The recently held gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Oke-Ogun have generated criticisms from some residents decrying the failure of the Biometric Verification Accreditation System BVAS to upload polling unit results.
ODUDUWA NEWS in its findings across Oke-Ogun ascertained that some of the electoral officers are lamenting inability of the server to work properly for the results to be uploaded.
As at the time of filing this report, some wards In Iseyin Local Government are finding it difficult to get the results uploaded to the server.
The same thing occurred in Iwajowa, Oorelope Local Government areas as some of the results could not be uploaded.
Meanwhile, some of the residents have besieged the Registration Area Centres we visited demanding that the BVAS must upload the results.
Some of the residents who spoke under the condition of anonymity decried the poor server of the INEC which many attributed to the failure of the INEC Chairman.
Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has cast his vote at his polling unit at PO 045 in Anifowoshe, Ikeja, Lagos.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, one of the frontline candidates, is challenging the incumbent governor and All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate,, Babajide Sanwo-Olu who is seeking second term in office.
The election is going be a tight race between Sanwo-Olu, Rhodes-Vivour and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has commissioned an ultra modern 60-bed hospital wards at the General Hospital, Kishi, Irepo Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The health facility constructed and fully equipped by the Nigerian Army, contains female and male wards, Children ward, Labour Room, Doctors’ offices, Nurse station, as well as a reception.
The COAS described the project as one of his special Intervention Civil Military Cooperation projects aimed at winning the hearts and minds of Nigerians by complementing existing infrastructures.
The Association of Deaf In Oke-Ogun has endorsed Honourable representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju State Constituency at the State Assembly, Hon. Dele Adeola and the incumbent Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde for second term.
The deaf under the aegis of people with disabilities assembled at Iseyin City Hall yesterday where they agreed unanimously to re-elect Gov Seyi Makinde and Dele Adeola for second term.
The leader of the association in Oke-Ogun, Mustapha Kolawole said they had hinged their decision on the fact that Dele Adeola’s outstanding performance at the State House Assembly has attested to the fact that if given chance for second term he would do more.
They however requested from the state government to prioritize deaf people while delivering dividends of democracy to the people with disabilities.
They demanded that Honourable Dele Adeola should work in hands with executive governor to ensure that Iseyin has special primary and secondary schools that would cater for the education yearning of their children.
Kolawole also charged the state government to ensure that some of their members are given political positions in order to ensure inclusivity In governance.
In his remark, Hon. Dele Adeola vows to continue representing all constituents well at the State Assembly irrespective of their differences.
He highlighted some of his achievements which included using instrument of legislative arm to facilitate the establishment of LAUTECH Iseyin campus, construction of Iseyin-Ogbomoso road, Iseyin-Oyo road, embarking on surgery and distribution of medical supplies to constituents, empowerment, schorlaship to youths, rehabilitation and supply of relief materials to both Iseyin and Ado-Awaye General hospitals, construction of maternity hospital in Itesiwaju, football competition among youths, quiz and debate competition for students, drilling of several boreholes, construction of Aso-Ofi Centre, facilitation of employment opportunities, donations to several associations for developmental projects, among several others.
He used the occasion to enlighten the leaders of deaf association in Oke-Ogun to ensure they sensitize their members and troop out tomorrow to ensure that all candidates of PDP are all elected.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Teslim Folarin, Thursday, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in Ibadan, the state capital.
Folarin’s special adviser on media and publicity, Yekeen Olaniyi, who disclosed this to newsmen in Ibadan, said a group of masked gunmen invaded his principal’s ancestral home at Oja’gbo area in the Ibadan North-East Local Government area of the state around 8 pm in search of Folarin who had a scheduled meeting with his family members.
Olaniyi said, “Oga escaped an assassination attempt on his life this evening. He had a scheduled meeting with his family members at Oja’gbo. As you are aware, he is the one representing his family at the Olubadan line as Asaju Olubadan. So, he was supposed to hold the meeting between 6:30 and 7pm but because he was on air at a radio station, he couldn’t meet up at that time.
“He didn’t leave the radio station until around 8:40 pm. So, the gunmen invaded the area around 8pm thinking that he was there and started shooting sporadically and wounded many people.”
Olaniyi, therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, through the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, and other security agencies to beef up security around his boss.
Oba of Lagos, Riliwan Akiolu, has assured that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will win his re-election bid on Saturday.
Oba Akiolu spoke when the Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) , visited the Iga-Iduganran palace to make his intention known.
While Akiolu hailed Rhodes-Vivour for his courage and persistence, he however insisted that Sanwo-Olu would be victorious in Saturday’s poll.
He said: “I declared my support for Sanwo-Olu because I believe in him and the Lord has said it is Sanwo-Olu who will win.
