Politics

2023: Intimidation, Apathy Mar Polls In Edo

Published

3 years ago

March 18, 2023

Unlike the presidential and national assembly elections in Edo State where voters turned up in large numbers as early as 7:30am, the March 18, 2023 state assembly election was characterized by voter apathy.

Edo is one of the states that holds gubernatorial elections in the off-season, so only the house of assembly election was held in the state.

Areas that INFO DAILY visited and observed low voter turnout were Emokpae Primary School, Oredo 4, units 19-28; Oba Market, Ward 4, Units 1 to 6; Garrick Memorial College, Ward 1, units 6 to 12, all of Oredo Local Government Area of the State and Ward 7, Ward 1 to 59 in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area all in Benin City.

In addition, all strategic locations in Benin City were under heavy security as joint security agents search for vehicles carrying out important duties.

The units that INFO DAILY visited were Oredo and Ikpoba-Okha in Benin City, the ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, came early but the turn out was poor.

Many attributed the apathy to a lower-than-expected presidential election result, while some attributed the low voter turnout to voter intimidation with key stakeholders.

For example, at Emokpae Primary School, Oredo Ward 4, Ward 19 to 28, findings by INFO DAILY revealed that voters were intimidated by a political party at the school gate.

The political thugs allegedly demanded that any member of the unit who was not going to vote for a particular party leave the area, preventing many from voting for the candidate of their choice.

Speaking to INFO DAILY, a member of an Edo Civil Society Organizations who did not want to be named for security reasons confirmed that many eligible voters were intimidated from voting at Emokpae Primary School.

“Yes, you can see that many people sitting here did not vote. They were asked not to vote if they know they are not voting for PDP. But I have voted because I know how to act in this situation,” he said.

Emokpae Primary School, Oredo Ward 4, Unit 19 to be precise is where Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki voted.

Helena Emokpae, who also spoke at Garrick Memorial College (Ward 1), said many people refuse to vote because the candidate they expected to win the presidential election did not win, so they lose interest.

Politics

Oshiomhole Blasts Amaechi, Says He Built Railway To Niger Republic Instead Of Port Harcourt

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

Senator Adams Oshiomhole on Monday criticised former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, accusing him of poor judgment and misplaced priorities during his tenure in office.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Oshiomhole said: “Rotimi Amaechi is the most terrible. Look at the choice of language. A guy who shut down Rivers judiciary because he wanted to appoint his own personal favourite as chief judge of Rivers State. Once he couldn’t have his way, the Rivers State judiciary was shut down for almost two years.

“Look at the crisis in the railway system that he superintendent over for eight unbroken years. He was unable to get the priorities right, playing to the gallery.

“Now he rather constructed a rail, not to Kano, not to Port Harcourt, where he came from, but to Niger Republic.

“Which goods are we sending to Niger Republic? He was a minister. And if you were a minister under Buhari, you will be fair to him, life or death, that Buhari gave anyone he appointed free hand to do the job he assigned to you. That is what Buhari was.”

Politics

State Police Can No Longer Be Delayed – South-West Governors

Published

4 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

The Southwest Governors Forum is set to create a South West Regional Security Fund to strengthen responses to insecurity in the region.

This initiative aims to address the rise in kidnapping, banditry, illegal mining, and unregulated interstate migration.

The decision was reached during a meeting of the six governors on Monday at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State.

In the communiqué issued at the end, it was agreed that all six states would support coordinated operations, joint intelligence sharing, and rapid-response initiatives across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti states.

The governors also emphasised that the establishment of state police “can no longer be delayed.”

They applauded President Bola Tinubu for security interventions in states affected by kidnappings, while urging sustained attention on regional development.

Politics

JUST IN: Atiku Officially Joins ADC, Registers With Party In Adamawa

Published

11 hours ago

November 24, 2025

Editor

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has officially registered as a member of the African Democratic Congress in Adamawa State, signalling a major development in Nigeria’s opposition politics ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The registration took place on Monday, following Atiku’s announcement to ADC supporters and stakeholders in Adamawa over the weekend.

Abdul Rasheeth, an aide to the former vice president, had confirmed the development in a statement obtained by The PUNCH.

Videos and photos from the event showed Atiku’s convoy arriving in the town to the cheers of supporters, who beat drums, sang, and carried placards with his image.

Atiku waved and greeted well-wishers from his vehicle as he received his ADC membership card.

In a brief X (Formerly Twitter) post on his handle shorty after his registration, Atiku wrote,” It’s official. -AA”

This move formalises Atiku’s association with the coalition party, which he had previously endorsed in July as a platform for opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Babachir Lawal, to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Until now, Atiku and other opposition leaders had delayed their formal registration with the ADC.

The former vice president’s registration is expected to strengthen the party’s profile and consolidate the opposition ahead of the next general election.