Some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission have been held hostage in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Earlier today, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State staged a protest in Yenagoa.
They marched towards the INEC office on Swali Road.
It was gathered that they demanded that governorship election results from Brass LGA should not be brought to the collation centre, which is the state INEC office.
In a post via the commission’s X handle on Sunday, INEC called on the police and other security operatives to investigate the situation and facilitate the release of the officials.
The post read “The unfolding situation in Brass Local Government Area.
“The commission is closely watching the situation in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State where our officials are held hostage.
“This is detrimental to credible elections. We call on the security agencies to immediately facilitate their release.”
[Punch]
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said the re-election of Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, is a testament to his excellent performance during his first term.
Akpabio said this in a congratulatory letter to the Imo State Governor over his victory as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Sunday.
The Senate President who commended Governor Uzodinma for his resilience and commitment to genuine democratic practices said “Good governance has triumphed over propaganda”
Akpabio further said “Your Excellency, I wish to heartily congratulate and rejoice with you and the people of Imo State on your well-deserved re-election as the Executive Governor of Imo State. Your victory is a testimony of your excellent performance in office in the last four years.
“I must say, this victory is an affirmation by the Ndi Imo of your sterling leadership qualities and confirmation of your outstanding performance and delivery of the dividends of democracy to the people.
“It is also an indication that our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is firmly established in the South East and accepted by the good people of the region.
“ This explains why despite threats, attempted strikes and manipulated blackmail from enemies of your people, God took control.
“Therefore, on behalf of the APC family in the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I congratulate you on this resounding 2nd term victory and pray for God’s wisdom to translate this victory into more tangible dividends of democracy for the good people of Imo state.”
Akpabio equally commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for refusing to give in to blackmail by conducting a free and fair election.
He said, “I commend INEC for providing a level playing field for all the candidates and for conducting transparent elections. I also commend the security agencies for keeping the troublemakers at bay and ensuring peaceful conduct during the polls.
“I urge you to be magnanimous in victory by extending your hands of fellowship to your fellow contestants and see this re-election as a renewed mandate to build on the foundations that you have already laid towards improving the lives of the people of Imo State.”
[Vanguard]
Nigeria says it sees “immediate” multi-billion-dollar investment flows from Saudi Arabia after it signed an agreement with the kingdom to establish a business council that could see the middle eastern nation funding several sectors of the West African country, including agriculture, oil and gas, energy, telecommunications and technologies.
The two nations agreed to reestablish a Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Business Council initially proposed in 2019 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz that was esisted by the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Read more: Saudi Arabia Says It Plans $25 Billion in African Investments
“We expect to see significant investment flow immediately,” Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Nigeria’s minister of budget and economic planning said in an interview in Riyadh after a business round-table between the officials of Saudi and Nigeria.
Through the council, the kingdom plans to replicates several of investments made in India, Indonesia, and Pakistan in Nigeria that could be worth several billion dollars, the minister said without giving exact figures of the expected inflows. Several companies, including the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co, have made commitments to close several deals in Nigeria by end of the year, according to Bagudu. Nigeria’s minister of agriculture met with his Saudi counterpart and Salic executives.
“They told us that they are in the process of making additional investment decisions in Nigeria, which they hope to close before the end of the year,” the minister said.
Last week, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia made a series of investment and cooperation deals, including a pledge by the Saudi government to invest in the revamping of Nigeria’s oil refineries and provide financial support to sustain the government’s foreign-exchange reforms.
Earlier, the oil rich middle eastern country said on Saturday it is finalizing investment plans within a week that will see the officials of the kingdom closing several deals when they visit Nigeria by the end of December.
“We know you are ready for business, so we do not want to come to Nigeria for any exploratory discussion. We are coming for implementation, it’s an action visit. It will be to sign and begin delivery on all agreements,” Saudi Kahlid El-Falih, Arabia’s trade and investment minister told Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu during the business round-table.
[Bloomberg]
The human species has topped 8 billion, with longer lifespans offsetting fewer births, but world population growth continues a long-term trend of slowing down, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday.
The bureau estimates the global population exceeded the threshold Sept. 26, a precise date the agency said to take with a grain of salt.
The United Nations estimated the number was passed 10 months earlier, having declared Nov. 22, 2022, the 'Day of 8 Billion,' the Census Bureau pointed out in a statement.
