₦airaland Forum

Ann Agom-Eze, the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for Ebonyi South District, has denied the allegations that she accepted a Toyota Prado SUV, a house, cash and landed property to step down for Governor David Umahi.

She described the allegations as baseless, unfounded and diversionary.

A Federal High Court in Abakaliki, on Friday, ordered a rerun primary for the district, with Mrs Agom-Eze included as the contestant.

The judgement was given in a suit filed by Mr Umahi against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The governor had asked the court to order INEC to recognise him as the authentic senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South District.

Before the judgement delivered by Justice Fatun Riman, there were rumours that Mrs Agom-Eze accepted over N40 million and other items to withdraw from the race.

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Government, in a statement by Governor Umahi’s Special Assistant on Strategy, Chooks Okoh, has accused Mrs Agom-Eze of submitting falsified documents to INEC.

Mrs Agom-Eze, on Sunday, said the accusation was not only baseless and unfounded but a diversionary move to deceive the constituents.

According to her, “The rumour making the rounds that I collected various amounts of money, with a Prado, a house in Ochoudo is all fabrications. I never asked, and I never received such from anyone.

“This is baseless, unfounded and diversionary.

“This latest move is intended to confuse Ebonyi people in order to shift their focus off the reality of the epoch. But I’m happy Ebonyi people are wiser now than before and they won’t allow anybody to deceive them again.

“They have been flying all manner of documents and trying to deceive the electorate over what the realities on the ground are.

“You people should not take them seriously. They are aware of what the court said on Friday and what do you expect from them? They must fight back.

“But they should be reminded that despite their tantrums, the constituents of Ebonyi South zone yearn for change and they have repeatedly said I’m that change they need at this time.

“I want to serve my people and give them the best of representation. That’s my focus. I don’t want to be distracted now by their whims and caprices,” she said.

Background
Mrs Agom-Eze had, in the run-up to the primary for the Ebonyi South District, said her life was being threatened because of her refusal to step down for the governor’s younger brother, Austin Umahi.

She contested the primary and lost to the younger Umahi in May.

But weeks later, the APC announced Mr Austin’s withdrawal, paving the way for another primary in which the governor was said to have been elected unopposed.

However, when INEC published the list of candidates for the National Assembly elections, it left out the governor’s name.

The commission did not name any candidate for the APC for the district, which prompted Governor Umahi to sue INEC.

The court in its ruling agreed that INEC was right to have omitted Mr Umahi’s name.

The court said the APC erred in omitting Mrs Agom-Eze’s name from the list of candidates for the fresh primary.

The court ordered another election within 14 days.

JUST IN: At least 9 persons have been killed in a bomb explosion in Government Girls Secondary School(GGSS), Bama LGA, Borno State at about 1200hrs of today (July 25, 2022).

Report indicates the people killed were metal scavengers who accidentally picked an IED planted by the Terrorist in the area.

The People's Democratic Party in Rivers State has dragged the Accord Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission before a Federal High court sitting in Port Harcourt over alleged failure to comply with the 2022 Electoral Act.

The PDP alleged that the Accord Party, INEC and 14 other defendants failed to comply to new Electoral Act in the conduct of their just concluded party primary elections.
The party wants the court to order INEC not to recognize the governorship candidate of the Accord Party and other candidates especially for the National Assembly positions for allegedly violating the new Electoral Act.

When the matter came up for mention, counsel to PDP, DIKE UDENNA asked the court for more time to enable him respond to preliminary objection raised by counsel to Accord Party, ABDULHAMEED MOHAMMED.

Presiding Judge, Justice STEPHEN DAYLOP-PAM after listening to the counsel directed the parties to respond to process and adjourned the case till 29th of July for hearing.

The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has described the legal exercise embarked upon by Chief Great Ogboru challenging the conduct of the All Progressives Congress primary in the state as a hatchet job in futility.

Ogboru, a governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance is challenging the conduct of the APC primary which produced Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the governorship candidate in 2023 general election.
In a suit No FHC/ASB/CS/147/2022: APGA & ORS VS INEC & APC on the grounds that APC did not served INEC within the stipulated 21 days’ notice to conduct the party primary.

TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NATIONAL PUBLICITY SECRETARY OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP), HON. DEBO OLOGUNAGBA ON THE COLLAPSING FOLLOWERSHIP OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, TODAY, FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2022.

Osun Election/Fake Bishops
PDP to Tinubu: Withdraw from Presidential Race Now

Gentlemen of the Press,

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is appalled by the nauseating, blasphemous and unpardonable act by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in hiring street artisans, fraudsters and touts and criminally dressing them in bishop’s vestments to orchestrate an endorsement for its collapsing Presidential campaign.

The PDP, in the strongest term, condemns this profane and highly provocative act of desperation by the sinking APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the face of APC’s collapsing leadership, membership and followership structure across the country.

Nigerians were sickened by videos and pictorial evidence of known mechanics, bus conductors and fraudsters sacrilegiously being dressed in fake bishop vestments and paid to endorse the unveiling of Asiwaju Tinubu’s widely rejected running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima.

Such action is unacceptable and unbecoming of any individual aspiring to a leadership position at any level let alone, the office of the President. This is an embarrassment to leadership.

With this scandalous act, Asiwaju Tinubu, who is still battling with issues of alleged perjury, non-existent certificate and allegations of extortions has become more ethically challenged and lost all moral standing to seek election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

More sickening is the outcry by the hirelings that they were defrauded by agents of the APC Presidential candidate, who paid them sums ranging from N30,000 to N40,000 as against the N100,000 they were earlier promised.

It is therefore ludicrous that instead of being remorseful and asking for forgiveness, the APC Presidential Campaign is shamelessly posting lame denials and excuses in the face of hard and verified evidence of its involvement in the shameless venture.

Our Party is not surprised by the attitude of the APC Presidential Campaign. Such is consistent with the character and DNA of the APC, which was never a political party but a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) hurriedly put together by conflicting bed-fellows and inchoate sailors clobbered together for remote personal gain and whose only interest is to defraud Nigerians through falsehood, lies, deceit, bribery, Temporary Loyalty Purchase, corruption of established institutions and violation of set rules without regards to the feelings, sensibilities and wellbeing of Nigerians.

With this ugly episode, Nigerians now know the individual who has been the planner and executor of the lies, false promises and corruption of the APC that have brought disunity, excruciating hardship, mass killings and political instability in the country in the last seven years.

Under the corrupt and deceptive government Asiwaju confessed to have helped to install, our productive sector has been completely wrecked; the over $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) with a naira value of N167 to the Dollar handed over by the PDP has been brought to its knees with the naira now crawling at N665 to a Dollar today.

Under Asiwaju’s APC government, Nigeria’s debt stock has astronomically risen from N12 trillion under the PDP to N41.6 trillion with our nation going broke as Debt Servicing cost has now surpassed Government revenue with over N300 billion.

Today, millions on businesses have been shut down due to harsh economic policies and high cost of fuel; unemployment has risen to over 35%, cost of food items, medication and essential services have skyrocketed beyond reach as over 90 million Nigerians are no longer able to afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life. What a tragedy!

It is now crystal clear to Nigerians why the people of Asiwaju’s ancestral State of Osun and the South West geo-political zone which ought to be his natural stronghold outrighly rejected him and his APC in the July 16, 2022 Governorship election in Osun the State.

PDP’s sweeping victory and the spontaneous jubilation across our country are direct statements by Nigerians on their resolve to stand on the platform of the PDP to free themselves from the agonizing stranglehold of the lying, cruel and life-discounting APC and its Presidential Candidate.

Furthermore, Asiwaju Tibunu’s humiliating rejection in Abuja, where he had reportedly rushed to in a desperate bid to frustrate the smooth conclusion of the Osun State Governorship election is a clear testimonial that the APC Presidential Candidate has been roundly deflated.

Our Party is privy to reports of how doors were locked against APC leaders in Abuja and how their frantic telephone calls and corrupt offers to truncate the Osun election were turned down.

The APC Presidential candidate can recall that our Party had in a statement on June 8, 2022, cautioned him that he will soon realize that Nigeria is not one of his acquired estates or fiefdoms and that Nigerians are not his political string-puppets and retinue of lackeys, from whom he bought the APC Presidential ticket.

