Category Nigeria News

Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Anambra State, George Moghalu, has resigned his membership of the party.

Moghalu announced his resignation in a letter shared on his X handle on Tuesday.

In the letter, dated January 26, 2026 and  addressed to the Chairman of Ward 1, Labour Party, Uruagu, Nnewi, Moghalu said his decision took immediate effect.

“I bring you the good wishes of my family and to formally inform you of my resignation from the Labour Party, effective today, the 26th of January, 2026,” the letter read.

He thanked the party for the opportunity to contest the 2025 Anambra State governorship election on its platform.

READ ALSO: Anambra Election: Why I Lost In My Polling Unit – LP Candidate

Moghalu also requested that his regards be conveyed to party members, signing off the letter as “Ohamadike Na Nnewi.”

Before joining the Labour Party in October 2024, Moghalu was a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he served as National Auditor.

The former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), a position he held between 2019 and 2023, resigned from the APC in August 2024. He cited personal reasons and the need for a “better platform” to pursue his governorship ambition.

Moghalu later secured the Labour Party governorship ticket in April 2025 ahead of the Anambra State governorship election.

However, in the November 8, 2025, election, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), defeated him and others to pick a return ticket as Anambra governor.

Trader frustration over the government’s strategy and strict control over Onitsha Main Market in Anambra State have expressed their dissatisfaction with the closure of the market.

Some traders questioned the fairness of the shutdown, claiming that many business owners who had traveled abroad and to larger markets had purchased goods and were prepared to launch sales following the yuletide period. However, others claimed that the directive would cause hardship for many who depend on daily income to survive.

Some traders, on the other hand, praised Governor Chukwuma Soludo for the action, noting that compliance with an order issued by a recognized state authority outweighs compliance with an order issued by unknown actors.

Some people said they are prepared to resume business after the governor appealed to maintain the same level of security for Monday.

READ MORE: Soludo shuts down Onitsha Main Market for a Week Over Sit-At-Home.

Employees from the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Army, and the Nigerian Police Force were immediately dispatched to help block entrances and obstruct traders from gaining access to their stores. To turn back those attempting to enter the market, additional operatives were stationed at crucial locations.

Police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga responded to the development by stating that the state government’s directive requires the government to maintain law and order.

In order to protect public safety, security, and economic stability, he urged traders to abide by the directives, adding that security forces would keep Onitsha and other Anambra State’s calm and orderly.

Following an unscheduled inspection on Monday, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s order to close Onitsha Main Market resulted in the closure of the business. Most traders had not yet opened their stores in accordance with the sit-at-home rule put in place by non-state actors.

The government has stressed that Mondays are now routine working days and warned against imposing stricter sanctions on any contravention.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says the ruling party’s objective is to expand its membership across the country by showcasing what he described as effective governance.

Yilwatda stated this on Tuesday in Jos, Plateau State, during an official welcome rally organised by the APC for Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

“I can proudly say that the APC currently has 29 governors, and we are expecting more. We are not tired of welcoming everybody,” Yilwatda said.

“Our intention, our motive, our objective is to ensure that everybody in Nigeria becomes a member of the APC because we are providing the best form of governance,” he said.

He explained that the party’s growing influence was driven by performance at both federal and state levels, insisting that APC-led states were benefiting from improved revenue and economic recovery.

According to him, state governments are receiving increased revenues without excessive borrowing due to better economic management under the APC-led Federal Government.

“Every governor knows that the revenue coming to states today, without collecting loans, is a result of good governance.

“The economy is reviving. State governments are investing in infrastructure, and that is what we want across the country,” he said.

Yilwatda urged governors, lawmakers and citizens to align with President Bola Tinubu to accelerate national development.

“We want all governors, all senators and all Nigerians to partner with President Bola Tinubu to move Nigeria forward,” he stated.

The APC chairman also expressed confidence that Plateau State would eventually become a one-party state, beginning from the State House of Assembly.

“Everybody on the Plateau knows that those who are not in the APC are already a minority. The majority of local governments across the state are APC-controlled,” he said.

In a direct appeal to members of the opposition, Yilwatda described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a sinking ship and urged its members to defect.

