News

Bayelsa Gov Poll Dispute: Sylva, APC Close Petition With 52 Witnesses

Published

2 years ago

February 28, 2024

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Tuesday, formally closed the petition they filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that held in Bayelsa State on November 11, 2023.

The petitioners rested their case after they called 52 out of the 224 witnesses they lined up to testify before the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which is conducting its sitting in Abuja.

Sylva, who served as governor of the state from 2008 to 2012, and the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, is challenging the declaration of Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the gubernatorial poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that governor Diri garnered a total of 175, 196 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sylva, who polled 110, 108 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Sylva approached the tribunal, alleging that results of the election in three Local Government Areas, LGAs, were wrongly excluded by INEC.

He told the tribunal that whereas election held in Southern Ijaw, Ogbia and Nembe LGAs, however, the electoral body, voided polling unit results that were forwarded for collation.

Sylva insisted that contrary to INEC’s position that election did not hold in the affected LGAs, its officials supervised the election and sent results from the various polling units to the collation center.

According to him, had it been that results from the three LGAs, which he described as his strongholds, were included, he would have won the gubernatorial contest.

Besides, the APC and its candidate alleged that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, machines, were bypassed in some polling unit.

At the resumed proceeding in the matter on Tuesday, Justice Adekunele Adeleye-led three-member panel tribunal admitted in evidence, 42 different Voters’ Registers that INEC brought from various polling units in the three disputed LGAs.

A star witness of the petitioners, Mr. Denis Otiotio, who was cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Charles Edosanwan, SAN, admitted that names on the Registers were not ticked to signify that they were used for the election.

However, Otiotio maintained that contrary to INEC’s claim that election did not hold in polling units within the three LGAs owing to violence, he told the tribunal that Registers the Commission tendered before it, were different from the ones that were deployed for the governorship poll.

The witness decried that though the tribunal had ordered INEC to furnish the petitioners with the Voters Registers, it, however, failed to comply with the directive.

When he was asked by counsel to the PDP, Chief Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, if he reported the failure of INEC to supply the petitioners with the Registers, the witness answered in the negative.

Earlier in the proceeding, a former Commissioner of Police, CP, in Bayelsa State, Mr. Akeem Tolani Alausa, mounted the witness box and testified in favour of the petitioners.

The police chief tendered several exhibits to support his testimony before the tribunal.

He told the tribunal that his role during the election was perceived as controversial, a situation he said led to protestations, for and against his stay as the CP of the state.

The witness, who disclosed that he is currently serving at the Police Headquarters in Abuja, said it got to a point that one John Aliyu Babangida was brought to replace him.

He told the tribunal that he was eventually returned back to Bayelsa State.

When the witness was while being cross-examined by INEC’s lawyer, accused of working as Sylva’s ally during the election, he denied the allegation.

Asked by governor Diri’s lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, if he voluntarily appeared before the tribunal to testify, the witness, said he was summoned through a letter from the Inspector General of Police, adding that his statement on oath was prepared for him by an Officer in Charge (OC) Legal, whose name he did not mention.

The witness further told the tribunal that documents he tendered were from policemen that were stationed at polling units on the election day.

Answering questions from PDP’s lawyer, Oyetibo, SAN, the witness admitted that a Prado Jeep was donated to the Bayelsa State Police Command during his stay and that upon his removal from the state, he went away with the vehicle.

He, however, said that he eventually returned the Prado Jeep based on the directive of the IGP who acted on a letter that was written to him by governor Diri.

After the two witnesses concluded their evidence, counsel to the petitioners, Chief Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, announced the decision of the petitioners to close their case at that point.

Thereafter, the panel fixed next Monday for the INEC, governor Diri, his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrujakpo and the PDP to open their defence to the petition.

News

Otuaro Pledges To Expand PAP Scholarship As Beneficiaries Bag Master’s Degrees From UK Varsities

Published

9 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, has expressed his unwavering commitment to expanding the PAP scholarship scheme.

