Category: News

Governor Alex Otti says his administration has restored public confidence, dignity, and pride among Abians through reforms, infrastructure development, and fiscal discipline within three years in office.

Speaking during the May edition of his monthly media chat, “Governor Alex Otti Speaks to Abians,” the governor highlighted achievements recorded by his administration across road construction, transportation, sanitation, healthcare, and public finance.

Otti said the state government has completed 414 road projects covering about 864.12 kilometres across different parts of Abia, while 82 additional roads spanning about 212 kilometres are currently under construction.

According to him, the ongoing projects also include drainage systems and street lighting infrastructure.

“There are another 82 roads under construction and they are at different stages of completion,” he said.

The governor noted that the administration has also introduced road maintenance measures, including direct labour initiatives and a zero-pothole policy, to preserve the quality of infrastructure delivered by the state.

He argued that improved road networks are critical to economic growth.

“Roads reduce transport costs, improve business efficiency, accelerate trade and commerce and, most importantly, create jobs,” Otti stated.

On environmental sanitation, the governor said Abia has moved from being regarded as one of Nigeria’s dirtiest states to one of the cleanest following the sanitation emergency declared at the beginning of his administration.

He disclosed that more than 2,000 jobs have been created through the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA).

Otti also said the state transport scheme launched in 2025 has transported over 326,000 passengers, adding that 50 additional buses are expected before the end of the year.

The governor announced that the Umuahia Transport Terminal would be commissioned on May 27, while the Aba terminal is scheduled for completion next year.

He added that the government has installed 70 bus shelters across Aba and Umuahia and is deploying solar hybrid charging systems for buses.

According to Otti, his administration has focused on human capital development, infrastructure renewal, fiscal responsibility, and social justice as part of efforts to rebuild trust in governance.

“So, without any fear of contradiction, we can say that we have restored the pride of our people, both at home and abroad,” he said.

The governor further stated that workers in the state now receive salaries on or before the 28th of every month, while the government has also recovered some allegedly stolen state assets.

He added that Abia’s debt profile has been reduced by over 60 per cent, with the state now ranked fourth nationally in fiscal responsibility.

Otti said his administration would continue pursuing reforms and infrastructure projects aimed at improving living standards and accelerating development across the state.

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has congratulated Rangers International F.C. of Enugu on their ninth league title and their second under his administration.

Mbah said the players and management of the club made the people of the state proud and etched their names in gold by walking the path of legends.

Rangers lifted the 2025/2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) trophy on Sunday after beating their hosts, Ikorodu City Football Club, 2–1 at Onikan Stadium, Lagos, to finish the season with 68 points ahead of Rivers United, which garnered 67 points after downing Katsina United 3-0 in Port Harcourt the same day.

Reacting to the development, the governor said, “On behalf of the Government and good people of Enugu State, I convey our profound congratulations to you on your well-deserved and hard-fought ninth league title, the second under our administration.

“You have not only brought back the title, which you won in the 2023/2024 season, but also restored the glory of Enugu as the incubator and hub of champions.

“You have reenacted the heroics of Rangers of old and walked the path of our revered legends,” he said.

He added that Rangers’ triumph was a great reward for the investments of his administration in the club and Rangers in general, noting also that it was an elixir for the 27th National Sports Festival, which Enugu is set to host in November this year.

…as Stanley Osifo secures 16,503 votes

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday, emerged the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with a total of 10,999,162 votes after the nationwide collation of results, promising to consolidate economic reforms, secure progress, and strengthen the foundation of a modern Nigeria in the second term.

He spoke after receiving from the APC chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the certificate of return and the party’s symbolic flag as the torchbearer in the upcoming election.

Addressing the party faithful at the International Conference Centre, President Tinubu announced his acceptance of the presidential nomination, with humility and gratitude to the members.

“In accepting this nomination, I renew my commitment to serve our nation with even greater determination.

“With another four years of disciplined focus and national cooperation, we will firmly place Nigeria on an irreversible path of economic expansion, industrialisation, energy security, infrastructure development, food sufficiency, and democratic consolidation,” President Tinubu said.

The Chairman of the APC Presidential Election Committee, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, announced the result of the presidential primary in the hall, with National Assembly members, serving and former state governors, ministers and presidential aides, party stalwarts, members of the National Working Committee, and the National Executive in attendance.

Stanley Osifo, the second presidential aspirant, had 16,503 votes.

