Politics

Why We Suspended Collation Of Guber Results In Abia – INEC

Published

3 months ago

March 20, 2023

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has directed the immediate suspension of the collation of governorship election results in Abia State.

Administrative Secretary of INEC, Abia State, Chief Clement Oha read the directive midway into collation at the INEC office in Umuahia on Monday.

He said that based on the alleged irregularities in some polling units particularly Obingwa Local Government Area where the INEC office was invaded, collation had been halted at the LGA.

According to him, there will be no further collation of results at Obingwa until INEC Commissioners arrive from Abuja by Tuesday to supervise the collation and take a decision on what has to be done after reviewing the situation on ground.

The Presiding Officer and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti had in the course of collation brought in the Administrative Secretary to read the message she said that came from the INEC headquarters Abuja.

She had said that the INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, personally called her and gave her directives on guidelines to follow in ensuring that Abia governorship election results were collated based on the extant guidelines.

Professor Oti thereafter, announced the immediate suspension of collation pending the arrival of the team from Abuja.

She had earlier vowed to the neutral but strictly objective in discharging her duties.

Professor Oti who is also a Pastor with the Redeemed Church, assured that the will of Abia voters would not be subverted under her watch.

”I’m Professor Nnenna Oti from Afikpo, VC of FUTO. The people’s mandate shall stand.

“I have spent all my adult life in pursuit of the ideals of good governance. We shall stand by the these principles.

” The pastor in me and the mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children. I shall do right by God and by man!”

Meanwhile INEC in another statement signed by its Head Voter Education and Information Committee, Festus Okoye, announced suspension of collation of governorship election results in Abia and Enugu States.

INEC in the statement, cited alleged cases of violence, irregularities and invasion of its offices in the affected states as reason for the action.

According to a statement, the commission will review results in the affected LGAs before further action.

But Alex Otti of the Labour Party is already leading in the 12 LGAs so far declared.

Below is a full text of the statement.

“SUSPENSION OF FURTHER COLLATION OF GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION RESULTS IN ABIA AND ENUGU STATES

Below is a full text of the statement entitled ”Suspension of Further Collation of Governorship Election Results in Abia and Enugu”:

“The Commission met today, Monday 20th March 2023 and reviewed the conduct of the Governorship and State Assembly elections held nationwide on Saturday 18th March 2023. Arising from the meeting, the Commission took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the Governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu States.

“It will be recalled that our office in Obingwa Local Government Area was invaded by thugs yesterday Sunday 19th March 2023 and our officials held hostage in relation to the collation of results from the Local Government Area. Similarly, reports from Enugu State call for a review of the results for the Governorship election from the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Nsukka and Nkanu East.

“Consequently, the Commission hereby suspends the collation of results in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State and the two outstanding Local Government Areas of Enugu State which are yet to be collated. A review will be undertaken immediately before the process is concluded.

“We appeal for the understanding and patience of voters, parties and candidates in the affected States.”

Meanwhile, Dr Alex Otti has maintained a comfortable lead in the 16 Local Government Area results so far declared.

He won five LGAs out of 10 that was declared on Sunday, and collected another five out of the six LGAs announced on Monday, thus bringing the total number of LGAs under his kitty to 10.

Young Peoples Party, YPP won in one LGA while PDP has five LGAs.

According to the results of the 16 LGAs declared so far, Otti polled a total of 171,747 votes, while Ahiwe of the PDP trailed behind with 79,477 votes.

In the results declared on Monday, YPP polled 8,839 to win Osisioma LGA the home of its governorship candidate, Enyinnaya Nwafor.

Labour Party came second in Osisioma after polling 7,032 votes while PDP got 4,699 votes.

APC, APGA and ADC scored 504, 292, and 332 respectively.

LP swept Umuahia North the seat of Abia power with 27,668 while APC whose candidate, Chief Ikechi Emenike who hails from the area, came second with 7,225 votes.

PDP got 4,843 votes while APGA and ADC polled 1,816 and 457 respectively.

Similarly, LP cleared Aba South with 22,014 votes while PDP crawled behind with 3,348 votes; and APGA, 1,762 votes.

The Labour Party continued its winning spree at Aba North where it polled 20,974 votes while the ruling PDP managed to get away with only 4,146.

YPP scored 2,296; while APGA got 1,404 votes.

LP also swept Ohafia LGA with 11,848 votes against PDP’s 4, 128 votes.

APC and APGA got 1,354 and 945 votes respectively.

The Labour Party still cleared Umuahia South with 16,187 votes while PDP got 5,464 votes.

Politics

I Would Have Slapped Kwankwaso If I Met Him In Aso Rock – Ganduje Fumes

Published

1 hour ago

June 10, 2023

Editor

Infuriated by the ongoing demolition by the governor of Kano State, Abba Kabiir Yusuf, the immediate past governor of the state, Dr Umar Ganduje, on Friday, said he could have slapped his predecessor, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, if he saw him in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ganduje was the immediate past governor of Kano while Kwankwaso was the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, in the February 25 election and the two have become like cat and dog in recent years.

Briefing State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with President Bola Tinubu, the visibly enraged Ganduje accused Kwankwaso of being behind the demolition of property in the state.

