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Tag: Edo poll

  • Edo Poll: Oba of Benin invites Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu for peace pact

    Edo Poll: Oba of Benin invites Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu for peace pact

    The Oba of Benin, who is worried of the violent dimension that campaigns are going, said he would invite all the governorship candidates participating in the coming governorship election in the state to his palace to sign a peace pact.

    This, he said especially between the two major political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Oba Ewuare II said this while receiving, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu and his entourage in the palace.

    According to the monarch, the peace pact would enable them to talk to their followers to eschew violence before, during and after the September 19 governorship election.

    He advised that politicians must learn to emulate the immediate past President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan who for the interest of peace and the unity of the country accepted the outcome of the presidential election which eventually saw Muhammadu Buhari as the nation’s president as at today.

    He maintained that the palace has always remained neutral in the state’s politics but has regards and concerns for the candidate who has respect for the traditional institution, create jobs for the people so that can put foods on their families’ tables and respect the masses.

    The monarch further said to douse the political tensions in the nation’s politics, a single term system should be encouraged noting that such will not only cut costs but also reduce the undue tensions that are associated with it.

  • INEC suspends collection of voter cards, retains 2019 voter register for Edo poll

    INEC suspends collection of voter cards, retains 2019 voter register for Edo poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will retain the 2019 Edo State voter register for the governorship election, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Dr. Johnson Alalibo made this known during a dialogue with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of over 70 civil society organisations, in Abuja.

    He said there are 2,210,534 total registered voters in Edo, while the voter cards collected are 1,726,738.

    “The commission suspended collection of voter cards with continuous voter registration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    So, we are reverting to what we had in the 2019 general election.

    This is what we are using.”

  • Edo poll: DSS invites Kabaka, nine other APC chieftains

    Edo poll: DSS invites Kabaka, nine other APC chieftains

    The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited Tony Adun, aka Kabaka and nine other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo for a peace meeting on Saturday ahead of the September 19 governorship election.

    The meeting fixed for 11 am holds at the DSS’ Edo state headquarters at No. 1, Court Road, Government Reservation Area (GRA), Benin.

     

    The invitation from the DSS in Edo, headed by Waziri Mohammed, according to sources, was part of efforts to ensure peace during the crucial poll.

    Though 14 political parties would participate in the poll, it is believed to be a two-horse race between Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) Godwin Obaseki and APC’s Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

    The letter from DSS dated August 20, 2020, with reference number: 171/B/122, addressed to Adun, reads: “I am directed to invite you to an important meeting with the State Director of Security.

    “You (Adun) are to come with the following persons: Osakpamwan Eriyo, National Chairman RTEAN; Ehis Adams, APC Leader Oredo; Osaro Idahosa APC Leader, Ikpoba-Okha; Okunbor Roberts, APC Leader, Ovia South West LGA; Atarodo, APC member; Kingsley Amedo, APC member; Richard Obe, APC member; Osarobo Idehen, APC member; and Dr. Emma, APC member.”

  • Edo Poll: Oshiomhole attacks Progressives Governors DG, calls him pig, empty brain

    Edo Poll: Oshiomhole attacks Progressives Governors DG, calls him pig, empty brain

    Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole on Monday fired back at the Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, likening him to a pig and an empty brain.

    Recall that Lukman had recently told Oshiomhole to take the back seat while the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu markets himself to the electorates. The DG said the Edo campaign was appearing more like a contest between Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oshiomhole.

    Responding, Oshiomhole said: “lt takes an empty brain to suggest that I only want to stage a come back to become the national chairman. For what? To go and do a reset?

    He added that his central role in the ongoing campaign for the election of APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, had nothing to do with such interest.

    “So my attitude is not to reply the noise and it is coming from somebody who says he is an employee and appointee of Progressives Governors Forum.

    “He is just like the cowards that are using him that are not able to come out.

    “Otherwise, you should ask this guy, who is now an election expert. He contested for Senate against Makarfi, he lost.

    “He even contested against governor El-Rufai during the primaries and he lost, before Bagudu unilaterally appointed him the DG.

    “So, if he is now the spokesman abusing me and all of that, you want to drag me to his level? No!

    “A gentleman does not wrestle with a pig, if you do you will always be stained and I don’t want to get into that.

    “You want me to engage in a fight with a pig? If you engage in a fight with a pig, the pig already is stained by its nature and you will wear your white garment, and in my own case, khaki to go and wrestle with a pig? I will not.”

    “You see, what I want the media to interrogate is: When I was removed as national chairman, Edo was APC. So do I have to win Edo to become the chairman?

    “Do I look so unemployed? I’m 68.

    “So, what they don’t understand is that, it is not the office of chairman that made me who I am.

    “It is my pedigree from my days as labourer in the textile industry to be the general secretary of textile workers all over Nigeria and becoming the president of NLC.”

  • Appeal Court to deliver judgement on Edo poll today

    Appeal Court to deliver judgement on Edo poll today

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin will on Friday deliver judgement on the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, challenging the ruling of the Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal on the September 2016 governorship poll.

    The PDP and Ize-Iyamu are challenging the judgement of the Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led tribunal which upheld the election of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

    The tribunal had dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

    However, the appellants are, among other grounds of appeal, seeking an order setting aside the decision of the tribunal and an order nullifying the election of Obaseki, while declaring Ize-Iyamu as the winner with the highest number of lawful votes cast in the poll.

    They had in their appeal alleged that the tribunal judges erred and truncated their (appellants) right to fair hearing “by first finding fault, discrediting, disbelieving and dismissing their petition before considering at all and reviewing the testimonies of the witnesses of the respondents and, thus, occasioning a miscarriage of justice.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had in September declared the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the winner of the keenly contested gubernatorial election.