BREAKING: EDO APC DEPUTY STATE CHAIRMAN ARRESTED

Barely 48 to the House of Assembly elections in Edo State, the State’s deputy chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jarret Tenebe, has been arrested allegedly on the orders of the deputy governor of the State, Hon. Philip Shaibu.

He was said to have been arrested in Ikabigbo, his hometown, in Etsako West local government area of the State for undisclosed reasons.

Tenebe is a popular mobilizer for the APC and a strong loyalist of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, he has in a recent video accused the deputy governor of sundry issues.

The party had in a press conference in Benin City on Tuesday alleged that the state government planned to rig Saturday’s election using thugs in various disguises

The state chairman of the party, Col David Imuse (rtd) and the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the APC, Ofure Osehobo both confirmed the arrest but the police is yet to respond to enquiries as the Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor have not picked his calls.

Details later…

KWARA F.A CHAIRMANSHIP: WOPA DECLARES INTENTION

Former board member of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and the estwhile vice Chairman of Kwara United Football Club Alhaji Abdulrasaq Owolabi Wopa has declared his intention to run for the Chairmanship of the Kwara Football Association.

The football administrator who stated his plans to run for the championship of the State Football Association noted that he will give maximum attention to grassroots football development and also give a level playing ground to every club in the state.

“I want to contest for the Kwara FA chairman in the next election, I want to be more present as the chairman and bring in my wealth of experience. I believe that the next FA chairman must be somebody who understands and has actually invested his energy, time and vision into grassroots football.” He said to Owosports.com.ng.

“I will give priority to grassroots development, I will map out programs to give our youth an opportunity both boys and girls and we’ll ensure that there will be no gap left in the process of growing the sport again,”

I will give priority to grassroots development, I will map out programs to give our youth an opportunity both boys and girls and we’ll ensure that there will be no gap left in the process of growing the sport again,”

“I have served as a board member in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), I was the chairman of the league marketing committee of the leaguy, I was the former vice Chairman of Kwara United. I have lived all my life as a football technocrat and I believe I have a lot to offer the state in-terms of football development.”He added.

The Kwara FA election is slated to take place in June later this year.

FG POSTPONES 2023 POPULATION CENSUS TO MAY

The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed disclosed this Wednesday at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

The population census was earlier scheduled for March 29, but the exercise will now hold in May.

The minister told State House correspondents that the decision was necessitated by the rescheduling of the gubernatorial election to March 18.

He also said that the council approved the sum of N2.8 billion for the National Population Commission (NPC) to procure software to be used for the conduct of the census.

“There was a memo presented by the National Population Commission, seeking some software to allow them to conduct the census in May this year. I believe because of the rescheduling of the elections, they cannot commence the census as scheduled,” the minister said.

“They sought Council’s approval for a contract to procure software for the census at the sum of N2.8 billion.”

COLLAPSE YOUR STRUCTURE, JOIN ME TO SAVE LAGOS’ - GRV TELLS PDP

Ahead of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos, Labour Party, LP’s governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has said he is expecting the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state to collapse its structure and join him to save Lagos.

The LP candidate, popularly known as GRV, said this in an exclusive interview with Politics Hub, a Vanguard online TV’s show on Tuesday.

GRV also expressed hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will oversee a transparent electoral process, while stating that he is “prepared for the worse”.

He said: “I have a relationship with the PDP. I came from the PDP. I was in the PDP for six years. I was the senatorial candidate for PDP in 2019.

“I had the most votes in the party. I know the leaders in the party. We understand that at a practical level, we need to have as many people working together, especially because this election process is not free and fair.

“They promised us electronic transmission of votes, that did not happen. We saw the intimidation and harassment, and manipulations at the ward collation, LG collation.

“So we need everybody to work together to save and rescue Lagos. We are in talks with several parties

A few parties have collapsed their structures for us. I expect that the PDP would do the same very soon.”

On INEC, he remarked, “We have got an injunction and a court order to mandate the INEC to follow its rules that it has set out and failure to do that, the entire election is null and void.

“So they must do the election transmission of voting from the polling units. That is on one hand.

“On the other hand; we know that a lot of these people might be compromised. Just like the last election, it was very shameful, to say the least.

KWARA CENTRAL YPP LEADERS PROMISE TO WORK FOR PDP, YAMAN'S VICTORY

All the ward chairmen, women leaders, youth leaders, and members of the executives of the Young Peoples Party (YPP) across the 52 wards of Kwara Central have on Tuesday night declared their total support for the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday's gubernatorial election, Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullahi.

Led by their co-ordinator, Mr. Lookman Maja, the YPP leaders affirmed their readiness to work with the PDP, to elect a people-oriented government under Alhaji Abdullahi. 

The group said Kwarans cannot afford to continue with Mr. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of the APC, who has failed in all ramifications and has put the state in reverse gear. 

They also promised to mobilize all their supporters across Ilorin South, Ilorin West, Ilorin East, and Asa LGAs to vote for the PDP Governorship and House of Assembly candidates in the March 18 elections.

Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki while receiving the YPP leaders in Ilorin appreciated their boldness to work for PDP in the Governorship election in the interest of the people of Kwara and the generation unborn. 

Saraki, according to his Press Officer on Local Matters, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, assured the leadership of the YPP in Kwara Central of good working relationships in the interest of the state.

Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir - ABDUL ABDUL,

Press Officer on Local Matters,

Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office

FG RECORDS 12.98m CYBERATTACKS DURING PRESIDENTIAL, NASS ELECTIONS

The Federal Government said 12,988,978 attacks were recorded during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Pantami said that the attacks originated from both within and outside Nigeria, adding that threats to public websites and portals averaged around 1,550,000 daily.

The minister said in the run-up to the 2023 general elections, threat intelligence revealed an astronomical increase in cyber threats to Nigerian cyberspace.