Now that the APC Presidential candidate has lost the basic required leadership integrity and having been exposed and roundly rejected in his ancestral home State of Osun, the South West and across the country; our Party counsels him to immediately withdraw from the 2023 Presidential race to avoid further disgrace.

Nigerians cannot afford to have fraudsters, liars, deceivers, perjurers, swindlers and corrupt individuals at the helm of affairs in our country. Such individuals can only superintend over a deceptive, fraudulent and duplicitous administration and worsen the woes faced by our nation under the current inhumane and rudderless APC administration.

The APC Presidential candidate and his party should know that it is in his own interest to withdraw from the race as it will be futile to go into an election in which the Will and aspiration of the people are manifestly against him and the APC.

Asiwaju has no political fighting chance in the face of the soaring popularity of PDP’s very competent, candid, transparent, people-oriented and much more prepared Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar at the poll.

The PDP is poised for a winning campaign and as always, our Party is open to suggestions and further collaborations with well-meaning Nigerians as we collectively march to liberate our nation in the 2023 general elections.

Thank you for listening and God bless you all

Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary

Fifteen chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state have dumped the party, citing a lack of internal democracy.

One of those who decamped told our correspondent that about 500 members are joining them following unresolved matters in the State Party.

The latest party chieftains, who left the party Thursday were: Mallam Audu Bode, Alh. Shuabu Ahmed, Hon. Habila Latu, Boniface Ubandoma, Mr. Yakubu Simon, Jashua Peter, Camio Bitrus, Patrick Paul (Pato), Mr. Samuel Wyah, Zaka Makoshi, Jonathan Fedelix, Barnabas Samuel (Barry), Shua’ibu Yusuf, Alexander Danladi (Lulu), Samuel Ibrahim.

The APC Legal Adviser in Jema’a Local Government Area, Hon. Ibrahim Samuel, in a letter addressed to his Ward Chairman, said, “His decision to dump the party was based on the internal crises of the party, lack of internal democracy and total disrespect.

Also, in a press statement signed by Hon. Barnabas Samuel and Hon. Ibrahim Samuel (Oganto) and issued to newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday, the decampees lamented that the names that emanated during the last party congress were entirely different from the ones brought to be used for the primaries.

The different names, they claimed, were responsible for the present court case between Sen. Uba Sani and Sha’aban.

“Another reason was that the State House of Assembly party primaries has come and gone but certainly not without some avoidable challenges. It is only logical and ideal that after every contest all the aspirants that lost in the contest are brought together for genuine reconciliation with the flag bearer.

“Last month, instead of calling for reconciliation, the party stakeholders of our local government met at Kaduna under the guise of reconciliation, but the meeting turned out issuing warnings and threats to those that lost in the last primaries should any of them be caught in any anti-party activity in the forthcoming election.”

The Tinubu Campaign Organisation has described as unwarranted distractions the viral pictures and videos of some Christian clergy at Wednesday’s unveiling of Sen. Kashim Shettima,All Progressives Congress (APC) Vice-Presidential candidate in Abuja.

Mr Bayo Onanuga, Director, Media and Communication, Tinubu Campaign Organisation in a statement on Thursday, said the clergymen were not fake as was being speculated in the social media.

“The APC formally presented Sen. Shettima to the public and its various organs as the running mate of its 2023 presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at a well-attended ceremony,” Onanuga said.

He added that at the unveiling, Tinubu and Shettima, and former Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and Gov. Atiku Bagudu of Jigawa and the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, in their speeches, addressed fundamental issues of nation building.

This, he said, was the focus of the APC and its candidates with a view to ensuring a progressive and prosperous nation where all citizens could find joy and fulfilment.

Onanuga explained that the event was an open affair, which allowed members of the public to attend, including the clergymen and some others now being derided by hirelings of the opposition.

“We want to say that those clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers as the purveyors of hatred have made Nigerians to believe in the social media.

“They are not big names in Christendom yet, they are gradually building up their missions.

“They are Church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry and rather embrace politics of peace and nation building.

