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.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has assured candidates seeking to participate in its ongoing recruitment exercise that concerted efforts are being made to resolve challenges they are facing on the application portal with a view to make the process seamless any moment from now.
Barely hours after the online application portal was opened on Sunday 12th March, it began to experience glitches due to the heavy traffic of over 200,000 applicants trying to access the system. To resolve this, the Agency upgraded the infrastructure on Tuesday 14th March to accommodate the large volume of applicants after over 53,170 applicants had successfully logged into the portal.
At the moment, the system is synchronizing the data at the back-end of the infrastructure in order to adjust to the server upgrade. The Agency’s management therefore wishes to apologise to the applicants for the hitches being experienced and urge them to exercise patience while the system completes synchronisation to serve them better.
As crisis erupted in some secondary schools in Ibadan where some students engaged in violent clashes that led to the destruction of some properties and infliction of injuries on innocent citizens. the Oyo State Government has announced the closure of the affected six secondary schools.
The Commissioner for Education, Barr Rahman AbduRaheem announced the decision of the government to close down the schools for academic activities to prevent loss of life and property.
According to the Commissioner, the affected schools located in Molete and Kudeti areas, they are; Anglican Grammar School, Ibadan Grammar School, Olubi Memorial Grammar School, St Luke’s Grammar School, St Luke’s College and St David Grammar School.
Barr AbduRaheem said the decision was taken to arrest the violent clashes among students of the affected schools which have witnessed destruction of properties, injuries to residents and innocent commuters.
The Commissioner said the affected schools will remain closed until 21st March, 2023 when appropriate measures will have been put in place to prevent reoccurrence of violent clashes.
As candidates and political parties prepare for the last days before Saturday’s governorship and house of assembly elections, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state has said game no longer two horse race as speculated boasting that its guber candidate, governor Seyi Makinde would convincingly clear the votes of nothing less than 29 Local governments landslide.
The Publicity Secretary of PDP in Oyo state, Akeem Olatunji disclosed this in a press statement on Wednesday morning in Ibadan urging the Senator Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to brace up and not delay to congratulate governor Makinde upon his declaration as the winner and governor-elect.
Olatunji premised this disclosure on the trust and confidence reposed in Makinde by other stronger and more popular governorship candidates of other political parties who who have adopted and endorsed the incumbent governor for his second term bid.
The party’s Spokesman maintained that it was already game over for any opposition still racing against Makinde because it was evidently clear that the people of Oyo state are resolved to sustain the accelerated development agenda of Omituntun 2.0 under the leadership of governor Makinde.
The ruling party commended the conscious political awakening of the people against false propaganda by architects and masters of lies as reputable by APC in the state stressing that such awakening has redefined the state’s political landscape with ‘chills’ sent down the spines of politicians who thought they could just fabricate barefaced lies to win elections.
While appealing to the people of Oyo state not to allow doomsday politicians and their agents to create palpable fear and apprehension that may culminate in voter apathy on Saturday, the ruling PDP urged the people of Oyo state to boldly come out enmass and reelect their brother, father, and friend; governor Seyi Makinde for another term in other for him to complete the excellent job he is doing.
According to Olatunji, every single vote for the APC and Teslim Oloye Teslim Kolawole Folarin would be a vote to return Oyo state back to the dark era of excuses for failure in governance, delayed salaries for workers, pensioners and retirees, unspeakable hardship on traders and artisans whose commercial activities have recorded steady and consistent boom since 2019 till date.
He added that Makinde has shown the needed political will, capacity and integrity by achieving unprecedented success where APC failed woefully and told brazen lies and excuses for their failure one of which was the sole ownership of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), which the APC in the state saw nothing good in.
He added that while other illustrious sons and notable individuals, such as Chief Niyi Akintola SAN, Dr Azeez Adeduntan , Barrister Michael Lana and others commended Makinde for his giant stride in the state educational sector, Folarin and his APC has faulted same describing Oyo’s sole ownership as misplaced priority.
Olatunji stated that Folarin could not also hide his lack of economic foresight by criticizing new bus terminals built across the state for ease of transportation and security of passengers as applicable in other smart cities of the world when he in similar vein again, described the bus terminals as misplaced priority and would rather shut them down to think of what other use to deploy them for.