Anyim said the Presidential primaries followed the laid-down procedures of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Electoral laws, and the APC constitution, with voting taking place in 36 states and the Federal Capital, 774 local councils, and 8,809 wards on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

He said the votes were collated and counted in Abuja by collation officers, mostly governors from various states.

According to him, 12,643,316 party members were registered, 11,069,746 were accredited, and 11,015,665 voted in the presidential primary elections.

He said the process was fair and that the agents of both aspirants were allowed to challenge the results and seek redress where necessary.

President Tinubu thanked governors, members of the National Assembly, the presidential primary elections committee, the APC National Executive Council, the National Working Committee and party members for giving him another opportunity to fly the party’s flag in next year’s election.

President Tinubu said his administration has achieved a lot in the last three years and urged party members to take pride in and showcase the party’s achievements since 2015, especially in the last three years.

“Our economy has undergone significant structural reform, supported by new tax laws and fiscal policies that have boosted revenue collection for the federation.

“We promised to remove the financial barriers to higher education for our youth. Today, we have established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, with over N282 billion disbursed and over 1.5 million beneficiaries”, he said.

The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his emergence as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a second term in office.

In a congratulatory message issued on May 24, 2026, Udeh described the president’s victory at the party’s primary elections held across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as a reflection of the collective will of Nigerians.

According to him, “I can attest from my mobilization and participation in the seamless primaries in my State that the process lived up to standard and reflected the collective will of the people.”

The minister stated that Tinubu’s emergence was not merely a political endorsement but “an eloquent testament to the confidence reposed in your audacious leadership, strategic foresight, and statesmanlike courage in confronting deeply entrenched national challenges.”

He commended the president for what he described as bold reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria economically and institutionally under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Under your visionary stewardship, Nigeria has witnessed bold structural reforms aimed at repositioning the nation on the trajectory of economic revitalization, infrastructural modernisation, technological advancement, institutional recalibration, and sustainable national cohesion,” he stated.

Udeh further said the administration had inspired renewed optimism in the country’s future through innovation-driven policies and transformative initiatives.

He specifically referenced the Energize Commercialization Now initiative, which he said had laid enduring foundations for national growth and prosperity.

“The transformative initiatives, including Energize Commercialization Now, championed by your leadership have laid enduring foundations that deserve not only consolidation but elevation to even greater and more impactful heights beyond 2027,” he added.

The minister expressed confidence that the APC would secure victory in the 2027 presidential election, describing Tinubu’s emergence as the beginning of another political journey toward national development.

“While this milestone signals the start of the intense journey of traversing the terrains of political campaigns, we are confident of a resounding victory at last,” he said.

He concluded by congratulating the president on his victory at the APC presidential primaries.

…Nnamani suspended over gross misconduct, anti-party activities

…Two state assembly aspirants declared winners of primary election

…“A marriage of strange bedfellows”, APC Chieftain reacts, says Mbah’s victory clear

Chetanne Chinelo, Enugu

Cracks have emerged in the factionalised Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) months ahead of the 2027 general elections between two frontline governorship hopefuls Uche Nnaji and Samson Nnamani, PACESETTER reports.

The crisis which has led to the suspension of one of the governorship aspirants from Nkanu East, Samson Nnamani for one month over what was described as “gross misconduct and anti-party activities”, also saw the emergence of two aspirants, Barr. Ekene Okenwa of the Nnamani camp, and Francis Aniede of the Nnaji camp lay claims to being the authentic winners of the state assembly primary election for Nkanu West local government area.

PACESETTER reports that Nkanu West is the local government area of a frontline governorship aspirant under the PDP and immediate past Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji.

Our findings also revealed that the suspension of Samson Nnamani comes one day away from the governorship primary election of the PDP in Enugu scheduled to hold tomorrow, Sunday, May 24, 2026.

Sources within both factions of Nnamani and Nnaji deeply familiar with the crisis, spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, stating that they were not authorized to speak for their camps.

Samson Nnamani’s Camp

According to our source who preferred to remain anonymous, he described the news of Nnamani’s suspension as a laughable development, accusing the Nnaji camp of not following due process.

He further accused the camp of attempting to hijack the entire electoral process by keeping away the venue of the state assembly primary, thereby attempting to ensure that only aspirants loyal to Uche Nnaji participated.

“Their fear is the governorship primary election which is supposed to be held tomorrow because they do not have the numbers to win, seeing that the primaries will be by the Direct option.