The PAP boss made the pledge at a graduation reception for nine students who were awarded foreign post-graduate scholarships by PAP in universities in the United Kingdom.

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, said the successful scholars are the first graduates in the offshore post-graduate scholarship deployment to UK institutions by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic session.

According to the statement, they graduated from the Anglia Ruskin University, University of Dundee and The University of Law with master’s degrees in cyber security, data science and engineering, law, construction and civil engineering management, project management, and ICT.

Otuaro disclosed in the statement that 711 undergraduate and post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries are expected to graduate from universities within Nigeria this year.

According to Otuaro, the expansion of the scholarship scheme is aimed at creating more opportunities for indigent students of Niger Delta extraction to access higher education with a view to closing the human capital development gap in the region.

Otuaro said it was for this reason he deployed 3800 beneficiaries in-country in the 2024-2025 academic year, and increased the figure to 3900 in the 2025-2026 academic session with 200 for foreign scholarships.

He said under his administration, 7700 students have been so far deployed for the PAP scholarship scheme within Nigeria in less than two years.

According to him, aince he took over, he has deployed 162 students from the region for post-graduate programmes in targeted disciplines in the UK universities.

According to him, this is in conformity with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu for the Niger Delta, who has given unprecedented support to the PAP because of his sincere love for the area.

The PAP boss said, “Our decision aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR for the Niger Delta. We will continue to create more higher educational opportunities for students from indigent backgrounds in our region.

“We are also deepening the implementation of the programme’s mandate in informal education and other areas for the sustainable peace and socio-economic advancement of the region.”

Otuaro, who congratulated the master’s graduates on their successful graduation, stressed that they completed their programmes in record time which shows the seriousness they had put into their studies.

He said they have justified the Federal Government’s investment in their education with their successful graduation, and urged other beneficiaries not to be distracted in their academic pursuits.

“We congratulate these scholars on their successful graduation. It shows that they took their studies seriously. That is what we demand of every scholarship beneficiary, whether at the undergraduate or post-graduate level”, Otuaro said.

News

Okpebholo Declares Edo Business-friendly

Published

12 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on Friday declared the state as Edo business-friendly environment and ready to welcome any investor to the state.

The governor spoke when he played host to members of the South – South Coalition of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (COSSCIMA).

The governor, who received his guests through the Office of the Deputy Governor, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, said his administration has provided the enabling environment for investors to promote their businesses.

The governor commended the COSSCIMA for deeming it fit to choose the stata as host to the annual general meeting of the body.

“It is not surprising that you pick the state as a choice because we have provided the enabling environment by investing in infrastructure and reducing insecurity to the barest minimum.

“So, we assured potential investors that the state is safe, secured for all to come and invest,” he stated.

Also speaking, Hon. Omoh Anabor, Commissioner for Business, Trade, and Investment, said that the state was ready to partner any firm.

Earlier in his address, President of COSSCIMA, Hon. Indutimi komonibo said, “The Edo State Governor is doing a great job.

He, however, pointed out that nonetheless reiterated, “No government can succeed without partnering with the organized private sector.”

“We seek collaboration wherever we go. We carry the emblem of national development. Investors are looking for where their business will thrive. We understand the language of the business.”

He stated that COSSCIMA membership cut across the six Chambers of Commerce that make up the South-South states of the federation.

News

Oba Of Benin Suspends Priest, Reaffirms Appointment Of Okao

Published

12 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Editor

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare the second, has suspended the traditional priest of Uniamen Village, Chief Sunday Sidney Enoma as the Ohen-Ovia of Unuamen for violating the custom and traditional of Benin.

The Monarch reaffirmed Chief Kingsley Igbinosa as the Okao (traditional head) of Unuamen Village, in Ovia North East local Government Area of Edo State.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, the Oba described the claim by the suspended Ohen of Unuamen that he is the one who usually installs the Okao of the village as baseless, unfounded and abominable.

The Benin Monarch noted that all Chieftaincy titles in Benin kingdom are conferred by the Oba.