News

Edo 2020: APC, PDP At Verbal War Over Allegation To Doctor Election Result

Published

5 years ago

August 24, 2020

Editor

The APC Media Campaign Council for the Edo governorship election has accused the PDP of colluding with a senior INEC staff to rig the September 19 election in the state.

According to a statement released on Monday by the Chairman of the campaign council, Mr. John Mayaki, “the senior staff who recently quietly retired as INEC’s Director of Voter Education, is a first-cousin to Governor Godwin Obaseki and has been identified in a plot to trade sensitive inside information on the results collation process of the electoral body with the PDP in exchange for unnamed benefits”.

The party alleged that the said staff had initially refused to bow out of INEC despite the expiration of his tenure at the electoral commission, but was forced out following the revelation of his strong ties with the Edo Governor and his secret plot to stay put at the Commission to gain access to sensitive information on the Edo election.

Mayaki added that ” Edo State governor has discreetly named the said retired INEC staff as a private consultant in his re-election campaign with a mandate to provide tactics and strategies, using his experience at INEC, on ways to manipulate the election and substitute real results obtained at the polling units with fake results pre-written in the Edo State Government House.”

Mayaki continued, “As an upgrade to the server scam that failed the PDP in the 2019 General Election because it ignorantly went with the fraud without insight on the result collation process of INEC, the party of tax-collectors, having lost all hopes of winning the Edo election in a fair contest, are concluding plans on another rigging strategy with the recent secret conscription of one INEC retired staff.

“The said staff, Obaseki’s first-cousin who served for many years at INEC and had to be forced out of Commission despite his stalling tactics to stay put until the conclusion of the election which he had planned to manipulate by offering sensitive inside information to his cousin, has now fully joined the Obaseki campaign, though secretly as a private consultant.

“His mandate, and those of others assigned to serve as his aides in the secret location has been lodged, is to develop strategies and tactics for the party on how to substitute results obtained at the polls with fake, pre-written ballots and a corresponding reflection of the electoral fraud in any electronic transfer, using his experience at the Commission.

“We have been reliably told by numerous sources at the Commission of the person in question’s strange enthusiasm and stubborn insistence to be a part of every meeting held at INEC, even sensitive ones outside the remit of his former position as Voter Education Director, before an internal disquiet at the Commission left him with no other choice but to tender his resignation.”

The party called on INEC to strengthen its infrastructure for the election against potential saboteurs, jus as he urged the “PDP to accept its looming defeat in good fate and as deserved consequences for the failure of its embattled candidate, instead of dabbling into actions that could attract criminal prosecution and imprisonment.”

Reacting to the allegations, Chris Nehikhare, PDP publicity secretary in the state said the allegations were laughable, just as he questioned how the state government can rig election when it has no control over INEC and other security agencies.

While accusing the APC of the owner of the said plan of rigging, Nehikhare said he was “not surprised by the allegation because such was the practice when Adams Oshiomhole held sway as governor”.

He continued, ” How on earth can a state government that has no control over INEC, police, DSS, NSCDC or military influence election results? This is laughable to say the least.

” Edo people can still recollect how that same government through EDSIEC announced election results when collation was still ongoing.

” Indeed Edo people and Nigerians know the party that is plotting to rig the election. They watch the video of Adams Oshiomhole talking about arresting some people,” he said.

Recall the PDP also raised the alarm yesterday that the APC was plotting to smuggle fake election results into collation centre.

News

Two Schoolchildren Electrocuted In Anambra During Rainfall

Published

5 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Tragedy struck in Nnewichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Monday when two schoolchildren were electrocuted while taking shelter from the rain at a roadside shop.

The incident, which occurred at St. Peter’s Claver Junction, threw the community into mourning.

Eyewitnesses and CCTV footage revealed that several pupils had gathered at the shop to escape the downpour when the tragedy happened.

A resident near the scene, who pleaded anonymity, recounted, “Several pupils were taking shelter at the roadside shop during the heavy rainfall. But tragedy struck when the wet bodies of two of the schoolchildren came in contact with a live metal, and they were instantly electrocuted.”

According to witnesses, panic spread as the children collapsed instantly, while others narrowly escaped.

The shop owner was said to have not yet opened for business when the incident occurred.

