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

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed its plan to deploy 4,814 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, scheduled for November 16, 2024.

A senior INEC official, who anonymously spoke to Saturday PUNCH, stated that the commission was fully prepared to facilitate an efficient electoral process across the state’s 3,933 polling units and 222 collation centres.

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These centres include 203 ward centres, 18 local government centres, and the state collation centres.

4,814 BVAS devices will be deployed for the Ondo State governorship election,” the official said.

As part of the preparations, INEC has organised a mock voter accreditation set for November 6, 2024, aimed at testing the BVAS and ensuring a smooth electronic result upload to the INEC Result Viewing portal.

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READ ALSO: Ondo Poll: PDP, APC Trade Words Over Violence

The exercise is expected to identify any issues before the main election day.

On June 13, 2024, INEC released the final list of candidates for the Ondo State election, revealing that 17 political parties would field candidates.

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Notably, no female candidates are running for governorship, although the African Democratic Congress fielded a candidate who is a paraplegic.

Campaigns for the Ondo governorship, which began on June 19, 2024, will end at midnight on November 14, 2024.

Political parties have also submitted a total of 24,148 polling and collation agents to support the election process.

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Meanwhile, in preparation for the forthcoming governorship election, has accredited 112 media organisations, involving over 700 journalists, technicians, and support personnel.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Protest Rocks INEC Over Demand For Ondo REC Redeployment

The media presence includes outlets spanning print, radio, television, and digital platforms, according to an announcement by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the fourth regular quarterly consultative meeting with media organisations in Abuja on Friday.

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“The commission is glad to announce the accreditation of 112 national and international media organisations (newspaper, radio, television, and online) deploying over 700 journalists, technicians and other personnel to facilitate their coverage of the election.

“The detailed breakdown of the media organisations and the number of personnel to be deployed will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information,” he said.

Yakubu stressed the importance of the media in maintaining the integrity of the election, noting that accurate coverage was essential to counter misinformation and promote peaceful elections.

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The INEC chairman stated, “I appeal to the media to intensify your accurate reportage that will ensure peaceful elections, especially now that campaigns by political parties and candidates are in full swing in the state.

READ ALSO: Ondo Poll: APC Groups Declare Support For SDP Candidate

“I also appeal to you to continue to serve as a counterforce against fake news, misinformation and disinformation.”

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The President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Chris Isiguzo, highlighted the vital role of journalist safety and press freedom in supporting Nigeria’s democracy.

Isiguzo emphasised the need for security forces to safeguard journalists from intimidation, harassment, or harm.

We urge security agencies to take proactive steps to guarantee the safety of media professionals, especially in light of the intensified threats and heightened risks that journalists face in today’s environment,” Isiguzo stated.

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He added that clampdowns on journalists should have no place in a democracy.

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Sanwo-Olu makes U-turn, Unblocks Lawyer Who Sued Him Over Blocking On X

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unblocked human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, on X after a meeting with him at Lagos House, Marina, on Friday.

The lawyer, who had accused the governor of rights violations, announced the development in a post on his X account on Saturday.

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According to him, Sanwo-Olu personally invited him for a brief meeting to address his complaints.

Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has unblocked me on X (Twitter). I met briefly with him yesterday at Lagos House Marina, on his invitation, to amicably resolve my complaint of human rights violations. We will continue to hold authorities accountable, regardless. Aluta continua!” Ogun wrote.

READ ALSO:Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X

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Tribune Online reports that Ogun had earlier filed a suit against Sanwo-Olu at a Federal High Court in Lagos, accusing him of violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which he shared on Facebook, the lawyer claimed the governor blocked him over his 2021 “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” on the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre.”

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READ ALSO:‘Court Of Corruption’ — Obasanjo Knocks INEC Chairman, Judiciary In New Book

Ogun said the action has prevented him from accessing vital government updates and information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

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In his originating summons, he asked the court to declare the move unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

 

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Tragedy Deepens As Prime Suspect in Taraba Student’s Death Found Dead

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The investigation into the death of Comfort Jimtop, a 100-level Mass Communication student at Taraba State University, has taken a dramatic turn following the discovery of the lifeless body of Emmanuel Kefas, the prime suspect in the case.