Olatunji maintained that Folarin from his disposition to governance and approach to public office remains the greatest political risk presenting itself before the people of Oyo state urging electorates to become wary of Folarin’s endless lies and deceptions as he (Folarin) practically epitomizes A-All P-Promises C-Cancelled (APC) stressing that Makinde remains the only tested and trusted hands at this material period of election.
“As we approach the last days of this electioneering period, we believe there was need to remind our people of the options before them as we go into Saturday’s election. One is that of sustainable accelerated development agenda which governor Seyi Makinde represents and the return of Oyo state back to our dark era where civil servants are owed their rightful salaries at the end of the month, non payment of pensions and gratuities to pensioners and retirees, retrogressive economy and more that characterized 2011–2019 which Folarin represents.
“It is a choice between marching forward to the modern Oyo state of our dreams under the leadership of Governor Makinde or return back to the dark days of avoidable deaths of pensioners and anguish of civil servants at both state and local government levels.
“We therefore, appeal to our people to think of their children, think of the kind of society you want them to grow in, think about the abundant life that awaits them if Governor Seyi Makinde is allowed to finish the accelerated development agenda for a modern Oyo state which he already started, think about qualitative education at all levels under a conducive learning environment for your children, choose right without any ill-conceived sentiments, choose Makinde and vote PDP on Saturday.
“Makinde is known and reputable as a promise keeper, he has done it before, he will do it again because he has been tested and trustedà therefore, let us come together as a people on Saturday to vote for marching forward and say no to Folarin and his APC as they have shown in their entire campaign that they have absolutely nothing to offer other than to return to the Agodi Government House as government to loot the State treasury.” Olatunji said.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, ordered the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police to pay the sum of 5 Million Naira as compensation to Adedotun Clement, the Uber driver who was publicly attacked, assaulted and humiliated by officials of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency and the Nigeria Police Force during the first anniversary of EndSARS in 2021.
During the first anniversary of the EndSARS protest on 20th October, 2021, Mr Clement was carrying a passenger from the Island to the Mainland part of Lagos, when he encountered the protest at the Lekki Toll Gate which was disrupted by officials of Lagos State and the police.
Following the pandemonium that ensued after policemen and the officers of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency fired tear-gas canisters to disperse the peaceful protesters and arrested many protesters, Mr Clement temporarily abandoned his car like other motorists and ran for his life.
However, when he returned to pick his car, he was accosted, dragged, tortured and manhandled by the officers who refused to heed his entreaties that he was a Uber driver and only wanted to retrieve his car.
The assault was captured on video and reported by media houses.
In their attempt to forcefully put him inside the vehicle of the Lagos State Taskforce otherwise called Black Maria, the officials of the Lagos State Government amin connivance with the police officers also used pepper-spray on Mr Clement who cried for help.
Following public condemnation that trailed the viral incident, Lagos-based human rights lawyer and activist, Mr Inibehe Effiong, took up the case and sued the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, Attorney General of Lagos and the Nigeria Police.
Delivering judgment in the fundamental rights case with Suit Number: FHC/CS/1862/2021, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice A. L. Allagoa, found that the treatment meted on the applicant amounted to a violation of his right to dignity and awarded the sum of N5 million as damages.
The Court condemned the torture of Mr Clement by officials of the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force.
The applicant’s counsel, Mr Effiong, in his reaction to the judgment, expressed appreciation to the court for upholding the rights of his client.
Effiong also called on the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babjide Sanwoolu, to comply with the judgment and pay the compensation in line with his public declaration that he has compensated victims connected with the EndSARS, and to reassure Lagosians that he believes in human rights.
The Osun People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has said it has found it spurious and fallacious, the allegation of 90bn allocation to the state in the past three months leveled against the administration of the People’s Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke by the Osun Apc.
The PDP in a statement by the Acting Chairman of the party in the state, Dr Akindele Adekunle described the spurious and unfounded allegation by the defeated opposition party as a last strawl gimmicks to get back into the news due to how well they’ve been rejected by the good people of Osun State.
