The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, has levelled serious allegations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the conduct of the Edo governorship election.
Speaking at a press conference in Benin on Sunday, Fintiri, the chairman of the Edo PDP campaign council, claimed that agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were denied access to the INEC office before the collation process.
The governor further alleged that the collation of results was violently disrupted in several local government areas, raising alarms about the integrity of the election.
As the situation unfolds, the PDP is demanding accountability from INEC and urging for a transparent and fair collation of the election results, emphasizing the need for every vote to count in line with democratic principles.
According to him, “In Edo South, local government collation processes were stopped in Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, and Egor and moved illegally to the State Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin on the instructions of an Assistant Inspector General (AIG), in complete breach of the statutory collation process.
“Affected party agents and representatives were then ordered to converge on the INEC State Headquarters in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area for the completion of the collation exercise.
“Upon arrival, agents of the PDP were not allowed into the INEC State Office for the exercise. On the other hand, agents of the APC were allowed unfettered access into the INEC premises to participate in the collation process. This was also in breach of the Electoral Act section on neutrality, as well as the rules and regulations published for these elections.”
The Adamawa governor added that at about 9 pm, “senior officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC), accompanied by the police, stormed the Etsako West LGA collation centre and began shooting indiscriminately.”
“As a result of the attack, the council vice chairman was left in a critical condition from a shooting injury. Because of this assault, the expected results from Wards 7 and 11 were not delivered.
“At the INEC state office, a 2km barricade was created by the police to cordon off access, thereby restricting movement in the area”, he said.
Fintiri reeled out some local government results, emphasizing that his announcement did not override the electoral umpire’s authority.
He added that the figures were those received from party agents.
“I did not announce results, I only informed the public of the exact figures from our collation agents that was ongoing before INEC disrupted the process… INEC should be accused of violating the Electoral Act, not me,” Fintiri said.
He said, “It took the protest of Governor Obaseki, who made an entry to the state INEC office and registered the displeasure of the PDP with the irregularities of the collation process, for things to move forward.
“We thereby demand a restoration of the collation process in accordance with the Electoral Act and the INEC rules and regulations for this election.
“Any other illegal and unlawful action going forward will be a violation of the will of the people and abuse of the Electoral Act.”
Edo 2024: APC’s Okpebholo Leads PDP, LP With 48,000 Votes As INEC Announces 16 LGAs Results [Full List]
AFOLABIThe All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, is currently leading in the Edo State governorship election race.
Naija News recalls that the Edo State gubernatorial election was held across the South-south State on Saturday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday announced the results from 16 LGAs.
According to the results announced so far, Okpebholo secured 244,549 votes, while Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, garnered 195,954 votes.
Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party, LP, got a total of 13,348 votes.
Meanwhile, the electoral umpire has announced a 3-hour br to await results from the final two local governments.
Collation is set to resume at 5 p.m.
See results released from 16 Local Government Areas:
Etsako West LGA
APC: 32,107
LP: 2,116
PDP: 17,483
Total Accredited Voters: 54,304
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Etsako Central LG
APC: 11,906
PDP: 8,455
LP: 381
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Etsako East LG
APC: 20,167
PDP: 9,683
LP: 604
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Owan East, LG
APC: 19,380
PDP: 14,189
LP: 446
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Orhionmwon LG
APC: 16,059
PDP: 14,614
LP: 556
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Ovia South-West LG
APC: 10,150
PDP: 10,260
LP: 849
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Esan North-East LG
APC: 10,648
PDP: 12,522
LP: 194
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Esan Central LG
APC: 10,990
PDP: 8,618
LP: 418
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Egor LG
APC: 16,760
PDP: 14,658
LP: 1,966
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Akoko-Edo LG
APC: 34,847
PDP: 15,865
LP: 2,239
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Esan South-East LG
APC: 8,398
PDP: 14,199
LP: 98
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Ovia North-East LG
APC: 13,225
PDP: 15,311
LP: 1,675
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Uhunmwonde LG
APC: 8,776
PDP: 9,339
LP: 769
#EdoDecide2024
Edo Official INEC Results:
Owan West LG
APC: 12,277
PDP: 11,284
LP: 201
#EdoDecides24
Edo Official INEC Results:
Esan West LG
APC: 12,952
PDP: 11,004
LP: 342
#EdoDecides24
Edo Official INEC Results:
Igueben LG
APC: 5,907
PDP: 8,470
LP: 494
#EdoDecide2024
Election Observers have raised concerns about the transperency of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the ongoing Edo election.
