Home Blog Page 440

Akpata blames flawed electoral process for LP’s third-place finish

By
admin
-
0
Court dismisses suit challenging Akpata’s candidacy

The Labour Party’s candidate in the recent Edo State Governorship election, Olumide Akpata, has attributed the party’s third-place result to a deeply flawed electoral process.

On Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the Edo State Governorship election.

Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes, defeating the PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes, and the Labour Party candidate, who finished third with 22,763 votes.

In the election, the APC won in 10 of the state’s 18 Local Government Areas, while the PDP emerged victorious in the remaining 8.

During an appearance on Channels Television’s flagship programme, Politics Today, on Wednesday, Akpata attributed his loss to a flawed electoral system.

He said, “The outcome, as you can see, is that the Labour Party came a very distant third. However, this was due to a process that was thoroughly flawed.

“When you consider, firstly, the level of voter apathy, which was quite high, it is estimated that only about 20% of eligible voters turned out to vote in Edo State, a highly enlightened and sophisticated community,” he stated.

Expressing his concerns about the election results, Akpata remarked, “You saw what happened at the collation centres, where there was chaos at some of the local government collation centres, and at the state collation centre, it was mayhem.

“So, that just tells you it wasn’t an election that took place on the 21st. It’s fine to lose fair and square, but when you realise that the Labour Party, from the very beginning, was out of the race because we apparently came to a gunfight with a penknife. We did not have the resources to buy votes, which were clearly on offer,” he said.

Akpata added, “For me, that’s how I would describe the process: vote-buying, voter apathy, and then mayhem and chaos at the collation centres. This is how we ended up with the outcome you mentioned.

“I have enough humility to accept defeat if indeed I lost, but only if it was on a level playing field.”

LP national caretaker committee backs boycott of Anambra LG election

By
admin
-
0
Two YPP lawmakers defect to LP in Abia

The newly inaugurated 29-member National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party, headed by former minister Senator Nenadi Usman, has thrown its weight behind the growing calls for members to pull out of Saturday’s local government election over alleged violations of the Electoral Act by the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission.

Last week, the LP spokesperson in Anambra, Theo Egbe, announced the plan to boycott the forthcoming September 28, LG poll.

Egbe hinged their threat on the controversial list of qualified LP candidates published by ANSIEC, which he said did not emanate from them.

The party claimed that it neither conducted any primaries to nominate candidates nor submitted any names to the state electoral umpire.

Reacting via a statement issued on Wednesday, the Usman-led committee of the Labour Party backed the call by the Anambra LP executives led by its Chairman, Chief Ugochukwu Emeh, for members to pull out of the local government election.

The statement read, “The National Leadership of Labour Party is aware and is in total support of the position of Labour Party Anambra State led by Chief Ugochukwu Emeh (Chairman) and Okoli Akirika (Secretary) and other stakeholders that LP is not participating in the proposed Anambra State Local Government Election scheduled to hold on 28/9/24 based on violations of the Electoral Act and Nigerian Constitution.

“We are also aware that the Labour Party is already in court in Suit No A/265/2024 Labour Party vs Anambra State House of Assembly and another suit No FHC/CV/AWK/223/2024 Labour Party vs ANSIEC &14 others challenging the procedure for the proposed LGA election and never sponsored any Candidate to contest the questioned Anambra State LGA election.

“The National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party hereby confirms that we have not constituted any caretaker committee in any state of the federation and that our party in Anambra State is presently led by Chief Ugochukwu Emeh and Okoli Akirika. This is for official and record purposes.”

Efforts to get the reaction of LP National Chairman Julius Abure were unsuccessful.

The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, also declined to speak elaborately on the issue.

He said, “Our answer to any question related to the illegal caretaker committee remains the same. We don’t recognise or know them.”

Police parade 123 suspect arrested during Delta ‘yahoo school’ raid

By
admin
-
0
Police parade 123 suspect arrested during Delta 'yahoo school' raid

The Delta State Police Command has paraded 123 suspected internet fraudsters arrested in an estate in Warri, Delta State.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a video shared on X.com on Wednesday.

