Politics
Forming a New Cabinet: Likey Names Hope Uzodimma May Appoint SSG, Chief of Staff

As Governor Hope Uzodimma keeps people of Imo waiting on who becomes his key aides as Secretary to the Imo State Government, SSG and Chief of Staff, ekwutosblog can reveal names of those who may be considered for the position.
Uzodimma is yet to name key officials after his inauguration for Second Term on January 15, 2024.
Unlike in the first tenure he quickly named Chief Cosmas Iwu and Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie as SSG and Chief of Staff respectively, his second tenure is wearing a new look suggesting the time he has consumed before the announcement.
Since Okigwe Zone had the SSG in Iwu who was with Uzodimma for four years, there is likelihood that should Iwu fail to return, another Okigwe person may be given the chance.
In the zone and enjoying the confidence of the governor is Chief Mrs Ruby Emele.
Emele from Isiala Mbano is a die-hard Hopist who has been with the governor since their days in PDP. Since the governor came on board in 2020, Emele has been among the top shots of the APC holding sensitive position.
Sources close to the governor disclose that Emele has the ears of the confidence and enjoys strong confidence which made Uzodimma give her the Bureau of Local Government And Chieftaincy Office where she functioned as a Special Adviser before rising to a Commissioner for the same position.
Among those who hail from Okigwe Zone, Emele is a priced one likely to be considered for SSG. It was gathered that the smooth manner she handled the LGA affairs for the period exited the governor to give her another trial.
Another candidate likely to get the nod for SSG is immediate past Speaker, Rt Hon Emeka Nduka. Nduka was the only APC candidate who ran for the Imo State House of Assembly in 2019 election that succeeded in becoming a House Member.
The former Ehime Mbano lawmaker got the speakership position courtesy of Uzodimma and findings have it that within the brief period he held sway his capacity speaks volumes which may warrant Uzodimma giving him a consideration for the position.
After leaving office as Speaker, Nduka maintains a rosy relationship with Uzodimma even as there are unconfirmed reports that since the governor didn’t facilitate him an APC second term ticket to return to the House, the SSG position may be a compensation for the loss.
Not left out in the bracket of those who may get the position is former Youths and Sports Commissioner, Chief Emeka Okoronwkwo. Okoronwkwo from Okigwe LGA was recently removed from office like others but ekwutosblog gathered that the opportunity to serve earned him recognition from the governor. The success of returning Heartland FC of Owerri back to premier league and also doing the needful in several aspects of governance may force Uzodimma to look his side.
If the connection of Chief Tony Chukwu in Government House Owerri is still relevant, his brother, Francis Chukwu may also be in the capture list. It was learnt that to carry along some political leaders along in the state, family members of top shots in the state will be considered.
In view of the above, the brother of former governor Ikedi Ohakim, Dr Emma Ohakim may also come in here. Since Ohakim was unable to become Senator after showing interest to represent Okigwe Zone and missing Ministerial appointment, hooking the brother who also tasted power as Chief of Staff may be a compensation to the family in the category of SSG.
For the Chief of Staff position, latter revelations from insiders in the Uzodimma political family have it that despite the delay it would be difficult for the governor to drop Anyaehie.
ekwutosblog was told that Uzodimma is Anyaehie and Anyaehie is Uzodimma. That despite different parenthood, both share several things in common and can be likened to Siaseme twins.
ekwutosblog recalls that apart from having affinity that has spanned more than a decade in the political scene, Anyaehie became PDP chairman, Imo State through the magnanimity of Uzodimma. If their past relationship is considered, then Anyaehie will still be back to Govt House, Owerri as the Chief of Staff.
But should the opposite be the case where Anyaehie doesn’t return, Trumpeta learnt that there other strong loyalists that may be given a chance.
One of them is Chinasa Nwaneri, a popular influential figure and backbone of the governor. The story of Uzodimma in the field of politics cannot be told without Chinasa who during the past four years was spotted anywhere the governor was. During the eight years Uzodimma spent in the National Assembly, Abuja, Chinasa from Nkwerre was available. Irrespective of insinuations surrounding their relationship, both are said to be partners in governance where the governor may rely on him as COS.
Also among those to catch the searchlight of Uzodimma for the Chief of Staff is APC chairman in Imo State, Macdonald Kelechi Ebere PhD.
Ebere, another strong loyalist of Uzodimma to be on consideration for the Chief of Staff is very close to the governor who has also enjoyed preserved appointments as Entraco GM, and latter APC State Chairman.
Those that can’t be left out in the schedule for consideration for the the Office of Chief I’d Staff are Barr Emeka Agbo, a notable Uzodimma loyalist and Sir Ifeanyi Oruh. Both fall into the category of “Uzodimma Boys” who stand a chance for the position.
Politics
Rigging Fears In Edo, Kaduna As Opposition Alleges Manipulation, Cooked Result

