Folarin Kehinde

Barely hours before the governorship election in Bayelsa State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the abduction of its Supervisory Presiding Officer (SPO) deployed in Ossioma in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

The official’s abduction was announced late Friday by Wilfred Ifogah, INEC’s HOD of Voter Education and Publicity in Bayelsa.

The SPO, an ad-hoc staff member of INEC, was reportedly abducted while waiting to board a boat at Amassoma Jetty in Sagbama LGA.

The electoral umpire said security agencies have been alerted, and efforts are underway to secure the safe release of the official.

Meanwhile, comes as a boat conveying election personnel and materials capsized on its way to Koluama Registration Area-17 in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

According to Ifogah, “..result sheets, power banks and luggage containing personal effects of staff” were lost in the boat mishap.

Ifogah, however, noted that no life was lost as all the election personnel numbering 12 and the boat operator were rescued.

The affected Registration Area, Koluama-17, has a total of 5,368 registered voters, with 5,311 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected. INEC said it is actively working to ensure that the election in this area proceeds as planned, despite the setback caused by the boat mishap.

Earlier, the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo State had been delivered.

The INEC boss, who stated this on Thursday in Abuja, said 5,169,692 Nigerians who collected their PVCs are expected to vote in the governorship elections in the three states.

Speaking in Yanagoa, the Bayelsa capital on Wednesday, Yakubu said “I want to let you know that our BIVAS have been customized for INEC, so INEC details and the name of the parties are on the BIVAS, so any BIVAS you see without INEC details cannot be from INEC.

“Another thing, we have the list of the serial number of the BIVAS we are going to use, the result sheets will be signed at the polling units.

“Where there is violence, it will be zero, we will not return to that polling unit to conduct the election.

“We have recruited and carefully trained all categories of ad-hoc staff to be deployed to the field, all non-sensitive materials have been distributed to all the eight local government area offices of the state, voter education and sensitization is ongoing,” he said at a stakeholders meeting, represented by the INEC National Commissioner supervising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu.

Yakubu added, “We have made arrangements for the transportation of personnel and materials to ensure that the polling unit opens on schedule on election day.

“For more effective supervision of the process, we are deploying two National Commissioners, and eight resident electoral Commissioners to support our office in Bayelsa, I wish to assure you of our commitment to a free, fair and credible election come Saturday.”

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said his predecessor and FCT minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike remains his oga (principal).

Fubara stated this in Port Harcourt at the rededication service of the 2023/2024 Legal Year of the Rivers State Judiciary that was equally attended by Wike on Thursday.

The moment Governor Fubara and Wike met at the rededication service of the 2023/2024 Legal Year at the Saint Cyprian’s Anglican Church in Port Harcourt.

It was the first time both politicians would be meeting in public since the political crisis that rocked Rivers State recently.

Fubara described the recent political crisis in the state as a thing of the past, calling again for peace in the oil-rich state.

“My oga remains my oga. Whatever that has happened is in the past. I have not sent anybody to malign anybody,” Fubara declared boldly.

He said that although it has been a trying time for the state, the current phase of political misunderstanding will pass and the promises his administration made to the people will be delivered.

Fubara also warned those pledging support for him to stop using abusive words on perceived opponents, saying that he did not authorise them to malign anybody.

According to him, “in trying to attain development, the devil will always attack, but that what is most important is to “identify the devil and push it out”.

Wike who is the FCT Minister arrived at the church service almost at the end and had a handshake with his successor before sitting on the same row with him while the service lasted.

The Nigerian government has deployed a contingent of soldiers, police personnel, and operatives from other security agencies to disperse Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) members at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The NLC and TUC members had assembled at the Abuja airport to enforce their directive to aviation workers, urging them to halt all flights to Owerri, Imo State.

The action was prompted by the reported assault on NLC President Joe Ajaero by police personnel allegedly affiliated with Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration.

Ajaero was reportedly subjected to physical assault and blindfolded following his arrest by security operatives, according to a statement released by the NLC last week.

The union also highlighted that Ajaero’s confiscated belongings, including his phone, had not been returned.

At the protest scene, union members sang and chanted, displaying banners with messages like ‘We Stand With Oppressed Imo State Workers – An Injury To One Is An Injury To All.’

One of the protesters informed Sahara Reporters that security forces comprising the Department of State Security, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were at the airport with instructions to disperse the gathering by force. However, no confrontation had commenced at the time of reporting.

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, today to participate in the inaugural Saudi-Africa Summit scheduled for Friday.

The summit is a platform for fostering dialogue, enhancing trade and investment opportunities, and promoting cooperation between Africa and Saudi Arabia.

President Tinubu is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising key cabinet members, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman; Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu; and Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu.

Furthermore, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Mallam Jalal Arabi, will accompany President Tinubu on the mission.

Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, experienced a slight depreciation against the US Dollar in the foreign exchange market on Tuesday.

According to data from the official FMDQ market, the Naira closed the day at 809.2 Naira per US Dollar, marking a decrease of 28.3 Naira compared to the previous day’s rate of 780.09 Naira per US Dollar.

In the parallel market, the Naira was traded at rates varying between 1030 and 1100 Naira per US Dollar on the same day. Additionally, on the Binance P2P market, the Naira’s exchange rate stood at 1020 Naira per US Dollar.

Tope Fasua, serving as a Special Adviser on the Economy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, issued a cautionary message to currency speculators, suggesting that the Central Bank’s policies and government-led initiatives under President Tinubu’s administration would likely counter their expectations.

At a book launch event held in Abuja on Tuesday, Fasua stated, “For those speculating and hoping that the currency will weaken, I believe that the central bank is implementing policies, and the government, led by the President, will surprise some of them.”

