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Edo Election Tribunal: PDP Witnesses Allege Irregularities in 3 LGs

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Witnesses of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday gave testiminies on how irregularities allegedly marred the Sept.

21, 2024 Edo governorship election in three Local Governments (LGs) of the state.The PDP and its candidate in the election, Dr Asue Ighodalo, are challenging the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Gov.
Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner.
Being led in evidence by Abiodun Owonikoko, PDP counsel in the petition, one of the witnesses, Kennedy Osifo, tendered agents’ copies of the election results for 76 polling units.The poling units are in Ward II of Ikpoba Okha local government area of the state, where he alleged four electoral irregularities.
According to him, the irregularities were observed when the agents’ copies were examined alongside the certified true copies of the results of BVAS accreditation report obtained from the INEC’s IREV portal.He said that the discrepancies had been highlighted in his witness statement on oath, which he urged the tribunal to adopt in evidence in the case.Osifo, who said that he was the PDP local government collation officer in the poll, alleged that the INEC relied on incorrect scores to announce the final result of the election.When cross-examined, Osifo said that his testimonies were based strictly on the two documents and not on contacts with the agents.On his part, Adebayo Ogedegbe alleged cases of irregularities in 45 units across Akoko-Edo LG of the state.Ogedegbe, who was the party collation officer for the local government, testified that INEC computed incorrect scores that negated the records in the certified true copies in 41 of these units .The witness alleged overvoting in the four other units, seeking to tender the agents’ copies of results of these units in evidence to corroborate his claims.For Owan West LG, Lucky Aroye, tendered agents’ copies of results in nine units where he also alleged overvoting.Aroye said that there were no prior recordings of sensitive materials in seven units of the LG, urging INEC to adopt his statement on oath as evidence in the case.When asked if the witness was able to visit all the units in the local government as the collation officer, he said there was no way he could have done that, considering the number.Meanwhile, messers Kalu Agabi, Onyechi Ikpeazu, and Ukala, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), counsels to INEC, Okpebholo and the APC, objected the admissibility of the tendered documents.The lawyers, however, reserved their grounds to the final written addresses.Justice Wilfred Kpochi, the Chairman of the tribunal, l in his ruling, said that the documents were provisionally admitted in evidence.Kpochi adjourned the sitting until Wednesday for continuation of hearing. (NAN)

POLITICS

PDP Hails Gov. Adeleke, Osun People Over Successful LG Election 

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated Governor Ademola Adeleke, the Government and people of Osun State for the successful conduct and outcome of the Saturday, February 22 Local Government Area election in the State.

According to the PDP, the success and outcome of the free, fair, transparent and credible Local Government election conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) is a resounding triumph of democracy, the Rule of Law, Constitutional Principle of true federalism and the Will of the people of Osun State over the All Progressives Congress (APC) anti-democratic forces that sought to illegally and forcefully take control of their State.

“Our Party salutes the people of Osun State for the courage in asserting their sovereignty and Constitutional right by coming out enmasse to vote in the election despite the vicious attempt by the APC to intimidate them and subvert the democratic process.”

The PDP further asserted that its sweeping victory across the 30 Local Government Areas in the State in spite of the machinations of the APC is in further demonstration of PDP’s political supremacy in Osun State, the South West geo-political zone and across the nation. 

“Moreover, the PDP’s overwhelming victory in the election comes as the people’s response to the outstanding achievements of Governor Adeleke in his massive delivery of life-enhancing infrastructural, citizen empowerment and human capital projects in all critical sectors including power, healthcare, education, road construction, water resources, agriculture and food production among others in line with the manifesto and policy thrust of the PDP.

“The PDP congratulates and charges the newly elected Osun State Local Government Chairmen and Councillors to be guided by Governor Adeleke’s vision so that the people at the grassroots will continue to enjoy the dividends of his people-first policy direction in governance.”

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POLITICS

SDP a Party of Ideas – Adebayo

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

Leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo has described the SDP as a party of ideas and discipline that can only accommodate those who believe in its ideas.

 

He advised those who don’t agree with the party’s ideas not to bother joining the party because it would be counterproductive since party members have a set of ideas that they believe in.

So, this discipline is what has kept our party, so we enjoin anybody coming to join us to be law abiding and to do things according to good conscience and the rule of law.

“In our party, we use democratic methods, so we do not use any desperate methods.

We don’t give bribes to delegates. We don’t falsify delegates’ lists. We don’t do fractional primaries and all of that, so we agree on the ideology,” he said.

He equally said his party has been playing the politics of development and measurement, such that it has been proffering solutions to the numerous problems confronting the country, hoping that whenever President Bola Tinubu and his team decides to have a second thought, they would look at the solutions his party is proposing and start to adopt them.

He noted that just as President Tinubu stole his campaign slogan in 2023, he would be happy if he could again steal his ideas now and use them to better the lives of Nigerians.

“I hope that President Tinubu  will steal some of my ideas just the way they stole my slogan during their campaign, and use them to better the lives of the people. 

