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The Edo Diaspora community has urged the Nigeria Police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain professionalism and impartiality during the upcoming governorship election in the state on 21 September.

Raymond Osaremen, Deputy Director-General of the Diaspora for Asue/Ogie Campaign Council, addressed newsmen on Monday in Benin, expressing concerns over voter intimidation. He emphasized the need for a free and fair election, calling on security agencies and INEC to ensure a peaceful and transparent process.

Osaremen tasked the authorities to ensure a free, fair, and transparent election.

He emphasised that the role of security agencies was to protect citizens and maintain public order, not to instil fear or interfere with the voting process.

Osaremen urged INEC to ensure a credible election and called for adequate training and equipment for its officers to manage the election transparently.

“We are here today to express our concerns regarding voter intimidation and the role of security agencies.

If left unaddressed, these concerns risk undermining the very foundations of our democracy and eroding the trust that the people have placed in the electoral system.

“Exercise your democratic rights fully, knowing that the future of our state and country lies in your hands.

“We urge you to report any instances of voter intimidation or malpractices to the relevant authorities,” he emphasised.

Four people were injured on Monday after a residential building collapsed in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The incident occurred following a heavy downpour that started on Sunday evening and lasted into the early hours of Monday.

According to residents, the building, located near Government College in Riyom, collapsed while the occupants were asleep.

A local resident, Dusu Judith, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jos, stating that the four injured individuals were mostly children.

Judith explained that the occupants were sleeping when the building caved in, but fortunately, no lives were lost.

However, four people were injured and are currently receiving treatment in a hospital. “The people were just sleeping in their house last night when the building caved in.

Luckily, no death was recorded but four persons were injured. Those injured are currently receiving treatment in a hospital,” Judith said.

Another resident, Bot Rwang, expressed shock over the collapse, praising the survival of the family members inside. Rwang said, “It is God that saved them because it is shocking how they escaped, looking at the structure which collapsed completely with debris on the ground.”

This incident comes amid a spate of building collapses in Plateau State. In July 2024, a tragic collapse at a school in Busa Buji, Jos North Local Government Area, claimed the lives of 22 schoolchildren and injured 132 others. Stakeholders have attributed such incidents to poor workmanship, substandard building materials, and corruption.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) demand to redeploy Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Anugbum Onuoha, stating that it will not give in to the party’s request.

Mr Onuoha has been a subject of controversy over his relationship with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Wike have not been in good terms after Wike supported his second term bid when he defected to the PDP.

The governor and the national leadership of the PDP have expressed fears that Onuoha would influence the election to favour the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The PDP chairman in Edo State, Anthony Aziegbemhin, had submitted a formal protest letter to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, demanding Onuoha’s immediate redeployment.

The letter read in part, “The ties between these two are too close to ignore as they share familiarities and are also close associates.

The said Edo REC is a cousin to the Minister of the FCT, Mr. Wike. He also served as a former Commissioner and Special Adviser for Lands, Survey, and Housing to Mr Wike during his tenure as Rivers governor.”

Responding, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, emphatically said that the REC would not be redeployed, urging the PDP to focus on the process of the election rather than Onuoha.

“The REC for Edo State will not be redeployed. The governorship election will be conducted on September 21, 2024 in 4,519 polling units, not in the REC’s office.

In the same manner, polling unit results will be declared by the respective Presiding Officers after the voting, ballot sorting and counting processes, in the presence of accredited party agents and other stakeholders.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has donated 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Nigeria to support victims of recent floods.

The donation is part of the UAE’s commitment to aiding nations affected by natural disasters.

UAE Ambassador Salem Alshami handed over the relief materials to the federal government on behalf of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan.

The donation reinforces the UAE’s long-standing assistance to disaster-stricken countries.

Manzo Ezekiel, Head of the Press Unit at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), confirmed the donation on Monday. Senior officials from NEMA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) received the aid on behalf of the flood victims.

Dr. Ahmed Dunoma, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed appreciation on behalf of President Bola Tinubu.

He praised the UAE for its timely intervention and noted the strong diplomatic relations between the two nations.

NEMA Director-General Mrs. Zubaida Umar thanked the UAE, emphasizing the donation’s potential to complement the Federal Government’s relief efforts.

She stated that the aid will assist those affected by the floods to recover from the devastation.

The donation is expected to provide much-needed relief to thousands of displaced persons across Nigeria’s flood-ravaged regions.

Leaders from the Ogoni and Oyigbo zones have withdrawn their support for Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Instead, they have thrown their weight behind Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.

The leaders made this decision at the “Ogoni, Oyigbo People’s Assembly” held on Saturday in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area.

The assembly aimed to foster unity between the two ethnic zones and was attended by politicians loyal to Wike.

Prominent personalities, including Senators Barinada Mpigi and Magnus Abe, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, and Chief Victor Giadom, attended the meeting. The group emphasized that after years of marginalization, it was time for Ogoni and Oyigbo to produce the next governor of Rivers State.

Speaking on behalf of the assembly, Senator Mpigi declared that the Ogoni and Oyigbo Peoples Assembly had reaffirmed their support for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and pledged total loyalty to Wike.

They also reiterated that the senatorial district’s upland is due for a governor and should produce the next governor of Rivers State come 2027.

Tensions between Wike and Governor Fubara have been mounting, with Wike publicly withdrawing his support for his former ally.

Wike has accused Fubara of straying from their shared vision for the state. Wike’s loyalists have now aligned themselves with the push for an Ogoni or Oyigbo candidate, further isolating Fubara politically.