FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF IMO STATE UPON ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AS GOVERNOR BY OKOROCHA

Stunning Revelations That Nailed Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha On 11th day of March, 2013, the counsel to some prominent citizens of Imo state, Hon. Chief Barr. C. O. C Akaolisa raised a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging the following facts against the Imo state governor Rochas Okorocha and his Rescue administration. Please read on. Criminal Conspiracy, Abuse Of Office, Stealing, Misappropriation Of Public Funds And The Financial Rot In Okorocha’s Administration In Imo State: A call for urgent investigation & prosecution of a cabal of fraudsters masquerading as Imo State Rescue crusaders. Our client the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Imo State Chapter has further to our earlier petition instructed that we forward the following facts to you for your information and necessary action. Consequently, we write to call your attention to a number of economic and financial crimes being perpetrated by the current crop of leaders in Imo state and urge you to use your good offices to cause urgent investigation into the case. For clarity, we have enumerated some of these fraudulent activities to guide your kind attention.
FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION OF THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF IMO STATE UPON ASSUMPTION OF OFFICE AS GOVERNOR BY OKOROCHA
The administration of His Excellency Chief Ikedi Ohakim left a total sum of N26.27billion in various bank accounts of the state namely: Balance of Imo bond proceeds in UBA Plc “ N13.3billion; SUBEB project accounts with BankPHB (now Keystone Bank Ltd) “ N3billion; VAT account in Zenith Bank Plc “ N488million; Internally generated Revenue account with Zenith BANK Plc “ N450million; Local Government Joint project account with BankPHB “N2.5Billion; Agric Loan Account with Access Bank Plc “ N500million; Fertilizer sales account with Oceanic Bank Plc “ N250million; JAAC Account with BankPHB “ N3.6billion; MDG Projects accounts with Fidelity Bank Plc “ N500million; Education Trust Fund (ETF) with Zenith Bank “ N1billion and Imo Children Education Funds “ N670million. The Total sum is = N26.27billion. Although the previous administration of Chief Ohakim left huge sums in various accounts as shown above, the Okorocha’s administration did everything to conceal these funds from the Imo people. These funds were never appropriated in any budget of the state since taking over office and control of same. Today as it were, the entire N26.27billion has been criminally squandered without the knowledge of the Imo People. Suffice to say that this is a clear case of crass abuse of office, criminal conspiracy and outright stealing of public funds which should attract very serious sanctions.
CRIMINAL VIOLATION OF IMO STATE BOND LAW AND MISAPPROPRIATION OF THE N13.3BILLION IMO STATE BOND PROCEEDS
It can be recalled that the Imo state Government during Chief Ohakim’s administration approached the capital market to fund specific critical capital projects. Part of the requirements of the capital market was the enactment of a state bond law to restrict the utilization of the bond proceeds for the critical projects for which the approval will be based. This led to the passage of the Imo State bond law authorizing the Executive arm of government to borrow in tranches a maximum of N40billion for the funding of specified projects as detailed in the prospectus with which the bond was issued to the investing public. Upon receipt of Securities and Exchange Commission approval, Imo State Government under the Ohakim’s administration drew the 1st tranche of N18.5billion. A total sum of N5.2billion was expended on the following projects as approved by SEC in compliance with the bond law: All professional parties fees “N925million; Critical Roads – N3.773billion; Renovation and furnishing of Oguta Lake Motel plus preliminary works on the Oguta Wonder Lake Resorts and Conference Centre “N390million and Completion of 37 water schemes – N125million. From the foregoing, it is evident that a balance of N13.3billion was handed over to the Okorocha’s administration. This balance was over and above the amount of N12.5billion appropriated for the Wonder Lake Resorts and Conference Centre project under the bond law. The Sun Newspapers of January 23, 2013, reported the Current Imo state Commissioner for Finance, Deacon Chike Okafor as saying the balance of the bond proceeds were channeled into critical areas of infrastructure development such as the building of 305 classroom blocks, building of ultra-modern general hospitals in the 27 local government areas of the state and construction of vital roads across the local government areas. Arising from Deacon Okafor’s assertion, it is obvious that the bond proceeds had already been spent before the Okorocha’s administration approached SEC with a proposal for change of purpose. Another point to underline is that the Commissioner for Finance admission shows criminal violation of the bond law as it existed. Even the projects, upon which the bond proceeds were purportedly channeled to with the exception of Owerri Municipal Primary School and ongoing primary school in Emekuku, are non-existent. It is regrettable that rather than check the executive arm, the Imo state House of Assembly is criminally colluding with the executive to amend the bond law to deceive the Imo People that the unlawful and fraudulent diversion of a whopping N13.3billion bond proceeds is justifiable. As at close of work on the 8th of March, 2013, the purported amendment is yet to be signed into law by Governor Okorocha.

