-
Woman arrested over death of Nigerian attach in Sudan
News & Trends •
it pointed out that it was closely following up all the legal procedures in the incident with the concerned authorities2 sudan security operatives are reported to have arrested a woman suspected of killing a nigerian immigration attach at the nigerian embassy in khartoum2 in a very short statement the official news agency suna said the sudanese police arrested the offender a foreign woman who committed the crime2 it further said she confessed to the murder of the diplomat and that she also stole his possessions2 the sudanese authorities didnt disclose the circumstances of the crime or the nationality of the killer2 the sudanese ministry of foreign affairs had in a statement explained that a team of policemen moved to the residence of the late passport officer and arrested a number of suspected persons as part of investigations into the murder2 mr. habibu almu assistant comptroller of immigration was found stabbed to death at his home in the sudanese capital city of khartoum on thursday last week2 the nigerian minister of foreign affairs geoffrey onyeama confirmed on sunday that the sudanese government had communicated the arrest of the principal suspect to his ministry2 the federal government had condemned the murder of the diplomat and pledged to would work with khartoum to arrest the culprit2 spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs mr. tope adeleye elias-fatile had confirmed the report of the assassination in a whatsapp message on thursday in abuja2 the ministry has received the sad news of the untimely death of the immigration attache in our mission in khartoum sudan2 nigeria looks to bring to book those behind the murder of immigration attach habibu almu2 the guardian nigeria @guardiannigeria2 -
PDP rejects Kaduna council polls results, threatens court action
News & Trends •
hyet further claimed that most of the results announced so far were through radio stations rather than the returning officers whom he alleged disappeared after the conclusion of the election3 the peoples democratic party pdp in kaduna state on sunday rejected the results of local government council elections saying it would go to court to challenge the outcome of the polls3 mr nuhu garba siecoms returning officer for the council said mr peter agite of the pdp won the chairmanship seat with 42242 votes beating his apc counterpart peter dan-baki who got 33 817 votes in the polls3 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the state independent electoral commission siecom had through its local government returning officers released some of the results with the ruling apc winning in most of the local government areas released so far3 so far the apc has won 17 local councils while pdp has won two. the election in two local councils jaba and kauru was postponed while tallying has not been concluded for chikun local council3 there are 23 local councils in kaduna state3 the chairman of pdp mr felix hassan hyet who addressed a news conference in his office on sunday however alleged that his party had been shortchanged going by the results released in 13 local government areas of the state3 he said the party would soon release its field results of the just concluded local polls3 according to him the pdp agents have submitted their reports which he claimed were at variance with the results announced by the local government returning officers3 the party announced its plans just as its chairmanship candidate in kachia local council was declared the winner3 the chairman however appealed to the party supporters to remain calm assuring that the party would follow legal means to address the injustice3 he said the commission should have requested some of the manufacturers of the electronic voting machines stay behind to monitor the machines to avoid malfunction experienced in some polling units3 hyet alleged that some machines were snatched to unknown destinations and results were later released by the returning officers3 we call you to brief you on the update of the local election results of 13 local government so far released3 some local government results were not announced by the returning officers but by radio stations. at the moment we have some local government areas like kaduna southchikunkajurujemaakagarkosanga still awaiting to be announced3 the returning officers have disappeared completely. even some of the wards returning officers also disappeared3 we are waiting for the returning officers to come out and announce the results in local government areas yet to be announced3 our agents have submitted the results to us and we will take necessary legal steps to address the injustices hyet said3 -
NECO Registrar, 2 others suspended
News & Trends •
by aminu garko3 all effort to speak with spokesman of the council failed as he did not take calls put to his telephone lines or responded to short messages2 also suspended are two deputy directors in charge of finance and procurement respectively in the council2 rumour had made the rounds that the three top officials of the council had been sacked but a competent source in the council disclosed on sunday that the men were on suspension2 according to the source they are on suspension pending the outcome of investigation of allegation of misappropriation of funds against them2 the source said that the officials were suspended for allegedly awardingcontracts to the tune of n25 billion without following due process2 the registrar of national examinations council neco prof charles uwakwe has been suspended over alleged financial mismanagement and abuse of office2 uwakwe was also alleged to be involved in recruitment in the council without following due process2 i can tell you that nobody was sacked but there was a suspension pending an investigation of certain alleged misdeedswhich details have not been made public the source said2 the source stated that the most senior director in the council mr abubakar gana had been appointed acting registrar2 according to the source the letter suspending the council officials emanated from the parent ministry2 another source said that the non-academic staff union at neco petitioned the minister of education accusing uwakwe of financial impropriety irregular recruitment and flouting of procurement procedures2 they were said not to have sought approval fromministry of education the supervisory ministry or from the governing board of the council2 -
