A governorship aspirant in Benue state on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) Professor Steve Torkuma Ugbah has dragged the party to court, saying that one of the reasons for going to court is to challenge those who are hell-bent on holding the state down in the valley of stagnation.
In an open letter to the people of Benue state, Professor Ugbah said that he went to court yesterday, also to stop those who, for some strange reasons, are opposed to change and all agents of change.
Assuring that he remains a loyal member of APC no matter what heppened, the aspirant expressed sadness however, that APC is harbouring some anti-progress and anti-change agents it denounced in other parties.
He drew the attention of the people to the following facts:
That on the day he arrived Makurdi from Abuja a couple of weeks back, the party EXCO hurriedly evacuated the party secretariat; this way, he was prevented from going there to pay a courtesy call on the party EXCO!
That after making the necessary payments, in keeping with its promise to frustrate him, the State APC refused to sell the Nomination Form to him on 25th November, 2014. That he had to travel to Abuja all-night to buy the form at the National Secretariat of the party the following day i.e. 26th November, 2014.
That even before he was screened in Ilorin, the party had started circulating rumours in the state here that he had been disqualified but that in the end, he was successfully screened.
That day to the primaries, the State APC Chairman, Abba Yaro, held a press conference in Makurdi here, which he said, on account of a phantom zoning arrangement, and which was probably agreed upon in fantasy-land, the State APC had barred him from contesting in the party primaries, slated for 4
th December, 2014, but later rescheduled for 5th December, 2014.
“Abba Yaro boasted at the conference that even though I had bought the Nomination Form, and had been duly screened and cleared, I was “on my own.” I have been reliably informed that this threw you, my supporters, into confusion and panic. And to make matters worse, I was denied access to the Delegates’ List.”
He said that from reports reaching his team, his name would not be on the ballot and that armed thugs would prevent his agents and him from entering the venue of the primaries. “Having being a target of violent attacks in the past at the hands of the rival PDP, I was taken aback that my party would also plan to visit me with violence.
“As it were, I was left with no choice than to seek legal redress. When the court bailiffs tried to serve the State APC Chairman, Abba Yaro, and the State EXCO, both parties evaded service, and purported to go on with the primaries, only to stop the farce at midnight or thereabouts when the hopes of a pre-planned outcome were dashed. Funny enough, I am told the same EXCO that ignored the court injunction at noon relied on at mid-night to save itself from embarrassment.”
Professor Ugbah reiterated for reasons of emphasis that there is no zoning arrangement in Benue APC and that at no time has the governorship position of the party been zoned to any area.
If there should be zoning, he said, it should be in favour of Zone C i.e. Idoma people which has never produce a state governor before “and not MINDA, which is not a zone, but rather a DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION in the likes of KUDA, JEDA, IDA, TDA…!
“In a nutshell, therefore, I went to court to enforce my right as a bona fide citizen of this country and worthy son of Benue whose dream is to bring positive to Benue state – no more; no less. And I urge you to remain resolute with me on this daring dream.
“For this task of rescuing Benue, our Dear Benue, our only state, we are ready to suffer many things: delays, privation, humiliation, insults, character assassination etc, etc, but we want it on record that: WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER OUR NOBLE QUEST FOR A DEMOCRATIC CHANGE, COME 2015. CHANGE MUST COME TO BENUE.
I urge you to keep faith with our cause. I will keep in touch with you as developments unfold.” [myad]

The remains of Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the late son of a former governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, disappeared in Enugu yesterday during the burial rites.

Ifeanyichukwu, a commissioner during the administration of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, died after a battle with cancer and his burial was scheduled for yesterday. Mourners had thronged the venue, but the burial was not held.

The disagreement followed Nwobodo’s insistence that Ifeanyichukwu’s body must not be buried in his compound, a decision opposed by the deceased’s younger brother, Chukwudi.

A grave that was meant for the internment was dug in a new bungalow, which Nwobodo was said to have built for that purpose after Ifeanyichukwu’s passage.

Ifeanyichukwu, like Chukwudi, was Nwobodo’s child from his estranged wife.

Nwobodo is currently living with his second wife.

Mourners were already seated in church for the burial service at St. Mathew’s Anglican Church, Amechi, Awkunanaw, Enugu, with the choir singing hymns, when it was discovered that the body was not even around.

It was gathered that the deceased’s siblings removed the body from the mortuary to an unknown destination in order to stop him from being buried outside their father’s compound.

It was observed that youths and elders opposed the decision to bury the deceased outside his father’s compound.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; former Imo State Go[myad]vernor, Chief Achike Udenwa, and religious leaders were involved in negotiations to resolve the impasse.

Former Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has emerged the winner of the gubernatorial primary election of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Kaduna State ahead of the 2015 gubernatorial polls.

“My priority among others will be to fix the education sector by providing free education from primary school to junior secondary school level, just as the APC government will bring to an end the insecurity not only in Kaduna State but in the country at large,” he said

[myad]