They include Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER and TAF Africa
According to them “We, the undersigned accredited civil society organizations observing the 2024 Edo governorship elections, express concern over the transparency of the ongoing results collation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centers, including intimidation of INEC officials and attempts to collate results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, raise significant concerns about the credibility of the results collation process. We acknowledge INEC’s recent statement recognizing reports of result mutilation and its commitment to investigate and address any proven violations.”
They added: “In light of this, we urge INEC to invoke its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 to review any declarations and returns where results were not declared voluntarily or violated provisions of the electoral act and INEC regulations, and guidelines.
“We further call on security agencies to refrain from interference in the collation process and to ensure that accredited party agents, the media, and election observers are granted full access to collation centers. We wish to emphasize that the role of security agencies in the election is to safeguard the process and not to create a situation that will undermine the transparency of the process and thus impact negatively on the credibility of the outcome of the election.”
Vice-President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja for the United States to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
In a statement on Sunday, Stanley Nkwocha, senior special assistant to the president on media and communications, said Shettima’s trip to UNGA was at the behest of President Bola Tinubu.
The 79th UNGA with the theme, “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations,” will be held between September 24 and 28.
“It would be recalled that President Tinubu had directed the Vice President to lead the Nigerian delegation to the high-level global forum while he focuses on addressing pressing domestic issues, including the recent devastating flood disaster,” the statement reads.
Nkwocha said during the session, Shettima will deliver Nigeria’s national statement, participate in key meetings on the sidelines of the event, and engage in bilateral discussions.
The president had said that only authorised government officials will attend this year’s UNGA.
Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president, conveyed Tinubu’s directive during a one-day retreat organised by the State House management for heads of government agencies under its supervision.
Gbajabiamila said the decision to reduce the country’s delegation to the UNGA is part of the “administration’s commitment to ensure prudent management of resources and reduce the cost of governance”.
[TheCable]
Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel some polling units results in line with the Electoral Acts.
The CSOs, Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Kimpact Development Initiative Nigerian Women Trust Fund, ElectHER and TAF Africa, in a joint statement, on Sunday, slammed personnel of Nigeria security agencies deployed in Saturday’s Edo governorship election for unprofessional conduct.
The Edo Governorship election observer groups added that there are reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centers.
It read: “We, the undersigned accredited civil society organizations observing the 2024 Edo governorship elections, express concern over the transparency of the ongoing results collation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Reports of disruptions at ward and local government collation centers, including intimidation of INEC officials and attempts to collate results contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, raise significant concerns about the credibility of the results collation process.
“We acknowledge INEC’s recent statement recognizing reports of result mutilation and its commitment to investigate and address any proven violations.
“In light of this, we urge INEC to invoke its powers under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 to review any declarations and returns where results were not declared voluntarily or violated provisions of the electoral act and INEC regulations, and guidelines.”
The statement added: “We further call on security agencies to refrain from interference in the collation process and to ensure that accredited party agents, the media, and election observers are granted full access to collation centers. We wish to emphasize that the role of security agencies in the election is to safeguard the process and not to create a situation that will undermine the transparency of the process and thus impact negatively on the credibility of the outcome of the election.”
A former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomole, has denied the allegation that the All Progressives Congress has already stock-pilled money to buy votes of the people during the election.
Oshiomole who is also the senator representing the Edo North Senatorial District of the state, also said he had not received any report of violence from anywhere across the state, as the election was ongoing.
Speaking with journalists shortly after casting his votes on Saturday at Iyamho, Ward 10 Unit 01 in Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State, the former governor said the voting had been going on peacefully.
The former governor said, “It is laughable when I hear this kind of allegation. You have been did you see anywhere where they are sharing money? People turned out in large numbers to vote for us because they wanted good government. During our campaign, people came out to see me not because I wanted to give them something but because of what I have done for them while I was in the office as the governor.
“All structures that I have put in place 12, 13 years ago are still there but the ones put up by the present administration, in one year, they are washed off. So our people have seen the difference. Some people do tell me that since I left the government, they haven’t seen the real presence of government in their communities.”
