Governor Rochas Okorocha Imo, who was not presented a certificate of return by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC at a ceremony in Abuja today, taunted INEC with some sarcasm.

He suggested that the electoral umpire may be planning a special event to issue him a certificate of return, since it omitted his name from those it issued the certificate.

Okorocha spoke in Abuja on Thursday, while reacting to the omission of his name by INEC.

Though he was said to have won the Imo West Senatorial district election held on Feb. 23, INEC omitted his name from those it issued certificate of return. INEC flagged the Imo West senatorial seat as having been procured under duress.

Okorocha, while debunking the allegation, said some persons that were opposed to his electoral victory were working to rig him out.

However, he said those behind the plot were not smart in executing their agenda to rig him out of the senate race and his son in-law, Uche Nwosu, out of the governorship race.

Okorocha criticised the election of Emeka Ihedioha, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), governorship candidate, saying he fell short of the criteria for election.

He alleged that the PDP candidate did not have the needed spread of 25 percent in two thirds of the the Local Government Areas in the state as required by law.

He stressed that the PDP candidate ought not to have been declared winner of the polls.

The Imo Governor also said that he was aware that his travails was because some persons were beginning the fight for the future today.

I was conspicuously absent from the certificates issuance ceremony.

I was not there because INEC has removed my name from the list of elected Senators, having been declared the winner by the zonal returning officer. I am actually waiting to hear why INEC struck my name out.

I think probably, INEC must be trying to do something special, because I understand that once results have been declared and returns made, then you are bound to be issued a certificate of return,he said.

He added that he was in dark as to why the commission exempted him from the ceremony and why he was not invited to collect his certificate of return.

Maybe, INEC would want to organise a special programme for me to hand over this certificate of return to me, because clearly, I won and it was a peaceful election, the best you can ever think of,he said.

He said the allegations in some quarters that he was declared winner of the election under duress as claimed by INEC could not be true.

I do not understand what that means, because there was nothing of such. How can you put somebody on duress to declare you the winner of an election that you have already won

It is not true, but I must let the world understand that this is a game that is being played.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Imo is playing a script, and the script is so funny, it is so cruel and crude actually and they are executing it in a funny way.

I understand that people are beginning to fight a war of the future now when we are not even yet there.

The idea is that, do not give Rochas a certificate; you must slow him down until after they have elected the presiding officers, then you can let him come in,he said.

He added that the idea was to also ensure that he does not become anything in the Senate and to make sure that his governorship candidate son in-law does not emerge winner.

Okorocha further added that his political opponents wanted to cripple him politically before 2023.

I will advise INEC to do the right thing, to release my certificate so that I can celebrate as others. I want to be in the Senate and it will be interesting if I am there Okorocha said.

He advised that INEC should not allow his political opponents to use it as an instrument to achieve their desires.

Source: NAN

Governor Rochas Okorocha has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue him with certificate of return as the senator-elect for Imo West.

He made the appeal at a press conference in Abuja today.

I will advise INEC to do the right thing, to release my certificate so that I can celebrate as others. I want to be in the Senate and it will be interesting if I am there Okorocha said.

He urged INEC not to allow itself manipulated by his political opponents, who he said, wanted to freeze him out politically.

Okorocha was not invited by INEC to a ceremony in Abuja where certificates of return were presented to all senators elect and members of the House of Representatives. Okorocha was declared winner of Imo West two weeks ago, amidst claims by the returning officer, Professor I. Ibeabuchi that he made the declaration under duress.

INEC appeared to have upheld the submission and omitted Okorochas name from the list of senators-elect invited to Abuja.

Okorocha said his travails are connected to the politics of 2023 and that his opponents are already conspiring to close him out.

I understand that people are beginning to fight a war of the future now when we are not even yet there.

The idea is that, do not give Rochas a certificate; you must slow him down until after they have elected the presiding officers, then you can let him come in,he said.

He added that the idea was to also ensure that he does not become anything in the Senate and to make sure that his governorship candidate son in-law does not emerge winner.

Okorocha ended his conference with some sarcasm, suggesting that INEC excluded from todays event for a bigger event.

I think probably, INEC must be trying to do something special, because I understand that once results have been declared and returns made, then you are bound to be issued a certificate of return,he said.

Maybe, INEC would want to organise a special programme for me to hand over this certificate of return to me, because clearly, I won and it was a peaceful election, the best you can ever think of,he said.

Source: NAN

The Foursquare Gospel Church has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election.

The congratulatory message is contained in a letter to the President by the General Overseer of the Church, Rev Felix Meduoye.

According to Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), Meduoye wrote the letter on behalf of the Board of Directors, leadership and entire worshippers of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria.

