From PETRUS OBI, Enugu
Enugu State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend declared that the decision to choose a female as the running mate to its governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is a deliberate attempt to show fairness in the distribution of political positions in the state.
Chairman of the party in the state, Chief Ikeji Asogwa, who spoke during the end-of-year party of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), expressed regrets that the Anglican Church in Enugu requested that an Anglican be chosen to run with Ugwuanyi, who is a Catholic.
Asogwa, who was answering a question on why the party ignored the request by the Anglican Church, said the request came after the party had chosen and submitted the name of the governorship running mate.
The state PDP boss, who was also asked to say who the PDP governorship candidate was said: “Let me say it again that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the Enugu PDP governorship candidate. And I want to say that even before the bishops made their demand, the party had forwarded the name of Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, to the appropriate quarters as the running mate to the party’s gubernatorial candidate.”
He explained that apart from the fact that the party had already picked the running mate of its governorship candidate before the Anglican Church made its request, saying such position was not supposed to be based on religious denomination.
The party, Asogwa said, was only interested in and committed to producing leaders with integrity that would deliver the goods, irrespective of religious affiliation.
He added that picking a running mate of a governorship candidate of a party was a serious business involving a lot of consultations.
Anglican Bishops in Enugu State had during a media briefing last week, took exception to a Catholic/Catholic ticket by the state PDP in 2015.
They had argued that since the gubernatorial candidate, Ugwuanyi, was a Catholic, it would have been proper for the party to pick an Anglican as his deputy in the spirit of justice, equity, and fair play.
Boko Haram: Ihejirika sues Australian hostage negotiator, demands N100bn

From GODWIN TSA, Abuja
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, has filed a whopping N100 billionlibel suit against Australian hostage negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davies, who allegedly accused him of sponsoring Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria.
In the suit filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja by his team of lawyers, led by Chief Nnoruka Udechukwu (SAN), Ihejirika said he had been exposed to scandal, odium, ridicule, humiliation and his character, credit and reputation brought into disrepute, both in Nigeria and abroad as a result of Davis’ statement.
Already, his lawyers have approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to serve Davis, who lives in Perth, Australia, with the court processes, after the court granted their application for an order to serve the processes abroad.
Australia and Nigeria are members of the Commonwealth and a special procedure applies when serving court processes on a defendant residing in a country that is a member of the body other than the country where the writ is issued.
Apart from the N100 billion damages, Ihejirika is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Davis and his agents from further making defamatory comments about him.
He also seeks “an order for the defendant to publish forthwith a full and unqualified retraction and apology conspicuously in the front page of THISDAY newspaper to assuage the plaintiff for the said false malicious and libelous publication.”
Ihejirika said he retired meritoriously from the military after a successful career and that he served the army without blemish.
He said: “On or about the 28th day of August 2014, the defendant granted a multimedia and television interview broadcast to AriseTv which aired in Nigeria, particularly in Abuja, and subsequently published by numerous newspapers and media houses; wherein the defendant when asked during the Arise news segment of the interview to name the sponsors of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, falsely and maliciously spoke of the plaintiff in the following words, to wit: ‘There is the former Chief of Army Staff, retired January, or actually sacked by the president, he is another sponsor. I could give you the names if you like but I have no fear that these were very confident and it is in fact Boko Haram senior commanders who have been naming them’.”
He said the spoken words and publication in their ordinary meaning were ‎understood by reasonable members of the society who listened or watched the Arise news broadcast in Abuja to mean that he sponsored Boko Haram to wage war, insurrection or insurgency against Nigeria.
He also said the publication implied that he did not retire but was sacked by the president and that he had committed treason or treasonable felony.
Ihejirika said the public who listened to the broadcast believed that he had conducted himself in a manner tantamount to breach of his oath of allegiance and service as a soldier and senior officer in the Nigerian Army.
In an affidavit he deposed to, Ihejirika said he had suffered grievous wrong and had been exposed to scandal, odium, ridicule, humiliation and that his character, credit and reputation had been brought into disrepute, both in Nigeria and abroad.

Why we chose female deputy gov –Enugu PDP