“It is worth noting that in the run-up to the 2023 general elections, threat intelligence revealed an astronomical increase in cyber threats to Nigerian cyberspace.

“Generally, threats to public websites and portals averaged around 1,550,000 daily. However, they skyrocketed to 6,997,277 on the elections days,” Pantami said.

He said a committee set up by his ministry to curtail the activities of cyber criminals during the elections started work on February 24 and ended work on February 28.

Pantami said: “During this period, a series of hacking attempts were recorded, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), email and IPS attacks, SSH Login Attempts, Brute force Injection attempts, Path Traversal, Detection Evasion, and Forceful Browsing

KADUNA EX-GOVS SHOULD SWEAR THEY NEVER STOLE FROM TREASURY — EL-RUFAI

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that he has never stolen money from the state government and that he is ready to swear to prove he is telling the truth.

Challenging his predecessors, the governor said they should also come out to swear, if their hands are clean, as he threatened to expose them for pilfering the state treasury.

El-Rufai said this in an interview in Hausa monitored on a local television and radio station, where he explained that his philosophy in governance was not to steal, adding that he is aware that there would be a day of reckoning.

Stating that all loans secured to facilitate projects in the state during his administration were used only for the specified projects, El-Rufai said, “The people can see that we executed those projects with the loans we secured. We did not syphon the money to Dubai and buy houses, or go to Jabi road and build a mansion.

CHELSEA FC APPOINTS SULEIMAN HASSAN AS NEW COACH

Hassan Sulaiman has been confirmed as head coach of the Chelsea Under-18

Suleiman who has been part of the team set-up since 2008 stepped up to take charge of Under-18s, having previously been the head coach at Under-16s level.

He has reportedly undertook a number of roles with various age groups in the process, before being appointed as Under-18s head coach.

He is a first class graduate from University of the Arts, London College of Communication, holds a UEFA A License.

The coaching license allows holders to be head coaches of youth teams up to age 18, reserve teams for top-flight clubs, and men’s professional second-tier clubs.

BREAKING: JAMB SHIFTS 2023 MOCK UTME OVER GOV POLLS

The 2023 Mock-UTME earlier scheduled for Thursday, March 16, 2023, has been shifted to Thursday, March 30, 2023, The PUNCH reports.

The shift in date is partly owing to the change in the date for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections earlier scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 11, 2023, but now moved to March 18, 2023, the examination board said in a statement on Monday afternoon.

“Candidates, who registered early and indicated their willingness to take the Mock-UTME, would be notified as to when to print their Mock-UTME notification slip, which would contain their centres and other details”.

The mock UTME is an optional examination introduced by the JAMB to provide an opportunity for candidates to have hands-on experience with the system as well as afford the board an opportunity to ascertain its readiness and that of its partners for the main UTME, which is scheduled to hold between April 29 to May 12, 2023.

NAIRA SCARCITY: N20TRN LOST TO REDUCTION IN ECONOMIC, TRADING ACTIVITIES, SAYS CPPE

The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) says the Nigerian economy has lost an estimated N20 trillion to the current naira scarcity.

The hief executive officer (CEO) of CPPE, Mada Yusuf spoke on the impact of the naira redesign policy in a statement on Sunday.

Two weeks ago, the supreme court had invalidated the naira redesign policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over a defective timing and implementation.

A seven-member panel of the apex court held that the old N200, N500 and N1000 notes remain legal tender until December 31, 2023.

Some banks have started dispensing old notes to customers (over the counter and automated teller machines) following the court order.

However, some Nigerians are rejecting the old notes for transactions as they await an official announcement from the federal government and CBN to determine the next course of action.

There are reports that banks are also refusing to accept deposits of old notes despite the court order.

BREAKING: APPEAL COURT RESERVES JUDGEMENT ON OSUN GOVERNORSHIP APPEAL

The Appeal Court on Monday, reserved judgement on the Osun State Governorship Appeal.

WHY OUR ICT DIRECTOR WAS REDEPLOYED BEFORE 2023 ELECTIONS – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has justified the transfer of its director in charge of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Chidi Nwafor, who was transferred a few months before the 2023 general elections.

Following the failure of INEC to upload results of the February 25 presidential election from the polling units to its portal in real time, there have been speculations of what could have gone wrong, with many saying that the commission missed the expertise of Nwafor.

However, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, insisted that the commission is built in a way that no department is wrapped around an individual.

The present leadership of the commission wants to build a professional organisation that is not wrapped around one individual. The individual (Nwafor) mentioned is a very good friend of mine; he is a director in the commission and any director can be posted out or to go and become an administrative secretary,” Okoye said.

Now the time we readjusted list of administrative secretaries was the time the commission was slightly panicky on whether we were going to have new resident electoral commissioners and we were preparing for elections.

“So, the commission decided in its wisdom that we are going to post our best hands to the various states as administrative secretaries to go and prepare the states for the purposes of election and that was exactly what the commission did.

“We have a department in charge of ICT and the Chidi I know tried to build a department that can stand on its own whether he is there on not and that is the same thing with every department,” he added.

Okoye attributed INEC’s inability to transmit polling units results directly to its portal in real time as it promised before the elections to “technical glitches” which he said have been rectified ahead of the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.

He assured Nigerians that the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) will be functional during the March 18 elections.

TINUBU WILL BE THIRD AFRICAN PRESIDENT TO BE SACKED BY THE COURT – ATIKU CAMP

Following allegations of ballot rigging in the recently concluded presidential elections, the Atiku Abubakar campaign council stated that Nigeria would become the next African country to annul a presidential election that resulted in the election of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, as president-elect.

Remember that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu the winner of the election despite protests from opposition political parties, who have since gone to court to challenge the outcome.