CRIMINAL SHARING OF N45BILLION AND N28BILLION LOANS ILLEGALLY SECURED WITH IMO LGA ALLOCATIONS ALLEGEDLY USED FOR NON-EXISTENT ROAD CONTRACTS IN VARIOUS LGA
The probe of the Deputy Governor of Imo state, Mr. Jude Agbaso has exposed the various schemes perfected by the Okorocha administration to unwholesomely divert public funds and in fact share public funds among themselves as largesse. This is done through phantom award of road contracts without any contract document as outlined below: Award of a 3 kilometer road at the cost of N1.2billion at N400 million per kilometer as confirmed by the Imo House of Assembly Report, adds weight to the series of allegations that the state government uses fake contractors in the various LGA to loot Imo funds. This award did not have the following: (a) project Design (b) No Advertisement (c) No Bidding (d) No Bills of Quantities and Specifications (e) No tender at all (f) No evidence of prequalification of contractor (g) No provision for the project in the State budget, and finally (h) No Exco Waver for all of the above. In addition, 100% payment was made without performance bond nor advance payment guarantee in contravention of the Imo state financial Instruction I & II, Imo State Public Procurement Law (Due Process Law), Fiscal Responsibility Law, Imo state and the Public Procurement Act, 2007. Furthermore, the contractor who runs a restaurant as a business is not known to have done any road contract anywhere in Nigeria. His only qualification is that he is a close friend and partner of the Imo state first lady, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha. Thus he was merely used as a conduit to fraudulently withdraw money from the government coffers to be shared. The Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso took N458 million representing 40% of the contract value. We request that the following persons who are directly or indirectly connected with the phantom contract should be invited for investigation:
i. The Contractor “ Mr. Joseph Dina, MD/CEO of Jpros Int’l Nigeria Ltd, ii. The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Sir Jude Agbaso, iii. The Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Pascal Obi, iv. The Accountant General of the State, George Eche, v. The Commissioner for Finance, Deacon Chike Okafor, vi. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Mr. Alex Nebedum vii. The Director of civil, Ministry of Works, Engr. Egbuka, viii. Chief Okey Nwosu, AKA 101, the biological brother to the Imo State First Lady who procured the contractor, ix. The Imo State First Lady, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, x. The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Eze Madumere. See the Imo House of Assembly Special Adhoc Committee Report on Sir Jude Agbaso published on Friday, the 8th of March 2013 edition of the Nigerian Horn Newspaper (attached and marked Annexture 1) B). In Onuimo LGA, the state government approved the sum of N255.6million for payment to phantom contractors purported to be engaged in non-existent road contracts in the LGA as evidenced in the undated memo of the Management Committee (project Monitoring & Evaluation) with Ref no: GH/SA/PME/533/VOL.VIII/49(attached as annexture2). Note that these payments were made on the 24th of April 2012 long before the incorporation of some of the beneficiaries namely: Elason Global Enterprises incorporated on the 24th of December, 2012, Lufranza Engineering Services Company incorporated on the 13th of December, 2012 and Elason General Supplies Company with no evidence of incorporation. One wonders how a state government should award road construction work to unregistered companies if not to deceive the people and steal their money. C) Again in Governor Okorocha’s 2013 Budget Speech on page 9 paragraph 4 & page 13 paragraph 7, he listed a number of contracts he claimed are designed to put Imo State in the Guinness Book of Records for which he categorically stated that he had already paid 40% of the contract sums. Contracts in this category include: (a) Imo Towers of 1,000 Housing Units targeted at high net worth individuals and Imo citizens in the Diaspora, (b) The Ecumenical Centre known as Amarachi, (c) The Magnificent Towers known as Akachi, (d) The five star crystal Hotel, (e)Ultra-Modern shopping malls, (f) Multilevel car parks, (g) The Ultra-Modern Judiciary Headquarters, (h) Princess Hotel, Okigwe, Today, there is nothing anywhere in Imo to justify the payment of 