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30-day ultimatum: Fulani herdsmen visit Emir of Muri, take oath
The leadership of Fulani herders in Taraba has pledged to weed out criminal elements among them within five months.
The leadership of the herders made the promise after the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, issued 30 days ultimatum for herders terrorizing the state to vacate the forest or be forced to do so.
However, the leadership of the herders comprised of Ardos and Fulani community leaders drawn from 14 out the 16 local government areas of the state visited the emir Monday at his palace to clarify the issue.
They told the emir that they have done series of meetings and vowed to crush the criminal elements among their groups.
The herders, led by the State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Alhaji Sahabi Mahmud, said they agreed not to harbour criminals even if they were their biological children.
The herders said they have also sworn to an oath to expose the sponsors of Fulani terrorists no matter their standing in society.
They pleaded with the Emir to accept their pledge and give them time to fulfil their promises.
The Miyetti Allah Chairman read out the pledge which was contained in a communique issued after a stakeholders’ meeting that lasted for several hours.
The meeting was attended by the harders and their Ardos and Jauros across the state as well as the Security Adviser to Gov. Darius Ishaku, rtd Col. Angyo Agbu.
The communique read in part: “Those who repent would be documented, while those that refused to repent and stop kidnapping and other crimes would equally be handed over to security agents to face the appropriate laws of the land.
“We have agreed not to harbour criminals even if they are our biological children and we have sworn to an oath to expose their sponsors no matter their standing in the society.”
The harders maintained that the task of carrying out the assignment was very huge but absolutely necessary in order to sanitize the Fulani herdsmen and restore their damaged image caused by the criminal activities of a few of them.
In his response, the Emir of Muri, Alhaji Abbas Tafida, said the marching orders he gave during recent Eid-el-Kabir celebrations were targeted at criminal elements among the herdsmen.
Tafida said it became necessary for him to issue such orders in view of the increasing rate of kidnapping being committed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
He said as a leader who stood firmly on the side of the truth and honesty, he would never allow injustice among his subjects.
He lamented that the image of the Fulani as a race was endangered by the criminal activities of a few among them whom he alleged were involved in kidnapping and other criminals activities.
He said that he should not be misunderstood in his comments, adding that it was intended to sanitise the conduct of Fulani herdsmen who are his kinsmen.
As you know the Fulani have continued to be proud of the scholarship of leaders like Shehu Usman Danfodio and Sultan Muhammadu Bello who reformed and spread Islam and ensured justice for all in Northern Nigeria but the integrity of the Fulani as moulded by these past leaders was fast fading away because of the activities of the criminal elements, ” the emir stated.
He also cited Modibbo Buba Yero, the founder of the Muri Emirate, as an exemplary leader of Fulani that fought injustice.
“Those were role models of the Fulani who never associated themselves with shame and who distanced their ethnic groups from crime and criminality,” he said.
Tafida wondered how the Fulani race was today degenerating abysmally and was fast becoming a reference point in crime and criminality.
“There is no limit to the steps a father can take to correct the bad behaviour of his children,” he said.
He commended the leadership of the Fulani for taking the bold steps to weed out criminals amongst them.
He, however, directed that a list of those that repented and those that refused to repent be submitted to him when the sorting out the task was completed.
News
[UPDATED] [Breaking] APC’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo governorship election
[UPDATED] [Breaking] APC’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa wins Ondo governorship election
Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, has emerged victorious in the Ondo governorship election.
Olayemi Akinwumi, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returning officer, disclosed the results in Akure, Ondo’s capital, on Sunday.
Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor, secured 366,781 votes, surpassing Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 117,845 votes.
Nejo Adeyemi, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, trailed behind with 4,138 votes.
The APC dominated the election, winning all 18 local government areas, while the PDP failed to secure any victories.
The off-cycle election in Ondo, contested by 17 candidates, took place peacefully, with minimal violence reported.
Prior to the election, Aiyedatiwa expressed confidence in his victory, citing his impressive record in office.
Aiyedatiwa emphasized that he was the sole candidate to have visited all 18 local government areas, adding that he’s willing to concede defeat if the election is free from manipulation.
Ajayi, Aiyedatiwa’s closest rival, expressed concerns regarding INEC’s capability to ensure a fair electoral process.
The PDP candidate also criticized the commission’s sluggish pace, alleging that it constitutes a “deliberate attempt to rig the polls”.
