₦airaland Forum

Kelly Ogbaloi, the Chairman of the Edo State Labour Party, has criticized the rerun election that took place in the state on Saturday, calling it a sham.

In a press conference held in Benin, Ogbaloi alleged that the exercise was marred by irregularities and violence by thugs who are believed to be loyal to the PDP in the state.

He further claimed that members of the Labour Party, including one of their candidates, Derek Uhunmwagho, were attacked and chased away from the polling units where the rerun election was taking place.

Ogbaloi stated that the Labour Party dissociates itself completely from the charade, where thugs had taken over the activities of the umpire... READ MORE

On Thursday, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) electoral committee for the gubernatorial primary in Bayelsa State, Major General A.T. Jubrin, assured stakeholders of the party that the primary elections would be conducted transparently in accordance with the party’s guidelines.

The Chairman made this statement during a press briefing at the party’s headquarters in Yenagoa, the state capital, after a meeting with all gubernatorial aspirants and party stakeholders.

It was gathered that all six gubernatorial aspirants seeking to become the flag bearer of the party were cleared and in attendance at the meeting.

Gen. Jubrin stated that the election would be conducted using the option A4 mode, and that his committee would follow all procedures provided by the party guidelines in the conduct of the exercise.

The election will take place in all 105 wards in the 8 Local Government Areas of the state, after which it will be collated by the relevant Presiding Officers and taken to the Local Government headquarters where the second stage of collation is done before finally brought to the state headquarters in Yenagoa for further compilation and announcement of results... READ MORE

The All Progressives Congress (APC) announced on Thursday that Bola Tinubu, the President-elect, is currently taking a break in Europe before his inauguration on May 29.

Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary, confirmed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today program.

Morka stated that Tinubu will promptly spring into action after his return from Europe.

When asked about Tinubu’s whereabouts, Morka responded, “He is likely in Europe. He is doing well. After the election and all the energy expended, he decided to take a moment of rest.”

Morka also mentioned that Tinubu is using his time in Europe to contact heads of government and other leaders from various countries, all of whom are essential to the agenda he plans to bring to his new government... READ MORE

Dino Melaye, the spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council, has accused Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, of being responsible for the Peoples Democratic Party’s defeat in the last presidential election.

Melaye also stated that Wike played a role in the defection of Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, from the PDP to his party, weeks before the primary election.

During an appearance on Arise TV, Melaye, who is also a PDP governorship aspirant in Kogi State, made these comments.

It is worth noting that Wike has previously stated that he will not support the PDP in the upcoming Kogi State governorship election if Melaye is chosen as the party’s candidate... READ MORE

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Lagos State and its Governorship Candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran (Jandor), have filed a petition with the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Lagos State.

They are seeking the disqualification of the Labour Party (LP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the election for failing to comply with the Electoral Act of 2022.

The petition, dated April 7 and marked EPT/LAG/GOV/01/2023, challenges the outcome of the March 18 gubernatorial election on the grounds of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The respondents in the case are INEC as the 1st respondent, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy Governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, the APC, the LP Governorship Candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the LP, respectively, as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th respondents... READ MORE

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party candidate in the recently concluded gubernatorial election in Lagos State, has described what happened in the state as a war rather than a poll.

In an interview on Arise Television’s morning show on Friday, Rhodes-Vivour called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve its responsibility in conducting elections.

Rhodes-Vivour stated, “Regardless of how anyone wants to spin it, what happened in Lagos was a war on its people.

In Ikoyi, Yoruba people were attacked and beaten by thugs and hooligans who infiltrated the area.

The role of INEC in this process also needs to be addressed to ensure that if they want to attempt anything like this again, they should do it differently, with a perception of equity, fairness and justice, instead of this blatant disregard for democracy in Lagos State.” READ MORE

The affairs of the Labour Party (LP) have been taken over by some members of the National Working Committee, led by the Deputy National Chairman of the party (South), Lamidi Apapa.

This development took place in Abuja during an emergency meeting of the LP National Working Committee (NWC) on Thursday, following a court judgment restraining Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

Lamidi stated that he is now the Acting National Chairman of the party, while Saleh Lawan is the Acting National Secretary. According to him, Abure and the three others must vacate the order of the Federal High Court retraining them before further action can be taken on the leadership of the party.

The emergency NWC meeting also reinstated Executive Council members from Ogun State, Rivers State, and Gombe State. During the meeting, Lamidi also reversed the suspension of Eragbe Anslem as the National Youth Leader and Yomi Arabambi as the National Publicity Secretary.