“I want President Tinubu’s government to succeed. I don’t want their government to be a colossal failure in order to be able to defeat them in the next election, because if you are waiting for them to fail even more spectacularly than they are failing now, the people are going to suffer irreparably,” he said.

He stressed that the policies that the president and his team are now implementing, that people are crying blue murder, are the things he and his team predicted when they were campaigning as they pointed out the implications then.

He lamented that it has now dawned on President Tinubu that he is in serious trouble because he is approaching half time and none of his policies has worked. 

“And he is running out of propaganda to use to explain it because a hungry man has no doubt that he is hungry. So, there is no amount of ‘food is coming’ that you can use to deceive a baby. It is only when the food comes that the baby knows it has come.

“So this is the situation. They are not improving in any index, they are not generating any employment, they are not bringing inflation down, they are not bringing prices of goods and services down, they are not doing better with getting people jobs, they are not doing better with security, they are not doing better in any area that is of importance to the people.

“So, whether it is food, clothing or shelter, education or health care; things that are measurable, they are nowhere and those are the things that we are discussing. All other sentimental issues, we have left for those who are very good at the politics of emotion.

“But, we are for politics of development and measurement, and things that even when we say them; even if you are Tinubu’s best friend or a member of his political party, you know that these things we are saying are quite true. 

“Those are the things that we are talking about now and the manner in which we talk about them is such that we proffer solutions, so that should they have a second thought, they will look at the solution we are proposing and they will start to adopt our solutions,” he said.

He also told Nigerians that their current suffering was not by accident as he raised the alarm about what would befall them if they did not vote for the SDP, but lamented that Nigerians ignored his advice.

He, however, called on Nigerians to listen this time around as the country prepares for another election in 2027 so that they could get out of the current quagmire by rejecting Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Now you listen because you have an opportunity to get out of this quagmire by ensuring that in the next election, you just get rid of the APC and let President Tinubu go and enjoy his old age, and then we can sit down and put a proper government in place and then solve these problems that we shouldn’t be having.

“There are problems that we will be having whether we are developed or not but there are some problems we shouldn’t be having in this 2025 like food shortages, insecurity, lack of access to basic education, lack of access to healthcare and all of that. Those are not problems we should be having now; we should be having bigger problems,” he said.

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POLITICS

PDP Has Not Conducted South South Zonal Congress – Party NEC

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By Mike Odiakose, Abuja

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the conduct of the party’s South South Zonal Congress that took place in Calabar on Saturday, describing it as a mere “social gathering.

Reacting to the conduct of the Zonal Congress by acolytes of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, declared that the party “has not conducted its South South Zonal Congress neither is it in any way involved in the said gathering in Calabar.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the NWC at its meeting on Thursday, February 20, 2025 in exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2)(b), pursuant to Section 31 (2) (c) and (j) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) postponed the conduct of the South South Zonal Congress from the earlier scheduled date of Saturday, February 22, 2025 so as to allow for further consultation on critical issues relating to the smooth conduct of the Congress in the Zone.

 

“For clarity while Section 29 (2)(b) of the PDP Constitution empowers the NWC to “in case of emergency, act on behalf of the National Executive Committee subject to the ratification of the National Executive Committee ”, Section 31(2)(c) expressly provides that the National Executive Committee shall “supervise and direct the work of the Party and all its organs including the National, Zonal, State and Local Government organs”.

“In the same vein Section 31(2)(j) empowers the National Executive Committee “…to make Party electoral regulations to govern the conduct of elections to all Party offices at every level and regulate procedures for selecting the Party candidates for elective offices”. 

“For emphasis therefore, the PDP states that it has not conducted its South South Zonal Congress and it has yet to communicate a date for the exercise.”

The PDP called on all party members in the South South Zone, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Security Agencies and the Media to disregard any gathering or outcome of any such gathering in Calabar, Cross River State purported to be the South South Zonal Congress of the PDP.

“Our Party will in due course and through its official channels communicate a new date for the conduct of the South South Zonal Congress.”

The NWC commended the PDP South South State Governors, other leaders, critical stakeholders and members of the Party in the Zone for their loyalty and steadfastness toward the unity, stability and growth of the Party in the South South Zone and the nation.

Meanwhile, delegates to the PDP South South Zonal Congress have categorically stated that they are not part of the ongoing charade in Calabar, Cross River State. 

The Party delegates which comprises of State Excos, and others as enshrined in the Constitution of the PDP, 2017 as amended are currently at the Party Secretariat in Calabar, contrary to the lies being peddled by the suspended National Vice Chairman, South South, Chief Dan Orbih.

The delegates expressed concerns about the legitimacy and transparency of the congress, citing irregularities and manipulations. 

They have distance themselves from the process, which they believe is designed to undermine the democratic principles of the party.

“We, the delegates, are committed to upholding the values of democracy and fairness within our party,” said a spokesperson for the delegates. 

“We will not participate in any process that seeks to subvert the will of the people or undermine the integrity of our party,” the spokesperson said.

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