“Yesterday, during their so called state assembly primary election in Nkanu West, there were not more than 50 persons present from the video I saw but if you see our own primaries, we had a massive crowd. We worked with the team from Abuja led by the National Organising Secretary of our party”.

He alleged that Nnaji didn’t attend any of the congress and national convention of the party but went ahead to covertly purchase the governorship form and be screened, confidently declaring “it will not hold, we can’t chicken out”.

“Nnaji was never prepared to participate in the primaries with us. They have no one, no structure. They had assumed that it would be just delegates that will participate in the primary election until the new Electoral Act provided for Direct and Consensus primary election only”, the anonymous source stated.

The source noted that their full response to the “purported suspension” will be made public after their meeting this morning.

Uche Nnaji’s Camp

When asked by our correspondent to react to the developments within the party, the reason for the parallel state assembly primaries and the suspension of Nnamani, the source maintained that there was no confusion or factions in the PDP.

He noted that the suspension of Samson Nnamani followed due process, while accusing Nnamani of wanting to stoke confusion in Nkanu West local government chapter of the party because it is the home local government of his fierce contender, Uche Nnaji.

“We do not have factions or splinter groups. The Enugu State PDP has just one state Chairman, Vitus Okechi, one Zonal chairman of Southeast in the person of Barr. Ray Nnaji, one state Secretary in the person of Chinonye Okereke, and this applies to every other position of the party.

“Nnamani is just stoking confusion in Nkanu West. He [Nnamani] produced the local government chairman of PDP in his local government [Nkanu East] and now went ahead to sponsor a rival local government chairman in Nkanu West (name withheld by PACESETTER) against the authentic local government chairman produced by Uche Nnaji”.

On the allegation that Nnaji surreptitiously procured the nomination and expression of interest form, the source stated that Nnaji was the first to purchase the form.

“The party at the national level made it clear that they had just one governorship form for Enugu and Nnaji purchased it. However, recalling the judgement of the court when Sule Lamido was prevented from participating in the national convention for the position of chairman of the party, we advised and another form was made available for Nnamani. Nnaji bought all the forms for the offices in Enugu State.

“On the Nkanu West state assembly primary election, Nnamani has no party structure. He only produced two local government party chairmen and doesn’t even have any ward executives produced to his credit. So, claiming that Uche Nnaji has no structure is the highest joke of the century.

“In preparation for the state assembly primary election, Nnamani’s camp refused to participate in the meetings held despite several invitations, claiming they hadn’t gotten clearance from their boss. So, they started the division.

“Before yesterday, we already had the Senate and House of Representatives primary election and nobody countered or challenged the outcome.

“For yesterday, the approved venue for the primaries didn’t come on time and when it did, we were mindful of confrontation, yet we eventually communicated the venue to them late because the approved venue came late as well.

“Probably they didn’t see the communicated venue early because by the time they came, we had already concluded the primaries while they went ahead to hold theirs in a separate venue without waiting for communication from the leadership and quickly rushed to the media to declare a winner”.

When quizzed about suspending a governorship hopeful one day to the primary election, the source explained that due process was followed.

“Nnamani created a parallel structure at the lower level against the established structure of the party. Further, he sponsored and shared publications attacking Nnaji’s aspiration, against the party’s stated guideline prohibiting aspirants from attacking each other.

“We also received intel of his romance with a faction of the party already ousted following the decision of the supreme court in the national leadership of our party.

“He was invited to face the disciplinary committee and explain the allegations against him. The letter was delivered via DHL and he acknowledged it. Hours to the time he was to appear before the committee, he sent a letter instead, claiming to be ill and indisposed to attend. After deliberations, he was eventually suspended.”

The source also claimed that INEC officials did not monitor the parallel primaries conducted by Nnamani’s group yesterday.

“A marriage of strange bedfellows”, APC Chieftain reacts

A chieftain and supporter of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu State stated that he wasn’t surprised by the development.

Speaking to PACESETTER during a telephone interview, the supporter who chose to remain anonymous wondered why people should be surprised by the development, noting that it was long expected.

He asserted that only the All Progressives Congress had put their house in order ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“What you’re seeing in the PDP and all other opposition parties in Enugu State is a marriage of strange bedfellows united in their dislike for the governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah.

“Peter Mbah is the only one with the capacity to unite and lead Enugu state to the promised land but the desperation of certain individuals to get him out is what is responsible for the development in the opposition.

“This implosion is long overdue. Soon, you will hear that of NDC and other parties. As they continue to fight, the coast gets clearer for the smart governor Mbah to win the election”.

