Politics
2023 Elections Threatened, INEC Chairman, Yakubu Warns
Published
3 years agoon
By
Editor
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu has said that the 2023 general elections were in danger should the incessant attacks on their offices and facilities continue unabated.
Acknowledging that the commission can replace some destroyed essentials, the chairman said that there was a limit to which the attacks could stretch them. Yakubu spoke at the commencement of an investigative hearing of the Ad-hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating the attacks on offices and the facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Friday in Abuja.
The House of Reps committee had also expressed its displeasure with the office of the Attorney General of the federation, for saying it has not received any request for the prosecution of suspects responsible for the attacks on INEC offices.
Yakubu said: “We are determined and we will continue with our preparations for the 2023 general elections. So far, all the facilities would be rebuilt or alternatives found and materials would be replaced. However, should such attacks continue at the pace at which they are happening at the moment, the Commission may find it increasingly difficult to recover in time for the election. If it is about stopping the attacks, yes we can recover, but if the attacks continue, it would be very difficult for the commission to recover. That is why concerted efforts to stop these attacks have become imperative and we hope this public hearing would contribute to the required outcome.”
With 11 incidents, Imo tops states with highest attacks on INEC offices
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“The attacks have far-reaching implications on preparation for the general elections. First, the facilities that are destroyed, especially offices, would take time to rebuild. They are not like items of procurement that you can procure off the shelf. So, an alternative arrangement has to be made.
“So, in some of the states, in addition to these malicious attacks, and other matters that have arisen as a result of fire and flooding, we would have to make alternative arrangements by renting. In some places, we can find facilities to rent. In some of the remote areas, we may not find facilities to rent. So, we have to look for alternatives to damaged facilities.
“Secondly several materials lost would have to be replaced. In the recent attacks, some of the PVCs, for instance, were lost. But for the PVCs, we have instructed our state offices to send the Voter Identification Numbers of the PVCs lost so we can reprint them. We can, from our database, quickly regenerate and reprint the cards so that citizens are not disenfranchised.
“The commission and security agencies must also continue to provide safety around the facilities and this, as I said earlier, may be very challenging, because the security agencies are also protecting all of us and other national assets.
“Now, we have to rebuild the facilities and our funds are overstretched by a number of factors. We cannot continue to replace and rebuild. And what is even more worrisome for us is the attack in Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State. The building was first attacked on 18th may 2012. We found the resources in our election project plan budget to rebuild the office and we did so.
“We rebuilt the office and our staff moved in on Friday. That weekend on Sunday, the office was burnt down again and there are five such offices nationwide where in spite of our best efforts, the facility was attacked not only once but twice. We have five offices in which even after rebuilding or trying to rebuild, the offices were attacked again.”
Responding to the committee’s displeasure with the office of the Attorney General of the federation for not arresting and prosecuting suspects, the Deputy Director in charge of Prosecution at the office of Attorney General Yusuf Abdullahi told the lawmakers that no formal request for that had been made.
He said: “The office of the Attorney General is in charge of the prosecution, whether IG, DSS or other security agencies. As far as the office is concerned, we have not formally received any request for prosecution. That is the content of our letter. But however, as soon as we receive, whether terrorism, banditry, or attacks, once we receive, we will commence an action and prosecute.”
But the Chairman of the Committee, Hon Taiwo Oluga was not satisfied.
READ ALSO: 2023: Atiku, Tinubu Fight Dirty In Bid To Succeed Buhari
“Are you saying since we have been having these incessant attacks, your office has not received any request for prosecution? Are you saying that from 2019 the office of the Attorney General has not received, from the police or INEC, any request to prosecute anybody? That means they have not made an arrest. I said something, when a crime keeps going without punishment, it grows with impunity and the office of the attorney general is the only one that can help us once they are apprehended, prosecuted and punished.
“You know the argument of the Committee is that the office of the AGF is before Nigerians and telling Nigerians that you have not received any. If you have received, how many? If you are coming before this committee, you are supposed to have been prepared to let Nigerians know that you have been working.
