IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has announced that aspirants seeking to contest in the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State will be required to pay N30 million for the nomination and expression of interest forms.

This was revealed in a statement by APGA’s National Organising Secretary, Ifeanyi Mbaeri, on Thursday in Abuja.

Mbaeri also released the primary election timetable, stating that the party’s special state congress and governorship primary election is scheduled for April 5.

As part of its inclusivity measures, APGA has approved a 5% discount on the nomination form for female aspirants and persons with disabilities.

Key Dates:

Form Sales: Begins Friday, February 28, and ends March 20

Screening of Aspirants: March 28 at APGA National Headquarters, Abuja

Mbaeri added that the party leadership reserves the right to adjust the schedule if necessary. 

By Onyinyechi Nwankwo.

Not less than 600 under-25 athletes drawn from the 27 Local Government Areas of Imo State will be representing the State at the Maiden Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF), billed to hold on 1st to 8th April 2025, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The festival being organized by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in partnership with Dunanis Icon Limited, as consultant, will be bringing together over 3,000 athletes, 600 coaches and 300 media practitioners from the nine NDDC mandate states, which are Imo, Abia, Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross river, Ondo and Delta. 

During a world press conference at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, on Tuesday, the Commissioner of Sports and Chairman of Imo State Liaison Committee, which serves as the State's Local Organizing Committee, Hon. Obinna Evaristus Onyeocha, hinted that the festival aims to promote talent discovery, human capital development and sports infrastructure in the region.

Onyeocha added that this laudable talent discovery project of the NDDC is aligning with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Initiative and the vision of Governor Hope Uzodinma’s 3R Agenda for sports development.

Onyeocha noted that the selected athletes will be competing in the 17 featured sports including athletics, football, handball, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, weightlifting, table tennis, tennis, boxing, canoeing, cheese, scrabble, para-athletics, para-powerlifting and traditional wrestling. 

While encouraging eligible athletes to take advantage of the opportunity and register for the festival which closes on 7th of March, Onyeocha informed that the state trials is scheduled for Tuesday, March, 4, 2025, at Dan Anyiam Stadium. 

"Coaches from the 27 LGAs of Imo State, with their athletes, are requested to be at the Owerri Stadium before 9.00am that day.

"The Imo State's Open Camp Begins On 17th March to 23rd, 2025 at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, while the Closed Camp begins on 24th till decamping on the 30th of April, 2025, thereafter departure to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, follows on the 1st of April, 2025." Onyeocha declared. 

The number one sportsman in Imo, seized the opportunity to thank Governor Hope Uzodimma, who he described as Imo true father and leader for his immense support towards sports development.

Other members of the SLO including Hon. Willie T. C Okolieogwo, SA to the State Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Secretary to the SOC and Dunanis representative also appreciated the Governor for backing the initiative, assuring to put in their best to make him and the entire state proud by bringing home from the sports festival the gold medal. 

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has raised concerns over the growing presence of foreign fraud syndicates in Nigerian cities, where they are recruiting youths into organized cybercrime, including cryptocurrency fraud.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that Olukoyede made the revelation while addressing participants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 at the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) on Wednesday.

Olukoyede expressed alarm over how insurgents and criminal groups have sustained their operations in Nigeria, citing the influx of small arms, illegal mineral exploitation, and the activities of non-state actors as compounding security threats.

“A recent and alarming discovery is that organized foreign fraud syndicates are establishing cells in Nigerian cities, recruiting young Nigerians into cybercrime, including cryptocurrency fraud,” he said.

According to him, investigations suggest that these groups may also be involved in smuggling arms into the country, using cryptocurrency as a means of payment.

During a recent special operation in Lagos, the EFCC arrested 194 foreigners in a building on Victoria Island. “The suspects included Chinese, Filipinos, Eastern Europeans, and Tunisians. Some lacked valid visas, and most of their financial transactions were conducted through cryptocurrency,” he revealed.

