APGA gathers more evidence for election tribunal in Yobe

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) said on Monday that more evidence that would warrant outright cancellation of the gubernatorial election in seven local government areas of Yobe State had been gathered by the party.

Alhaji Abubakar Maraya, Yobe gubernatorial candidate of the party, told newsmen in Damaturu that: “We have received more evidence of electoral malpractice in zone C comprising seven local government areas.

“The evidences is both tenable and convincing that the provisions of the electoral law were abused to favour some political parties and their candidates in the gubernatorial election.

”This evidence is in addition to the miscalculation of our votes at the collation centres which we are prepared to tender before the election petition tribunal,” he said.

Maraya noted that the emerging evidences showed “flagrant abuse of the Electoral Act by the ruling All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Yobe.”

“We find it difficult to believe this daylight robbery of scores entered into result sheets that were contrary to scores obtained at the polling units but, we will pursue our rights through the civilised constitutional means at the court, he said.

No plan to hike fuel price, says NNPC •Fuel scarcity witnessed in some parts of the north

The management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has strongly dismissed rumours that the Federal Government has concluded plans to hike the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol, which has led to the build up of queues in petrol stations in Abuja and other parts of the country.

A press statement by the Group General Manager of the Group Public Affairs Division of the corporation, Dr Levi Ajuonuma, disclosed that the NNPC has well over 39 days sufficiency of PMS and other petroleum products in stock. He described the rumoured hike in fuel price as baseless and unfounded and urged the petroleum tanker owners to release their trucks for loading of petroleum products at various depots and loading facilities in Lagos now that the elections have been rounded up across the country.

“The NNPC wishes to inform Nigerians that the rumoured hike in the price of PMS by the Federal Government is false and a mere figment of the imagination of detractors of the nation. The corporation also urges petroleum tanker owners and drivers to resume loading of petroleum products in order to avoid any artificial scarcity of petroleum products as the corporation has over 39 days of product sufficiency,” Dr Ajuonuma added.

The NNPC spokesman called on members of the public to desist from engaging in panic buying of PMS.

Meanwhile, acute scarcity of petrol, diesel and kerosene has hit Minna and other major towns in Niger State as revealed by Nigerian Tribune’s investigations.

The scarcity was first noticed on the eve of Easter but later became pronounced with virtually all the filling stations going for days without the commodities.

Corruption: Ex-minister advocates creation of special courts

TO stem the growing rate of corruption in the country, former Minister of State for Health, Chief Silas Ilo, has advocated the establishment of special courts to try political and government officials suspected to have enriched themselves with public funds.

Speaking with journalists in Enugu, on Monday, on the state of the nation, Chief Ilo noted that special courts would speed up the trials of cases on political corruption in the country, noting that cases bordering on corruption by political office holders had been abandoned half way due to lack of political will.

Chief Ilo urged President Goodluck Jonathan to go beyond rhetoric, wondering why so many alleged corrupt governors in the last regime came back to contest elections in this year’s general election.

Prophet Elijah Akinade for burial May 27

THE final burial date for the late General Overseer of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Lion of Judah, Prophet Elijah Olufemi Akinade, has been announced.

The one-week burial arrangement will be held between Monday, May 23 and Friday, May 27.

Prophet Akinade, the gospel singer/preacher, died on Saturday, April 30, at the age of 56 years.

According to a statement released by the church authorities, the burial programme for the late General Overseer would start with service of songs in all the branches of the church on May 23 and 24.

On Wednesday, there will be lying-in-state at the Lagos State Television (LTV), Ikeja, Lagos, while on Thursday, May 26, the corpse will move to Ibadan, for lying-in-state in the morning, while Christian wake will be held in the evening at the church headquarters, at Dizengoff, Iyana-Church, Ibadan.

On Thursday, there will be a praise night by all the gospel musicians across the country.

The funeral service will be held on Friday at the church headquarters in Ibadan, which would be followed by interment at the same venue.

Meanwhile, sympathi-sers have continued to throng the headquarters of the church, to sympathise with the family and the church
Clerics who had visited the church included Lady Evangelist Bola Are, Pastor Ijaopo, Pastor J. Akintola, the Adegbodu Twins, Prophet Michael Fakile, Pastor Jayeola, among others.

Slain corps members: Yuguda’s comment unfortunate -Anglican bishop •I was misquoted -Bauchi gov

Dissatisfied with the statement credited to the governor of Bauchi State, Mallam Isa Yuguda, over the nine slain corps members in the state, the Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Jos, Reverend Father Benjamin Kwashi, has described such a statement coming from a state governor as most unfortunate.

He said that the governor, who should be a leader, should refrain from making such a comment to what he called “a very sensitive matter. l pray that his own child may not be a victim and killed like that.”

