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The mayors of Abia State’s 17 local government areas have denied reports claiming they plan to defect to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) following their alleged dismissal by Governor Alex Otti. In a statement released yesterday in Umuahia, the state capital, the mayors, who are currently serving their second six-month term as transition committee heads, refuted the claims. The statement, signed by Elelenta Elele, chairman of the mayors and head of Isiala Ngwa South, along with other members, condemned the report as “malicious viral social media news,” alleging that the supposed defection plot was orchestrated in Port Harcourt, Rivers…

A leaked message from ailing Akwa Ibom politician Ufot Ebong, who received $35,000 from Senate President Godswill Akpabio for medical treatment, has stirred controversy on social media. Some have criticised Mr. Akpabio for the leak, while others have defended him. The message was made public after Mr. Ebong died on 4 October in a hospital in Uyo, Akwa Ibom. The exact nature of his illness has not been disclosed. The Private Chat “Thank you, Your Excellency, I’ve received $35,000. God bless you,” the late Mr. Ebong said in an undated private message sent to Mr. Akpabio via WhatsApp. Ata Ikiddeh,…

  By Kenneth Udeh, Abuja President of the Senate, Godswill Obot Akpabio, has dismissed reports suggesting that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) occupied the National Assembly premises due to an alleged plot by some lawmakers to unseat the Senate leadership. Reacting to the viral news during Wednesday’s plenary, Akpabio described the reports as “fake news,” claiming they were AI-generated. He emphasised that the Senate under his leadership remains stable, and as such, the alleged impeachment plot cannot arise. According to the reports, speculations had emerged that some aggrieved northern senators, allegedly dissatisfied with President Bola Tinubu, were…

No fewer than 90 people were confirmed dead after a petrol tanker explosion in Majiya, Taura LGA in Jigawa on Tuesday. Police spokesman in Jigawa, Shi’isu Adam, confirmed this in an interview with on Wednesday. He also said 50 other people had been hospitalised for various degrees of injuries due to the explosion. ”At about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday in Majiya town, Taura local government area of Jigawa, the tanker driver lost control near Khadija University and exploded. “The driver left Kano and was heading to Nguru in Yobe. whe the accident happened,” Mr Adam said. He added, “We are…

The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Victor Oko-Jumbo on Tuesday restated its resolve that the legislative seats of Martin Amaewhule and 24 others remain vacant following their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on December 11, 2023. The Assembly also said the seats must be filled through a bye-election to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Speaker of the group, Victor Oko-Jumbo, in a statement explained that the 25 Legislative seats were declared vacant on December 13, 2023, by the then legitimately recognised Speaker, Edison Ehie. He…

The pilot who conveyed the Super Eagles, Nigeria’s national men’s football team, to Libya for the second leg match of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers has revealed that the order to divert the plane from its destination in Benghazi was ascribed to the ‘highest authority’ in the country. “The flight destination was Benghazi Benina, and we got the approval from the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority to land in Benghazi, but unfortunately, we were asked to divert to Al Abraq, which is almost 300 kilometres farther. It was not even our alternate. Something which is not good,” the pilot said in a…

The Rivers State House of Assembly led by Martin Amaewhule has declared the seats of Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and three other pro-Fubara lawmakers vacant following their absence from sittings for 152 days. Making this known during plenary today, Speaker Martin Amaewhule pointed out that Ehie did not properly write to inform the house of his new office, and as such his seat has been declared vacant. Regarding Victor Oko-Jumbo and the two others, the House held three separate votes to declare their seats vacant for absenteeism from sitting for 152 days consecutively without…

Nigeria’s power grid has once again collapsed, less than 24 hours after its previous failure. The collapse occurred around 9:17am on Tuesday, plunging many parts of the country into another round of power outages. Confirming the system collaspse, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), in a post via X said: “Dear Valued Customer, Kindly be informed there was a system collapse at 09:17hrs which has resulted to a loss of power supply across our network. “We are currently working with our partners as we hope for speedy restoration of the grid. We will keep you updated as soon as power…

Nigeria has been hit by yet another nationwide blackout following the collapse of its national grid system. This is the sixth time the grid has failed in 2024. The Whisperer reports that distribution companies are currently without power supply from the grid, leaving their customers without electricity. The Eko Electricity Distribution Company also addressed the issue via a statement to its customers on X (formerly Twitter), confirming the outage: “Dear Valued Customer, “Kindly be informed there was a system collapse at 18:48hrs which has resulted to a loss of power supply across our network. “We are currently working with our…

The lawmaker representing Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh has achieved another milestone in his efforts to transform education in Aba, Abia State. The legislator has completed the renovation and furnishing of Riverside Primary School 1 and Riverside Secondary School 2. This renovation follows the recent completion of the Eziama High School project, as part of his broader initiative to improve educational infrastructure in the region. In a statement issued on Sunday, titled “Revitalising Education in Aba: My Dream Becomes Reality,” Hon. Ikwechegh expressed pride in the newly refurbished schools, describing the…