Dr Akindele said, the Osun Apc has been bewildered, bemused and astonished by the impressive level Governor Ademola Adeleke and PDP has delivered on its promises and asuch they wish to know the mystery behind the success story so far.
“We found it laughable again that those who ought to go and hide their face in shame on how they’ve mismanaged the resources of Osun and the level of maladministration they carried out in the state are standing in front of camera to try to serve as a moral compass for a government that has continually make good his promises to the people of Osun State
“Their recent allegation that the administration of PDP should answer for an imaginary 90bn allocation is unfounded and fallacious.
“If they wish to know how well we’ve been delivering on our promises to the people of Osun State, we’re happy to tell them that it is due to the fact that Gov Ademola Adeleke has blocked all leakages the good for nothing party(APC) has been using to siphon Osun wealth in the past and also, there is no more usage of bullion van to carry Osun wealth to Bourdillion like it was the practice during their time in government”
“Our achievement in government as a party within 100days in office has dwarfed the snail speed Osun suffered in the last administration and this is what they’re not happy about.
“Notwithstanding all this, Osun people can do proper comparative analysis and affirmed which govt or party is best for them. With Governor Ademola Adeleke at the helms of affairs of the state, Osun is out of the wilderness and will never go back to Egypt.
“Come March 18th for the forthcoming state Assembly election in Osun, this wounded party will be roundly defeated again and Osun citizens will be finally free from the claws of hyenas and jackals who have been feeding fat and getting breast feeded from the common purse of Osun wealth and are hellbent on not leaving without a fight.
“As a party, we’re poised for victory and God and the good people of Osun are with us. Victory is assured.”
As the whole world waits patiently for the conduct of the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections this Saturday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo state has told voters across the 33 Local Government Councils in the state to disregard the threat of violence allegedly coming from the ruling People’s Democratic party (PDP) and ensure that they come out to exercise their voting rights without any fear of attacks or molestation.
Media reports have placed Oyo among the few volatile states where cases of violence and brigandage were expected to mar the conduct of the election while there have been exchange of brickbats among leaders and members of the PDP, APC, Accord and NNPP as they accuse one another of stoking violence ahead of the poll this weekend.
Oyo APC, in a statement issued on Tuesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, said it had uncovered a fresh plan by the ruling PDP “to sponsor some notorious miscreants on a mission to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election in some parts of Ibadan and other major cities having got the clear signal that their candidates, especially Gov. Makinde, cannot survive defeat this time.
“To lend credence to this fresh alarm, Mukaila Lamidi a.k.a Auxiliary, who leads the Oyo PDP militant wing, and his gang members have increased the spate of their riot act to the people of Egbeda, Lagelu, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North, Ona-Ara, Oluyole and other local government councils within and outside Ibadan in the last few weeks and their message has always been that people should either come out to vote the PDP or stay indoor to avoid dire consequences of voting candidates of other political parties.
“As a matter of fact, we have a documented evidence of a secret meeting held at a private facility in Ibadan few days ago where two political appointees currently serving under Gov. Makinde and a leader of the PDP in Ibadan North West local government council handed a script to five ring leaders of a violent gang based in Nalende-Oniyanrin area of Ibadan metropolis. Among those contracted to unleash terror on voters in that axis on Saturday are; Kamo (surname withheld), Oloyo and ‘Saudi’. In Ibadan South East, one Rotimi (a chieftain of the Park Management System) is to coordinate the violent gang which has Fiyin and Apase as members.
“It is also necessary to intimate the general public that collective vigilance would be required at all the polling stations on Saturday so as to disorganize all the disgruntled elements who have been mobilized and equipped to instigate violence where rigging in favour of the PDP is made difficult or impossible. For instance, PDP’s polling agents have been asked to invite their assigned thugs wherever they observe the result would not be in their favour even before sorting of ballot papers while some have been prepared to stuff ballot boxes and trigger a case of over-voting where necessary.
“With all this and many exclusive information available to us, we are urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure strict adherence to the full usage of the BVAS and also avoid conniving with unscrupulous political player to compromise the exercise. More importantly, we are appealing to all security agents as well as polling agents representing other political parties (apart from the PDP) to be alive to their duty on the day of election and ensure that the process is not compromised or sabotaged.” Sadare stated.
