RIVERS State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared Thursday, October 3 and Friday, October 4, 2024 as public holidays to enable residents of the state to travel to their various communities to fully participate in the Saturday, October 5, Local Government elections. The governor also announced strict restrictions on vehicular movement of residents from midnight on Friday, October 4 to 5pm on Election Day. He made the declarations in a statewide broadcast to the people of the State at the Government House in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. The full text of the broadcast reads, “My dear people of Rivers State,…
Author: Eileen Peters
Read More
SOME members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State on Wednesday staged a protest at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin City, the state capital. The party supporters, who wielded placards and PDP insignia, called on the electoral umpire to reverse the results of the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state announced a day after the poll. The protesters insisted that PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, won the election; and not Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner of the poll. The APC candidate, 54,…
THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has again failed to begin fuel production at the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State. This is despite the refinery failing to commence operations after about six postponements as of August 2024. This newspaper observed that promises made to Nigerians by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC about the refinery have continued to hit brick walls. After the failure of the early August promise, the Chief Financial Officer of the NNPC, Umar Ajiya, said the Port Harcourt refinery will commence operations in September 2024. Speaking to journalists in August, Ajiya had said…
THUGS on Tuesday took over the protest ground used during the August #EndBadGovernance protest in Rumuokwuta, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The protest ground was earlier announced as the state’s convergence point for the “FearlessInOctober” demonstration against economic hardship in the country. However, cane-wielding hoodlums took over the ground, saying they didn’t want any protest in Rivers state. The thugs threatened they’d beat up any journalist who dared film them. Similar protests are being held in other parts of the country like Lagos and Abuja as Nigeria celebrates its 64th Independence Day Anniversary. The demonstrators want President Bola…
THERE is currently heavy security at the Edo State government house (Osadebe Avenue) following reports that Philip Shaibu is plotting to resume office as Deputy Governor. The Edo House of Assembly had impeached Shaibu at the height of his rift with Governor Godwin Obaseki. However, he challenged the impeachment in court, saying the lawmakers did not give him fair hearing. A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice J. K. Omotosho had annulled the impeachment and ordered reinstatement of Shaibu, but the government failed to comply with the order, saying it had filed a stay of execution. When…
AHEAD of the October 5, 2024, local government election in Rivers State, an Abuja-based court has barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). This followed an order of a high court in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has ordered RSIEC to conduct the forthcoming local government elections in the state, using the 2023 voters’ register. Justice I. Igwe of the High Court gave the order on September 4, 2024, in a case instituted by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the State Electoral umpire, the…
THE office of the deputy governor of Edo State, on Osadebe Avenue, Benin, the state capital, has been sealed off by stern-looking policemen who were spotted there on Sunday. The sealed office was the one Philip Shaibu was relocated outside the Government House in the height off his face off with Governor Godwin Obaseki. As of Sunday, the entry gate was closed while a machine gun mounted police truck with three policemen was parked in front of the gate. It was gathered that staff of the office were on Friday told to resume at the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented certificate of return to the winner of the Edo State Governorship election, Monday Okpebholo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The ceremony took place at the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday. INEC declared Okpebholo winner of the Saturday, September 21 election after polling 291,667 votes to beat his closest contender, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 247,274 votes. Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) came a distant third in the race with 22,763 votes. Fourteen other candidates contested the seat but got less than the three…
JUSTICE Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has fixed October 31, to deliver a ruling as well as judgement in a suit seeking the sack of the Chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chiedu Ebie, over the alleged wrongful appointment. Justice Abdulmalik fixed the date shortly after parties in the suit adopted their written addresses as their arguments for and against the originating summons. Some Niger Delta communities had sued President Bola Tinubu, for allegedly violating the NDDC Act by appointing Ebie as chairman of the commission’s board. The plaintiffs from Bayelsa and…
THE deputy governor of Edo state, Philip Shuaibu, has reacted to the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in last Saturday’s governorship. Speaking on Arise Television, Shuaibu said he feels vindicated with the outcome of the polls which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, become the governor-elect of Edo state. “I feel vindicated and I thank God for it. I am water, I don’t have an enemy, unfortunately, those who decided that they are enemies, I have always prayed for them to live long and see how God’s miracle continues to work in my life,” he…
