Bayelsa Gov Election Update: Election Official Kidnapped, Materials Submerge As Boat Capsize

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November 11, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

Early report from Bayelsa State on the Governorship Election say that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Supervising Presiding Officer (SPO) is missing.

The SPO assigned to registration area 06 in Ossioma, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, was reportedly kidnapped.

It was gathered that that the INEC official was abducted at Amassoma Community in Southern Ijaw LGA while waiting to board a boat at a jetty in the area.

Also, a boat carrying election personnel to registration area 17 in Koluama Community, Southern Ijaw local government area capsized and election materials, including result sheets, got lost.

INEC Head of Department, Voters Education and Publicity in Bayelsa State, Wilfred Ifogah, who confirmed the two incidents, said no life was lost. He added that 12 personnel and boat operators were rescued.

He said: “We wish to confirm that a boat carrying personnel to registration area 17 (Koluama) in Southern Ijaw LGA capsized, fortunately, no life was lost as all the election personnel numbering 12 and the boat operator were rescued.”

Owerri Senatorial Seat: Again, Uche Onyeagucha Loses to Onyewuchi As Court Of Appeal Dismisses His Bid

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The Source

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November 11, 2023

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Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi and Barrister Uche Onyeagucha

By Charles Igbo

For the third time, Honourable Uche Onyeagucha has lost his bid for the Senate to the incumbent Senator representing Imo East – Owerri Senatorial District – Ezenwa Onyewuchi. And so did Prince Alex Mbata, popular as PAM.

Senator Onyewuchi was the Candidate for the Labour Party in the February, 25, 2023, National Assembly Election, while Onyeagucha and Mbata were Candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, respectively.

Onyewuchi beat the two of them in that election, and was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. But both men approached the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, to challenge Onyewuchi’s victory. The election Tribunal dismissed their petition against Onyewuchi and affirmed his victory. Not satisfied, both Onyeagucha and Mbata appealed to the Court of Appeal.

On Friday, November 10, their challenge came to an end when the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, dismissed their appeal as without any merit.

Onyewuchi, who is on his second term as a Senator, was in the House of Representatives, and represented Owerri Federal Constituency before he became a Senator in 2019, both under the PDP.

But in 2023, Onyeagucha, a Lawyer, former Member of the House of Representatives and the immediate past Secretary to the Imo State Government under the short-lived Governor Emeka Ihedioha Government, decided to challenge Onyewuchi for the ticket. Onyeagucha’s challenge divided the PDP as not a few Party members wanted Onyewuchi to go for a second term.

During the Prmary, he defeated Onyewuchi and took the ticket. That forced Onyewuchi to defect to the LP under which he contested and won the Senate seat on February 25th, 2023.

Mbata, a successful business man, was not really known as a politician when he contested for the Owerri District Senatorial seat.

Davido Nominated In Three Categories For Grammy Awards 2024

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Akinwale Kasali

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November 10, 2023

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By Akinwale Kasali

Multiple International Musical Award Winner, David Adeleke popular as Davido, has been nominated in three categories ahead of the 2024 Grammy Awards.

This is the first time the “Unavailable” crooner will be nominated for the prestigious Grammy Awards.

The Afrobeat sensation bagged three Grammy nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards, including Best Global Album for his latest album, “Timeless.”

The other two nominations are for Best Global Music Performance for his song “Feel” and Best African Performance for his hit song, “Unavailable”.

Davido is, obviously, overjoyed by the news as he took to his Twitter page, and tweeted, “3 nominations at the Grammys!! Delay is not Denial!!”

Aside Davido, other Nigerian singers who were nominated in various categories for the 2024 Grammy awards includes; Ayra Starr, Asake, Burna Boy, and rapper Olamide were also on the Grammy Nominations list.

Obaseki’s Tenure In Edo A Waste, Full of Woes – APC Chairmen

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Ayodele Oni

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November 10, 2023

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By Ayodele Oni

Local Government Area Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State have lamented the alleged underdevelopment in Council Areas of the State in the seven years Government of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

The 18 APC party Chairmen described Obaseki’s tenure as years of waste, woes and non-performance.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Oscar Aghedo, Chairman of all Chairmen, said: “having carefully listened to the lamentations of our people and based on what we have seen on ground, it is obvious that there’s no development activities in the 18 local government areas of the state.”