The discrepancy is due to countries counting people differently - or not at all. Many lack systems to record births and deaths. Some of the most populous countries, such as India and Nigeria, haven't conducted censuses in over a decade, according to the bureau.
While world population growth remains brisk, growing from 6 billion to 8 billion since the turn of the millennium, the rate has slowed since doubling between 1960 and 2000.
People living to older ages account for much of the recent increase. The global median age, now 32, has been rising in a trend expected to continue toward 39 in 2060.
Countries such as Canada have been aging with declining older-age mortality, while countries such as Nigeria have seen dramatic declines in deaths of children under 5.
Fertility rates, or the rate of births per woman of childbearing age, are meanwhile declining, falling below replacement level in much of the world and contributing to a more than 50-year trend, on average, of slimmer increases in population growth.
The minimum number of such births necessary to replace both the father and mother for neutral world population is 2.1, demographers say. Almost three-quarters of people now live in countries with fertility rates around or below that level.
Countries with fertility rates around replacement level include India, Tunisia and Argentina.
About 15% of people live in places with fertility rates below replacement level. Countries with low fertility rates include Brazil, Mexico, the U.S. and Sweden, while those with very low fertility rates include China, South Korea and Spain.
Israel, Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea rank among countries with higher-than-replacement fertility rates of up to 5. Such countries have almost one-quarter of the world's population.
Only about 4% of the world's population lives in countries with fertility rates above 5. All are in Africa.
Global fertility rates are projected to decline at least through 2060, with no country projected to have a rate higher than 4 by then, according to the bureau.
[southkoreanews]
Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State are staging a protest in Yenagoa.
They are marching towards the INEC office on Swali Road.
It was gathered that they are demanding that governorship election results from Brass LGA should not be brought to the collation centre, which is the state INEC office.
Details later…
[Punch]
Olayinka Braimoh, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in Kogi, says he was in police custody all through the voting period on Saturday.
Braimoh, who spoke to journalists in Kabba town after his release, said he was arrested along the Kabba-Obajana road while trying to get to his polling unit on Saturday morning.
The politician said he was held up in a cell alongside his security and personal aides.
Braimoh said the security operatives arrested him for finding leftover ballot paper samples, used for voter education, in the trunk of one of his vehicles.
“I have been kept in custody for almost the whole day today. I was coming in from Lokoja early hours of today and we got stuck in the traffic at Kabba junction after Obajana,” Braimoh said.
“There were several hundreds of trucks on the road, so we could not manoeuvre our way to come out of that place fast.
“Eventually, we were able to come out of there. So we got to the first checkpoint around Okeboko, our vehicle was searched, nothing was found. We were not carrying cash.
“After that, we were released and the next thing we saw was this bus overtook us and went ahead to wait at the next checkpoint.
“EFCC operatives came out from the bus with some policemen and the next thing was they searched again and they saw the leftover of our flyers in the trunk of the trucks.
“The next thing was they said we were carrying ballot papers. That was ridiculous because it is clearly stated here that this is a ballot paper sample.
“They took us to the area command and we were all locked up. Both the police and every personnel, they pushed us inside the cell and locked us up inside the cell.
“They collected our phones and kept us incommunicado for most part of today.
“So I don’t have any information, as I speak to you, regarding the election today until I get the feedback because my phones were collected and my batteries went flat.
“So, I will need to get an update before I can make any comment about the election.”
[TheCable]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a directive requiring its staff to declare any “close relatives” employed by the bank and disclose connections to Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in the country. This move follows previous criticism of the CBN during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime for allegedly recruiting family members of top government officials without proper advertisement of vacancies, violating federal character laws.
The directive, outlined in a memo signed by Christian Eze, the Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department, instructs staff to submit declarations by noon on Friday, November 10, 2023. Staff members must disclose close relatives employed by the bank, defined as spouses, biological and adopted children, siblings, parents, and half-siblings. The definition of spouses includes cohabiting partners and couples with children.
The memo emphasized the restriction on employing close relatives of serving staff and board members. Staff with close relatives who had previously worked for the bank were directed to fill out a form. Additionally, employees who joined the CBN from 2014 onwards must declare any relationships with PEPs.
