Author: Lekan Adeyeye

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has swept all 20 chairmanship seats in the Ogun State Local Government polls held on Saturday. The Chairman of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) Babatunde Osibodu declared the results of the exercise at the Commission’s headquarters in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta. He said the APC also won in the 236 wards across the state. According to the chairman of the Electoral Commission, a total of 613,156 votes were cast in the chairmanship election across the 20 local government areas. Meanwhile, the opposition has condemned the exercise for lacking merit. At a press briefing in the…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has gone for a second recess after adding two Local Government Areas to the 13 results earlier announced. With the total of 15 LGAs announced so far, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is maintaining a strong lead in all, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) coming second. The collation officer, Prof Olayemi Akinwunmi, who announced the recess, said it is to allow for the arrival of results from the remaining local governments which he said are very far from Akure, the capital city. “I think we can just adjourn till 12 noon please, two…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded 94.13% of the results from the Ondo State governorship election to its Result Viewing Portal. Results from 3,702 polling unit out of 3,933 where the election took place have been made available online as of 7:56 pm on Saturday. Though 18 political parties participated in the election, incumbent governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and former deputy governor, Agboola Ajayi are seen as the main contenders. While Aiyedatiwa ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajayi ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Both men have something in common…

GOVERNOR Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has voted in the Ondo governorship election. Aiyedatiwa cast his ballot at his Polling Unit 5, Ugbo Ward, 4 Obenla community in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state at around 8:50 am. After voting, he described the election as peaceful, hailed the turnout of voters for the exercise, and was confident of winning the election. “With what we have done for the last 10 months, the populace, the voters, like I said, they know who they want,” the governor said. “I believe I’m in an advantaged position to win this…

THE die is cast as political heavyweights enter the ring to do battle in the Ondo State governorship election. 1.7m voterss of the state will file out in their numbers on Saturday, November 16th as they elect their leader for the next four years. Ahead of the exercise, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it cleared 18 candidates for the poll. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is vying for his first election after he replaced the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who died last year. His major opponent is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Agboola Ajayi who was also deputised Akeredolu. While…

THE military high command has deployed personnel to Ondo State in preparation for the governorship election scheduled for Saturday. Providing an update on the military’s role, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, said on Thursday that the armed forces would work closely with the police to guarantee a peaceful election. He said the deployment is intended to support officers of the Nigeria Police Force, who are the primary security agency responsible for maintaining internal security during the electoral exercise. This newspaper reports that the police authorities have already announced a restriction on vehicular movement in the…

THE Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has banned security aides and escorts from accompanying VIPs into polling booths and collation centres during the governorship election in Ondo. The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, issued a statement on Thursday stating that Egbetokun has implemented “comprehensive security measures” to ensure a peaceful, transparent, and credible election. Egbetokun has deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Sylvester Alabi, as the coordinating DIG for the election to oversee the implementation of security strategies and to maintain law and order throughout the electoral period. The IGP also named Bennett Igweh, an assistant inspector-general, and Tunji…

FOUR days to the governorship election in Ondo State, political parties in the state are perfecting a variety of plans to emerge victorious. The plans include stockpiling funds in homes for vote buying, major parties finalising merger deals with smaller parties to boost the number of their votes at the election, and parties and candidates wooing gatekeepers with huge sums of money to mobilize as many as possible electorate to their sides. Multiple sources disclosed that at least N20,000 had been earmarked for each voter on election day, with politicians and parties willing to up the amount to get votes,…

TWO people have been reportedly killed in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital by gunmen numbering three in the early hour of Monday, while two others sustained bullet injuries. The incident has been confirmed by the public relations officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, in a statement. She explained that the incident occurred at around 12:30a.m in the parking lots of Diamond Dumplings, GRA, Abeokuta. “Three armed men in an unregistered black Toyota Hilux confronted the occupants of a black Mercedes Benz GLE 350 with a DLA license plate, demanding the car keys,” she stated. “The assailants opened…

THE Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has banned the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun and Vigilante Corps from participating in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State. The ban directive was contained in a statement on Sunday by the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi made available to News Point Nigeria. He said the IG ordered the deployment of officers from various specialised units, including the Special Intervention Squad, Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Special Protection Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and K-9 Unit among others. The police boss also ordered that aerial patrols be conducted with police helicopters,…

