News

Edo Poll: INEC National Commissioner Colluding With APC, Oshiomhole To Subvert Edo Electorate Will, PDP Alleges

Published

5 years ago

September 4, 2020

Editor

It must be bad dream of whosoever imagine it – Commissioner

Another ploy by PDP, Governor Obaseki to distract Nigerians – APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has alleged that Dr. Mustapha Lecky, national commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is colluding with the APC and its former national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to subvert the will of Edo electorate in the forthcoming September 19 governorship election.

Mr. Chris Nehikhare, publicity secretary of the party in the state, while briefing newsmen on Friday in Benin, noted that to perfect the alleged plan, “Polling Officers (PO), who are supposed to be serving National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members have been changed and Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu are nominating people.”

Nehikhare further alleged Lecky has skewed the election process to ensure it favours one party, “whereby the final list released for training of the adhoc staff has a ratio of 10:1, between the APC and all other parties”.

Nehikhare continues, ” Dr. Lecky, working with Oshiomhole and the candidate of the APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, is disrupting the process for the engagement of the various Ad-hoc staff to be used by INEC in the polls.

” The time-honoured tradition which mandates that all political parties involved in the electioneering process submit names of persons to be used as Ad-hoc staff is being abused by Dr. Lecky and his collaborators in the APC.

” The Polling Officers (PO), who are supposed to be serving National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) members have been changed and Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu are nominating people, most of whom are not youth corps members, to fill these positions to actualize their plans to rig the election

” The Supervisory Polling Officers are also being engaged by Dr. Lecky to serve the interest of the APC.

” For the Collation Officers (CO), Dr. Lecky has been influencing the engagement of persons, with personal ties with Oshiomhole and Ize-Iyamu, to rig the election in favour of the APC during the polls and undermine the electoral process.

” Dr. Lecky, we have gathered, is working within the INEC to get its officials to cheat the system.

” It is unfortunate that the APC has lost the hope of getting elected through the ballot and are working with Dr. Lecky and others in the INEC to subvert the will of the people”.

While expressing confidence in INEC as an institution, Nehikhare called on INEC leadership to review the process of selecting their officials and request that Dr. Lecky excuse himself from the process.

“While we have confidence in the INEC as an institution, we are calling on them to rein in Dr. Lecky and his likes, in order to have an election that would uphold the will of the people and one that they can be proud of.

“We hereby call on the INEC leadership to review the process of selecting these officials and request that Dr. Lecky excuse himself from the process as his activities have been revealed to be threatening the integrity of the process, which will taint the outcome of the election,” Nehikhare concluded.

However, in a swift reactions via phone, Dr. Lecky denied the allegation, just as he described it as false and not true.

“It is false and not true; I am not party to that. It must be bad dream of whosoever imagine it,” the National Commissioner reacted

In his reaction, APC publicity secretary in the state, Chris Azebamwan, said his party has not and cannot delve into the affairs of statulory body such as INEC.

This is a phantom and imaginary transaction, I can tell you authoritatively that the APC has not and cannot delve into the affairs of a statutory body recognised by the electoral law to conduct elections in this country.

” This is another ploy by the PDP and Governor Obaseki to distract Nigerians and Edo people from the matter at hand. Obasek is the outgoing governor, he should be preparing his handover notes instead of misleading the people because he is aware of his obvious imminent defeat so there is no truth in this frivolous allegation”.

In his reaction, Victor Oshioke, media aide to Oshiomhole said his principal is busy hence he has no time baseless allegations.

He said, ” Oshiomhole is busy selling the Simple Agenda manifesto to the Edo people and has no time to spend reacting to irresponsible, frivolous, baseless daily allegations coming from the PDP. It is now obvious to any objective observer that PDP has nothing to tell Edo people about Godwin Obaseki’s wasted 4 years as governor. This is qhy they have relocated their campaign to the PDP secretariat where their Publicity Secretary reels about daily press statements of unimaginable scenarios onout hhe coming election.

“PDP is known for rigging so they know all the ways they rig previous elections. The only way Comrade Adams Oshiomhole knows to win election is through campaigns based on what the candidate will do if he is elected.

“This is exactly what APC is doing right now across the state. As we speak, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu , Mallam Gani Audu, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and all APC stakeholders in the state are in Edo Central campaigning. Does that look like people planning to rig elections to you? The election of 19th September 2020 will be decided by Edo people with their votes, not by press releases of baseless allegations.”

News

‘My Father Discovered Banana Island’ – Ex-BBNaija Star Claims

Published

3 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Former Big Brother Naija reality star, Kiddwaya has claimed that his dad, Terry Waya, discovered the famous Banana Island in Lagos.

