₦airaland Forum

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress for Ikpoba-Okha/Egor federal constituency, Hon Ehiozuwa Agbonyinma, has said that God used an Electoral Officer to expose how the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rigged the February 23rd Presidential and National Assembly election

Hon Ehiozuwa who lost the election to Jude Ise-Idehen of the PDP insisted that he won the election and President Muhammadu Buhari won in Edo.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after leading a protest march to the Edo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Hon Ehiozuwa said the Electoral Officer called him thinking he was talking to the State chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih.

Ehiozuwa said the EO told him to pay the balance money since the PDP has won the election in Ikpoba-Okha

He stated that it was God’s miracle for the EO to reveal details of how the election was manipulated

He said he was also protesting refusal of the INEC’s Legal Officer to give him access to Certify True Copies of all Units result sheets used for Ikpoba-Okha/Egor Constituency.

Agbonnayima said there was a hidden agenda by INEC to delay the process of his filing petition at the Tribunal.

“When I received the call, I was shocked. The man thought I was the PDP chairman. He opened up on how he was able to manipulate the system for the PDP and told me to bring the balance payment.

“The man said he was the Collating Officer for Ward six. He said they gave him the number of Ise-Idehen but he decided to call the PDP chairman first.

“He has been arrested with others he confessed to have participated in the crime. The security agencies are doing their work and they would soon come out with their findings.

“I insisted that the election was manipulated in Egor/Ikpoba-Okha constituency. Mr. President won the Presidential election in Edo State. There are so many glaring evidence. The election was rigged and manipulated by PDP leaders in collaboration with some INEC officials.

“My lawyer wrote to INEC seeking to get access to Certify True Copies of the results all unit result sheets.

“The letter was approved by the Resident Electoral Commissioner. This is to enable us file our case within the stipulated 21 days. The Legal Adviser is now violating Section 104 of the Evidence Act. He is telling us to wait till after the Saturday House of Assembly election. There is a motive to derail the wheel of progress. This INEC Legal Adviser is frustrating us.


“Some INEC staff has been arrested and are presently making confession. I will pursue Justice in line with the law. Many of them have confessed how to they colluded to rig us out. I am calling on INEC to do the right thing.”

Head of Administration of INEC in Edo, Mr. Christian Utong, who received the petition from Agbonnayima said the Legal Adviser had to take permission from the headquarters before releasing the CTC of the result sheets.

“We are here for you. The REC is away because of Saturday’s election. I will deliver your message to the REC. We will attend to all grievances

By Jeremiah Oke,


The family heads in Ibadan land, under the banner of Authentic Mogajis on Wednesday queried the interest of the former governor of Lagos state and the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the gubernatorial election of Oyo state.

The group also warned a former governor of Oyo state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala over his recent utterances against the osi Olubadan of Ibadan land, Senator Rasidi Ladoja.

Akala who was the arrowhead of recent coalition of major opposition parties had in a video while addressing his supporters said Ladoja told him that he could not become a governor because he was not an Ibadan indigene.

The former governor further said he opted out of the coalition for the interest of the yet unborn generations in his home town of Ogbomoso so that Ibadan people will stop considering themselves as the sole owner of Oyo state.

But authentic Mogajis in a statement issued by its spokesperson in Ibadan on Wednesday said Akala has demonstrated his hatred for the progress of Oyo state for urging the coalition to present him as a candidate, when he knew he is battling with health challenges.

The statement reads in part: “We believe that Ogbomoso and Ibadan are from the same mother, therefore, we don’t expect Akala to cause crisis between the two ancient cities.

“What is the interest of Tinubu in Oyo guber politics? It is open secret that he is instigating two brothers against each other and it is not acceptable to us. The candidates of PDP and APC are our sons and we don’t want external forces to create divisions among them.

“Both of them are gentlemen from Ibadan but we realised that Seyi Makinde is more of a grassroots than his younger brother. Therefore we appeal to our people especially the entire Ibadan indigenes, Ibarapa, saki, iseyin, Oyo and the entire people of the state to consider the closeness of Seyi Makinde to the grassroots before voting. We implore Adelabu to wait till 2023 to actualise his ambition.”

The group further said it won’t allow any individual to insult the stool of Olubadan and the High Chief Rasidi Ladoja for saying the truth to the authority.

The family heads noted that Ladoja is a man of integrity who has a passion for the progress of his people and the state as a whole.

by Osagie Otabor, Benin



Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has threatened to deal with some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) whose activities led to the defeat of the party in the February 23rd general elections.

The APC lost the election by polling 267,842 against the 275,691 scored by the to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Government sources said what peeved Governor Obaseki was the wide margin of defeat recorded in Egor, Ikpoba-Okha and Oredo local government areas in Edo South senatorial district.

Read Also: Edo needs supportive House of Assembly – Obaseki
Obaseki, who hails from Oredo in Edo South senatorial, was said to have issued the threat at a meeting with APC leaders.

A source at the meeting, who spoke in a chat with newsmen and pleaded anonymity, said Obaseki challenged the affected leaders to reveal what he gave to them.

The source said the Governor was almost moved to tears as he expressed his disappointment with some of the leaders especially when it was revealed one of the leaders did not buy generators meant for Ward collation centres.

According to the source, “We were shocked when Obaseki started talking. He revealed so many things. He said he was shocked how the leaders sabotaged his efforts. Obaseki asked them if it were his re-election, that is how he would have lost.

“The Governor spoke to a point that he threw away the microphone. None of the leaders utter any word in defense. He has said he would deal with them.