Stop reporting fake news Onaiyekan urges media
News & Trends •
by abiemwense moru3 we must believe in nigeria instead of balkanising it. nigeria may be in distress and this may be a challenging period for some of us but nigeria will soon overcome this hardship he said2 onaiyekan who gave the advice on sunday in abuja at a forum to mark the 2018 world communications day said fake news destroys character and communal living2 he also advised journalists to desist from sharing or lifting unverified sources of information from social media as this is capable of destroying the peaceful co-existence of a country2 onaiyekan who was represented by the director of social communications in the archdiocese rev. patrick alumuku said media men must continue to work in truth in pursuit of peace2 the cleric who spoke on the theme journalism for peace stressed that communications emanated from god right from creation and the church had always encouraged peaceful and sustainable communication in the family and society2 media men and women are called to work in truth and in the pursuit of peace. the church wants good news to reach the whole world but we cant achieve this without the media2 it is as a result of this that the church is investing in the training of media personnel especially in social media he said2 the catholic archbishop of abuja john cardinal onaiyekan has urged media practitioners in the country to refrain from reporting fake news2 he advised nigerians not to despair but have absolute faith in the ability of the president to bring sustainable development and unity of purpose2 i want to assure you that the president is really working round the clock to ensure that peace is maintained in our nation2 mr president is committed to improving the lot of the citizenry and i would appeal to nigerians to give him a chance2 we know things are tough but tough times dont last forever and we shall overcome. i can assure you nigeria will soon return to its old glory he said2 in his remarks special adviser to the president on media and publicity mr femi adesina gave an assurance that the challenges facing the nation would soon be a thing of the past2 he urged nigerians to believe in the nation stressing that the hardship many nigerians may be undergoing would soon end2 the minister of state for petroleum dr ibe kachikwu reiterated the commitment of president muhammadu buhari to uniting the nation and ushering in enduring peace2 -
Obasanjo is deceiving Nigerians, says Yoruba group
News & Trends •
buhari15 obasanjo3 obasanjo is deceiving nigerians1 says yoruba group1 the statement came barely 24 hours after obasanjo endorsed the african democratic congress adc as the political platform to be deployed to unseat buhari in 2019. addressing a news conference in abeokuta on thursday1 obasanjo said his coalition for nigeria movement cnm had adopted the adc as its political party1 -
Israel kills 11 Iranians in Syria
News & Trends •
no fewer than 11 iranians were among those killed in unprecedented israeli strikes on syria this week a monitor said saturday1 at least 27 pro-regime fighters were killed in thursdays strikes said rami abdel rahman director of the britain-based syrian observatory for human rights1 he said six syrian soldiers and 21 foreign fighters including 11 iranians were among the dead1 that updates the monitors initial toll of 23 which did not specify the number of iranians1 the new report is due to the death of wounded or missing persons whose deaths have been confirmed abdel rahman said1 israel said it struck dozens of iranian targets inside syria early on thursday in response to a salvo of rockets allegedly fired by iranian forces into the israeli-occupied golan heights1 israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu said iran had crossed a red line and that israels bombardment against targets in syria was a consequence1 the jewish state has long warned it will not accept iran entrenching itself militarily in neighbouring syria where the islamic republic backs assads regime in the countrys seven-year civil war1 israeli forces have been blamed for a series of recent strikes inside syria that have killed iranians though it has not acknowledged those raids1 israel says it has conducted dozens of operations in syria to stop what it says are advanced arms deliveries to one of its main foes iran-backed hezbollah1 -
North Korea invites journalists witness nuclear test site closure
News & Trends •
