By Ayodele Oni
Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has won the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Governorship Primary in Kogi State.
Dino was declared winner by the returning officer on Sunday.
He scored 313 votes to defeat Idoko Ilonah, who had 124 votes.
Others, Awoniyi Sunday had 77 votes while Musa Wada had 56 votes
The former lawmaker will be up against Usman Ododo, the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the election.
By Ayodele Oni
Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in the 15th February 2023 Presidential Election, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the hurried declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Binani, as winner of Adamawa state Governorship election. He said it confirms the many flaws of the 2023 general elections.
Atiku pointed out that the initial decision of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Mr. Hudu Ari to declare Aisha Binani, as the winner of the election, remains a case study in the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general.
He also described it as an indication that INEC had approached the Adamawa State election with a pre-set agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.
Atiku noted that Nigerians have seen how INEC conducted the February 25 and March 18 elections against the run of play and challenged cheated candidates to go to the court.
The former Vice President, therefore, called the attention of Nigerians to what he described as “the game plan of upturning the democratic wishes’’ of the people of Adamawa State in the governorship election.
These were contained in a press release signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe.
According to him, in Adamawa, Nigerians are witnesses to a novel practice in election management where a Resident Electoral Commissioner announced the loser of an election as a winner.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we wish to call the attention of the world to the scheme being perpetrated by INEC to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State.
“We also wish to inform the world that such behaviour by INEC has a natural consequence of unsettling the peace and security of the society.
“It must be put on record that the people of Adamawa State will not allow themselves to be cheated three times in a row.
‘It must also be put on record that whatever the consequences of the scheme being scripted, both the INEC and those vested with state powers should be blamed for the consequences of such actions.
“That the APC candidate has a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her.
“Recall that this was the same Resident Electoral Commissioner who pressured the Returning Officer to manipulate the results of the contentious Fufore Local Government Area in the March 18 governorship election.
“The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged.
“It is our demand that the Adamawa REC and any other parties complicit in this treasonable act should be arrested immediately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces who may want to torpedo our democracy and provoke violence in our country.”
By Akinwale Kasali & Ayodele Oni
Following the confusion which engulfed the outcome of the Governorship Election Supplementary Poll in Adamawa State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has demanded for the arrest of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in the State, Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari.
The Supplementary Election was held on Saturday, 15th April between Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP and the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani.
At the end of the poll, while collation of results was still on-going, Ari, inexplicably announced the Candidate of the APC as winner and, therefore, duly elected Governor. By so doing, he usurped the job of the Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, the only person allowed, by law, to announce the results.
Mallam Ari’s conduct caused confusion and crisis which resulted in crisis. A couple of people, allegedly, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were beaten to stupor. At least one of them, purportedly, Ari, was stripped to his underpants by shocked and angry PDP loyalists.
In its reaction to Ari’s unbecoming and unprecedented behaviour, an embarrassed INEC leadership distanced itself from the declaration of Binani as Governor-elect, voided and annulled it, and summoned, with immediate effect, both the REC and the Returning Officer to its Headquarters, Abuja.
In a statement signed on its behalf by Barrister Festus Okoye, Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, INEC said:
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.
The action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect.
“Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended. The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately.
Detailed statement to follow shortly.”
But the PDP, whose Candidate, incumbent Governor Fintiri was leading until Ari’s illegal declaration of Binani as winner wants more.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the Party Party described the incident as reprehensible, and demanded that Ari be arrested. It, also, called for the declaration of Governor Fintiri as the duly elected Governor.
Following is the full text of the PDP statement.
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.
“The PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such illegal declaration in criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was on-going.
“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.
“This reprehensible criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarms by the PDP which demanded for his immediate removal from Adamawa State following evidence of his complicity and being compromised by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour notwithstanding the votes by the people of Adamawa State.
“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation. We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest Mallam Yunusa Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct.
“The PDP notes the pronouncement by INEC Headquarters that the action of Mallam Yunusa Ari is “null, void and of no effect”. The PDP therefore demands that INEC Headquarters should immediately direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the Polling Units and declare our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast.
“From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections held and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, Governor Fintiri clearly won the election.