PEPs, as defined in the memo, include individuals entrusted with prominent public functions in Nigeria or foreign countries or by an international organization, as well as people/entities associated with them. The directive set a deadline for submissions and warned of sanctions for non-disclosure or false declarations.
The recent disclosure requirements are reportedly part of an ongoing investigation by Special Investigator Jim Obazee, whom President Bola Tinubu appointed to probe the activities of the CBN and related entities. Obazee’s investigation is focused on strengthening probity, blocking leakages, and ensuring transparency in key government business entities.
In his appointment letter, President Tinubu directed the special investigator to produce a comprehensive report on public wealth held by corrupt individuals and establishments, investigate the CBN and related entities, and work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on the assignment.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured Saudi Arabian investors of a conducive business environment, promising to eliminate bottlenecks and facilitate seamless fund inflow and outflow. Speaking at the Nigeria-Saudi Investment Roundtable in Riyadh, Tinubu emphasized his commitment to economic reforms, declaring Nigeria “open for business” and dispelling negative perceptions about ease of doing business, monetary policy, and trade cooperation.
Tinubu highlighted the removal of red tape and the implementation of free-market economics, ensuring easy financial transactions. He expressed confidence in his team’s ability to drive economic prosperity, citing Nigeria’s vibrant youth population as a valuable asset for innovation and engagement with global services.
The president’s candid expression of Nigeria’s readiness for serious investors resonated with Saudi Arabia’s trade and investment minister, Kahlid El-Falih. El-Falih acknowledged Tinubu’s passionate commitment and expected a positive response from the Saudi investment community, translating into substantial investments across various sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Industries, echoed the sentiment, describing Nigeria as the “world’s best-kept secret” in terms of investments and returns. He anticipated a mutually beneficial relationship between Nigerian and Saudi businesses, emphasizing the upcoming launch of the Nigeria-Saudi Business Council as a significant opportunity for collaboration and expansion.
Tinubu’s reassurance and commitment to an investor-friendly Nigeria reinforce the country’s appeal on the global stage, setting the stage for increased economic cooperation between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly establish a joint, credible, transparent, effective, and broad-based investigation into allegations of electoral bribery and violence in the off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.
Naija News reports that the group made the call in a letter dated 11 November 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare.
SERAP urged him to identify, arrest, name and shame suspected perpetrators and their sponsors of these grave human rights crimes, and ensure their effective prosecution, regardless of their political status or affiliations.
SERAP also urged him to “disclose the spending details on the governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states, including the specific amount spent to conduct voter and civic education and activities carried out in these states.”
The organisation said: “If INEC is to live up to its constitutional and statutory responsibilities, it must take bold and effective measures to combat the culture of impunity for electoral bribery and violence in the country.”
SERAP said the recurring cases of electoral bribery and violence make a mockery of Nigeria’s electoral process and participatory democracy.
The letter, read in part: “INEC must acknowledge its own limitations and now embrace a transparent, credible, inclusive and broad-based investigation into the allegations of grave electoral offences in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.
“Electoral integrity is critical to a legitimate democracy. When the integrity of that process is compromised, the legitimacy of our government and the public confidence in our public institutions is seriously undermined.
“Reports of grave electoral offences in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states have shown that INEC and politicians have learnt little or nothing from the well-documented problems during the 2023 general elections.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel INEC to comply with our request in the public interest.
“The right to vote is fundamental and is the essence of a democratic society, and any restrictions on that right strike at the heart of representative government. Nigerians should have the final say in the election of governmental officials.
“Persistent cases of bribery and violence in the country’s elections gravely violate Nigerians’ right to vote, which is central to the effective participation of every citizen.
“Unless there is a transparent, effective, credible, inclusive and broad-based investigation into these allegations, and perpetrators and their sponsors are named and shamed and brought to justice, impunity for these electoral crimes will continue. And citizens will continue to lose confidence in the electoral process.
“Nigerians have the right to know how INEC is spending public funds in the discharge of its constitutional and statutory responsibilities. It is in the public interest to publish the details of spending on governorship elections in the three states.
“According to our information, the governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states witnessed cases of electoral offences including electoral violence, vote-buying, conspiracy, and undue influence.