north korea will make a public show of its promise to close its nuclear testing site north of the country1 according to south korean news agency yonhapnorth korea said it is taking technical measures to dismantle its nuclear test site moving closer to honouring an offer made by its leader kim jong-un during the inter-korean summit last month1 the norths foreign ministry issued a press release carried by the state-run korean central news agency kcna detailing the countrys plans to shut down its pyunggye-ri nuclear test ground1 the english-language statement said the ruling workers party and other relevant institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test1 during the third inter-korean summit on april 27 kim told south korean president moon jae-in that he would carry out the closure of the northern nuclear test site in may according to seouls presidential office cheong wa dae1 kim also offered to make the dismantling public. and the norths foreign ministry said the ceremony for the occasion has been scheduled for between may 23 and 25 depending on weather conditions1 given the limited space only journalists from south korea china russia the united states and britain will be invited to cover the dismantling on-site the ministry added1 -
VON DG emerges APCs delegate
News & Trends •
also contained in president buharis docket is 50 million dollars for enugu urban water scheme okechukwu said1 mr. osita okechukwu the director general of voice of nigeria vonhas emerged as a delegate to the forthcoming national convention of the all progressives congress apc1 two other national delegates mr. charlie chime and maureen anosike were also returned unopposed at the same venue1 reacting to his election as national delegate okechukwu assured that he would use the mandate given to him to support the efforts of president muhammadu buhari to revamp coal in enugu and improve infrastructure in the south-east1 when we came here before we promised that president muhammadu buhari will revamp enugu coal1 we promised that president buhari will revamp enugu-onitsha expressway enugu-port harcourt and enugu-makurdi expressways. today work had started on all of them1 okechukwu was returned unopposed at the udi local government area lg congress held at the udi apc local government secretariat 9th mile corner ngwo near enugu1 in his remarks chief emma eneukwu the national vice chairman of apc for south-east lauded the conduct of the congress in udi council area stressing that the exercise was free fair transparent and credible1 eneukwu described all those who attended the congress as very committed and trusted party men pointing out that independent national electoral commission inec security agencies and the media were fully represented1 the congress in the council was attended by party bigwigs from the council which included the acting women leader mrs. oby nwofor1 members of the udi local government executive of the party were also elected during the congress1 they include mr jude anyadibe as chairman mr pascal ojielo as the deputy chairman mr felix okafor as secretary mrs mabel owoh as women leader sylvester onyia as the treasurer among others. nan1 -
Osinbajo attends inauguration of President Bio
News & Trends •
vice president yemi osinbajo on saturday left abuja to attend the inauguration of president julius bio in freetown sierra leone1 according to a statement by mr laolu akande the senior special assistant on media and publicity to the vice president osinbanjo is expected to abuja later in the evening1 bio won the countrys presidential run-off election on march 311 nan reports that the presidents of guinea liberia ivory coast ghana senegal burkina faso and gambia have been confirmed to attend the ceremony1 also on the lineup is a list of nollywood stars from nigeria among them omotola jalade ekeinde mercy johnson osita iheme of aki and paw paw fame as well as john okafor better known as mr ibu1 the nigerian music sensation davido is also billed to attend1 the new sierra leonean first lady fatima bio who is herself into showbiz is thought to be the host of the artists whom she has worked with in the film industry1 there will be government delegations from other countries outside africa notably the u.s. where president donald trump last week named a delegation headed by the head of peace corps to fly to freetown to partake in the event1 the inauguration comes a little over a month after bio was sworn onto office following his electoral victory on march 311 the occasion also coincides with the 56th birthday anniversary of the president. nan1 -
Segun Adewale emerges Ekiti ADP governorship candidate
News & Trends •
adewale who is the only aspirant of the party in his acceptance speechthanked the party members for their support and turnout from the 16 local government areas of the state1 mr segun adewale has emerged the governorship candidate of the party for the july 14 election in the state the national committee chairman for the primary election of the action democratic party adp in ekiti mr umaru yakubu has declared1 secretary to the electoral committee mrs adenike jones who announced the results of the election held throughout the 177 wards in the state declared adewale as the candidate of the party1 the national youth leader of the party prince edobo ogboza urged the youths and women to support the party and its flagbearer1 he assured the party supporters of better times ahead adding that the candidate when he finally wins the governorship election would provide more job opportunities for the youths and empower the women of the state1 he said that the party would ensure that the youths and women in the state are not sidelined1 yakubu who is also the national vice chairman of the party north west zone conducted the partys primary in ado ekiti on saturday. adewale was the sole candidate1 he tasked the party members to win more members into the party for the party to have good outing during the july 14 governorship election1 adewale born on 15 may 1966 was educated both in lagos and ipoti ekiti in his early years. he went to university of ibadan between 1986 and 1990 where he bagged a bachelor of science degree in geography1 he thereafter obtained a masters degree in public administration at thelagos state universityin 19951 he made a name in aviation business founding in 1997 aeroland travel limiteda business travel management air charter and aviation training company1 in 2015 adewale contested to represent lagos west in the senate but he lost to the apc candidate senator olamilekan adeola also called yayi1 -