“We are happy that the Governor set up a 25-man team to work with him for the purpose of the House of Assembly election this Saturday.”

Guzel:
Fake news

Nigerian activist has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and soldiers to rig the presidential and National Assembly elections on Feb. 23 in the country.

Adeyanju, who recently regained his freedom after 78 days in detention, also talked about the possible arrest of the mother of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.

DAILY POST recalls that Adeyanju was granted bail last week following his arrest by the Nigeria Police for culpable homicide.

Adeyanju, a staunch critic of the present administration, took to his official Twitter page on Tuesday to indirectly accuse the ruling government of intimidating opponents with both EFCC and soldiers.

DAILY POST recalls that Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated his closest challenger, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Feb. 23 Presidential election with a victory margin of 3,928,869 votes.

“A lot really happened while I was gone,” Adeyanju wrote.

“They used soldiers and EFCC to conduct elections in Nigeria.

“When will they arrest Atiku’s mother?

Former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye is down with kidney failure, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Dariye is hospitalised at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada.

Dariye was sent to a 14-year jail term (later reduced to 10 years) by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court presided over by Justice Adebukola Banjoko on a 23-count charge of diverting and laundering of N1.126 billion Ecological Funds belonging to the Plateau State Government while in office as the governor.

The senator, who has been serving time in Kuje prison in Abuja, has been in the hospital since last December.

According to a government source, who pleaded not to be named, Dariye needs prayers.

The source said: “I have gone to see him. He is having serious health challenges. From my finding and from the doctor, his aliment is kidney failure and it is critical.”

The Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), FCT Command Public Relations Officer (PRO), Chukwuedo Humphrey, confirmed that Dariye is hospitalized, but he declined to state his ailment.

He said the Service had been managing his illness since last October.

Humphrey said: “I will not mention the name of the illness to you and the hospital where he is. Normally people whose health we can’t manage we refer outside for proper medical attention. We have been managing his illness since October/November.”

Asked when Dariye will be discharged, the NPS spokesman said: “It is the doctor who knows when he can be discharged. We have now limited the number of people visiting him at the hospital. We are just allowing his wife, close family and friends, and law enforcement personnel. Tight security is around him just as if he is in the prison cell.”

“His wife is always allowed around him. And she is always full of praises to the NPS for the proper medical attention. And his court hearings are ongoing, he does not need to appear in court. His lawyers are there to defend him.

“Because of his health challenge, he opted for self-feeding. Because we cannot be cooking any special food for him. His family brings food for him.”

The NPS has written to the hospital on when Dariye can be discharged and they replied that Dariye is still undergoing series of checks and until they are through with the process and satisfied that he is fit before they can reply the NPS.”

It was also revealed that family members are worried about the Dariye’s condition.

In the 2019 pres. election South East gave Atiku Abubakar and Peter OBI 1. 67 million votes whilst the South West gave the same Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi's ticket a whooping 1. 75million votes, notwithstanding that the geo- political region had no direct stake in that ticket.

by Yinka Adeniran


Following series of protracted meetings and discussions, leading opposition parties in Oyo State have agreed to adopt and work for the success of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate at the forthcoming governorship election, Mr Seyi Makinde.

Although the number of the parties involved was not stated, the governorship candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Bolaji Ayorinde said his party as well as some others he didn’t give their names yet have agreed on working for the victory of Makinde.

The meeting which held at the Bodija residence of ex-Governor Rashidi Ladoja till late yesterday night had been inconclusive for days owing to the inability of the opposition parties to finalise talks and agree on modalities of the coalition for the proposed government of unity.

When the talk on proposed coalition started before the Presidential and National Assembly election which held two Saturdays ago, five governorship candidates including Otunba Christopher Alao-Akala (ADP), Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (ADC), Seyi Makinde (PDP), Bolaji Ayorinde (SDP) and Sharafadeen Alli (ZLP) showed interest in forming a coalition to defeat the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Things took a new turn when Alao-Akala backed out of the plan citing his alleged denial of support to run on the strength of the coalition by former Governor Rashidi Ladoja and thereafter declaring support for the APC governorship candidate, Mr Adebayo Adelabu.

However, both the ZLP candidate, Alli and his ADC counterpart, Lanlehin were absent at the final leg of the meeting where Makinde was adopted.

Addressing the press, Ayorinde a legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that the coalition is an open book which gives room for other parties in the opposition to ‘plug in to’.

He said “The interpretation of the smile we are wearing after our meeting is that the state is moving forward, we are very happy with the development. As you can see, Seyi Makinde is here and smiling, I am here smiling and some of our other colleagues are possibly still with their other caucuses and I believe that they are also smiling.

“We are happy because we are working on how to form a coalition government in Oyo State and that is why we are happy. We have agreed to work together for a candidate.

“The outcome of the meeting is that we are moving forward. We, in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), have resolved to work with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State and we shall be supporting Seyi Makinde for governor.”

He also cleared that the opposition parties are not collapsing their structures but only working for the PDP governorship candidate.

“The parties remain the same. They remain the parties that they are, but for the governorship election on Saturday, March 9th, we have all resolved to work for the candidate of the PDP.

“There are so many parties in the state who are willing to join us. So we have an open book and everybody plugging into that book, so it’s a developing story. For now, if I say we are five, by the time we finish talking to you, it may be seven or even eight, so it is every minute that the parties are joining the fold”, he added.