Aghedo, who is the Chairman of the APC in Ovia North East Local Government Area, stressed: “It is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf; that seven years down the lane, it can conveniently be said and discussed that Edo State is fast becoming a failed State.

“Seven years of torture; seven years of hardship; seven years of deceit; seven years of underdevelopment; seven years of Infrastructural decadence; seven years of insecurity; seven years of failed promises; seven years of financial recklessness and seven years of indebtedness.

“Nothing meaningful has been achieved by the Jamboree in these past seven years, rather a continuous waste of tax payer’s money.

“The past seven years, the government is busy painting the streetlights provided by Adams Aliu Oshiomhole. The painting of the Civil Service Secretariat, the painting of the Observer office and the declaration that all roads in Benin are now federal roads.

“As we march towards the election of September 21st, 2024 on who succeeds the present administration; we must quickly ask ourselves – where is the 200,000 jobs; the Gelegele Seaport; the billions of naira spent on Edo Jobs; the over N300 billion indebtedness and the industrial park that billions have been spent on without anything to show for and many more.

“Edo people are wiser now and it is our common prayer that affliction should and will not arise the second time.

“The Era of SSA’s and other emergency empowerment is back again. We call on all well-meaning Edo people to reject this present deceit and let us return to the glorious days of our darling state where life was beautiful and enjoyable.

“Not this present times where no life is safe in the state and the government, rather than adhere to the first schedule of the Nigeria constitution, where it was clearly stated that the government must protect lives and properties but in our dear state it has become the opposite.

“Our youths have all left the city for fear of the unknown. Let us as citizens of Edo State come together and bring about a government of development and a political party that have shown to us in the past that Edo State must move forward and that party is APC.”

Court Stops NLC, TUC From Embarking On Planned National Strike

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Akinwale Kasali

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November 10, 2023

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By Akinwale Kasali

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Congress Union, TUC, have been restrained by the National Industrial Court from embarking on its planned nationwide strike.

The Court stressed further that affiliate Groups of the NLC and the TUC are also restrained from embarking on Strike, following plans for a Nationwide strike after the Unions had an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Tuesday in Abuja. The Organized Labour declared a total nationwide strike scheduled to commence on November 14, 2023.

President of the National Industrial Court, Justice Benedict Kanyip, cited Sections 17 and 19 of the National Industrial Court Act and ordered the Unions to stop their nationwide strike.

“It is within the power of the Court to intervene by way of restraining order to ensure peace and tranquillity, ” he said.

The decision of the Unions to embark on this strike is as a result of the assault on the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, In Owerri, Imo State. But the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice filed an ex-parte application praying the court to stop the Unions from embarking on the planned strike.

In the application, the FG told the Court that the planned strike would inflict untold hardship on law-abiding citizens and their businesses.

Counsel for the Federal Government and the AGF, Tijani Gazali, SAN, during the proceedings on Friday argued that many Nigerians suffered when the labour unions during their protest on Thursday blocked the entrances to the main airports in the country.

He pleaded with the Court that unless the planned strike action is stopped, there may be a likelihood of a breach of peace and tranquillity in the country.

Justice Kanyip directed that the restraining order be pasted on the wall of the Labour House, which is the last known address of the two defendants, to draw their attention to the Court ’s position.

The Judge also directed that the order, along with the originating and other processes, be served on the defendants by publication in two major national dailies.

Ajaero: IGP Orders Investigation Into NLC President’s Brutalisation

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Adesina Soyooye

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November 10, 2023

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By Adesina Soyooye

Bowing to pressure, the Inspector General of Police, Dr Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a thorough investigation into the brutalisation of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

Ajaero was badly manhandled in Owerri on the 1st of November, 2023, allegedly, by operatives of the Imo State Police Command and political thugs when he went to Owerri to mobilise Workers for a protest against the Imo State Government over Workers’ alleged poor welfare.

He was so brutalised that he ended up firstly, in the Police Hospital, and then, the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri. He suffered head, neck and arm injuries. He is still under medical attention at a Private Hospital in Abuja

The Police denied complicity, and so did the Imo State Government. The Police claimed it took Ajaero into protective custody to avoid his being lynched by a mob.

But Ajaero insists that he was arrested by the Police, blind-folded and handed over to thugs who beat him to a pulp. The Police, he revealed, later joined in his brutalisation.

The humiliation of Ajaero sparked a National outrage with calls on the IGP and the Federal Government for a thorough investigation.

