POLITICS
Observers Rate Bayelsa Governorship Election Low

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
Barely few hours after the Bayelsa state Governorship election results were released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced winner having scored 175, 196 votes against his closest rival of the All progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipere Sylva who polled 110,108 votes, some observers have come out with their observation expressing their displeasure and described what they saw after monitoring as unfortunate.
Addressing a press conference in Yenagoa, Jude Adeyemi of the Community of Youth for mobilization and Sensitization , who was flanked by Juliet Omale, said it was disheartening and unfortunate to express their displeasure having monitored the election from material distribution pre – election and election proper that the November 11 Governorship election in Bayelsa state was fraught with a lot of irregularities as Collation officers unilaterally cancelled elections , adding from what they observed over 100,000 votes were willfully cancelled and it is only a re – run election that would remedy the threat to democracy.
He said as far as they were concerned BIVAs were by-passed and that gave some parties the opportunity to connive with INEC to do the bidding of their master. “Of particular note from our monitoring collation of votes in Nembe, Brass and Southern Ijaw local government areas, we therefore called for a re – run or outright cancellation of the entire results purportedly declared by INEC”
They said INEC has a lot of questions to answer as what necessitated the Collation of results from Nembe, Brass and Southern Ijaw local government areas to be collated in INEC office in Yenagoa, that if they alleged that it was due to perceived crises in those areas, it is on record that every part of Bayelsa state was known as being volatile and insecure, adding that all these would have been put together before hurriedly declaring the results.
“INEC should be queried for these plethora of anomalies recorded during the election” they asserted.
POLITICS
Buhari Felicitates Tinubu at Midterm, Calls for Nigerians’ continue support

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated his successor, President Bola Tinubu, on his midterm, calling for Nigerians’ continue support for his administration’s efforts to address poverty and inflation.
This is contained in a statement issued by Buhari’s former Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Wednesday.
Buhari also called for steadfast support for the All Progressives Congress-led government as it marks its second year in office, saying reforms would achieve success gradually, not overnight.
He warned that necessary reforms and desired changes must not fall victim to mettlesome domestic politics.
According to him, as the party and the government celebrate, the country should be reminded that leadership is a continuous journey.
Buhari expressed support for the ongoing efforts by the Tinubu-led administration to curb poverty and inflation, which, he said, had hit the poorest families.
Seeking Nigerians’ support for Tinubu-led administration, he said that the task of reducing poverty and inflation mustn’t be left only for the government.
“The private sector and all of us, as citizens, must join in all ways we can,” he said.
The former president urged Nigerians to remain optimistic and stay confident about the country’s future, saying ‘our expectations from our governments should not get heavy’.
While expressing his heartfelt felicitation to Tinubu on his two years in office, Buhari prayed God to keep and grant him the wisdom and care to continue to lead the country. (NAN)

President Tinubu Appoints Ex- Speaker, Enugu Assembly, Odo, as UNN Governing Council Member
President Bola Tinubu has appointed the former speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Chief Eugene Odo, and Mr. Muhammad Tahir, as governing council members of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).
The appointment comes as part of the President’s renewed efforts to reposition federal tertiary institutions for excellence and global competitiveness.
Odo served as a two time speaker of Enugu State House of Assembly between 2007 and 2015.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain also served under the previous administration of Muhammad Buhari as a governing board member of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife.
Also appointed were the governing councils members of the University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka.
The appointments were contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.
Onanuga said President Tinubu charged the new council members to justify their appointments by ensuring that their respective universities move forward.(NAN)
POLITICS
PDP NEC Gets Under Way in Abuja

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja
All is set for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 99th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting today at the party’s Presidential Campaign Office, Legacy House, located in the Maitama District, Abuja. After a marathon meeting of the various organs of the PDP at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge, officials of the party have converged on Legacy House for the long awaited NEC meeting, which had been postponed for several times.
Security in and around the house has been beefed up with the deployment operatives from the Police, DSS and NSCDC. Many prominent members of the party, including its 2023 Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, were absent from the marathon meeting.The NEC, one of the highest decision-making organs of the PDP, comprises of Party National Chairman and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), state governors, serving and former presidents, former vice-presidents, the chairman and secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT), principal officers of the National Assembly, state chairpersons, former governors, and founding members, among others. The NEC meeting is expected to address critical issues affecting the party, including strategies for upcoming political engagements, leading to the 2027 general elections.On Monday, barely 24 hours to the much expected NEC meeting, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) keep to its threat and sealed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat, Wuse Zone 5 for failure to ground rent, a situation the party described as temporary set back.However, reprieve came to the PDP and others who had their properties sealed as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, intervened and gave them 14 days to pay their ground rent.