Police arrest 3 for killing man at APC Agege congress
News & Trends •
three persons allegedly involved in the killing have been arrested1 the police in lagos on saturday said three persons have been arrested over their alleged involvement in the killing of one man during the apc lg congress in agege1 he however did not mention the names of the victim and suspects1 oti said that the suspects had been taken to the state cid panti for interrogation1 he said that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects and victim were not accredited for the election1 we confirmed that one person was killed on saturday at central primary school oniwaya agege1 the spokesman of the command sp chike oti confirmed the arrest to the news agency of nigeria nan1 the suspects have been taken to the state criminal investigation department panti for interrogations1 the victim was killed outside the venue of the apc ward election1 the victims and those arrested had nothing to do with the election as they were not accredited oti said1 an eyewitness who preferred anonymity had earlier told nan that there was crisis at the agege venue of the congress after reading of list of delegates allegedly favoured one camp and marginalised another1 he said there was shooting from inside the venue and a bullet hit a man at the gate of central primary school oniwaya agege1 -
France slams Iran over alleged rocket attack on Israeli positions
News & Trends •
israel hit back with dozens of airstrikes that it said hit almost all iranian military infrastructure in syria1 french foreign minister jean-yves le drian described alleged iranian rocket fire on israeli military positions across a ceasefire line in southern syria as extremely serious1 but beyond that we must take action so that diplomatic solutions can be implemented quickly and de-escalation takes place1 iranian targets have repeatedly been hit inside syria in recent weeks in attacks thought to have been conducted by israel1 on thursday israel accused iran of firing a barrage of rockets against the israeli side of a ceasefire line on the golan heights partly controlled by israel since the 1967 arab-israeli war1 we condemn any attempt to harm israels security le drian said in an interview in fridays edition of newspaper le parisien1 le drian said that the 2015 agreement on irans nuclear activities remained in force despite the us pulling out on tuesday1 but france still wants to complement it with new measures on issues such as irans ballistic missiles and its military activities in the region he said1 asked how he could reassure iranian citizens he said we are faithful to our commitments. we have expectations but were here1 iran and its lebanese ally hezbollah alongside russia have been key backers of the government side in the syrian civil war1 but israel which has fought against hezbollah on several occasions sees the development of iranian or hezbollah positions near the golan heights as a strategic threat.dpanan1 -
Woman beats up nephew over inability to recite Quran
News & Trends •
a 29-year-old woman ummi bashiru who allegedly assaulted a nephew over his inability to recite the quran was on friday arraigned in an ikorodu magistrates court lagos state1 bashiru a resident of gbodo area ewu owa community in ikorodu is being tried on a count charge of assault an offence he denied committing1 the chief magistrate f. a. azeez granted the accused bail in the sum of n200000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned further hearing until may 311 earlier the prosecutor sgt. john iberedem had told the court that the accused committed the offence on april 26 at her residence1 he alleged that the accused assaulted the 12-year-old nephew. who was living with her. by beating him severely with an electric wire and stick1 the accused is an aunt to the boy. she usually beats him severely with horsewhips cutlass and other dangerous weapon which has left permanent scars on his body1 the last beatings aroused the neighbours who reported her to the police1 she battered the boy with electric wire because he cannot recite quran iberedem told the court. he said that the offence contravened section 171 of the criminal law of lagos state 2011.1 -
Just in: CAN General Secretary, Asake dies at 68
News & Trends •
rev. musa asake the general secretary of the christian association of nigeria can has died1 asakes death was confirmed to the news agency of nigeria nan by his younger brother mr philimon asake on friday in abuja1 he was 68 years old1 philimon told nan that asake passed on in the early hours of friday after a brief illness1 according to him details of the burial arrangements will be communicated to the public soon1 the deceased a pastor and teacher hailed from zangon kataf local government area of kaduna state1 until his death he was famous for his defence of the christian faith1 -
Pastors wife loses marriage for sleeping with 2 church members
News & Trends •