“The PDP is drowning. We have thrown a life jacket to rescue those who want to be saved before the ship finally sinks,” he said.

According to Law Mefoh, the commissioner of information for Anambra State, the state loses $8 billion every Monday as a result of the sit-at-home order imposed by non-state actors.

Mefoh made the remarks on Tuesday in an interview with The Morning Brief on Channels Television, pointing out how severely the practice has affected the state’s socio-economic life.

According to statistics, Anambra loses an average of $ 8 billion every Monday when the market is closed, he said.

Following traders’ failure to open their stores on Monday, Governor Chukwuma Soludo issued a directive to shut down the well-known Onitsha Main Market for a week.

Mefoh argued that the government has a duty to keep the economy running.

Also read: Sit-At-Home: Anambra Is Safe For Business, There Is No Fear Factor — Commissioner

“Those who oppose it are merely being mischievous.” According to him, the governor correctly called it economic sabotage because of this.

He explained that the governor did not make the decision at his own volition. It appears that the governor has simply erupted and stopped by Onitsha Main Market to halt its operations. Instead, he claimed, the state’s Executive Council is responsible for this.

They convened for a retreat two Mondays ago and decided that action must be taken to end sit-at-home in Anambra. You can see that the entire government is responsible for making that decision, not just the governor. He emphasized that the governor must put it into action, and that it will not be limited to Onitsha Main Market alone.

Mefoh added that the state would also monitor other state-wide markets. Any of the over 150 other Anambra State markets that are discovered to be closed on any Monday will be treated the same way. It must be carried out. For the time being, it is inevitable.

A number of judicial reforms, including those aimed at increasing the number of judges in Nigerian key courts, have been requested by President Bola Tinubu’s request for Senate approval.

Senator Godswill Akpabio, the president of the Senate, read President Tinubu’s letter asking for an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to increase the number of justices from 70 to 110 at the resumption of plenary on Tuesday.

The President cited the need to expand the court and take care of the growing number of cases.

Additionally, he submitted a bill requesting changes to the Federal High Court Act to increase the number of judges from its original 50 judges to 90.

 Electoral Reforms, Constitution Review, and Senate Leader’s 2026 Budget to Be Priority on NASS Resumes

The Senate should review the bill more quickly, according to President Tinubu. The Senate Committee on Rules and Business received the amendments’ proposals for further legislative action.

The President requested the Senate’s approval of Justice Oyewole Joseph Kayode’s appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in addition to the proposed increases.

A Court of Appeal Amendment Bill, which would establish an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Center to facilitate the resolution of sensitive cases outside of the traditional court system, was also presented to the Senate. The Committee on Rules and Business received this bill as well.

Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), filed an ex-parte motion with the federal court in Abuja asking for his release from the Sokoto Correctional Facility.

Demdoo Asan, a senior legal officer of the Legal Aid Council, informed the court that Kanu’s legal representative wanted to leave the case because there were unsolvable issues.

He explained that he had been in constant phone contact with the applicant’s family since the last adjourned date.

Despite receiving phone calls and making appearance promises, the relatives did not appear at the Legal Aid office to depose the application.

Demdoo added that Kanu hoped to dictate the proceedings and have control over what the attorneys’ statements in court would be.

Read more about Nnamdi Kanu’s transfer to the Sokoto Prison’s “Surprising, Insensitive” by Ejimakor.

He requests that I record what I would say in court. But he said he can’t in good faith accept that as a court officer.

He added that his superiors all agreed with him after speaking with him.

When a case comes to us, as court officers, we handle it as necessary, Demdoo said. Otherwise, the applicant may seek legal assistance elsewhere.

Then, in response, he requested to formally withdraw from the matter by invoking Rule 50 of the Federal High Court Rules.

Justice Omotosho praised the attorney for upholding the court’s dignity in his ruling.

Demdoo and the Legal Aid Council were given permission to resign from representing the defendant by him.

The judge added that the motion lacked integrity. He demanded that all parties involved be given notice in order to ensure justice and fairness.

He noted that there hasn’t been any proof of service before the court since the last court session on December 8, 2025.