“We therefore deplore the hysterical twisting of the presence of these men and women in cassocks and the false accusation against our candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Sen. Shettima,” Onanuga said.

He added that the orchestrated social media sensation over the presence of the clergymen was needless and all calculated to detract from the huge success recorded at the unveiling held at Yar’Adua Centre.

He expressed believe that Nigerians were however too wise and discerning to see through this shenanigan.

He assured that Tinubu, Shettima and the APC were working very hard to provide purposeful leadership and good progressive governance that would improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

“We are well aware that the opposition parties and the sponsors of the social media charade are jittery and threatened by the intimidating political credentials of our candidates.

“The only way they hope to shift attention of public scrutiny away from their uninspiring candidates and credentials is to create social media distraction.

“Our campaign is determined on focusing on core governance issues that affect Nigerians with a view to confronting them and make the desired improvements in the standard of living of our people,” Onanuga stressed.

Hundreds of demonstrators on Wednesday morning stormed the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress to register their grievance over the position of the party on the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The protest took place almost at the same time the leadership of the APC was unveiling former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate of its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in Abuja.

The demonstration, which was led by a few party members under the aegis of APC Hausa-Fulani Youth Forum, saw the delegation arrive the Secretariat in six luxury buses and few cars, raising different banners and chanting solidarity songs.

Some of the banners read ‘A cry for justice’, ‘Drop Shettima and give slot to our Christian brothers’, ‘Discrimination and mutual suspicion in our country’ among others.

Speaking to our correspondent, Convener of Forum, Abdullahi Bilal Mohamadu declared that they will not stop protesting until the party do the right.

On why the demonstrators took to protest on a day the party is presenting his vice presidential candidate, Mohammadu stated that it was a deliberate act to tender their grievances and ensure it reaches the appropriate authorities.

In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and made available to The PUNCH, Mohammadu stated that they saw the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected immediately by the leadership of the party.
The letter read, “We write to your good office in light of the prevailing circumstances arising from the decision of our Presidential candidate to select a Northern Muslim as his vice presidential candidate.

“While it must be stated that there is a right to make decisions, however, such decisions must not be made to the collective detriment of the sensibilities of the people that make up the country of Nigeria especially at a time of mutual suspicion amongst the Christians and Muslims in the northern part of the country.

“As concerned stakeholders of the APC and those who constitute the voting strength of our party , we find it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.

“In our opinion, this is insensitive and a gross display of a lack of respect for our Christian brothers and sisters especially the Middle Belt minority who have given all their best to us as one northern Nigeria. Picking another Muslim from the north eastern part of the country as his running mate is politically and morally indefensible.

“In Northern Nigeria, there are credible candidates with rich credentials and with massive grassroots following that can complement the presidential ticket of the APC in the presidential elections. As such, the Hausa – Fulani Youths Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant authorities within the party.

“The implication of non-action in this regard can only be imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in Northern Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and disregard to our Northern Christian brothers , whose population and relevance in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasized.

“If our party is desirous of recording electoral success in the 2023 presidential elections, it must retrace its steps by selecting a Christian from the Middle Belt as its vice presidential candidate. The party must not be perceived as promoting a religious agenda by fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“We consequently say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly intervene to save the party from an electoral crisis. We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emulate the example of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of his running mate in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“Our Christian brothers and sisters deserve a place in the scheme of things, and our party must not be seen as a religiously insensitive party. The time to act is now.”

Senate President Ahmad Lawan, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio and other politicians who obtained more than one nomination form, risk two years’ imprisonment under the Electoral Act, 2022.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, disclosed this on Tuesday.

Igini stated this while featuring on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, quoting Section 115 (D) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

He said, “A person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election [commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years].”

Igini said by “constituency,” the electoral term refers to a separate election whether it is presidential, governorship, senatorial, the House of Representatives or that of state assembly.

He said any candidate who runs afoul of this law is liable to be jailed for two years, and that Section 115 (3) even states that an attempt to obtain multiple forms is an offence.

“Section 115 (D) of the 2022 Electoral Act stipulates that no person shall sign, obtain more than one form as a candidate for different elections.

“And the offence for that under subsection K, beyond the financial, he will go to two years’ imprisonment.

