Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Imo State chapter of the All Action Party (APP) held its state congress in Owerri on Sunday April 26, 2026, and elected Hon. Ernest Njesi as the substantive State Chairman of the party. DrumAfricanews reports that the APP congress held at the State Party Secretariat along MCC Uratta Road, Owerri have been adjuged to be a successful one, new State Working Committee (SWC), has emerged. The congress, which drew party faithful and stakeholders from across the state, marked a significant milestone in the consolidation of the party’s internal democratic processes. The election of Njesi was greeted with widespread approval…

Chief John Okiyi Kalu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Abia State has urged the Labour Party (LP) government to eschew any plan of intimidation as the 2027 elections approach, stressing that the PDP in Abia is immune to such moves, as it does not and will not have any effect. Chief Kalu who spoke in Umuahia during a stakeholders meeting of the PDP urged the LP government to prepare to vacate their current position, because it has failed woefully and should not think that introducing intimidation and threat will yield any fruit. The former commissioner for trade and…

Abia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the party is not in any agreement to form any form of coalition with any political party and has never entered into such an agreement as the 2027 election approaches. Speaking at a stakeholders meeting at the party’s secretariat in Umuahia, the PDP chairman in Abia State, Elder Abraham Amah, said that the PDP is too big and extremely grassrooted to agree on such laughable alignment with any political party, urging people to disregard such reports. Speaking at the meeting, a PDP chieftain and a former commissioner for…

By; Hon. Dr. David Nwaenyi The latest remarks by Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, distancing Delta North from proposals to relocate Anioma into the South East, bring much-needed clarity to an issue that has too often been framed with sentiment rather than constitutional logic. According to him, the nine LGAs in Delta North Senatorial District prefer Anioma as a 7th state within the South South, not a transfer into another geopolitical zone. That position aligns with the principles of self-determination, balance, and federal equity. Against this backdrop, the proposition by Senator Prince Ned Nwoko to zone Anioma into the South…

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has said that Public Relations must incorporate a needs analysis mechanism to truly understand what concerns citizens the most and identify potential pathways forward. DrumAfricanews reports that Kalu said the above in Kaduna on Thursday, at the Nigeria Public Relations Week (Croc City) 2026 with the theme: “Food Security: From Policy Paper to Public Plate; the Imperatives of Public Relations” The Deputy Speaker called on public relations practitioners to move beyond image polishing and embrace candid, issues-based engagement with Nigerians, saying transparency is now central to governance and…

According to an official letter submitted to Governor Hope Uzodimma by a delegation from the office of Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, the One Kindred One Business Initiative (OKOBI) poverty alleviation initiative of the Imo State Governor has been adopted as a nationwide programme. In a formal letter seen by DrumAfricanews, Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima commended Governor Hope Uzodimma’s One Kindred One Business Initiative (OKOBI) and announced its adoption as a blueprint for youth empowerment, human capital development, and grassroots entrepreneurship across Nigeria. The vice president in the official letter expressed keen interest in the initiative, which encourages families, kindreds,…

The outgoing president of the Nigerian Association of Economists (NAE), Prof. Innocent Eleazu, has said that continuous refusal of the federal government to take advice from indigenous experts, especially those in international development finance and economic management, has been a major setback to the nation’s economy.  Prof. Eleazu, a United States of America (USA)-based consultant, went further to say that Nigeria’s economic woes got worse when former President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government refused to accept recommendations from NAE on how to lead Nigeria’s economy out of recession in 2021. The outgoing NAE president also noted that Buhari’s administration refused to…

The recent appointment of Dr Ezinne Chinyere Benjamin-Kalu, wife of the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, as the Chairman of the Management Board of the Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH) is generating serious reactions, especially from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and media aides of the governor.  According to Dr Emmanuel Meribole, secretary to the state government, the appointments of Dr Kalu and others take immediate effect is aimed at strengthening governance, improving service delivery, and enhancing the quality of medical training and healthcare services provided by the hospital. Reacting to the appointment, Nwakwuribe Elendu said that the appointment of Dr…

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Club 17 Peace Initiative, Abia State chapter, has unanimously adopted President Bola Tinubu for re-election.  In a unanimous resolution, the group also joined calls across Abia State urging the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, to consider joining the 2027 Abia State governorship race. DrumAfricanews reports that the decision was reached during a strategic stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, where members gathered to review both national and state-level political directions. The meeting was well attended by the leadership of the group, led by Hon.…

Prince Eze Ugochukwu In May 2021, Professor Ikechukwu N.S. Dozie entered the office of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma as an unknown figure. The Governor had no prior acquaintance with him. The institution he had been appointed to lead—Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University (KOMU)—existed only on paper. A reconstituted entity from the defunct Eastern Palm University, the institution functioned with fewer than 300 students, held zero accredited programmes, and operated with a disoriented staff. This fragile situation was further exacerbated by escalating insecurity across the Orlu zone. On April 15, 2026—four years and eleven months later—Professor Dozie addressed the 3rd…