According to Edafe, the suspects were lured into a trap with promises of learning BTC trading and forex, only to find themselves in “Hustlers Kingdom” (HK), a notorious cybercrime training network.

Edafe wrote, “Arrest of 123 suspected internet fraudsters in an estate in Warri Delta State. Some of these boys are 17 years old and deceived that they were coming to learn BTC trading and forex instead found themselves in HK(hustlers kingdom)”

In the video, Edafe said in part, “We are here at Ekpan Police Station Effurun Divisional HQ, where we will be parading about 123 suspected internet fraudsters who were engaged in the business of internet fraud.”

Edafe revealed that the suspects, some as young as 17, were deceived by agents flaunting fake wealth on social media, convincing them to join the fraudulent scheme. The agents would then lure them to the estate, where they were subjected to physical abuse and exploitation.

“Their modus operandi is that they engage their agents who go on social media to flaunt wealth that most times isn’t even theirs and convince unsuspecting boys from the ages of 17, 18, 19, 20 that they want to teach them Forex and crypto business.

“They lure some from Kaduna, Akwa-Ibom, and Ibadan to that particular estate and beat the hell out of them, feeding them only when they feel like feeding them,” he said.

This is connected to a previous raid by military personnel from the 3 Battalion Nigerian Army Barracks, who stormed the “Hustle Kingdom” school in Effurun, Uvwie, Delta State, and arrested over 100 suspected internet fraudsters.

The school was reportedly training aspiring cyber criminals, and the suspects were handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.

Army Estate is a highbrow residential Post Service Housing Estate for retired military officers and civilians in Uvwie, Delta State.

Click the below to watch video:

Three teenagers set house on fire after stealing foodstuffs in Kwara

By
admin
-
0
Kwara unveils healthcare for mothers, children

A teenage gang of three on Wednesday set a three-bedroom bungalow ablaze after stealing foodstuffs, groceries, and clothing in the Gaa Akanbi area of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

The incident, which occurred at No. 59 Afenifere Community, Onireke, Gaa Akanbi, in the Ilorin South Local Government Area, happened around 12 noon.

One of the teenagers, identified as 18-year-old Olawumi Olamide, revealed during interrogation that another member of the gang, known as Isiaka, was involved in the arson.

Eyewitnesses told According to Online that the gang decided to set the house on fire after their attempted robbery was foiled by residents of the community.

Items such as a mattress, valuable documents, a plasma television, and clothing were completely destroyed in the fire.

The Kwara State Fire Service, which responded to the incident, confirmed the fire was an act of arson.

According to a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, fire officers managed to bring the blaze under control within 25 minutes.

“Upon arriving at the scene, fire officers found a three-bedroom bungalow engulfed in flames. Despite their efforts, two rooms were completely destroyed by the fire,” the statement read.

Adekunle further explained that the fire was started after the gang had stolen foodstuffs and other items.

When the thieves were caught in the act by residents, one of them, Isiaka, set the house on fire in a bid to create a distraction and escape.

During the chaos, 18-year-old Olawumi Olamide was apprehended by community members.

Before his capture, Olamide stabbed a man twice but was eventually handed over to the chairman of the community, Mr. Azeez Jamiu, who later turned him over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Tanke Division.

In a video recording of the interrogation, Olamide, who was stripped naked by the community members, confessed that Isiaka set a mattress on fire to distract people before fleeing into the bush.

The Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC in Kwara State, ASC Ayoola Michael, confirmed that the suspect was in custody but did not provide further details as of the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Falade Olumuyiwa, urged the public to remain vigilant and prioritise safety to prevent similar incidents in the future.

APGA threatens to suspend Soludo over anti-party

By
admin
-
0
APGA threatens to suspend Soludo over anti-party

The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Grand Alliance has declared its readiness to suspend the Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, along with others involved in anti-party activities.