The commission also found that several of those arrested were ex-convicts in their home countries who had fled to Africa, establishing criminal cells across the continent.

Olukoyede called for stronger national and continental efforts to tackle internet fraud, emphasizing the need for security agencies to collaborate in addressing money laundering and threats to national security.

Earlier, NISS Commandant Joseph Odama, represented by Director of Studies Hyginus Ngele, commended Olukoyede’s leadership of the EFCC. He noted that the commission’s achievements in combating corruption and financial crimes had strengthened Nigeria’s global reputation.

Odama also acknowledged the EFCC’s role in exposing financial networks that fund hostile non-state actors, fueling instability in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. He urged deeper collaboration in strengthening legal and institutional frameworks to combat such threats while ensuring transparency and accountability. 

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has initiated discussions with the Nigerian government to address the N100 billion bridging claims owed to petroleum marketers, aiming to prevent a nationwide shutdown.

PETROAN President, Billy Gillis-Harry, made this known in a statement on Wednesday, following a seven-day ultimatum issued by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) over the unpaid claims.

In an update, PETROAN emphasized its intervention to facilitate a swift resolution of the debt, warning that a shutdown of the sector could lead to fuel scarcity, economic instability, and hardship for Nigerians.

Gillis-Harry called on IPMAN and other industry stakeholders to collaborate in pushing for the settlement of the outstanding claims.

“The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has taken steps to ensure the payment of pending bridging claims. We urge our members to remain operational while engaging in constructive dialogue with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA),” he stated.

He reiterated PETROAN’s commitment to fostering stability in the downstream petroleum sector through cooperation and innovative solutions.

"This issue affects not only our members but the entire industry and the Nigerian economy. We call on all stakeholders to unite in advocating for a swift resolution to this matter,” he added.

Earlier, IPMAN had threatened to halt operations if the government failed to settle the outstanding N100 billion bridging claims within seven days. 

The Abia State government plans to amend its laws on expired drugs to impose stricter penalties, including imprisonment, for those selling counterfeit, expired, and unregistered medicines.

Governor Alex Otti, represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Njoku, issued a stern warning to traders during a meeting in Aba with NAFDAC officials and market representatives. He urged them to report illegal drug activities or risk severe consequences, including having their properties sealed.

NAFDAC Zonal Director, Martins Iluyomade, announced that shops not involved in illegal sales would be reopened, while those linked to counterfeiting would remain shut until their owners are identified. He also lamented that traders in Eziukwu market had rejected free NAFDAC registration aimed at legitimizing their businesses.

Abia’s PCN Director, Ngozi Nzenwata, called for government support in establishing a Medicine Mart to regulate pharmaceutical sales. Aba South LGA Chairman, Anyanwu Obialor, pledged to collaborate with the government and NAFDAC to enforce strict penalties, including revoking shops engaged in illegal sales.

Market leaders expressed appreciation for the reopening of some shops and promised to cooperate in curbing counterfeit drug sales. 

The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, urging her to direct the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to reassign his case to another judge with proper jurisdiction.

In a letter to the CJN, Kanu’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor, argued that Justice Binta Nyako, who is currently presiding over the case, had already recused herself following Kanu’s allegations of bias. Kanu is facing seven counts of terrorism-related charges brought against him by the Federal Government. Ejimakor argued that legal principles dictate that once a judge recuses themselves, they are disqualified from further involvement in the case.

He urged the CJN’s administrative intervention to ensure that the case is reassigned. “Once a judge voluntarily recuses themselves, the immediate legal consequence is that they are disqualified from further proceedings. A decision or order of recusal is akin to a ruling on jurisdiction and cannot be reversed arbitrarily,” Ejimakor stated. Ejimakor also stressed that public perception and judicial integrity are at stake, warning that assigning a case to a judge who had recused themselves could erode confidence in the judiciary.

“Public trust in the courts is crucial. If a judge unilaterally resumes a case after recusal, it creates a perception of partiality and undermines confidence in the judicial process,” he stated.