While noting that the governorship candidate of the ADC and ZLP in the coalition are still meeting with the party stakeholders and caucuses, the PDP flag bearer, Makinde said the coalition for a government of unity will only brighten the chances of the masses winning adding that the coming election is going to be a straight fight between godfathers and the masses.

by Yusuf Alli


The race for the leadership of the 9th session of the National Assembly is on, just a week after the election into the legislative arm.

Already in contention are the Senate Presidency and the Speakership of the House of Representatives.

The Nation can now reveal that no fewer than five candidates are seeking to head the 9th Senate when it is inaugurated in June.

They are the outgoing Senate Leader Ahmad Lawan; a former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume; a former Governor of Gombe State and the outgoing Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje; and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), ex-Governor Adamu Abdullahi.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State who is also being touted as a possible candidate does not seem to stand a chance on account of zoning as he is from the same zone -Southwest- and same state -Ogun- as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

He was suspended by the National Working Committee of APC on Friday for alleged anti party activities and recommended for expulsion by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC).

For now, only the current Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, is the front runner in the race for the Speakership of the Green Chambers, although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is allegedly hatching a plot to push outgoing Speaker Yakubu Dogara for a return to the seat.

Dogara emerged in controversial circumstances in 2015 to clinch the post and sources said the PDP to which he now belongs may look for an alternative to Dogara in a desperate bid to stop Gbajabiamila, on the strength of his closeness to the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

PDP is banking on a likely split in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House Caucus to return Dogara as Speaker.

But pressure is mounting on President Muhammadu Buhari to take charge to avert a repeat of the political scheming which led to the emergence of the outgoing President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker Dogara in 2015 against the directive of the APC.

The Nation also gathered that some forces in APC want party leaders to prevail on the President to give members of the National Assembly a free hand to elect their leaders.

Results of the last National Assembly elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), shows that the APC won 65 of the 109 (about 59%) senatorial seats in the country, leaving the PDP with 41 Senatorial seats (37%) and Young Progressives Party’s (YPP) one seat (1%).

The APC has also won 200 of the 360 House of Representatives seats – leaving PDP with well over 100 seats. The final figure for the two major parties is still not clear as there are still unresolved election contests for several House of Representatives seats.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that although the APC has the majority of the seats in the Senate and House of Representatives, the emergence of the President of the Senate and the Speaker will still require the input of the PDP.

It was learnt that the APC will need two-thirds majority in the Senate (about 73 votes) to be able to pass any bill.

The APC secured 61 seats in the Red Chambers in 2015 before the PDP infiltrated its ranks to secure the office of the Deputy President of the Senate for Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

Following the development, all the candidates aspiring to lead the Senate and the House have started reaching out to elected PDP members.

A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The horse-trading to lead the Senate and the House of Representatives has begun.

“It is going to be a tough contest because all the candidates are ranking. For example, Ndume has been in the National Assembly for 16 years with eight years spent in the House and another eight years in the Senate. Lawan has been a Senator since 2007 with Adamu and Goje joining in 2011.

“Some governors and APC stalwarts are gambling with the choice of Governor Ibikunle Amosun to lead the Senate as a bosom friend of the President. They have linked the suspension of the governor to the plot to install him as Senate President.

“This jostling for power is despite of the fact that the APC is yet to define its zoning or power sharing formula. Those aspiring to lead the National Assembly are banking on the 2015 formula of the APC, which ceded the Senate Presidency to the Northeast and the Speaker to the Southwest, before the President of the Senate, Speaker Dogara and some APC lawmakers revolted.

“The lack of zoning formula made ex-Governor Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the Northcentral to join the race. As the chairman of the Parliamentary Support Group which resisted the outgoing Senate President to save President Buhari, he believes he should lead the Senate.

Responding to a question, the source said: “All the candidates are already lobbying not only to have the Senate presidency and House Speaker zoned to their areas but to be anointed.

“Unless it is carefully managed, the Senate may witness a repeat of the 2015 crisis which PDP took advantage of.”

Sources said that although Gbajabiamila has a brighter chance to be the next Speaker, the PDP might still resist him.

It was reliably gathered that the PDP might back Dogara’s return as Speaker by depending on a possible split in the APC caucus. It was also learnt that the PDP might throw mud at Gbajabiamila like it did in 2015 in order to stop the APC candidate.

Another source said: “The PDP is working on another joker to checkmate Gbajabiamila’s ambition again. Some PDP leaders are uncomfortable with Gbajabiamila, who is a political son of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who worked harder to ensure the defeat of PDP at the presidential poll.

“PDP actually wants Dogara back in line with its pre-election plans. The opposition can only succeed if the APC Caucus in the House is disunited.

“The only challenge APC is facing is about likely imposition of the Senate President and the Speaker. Most of the candidates want the race left open equitably.

“This is why some APC leaders are pleading with President Muhammadu Buhari and party leaders to meet and work out an equitable power sharing module.”

The source added: “I think in the next two months, the game will be more interesting. If Dogara’s candidacy does not fly, PDP might sponsor another ranking member from the Southwest to be the Speaker.”

A source in government said: “President Buhari has really not shown interest now on those who will lead the National Assembly. Maybe he has a mindset but he is yet to discuss with party leaders.”

Lawan is spending his 2oth year in the National Assembly having being elected into the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 before becoming a Senator.


Set up zoning mechanism for NASS leadership to avoid 2015 scenario, Nabena tells APC

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Yekini Nabena, yesterday asked the leadership of the party to set in motion machinery for the zoning and selection of preferred principal officers of the incoming 9th National Assembly.

In a statement in Abuja, he said this was necessary to avoid a repeat of the crisis that engulfed the party in 2015 over the struggle for the leadership of the legislative arm.