my wife starved me of sex for more than five years whenever i want to sleep with her she would give one excuse or the other and in fact she has moved out of my room to a separate room1 by deborah akpede a pastors wife mrs uzoamaka ibeneme on friday lost her 21-year-old marriage when an igando customary court in lagos dissolved the union on grounds of adultery.1 since the petitioner insisted on divorce after several interventions the court is therefore left with no option but to grant him his wish and pronounce the union dissolved1 the court hereby pronounces the marriage between pastor joshua ibeneme and mrs uzoamaka ibeneme dissolved today1 both of you will henceforth cease to be husband and wife each of you should go on his or her separate ways unmolested1 the court wishes both of you well in your future endeavour1 any squabble between both you from now on shall be treated as criminal and any violation of this judgment will be regarded as contempt of court and will attract imprisonment without option of fine akinniyi ruled1 earlier the petitioner a 53-year-old pastor joshua ibeneme had approached the court to end his 21-year-old marriage to his wife uzoamaka who he said was messing around with his church members1 my wife had sexual affair with two of my church members a deacon and a bishop. both of them were telling my other members that they slept with my wife because she enticed them1 whenever i return from a trip my last born always tells me that men came to pick and drop my wife. even god told me to divorce her or else she will destroy my ministry he claimed1 the petitioner said that his wife denied him sex for five years1 mr akin akinniyi the court president who delivered the judgment said the petitionerpastor joshua ibeneme was adamant in spite of the mediation by the court and family intervention1 but she gives it to my members freely the pastor said1 the pastor said that his wife was always mocking and embarrassing him in public places telling people about his sexual performance1 he said that uzoamaka always accused him of having affairs with any female member who came to the house for counselling1 she accused them of dating me and also went to their houses to fight them. her behaviour has chased many members away from my church he said1 he begged the court to divorce the loveless union claiming he was no longer in love with his wife1 however the respondent uzoamaka denied having sex with their church members but accused her husband of infidelity1 it is women that cause our frequent fighting they are the problem in our home and my husbands lust for them is very high1 i never slept with the two men who claimed that they slept with me they just wanted to tarnish my image my husband is dating the wife of the deacon1 according to her the pastor calls her derogatory names in the public such as prostitute1 the 45-year-old teacher said that she starved her husband of sex because she hated sex adding that she married him because she wanted children1 the mother of three however begged the court not to grant her husbands wish for dissolution of the marriage as she was still in love with him1 -
Centre urges Buhari to sign Disability Bill
News & Trends •
importantly nigeria is yet to comply with the provision of section 12 of the nigerian constitution which provides that a treaty cannot come into force until passed into law by the national assembly1 the centre for citizens with disability cdd has urged president muhammadu buhari to assent to the disability bill to ensure the full integration of people with disabilities pwds into the society1 anyaele said that the bill when signed into law would guarantee the rights and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in the country1 it is our belief that signing the bill into an act will go a long way to ameliorate the challenges that confront persons with disabilities into equal opportunities like other countries in africa1 anyaele expressed concern that nigeria had no legal framework on issues of disabilities since the united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities was signed by state parties on march 20071 nigeria ratified this convention on september 24 2010 with its optional protocol1 the federal government is however yet to put in place an appropriate legislation for the operationalization of the provisions of the convention1 nigeria has also not met its reporting obligations to the committee established under article 34 of the convention requiring nigeria to report every two years the extent of its implementation of the provisions of the protocol1 the executive director of cdd mr david anyaele made the call while addressing newsmen on friday in abuja1 he recalled that several moves made in the past under successive administrations in nigeria to pass the disability bill could not succeed1 such bills have scaled through the processes at the national assembly but have been unsuccessful especially at the point of obtaining the presidential assent1 some salient features in the revised bill include criminalising any form of discrimination against pwds and ensure promotion of public awareness on their rights1 others are making provision for accessibility to public buildings and related facilities provision for a five-year period within which all public buildings and structures are to be adaptable for use by pwds1 accessibility to transportation including road sea ports railways air and related facilities1 protecting the liberty of pwds and criminalizing their use in alms begging as well as making provision for all aspects of their educational and health care needs1 also to provide necessary assistive devices and provision for public organizations to employ at least 5 per cent of pwds in their employment1 and provision of adequate standard of living and social protection in terms of accommodation alongside encouragement of pwds in politics and public life anyaele said1 -
