Court-suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party

 Court-suspended National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,

Mai Buni and Uche Secondus

 Uche Secondus, taunted the All Progressives Congress for “trying to reap where it did not sow” to secure victory in the just concluded Anambra Governorship Election.

Secondus also congratulated the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chukwuma Soludo, for his victory at the poll.

Soludo, 61, won with 112,229 votes beating Valentine Ozigbo of the PDP, who polled 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of APC who got 43,285 votes. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party who polled 21,261 votes came fourth.

While Soludo won 19 local government areas, Ozigbo and Ubah won one each. The APC candidate, however, did not win any of the local government areas in the South-East state.

The candidates of the PDP and YPP have since congratulated Soludo but the APC candidate was yet to concede defeat as of press time.

During the buildup to the election, some aggrieved members of APGA including a former candidate, Chukwuma Umeoji, had defected to the APC but the Supreme Court in Abuja affirmed Soludo as APGA governorship candidate and sacked Umeoji.

Also, the incumbent deputy governor of Anambra State, Nkem Okeke, had defected to the ruling party from APGA

Many observers had thought the APC would pull some weight in the election as some political juggernauts left their camp for the ruling party but the APC candidate failed to win a local government in the 21 LGAs in Anambra.

In a statement on Wednesday by his Media Aide, Ike Abonyi, Secondus slammed the APC government for trying to reap where it did not sow.

Soludo in the statement titled, ‘Secondus congratulates Soludo, commends INEC, Security Agencies and PDP,’ said Soludo’s victory showed that the people have spoken and democracy is put in action.

“He said that even though he had desired his party, the PDP, to come out victorious, but as a true democrat we will always respect the will of the people where and when it’s allowed to prevail.

“He also commended the PDP flagbearer in the election, Valentine Ozigbo and the other patriotic members of the party in the state for putting up a gallant fight in the spirit of PDP and democracy.

“Prince Secondus mocked the All Progressives Congress, APC for trying to reap where it did not sow in the hope that untoward act could give them victory where they do not deserve,” the statement partly read.

Secondus also hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies and other critical players for helping to deepen the country’s democracy by their positive actions

Embattled leader of the proscribed separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, appeared in court

 Embattled leader of the proscribed separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, appeared in court

 On Wednesday dressed in a designer wear he wore when he was re-arrested and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021.

Seated in the courtroom with legs crossed, Kanu beamed with a smile as he took some time to pose for photos with his lawyers.

Kanu, 54, was born on September 25, 1967, at Afaraukwu, Abia State.

The secessionist leader is a holder of Nigerian and British passports. He had earlier jumped bail in June 2018 before leaving for the United Kingdom though he said that he fled because his life was no longer safe in Nigeria.

After about three years abroad, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at a press briefing in Abuja on June 29, 2021, announced that the IPOB leader was re-arrested in a foreign country and extradited to Nigeria.

Kanu’s Lead Counsel, Ejiofor Ifeanyi, had said the IPOB leader was re-arrested in Kenya and whisked to Nigeria

However, there was confusion on Wednesday as Kanu’s team of lawyers staged a walkout over the refusal of operatives of the Department of State Services to allow some of them to gain access into the courtroom.

Though the counsel for the Federal Government and Director of Public Prosecution, M. D. Abubakar, urged the court to proceed with the trial in the absence of Kanu’s lawyers, the judge declined and adjourned the case till January 19 and 20, 2022, for trial.

Kanu’s followers in Nigeria had declared several sit-at-home orders in the South-East to protest his arrest and demand his release from the custody of the secret police.

The sit-at-home orders have been said to cripple economic activities in Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi, especially on Mondays.

The proscribed group had also declared a sit-at-home which threatened the Anambra election but later called off the order.