Rigging Fears Grip Edo, Kaduna as Opposition Alleges Prewritten Results, Armed Thugs, and Compromised INEC Officials
Fears of large scale manipulation have cast a shadow over Saturday’s by elections in Edo and Kaduna States, as opposition parties and election monitors allege prewritten results in Government House, deployment of “notorious” INEC officials, plans to use the police to lock out agents from collation centres, and the recruitment of thousands of armed thugs to intimidate voters. While the ruling party has denied wrongdoing, the allegations have ignited concerns that the August 16 polls could become another flashpoint for Nigeria’s crisis of electoral trust.
In Abuja, the Coalition of Observer Groups in Nigeria has expressed deep concern over what it described as credible reports of plans to undermine the Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency elections by the APC. In a st atement signed by the group’s chairman, Comrade Simon Diogu, the coalition warned that tactics similar to those alleged during the September 2024 governorship election, including the unlawful preparation of duplicate result sheets before collation and the use of the police to harass and intimidate opposition party members and voters, could resurface.
The September 2024 governorship election left what the group called a lingering crisis of confidence after allegations of duplicate results and questionable collation practices went unresolved by the Independent National Electoral Commission. The coalition cautioned that any repetition of such acts would further erode public trust in the electoral system and would pose a growing threat to the stability of Nigeria’s democracy.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that results are being written in Government House ahead of Saturday’s vote. He further claimed that “squadrons of police will be brought in on Friday to prevent us from entering the collation centre on Saturday.”
The PDP chieftain also raised alarm over the perceived deployment of two controversial INEC officials from Rivers State, Suleiman Blessing, Electoral Officer for Ovia North East, and Williams Alamina, Electoral Officer for Ovia South West, both of whom, he alleged, “played very uncomfortable roles during the September 2024 Edo State governorship elections.”
“This is what INEC, APC and the Police did during the governorship elections last year and they want to do the same thing again. If they succeed then Nigerians should just forget about elections in 2027 as they will do the same thing then ask us to go to court,” he said.
The coalition urged Governor Monday Okpebholo, whose home constituency is Edo Central, to publicly condemn alleged threats made by his supporters against opposition candidates on social media, and to guarantee peaceful, violence free elections in his capacity as the state’s Chief Security Officer.
In Kaduna State, the African Democratic Congress and the Social Democratic Party have accused the state’s APC led government of assembling a massive operation to sabotage the by elections, distort the process and steal the elections.
The two parties, contesting in Chikun Kajuru Federal Constituency and state constituencies in Sabon Gari and Zaria, alleged that about 4,000 thugs have been recruited from within and outside Kaduna to intimidate voters and opposition party officials at polling units and collation centres.
They further claimed that senior INEC officials and technical staff are being compromised with inducements, including allocations of land, and that each of the state’s 23 local government councils has been compelled to contribute N30 million to an election sabotage fund. An additional N4.8 billion, they alleged, has been provided from Abuja for vote buying, bribing electoral officers and corrupting security agents.
The coalition of the two parties named a serving Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and a disgraced former senator notorious for orchestrating electoral violence as key figures in the alleged plot.
Both in Edo and Kaduna, opposition groups and election monitors have called on INEC to act swiftly to protect the integrity of the process, including replacing allegedly compromised officials, ensuring open and verifiable collation, and guaranteeing security for voters and party agents.
Neither INEC nor the Nigerian Police have responded to these allegations.
Politics
By-election: ‘You’re too desperate to be Nigeria’s president’ – Abure blasts Obi

Factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has lambasted the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, stressing that he is too desperate to lead Nigeria as a president.
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, Abure said Obi created the crisis in the Labour Party.
According to him, Obi’s desperation to control the soul of the party had made him go haywire.
Abure accused the former Anambra State governor of receiving so much goodwill from the party leadership and turning around to pay them with evil.
“This is why we have maintained that Peter Obi lacks the competence, character and capacity to actualise the vision of a new Nigeria.
“Nigerians should not forget in a hurry that it was Peter Obi that created the crisis in the Labour Party which he is now citing as a reason why people should not vote for the party,” Abure said.
Abure said this in response to Obi’s directives ahead of the August 16 by-elections across the country.
Ekwutosblog recalls that Obi had asked his supporters to back the candidates of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, during the forthcoming by-elections across some states in the country.
Politics
Kaduna LG polls: Vote SDP candidates – El-Rufai speaks amid coalition involvement

Former Kaduna State governor and a key member of the opposition coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, has urged the people of the state to vote for the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Saturday’s local government election.
El-Rufai said electorates should vote for candidates of the SDP in Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Government Areas of the state.
His call comes amid his participation in the opposition coalition that recently adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
The coalition, made up of eminent Nigerians, has vowed to ensure that the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress, APC, loses in 2027.
However, El-Rufai, in a video on his Facebook page, wrote: “This is Nasir El-Rufai, your former governor of Kaduna State.
“I’m making this message to appeal to all our voters in Zaria and Sabon Gari Local Government to come out massively on Saturday to vote for the candidates of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
“The party with the symbol of the white horse, white stallion for the Zaria Ekweri state assembly and Basawa constituency in Sabon Gari Local Government.
“The candidate is Nuhu Abdullah Isada of the Social Democratic Party and Dambala Usman of the SDP for Basawa constituency, please come out and vote massively for these two candidates.”
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