Omo-Agege: Senate appeals suspension nullification
News & Trends •
the senate has appealed the nullification of the suspension of senator ovie omo-agege by the federal high court in abuja on thursday1 the senate and the senate president dr bukola saraki who is the second defendant in the case also filed for a stay of execution of the nullification of the suspension1 according to the upper legislative chamber the senate and the senate president have promptly filed a notice of appeal and a motion for stay of execution of the same judgement on the 10th of may 20181 earlier on thursday the federal high court in abuja nullified the suspension of senator ovie omo-agege and declared it illegal. the court however also ruled that the senate had the power to punish its members1 the senator representing all progressives congress apc in delta was suspended by the senate because he openly criticized the amendment of election sequence carried out by the senate1 omo-agege had accused the senate of targetting president muhammadu buhari with the electoral act amendment especially that aspect that deals with modification of election sequence1 omo-agege who was referred to the senate committee on ethics privileges and public petitions fr investigations of comments attributed to him sued the senate asking the court to stop the committee from investigating him1 following the suit the committee recommended that the senator be suspended and he was therefore suspended for 90 legislative days1 -
Osinbajo: Nigeria on course to tackle poverty, unemployment
News & Trends •
so we have programmes and initiatives in place that promote accountability like treasury single account tsa and other policies the vice president added1 vice president yemi osinbajo has said that the country is on course to effectively tackle poverty and unemployment through its micro-economic planning and social investment programmes1 the group of 10 executive directors on a working visit to nigeria represents 93 countries from across africa asia central america and europe1 the vice president further said the buhari administration was determined to tackle corruption to bring economic prosperity for nigeria1 there is a tendency to assume that if we get just a number of things right in our micro-economic planning for instance to promote trade and so on we would be able to deal with the issues of poverty through a trickle down policy1 but unfortunately here this is not necessarily the case. we might get the micro issues right and still have the problems especially of poverty1 in terms of systematic policy you have to keep innovating looking for what works tweaking it here and there1 also if you dont deal with issues around corruption it becomes difficult. if we allow resources to be pilfered and wasted then the whole idea of economic prosperity is difficult1 osinbajo said this on thursday when a delegation of senior officials from the world bank led by the world bank group executive director for italy mr patrizio pagano visited him at the presidential villa abuja1 osinbajo said that the buhari administrations social investment programmes were targeted at ensuring inclusion and taking millions of nigerians out of poverty1 so the question for us is how to ensure inclusion or inclusivity how to get millions of our very poor people into the economy how to structure our budget in such a way that recognises that1 that is why we set up the n500 billion social investment programmes1 though we are not spending anything near that yet it is an important statement for us to address the question of inclusivity he stated1 on nigerias role in west africa the vice president noted that nigeria is very involved in the region in the areas of security1 we promote regional cooperation and we also try to address issues of dumping and the smuggling of rice and poultry products1 osinbajo highlighted the importance of regional cooperation in the area of trade adding thathe met with the president of benin recently in togo where they discussed ways in which nigeria and its neighbours could effectively resolve the issue of smuggling1 the world bank director mr patrizio pagano commended the federal government for its economic reforms adding that the bank would fully support the country in achieving sustainable growth1 -
Group urges Ndigbo not to boycott 2019 general elections
News & Trends •
the south-east political summit seps has called on ndigbo not to boycott the 2019 general elections in order for them to occupy political space meant for them in the country1 the leader of the group mrs eberechukwu anigbogu said this on thursday while addressing news conference in enugu1 anigbogu said that the apathy cultural surrender and political ignorance that had ravaged igbo land in the past 20 years had reduced ndigbo to mere spectators in the political struggle in the country1 we have decided that it is time to sensitise and mobilise our people to rise up and fully occupy our political space1 we are not a political party. it is not another just political pressure group. it is rather a mass movement geared towards re-inventing political consciousness in the south-east she said1 according to her there is an enormous degree of burden placed on the shoulders of seps members to chart a new course for ndigbo1 she recalled that pristine igbo society operated the best democracy the world ever knew stressing that in those days people gathered under town squares to deliberate1 anigbogu noted that at such meeting families clans age grades and elders picked the most trusted and virtuous to represent them1