A prominent Urhobo women’s group based in Frankfurt Am Main, State of Hessen, Germany, under the aegis of “Ukọ kọ R’e Eguono R’e Iya Ruẹ Urhobo,” has passed a vote of no confidence in the Chief Ese Gam-led Urhobo Progress Union (UPU Worldwide), describing its leadership as “incompetent and morally bankrupt.” The group accused the current UPU Executive of bringing the Urhobo nation into disrepute and insisted that it has no moral right to seek re-election after what it called “a disastrous tenure marked by failure and silence in moments of national embarrassment.” In a statement issued and signed by…
Author: SouthernVoiceNews
SouthernVoiceNews
Godwin-Maria Utuedoye is a trained professional journalist. A graduate of Mass Communication from the Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. He is a registered practising Journalist with the Nigeria Union of Journalists with over 20 years experience in news reporting. He is interested in Investigative and development Journalism. He lives in Nigeria and focuses more in the Niger-Delta region where oil and gas exploration by government and multinational iol companies has plunged into poverty and environmental degradation for years. He is also a PR Consultant, content creator, broadcast, print Journalist and Publisher. His vast experiences in journalism span over decades of reporting the activities of the untouched areas. He is married with children.
Barely five days after the Senate approved President Bola Tinubu’s $2.847 billion external borrowing plan, another loan request, this time N1.15 trillion from the domestic market, has landed before the National Assembly. The fresh request, read on the floor of the Senate by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, seeks legislative approval to fund part of the deficit in the 2025 national budget. According to the president, the new domestic borrowing is to “bridge the fiscal shortfall” and ensure “smooth implementation of key government programmes and projects” under the 2025 fiscal framework. The loan, he said, is backed…
Delta Central Senator, Ede Dafinone, has raised alarm over the recurring train derailments, service suspensions, and growing safety concerns on the train services. His motion has prompted the Nigerian Senate to order immediate investigation and rehabilitation of the Ujevwu–Itakpe rail corridor. Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Senator Dafinone, described the frequent derailments and poor maintenance of the Ujevwu–Itakpe Train Line as a threat to passenger safety and national economic growth. He called for “an urgent investigation, full rehabilitation, and stronger safety measures to protect passengers and safeguard this vital national infrastructure.” The Ujevwu–Itakpe…
The deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took another turn over the weekend as former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, publicly endorsed Alhaji Mohammed Abdulrahman as the factional Acting National Chairman of the party. Abdulrahman’s emergence followed the suspension of the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and five other National Working Committee (NWC) members by a faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Fayose, speaking during the event attended by key PDP stakeholders, including prominent Ekiti governorship aspirant, Dr. Funso Ayeni, congratulated Abdulrahman and charged him to make party unity and justice his…
The political atmosphere within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has grown tense ahead of the Ekiti governorship primaries, following sharp criticism from Dr. Funso Ayeni, one of the party’s leading aspirants, over the suspension of the National Organising Secretary, Hon. Umar Bature. Dr. Ayeni, in a statement issued from his campaign office in Ado-Ekiti, described the decision of the National Working Committee (NWC) as a “calculated and autocratic move” intended to suppress dissenting voices within the party. He accused the leadership of deliberately undermining internal democracy and attempting to manipulate the upcoming primary process. According to him, Bature’s alleged wrongdoing…
In a revealing interview on Meet the Lawmaker”, Senator Ede Dafinone spoke candidly on Nigeria’s economic recovery, youth empowerment, leadership values, and his vision for a better nation. He defended President Tinubu’s economic reforms, describing them as “hard but necessary decisions” to restore fiscal stability, noting that subsidy removals and currency realignment were already showing early signs of recovery. On leadership, Dafinone emphasized humility and service over power, warning that politics must return to people-centered governance. He called for stronger protection of Nigeria’s traditional institutions, describing them as vital pillars of culture and stability. Addressing youth challenges, he urged a…
The Acting Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Ughelli North chapter, Mr Samuel Evwioghono has revealed that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has quashed the stronghold of opposition with his massive imfrstractual development in Ughelli North. Mr. Evwighono also disclosed that the Oborevwori led Delta APC is strongly prepared to reconcile all aggrieved members of the party in the local government. Evwioghono further maintained that his executive and leaders of APC in Ughelli North Local Government will put in place whatever it takes to reconcile and woo back all aggrieved members to support the administration of Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori. According…
The late Bishop Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun, the Pioneer and Emeritus Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, meant different person to different groups of people that had the opportunity to interact with him while he was alive. He was like the masquerade dancing in the town square. Where every spectator stands decides the side of the masquerade they shall surely see. My first personal encounter with Baba Fagun was in 1994 precisely. I was working on the biography of his friend and ‘twin’ brother, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun of the old Catholic Diocese of Oyo with headquarters at Osogbo then. Later,…
Ahead of further legislative actions on the proposed Landlord/Tenancy Bill, Delta Assembly House of Assembly has pledged thorough scrutiny to ensure it meet modern housing needs in the state and protect the rights of all parties. The Chairman of the House Joint Committee on Housing, Women Affairs, Girl Child Entrepreneurship and Humanitarian Support Services, and the Committee on Urban Renewal, Hon. Bridget Anyafulu, gave the assurance in her opening remarks during the public hearing on the bill held at the Delta Assembly Complex in Asaba. Declaring the session open, Hon. Anyafulu explained that the bill is to provide a clear…
Senator Ede Dafinone’s story is one of a man who refuses to play to the gallery yet delivers where it matters most. His dedication to education, skills development, empowerment, infrastructure, and visionary planning underscores a simple truth: leadership is not about noise, but about results