The World Owerri Peoples Congress, WOPC, Ajaero’s a high profile association of Ajaero’s kinsmen and women, enraged by the incident, called for justice and the immediate investigation into the incident. WOPC’s statement, signed by its President, Nze Ben Azunna, urged the prosecution of all the Police Operatives involved in the scandal, and lamented what it described as an insult to Owerri people by the beating of Owerri son on official duty in his home State and community soil.

The NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, threw Imo State into a blackout, disconnecting power supply, and on Thursday, stopped all flights from operating into, and out of Owerri. They also threaten a nationwide strike as from November 14, 2023.

But on Friday, the IGP in a statement signed by Force Spokesperson, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, ordered an investigation into Ajero’s ordeal. He pleaded for calm, and promised a transparent thorough investigation.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, is the Head of the Investigation Team.

Following, the statement from the Force Headquarters.

ALLEGED ASSAULT OF NLC PRESIDENT: IGP WADES IN, CHARGES DIG FCID ON THOROUGH INVESTIGATION…Calls For Calm

“The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered investigations into the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault on the person of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

“Consequently, he has directed the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department to take over the matter with the primary objective of ascertaining the true facts surrounding the incident and to address any ambiguities that may exist as the Police has been inundated with different versions of the incident making investigations imperative to clear the conflicting accounts.

“The Nigeria Police Force understands the importance of transparency and accountability in maintaining public trust. The IGP therefore assures the public, most especially the leadership of the organized labour, that a thorough and unbiased inquiry will be conducted to provide clarifications while urging organized labour and the public to remain calm, as he has personally intervened to address the issues surrounding this incident.

“The investigation has commenced, and the Nigeria Police Force guarantees that it will be followed to a conclusive end, and appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.”

President Tinubu Pushes For Saudi Arabia Presence In Nigeria

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Ayodele Oni

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November 10, 2023

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By Ayodele Oni

President Bola Tinubu now in Saudi Arabia has intensified his foreign investment drive for Nigeria as he assured potential investors that their investments are safe.

Addressing participants at the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh, on Friday, President Tinubu said Nigeria is ready for business, while assuring investors of some of the world’s highest returns on investment.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngalele, stated that the President said Nigeria is desirous of enhancing collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on combating terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other violent extremist groups which have been terrorizing the Lake Chad and Sahel regions.

“Nigeria and Saudi Arabia have always enjoyed a special relationship at both the bilateral and multilateral levels.

“Within the past six decades, our bilateral cooperation, which was initially hajj-centric, has witnessed diversification to cover a number of areas of common interest.

“It is delightful to note the presence in this great Kingdom of a large number of our compatriots and professionals, including highly-skilled medical practitioners and professional football players.

“As members of several international organizations including the UN, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the International Energy Forum, the G77, the Islamic Development Bank, the Digital Cooperation Organization among others, our two nations have effectively used these and other platforms to enhance close interaction and coordination.

“I am confident that our joint positive disposition within these platforms will continue to be demonstrated as we seek to advance our mutual interests.

“Nigeria, like the Kingdom, is diversifying her economy away from oil dependence to promote sustainable development.

“My administration has undertaken bold economic reforms by removing wasteful subsidies on petroleum and the merging of our foreign exchange market, among other incentives aimed at improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

“I also wish to assure all potential Saudi investors of the safety of their investments based on the sanctity of the rule of law and good returns on their investments in the largest economy in Africa.

“In this regard, the benefit attached to the early inauguration of the Nigeria-Saudi Business Council can not be over-emphasized.”

“Don’t Use Sheesha Beauty Cream, Dona White Extra Whitening Lotion” NAFDAC Warns Nigerians

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Akinwale Kasali

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November 10, 2023

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By Akinwale Kasali

The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has warned Nigerians against the use of Sheesha Beauty Cream and Dona White Extra Whitening Body Lotion.

NAFDAC said that the products have been banned by the European Union but found their way into the Nigeria Market.

NAFDAC, in a statement, said the products were tested against European standards and did not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation.

The Agency explained that the products contain mercury which when accumulated in the body can damage the kidneys, brain, nervous system, affect reproduction and the unborn child.

As a result, a ban on the import of the products have been placed by some regulatory and public authorities in the EU.

The regulatory body also added that these products are not in their database, importers, distributors, retailers and consumers are advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale and use of the above-mentioned product.

It advised that the products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked and that members of the public in possession of the product should discontinue their sale or use and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.