“It took the intervention of some security officers and passers-by, who used protective gloves to evacuate the bodies,” another eyewitness said.

The incident came just days after a similar tragedy in the same Nnewi area, where a woman was swept away by floodwaters in the Uruagu community.

When contacted, the Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, noting that an investigation was underway.

“The facts are not clear yet, but the divisional police officer has been directed to find out the details for a comprehensive report,” Ikenga stated.

The latest tragedy adds to recent cases of electrocution in the state.

In May, a three-year-old girl was killed in Awka after stepping on a live cable belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.

Residents had reportedly alerted officials about the fallen high-tension wire, but it was not repaired until after the fatal incident.

A resident, identified as Uche, said, “The cable fell on Friday and wasn’t fixed until Sunday, after it had electrocuted the girl. The officials even requested ₦30,000 to fix it but didn’t show up until it was too late.”

The repeated incidents have reignited public concern over poor electricity infrastructure and safety negligence in Anambra communities.

News

Oyo Orders Traders To Vacate Airport Road In Two Weeks

Published

5 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

The Oyo State Government has issued a two-week ultimatum to traders operating along Airport Road, Old Ife Road, and Onipepeye areas of Ibadan to vacate the roadside or face enforcement action.

The directive was detailed in a Tuesday statement released by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr. Suleimon Olanrewaju.

He warned that the state would no longer tolerate roadside trading or the placement of container shops on drainage.

According to the statement, “the government has provided markets and other designated spaces for trading across the city, making it unnecessary and unsafe for traders to occupy roadsides.”

The government said the action was necessary to safeguard lives, prevent environmental hazards, and protect public infrastructure.

It also warned that trading on walkways and blocking drainage channels increases the risk of flooding and undermines the state’s efforts to promote tourism.

“The government has a duty to protect citizens from all manner of danger,” the statement said, noting that roadside trading exposes people to serious risks.

The ultimatum expires on October 27, after which enforcement will begin.

The government said “non-compliance could lead to the confiscation of goods and prosecution of offenders.”

It appealed for cooperation from residents to ensure a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment in the state.

News

Admissions: Mathematics No Longer Compulsory For Arts Students, Says FG

Published

5 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Nigerian senior secondary school students in arts and humanities will no longer be required to present a credit in mathematics in their Senior School Certificate Examination, organised by the West African Examination Council and National Examination Council, as a condition for admission to universities and polytechnics, the Federal Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

For years, admission seekers in arts and humanities, like their contemporaries in sciences and social sciences, have been mandated to have five credits, including mathematics and English language, to secure admission into higher institutions.

“The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards.

“The new framework applies to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and Innovation Enterprise Academies across the country as follows:

“Universities: Minimum of five (5) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language, obtained in not more than two sittings. Mathematics is mandatory for Science, Technology, and Social Science courses.

“Polytechnics (ND Level): Minimum of four (4) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language for non-science courses and Mathematics for science-related programs.

“Polytechnics (HND Level): Minimum of five (5) credit passes in relevant subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Colleges of Education (NCE Level): Minimum of four (4) credit passes in relevant subjects, with English Language mandatory for Arts and Social Science courses, and Mathematics required for Science, Vocational, and Technical programs,” a statement by the FME’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, said.

An education analyst, Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja, hailed the reform.

“This is a brilliant reform, which we hope will open the doors and improve the ease of admissions into tertiary institutions for more seekers.”

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the reform as a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education.

The ministry also approved a comprehensive reform of admission entry requirements into all tertiary institutions across the country, increasing the average annual intake from about 700,000 to one million students.

According to the government, the new policy aims to expand access to higher education and create opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 admissions each year.

The minister explained that the reform became necessary after years of limited access, which left many qualified candidates unable to secure admission despite meeting the required standards.

“Every year, over two million candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), yet only about 700,000 gain admission. This imbalance is not due to lack of ability but outdated and overly stringent entry requirements that must give way to fairness and opportunity.

“The reform is a deliberate effort to expand access to tertiary education, creating opportunities for an additional 250,000 to 300,000 students each year. It reflects our commitment to ensuring that every Nigerian youth has a fair chance to learn, grow, and succeed—putting the Renewed Hope Agenda into action,’’ he said.

The revised National Guidelines for Entry Requirements into Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are designed to remove barriers while maintaining academic standards.