A petitioners’ witness on Tuesday told the Ekiti Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that votes for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were ‘deliberately’ voided by staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the July 14 Ekiti governorship election.
The witness, Omobuljo Bankole, said PDP votes were voided in Unit 009, Ward 4 of Ido-Osi Local Government Area.
Mr Bankole stated this while testifying before the tribunal, headed by Suleiman Belgore, sitting at the FCT High Court, Apo.
The petitioners, the PDP, and its candidate in the Ekiti July 14 governorship election, Olusola Kolapo, had approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election.
The respondents in the suit are INEC, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Kayode Fayemi.
Answering a question during cross-examination by Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), counsel to APC, Mr Bankole, stated that his party scored more than 119 votes during the election in his unit.
According to the witness, “I was there when they deliberately voided the PDP’s voters in Unit 9 (Ward 4, Ido -Osi LGA); the male polling clerk of INEC voided 27 votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the petitioners called five witnesses on Tuesday bringing the total number of witnesses called so far to 69.
The witnesses informed the tribunal in their written statements on oath, which they adopted as their testimony before the tribunal, of deliberate voiding of votes by INEC officers and over voting in their respective polling units where they served as PDP agents.
During a cross examination by INEC counsel, a witness, Yisa Ibrahim (PW66), from Ado Ekiti LGA, informed the tribunal that he was at his unit throughout the election, adding that PDP polled 362 votes, while APC


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/293295-ekiti-guber-election-how-pdp-votes-were-deliberately-voided-witness-tells-court.html

The World Bank says it “has to take some responsibility’’ for advising Nigeria and other African countries to invest more in roads, railways and energy rather than in education and health.

The World Bank President, Mr. Jim Yong Kim, made this known while briefing the media after the launch of the 2018 Human Capital Index, which ranked Nigeria 152nd out of 157 countries believed to be committed to investing in human capital.

Kim briefed the media on Thursday at the ongoing International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Annual Meeting in Bali, Indonesia. We provide quite a bit of support for Nigeria in terms of health budget. But we feel that the overall spending on health is just far too low, 0.76 per cent of GDP.

“Also, the educational outcomes in Nigeria are very very poor.

“Nigeria is one of the most important countries not only in Africa, but in the world and so we feel that it will be extremely important for Nigeria to really go on a different level altogether in terms of their commitment to investing in human capital.

“I think that the World Bank has to take some responsibility for having emphasised hard on infrastructure, roads, rails, energy for a very long time and I think that changed 20 years ago.

“But there is still then the bias that says we will invest in hard infrastructure and then when we grow rich, we will have enough money to invest in health and education.

“We are now saying that that’s really the wrong approach, that you’ve got to start investing in your people right now.’’

HCI seeks to raise awareness and increase demand for interventions to build human capital and accelerate better and more investments in people.

Kim said that through the International Development Association, the World Bank had, since 2015 increased funding for Nigeria and other African countries towards alleviating poverty.

Senators in the foyer of National Assembly to defend democracy from #Legislativecoup by @mbuhari

The comments on this shameful use of the official Senate handle say everything that needs to be said. @MrBanksOmishore - your guys can do better.

There’s a Yoruba proverb: “Even if you’ve been sent on an errand as a slave, endeavor to deliver the message as a freeborn.”

Young man, you DID NOT complain when the @officialEFCC used it’s verified @Twitter handle to mock @GovAyoFayose after the Ekiti election and threaten him with arrest, but you complain when the @NGRSenate’s handle is used to defend democracy!



https://twitter.com/benmurraybruce/status/1026803345783234560?s=19

dPriv:
Why now?

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Ekwewreamdu is said to be undergoing interrogation by the officials of the agency.

It was gathered that Ekweremadu arrived at the office of the EFCC earlier today on the invitation of the anti-graft body, and it’s not known yet when he will be released.

The EFCC had earlier sent an invitation to the deputy speaker for questioning over an alleged case of conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering.

The invitation letter dated July 24, 2018, requested that the Ekweremadu should appear at the EFCC office by 10:00 am on the same date.

The commission, in the letter, said Ekeweremadu is being invited because his name featured prominently in the case which they are currently investigating, hence the invitation to obtain certain clarifications from him.

This was after security operatives stormed his home at the Apo legislative quarters in Abuja.

The deputy Senate President has come under the scrutiny of the EFCC following allegations of a corruption including owning of several buildings outside Nigeria and alleged forgery of Senate standing rules which led to the controversial election of principal officers of the Senate in June 2015.

An ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives has recommended the arrest and prosecution of the Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, for alleged forgery of his law degree certificate.

In addition, it recommends his sacking as a Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari.


The committee, which is chaired by a member of the All Progressives Congress from Kwara State, Mr Ahman Pategi, also seeks the dissolution of the presidential panel on the grounds of alleged abuse of office by the chairman.

On Obono-Obla’s degree, the committee stated that he did it “fraudulently” at the University of Jos, asking the institution to withdraw it.

The committee had submitted its report to the House on Tuesday, last week, shortly before the commencement of the current annual recess by members.


It noted in the report that Obono-Obla failed to honour several invitations to appear before it for questioning.

The recommendations of the committee are as follows: “The Recovery of Public Property (Special Provision) Act, Cap R4, Laws