….12 APGA members of the House of Assembly led by Chief Whip Eze hail INEC’s decision, pledge to support Umeoji
….UNIZIK Dean and renowned female professor, Lillian Orogbu, emerges APGA deputy governorship candidate to Chuma Umeoji
Ibe Pascal Arogorn, Awka
Weeks of political manoeuvring within the rank of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra State over who will fly the party’s flag in the governorship election holding in the state in November ended on Friday with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) making its decision known.
In a sound decision that will shape political activities in the state, the electoral body recognised a member representing Aguata Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Chuma Umeoji, as the party’s duly nominated candidate for the election.
The election umpire also recognised the Dean of Faculty of Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Lillian Orogbu, as the duly nominated deputy governorship candidate for APGA in the election.
With the announcement, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, put forward by an illegal faction of the party as its candidate is no longer in the race.
The announcement led to jubilation on the streets of the state capital, Awka, just as it threw confusion into the camps of Soludo and those who have been pushing for his candidature, including the state governor, Willie Obiano, as well as Victor Oye who has been parading himself as the national chairman of the party illegally.
It is noteworthy that this is the third time Soludo’s ambition to govern the state will be crashing before him and his sponsors.
With the fate of Oye decided alongside that of Soludo, the electoral body has affirmed Jude Okeke as the authentic APGA Chairman in obedience to two court judgements. This is indeed a welcome development.
It is also heart-warming that the Soludo and Oye camps have not succeeded in securing their desperately-needed stay of execution at the Court of Appeal.
Expectedly, the development has led to a major political realignment in the state ahead of the November election.
UNIZIK Dean and renowned female professor, Lillian Orogbu, emerges APGA deputy governorship candidate to Chuma Umeoji
A female erudite professor, Lillian Orogbu, has emerged the running mate to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) for the election in Anambra State holding in November.
The Dean of the Faculty of Management, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, will be flying the party’s flag with the governorship candidate, Chuma Umeoji.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed their candidature in the list of candidates published at the end of the submission of the personal details of candidates by all the registered political parties participating in the November election.
With the development, the electoral.body has sealed the fate of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo, who emerged in a parallel primary organised by a faction of the party.
It is expected that with this development, all stakeholders of the party, including the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano; Soludo and others will rally round Umeoji and support him to win the forthcoming election.
Umeoji will be flying the party’s flag with his rich political experience while his running mate will be complementing him with her deep experience in the academic.
Obiano should be rest assured that he has a worthy potential successor who will sustain his legacies and uphold them in Umeoji.
He should therefore support the governorship candidate and his running mate to succeed in the election
Already, 12 members of APGA in the state House of Assembly led by the Chief Whip, Ezeudu, have hailed INEC’s decision.
They have gone a step further by pledging to support Umeoji’s ambition.
Their argument is that the federal lawmaker is the only key to APGA’s victory in the election.
The massive supports coming the way of Umeoji and Orogbu are not limited to the state legislature alone.
Some members of the state executive have also taken a position on the matter.
Specifically, majority of Obiano’s aides have expressed their readiness to work for Umeoji’s victory.
The Umeoji and Orogbu joint ticket promises to be a formidable one. It is a ticket of consolidation, inclusiveness and expansion.
While Umeoji will be leveraging on his political prowess, Prof Orogbu is bringing academic excellence, women inclusiveness, youthfulness beauty and brain to the Government House.
Soludo risks jail term
Crimefacts.news reported how the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday issued a direct criminal summons against factional APGA Governorship candidate and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo over serial abuse of office and breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
Crimefacts.news exclusively gathered that in a Direct Criminal Complaint brought pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 by one Oliver Bitrus complaining that between the period Prof Soludo held office as a Public Officer he flagrantly breached the Code of Conduct for Public Officer by buying or acquiring interest in a property known and described as No. 50 Brondesbury Park, London, NW6 7AT, United Kingdom. The property is covered by File Plan of Tile No. MX362301.
Mr. Oliver claimed that this property was bought or acquired using a proxy and/or nominee company known as Universal Energy Company Limited, and which investigation revealed was incorporated in the Isle of Man; and now used to round-trip public funds for the purchase. As a matter fact, purchase price of £2,150, 000 was paid on 20th October, 2006 in a single tranche, which sum was not fairly attributable to his income as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria at the material time.
Further investigation also disclosed that presently, the property is being occupied by Soludo, his spouse and children and used as their personal and official addresses for all their companies and other business undertakings.
The Complainant listed companies owned and operated by the Soludos and domiciled at the said property to include
i. ZINORA LIMITED: A private company owned by Mrs. Nonye Soludo (spouse of Chukwuma Charles Soludo). This company limited by shares which was registered on 29th January, 2013 with Company N: 8379214 and also has its registered office at No. 50 Brondesbury Park, London, NW6 7AT, United Kingdom.
(ii) The Soludo Foundation: Registered on 24th July, 2014 as a private company limited by guarantee with its registered office at No. 50 Brondesbury Park, London, NW6 7AT, United Kingdom. It also has the Company No: 9145134. The company has the following persons as members or directors – Nonye Frances Soludo, Chukwuma Soludo, Ozonna Tochukwu Soludo, Ifeatu Adaora Nnenna Soludo etal with having the above mentioned property as their address.
(iii) Allsters Investment Limited: Registered on 2nd September, 2015 as a private company limited by shares with Company No: 9757553. It has its registered address at the same No. 50 Brondesbury Park, London, NW6 7AT, United Kingdom and also has the following persons as Directors – Mrs. Nonye F. Soludo, Miss Ifeatu Adaora Nnenna Soludo, Mr. Ozonna Tochukwu Soludo and Mr. Chinua Belolisa Naeto Soludo with all the directors having the property in issue as the address.
The Claimant further alleged that a sequential trail of evidence has revealed that while holding public office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the defendant abused his office and breached the Code of Conduct for Public Officers by using a proxy, nominee or trustee company – Universal Energy Company Limited, incorporated in the Isle of Man for syndication of fund, to acquire the property and deliberately failed to declare the said property or his obvious interest therein in his Assets Declaration Form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau. As a result, he flagrantly violated Article 11 of the Part 1, 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and thereby liable to the penal sanction of disqualification from holding any other public office for a period of 10 years and forfeiture of the illicit property to the Federal Government of Nigeria pursuant to Article 18(2) of the Law.
The Magistrate,Hon. Judge Gambo Garba in issuing the summons has directed that Prof. Soludo appear in person before the Court on the 21st day of August, 2021 to answer the charges.
It is expected however that he will come along with surety who will take him on bail as it is a bailable offence.