Describing the National Assembly as strategic to APC’s change agenda for the country, he said President Muhammadu Buhari’s direct involvement and views on the matter “will be very important as the party works around the zoning and selection arrangements for principal NASS officers.”

He added: “The Peoples Democratic Party has lost the presidential election and they have now adopted a plan B from their infamous Dubai strategy meeting.

“The plan is to hijack the incoming National Assembly leadership by repeating their heinous coup in the previous Assembly.

“The APC must prevent a repeat of a situation where despite our overwhelming majority in the outgoing 8th Senate and House of Representatives, its leadership was hijacked by saboteurs and their opposition PDP collaborators.”

National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has shut down a Jos-based radio station, Jay 101.5 FM, based on what it described as "inciting broadcast" in a letter it sent to the station.

However, a top source who is familiar with what transpired, told SaharaReporters that the station was shut down due to "orders from the presidency because the station was broadcasting issues regarding INEC's delayed release of results of Jos North Local Government Area in the just concluded presidential elections".

The NBC had also announced 44 other broadcast stations for sanction.

However information made available to SaharaReporters indicated that the Job radio station sanction was based on orders from the top hierarchy of government.

"The results have not been released and they are controversial. The APC government does not want anything that will affect the chances of the incumbent governor, Lalong, who is Buhari's right hand man and as you know the station belongs to Senator Jang of the PDP," another government house source told SaharaReporters.

SaharaReporters learnt that trouble started for the embattled station when officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed the station on the Friday, and arrested the most senior staff on duty, who is also the Head of Engineering in the station.

"He was made to sign an undertaking that the station will desist from covering or reporting the events that led to his arrest and he did. He was later released. Immediately after his release, a letter was sent to the station to shut down its operations henceforth," the source said.

By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare


A woman that has children for her husband and had married him before a house is built has the right to live in the house with her children even after divorce under the provisions of the Married Woman Property Act 1882, a court held on Friday in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The belief that patriarchy is so entrenched in the Nigerian system and women have no rights even under the law has been proved to be an erroneous one, majorly propounded by those ignorant of the rights provided under the law, the court said in a landmark judgement.

The provisions of the Married Woman Property Act 1882 formed the basis of the pronouncement of the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, on Friday in a property suit between a divorced couple, Toyin Arajulu, formerly known as Mrs Toyin James and her former husband, Mr James Monday.

The court held that “a husband who marries a wife and builds a house during the pendency of the marriage stands the risk of losing that house if he later divorces the woman who had children for him unless such woman, of her own volition, leaves the matrimonial home.”

Justice Abimbola, while ruling on the matter, emphasised what is known in law as the “palm tree justice,” which indicates that it does not matter in whose name the property stands or who pays what (on the property) and in what proportion as determination of such matters transcends all rights, legal or even equitable, but simply what order is fair and just in the circumstances of the case, citing the case of Home Vs Home (1962) 1 WLR 1124 at 1128.S 17 Married Woman Property Act 1882, which is a statute of general application.

Toyin Arajulu had filed the suit against her ex-husband, Monday James, who she married under Native Law and Customs in 1997 and for whom she had four children.

She claimed that while she was married to him, they had put resources together and built two flats of three bedrooms at Ayedun in Akure, Ondo State and procured a plot of land at No 7, Fadana Biala Estate, Olodo, Ibadan, where they built a three-bedroom flat and a storey building which is still under construction before their divorce in July 2014.

She averred that before the divorce, her husband had moved out of their matrimonial home in Olodo but only came constantly to try to forcibly eject her and the children, usually accompanied by thugs who attacked her and her children.

She added that on August 15, 2014, one of her children, Bidemi James, was wounded in one of the episodes of attempted violent eviction and the sum of N530,000 from her business taken by her ex-husband and his accomplices.

She claimed that he had concluded plans to sell off the joint property without her consent and had continued to victimise her and the children, asking the court for a declaration that the property is jointly owned by the two of them and an order that the landed property with the three-bedroom flat and uncompleted storey building be sold and proceeds divided equally between them and an order of perpetual injunction restraining James from harassing her and the children.

In his counter claim and defence, the ex-husband stated that when he bought and constructed the Akure property, his wife was a full housewife and had no contribution to the project, adding that the situation was the same for the Ibadan property as his wife only signed as a witness as she had no job and only depended on what he gave her to take care of the children when he travelled out of the country.

According to him, she was only trying to fraudulently take over his property, adding that her claims were vexatious, gold digging and an abuse of court process.

He also asked the court to declare that the receipts of purchase his ex-wife presented were forged and that she should vacate possession of the property which she had refused to give up despite service of statutory seven days owner’s intention to recover possession and perpetual injunction restraining her from occupying the building.

Justice Abimbola, while ruling on the case, held that the landed property at No 7, Fadana Biala Estate, Olodo, Ibadan, together with the three-bedroom flat and uncompleted storey building is jointly owned by the two.

On the second relief that both buildings be sold as requested by Toyin, Justice Abimbola held that, “I will not give such orders in respect of the two buildings. Particularly, Section 17 Married Women Law of Oyo state Cap 83, Laws of Oyo state 2000 gives a court the discretion as it thinks fit on the issues of title of possession to property.

“Section 18 also enjoins the court to treat such property as a joint property if the issue has to do with the maintenance of a matrimonial home. My order to this effect is that the completed three-bedroom flat on the land be retained as the matrimonial property and the four children are entitled as beneficial owners by way of a resulting trust created for them by their parents. The mother, as long as she remains unmarried, is directed to be in possession undisturbed in order to take care of her children.

