News
Finally, Suspended Adamawa REC Breaks Silence
The suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, has clarified that he announced results of 69 polling units in the April 15 supplementary election due to security pressure.
Ari stated this in a letter addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, explaining his side of the story in the controversial April 16 declaration of the governorship election, which put the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aishatu Ahmed Binani as winner against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and governor of the state, Ahmadu Fintiri.
In the letter, which was copied the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ari stated he acted within the ambit of the law to avert looming danger of the delay in announcing the results, especially because he realised that the results brought by the presiding officers from the 69 polling units, which he did not sign, differed from those uploaded on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
READ ALSO: Adamawa: IGP Vows To Speed Up Probe Of Suspended INEC REC
Ari listed the attempts to replace him as the collation officer with the administrative secretary, threats by candidates to cause mayhem, commissioners appointing ‘illegal collation officers’, and his house being surrounded by policemen from the Government House as some of the risks he faced in the course of the election.
He stated, “It was based on this that I compiled all the polling unit results and declared the winner of the election based on the highest number of valid votes scored by the candidate of the APC.
“I had the breakdown of the valid votes scored by the two leading candidates in the supplementary election, using the results from the polling units as collated into all relevant forms EC8B, C, D and E respectively by properly and legally appointed and recognised collation officers and my humble self as the Adamawa State Chief Collation Officer and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).
READ ALSO: Adamawa: Why Binani, REC, Indicted Security Officers, Others Must Be Punished – Falana
“Prior to the declaration, there was an intelligence report made available to me that the two national commissioners were at the Government House, Yola at 8:31pm on April 15, 2023 and held a meeting with Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.”
He said that immediately after the declaration, some PDP supporters attacked two INEC commissioners and the returning officer for allegedly failing to deliver Governor Fintiri, adding that “it was alleged that the people beaten in the purported video wanted to subvert the rerun election in Adamawa State and undermine the will of the people as expressed through the ballot.”
News
Ibadan By-election: APC Laments Low Turnout, PDP Hails Peaceful Poll
Mr. Adewale Olatunji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, on Saturday, lamented the low voter turnout during the exercise.
Olatunji, who cast his vote at 11:25 a.m. at Ward 10 Unit 27, Bodija Police Station near Oyo State Housing Corporation, described the electorate’s apathy as discouraging.
He noted that while voting has been simplified, by-elections in Nigeria often record poor turnout. Olatunji urged residents to come out in large numbers before polls close.
READ ALSO:By-Election: Edo Is Home To APC — Deputy Gov, Idahosa
“If you are sending us out to represent you, then you must come out and do your part,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Folajimi Oyekunle, also voted at the same unit.
Oyekunle described the election as peaceful, based on his experience at the polling unit.
“As far as my polling unit is concerned, I have cast my vote, and everything is going on well,” he said.
READ ALSO:PDP Drags Ned Nwoko To Court, Wants by-election Conducted For His Seat
Meanwhile, voter turnout at Ward 11, Units 17, 18, and 42, Abadina, University of Ibadan, was more substantial. A voter, Mr. Sunday Unabo of Unit 17, noted that INEC officials arrived early, even before voters.
“The election is going smoothly. The only issue is that some voters had their polling units changed by INEC without prior notice,” he said.
Similarly, an impressive turnout was reported at Ward 4, Unit 12, beside NTA Ibadan.
News
By-election: Politician, INEC Officials, Others Arrested With Large Cash In Ogun [VIDEO]
Security operatives in Ogun State have arrested some persons suspected to be officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, with a large sum of money ahead of the by-election in the state.
The suspected INEC officials were arrested alongside a politician allegedly plotting to buy votes during the election.
The politician and the INEC officials who were seen being questioned in a video clip posted on social media on Saturday were said to have been nabbed at a hotel in Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
READ ALSO: By-election: PDP, APC Exchange Words Over Alleged Plan To Disrupt Poll
In the video which is currently going viral, the INEC officials, a male and a female, and alleged PDP officers could be seen squatting and being interrogated by an unidentified security personnel.
The interrogator said intelligence reports indicated that the INEC officials were earlier contacted and given a large sum of money by party officials for alleged vote buying during the by-election.
Watch video:
https://x.com/ekinneolalekan/status/1956623542558118070?t=pOliFw0Baa-xAeqTeXJGEw&s=19
News
Bayelsa Education Ministry Denies Alleged Deductions From Contractors’ Payments
The Bayelsa State Ministry of Education has debunked allegations of arbitrary deductions from contractors’ payments, describing the claims as false, unfounded, and misleading.
The clarification follows a report published in the Niger Delta Herald between July 16 and 22, 2025, with the headline “Contractors Lament Alleged Deductions by Ministry Officials in Bayelsa.”
According to the Ministry, all payments to contractors are executed strictly in line with contractual terms, financial regulations, and due process.
It added that deductions, where applicable, are limited to statutory obligations such as taxes, pension contributions, and contractually agreed retentions.
READ ALSO: Bayelsa Warns LG Officials Against Pension Payment Delays
The Ministry emphasised that it operates a transparent and accountable system with multiple oversight layers to ensure fairness, insisting that no official is empowered to make arbitrary deductions.
In response to the Ministry’s position, the Niger Delta Herald has acknowledged the clarification, expressing regret over any misinterpretation the earlier report may have caused.
Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper, Mr. Francis Dufugha, tendered an unreserved apology to the state government and Governor Douye Diri, reaffirming the paper’s commitment to fairness, balance, and accuracy in its reportage.
“We remain dedicated to providing all stakeholders the opportunity to present their side of any story,” Dufugha said.
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