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Edo Poll: Election Observers Petition ICPC, Demand Arrest Of INEC Officials

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A group of election observers, who monitored the recent governorship election in Edo State, has submitted a petition to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, accusing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission of misconduct.

The observers, mainly lawyers under the Tap Initiative, specifically called for the arrest and prosecution of senior INEC officials, alleging that they printed duplicate election result sheets (EC8A) and recorded different results for the election.

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Speaking to journalists on behalf of the groups at the ICPC headquarters shortly after submitting the petition on Tuesday, Tap Initiative’s Executive Director, Martin Obono, stated that INEC’s conduct had reached a level where it should be reported to international bodies such as USAID and the European Union.

He argued that it was high time for all the donors mentioned above to see how they misused millions of dollars allocated to them by printing two result sheets, which he said undermined the will of the electorate.

READ ALSO: FG Panel Indicts AFN In Ofili’s Paris Olympics Omission

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Obono said, “On election day, we accessed results from the INEC Result Viewer, which houses election results uploaded directly from polling units across the state. The results obtained from the IReV portal corresponded with those collected by election observers at the polling units, bearing the signatures of Polling Unit Agents and Presiding Officers.

“However, after voting concluded, INEC announced results that differed from the original data obtained from the IReV. A comparison between the result sheets from IReV and the Certified True Copies issued by INEC revealed discrepancies: although the serial numbers, polling units, and wards matched, the results differed. In some cases, the number of registered voters was altered, and the signatures of the Presiding Officers were forged, with the signatures of Polling Unit Agents either absent or also forged.

“We want the ICPC to investigate and prosecute these electoral offenders because this is a crime. Forgery is a crime. You do not forge and falsify results and change the will of the people and expect that we will keep quiet as Nigerians.”

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READ ALSO: Court Returns Ex-Oyo PMS Chair’s File To CJ For Reassignment

Displaying the names of all ad hoc staff of the commission who served as Presiding Officers during the exercise to journalists, Obono also called on the INEC to invite them to show differences in their signatures and respond to other issues raised.

When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, faulted the petitioners for singling out the commission for the alleged irregularities that marred the election.

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He noted that the outcome of the election was being challenged at the tribunal, adding that responding to the allegations would be sub judice.

READ ALSO: Ondo Poll: INEC To Deploy 4,814 BVAS, Okays 700 Journalists

Oyekanmi said, “I am not privy to the alleged petition and, therefore, not in a position to comment on it.

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“However, from the little snippets reported by the media, a group has alleged that “the recent Edo State governorship elections were marred by significant irregularities, some of which were perpetrated by all political parties without exception”. Yet, it singled out the Commission as the target of its alleged petition.

“At the moment, the Commission is functus officio on the matter. I am aware that the outcome of the Edo State Governorship election has been challenged in court by those who have the locus to do so. Therefore, I cannot comment on a matter that is subjudice.”

 

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VIDEO: How Peter Obi Betrayed Me – Kenneth Okonkwo In New Interview

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Veteran actor and ex-spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of betrayal in the wake of internal party disputes.

In a viral interview with Symfoni which started trending on Saturday, Okonkwo, who officially exited the Labour Party in February 2025, revealed that Obi went against his advice and returned to support the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party, despite alleged warnings.

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According to him, Obi was misled by LP executives who claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had recognised them.

He said, “Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.

READ ALSO: Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments

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“The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them but I told him: ‘Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.’”

He said that despite privately urging Obi not to align with a group he described as “undemocratic” and “agents of the government,” Okonkwo said Obi went ahead to publicly endorse them.

“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him. What they did was absolutely illegal and unconstitutional, I told him that if he went back to them, I wouldn’t join him in doing so.

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“Thereafter, I called all the people that were in the inner circle and told them the same thing about what Obi was trying to do. I told them he wanted to go back with the Abure people and if he did, I wouldn’t go back with him because I do not swallow back my words.

READ ALSO: Teen Who Stood In Front Of Peter Obi’s Convoy Freed After Months In Kirikiri

“And after saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them and while he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them.

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“It was when INEC dissociated itself from Abure that Obi came out to start acting neutral but I told him he could not be neutral and something had to be done,” he added.

The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with opposing factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.

The Abure-led faction has faced allegations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic practices, which critics say contradict the party’s reformist image.

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Okonkwo, a known loyalist of Obi’s political ideology, cited these irregularities as his reason for quitting the party earlier in the year.

Watch video below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202

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Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst

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Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.

In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.

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People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.

Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.

READ ALSO: I Don’t Want To Join Issues With Children, Amaechi Hits Back At Wike

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While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.

If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.

Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.

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“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.

READ ALSO: Democracy Day: Gov. Mohammed Advocates Unity, Good Governance

He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.

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Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.

The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.

“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.

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Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.

 

Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.

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Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.

But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.

We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

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UNN Best Graduate Wins £33,000 Com

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A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.

Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.

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I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?

READ ALSO: Crisis Brews In UNN As Court Restrains Varsity From Conducting Convocation Election

“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.

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Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.

This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.

 

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