From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke on Wednesday received his certificate of return at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Osogbo, amid cheers, jubilation, and a mammoth crowd celebrating the renewed mandate.

In his address, Adeleke promised to work harder and do more towards the welfare and betterment of the entire people of the state.

According to him, “You have given me another opportunity to serve, and I accept this responsibility with humility.

“Today is not merely about the presentation of a Certificate of Return.

“This certificate does not belong to Ademola Adeleke alone. It belongs to the people of Osun State: our workers, market men and women, youths, traditional and religious leaders, and every citizen who participated in this democratic process. I am deeply humbled by the confidence you have renewed in me.

“It is deeply painful that any family should have to bury a loved one because of politics. No election, political office or ambition is worth the life of a single citizen.

“We remember Ezekiel Olapade, Aderogba Ajayi, Remi Abass, Kolade Eluyera, and every other victim of electoral violence. Regardless of political affiliation, they were first our brothers, sisters and fellow citizens. To their families, your pain is our pain, and your loved ones will never be reduced to mere statistics.

“The Adeleke family, through the Springtime Development Foundation, will provide full scholarships up to university level for the children and dependents of those who lost their lives.

“The Osun State Government will also establish a ₦500 million Election Violence Victims Endowment Fund to support verified victims and affected families. A Verification and Relief Committee, chaired by the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Olumide Egbedun, will oversee the transparent identification of victims and equitable distribution of support. This is not a political intervention. It is a humanitarian responsibility”, Governor Ademola Adeleke was quoted as saying.

National Commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) representing the South-West, and currently supervises electoral activities in Ogun, Ondo, and Osun States, Professor Kunle Ajayi who congratulated Governor Adeleke at the presentation ceremony later presented the Certificate of Return to the Governor.

From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Commissioner for Information in Cross River State, Pastor Ekpenyong Ene Cobham, has challenged opposition politicians to stop what he calls “rudimentary political rhetoric” and put their energies and intellectuals to engage the administration of Governor Bassey Otu on its policies and programmes instead.

The Commissioner threw the challenge during an interactive session with journalists at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre in Calabar, calling on them to raise the quality of its political discourse if they want to be seen as serious people by Cross Riverians.

He particularly challenged the PDP governorship candidate, Arthur Jarvis Archibong, to a public debate on the policies, programmes and performance of the present administration, rather than wasting his energy on shallow political arguments and personal attacks on the Governor

Cobham said recent criticisms directed at Governor Otu, including claims that the Governor had not spent up to 10 days in Cross River in any month since assuming office, exposed what he described as the opposition’s poor understanding of contemporary governance and the workings of Nigeria’s pseudo-federal system.

According to him, “Is it in this 21st century of the modern world that somebody would talk about where the government is operating from? Talk about the record, the performance index at this point in time,” he maintained.

He said further, “Reel out what you think the government has not been able to achieve. Come up with strong reasons, and let us engage,” he said, adding that critics should “educate themselves to the strata we are operating under.”

Cobham said the administration’s strategic engagements outside Cross River had yielded significant results, pointing to efforts to secure funding from the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) for the Bakassi Deep Seaport and the sustained push to have Cross River formally recognised as an oil-producing state

Maintaining that these engagements were necessary because Cross River could not achieve its development objectives by operating in isolation from the Federal Government and other strategic institutions, Cobham maintained.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has advised politicians to respect their opponents and ensure that campaigns for the 2027 general election were issue based.

Speaking on Wednesday during the 195th State Executive Council meeting in Government House and during the flag-off of the second tenure bid of President Bola Tinubu at the Oxbow Lake in Yenagoa by a political group, PBAT Door to Door Movement, Governor Diri stated that the charge was against the backdrop of commencement of campaigns for next year’s elections.

The Bayelsa governor urged members of the group to emulate President Tinubu, whom he described as a democrat, by being persuasive rather than combative with those who hold contrary opinions, insisting that democracy encourages people to hold divergent views.

He expressed optimism that the South-South geo-political zone and Nigerians will re-elect President Tinubu.

He hailed the grand patron of the movement, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, for the initiative, stressing that the President deserved a second term to enable him consolidate on the gains of his first tenure.

He contended that Tinubu was laying a solid foundation for the development of Nigeria beyond his tenure and urged Nigerians to support him in the interest of national development.

He recalled how the President ensured a free and fair election during his second tenure governorship bid in November 2023 and in last Saturday’s governorship poll in Osun State, stressing that Tinubu’s democratic credentials were not in doubt.

Governor Diri also congratulated his Osun counterpart, Governor Ademola Adeleke, on his victory in the election.

His words: “The purpose of our gathering today is to restate without equivocation our unflinching loyalty to the re-election of President Tinubu and to flag off the South-South zone of the PBAT Door to Door Movement.

“I charge the leadership of the PBAT Movement to be inclusive and persuasive in your engagements. Let our campaigns be issue-based. The Renewed Hope Agenda is work in progress to make Nigeria better.

“Our message to the South South and the country is to give the President a second term to consolidate on his achievements. The South-South zone is critical in project Nigeria.

“Let me acknowledge my dear brother, Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, who is giving back. He is our proud son and brother of this zone. I acknowledge his contributions to the re-election bid of Mr. President.”

Chairman of the event, Chief Lambert Ototo, said Tinubu has done well and will do better if re-elected.

In his remarks, South South Coordinator of the PBAT Door to Door Movement, Pastor Reuben Wilson, expressed appreciation to zonal state coordinators and those who contributed to the success of the event.

He said the movement was formed by Ekpemupolo to galvanise support for Tinubu, who he maintained deserved the support of people of the region based on the love he has shown in terms of appointments and projects.

Speaking on behalf of state coordinators in the region, the Bayelsa State Coordinator, Hon. Daniel Charles, said the zone was united for Tinubu’s re-election.

Also, chairman of the state All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Warman Ogoriba, said the South-South was known for following through on issues on a united front, pledging that the President will record an unprecedented number of votes from the region.

Ogoriba charged the coordinators and members of the movement not to rest on their achievements but to work until Tinubu is re-elected.