INEC’s failure to electronically transmit election results from 176,606 polling units to a public portal, as required by the commission’s regulations and guidelines, was one of the grounds for dispute by the losing parties.

In a tweet, Daniel Bwala, a spokesperson for the Atiku campaign, expressed optimism that Nigeria’s February 25, 2023 presidential election will be annulled due to alleged ballot rigging.

He went on to say that Nigeria, following Kenya and Mali, would be the third African country to annul a presidential election.

Supreme Court Kenya annulled the presidential elections for the first time in Africa, this was what was said “This is indeed a very historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension to the people of the continent of Africa”,” said Bwala.

For the first time in the history of African democratization, a ruling has been made by a court nullifying irregular election of a president. It marked a watershed in the continent of Africa that democracy would survive. After that, the Supreme Court in Malawi followed suit. Nigeria is next, save this post, he added.

After Austria, the Maldives, and Russia, Kenya became the third country in the world and the first in Africa to annul a presidential election in 2017.

Despite some international observers rating the election as free and fair, the East African country’s Supreme Court declared President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election null and void.

Malawi’s former president, Peter Mutharika, was fired by a constitutional court after being declared the winner of the country’s 2019 presidential election.

The court declared the presidential election results null and void, citing evidence of irregularities, and ordered that new elections be held within 150 days. Mutharika was defeated by Lazarus Chakwera in the rematch.

JUST IN: UZODIMMA SACKS LABOUR COMMISSIONER

The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, has sacked the Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, Ford Ozumba.

The Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, in a statement on Saturday, said the sacking was with immediate effect.

Uzodimma was said to have directed Ozumba to hand over all necessary documents to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Productivity immediately.

FRESH FM PRESENTER, BABA BINTIN, DIES ON WAY TO OFFICE

A presenter with Ibadan-based private radio station, Fresh FM Nigeria, popularly known as Baba Bintin, has died after he slumped on his way to the radio station for his programme on Saturday.

Baba Bintin’s death was announced during a radio programme by the station on Saturday.

“I’m finding it very difficult to believe this story that is breaking here,” popular presenter, Mayor Isaac Brown, said on the radio station.

He (Baba Bintin) left his home like we all did this morning to come into this station to do our daily job and contribute our quota to national development; the job like we love to do, and I’m being told that the man just slumped this morning and he died while getting ready to come here.”

Until his death, Baba Bintin, who usually spoke in the Ijesha dialect, and was called “Boda Olu” and “Uncle” by Komolafe Olaiya, was a comic presenter on the Oyin Ado programme on Saturdays on the Radio Station where he gave updates on market situations.

NNPP DRAGS INEC TO ELECTION TRIBUNAL OVER MISSING LOGO

The Nasarawa West senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, Wakili Kabiru-Muhammad, has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission to the Election Tribunal over the alleged omission of the party’s logo.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after filing his petition on Saturday in Lafia, Kabiru-Muhammad said the logo of his party was not clearly captured on the ballot papers by INEC.

INEC and Ahmed Aliyu-Wadada of the Social Democratic Party, who was announced the winner of the election, are the first and second defendants in the case respectively.

He alleged that the act of omission by INEC did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the 1999 Constitution

JUST IN: SUPREME COURT SACKS SHEKARAU AS SENATOR-ELECT

The Supreme Court on Friday sacked Senator Ibrahim Shekarau as the candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party and recognised Senator Rufa’i Hanga as the party’s candidate for the 2023 general election.

It would be recalled that Shekarau was declared the winner of the 2023 Kano Central Senatorial District election under NNPP.

Shekarau, a sitting senator was in the NNPP and was nominated to vie for the senatorial position under its platform.

However, before the elections, he announced his defection from the NNPP and abandoned his senatorial ambition to join the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to INEC, Shekarau polled 456,787 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Alhaji Abdulkarim Zaura, who polled 168,677 votes.

However, the Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the nomination of Hanga as the NNPP’s authentic candidate.

In a unanimous judgement, Justice Inyang Okoro-led five-member panel of the court faulted INEC’s refusal to replace Shekarau with Hanga after the former left the party for PDP before the election.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgment, written by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji, dismissed the INEC appeal.

The court, however, upheld the two earlier concurrent judgments by the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal, both in Abuja, that affirmed Hanga as the authentic candidate of NNPP.

KANO SENATOR ELECT, SHEKARAU REJECTS INEC’s CERTIFICATE OF RETURN

Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial district, Ibrahim Shekarau, has insisted that he will not accept the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Senatorial seat.

The former governor was reacting to his declaration as winner of Kano Central Senatorial district on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party by the Independent National Electoral Commission in the February 25 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The former governor of Kano State, who didn’t show up to receive the Certificate of Return issued to Senators-elect at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on Tuesday, further clarified that he had since left the NNPP.

His media aide, Sule Y. Sule made the clarifications to journalists that his principal wouldn’t collect the Certificate of Return.

“We have already made our position clear on the issue. Senator Shekarau is not interested and will not collect the certificate of return as a matter of principles and personal conviction,” Sule said.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared the former governor winner of the Senatorial election on the platform of the NNPP, a party he dumped before the poll for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

ORJI KALU LOSES CELL PHONE DURING CERTIFICATE OF RETURN PRESENTATION IN ABUJA

The Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, has disclosed his cell phone was stolen when he went to collect his Certificate of Return at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. 

He made this known in a post via his verified Facebook page on Thursday.

The former Abia State Governor also warned the general public to beware of any illicit activity involving his cell phone and numbers.

He said, "This is to notify the general public to beware of any illicit activity involving my cell phone and numbers. During the collection of Certificate of Return at International Conference Centre Abuja, my cell phone with MTN and Glo lines were stolen by a yet-to-be-identified person(s). 

"My network providers have been duly informed. Please don’t hesitate to provide any useful information.

