The South East Insider
Enugu Air's first international flight, the Soludo-Obi debt row, an APC sweep of Enugu's council polls, and Otti on retiring. Your South-East briefing for September 28.
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The South East Insider
Monday, September 28, 2026 · By Michael Obierika · 7:00 AM
Regional Headlines
Enugu Air flies its first international route, to Douala
ENUGU, Monday, September 28, 2026. Enugu Air's 76-seat Embraer E170 left Akanu Ibiam International Airport at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, and reached Douala, Cameroon, about an hour later. It is the state-owned carrier's first flight outside Nigeria. The airline received its Air Operator Certificate in March 2026 and flies six aircraft, with domestic links to Lagos, Abuja, Asaba, Owerri, Kano and Port Harcourt.
Why it matters: A state-owned airline now reaches Central Africa directly, which changes how Enugu pitches itself to investors and traders in the region.
Source: ThisDay, Sept 24 and 28
Anambra and Peter Obi trade blows over the state's debt record
AWKA, Monday, September 28, 2026. Anambra's government says eight external loans tied to Peter Obi's tenure had about $92.35 million (roughly ₦127.37 billion) outstanding as of June 30, 2026, and that repayments come out of federal allocations. On Saturday, September 26, it added a fresh statement accusing him of concealing loans and workers' arrears. Obi maintains he handed over in March 2014 owing no salaries, pensions or completed-contract debts. An Igbo group, the Igbo Heroes and Icons Foundation, urged both sides on Sunday to settle it by examining documents.
Why it matters: The row lands as Obi runs for president on the NDC ticket, so a state accounts dispute is now part of the 2027 campaign.
Source: The ICIR, Vanguard, The Whistler, Sept 26 and 27
Ebonyi marks 30 years as a state with a thanksgiving service
ABAKALIKI, Monday, September 28, 2026. Governor Francis Nwifuru thanked the state's past leaders at a service marking Nigeria's 66th Independence anniversary and Ebonyi's 30th anniversary, and said his government will keep building on the foundations they laid.
Why it matters: The anniversary comes as Nwifuru, an APC governor, has told newly sworn-in council chairmen to hold the grassroots for the party ahead of 2027.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria, Sept 27
Anambra Desk
Soludo and an NDC senatorial candidate exchange words in Ekwusigo
AWKA, Monday, September 28, 2026. Chief Ebuka Onunkwo, the NDC candidate for Anambra South Senate in 2027, said on Sunday he will not answer remarks attributed to Governor Charles Soludo, who reportedly advised him at a road commissioning in Ekwusigo to stick to business. Onunkwo said the governor is his senior in age.
Why it matters: It shows how quickly opposition lines are hardening in Anambra, where APGA holds the governorship.
Source: Vanguard, Sept 27
First Lady tells empowerment beneficiaries not to sell the equipment
AWKA, Monday, September 28, 2026. Dr. Nonye Soludo warned recipients of state-distributed empowerment equipment against selling it and urged them to use it to work their way out of poverty.
Why it matters: Resale of empowerment items is a recurring weakness of such schemes, and public warnings signal that the state is watching for it.
Source: ThisDay, Sept 26
Abia Desk
Otti: I will retire from politics after my tenure
ABIA, Monday, September 28, 2026. In an interview on Arise TV on Friday, September 25, Governor Alex Otti said he will run for no other office after his time as governor, including the presidency, and that Abia will not stop opposition parties from campaigning. He also said his administration has paid nearly 75 percent of a ₦191.2 billion debt it inherited, after cutting governance costs by 20 percent.
Why it matters: It answers speculation about Otti's ambitions beyond Abia and sets the terms for his own 2027 re-election pitch.
Source: Vanguard, Gistlover, Sept 25
Otti says he will not impose a successor
UMUAHIA, Monday, September 28, 2026. Speaking in Umuahia on Thursday, September 17, while receiving a former SDP governorship candidate into the Labour Party, Otti said he will not be a godfather and pointed to the Abia Leadership Academy, which he said recently graduated more than 1,080 young people aged 16 to 25.
Why it matters: Succession talk this early points to how firmly Labour in Abia is positioning itself for the long term.
Source: P.M. News, Sept 18
New school-fee rules cap certificate charges at ₦2,000
ABIA, Monday, September 28, 2026. Otti approved education reforms that cover public and private schools, including a ban on assignments printed in textbooks and a ₦2,000 cap on certificate fees, aimed at curbing extortion of parents and exam malpractice.
Why it matters: Parents across Abia now have a published fee ceiling to hold schools to.
Source: Century Newspaper, Sept 19
Enugu Desk
APC sweeps all 17 chairmanship seats in Enugu council polls
ENUGU, Monday, September 28, 2026. The Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission declared the APC winner in every chairmanship contest in the September 26 council elections, defeating the PDP and others, and issued certificates of return to the 17 winners.
Why it matters: A clean sweep gives Governor Peter Mbah's party full control of the local councils heading into 2027.
