Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

FOLLOWING the collation of results from the 21 local government areas of Kogi State, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Ododo, has won in 13 local government areas of the state. According to the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the collation center in Lokoja, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alhaji Murtala Ajaka got 7 local government areas while Hon. Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) won one local government area. Ododo who is also leading in the vote count polled 446,237 votes while Ajaka secured 259,052 votes…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says fresh polls will be conducted in 59 polling units in the Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of the state. According to the electoral umpire, the fresh election will be held next Saturday, November 18, 2023. INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, announced this in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Sunday night. Already, election results from 18 of the 21 local government areas in Kogi State have been collated as of Sunday evening. So far, results from Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, Ijumu, Kabba/Bunu, Kogi, Mopa-Muro, Olamaboro, Ofu, Okehi, Omala, Ogori/Magongo,…

THE candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the November 11, 2023 governorship election, Dino Melaye, lost his local government to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Melaye, who is from the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, polled 6,909 votes in the local government while Usman Ododo of the APC scored 10,524 votes. Collation of results from local governments in the state is still ongoing as of the time of filing this report. In Kogi, where INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, was present, results from 21 local government areas are being collated. They are Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ankpa, Bassa,…

THE governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in Kogi State, Olayinka Braimoh has revealed why he was detained by the police through out the voting period on Saturday. Braimoh was detained alongside his security and personal aides, saying he was arrested because some leftover ballot paper samples, used for voter education, were found in the trunk of one of his vehicles He said, “I have been kept in custody for almost the whole day today. I was coming in from Lokoja early hours of today and we got stuck in the traffic at Kabba junction after Obajana.” “There were several…

THERE is heavy presence of security operatives at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. The electoral body conducted governorship election in the North-Central state on November 11, 2023. Similar poll was also held on Saturday in Imo and Bayelsa states. Already, the exercise has been concluded in Imo with the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) declared the winner of the election. In Kogi, however, INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, was physically present at the state headquarters of the commission in Lokoja on Sunday morning. The…

THE governorship candidate of the Action Alliance in the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Kogi State, Olayinka Braimoh, has been arrested. His media aide, Musa Yakubu, who confirmed the arrest to journalists, said his principal was arrested by security operatives in Kabba. Musa revealed that the candidate and seven of his security details were nabbed after campaign materials were allegedly found in his car. This newspaper could not reach the state police command for comment as of the time of filing this report. Braimoh’s media aide had earlier raised the alarm over the AA candidate’s whereabouts. “The last time I heard…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended elections in nine wards of Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State. National Commissioner and Member, Voter Education and Information Committee, INEC, Kogi, Muhammad Kudu Haruna, made this known in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Saturday. READ STATEMENT BELOW:  The Commission has received reports from our officials in Kogi State on incidences of electoral malpractices, particularly the incident of result sheets completed before voting. Reports indicate that the incidents occurred in Adavi, Ajaokuta, Ogori/Magongo, Okehi and Okene Local Government Areas. The most serious incidents occurred in Ogori/Magongo, affecting nine…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has blamed some unseen forces for late arrival of officials and election materials in some polling units for Saturday’s Kogi governorship election. The state INEC Voter Education and Publicity Officer, Mr Haliru Sule, said this in an interview with journalists in Lokoja on Saturday. “As an election umpire, INEC made adequate preparations for this off circle governorship election, yet we still experienced some hitches here and there. “To us these hitches are deliberate sabotage by some unseen forces. “We didn’t expect the sudden dearth of vehicles that could transport our Adhoc staff and materials…

THUGS suspected to be SDP supporters have gunned down an APC chieftain, Umar Hassan, 35, at his Agala Ogane Polling Unit, Anyigba. Fear gripped voters at the Polling Unit as SDP thugs were on rampage, threatening to kill anyone who votes against the “Igala Agenda”. An eye witness who identified himself simply as Adamu, told newsmen how the SDP thugs invaded the Polling Unit with sophisticated weapons, threatening to kill anyone who “doesn’t vote for the SDP”. “It was like what we watch in horror movies as they invaded our Polling Unit with very dangerous weapons. Unfortunately, Hassan fell victim…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is investigating the fake results in circulation in Kogi State. A civil society organisation, YIAGA Africa, had raised the alarm over the discovery of election results from Polling Unit 004, Eni Ward of Ogori/Mangogo area of the state. The forged result was seen while voters were still in queue. In the results, a copy of which was attached to the post, the APC polled 200 votes; AA scored 1; while ADC, PDP and SDP got 2 votes each. In a tweet, the CSO wrote, “Dear @inecnigeria we received report of pre-filled results…

THREE unidentified black Land Cruisers have been intercepted by the military special forces on election duty in Kogi State. The military personnel intercepted the vehicles on Saturday morning at Itakpe Junction, en route to Okene area of the state. There is restriction of vehicular movement in the state from 12 midnight on Friday to 6pm Saturday as voters go to poll today to elect a new governor. The three vehicles and their occupants were suspected by the military and arrested.

