Biden elected 46th US president, secures over 270 electoral votes – Newstrends
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Biden elected 46th US president, secures over 270 electoral votes

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After days of tension-soaked ballot counting, Joseph R. Biden Jr. has been elected president of the United States.

Biden was elected Saturday on his third try, after an extraordinary race, defeating President Trump after campaigning on a promise to restore civility and stability to American politics and to expand the government’s role in guiding the country through the surging coronavirus pandemic.

Biden, 77, who will become the 46th president and the oldest man ever sworn into the office, secured the needed 270 votes from the Electoral College after Pennsylvania was called for him, though the race was far closer than many Democrats, Republicans and pollsters had expected.

The result also provided a history-making moment for President-elect Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who became the first woman, and first woman of color, on a winning presidential ticket.

With his third run for the White House — after unsuccessful bids in 1988 and 2008, and after spending eight years as President Barack Obama’s vice president — Biden finally attained a goal that he has dreamed of for decades, capping a career in national politics that began with a victory in a 1972 Senate race in Delaware.

Biden’s triumph concluded an extraordinary election that was expected to set modern records for turnout, despite being held amid a pandemic that has upended life across the United States.

More than 100 million Americans voted before Election Day as states sought to make voting safer, putting the nation on track for the largest turnout in a century once the final vote is tallied.

Biden also won the popular vote by nearly three percentage points,  and, with more than 74 million votes, broke the vote record set by Mr Barrack Obama in 2012.

Trump received more than 70 million votes — far more than the 63 million he received in 2016 when he beat Hillary Clinton while losing the popular vote.

Voters overcame their fears of the coronavirus, long lines at the polls and the vexing challenges of a transformed election system to render a verdict on Trump’s chaotic and norm-breaking presidency.

Trump was the first incumbent president to lose a bid for re-election since George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton in 1992.

Still, the race was not the landslide many Democrats had hoped for: Biden lost a number of important battleground states where he had invested time and resources, most notably Florida, amid signs of challenges with a number of Latino constituencies.

The Trump campaign and Republican lawyers have already begun a wide-ranging legal assault to challenge Democratic votes and victories in key swing states, part of a long-telegraphed effort to call the validity of the election into question.

Trump, who baselessly declared victory early Wednesday, before votes were tallied in multiple states, had regularly questioned the legitimacy of the election as polls showed him trailing, and it was not immediately clear how he would respond to the news of Mr. Biden’s victory.

Much of Biden’s agenda in office may rest on his ability to work with Congress. Democrats have maintained their hold on the House but had a much narrower path to reclaiming control of the Senate

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Pension bill: Police retirees to embark on protest

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Pension bill: Police retirees to embark on protest

The National Union of the Police Retirees, Kaduna State Branch has arranged for what it called a mother of all protest to remain at the National Assembly until President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signs the Pension Exit Bill.

The Bill to exit the Nigeria Police from the Contributory Pension Scheme and the bill for the establishment of the Nigeria Police Pension Board, as the police retirees are patiently waiting for, and there is the tendency that, the promise may not be fulfilled, as September is winding up.

This is contained in a press release signed by the chairman of the Police Retirees Kaduna State Chapter, CSP Mannir Lawal Zaria Rtd and the Vice Chairman ASP Danlami Maigamo Rtd and distributed to journalists in Kaduna.

CSP Mannir Lawal Zaria Rtd lamented that the police retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme are dying immensely due to poverty and hunger.

“The union is also pleading that, as the death toll is on the increase among the police retirees under the contributory Pension Scheme and the prices of commodity of any type is also on the increase.”

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He said: “Federal government should come to the aid of the police retirees under the contributory Pension Scheme before they all perish, by immediately paying the following allowances to the police retirees under the contributory Pension Scheme.

“Two point five percent differential, the Federal Government Palliative and three consecutive pension increases by the Federal Government as well as the minimum wage increase.

“During the Police Retirees, Kaduna State Branch monthly meeting held last Wednesday at Police Officers Mess Kaduna. Members became shocked and worried, as there is a sign of unfulfillment of a promise that began to manifest itself because it can be recalled that, on 22/09/24.

“The National Union of the Police Retirees under the contributory Pension Scheme carried out a nationwide peaceful protest to the National Assembly Abuja.

“During the protest, the Chairman of Senate Committee for Police Affairs, Senator Ahmed Abdulkadir Malamadori, addressed some of the retirees in his office, where he promised the retirees that, before September 24, they would be exited from the Contributory Pension Scheme to the Define Benefit Scheme (DBS) that the two Police Bills would be Harmonize.

“Sequel to this, the blood pressure of many concerned police retirees has risen above maximum. Therefore, the Kaduna Branch has unanimously agreed that, if by the end of this September, the Nigeria Police is not exempted from the contributory Pension Scheme,” he said.

Pension bill: Police retirees to embark on protest

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Edo poll: Court gives fresh order on APC candidate Okpebholo

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Senator Monday Okpebholo

Edo poll: Court gives fresh order on APC candidate Okpebholo

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama has ordered a judicial review concerning the criminal summons issued against Senator Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the upcoming Edo governorship election.

The court’s decision follows an application submitted by Okpebholo’s legal counsel, Adaze Emwanta.

The presiding judge, Justice O.C. Agbaza, delivered a ruling after hearing an ex-parte motion on Wednesday. He agreed to the reliefs sought by Okpebholo’s counsel, setting the next hearing for October 28.

The criminal summons was initially issued by Magistrate Abubakar Mukhtar of Wuse Zone 2, who had ordered Okpebholo to appear in court on September 20.

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The summons stemmed from allegations that the APC candidate provided false information regarding his date of birth on forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The case, which was filed by an Edo indigene, Honesty Aginbatse, accused Okpebholo of conflicting dates of birth in his nomination documents. In response, Okpebholo sought intervention from the FCT High Court to prevent the summons from proceeding. His legal team argued that the criminal charge was part of a plot to tarnish his image ahead of the election.

According to Okpebholo’s defense, the issue of his birthdate had already been addressed and resolved at the Supreme Court’s registry through a Deed of Regularisation, which was officially gazetted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in August. The APC candidate also alleged that the summons was not served to him directly but circulated on social media to damage his reputation on the eve of the election.

Meanwhile, in a separate but related case, the Federal High Court in Abuja is set to rule on a motion filed by the APC seeking to amend its summons in a lawsuit involving INEC, Asue Ighodalo, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Justice Peter Lifu has reserved his judgment on the case, with both the PDP and Ighodalo contesting the jurisdiction of the suit.

The legal battles surrounding Okpebholo continue as the Edo governorship election approaches, raising questions about their impact on the candidate’s campaign.

Edo poll: Court gives fresh order on APC candidate Okpebholo

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JUST IN: Edo declares Friday work-free day for gov election

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JUST IN: Edo declares Friday work-free day for gov election

The Edo government has declared September 20 as a work-free day to facilitate travel for workers and residents ahead of the state’s governorship election.

The election is scheduled for Saturday, September 21, across 18 LGAs in the state.

In a statement, Joseph Eboigbe, secretary to the state government (SSG), assured that adequate security arrangements are in place for a secure and democratic election process.

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“This is to enable workers and other electorates travel to their voting areas ahead of the September 21 governorship election in the State” he said.

“The government wishes everyone journey mercies and reassures that security measures have been provided to ensure a free, fair and credible election.”

JUST IN: Edo declares Friday work-free day for gov election

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