News

Edo Assembly Declares 14 Seats Vacant, Calls INEC For Fresh Election

Published

6 years ago

December 4, 2019

The crisis rocking the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) took another dimension, Wednesday, December 4, as the State House of Assembly declared 14 out of the 24 seats vacant, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct by-election within 90 days for the affected constituencies.

The House cited constitutional provisions that a member is given 180 days to be absent from sitting after which such member seat would be declared vacant.

The House, during its sitting on Wednesday, which also saw it passing the 2020 appropriation bill into law, also affirmed the removal of the chairman of Estako East Local Government Area, Alhaji Aramiyau Momoh.

Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Frank Okiye said 12 of the seats were declared vacant because the members-elect have not presented themselves for inauguration since the letter of proclamation of June 17, 2019, while two other members representing Oredo East and Owan East were declared vacant because the two members; Ekhosuehi Uyi and Barr Okaka Eric have failed to attend the sitting after the day of inauguration.

“12 out of the 24 members-elect who completed their screening and documentation process were inaugurated on June 17, 2019, out of which two of them have refused to discharge their legislative duties.

“They have refused to represent their constituents in the House invariably denying their constituents effective representation. At this point, I am declaring the seats of the 12 members-elect vacant in accordance with section 109 subsection 1F of the constitution,” he said.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Yekini Idiaye, representing Akoko Edo State Constituency I, listed the seats declared vacant as: Etsako West I, Etsako West II, Owan East, Owan West, Etsako Central, Etsako East and Esan Central.

Others are Uhunmwonde, Oredo East, Oredo West, Egor, Ovia North East I, Ovia North East II and Ovia South-West I.

He noted that the House has been inundated with petitions from members of the constituents of the affected lawmakers.

“Their constituents have been complaining and have come to us that they want their voices and concerns to be heard at the House. So, people who are willing to provide quality representation have to be elected to bring the matters of the distraught constituents to the floor for debate and legislation, where necessary.”

Reacting, the lawmaker elect for Uhunmwonde constituency, Washington Osifo, described the action as laughable, saying the issue is already in court and the House cannot take such an action which he said is prejudicial.

He said, “It is a laughing matter, it is a joking matter, the matter is before a court and when a matter is before the court such action is prejudice. We are challenging the illegal inauguration of the house and anything put on nothing cannot stand so Okiye is a man that is in search of identity, he is working with the governor in the pursuit of blind ambition, they have hit the rock.

“Information got to us as early as last week that he met a group who call themselves a union of PDP candidates who contested the election. He held a meeting with them and they agreed that they should write a petition to the house and it is on that premise they did what they did today. It also confirms what is been on the ground that the governor wants to hand over the state to the PDP”

News

First Female Lawyer In Mid-West Region Is Dead

Published

48 minutes ago

July 12, 2025

Editor

First female lawyer in the old Mid-West region, Grace Ogbemi, is dead.

She died in Lagos at the age of 89 just a week before her 90th birthday.

Before her death, she was a successful Itsekiri businessman and politician.

Born in Warri July 11, 1935 to Chief Reece Edukugho, Madam Grace Ogbemi was called to the English Bar in 1958, becoming the first female lawyer in the Mid-West Region, now Edo and Delta states.

She was a partner in the law firm of Godfrey Amachree Ogbemi & Co.

She got married to Franklin Ogbemi, a Chartered Engineer.

She died on July 5, 2025.

News

Why We Refused To Vote, Opted For Football – Lagos Youths

Published

2 hours ago

July 12, 2025

Editor

While election officials and stakeholders made repeated calls for civic participation in the ongoing local government polls in Lagos, some young residents of Alausa, Ikeja, chose football over voting.

Between 9am and 2pm on Saturday, during the peak of the electioneering process, groups of youths were seen at three different spots in Alausa engrossed in football matches instead of heading to polling units.

When approached by our correspondent, many of them cited a lack of trust in the electoral outcome as the reason for staying away from the polls.

“You can’t force me to vote. I chose to play ball, and why will I vote?” said Ayomikun Ola, one of the youths.

Another young man, Opeyemi Omoemi, was blunt in his response: “We all know that it’s the APC that wins all, as usual. So there is no need for me to disturb myself.”

Wasiu, also found on the field, said, “Bro, there is no need. I am satisfied with the football than the vote.”

Bayo, who joined the game, explained that he was underage. “I haven’t clocked 18, that’s why I didn’t vote. The best is to play football,” he said.

A young woman, Seriki Ganiyat, attending to customers at her shop nearby, said she could not afford to leave her business for the election.

“It’s not necessary. I have children to feed. Imagine if I had to leave my shop to go and vote. What for and what will my children eat this night?” she asked.

Their views reflect a broader pattern of low voter turnout and widespread apathy observed across many polling units.

At Polling Unit 003, Ward 7, only 61 out of 1,000 registered voters had voted as of 1:05pm.

Similarly, at PU 007 of the same ward, only 30 people had cast their ballots by 1pm., while PU 031 had recorded just four voters out of 29 by 1:12 p.m.

At PU 026, only one voter had shown up out of 21 registered. PU 027 recorded just five votes from 62 registered voters by 1:43pm.

In Ward F, PU 011, 45 voters turned up from a total of 908. PU 085 had no votes cast at all by 1:45pm, despite having four registered voters.

Ward C’s PU 004, with 913 registered voters, recorded just 30 ballots as of 1:47pm. At Ward F, PU 036, only 50 out of 986 had voted by 1:51pm.
(PUNCH)

News

JUST IN: Vote Counting Begins In Yaba

Published

2 hours ago

July 12, 2025

Editor

Vote counting has officially commenced at Polling Unit 024 in Ward B, Makoko area of Yaba, Lagos, marking the winding down of the 2025 local government election across the state.

However, the conclusion of the poll has been overshadowed by a pervasive low voter turnout, raising questions about the exercise’s overall impact.

“The lack of voter enthusiasm could impact the credibility and inclusiveness of the exercise,” an election observer noted, reflecting a sentiment shared by many watching the democratic process unfold.

This concern comes as officials at Polling Unit 002, located in the same Ward B, continued to await the arrival of voters even as counting began elsewhere.

Despite a generally peaceful atmosphere reported across various polling units, voter turnout remained significantly low in many parts of Yaba.

At Ward F, 012, situated along Iwaya Road, voting was still ongoing as of press time, with officials describing the turnout as notably lower than anticipated.

Similar reports echoed from other sections of Iwaya, where Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission officials observed a sluggish pace of voting activity throughout the day.

In contrast, Ward G at St. Timothy College presented a more active scene, with multiple polling units—including 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005—conducting voting in an orderly manner.

This provided a glimpse of the organised process, even amidst the broader challenges of voter engagement.

Election observers, while commending the largely calm and disruption-free process, reiterated their concerns that the palpable lack of voter enthusiasm could indeed impact the credibility and inclusiveness of the local government elections.

LASIEC officials have continued their efforts to encourage eligible voters to come out and cast their ballots before the scheduled close of voting at 3pm.
(PUNCH)