“The uncompleted storey building is ordered to be sold by both parties and the proceeds divided in equal share. The half share shall go to the wife for the maintenance of the children. A divorced wife has no business being maintained,” Justice Abimbola held.

The court also restrained James from harassing Toyin any further or disturbing the quiet possession of the property by her and the children, holding that, “the rationale is that a husband who marries a wife and builds a house during the pendency of the marriage stands the risk of losing that house if he later divorces the woman who had children for him unless such woman, of her own volition, leaves the matrimonial home. Also, a divorced woman is not entitled to any maintenance allowance but maintenance of the children by way of settlement.”

Okeoma, Owerri



The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday called on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to tender his resignation letter for suspending the governors of Imo and Ogun states.

At a press conference in Owerri, the APC chairman in the state, Daniel Nwafor, said that the suspension of Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun was null and void.

Nwafor said that since Oshiomhole emerged the national chairman of the ruling party, he had been disregarding the constitution of the ruling party.

Saying that the state chapter of the APC would not honour the “purported suspension” of Okorocha from APC, Nwafor said that the former governor of Edo state had outlived his usefulness in APC.

Describing Oshiomhole as a man who had no respect for the rule of law, Nwafor said that the APC national chairman was known for not obeying court orders and judgments.

According to Nwafor, the suspension of Okorocha did not follow due process.

He said that according to the APC constitution, the suspension of any member starts from the ward level and not from the National working committee.

Nwafor said “I am here with the APC chairman from Ogboko ward where the governor hails from. There was no letter from the NWC to him to query the governor for any offence. The truth is that Oshiomhole is a man who has no respect for rule of law. He has a penchant for disobeying valid court judgments and orders.

“We demand his immediate resignation from APC. Adams Oshiomhole has outlived his usefulness in APC. As a party, we will not honour that purported suspension. It is null and void and of no effect. Governor Rochas Okorocha remains the leader of APC in Imo state.”

The state chairman said that APC in the state had no governorship candidate, even as he maintained that the APC governorship candidate in the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma, was not known by the party.

He said that available records by the party showed that Uzodinma was not a registered member of APC in his ward in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.

Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election, is confident of victory when he formally institutes an election petition case against President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC), and SaharaReporters understands one major reason for this is the wide-ranging availability of video evidence to back up his claims of non-voting, voter intimidation, ballot box snatching and destruction, illegal vote cancellation and deliberate voter disenfranchisement.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared Buhari the winner of the election at exactly 4:39am after polling APC 15,191,847 votes to Atiku’s 11,262,978.

However, Atiku has already rejected the result, alleging, among others, the suppression of votes in his strongholds — an action he described as “so apparent and amateurish” and one that makes him “ashamed as a Nigerian that such could be allowed to happen”.

He consequently rejected “the result of the February 23, 2019 sham election” and vowed to challenge it in court.

“We’re going to court; that’s the major thing we can do now except we’re looking towards chaos, and nobody wants chaos,” one of his associates, who requested not to be named, told SaharaReporters.

“And again, there’s a lot wrong with the election figures. Cancelled votes in Kano were over 2million; then the difference between accredited voters and actual voters is over 700,000 there as well, which shows there are a lot of discrepancies in the figures. We are still working with some of the documents, and I know that for like three days they’ve been gathering more and more.”

He also said a lot of the claims being made by Atiku and the PDP were backed up by video tapings, as the party prepared in advance for the rigging by sending agents with hidden cameras to the field.

“There are a lot of videos, of course, because there were body cameras on some of the agents that went to the polling units and ward collation centres,” he said.

“Those ones will be tendered as evidence; and there are some other ones I won’t want you to be privy to for now.

“Atiku has set forth to go to the Supreme Court, so he is not even thinking of the tribunal. Of course we’ll start with the tribunal but we know that once the tribunal gives a judgement, the President will definitely appeal against it if the judgement is against him. The game plan Atiku has given us is for the Supreme Court. He is going all out; he is going totally for it. Atiku is not someone that will start something and will stop halfway without seeing it off till the very end. He’s going all out.”

In furtherance to his earlier rejection of the result, Atiku is set to address a press conference any moment from now.

By Ben Agande Kaduna –

The Arewa Consultative Forum has called on former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku to concede defeat in the just concluded election and congratulate president Muhammadu Buhari.

Abubakar Similarly, the ACF has also called on the president elect, Muhammad Buhari “to ensure that the new administration keeps to its promise of strengthening our unity and inclusiveness in government, so that no section or group is left behind or left out”.

In a statement issued in Kaduna Wednesday morning, the ACF congratulated president Buhari for his victory at the polls, adding that his re-election has “signaled a new regime in our democratic process The statement, signed by the publicity secretary of the forum, Muhammed Biu noted that “the 2019 Presidential election is another milestone in the nation’s election history in view of the keen contest between the two major contenders in the persons of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR of All Progressive Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

“The successful conclusion of this election despite some of the ugly incidences witnessed in some parts of country in terms of ballot box snatching, killings, security challenges and other logistic problems, Nigerians have clearly demonstrated their resolve to move forward and consolidate the gains of multiparty democracy.

“Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), therefore, congratulates all Nigerians for their resilience, commitment and courage in exercising their civic responsibility amid challenges that are natural concomitant of such tasks and responsibilities. “ACF equally congratulates President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the just concluded 2019 Presidential election. “Of equal importance, the ACF salutes the courage of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for putting up a gallantry (sic) fight with an impressive performance in the presidential elections.