“What we would do to move on is that we are going to take you on a separate day. Because you are not ready for us. Even from your submission, you are not ready for us. Unfortunately, we only have three weeks to complete this assignment. We would write to you again and you will forward your submission so we can marry it with the report we would give to the House”, she said.
In his presentation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali attributed the attacks to the clandestine acts of some politicians and secessionist groups in the South East and South West.
Represented by DIG in charge of the Department of Operations, Dandaura Mustapha, the IGP said: “The Nigeria police being the lead agency in internal security and elections generally are always at the receiving end. Whatever happens — it is the duty of the police to protect here and there.
“When INEC finally made campaigns open — the campaigns commenced and what we realized initially was inter and intra-party dispute. We realized that members of political parties were destroying billboards, posters, and the destruction of campaign offices in some parts of the states.
“We quickly alerted the commissioner of police in charge of the commands and gave them a clear directive that it is the right of every political party to go to all the nooks and crannies of society and campaign.
“It is a constitutional right, so why will a state governor or any state actor prevent political parties from moving about to do their campaigns? Of recent, one took place in Osun and Ogun, and then last week in Ebonyi, Imo and Enugu.
“What we discovered is that — we all know in this country, it is a well-known fact that in the south-east geo-political zone we have issues of secessionists — the IPOB and ESN. These groups are bent on stopping elections from taking place in the southeast.
“They have been attacking and killing our personnel. They have been retrieving arms from members of the security agencies, not only the police — the military and other paramilitary organisations that are there.
READ ALSO: 2023: Why Atiku Wants To Sell Nigeria’s Refineries – PDP
“They have been doing it, especially now that the embargo on campaigns has been lifted. The election is approaching very fast and they are putting much pressure to see that these elections do not hold in the south-east political zone.
“In the south-west, we equally have the pro-Yoruba secessionists that are equally bent on not allowing election to take place in their areas, hence the attacks on INEC in Osun and Ogun of recent. Those ones are also sponsored by politicians and other stakeholders.”
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Politics
Ekiti 2026: APC Aspirant Slams Oyebanji For Threatening Party Leaders
Published
5 hours agoon
August 24, 2025By
Editor
An All Progressives Congress aspirant in the 2026 governorship election, Kayode Ojo, on Sunday, tackled Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, for threatening party chairman in the local government area and wards not to entertain any other contender.
Ojo, who said that the governor’s waning popularity had pushed him to desperation, said, “This threat is not only ludicrous, but also vexatious and aptly demonstrates to all and sundry that the governor intends to turn the APC into his private fiefdom and family inheritance.”
The APC aspirant, represented by the Chairman, Consultative Forum of Kayode Ojo, Olukayode Oluyemo, who spoke at a press conference in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, expressed confidence that Ojo would win the party’s October 27, 2025 primary election despite alleged attacks and harassment from Oyebanji’s camp.
He restarted his determination to govern Ekiti State to redress what he called “the inexplicable stagnation ravaging Ekiti State despite the huge monthly allocation from the Federation Account as well as the state’s potential for development and growth.”
READ ALSO:Ekiti Govt Issues BEDC Seven-day Ultimatum Over Power Outage
He spoke in reaction to a statement credited to Oyebanji on Friday while receiving his APC expression of interest and nomination forms from a group within the Ekiti State University Alumni Association, which obtained the forms for him.
Oyebanji was quoted to have said, “I want to see the local government, I want to see the local government chairman and the ward chairman of APC that will open their doors and offices for these people. I want to know the party member that will receive them.”
But Ojo described the governor’s threat as a “violation of APC Constitution on the issue that members of the party are free to associate and to hold meetings with any aspirant in as much that they belong to the same party. We are members of APC, I don’t see why the governor is violating this constitutional provision.
“It is our party, so we are calling on the national executives of our party in Abuja to caution him so that he will not destroy APC.
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“The governor is as well violating the Nigerian constitution, which has made it very clear that everybody has the right to associate. Everybody has the right to switch, I mean to pick your candidates and hold meetings at anywhere as long as you are not holding the meeting to rob or to cause criminal activities.
