Executive Committee members was ushered in.
“The election was heavily flawed and rigged in favour of Eloka Ike and Innocent Okoli, but we let go and left peacefully.
“The new Executive Committee promised to preside for only four years and leave, but we are currently seeing the same illegalities.
“I dare ask: Should Uruagu be known only for illegalities? I thought Ndi Uruagu are smart people?
“I have observed that there are certain individuals who are hell-bent on ensuring that the Uruagu leadership fails.
“They seem bent on destroying all our efforts, acting as agents of chaos and destruction.
“How can one man gather a bunch of Umuezeagu indigenes and take them to the court, claiming that they sued the union to court?
“They deceived the High Court and got a frivolous injunction against Uruagu people, all in the name of election!
“When I got this information, I knew that something was wrong.
“How can someone, after serving a tenure fraught with irregularities, fight his way to a second tenure against the people’s wish?
“I want to make it clear to all the delegates in the so-called election that it will not be possible to make an illegality legal.
“Anyone who casts a vote in that sham election is an agent provocateur, as well as a villain.
“Let it be on record that I denounced the so-called election founded on illegality and fraud and all participants, be it a delegate or participant in any manner is an enemy of the people.”
Chief Okoli and other responsible people of Nnewi leadership could not be reached for comment at the moment of this publication.
More details will follow…
The remains of HRH Eze Stephen Nwabueze Ugorji, Orji Ukwu 1 of Lorji Nwekeukwu Autonomous Community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area, will be laid to rest on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
The late Eze Ugorji will be buried in his palace at Orji Ukwu Estate, Lorji, following a Catholic funeral Mass at St. Andrews Catholic Church, Lorji.
News Band was informed that His Excellency the Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese, Bishop Okezuo Nwobi, has been invited to officiate at the ceremony.
Bishop Nwobi, it was learnt, has also accepted the family’s invitation to officiate at the funeral rites of the late grand traditional ruler.
This information was provided to members of the press in Owerri by the Opara Eze (First Son of the Eze), former Commissioner for Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji.
His Lordship Bishop Okezuo Nwobi, the Catholic Bishop of Ahiara Diocese (Mbaise) and Eze Nwabueze Ugorji’s First Son, Dr. Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji
“The family is grateful to His Lordship for granting us a rare request to officiate at a funeral on a Thursday,” Dr. Ugorji said.
“Our father will feel honored and appreciated because he was not just a devoted Catholic, he shouldered the building of the St. Andrews Catholic Church at Lorji until his death,” the former commissioner added.
Igbo Corner
EXCLUSIVE: Ngozi Orabueze dissolves Biafra Govt In Exile as Simon Ekpa may spend longer time in prison
Dr. Ngozi Orabueze has abruptly dissolved the Biafra Government In Exile following secret information that his former boss, Simon Ekpa may not be coming out from Finnish detention in a hurry.
News Band reported that Mrs. Orabueze, a former Chief of Staff to Mr Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government In Exile, toppled his principal after he was thrown into prison for promoting violent agitation and terrorism in the Southeast of Nigeria.
Ekpa’s trial is scheduled to start in May 2025.
Ngozi, a former chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Atlanta, United States in a statement on Wednesday, announced the dissolution of Biafra Government In Exile.
She said all assets of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile and it’s affiliates shall be transferred to the secretary of the State of the United States of Biafra.
Orabueze also directed all officers of the former exile government to report to their counterpart with the United States of Biafra for reassignment.
The statement reads, “It is resolved that the Biafra Republic Government In Exile (BRGIE) is hereby dissolved as it’s reason for the existence has been superceded by the November 29, 2024 Declaration of the restoration of the Independent United States of Biafra
“All assets of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile and it’s affiliates(BRGIE corporation ID: D237527271) shall be transferred to the secretary of the State of the United States of Biafra.
“All officers of the former exile government shall report to their counterpart with the United States of Biafra for reassignment. All activities of the Biafra Republic Government In Exile shall cease as of February 15, 2025”.
Meanwhile, an insider source in the movement reliably told News Band that Ngozi decided to dissolve BRGIE after receiving intel that Simon Ekpa might spend longer time in prison.
The source also revealed that the Nigerian government is doing everything within it’s power to nail Simon Ekpa for all his atrocious acts in the SouthEast region.
So, the only way to keep the agitation going in the absence of Ekpa is to dissolve BRGIE.
“Yes, Ngozi Orabueze dissolved the Biafra Republic Government In Exile so as to be fully in charge of the assets belonging to the movement. With the way the Nigerian government is going about the case of Simon Ekpa, he may spend longer time in prison”, the source said.
Moreover, before now, Orabueze has been at war with some arrowheads of the separatist movement who refused to acknowledge her authority.
This however, has led to series of fights, accusation and counter accusations among the agitators.
We celebrate the life of Mrs. Roseline Udu Eze, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and pillar of strength.
Her unwavering love, kindness, and selflessness left an indelible mark on all who knew her.
Though we mourn her passing, we take solace in the legacy she leaves behind and the cherished memories we hold. Rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord, dear Roseline.
You will forever be missed.
May her soul rest in perfect peace.
Amen.
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