The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the South-East region, declaring it central to President Bola Tinubu’s national development agenda.

Speaking during a Citizens’ Engagement event in Enugu on Thursday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, emphasized that the South-East has not been and will not be marginalised under the current administration.

“The South-East region is at the heart of the vision and agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration,” Idris stated, adding that the President’s leadership is both strategic and inclusive.

The engagement session forms part of a three-day federal tour of Enugu and Ebonyi states, aimed at directly interacting with residents and showcasing key federal projects across the South-East.

DAILY GAZETTE reports that the tour is led by a federal delegation headed by the Minister.

Addressing past concerns of regional exclusion, Idris assured that such practices belong in the past.

“Nigeria will never go back to that era where the South-East or a certain part of the country is being treated marginally,” he said.

He pointed to President Tinubu’s establishment of new development commissions to serve regions that were previously left out as a major step toward equity.

According to Idris, the government’s effort to correct past imbalances is also reflected in its pattern of appointments and distribution of infrastructure projects.

“By the end of Tinubu’s first term, the benefits of his reforms will be clearer. The federal government remains committed to transparency, accountability, and delivering the dividends of democracy to all Nigerians. With Tinubu, Nigeria is marching towards prosperity,” the minister noted.

He further highlighted various empowerment and humanitarian programs already rolled out by the administration to cushion the economic impact of fuel subsidy removal and other tough policy decisions.

The engagement was attended by several stakeholders from Enugu State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) will now participate in Saturday’s by-elections across 12 states, following a recent court directive.

This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by Sam Olumekun, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee.

He revealed that the Federal High Court in Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025, had ordered the commission to include the SDP and its candidates in the polls.

“In compliance with the judgement, the names of the candidates submitted manually have been accepted and published on our website. The party will participate in the bye-elections,” the statement read.

According to Olumekun, the SDP had initially been left out of the process due to failure to meet procedural requirements.

He explained that the party “did not earlier submit a valid notice for the conduct of primaries for the by-elections” and, as a result, INEC did not monitor the party’s primaries.

Despite the timing of the judgement, Olumekun gave assurances that the development would not interfere with election preparations.

“The 11th-hour judgement will not affect the election which will proceed tomorrow, Saturday 16th August 2025, as scheduled,” he said.

He further noted that while INEC would comply with the ruling, it also reserves the right to challenge the decision legally.

“The commission will also exercise its legitimate right of appeal under the law,” he added.

The Nsukka Local Government Legislative Assembly in Enugu State has impeached its Leader, Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel and Deputy Leader, Hon. Odugwu Cordelia, over multiple allegations including incompetence and breach of trust.

The impeachment which took place on Friday, follows a vote of no confidence signed by 12 out of the 18 members of the 16th legislative assembly.

According to the assembly, the decision was driven by a number of critical concerns, including abuse of power and obstruction of legislative processes.

A central accusation was that the former leadership deliberately sabotaged legislative sittings, effectively paralyzing the assembly’s operations.

“The Leader and the Deputy Leader have consistently sabotaged our legislative seating, bringing our work to a standstill and acting against our standing order,” the assembly stated, describing the actions as “unethical.”

Among other grievances cited was the failure to appoint chairmen and members of legislative committees, a responsibility that remained neglected eight months into their tenure.

This led to the assembly branding the leadership as “incompetent.”

Issues of abuse of office were also raised. In particular, the assembly faulted the impeached officials for allegedly violating an agreed-upon procedure concerning the disbursement of the wardrobe allowance.

Concerns were further heightened by the former Leader’s perceived inability to fulfill basic legislative responsibilities.

“Due to the Leader’s low academic background, his inability to read, write & communicate effectively has negatively affected our legislative proceedings,” the statement added.

Additionally, the assembly accused the ousted leadership of hoarding information and preventing the convening of full committee meetings.

These actions, they argue, stifled effective representation and hampered the synergy between legislative and executive arms.

A particularly serious allegation involved the charge of betrayal of trust.

According to the lawmakers, the former leadership relied on misinformation allegedly provided by the Executive Chairman, which, in turn, “destroyed the synergy between the executive arms and the legislative arms of government.”

In a dramatic turn of events following the impeachment, DAILY GAZETTE learned that the former Leader, Rt. Hon. Ugwu Chinonso Emmanuel, allegedly absconded with the Assembly’s mace.

This act reportedly stalled the immediate election of new leadership, leaving the legislative arm temporarily paralyzed.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has appointed Mr. Li Zhensheng, a Chinese national, as the state’s new Economic Adviser.

The announcement came during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre in Bauchi on Thursday.

Governor Mohammed explained that the appointment and partnership aim to position Bauchi as a growing centre for international collaboration.

The long-term alliance is expected to accelerate investments and development across sectors such as agriculture, education, healthcare, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, and trade facilitation.

The MoU sets the stage for cooperative projects to be negotiated individually, with the establishment of a Bauchi State Representative Office in China to supervise project execution and ensure timely delivery, the governor added.

“This agreement is not just about infrastructure—it’s about transforming lives. We are opening Bauchi to the world,” Mohammed said, noting that the collaboration aligns with the diplomatic ties between President Xi Jinping of China and President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria.

He emphasised that the partnership will attract foreign direct investment, create jobs, enhance skills, modernise vital sectors and boost Bauchi’s profile on the global stage.

Mr. Li Zhensheng, Chairman of the China Global Promotion Cooperation Research Centre, expressed the Centre’s dedication to supporting Bauchi’s economic growth.