Mallam Yuguda was reported to have said that the nine corps members who lost their lives in the mayhem that trailed the presidential election in Bauchi State was their destiny, adding that he faced such attacks while serving as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Oyo State in 1979.

The cleric, who disclosed that if what happened after the election was not properly dealt with “ then a serious protest with a larger proportion is expected to occur in 2015 without anybody stopping it.”

Meanwhile, Malam Yuguda has denied having mocked members of the NYSC, who died in the state during the recent political riots that trailed the presidential election in some parts of the North, saying he was quoted out of context.

A national newspaper had, at the weekend, quoted the governor as saying he too was attacked as a corps member in the South-West in 1979 and that his own house was also burnt in the riots, thereby down-playing the gravity of the corps members’ death.

Ajimobi’s election: Managers desert motor parks

Some park managers appointed by the outgoing government in Oyo State have resigned their appointments, just as others have deserted the parks.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the park managers, who were appointed at the peak of the leadership crisis in the state chapter of the proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), had left their duty posts following the election of opposition candidate, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, in the last gubernatorial election in the state.

At most of the motor parks visited in Ibadan on Monday, there were indications that most of the park managers were not on duty.

Investigation revealed that most of them left for fear of being attacked by members of the factional leader, Alhaji Akinsola Oloruntoki, also known as Tokyo.

A source at the popular Iwo interchange garage told the Nigerian Tribune that since last Tuesday, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Ajimobi as the winner of the election, most of them had stayed away.

It was further gathered that most of them left the parks without any official notice, while others decided to put in their resignation letters.

At the Agbowo garage, on the Ojoo-Iwo road, there was crisis over who controlled the park.

Alao-Akala sets up transition c’ttee

Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State has set up a transition committee to liaise with the in-coming administration in order to ensure a hitch-free hand over.

A statement issued,Saturday in Ibadan by Mr Dotun Oyelade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communication, said the committee had 21 members.

The governor, according to the statement, charged the committee members to cooperate with their counterparts to be selected by the governor-elect.

It quoted the governor as urging the committee members to “ furnish them with all information without hindrance.’’

The committee, which consists mainly of permanent secretaries, is headed by Alhaji Tajudeen Aremu while Mr David Olatunde, a director in the Cabinet Office, would act as secretary.

Akala lost his second term bid to Sen. Abiola Ajimobi of ACN in Tuesday’s governorship election.

Ajimobi scored 420,852 votes to defeat Akala of PDP who polled 387,132 votes.(NAN)

Tears as bodies of slain corps members return home

They came alive to Bauchi State to serve the nation, but yesterday when it was time to leave, they left as dead heroes.
The remains of the nine National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members killed in the state in the aftermath of the April 16 election violence were yesterday moved from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) mortuary to their various places of birth for onward commitment to mother earth.
It was not a beautiful sight to behold as sympathizers, friends, compatriots and relatives who were at the morgue to bid them goodbye could not control their emotions as the reality of the tragedy dawned on them.
The murdered corps members were evacuated by officials of the National Directorate Headquarters of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), Abuja led by Mr Yakubu Jok, a Deputy Director of NYSC. The officials got to the mortuary as early as 6 am and waited for the corpses of the fallen youthful and energetic heroes to be dressed in their full NYSC attires before they were loaded into the nine ambulances line up for their transportation amidst wailing and prayers.
The nine corps members, among whom seven were murdered at Giade Police Station had a female corps member who was pregnant, but was raped by her killers. The murderd corps members were Adewumi Seun (Ekit Statei), Teidi Olawale Tosin (Kogi), Adowei Elliot (Bayelsa), Okpokiri Obinna (Abia), Gbenjo Ebenezer Ayotunde (Osun), Ukeoma Ikechuwku Chibuzor (Imo), Nwazema Anslem Chukwuonyerem (Imo), Adeniji Kehinde Jehleel (Osun) and Akonyi Ibrahim Sule( Kogi).
The seven killed in Giade Police Station had run there for safety but the killers overpowered the policemen on duty, also beheaded a woman police corporal and the corps members with machetes and sticks before setting the police station on fire.
Adowei Elliot, Ukeoma Ukewchuwu Chibuzor and Aknoyi Ibrahim Sule were of Batch A who were supposed to leave the Wailo NYSC Orientation Camp at the end of March 2011 but were not allowed to go home to proudly show off their NYSC colours to their parents and siblings because they were engaged as INEC ad hoc staff for the general elections.
Barely few hours after NYSC officials ferried the nine corpses away enroute their states of origin, another female corps member who also sustained serious injury during the same post-election violence at Dambam Local Government Area and was hospitalsed, gave up the ghost, thus bringing the death toll to 10.