OFFICIALS of the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed to various polling units across Lokoja are currently stranded at the Ajayi Crowther Memorial School. The officials were at the location to receive electoral materials for the conduct of the governorship elections in the state. Among them are corps members and other ad-hoc staff contracted by the commission for the conduct of the election. Though the officials have received the electoral materials, they are still stranded as no means of transportation to their various polling units was in sight. An official was heard informing others that the only way they could get…

CHAIRMAN of Lokoja Local Government Council, Hon. Muhammed Danasabe Muhammed, is dead. He was confirmed dead around 4.30am at a hospital in Lokoja, the state capital. Muhammed was rushed to the hospital after he slumped at his residence. He was said to have been active at series of political meetings in preparation for Saturday’s governorship election. A family source said he was rushed to Shifa Hospital, Lokoja, shortly after he collapsed in the house at the late hours of Thursday. “Doctors confirmed him clinically dead around 4.30am on Friday”, said a family member who craved for anonymity. The deceased was…

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has nullified the participation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its senatorial candidate in the February 25 National Assembly Election, Napoleon Bali, for Plateau South Senatorial District, on ground of refusal to carry out lawful order of court. Delivering judgement, a three-member panel led by Justice Elfreda Williams-Dawodu declared as unlawful and wasted votes cast for PDP in the election and declared the former Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, as the Senator for the Plateau South Senatorial District. Lalong, who stood for the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC),…

IN Nasarawa Eggon, tragedy struck as a boat carrying farmers from Ubbe District capsized while crossing a river in Hunki village, Awe LGA killing four farmers and others missing. The incident occurred on Monday night as the farmers were returning from their rice farm. The deceased individuals have been identified as Alkali Congo, Shedrack Dauda, Mashack Dauda, and Akolo Moses. Reports state that the bodies of the deceased have been taken to the village for proper identification by their families. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the incident to News Point Nigeria on Tuesday afternoon. Nansel confirmed…

TROOPS of the Nigerian Army have arrested a lawyer at Rimin Zayam village in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The legal practitioner identified as Abdullahi Abubakar was nabbed last Saturday in “connection to the killing of own Mobile Police personnel on 2 November 2023 at Kuba village in Bokkos LGA”. This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday via the Nigerian Army’s X handle. According to the tweet, the suspect equally admitted to being involved in kidnapping activities and other sundry crimes with other gang members. “Based on his confessional statement, on 5 November 2023, troops conducted raid…

NOLLYWOOD comic, John Okafor, better known as Mr Ibu has undergone surgery to remove one of his legs. Details of this development were revealed on his official Instagram handle on Monday. “As of 1 pm, noon today, Daddy has gone through 7 successful surgeries but to keep him alive and increase his chances of recovery one of his legs had to be amputated.,” the statement read in parts “This development has been hard on us all but we’ve had to accept it as Daddy’s new reality to keep him alive.” The family has also appealed to Nigerians to support the…

PETER Obi has described the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed Bola Tinubu’s election as Nigeria’s president as a breach of the citizens’ trust in the judiciary. The apex court had some weeks ago dismissed the appeals of Obi, who contested under the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, and that of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart Atiku Abubakar challenging Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC). But while reacting to the Supreme Court ruling, Obi accused the apex court of ignoring evidence which he said further dampens citizens’ trust in the judiciary. “Without equivocation, this…

THE Kogi East Neighborhood Watch (KENW) has called for the immediate  redeployment of SP Ojo of Quick Response Unit Kogi State Police Command before the gubernatorial election in Kogi State scheduled 11th November, 2023. According to a statement signed by the Director, Public Communications, KENW, Wing Commander Iye Ayefu Akuh rtd, Sunday, there is a plan to deploy some fake police/ military men to use  military vehicles  stationed in Government House, Lokoja to  cause mayhem in Kogi East from Sunday 5th November 2023. SP Ojo OC Quick Response is mentioned to be the leader  of this illegal outfit earmarked to…

TROOPS of Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH) have successfully uncovered and dismantled an illegal weapon manufacturing factory in Vom, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State. The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Saturday. The recovered items include 6 AK-47 rifles, 4 sub-machine guns, 11 AK rifle bodies, a pistol and 7 x AK 47 bridge blocks. Others include 4 x AK 47 rifle magazines, 210 recoil springs for AK 47 rifles, 7 rifle butts, 8 rifle muzzles, 9 piston assemblies as well as 5 cartridge housings.Also recovered were one drilling machine set,…