Television Nigerian

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has warned Governors Yahaya Bello and Hope Uzodinma not to try to rig the governorship elections in Kogi and Imo States on Saturday.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged politicians to abandon any plans to rig Saturday’s governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states, stating that the party has galvanized the people of the three states to go to every length permitted by law to protect their votes.

Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s spokesman, charged Bello and Uzodinma with accepting defeat following their alleged terrible failure in office.
Ologunagba told a press conference in Abuja that the PDP will not let anyone to tamper with the electoral processes in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa states.

“Our Party restates that it will never allow anyone, no matter how powerful, to manipulate the electoral process in the governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa States,” Ologunagba said. In fact, our Party states unequivocally that anyone who seeks to rig or manipulate the election in any way will face the people’s legitimate fury.

“The PDP specifically warns Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, and his puppet candidate, Usman Ododo, to accept the people’s rejection of their abysmal failure in government and prepare to concede defeat on Saturday.”

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“The PDP reiterates that all indices from multiple Entrance Polls show that the PDP candidates are leading and will sweep the governorship elections in the three states.” Any election path that does not represent the unmistakable tide of the people’s Will at the Polling Units will be vigorously opposed.

“In Imo State, the PDP confirms that it has received messages and visits from many prominent Imo State citizens, including major industrialists and business leaders, expressing support for the PDP Candidate, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.”

“These prominent Imo citizens have also denied their reported support for the APC and its governorship candidate, Governor Hope Uzodimma, as well as their reported donation of funds to the APC.”

“Of course, no well-meaning Imo State citizen will support Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration, which has wrecked the state’s economy, brought untold hardship to the people, and turned Imo State into a theatre of violence, killings, and kidnapping.”

Ologunagba asked Uzodimma to make public the names of Imo State citizens who he claimed had donated money to his campaign, emphasizing that the people can identify the enablers of instability and misery that his administration has represented over the previous three years.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang has urged calm among the populace in the wake of the demonstration that followed the recent rulings by the Court of Appeal located in Abuja invalidating the mandates of certain PDP National Assembly members from Plateau State.

The governor urged people to maintain their composure on Wednesday despite acknowledging the public’s deep unhappiness with the court’s decisions.
Recall that thousands of young people from all 17 LGAs peacefully marched through Jos’ streets, carrying placards protesting recent Court of Appeal rulings that removed six PDP members from the National Assembly and mandated a repeat vote in the Plateau North Senatorial Zone within ninety days.

Others had their certificates of return revoked and given to APC and Labour Party candidates instead.

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Mutfwang highlighted that it is normal to feel “distressed and devastated” when there is a sense that their will has been abridged in a press statement that was made accessible to media in Jos, the state capital, by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Gyang Bere.

Even if the verdicts haven’t turned out as many had hoped, the governor pleaded with the populace not to overreact to the law.

He said, “I’ve been informed that individuals who identify as both partisan and non-partisan took part in the demonstration.

“I beg for serenity. I implore the people of Plateau State to refrain from taking any actions that could jeopardize the relative tranquility we currently enjoy. “Let us prevent the disillusionment from turning into a collapse of law and order,” he warned.

The governor gave the populace assurances that justice will be served for the state’s population while expressing everlasting faith in the judiciary.

He urged the populace to have faith in the legal system and to remain upbeat in the face of the current difficulties.

The governor added that he had been informed that certain security guards had been abusing helpless people.

He did, however, appreciate the important role that different security professionals play in maintaining the state’s calm and asked them to use tact when managing nonviolent protestors.

Mutfwang asked everyone to put their faith and reliance in God Almighty, the ultimate judge who rules the universe, rather than in vandalism, especially in the case of PDP supporters.

He restated the fact that triumph is guaranteed as long as God is seated on the throne.

The governor encouraged the populace to take comfort in the idea that God is constantly “watchful and active,” rather than giving in to hopelessness.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared that electronic results aggregation is still prohibited in Nigeria, ahead of the off-cycle elections in the states of Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo.

In response to remarks and suggestions made by certain Nigerians that the polls scheduled for Saturday in the states of Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa would be conducted electronically, INEC made this announcement.
However, principal press secretary to INEC chairman Rotimi Oyekanmi made it clear that neither the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) nor the result viewing webpage were intended for use in tallying votes or declaring a winner.

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“After polls close and results are declared at that level, the presiding officers will upload the polling unit election results, also known as Form EC8As, directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal from the individual PUs,” Oyekanmi clarified.

He went on, “After all procedures at the various polling places are finished, presiding officers are expected to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to snap the Form EC8A and upload the same to the IReV.

People must realize, therefore, that neither the BVAS nor the IReV are electronic voting machines, nor are they used for compiling election results or selecting a winner.