“Your victory at the presidential poll held on Saturday February 23, 2019 is a testimony of God’s divine providence over your life.

“We commend your administration for providing the enabling environment for a generally peaceful and successful election.

“We urge you to see your renewed presidential mandate as a call from all Nigerians to you to marshal the growth, unity and stability of our dear country.

“We therefore pray that God will enable you to utilize this God-given mandate to continue to forge a strong, virile and united Nigeria irrespective of race, religion or region.

“As a Church, we will continue in our duty of offering prayers for the success of your administration, for your sound health and for divine wisdom to guide you in lifting the country to the desired level of growth, development and progress.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission has decided to resume from Tuesday, the collation of the governorship election result in Bauchi State and may declare the winner of the poll, hitherto ruled as inconclusive.

The commission announced the decision in a press statement on Friday night after resolving some issues around the result of Tafawa Balewa local government and some polling units in Ningi local government.

INEC did not state whether by the decision, the scheduled supplementary election on 23 March has been cancelled.

According to INEC, the number of cancelled votes in four polling units in Ningi Local Government was 2,533 and not 25,330 as recorded.

On Tafawa Balewa Local Government election result, where collation was disrupted by armed gangs, affecting 7 out of 11 registration areas for governorship and 6 out of 11 for state assembly elections, INEC said a committee set up, has found that the results in polling units and registration areas are available and in safe custody.

INEC thus decided to resume the resumption and conclusion of the collation of results of the council area for both the governorship and state assembly elections

A new collation and returning officer for Tafawa Balewa has been appointed to continue and conclude the collation process in place of the original collation officer, who withdrew from the exercise citing threats to her life and those of her family members. The collation officer was Dominion Anosike.

The governorship election in Bauchi state is a straight fight between incumbent Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress and former minister, Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Bala was said to have won the Tafawa Balewa Local government election, putting him in an overall lead of his APC counterpart, but the INEC returning officer, Professor Mohammed Kyari, declared the election inconclusive.

In declaring the election inconclusive, Kyari, gave the scores of incumbent governor as 465,453 votes and Bala Mohammed of PDP as 469,512 votes.

The margin between the winner and opponent is less than the total number of votes cancelled in some polling units.By law, since the margin of winner is less than the total number of votes cancelled and registered voters in the areas where the votes have been cancelled, this elections is hereby declared inconclusive, he said.

He said his decision was in line with section 26 part 53 of the Electoral Act.

With INEC adopting the result of the Tafawa Balewa local council and amending the result for four polling units in Ningi Local government, the PDP believes that its candidate has won the election.

Read INECs decision on Bauchi governorship election:

Source: NAN

Chief Gbenga Daniel, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor of Ogun State and Director-General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, has resigned from partisan politics.

Daniel conveyed his resignation in a letter dated March 14, 2019 to the Chairman of the Party, Mr. Uche Secondus,

He said he took the decision based on the desire to immerse himself in some other vocations and to take on some new challenges.

My decision in this regard is entirely personal to me and having served in various capacities, including as Governor of Ogun State, I have resolved to immerse myself in some other vocations and take on some new challenges, he said.

The 62-year-old politician was governor of Ogun State from 29 May 2003 to 29 May 2011, making him the longest-serving governor of the state, a record that the incumbent, Ibikunle Amosun would match by May 29, 2019.

He founded the Nigerian Compass, a daily newspaper and also Kresta Laurel, a company he started in 1990.

Daniels last political engagement was his appointment as the Director-General of Atiku Campaign Organisation in preparation for the February 23 presidential election.

Atiku was defeated by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

Incumbent President Buhari polled 15,191,847 votes to defeat Atiku, who had 11,262,978 votes

Daniel is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

He taught briefly as a lecturer in the School of Engineering of Lagos State Polytechnic.

The letter which was copied to His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar and Chairman, Board of Trustees (PDP) is produced hereunder:

14th March, 2019
The National Chairman,
Peoples Democratic Party,
Wadata Plaza, Michael Okpara Street
Wuse Zone II, Abuja

Mr. Chairman,

This is to inform you of my intention to resign from active and partisan politics with effect from today, the 14th day of March, 2019.

My decision in this regard is entirely personal to me and having served in various capacities, including as Governor of Ogun State, I have resolved to immerse myself in some other vocations and take on some new challenges.

Preamble
My Political Journey so far

I joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on Sunday, the 9th of September, 2001 at an event which was described as one of the most ceremonial political rallies in our recent political history in the South Western part of Nigeria.

We rose from that rally to create a highly robust and effective political campaign machinery which resulted in an electoral victory for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State in 2003; this movement and vibration affected the politics of the region positively with a victory in five (5) states of the South West.