“The forum calls on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP as a committed democrat, who cherishes peaceful democratic transition to accept the will of the people, concede defeat and congratulate President Buhari on his well deserved victory at the just concluded elections, especially as there are credible evidence that the elections have been generally peaceful, free and fair. Such concession on the part of the main challenger would be in the overall interest of Nigeria and place him among global democrats” it added.

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja


Opposition political parties under the aegis of the Coalition of United Political Parties have vowed not to recognise Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President beyond May 29, 2019.

They said they would ensure, within civil means, that Buhari did not enjoy what they called a stolen mandate based on his declaration as the winner of last Saturday’s presidential election.

The coalition’s national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, made the political parties’ position known in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.

Ugochinyere urged Nigerians to continue to support opposition parties in their quest to retrieve the mandate for the rightful owner.

He said, “The opposition rejects the cooked and panel beaten figures and will not recognise General Muhammadu Buhari as the carrier of legitimate mandate beyond May 29, 2019.

Describing Buhari’s victory as pyrrhic, Ugochinyere claimed that there is evidence nationwide that the 2019 presidential election was a clear departure from the electoral gains made in 2015.

He said it was glaring that the ruling All Progressives Congress massively stole votes and suppressed votes of the opposition to such an extent that the election is the worst since Nigeria’s return to democracy 1999.

Nigerians have taken to social media, to react to the news that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will be challenging his defeat in Saturday’s elections to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Buhari polled a total of 15,191,847 votes, compared to the 11,262,978 votes recorded by Atiku and was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

However, Atiku in a statement on Wednesday insisted he would not call the incumbent to congratulate him.

Rather, the vice-president will seek redress in court.

DAILY POST has curated some comments from Twitter about this turn of events:

@drteepie: I am totally with Atiku on this. I also implore Nigerians to allow the peaceful values we preach to endure as we seek redress in court for our stolen mandate. God speed sir and God bless Nigeria!

@AdamuAlkasimSu1: @atiku Just accept ur defeat sir, pray, to be in court will be another way of time waste and financial destruction. While at long last the result will be negative. Accept my advice.

@mdmshelia: @atiku Well, your message only goes to 1% of Nigeria’s. Hope will use another medium of communication to reach the poor masses, they are our problem for now. High level of illiteracy.

@planner4all: @atiku You are still campaigning after the results had been declared. Sorry, the game is over. You may give it a trial again come 2023 may be Nigerians can reconsidered you sir. Sorry, ehn. One of the factor for ur loss is that you have three wives buy only one voted, while others are not

@jessystnuel: @atiku Sir, u are the people’s choice. If for any reason u weren’t chosen, it doesn’t make u a failure or devalue who u are. It simply means our lawmakers are yet to be convinced. I know u to be a peaceful man, pls let peace rain.

@wealthrope02: You better don’t waste your money and energy to seek any redress in court. Nigerians rejected you and they will reject you a millions time.

@sarmzhy:@atiku We’re with u 100%.

@engr_tootech: @atiku Sir we are behind you, you must challenge this injustice, pls don’t give up in this fight to make Nigeria work again, some of us voted and some of us was disfranchised, we can all see the mood in the street, it shows they are forcing someone on us.

Going by the senatorial election results announced in states by Returning Officers, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seems set to dominate the 109-member Red Chamber.

Out of the 18 seats in the Southwest, the APC won 14, leaving four to the PDP.

It is being trailed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

There were upsets as some candidates believed to be heavyweights failed to win their senatorial districts.

In Anambra South Senatorial Zone, Anambra State, Ifeanyi Uba of the Youth Progressive Party (YPP) scored 87, 081 to take the slot from incumbent APC Senator Andy Uba, who polled 62, 462.

In Lagos, the APC clinched the three slots. Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) polled 131, 735 to defeat PDP’s Onitiri David, who scored 80,107; Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC) beat Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivor of the PDP and Bayo Osinowo (Lagos East), beat Abiodun Oyefusi of the PDP.

In Akwa Ibom, Mrs Akon Eyakanyi (Akwa Ibom South) of the PDP got 122,412 to beat APC’s Nelson Effiong, who polled 44,053. With 76,183, Yakubu Oseni, (APC, Kogi Central) beat Miss Natasha Akpoti of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 48,326 and Senator Ahmed Ogembe (PDP), who scored 19,359.

Danladi Sankara, APC, Jigawa Northwest, got 286,655 to beat Nasiru Roni of the PDP, who scored 120, 314; Senator Dino Melaye won the Kogi West for the PDP, beating Smart Adeyemi to the second place.

In Kano South, Senator Kabiru Gaya of the APC scored 319,004 to beat Abdullahi Sani Togo, who polled 217,570; Barau Jibrin won Kano North for the APC with 286,419 as against the 155,638 scored by Ahmed Garba Bichi of the PDP. Oyo State Governor Abiola AJimobi lost his bid to represent the Oyo South District for the APC. His 92,218 votes could not match PDP’s Kolawole Balogun’s 105,720.

Senator Danjuma Goje (APC), Gombe Central, scored 110,116 votes to beat Abubakar Nono of the PDP, who got 39,760. Mrs. Uche Ekwunife (Anambra Central) won the Anambra Central for the PDP with 18,412. Victor Umeh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) scored 14, 403.

