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IGP deploys DIG, AIG, 11 CPs for Ondo poll – PDP, ZLP renew alliance talks
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector General of Police for Research and Planning, Adeleye Oyabade, to lead the police team that will ensure maximum security of people and electoral materials during the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State.
This came as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) may have resumed their an alliance ahead of the governorship election.
But the All Progressives Congress insisted it would lose no sleep over the talks between the two parties.
Also deployed to assist the DIG are Karma Hosea Hassan, Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Federal Operations (FEDOPS), Department of Operations, Force Headquarters Abuja, and 11 Commissioners of Police.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba, on Friday, gave the information.
It stated, “The Coordinating DIG, Ondo Gubernatorial Elections has been charged by the IGP to bring his wealth of experience to bear by ensuring the due enforcement of all electoral laws throughout the period of the election.
“CP Garba Baba Umar will be in charge monitoring/evaluation and will be assisted by CP Habu Sani. Other senior police officers deployed to handle other layers of security in the state are: CP Abiodun Alabi, CP Bishi Omololu, CP Ashafa Kunle, CP Akeera M. Yonous, CP Buba Sanusi, CP Audu Madaki, CP Evelyn Peterside, CP Sadiku Gbenga and CP Abutu Yaro.”
It also stated, “The IGP has warned that no security aides will be allowed to accompany VIPs or political appointees on the day of the election, noting that severe punishments will be meted out to anyone who violates the order.
“Officers and men of the Force as well as personnel of other security agencies deployed for the election have also been charged by the IGP to conduct themselves professionally and work in line with best practices as highlighted in the Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement for Elections.:
“He also enjoins members of the public, especially politicians and their supporters to cooperate with the police and other security agencies in the national assignment of guaranteeing a hitch-free gubernatorial poll.”
Meanwhile, the PDP and ZLP are said to be making efforts to renew their rumoured alliance as some PDP governors, including Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, are reportedly mounting pressure on former Ondo State governor Segun Mimiko, to support the idea of working together.
A former attorney general and justice commissioner of the state, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, is running on the platform of the PDP while the incumbent deputy governor Agboola Ajayi is the standard bearer of the ZLP.
Ajayi first defected to the PDP from the APC and then switched to the ZLP after failing to get the PDP governorship ticket.
A report by The Nation quoted some sources as however saying the PDP did not trust Ajayi.
Jegede was also said to be uncertain about the pact with the ZLP since the terms or conditions would involve making certain concessions to the ZLP, which he considered might be a burden.
But Ajayi was said to be enthusiastic as this could help him unseat the incumbent governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Ajayi had contested the PDP ticket with Jegede, who rejected pressures on him to make him his running mate, after his victory at the primary.
The Nation’s source said that reality dawned on Jegede last week that a helping hand was required from the ZLP to narrow the contest to a two-horse race.
Wike, said the source, explained to him that any financial assistance to him by PDP governors on the election might be futile unless the PDP’s position was strengthened by the coalition with ZLP.
According to the source, Wike and Makinde maintained that PDP and ZLP in Ondo are the same.
Although Ajayi is pushing for collaboration, PDP leaders also considered the imperative of holding talks with Mimiko who lent the ZLP as election platform to the deputy governor.
Mimiko is confronted by two challenges: the rift between him and Jegede over how the preparation for the 2016 election was handled by the former governor has not been resolved; and the emotional gulf between them.
Mimiko is also said to have never perceived Ajayi as a formidable candidate outside the APC and PDP, adding that the former governor has been attending Ajayi’s campaigns with reluctance.
The prospect of pact has energised Mimiko, who has intensified his criticism of the Akeredolu administration.
The source said prominent PDP leaders as well as former President Olusegun Obasanjo had reached out to Mimiko on the need to close ranks with the PDP.
Giving the APC’s position on the possible alliance, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Donald Ojogo, said it was “a reactionary contraption that will not work.”
He also said, “It was obviously motivated by greed and selfishness, oiled by ego-driven contents and bitterness. Those whose aims are not altruistic are bound to fail and get further decimated in their numbers.”
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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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Obasanjo takes jab at Tinubu govt, says Nigeria’s failing state obvious
Obasanjo takes jab at Tinubu govt, says Nigeria’s failing state obvious
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said Nigeria’s current state under President Bola Tinubu is in a terrible shape.
Indeed, he labelled the country’s status as a “failing state” marked by pervasive corruption and leadership failure.
Obasanjo gave the position during his keynote address at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
A statement released by his media aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, quoted Obasanjo as referring to President Tinubu with the epithets “Baba-go-slow” and “Emilokan,” a term popularized during Tinubu’s election campaign, to underscore what he viewed as lackluster leadership.
He stated that the nation’s dire situation was evident to “every honest person.”
Delivering a lecture titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria”, Obasanjo warned that the nation was sinking deeper into insecurity, division, and underdevelopment.
He attributed these issues to widespread corruption, mediocrity, and a lack of accountability.
“The more the immorality and corruption of a nation, the more the nation sinks into chaos, insecurity, conflict, and disunity,” Obasanjo said. “The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated for all to see.”
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Drawing inspiration from Chinua Achebe’s 1983 treatise “The Trouble with Nigeria”, Obasanjo reiterated that the nation’s challenges stemmed from a failure of leadership.
He dismissed notions that cultural or environmental factors are to blame, emphasizing instead the inability of leaders to rise to the occasion.
Obasanjo also accused the political elite of engaging in state capture, a form of corruption where powerful groups manipulate national policies, laws, and resources for personal gain.
He highlighted the sale of national assets at undervalued prices and the undue influence of interest groups in shaping Nigeria’s economic and political landscape.
“State capture is one of the most pervasive forms of corruption,” Obasanjo declared.
“What is happening in Nigeria – right before our eyes – is state capture, where public institutions are subject to undue influence from vested interests.”
The former president criticized the intertwining of business and political elites through family ties, lobbying, and vote-buying, which he argued prioritized private gain over public welfare.
He warned of the long-term implications on education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic development.
On a hopeful note, Obasanjo maintained that Nigeria’s challenges are surmountable, provided the nation’s leadership embraces accountability and reforms.
In honoring Chinua Achebe, Obasanjo praised the late literary icon for his lasting contributions to Nigerian society, describing him as “a great and distinguished Nigerian.”
The speech has sparked debate about Nigeria’s current trajectory and the responsibility of its leaders to address deep-seated challenges.
Obasanjo takes jab at Tinubu govt, says Nigeria’s failing state obvious
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