Rumble in Abia PDP as Discontent Mounts against Ikpeazu

The simmering discontent and anger in the Abia state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have finally reached the boiling point with the state publicity secretary, Chief Don Ubani yesterday warning against impending “implosion”.

Ubani poured out the general feelings of disappointment over Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s perceived neglect of the party executives in a post on his Whatsapp account, saying that in a culture of silence where even the party elders have been shy to tell the governor the gospel truth he has decided to “bell the cat”. He told the media that what he has done was to proffer “corrective measures” to save the ruling party from implosion, adding, “If all of us keep quiet the party will die”.

In the post, Ubani said that the situation in Abia PDP calls for concern as some prominent politicians have already dumped the party for APC, adding that speculations were now rife that four members of the House of Representatives were now ready to dump PDP for APC. To avert a further exodus of high ranking political office holders from PDP Ubani called for “a careful, honest, strong, and effective reconciliation mechanism be put in place to, at least, reduce the number (of defectors)”. He said, “while efforts are being made to woo new members to the party, honest efforts should also be made to make those who are still in the party to be comfortable and happy”.

The publicity secretary, who was commissioner for information and later petroleum in the last administration, said that time has come for PDP members to tell themselves the home truth in order to avoid the mistake of the past. He said that the restiveness and discontent in the ruling party were traceable to the impunity and imposition of candidates during the last local government election as well as a horde of sycophants that have hijacked Ikpeazu. According to him, while the clique holding Ikpeazu hostage have deliberately refused to give the correct picture of the party, they have been busy amassing personal wealth to the detriment of party unity and cohesion. He said: “A situation where members of a ruling party in a state would at best, be suffering and smiling in squalor and abject penury while very few close to the helmsman will be swimming in flagrant ostentation, buying the best of latest SUV cars, building hostels and lodges around university campuses and spending fortunes lecherously, can never guarantee a peaceful and sustainable political environment”.

Chief Ubani said that he has satisfied his conscience by giving an early warning signal to both Governor Ikpeazu and the PDP stakeholders. He warned that if the rumour of an impending implosion should be dismissed with a wave of the hand like the PDP “arrogantly” did at the national level in 2015, the same disastrous consequences would be witnessed in Abia come 2019.

Source: THISDAY

Corpses Of 28 IPOB Members Allegedly Killed By Nigerian Soldiers Found Hidden In A Bush

 

 

Corpses of some Indigenous People of Biafra members reportedly killed by Nigerian soldiers have been discovered in a bush in Umuahia.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has declared 21 days mourning for its members killed during the military invasion of the home of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu at Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, Abia State. The group also revealed that it has discovered more corpses of its slain members in a bush within the precincts of the home of its leader. According to the group, 28 of its members were found in the bush following the invasion. About 11 of such bodies have already been interred.

In a report, a senior member of the group, Mark Eze Ofuonye, who disclosed how some of their members were shot dead by the invading soldiers, and their corpses dumped in a bush near the home of the IPOB leader, said: “Some of our members, numbering over 28, were murdered in cold blood by the military during the invasion of our leader’s home at Afara Ukwu. The soldiers were doing a sort of mop up operation; whenever they killed any of our members, they carried away the corpse to conceal their horrendous act but it was not possible.

 

“So, they filled up their trucks with our members’ corpses. The corpses we retrieved and which we are burying at present are those the soldiers could not carry.  They just came out with the intention of killing any human being or living thing that was found in the compound of our leader. The people they met were not armed still they shot them, even people just standing nearby and those passing through the area were caught in the attack.”

Continuing, Ofuonye said: “The corpses we are burying now (referring to the day of the interview) were found inside the bush. They were shot by soldiers and they ran into the bush with bullet wounds thinking that they could receive help there but no help came their way and they died inside the bush. Some of the dead bodies were discovered last week inside the bush at the back of Nnamdi Kanu’s house. The 28 were those ones that were killed within the axis of the house of our leader. But the total number killed within this range is 305 persons.”