ONDO STATE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION RESULTS (UPDATED)
1– Akure North
APC 14, 451
PDP 5, 787
2–Okitipupa
- APC 26, 811
- PDP 10, 233
3—Akoko Northeast
APC 25, 657
News
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has shifted the collation of results for the Ondo State governorship election from 5am to noon.
The Returning Officer, Prof Olayemi Akinwunmi, had earlier announced that collation of the remaining five council areas will resume by 5 a.m. (Sunday), but later said it commences by noon.
Prof Akinwunmi is the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lokoja.
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Akinwunmi, who announced the recess, said it is to give room for the arrival of results from the remaining council areas.
He said: “We have five more local governments but we are going to take our recess now until 5am to receive some receive from Akure North, Okitipupa and Odigbo, then Ilaje and Eseodo. We resume 5am for these local governments.”
According to results from 13 of the 18 local government areas announced so far by INEC, Aiyedatiwa has polled 259,851 votes ahead of his closest rival and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Agboola Ajayi, who scored 81,031 votes.
Ondo election: Again, INEC shifts collation of results to noon
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Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
The Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD-West Africa), through its Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), has said that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) bought votes from the electorate for as low as N3,000 and N5,000 respectively during the Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State.
Prof. Victor Adetula, Lead, CDD-EAC Observation Mission Ondo 2024; and Dr. Dauda Garuba, Director, CDD-West Africa, said this in CDD’s EAC preliminary statement on the conduct of the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, presented by Ms Oluseyi Awojulugbe, a member of the CDD-EAC.
The report also said that the election recorded lower incidents of disinformation and information manipulation, also referred to as fake new compared to the recently concluded off-cycle September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
“CDD-EAC notes a lot of instances of vote buying. In Okitipupa LGA, Ward 09, Unit 003 (Irowa, Ilutitun 3), voters were solicited for their votes, with APC allegedly offering ₦10,000 per voter and PDP ₦3,000.
“In Odigbo LGA, Ward 01, Unit 001 (Oja Baale, Agbabu), reports of vote-buying were noted, with APC allegedly offering ₦10,000 and PDP ₦5,000 per voter.
“Our observers also noted that some party agents started transferring money to voters to circumvent having to hold cash. In Ese-Odo, Ward 07, Unit 013 (Tari Ama Zion Ugo Community, Arogbo Ward 2), Vote-buying was observed at this polling unit, with PDP offering ₦3,000 and APC offering ₦5,000 to voters.
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“CDD observers watching the process in Ward 5, PU 001, located at St Johns Primary School, Iba Akoko South East spotted APC leaders writing down the names of those who voted for their candidate.
“Subsequently, a card was given to them and they were instructed to converge at an agreed location where cash would be disbursed to them.
“In Ward 005, PU 001, St Barnabas Primary School, Ifon, CDD-EAC observers saw policemen arguing over money shared by a party stalwart.
“The policemen reportedly frowned that about 10 of them were given N100,000 while only one official from another branch of the armed services allegedly got N15,000,” the report said.
The CDD-EAC said that the vote buying incidents and behaviour of party agents sparked multiple conflicts during the voting process, listing Idanre LGA, Ward 06, PU 004 (Methodist High School), where APC agents were accused of strategically monitoring voters’ choices, a move initially defended by security officials but later curtailed after protests.
The report, however, commended the prompt arrival of electoral officials at polling units (PUs), with 99% of CDD-EAC observers reporting that the INEC officials were at their stations before 8:30am.
Observers also reported cases of rowdiness in the polling environment with some youths disagreeing in some cases about the initiative by poll officials to allow elderly voters to cast their ballots first, leading to the disruption of the process, despite the intervention of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Post Office Premises, Akungba Akoko, Akoko South West.
On disinformation and information manipulation, the report said that the numbers of false narratives, claims and counter claims in the Ondo State governorship election have been relatively low, compared to other recent polls.
It said, “In the campaign period, and on Election Day, 13 claims have so far been reported and fact checked by CDD War Room.
“This is low, compared to the 61 claims reported during the same period in the Edo election, representing a 79% increase between the two elections. While 12 of these claims have been assessed to be either false or misleading, the sole claim peddled on voting day was adjudged to be true.”
Ondo gov: PDP, APC bought votes, says rights group
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