The Director General of the Asue/Ogie Campaign Council, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, on Sunday morning alongside members of the Peoples Democratic Party, protested the just concluded governorship election at the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He also said that the Peoples Democratic Party would protest the outcome of the polls, which he said, was being skewed in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
While journalists and some party agents were waiting at the Conference Hall in the INEC office for the announcement of the results, protesters numbering about 20 stormed the entrance gate of INEC.
Iduoriyekemwen said the PDP was cruising to victory but information available to them showed that there were plans to juggle the final results that would not reflect the wishes of the voters.
He also alleged that the leader of the APC in the state, Adams Oshiomhole and reinstated deputy governor of the state Philip Shaibu were thumb printing ballot papers to close the gap with which the APC was leading.
We have information that the result is being skewed to favour Okpehbolo when it is clear that our candidate is coasting to victory.
“We will not accept this, we will contest it” he said at about 2:27 am when he led the protesters to the venue.
They were dispersed by the police shortly after speaking to journalists through the barricade.
PUNCH Online late Saturday night reporter that tensions were rising in the ongoing Edo State Governorship election as the INEC acknowledged a second complaint regarding discrepancies in polling unit results.
In a statement posted on its official X account late Saturday night, INEC assured the public of swift action, vowing to investigate allegations of incorrect figures being entered into result sheets.
PUNCH Online earlier reported that INEC has uploaded 90.33 percent of the results from the Edo governorship election to its Result Viewing Portal.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mounting pressure on Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to suspend the collation of results in Edo state.
The state governorship election took place on Saturday and result collation is ongoing in some LGAs.
In a statement, Debo Ologunagba, the national publicity secretary of the PDP, said “intelligence” available to the party indicates that the APC wants the result collation of the governorship election suspended “to make way for the manipulation of the INEC portal and replace the real results from the units with fabricated figures in favour of the APC”.
The PDP said Asue Ighodalo, the party’s candidate, is taking an early lead in the election, adding that the APC is planning to invade collation centres with thugs to disrupt the process.
“Our Party has also been made aware that the APC is mounting pressure on the Military to withdraw from their positions so as to enable the APC convey its armed thugs to disrupt and manipulate the collation process,” Ologunagba said.
“The PDP in very strong terms cautions INEC and the APC to note that the people of Edo State already have authentic results from the Polling Units across the State and that any attempt by anybody or group whatsoever to alter the results will inflame the already charged situation with very severe consequences on perpetrators.
“INEC must not lose sight of the violent protest that trailed the criminal attempt by the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Ari to alter the outcome of the 2023 Governorship election in that State which nearly led to the death of some INEC officials.
“INEC and the APC must note that any attempt to change the results of the Edo State governorship election will provoke worse consequences as the people have indicated their readiness to use every means allowed in a democracy including legitimate physical confrontation, if necessary to protect their votes.
“The PDP charges the Electoral Commission to resist the pressure by the APC and ensure that nobody tampers with the results as obtained from the Polling Units.
“Our Party commends the military for its professionalism in defending our democracy in the Edo State governorship election and urges the Military High Command not to succumb to the pressure from the APC to withdraw from their posts and allow for the manipulation of the process.
“The PDP again charges the people of Edo State to remain at the Coalition Center in their numbers and monitor the collation process so as to ensure that their Will as expressed in the election is affirmed.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will investigate allegations of falsified polling unit results in the Edo governorship election.
In a post on its official X page on Saturday, the commission said the complaint is the second received out of the 4,519 polling units in the state.
“The Commission’s attention has been drawn to an allegation of wrong figures entered into polling unit result sheets in the ongoing Edo State Governorship election,” the post reads.
“This is the second complaint we have received out of the 4,519 polling units used for the election.
“The Commission will immediately investigate the matter and deal with any proven infraction.”
Earlier today, Obozuwa Josephine, a presiding officer of the commission, allegedly recorded more votes than accredited voters in Osholo primary school, Weppa ward, Etsako east LGA in Edo.
The total number of accredited voters according to the Form EC 8A filled by Josephine was 213 — but 406 votes were recorded as the total number of valid ballots cast.
Shortly afterwards, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the presiding officer.
Debo Ologunagba, PDP’s spokesperson, in a statement, alleged that Josephine allocated non-existent votes to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP also demanded the arrest and prosecution of members of the APC involved in the alleged falsification.