“We are committed to helping Bauchi achieve sustainable growth, modern infrastructure, and improved livelihoods,” he said.

Lawmakers from the Labour Party (LP) representing Anambra State in the National Assembly have raised alarm over an alleged plot by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to influence Saturday’s bye-elections through the deployment of thugs and non-state security operatives.

The lawmakers claimed that the governor, alongside the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is planning to use state-backed security groups and enforcers to intimidate voters and skew the electoral process in favour of APGA candidates.

The bye-elections for the Onitsha North 1 State Constituency and the Anambra South Senatorial District are expected to be tightly contested.

In a joint statement signed by Senators Victor Umeh and Tony Nwoye, along with six House of Representatives members; George Ozodinobi, Afam Ogene, Emeka Idu, Prof. Lilian Orogbu, Peter Anekwe, and Uchenna Okonkwo, the LP lawmakers accused Soludo of coordinating efforts to undermine the integrity of the elections.

“Information at our disposal indicates that Governor Chukwuma Soludo and his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have concluded plans to deploy men of the state’s security outfit, Udogachi, crude revenue enforcers, popularly known as Ndi Aka Odo, and other non-state actors to take over various voting points for the bye-elections,” the lawmakers alleged.

They warned that allowing the governor to control security operations during the elections would hand his party an unfair advantage.

“In an election where APGA candidates are major contenders, it would be foolhardy to allow the governor to take charge of security arrangements,” the lawmakers argued.

They called on top national security agencies to intervene and take over security responsibilities to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process. Their appeal was directed to the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Chief of Army Staff, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division in Enugu, the Commanding Officer of the Field Artillery in Onitsha, the Directors of the Department of State Services (DSS) at both national and state levels, and the Corps Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

“The whole essence of democratic governance revolves around freedom of choice, made possible by free and fair elections,” the LP legislators said, describing the Anambra bye-elections as a “litmus test” for Nigeria’s commitment to credible electoral outcomes.

Referring specifically to the Onitsha North Constituency 1 race, the lawmakers condemned what they described as excessive desperation by Governor Soludo’s administration to defeat the ADC candidate, who is the widow of the late former representative, allegedly kidnapped and killed during his tenure.

“We are shocked to the bone marrow by the level of desperation of Governor Soludo and the APGA-led state government against a widow whose husband was kidnapped and killed while representing the constituency,” they stated.

They stressed that as an off-cycle election, the Anambra polls would attract close attention from both domestic and international observers, political stakeholders, and the media.

“As a people, we must therefore strive to ensure that everyone plays by the rules,” the statement concluded.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has credited President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda with making cancer treatment accessible within Nigeria.

According to the minister, the administration’s health sector reforms have led to the establishment of world-class treatment facilities across the country.

Idris made this known during a courtesy visit to the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Thursday as part of a federal government delegation touring projects and initiatives across the South-East region.

“Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, in policies and programmes, has revolutionised the health sector that treatment of cancer can now be done here in Nigeria,” Idris stated.

He revealed that six cancer treatment centres, one in each geopolitical zone, are now operational, equipped with modern machines comparable to those abroad and staffed with trained experts.

“There are six treatment facilities in the six zones of the country, including Enugu, with similar machines found in other parts of the world, and experts have been trained to handle them,” he explained.

Idris noted that any Nigerian still seeking cancer treatment abroad is doing so by personal choice, not out of necessity.

“So, anyone who wants to go out of the country to treat cancer is doing so based on choice, and not that we don’t have facilities and experts to treat the person”

“We must give credit to President Tinubu for the people he put in place to revamp the health sector.” he added.

The minister also commended the synergy among Nigeria’s security agencies under the current administration, which he said has resulted in noticeable improvements in national security.

While acknowledging that more work still lies ahead, Idris praised Tinubu’s performance in office so far.

“Tinubu has done so well that one will wonder if he is in his second term,” the minister said.

He further lauded Governor Mbah’s achievements in Enugu State, describing the state as “the heart of the South-East” and highlighting the continuation and expansion of impactful policies.

“We have seen what the governor has done, from the policies and programmes of his predecessor. Also, we are here to show that President Tinubu is working and to see what his policies and programmes are achieving positively across the region,” Idris added.

Julius Abure, the National Chairman of a faction of the Labour Party (LP), has taken a swipe at the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, labelling him an “Uber politician” who lacks firm political direction.

In a strongly worded statement he personally signed on Friday, Abure accused Obi of political inconsistency and accused him of undermining the party. He criticized the former Anambra State governor for allegedly shifting political loyalties to suit personal ambitions.

“It is unfortunate that Obi has turned himself to an irony and a paradox in the Nigerian political space. He has turned himself into an ‘Uber’ politician, not willing to take a position and stand by his decision,” Abure said.

The statement comes in the wake of Obi’s recent call for his supporters to vote for African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidates in the upcoming August 16 by-elections in some states.

This move, Abure said, reflects Obi’s lack of loyalty to the Labour Party.

According to Abure, the former presidential candidate now appears to be playing politics by convenience and has earned a place “in the Guinness book of records” for his affiliations with multiple political platforms.

“Obi has booked a place for himself in the Guinness book of records as a person affiliated to many political parties pari passu, all in his desperation to preside over Nigeria,” he stated.

He also accused Obi of political theatrics, saying the LP flagbearer has lately been “crying wolf where there is none” and employing subterfuge to mask his true intentions.