Author: Eileen Peters

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, won another local government area (LGA) when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) resumed collation of results on Monday afternoon. The state Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta, resumed collation at 12:42 on Monday, about 48 hours after the election held in the oil-rich South-South state. The APC candidate won Brass LGA which was the first to be announced at the resumption of collation today. In Brass, Sylva polled 18, 431 while Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 12,602.…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday night, adjourned the collation of results in the November 11, 2023, Bayelsa State Governorship Election till Monday noon. Results from six of the eight local government areas in the state namely Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, Yenegoa, Sagbama, Nembe and Ekeremor have been collated. The remaining local government areas are Brass and Southern Ijaw. Prof Faruq Kuta, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Of Technology, Minna, and the state Returning Officer for the election in Bayelsa adjourned the exercise on Sunday night. Sixteen political parties sponsored candidates for the election in Bayelsa.…

A CHIEFTAIN of one of the leading parties in Bayelsa State, Mr. George Sibo, has been killed at the collation center in Twon-Brass, Brass local government area of the state. The deceased popularly called “Kobo-Kobo” was an aide to the Brass Local Government Chairman, Hanson Alabo-Karika. An indigene of Twon-Brass, who was married with children, was attacked when thugs invaded the collation center. Eyewitnesses told this newspaper that the deceased was murdered at the Collation Centre when results for some wards in the constituency were being submitted. Reacting to the incident, lawmaker representing Brass Constituency, Dr. Daniel Charles, expressed sadness…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, said some of its officials on election duty were held hostage in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. “The Commission is closely watching the situation in Brass LGA of Bayelsa State where our officials are held hostage,” the commission said in a statement on its verified X platform. INEC condemned the action as “detrimental to credible elections” and called on security agencies including the police to swing to action and rescue the electoral officers. “We call on the security agencies to immediately facilitate their release,” the commission said. News Point…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Sunday, adjourned the collation of election results in the Bayelsa State Governorship Elections conducted on November 11, 2023. The collation of results was adjourned about two hours after the commencement of the exercise which was earlier adjourned last night. Prof Faruq Kuta, who is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Of Technology, Minna, and the state Returning Officer for the election in Bayelsa adjourned the exercise till 3pm today. The adjournment was after the collation of results from three of the eight local government areas in the state namely Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia and…

A DAY after the governorship election held in Bayelsa, serving commissioners and members of the state House of Assembly have laid siege to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Yenagoa, the state capital. At the INEC office on Sunday, the aggrieved lawmakers and commissioners insisted that the election did not be held in the Nembe Local Government Area of the riverine state. However, there was tight presence of security operatives at the INEC office to forestall any breakdown of law and order. Earlier on Saturday, Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, accused the candidate of the All Progressives Congress…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the state collation of results for the Bayelsa governorship election. The Returning Officer of the election, Faruk Adamu Kuta announced this late Saturday at the INEC Collation Centre in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He said the collation will now take place by 10:00 am on Sunday. The election had been concluded in most parts of the state on Saturday evening. The exercise was largely hitch-free in the oil-rich coastal state. But before the governorship election, an INEC official was abducted and later released. The official was forcefully taken by his captors on Friday…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, official, Supervisory Presiding Officer, SPO, abducted on the eve of the governorship election has regained his freedom. The Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Bayelsa, Mr Wilfred Ifogah, made this known in a statement made available to News Point Nigeria on Saturday. Ifogah, who thanked those to showed concern and contributed towards the release of the INEC official, said the officer is doing fine.

THE candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and security agents of harassing his supporters. Sylva spoke on Saturday after he cast his vote at Ward 4, Unit 4 in the Brass Local Government Area of the South-South state. The APC candidate fingered security agents “especially the Army”, alleging that they are “playing on the side of the PDP”. Sylva said violence has been recorded in Yenagoa, the state capital, alleging that an APC member was shot. He wondered why large…

ARMED thugs have invaded polling units in Southern Ijaw and Sagbama local Government Areas of Bayelsa State and hijacked elections materials. The thugs first struck at Agorogbene unit 6, 7 and 8 in Ward 11 of Southern Ijaw where they destroyed election materials. Attempts by some voters to challenge the armed men were replied with heavy gunshots. They also stormed the Registration Area Center and carted away election materials of five out of the seven polling units. At Ogiadiama ward 9 in Unit 14 of Southern Ijaw Local Government area, gunmen stormed the unit but were repelled by security men.…