2. I served as Governor of Ogun State for eight (8) years and our administration till today remains a point of reference in terms of physical, social, economic, educational and human capital development since the State was created in 1976.

3. Notwithstanding these widely acclaimed achievements however, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party ran into trouble waters towards the end of our administration (about the year 2009) which led to the sad loss in the election of 2011, and regrettably ten (10) years after the party has been unable to resolve those internal disputes and challenges.

4. Meanwhile, the PDP in Ogun State was confronted with a very difficult situation in matter of choice. Whereas the national leadership of our party, recognized one candidate for the 2019 election, by court pronouncements another candidate, and in compliance with those court orders, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognized was on the INEC list. The candidates recognized by INEC were not acceptable to the national leadership of the party.

Our situation was then compounded because the candidate which the court and INEC recognized and accepted as valid has also been expelled by the party. This was the dilemma we found ourselves as we approached the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

5. Going forward, we have responded to the yearnings of our people and joined others in emplacing an administration that we believe will better serve the interests of our people than what currently exists. The rest they say is now history.

6. I must say that looking back, I do not have any regrets over that patriotic choice and decision, especially as several of our citizens, leaders and stakeholders in the state and outside have commended that singular action. Many stakeholders within and outside Ogun State feel fulfilled, excited and grateful about our decision to join others in putting a stop to a regime that was believed to be against the collective and general welfare of our people.

7. Let me also add, that in the last few months, I have had one of the rare privileges of traveling round the entire length and breadth of our great country on at least two occasions; the first being during my campaigns to become the National Chairman of our great party, and later as the Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organization (APCO).

8. I must sincerely admit that in the course of all these travels, I have built a network of contacts, of friends and associates in a mutually rewarding relationships which I cherished most and greatly too. I am therefore persuaded that I have fewer points to make and prove in my Political journeys in partisan politics.

9. My decision to quit partisan politics notwithstanding, I have decided to rejuvenate my charity based organization, the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF) which will literally continue to dispense succor to our people in need, address and assist in the areas of some of their health challenges; I also plan on resuscitation of the non-partisan Political Leadership Academy (POLA) which I established some years ago as a platform of political education to our citizens.

10. Without doubt, I will miss the company of my friends and associates and all those relationships I built in the course of the years all over the country..
    While I crave for your kind understanding, accept assurances of my highest regards.
    Yours faithfully,

Governor of Ogun State (2003-2011).

Cc:
His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar GCON
Chairman, Board of Trustees (PDP)

Source: NAN

Governor-elect of Kwara, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has promised to interface with the police to ensure that those implicated in Offa robbery were promptly prosecuted.

He said that he would ensure that the judicial process was logically concluded and perpetrators brought to book.

Abdulrazaq made the pledge at a media briefing on Sunday night in Ilorin where he delivered his acceptance speech amidst All Progressive Congress (APC) party supporters.

He noted that the state had become so insecure to the extent that banking operations had been suspended in the entire Kwara South senatorial zone, after the Offa robbery saga,

This development is seriously affecting the economic development in the zone. We will interface with the Police to address the challenge of insecurity

The Offa robbery where 33 people were killed, based on police investigation was linked to top government officials, he said.

He also pledged that his administration will be accountable to the people and will not steal or loot the states treasury.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially declared Abdulrazaq of APC winner of the Saturday governorship election having polled a total of 331,546 votes to defeat Abdulrazaq Atunwa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 114,754 votes.

APC also won all the 24 seats in the Kwara House of Assembly.

The governor-elect said that his administration would interface with the people across the three senatorial zones of the state from bottom to top and ensure that the people determine what government would do for them.

He said his government would be people-oriented because it was the first time since 1999 that Kwara peoples votes counted and their will come to pass.

Abdulrazaq said that in line with the party manifesto, his administration would place priority attention to security, agriculture, education and infrastructure development.

Abdulrazaq said that Kwara being an agrarian state, his administration would pay attention to farming and agro processing.

Specifically, he said the state would among other crops, increase cashew production and processing for export to create employment and increase internally generated revenue.

The governor-elect lamented the poor state of infrastructure in public schools in the state as well as non-payment of salaries of teachers and other civil servants, and assured to reverse the trend.

We will set up a transition committee that will interface with the government and we will have a forensic audit of the paying system to formulate new policies.

We will organise health care summit. Education summit and special summit on how to improve the state infrastructure, he said.

Abdulrazaq reassured the traditional institution in the state that, contrary to the news making the round, his administration will not demote any traditional ruler but will work with them and count on their useful advice. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Collation and announcement of results have been suspended in Imo following protests at the INEC collation centre in Owerri on Monday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that trouble started when the returning officer from Ideato South was asked by the Imo REC Prof. Francis Ezeonu to commence the announcement of Ideato South result.