However, Abure has dismissed the move, calling it “illegitimate” and a ploy by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise the party.

In a statement on Thursday, he stated that a court of competent jurisdiction only recently ordered that he remains the National Chairman and should not be restrained from performing his duties.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has claimed vindication regarding the Adeleke administration’s inability to fulfil its obligations to government workers.

The party sympathized with the state’s civil servants and claimed that the delay in salary payments and Adeleke’s refusal to pay promotion arrears had become a big issue. The APC’s Acting Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said that the party had foreseen the present predicament of the Adeleke administration, and that it was difficult for anyone to give what they don’t possess.

The Osun State Government responded, stating that Adeleke was ready to pay the arrears of promotions alongside March salaries, which was the reason for the delay in the payment of March salaries. The government assured workers that the salary would be ready by March 3, 2023.

In response to the APC’s claims, the Osun Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Chairman, Akindele Adekunle, warned that no amount of cheap rhetoric would wash away the records of the erstwhile ruling party in terms of the welfare of workers in the state... READ MORE

Robert Clark, a senior statesman, has stated that the Labour Party (LP) and its Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, face an uphill battle before the election tribunal. Clark expressed this opinion in an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday.

He stated that it would be difficult for the LP to prove that there were election malpractices in Lagos State during the Presidential election.

Recall that the All Progressives Congress’s Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election, beating close rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party’s Obi.

Atiku and Obi have since gone to court to challenge Tinubu’s victory.

Clark explained that the LP had filed an election petition based on three grounds: (1) that Tinubu was ineligible to be voted for; (2) that Tinubu did not receive two-thirds of the votes in Abuja; and (3) that the election was marred with gangsterism and other irregularities.

Clark argued that the first ground was a non-starter since the issue had already been settled.

He also disagreed with the LP’s interpretation of the constitution regarding the second ground, which required a candidate to win two-thirds of the 36 states in Nigeria and Abuja... READ MORE

The leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has made a recent prophecy regarding the handover ceremony scheduled for Monday, May 29.

According to The Nigerian Tribune, Ayodele stated that there will be no interim government in Nigeria, and nothing will hinder the swearing-in ceremony.

His media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, signed the statement, adding that despite any election shortcomings, God did not reveal anything about an interim government.

Ayodele noted that the date of the swearing-in ceremony would remain the same, and President Muhammadu Buhari would hand over to the appropriate person... READ MORE

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the expulsion of Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege from the party.

The decision was made due to alleged anti-party activities and other undisclosed offenses.

In a letter dated March 31st, signed by Chairman Ulebor Isaac, the party stated that it had unanimously adopted the resolution to expel the lawmaker with immediate effect.

The expulsion follows the adoption of a notice of resolution by the executive committee of the Orogun Ward and Ughelli North Local Government... READ MORE

The life of a young boy named Saheed, who had been living on the streets of Lagos for six years, changed dramatically within a few days after his story went viral on Instagram.

According to reports, he received N2.5 million in donations and will be fully sponsored to attend school in the United Kingdom.

Saheed’s parents were thrilled that news of their son’s situation had spread, as it led to their reunion with him.

They were also overjoyed to hear of the kindness that had been shown towards their son, which brought them to tears.

In a viral video, Saheed’s mother could be seen crying and expressing her gratitude towards social media users who shared the post and donated. Many who watched the video were pleased that the internet had been used to positively impact the boy’s life... READ MORE

The Labour Party (LP) has gained momentum and become the third force in Nigerian politics following the impressive showing of banker-turned-politician Peter Obi in the 2023 general elections.

Despite running against seasoned veterans with long-standing ambitions, Obi was arguably the most popular candidate, and his followers have become the main opposition, demanding accountability from leaders and showing interest in national matters.

The LP’s success has disrupted the established order where only two parties dominated presidential, governorship, and state elections.

The Obi revolution, backed by youth-led ‘Obidients’, played to the advantage of LP candidates across the nation, resulting in the party performing well in 12 states, including those traditionally dominated by the ‘big parties’.

Although the LP’s presidential candidate was the second runner-up in the February 25 poll, the party won several other positions, including eight senatorial and over 30 House of Representatives positions, making it the third in rank when the 10th National Assembly commences... READ MORE

Rabiu Kwankwaso, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of fraudulently allocating votes to President-elect Bola Tinubu during the recently concluded presidential election.

