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Kogi: Ballot Box Snatcher Shot Dead

By
James Orji
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Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State
Yahaya Bello

An unidentified ballot box snatcher has been shot dead in the ongoing governorship election in Kogi state.

The development comes amidst allegation of electoral fraud by  Muritala Ajaka, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the election.

The SDP candidate said in a statement that electoral materials were not made available in some polling units by the INEC, the electoral umpire

According to the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, the man was shot while on a mission to disrupt election in Anyigba area of the state today.

An alleged leading political party thug was gunned down in Anyigba LGA, Kogi State in an attempt to disrupt the election by snatching the ballot box,” TMG said.

The Governor Yahaya Bello-led state has been on the radar of security agencies ahead the election, as one of the state where violence is likely to break out during the ongoing off-season governorship election in three states.

Apartt from Kogi, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is conducting election in Imo and Bayelsa.

Ahead the election, last week, contesting political parties signed a peace accord to ensure that the election is violence free.

Eyewitnesses monitoring the election in the three. states insist that this is not what is currently happening, as the major political parties in the election have failed to call their supporters to order.

An alleged ballot box snatcher on a mission to disrupt the voting process in the Anyigba local government area of Kogi State was shot dead on Saturday.

The name and the political party the victim was working for were yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.

Also, it was not yet clear whether the political thug was gunned down by the security agents or miscreants.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) revealed this on its X account Saturday morning.

“An alleged leading political party thug was gunned down in Anyigba LGA, Kogi State in an attempt to disrupt the election by snatching the ballot box,” TMG wrote.

Vanguard reports that the off-season governorship election is ongoing in Kogi, as well as Bayelsa and Imo states.

Kogi Poll: SDP Candidate, Ajaka Alleges Electoral Fraud In Ongoing Poll

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Muritala Ajaka, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Governorship Candidate has alleged electoral malpractices in Ogori Magongo area of the State.

Ajaka alleged that there are missing result sheets in collation centers in the area, stating that his Agents in different areas in the State reliably informed him of the ongoing alleged electoral malpractice in the polls in the State.

In a statement his media aide, Faruk Adejoh-Audu, stated that the Party’s agents who went to a few ward collation centres in the early hours of this morning to inspect materials before accepting to take them to polling units  discovered that no result sheets were available for any of the units or ward collation centres.

“In Olamaboro Ward 5 where agents of all parties escorted the Supervisory Presiding Officers, Presiding Officers and other INEC staff with security to the ward headquarters in Inele-Ugo last night, they went back to commence deployment of the materials to the polling units this morning and discovered that the entire INEC staff, materials and the security personnel have all disappeared from the Roman Catholic Mission Primary School where they left them.”

The statement also alleged that an All Progressives Congress, APC, Council Chairman was caught by security agents, with thugs ferrying large amounts of cash in the early hours of Saturday and paraded by the security agents but was later freed.

“These developments signpost reports of outrageous malpractices and manipulations that are already emerging from several areas across the state.

“Our situation room is also inundated with reports of INEC IT staff and some ward collation officers camped in three Lokoja hotels overnight to manipulate BVAS Machines and pre-fill result sheets of Lokoja, Ajaokuta and Kogi LGAs.

“There are reports of thugs riding on motorbikes to evade the checkpoints of soldiers to attack remote polling units in Dekina, Ofu, Olamaboro, Bassa, and Ankpa LGA.

“We are immediately drawing the attention of the INEC National Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Returning Officer for Kogi State, Election observers, local and international and head of security agencies to these outrageous electoral breeches and demanding that the commission keeps to its vow to reject results from areas that have been compromised by violence, malpractice or manipulations,” he stated.

However, electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has responded to a report of alleged pre-filled result sheets from a civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, in the governorship election in Kogi State.

The CSO earlier on Saturday shared a post on its X handle saying, “Dear @inecnigeria we received a report of pre-filled results sheet discovered in PU 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/magongo in Kogi State before the commencement of voting. Kindly investigate and address this issue promptly to safeguard the integrity of the process.”

While responding on its X handle, the electoral body said it “views this situation seriously”, adding that it is currently investigating it.

“Our attention has been drawn to a report that filled result sheets were discovered in some polling units in Kogi State.

“The Commission views this situation seriously.

“Our senior officials deployed to the State are currently investigating the incident(s). The Commission will communicate its decision earnestly,” the commission posted on its social media handle.