No sooner had the returning officer sat down to announce the result than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent, Mr Uche Onyeagocha, and his counterparts Paschal Onwukaike of Democratic Alternative (DA) and Steve Asimobi of Redemption Party (RP) protested the announcement of the results from Ideato South.

This led to an argument where Onyeagocha alleged that the Ideato South result favoured the Action Alliance candidate with an outrageous figure and as such should not be announced.

A verbal altercation among PDP, AA, AD and RP agents culminated in the tearing of the governorship election results for Ideato South.

Onyeagocha also while rejecting the announcement of the results, claimed that the PDP and other party agents were intimidated at the Ideato South LGA collation centre and prayed that the REC cancel the result.

In the midst of the violence that ensued, Onyeagocha and the others were arrested by the security operatives present while Ezeonu and the Imo Returning Officer, Prof. Francis Otonta were whisked away to safety.

This led to the suspension of announcement of results in Imo.

NAN reports that before the fracas, results from 11 councils had been announced in the state.

Results from 16 councils are still being awaited.

Source: NAN

Malam Nasir El-Rufai has thanked the people of Kaduna state, after he was announced Monday as the winner of the governorship election that took place on 9 March.

Alhamdulillah! We campaigned vigorously on our record and continuously prayed for God to choose the best leader for Kaduna State even if that choice is someone else!! God has decided. We are grateful to over 1 million Kaduna voters through whom He made us the choice, he wrote on his Twitter handle.

Announcing the result on Monday in Kaduna, the State Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Yahuza Bello said, El-Rufai, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, scored 1,045,427 votes to emerge winner.

He said the candidate, Alhaji Isah Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 814,168 votes

Bello said Malam Nasiru El-Rufai haven fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and scored the highest votes is hereby declared winner of the Kaduna State governorship election.

Bello said the APC won in 14 LGs while the PDP won in nine LGs that make up 23 LGs in the State.

According to him, the APC won in Ikara,Kubau,Makarfi, Kudan , Giwa, Kauru and Soba local government areas.

The APC also won in Lere, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna North and Sabon Gari, Igabi, Kaduna South, Zaria LGs.

While the opposition PDP won in nine local government areas, including Kajuru,Kaura, Jaba, Kachia, Zango Kataf, Sanga, Kagarko, Jemaa and Chikun LGAs.

The results are as follows:

1.Ikara Local government

APC:41,969

PDP:22,553

2.Kubau Local government

APC:57,182

PDP:17,074

3.Kajuru Local government

APC:10,229

PDP:34,658

4.Kaura Local government:

APC:8,342

PDP:38,764

5.Makarfi local government:

APC:34,956

PDP:22,301

6.Jaba Local government:

APC:6,298

PDP:22,976

7.Kudan Local government:

APC:28,624

PDP:22,022

8.Giwa Local government

APC:51,455

PDP:19,834

9.Kauru Local government

APC:34,844

PDP:31,928

10.Kachia Local government

APC:30,812

PDP:51,780

11. Soba Local government

APC:55,046

PDP:25,440

12.Sanga Local Government
APC 20,806
PDP 21,226

13. Zango Kataf Local Government
    APC 13,448
    PDP 87,546
    14 Kaduna North Local Government
    APC 97,243
    PDP 27,665
    15.Birnin Gwari Local Government
    APC 32,292
    PDP 16,901
    16.Chikun Local Government
    APC 24, 262
    PDP 86, 251
    17.Sabon Gari Local Government
    APC 57,655
    PDP 25,519
    18.Lere Local Government
    APC 71,056
    PDP 45,215
14. Jemaa Local Government
    APC 21,265
    PDP 63,129
15. Kagarko Local government
    APC 21,982
    PDP 26,643
    21.Kaduna South Local government
    APC 102,612
    PDP 31, 429
    22.Igabi Local government
    APC 102,035
    PDP 37, 948
    23.Zaria Local government
    APC 111,014
    PDP 35,356

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 38 political parties fielded candidates the Kaduna State Governorship poll.

NAN reports that the ruling APC, the PDP, PRP, SDP and APGA were most prominent among the Political Parties participated in the March 9poll in the state.

Source: NAN

The Adamawa Chapter of the All Progressives Congress(APC) has rejected the result of Saturdays governorship election in some local government areas in the state.

Mustafa Salihu, APC National Vice Chairman, North East, announced the rejection on Monday in Yola.

Salihu, who was the state collation officer of Presidential and Governorship elections, alleged that the governorship election that was declared inconclusive by INEC was full of irregularities.