PDP’s Senator Danjuma La’ah scored 268,923 to beat former Deputy Governor Barnabas Bala of the APC, who polled 133,287; Senator Stella Oduah of the PDP retained the Anambra North seat for the PDP, beating APGA’s Nelson Onugbegu, who scored 59,937. Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun scored 88, 110 to win the Ogun Central slot for the APC, beating Mrs. Titi Oseni of the SDP, who scored 37, 101.

Others are: Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of the PDP, who lost the Gombe North Senatorial District with 88,016 to APC’s Sa’du Alkali, who scored 152,546; Abdulfatah Buhari (APC, Oyo North) got 107,703 to beat Mrs Mulikat Adeola of the PDP). Mrs. Adeola got 89,365. In Niger East, Mohammed Sani Musa, APC, Niger East, scored 229,425 to beat PDP’s Ishaku Ibrahim, who polled 116,143;

Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, APC, Jigawa North, garnered 184, 185 to beat Senator Ubali shittu of the PDP, who polled 103,039.

Ishaku Cliff (PDP, Adamawa North) scored 78,337 to defeat APC’s Sen. Binta Garba, who had 63,219; Aisha Dahiru Binnan (APC, Adamawa Central) polled 188,526 to beat Murtala Chubado Modibbo of the PDP. Modibbo scored 96,530; Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu polled 86, 088 to retain his Enugu West slot. He beat Mrs. Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu of the APC. She scored 15,187.

Others are: Haliru Jiga, APC, Bauchi Central (66,024). He defeated Bappah Aliyu of the PDP, who had 57,069; former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin won the Oyo Central for the APC with 91,080 to beat PDP’s Bisi Ilaka, who scored 83,600. Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullah (APC, Niger North) scored 161,420 to beat PDP’s Sanni Duba, who recorded 77,109; Mohammed Bima (APC, Niger South) scored 160,614 to beat Baba Shehu Agaie of the PDP, who scored 90, 978.

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam won the Yobe East seat for the APC with 139,277, beating Tata Abbagima of the PDP, who scored 18,059; Ibrahim Bomoi won the Yobe South for the APC with 118,729. He beat Mohammed Hassan of the PDP, who scored 89,049; Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan retained the Yobe North seat for the APC with 144, 099. He defeated Sherif Abdullahi of the PDP, who scored 54,443; Amos Blues (APC, Gombe South) polled 80, 549 to beat PDP’s Hajiya Binta Bello, who scored 63,312; Ibn Na’Allah won the Kebbi South slot for the APC with 136,187 to beat Benjamin Dikki of the PDP, who scored 62,733.

In Kwara State, the APC won all the three senatorial districts. Senate President Bukola Saraki, who scored 68, 994 votes, lost the Kwara Central zone to APC’s Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, who polled 123, 828.

The PDP candidate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Sen. Philip Aduda, scored 263,055 votes to beat APC’s Jisalo Zephaniah, who scored 148,401 votes.

By Balarabe Alkassim,


President Muhammadu Buhari has secured majority of votes cast in Bauchi State in the Saturday’s 2019 Presidential elections.

He got 798,428 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who got 209,313 votes.

President Buhari won in 19 out of 20 local government areas of Bauchi State while Atiku won in one.

Atiku won in Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s local government area, Bogoro, ‎where he got 23,664 votes against Buhari’s 5,284 votes.

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has reportedly invaded the Afao Ekiti residence of the immediate past Governor of the State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, in search of campaign fund.

It will be recalled that the EFCC on Thursday complained over the influx of foreign currency to the country.


Meanwhile, he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has condemned the invasion of the Afao Ekiti residence of the immediate past Governor of the State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, saying no amount of intimidation can break the will of Nigerians to vote out the APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The party said armed operatives of the EFCC stormed Fayose’s residence a few minutes ago to conduct a search, claiming that he was in the custody of fund meant for the PDP in the Southwest, since he is the Coordinator of the Atiku/Obi Presidential Campaign Council in the zone.

According to its Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, the PDP said subjecting the former governor and his guests to that level of harassment and oppression just because of tomorrow’s elections was the height of desperation by the APC government.

The PDP said no amount of intimidation will prevent the people from coming out tomorrow to vote against a government that has impoverished them for more than three years.

It commended youths in Afao Ekiti for trouping out enmasse in solidarity with the former governor, adding that the peaceful conduct of youths even when provoked by the EFCC operatives was commendable.

The party called on all well meaning Nigerians as well as the international community to prevail on the APC to stop using instruments of government to harass, intimidate and oppress Nigerians perceived as not being on the same page with its clueless government.

A 25-year-old woman, Gift Daniel, appeared in an Ebute Meta Magistrate Court in Lagos on Thursday for allegedly stabbing a man to death.

The deceased, identified as Taofeek Olumoro, 52, a cleric, was alleged to have met his fate while trying to rape the woman.

Daniel, who resides at No. 1, Alhaji Aleke St., Bariga, Lagos is facing a charge of murder to which she pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor, Insp. Oladele Adebayo said the defendant had used a kitchen knife to stab the deceased. “The defendant was lured into the deceased’s room where he tried to forcefully have sexual intercourse with her and in her defence she picked a knife and stabbed him fatally on his chest,” he stated.

The magistrate, Mrs A. Kusanu, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case to March 27 for the DPP’s advice. (NAN)

The National Union of Road Transport Workers has said that though it promised a 50 per cent transport fare slash for those who might be travelling for the rescheduled elections, only travellers who have their Permanent Voter Cards to show will enjoy the benefit.

The NURTW Lagos State chairman, Tajudeen Agbede, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that the directive was to cushion the effects of last weekend’s election postponement.