The Muslim Rights Concern has expressed satisfaction and appreciation to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for removing his name from the signboard.
Recall that the Islamic group, on Saturday, criticized the governor for naming the mosque that he demolished and rebuilt after him.
The governor reportedly gave orders for the removal on Sunday, following Saturday’s protest.
MURIC on Monday commended Makinde in a statement by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
He said: “reports reaching MURIC’s Lagos headquarters say Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has removed his name from the signboard of Adogba Central Mosque, Iwo Road, Ibadan.
“Recall that Adogba Central Mosque was demolished by the Makinde administration in 2020, despite our protestations. The governor promised to rebuild it, and it was recently rebuilt. But the governor renamed the mosque after himself, and MURIC asked him to remove his name.
“We advised him to delete his name and leave the mosque’s original name there before the fast-approaching gubernatorial election of Saturday, March 18, 2023, in order to avoid protest votes from Muslims in the state.
“The state branch of MURIC has confirmed that the governor’s name has been removed from the inscription on the mosque, which now reads ‘Adogba Central Mosque’. This was done yesterday, March 12th, 2023.”
“We appreciate Governor Seyi Makinde for complying with MURIC’s advice. MURIC may be radical, but it is rational. We affirm that we are not confrontational or militant. Neither of us are unnecessarily difficult to relate to once the relationship is based on mutual respect and no attempt is made to trample on the Allah-given fundamental rights of Muslims.
“We believe that the adherents of different religions can peacefully coexist in this country and work together towards making Nigeria great.”
“May Allah continue to protect and bless Governor Seyi Makinde. We are satisfied with the removal of his name from the mosque. No more bitter feelings, no more distrust. MURIC will continue to pursue cordial relations with both government and private institutions in Nigeria as long as they continue to give Muslims their rights and dues and as long as they allow their actions to be guided by the principles of equity, fairness, and justice,” Akintola said.
A former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose has advised the president-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to use his position to unite all Yoruba politicians and stakeholders irrespective of their affiliations and run an all-inclusive government that will accommodate the opposition.
Fayose gave the advice during an interview programme called Situation Room, on Ibadan-based Fresh FM 105.9 on Monday, as he noted that Tinubu, who has longed to be President should have a good idea to govern the country based on current challenges.
He, however, pointed out that the former Lagos state governor should run his administration as a father of all, but also set a template that would guarantee the togetherness of Yoruba people, regardless of their differences, which be a catalyst for the development of the Yoruba land.
Fayose said, “One thing I would like to say to Asiwaju, and this one is personal to me as a Yoruba man, is that the Yoruba nation needs to be re-ordered.
“Tinubu should not be the president of APC in the South-West. He should be the president and father of the Yoruba nation and bring us all together.
“After the demise of most of these leaders, things will go bad [in Yorubaland]. One of the legacies Asiwaju should leave is to rally the Yoruba people and bring us together, draw everybody together.
“When he is making appointments and he wants it only for APC members, he will fail. He should invite members of the opposition and draw everybody close and listen to us on how the Yoruba nation can come together.
Fayose also noted that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress has a great task of ending agitations among major ethnic groups in Nigeria, and pacifying all aggrieved groups for the peace and unity of the country.
”The Yoruba nation has lost it. We are badly balkanised and divided. Because Asiwaju is a Yoruba man, he must bring the Yoruba people together. We are angry and that is why you see the agitation for the Yoruba nation.
“But they have given us a Yoruba president now. He has a lot to do. Oduduwa Republic cannot happen. Arewa Republic cannot happen and Igbo or Biafra Republic cannot happen. It is a sheer waste of time.
“We have gone far in the day to call for division. How do we share our debt? How do we share those things? So, let’s stop deceiving ourselves and stop creating tension. Already, there is tension in the East, North, South and West,” Fayose said.
“Asiwaju, God will help you. Thank God you were elected as president.
“So, remember that if you don’t put the Yoruba nation together, history will not be kind to you. This Yoruba nation must be united going forward under your leadership. Put us together. Get us busy in Yorubaland. Don’t be president of APC, if you do that, your case will be worse than that of Olusegun Obasanjo,” Fayose added.