We want to bring into the notice of the public serious irregularities associated with the just concluded governorship election. As a party, we reject this result in totality.

Because there are evidences that voting process were compromised, in a lot of Polling Units, Card Readers were not used. There were over voting and our agents were chased away, Salihu said.

He said the party had petitioned INEC on the election process from polling units, wards, local government and the state level but the petition was rejected.

He listed the areas where he alleged the irregularities took place to include Demsa, Lamurde, Numan ,Guyuk, Michika and Madagali Local Government areas.

Salihu alleged that the polling units that INEC declared the Saturdays governorship election inconclusive covered just one per cent of polling units and urged the commission to expand its investigation to cover more areas.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that INEC on Monday announced that Saturdays governorship election in the state was inconclusive because the number of votes cancelled was higher than the margin between the leading PDP candidate and the first runner up APC candidate. (NAN)

Source: NAN

By Shuaib Sadiq/Kaduna

Alhaji Isah Ashiru, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna has rejected the outcome of the election, which favours Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

The PDP candidate who lost to Gov. Nasiru El-Rufai, candidate of the All progressives Congress (APC), said he has substantial evidence showing that the election was manipulated.

Announcing the result on Monday in Kaduna, the State Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Yahuza Bello said, El-Rufai, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, scored 1,045,427 votes to emerge winner. Alhaji Isah Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 814,168 votes.

Ashiru called for outright cancellation of the results, alleging gross irregularities in some local government areas of the state.

According to him, reports obtained by his party agents across the state revealed that the elections were marred by a lot of irregularities.

It is on the basis of these established irregularities that our party in a petition to the state Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC rejected the results and called for its outright cancellation.

It is important for you to note that available reports have shown that smart card readers were not used during the elections in a lot of polling units, he said.

The PDP candidate listed areas affected by the alleged irregularities as Giwa, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna North, Igabi, Zaria, Lere and Ikara Local Government Areas.

It is our firm belief that the non usage of the card readers which is a violation of the electoral guidelines have rendered the results from these areas invalid.

Another issue of concern to our party was the clear militarisation of the electoral process in various part of the state, he said.

Ashiru said the disparity between the number of votes obtained by the APC in the presidential elections and that of the governorship elections was another cause for concern.

How could the people of Kaduna State be convinced the APC will earn more votes during the governorship elections than it got in the presidential elections, he asked

INECs Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Kaugama Abdullahi has confirmed receiving a petition against the outcome of the governorship poll from the PDP.

Abdullahi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the PDP had requested to inspect the election materials used during the poll in the state.

He said the commission had already directed its legal department to take necessary actions on the petition since the request is within the law.

Source: NAN

Imo governor Rochas Okorocha has not been recognised as a senator-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The stance of the electoral umpire was reflected in the list of senators published on its website on Monday.

Okorochas name was conspicuously missing in Box 47, where his name ought to have been printed. Instead, INEC put an ominous note: Declaration made under duress, an accusation that dogged Okorochas victory two weeks ago for the Imo West senate seat.

The commission will on Thursday in Abuja present all senators-elect with certificates of return and has sternly warned that anyone whose name fails to appear on the list, is not invited.

Only members elect as listed on the Commissions website are invited to the ceremony, the commission said.

The commission has invited 63 elected APC Senators, 37 PDP Senators and one YPP Senator to the event slated to hold at the Africa Hall of the International Conference Centre, Abuja at 9.30 am.

There are 109 members of the Senate, the upper chamber of the legislature. INEC indicated that supplementary elections would be conducted in seven out of the yet-to-be-filled slots.
INEC also indicated that it is awaiting the court decision to determine the person elected as senator to represent Bauchi South.

However, the commission did not indicate how it would resolve the Imo West Senatorial seat, between Okorocha and the PDP candidate John Onyeriri.

Professor I. Ibeabuchi, the returning officer for the election held on 23 February had said that he was forced to declare Rochas Okorocha winner of the Imo West Senatorial election.

Ibeabuchi said he stopped the collation after announcing nine out of the 12 local governments in the district, saying he had been directed to return to Owerri, the state capital.

The electoral official claimed he was held up at the collation centre by supporters of Okorocha who insisted he must complete the announcement.

All the listed senators were asked to come with a photo Identification, such as drivers licence, national ID card, Permanent Voters card or International passport.

INEC also planned to present certificates of return to elected members of the House of Representatives later on Thursday at the same venue.

The Full list of Senators as published by INEC;

Source: NAN

The governorship election in Kano remained deadlocked Monday night as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to declare the winner between Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and his challenger, Engineer Abba Kabir-Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party.

INEC ruled that the election was inconclusive.