“Our Party therefore demands that INEC should WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY announce the results as already collated from the Polling Units and declare Governor Fintiri as winner. Anything short of this will not be accepted by our Party and the people of Adamawa State.”
By Ayodele Oni
Security update from Kaduna State has disclosed that a village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area was bombarded with attack which claimed several lives.
A report by the Military, sent to Governor Nasir El Rufai on Sunday, informed of an attack in Runji village, Zangon Kataf on Saturday night during which several lives were lost.
According to the preliminary report, the attack also left some residents injured and an unspecified number of houses burnt down in the community.
It claimed that troops had a fierce encounter with the attackers and are still in the general area.
“While waiting for a detailed report, Governor Nasir El-Rufai who received the preliminary report in the early hours of Sunday, has condemned the killings as unacceptable and unjustifiable.
The state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the Governor has condoled families that lost their loved ones and prayed for the repose of the victims’ souls. He also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
The Commissioner promised that Kaduna State Government will update the public on the incident as soon as detailed reports are received from the security agencies.
By Ayodele Oni and Akinwale Kasali
The declaration of the Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Adamawa, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani as the Governor-elect, after the Supplementary Election, has been voided.
There was, apparently, a mix- up Sunday morning when the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Binani the winner.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for the State, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, made the declaration following the supplementary election conducted on Saturday. By the declaration, Yunusa usurped the job of the Chief Returning Officer, whose job it is to declare the winner.
The social media is awash with the declaration, which is the sole responsibility of the Chief Returning Officer for the election.
The National headquarters of INEC in Abuja has reacted to the mix-up in the outcome of the Governorship election in Adamawa state.
INEC’s Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, stated in a statement issued on Sunday, that the action of the Resident Electoral Commissioner amounts to usurpation of duties.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.
“The action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect.
“Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately.”
Candidate of Labour Party, LP, for Ogbaru Federal Constituency Election, Afam Victor Ogene, has been declared winner of the Ogbaru House of Representatives seat.
He defeated the incumbent House of Representatives member of the constituency, Chukwuma Onyema of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who is a third term member of the Green Chamber.
Announcing the results at Atani, headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area , the Returning Officer, Professor Kingsley Ubaorji of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, said “Hon. Afam Ogene of Labour Party polled 10,851 votes of the total votes cast, followed by the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Hon Chukwuma Wilfred Onyema who polled 10,619 votes.”
According Returning Officer, Hon. Arinze John Awogu of APGA came third with 10,155 votes.
Other candidates scored as follows: Mrs Nkechi Ismade of APC scored 303 votes, Nwachukwu Victor of ADC scored 39 votes, Obunne Celestine of NNPP scored 124 votes while Nwadialor C of SDP scored 27.
“That Hon Afam Ogene of the Labour Party, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast is declared winner of the election,” the Returning Officer announced.
Earlier, the PDP led with over 1,000 votes in the supplementary election, while APGA came second, followed by LP.
However, when the result was summed up with the previous February 25th election, the Labour Party Candidate came first followed by the PDP candidate, and APGA as second and third.
By Adesina Soyooye
The immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum, Sylva Timipere, has won the Governorship Primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He will, therefore, be the candidate of the Party in the November 11, 2023 elections.
And, in Imo State, the much anticipated Primary for the Labour Party Governorship Candidate was won by Athan Achonu, popular as One Arm General.
Sylva surprised not a few people when he, last month, resigned from office and joined the Governorship race in his State. He had, before now, expressed interest in the Presidential race but chickened out after paying the sum of N100 millions for the forms.
He was a one-term Governor of the State under the Peoples Democratic Party which denied him the ticket for a second term in office in favour of Senator Seriake Dickson. He decamped to the APC from where he contested again, and failed.
But in 2019, he backed David Lyon against the now incumbent Governor, Senator Duoye Diri.
Lyon won the election, but was sacked on the eve of his swearing-in ceremony by the Supreme Court over inconsistencies in the documents of his running mate.
Many people thought the Party was going to field Lyon again as compensation, but Sylva threw in his hat into the ring.
In the Direct Primary held in the State over a period of two days – Friday and Saturday, Sylva won in a landslide. He scored a total number of 52,061 votes to defeat Joshua Maclver, his closest rival who scored 2,078 votes.