Credit: Facebook | Senator Orji Uzor Kalu

TRAIN RAMS INTO BRT BUS IN LAGOS, CLAIMS MANY LIVES

Many people are currently feared dead and injured on Thursday following an early morning accident which involved a Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) train and a bus from one of the Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) scheme near PwD bus stop before Oshodi.

According to eyewitness report, the BRT bus got crushed by the train while trying to cross the railway crossing at Shogunl

e.Thehe BRT bus was crossing the railway track at Shogunle when it got hit by the train. The BRT bus shouldn’t have attempted to cross because the train was already nearbye.

“Many people are inside the BRT bus and I cannot give account of the number of injured for now,.

“The train ran into the BRT bus at Shogunle and dragged it along the rail track up to PwD area” an eye witness told the Nigerian Tribune exclusively

ARMY RECOVERS 1,671 PVCs, BALLOT PAPERS IN LAGOS APARTMENT

Personnel of the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, yesterday, recovered 1,671 Permanent Voters  Cards,  PVCs,  in an apartment in the Olodi-Apapa area of Lagos State.

Three persons were subsequently arrested in the apartment, while the prime suspect was said to be on the run.

The Brigade Commander, Brig. Gen. Isang Akpaumontia, who paraded the suspects and recovered PVCs, ballot papers and other items before journalists at the Ikeja Cantonment, said the arrest and recovery were made following a tip-off.

Most of the recovered PVCs had the year 2022 as the registration number, while others had years 2011, 2012 and 2021 with all the owners being residents of Lagos State. 

Briefing journalists Akpaumontia said: “Earlier today (yesterday), three young men were arrested with 1,671 PVCs. This was after early information was received. With the support of the Department of State Services, DSS, we were able to arrest them.

“They were arrested with some drugs, dagger, charms and over 1,000 PVCs. They were arrested at the Apapa general area, in a house where we traced them to. The owner of the house, who is the prime suspect, was traced to a hotel. But he took off. 

JUST IN: INEC POSTPONES GOV ELECTION BY ONE WEEK

The Independent National Electoral Commission has postponed the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold on March 11 by one week.

The elections will now hold on March 18, 2023.

A Residential Electoral Commissioner who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity confirmed the decision.

Details later…

COURT GRANTS INEC PERMISSION TO RECONFIGURE BVAS

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (Court of Appeal) on Wednesday, March 8 granted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permission to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the March 11 state elections.

The court granted the order on the basis that INEC said all data in BVAS machines would be transferred to a back end server before the reconfiguration.

The electoral umpire stated that during the transfer of the data to the backend, the data cannot be tampered with.

The Court of Appeal held that not granting INEC’s request would jeopardize the governorship and House of Assembly elections holding on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh, granted leave to the applicant for the purposes of configuring the BVAS for the election on Saturday.

The panel, however, asked INEC to upload data to back-end server and make true certified copy to the respondents.

The panel, however, asked INEC to upload data to back-end server and make true certified copy to the respondents.

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal also granted leave to President-elect Bola Tinubu to access sensitive materials used by INEC for the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.

FEAR GRIPS GOVERNORS OVER OBIDIENTS MOVEMENT

For the first time in many years, the forthcoming governorship elections appear unpredictable

This is as some State governors seeking reelection or who have positioned their preferred successors, are in a panic mode ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial election.

The development is a fallout of the shocking performance of the opposition, especially the Labour Party, LP, at the just concluded February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Going by the results of the presidential and National Assembly elections last week, many governors are worried as the outcome of elections is now unpredictable. The Labour Party, against all odds, beat sitting governors as well as tested politicians who hoped to join their former colleagues in the National Assembly.

Notably, the Labour Party was brought to the limelight by its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who joined it barely eight months before the election and propelled the ‘obedient movement

Before the February 25 presidential election, the LP was believed to be incapable of making inroads in some of the States it won.

However, the party made a giant stride winning twelve states, including Lagos State, an All Progressives Congress, APC, stronghold, to the shock of many.

Data from the election results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, showed that about twelve governors lost their states to opposition parties, including the LP during the presidential election

LP DISSOLVES RIVERS EXCO OVER ANTI-PARTY AND CORRUPTION

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure has dissolved the party’s State Executive Council in Rivers State for alleged anti-party activities and corruption in the management of party’s funds.

Abure, in a statement on Tuesday, said the dissolution is with immediate effect l.

HeHesaid those “who were at the helm of affairs in Rivers State when our presidential mandate was openly stolen in Rivers State should step aside until full investigation is completed on what happened on that day”.

Abure said he has lost confidence in the ability of the compromised State Executive Council led by Deinye Pepple to lead the campaign for the governorship and  State House of Assembly elections come March 11.

He urged all Obidients in the state to disregard all comments and actions by Pepple. Abure said Beatrice Itubo remains the Labour Party candidate for the Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The chairman also said the Labour Party has not formed an alliance with any political party.

DECLARED UNDER DURESS — INEC REMOVES DOGUWA'S NAME FROM REPS-ELECT LIST

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed Alhassan Doguwa’s name from the list of elected members of the house of representatives for the 10th assembly.

The electoral umpire had declared Doguwa, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the house of representatives seat for Doguwa/Tudun Wada federal constituency of Kano in the February 25 elections.

Ibrahim Yakasai, the returning officer, had said Doguwa scored 39,732 votes to defeat Salisu Abdullahi, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who polled 34,798 votes.

However, as of Tuesday morning, Doguwa’s name was missing from the list of elected house of representatives members released by INEC.

In a comment posted on the list, INEC said Doguwa’s declaration as the winner was made under duress.

Section 65 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Act empowers INEC to review the declaration made by a returning officer under duress.

The section reads: “The decision of the returning officer shall be final on any question arising from or relating to –

(a) unmarked ballot paper;

(b) rejected ballot paper; and

(c) declaration of scores of candidates and the return of a candidate

Provided that the Commission shall have the power within seven days to review the declaration and return where the Commission determines that the said declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the election.”

