Metro

[JUST IN] Edo APC Primary: Protest Rocks Party Secretariat In Benin

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

Barely 24 hours after Senator Monday Okpebholo was declared winner of the All Progressives Congress governorship primary in Edo State, one of the 11 aspirants that lost out, Dennis Idahosa, was at the national headquarters of the party to demand justice.

Idahosa, who arrived at the party secretariat at about 2.30pm accompanied by a horde of his supporters, described Thursday’s re-run election as a ‘selection’ and not an ‘electoral’ process as the ruling party wanted the world to believe.

The Edo federal lawmaker was one of the three winners that emerged from controversial first primary held on February 17, which was subsequently declared inconclusive.

Governor Hope Uzodimma, who was the then chairman of the primary election committee, had announced Idahosa as winner, while the returning officer, Stanley Ugboaja, declared Okpebholo as winner.

Elsewhere, Ojo Babatunde, who claimed to be representing the returning officers in all the local governments also declared Anamero Dekeri as the winner of the election.

The outcome of the shadow election had led to a public outcry forcing the National Working Committee of the APC to declare the poll inconclusive, a pronouncement that paved way for last Thursday’s re-run election that produced Okpebholo as the winner.

Addressing newsmen at the main gate of the secretariat on Saturday, Idahosa threatened to drag the APC to court if the party fails to return his mandate.

The lawmaker, who told reporters that he has submitted protest letter to the APC governorship Appeal Committee, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to call the APC NWC to order.

He said: “I am not here to make trouble. I am a lawmaker but one thing that we want is justice. Today, I might be a young man but it might be the children of NWC members tomorrow. We have to do the right thing, if we continue to do what is wrong as a country, we are not going to move forward.

“So I am calling on Mr. President to call NWC to order. Elections were held on the 17th of February. What they did on the 22nd was just selection. I challenged one of the LGA returning officers to show me a picture of him at the local government headquarters where he collated the results, he was just blabbing. There was nothing because I know that they were in the same hotel in Benin and that’s where they wrote all the results.

“So my fellow party members, I am not here to make trouble. I am only here to seek justice. I have written yesterday to the appeal panel commitee and I know they will do justice. I just want to go through the process, having exhausted the party’s conflict resolution mechanism. I will go further to seek justice in the court of law as I will not allow this to stand.”

An Edo lawyer and chieftain of the party, Bernard Ekun, who accompanied Idahosa told journalists that the NWC was deliberately trying to avoid fielding a viable candidate for the election.

According to him, when something is inconclusive, it invariably means some areas have been identified for primaries to before it can be termed completed.

He said, “The governor who was in charge of the purportedly selection primaries said that it was going to be a fresh election. Between you and I, when you know the issue of INEC, there is supposed to be 21 days notice from INEC for that primary. Nothing of such was done and we are out of time. Are you people saying that the selection process you have done, which you called a fresh election, should be acceptable to us?

“Our demands is that the February 17 primary stands. That is known to law. What they have done is kangaroo selection. What these people have done is that they have sold their responsibility and the excellence in them as reasonable men. They have sold it for a Chinese cusuine. People were in their hotel sleeping. How were they able to get the results? There was no election. We stand on February 17 election because that is the only that is one duly observed within the ambit of the law.”

Metro

Court Acquits 82-year-old Man of Kidnapping, Homicide in Kwara

Published

13 minutes ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin has discharged and acquitted a 82-year-old man, Chief Olowofela Oyebanji, of criminal offences related to kidnapping and murder.

The trial judge, Umar Zikki Jubril, upheld a no case submission preferred before it by the defence counsels.

Oyebanji and 12 others were facing charges of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, kidnapping and giving false information contrary to Sections 97, 221 and 178 of the penal code law and Section 1 (Special Prohibition) Kidnapping Law of Kwara state 2010.

Oyebanji, who is a High Chief in Igbara-Odo, Ekiti state, has since denied involvement in the criminal allegations, particularly the killing of a traditional ruler, Olukoro of Koro, Oba Aremu Cole, in the Ekiti local government area of Kwara state.

In her ruling on Tuesday, the trial judge discharged and acquitted Oyebanji, having proved his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.

Justice Zikki held that the prosecution was not able to prove a prima facie case against the defendant and others alleged to be involved in the criminal act.

