Omalicha News for November 17, 2025

News on Monday November 17, 2025

 Imo PDP Rejects Dissolution of State Executive at Ibadan Convention

The Imo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected the dissolution of its state leadership at the recently concluded National Convention of the party, which took place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

In a press statement issued by its spokesperson, Lancelot Obiaku, the party described the convention that led to the suspension of its executive as illegal, noting that it was conducted in disregard of a subsisting judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered by Justice James Omotosho on 31 October 2025, which ordered the withholding of the convention until the party complied with its constitution.

The Imo PDP urged its members and supporters to completely disregard the report, which it described as a wishful thought existing in the imaginations of its purveyors.

The state chapter of the party asserted that what occurred on 15 and 16 November was a mere gathering of a Committee of Friends for a tea party, which, it observed, attempted an exercise that later ended in futility.

UNIZIK Appoints Vice Chancellor

The Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has appointed Prof. Bond Anyaechie as its substantive Vice Chancellor, marking the end of a year-long leadership impasse that followed the controversial removal of Prof. Bernard Odoh.

The announcement was made on Sunday by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Olugbenga Kukoyi, during a press briefing in Abuja.

Odoh’s earlier appointment had been reversed by President Bola Tinubu amid allegations of irregularities in the recruitment process and questions surrounding his academic credentials. 

The move triggered widespread criticism from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the university’s chapter of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, which condemned the appointment as irregular and prejudicial, especially as the matter was already in court.

Kukoyi described the fresh selection process as both thorough and transparent, noting that the council followed due process at every stage.

DSS Operatives Arms Supply Networked Linked to Plateau State Attacks

Operatives of the Department of State Services have disrupted an alleged arms supply network linked to attacks in Plateau State and neighbouring areas, arresting a suspected arms dealer.

The suspect was arrested on November 12, 2025, following intelligence that led operatives to his workshop in the Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A statement from the service on Sunday said the suspect allegedly manufactured and distributed weapons and ammunition to armed groups operating in Plateau and other northern states.

The operation comes days after the service recaptured Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee accused of involvement in the Owo and Deeper Life Church attacks.

NAFDAC Charges RVSG on Implementation of Policy on Pharmacovigilance

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has urged the Rivers State Government to ensure that all health facilities in the state fully implement the National Policy on Pharmacovigilance.

She made the call in Port Harcourt during a stakeholders’ meeting themed “Grassroots Community Sensitisation on Pharmacovigilance.”

The National Policy on Pharmacovigilance is a government guideline that ensures all medicines are closely monitored for safety and that any harmful reactions are promptly reported and addressed.

Speaking through the Director of the Pharmacovigilance Directorate, Dr Uchenna Elemuwa, the NAFDAC DG explained that the policy, created in 2012, outlines the responsibilities of health ministries, healthcare workers, and patients in ensuring the safety of medicines.

Sokoto State Launches Response to Cholera Outbreak

The Sokoto State Government says it has launched a rapid response to the cholera outbreak reported across 12 local government of the state.

The incident, which was first recorded earlier this week, prompted an emergency mobilisation of health personnel and supplies to the affected communities.

A top official at the State Ministry of Health, Biliyaminu Sifawa, who confirmed the development on behalf of the Executive Secretary of State Primary health Development Centre, said health workers were deployed to Primary Health Centres within 24 hours of notification.

Sifawa added that the state also intensified community sensitisation on hygiene, safe water handling and the dangers of open defecation, measures described as critical to halting further transmission.

FOREIGN

US Lawmaker Faults President Tinubu on Alleged Religious Persecution

A United States lawmaker, Riley Moore, has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s claims that Nigeria does not encourage religious persecution, insisting that the reality on the ground contradicts the President’s public statements.

In a post on X on Sunday, shared by Moore, he cited Tinubu’s earlier assertion that his administration opposes religious persecution, responding, “@officialABAT claims his government opposes religious persecution. But 12 states have Sharia law, and a Christian faces the death penalty for defending his farm from a Muslim Fulani militant who stabbed him repeatedly.

Moore also shared a video of a Fox News Sunday interview with anchor Shannon Bream, who read out Tinubu’s November statement on religious freedom in Nigeria.

Moore’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump, on October 31, designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian genocide, warning that the Nigerian government must stop the killings or the United States would deploy troops to wipe out the jihadists.

The Federal Government has repeatedly denied claims of a systematic Christian genocide, describing such allegations as false, misleading, and a distortion of Nigeria’s security challenges.

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SPORTS

The National football team, Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup dream suffered a major blow on Sunday as DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental playoff following a dramatic penalty shootout at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

The match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes of regulation and extra time, sending the high-stakes encounter to penalties. Nigeria initially went ahead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute, but DR Congo equalised in the 32nd minute through M. Elia. Extra time saw both teams create chances, with Tolu Arokodare missing a header for Nigeria and Nwabali making a crucial save from a DR Congo free kick, but neither side could break the deadlock.

 ..... packaged by Paschal Chukwuemeka

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