Ondo poll: APC buying votes with N10,000, PDP alleges

Dr. Eddy Olafeso, the Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for the Ondo state governorship election, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of vote-buying in his unit at N10,000 per voter.

Olafeso, who spoke after voting at his polling unit 005 Olumekun compound, Ward 12, Idepe, Okitipupa Local Government Area, Ondo state, said the election was peaceful in his area.

According to him, ” We have been here around 8am and everything appears in line with the electoral law especially the area i voted but our fears is the APC that has not done anything for the people in the last four years are moulding up the process by paying N10,000 to each voters, we have witnessed it here and we have complained and it appears intractable.

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“For us, no matter the kind of profligacy they are introducing into the electoral process, truth will prevail in the final analysis.

“You know it is a long process and voting is the first stage , we are waiting for it to be uploaded into IREV, we are waiting to take our from E8CA to ensure that everything is appropriately recorded.

“Like I said, the only fear is the vote buying the APC is trying to entrench into the culture of voting in Nigeria.”

Ondo poll: APC buying votes with N10,000, PDP alleges

Ondo: INEC new challenge as 1.7 million votes decide next gov today

Today, 1,757,205 registered voters in Ondo State will head to polling stations across its 18 local government areas to elect a new governor who will steer the affairs of the state for the next four years.

This marks an increase in the number of registered voters compared to the 2020 election, which had 1,647,973 registered voters, of which only 580,887 votes were recorded.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed its readiness for the exercise, deploying 4,002 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices across 3,933 polling units, with 812 units on standby in case of technical hitches.

Late COAS Lagbaja gets CFR honour, buried amid tributes 

The late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, was on Friday laid to rest in Abuja, amid tears and tributes.

President Bola Tinubu conferred a posthumous award of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the late Chief of Army Staff.

The burial took place at the National Cemetery in Abuja to end two days of funeral rites that began in Lagos earlier in the week.

His body was lowered into the grave at exactly 4:41pm after the ceremony that lasted over two hours.

Lagbaja’s casket, draped in Nigeria’s green and white colours, arrived at the cemetery around 3pm in a white funeral wagon after a funeral service at the National Christian Centre in Abuja.

Dignitaries were led to the event by President Bola Tinubu. Others are Vice President Kashim Shettima; the Acting Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa; Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and other top government officials and military brass.

President Tinubu announced the conferment of the CFR on the late COAS during the interment at the National Cemetery in Abuja.

The President extolled the virtues of the late warrior, especially his contributions to national security.

According to him, the appointment of Lagbaja as the COAS was one of his finest made so far.

“As an eternal symbol of our appreciation, I have granted the late Chief of Army Staff, the posthumous national honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic of the Niger (CFR),” Tinubu declared.

He thereafter invited the wife of the late COAS, Mariya, to collect the award on behalf of the Lagbaja family amid applause from the congregation.