“The election result sheet for Osholo Primary School Polling Unit, Weppa in Etsako East Local Government Area shows that whereas 213 voters were accredited, Obozuwa Josephine criminally and fraudulently allocated 352 votes to the APC, 52 to the PDP and one to the LP, giving a total of 406 as votes cast,” he said.
“It is highly provocative that the INEC PO Obozuwa Josephine could be so compromised by the APC to audaciously and feloniously allocate unearned 352 votes to the APC above the 213 voters officially accredited in that Polling Unit.”
With the right interventions by the Federal Government, the pump price of petrol produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery may crash below N600/litre, crude oil refiners have said.
The Publicity Secretary of the Crude Oil Refiners Association of Nigeria, Eche Idoko, told Sunday PUNCH in an interview that the association still has a strong belief that local refineries like Dangote and others can bring down the cost of petrol.
Idoko said the N898/litre claimed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited as the price it bought petrol from Dangote reflected the rising exchange rate.
He explained that the N898 would drop to N550 if the exchange rate is pegged at N1,000/$ for locally-produced petroleum products.
According to him, the PMS being sold by the Dangote refinery since last week Sunday was produced from imported crude and the ones bought locally in dollars.
“If you remember, we did say that if we begin to refine locally and there is a naira sale, the price of PMS will drop. We still stand strongly by that position. This particular batch of product that is being sold by Dangote, the crude was purchased in June at the international price.
“NNPC supplied 60 per cent of that crude and the remaining percentage was imported by Dangote at the international price. Now, when they refine that product, they have to sell at the international price because they are a business, they have to make money,” he said.
Even at N898, Idoko emphasised that the NNPC is buying at 300 below the usual landing cost of almost N1,200/litre.
“The pricing that you are seeing now is a reflection of what the international price is, less the cost of freighting. If you look at it now, NNPC was buying the product at N300 less; they’re paying N300 more for the product they were importing than what they are buying from Dangote at N889.
“That N300/litre was what I had mentioned before that local refining would take care of, even without any intervention,” he noted.
The CORAN spokesman added that the naira crude sale would automatically free up about 40 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange which he said had gone into servicing the importation of petroleum products.
“If the financial sector is sincere, we should see an immediate climb by the naira against the dollar. And if the naira climbs against the dollar, without even the government pegging the price of the exchange rate for dollars in the pricing of that group, we will see a reduction in the price automatically,” he stated.
To crash the price of Dangote petrol significantly, Idoko advised the Federal Government committee working on crude sales to local refineries to sell the feedstock in naira at a discount and peg the exchange rate at about N1,000 to a dollar.
“But because we are not completely in touch with what happens in the financial sector, we have said to the government – two things you will do. You will sell in naira at a discount, and then at that discount, you will peg the price at a particular exchange rate to the dollar.
“For instance, you can say, you are using N1,000 as an exchange rate for this dollar deal, for the locally refined petroleum products. And like that, you will see a significant drop in the price,” he stated.
He noted that the special committee had gone back and was still working.
“So, whatever is happening now is outside whatever is being discussed by the government. And there is a whole lot of politics here and there. Some people are afraid that this would make Dangote become a monopoly. Dangote now is a member of our association and will play by the rules of our association. We would also control the chances of monopoly to start with. Then the NMDPRA is there as a major gatekeeper to control any form of monopoly.
“There are two more things I will say, rather than see what is happening as a minus, NNPC should be thanking the local players for coming in to rescue them. The NNPC should see Dangote and the other private players that have come in as a partner and work with them to solve this issue. Let us all work together and not try to gaslight the public against the other person,” he said.
Idoko condemned the imposition of levies and taxes on the PMS price by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority as reflected in the estimated prices released by the NNPC.
“In this price alone, about 25-30 per cent of that money goes to the government in levies. In that breakdown, you see that this money goes to taxes and levies from NMDPRA and other organisations. At a time when Nigerians are groaning, you reconsider these fees. When people’s purchasing power has been enhanced, then you can improve this. It happens all over the world, even in the United States. they give tax cuts every day,” he emphasised.
The refiner spoke further, “As it is right now, this pricing you see is a reflection of what the price will look like if there is no intervention at all, because of how the naira is doing and because of what crude is doing in the international market. But if the government intervenes by way of naira sales and pegging the dollar exchange rate for crude transactions at a reasonably low rate, you will see an improvement. This is different from paying money as a subsidy. You are only just putting mechanisms in place to ensure the product is cheap.”