“Some people are claiming that they participated in one election, that they filled two forms; it’s ignorance of the law and it’s not an excuse.

“We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling our names everywhere,” the commissioner said.

Igini had insisted that INEC did not monitor the primaries that produced Akpabio as the senatorial candidate for Akwa Ibom North-West.

Akpabio had contested the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but he withdrew from the race on June 7, and asked his supporters to bback Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor who eventually emerged APC presidential candidate.

Prior to the presidential primary, on May 27, Udom Ekpoudom, a former Deputy Inspector-General of Police, had won the primary election for the Akwa Ibom North-west senatorial ticket.

A parallel primary election was conducted and won by Ekperikpe Ekpo. However, it was later cancelled over irregularities, while a rerun was conducted on June 8, with Akpabio declared as winner of the exercise.

Lawan after losing the APC presidential ticket reportedly asked Bashir Machina, winner of the Yobe North Senatorial primary, to relinquish the ticket.

This implies that the senate president and Akpabio might have secretly obtained the nomination form for the senatorial seat of their respective districts while also seeking presidential ticket.

By Igini’s account, other politicians who might have violated the electoral act include Governors Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Tuesday, declared the Senator representing Ebonyi Central Zone, Obinna Ogba, as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state come 2023.

Strong party sources confirmed this to our correspondent, on the telephone on Tuesday.

A high-profile leader of the party, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said, “The Court of Appeal Abuja, has today (Tuesday) ruled in favour of Senator Obinna Ogba.

“Don’t quote me because we are still at the Court premises. But you can make your inquiries and find out yourself. This is good news for us, and it further goes to say that the Court still remains the last hope of the common man.”

Another PDP chieftain, Elder Fred Udeogu, further confirmed the development to The PUNCH, adding that the current turnout of events will douse the tension being ‘witnessed’ in the party.

Udeogu said, “Yes, the Appeal has ruled in favour of Senator Obinna Ogba.

“We thank God for this development, which shows there is still hope for us in this country, with the judiciary. It’s a well-deserved judgement and we give God the Glory.

The PUNCH reported that Chief Ifeanyi Odii, was elected the party’s governorship ‘candidate’ during a canceled primary held between May 28th and 29th, 2022, in the state.

However, at a rescheduled primaries held on June 4th and 5th, 2022, Senator Ogba emerged. But Odii had approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki and upturned Ogba’s ‘candidature’, which necessitated Ogba to approach the Court of Appeal.

A police investigation has confirmed that Stephen Ntukekpo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), used forged documents to obtain a court judgement which paved the way for him to be sworn in as the APC chairman in Akwa Ibom State.

A piece of legal advice from the police, obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, on Monday in Abuja, recommended that Mr Ntukekpo be charged to court for forgery and impersonation.

“From the facts and available evidence in the case file, we are of the considered opinion that a prima facie case of impersonation and forgery has been established against the suspect, Stephen Leo Ntukekpo and therefore advised that the suspect be charged to court accordingly,” said a memo from the Legal and Prosecution Section, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The memo, dated July 4, 2022, and titled Legal Advice, was sent to the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the FCID.

It was signed by Ochogwu Ogbeh, a deputy commissioner of police, who heads the Legal and Prosecution Section at the force headquarters.

The police investigation was prompted by a complaint of forgery from a chieftain of the APC, Sheriff Banki, who chaired the APC committee which conducted the party state congress in Akwa Ibom State last year.

Another person, Austin Ekanem, who took part in the congress, was elected the chairman of the APC in Akwa Ibom, and not Mr Ntukekpo.

Mr Banki was shocked and angry when he learnt his signature was forged and Mr Ekanem, the man who was elected the APC chairman in Akwa Ibom, was replaced with Mr Ntukekpo.

Mr Ntukekpo is backed by a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, who has the support of the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, and the National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore.

The APC national chairman, Mr Adamu, swore in Mr Ntukekpo as the APC chairman in Akwa Ibom at Abuja in April, 2022, despite a contrary order by the Court of Appeal, Abuja.