ADAMAWA State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Sunday condemned the outcome of the Edo State governorship election. On Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the September 21 governorship poll. But in a statement, Fintiri said he wept for Nigeria’s democracy, describing the exercise as shameful. “I weep for Nigeria’s democracy after witnessing the shameful Edo Gubernatorial poll. The APC’s desperate attempts to discredit me by falsely claiming I announced results won’t distract from the real issue. “I merely shared results from INEC’s Irev portal, as…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the Edo governorship election held on Saturday. The state Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, who is also a VC Federal at University of Technology, Minna. Niger State, announced the results on Sunday evening at INEC’s state collation centre in Benin, the state capital. He declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election with 291,667, votes while Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party came a distant second with a total of 247,…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission has begun collation of the gubernatorial election results in Edo State. The returning officer is Prof. Faruk Adamu Kuta, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna. The commission earlier announced that it was set to commence state-levelled collation of the governorship election. This was revealed by the National Commissioner & Member Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna during a press conference on Sunday. INEC also said it had activated the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal to upload the polling unit results in earnest. The same results have also been collated from all the 192 Wards.…
DEPUTY Inspector-General of Police in charge of Edo election, Frank Mba, was probably enraged by the visit of Governor Godwin Obaseki to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin, on Sunday morning. Accompanied by his security aides, Obaseki had walked into INEC office around 3am. The governor headed for office of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), where he held a closed door meeting. While there, some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stormed INEC office in protest. Among the protesters were Ajibola Basiru, National Secretary of the APC, and Dennis Idahosa, running mate to Senator…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded over 88% of polling unit result sheets of Saturday’s Edo State Governorship Election on the commission’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Out of the 4519 polling units, the electoral umpire has uploaded the result sheets of 3995 polling units on the portal as of 06:40 pm on Saturday. On Saturday, September 21, 2024, the people of Edo State in South-South Nigeria voted to elect a new governor to succeed the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, whose constitutional eight-year double terms will end on November 12, 2024. Edo is one of the eight states where governorship…
AFTER months of campaigns and intrigues, voters in Edo State are casting their ballots in the governorship election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had cleared 17 parties for the September 21st election as candidates battle to take over the reins of leadership from incumbent Governor Godwin Obaseki. His tenure ends in November. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Monday Okpebholo and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) are the major contenders for the battle. The election is taking place in 4,519 polling units across the 18 local government areas of Edo…
THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun directed the restriction of movement in Edo ahead of the governorship poll in the state. Edo residents head to the ballot on Saturday, September 21st, 2024, to choose their governor. But to ensure a hitch-free exercise, the IGP ordered the restriction of movement in the state. A statement by the force’s Public Relations Officer Olumiyiwa Adejobi said the IGP has ordered the restriction of all vehicular movement on roads, waterways, and other forms of transportation from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm on election day. The Friday statement, however, said exceptions will be made…
AHEAD of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, the first batch of the 35,000 police officers deployed to ensure law and order during election has arrived in the state. Also in the state are soldiers and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as moves intensify to ensure a hitch-free poll. Seventeen political parties presented candidates for the poll but the All Progressives Congress candidate Senator Monday Okpebholo, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party are the leading contenders ahead of the ballot. The…
THE Edo State Governor and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has said the party is pleased with the commitment of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetoku and Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to ensure a free, fair and credible election in the State. Obaseki said this while addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting of the party caucus at the Government House in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Monday. Expressing confidence that the party will come out victorious in Saturday’s gubernatorial election, the governor…
THE Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has implored the people of Edo State to vote for the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Monday Okpebholo, in next Saturday’s governorship election in the state in order to birth a state that is functional. According to the VP who joined other top members of the party during the grand finale of the gubernatorial campaign of the All APC held at the Sports Complex of the University of Benin on Saturday, Edo State, at the moment, needs a strategic thinker, a builder, and a man of the people who can rally the people…