40% advance as presented by the governor. (See a copy of the year 2013 Okorocha’s Budget speech attached as annexture 3) Who are the contractors? How were they engaged? Was there any advertisement? Was there bidding? Was there any appropriation before the said contracts were awarded? These are questions law enforcement should seek answers from the governor and his cohorts in Imo State House of Assembly. D) One other fraudulent scheme currently going on in Imo is that contracts are awarded and awardees are coerced to pay kick back before their cheques are confirmed for payment. A number of the contractors who refused to be part of the crime have had their cheques returned unpaid. (See the cheques attached as annexture4) which belongs to some of the Imo people who got contracts but refused to offer bribe and their cheques were never confirmed by the commissioner for Finance and therefore dishonoured. Note that these people are ready to testify on this case as part of their commitment to reinventing sanity in our body polity. See list of cheques on the table below:
S/N NAMEOF CONTRACTOR AMOUNT # CHEQUE NUMBER 1 INELS LTD 1,900,000.00 00001490 2 HUUBS VENTURES 1,045,000.00 0O001436 3 HUUBS VENTURES 1,045,000.00 00001433 4 CHOPPERS GLOBAL SERVICES LTD 300,200.00 00001489 5 CHOPPERS GLOBAL SERVICES LTD 2,090,000.00 6 CHOPPERS GLOBAL SERVICES LTD 2,090,000.00 00001487 7. INELS LTD 1,900,000.00 00001435 8. HUUBS VENTURES 1,045,000.00 00001488
E) In his characteristic manner, Governor Okorocha also awarded a Phantom N4billion contract for government House furniture and paid 100% of the sum upfront to the contractor now purportedly at large. In our view, this is one of those schemes criminally crafted to siphon the N26.27billion handed over to him by the Ohakim’s administration which he had kept sealed lips over. F) The graveyard silence maintained by the Imo State House of Assembly over the heartbreaking fraudulent activities being perpetrated by the Executive is a clear indication of criminal conspiracy and collusion to loot public funds. It is now an open secret that the Honourable Speaker of the Imo State House of Assembly awards road construction contracts in the state and has even installed his own Asphalt plant in Owerri from where almost all the asphalt used in the construction in the state are procured. Similarly, most of the Honourable Members of the Imo State House of Assembly seem to have abandoned their legitimate legislative duties and are now in a mad rush to build hotels in Owerri such as the magnificent hotels being built by Honourable Mrs. Eudora Igwe, member, representing Ideato North State Constituency and Honourable Amuka (AKA Oshimiri), member, representing Ideato South state Constituency. The speaker and other principal officers of the House of Assembly must be immediately arrested and investigated if order must be restored in the State.
CRIMINAL CONVERSION & STRIPPING OF IMO STATE GOVERNMENT ASSETS
Mr. Rochas Okorocha has criminally converted the Imo State government assets to his personal use. It is evidently clear that the former Imo Deputy Governor’s lodge located on High Court Road, Behind Government House Owerri has been converted to Lamonde Hotel, a holding of Okorocha which was so heavily indebted before he became governor that the Credit Bureau blacklisted the company from borrowing from the Nigerian money market. Most Imo state money yielding corporations have been either concessioned, sold or leased to cronies of the governor for little or nothing in contravention of the Imo State Investment Promotion Agency Law. These corporations include among others: i. Ada Palm sold to Roche for N3.5Billion, ii. Both Concorde Hotel and Oguta Lake Motel leased for 20 years to ABM Global Nigeria Ltd, No. 8A Iron Bar Street, Lekki Phase 1, iii. Imo Transport Corporation leased to Global Ginikana Ltd for N250 million, iv. Part of Imo Hotel leased to himself, v. Avutu Poultry Industry, Obowo, vi. 18 General Hospitals sold to Lantech Solutions, From the foregoing, the financial rot in Imo State is enormous; we may have only scratched the surface. We believe that your circumspective investigation into this petition will not only shock the world and dwarf any case of criminal conspiracy and stealing of public fund ever known to any state government but also truly rescue the Imo people from these rampaging criminal invaders in the state. COC Akaolisa is an Owerri based legal practitioner and Counsel to the Association of Local Government