AHEAD of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, political parties and candidates contesting in the election on Friday signed Peace Accord. The peace accord, which is at the instance of the National Peace Committee(NPC), was signed at the International Culture and Events Centre in Akure, the state capital. The Chairman, National Peace Committee (NPC), Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar, appealed to all the stakeholders to ensure the election is conducted peacefully. He also urged the party leaders and candidates to accept the outcome of the election as long as it was adjudged to be free, fair and credible. His…

AN Unidentified driver of a commercial bus has set himself and an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) on fire while trying to evade arrest. The driver also set his bus on fire out of anger. The incident created a heavy traffic on the Oshodi-Apapa expressway on Tuesday. It was learnt that both the driver, his conductor as well as the LASTMA official sustained severe burns in the process. The LASTMA officials were reportedly on an endorsement duty when the incident occurred around noon on Tuesday. Adebayo Taofiq, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, who…

A MARKET in Ajah in the Lekki area of Lagos State has been gutted by fire which destroyed properties and goods worth millions of naira. The fire was said to have started around 9pm on Sunday, with several shops and stores affected. The  Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA),  Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement said the agency, in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, swung into action to contain the fire. He added that preliminary investigation showed that no casualties were recorded. “On arrival of the Shark Response Team at the incident scene…

TEN persons were killed while seven others were injured in a building collapse in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday morning. A statement from the Oyo State Fire Services Agency disclosed that the incident happened at 2am at Jegeda Oluloyo area in Ibadan in Ona Ara Local Government Area of the state. The statement added that while 10 persons were recovered from the debris, seven persons were rescued alive, adding that rescue efforts are reported to be ongoing as of the time of filing this report. The statement read, “The Oyo State Fire Services Agency received a distressed call…

As Kekere-Ekun Declares Zero Tolerance For Conflicting Court Orders SCORES of lawyers under the aegis of Ekiti Lawyers Vanguard for Transparency have petitioned the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, against Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja over his alleged controversial rulings and other misconducts. The legal practitioners further accused Nwite of bias and desecration of the hallowed temple of justice with what they described as unjust conducts, maintaining that the judge’s actions were capable of bringing Nigeria to great disrepute if they are not curbed. The lawyers claimed that Justice Nwite’s alleged…

THE Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has announced the suspension of former governor and ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, over allegations of anti-party activities. The suspension, which takes immediate effect, is pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings initiated by the state’s party leadership. The decision followed a request from the Ilesa East Local Government APC Executive Committee, which petitioned the state party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, to take action against Aregbesola, citing his alleged involvement in actions that undermined the APC. The committee, in a letter, accused Aregbesola of promoting factionalism and colluding with opposition parties, among other…

A GROUP of youths in Ondo State have stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Maitama, Abuja over the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola in the state. The governorship election is slated to be held on November 16, 2024, across the state. A viral video on X showed the youths carrying drums and placards, singing and dancing while demanding the reinstatement of the REC. This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission announced that 55,859 Permanent Voter Cards were collected in the state ahead of the Ondo governorship election. INEC, in a…

CHAIRMAN of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), Babatunde Osibodu, says the commission has budgeted over N2billion for the conduct of the November 16 council poll in the state. Osibodu said the commission planned over N 1billion for transportation on the election day, while more than N200million will be spent to print of the voter register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He spoke on Tuesday in Abeokuta while featuring on the “Media Parliament”, an interactive programme organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun Council. The Chairman blamed the humongous budget on constant fuel price hike,…

DEMONSTRATORS gathered at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on Sunday to mark the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest. The memorial was to remember those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020. The youths were said to have gathered around 8:30 am at the toll gate with several banners and placards. They demanded the full implementation of the reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry set up after the 2020 protests. However, reports emerged that police operatives dispersed the demonstrators and arrested some of them. A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong,…

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos have arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192 billion. This is just as operatives of the NDLEA at at three seaports intercepted large consignments of opioids with a combined monetary value of N22.7 billion. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channels Television on Sunday. He said that Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday 7th October 2024 while attempting to smuggle the illicit drug…