He made the claim in a recent of the Off The Record podcast.

The host asked: “I heard that your dad discovered Banana Island. Is that correct?”

Kiddwaya replied: “Yeah, I didn’t even know until I heard it during one of my trips.”

Kiddwaya’s dad, Terry Waya is a self-acclaimed billionaire with investments in the real estate, agriculture and hospitality industry.

His public profile was further boosted during and after his son Kiddwaya’s appearance on the Big Brother Naija reality show in 2020.

Watch video here.

News

EFCC Releases Malami After Interrogation, Gives Fresh Appointment For More Questioning

Published

4 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, says his engagement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following an invitation by the agency has been “successful.”

Malami, who disclosed this in a post on his X handle on Saturday, said he was released after the interaction and given an appointment for further questioning.

“In line with my undertaking to keep Nigerians updated on my invitation by EFCC, I give glory to Allah for His divine intervention. The engagement was successful and I am eventually released, while on an appointment for further engagement, as the truth relating to the fabricated allegations against me continues to unfold,” he wrote.

The EFCC had earlier invited the former minister over allegations linked to his time in office, though the commission has not publicly disclosed details of the issues under investigation.

Malami previously announced that he would honour the invitation, saying it aligned with his commitment to accountability and transparency.

News

VIDEO: Jonathan Breaks Silence On Guinea-Bissau’s Military Takeover

Published

11 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has broken silence following the recent military takeover in Guinea-Bissau, describing it as a conventional coup, insisting it was “maybe a ceremonial coup” given the strange manner in which it unfolded.

Jonathan, who spoke extensively in an interview with Symfoni posted on YouTube on Friday, said he felt compelled to address the media to thank Nigerians for their concern and to clarify what truly happened while he was in Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission.

“You know, since I left office, I’ve always been scared of talking to the media,” he said. “But in this particular case, I decided to speak… first and foremost, to thank Nigerians for the show of empathy, the encouragement.”

Gunfire erupted around key government buildings in Bissau on Wednesday, with soldiers claiming they had “total control” of the country and followed by curfew, border closures and the detention of top government and security officials.

In another development, Tribune Online reports that ousted President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, flew to Senegal after the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Reacting to the development, Jonathan however suggested the situation defied all known patterns of a coup.

“I wouldn’t call it a coup. It was not a coup. I would just say, for want of a better word, maybe it was a ceremonial coup,” he said. “For two things: It is the president, President Embaló, who announced the coup. Later, the military men came up to address the world that they were in charge of everywhere.”

He continued, “Then Embaló had already announced the coup, which is strange. Not only announcing the coup, but Embaló, while the coup took place, was using his phone and addressing media organisations across the world that he had been arrested.”

The former president, drawing from his experience as a Nigerian and a regional mediator, said the events were unlike anything he had seen.

“I’m a Nigerian close to 70, and I know how they keep heads of state when a coup takes place. Recently, I was a mediator in Mali, and within that period, we had a military coup. The military doesn’t take over governments, and the sitting president that they overthrew would be allowed to be addressing press conferences and announcing that he has been arrested. Why does this happen? Who is fooling whom?”

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Federal Government had earlier condemned the development as “a serious threat to democracy and regional stability,” and confirmed Jonathan’s safe evacuation by a special flight alongside his delegation.

Jonathan used the interview to call on ECOWAS and the African Union to promptly announce results of the election that was underway in Guinea-Bissau before the military disrupted the process.

“They have the results because AU and ECOWAS officials were in all the regions when the results were collated. They cannot change those results. They should tally all those results and announce them. They cannot force the military out. They must announce and let the world know who won that election.”

He stressed that the integrity of elections must be upheld in West Africa, recalling his experience overseeing Côte d’Ivoire’s contentious 2010 presidential poll.

“A similar thing happened in Côte d’Ivoire when I was the Chair of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS,” he said. He narrated how Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara went into a second round after neither met the 50% +1 requirement.

“In the second round, Ouattara then got more votes than Gbagbo. And Gbagbo said he was not going, that he won the election,” Jonathan recounted. “But all the observers in the international community said Ouattara won the election. And we in ECOWAS said, well, you are our colleague, but you have to go.”

According to him, his insistence on respecting the will of the people ensured a peaceful transfer of power at the time.

“I stood my ground, and Ouattara was sworn in,” he said.

Jonathan reiterated that Guinea-Bissau’s situation was “disturbing” to anyone who believes in democracy and insisted that respecting election results remains the only path to stability in the region.

Watch video here