“So Mr Governor of Ekiti State should trust softly, be a democrat, obey the constitution of Nigeria and obey the constitution of our party, APC”.
Oluyemo, who said that Ojo’s friends and supporters, who had provided cash for his nomination and expression of interest forms, disclosed that they would pick the forms at APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Monday.
He said that the group had been mobilising APC members ahead of the forthcoming primaries to enable Ojo pick the party ticket, saying, “The problem we have been having is attacks from the side of the government, which probably feels that there should not be any opposition.
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“We are not opposition members. We are members of the same party.
We only have our preferred aspirant, who we are backing to emerge as flagbearer.”
The group’s chairman, who alleged that Ojo’s supporters were being framed up and arrested for fictitious offences, called on police leadership in the state and at the federal level “to provide a level playing ground for all APC members to choose and follow their preferred aspirants preparatory to the party’s governorship primary election.”
He stated, “We equally plead with the leadership of APC in Ekiti State to eschew partisanship and embrace all governorship aspirants as one in the APC family.
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“We also plead with President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of our great party to caution Governor Oyebanji against ordering the arrest, harassment and maiming of APC members in Ekiti State. The forthcoming primary election is not a do-or-die affair,” he said.
Oluyemo urged supporters “to remain steadfast, law abiding and patriotic and unshakably loyal to the cause by stepping up mobilisation efforts across the 16 local government areas of the state without any fear as the day of liberation draws near”.

Benue State House of Assembly on Sunday elected Alfred Emberger as its new speaker.
The appointment came shortly after the resignation of the former speaker, Aondona Dajoh.
The new speaker is one of the four members suspended last Friday for attempting to remove the former speaker.
At the plenary session held on Sunday and presided over by the deputy speaker, Lami Danaldi-Ogenyi, the house resolved to lift the suspension on the four members.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: Benue Assembly Speaker Aondona Dajoh Resigns
The majority leader, Saater Tiseer, who said that the plenary was an emergency one, moved a motion for the lifting of the suspension on the four members and was seconded by Samuel Jiji of Logo state constituency.
The deputy speaker said, “Following the motion raised by the majority leader and supported by members of the house, this house has resolved to lift the suspension of the four members.”
After lifting the suspension, the four members were ushered into the chamber, and the nomination of the new speaker was announced.
A member representing the Makurdi South state constituency, Douglas Akyaa, moved a motion and nominated Emberger for the position of new speaker, seconded by Abu Umoru of the Apa state constituency.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: Benue Assembly Suspends Four Members For Attempting To Impeach Speaker
While there was no other nomination, the new speaker took the oath of office administered by the Clerk of the house, John Hwande
The new speaker, in his acceptance speech, commended the former speaker for his service and commitment to the progress of the house and the people of the state.
He further said, “To my esteemed colleagues, I assure you that this leadership will be anchored on inclusiveness, fairness and respect for diverse opinions.
“This house under my watch will work harmoniously with the executive and judiciary while maintaining our independence in line with the principle of separation of powers.”
Politics
JUST IN: Benue Assembly Speaker Aondona Dajoh Resigns
Published
7 hours agoon
August 24, 2025By
Editor
The Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh, has resigned from his position.
According to Channels TV, the resignation is contained in a letter dated August 24, 2025, and titled “Resignation as the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly.”
Dajoh said his decision was made in good faith and in the interest of the state.
“I write to resign my position as the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, effective today, August 24, 2025. This is done in good faith and in the best interest of the state. I want to appreciate my dear colleagues for the opportunity they gave me to be the first among equals,” the letter, personally signed by Dajoh, read in part.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Benue Assembly Suspends Four Members For Attempting To Impeach Speaker
Dajoh, who represents Gboko West State Constituency, pledged to continue serving as a legislator.
“I pledge to remain committed to my duties as a legislator and representative of Gboko West State Constituency,” he added.
Details about who will replace Dajoh had not been released at the time of filing this report.
The House is expected to follow its standing orders to fill the vacancy and name a new speaker in line with legislative procedure.
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