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to make laws that prohibit off-season elections in Nigeria. The ex-Nigerian leader spoke on Saturday after he cast his vote in the November 11, 2023 governorship poll at Ward 13, Polling Unit 39, at Otuoke in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. Like Bayelsa, governorship elections are held in Imo and Kogi on Saturday. Earlier in March, governorship elections were held in 28 out of the 36 states of the Federation. This was so because the governorship elections of eight states (Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Supervising Presiding Officer (SPO) assigned to registration area 06 in Ossioma, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has been abducted. The INEC official, whose identity was not known as at the time of filling this report was said abducted at Amassoma Community in Southern Ijaw LGA while waiting to board a boat at a jetty in the area. Also, a boat carrying election personnel to registration area 17 in Koluama Community, Southern Ijaw LGA capsized and election materials. including result sheets, got lost. INEC Head of Department, Voters Education and Publicity in Bayelsa…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC has commenced a Computer-Based Test, CBT, for 5,000 thousand applicants from the Niger Delta region for its Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship programme, as part of its efforts to provide more opportunities for the youths. Speaking at the Information and Communication Technology Centre of the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, where the tests are being conducted, the NDDC Director, Education, Health and Social Services. Dr George Uzonwanne, said that over 20,000 graduates registered on the Commission’s portal for the Foreign Postgraduate Scholarship programme, out of which the 5,000 applicants were selected for the test. He observed…

RIVERS State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Thursday said his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike remains his principal. The governor stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the rededication service of the 2023/2024 Legal Year of the Rivers State Judiciary that was equally attended by Wike. The event was held at the Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Hospital Road in the state capital. He described the recent political crisis in the state as a thing of the past, calling again for peace in the oil-rich state. Fubara noted that Rivers State can if the actors and…

THE Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, says it will work with International Oil Companies, IOCs, and other development partners to increase investments in renewable energy projects to reduce the impact of climate change in the Niger Delta region. Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the TotalEnergies Nigeria Limited at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, reaffirmed the importance of sustainable partnerships in driving the development process. He observed: “Climate Change is real and the oil companies should help by reducing gas flaring and other forms of pollution. We need to…

THE leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress have summoned what the unions described as an extraordinary National Executive Council meeting. The National Vice-President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, made this known in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday afternoon. The aim of the meeting, according to him, is to review the modalities of the planned strike following the brutalisation of the National President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, review the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Federal Government and the Organized Labour on October 2, 2023, following the removal of the subsidy on Premium…

THE Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Chiedu Ebie, has urged Niger Delta stakeholders to forge stronger bonds and collaborate to pave way for a brighter future for the oil-rich region. Speaking during a reception in honour of Dr Samuel Ogbuku by Yiba-Ama (Oruma) Community at Yiba-Ama School Field in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the in-coming NDDC Chairman said that the event was an endorsement of the collective commitment of Niger Deltans to realising the full potentials of the region. Ebie, who was represented as Chairman of the occasion by the Executive Director Projects…

FOUR officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are feared dead following an ambush by gunmen, suspected to be sea pirates, in Bakana community in Rivers. A resident of the community who spoke on condition of anonymity told the this newspaper on Saturday that the incident happened in the early hours of Friday. The resident said the officers were shot dead on Bakana River in Degema Local Government Area by sea pirates. “Two of the victims who are Muslims have already been buried according to Islamic rites,” the eyewitness added. Reacting, the Spokesman of NSCDC in Rivers,…

A RIVERS State High Court in Isiokpo Division in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state has issued an interim order restraining the Rivers State House of Assembly and Speaker, Martin Amaewhule from carrying out any actions concerning the impeachment of the state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. The motion ex parte was filed by Governor Sim Fubara through his lawyer, Damian Okoro (SAN), earlier on Wednesday. Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, the Clerk of the House and the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi were also served the restraining order. Presiding Judge, Justice Ben Whyte issued the order following…

RIVERS State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Wednesday, expressed optimism that the political crisis, involving himself and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, will be resolved. He said there is nothing wrong for a father and a son to have problems, stressing that all issues, if any, will be resolved. The governor spoke when the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, led a military delegation to the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital. Fubara restated President Bola Tinubu’s resolve for peace and security in the country, especially during the off-season elections this month. The governor said, “For our dear state,…