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UN Habitat Assembly: IAWPA African Director Metchie calls for urgent global intervention on Anambra erosion menace

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The African Director, International Association of World Peace Advocates IAWPA, Amb John Metchie has called for urgent global attention on the widening menace of erosion in Anambra State, Nigeria which he said has become a big threat to the lives of the people.

Metchie who is also the Prime Minister of Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU, made the call at the ongoing United Nations Habitat Assembly taking place in Kenya, called on the United Nations and other international organization across the world to, as a matter of urgency, do something urgent to rescue the people and their communities against erosion.

Dr. Metchie said that although Anambra erosion menace has lasted for some years, the situation is getting worse, especially after the massive flooding of 2022 that affected many communities in Nigeria.

He said that apart from wiping out farmlands and ancient landmarks, erosion is cutting community to community roads, making it difficult for rural farmers to take their produce to the farm, a development he said is about to trigger off hunger among rural dwellers.

Metchie who doubles as the President General of Umueri community of Anambra State, drew the attention of the world, especially the UN-Habitat gathering that the erosion menace is vastly affected the environment and the entire ecosystem, including climate and others.

The IAWPA African Director who commended the state Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo for his efforts in Making Anambra a livable homeland for the people, said the challenge posed by erosion in the state cannot be handled by any state administration and therefore the need for global community to mobilize resources to rescue the people before it is too late.

He added that for the investments of the state government on housing and urbanisation to yield the much expected impact, erosion must be confronted and pushed back so that the people can reclaim their homeland.

Metchie said that Anambra was fast losing its arable land due to gully erosion which he said is currently active on about 1,000 sites.

He said Africa suffers from various climatic problems but in the case of gully erosion, the damage is comprehensive and total, adding that school classrooms, community health centres, houses, crops, farmlands, roads and electricity infrastructure, among others are not spared by the rampaging erosion, adding that everything collapses into the very deep gullies and nothing is recovered.

He said- “Anambra State suffers from flooding and is also the headquarters of gully erosion in Africa, hence there is need to prioritise or even out-rightly declare a climate change emergency in the state.”

Among the issues being discussed at the three-day UN-Habitat Assembly are, Universal access to affordable housing, urban climate action; urban crisis recovery and localisation of the SDGs as critical to the survival of communities; and general environmental crisis.

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Turaki-led PDP wins as Court of Appeal affirms Wole Oluyede as duly nominated candidate for Ekiti

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Dr. Wole Oluyede has been affirmed as the duly nominated candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the Ekiti State governorship election.

The Court of Appeal, Akure Division, made the affirmation in a landmark judgment, thereby giving validity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election for the same.

In a unanimous decision, the three-man appellate panel led by Hon. Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah, alongside Hon. Justice Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Hon. Justice Peter O. Affen, set aside the earlier judgment of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti.

The justices held that the primary election conducted by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) was valid, transparent, and complied with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.

On the 13th of January, 2026, the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti nullified the Ekiti State Governorship primary election conducted on the 8th and 9th November, 2025.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the Party appealed to the Court of Appeal and today, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court..

The Court further held that the primary election was duly conducted.

This judgment effectively puts to rest the leadership and candidacy disputes that have shadowed the party’s preparations for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election. By upholding the Turaki-led process, the Court has provided the necessary legal finality to ensure the PDP enters the general election as a unified front.

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India slaps Nigeria, rejects Tinubu’s ambassador-designate

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India and some other countries have reportedly  declined to accept some of President Bola Tinubu’s recently posted ambassadors-designate due to diplomatic policies that discourage receiving envoys from administrations with less than two years remaining in office.

According to reports in the media, India, where career diplomat Ambassador Muhammad Dahiru has been designated to serve, maintains a standing policy against accepting ambassadors from governments with tenures of less than two years remaining.

India is exercising its discretionary powers to turn down the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ request to accept Dahiru’s posting.

According to sources quoted by the report, the Federal Government was already receiving signals from New Delhi and possibly other capitals about their reluctance to grant agrément.

Agrément is the formal approval given by a receiving country to accept a diplomat designated by the sending country, and it is a prerequisite before an ambassador can assume duty.

“They don’t accept an ambassador from an administration that has less than two years in office. So they are giving us that body language already,” a Presidency official was quoted to have said

The source continued, “Some countries are reluctant to accept some people, not because of the individuals but because of time. They are already seeing the Tinubu government as an outgoing government.

“So their concern is that he has just one year left, so what if he doesn’t win the election? Another government may come and remove them. We also understand that some countries have this policy. Any ambassador from an administration that has less than a year or two in office will not get accepted. And one of such countries is India.”

 

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Belonging to two political parties to attract imprisonment

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The House of Representatives on Wednesday amended Section 77 of the recently assented Electoral Act 2026 to prescribe two-year jail term or N10 million fines or both, for anyone who knowingly maintains membership of two political parties at the same time.

Lawmakers during the committee of the whole presided by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Okezie Kalu, made amendment to section 77 of the 2026 Act by inserting three new clauses 8, 9 and 10 which were considered and approved by lawmakers after a heated session of back and forth debates.

According to the new clauses approved by lawmakers, any party member found to be registered as member of more than one political party at the same time will have his or membership of the said parties voided.

Clause (8) of the approved amendment stipulates that “A person shall not be registered as a member of more than one political party at the same time.”

Clause (9) stipulates that “Where it is established that a person is registered as a member of more than one political at the same time, such dual membership shall be void, and the person shall cease to be recognised as a valid member of any political party pending regularisation in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the constitution of the political party concerned.

Clause (10) stipulates that “A person who knowingly registers or maintains membership in more than one political party at the same time commits an offence is liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term of two years, or both.”

 

 

 

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