Expressing confidence in the future trajectory of the Naira, Fasua highlighted the belief that, with President Tinubu’s administration implementing strategic policies, the Naira is anticipated to appreciate 600 Naira per US Dollar soon.

The Lagos State University (LASU) has removed the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Tajudeen Olumoko, following allegations of certificate racketeering.

The allegations follow a report on Monday claiming that a syndicate was selling genuine LASU certificates for between N2m and N3m.

In response to the allegations, the university has appointed a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Dr Abiodun Fatai-Abatan, as acting DSA.

The removal has been confirmed by a source at the university. “Yes, it is true, Olumoko has been removed, and Abatan has taken over as DSA. This happened yesterday (Tuesday),” the source said.

However, the university’s Coordinator for Information and Public Relations, Oluwayemisi Thomas-Onashile, has denied any knowledge of the removal, stating, “I can’t say if he has been removed or not. I am not yet in the office. So, I don’t know anything yet.”

The Lagos State House of Assembly had on Tuesday said it will invite the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Tolani Akibu, the Vice-Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, the Senate of the tertiary institution and other top staff over the allegations of extortion and certificate racketeering levelled against the school.

Protest has disrupted the stakeholders meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the governorship election in Imo state this Saturday.

Politics Nigeria gathered that trouble started immediately after INEC’s national commissioner representing South East, Kenneth Ukeagu, ordered journalists to turn off their cameras and other gadgets.

Ukeagu was the representative of the national nhairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, at the event.

Members of the opposition political parties led by the running mates of the Labour Party governorship candidate, Tony Nwulu, and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jones Onyereri, opposed the directive.

They alleged that the call by INEC’s chairman was a confirmation that the All Progressives Congress had made arrangements with the electoral umpire to rig the election.

Nwulu insisted that there was no way the media would be shut out of the stakeholders’ meeting.

He asked Ukeagu if the meeting was “a secret cult” and said that it was a plan by INEC to rig the election in favour of the APC.

The PDP governorship candidate’s running mate, Onyereri supported Nwulu and displayed copies of documents he described as fake results sheets posted on the INEC’s portal during the House of Assembly election in the state.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asserted that the upcoming November 11 governorship election in Imo State is not necessarily bound to proceed as scheduled.

Uchenna Ekwe, the NLC Head of International Relations, made this declaration during an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday. Ekwe emphasised that the Imo populace has been subjected to relentless violence, rendering the election ineffective.

He further stated that Imo workers have lost faith in the election’s ability to bring about any meaningful change.

Ekwe questioned, “Talking about the election, in Imo in particular, did the votes count? How did he (Hope Uzodinma) become governor? In Imo, is the place not terrorized?”

“Go to Imo I challenge you, you won’t see a poster of any other party, you can’t even see a tiny poster of any other party. Get feedback from your correspondents in Imo, ask them in the whole street on Owerri whether there is a poster of any other party,” he challenged.

Ekwe expressed scepticism regarding the prospect of a credible election, citing the disruption of an INEC meeting. He maintained that workers and the general populace have lost confidence in the election’s ability to yield positive outcomes.

How can you say election is coming up, INEC meeting was disrupted, how can you hope that there will be any election, we don’t have faith, even the workers don’t have faith that the election will determine anything, that is the truth,” Ekwe asserted.

“We don’t believe election in Imo will produce anything because the Imo people have been crushed, violence have taken over the place. We are not telling them not to come out to vote but the people will be scared to come out,” he added.

Must there be election in Imo, will the world end? Will the world end if there is no election in Imo State? No, the world would not end, we are not disrupting election,” he concluded.

…… vows to punish racketeers, extortionist

The Acting Director-General/Chief Executive Officer National Identity Management Commission (NIMC)
Engr. Abisoye Coker Odusote has assured residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) of the readiness of the commission to clear issues of backlog and ensure seamless collection of the National Identification Number (NIN).

Odusote who gave the assurance on Tuesday during an impromptu visit to the Corporate office of the Commission in Abuja expressed displeasure over the slow pace of registration, collection process and the working condition of the staff and Nigerians waiting to be attended to.

‘We will work to resolve these issues immediately, as am heading back to my office, am going to make sure that I start addressing these issues because there is no reason you should be under the sun waiting to be registered with NIMC.

‘So I do apologize to you and I will make sure that whatever is going to be done will be done within 3 to 4 days because this queues here is too long and we can’t continue like this, there are shortage of systems up there but we are going to make sure we look into these.”

Meanwhile, odusote noted that the issues of racketeering will be duly addressed as culprits will not go scot free if found guilty of extorting members of the public.

“I have my inspectorate and enforcement head and the CSO right here with me I have set up a committee in conjunction with the police for them to address these issues, very soon we will start to see some changes as all extortion going on here will soon stop and it is not just here but in our offices nationwide.”

Odusote however pledged a better working condition and a conducive environment including a seamless process for NIN registration and collection.

‘Like I said we have taken stock that we are currently taking an assessment audit in all our offices for us to assess the conditions of the offices so there will definitely be a rehabilitation of our offices it is not right for Nigerians who want there NIN done to be conducted in an unconducive environment.’

She charged staff of the commission to work assiduously and maintained that data of Nigerians are critical and national assets hence must be guided jealously.

All primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in Kogi State will be closed from Friday, November 10 to Tuesday, November 14, 2023, in observance of the upcoming gubernatorial election.

The directive was issued by the Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon Wemi Jones, in a statement released on Tuesday.

Jones stated that the closure is to ensure a peaceful and conducive environment for the conduct of the election. He urged all eligible voters to exercise their civic duty and participate in the electoral process.

Schools will resume regular academic activities on Wednesday, November 15, the commissioner said.