The development adds to the list of issues the lawmaker is contending with.

Doguwa is standing trial over alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm, mischief, and public disturbance.

On February 28, he was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while boarding a flight to Abuja.

He was arrested after police received a report that he allegedly led thugs to set ablaze the secretariat of the NNPP in Kano, with two persons feared dead.

Although the legislator denied any wrongdoing, he was arraigned on March 1, at a magistrate court in Kano and was subsequently remanded in prison.

On Monday, a federal high court granted him bail to the sum of N500 million.

In December 2022, Doguwa had threatened to “deal with” residents in the state if they failed to vote for the APC.

“To God who made me, on election day, you must vote for APC or we’ll deal with you,” the lawmaker said in Hausa.

His comment was heavily criticised by Nigerians at the time.

The lawmaker later apologised, saying the remark was not a threat but “political semantics”.

Doguwa is the majority leader of the house of representatives.

INEC SACKS SOKOTO REC AHEAD MARCH 11 POLLS

Barely four days to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections slated for next Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has directed the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in charge of Sokoto State, Dr Nura Ali, to stay away from the commission.

Consequently, he been replaced with the Administrative Secretary of the Commission in the State, Hauwa Aliyu Kangiwa, with immediate effect.

The development is contained in a letter addressed to the Commission’s headquarters in the State and signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, dated March 6, 2023

According to the letter with reference No: INEC/SCE/442/V.II, “This is to inform you of the commission’s decision for you (Dr Nura Ali), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sokoto State, to stay away from the commission’s office in Sokoto State immediately until furthermore notice.

“The administrative secretary is directed to take full charge of INEC, Sokoto State office with immediate effect.”

Also, in a separate letter sighted by our correspondent, the commission directed the Administrative Secretary of the commission in the state, Hauwa Aliyu Kangiwa, to take full charge of the commission in the state with immediate effect.

The letter further directed her to liaise with the Supervisory National Commissioner, Professor Muhammad Sani Kaita, for further clarifications when necessary.

Recalls that INEC had on Saturday announced that all negligent regular and adhoc staff of the Commission during the February 25 elections will be barred from the forthcoming March 11 elections nationwide.

BREAKING: GOGA DEBUNKS PDP ENDORSEMENT, DESCRIBES YAMAN, SARAKI AS A GREAT DREAMERS

The New Nigeria People's Party Senatorial Candidates in Kwara Central District who's also I.T expert, Aiyelabegan Kayode Abdul Goga has debunked the rumour going around social media that he has endorsed the PDP Gubernatorial Candidate, Alhaji Shuaib Yaman Abdullah for the March 11 governorship election

He disclosed this vie WhatsApp text conversation with TROVE ONLINE MEDIA Editor on Tuesday.

APC APPOINTS 12 SENIOR ADVOCATES TO DEFEND TINUBU'S MANDATE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed 12 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to defend the mandate of its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu in the just concluded polls.

Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, almost two million votes more than his closest rival, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

While Atiku came second with 6,984,520 votes, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, finished the race with 6,101,533. Both Atiku and Obi have rejected the outcome of the election, vowing to challenge the result in court.

But the ruling party says it is willing to meet the parties in court. In a statement on Tuesday, the party’s National Legal Adviser, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, released the 13-man list comprising 12 senior advocates.

Top on the list is a legal icon, Wole Olanipekun, who is also the lead counsel to the ruling party at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

“The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed a team of highly qualified and experienced lawyers to represent the Party at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal,” the statement read.

“The team is comprised of legal luminaries with vast experience in election petition matters, constitutional law, and litigation

“The legal team consisting of twelve (12) Senior Advocates of Nigeria and the National Legal Adviser of the Party, Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Esq., is led by Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, a renowned lawyer who has successfully handled various high-profile election matters and other landmark cases.”

Other members of the list are Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq, Sam Ologunorisa, Rotimi Oguneso, Olabisi Soyebo, Gboyega Oyewole, Muritala Abdulrasheed, Aliyu Omezia Saiki, Tajudeen Oladoja, Pius Akubo, Oluseye Opasanya, Suraju Saida and Kazeem Adeniyi.

The party is “confident that the legal team possesses requisite expertise and experience to ensure a successful outcome for the APC in the Presidential Election Petition matters.”

It also urged party members to support the team in its effort to defend the will and mandate of the people, calling on all parties involved to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and respect for the rule of law throughout the legal process.

WE LOST STUPIDLY, WE WERE NAIVE FROM THE START_ FLYING EAGLES COACH, LADEN BOSSO

Flying Eagles of Nigeria head coach Ladan Bosso says his team lost stupidly to Gambia in the semi-finals of the 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.

Gambia secured a famous 1-0 victory over the Flying Eagles in Cairo to qualify for their maiden final.

We failed to take our chances and we also missed the penalty in the 86th minute.

I am very frustrated because we had the team to go all the way.

Nigeria have secured a place in this year U20 World Cup in Indonesia come 20 May – 11 June 2023 BUT do you see Ladan Bosso taking the Flying Eagles of Nigeria to the PROMISE LAND in that World Cup tournament?

EPL: I FEEL SORRY FOR BRUNO FERNANDES – MAN UTD LEGEND, PAUL SCHOLES

Manchester United legend, Paul Scholes has said that he feels sorry for midfielder Bruno Fernandes following the team’s Premier League 7-0 defeat to Liverpool over the weekend.

Fernandes has been used increasingly off the flank by Man United manager, Erik ten Hag, with Wout Weghorst lining up as a number 10 in recent games.

The Portugal international also started the game against Liverpool from the flank as goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Roberto Firmino gave Jurgen Klopp’s side the victory.

