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PDP Crisis: Former Lawmaker Ossai Blames Party Elders, Defects to APC

Published

3 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

…say the centre can no longer hold the umbrella

…say APC brings solution through president Tinubu

By Gloria Ikibah

A former House of Representatives member, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, has attributed the ongoing turmoil in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to its elders and founding members.

Ossai, who represented Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency in Delta State under the PDP in the 9th Assembly, officially joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, he stated that attempts to restore unity in the PDP had failed due to deep-seated ideological and political conflicts. He described the situation as a clash of opposing views, making reconciliation nearly impossible.

He said: “I’ve been with PDP since 1999, and we have tried as much as possible to fix PDP, especially when they have issues of leadership in the past. The National Assembly, who are PDP members tried to strengthen PDP, but I believe today that strengthening has been removed from the hands of the Parliament.

“Among the gladiators who are founding fathers of PDP too, have tried as much as possible to break the umbrella. So the centre cannot hold, and judging from the fact that all political parties in Nigeria are centralists in programmes and policies, there’s no sharp ideological programs that you can say you can separate from each political party today in the country.”

Speaking on why he joined the APC, Ossai said Tinubu is a man with focus and championing great feat. And so he wants to assist in navigating Nigeria into the next promise land.

“People want solution and it is the person who will give solution to the people that you have to converge on. APC gives solution through President Tinubu to the people. That’s why we are converging. Tinubu is the personality that is bringing progressive directions to this generation. So we converge on him.

“We need People who are great leaders, who champion policies that can navigate the country to the promised land. We have had some strong leaders before who could not do it, but today we have a very strong leader that I believe in and that leader is Asiwaju Tinubu.

“I followed him up during the time of SDP in Lagos. I was part of the Abalajobi groups in Lagos, and from the human rights up to SDP. I have seen his leadership style. As a governor of Lagos State, I followed him up. Then, I was a member of the House of Assembly.

“He is somebody I pray that he will continue to succeed and become president of the country. And today he is the president, and he has issued in policies that are germane to sustaining our country, strengthening our country for the future.

“Today, my role model, Asiwaju Tinubu is championing the course for the next generations. And there’s every need for me, to follow my role model who is doing great since the umbrella has been broken, by people who are supposed to mend the umbrella.

“His policies aligns with mine. And I feel that also Delta States will align with such policies, which is currently not happening. And I feel that I can join forces with those of them who have been strongly in APC, in Delta State, to face Delta State.

“I can bet you that APC is going to win Delta State. And not only winning the governorship, but winning the presidential election. And not only win the presidential election, I use my federal constituency as the basis to champion this course.

“You will see the recent program that President Tinubu has been chuning out. You can see what is going on in terms of infrastructure development in different places that have been abandoned over the years. You can also see that currently, a policy came out from the federal government through a policy of Inherit, whereby those people who are having challenges in issues of kidney problems, diabetes, and others.

“You can also see policies on agriculture, where all APC governors are gearing towards agricultural revolutions. And you can see that inflationary rate has dropped in terms of food in the market. You people who go to the market to buy food, you go to buy tomatoes and peppers.

“So, I have come to join APC to assist in navigating Nigeria into the next promised land. I think that’s why I joined APC. Like I said, the entire parties is a centralist party. No sharp ideological program. But we have the capability of implementing this program, and APC stands out. So APC to the next level”, Ossai asserted.

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Angry South-East Youths Give Fulani Herdsmen 48 Hours To Vacate Enugu

Published

4 minutes ago

March 6, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

.. declare enough is enough

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) has given herdsmen in Enugu State a 48-hour ultimatum to leave the area declaring that enough is enough.

The coalition, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its President-General, Goodluck Ibem, expressed concerns over alleged killings and rapes by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo LGA of the state.

Ibem described the activities of the alleged herdsmen as wicked, nefarious, and satanic, saying the coalition “condemns it in its entirety.”

According to him, the so-called Fulani herdsmen are not herdsmen but terrorists who are on a land-grabbing mission,” stressing that there is no correlation between the rearing of cattle and “the killing of innocent human beings in their own town.”