The developments in the Enugu State chapter of the PDP come in the face of the division at the national level of the party where both the Nyesom Wike and the Turaki groups have continued to lay claims to the leadership of the party following the decision of the Supreme Court.

It has also cast a shadow of uncertainty on what will be the outcome of the governorship primary in the state tomorrow.

More developments will be revealed as they occur.

A battle for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will take centre stage on Saturday as incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Stanley Osifo, a trader from Edo State, contest the party’s primary election ahead of the 2027 general election.

This is also as the APC has fixed Sunday, May 24, for the collation and official declaration of results from the presidential primary election.

According to an invitation issued by the party’s National Secretariat, the exercise will hold at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, from 10:00 a.m.

The party stated that the event would be strictly by invitation, with attendance limited to key stakeholders involved in the presidential primary process and other designated guests.

“Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are invited to the collation and declaration of the Party’s Presidential Primary Election results by the Presidential Primary Election Committee,” the notice read.

The invitation, signed by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, listed expected attendees to include members of the National Working Committee (NWC), National Caucus, National Executive Committee (NEC), serving APC lawmakers, members of the Federal Executive Council, diplomatic representatives, election observers, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party also extended invitations to selected representatives of women groups, youth organisations, persons with disabilities, media professionals, and social media influencers as part of what it described as broad stakeholder engagement for the exercise.

Accreditation for invited guests is scheduled to commence from 7:00 a.m. at the Old Parade Ground, Area 10, Garki, Abuja, from where attendees will be transported to the venue.

State coordinators and collation officers have been directed to arrive in Abuja by Saturday evening ahead of the commencement of the collation and declaration process.

The APC is expected to conduct its presidential primary election on Saturday, May 23, before the official collation and announcement of results the following day.

The party has adopted the direct primary system for the exercise, allowing all registered APC members nationwide to participate in choosing the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election.

A university don, M.O. Ene, has criticised former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, over claims contained in his recently released memoir, “My Life of Duty and Allegiance”, and comments made during its unveiling, accusing the retired military leader of distorting historical events surrounding the Nigerian Civil War.

In a strongly worded reaction titled “The Forked-Tongue General Writes!”, Ene described Gowon as dishonest and accused him of attempting to tarnish the legacy of the late Biafran leader, General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

The academic particularly faulted Gowon’s position on the Aburi Accord and allegations linking Ojukwu to the January 1966 coup.

According to Ene, Ojukwu was neither aware of nor complicit in the coup and was himself allegedly marked for elimination during the crisis. He claimed that Ojukwu played a role in frustrating the coup in Northern Nigeria by confronting Major Kaduna Nzeogwu.

“Gowon serves a menu of mendacities to tarnish Ojukwu,” Ene stated, adding that the former Biafran leader “was never mentioned to have known about the Jan. ’66 coup, let alone being ‘complicit.’

“Ojukwu was to be deleted. Luckily, he was staying at the guesthouse of his friend, Kano Emir Ado Bayero, when the putschists arrived.

“Ojukwu crippled the coup in the North by daring Major Kaduna Nzeogwu to come get the cash for his troops,” Ene wrote.

The scholar further accused Gowon of reviving what he described as the discredited “Igbo coup” narrative by allegedly attempting to reconnect Ojukwu to the January 1966 coup.

Ene also rejected Gowon’s account of the collapse of the Aburi Accord, insisting that it was Gowon who reneged on the agreement and subsequently triggered the events that led to the declaration of Biafra.

He argued that Biafra was not declared because of reprisal killings of Igbo in Northern Nigeria alone, but largely because of the federal government’s alleged unilateral abandonment of the Aburi resolutions.

The don further accused Gowon of prosecuting a brutal war against Biafra and alleged that millions of civilians died during the conflict.

“Ojukwu did not declare Biafra “over the reprisal killing of Igbos (sic) in the north….”

“Reprisal: Whom did the Igbo ever kill? Biafra was a result of Gowon’s unilateral abrogation of Aburi Accord. The scheming general who never held a gun in battle declared war on a people too traumatized to cause any harm”.

He also criticised what he described as Gowon’s continued silence over insecurity and killings in Plateau State.

“To a man who has not said a word — just one word — about the continued killing of his Plateau people, one simple question: One Nigeria, how far?” he queried.

Ene defended Ojukwu’s legacy, describing him as a leader who stood firmly for his people during the civil war and insisting that history would judge both men differently.

