Delta rerun: 67 arrested over electoral malpractices

Sixty-seven suspected hoodlums were arrested in Delta State in connection with last Thursday’s rerun election that threw up Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan as the new governor of the state.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered from security circles that the suspects were apprehended in different parts of the state for electoral malpractices.

It was learnt that their offences ranged from ballot box snatching to willful disruption of electoral process in some polling units.

“So far, 67 suspects were arrested during the rerun election in the state last Thursday. They were picked up in different parts of the state by policemen for electoral malpractices. Some of them were arrested for ballot snatching. Others for attempt to disrupt elections,” a security source said.

At the moment, the Nigerian Tribune learnt that most of the suspects were scattered in various police divisions in the state, while some had been moved to the state police headquarters in Asaba.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Charles Muka, confirmed the arrest of some suspects but said he was yet to confirm their actual number.

He, however, disclosed that information available to him at the time of filing this report was that 13 persons were arrested with six in Sapele, five at Ubiarukwu and two at Ozoro.

Get voter card or be sacked from church - Bauchi CAN warns members

Bauchi State Chapter of the Christians Association of Nigeria, (CAN) has warned that any of its members, who refuses to be registered in the forthcoming voters registration exercise will not only be excommunicated from the church, but will be dismissed and strip of all privileges of a Christian.

Oyelese, Adeojo move to stop Oyo governorship primaries

OYO State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant Elder Wole Oyelese Tuesday filed a suit at the Federal High Court to stop the primaries scheduled for today.

The other applicants are former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Yekini Adeojo, former Deputy to Governor Adebayo Alao- Akala, Hazeem Gbolarunmi, Senator Lekan Balogun and 33 others.

They are pleading with the court to restrain the PDP from presenting any candidate for the governorship election pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The hearing in the suit has been fixed for today.

Oyelese said the suit was to stop the governorship primaries scheduled to hold at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, adding that it was wrong for the party’s National Working Committee to have recognised the list of executive members submitted to it by the Akala faction.

He said the national headquarters ought to have harmonised the list rather than recognise a faction.

Alao-Akala said the primary election would go on. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Communications, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, the governor said: “Against the background of the injunction allegedly secured by Wole Oyelese at a Federal High Court, stopping the governorship primaries, Section 87,11 of the Electoral Act 2010 says ‘nothing in this section shall empower courts to stop holding of primaries or general elections under this Act, pending the determination of the suit”.

He accused Oyelese and others of being out to cause tension. He urged the 1,300 delegates to report at the venue of the governorship primaries and perform their civic responsibility.

Wali panel clears Jonathan, Atiku – IBB emerges as delegate – Daily Trust

The stage was set yesterday for a titanic battle at the Peoples Democratic Party’s national convention in Abuja tomorrow when the ruling party’s Presidential Screening Panel led by Ambassador Aminu Wali cleared both President Goodluck Jonathan and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to contest for the presidential ticket. Mrs Sarah Jibril, who appeared before the screening panel alongside the two men, was also cleared to contest.

Briefing newsmen last night, Wali said all the three aspirants that appeared before the committee were cleared having been satisfied with their performance and having met the requirements set out in the guidelines approved for the exercise by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

The former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who displayed the certificates of clearance issued to the three presidential aspirants, said they would receive their certificates late last night. While describing the exercise as enjoyable and historic, he wished the aspirants good luck and success at the National Convention.

On the case of the last presidential aspirant Alhaji Aminu Dutsinma who decided not to appear before the panel, Wali said there was nothing they could do since he had made a written presentation to the PDP National Chairman Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo on why he was not prepared to face the screening panel.

Gays want Atiku

With less than 48hours to the presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday received anunusual endorsement when a gay group, the National Gay Forum, declaredtheir support for his bid to rule the country. Addressing journalistsyesterday at the Agura Hotel in Abuja, the spokespersons for the group,Victor Labelle and Freedom Awuke, urged Nigerians to provide supportfor Mr Atiku, whom they said was “committed to turning the fortunes ofthe country around for the better.”

“In view of themeaningful contributions of Atiku to national development, it hasbecome imperative for PDP delegates to cast their votes for him attomorrow’s party primary election as well as in the April elections,”Mr Labelle said.

He said that his group was “exercising its fundamental human right of freedom of association.”

“Not too long ago,in the United States, gays made their voices heard,” he said. “It wasthe same in Germany, France and other parts of the world. We affirm ourposition and have decided to identify with our own dear former vicepresident of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as our own presidentialcandidate. We derive our consent from our constitutional right andobligation and urge well-meaning Nigerians, delegates and our fellowgays to throw their support behind Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Let us joinhands and make good things happen.”

He stated that thegay movement had decided to take an interest in political developmentsin the country and would henceforth make significant contributions tothe political development of the country.

“In an attempt tomake meaningful political, social and cultural transformation, we havechosen to air our political views so as not to be left in a moribundcondition,” he said.

Unwanted endorsement

Garba Shehu,spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, howeverexpressed his surprise and dismay at the endorsement.

“Honestly, we don’t want to get involved in this kind of story...”he said. “However, we believe that lesbianism and sodomy are unlawfulacts in this country, so we are surprised that law and order have sobroken down in this country that gays will organise freely, address thepress and the police did not arrest them. Law and order has broken downcompletely and the next thing we will be hearing now is that of armedrobbers and the kidnappers that will organise — then bombers will alsoorganise their press conference tomorrow. So one, we detest this kindof journalism; two, we say this is an illegal society organising freelyin this country. Then that tells us the kind of government that wehave.”