The Returning Officer for the Governorship election in the state, Prof. Bibi Shehu gave the ruling after the compilation of the election results from the 44 Local Government Areas in the state on Monday in Kano.

According to him, the declaration of the election as inconclusive is in accordance with section 26 of the INEC Act.

He said the number of cancelled votes cast is higher than the margin between the candidate with the highest votes and the runner up.

He explained that the difference between the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Kabir-Yusuf, who leads in the votes declared, and the APC candidate, Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje, who came second, was 26,000 votes, while the votes cancelled were 128,572.

He said that INEC would fix a date to conduct election in 172 polling units, where the election was cancelled due to disturbances, over voting and non usage of the card reader machine.

The returning officer added that the election would also hold in Gama ward with over 40,000 registered voters whose result sheets got missing.

Shehu disclosed that PDP scored 1,014,474, and the APC had 987,819 votes, adding that 2,155,128 votes were recorded as valid and 49,761 rejected.

The Returning Officer said that the total registered voters in the state is 5,249, 989 while the total accredited voters was 2,211,528 and the total votes cast were 2,184,889.

Source: NAN

Emeka Ihedioha, a former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives has been declared the winner of the Imo governorship election.

Ihedioha, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared governor-elect by the returning Officer for the election, Professor Francis Ogbonnaya Otunta at 11:57 pm on Monday.

Ihedioha got 273,404 votes, while Uche Nwosu of the Action Alliance (AA) and son-in-law of Governor Rochas Okorocha came second with 190, 364 votes.

Senator Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came third with 96,458 votes.

Both Uzodinma and Nwosu belonged to the APC until a nomination battle pulled them apart. A simple arithmetic showed that the number of votes jointly polled by both Uzodinma and Nwosu is higher than Ihediohas vote.

The governor-elect, Ihedioha took to Twitter early Tuesday to thank his people and pledged to rebuild the state.

Thank you Ndi Imo.

Its a victory for all of us!

I will not fail!

My word is my bond.

Emeka Ihedioha (@EmekaIhedioha)

Source: NAN

The federal government has been advised to tackle electoral fraud with the implementation of the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais and Ken Nnamani led political reform committees.

The advice was made by the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), in their preliminary reports as international election observers.

Dr Chris Fomunyoh ,Senior Associate and Regional Director , NDI, at a news conference said the suggestion was to create appropriate institutions to assist in elections.

We urge the government of Nigeria to expedite the adoption of comprehensive electoral reforms in order to lay the groundwork for an improved electoral framework.

Implement fully and expeditiously the recommendations of Nigerian-led reforms initiatives such as the Uwais 2008 and the Nnamani Committee 2017.

This is to create appropriate institutions to oversee political parties and prosecute electoral offences, responsibilities that currently impede INECs focus on election administration.

Fomunyoh said that there was also a need to investigate the actions of the military and hold accountable those who violated the electoral and other laws.

He called on the National Assembly to undertake and pass amendments to the election laws that address the challenges and lessons learned from the 2019 elections.

He also urged NASS to prioritise legislation that would promote women.

Earlier , Mr John Tomaszeski ,African Regional Director , IRI, said that the organisations monitored the elections and noticed that it was marred by irregularities, instances of intimidation ,vote buying and violence .

Tomaszeski said that the delegation was also informed of the loss of lives as a result election violence.

He said that the mission deplored the losses and expressed its deepest condolences to the bereaved and the people of Nigeria.

He said that these actions and impunity with which some actors conducted themselves undermined citizens confidence in elections and threatened the legitimacy of Nigerias democracy.

He called on Nigerians to claim, protect and defend their democracy and respect the rights of fellow citizens to participate in the political process. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba was on Tuesday declared the winner of Taraba governorship polls.

The INEC returning officer of the state, Prof. Shehu Iya of the Federal University of Technology, Yola made the announcement at the state Collation centre in Jalingo.

The returning officer said Ishaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) having scored the highest votes of 520,433 was returned and declared reelected.

He added that Ishaku defeated his close rival Alhaji Sani Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who polled 362,735 while Sen. Aisha Alhassan of the United Democratic Party (UDP) polled 16,289 to come third.

Iya said that the PDP won in 12 local government councils of the state while APC won in four local government areas.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the political parties agents that participated in the election accepted and signed the result excluding that of APC.

Ishaku thanked the people of the state for the overwhelming support which gave him a resounding victory.

Ishaku pledged to sustain his development programme to put the state on the path of sustainable growth.

He called on traditional rulers, community and religious leaders to continue to champion the crusade for peaceful co-existence among residents.

Police Commissioner in Taraba, Mr Alkasim Sanusi described the exercise as one of the best conducted in the history of this nation.