“For you Gbadebo, the future is open to us. God will not kill you, there is nothing wrong in you contesting. All of those contesting are my children.
Lagos State Government has commenced the reconstruction of Akere Motor Parts Market in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area which was affected by an unfortunate fire incident recently.
Speaking, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Lagos takes care of its own, and thereby donated N100 million to the affected traders to ease their pains.
“As we move towards the election this Saturday, we must not allow bigotry be what will divide us.
“We must watch our utterances and ensure that we are not divisive. It is about the ordinary, everyday people. You own the mandate and it is about you,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, has declared a half day for workers in the employment of the state on Friday, March 17, 2023. This is to enable civil and public servants in the state, who may wish to travel to vote in the Saturday, March 18 Governorship and House of Assembly election, to do so.
The announcement was made via a circular signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubanwo Adeosun.
“Oyo State Governor, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, in his commitment to ensuring participation of Public and Civil Servants in the state in the upcoming Governorship and House of Assembly election, has graciously approved the declaration of half day at work on Friday, 17th March, 2023”, the circular read in part.
“Flowing from the above, Government offices are to close by 12 noon, on Friday, 17th March, 2023, while staff covering essential services are expected to remain at their duty posts.
“Public and Civil Servants in the state are enjoined to go out on Saturday, 18th March, 2023, to perform their civic responsibilities.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has started the distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials across states ahead of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday.
In Lagos, INEC on Wednesday began the distribution across the 20 local government areas from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The election will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections.
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the All Progressives Congress candidate is eligible to run for re-election.
ODUDUWA NEWS had earlier reported that IINEC concluded the re-configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.
An official of the commission had disclosed that the machines, being among the sensitive election materials, would be deployed to INEC state offices before deployment to local governments, wards and polling units (PUs) on election day.
This platform had on Monday reported that INEC revealed that over 170,000 polling unit results from the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25 had been uploaded to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
The electoral body had added that the reconfiguration of BVAS would be completed by Tuesday in time for the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.
However, INEC had stated that no political party would be permitted to examine the BVAS’s brain or voter biometrics.
Meanwhile, it was also learnt that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is leading the airlift of the BVAS machines for the security and smoothness of the operation.
“The early deployment from Wednesday to the states was to ensure that there are no lapses or delays in their deployment. They would be moved to safe locations in states and to the LGAs, wards and polling units,” the official said.
INEC had shifted the governorship and state assembly election by one week due to a delay in commencing the re-configuration of the BVAS machines after a court ruling on the matter.
Oyo North Senatorial candidate of Accord Party in Oyo State Hon. Shina Peller and the National Body of Federation of Iseyin Local Government Students FILGS have today endorsed Governor Seyi Makinde‘s re-election bid.
Few days to the gubernatorial and state assembly election, there have been series of endorsements by various groups and political gladiators garnering support for their annointed candidates.
Honourable Shina Peller who made official declaration today had been said to have pitched his tent with Makinde’s camp after he lost his senatorial bid.
Peller won the HoR seat for Iseyin/Kajola/Iwajowa/Itesiwaju Federal Constituency in 2019 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He later defected to Accord where he got the Oyo North Senatorial ticket in the February 25th presidential and National Assembly elections.
He lost the seat to the incumbent, Senator Fatai Buhari who got the third term victory at the Upper chamber of the National Assembly.
The ceremony took place at Ode-Oba, Iseyin in a carnival like campaign event attended by Governor Seyi Makinde and other leaders of the umbrella party.
Peller, who was at the event with thousands of his supporters, urged residents to vote for Makinde for continuity of good governance.
The endorsement may be a big blow for the camp of the Accord governorship candidate, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu in the coming election.
Peller said he decided to join Makinde’s re-election bid because of his antecedent and performances in the last four years.
In his words, the president of the Federation of Iseyin Local Government Students FILGS, Andrew ADISA said the entire youths and students of Iseyin have unanimously agreed to work for the re-election of Gov. Seyi Makinde due to his monumental achievements in Oke-Ogun.
“To bring to record, no past administration has done half of what Governor Seyi Makinde has done in the region of the state. His immense achievements include: Constructions of Oyo-iseyin road, Iseyin-ogbomoso road, completion of Iseyin-ibadan road, LAUTECH Iseyin Campus among others. Why shouldn’t we support him?
“Therefore, come Saturday March 18th, 2023, all students in Iseyin are voting and canvassing Governor Seyi Makinde as the Governor of Oyo State. We want GSM to finish what he has started in Iseyin and its environment and also bring many more”, said FILGS President.
Makinde while making his remark promised to continue his developmental strides in every zone of the state.
Governor Makinde also used the occasion to inspect the ongoing projects at Iseyin campus of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) where he assured the people that the project will not be abandoned.