In an interview with BBC Hausa Service, Kwankwaso stated that Nigerians are no longer interested in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that the NNPP has a bright future because many “big politicians” are interested in joining the party.... READ MORE

Young social media sensation, Albert Ofosu Nketia, recently took some time off to bond with his family in a heart-warming video that has captured the attention of many.

In the beginning of the video, Nketia is seen enjoying a fun time with two adult males, and later a monkey joins in to play with him.

The presence of the monkey also excites other schoolchildren in the video.

The family then goes to a restaurant to enjoy some delectable foods and connect with each other. However, the global social media hit doesn’t end there.

Nketia and his family also visit a boutique where he is given brand-new clothing and footwear... READ MORE

Napoli, the current Serie A leaders, will be without their star striker Victor Osimhen for their upcoming league clash against champions AC Milan on Sunday.

Osimhen sustained an injury while on international duty with Nigeria earlier this week and has been unable to train since returning to Naples.

In an official statement released on their website, Napoli confirmed that Osimhen complained of an abductor strain upon his return and that tests have confirmed the injury. As a result, the 24-year-old will miss the game at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium and will be further evaluated next week to determine the extent of his injury... READ MORE

Reportedly, Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has made a fresh decision to leave the club for Real Madrid by 2024. Spanish sports daily, Diario AS, claims that Mbappe has made up his mind to depart PSG once his contract with the French Ligue 1 champions expires next year.

READ MORE

Manchester City striker, Erling Haaland, is currently being investigated by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) for allegedly using his mobile phone while driving.

A video circulating on social media appears to show the 22-year-old using his mobile phone while driving a £300,000 Rolls-Royce. The incident is said to have taken place on Wednesday, March 15, the day after Haaland scored five goals in City’s 7-0 victory against RB Leipzig in the Champions League... READ MORE

Mr. Oyakhilome Bello, the APC United States National Youth Leader, has issued a statement dismissing the call by some individuals to protest the emergence of Sen. Bola Tinubu as President-elect on April 3 in the U.S, stating that the protest has no merit.

Bello, who is also the Deputy Director North America Youth Wing Campaign Council, described the protest against Tinubu’s emergence by some opposition groups at a park in front of the White House on Thursday as baseless, and said it would produce no result.

He emphasized that the February 25 presidential election that produced Tinubu as the president-elect was free, fair, and credible, and advised Nigerians not to be worried about the development but to remain calm and peaceful as the APC U.S would mobilize genuine Nigerians to counter the protest and work to protect Tinubu’s mandate.

Bello went on to say that the chapter would work to ensure that those protesting against Tinubu’s emergence as president-elect would not succeed in their mission to disrupt Nigeria’s peace and stability... READ MORE

The Returning Officer for the Abia State governorship election, Professor Nnenna Oti, who is also the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, has shared her experience of how she stood her ground to ensure that votes were counted during the recently concluded election.

Despite being offered money and threatened, Oti refused to compromise the integrity of the election.

She made this known during her return to the school on Tuesday, where she was given a hero’s welcome by students and staff of the institution.

In a viral video, Oti stated that she had never participated in any election before, but duty called... READ MORE

Afenifere, a Pan Yoruba Socio-political group, has claimed that Peter Obi, the candidate of Labour Party, won the Presidential election.

This claim was made in a Communique issued after its monthly General Meeting, held at the country home of its leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, at Isanya Ogbo, Ogun State.

The Communique, which was made available to journalists in Akure by the Secretary General of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, reiterated the group’s position that the Presidential election held on February 25 was characterized by all forms of primitive manipulations and noncompliance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2022, and the guidelines and regulations.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won the February 25 election and was declared President-elect. Tinubu polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, who scored 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party who polled 6,101,533 votes.

The presidential candidate of New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, came a distant fourth with a total of 1,496,687 votes.

However, in the Communique issued by Afenifere, the group claimed that “the results of the lawful votes at the Presidential election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, won the said election, and we thus support his decision challenging the contrary declaration by the INEC.”... READ MORE

The Nigerian gospel music industry was recently rocked by the news that popular gospel singers Mercy Nnenda Chinwo, known as Mercy Chinwo, and Gift Ugochi Christopher, professionally called Minister GUC, have unfollowed each other on Instagram.

This move has caused quite a stir on social media, especially among their fans.

Previously, Mercy and Minister GUC were known to be good friends and even performed at each other’s weddings. They were also both signed to the same record label.