Sanusi, however, warned against post election violence, adding that anybody caught perpetrating such act would face the wrath of the law.

Also, Alhaji Bello Yero, the Permanent Secretary, Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the victory for the governor was a continuation of the rescue agenda.

The governor has done so much for the people of the state and deserved a second term.

Gov Ishaku is a man of peace, a man of integrity, a man of wisdom and a caring leader who is committed to development of the state, he said.

Source: NAN

You might have heard of Bitcoin and the business that have evolved out of it. Owing to this, your interest in the business has been aroused and you will like to give it a try but then you do not know how you can get your own Bitcoin. This is where this write-up become valuable. Before I proceed, I will like drop this: though you might have had people introduce the business to you in person, the buying of Bitcoin remains an online transaction. This is understandable by the virtue of the fact that the item is an e-currency. However, you can definitely get to link up with a few trusted companies who have been in the business of buying and selling Bitcoin for a while.

Bitdelia
Bitdelia is one of the most trusted exchange platforms where you can buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. The company, through its user-friendly website presents customers with an avenue to seamlessly carry out transactions without having to worry about safety. Security is shored up by the integration of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology and cryptocurrency traders [on the platform] are provided with multi-sig encrypted wallets. Plus, trading on the website takes only few minutes to be completed. There is also aa highly responsive live support available to cater to customers’ enquiries and/or complaints.

BitPesa
BitPesa was founded in 2013, and its headquarters is in Kenya. This platform operates in seven (7) different African countries, Nigeria inclusive. On this exchange platform, customers can buy and sell Bitcoin at considerably low rates, and the medium is yet very convenient and fast to use. Visit www.bitpesa.co/# to find out more.

Coindirect
Coindirect scores high in terms of reach and the number of cryptocurrencies that can be traded – it is possible to buy and sell 43 different cryptocurrencies on this platform; these definitely include Bitcoin. Coindirect could be said to be a pacesetter when it comes to providing exchange services and making available the right peer-to-peer trading system for anyone who desires to go into the business. Again, Coindirect is among the few that have developed mobile app for the use of its customers.

Luno
Here is another cryptocurrency trading company with global presence. People can buy Bitcoin and Ethereum through this platform using local currency. And as with other top trading platforms, it has a highly secure and user-friendly website in place for customers to do transactions. Luno has got the right mix of technology and expertise to help you have a hassle-free (trading) experience. It also provides wallets for storing cryptocurrencies, and Luno’s mobile app is operable on iOS and Android operating system. Go to www.luno.com for more information

NaiaraEx
NairaEx is a trading company established by Nigerians for the Nigerian residents. Apart from Bitcoin, you can trade Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin cash on the platform. With a strong distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, NairaEx ensures that activities/transactions are done under a secure network. Again, the speed of doing business as well as the responsiveness of the customer support is quite impressive.

Remitano
Remitano ticks all the right boxes when discussing about the best exchange platforms around. It has presence in more than 50 countries with a vibrant customer base in excess of 1.5 million persons. The company offers top class services which makes it difficult to see negative remarks in reviews on Remitano. While the trading of six different cryptocurrencies is feasible through its platform; storage (wallet) is only available for Bitcoin. To ensure the convenience and satisfaction of its customers, Remitano has set up a very responsive live chat support, and mobile app is in place for iOS and Android device users. Visit https://remitano.com/btc/ng

By Francis Onyeukwu

Five hundred and eighteen candidates are contesting the March 9 election for the 30 legislative seats in the Anambra State House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Awka North State Constituency with 23 candidates has the highest number of candidates, followed by Awka South with 22 candidates.

Mr Leo Nkedife, Head Voter Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told NAN on Friday in Awka, that Ayamelu and Anaocha fielded the least number of candidates. Thirteen candidates are contesting in each of the state constituency.

He noted that only the prominent political parties such as: APGA, APC, PDP, SDP YPP presented candidates for the election.

NAN recalls that governorship election would not hold in Anambra as it held in the state in November, 2017.

Nkedife also said that INEC has distributed sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the conduct of the election.

From 12 noon today (Friday), our men and materials will be moved to Registration Area Centres, from where our men will sleep over so as to enable them trek to the polling units.

As you can see, we now have less activities at INEC state headquarters now because all activities are now at local government area levels, he said.

Source: NAN

By Johnson Eyiangho

The Defence Headquarters reiterated on Friday that the role of the Armed Forces in the ongoing elections is to support the police in providing security for voters to exercise their franchise.

The Governorship and House of Assemblies elections, as well as the Area Councils elections in the Federal Capital Territory are scheduled to hold on Saturday.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja ahead of the elections, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Acting Director Defence Information (DDI), said the militarys role in election is contained in Section 271 of the 1999 constitution.