And, in a surprise in LP, Imo State, which emanated from a very keen contest, Achonu defeated a solid field to emerge the Candidate of the Labour Party.
Not a few people put their bet on either Major General Lincoln Ogunewe, rtd, or Chief Martin Agbaso, both from the Owerri Senatorial Zone, but Achonu, the only Candidate from Okigwe Zone, Imo North, beat Ogunewe and Agbaso.
While Achonu scored 134 votes, Ogunewe scored 121 votes, and Agbaso, an unbelievable 13 votes.
Achonu had, in 2015, won the Senatorial election for Imo North, but was removed by the Supreme Court in favour of the late Benjamin Uwajimogu.
With the Primaries of the three major political parties – APC, LP, PDP – in Imo over, the battle field is set for their three Candidates – APC’s Governor Hope Uzodinma, LP’s Athan Achonu and PDP’s Senator Samuel Anyanwu to slug it out on 11, November, 2023.
In Bayesa, Sylva will slug it out with the incumbent Governor, Senator Diri of the PDP.
By Ayodele Oni
Some of the aspirants that participated in last Friday’s All Progressives Congress, (APC) governorship primary in Kogi state have rejected the outcome of the exercise.
Ahmed Usman Ododo, a former Auditor General for Local Governments in the state, regarded as annoited candidate of the incumbent Governor Idris, was declared winner of the election.
Secretary of the Kogi State APC Primary Election Committee, Patrick Obahiagbon, on behalf of the chairman of the panel, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, had announced Ahmed Usman Ododo as the APC standard bearer for the election fixed for November.
However, at a press briefing in Abuja on Saturday, four of the aspirants discribed the process that produced Ododo as a “sham”.
The aspirants that lost and rejected the results include, Senator Smart Adeyemi, Prince Shuaibu Audu, Prof. Stephen Oseni and a member of the APC National Working Committee, Yakubu Ajaka.
The Senator representing Kogi West said no election took place as he maintained that the team sent to conduct the direct primary and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) were nowhere to be found.
He appealed to the APC NWC to disregard the outcome.
“It was scheduled for yesterday (Friday) The election was supposed to be concluded by 2 pm. Results were prepared even before the commencement of voting.
“This is the worst form of rigging, it was unprecedented. There was no election. For somebody to have audacity to write results, we are saying the INEC should be prepared to tell Nigerians if election was conducted.
“None of the officials of INEC and the panel led by Zamfara state governor came out.
“We are aware that Governor Matawalle wasn’t happy with the sham and that was why he left.
“There is a guideline that in the absence of the Chairman, that secretary should not announce the result. What we had was allocation of votes. The purported winner is the Auditor General of Kogi.
“We have no problem with the Governor but the level of his involvement. There was no election at all. It was supposed to be a direct primary, people were mobilized but there was no election.”
Adeyemi, who admitted that aggrieved aspirants organized a parallel Congress was however silent on the winner.
“Some of us have to organize a parallel Congress. If the APC refuses to do what is right, it will be difficult for people to vote for us in Kogi. What happened was a betrayal of democracy. People were not allowed to vote, results were written.
“I want to call on the leadership of the party to avoid the collapse of the party. The tenets of democracy is one man, one vote.”
Audu also spoke in same vein as he urged the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC not to submit Ododo’s name to INEC.
“I was at my Polling Unit, I waited till 6pm, no election materials, no INEC officials .It was a sham of a process, the election did not hold.
“I will like to appeal to the NWC to take a look at the sham that happened on April 14. I will like to call on the President elect and Vice President to take a look at it. It was a sham of a process and we don’t want it to stand.”
Another aspirant, Ajaka accused the team that conducted the process of betrayal of trust.
He told newsmen that the APC NWC of which he is a member would not allow ratifying the outcome of the Kogi primary.
“The people who perpetrated this have no character, I am sure that the NWC won’t allow it to happen. The people know their leaders, they know who they want. By next week, the leadership of the party will take a decision.
“The NWC will meet, they can’t present a name without ratification of the NWC. We are standing on justice. We aren’t desperate to be Governor but we are desperate for our party to win.”
The aggrieved aspirants also gave reasons why they were yet to present petitions before the appeal panel set up by the party’s national leadership.