Going mathematical, he analysed the breakdown of the estimated price released by the NNPC.
According to him, a litre of Dangote PMS is $0.52, which translates to N842.61 when calculated at an exchange rate of N1,637 to a dollar. He said this would have been N520 if the exchange rate was pegged at N1,000 to $1.
“The premium is $0.03, which should be N30 if the exchange rate is N1,000. The two will give you N550/litre as the gantry price. If the government removes levies and taxes, the product will be below N600, especially if the crude is sold at a discount.” he stated.
Asked if he is certain that the government can cap the dollar rate at N1,000, Idoko retorted, “For this intervention, yes. The crude belongs to the people now, and it’s NNPC’s crude. NNPC can give the crude for local refining at $1,000. You refine, the NNPC collects everything and stores it. The NNPC needs a strategic storage arrangement. We have depots in almost all the states in Nigeria. Load those depots with PMS for the rainy day.
“Right now, people don’t have the purchasing power. With the intervention, we can keep the price under N600, maintaining this N1,000 as the dollar benchmark for 36 months, after which we will review and go higher. What you are using to buy these things now are purely internal funds. You are not sourcing for dollars or anything; it’s Nigeria to Nigeria. The crude is your own. The currency you are receiving is your own.”
On Monday, NNPC announced that it would sell the petrol lifted from the Dangote refinery at a price above N1,000/litre in the far north.
Its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘NNPC Ltd Releases Estimated Pump Prices of PMS from Dangote Refinery Based on September 2024 Pricing’.
Soneye explained that the price may go for as high as N1,019/litre in Borno State and N999.22 in Abuja, Sokoto, Kano, and others.
In Oyo, Rivers, and other areas in the South, it will be N960/litre. The lowest price, according to an infographic released by the NNPC, is N950 in Lagos and its environs.
Recall that the Dangote Group had disagreed with NNPC last week Sunday on the N898/litre PMS cost announced by NNPC as the price at which Dangote sold the product.
The Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, said the claim that Dangote refinery sold PMS at N898/litre to the NNPC was misleading and mischievous, saying it was deliberately aimed at undermining the milestone achievement towards addressing energy insufficiency and insecurity, which has bedeviled the economy in the past 50 years.
“We urge Nigerians to disregard this malicious statement and await a formal announcement on the pricing, by the Technical Sub-Committee on Naira-based crude sales to local refineries, appointed by His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, which will commence on October 1, 2024, bearing in mind that our current stock of crude was procured in dollars,” Chiejina noted.
He added that the PMS was sold to the NNPC in dollars with a lot of savings against what the company had been importing.
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The All Progressives Congress (APC) claims it is “comfortably in an early lead” in the collation of results for the Edo governorship election.
In a statement on Saturday, Felix Morka, APC spokesperson, urged voters in Edo to disregard “bogus and highly speculative” election results in circulation.
Morka said certain political parties are peddling “bogus figures” of the results of the governorship election.
“We urge the Edo state electorate and the general public to disregard these bogus and highly speculative reports,” he said.
“Our great Party wishes to clarify that collation at the Ward level is still ongoing and has yet to be concluded.
“Certainly, Local Government level collation has yet to begin in most of the LGAs in the state let alone concluded.
“Consistent with the Electoral Act, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the sole authorised body empowered to collate results at the Ward, Local Government and State levels, and to officially declare the result of the Election.”
At the moment, collation of election results is currently going on at the ward and LGA levels.
As of 9:55pm on Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded 95.40 percent results from 4,519 polling units in the state on the viewing portal (IReV).
The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, says low voters did not turn out for the Edo State governorship election that held on Saturday.
He stated this in Benin City during an interview on Channels Television as the results started trickling in after the conduct of the off-cycle poll.
He described the situation as sad and disappointing, noting that most young people appear on the ballot.
“Majority of those who are actually on the ballot are young people, and it is just sad to see that there are not too many young people that showed up to cast their vote,” he said.
“If they did, perhaps we would have recorded higher turnout levels. You go to a polling unit of about 1,700 voters, you will see just a hundred or 200.”
Earlier, Yiaga Africa said its agents observed incidences of vote buying and polling unit disruption during Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State.
The group in a statement said it deployed 300 stationary and 25 roving agents to observe a representative sample of polling units across all 18 LGAs in Edo.
It noted that the observers were monitoring the results collation process at the LGA and state levels.