The section stipulates that the military can be deployed to assist the police in maintenance of law and order during elections.

He said: In carrying out this onerous task, the Armed Forces of Nigeria is guided by the code of conduct and rules of engagement that have been provided for military personnel deployed to maintain security during elections.

We assure Nigerians that in tandem with our mandate, we will continue to compliment and support the efforts of the Nigerian Police in ensuring that all abiding citizens of this nation and members of the international community go about their legitimate duties and obligations in an environment devoid of violence and insecurity.

Nwachukwu restated the Chief of Defence Staffs (CDS), Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin directive that personnel had the right to vote during the ongoing elections, but must approach polling units in mufti.

Additionally, any military personnel who is not on election security duty found in military uniform on election day will be arrested and sanctioned in accordance with military justice system, the CDS had said.

Nwachukwu reminded commanders to ensure that sanity prevailed in their areas of responsibility.

He said their assigned tasks apart from ensuring security include the arrest of personnel in uniform but not on election duty, adding that civilians caught in uniform would be treated as impostor.

On soldiers killed by suspected political thugs in some states during the Feb. 23 elections, the DDI said the military would not carry out reprisal attacks.

In spite of the unfortunate attacks on our personnel by political hoodlums during the last elections, the armed forces of Nigeria, as a professional and reputable institution wishes to reassure the public that no reprisal attack will be carried out by military personnel, unit or formation.

He commiserated with the families of the deceased soldiers, saying that no one, including military, civilians, electoral officers or observers deserved to die for elections.

The DDI appealed to politicians and their supporters to embrace peace and conduct themselves within the ambit of the law.

The Defence Headquarters solicits the support and cooperation of Nigerians and the media toward the sustenance of peace and security before, during and after the elections, he said.

Source: NAN

Senator Abdullahi Gumel has expressed optimism that the All Progressives Congress(APC) would win in Akwa Ibom and other Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) states in March 9 governorship elections.

Gumel (APC-Jigawa), made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

He said there was no doubt that the party would clinch most states as evident in the Feb. 23 elections, where President Muhammadu Buhari clinched many states, particularly Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) states.

He stressed that, APC will win overwhelmingly in the Governorship and House of Assembly elections because of the trend of elections from 2015 to date.

Nigerians have realised that the opposition party does not have much to offer, while the APC government has since 2015 demonstrated good governance.

So, I am expecting that we will win in Gombe, Akwa Ibom and other PDP states, he said.

The lawmaker urged Nigerians from the South, particularly those from the Southeast, to come out massively and vote for APC candidates.

He further urged them to show support for the ruling party to enable it continue with its developmental projects.

He said, the advice I have for people in Southeast is that now we have the Federal Government.

They should try and be part of this government. They should not alienate themselves anymore and return to cry that they were marginalised and not given appointments.

Let them show the APC that they are serious. Let them come out and be part of those of us that are going to the Next Level so that they will enjoy.

It is a simple principle. If you come with me you enjoy, if you are not with me then you cry. That is politics.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that, of the 36 states, 29 states will be going to the polls on March 9 to elect their governors and House of Assembly members.

The seven states that will not be going to the polls are Bayelsa, Edo, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Anambra and Ondo.

Source: NAN

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider only card-carrying members for political appointments.

She made the call at a dinner to celebrate the victory of President Buhari in Daura, his home town on Thursday 7th March, 2019.

The event took place at the Daura Stadium and attracted women and youth supporters of the APC from across Katsina state.

Aisha noted that the constitution of the party specifies that appointments to offices in an APC led government should go to card-carrying members.

She thus advised that the party constitution should be respected.

She expressed appreciation over the support that the party enjoyed in the last Presidential election, especially from women and youth and assured them that government will do more to improve their lives.

I wish to thank the women and youth of this country for the number of votes they gave President Buhari in the 2019 election and to assure that he will continue to do his best to make Nigeria a better country.

One of the speakers at the event, Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika praised the electorate for choosing President Buhari, whose integrity, he said, is time-tested.

He assured them that the second tenure will result in development in all spheres of endeavour.

He commended Aisha for her initiative in engaging women and youth during the presidential campaign, which resulted in the massive votes recorded.

Goodwill messages were delivered by many politicians including Woman Leader of the APC Women and Youth Presidential Campaign Team, Mrs. Binta Muazu, and Senator Fatuhu Mohammed, representing Daura Zone.

The event was attended by wife of the Governor of Katsina state, Zakiyya Masari, wife of the Deputy Governor, Mannir Yakubu and wife of Minister of Interior, Hadiza Dambazau.

Various artistes performed at the occasion.

Source: NAN