Gov. Election: Jonathan Calls For End To Off-Season Poll As Allegations of Pre-prepared Results Rock Kogi

By
Ayodele Oni
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Former President Goodluck Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan

By Ayodele Oni

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, has advised that off-season elections are not the best for Nigeria, and urged the National Assembly to block it.

The former President’s advice comes amidst report of pre-prepared result sheets surfacing at some polling units in Kogi state, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) promising to investigate the allegation.

The ex-Nigerian Leader spoke on Saturday after he cast his vote in the  governorship poll at Ward 13, Polling Unit 39, at Otuoke in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Jonathan stated that off season election “almost happened in 2007 when I contested as a running mate with President Umaru Yar’adua” but it was prevented.

“I get worried by the issue of off-season elections. And I use this opportunity to plead with the National Assembly that we need to block these off-season elections. It is very odd; it is not a global best practice.

“If we continue with this trend of off-season elections based on the interpretation of our laws by the judicial officers, it will come to a time when the presidential election will be off-season.

“Look at the American system, everybody knows when the American election will be conducted.”

Report stated that allegation of already prepared results sheets surfaced at some polling units in Kogi state just as voting was about to commence.

Independent National Electoral Commission has however promised to investigate the reports of filled result sheets in some polling units.

It stated that “Our attention has been drawn to a report that filled result sheets were discovered in some polling units in Kogi State. The Commission views this situation seriously.”

A report by a Civil Society Organisation, YIAGA Africa, has raised the alarm over the discovery of election results from a polling unit in Kogi State that was forged before the conclusion of the exercise.

The results were said to have emanated from Polling Unit 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/Mangogo area of the state.

At inecnigeria, Yiaga wrote “we received report of pre-filled results sheet discovered in PU 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/magongo in Kogi state before commencement of voting. Kindly investigate and address this issue promptly to safeguard the integrity of the process.”

In the alleged results, a copy of which was attached to the post, the APC polled 200 votes; AA scored 1; while ADC, PDP and SDP got 2 votes each. At about 9.45am, the organisation posted another pre-recorded result sheet from PU 020, Eika/Ohizenyi, Okehi LGA of the State.

Boundary War Spreads As Delta Lays Claim To Three Oil Rich Communities

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

As Ondo State tackles Ogun over ownership of some boundary communities, Delta State has joined the territorial war as it accused Ondo of attempting to annex some of its oil rich communities.

It has vowed to resist any attempt by the Ondo State government to annex Opuama, Tsekelewu and Okirigbo communities of Egbema Kingdom, in Warri north local government area.

The Delta government maintained that ceding the communities to Ilaje east local development area in Ondo will not be allowed to happen.

Deputy governor, Monday Onyeme who doubles as the chairman of Delta state boundary committee, made the government’s position known at a meeting between leaders of the , Opuama, Tsekelewu and Okirigbo communities.

Onyeme assured other communities experiencing similar boundary issues that the state government is committed to protect them.

According to him, it was impossible for a state government to annex any community as the National Boundaries Commission (NBC) has clearly defined the various state boundaries.

“You have made your case very loud and clear about where you belong because you have been able to trace your history from the defunct Western region.

“Your facts are enough to convince anybody that you belong to Delta State.

“Delta has never dreamt of ceding any part or any community to other states, so, do not be afraid as government will do everything within its powers to ensure that the matter is resolved.

“It is good to know that the chairman of Warri North is from your community and four councilors who are representing your communities are also domiciled in Warri North and your votes are counted in Delta State, so, it is wrong for any other state to want to annex those communities.”

Ondo state had on Friday accused Ogun of attempting to take over some communities which belong to the state.

The affected communities, Irokun, Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi seaside, in Ilaje council area, according to Ondo state, have never been in dispute since the state government has firm control of the areas.

Early this month, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Noimot Saleko-Ayodele alleged that the Government of Ondo State attacked Ogun state citizens in Irokun.

Reacting on behalf of Ondo state on Friday, the commissioner for information, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju  declared that “This allegation is patently false and has become a pattern of alarming propaganda by the Ogun State Government as a strategy to reinforce their false territorial claim on Irokun, Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi seaside.

“The Ondo State Government is ever conscious of and irrevocably committed to the fundamental duty of protecting the lives and properties of its citizens.”

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

By
Ayodele Oni
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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

By
The Source
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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

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Davido at FIFA

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

By
Ayodele Oni
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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

By
Akinwale Kasali
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NLC Protest

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

By
Adesina Soyooye
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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.”

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