WHO IS VALENTINE?

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who, with St. Marius and his family, assisted the martyrs in the persecution under Claudius II. He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterwards, to be beheaded, which was executed on February 14, about the year 270. Pope Julius I is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole to his memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly, Porta Valetini. The greatest part of hisrelics are now in the church of St. Praxedes. His name is celebrated as that of an illustrious martyr in the sacramentary of St. Gregory, the Roman Missal of Thomasius, in the calendar of F. Fronto and that of Allatius, in Bede, Usuard, Ado, 

 Notker and all other martyrologies on this day. To abolish the heathens lewd superstitious custom of boys drawing the names of girls, in honor of their goddess Februata Juno, on the fifteenth of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of saints in billets given on this day.

The Origin of St. Valentine

The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priestjailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. Whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in a TheNuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. [Additional evidence that Valentine was a real person: archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine.] Alongside a woodcut portrait of him, text states that Valentinus was a Roman priestmartyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christiancouples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't do it, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate [circa 269].

Saints are not supposed to rest in peace; they're expected to keep busy: to perform miracles, to intercede. Being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural. One legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."

St. Valentine was a Priest, martyred in 269 at Rome and was buried on the Flaminian Way. He is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses.

Emmanuel Noel Tochukwu Unegbu, an Imo-born U.S-based show biz promoter, killed in his hotel room

EMMANUEL Noel Tochukwu Unegbu, an indigene of Imo State, was talented in show-biz entertainment and promotion. After his education in Nigeria, he did not want to wander in other professions where his future was not assured. He found his talent early in life and decided to actualize it fully in an advanced country where he could acquire enough state of -the -art musical and show business equipment. He then proceeded to the United States some years ago to fulfill his ambition. 

His effort was not in vain as he made some fortune there. He has also been visiting his home state as desired to carry out such businesses. At a time he became the darling of the Imo State Government that invited him to come and exhibit his talent and get paid for it.
Ironically, with his new prospects at home, Tochukwu never knew that enemies were planning how to snuff life out of him.
According to friends, he was liberal and cheerful, only carrying out what he knew best with dexterity.
The Guardian gathered that he was invited by a top government official at the Government House, Owerri to perform to the admiration of a cross -section of audience at the celebration of the 38 years of the creation of Imo State, at the Ahiajoku Convention Centre, New Owerri, about a fortnight ago.
He came as requested, the event took place on February 3, and he participated in the ceremony. After the joyous ceremony, Unegbu proceeded to his hotel room situated at Amakoihia, a sprawling area in Owerri, capital city of Imo State. In fact, the hotel is the same in which a famous veteran Nollywood actor, Sam Loco Efe, passed on mysteriously on August 6, 2011.
The deceased had organized the "Imo Got A Talent" show in 2012. That outing, sources told The Guardian, led to a talent hunt that identified more talented Imo show business entertainers.
The U.S based show biz entrepreneur who owned Prince Noel Promotions USA/Nigeria, was in his hotel room, in the early hours of last week Tuesday when unknown gunmen released bullets into his head and other parts of his body, disappearing into thin air without anyone apprehending them.
No one could explain how it happened, but a source told The Guardian that there had been a mild cry within the vicinity before the lifeless body of the show promoter was discovered when his room was opened. Two persons suspected of the crime had escaped.
Tochukwu's body was still lying in a pool of his own blood when he was finally taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, according to police sources at the Police Shell Camp, Owerri. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mrs. Joy Elemoke, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), who confirmed the incident, also said the Command has begun investigation into the matter.
The governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha, has decried the killing. He was particularly enraged that the dastardly act happened at a period when the state government was celebrating low crime rate, including reduced cases of kidnapping, among others, that such incident that looked like contract -assassination could take place.
Okorocha urged both the police and security agencies in the state to ensure that the killers of Unegbu were caught, describing the killers as "heinous and callous."
He said the perpetrators of the act would be hunted, apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.
In fact, friends of the deceased, after the gruesome murder, described Unegbu as a "harmless person while still alive."
Sources told The Guardian that post-mortem exercise had commenced to ascertain how he was killed, among other clues.
In Imo State, people are discussing the "high- profile killing," and people have become more careful again with the awareness of killers on the prowl.