Protest trails Uduaghan’s re-election

Incumbent Govenor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, on Thursday, emerged the winner of the gubernatorial election by polling a total of 525,793 votes to beat his rival, Chief Great Ogboru of Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) who had 433,834 votes. Obarisi Ovie Omo Agege of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) placed third with 15,526 votes while a former member of the state House of Assembly and candidate of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Dr George Oyefia, came fourth with 7,893 votes.

Kwara ACN heads for tribunal, rejects gov results

FOLLOWING the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just- concluded gubernatorial election in Kwara State, the state chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has said it will not accept the results, as the party head for election tribunal.

Addressing newsmen at the state secretariat of the party, on Thursday, the state chairman of the party, Mr Kayode Ola-wepo and the gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Muhammed Dele Belgore, said there were evidences to back up all their claims of electoral malpractices and brigandage by the PDP, which was desperate to perpetuate itself in power by all means, despite its dismal record of performance in the last eight years.

“The people of the state were totally tired of misrule and corruption and most of them voted for change, despite that PDP thugs, in active connivance with the police and, in some instances, soldiers, were everywhere intimidating the people.

“People were beaten up in some places, such as in Baruten, Malete (in Moro) and Marafa Safele (in Ilorin East), where police and State Security Service (SSS) operatives looked the other way while students and voters were being manhandled by PDP thugs,” they said.

The chairman alleged that in Irepodun, there was inflation of accredited voters, multiple thumb-printing and intimidation of voters and opposition, also by PDP thugs.

Arrival of lady’s corpse from S/Arabia creates scene

A drama played out at the interntional wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, on Thursday, when the family members of a 27- year- old lady who died under mysterious circumstances in Saudi Arabia rejected her corpse.

The body of the lady, which was flown to the Lagos airport from Saudi Arabia at 12.30 p.m. aboard Emirates SkyCargo, was left unclaimed for hours by the family at the Gate 1 of the airport where it was displayed for family’s identification until 4.40 p.m.

The family members were said to have engaged themselves in a duel on how to receive the remains of the lady until some heavily armed police officers and soldiers came to intervene in the matter that would have resulted in a big chaos at the airport.

The deceased’s sister, simply identified as Sade explained that they suspected foul play in the circumstances that led to the death of the deceased she named Itunu Comfort Ogunkola, which she said led to the refusal of the family to accept the corpse.

Sade, in her explanation, alleged that the late Ogunkola was kidnapped by one Mrs Ibitoye who secretly processed her travel documents and took her to Saudi Arabi to work for one Mrs Olukoko who had a hair dressing salon.

According to her, everything, from the time of processing the deceased’s travel documents up to the time of her death, was shrouded in secrecy.

In her words:‘’The woman, Ibitoye presented herself as her mother when they were processing Ogunkola’s documents for the trip.”

According to her, the late Ogunkola, who was staying with one of her relations at Shangisha in Lagos, was not seen for about a week, but she suddenly called her mother, Florence Adeosun, with a foreign number and explained that she was already in Saudi Arabia with Mrs Olukoko.

Ladoja lambasts OBJ ‘He caused PDP’s defeat in S/West’

THE governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, on Thursday, blamed former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for the defeat suffered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West zone.

The former governor told newsmen in Ibadan that such ‘evil’ befell the PDP because Obasanjo, who was the architect of the party’s downfall, was an ungrateful man before man and God.

Ladoja, who recalled how Obasanjo was invited to run for the presidency in 1999, even when he (Obasanjo) was penniless, said he soon became a monster, lording it, not only over the party, but also over those who made him to be what he is today.

“I have not seen him today but I know that wherever he is now, he is a sad man,” he said, listing the perceived wrongdoings of the ex-president, whom he described as not only ungodly but also sinful before man.

“You must be good at home but he did not only lose his polling booth in 1999 but equally lost his ward and could not win a single councillorship seat when God, through us, made him president. The man who was penniless then in 1999 is today the richest black man in the world.

‘FG spends N52.5bn on fuel subsidy monthly’

THE Federal Government has disclosed that gas flaring will end in 2012, as it spends a whopping $350 million monthly on petroleum subsidy.

Mr Chime Ibenechie, Managing Director of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), speaking at the opening ceremony of the fourth annual conference of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics, which began, on Thursday, in Abuja, disclosed that the government spends, on a monthly basis, a whopping $350 million on fuel subsidy

Disclosing that this is quite unacceptable, Ibenechie said the huge money spent on fuel subsidy could be deployed in other areas of needs, such as the provision of infrastructure and gas projects.

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US rates Nigeria’s elections high •Says country made history with April polls •INEC has done Nigeria proud – Soyinka

NIGERIA has made history by organising a credible, transparent, free and fair general election for the first time. The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley, gave Nigeria kudos at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja, during the presentation of the United States President Award to a

Naval officer, Commodore Adeniyi Osinowo, who distinguished himself while serving as Africa Partnership Station (ARS) West Deputy Commander from November 2009 to May 2010.