“Our members have been directed, especially those plying inter-state routes, to give a 50 per cent discount to those travelling out of Lagos for the elections,” Agbede said.

He spoke to NAN after the union’s State Executives Meeting.

However, he stated, “To enjoy the 50 per cent discount, a prospective traveller is expected to show his/her Permanent Voter Card to the driver before he/she would be allowed to enjoy the discount.


“This is the directive from the national headquarters of our union.

“It will be carried out in all inter-state parks in the country which is part of our contribution to the electoral process,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Arik Air has also reduced its flight fare to N16,000 to ensure that eligible voters travel to cast their votes.

Many people reportedly sustained injuries in an attack on the convoy of Rabiu Kwankwaso, senator representing Kano central, on Thursday.

Abdullahi Haruna, police public relations officer in the state, confirmed the incident which happened at Kofa village in Bebeji local government area of Kano.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of the state, was said to have led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members to the area for a campaign rally when suspected thugs attacked his convoy.

Details of the attack are sketchy. The former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has a huge following in Kano, a stronghold of the ruling party.

His Kwankwasiya movement flooded the Sani Abacha stadium in the ancient city with crowd when Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP, campaigned in the state two weeks ago.

A company led by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu, may have deployed the perfect election-rigging mechanism in the 2015 election, a confidential review obtained by SaharaReporters shows.

And it may all have been accomplished with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not knowing its own technology was being used against it.

It began in 2012 when a company, Act Technologies Limited, was put into play after it had been taken from its original owners by Tinubu and Retired Col. Sani Bello, two of Africa’s wealthiest men. ACT went into partnership with INEC to provide voter registration and accreditation, as well as election-management technology, to Nigeria’s electoral body.

“This company eventually flushed out the original recipient of the voter management system contract from INEC and provided a compromised technology which had a gaping back door framework for manipulating voter registration, PVC card issue and the voting process,” the report said.

The contract to provide INEC with the election technology was originally to have been awarded to Zinox Technologies Ltd, but INEC frustrated Zinoxand ensured it was awarded to ACT, which was then used to perpetrate APC’s scheme known as “Preferred Voter Arrangement.”

“Despite winning the INEC contract, the company had no records of having filed an annual report as of May 2015,” the report said. “Disgruntled individuals within the company have revealed that approximately 80% of the company’s earnings from IMEC were siphoned off, with the company being left with 20% to execute the project.”

The report is replete with tales of money-laundering and manipulation, fake companies and addresses, and of powerful people and their families playing games with funds and companies. Many of the companies remain unknown to the Corporate Affairs Commission.

Among its stunning revelations, the bulk of the funds paid by INEC for the card reader project were paid out without delay to companies that were completely unrelated to the project. “In fact, a majority of the money was paid out to a Maigidana Bureau de Change, a company with a fake address.”

Of greater importance, however, the report said there was strong evidence that key figures in APC had control of ACT Technologies during the period in which card readers and PVC cards were being produced, and had started paying out money through ACT Technologies to the companies producing the card readers and handling the Biometrics security one year before INEC paid any money to ACT.

According to the report, “There is a very high probability that the Card reader technology and accompanying biometric PVC card technology was severely compromised.”

It observed that a pattern of payments in May and July 2012 to Shenzhen Emporium by Capital Management Limited, a company suspected to be linked to Tinubu, and by a friend of APC Niger State governor-elect Alhaji Sani Abubakar Bello, took place one year a year before INEC paid any money for the project. “So it is safe to assume that both of these individuals or the party they represent made these payments in order to have their own private access to a large number of card readers. These card readers would have been an exact replica of the ones given to INEC.”

Examining the pattern of those events, the report said that there is evidence to suggest that not only did elements within APC have an exact replica of INEC’s accreditation infrastructure, but that they had it well in advance of INEC.

“In essence, these individuals gave INEC a system that they already had.”

The report noted that INEC was given a system it could access only via its handheld terminals, one it was told it had sole custody of.

“They couldn’t have known that prior to the system being delivered, thousands of other terminals had already been produced for individuals linked to a political party. Essentially, a secret back door had been created accreditation system. And while INEC was doing the voter registration, the individuals with back door access injected their own data into the INEC database.”

It said all that was then needed was the port address that INEC used in communicating with the database, which was not difficult to obtain since the electoral body gave it to their field staff to program the card readers.

“With access to the port and to the exact replica of both the card readers and the Biometric security template, parties loyal to the APC injected data seamlessly and near flawlessly into the database without anyone being alerted. With inflated accreditation numbers in designated polling units/regions, they knew exactly which polling units to rig and go unnoticed.”

The report said the only weakness in the plan concerns whether INEC kept time logs of when its staff uploaded to the database, otherwise it would be very difficult to prove definitively that it was tampered with.

It concluded that in 2015, the electronic accreditation process was clearly tampered with.

The report then offered this dire warning, for a nation facing national elections starting this Saturday: “If the card reader technology, as it currently exists, gets used in future elections, the individuals who have this technology have the capability to inflate accredited voter numbers and dictate which electoral candidate win which election.”

Tinubu, who has bragged in recent days that he is richer than Osun State and that he is single-handedly bankrolling Buhari’s re-election effort. He has promised the president three million votes in Lagos.

Last week, The Guardian (United Kingdom) faulted Nigeria’s voter registration patterns, noting that the number of new voters registered since January 2018 has increased by an identical percentage in each of thestates, leaving the forthcoming polls open to rigging.

The newspaper described the correlation as a "statistical impossibility," saying it does not reflect Nigeria's demographic changes.