However, it appears that they have now cut ties, as they are no longer following each other on social media... READ MORE

The Labour Party (LP) intends to challenge the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the March 18 Lagos gubernatorial election.

On March 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner and Governor-elect, having polled 762,134 votes, defeating Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP who scored 312,329 votes, while Olajide Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 62,449 votes.

The Returning Officer, Prof Adenike Temifayo-Oladiji, VC, Federal University of Technology Akure, announced that 1,182,620 voters were accredited, 1,173,631 votes were cast, and 17,953 were rejected.

On election day, supporters of the APC disenfranchised Igbos and Yorubas who “look like” Igbos, resulting in thousands of residents being unable to vote due to harassment, intimidation, and violent acts that involved the use of dangerous weapons... READ MORE

Bayo Onanuga, the Media Director of Nigeria’s President-Elect, Bola Tinubu, has denied reports that his principal met with Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, in London.

Rumours had circulated that Ariwoola flew out of Nigeria on a wheelchair to meet with Tinubu in the UK.

In a statement released on Thursday, Onanuga dismissed the story as “a pure concoction” created by hatchet men.

He also clarified that Tinubu was still in France resting and had not been to the UK yet.

Onanuga stated that “to show that the story was a mere salacious fiction, meant to draw traffic to the discredited purveyor, it claimed the Chief Justice left Nigeria for London on 11 March, on a wheelchair to board a plane... READ MORE

Today, the Federal Government will arraign the former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Lawrence Adedibu Ojerinde, on fresh corruption charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

In contrast to his previous arraignment, Ojerinde will be joined by three of his sons, Olumide Abiodun Ojerinde, Adedayo Ojerinde, and Oluwaseun Adeniyi Ojerinde, as well as his daughter-in-law, Mary Funmilola Ojerinde.

The Federal Government, represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is bringing the charges against Ojerinde, his family, and their companies, which consist of 17 counts of corruption.... READ MORE

Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed doubts about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) ability to conduct the ongoing governorship and state house of assembly elections better than it did during the presidential election on February 25.

After casting his vote at his Ajiya Ward voting unit in Jimeta, Yola, Atiku told reporters that he still had no confidence in INEC and that the commission had not taken any steps to improve its performance since the last election... READ MORE

As Saturday’s election in Surulere approaches, there is confusion surrounding the candidature of Olumide Oworu, a member of the Labour Party (LP).

Oworu, who is a youthful candidate, is seeking to unseat the incumbent Lagos State House of Assembly member, Desmond Elliot.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has listed Bode Adedayo as the LP candidate instead... READ MORE

After the presidential election in Nigeria, some Nigerians have continued to hope that their preferred candidate can still be declared the winner by the court.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded its job and declared the winner of the election. Although the electoral umpire is bound by law to review some of its decisions as demanded by some political parties during the collation of results, the election was said to have witnessed cases of irregularities, vote suppression, massive rigging, manipulations, and destruction of ballot boxes.

At the national collation center of INEC in Abuja, some political parties had staged a walkout over the Commission’s refusal to halt the collation of results and review the process.

Despite this, the Commission announced Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election, with a total of 8,794,726 votes, defeating his closest rivals and candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who according to the Commission, scored 6,984,520 and 6,101,533 votes, respectively.

However, both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have expressed their intention to go to court.

Peter Obi categorically said he won the election and expressed... READ MORE

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied allegations that it refused to allow aggrieved political parties to inspect election materials as ordered by the Appeal Court.

Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, made this clarification during an appearance on Arise TV on Sunday.

Okoye advised lawyers representing the aggrieved parties to follow the appropriate channels to request access to the materials, in order to facilitate a speedy resolution of the issue.

He also explained that the conduct of elections occurs at the state and local government level, not at the national level where INEC is based.

Okoye further stated that the commission would direct the... Read more

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has announced his intention to challenge Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 25th presidential election.

During an appearance on Arise TV on Monday, Obi clarified that he is not interested in challenging the “outcome” of the election.

Instead, he wants to contest the process that led to INEC’s declaration of Tinubu as the president-elect.

In a tweet, Obi stated that he is specifically challenging the... Read more

Bashir, the son of Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, has suggested that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike could be the savior of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Bashir’s comments came after Wike and the PDP leadership clashed following Wike’s loss in the party’s presidential primaries.

Wike refused to support the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and called for the resignation of PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

He argued that a southerner should lead the... Read more