The Appeal Court on April 7 directed all the parties in the case “to maintain the status quo” pending the determination of the case, but Mr Adamu hurriedly swore in Mr Ntukekpo on April 11, about 72 hours after the court order.

The APC, however, fraudulently backdated to March 26, Mr Ntukekpo’s oath of office, to avoid the party being seen as violating an order of the court, according to documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The forgery in APC and the multiple court cases that followed threw the party in Akwa Ibom into a complicated crisis which has made it incapable of producing a governorship candidate till now in the state for the 2023 elections.

The crisis has also truncated Mr Akpabio’s ambition to return to the Senate next year.

The police recommendation that Mr Ntukekpo should be charged for forgery and impersonation has confirmed the previous reporting on the matter by PREMIUM TIMES.

It has also vindicated the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, who some of the APC leaders in the state have been accusing, without proof, of being responsible for the party crisis in the state.

Ntukekpo’s reaction
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach Mr Ntukekpo for his comment, as he did not respond to calls from our reporter.

But the APC chairman, in a previous interview with PREMIUM TIMES, had admitted that the police invited him for questioning over the forgery case.

Mr Ntukekpo was not categorical about whether the result sheets he presented to the court were forged or not.

“I wasn’t the author, I didn’t manufacture, I didn’t produce in any form or fashion the so-called result sheet of the congress. I was only an aspirant,” he said in a response to a question from PREMIUM TIMES.

We lost a dear soul to the cold hands of death earlier today. May the soul of the late Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, former Southwest Women Leader of the @OfficialAPCNg Rest In Peace and may God grant her immediate family, friends and associates the fortitude to bear this loss

Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, has said the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in the state will respond to the result of Saturday’s governorship poll after studying it.

This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ismail Omipidan, obtained in Osogbo on Sunday.

Adeleke was returned elected after defeating his closest challenger, Oyetola, and 13 other candidates, scoring a total of 403,371.

Oyetola got 375,027 votes and won in 13 local government areas of the state to come second in the election.

But the governor, who was the APC candidate in the poll, called on his supporters to remain calm, and the people of the state to go about their businesses without let or hindrance.

The statement read in part, “Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has taken cognisance of the results of the governorship election in the state as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Sunday.

“He, however, noted that the party would be responding appropriately after studying the results and consulting with critical stakeholders of the party.

“The governor also called on security operatives to ensure maintenance of law and order. He has, therefore, directed security operatives to take adequate charge so as to prevent break down of law and order.”

#OsunDecides2022 #ImoleDe #AdelekeTiDe Mr Ezekiel was imported from Lagos state by the @OfficialAPCNg to cause violence in Osun state. He was arrested by the @PoliceNG with charms and other dangerous weapons in the Ifofin area of Ilesha. #VoteAndStay #OsunIsForPDP

A Federal High Court in Osogbo has restrained operatives of the Amotekun Corps from deploying officers to polling units for Saturday’s election.

The Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State had filed a suit before the court, seeking an order to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from seeking the assistance of Amotekun operatives for security during the poll.

Justice Ayo Emmanuel issued the order on Thursday, restraining Amotekun Corps as part of the security personnel deployable for the purpose of Osun State guber election.

“That the first defendant is hereby restrained from requesting the deployment of the second defendant as part of the security personnel deployable for the purpose of Osun State Governorship election pending the determination of the originating summons filled in this suit.

“That the second defendant is hereby restrained from the deploying or volunteering her officers, agents, staff as part of the security personnel deployable for the purpose of Osun State Governorship election pending the determination of the originating summons filled in this suit.

“That the applicant should file an undertaking indemnifying the respondent should this application not be granted in the the first place”.

Mr Emmanuel adjourned the case till July 20.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, declined to disqualify Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun State from participating in the impending governorship election in the state as candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that the suit that sought to invalidate governor Oyetola’s nomination as flag-bearer of the APC for the election, lacked merit and deserved to be dismissed.

Justice Ekwo held that the Plaintiff, Moshood Adeoti, failed to establish a reasonable cause of action to warrant Oyetola’s disqualification.

More so, the court held that the suit, which it said was an abuse of the judicial process, was not backed with relevant laws, adding that it was brought outside the scope of section 87(9) of the Electoral Act and Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.