By David Owei, Bayelsa

The Executive Chairman of Ughelli North LGA in Delta state, Olorogun Jaro Egbo has debunked cyber bullying , libelous and false news pread by Mr Ovoke Akpobasa and his cohorts, calculated attempts to malign his heard earned rising political reputation.

The chairman, who stated this, after conducting journalists round legacy projects at the council’s secretariat, Ughelli and later addressed a press conference , said” it has become imperative to address the recent wave of false, malicious and unfounded allegations being circulated by Sahara Reporters and other online platforms regarding the purported award of government contracts to skyviaro properties Limited, saying that ” let it be unequivocally stated that Skyviaro properties Development Company Limited is not a registered contractor with the council , has not been awarded any contract , and is not personally owned or operated by him , as he resigned from any involvement with the said company and there has been no breach of due process or statutory guidelines in any contract award under his administration”

He further state that” The deliberate spread of misinformation spread by Mr Ovoke Akpobasa, an Executive Assistant to the governor on Diaspora Affairs, is a calculated attempts to tarnish his reputation and discredit his administration and cast aspersion on the government of His Excellency, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, as such reckless and defamations are not only unbecoming of a public office holder , but also pose a serious threat to public trust and governance.

He therefore called relevant authorities to immediately rein in Mr Ovoke Akpobasa and his collaborators to prevent further embarasement to the government and unnecessary tension among the people and should this orchestrated smear persists, he reserve the rights to pursue legal actions against him and his employer , the Delta state government in his personal capacity”
The visibly angry chairman , avered that , he remained steadfast to his unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability and good governance and confident that a thorough and objective review of this matter will expose the baseless nature of that false allegations, stressing that , he will not be deterred by falsehood and character assassination as his focus remains in delivering effective governance and upholding the principle of integrity and service to the people.
He also used the opportunity to state that he had no personal quarell with the defunct Ughelli North LGA People Democratic Party chairman , Mr Lucky Ofomukoro.
He also refuted rumours making the rounds that he was suspended from Abovwe family in Uduere community in Ughelli North LGA of Delta state, adding that such allegations were completely false and far from reality as the Abovwe family remains unequevically behind him and will not allow misinformation to tarnish his reputation or the integrity of the family.

Our correspondent reported that the chairman who is widely described as silent achiever conducted journalists round some of his unprecedented legacy projects, among which, were construction of ultra modern Storey building secretariat, construction of Area customary court, Ughelli, one major project in each of the seven kingdoms( either a police station or An area customary court), Solar powered electrification of the Chairman’s office and entire secretariat premises,renovation/ furnishing of four unit block buildings and fencing in the D.D.P.A.Housing Estate for operation sweep , procurement of 300 writing desks for primary and secondary schools in Ughelli North LGA,purchase and installation of a 500KVA transformer at Ekrabovwe quarter in Ughelli,renovation of HPM/ S.L.G/ supervisors/legislative building and adjoining offices,constant cleaning of the Ughelli metropolis and it’s environs and regular sanitation and constant payment of claims to staff .

Our Reporter
Ahead of 2027 General  elections, the Obidient Movement has said that it has been inundated with calls from its members within and outside the country, including other members of the public, regarding a media publication claiming that our principal, Peter Obi, has been offered the running mate position to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the new coalition being formed in preparatory to the next election.

This clarification was made in a statement issued to journalists by the Director of Strategic Communications of the Movement Nana Kazaure on Monday

The release said that the publication is imaginary to the author, the movement was tempted not to ignore it because of the possible far-reaching misconception it will have in the public space.

It said that while frank and cordial engagements with our partners and stakeholders towards a coalition continue amicably, the Obidient Movement would like to state emphatically that there is no truth or basis to the reports whatsoever.

Without any risk of contradiction, we would like to reiterate that Mr Obi has maintained that his objective and his involvement in a coalition, is to provide a united front against and to tackle issues of bad governance, corruption, hunger, poverty, poor healthcare, out of school children and the myriad of other problems daily afflicting the people of Nigeria.

“We want politics that is progressive, standing firmly with the people and serving the great people of Nigeria and not politics just for the sake of grabbing power.

“At this point in time, Mr Peter Obi remains in the Labour party, and if ever this changes, he will make that announcement himself”.

The Obidient Movement said it would like to advise against sensationalism and speculation on these matters. At this difficult time, all Nigerians and the Media, inclusive, should emphasise and contribute to building a better country.

End

By Our Reporter

Panic as Natives of Rumuolumeni community, landlords to Rivers State owned Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUOE), on Monday shut down the institution in protest over allegations of marginalisation.

The protesters mainly women and youths, grounded academic activities at the institution as they blocked the university’s main gate with rafia leaves, tents, and cooking pots, preventing staff and students from accessing the campus.

Daily Echoes Media gathered that students who were still writing their first semester General Studies Examination, and others who were expecting to start their second semester lectures were denied entrance into the university by the protesters who were seen dancing around the gate to local drums, while security agencies were present to maintain order.

The protesters vowed not to vacate the gate until their demands were met.
One of the leaders of the protesting host community, and the Rumuolumeni Youth leader, Comr. Felix Chinda, while addressing newsmen claimed that the community has been marginalized in employment and contract opportunities despite providing land for the institution.

Chinda expressed frustration over the university management’s alleged disregard for their concerns, despite several letters and meetings.
He specifically pointed out that the recent employment exercise was unfair, with opportunities allegedly diverted to non-indigenes.
He said, “Over the years, during employment, the institution never carried the people along. During employment exercise as a host community, they do not carry us along.
“Our parents, this is where they farm, and we gave the institution when they approached us. In turn, we expected that we would get employment in place of giving our land, but during employment, they do not employ our people.”
Addressing the protesters, Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Okechukwu Onuchukwu, explained that the employment process was merit-based and supervised by the dissolved governing board chairman.

The VC maintained that the process was transparent and fair.
Meanwhile, scores of stranded students of the institution have expressed worry over the picketing of the institution’s gate by the host Rumuolumeni community.
Some of the students, in an interview with our correspondent, say their transport fare to school has been wasted.
The students regretted that “lectures for the second semester, which were supposed to start today, have been disrupted.”
Others who are still writing the first semester General Studies (GNS) Examination also spoke about the impact of the protest on their exam.