NAFDAC also urged all Healthcare professionals and consumers to report any suspicion of adverse reaction, substandard and falsified regulated products to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Imo: “My Story” By Joe Ajaero, NLC President, Says “I Am Not Card Carrying Member of LP,” WOPC Seeks Justice “For Son Beaten In Own Home”

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Akinwale Kasali

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November 10, 2023

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By Akinwale Kasali

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has said he is not a card carrying member of the Labour Party. Ajaero said this following the mixed feelings which greeted photographs of him in a relaxed mood with the Imo State LP Governorship Candidate which surfaced in the Social Media on Thursday.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, had earlier accused Ajaero of membership of the LP, and alleged that his mission to Imo State was to further the fortunes of the LP Governorship Candidate, Athan Achonu, with whom he had allegedly met in Abuja.

But speaking to Journalists on Friday in Abuja, for the first time, since his ordeal in Owerri, Ajaero strongly denied being a card-carrying member of the LP. “I an not a card-carrying member of the Labour Party. It is false”, he emphasised.

On his brutalisation in Owerri, Ajaero indicted the Police. He held the Imo State Police Command for his ordeal, and insisted that they, along with thugs blind-folded him and beat him up like a common criminal.

Ajaero spoke a day after the World Owerri Peoples Congress, WOPC, in an advertorial in both National and Local Newspapers, called out some Police Officers, and condemned what it described as their unprofessional conduct in Ajaero’s humiliation. While WOPC described the situation as shameful, especially, the claim by the Police that it took Ajaero into protective custody to avoid his being lynched, it questioned the level of security provided the NLC President by the Police.

WOPC said the denial by the Police of complicity “raise vital questions as to what level of security, if any, that was provided by the State Police Command to Comrade Joe Ajaero while in the State executing the office of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“Second was the unprofessional and open bellicose disposition of ACP David Ogenyi, CP Ahmed Barde, and SP Shaba identified by the NLC President as being front and centre in ignominious onslaught.”

It asked for a thorough investigation and justice. It said: “The World Owerri Peoples Congress demand accountability and justice in this matter. We are, therefore, calling on the Nigerian President and the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate the alleged role of the local law enforcement agents in the unfortunate extra judicial violent assault and humiliation meted out to Comrade Joe Ajaero, an Owerri son, in his own very home community in the act of executing the office of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress.”

According to Ajaero: “I was arrested by the Police and handed over to waiting thugs who thoroughly beaten me up”, he told the Journalists.

The thugs, he said, were about seven in number. He said they dragged him on the floor like a common criminal. Ajaero had, also, earlier said he was blind- folded, and feared that given the terrain he felt the vehicle he was put in was driving on, he was being taking down a river to be killed and thrown into the river.

However, contrary to earlier claims, the NLC President neither mentioned the name of Chinasa Nwaneri, Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma on Special Duties, as the one who led the attack on him, nor did he say Nwaneri was present.

And contrary to the claims that Ajaero did not take necessary official precautions before his trip to Owerri, Ajaero said he wrote to all the Security Agencies before he and his members went to Imo State for the protest on November 1, 2023.

According to him, workers who arrived at the venue of the protest on that day around 7 am were beaten up by thugs and their phones seized.

Ajaero said he got there around 9 am after he got the report of the assault on workers, but was arrested by the Police and handed over to thugs.

He lamented: “I can’t explain the beating I received. They tied my hands and dragged me on the floor like a common criminal.”

Enugu: Again, Mbah Wins

By

James Orji

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November 10, 2023

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Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state has been affirmed the winner of the March 14 , 2023 governorship election in the state.

The Court of Appeal in Enugu affirmed his election today barely two months after the state Election Petition Tribunal, declared him the winner.

The ruling also comes few days after a federal high court in Abuja, absolved him of forgery, and declared his NYSC certificate authentic.

The judgment affirming his election today was delivered by a three-man panel, in a suit filed by the Labour Party governorship candidate in the election, Chijioke Edeoga.

Mbah had been returned winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, but his victory was challenged in the court.

On September 9, 2023 Justice K.M. Akano led tribunal affirmed INEC position that Governor Mbah won the election.

Ruling on his alleged forgery of his NYSC certificate last week, the court held that the one in his possession is authentic.

Mbah had sued the NYSC and its Director, Corps Certification, Ibrahim Muhammad, for publishing a disclaimer, denying the issuance of a discharge certificate issued to him on January 6, 2003.