Metro

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

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2024

Editor

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

Police Restores Peace After Bomb Explosion Rocks Imo Community

Published

6 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

The Imo State Police Command has restored peace and order in Obinwanne Community, Njaba LGA, after a bomb explosion rocked the area, killing the carrier and injuring two others.

A press statement issued by the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Henry Okoye, stated that the community was thrown into panic following the incident, but the swift intervention of police personnel restored normalcy.

He explained that operatives from the Njaba Divisional Headquarters received a distress call alerting them to the incident, which led to the immediate mobilisation of officers to the scene.

It was confirmed that the blast was caused by an explosive device carried by one Mr Chinworeke Mmadu from Ebonyi State, which detonated prematurely, leading to fatal injuries that later claimed his life.

Metro

Deborah Okwori, Murdered Fashion Designer Buried Amid Tears

Published

7 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

Deborah Eneyi Ohekuru Okwori, professionally known as Deb’rah Porsche, has been laid to rest in her hometown of Ugaga Ohuhu Owo, Oju Local Government Area, Benue State.

DAILY POST reports that Deborah was allegedly murdered by her jilted lover, Lintex Ogale, in Lagos on September 3, 2025. Ogale reportedly stabbed her multiple times before fleeing.

She was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Metro

Police Ask Court To Issue Arrest Warrant Against Andy Uba Over Alleged N400m Job Scam

Published

7 hours ago

September 24, 2025

Editor

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun has formally asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of ex-senator Andy Uba over a N400 million job scam.

The police intend to arrest Uba and bring him to court for trial.

The IGP sought the arrest order on Wednesday following the persistent absence of Uba, who once represented Anambra South in the Senate, to appear in court for arraignment over the alleged appointment fraud.

The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Umar had, in July, slated Wednesday for the arraignment of Uba and his co-defendant, Benjamin Etu.

When the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/538/2024 was called on Wednesday, counsel to the defendants, C.L Odiniru apologized for Uba’s absence and said the former senator is sick and receiving treatment in the United States.

Counsel to the prosecution (IGP), Aminu Abdullahi, however told the court that the defense counsel had, during previous proceedings in the matter, given sickness as reason for the absence of the first defendant without adducing any documentary evidence to show that he is actually sick and cannot face his trial.

Abdullahi prayed the court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the former senator.

Defense counsel, Odiniru, opposed the application for a bench warrant and following a directive of the court, said the defense has obtained documents showing that Uba is receiving treatment abroad.

But responding, Abdullahi said granting the application for bench warrant will be in the best interest of justice.

Justice Umar who was apparently angry over the repeated absence of Andy Uba, said the court will do whatever it takes to ensure that he is present to face his trial if he failed to come to court on the next adjourned date.

“I will give you another opportunity by giving you another date. This case must be heard this year. Even if it means issuing a bench warrant of arrest, the court will do that,” the judge said and adjourned the matter till October 28, 2025 for Uba and his co-defendant to take their plea.

It would be recalled that the prosecution had, on March 5, 2025, amended a two-count charge filed against Uba and his co-defendant, Benjamin Etu, before the former trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo.

The police had earlier named Uba and two others in the first charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/538/2024.

The co-defendants, in the two-count charge filed on October 10, 2024 by Abdulrashid Sidi in the Legal/Prosecution Section at the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, were Crystal Uba and Benjamin Etu as 2nd and 3rd defendants, respectively.

But in the amended charge filed March 4, 2025, by Sidi, Uba and Etu are listed as 1st and 2nd defendants, while Crystal Uba’s name was dropped.

In count one, it was alleged that Uba, Etu and Hajiya Fatima, now at large, sometimes in 2022, conspired amongst themselves to commit the offence.

Uba and others were accused of obtaining by false pretence, by making a presentation to Mr George Uboh that they had perfected ways for giving appointment as Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to any interested person who could afford N400 million.

“A presentation which you know is not true and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related offences Act, 2006,” the charge stated.

The offence, the prosecution said, is contrary to Section 1 (2) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related offences Act, 2006.

Uboh, in a letter dated April 5, 2023, and addressed to the IGP, said the petition was based on documentary evidence and voice recording, adding that the evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable.

No fewer than six witnesses had been listed to testify against the ex-lawmaker and Etu.

The case was re-assigned to Justice Umar, following the suspension of the former judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, by the National Judicial Council, NJC.