“The proposed joint investigation should comprise of INEC, anticorruption and law enforcement agencies, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and independent leaders and citizens’ groups from Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states.
“Electoral bribery and violence and other electoral offences undermine the ability of INEC to discharge its responsibilities under Section 153 of the Nigerian Constitution and paragraph 15(a) of the third schedule of the Constitution, and the Electoral Act.
“Electoral bribery and violence and other electoral offences reportedly committed during the off-cycle governorship elections in the three states are contrary to the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act and international standards.
“The Nigerian Constitution provides in Section 14(1)(c) that, ‘the participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.’”
“Sections 121 and 127 of the Electoral Act prohibit electoral bribery and undue influence before, during and after any election. Section 145(2) provides that, ‘a prosecution under this Act shall be undertaken by legal officers of the Commission or any legal practitioner appointed by it.’
“Under section 2(a) and (b), the commission ‘shall have power to conduct voter and civic education and to promote knowledge of sound democratic election processes.’
“The crisis confronting the country’s elections and lack of public trust and confidence in the electoral process can be addressed if impunity for electoral bribery and violence is combated through a transparent, credible and effective investigation and prosecution of suspected perpetrators.
“There are reports of specific cases of pre-completed result sheets including in five local government areas of Kogi State – Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene.
“Suspected political thugs reportedly harassed journalists covering the governorship election in Omuma Community in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State. INEC official in the Oguta Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State also alleged that some men invaded her polling unit and carted away result sheets.
“According to a report by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), there were several reports of electoral violence and vote buying across the three states. For example, there were reports of incidents in PU 1, Ward 8 and PU 11, Ward 1 in Sagbama LGA in Bayelsa West.
“In Bayelsa Central, vote trading was reported in PU 16, Ward 6 in Yenegoa LGA, PU 22, PU 30 and 31, Ward 13 in Southern Ijaw LGA with reports of voter inducements ranging from N5,000 – N22,000, and items such as wrappers and rice were also reportedly shared to buy votes.
“In Kogi, there were reports of vote buying in PUs 004, 038 and 039 in Ward A of Lokoja LGA, where party agents were allegedly sharing out money to voters upon confirmation that they voted for their party candidates.
“In Imo, the two major parties’ agents reportedly engaged in vote buying, sharing between N2000 to N3000. INEC officials were reportedly bribed. Electoral violence was reported in Dekini LGA, town where a thug was reportedly shot and killed by military officials while fleeing in an attempt to snatch a ballot box.
“INEC presiding officer was also reportedly abducted in Bayelsa while on his way to the Registration Area Centre – 06 (Ossioma) in Sagbama Local Government Area.” There are reports of thugs attacking several polling units in the three states.”
The governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo state, Athan Achonu has called for rerun in the governorship election held on Saturday.
Achonu while addressing newsmen claimed that democracy is under attack.
The LP candidate, however, said the masses will resist the attack, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to embark on a rerun of the poll.
He alleged that there were several infractions during the conduct of the election.
Achonu said, “In so many places, it is either the INEC staff refused to sign the result or refused to upload. It took the intervention of security operatives, who came here before they started uploading the results.
“The machine they said could not upload suddenly started uploading. Maybe, if I was not from this area, it would not have been possible. There are even places in Aboh Mbaise where they did not have result sheets.
“We are winning massively on the ground. They have done everything humanly possible to thwart that but we will not allow that; Imolites will not allow that.
“I hope INEC is hearing me clearly now. They should declare our results the way they are. They can’t change our results.
“The All Progressives Congress government should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost the election and they are trying to change the result.
“In Orlu, they moved the entire electoral materials to the house of a traditional ruler. Orsu was worse; it is madness. They were doing cluster voting.
“They blocked people from coming out to vote and then brought some people with cards they hired from somewhere to vote, claiming they were the people who ran away from home.
“Democracy is under attack but we are resisting it. That is why you see all these people here so that we can have proper democracy and good governance.
“Of course, INEC must cancel everywhere this madness occurred and order a rerun.”
More...
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the November 11, 2023 governorship election in the state.
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Prof Abayomi Fashina, who was the state Returning Officer declared Uzodimma re-elected on Sunday morning at about 10 am after over eight hours of collation of local government results.
