Politics
JUST IN: Imo State Lawmaker, Arthur Egwim Is Dead
Arthur Egwim, a prominent member of the Imo State House of Assembly has reportedly passed away on Monday, few days after undergoing a surgical procedure in Lagos.
According to report, Egwim, was a respected member of the Imo State House of Assembly representing Ideato North Constituency.
He had a distinguished political career, having been first elected to the state House of Assembly in 2015 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) and later re-elected in 2019 under the platform of the Action Alliance (AA).
He also contested for a House of Representatives seat in the just concluded National Assembly elections under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but was unsuccessful in his bid for the seat.
Egwim was a lawyer by profession and had served as a member of the state House of Assembly for two terms, making him a vocal voice in both the eighth and ninth assemblies of the parliament.
According to a source who spoke to newsmen on Monday night, Egwim died shortly after the surgical procedure.
The source said, “They just broke the bad news to us this afternoon (Monday). He was flown abroad before for treatment. Money wasn’t the problem. The state government greatly assisted him to travel abroad for his medicals. It is very sad.”
The speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly, Emeka Nduka, has expressed shock over the sudden death of Arthur Egwim.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Nduka described Egwim’s passing as a great loss to the House and to Imo State.
The speaker went on to pay tribute to Egwim, whom he described as one of the finest brains among the 27 lawmakers in the House.
The statement read, “With heavy heart, but with total submission to the will of God, we, the members of Imo State House of Assembly, wish to announce the death of one of our own, a ranking parliamentarian of note and a strong voice in IMHA, Rt. Hon Barr Innocent Arthur Egwim, who untill his death he represented Ideato State Constituency,, whose sudden death took place on Monday, the 27th March, 2023 after a brief illness.
“Imo House of Assembly has indeed lost one of its finest and best brains. His demise will for a long time create a vacuum in the House.
“May his gentle soul rest in peace and may God grant his wife and members of his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We’ll miss him dearly.The burial arrangements will be announced by the family in due course.”
Politics
PDP Governors Probe Ondo Polls, Criticizes Edo Result
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of the Ondo State governorship election, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of electoral malpractice, including vote-buying and result manipulation.
This was disclosed during a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State.
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The forum, chaired by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, criticized the conduct of the election, which saw APC’s Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa secure a landslide victory for another four-year term in Alagbaka, Akure.
“We are still reviewing documents from the Ondo election, where the APC openly bought votes and manipulated results,” Mohammed said.
He urged the judiciary to “save Nigerian democracy” and called on the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to prevent what he described as “institutional sabotage of the people’s will.”
The PDP governors also condemned the September governorship election in Edo State, describing it as a “rape of democracy.”
The forum accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the APC to declare its candidate the winner despite claims that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, had secured the majority of lawful votes.
“INEC blatantly manipulated the results in favor of the APC candidate. This undermines the credibility of our electoral process,” Mohammed said.
Beyond electoral grievances, the governors urged the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by February 2025.
They emphasized the need for broader consultations with stakeholders to resolve the party’s internal leadership crisis and strengthen its position as the main opposition party.
The forum reiterated its commitment to democratic values and vowed to push for electoral reforms that would restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Ondo governorship election has sparked a renewed call for transparency in the country’s electoral system, with the PDP vowing to challenge what it views as a subversion of democracy.
Politics
Gaetz Withdraws From Trumps Cabinet Nomination
Following his observations that ‘the momentum was strong’ Matt Gaetz whom 47th POTUS elect, Donald Trump nominated for Attorney General has withdrawn.
Biztellers reports that this follows his meeting with Senate and the feedback, which included two women, represented by their attorneys, who accused him of having paid for sex.
Consequently, Gaetz placed on record his full commitment to seeing “that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history.”
His withdrawal according his statement on micro-blogging site, X, was based on his conviction that “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle”.
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In is view, “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1”.
Gaetz wrote, “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.
“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”
His backers have promptly encouraged to take his seat in the House of Representatives, having been elected to the house under the flag of the Republicans to represent Florida.
Politics
Adeleke Represents SW On Ad Hoc Committee on Nat’l Electrification Plan
The Executive Governors from Nigeria’s South West have unanimously nominated Senator Ademola Adeleke as the chairman of the zone on the National Economic Council (NEC).
Adeleke is the Executive Governor of Osun State, southwest, Nigeria.
This, according to the Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, transpired on Thursday, at a meeting of the NEC.
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He noted that the meeting reviewed the state of Nigeria’s electricity sector and resolved to engage subnational structures to address current challenges in the sector.
“The meeting particularly sought to build on the devolution of the electricity sector and its movement into the concurrent legislative list which empowers state governments to regulate the sector in their respective areas,” he stated.
Consequently, the NEC, therefore set up an ad hoc committee to review actions in the sector by state governments and explore ways to ramp up activities through coordination, Rasheed highlighted.
The full list of members of NEC’s Ad-hoc Committee on National Electrification:
- Governor of Cross Rivers State, Bassey Out – Chairman, South-South
- Governor of Katsina State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda – Chairman, North-West
- Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya – Chairman, North-East
- Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke – Chairman, South-West
- Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma – Chairman, South-East
- Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang – Chairman, North-Central
- Hon. Minister of Finance, Wale Edun
- Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu
- Special Adviser, NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai
- Special Adviser, Power Minister, Hon. Bolaji Tunji
- MD/CEO Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu
- MD/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije
- Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak
- NEC Secretariat