Speaking after the game, Scholes told Premier League Productions, “I actually feel sorry for him [Fernandes] when he’s played.

“He’s been pushed out to many positions to do a job for the team, he was on the left [against Liverpool].

He’s been on the right, he’s played through the middle, he has been a little bit all over the place.

“You can’t say any of the players performed the way they should have done but I thought he was especially poor [against Liverpool], it was not his greatest afternoon.”

JANDOR RULES OUT LP ALLIANCE,

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Abdul-Azeez Adediran aka Jandor, has all but shut down any chances of an alliance with his counterpart of the Labour Party (LP), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

Proponents of the school of thought that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has overstayed its welcome as the government of the day in Nigeria’s commercial and entertainment capital have championed an alliance between both heavyweight opposition parties.

The calls grew louder in the wake of the LP’s unprecedented victory in the presidential poll, thanks to Peter Obi and running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed.

According to him, when his “project” started years ago, it was beyond a desire to become governor.

According to him, the party decided to analyse every issue critically.

Explaining that the legal issue could come up in post-election litigation, he said he would rather not be “sitting on a keg of gunpowder”.

Jandor added, “For us, we don’t have a problem, we would have said [to Rhodes-Vivour], ‘Go [on], let’s just take this [APC] government.’

“But knowing full well who we’re dealing with; we know the kind of character we’re dealing with, we know what can happen – there’s no point sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

“So, for us, we want an alliance; we don’t have any issue with it. But we must put our best foot forward. We must make sure that we go into this election without any snag whatsoever.”

BREAKING: COMMERCIAL BANKS DISPENSE OLD N500, N1000 NOTES

Recall that the Nigerian Supreme Court had ordered that the old N500 and N1000 notes phased out by the Federal Government be kept in circulation until December.

Some commercial banks in Nigeria on Monday began dispensing the old N500 and N1000 Naira notes on Monday, SaharaReporters has gathered.

A resident of Ilorin, Kwara State confirmed that the ATM machines of Guaranty Trust Bank at Umar Audu Road, Opposite University Road Junction, Tanke, GRA, 10, Ilorin paid him some old N1,000 notes.

Banker who spoke with journalists said some banks had started dispensing the old notes but his bank had not got the go-ahead yet because of uncertainty surrounding the validity of the notes as legal tenders in the country.

ENTERTAINMENTBBTitans: JUICY JAY, OLIVIA EVICTED FROM REALITY SHOW

The pair, ‘Juovia’ were evicted during the live show.

During the nomination process, the Head of House, Ebubu and Tsatsii were put up for nomination for conspiracy.

This week almost all housemates were nominated for eviction.

The housemate up for eviction are, Khosi, Yemi, Nelisa, Ebubu, Miracle, Tsatsii, Nana, Blackboi, Ipelang and Thabang.

RONALDO AIDS SYRIA AND TURKEY WITH $248000 (£206,000) FOOD ITEMS, CLOTHES

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a plane loaded with tents, food parcels, pillows, blankets, baby food, milk, medical supplies to help victims in Syria and Turkey”

Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a plane load of care items to victims of the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

The former Manchester United star has been deeply affected by the tragic scenes that has left a huge death toll and severely impacted peoples lives.

And Ronaldo has sent a plane packed full of aid to the areas devastated by the disaster as he looks to help those affected.

The Portugal legend has paid for tents, food packages, pillows and blankets, beds, baby food and milk and medical supplies to help aid the humanitarian effort.

There is hope Ronaldo’s gesture will encourage other sporting figures to follow suit in the coming days and weeks.

Footage emerged on Friday of Ronaldo greeting a young Syrian boy who said it was his dream to meet the ex-Real Madrid forward.

It is not the first time Ronaldo has made such generous donations.

Ronaldo once paid $83,000 (£69,000) to pay for child’s brain surgery and donated $165,000 (£137,000) to help fund a cancer centre in his native Portugal.

The forward, who has held ambassadorial roles for Save the Children, Unicef and World Vision, also donated £1million to Portuguese hospitals during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

IT WENT WELL — NBA SCORES INEC HIGH

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has scored the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) high in the conduct of the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections.

Speaking on Channels TV on Saturday, Yakubu Maikyau, president of the NBA, said despite challenges, INEC performed well in the delivery of the elections.

“I will say that the elections went well. Those who came out were happy to express their franchise,” Maikyau said

There were challenges, definitely. There were some infractions, some of them actually constituted electoral offences but on the whole, I will score INEC as having performed maybe about 78, 80 percent in the delivery of these elections.

That will be an A for every exam. Notwithstanding, all the things that happened which we are not ignoring.

“That is why we are admonishing and advising INEC and recommending to INEC that in those areas where we saw lapses in the election held on the 25th February 2023, deliberate efforts must be taken to make sure that those lapses did not occur again in the elections that are coming up on the 11th March because when these lapses happened, it impacted on the confidence of the public in the process.”

Earlier, the Abuja branch of the NBA recommended that INEC should introduce online voting in the country.

OLATUNBOSUN OGINNI JOINS KWARA UNITED.

The Olatunbosun Oginni has moved to Kwara United from Wikki Tourist on-loan till the end of the season.

Oginni spent the first half of the season with Wikki Tourists after arriving from Crown Football Club and cementing his spot as the club’s first choice right-back under former coach, Kabiru Dogo.

According to an insider source, Oginni’s loan spell with Wikki has been cut short and he has reunited up with his former coach (Kabiru Dogo) and new teammates at Kwara on a short-term deal with a conditional obligation to further extension clause attached.

Oginni is contracted to the Harmony Boys until the end of the 2023 season.

BREAKING: 7 PDP STATES DISCONTINUE SUIT AGAINST FG CHALLENGING DECLARATION OF TINUBU AS PRESIDENT-ELECT

Seven state governments controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party  – namely  Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Taraba and Sokoto, which filed a suit against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court, challenging the declaration of All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-elect, have discontinued the suit.