Fuming while speaking with state house journalists, Ganduje said if he had met Kwankwaso, at the Villa, he would have slapped him.

The former governor said he met with President Tinubu to brief him on the security situation in Kano State following the demolition exercise embarked upon by the administration of Governor Yusuf.

Fielding a question on whether he met Kwankwaso who is equally around in the Villa with the president, he said, “I know he is in the building but we have not met. Probably if we met, maybe I could have slapped him.”

Ganduje said the demolition exercise was done without carrying out any investigation or giving due notice in line with the provisions of the Land Use Act.

The former governor said he spoke at length on the issue while reporting the matter to the president and had petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba with video evidence of the looting and vandalisation that trailed the demolition.

Ganduje said he had briefed the president adequately on the demolition exercise that even affected the supporters of Kwankwaso whom he accused of ordering the action.

He said the governor who he described as a “stooge” of Kwankwaso was no longer happy because of the condemnation that greeted the move.

Asked to give figures to properties lost to the demolition exercise, he said some human rights organizations were working on the level of damage.

He, however, said one of the developers who was affected had sued the government demanding over N10billion.

He said the state government had said the demolition exercise was part of the fulfilment of his campaign promise to “restore” the urban development master plan of the city.

He had also insisted that the exercise was not a vendetta against the past administration of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and that many more demolitions would follow.

Politics

UPDATED: Ex-Edo Guber Aspirant Defects To LP, Says ‘My Sojourn In APC, PDP Full Of Pain, Deciet’

Published

15 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Editor

A former governorship on the platform of the PDP, Barrister Ken Imansuangbon, has described his over 20 years sojourn in the PDP and APC as full of pain and deceit.

Imansuangbon expressed this feelings on Friday while formally defecting to the Labour Party in Abuja.

Imansuangbon had on Tuesday in a letter addressed to the Edo State chairman of the party and copied his ward, Esan South East Local Government Area chairman of the party respectively, resigned his membership of the PDP.

Imansugbon who was received by the Julius Abure-led executives of the Labour Party, showered praises on the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his Vice, Ahmed Datti for championing the course of new and better Nigeria.

Noting that Obi and Datti remain president and vice respectively in minds and hearts of Nigerians, the Edo-born politician said the Labour Party has come to stay and will continue to give fresh hope and leadership to Nigerians whom he noted have been pauperised by the APC and PDP.

“I want to thank the Labour party for this opportunity and for giving Nigerians fresh hope. My political history is well known. I ran to PDP little did I know that I was running from frying pan to fire, PDP and APC are birds of the same feathers, they don’t love Nigerians but their pockets.

“I must also thank the youths of Nigerians who supported the Labour Party for what I failed to see in the Obidient and Datti movement. Today, we know who the president is and he is in the minds of Nigerians. The world is watching the courts and to see what they will do. This is the party for the Nigerian people, students and the very weak.

He assured the leadership of the party that more people in the 192 wards in Edo State are ready to join the Labour Party.

Speaking, the National Chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, while welcoming Imansuangbon into the party, called on those who are still sitting on the fence to join the Labour Party in the movement to rescue Nigeria.

He said, “On behalf of the national leaders of the party, I heartily welcome you to the national secretariat. We are happy you joined the party to rescue Nigeria and Edo state.

“In the general election our party provided the most viable alternative and our candidates are the best and that is why the people came out in their numbers to support the party. Just like what Ken said it is clear to every Nigerians that we won the election.”

He promised that the party will offer equal opportunity to all irrespective of when they join the party adding that there is no godfather in the Labour Party.

Politics

JUST IN: Imansuangbon Defects To Labour Party, Received By Abure-led Leadership

Published

18 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Editor

The opposition Labour Party, (LP), Friday received former Edo state Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, Governorship Aspirant, Barrister Ken Imansuangbon into its fold amidst jubilation.

Imansuangbon had on Tuesday in a letter addressed to the Edo state chairman of the party and copied his ward, Esan South East Local Government Area chairman of the party respectively, resigned his membership of the PDP.

The Edo politician in company of his wife, Mrs Kate Imansuangbon and large supporters, stormed the national secretariat of the Labour Party in Abuja where he was received by the national leadership of the party.

Imansugbon who was received into the party by the Julius Abure’s led executives of the Labour Party, showered praises on the party’s presidential candidate , Peter Obi and his Vice, Ahmed Datti for championing the course of new and better Nigeria, noting they remain president and vice in minds and hearts of Nigerians.

He said the Labour Party has come to stay and will continue to give fresh hope and leadership to Nigerians whom he noted have been pauperised by the APC and PDP.

The philanthropist popularly referred as the ‘riceman’ in Edo State and across described his 20 years sojourn in the APC and PDP as full of pain and deceit.

He assured the leadership of the party that more people in Edo State are ready in the 192 political wards to join the Labour Party.

The National Chairman of the party, Barrister Julius Abure, while welcoming Imansuangbon into the party, called on those who are still sitting on the fence to join the Labour Party now in the movement to rescue Nigeria.

He said, “On behalf of the national leaders of the party, I heartily welcome you to the national secretariat. We are happy you joined the party to rescue Nigeria and Edo state.

He promised that the party will offer equal opportunity to all irrespective of when they join the party adding that there is no godfather in the Labour Party.