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Imo guber: Opposition leaders walk out of INEC meeting over exclusion of journalists
Imo guber: Opposition leaders walk out of INEC meeting over exclusion of journalists
Leaders of major political parties in Imo staged a walkout during a stakeholders meeting organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The meeting took place on Tuesday in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
The stakeholders meeting was put together by INEC ahead of the off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa states on November 11.
The interactive session began on a peaceful note but proceedings would soon go south after Kenneth Ukeagu, national commissioner for the south-east, asked the press to leave the hall.
Ukeagu was representing Mahmood Yakubu, national chairman of INEC, at the meeting.
The directive did not go down well with leaders of opposition political parties present at the session.
Rancour, disorderliness, and a war of words among leaders of the various political parties ensued.
Amid the rowdy session, leaders of the Labour Party (LP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and others walked out in anger.
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However, representatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not leave the session.
Speaking after the walkout, Jones Onyereri, running mate to Samuel Anyanwu, the PDP guber candidate, alleged that Ukeagu’s directive was part of plans to rig Saturday’s election in APC’s favour.
Onyereri called for the removal of Sylvia Agu, the Imo resident electoral commissioner (REC), before the election.
“You can now see that INEC is no longer hiding its affiliation with the government of Imo state,” Onyereri said.
“You all saw what happened. How can the INEC chairman order the media to stop coverage of the proceedings and when we tried to counter it, some APC mad dogs pounced on us and were clapping for the chairman.
“Whatever be their plans to rig this election, we must resist it at all costs.
“If they say they are accepted by Imo people, they should jettison rigging and come out to the field and put their popularity to test.
“It was most shocking. Everybody, every candidate, we all stood up and shouted at him and said why would you let that be? Are we running a secret society here?”
Tony Nwulu, the running mate to Athan Achonu, LP candidate, said the party will not accept any election conducted by the current Imo REC.
“I have said it and I will say it again, we are not accepting any election conducted by the current Imo REC,” he said.
On his part, Macdonald Ebere, APC chairperson in Imo, said the INEC commissioner only asked journalists to observe the proceedings without cameras.
Ebere said the opposition parties would always look for issues where there are none, adding that Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo, has already won the election.
Imo guber: Opposition leaders walk out of INEC meeting over exclusion of journalists
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
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