In the suit which had the attorneys-general of the seven states as plaintiffs and the Attorney General of the Federation as defendant, the seven states had asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the just concluded general elections, as they claimed that the declaration of Tinubu did not follow the Electoral Act and INEC’s own laid down guidelines, particularly the uploading of results to the IREV through the BVAS. They also expressed fear of a potential breakdown of public order and civil disobedience. The Notice of Discontinuance signed by the their lawyer, Mr. Mike Ozekhome SAN Friday, said “Take notice that the plaintiffs doth hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendant herein”.

BREAKING: SUPREME COURT ORDERS OLD N200, N500, N1,000 NOTES TO REMAIN IN CIRCULATION TILL DEC 31

The Supreme Court on Friday ordered that old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes remain in circulation till December 31, 2023. The apex court also nullified the Federal Government’s naira redesign policy, declaring it as an affront to the 1999 Constitution.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who read the lead judgement, held that the preliminary objections by the defendants (the Attorney General of the Federation, Bayelsa and Edo states) are dismissed as the court has the jurisdiction to entertain the suit. Citing Section 23(2)1 of the constitution, the court held that the dispute between the Federal Government and states must involve law or facts.

The apex court further held that President Muhammadu Buhari in his broadcast admitted that the policy is flawed with a lot of challenges. The court said the policy has led to some people engaging in trade by barter in this modern age in a bid to survive. The court added that the President’s disobedience of the February 8 order, is a sign of dictatorship.

Sixteen states of the Federation instituted the suit to challenge the legality or otherwise of the introduction of the policy. The suit initially instituted by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states has been slated as the first case on the cause list for a final verdict.

Justice John Inyang Okoro who led a seven-man panel of Justices of the Court had on February 22 fixed today for the court to make its decision known on the suit.

KWARA CENTRAL: GOGA VOWS TO CHALLENGE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE ELECTION IN COURT.

The Kwara central senatorial candidate for New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP), Hon. Aiyelabegan Kayode Abdul Goga has described as grave injustice the unjust exclusion of his party from the contest for the Kwara central senatorial seat.

The party which enjoyed overwhelming support from the constituents was reported to have been excluded from the ballot, denying the people the inalienable right to vote their preferred candidate for the legislative seat.

Speaking on the awful infraction, the I.T expert urged his teeming supporters to maintain calm and exercise restraint, affirming his resolve to approach the election tribunal to seek redress and challenge the outcome of the poll.

" The outcome of the election left everyone in a very sober mood because my party, NNPP was maliciously excluded from the contest given that the logo of our party was not included on the ballot paper. This accounted for the situation where the winners couldn't celebrate as they ought to do" 

" I am not blaming any party or candidate for this malfeasance, the electoral umpires carry the major blame for the error that prevented our people from expressing thier franchise "

" In view of this, we are going to test the sincerity of the new electoral law at the tribunal to challenge the fraudulent, malicious and illegal exclusion of our party from the election." 

While urging for calm and patience, the I.T expert expressed gratitude to all his supporters, well-wishers and friends whom he said stood resolutely by him to generate needed momentum for his cause, assuring them that justice will be obtained from the court.

ELECTIONS: CHALLENGE INEC’s FAILURE IN COURT, GUMI TELLS OPPOSITION PARTIES

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has urged opposition parties to challenge anomalies witnessed during the Presidential and National Assembly elections Commission, INEC, for allegedly failing to follow proper procedure in the conduct of the just concluded presidential elections.

There have been series of protests across the country following the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of last Saturday’s poll.

The Labour Party and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had vowed to challenge the results, alleging that the electoral body was compromised by the ruling party.

According to the aggrieved party, INEC violated the new electoral law by failing to uploaded results before collation.

Reacting to the controversy, Gumi in a statement on Thursday posted in his official Facebook page, asked the aggrieved parties to seek redress in court.

He, however, warned against violent protest, citing the country’s challenges and the fact that the polity is tensed up already.

The statement reads, “I implore the opposition parties as an obligatory national duty to go to the election tribunal and up to the Supreme Court to reestablish the supremacy of law and to teach our younger generation the value of resolving disputes through legal means rather than violence.

BREAKING: I'LL PROVE LP WON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, OBI VOWS

The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Wednesday, disclosed that last Saturday’s presidential was controversial and programmed to deliver pre-determined results.

He said the election does not meet the necessary requirement and cannot be adjudged credible.

The former Anambra State governor who is currently addressing a world press conference in Abuja said that Nigerians were robbed of their true choice.

He insisted that he would pursue justice through court and was ready to challenge the results till he prove his arguement

“Labour party won the election and I will prove it,” Obi vowed

TINUBU BEGINS RECONCILIATION MOVES, SETS UP COMMITTEES TO MEET ATIKU, OBI, KWANKWASO

The President-Elect, Bola Tinubu has set up committees to meet aggrieved presidential candidates to start the “healing process”.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and a member of the committees disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde.

He said a Committee of Elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon begin to meet with co-contestants of the President-elect in a bid to assuage their loss in the just concluded poll.

He stressed that every aggrieved person will be met for reconciliation.

“The President-elect has set up committees to meet with the gentlemen who contested in the election for us to start the healing process. I belong to one of the committees. We are going to meet them and appeal to them so that we can work together,” the governor stated.

Tinubu polled 8,794,726 and was declared President-Elect on Wednesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Top opposition parties in the election like Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have rejected the outcome of the poll, saying the electoral umpire failed to play by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 on electronic transmission of results. The oppositions have also threatened to head to court to challenge the outcome of the poll.

Atiku Abubakar got 6,984,520 votes, Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi scored 6,101,533 and NNPP’s Rabiu Kwankwaso secured 1,496,687 votes.

