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Edo 2020: PDP Planning To Buy Each PVC At N250,000 APC Alleges

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APC Staring Defeat In The Face, Resorts To Fake News Peddlers – PDP

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State says it has uncovered ploy by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to rig the September 19 governorship election.

The party also disclosed that it has reports on the governor’s plans to use the state’s liaison office as a front for illegal trade in permanent voters cards.

The Director-General of APC Campaign Council said, “They plan to manipulate the election process to their favour by rigging and presenting false voters. Under the guise of assisting intending voters with transportation, the governor has released the sum of ₦250m to the Edo Liaison Office, Abuja to induce voters living in Abuja and also buy the PVCs of those who will not be able to attend at ₦200,000 per PVC.

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READ ALSO: Edo Guber: Benin Monarch Advocates For Corps Members Safety

“In executing this ploy, the Abuja Liaison office has sent out notices to platforms of Edo Indigenes in Abuja, inviting them to come with their PVCs to the office from Friday 4th September to Friday 11th September, 2020.

“This practice is contrary to the Electoral Act and part of a clear template to rig the forth coming Edo State governorship elections. The APC is hereby calling on INEC and the relevant security agencies to investigate this desperate act by the Edo State Governor and his agents with a view of nipping it in the bud.”

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Meanwhile, the party alleged that the training by Independent National Electoral Commission of volunteer officers currently going on in Esan South East where Mrs Magdalene Ohenhen, a Special Adviser to the Governor comes from has been compromised.

READ ALSO: Edo Guber: Butchers Shutdown Markets, Endorse Obaseki Re-election Bid

The APC further revealed that there were many people they discovered, who came to work for PDP from outside Edo State.

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“One of our observers told us that she has interviewed some of them and they disclosed that they are from Kogi, Igbo land, Rivers, and some places across the River Niger opposite Illushi community. Some of them were paid to do so because they spoke the same language and had the same name, which would make it difficult to notice them. They are all there in the same hall with legally accredited officials and they are training on how to rig the election on the 19th September. We implore all true sons of Edo to stay vigilant and not allow any person from outside the state come and steal our mandate,” the APC said.

Reacting, PDP publicity secretary in the state, Chris Nehikhare said the allegations are baseless, saying “they are staring defeat in the face and have resorted to fake news propagation.”

Chris continues, “APC has turned into a one fake news per day party. They are staring defeat in the face and have resorted to fake news propagation.

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READ ALSO: Obaseki Blackmailing Edo Teachers To Canvass For Votes, APC Alleges

” This allegations is baseless. APC is obviously exploring this option since we busted their Hope Uzodinma template. They are flying a kite and we will be vigilant to make sure their fake voters are not allowed into voting centres as they are the ones they want to use to cause trouble at the polling units.

“Their plans will fail. They cannot subvert the will of Edo people.”

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Nigeria Ready, Willing To Host Commonwealth Games — Tinubu

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Nigeria on Thursday welcomed the Commonwealth Sport Bid Evaluation Committee to Abuja, a major step towards hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.

President Bola Tinubu, represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, formally received the delegation at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

What I can assure you is that we’re ready,” Tinubu told the delegation.

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He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to hosting an inclusive, diverse, and world-class 2030 Commonwealth Games on African soil.‎

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed this in a statement he signed Thursday titled, ‘Nigeria ready to host Africa’s First Commonwealth Games in 2030-President Tinubu assures‎.’

READ ALSO:FULL TEXT: Tinubu Ends State Of Emergency In Rivers State

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Gbajabiamila, along with a strong Federal Government team of Ministers and senior government officials, held strategic talks with the delegation led by Darren Hall, Director of Games and Assurance at Commonwealth Sport, and a member of the 2030 Evaluation Commission.

President Tinubu emphasised that the Commonwealth champions unity and diversity, and Africa deserves its moment after nearly a century.‎

Africa has never hosted the Games since their inception in 1930. Nigeria made an unsuccessful bid to host the 2014 Games. The city of Durban in South Africa won the bid to host the 2022 Games, but could not do so due to financial difficulties. Birmingham in the UK took over and hosted the Games. Thus, Nigeria’s bid to host the 2030 Games would be historic, Onanuga stated.

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In his welcome remarks, Gbajabiamila called on the visitors to savour Nigeria’s renowned hospitality: “You’re very welcome to Nigeria. I hope you enjoy our great hospitality, which we are known for. Mr President also asked me personally to convey his regards; he fully supports this bid.”‎

“The President has written a Letter of Guarantee to you; his full weight is behind this bid. What I can assure you is that we’re ready. We’re willing, we’re able, and we actually want this. It’s been almost 100 years. The games have not been held on any soil in Africa.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Approves Portfolios For 5 NCDC Executive Directors

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‎”The element of inclusivity is what the Commonwealth is, and we hope that will benefit us,” he stated.

President Tinubu stressed that his administration has set some bold reforms to reposition sports, having realised its role as a strategic driver of national development.

He added that he scrapped the Ministry of Sports and replaced it with the National Sports Commission in the bid to drive sports development.

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The President further assured the delegation that all infrastructural, security, and hospitality needs will be met ahead of schedule.‎

He emphasised that Nigeria’s bid is not just about hosting but also leaving a legacy for youth and national development.‎

READ ALSO:Tinubu, French President Macron Hold Private Meeting

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Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, made a strong case for Nigeria over India, stressing that Africa has 22 Commonwealth nations, and Nigeria, as the continent’s giant, deserves the honour.‎

One thing I want to assure you is that the President sees the hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, if we win the bid, as a celebration of the country’s growing force in sports, beyond just participation.”