“For these terrorists to be raping our women and inserting sticks into their private parts after raping them is the worst wickedness against humanity, and it must not go unpunished.

“The good people of Enugu have complained enough about these killings and rapes, and it is time for the governor, Chief Peter Mbah, who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, and the Chief of Defence Staff to arrest these perpetrators and prosecute them accordingly.

“We call on the youths of Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo LGA, and other communities in Enugu State and the South East states to wake up from their slumber and sack killer Fulani terrorists parading as herdsmen from their communities

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ECOWAS Integration Unstoppable: Barau Reaffirms Commitment to Single Currency

Published

51 minutes ago

March 6, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Senator Jibrin Barau, has reiterated the bloc’s determination to achieve regional economic integration and a single currency, despite recent challenges, including the withdrawal of three Sahelian nations.

Addressing journalists at the 1st Extraordinary Session of ECOWAS for 2025 in Lagos, Barau emphasised that uniting the region economically remains a top priority.

He dismissed colonial-era borders as artificial divisions, insisting that West Africans have always been one people. He highlighted the region’s shared linguistic and cultural ties as a natural foundation for economic unification.

Barau pointed to existing infrastructure projects facilitating regional economic integration, such as cross-border highways, healthcare systems, and aviation connections.

Drawing parallels with Europe’s economic model, he expressed confidence that the single currency initiative would eventually become a reality.

“The intention of ECOWAS is to unify so that we can be one entity. We’ve always been one people before colonial demarcations. Whether in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, or Côte d’Ivoire, we share cultural and linguistic ties,” he said.

“We are working on ensuring that we have a single currency just like in Europe. One currency, one people, one aspiration, one destiny,” he added.

Regarding the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from ECOWAS, Barau maintained that the door remains open for their return.

He acknowledged that ECOWAS respects each nation’s sovereignty but urged them to uphold international democratic standards.

“We are willing to work with them. They should democratise and try to sit at the table to see how democracy can be strengthened,” he said.

Barau explained that ECOWAS does not interfere in the internal affairs of member states but expects all nations to adhere to internationally recognised democratic principles.

He remained optimistic that the Sahel states would eventually return to the regional bloc.

“They are our brothers, and I can assure you that one day they will be back,” he stated.

The regional body has been working on multiple fronts to foster economic and political unity.

In addition to the proposed single currency, ECOWAS is advancing key projects aimed at improving cross-border mobility, trade, and infrastructure.

Despite recent challenges, Barau’s remarks reflect a strong commitment from the ECOWAS Parliament to overcome obstacles and achieve long-term integration.

With continued dialogue and diplomatic efforts, the dream of a unified West African economy remains within reach.

News

Popular Youth Leader Shot Dead Over Tricycle Park Dispute By Security Operatives

Published

2 hours ago

March 6, 2025

Naijablitznews

Chidebe Ibeakuzie (aka Mighty), a youth leader in Obosi community, Idemili North Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State, has been shot dead.

Multiple sources said he was shot dead by security agents in a tussle over the ownership and control of a tricycle park near the military cantonment in Onitsha.

During the clash, two Obosi youths were reportedly abducted, others injured, while an unspecified number of Keke Operators and passersby sustained gunshot injuries.

The unrest stemmed from a heated dispute between the families of late Tochukwu Anyaoku, an Obosi native, and Edward Ibuzo, a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency.

The late Anyaoku had leased the tricycle park before his death last year, with his wife taking over its management after his demise.

However, Ibuzo allegedly laid claim to the land, sparking a bitter standoff.

Obosi youths accused Ibuzo of orchestrating the attack by engaging operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who they claim were responsible for the fatal shooting of Mighty.

In response, Ibuzo denied any involvement, stating via a WhatsApp call to journalists that he was in Germany at the time of the incident, while he also has a court judgement authorizing him to take over the park.

He alleged that DSS operatives had intervened after witnessing a suspected kidnapping, which led to an exchange of gunfire.

A prominent Obosi stakeholder, Omezie Chukwurah, also known as “Governor Obosi,” lamented the escalating violence, revealing that previous police interventions had led to another Obosi youth being shot in the head.

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He further alleged that the operatives who killed Mighty arrived in vehicles linked to Ibuzo.

The Sun