He also referenced claims that Ojukwu deliberately avoided publishing a memoir during his lifetime because he believed Gowon should first present his own account of the war.

According to him, Ojukwu anticipated that Gowon’s eventual memoir would contain disputed claims requiring historical rebuttal.

“Ojukwu did not write his war memoir because Gowon had not written: ‘He started it; let him write first!’, was Ojukwu’s remark.”

Ene additionally raised issues surrounding the killings of former Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi during the July 1966 counter-coup, alleging that Gowon benefited politically from the events.

He concluded that Gowon’s memoir would ultimately be subjected to historical scrutiny and criticism.

PACESETTER notes that the memoir by Gowon has continued to generate reactions from commentators, historians, and political observers since its unveiling.

The African Democratic Congress has said the Federal High Court ruling voiding parts of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s regulations for the 2027 elections would trigger a mass defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, has congratulated Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah on his unanimous emergence as the APC gubernatorial candidate for a second term across the political wards, local government areas, and senatorial zones of Enugu State.

In a congratulatory message issued on Friday, Udeh described the consensus endorsement as a reflection of Governor Mbah’s performance and fulfillment of the social contract entered into with the people of Enugu State in 2023.

According to him, Mbah’s administration has delivered visionary leadership, accountable governance, economic transformation, and people-centred development, positioning Enugu as a national reference point for innovation-driven governance, infrastructure development, tourism, security, and ease of doing business.

The minister said his interactions with party faithful and residents across the three senatorial districts revealed widespread support for the governor’s re-election bid.

“As I traversed the various wards and LGAs across the 3 Senatorial Districts to interact with Party faithfuls and the great people of our State, I witnessed firsthand an extraordinary outpouring of solidarity, hope, and political maturity,” he stated.

“From Enugu to Ozalla, through Agbogugu to Ihe, my beloved maternal hometown, onward to Owelli, Amoli, Ogugu, and Awgu for the Enugu West Senatorial District results collation and declaration, the atmosphere was electrifying yet remarkably orderly, a rare blend of enthusiasm and discipline that reflected the political sophistication of Ndi Enugu.”

He added that similar support resonated across Nsukka, Igbo Eze South, and other parts of the state, culminating in Mbah’s emergence as the unopposed choice of the people.

Udeh described the development as “a victory for competence, continuity, strategic vision, and transformational governance,” insisting that residents of the state had clearly indicated their desire for the administration’s developmental agenda to continue.

“As we converge at the iconic Michael Okpara Square to celebrate this resounding victory that belongs to Ndi Enugu who believe in the progress, unity, and the limitless possibilities of our homeland, I again extend my heartfelt congratulations to Your Excellency and to the resilient people of Enugu State for this defining democratic moment,” he stated.

“The mandate is clear, the vision is alive, and the future is exceedingly bright.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Segun Aina as the new Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), succeeding Professor Is-haq Oloyede, whose two-term tenure expires on July 31, 2026.

Professor Aina, who will be 40 in July, is a distinguished academic and systems expert with extensive experience in national examination systems, digital infrastructure, and public-sector institutional reform.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Kent, an MSc in Internet Computing and Network Security, and a PhD in Digital Signal Processing, both from Loughborough University, United Kingdom. He has also completed the Senior Management Programme at Lagos Business School.

A Professor of Computer Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Aina began his career with JAMB during his National Youth Service, gaining foundational experience in national admissions and data-driven institutional processes. These insights have shaped his ongoing contributions to examination reform and systems optimisation.

With over 15 years of post-graduation experience, Professor Aina operates at the intersection of technology, policy, and institutional transformation, advising federal and state governments on system design, digital transition, and operational reform. At 39, he became one of Nigeria’s youngest Computer Engineering professors and will now make history as JAMB’s youngest registrar.

He has served as a consultant to major examination bodies, including NECO, NABTEB, and various State Ministries of Education, providing expertise on ICT systems, examination integrity, and digital process optimisation.

Professor Aina is a member of several professional bodies, including the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

President Tinubu expects Professor Aina to bring to bear his vast experience, knowledge and practical insight into the operations of the Board, to take the critical educational organisation beyond the laudable heights achieved by his predecessor.

Fresh details have emerged following the abduction of teachers and students during an attack on schools and nearby communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo.

The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi State Command, has dismantled a motorcycle-snatching syndicate operating within and outside the state, leading to the recovery of 11 stolen motorcycles.