‎President of Commonwealth Sport Nigeria, Habu Gumel, said the country is ready to host an environmentally sustainable Games.‎

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Chairman of the Bid Committee, Mainasara Illo, presented Nigeria’s proposal, highlighting key plans and innovations.‎

He revealed that Nigeria proposes 15 sports, with football introduced to boost excitement, global visibility, and audience engagement.‎

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Begins 10-day Vacation, Departs Abuja For Europe

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Director of Games and Assurance, Darren Hall, thanked President Tinubu and the Nigerian team for their warm welcome.‎

I have been most thrilled by the passion of the Nigerian people in all their endeavours, including sports.”

He said the Commonwealth, now comprising 56 nations, aims for greater diversity as it approaches its 100-year milestone.‎

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READ ALSO:Tinubu Orders Mandatory Health Insurance Across Ministries, Agencies

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris, Minister of Aviation, Festus Kayamo, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and‎ Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, attended the meeting and made statements in support of the bid.

Nigeria and India are the two official bidders for the 2030 Games, with Abuja and Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, as their proposed host cities.‎

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‎After a thorough evaluation of both bids, the Commonwealth Games General Assembly will decide the host city in November 2025.

The next Commonwealth Games will be held in 2026 across four venues in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

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JAMB Extends Post-UTME Deadline For Underage Candidates In 23 Varsities

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has extended the deadline for universities to submit Post-UTME screening scores of underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, announced the extension on Thursday in a statement on Thursday.

Benjamin, who explained that the decision was reached in collaboration with the affected institutions, said a reminder has been sent via email to the defaulting universities.

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He noted that despite the release of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the National Examinations Council on September 17, several institutions had yet to comply.

READ ALSO:5 Nigerian Universities That Don’t Require JAMB UTME For Admission

Benjamin, hoiwever, urged the affected institutions to forward the results without further delay.

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He said, “23 out of 71 universities failed to meet the earlier deadline of September 15 for the submission of the scores. The institutions are among those chosen by candidates seeking admission.”

Benjamin further directed all public universities to upload their recommended candidates to the Central Admissions Processing System on or before September 30, while private universities have until October 31.

He added, “The measure was necessary to meet the overall admission deadlines of October 30 for public universities and November 30 for private institutions.”

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READ ALSO:FULL LIST: JAMB Uncovers 9,460 Illegal Admissions In 20 Tertiary Institutions

Benjamin said a breakdown of the affected schools shows that the University of Lagos tops the list with 39 underage candidates, followed by Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, with 18, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, with 15.

Others include the University of Abuja with 12 underage candidates, University of Uyo with nine, Federal University of Technology, Owerri has eight, and David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu with six.

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The board spokesperson added that in total, 135 underage candidates are involved across 23 institutions.

READ ALSO:JAMB Sets Cut-off Mark For University Admissions

JAMB had earlier disclosed in August that it would conduct a special screening for over 500 outstanding underage candidates seeking admission for the 2025/2026 academic session.

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Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, said the screening would be handled by a technical committee between September 22 and 26 at designated centres in Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri.

He noted that while 41,027 underage candidates wrote the 2025 UTME, only a little over 500 met the requirements to proceed to the next stage.

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FULL LIST: Anglican Church Approves 15 New Dioceses

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The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has approved the creation of 15 new dioceses, bringing the total number of dioceses across the country to 176.

The decision was taken at the Standing Committee Meeting of the Church, which held in Ekiti State between September 15 and 19, 2025.

According to a statement signed on Thursday by the Church’s Communication Officer, Korede Akintunde, the approval followed a series of inspections, verifications and validation exercises after the lifting of the moratorium on the creation of new dioceses in September 2024.

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The statement read, “The inspection team are as follows: Old Province 1 headed by Archbishop Joseph Akinfenwa, Old Province 2 headed by Archbishop David Onuoha while Old Province 3 headed by Archbishop Daniel Yisa.

READ ALSO:Anglican Church Bans Partisan Speeches By Politicians During Services

They presented their fact-finding report at the Standing Committee held at Niger-Delta Diocese in February 2025 which formed the basis of the assignments of the Church of Nigeria Validation Team on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses which was constituted and inaugurated by the Primate on 27th March, 2025, headed by the Most Rev’d Dr Timothy Yahaya.

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“The Validation Team in turn visited, inspected and verified the contents of the report of the Inspection Teams and Verification Committee and made the recommendations to the Primate on the creation of full-fledged and missionary Dioceses in the Church of Nigeria.”

The statement noted that five of the new dioceses would operate as full-fledged dioceses, while 10 others were approved as missionary dioceses.

The full-fledged dioceses are:

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1.⁠ ⁠Ekiti South Diocese out of Ekiti Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Kalabari Diocese out of Niger Delta Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Lagos South West Diocese out of Lagos West Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Omoku Diocese out of Ahoada Diocese
5.⁠ ⁠Ozoro Diocese out of Oleh Diocese

READ ALSO:Nigerians, Churches Groaning Under Economic Pressure — Anglican Bishop

The missionary dioceses include:

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1.⁠ ⁠Eket Diocese out of Uyo Diocese
2.⁠ ⁠Idanre Diocese out of Akure Diocese
3.⁠ ⁠Ikom Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
4.⁠ ⁠Keffi Diocese out of Kubwa and Lafia Dioceses
5.⁠ ⁠Nasarawa Diocese out of Lafia Diocese
6.⁠ ⁠Ogoja Diocese out of Calabar Diocese
7.⁠ ⁠Oyo South Diocese out of Oyo Diocese
8.⁠ ⁠Oyun Diocese out of Kwara Diocese
9.⁠ ⁠Takum Diocese out of Jalingo Diocese
10.⁠ ⁠Zuru Diocese out of Kebbi Diocese

The church added that the election of bishops, consecration, inaugurations, and enthronement dates would be announced later.

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