Source: Legit.ng, Sept 28
Mbah tells editors he wants Enugu among Nigeria's top three states by GDP
ENUGU, Monday, September 28, 2026. Addressing the All Nigeria Editors Conference in Enugu, Mbah said he wants his state to become the South-East's economic gateway, and pointed to more than 1,500 km of roads and over 7,000 classrooms. On September 9 he had unveiled a compendium of more than 10,000 first-term milestones.
Why it matters: The scorecard is the core of his re-election case, and editors were invited to go and verify it on the ground.
Source: Vanguard, Sept 25 and 26; Premium Times via allAfrica, Sept 9
Imo Desk
Uzodimma inducts 6,030 new teachers
OWERRI, Monday, September 28, 2026. Governor Hope Uzodimma on Thursday, September 24 inaugurated 6,030 newly recruited teachers and 345 non-teaching staff, all posted to schools in their home communities after six weeks of training at the Ben Uwajimogu College of Education, Ihitte Uboma.
Why it matters: The government says the intake is meant to close an acute teacher shortage and the rural-urban staffing gap.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria, ThisDay, Sept 24
Imo council elections held on September 26 amid a court challenge and legitimacy questions
OWERRI, Monday, September 28, 2026. The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission scheduled polls for 27 chairmanships and 305 councillorship seats. APGA had gone to the Imo High Court to stop the exercise, citing a defective notice and voters' register, and commentators questioned the timing of the governor's Shared Prosperity Coordinators, 27 for the councils and 305 for the wards, inaugurated two days before. I could not confirm official results at the time of writing.
Why it matters: Official results and any court ruling are the next things to check, and both bear on how the new councils are seen locally.
Source: Lawyard, TheNiche, Trending News, Sept 14 to 24
Ebonyi Desk
Nwifuru charges new council chairmen on prudent use of funds
ABAKALIKI, Monday, September 28, 2026. Opening a three-day capacity-building workshop in Abakaliki on Thursday, September 24, the governor urged newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen and treasurers to manage public money carefully and improve service at the grassroots.
Why it matters: Council funds are where most citizens meet government, so financial discipline there matters.
Source: Vanguard, Sept 25
Ebonyi says it is reviving a ₦16 billion water scheme
ABAKALIKI, Monday, September 28, 2026. Commissioner for Water Resources Victor Chukwu told reporters that the state is rehabilitating long-abandoned water projects and extending reticulation to major commercial hubs and public buildings.
Why it matters: Chronic water scarcity is among the most visible service gaps in the state.
Source: Channels Television, Sept 10
Delta / Anioma Desk
Coverage gap: No Anioma or Delta North item from the past 48 hours turned up in my searches. Recent coverage I found is from December 2025 to March 2026 on the Anioma State proposal, so I have not included it.
Rivers (Ikwerre / Igbo communities) Desk
Fubara markets Rivers to investors at UNGA 81
PORT HARCOURT, Monday, September 28, 2026. Governor Siminalayi Fubara told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that Rivers will be showcased as a top investment destination. The state's ₦1.85 trillion 2026 budget was signed earlier this month.
Why it matters: This is a general Rivers item; it does not cover the Ikwerre or other Igbo-speaking communities specifically, which is this desk's focus.
Source: The Tide, Sept 25; Nigeria Info FM
FCT and Diaspora Igbo Desk
Coverage gap: No verified new item from the past 48 hours.
Security Watch
Coverage gap: No confirmed security incident from the past 48 hours turned up in my searches; the results were older or unrelated. This section is left open rather than filled with stale reports.
Business and Economy
Abia targets seven priority sectors for investment. At the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce's Meet the Governor series in Lagos, Otti said Abia's 2026 budget is ₦1.016 trillion with 80 percent for capital spending, and that projected internally generated revenue is ₦223.4 billion. (Vanguard, Sept 2026)
Infrastructure Tracker
- Enugu: More than 1,500 km of roads built or rebuilt, per the governor; Enugu Air now runs six aircraft.
- Ebonyi: Water scheme rehabilitation under way in Abakaliki and other hubs.
- Anambra: State says 600 km of roads are complete out of over 900 km awarded (ThisDay, April 2026).
Weather and Flood Watch
NiHSA's national flood alert NFA-2026-262 covered September 19 to 25 and named Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Delta and Rivers among 15 states. That window has now closed and I found no fresh advisory for this week, so treat river levels as still elevated and check for updates from NiHSA and NEMA. Avoid crossing flooded roads and bridges, especially in floodplain communities.
Quote of the Day
“I’m not going to run for any other thing.”Alex Otti, Governor of Abia State, on retiring from politics after his tenure, Arise TV, September 25
What to Watch Today
- Whether Imo's electoral commission publishes the September 26 council results and how APGA's court case proceeds.
- Onitsha and Nnewi: whether Monday trading is normal, given the state's stated position on the sit-at-home.
- Fresh statements in the Soludo-Obi debt dispute, including any documents either side releases.
- Any new Enugu Air route announcements after the Douala launch.
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