Indeed, at the time, computerized voting and result aggregation are prohibited in Nigeria. The public can only view the Form EC8A uploaded from the polling units through the IReV portal.

“Section 179 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution encapsulates the procedure for selecting and announcing the victor of a gubernatorial election.”

Alhaji Usman Ododo, the All Progressives Congress’ governorship candidate in Kogi State’s election on Saturday, called on security forces on Wednesday to release party members arrested in Kogi East.
Mr. Ododo, who made the decision, told journalists in Lokoja that the APC chieftains arrested were honorable persons with no cause to indulge in thuggery or other vices.

He stated that the party was concerned about the raid on their homes by security officers and the subsequent destruction of property.

“This morning, seven of my community members were chosen. I don’t produce thugs because I despise crime. Security authorities should do their investigations and immediately free our people. Based on the indicators on the ground and the current administration’s admirable achievements, which the people of Kogi State had attested to, victory was assured for the APC.

“Those who knew they were going to lose were inciting violence and making baseless accusations.”

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“It’s on this premise that we are calling on the security agencies to be fair to all and ensure the security of lives and property before, during and after the governorship election,” he added.

The gubernatorial candidate praised the security agencies for their efforts in the state, assuring that he would always be available to honor their invitations if they wanted clarity on the actions of the party or any of the campaign chieftains, as he had in the past.

He claims to know what it takes to manage people.

“The people of Kogi State look to the security agencies to ensure a peaceful election,” he added. My members have been arrested, as have several of my leaders, and this morning, they nabbed not fewer than seven of my members. I let them finish their task. I shall not obstruct their inquiry in any way.

“I believe they will be released by the time they finish their investigation and no one is found guilty.” Security agencies have often invited me.

“I’ve honored their invitation not once, not twice, and I’m ready to honor it at any time.” I don’t give birth to thugs. I’ve told my followers that I don’t condone criminal behavior.

“I still base my members on allegations that they have chosen.” Allow them to do their investigations, which I trust will be free of bias. They will be released as soon as they have completed their work.

“However, in a situation where security agents are harassing and detaining my members without telling them what crime they have committed, I would like to call on them to release them and confront those criminals who went to Koton Karfe to kill an APC supporter and get them arrested.”

“That should be their priority, not the law-abiding members of our party.” So I urge them to expedite their investigations and free our people as soon as possible,” he said.

In response to the opposition’s accusations of witch-hunting, Ododo stated, “If you see somebody desperately jumping from one TV station to the other every day, leaving where he is supposed to be doing groundwork and courting voters, you should know that if nothing is chasing him, he is chasing some shadows.”

He claimed that the opposition understood they didn’t stand a chance and were wasting their time with ineffective propaganda.

“As for the APC, we are confident that we are winning. Governor Yahaya Bello has done well for the people, and it is now time to reward the party. We are eager to serve again since the reward for hard work is additional work.

“We will not participate in issues with losers who only have ethnic agendas and violence in their vocabulary.” The APC government has treated all zones equitably, and the results are many. “We’re coming to better serve them,” he remarked.

He urged his supporters to turn out in large numbers on Saturday to vote for the APC, stating that voting for the APC is a vote for the state’s unity, peace, and growth.

South East residents are urged to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) and abandon regional politics by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

That the South East should stand with the governing party instead of continuing to function as a minority was foolish, he said.

Prior to and during the presidential elections in the South East, Kalu claimed to have taken bullets for President Bola Tinubu in an interview with Flo 94.9 FM Umuahia.
There was more place in the ruling party, he said, so he asked South East lawmakers who are members of other parties like the PDP, APGA, and LP to join the APC.

When it comes to making demands, Kalu voiced concern that the four parties controlling the South East states are distorting their voices.

As a member of the party controlling the federal budget, he thought the South East should move away from regional politics and concentrate on national politics, where there would be more avenues for lobbying.

According to him, the APC will be more powerful than ever in Abia and the South East.

“Now, before it’s too late, those who have been hesitant should get in. According to Kalu, this is because we are introducing leadership that understands your position.

If your party controls the federal budget, we will be able to lobby more effectively, hence it is preferable for you to be in that party. Our voices are quiet when we go with the Splinter group.

Our approach should shift from regional to national politics. Deputy Speaker “APC will do more for Ndigbo if we do more for APC,” he declared.

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Despite their differing political affiliations, Kalu said of his relationship with the governor of Abia State that he would not battle with him and would instead promote the growth of the state.

He said he would back any efforts that would help Bende, Abia State, the Southeast, and the country as a whole.

The legislator also expressed regret for the low number of votes the APC received in the South East in the previous presidential election, but cautioned Ndigbo from making the same political mistake again in future elections.

He expressed his appreciation for President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to restore hope among Nigerians.