Kefas’s body was discovered on Friday in the Tudiri community, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area, under unclear circumstances, intensifying public concern and adding a tragic dimension to a case that has already gripped the university community and residents across Taraba State.

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Confirming the development on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, James Lashen, said the police received a report from the village head of Tudiri about the discovery.

READ ALSO:Army Kills Notorious Bandit, Babangida, In Kogi

A lifeless body was found in Tudiri, and a Tecno Android phone was recovered beside it,” Lashen stated.

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Upon charging the phone, investigators found a photograph showing the deceased with the late Comfort Jimtop, suggesting they were in a romantic relationship.”

Lashen added that the body has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Jalingo for autopsy. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to officially identify the remains through the suspect’s family.

READ ALSO:Four Feared Killed As Gunmen Attack Burial Ceremony In Anambra

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Police have yet to determine whether Kefas’s death was the result of suicide, homicide, or an accident. Investigations into both deaths are continuing.

Comfort Jimtop’s mysterious death had earlier sparked outrage on campus and across the state, with students and rights groups demanding justice. Kefas was named a prime suspect in the case, which remains open.

This latest development has left many unanswered questions and deepened the grief surrounding the case.

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Students, residents, and civil society groups are closely monitoring the situation, calling on authorities to ensure a thorough investigation and bring clarity to the tragic chain of events.

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Ossiomo, Chinese Impasse: This Is Our Story — Management

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The management of Ossiomo Power Plant has cleared the air on the dispute between its Chinese partners and the circumstances surrounding the shutting down of the power plant early this month.

Representative of Ossiomo management, Engineer Festus Evbuomwan, during an interactive session with customers on the impasse between the two partners, said contrary to the rumour making the rounds, the management of Ossiomo Power Plant had paid over ₦2bn to its Chinese partner — Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC) — since the power plant started operation.

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Recall that representative of CCETC who identified himself as Mr. ‘W’ had, during a telephone phone interview two weeks ago, claimed that “instruction to shutdown was because we lost lots of money and did not get any return on investment,” adding that “all the $20m investment was done by us including the distribution lines.”

But Evbuomwan during the interactive session, said the management was not aware of the $20m investment the Chinese partner claimed, just as he disclosed that “when they generate power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO:Edo Govt Denies Shares As Ownership Tussle Rocks Ossiomo Power

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He disclosed that after shutting down the power plant, the Chinese partners came up with a request of ₦185m to be paid to two Chinese not known to the management, stressing that this was declined.

According to him, the Chinese partner, having seen how lucrative the business is, “went to some quarters and raised some issues probably thinking they can manoeuvre us with the help of some big persons, so that they can use their machines to generate power and sideline us but this is not possible.”

The Chinese partners also claimed that they borrowed $20m from their native land to invest, we are not aware of such investment, and we do not know where the money was invested up till now.

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“They have been also saying they have not been receiving anything, but I want to tell you unequivocally that first, the partners run a joint account where their investment is going into. More so, The Chinese partners have received over ₦2bn so far for the power they generate with their machines. When they generate the power, we sell and pay them.”

READ ALSO: Five Years After, Edo Govt Reconnects To BEDC As Ossiomo Shut Down

Engr. Evbuomwan, while apologising to customers for the power outage caused by the dispute between the two partners, said Ossiomo had started power generation though not in full capacity, assuring that power generation would be fully restored soon.

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“We have purchased turbines, and one have started working. They are working on the second one, so, by the time our five turbines start working we will be in full capacity. Even with that, those connected to the government may not be reached immediately. This is because the government bought the poles and contracted the wiring, and we cannot force the government to do our bid. Also, we are making efforts to site 33kva transformer along Airport Road and Lagos Road as soon as possible, so that our customers there will get power.”

He said the Edo State government does not have a stake in the company, just as he appealed to the “government to let us supply power to customers in through their Lines. I want to emphasise that Ossiomo is not completely shut down.”

He further urged the “government to encourage the Nigerian citizens to invest and not to work against local investors.”

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