Speaking after the ruling, counsel to the defendant, Dr Solomon Afolabi, expressed joy and satisfaction with the ruling.

He commended the judge for being courageous and ensuring justice was done, amid heightened sentiments and the sensitive nature of the case.

“It’s a big gift at the beginning of the new legal year that my client, the ninth defendant, who has been standing trial since February 2024, for an offence he knew nothing about, eventually got justice.

“It was just unfortunate that he had to go through this because, as you heard in the judgement, it was a case of random arrests for many of the defendants in this case”, he said.

Another defence counsel said the ruling came after the prosecution closed its case against the defendants.

“The prosecution presented evidence and called five witnesses during the case. But after thorough perusal of the evidence before the court, the court found it in its ruling that the prosecution failed to provide a substantial and compelling evidence against all the defendants and, in view of this, discharged and acquitted them”.

Metro

Five Die As Dangote Truck Crashes Into Tricycle In Ogun

Published

7 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

A Dangote Cement truck has crushed five people to death at the Alapoka axis of the Papalanto–Ilaro Road, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.

It was learnt on Saturday from the spokesperson for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, that the accident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday.

The TRACE spokesperson noted that the truck had lost its brakes and rammed into a tricycle conveying the five victims.

He identified the vehicles involved as an unregistered tricycle and a Dangote truck with the number plate GRZ 767 XA.

Akinbiyi said, “A fatal road traffic accident occurred at Alapoka Village, Papalanto–Ilaro Road, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State on Friday at 8:25 p.m.

“The accident involved an unregistered tricycle and a Dangote truck with the number plate GRZ 767 XA. The tricycle was conveying five people. The five people died on the spot.

“According to an eyewitness, the truck lost its brakes and rammed into the tricycle, but unfortunately the driver was not observant that he had collided with the tricycle until its tyre crushed the tricycle and the passengers.”

He noted that upon receipt of the incident, the Acting TRACE Head, Adedayo Omonayajo, and the Ilaro Divisional TRACE Commander, Salako Idowu, led a rescue team to the scene.

He added that residents of the community had attempted to attack the rescue team, but the intervention of sister security agencies brought the situation under control.

“The Acting TRACE Head and the Ilaro Commander led a rescue team to the scene and were almost attacked by angry residents, but the intervention of the Amotekun Corps doused the tension.

“The presumed dead were taken to the morgue by Federal Road Safety Corps officials,” Akinbiyi added.

This is not the first incident involving a Dangote truck in fatal crashes.

Recently, Big Brother Naija reality TV star, Phyna, was at loggerheads with the Dangote group after one of the latter’s trucks crushed Phyna’s sister, an accident which eventually claimed her life.

In a November 2024 multiple-crash incident in Lagos and Ogun, a Dangote truck experienced brake failure, causing loss of control. Four people died and seven were injured.

Similarly, in June 2021, a Dangote truck in Ogun State crushed a commercial motorbike rider and passenger, prompting a mob to set the truck ablaze.

Metro

Four Escape Death As Trucks Collide In Anambra

Published

8 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

No fewer than four persons escaped death on Friday morning following a collision between a tipper truck and a tanker near Igbariam Junction along the Onitsha–Awka–Enugu Expressway in Anambra State.

The tanker, which was loaded with diesel, fell into a roadside drainage, spilling part of its content.

It was gathered from a traffic update on Friday by the Sector Public Education Officer of the Anambra State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Margaret Onabe, that the crash occurred at about 9:50 a.m.

Onabe, who spoke on behalf of the Sector Commander, Corps Commander Bridget Asekhauno, confirmed that the incident involved a wine-coloured Mack tipper truck and a red HOWO tanker with registration number KWR 133 YQ.

She attributed the cause of the crash to loss of control by the driver of the Mack tipper.

According to her, four individuals were involved in the crash, with one male adult sustaining bruises and being taken to Chira Hospital in Awkuzu for treatment. Fortunately, no fatalities were recorded.

She said, “A serious road traffic crash occurred on October 3, 2025, at approximately 9:50 a.m. near Igbariam Junction on the Awka–Onitsha road.

“The incident involved two vehicles: a wine-coloured Mack tipper truck and a red HOWO tanker with registration number KWR 133 YQ. Four persons were involved, with one sustaining injuries. He has been taken to hospital, and no deaths were recorded. The crash was caused by loss of control by the tipper driver.”