“We have resolved not to petition the appeal committee but the NWC. We learnt they are trying to attack us if we approach the appeal panel. So, we have resolved to avoid going there.”
By Ayodele Oni
Ekiti state Governor, Biodun Oyebanji has reminded the church that there is no perfection in Governance as mistakes are bound to occur at any point.
The Governor, while addressing a synod of Ekiti Anglican Communion at Ise, explained that there was no smooth sail in the journey of life as there would always be days of disappointment, turbulence and fears stressing the need to join hands together in faith to save a bad situation rather than aggravate it.
“I have personally reflected on the theme of this synod and its central significance to the Christian faith, “Peace, be still” illustrates the agility of a man in the face of danger and desperation that often sprout therefrom.
“This shows that all of us freight and troubled in the face of dangers to our lives to the extent we forgot that God is always around us, we often forget to exercise faith or to remember the goodness of God in the past.
“Finally, people of God, I want to reiterate before you that I am committed to the development of our dear state, we are doing everything possible to ensure life is made abundant for all our people and that Ekiti becomes the land of opportunity and prosperity as conceived by the founding fathers. I therefore crave for your support, cooperation and prayers.
“Nonetheless, I know inspite of our best intentions, there will still be situations where our best may proof insufficient, even then, we should not become paralytic in faith nor desperate in our reactions.
“At that moment of our disappointment, when it seems our best is not scratching the surface of your expectation, I say to you peace, be still.”
The Governor commended Ekiti Diocese for its historical leading roles in the Christian missionary works in the state, as well as the invaluable contribution of the church to the development of Education and the promotion of the Ekiti pastor-hood, which today was being honoured for its integrity, self-esteem, independence and contentment.
He promised residents of the state that no one would be allowed to suffer any undue harm as government would always ensure it takes the best decision in general interest of the people adding that he was committed to working assiduously for the development of the state that would bring the desired result of shared prosperity to all and sundry.
Oyebanji urged Nigerians to always have total faith in God in their moment of crisis and seek the face of God adding that everyone should understand that God is so powerful to deliver them from any problem or challenges they may be facing at any point in time.
President of the Synod and Bishop of Ekiti diocese, Rev Andrew Olusola, lauded the administration’s giant strides in the areas of infrastructure and human capital development of the state.
The leadership of the Hutch in Ekiti State said at the 19th Synod of the church that Oyebanji’s efforts are aimed at repositioning the state through prompt payment of salaries and pensions, comprehensive renovation of schools and hospitals, as well as rehabilitation and construction of roads in the state.
Bishop Olusola pointed out that the administration had started on a positive note by focusing on infrastructure and human capital development which had become evident in the improvement in the quality of life of the average citizen.
He, however, urged the government to enforce stoppage of hawkers from the streets of Ado Ekiti.
Rev. Olusola, who appealed to the Governor to expedite action on the completion of the International Cargo Airport to give residents the opportunity to fly from Ado Ekiti to all parts of the world, urged government to take full charge of the Internal Revenue Service and allow residents’ ability to pay online directly to government coffers in order to reduce the hardship people go through to pay taxes.
By Ayodele Oni
Preparatory to his exit from government after two tenure of eight years as Delta state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has signed a bill stipulating entitlements for former Governors of the state.
Titled “Delta State Pension and Other benefit laws for ex Governors”, details of the packages include N50m yearly, furnished duplex in Delta State or any other state in the country worth over N300 million.
Others are 350 percent gratuity of his basic salary for the first tenure;
Gratuity of 450 percent of his basic salary for second tenure; and Pension of 70 percent salary of first term.
The bill also gives ex Governors Pension of 80 percent salary of second term; Medical treatment for him and members of his immediate family and two vehicles, including a utility vehicle, not below the sum of N20 million each, every two years.
Other entitlements are two armed policemen and one Department of State Security officer; 15 days’ annual vacation in any place of his choice; an office with four aides, each of the four domestic workers will earn N100,000 monthly.
Investigation revealed that the bill will be the first law to be passed to stipulate entitlements to former governors of the oil rich state.
Okowa, who was the running mate to the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Atiku Abubakar during February poll, will be leaving office next month and is expected to be succeeded by another candidate from the PDP.