“That you Hope Uzodimma of APC having satisfied the law is hereby returned elected,” Fashina declared.
Uzodimma was first declared as Imo State governor by the Supreme Court in January 2020 after the nullification of the election of Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a situation that made him attract more political enemies in the state plagued with the security phenomenon of “unknown gunmen”, abductions and endless Monday’s sit-at-home by pro-secessionist sects.
Uzodimma, 64, sought re-election in Saturday’s poll and cleared all the 27 local government areas in the state.
Uzodimma trounced PDP’s Samuel Anyanwu, Labour Party (LP)’s Nneji Achonu, Jack Ogunewe of the Action Alliance (AA), 14 other opponents.
The APC candidate polled 540, 308 votes to defeat his closest rivals, PDP’s Anyanwu, who scored 71,503 votes and LP’s Achonu who got 64,081.
The eight-hour marathon collation of results from 2:30am to 8:30am on Sunday was fraught with drama and protest from opposition party agents who complained that the results brought before the state collation centre were at variance with what was uploaded on the Result Viewing Portal of the commission.
Labour Party agents and others vehemently demanded the suspension of the collation but the returning officer insisted that the collation be concluded.
According to INEC, the number of registered voters in the state for the poll was 2, 419,922 with 2,318,919 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected.
Generally, observers said Saturday’s governorship poll in the South-East state was marred by vote buying, voter intimidation, violence and other electoral malpractices with antigraft agencies arresting party agents with stashed cash.
Like Imo, governorship elections were held in Kogi and Bayelsa on November 11, 2023, though the collation of results in the two states has been adjourned to Sunday morning.
[Channels TV]
Twenty students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) were yesterday rushed to the university’s teaching hospital following a stampede at an examination hall in the campus.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stampede occurred where the students were billed to write the General Studies and Communication Skills (GSS) examination that was postponed to Saturday from Friday.
The GSS examination was for100-level students from all the faculties of the university.
The examination, meant to be taken in batches, saw the students rushing to secure the few available spaces.
NAN reports that Saturday’s GSS examination was meant to be the climax of the institution’s second semester examinations that started on October 16.
When contacted, the university management declined to comment on the stampede, but a competent source confirmed the incident.
(NAN)
Residents of Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa states, on Saturday, filed out to cast their ballot during the off-season governorship elections amid violence and alleged manipulation of the system.
DAILY POST reports that about 5,169,692 eligible voters collected their Permanent Voter’s Card, PVC, for the election.
The exercise, which was held in 10,470 polling units across the three states, was, however, marred by thuggery and cries of manipulation.
Before Saturday, INEC had alerted Nigerians that the exercise would not be held in two polling units in Bayelsa and 38 in Imo. This may not be unconnected to security issues bedevilling the areas.
Aside from the outbreak of violence recorded in several polling units, there were reports of attempts to manipulate the outcome of the polls.
DAILY POST recalls that some INEC officials were allegedly caught with pre-recorded result sheets in PU 020, Eika/Ohizenyi, Okehi LGA of Kogi State.
Senator Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, also raised the alarm that all polling units in Ogori/Magongo local government areas of the state had their result sheets tampered with or prefilled.
Responding to the irregularities, INEC in a statement on Saturday night, suspended the election in nine wards of Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area.
Bayelsa
Prior to the commencement of the election on Saturday, an INEC official in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State was kidnapped by suspected thugs.
In a statement on Friday, Wilfred Ifogah, head of INEC voters’ registration in the state, said the electoral official was kidnapped while waiting to board a boat at the jetty.
During the election, a violent clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Famgbe, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, led to the killing of a yet-to-be-identified man.
The clash, which involved suspected political thugs, resulted in gunshots that led to the death of one person.
Our correspondent gathered that one Ovie Ogbara, a younger brother to Benjamin Ogbara, a former Bayelsa State House of Assembly aspirant under the APC was allegedly one of those shot during the incident.
Similarly, election materials were reportedly carted away by armed thugs who broke into polling units in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and shot sporadically into the air.
DAILY POST gathered that voting materials were destroyed at Agorogbene, units 6, 7, and 8 in Ward 11 of the Local Government.
Sources said that when the electorates attempted to confront the armed men, they were met with a barrage of gunfire.
More worrisome was the attack on an ad-hoc staff of INEC and a corps member by thugs suspected to be working for the APC.