“Yiaga Africa observers reported incidents of vote buying in Ikpoba/Okha, Igueben, Esan West, Akoko Edo, Owan West and Uhunmode LGAs. APC and PDP party agents were seen bribing voters with cash (N10,000) at the Igueben – Idumoka Pri School polling unit (12-10-03-004) Ward 1 in Igueben LGA,” the statement read.
“Party agents for APC and PDP were also seen handing out cash (N10,000) in Enikaro – Enikaro Primary School IX Polling Unit (12-11-07-009) in Ugbekun ward, Ikpoba/Okha LGA.
“Voters halted the accreditation and voting process in the Ikpoba—Army Children XI polling unit (12-11-01-011) in Iwogban/Uteh Ward, Ikpoba/Okha LGA because INEC officials arrived without the official stamp.
“At Ebua Market Square in Uhunwode LGA, an altercation between APC and PDP supporters over alleged bribery led to the suspension of voting and the destruction of the voting cubicle. Political thugs also disrupted voting at Anyaran Araromi Primary School in Akoko Edo LGA.”
Edo residents went to the polls on Saturday to elect who govern them for the next four years.
There are 17 candidates in the race for the Edo governorship seat, comprising 16 men and one woman.
Among the leading candidates are Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP), Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said 2,629,025 voters registered to cast their ballot.
Frank Mba, a deputy inspector-general of police (DIG), says there has been a large voter turnout in the Edo state governorship election.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, Mba, who is in charge of security for the election, said he witnessed a large voter turnout at some polling units visited.
“We’ve visited a couple of polling units, and so far, so good; we’ve seen a large turnout, but there are the places where the turnout was quite low,” Mba said.
The DIG also said the security situation during the election has been encouraging.
“For us, our major concern is the all-round security of the elections, and I am so far encouraged and impressed,” he said.
“In areas where we’ve received minor complaints, we’ve risen up to the challenge, and we’ve been able to fix those ones.
“We are still out to continue monitoring, and we are optimistic that all will end well.”
Seventeen candidates are battling for the votes of 2.2 million electorates in the race to succeed Godwin Obaseki, the incumbent governor of Edo.
Candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party (LP) are the major contenders in the election.
President Bola Tinubu says Nigeria’s daily consumption of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, reduced to about 30 million litres after subsidy removal.
Tinubu spoke on Friday during a meeting with a group of former lawmakers at the State House in Abuja.
He said although Nigerians are complaining about the current “petroleum crisis”, the country must achieve PMS security.
“Yes, we have fuel in the ground. But do we have the capacity to bring it up before we refine and distribute? Have we examined alternative sources of energy with all that the world has given to us?” he asked.
“When I resumed, I said the subsidy was gone. There was no subsidy in the budget handed over to me. I can’t be creative and look for magic lamp to create a budget. And ever since, we maintained that position.
“From several millions of litres (of petrol), now we are down to 30 something. We are now knowing the true consumption of how much we are taking.
“We are not here and we should not be here. And I know you are not one of them, the smugglers. Look at the prices across the countries — Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nije, Benin Republic to Ghana – check the prices.”
On July 18, 2023, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said petrol consumption fell to 46.38 million litres per day in June, from the average daily consumption of 65 million litres, largely due to the removal of subsidy.
‘SUBSIDY PREVENTED NIGERIA FROM INVESTING IN HOSPITALS, SCHOOLS’
Due to the subsidy cost, the president said Nigeria was unable to equip hospitals and build new classrooms.
“If we are spending this money on ourselves, I believe we will get better return, happiness, and development programme, even if we invest it in our infrastructure,” he said.
On May 29, President Bola Tinubu said the petrol subsidy regime is over.
Almost three months later, TheCable reported that Tinubu was considering a “temporary subsidy” on petrol as crude oil prices and foreign exchange rates soared.
However, Ajuri Ngelale, former presidential spokesperson, said there was no reintroduction of subsidy.
Also, on January 3, Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited denied the return of petrol subsidy, saying it had been removed entirely.
However, on April 15, Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna state, said the federal government is spending more on petrol subsidy than before.
TheCable also reported on August 19 that Tinubu approved a request by NNPC to utilise the 2023 final dividends due to the federation to pay for the petrol subsidy — but NNPC denied the existence of petrol subsidy.
However, on the same day, the national oil company said the federal government owes it N7.8 trillion for petrol subsidy.