According to him, this is “really a historic opportunity for Nigeria to consolidate its democracy and further expand its voice on the world stage.”

While congratulating the Nigerian government and the people in achieving this rare feat, the US Ambassador noted that the men and women of the State Security Service, the Army, Navy, Air Force and the police really performed creditably well.

He said that the Navy contributed to the peaceful atmosphere that ensured that Nigerians could go out and vote and that their votes would count.
McCulley added that the world was watching and Nigeria did not disappoint it by making history with the election.

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The ambassador noted that the cooperation the US enjoyed with the Nigerian government and the Navy was exemplary and saluted the commitment of the naval officers and sailors to its partnership with the US in maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said that the partnership his country enjoyed with the Navy was exemplary and was a model, not only for the cooperation in the region, but worldwide, adding that this had led to the decision of the US government to transfer a coast guard craft to the Nigerian Navy to further contribute to maritime safety in the Gulf of Guinea and work together in achieving and consolidating regional awareness capability.

PDP sweeps Assembly polls in Bayelsa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won 23 of the 24 House of Assembly seats in the election held on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 losing just the one seat to KOWA. In the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday, 11 members of the House were returned including the incumbent Speaker, Nestor Binabo who is going for his third term in the 24-member legislature. The list of successful candidates, their constituencies and parties was signed by the public affairs officer, Priscilla Imoudu Sule and showed that only one female, Agatha Goma won in the elections.

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The PDP also won in the rescheduled National Assembly election in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District with incumbent Emmanuel Paulker I polled 106,279 votes to defeat seven other contestants. Kpokpowei Gospel Appolo of the Labour Party came second with 25,953 votes, rufus Abadi Osiri of the Action Congress of Nigeria came third with 5,116 votes while Christopher Pere Ajuwa of the All Nigeria Peoples Party was fourth with 3,516 votes. Meanwhile, INEC said in a statement signed by Imoudu Sule that the rescheduled election in Bayelsa West Senatorial District has been put on hold, but that of Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency would go ahead. Both elections were to be held Thursday, but incumbent Heineken Lokpobiri sought a court order restraining INEC from conducting the election pending the hearing of the substantive motion.

I’ve no plan to vie for Fashola’s seat –Ikuforiji

Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji has denied speculations that he has declared his intention to vie for the state governorship position in next year’s general elections.

Speaking with Assembly Correspondents in Lagos on Monday, Ikuforiji explained that it is not right for him to declare his intention to run for the number one seat in the state unless his party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) allows him.

He added that he has chosen to remain active politician to make life bearable for his people.

He however stressed: “I am eligible to vie for any elective post right from the councillorship”.

He said that Nigeria has every reason to celebrate 50 years of independence, but condemned the huge amount earmarked by the Federal Government for the event.

Jonathan begins seven-day retreat

President Goodluck Jonathan will today begin a seven-day working retreat at the Obudu Mountain Resort in Cross River State.
The retreat, besides enabling him to take a rest after about two months of travelling round the country canvassing for votes in the just concluded presidential election, is aimed at strategising for the beginning of his new administration come May 29.
A statement issued by his media aide, Mr Ima Niboro said the President would be accompanied by some senior government officials and aides.

Imo faces prospect of emergency rule

Save for an intervention today, Imo State may be the first state to face an emergency rule on account of a failure to meet the election deadline. Under the amended constitution and the Electoral Act, all elections must be completed one month before the inauguration date, May 29.

As at today, April 29, Imo State remains the only state yet to conclude its gubernatorial election. Election was held on Tuesday in the state, but the results were declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).

INEC said a rerun will be conducted in three local government areas of the state before a winner can be determined between incumbent, Ikedi Ohakim of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and front runner, Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

For a commission pressured with several deadlines after repeated rescheduling of elections, conducting fresh polls in the affected areas of the state today, just two days after the shift was announced, is "unlikely", INEC officials said yesterday.

Opposition accuses PDP of intimidation in Bauchi, Kaduna

The gubernatorial elections in Kaduna were peaceful while Bauchi State saw a low turnout of voters, the scanty presence of security forces, and at least 20 agents of the Peoples Democratic Party at each polling station.

In Kaduna State, there was a large number of armed soldiers, police officers, civil defence personnel, and officers of the State Security Service at most polling stations while a Nigerian Air Force helicopter provided air surveillance.

Fashola dedicates victory to slain youth corps members

After he was declared the winner of the gubernatorial election in Lagos, Babatunde Fashola on Wednesday gave special thanks to "the young men and women of the National Youth Service Corps" in his acceptance speech. He also appealed to political officeholders to remember that the death of some youth corps members made their political ambitions possible and that those deaths must not be in vain.