In his acceptance speech on Wednesday, the former Lagos State governor extended olive branches to his co-contestants. “I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together,” he said.

TINUBU WILL PERFORM AS PRESIDENT, IBB ASSURES NIGERIANS

Former Nigerian military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.), has congratulated Bola Tinubu on his election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In a statement issued by his media office, IBB as he is popularly identified to as, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for midwifing an election which he said would lead to a new Nigeria.

Babangida also commended Nigerians for coming out en masse to exercise their voting rights and electing someone like Tinubu as the next president.

Babangida further said that Tinubu is coming from the background of a performer who loves his people with all his hearts and who knows how to put a round peg in a round hole.

While urging Nigerians to join hands with Tinubu in the business of repairing the nation, he also appealed to other candidates to see the emergence of the former Lagos governor as the will of God, saying that the work of nation-building requires that all hands must be on deck.

FORMER EKITI GOVERNOR, FAYOSE, RESIGNS FROM PDP

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has announced his resignation from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fayose announced his resignation from the PDP yesterday while appearing as a guest on a programme on ARISE News. Fayose served  as Governor of Ekiti State from  2003  to  2007 and  2011 to 2015 on PDP’s ticket.

However, his decision to quit the party appears to be connected with perceived irreconcilable differences in the PDP, which according to him, has fractured the party.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TINUBU THANKS ‘OBIDIENTS’, OTHERS FOR PARTICIPATING IN DEMOCRACY

Bola Tinubu has thanked voters across partisan divide who participated in last Saturday’s presidential election, including the supporters of his fiercest opponents

He expressed his appreciation in his acceptance speech after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him president-elect in the early hours of Wednesday.

Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious in the presidential election ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who came second and third, respectively.

“Whether you are Batified or Atikulated, Obidients, Kwankwasiyya or have any other political affiliation, you voted and struggled for a better Nigeria, more hopeful nation and I thank you for you participation and dedication to our democracy.

The President-elect’s teeming supporters are popularly referred to as ‘Batified’, according to his initials — Bola Ahmed Tinubu — much like those of Atiku and Obi.

The former governor of Lagos State also extended an olive branch to his fellow contestants, asking them to join hands with him to build the country together.

The President-elect thanked his party’s leaders and all those that worked hard for his election, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

Seventy-year-old Tinubu won in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, and garnered significant numbers in several other states, to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than Atiku got.

Contesting for the sixth time, Atiku got 6,984,520 votes, while Obi of the Labour Party finished the race with 6,101,533.

BREAKING: PDP, LP, ADC DEMAND FRESH ELECTION, WANT INEC CHAIRMAN TO STEP ASIDE

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have demanded a fresh election, saying the February 25 presidential election has been “irretrievably compromised”.

LP National, Julius Abure; the PDP chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; as well as their ADC counterpart, Ralph Nwosu, made this known at a joint press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

They alleged that Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections were manipulated by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at polling units by their failure to upload results electronically on the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV).

Abure, who spoke on behalf of the LP, PDP and the ADC, said, “This election is not free and far from being fair”, adding that there are “ongoing cancellation of results from areas of strength of the opposition parties”.

They declared a vote of no confidence on INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu and asked him to immediately step aside for an unbiased person to take over and conduct a fresh election.

The LP, PDP and ADC said the deliberate refusal of the INEC chairman to respect the upload of results electronically as stipulated by Section 60 of the Electoral Act 2022 is unacceptable.

FG TO OBASANJO: DON'T TRUNCATE ELECTORAL PROCESS

The Federal Government has urged former President Olusegun Obasanjo not to truncate the 2023 general elections with his allegedly inciting, self-serving and provocative letter on the polls.

In a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said what the former President “cunningly” framed as an “appeal for caution and rectification” was nothing but a calculated attempt to undermine the electoral process and a wilful incitement to violence.

“Though masquerading as an unbiased and concerned elder statesman, former President Obasanjo is a known partisan bent on thwarting, by subterfuge, the choice of millions of Nigerian voters,” the Minister said.

Mohammed expressed shock and disbelief that a former President could purportedly throw around unverified claims and amplify “wild allegations” picked up from the streets against the electoral process.

The Minister accused the former President of, in his time, organising “perhaps the worst elections” since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, adding that he is the “least qualified” to advise a President whose determined effort to leave a legacy of free, fair, credible and transparent election is “well acknowledged” within and outside Nigeria.

The Minister reiterated to the former President that organising elections in Nigeria is no mean feat, considering that the voter population of 93,469,008 in the country is 16,742,916 more than the total number of registered voters in 14 West African nations put together at 76,726,092.

BOLAJI ABDULLAHI REJECTS KWARA CENTRAL SENATORIAL ELECTION RESULT

The PDP Kwara Central Senatorial Candidate, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has rejected the result of the Kwara Central Senatorial election which held on Saturday 25th February 2023.

Abdullahi, in a statement released by his media team on Monday, said the preliminary review of the results shows substantial irregularities and manipulations that are inconsistent with the provisions of the electoral law.

The former Minister, who urged PDP members and supporters to remain calm, said a team of lawyers are already studying the results and would be taking appropriate legal steps.

"While the party explores the instruments of the law to prosecute its grievances, I appeal for calm across the district and urge our supporters to remain law abiding," Abdullahi said.

Signed:

Esinrogunjo Ibrahim Damilola

For The Omoluabi Media Team

Monday, 27 February 2023

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: TINUBU NARROWLY DEFEATS PETER OBI TO CLINCH BENUE

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has won the presidential election in Benue State, North Central Nigeria. 

Obi polled 308,372 votes from 14 local government areas of the state, with Tinubu winning in nine local government areas. The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has won the presidential election in Benue State, North Central Nigeria. 

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, came third with 130,081 votes.