Addressing the media at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Chairman, Chief Edozie Njoku, accused Soludo of obstructing every effort by the Supreme Court-recognised NWC to restore harmony within the party while continuing his anti-party conduct.

Njoku further announced that on Thursday, 26th September 2024, the NWC will release the names of party members, including Soludo, who will be suspended for their involvement in anti-party activities.

On the off-cycle governorship election in the state, he emphasised that the party has not endorsed a sole candidate for the race, expressing skepticism regarding Soludo’s chances of securing the party’s nomination through the primaries.

He stated that anyone aspiring to become the governor of the state must participate in the primary process, which he assured would be fair and transparent.

He explained, “Just recently, about a week or two ago, we left the Court of Appeal, where an application was made to prevent my recognition by INEC, despite the Supreme Court’s clear ruling that my removal as National Chairman of APGA was unjustifiable.

“If you remember, just about a week ago or two weeks ago, we just left the Court of Appeal where a stay was applied at the Court of Appeal to stay me being recognized by INEC despite the fact that the Supreme Court said in their own words that the removal of Chief Edozie Njoku as national chairman of APGA is not justiceable.

“They went to Awka and filed the suit, suddenly the the judge in Awka was very smart, and he pulled out of it. They came to the Federal High Court again. They filed another one behind our back, they were applying for an interim injunction behind the back of the national chairman of the party, behind the back of APGA, and behind the back of the orders of the Court of Appeal, which asked that they should enforce the judgment as pay or affirm the enforcement of the judgment, as per the Buhari High Cour.

“They went forward behind the back of APGA and INEC were very smart. INEC has written that everything they said is not true. The local government elections are going to take place in Anambra on the 28th but what we should understand about this is that Charles Soludo, the governor, I don’t know, he should know that it’s a political system he’s not an emperor.”

He added, “He has gone forward to get the House of Assembly to adopt, to make a law whereby the party cannot field their candidates. They went to the field and conducted something behind the back of the party, where they assembled certain people who were conducting anti-party activities.

“If you notice, the whole NWC are here, and a group of people are being suspended from the party. As you know, I’ve been preaching peace, peace peace peace peace because it’s not in the interest of the party for us to start suspending elected officers, to start suspending a governor, to start suspending House of Assembly members, to start suspending the senator from Abia.

“They are pushing us far to the limit, and they are believing that the governor of Anambra State is bigger than the party. No one is bigger than the party, and so maybe they are playing on that I want peace, that I will not change, even the beauty. You will remember what the chairman of the bot said, that we the NWC, must take action so that we don’t look like toothless Bulldogs.

“This is a political party, and APGA is here to stay. We have 80% agreed on those people who are going to be suspended from the party. One of those people is the governor. And I’m saying, are we going to just suspend the only Governor we have? But if the only Governor we have is pretending or playing to the gallery, making these people who are honest people go in and commit anti-party activities. We must nip this in the board. I don’t know what Soludo is playing at. I don’t know what his problem is, but he must conform himself under the party.”

Police arrest man over Ogun teenager’s death during football match

By
admin
-
0
Police hunt kidnappers of Ekiti varsity's ex-DVC

The Ogun State Police Command has apprehended one Alex Eziochukwu for allegedly murdering a 16-year-old Jamilu Lasisi in the Ibegba area of the Sagamu Local Government Area of the state.

According to Online learnt on Wednesday that the suspect, Eziochukwu, was arrested following a tip-off received from an informant at about 4am on Wednesday.

The state command’s spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed Eziochukwu’s arrest, said there was an argument between him and the deceased leading to a confrontation on Tuesday.

While the fight was ongoing, our correspondent learnt that the victim fell on the football pitch before he was declared dead after he was rushed down to the hospital for medical attention.

After the death of the teenager was confirmed by a doctor, the suspect was said to have absconded, leading the police to launch a manhunt, which subsequently led to his arrest on Wednesday morning.

Odutola said, “A phone call was received from one Tobi Olarewaju that his nephew, Jamiu Lasisi, 16 years old, of the same address, was playing football in the area alongside others.