 

The IPOB chieftain who said there was no need for the operation by the Nigerian army as members of the group did not carry arms neither were they violent, added that the leadership of the group declared the 21-day mourning for their slain members. Disclosing that those killed were from the Eastern heartland, Ofuonye said that in addition to burying the dead, the group is also treating the injured and taking care of the imprisoned ones.

 

“We lost very vibrant and lovely youths who were just peacefully asking for their rights, but the Nigerian government chose to use brute force on them. Some of our members, who were forced to drink poisoned water, have been defecating blood and we are also treating them. About 76 of our members were dumped in Aba prisons under the most inhuman condition and many of them are ill. A lot of things are being done against our members, but the most beautiful thing about all these things is that the horrible experience we are passing through is giving us strength. The spirit has risen, the enthusiasm has come because when you look back and see you’ve lost a lovely one, a colleague, going back becomes a very big problem; you can’t go so that it will not look as betrayal. As I speak, we are establishing more zones and new members are coming in, we are winning the war of battle of hearts and minds,” he assured. He said the 21-days of mourning began October 26. He was emphatic that the struggle would continue, stating: “Because in any struggle, people die, but the only painful aspect of it is that we lost young boys, youths who had bright future. In the civilized world, you don’t touch people like that, no matter what they did, at worst you take them to court; but we have drawn strength from their death and we are not going back.”

 

He advised the United Nations to send its representatives to the home of their leader at Afara Ukwu to be able to see how soldiers invaded the house of a core civilian with heavy armoury and none of the soldiers sustained any scratch which he said was an indication that despite the propaganda mounted by the Nigerian army, the IPOB members were not armed.

Source: SundaySun

WHY I RESIGNED FROM PDP – Adaelu

That is the reason why I have come to put to clarity and set the records straights to Abians so as to curb further deception and lies by those whose mission in governance is to see that Abia and Abians do not enjoy the dividends of democracy and their rights to good life is denied them while a few individuals sits atop our collective wealth meant for the development of the state and its citizenry.

Abians are aware of the fiasco of monumental magnitude and nightmare the PDP government we all campaigned and brought to office has turned to, causing Abians to live below poverty lines while a few live like kings off our collective wealth, all the promises we made to Abians during the election have all been broken, teachers are not being paid, civil servants now beg to feed themselves and their families, our roads have been rendered impassable while those who we made the care takers of our collective wealth and destiny are busy building mansions and riding on luxury SUV’s, our markets have been left to rot and decay while the government slam the traders with multiplicity of taxes without caring for their welfare, security has now become a luxury in Abia state for only the rich to enjoy, Abia has been turned to a state where payment of salaries to civil servants has become a privilege rather than a right, pensioners are now left to die unattended to and uncared for, while the state government diverts the money meant for salaries and pensions to private use.

Every conscientious effort meant to correct and redirect the impunity, bad governance, wickedness and lack of direction that has characterized the PDP led Abia state government has been met with stiff opposition by those who sees the government as their personal property and feeds fat on the suffering of the poor Abians.

No man of good conscience will sit back and watch his people go hungry and not react in the name of party loyalty, I cannot sit aloof and watch as kleptomaniacs who found themselves in government steal our collective destinies all because we belong to the same political party, I will rather be seen to be conspicuously uninvolved with those whose major business in governance is purely self-aggrandizement at the expense of the suffering masses, having to state categorically that my business in politics is development and my political ideology is running in different directions with what is being practiced in the party today in Abia.

Today, I Engineer Solomon Adaelu ceases to be a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the following reasons as stated above and any further political moves will be made known to my friends, followers, fans and loyalists after due consideration and consultation with my constituents.

Sign:
Hon. Solomon Adaelu
Member Representing Osisioma/Obingwa/Ugwunagbo federal

Source: oraclenews