DAILY POST gathered that the thugs also carted away the election materials, the BIVAS for Ward 1, Unit 23, located at Onopa in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
A bag and other belongings of the corps member were also taken by the armed thugs.
Also, in ward 11 of Opume and Emakalakala in Ogbia Local Government area of the state, armed APC thugs descended on unit 14,15 and 19, disrupting the election process. But before the process was disrupted, some results were recorded.
Imo
The exercise was disrupted at Amaimo Central School, Amaimo ward, Ikeduru LGA, Imo state, following reported sounds of gunshots by security operatives.
Across the state, security operatives, especially the police were being accused of aiding thugs and INEC officials to manipulate the process for the APC.
A case in point is where NSCDC officials alleged that they were disarmed by policemen under the supervision of an aide to Governor Hope Uzodinma.
Similarly, thugs allegedly working for APC, carted away ballot boxes and other election materials at Umuchoko Umuohiagu Junction Polling Unit, Ward 11, in Ngor Okpala LGA.
There were also reports of suspected armed robbers in Owerri North Local Government Area, who carted away the sum of N1.5 million earmarked for vote buying.
DAILY POST gathered that the daring robbers stormed the area where four polling units were located, shot sporadically and demanded money from the APC officials.
Under intense gunfire, DAILY POST witnessed individuals, including journalists and police officers, scampering for safety.
A police officer was also brutalised by community youths after the officer allegedly snatched election materials at a polling unit.
DAILY POST learnt that the officer, alongside others who were beaten by the irate youths, was attached to a chieftain of APC, in Ikeduru Local Government Area.
Kogi
Although the Police Public Relations Officer in Kogi State, SP William Ovye Aya told DAILY POST prior to the election that the state command made necessary moves to ensure a peaceful election, the exercise was characterised by violence.
Contrary to the assertion of the PPRO that the command had “engaged party leaders and relevant stakeholders to talk to their supporters to stop the violence”, there were reports of incidents aimed at snatching electoral materials.
DAILY POST recalls that military operatives on election duty in Igalamela local government area of the state intercepted and arrested the council chairman and several party supporters for being in possession of ammunition and cash.
The soldiers seized the cash, as well as a large cache of ammunition. The video of the operation has been trending on social media.
Several AK-47-wielding men, suspected to be fake policemen, were also arrested in the State.
Recall also that the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, Olayinka Braimoh was also arrested in Kabba after some materials were allegedly found in his car.
Speaking to DAILY POST, a public affairs analyst, Sam Amadi, berated the electoral umpire and security agencies for allegedly failing to meet expectations.
According to him, INEC’s performance in the gubernatorial election was worse than how it handled previous polls.
Amadi, who condemned the electoral violence recorded in some parts of Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa, alleged that incumbent governors of the states pocketed the security agencies.
He said, “So far, what we have seen is a continuation of electoral manipulation. This is a sham election. The only difference is that the level of manipulation has gone deeper.
“The level of violence and violation of rules superseded what we witnessed in the February and March general elections.
“The way governors are going around with security operatives intimidating their opponents is just too bad.
“Violence disorganised the election and vote buying in this election is even higher than what we witnessed in the previous elections.
“The story is simple, both INEC and security agencies are not encouraging.
“INEC has done worse than what it did during the general elections; for example, see reports from Kogi State, election results were written before the exercise started.”
[DailyPost]
Hope Uzodinma, the APC governorship candidate in Imo State, is leading with the results so far announced.
He has won 20 out of 27 local government areas.
Below are the standings at the time of filing this report:
???: 430,218
??: 45,020
???: 45,698
However, yesterday, there was anxiety in the polity as leading candidates and political parties awaited the results of the Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states’ governorship polls.
The was because early results showed tight contests among the major candidates.
In Kogi State, for example, Alhaji Usman Ododo of APC, was running neck-and-neck with Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
But Governors Uzodimma (Imo) and Diri (Bayelsa) now look to be ahead for now.
Meanwhile, the collation officers of five local government areas – Orlu, Ikeduru, Ihitte Uboma, Ohaji/Egbema and Ideato North – in Imo State have been asked to go and reconcile their result sheets before they can present the election results for said local governments.
[Vanguard]