“In the process, an argument ensued between him and one of the footballers; he fell down unconscious, and he was rushed to Owokoniran Hospital, GRA Sagamu, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor on duty.

“Following the report on Tuesday, a team of detectives was led to the scene, searching every nook and cranny of the area with a view to arresting the suspect, but all to no avail.”

She added that the evacuation of the corpse from the hospital to the mortuary was underway.

NEMA confirms one dead, two missing in Ibadan flood

By
admin
-
0
NEMA confirms one dead, two missing in Ibadan flood

The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed the death of one and two missing persons in a Tuesday evening flood incident around the Joyce-B/Mobil area of Ibadan.

The NEMA South-West Coordinator, Kadir Olanrewaju, disclosed this to newsmen in Ibadan on Wednesday while assessing the level of damage at the scene.

NAN reports that a heavy downpour on Tuesday across some areas within the Ibadan metropolis affected some residential areas, leaving inestimable property destroyed.

Olanrewaju attributed the flooding to improper channelisation of drainage in the area, saying the volume of water in the area was too much for the available drainages.

He said the flood reached the gate level, adding that the area was a flash flood plane, which might result in heavy disaster if not addressed at the right time.

“People need to move away from this place because if we have another rain, the flood will be devastating; you can see that the lower parts of most of the buildings and the fences are weak,” he said.

One of the residents of the area, Mr Solomon Agboro, said the flood covered the ground floor of his building, forcing his family members to run upstairs for safety.

Agboro, who said the flood destroyed all the property on the ground floor, called on the government to come to their aid in creating proper channelisation in the area.

Another resident, Oni Bishola, said she had been living in the area for the last four years and had been experiencing flooding every year.

Bishola, however, said that Tuesday’s flooding was the heaviest in the area since she moved in.

She added that most household items like gas cookers, televisions, compressors, machines and mattresses, among others, were destroyed.

She called on the management of the Ibadan South-West Local Government and Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State to come to their aid in providing a proper water channelisation.

NAN also observed that the fence of a building under construction beside Calvary Heritage School, Felele area of Ibadan, was brought down due to the flooding.

At the Idi-Odo junction, the front of FCMB was flooded due to a lack of proper drainages, thus disrupting the free flow of vehicles.

Some roads in the adjoining streets at Ring Road area were also badly affected due to the heavy downpour.

NAN

Adamawa APC, PDP bicker over Edo poll result

By
admin
-
0
'Edo people have spoken,' Reps congratulate Okpebholo, Idahosa

The All Progressive Congress in Adamawa State has said that the victory of the party’s governorship candidate in Edo State is a confirmation that President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election is a sealed political deal.

The Adamawa APC Chairman, Idris Shuaibu, who spoke to The According in an exclusive telephone interview on Tuesday, said the Edo election was a confirmation that the President is on the right track.

The chairman said that the President’s programmes are the selling points that made Nigerians come out and vote for the party in Edo state.

“The President’s human development policies like student loans, local governments autonomy, creation of livestock ministry and others are pointers that at last the country is moving to the speed lane of development, ” he said.

Shuaibu who described the Edo governorship poll held on September 21 as the most free and fair election conducted in recent times by the Independent National Electoral Commission, noted that Nigeria’s democracy will thrive under Tinubu’s policies.

“We are happy with the manner the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, organised the security agencies in Edo during the poll, this means the president has assembled the best hands in his cabinet, ” he stated.

Shuaibu disclosed that the Ondo State governorship election will be a walkover for APC, pointing out that Adamawa state will be captured by his party in 2027.

“It is very clear to PDP that Adamawa State will automatically return to APC the president has shown Nigerians the road to development, so we are going to recover our stolen mandate in the state,” he said.

In a swift reaction, the Adamawa Peoples Democratic Party described the Edo governorship poll as a daylight political robbery.