2015 Imo youths and vacancies in Imo State House of Assembly; Warning to Political parties.

2015: IMO YOUTHS. 

2015 Imo youths and vacancies in Imo State House of Assembly; Warning to Political parties. Youths constitute 63% of the voting population in Imo State nay Nigeria. They are the active force in engineering electoral system. Used as electoral officers by electoral body, as party agents and booth army by political parties. 
They are used negatively by politicians for ballot snatching, violence act, etc. But can 2015 produce a difference ? Political forecasts and preponderance of opinions suggest that youths want to take 2015 election by storm thereby challenging statuesque. A look at Imo state house of Assembly and the warnings to political parties. Our Political barometer shows that by 2015, lot of vacancies exist in the legislative chamber due to members who have served two terms in office and obviously will not be returning back, there are also others who will like to go for higher offices and those who will be affected by the zoning or sharing formula in their constituencies thereby barred from seeking a Re-election. While u can't rule out those who are lame ducks in the hallowed chamber and therefore did not perform creditably. 
It is on this not we appreciate the vacancies and urge political parties to do thorough job to fish out sound, credible, intelligent and efficient youths in our locales and sponsor them to Imo state house of Assembly come 2015 election. In doing that, they will maximize the abundant youth populations and energy to ensure electoral victory. Anything at the contrary, the youth will have no option than to go for registered but none popular parties to launch themselves to the hallowed chamber and evoke a revolutionary political reforms that may have the character of retiring many political parties, Godfathers, and vested interest.The change we need is now. Youths wear the shores of political misrule, bear the grunts of unemployment and general poverty in the land. They are therefore in better position to effect positive changes and reforms that will transform our environment and create job, curb social menace and violence acts. Lets the youth be given a chance. 
 Ifeanyi-Cy Njoku 
Executive Director : CENTER FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE INITIATIVE. 
Phone +2348067393686

Bianca accepts appointment as APGA’s new Leader

Widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Iyom Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, has accepted her appointed as the new Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Bianca, who is Nigeria’s current Ambassador to Spain, was on Thursday announced as her husband’s successor by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) convened by Chief Maxi Okwu, who was recently recognised as APGA National Chairman by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.


The APGA leadership under Sir Victor Umeh, however, promptly dismissed the appointment, as “another exercise in futility.” Said the Umeh camp, which earlier announced Anambra State Governor Peter Obi as the party’s new Leader: “We deplore in no uncertain terms Maxi Okwu’s latest attempt to drag the esteemed wife – Iyom Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, of our late National Leader - DIM Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, into his political schemes . . . We restate again, that Her Excellency, Iyom Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, gave no such permission, and is presently not entertaining same.”
Responding to Umeh’s claims, Mr. Stanley Chira, Acting National Publicity Secretary of APGA under Maxi Okwu, told News Express last night: “Victor Umeh does not know what he is talking about. We got Her Excellency, Iyom Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s consent before announcing the appointment. There is a written consent. You can quote me on that.”
News Express reports that Umeh and Okwu are basing their claims of APGA leadership on different court judgements and that the case is expected to drag up to the Supreme Court.

Photo shows Bianca Odumeguw-Ojukwu.
Source News Express

Owelle visit Aso rock not less than eight times over 2015 ambition.

Owelle Rochas Okorocha frequent visit to Aso rock, cloud this be a deceit to run for Imo guber. In house report has it that the governor of Imo state Anayor Rochas Okorocha has visited Aso rock not less than eight times since he came back from United State of America. The purpose of the visit is still sketchy but assertions has it that he is pleading with the president to consider his second term governorship ambition in Imo State. 

could the above assertion be true knowing full well that Rochas is nursing presidential ambition for 2015 general election in Nigeria.

Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha

N140bn Imo LGA Funds Spent on Infrastructure 18 Jan 2014 Gov Rochas Okoroch

By Amby Uneze 

The Imo State government has denied that it misappropriated over N140 billion local government federal allocation accrued to Imo since the inception of the present administration.It said such allocations were fully applied to the relevant areas in the development of the state.Minister of Foreign Affairs and Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri had recently accused the Imo State government of not accounting for the allocations from the Federation Account meant for Local Governments in the state since May 29, 2011.She alleged that “the look of the 27 local governments not being commensurate with the volume of money allocated to the local councils for nearly three years”.In a release made available to THISDAY, the State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Chike John Okafor noted that the sprawling achievements of the Rochas Okorocha’s administration were visible on the streets, adding that the volume of infrastructure remained unequalled in the history of the state.Okafor said “I wish to inform the good people of Imo State through this medium, that contrary to her claims, this administration in only two and a half years has in every local government built an average of 10 schools at a cost of N27.5 million each, a modern hospital at an average cost of N110 million and 15 kilometre stretch of asphalted roads with drainages at a cost of N60 million per kilometer; each revealing an average investment of N1.285 billion in infrastructural development in each local government”.He stated that the state had consistently paid the salaries of local government workers, primary school teachers and monthly pensions of retired local government workers (a wage bill of over N2.1 billion monthly) timely in addition to provision of free education.

APGA suspends factional chairman, six others in Anambra
by Nan (Punch)

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The All Progressives Grand Alliance in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra has announced the suspension of the factional chairman of the party in the state, Chief Shedrack Anakwe.

The party also suspended six other persons loyal to the factional National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, for alleged anti-party activities.

The suspension followed a resolution reached at a stakeholders’ meeting in Awka on Wednesday at the council secretariat.

The leader of the party in the council, Chief Godson Ezenagu, and Mr Nwokike Ezeanya moved a motion for the suspension of the members.

Other suspended members were Messrs Casmir Ilonwa, Godson Amebo, Rapheal Enweluzo, Nicholas Ibe, Ajeke Igboemeke and Basil Onwuzulume.

They said their action was in line with the provision of the party’s constitution.

According to them, any member whose verifiable public and private conduct tends to bring the image of the party to disrepute shall be suspended.

The meeting mandated the Deputy Chairman of the party in the council, Mr Louis Umegbolu, to steer its affairs pending the resolution of the crisis in the state.

It also constituted a seven-man committee headed by Chief Chukuma Okoye, a former education commissioner in the state, and Mr Chukwudi Madikife as secretary to look into the matters within four days and report back to the party for appropriate actions.

Reacting to the suspension, Anakwe told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone chat that he was not perturbed by the action, saying that it did not follow due process.

“The suspension is a joke. The process of the suspension is wrong because it was supposed to start from the ward up to the higher levels but that is not the case here.

“I will respond to it at the appropriate; I will respond,” he said.

Anakwe was appointed a factional chairman of APGA in Anambra two weeks ago following a Federal High Court judgment that declared Maxi Okwu as the authentic national chairman of the party.

Imo will hold own confab first, says Okorocha

Imo will hold own confab first, says Okorocha
by nan

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Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo has said that the state would hold a mini conference before the National Conference, planned by the Federal Government.

Okorocha made the announcement in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, and made available to newsmen in Owerri on Thursday.

He said that the mini-confab would enable the state to articulate its position and speak with one voice during the national conference.

The governor, however, did not state the date for the event.

He said that the proposed national conference would give Nigerians opportunity to discuss issues bothering on national unity, adding that it was important that Nigeria remained an indivisible entity.

“Nigeria must remain an indivisible entity as the Igbos have paid so much for the unity of the country and this is not negotiable,” he said.

The governor noted that there was nothing wrong with the entity called Nigeria but that the problem was in the management of the country.

Okorocha called on Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the confab to renew friendship across the divide as the conference would be a worthwhile event.

He said the state was ready to participate in the centenary celebration of Nigeria, noting that Nigeria's 100 years of existence was worth celebrating.