The Adamawa PDP Chairman, Abubakar Shehu, said that his party’s candidate won the highest legitimate votes cast during the Saturday governorship election.

While speaking at the press conference on Tuesday in Yola, Shehu said that in the desperation of APC to win the Edo governorship poll, the party violently manipulated the election to subvert the wishes of the Edo people.

“The daylight political robbery by the All Progressive Congress in Edo state cannot be achieved without the active connivance of INEC and some security personnel. This is rather shameful and a threat to our nascent democracy, ” he said.

Shehu added, “This act of brigands will further deepen voter apathy, thereby making nonsense of our democratic process.”

APC slams Peter Obi, calls him serial complainer

By
admin
-
0
Jos school building collapse disheartening, Obi mourns

The All Progressives Congress has labelled the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as a habitual complainer.

The APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said Obi consistently refuses to accept the outcome of any election that does not favour him or his candidates.

This came following Obi’s remark about the Edo State governorship election result which declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, as the winner of the election.

Morka stated this during an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday.

He also emphasised that Obi’s views on the election hold no significance.

“Peter Obi is a serial complainer who will not accept the result of any election that is not in his favour or candidates that he supports.

“Since the 2023 election, Obi has been in consistent denial of that election. He has a new pet project which is to deny the Edo State election. Whatever he thinks of the Edo election is completely irrelevant.

“I think Akpata and Ighodalo have a legitimate interest in that election and if they are not satisfied, they should do what they must do which is to head to court and prove the allegations that they are handling around now. They are spreading unsubstantiated allegations.

“I have not listened to any of them finishing any evidence of the high-sounding allegations that they make. When you get to court, it’s not about the headlines; you must break it down to realistic evidence to support your argument of winning the elections,” he stated.

After the Edo election results were announced, Peter Obi criticized the process, calling it a “blatant example of state capture” that undermines Nigeria’s democratic principles.

He cautioned that such flawed methods of leadership selection could have serious consequences for the country, urging the authorities to take action to address the issue.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from According.

Contact: [email protected]

Lagos man jailed eight years for child molestation

By
admin
-
0
Lagos man jailed eight years for child molestation

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a man, David Charles, to eight years imprisonment for assault and indecent treatment of a 10-year-old girl.

Justice Rahman Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.

In a charge marked ID/6934C/2018, Charles was initially arraigned on July 28, 2021, over an allegation of defilement and indecent treatment of a child, and he pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution said Charles, sometime in April 2017, at No. 16 Aina Street, Shogunle, Oshodi, Lagos, indecently treated a 10-year-old girl by touching her lap with his penis and exposing her to pornography.

According to the prosecution, the offences committed contravened Sections 135, 170 and punishable under Section 172 of the Criminal Law Lagos State, 2015.

During the trial, the prosecution called witnesses while the defendant testified for himself and later opted for a plea bargain.

He was, therefore, re-arraigned on amended two counts bordering on indecent treatment of a child and assault.

He pleaded guilty to the two counts and the court held his plea.

However, while delivering judgment, Justice Oshodi held that the court had carefully considered the facts of the case, the plea bargain agreement, and the provisions of the law.

The court, therefore, sentenced him to seven years imprisonment on count one and one year imprisonment on count two.

The court held that the sentences shall run consecutively by the plea bargain agreement between both parties.

Therefore, the total term of imprisonment shall be eight years.

“This sentence shall commence from the day he was remanded, October 10, 2017. This takes into account the time he has already spent in custody.

“In light of the nature of the offence in count one and by the relevant provisions of Section 32 of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021, this court orders that you, David Charles, be registered as a sex offender.

“Mr Charles, the sentences imposed today reflect the gravity of your offences, particularly the exploitation of a vulnerable child.

“The consecutive nature of the sentences underscores the severe and distinct nature of each offence.

“I hope that during your period of incarceration, you will reflect deeply on your actions and their impact on the victim and society at large. They also trust that you will take advantage of any rehabilitation programme,” he said.

1...439440441...2,854Page 440 of 2,854

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

©